A laser sight that can be concealed within a standard autoloading handgun. The invention features a chassis that is mounted to the front face of the slide of the handgun. The chassis has the same cross-sectional profile of the handgun and extends the slide by only about three quarters of an inch. Therefore, the handgun can be carried in standard holsters. The standard spring recoil guide is replaced by a novel battery pack designed to be used with commercially available batteries providing about 12 hours of operating time. The device is activated by a three different membrane switches, one on the chassis itself to select between an infrared laser, a "red" laser, and an incandescent light; a second membrane switch on the trigger which activates the sight when a slight pressure is applied; a third membrane switch located on the side of the frame so that the sight can be activated without placing a finger on the trigger. A delay feature is featured with the third switch so the user can move his finger from the frame switch to the trigger switch without the sight being turned off.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to laser sights for use on small firearms, particularly semi-automatic handguns.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is well known that even skilled marksman with a handgun have been unable to hit a target as close as 7 meters when attempting to draw the weapon and fire at speed. In target shooting, the shooter must obtaining the proper stance by carefully positioning the feet and the "free" hand to find the most stable condition, producing no muscular strain that will adversely effect the accuracy of the shot. Most importantly, the shooter must be able to obtain an identical position each time the weapon is fired to achieve the greatest accuracy. As the whole upper torso moves during each breath, breath control plays a vital role in the process. Since there can be no body movement at the time the trigger is fired, obviously the act of breathing must be stopped during the time the weapon is aimed and fired.
Sight picture and aim are critical if the shooter is to fire the most accurate shot or series of shots. When a mechanical pistol sight is properly aligned, the top of the front sight should be level with the top of the rear sight, with an equal amount of light on either side of the front sight. Using this sight picture requires that the shooter focus his shooting eye so that the sights are in focus and the target is out of focus. Added to the difficulty, the trigger, all of the above must be maintained while the trigger is released using direct, even pressure to keep the barrel of the gun pointing at the target. These skills require tremendous practice, with each shot fired needing the utmost concentration if the shooter is to obtain maximum accuracy.
It is clear that the recommended methods of achieving maximum shooting accuracy useful for target shooting, must be severely modified when a handgun is used in a law enforcement situation. While the degree of accuracy necessary for target shooting and the distances and substantial lower, accuracy is still vital. Law enforcement official are instructed to fire only as a last resort, cognizant of the fact that their intended target will mostly be killed. Shooting to wound occurs only in the movies. Law enforcement officers typically use higher caliber handguns, mostly 9 mm, which are designed to immobilize with a single shot if that shot strikes a vital area. Given the inherent inaccuracies in the shooting process itself, exacerbated by the stress and fear of the police officer in what may be a life threatening situation for him/her, the exact location of the bullet where millimeters can mean the difference between death and survival cannot be known a priori by the even the most skilled marksman.
Mechanical sights have limited value in many situation where an officer must quickly draw his gun, perhaps while moving, and fire at a close target without sufficient time to properly obtain a sight picture. Under these circumstances, instinctive aiming, that is, not using the sights but rather "feeling where the gun barrel is pointing using the positioning of the hand holding the gun, is the preferred method. While this method, akin to the typical television cowboy shootouts, can be reasonably effective at short distances, obviously large errors in aiming are easily introduced, especially when the officer must frequently fire his/her weapon from a different hand position that has been used for practice. For example, bullet proof shields are used to protect the officer from being fired upon such as in a riot situation. In those circumstance, the officer must reach around his/her shield or other barricade and instinctively aim and fire his/her gun with the handgun in a very different orientation that would be experience if fired from a standing, drawn from a holster position. Small changes in barrel orientation due to the sight radius of the typical law enforcement handgun can produce substantial errors relative to the target. Accurate instinctive shooting is not considered practical beyond 20 feet for the average shooter.
A solution to this problem has been the introduction of laser sights for use with handguns. The typical laser sight is mounted on the top on the handgun or on the bottom. The laser sight when properly aligned, places a red light dot on the target where the bullet will strike if the gun is fired. Using this type of sight, enables the law officer to rapidly instinctively properly position the weapon and be certain of his/her intended target. Using a laser sight enables accurate shots to be fired at distances of more than 50 feet, sufficient for most combat law enforcement situations requiring the use of handguns.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,934,086, issued to Houde-Walter on Jun. 19, 1990, discloses installing the laser sight within the recoil spring guide. The use of the recoil spring guide to house the laser sight components enables the firearm to be holstered in a normal manner. The use of the spring recoil guide presents alignment problems to ensure accuracy. In other words, the laser within the recoil guide is difficult to align with the barrel of the firearm. Therefore, misalignment of the sight resulting in poor accuracy is likely.
However, prior art laser devices have several disadvantages. As they are mounted either on the top or the bottom of the weapon, the balance of the gun is disturbed which makes it more difficult for the shooter to rapidly use his/her instinctive sighting technique to move gun into alignment for hitting the desired target. Also, since prior art laser sights are very bulky in comparison to traditional mechanical sights, the weapon cannot be used in a standard holster. Further, the laser sight is extremely vulnerable to being hit due to extending substantially beyond the normal profile of the weapon and thereby misalignment of the sight and defeating the advantages offered by the laser sight. A laser sight capable of being installed in a semi-automatic handgun, easily and accurately adjustable, is not disclosed in the prior art.


An air-to-fuel ratio control system optimally controls an air-to-fuel ratio of an internal combustion engine according to various engine operating conditions, and aims at assuring quick air-to-fuel ratio control and preventing erroneous operation of the engine. With this control system, a corrective amount of fuel to be supplied is determined according to a deviation .DELTA.(A/F) of a measured air-to-fuel ratio (A/F).sub.i and a target air-to-fuel ration (A/F).sub.OBJ. This corrective amount of the fuel is kept in an allowable range defined by limits K.sub.LMIN and K.sub.LMAX, or K.sub.RMIN and K.sub.RMAX. Therefore, the engine is supplied with the fuel which is controlled according to a target fuel amount LT.sub.INJ determined by the correct fuel amount. The control system is responsive to various engine operating conditions, and protects the engine against troubles, damage and interruption, and prevents deterioration of exhaust gases.

Fuel injectors of an internal combustion engine have to supply a fuel to an engine system in response to operating conditions thereof. It is necessary to keep an air-to-fuel ratio in a narrow area near the stoichiometric ratio, i.e. a target ratio near the stoichiometric ratio, so that a three-way catalytic converter can effectively purify exhaust gases.
In the internal combustion engine, the air-to-fuel ratio depends upon loads and engine speeds. As shown in FIG. 11 of the accompanying drawings, the target air-to-fuel ratio should be determined depending upon whether the engine is operating with an air-to-fuel ratio which is for a fuel cutting zone, a lean zone, a stoichiometric zone or a high acceleration operating zone. There are proposed engines which mainly operate with a lean air-fuel mixture so as to save the fuel.
The air-to-fuel ratio of such an engine is usually set between a target value and the stoichiometric ratio according to the engine operating conditions. In addition, if the target air-to-fuel ratio is extensively variable in the rich and lean zones from the stoichiometric ratio, an exhaust gas purifier has to include not only a three-way catalytic converter but also a catalyst for effectively purifying NOx in lean exhaust gases. Such a catalyst is disposed before the three-way catalytic converter so as to remove NOx from the lean exhaust gases. One of such engines is exemplified in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication Sho 60-125250 (1985).
To feedback control this engine, it is essential to obtain data on the air-to-fuel ratio which is extensively variable in the entire engine operating zone. Wide-range air-to-fuel ratio sensors are employed for this purpose. One of such sensors is disclosed in the Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication Hei 2-204326 (1991).
A control unit for this purpose calculates a corrective air-to-fuel ratio based on actual air-to-fuel ratio data measured by the wide range air-to-fuel ratio sensor and a target air-to-fuel ratio (in the rich and lean zones from the stoichiometric ratio) which is set for a possible engine operating condition. The corrective air-to-fuel ratio removes the deviation of the actual air-to-fuel ratio from the target air-to-fuel ratio. Then, the amount of fuel to be injected is calculated to satisfy the corrective air-to-fuel ratio, so that fuel injectors will deliver the calculated amount of the fuel.
The present invention aims at solving the following problems of conventional air-to-fuel ratio control systems.
When an air-to-fuel ratio sensor or a fuel injector becomes out of use in any of the foregoing air-to-fuel control systems, the air-to-fuel ratio would be erroneously corrected in the feedback control process, with unreliable operation or interruption of the engine being caused, or the engine being damaged due to knocking.
The foregoing inconveniences may be solved by uniformly setting the maximum and minimum allowable ranges of the corrective value in the feedback control. However, since the feedback control capability per step is limited, the air-to-fuel ratio sometimes has to be controlled in a plurality of steps.
With the foregoing prior problems in view, it is an object of the invention to provide an air-to-fuel ratio control system which can effectively prevent over-correction of the air-to-fuel ratio in the feedback control process.

Air-to-fuel ratio control system for internal combustion engine


Solid state and hybrid circuit protection devices include improved arc-less switching capability and overcurrent protection, improved terminal assemblies and improved thermal management features that reduce or eliminate ignition sources for hazardous environments. The solid state and hybrid circuit protection devices are ignition protected and avoid possible explosions and therefore obviate a need for conventional explosion-proof enclosures to ensure safe operation of an electrical power system in hazardous locations.

The field of the invention relates generally to circuit protection devices, and more specifically to compliant electrical circuit protection devices that meet or exceed applicable standards and requirements for operation in hazardous environments.
Various different types of circuit protection devices exist to satisfy the needs of electrical power systems providing electrical power to various electrical loads. For example, various different devices and assemblies are known that provide disconnect functionality between a power supply circuit and an electrical load. With such devices, output power may be selectively switched from a power supply either manually or automatically to facilitate service and maintenance of the electrical power system, as well as to address electrical fault conditions. Circuit breaker devices and fusible disconnect switch devices are two well-known types of devices that each provide a different capability to respond to overcurrent and electrical fault conditions and to electrically isolate load-side electrical equipment from line-side power supply circuitry, thereby protecting the load-side equipment and circuitry from otherwise damaging overcurrent conditions in the electrical power system.
While known circuit protector disconnect devices are available that satisfy the needs of many electrical systems, they remain disadvantaged in some aspects for certain types of electrical systems and applications in which the circuit protectors are located in hazardous locations. Existing circuit protector disconnect devices therefore have yet to completely meet the needs of the marketplace. Improvements are accordingly desired.

Compliant, hazardous environment circuit protection devices, systems and methods


A method and computer program product are provided for implementing supervision functions for Internet browsing. A user profile record is maintained. A universal resource locator (URL) is identified. Approval is determined for the identified URL. The URL is displayed according to the user profile record. A view record is created and the screen is optionally captured at prescribed events and time intervals. The user profile record includes a display level, a URL history capture, and trust lists. The display level includes approved, monitored and restricted options. The URL history capture includes approved, monitored and restricted options and defined threshold values. Trusted URLs are allowed to delegate trust to links on their pages. URLs are allowed to inherit trust from a trusted URL. A supervised user may create an explanation for a bad choice to a history record. The trust lists include a list of approved web sites.

The present invention relates generally to the data processing field, and more particularly, relates to a method and computer program product for implementing parental supervision for Internet browsing.
The Internet is a major source of information and entertainment for a growing number of people. Parents, having responsibility for minor children, need to monitor and control what their children are accessing over the Internet.
Parents need better ways to monitor what their children are browsing on the Internet. Current art provides a measure of control through censoring or filtering certain sites based on a Universal Resource Locator (URL). However, current censoring software is not infallible and can allow undesirable material. Lists are never totally complete; images cannot be analyzed for content; lists go out of date because bad sites are proliferating and changing, often with the intent of outsmarting filtering programs. Available censoring programs sometimes prohibit good sites that are not wanted to be filtered.
Thus many parents opt to monitor usage in addition to, or instead of censoring software only. Current art provides monitoring through logging of URLs visited. Current logs of visited URLs have limitations. They provide time stamps and URLs, but no images. The URLs are not always descriptive, and the large number of URLs in a log make revisiting each URL impractical. Current logs require consistent review by a parent, but a parent is not always aware when greater Internet usage is taking place. Thus logs are often not effective, even when kept because review is inconsistent or not thorough. Since parents have difficulty controlling what the child views outside of the home, many parents hope to teach children proper viewing behavior within the home and develop trust in a child""s viewing choices. However, the weaknesses of current logging are even more apparent, here. The sooner after an infraction a parent can catch a bad choice after viewing, the better for training, but because the parent may be unaware of a bad choice and because of the difficulty in monitoring using current logs, the teaching opportunity is missed and the benefit lost.
A need exists for an improved method and computer program product for implementing parental supervision for Internet browsing. It is desirable to provide parents with an effective mechanism for monitoring what their children view. It is desirable to provide an improved method and computer program product which more approximates a parent looking over the shoulder of a child, such that the parent can more quickly understand what the child is viewing and more quickly and effectively work with bad choices the child is making.
A principal object of the present invention is to provide a method and computer program product for implementing parental supervision for Internet browsing. Other important objects of the present invention are to provide such method and computer program product for implementing parental supervision for Internet browsing substantially without negative effect and that overcome many of the disadvantages of prior art arrangements.
In brief, a method and computer program product are provided for implementing supervision functions for Internet browsing. A user profile record is maintained. A universal resource locator (URL) is identified. Approval is determined for the identified URL. The URL is displayed according to the user profile record. A view record is created.
In accordance with features of the invention, the user profile record includes a display level, a URL history capture, and trust lists. The display level includes approved, monitored and restricted options. The URL history capture includes approved, monitored and restricted options and defined threshold values. The trust lists include a list of approved web sites.

Method and computer program product for implementing parental supervision for internet browsing

International Business Machines Corporation


The present invention relates to a process for separating a charged species from an aqueous system, wherein the process comprises the following steps: (a) a first aqueous system comprising the charged species is contacted at a first temperature with an ampholytic polymeric 5 system comprising cationic and anionic domains, wherein the charged species is bonded to the ampholytic polymeric system; and (b) the ampholytic polymeric system is contacted with a second aqueous system at a second temperature, wherein the charged species is released to the second aqueous system, wherein the second temperature is higher than the first temperature and wherein the second temperature is higher than the first temperature and wherein the second 10 temperature is less than 60° C.

Current demineralization or softening systems often make use of ion exchange resins, e.g. in water purification plants, or softening chemicals, e.g. in laundry washing-machines and dishwashing-machines. The main disadvantage of the resins is that they loose their ion exchange capacity after a period of time and need to be regenerated. This regeneration step involves the use of additional chemicals like acids, bases or salts. These chemicals are harmful for the environment because they can cause salinization. The same holds for softening chemicals used in washing formulations used in laundry washing-machines and dish washing-machines. Salinization is known as the accumulation of soluble mineral salts near the surface of soil, usually caused by the capillary flow of water from saline ground water. Where the rate of surface evaporation is high, irrigation can exacerbate the problem by moistening the soil and causing water to be drawn from deeper levels as water evaporates from the surface. The evaporation of pure water leaves the salts behind, allowing them to accumulate, and they can reach concentrations that are toxic to plants, thus sterilising the land.
Alternative demineralisation or softening systems can be based on thermo-regenerable ion exchange resins. These resins can be regenerated at lower or higher temperatures than the temperature at which they are used without the addition of chemicals.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,152,496, WO 2005/103124 and US 2005/0234141, incorporated by reference herein, disclose a polyampholyte resin (hybrid copolymers) that can be thermally regenerated and which is capable of removing ions from a water stream. In particular, WO 2005/103124 and US 2005/0234141, both incorporated by reference, disclose a polyampholyte resin comprising a macroporous "host" copolymer and a second "guest" polymer which is contained in the pores of the macroporous "host" copolymer. The polyampholyte resin can be prepared in a non-aqueous solvent by crosslinking a polyacrylate with vinyl benzyl chloride in the presence of divinyl benzene as crosslinker followed by conversion of the chloride groups into amino groups. When the polyampholyte resin is contacted with water, the carboxylic and amino groups will ionize and form zwitterions consisting of carboxylate and ammonium groups. Upon contacting the resin in a subsequent step with a salt solution, preferably at a temperature of about 5° to 25° C., the salt cations and salt anion will bind to the ammonium and carboxylate groups, respectively. The salt may be removed at a later stage at higher temperatures, preferably at about 60° to 100° C., to regenerate the original resin. A disadvantage of such thermo-regenerable resins is that temperatures that are necessary for regeneration and that the temperature differences between binding the salt ions and regenerating the thermo-reversible resin are rather high (at least 35° C.) and that therefore these systems are energetically ineffective.
The regeneration of this resin is believed to be based on the principle that at high temperature, salts are more easily washed out of the resin when the positive and negative charged functional groups of the resin are placed close together and therefore lack the need of counter ions.
Another thermo-regenerable polymer system known in the art is disclosed in WO 2005/049679, incorporated by reference. This polymer system comprises a non-ionic polymer comprising anionic terminal end groups and can be used to remove multivalent metal cations from an aqueous system. WO 2006/078163, incorporated by reference, discloses a similar polymer system having cationic groups. These polymeric systems bind ions at temperatures higher than the critical micellization temperature (CMT) and can be regenerated at temperatures lower than the CMT. See also Custers et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 127, 1594-1595, 2005 and Lauw et al., Langmuir 22, 10932-10941, 2006, both incorporated by reference. The disadvantage of these systems is that binding occurs at elevated temperatures whereas regeneration occurs at lower temperatures. A reversed system, i.e. regeneration at a temperature higher than the CMT, would, however, be more preferable in certain applications such as laundry washing-machines and dish washing-machines.
Another disadvantage of the polymer systems according to WO 2005/049679 and WO 2006/078163 is that in thermo-reversible binding processes, wherein the polymer systems and a metal cation extracting aqueous phase are separated by a semi-permeable membrane, the Donnan-effect (also known as the Gibbs-Donnan effect) results in an uneven distribution of ions on either side of the membrane, which prevents the extraction from metal ions out of the polymer system to the extracting aqueous phase if the latter has a low ionic strength. As a consequence, when using such polymer systems, extracting aqueous phases which have a high ionic strength must be used in order to 'pull out' the cations bound to the polymer systems.
WO 96/06134, incorporated by reference, discloses responsive gels based on N-isopropylacryl amide, acrylic acid and acrylamide.
Alvarez-Lorenzo et al., Langmuir 17, 3616-3622, 2001, incorporated by reference herein, discloses a polyampholyte thermo-sensitive gel comprising carboxylate and ammonium groups.
Balamurugan et al., Langmuir 19, 2545-2549, 2003, incorporated by reference, discloses poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) brushes grafted on mixed self-assembled monolayers of gold by atom transfer radical polymerization.
Zhang et al., Polymer 46, 7695-7700, 2005, incorporated by reference, discloses a semi-interpenetrating network (semi-IPN) composed of a crosslinked copolymer of acrylamide/acrylic acid and linear polyallylammonium chloride.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,202,737, incorporated by reference, discloses a desalination process wherein a thermally regenerable ion exchange resin having weakly acidic free acid groups and weakly basic free base groups is contacted with an aqueous feed solution containing a salt of a strong acid. Hence, thermally regenerable ion exchange resin has only neutral free acid groups and neutral free basic groups. The thermally regenerable ion exchange resin may be a hybrid resin as is for example disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,991,017, incorporated by reference, i.e. that it contains two crosslinked copolymer phases (IPN's). The thermally regenerable ion exchange resin may also be a composite ion-exchange resin as is for example disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,645,922, incorporated by reference, i.e. that it contains composite particles of non-crosslinked ion exchange resins (cationic and anionic) which are dispersed in a homogeneous matrix of a crosslinked, water-insoluble polymer material.
Prior to or during the contacting step with the aqueous feed solution, the weakly basic free base groups are converted into the carbonate form of these weakly basic free base groups, e.g. ammonium hydrogen carbonate groups having the general formula resin-[N(R3)H+][HCO3−]. During the contacting step, the HCO3− anion is exchanged with the anion of the salt of the strong acid thereby forming a salt of the cation of the salt of the strong acid and of the liberated HCO3− anion, said salt of the cation of the salt of the strong acid and of the liberated HCO3− anion reacting with the neutral weakly acidic free acid groups under the formation of carbonic acid (H2CO3), wherein the neutral weakly acidic free acid groups are converted in their salt form. As a consequence, during the whole desalination process the acidic groups and basic groups remain neutral (either in the free form or in the salt form).
U.S. Pat. No. 3,991,017 discloses hybrid copolymers (or IPN's) containing ion exchange functional groups (cationic and/or anionic), wherein the hybrid copolymers contain a crosslinked macroreticular host of a polyunsaturated monomer and a monethylenically unsaturated monomer, wherein said cross-linked macroreticular host is partially filled with a crosslinked gel copolymer phase of a polyunsaturated monomer and a monoethylenically unsaturated monomer. Hence, the hybrid copolymer consists of two cross-linked copolymer phases.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,645,922, incorporated by reference, discloses a composite adsorbent which is capable of being regenerated by elution with water or saline solutions at a temperature higher than the temperature at which adsorption occurs. The composite adsorbent is in the form of composite particles, wherein the composite particles comprise acidic and basic ion exchange resins which are dispersed in a homogeneous matrix of a water-insoluble polymeric material, the latter being a crosslinked polyelectrolyte or a crosslinked copolymer having neutral hydrophilic functional groups.
Mohan and Geckler, React. Funct. Polym. 67, 144-155, 2007, incorporated by reference, discloses polyampholyte hydrogels (interpenetrating networks) composed of positively and negatively charged units. The hydrogels are prepared from poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-sodium acrylate) and poly(ethyleneimine). The use of these polyampholyte hydrogels in ion separation processes is not explicitly disclosed.
Obviously, there is a need in the art for an ion exchange system that can be regenerated at moderate temperatures without the addition of chemicals.

Process for separating a charged species from an aqueous system


The method includes receiving, by one or more computer processors, a first text, wherein at least a portion of the received first text is confidential. The method further includes identifying, by one or more computer processors, an intended recipient of the received first text. The method further includes identifying, by one or more computer processors, a first conversion model, which corresponds to the intended recipient. The method further converting, by one or more computer processors, the received first text into a third text that does not include confidential text based upon the identified first conversion model.

The present invention relates generally to securely sending text using a computing device. More specifically the invention relies on steganographic principles to hide sensitive text within innocuous text.
Steganography is the art and science of encoding hidden messages in such a way that no one, apart from the sender and the intended recipient, suspects the existence of sensitive information within the text. Steganography is a form of security through obscurity. Generally, the hidden messages will appear to be, or be part of, something else such as, images, articles, shopping lists, or some other masked text.
Steganography includes the concealment of information within computer files. In digital steganography, electronic communications may include steganographic coding inside of a transport layer, such as a document file, image file, program or protocol.

System for hiding sensitive messages within non-sensitive meaningful text

International Business Machines Corporation


A microelectromechanical transducer includes: a semiconductor body, having a first surface and a second surface opposite to one another; a first structural body, coupled to the first surface of the semiconductor body; a first sealed cavity between the semiconductor body and the first structural body; and an active area housed in the first sealed cavity, including at least two trenches and a sensor element between the trenches. The trenches extend along a vertical direction from the first surface towards the second surface of the semiconductor body.

Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a microelectromechanical transducer and to a method for manufacturing the microelectromechanical transducer. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a trench-based solid-body pressure or force sensor and to a manufacturing method thereof.
Description of the Related Art
As is known, integrated pressure sensors can be manufactured with micromachining techniques. These sensors typically comprise a thin membrane, or diaphragm, suspended over a cavity provided in a silicon body. Formed within the membrane are piezoresistive elements connected together to form a Wheatstone bridge. When subjected to a pressure, the membrane undergoes deformation, causing a variation of resistance of the piezoresistive elements, and thus an unbalancing of the Wheatstone bridge. As an alternative, capacitive sensors are available, where the membrane provides a first plate of a capacitor, whereas a second plate is provided by a fixed reference. During use, deflection of the membrane generates a variation of the capacitance of the capacitor, which may be detected and associated to the pressure exerted on the membrane.
However, these semiconductor sensors may not in themselves be used for measuring high pressures in so far as they typically have low full-scale values. Thus, for high-pressure applications, piezoresistors are formed at a surface of a N-type silicon body, e.g., by means of P+ implants.
Examples of manufacturing techniques and applications are provided in U.S. Pat. No. 5,773,728. According to the disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 5,773,728, a semiconductor sensor suitable for high-pressure applications includes piezoresistors on top of strain gauges directly connected to the surface of a silicon substrate. The active region, consisting of (i) the strain gauges, (ii) the trenches between them and (iii) the piezoresistors, is exposed to the environment. The absence of a protection structure induces risks of damage or leakage on said active region, preventing a reliable use of the sensor in harsh environments.
It is known to the present applicant that a gel may be used to protect the active region. However, the protective gel could be damaged or removed in conditions of high temperature and/or high pressure, or when in contact with specific fluids for hydrostatic pressure applications. Moreover, said protective gel would fill trenches in active regions, affecting their behavior.

Trench-based microelectromechanical transducer and method for manufacturing the microelectromechanical transducer


An image recording apparatus includes: a first guide member having a first sliding surface; a second guide member having another first sliding surface; and a carriage being supported by the first sliding surfaces of the first and second guide members. The carriage includes first sliding convex parts protruding from a lower surface side thereof and coming in contact with the first sliding surfaces of the first and second guide members, and a coming-out preventing pawl disposed to hold at least one of the first and second guide members in cooperation with the first sliding convex part. At least one of the first and second guide members includes a notch part at a specified position, and the carriage is detachable from the first and second guide members by causing the coming-out preventing pawl to pass through the notch part.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus of an ink-jet type or the like, and more particularly to a structure of a supporting device of a carriage on which a recording head is mounted.
2. Description of the Related Art
A dominating conventional image recording apparatus is such that for example, as disclosed in JP-A-5-270091 (see FIGS. 1 to 4), in order to support a carriage carrying a recording head in such a manner that it can reciprocate in a main scanning direction, the carriage is slidably supported by a cylindrical guide shaft.
According to the cylindrical guide shaft, because of excellent size accuracy, high rigidity, a variation of a so-called paper gap between the nozzle surface of the recording head and the surface of a recording medium can be made small, and a high quality recording image can be easily obtained, however, the cost is high. Besides, when the carriage is detached from the guide shaft for maintenance, exchange or the like, the guide shaft is first detached from a frame, and further, the carriage must be detached from the guide shaft, while a procedure opposite thereto must be carried out at the time of assembly. Thus, there is a problem that the mounting of the carriage is very difficult.
For the purpose of reducing the cost, in JP-A-2002-254746 (see FIG. 2), a first carriage guide plate having a Z-shaped section is formed by cutting and raising at a halfway part, in the height direction, of a main frame provided to stand in the vertical direction, and a first guide part protruded downward from one lower surface of a carriage is brought into contact with an upper surface of a horizontal first position regulating plate. A third guide part laterally protruded from the lower part of the carriage so as to face the lower surface (sliding surface) of the first guide part is made to face the lower surface of the first position regulating plate.
Besides, at a part protruded downward from a side part of the carriage to have a U shape, a pair of second guide parts are provided to hold both the front and back surfaces of a second position regulating plate obtained by bending the tip of the first position regulating plate vertically upward.
Further, the lower surface (sliding surface) of a fourth guide part protruded downward from the other lower surface of the carriage is brought into contact (slide contact) with a third position regulating surface (upper surface) of the horizontal second carriage guide plate.


A closure adaptable for protecting an electric plug extending from a vehicle, which comprises a box-like structure having first and second complementary members hingedly connected and interface with each other when the closure is in a closed condition. A recess in a marginal edge of at least one side wall of said member forms an opening along the interface of said first and second members when in closed condition to permit electric wires to extend from said plug outwardly from said closure. A closed cell, cellular polymer is encased in each of said first and second members, (i) said polymer being substantially moisture resistant and compressible, (ii) and said polymer having a combined volume sufficient relative to the combined, interior volume of said closure to permit said first and second members to close when brought into abutting relationship and to substantially envelop said plug thereby forming a water-tight seal.

An electric line extending from a power source may terminate with a plug, or have a plug connected thereto, for connection to another line to extend the power beyond the plug. Typically, the plug has one or more female electrical receptacles for accommodating the male connectors from the extension cord. Much of the time the plug is not in use, that is, the plug is hanging free without any electrical hook-up. During this down-time, it is desirable to protect the plug from the elements, especially moisture, so as to inhibit corrosion. Plugs of this type are in common use with vehicles, i.e. automobiles, trucks, and trailers. For example, a plug may be connected to the battery power of an automobile by connecting or hooking-up the lead wire of the plug with the rear lighting system of the automobile. When a trailer is hitched to the automobile, the wires from the trailer are connected to the plug, and consequently the electric power from the automobile will operate the rear lights or tail lights of the trailer. Much of the time, however, the the plug is not in use and hangs freely from the car. It, therefore, is desirable to protect the plug from the elements, but to be able to provide for immediate and easy access to the plug when needed.
Insulating housings or closures for electrical connectors and splices are well known in the art. For example U.S. Pat. No. 4,749,363 discloses a junction box for housing the end socket of an extension cord to prevent access thereto and to protect against electric shock, and comprises box 10 having a hinged cover 11 and side wall openings 23, 24 and 25 for accomodating extension cords 13, 14 and 15. A housing comprising hinged complementary halves is shown in a number of patents, as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,643,505 for housing an extension cord connector having complementary halves 24 and 26. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,865,557 discloses a closure device for the plug of an electric appliance comprising base 12-B and hinged cover 12-C. U.S. Pat. No. 3,223,776 discloses a cable-tap closure and comprises two integrally hinged box-like half-sections 10 and 12 with end walls having a yieldable barrier of comb-like tines 22. Another protection device is shown in French Patent No. 2234687, which shows a box hinged to enable two halves to be locked together, thereby protecting a wall socket especially from children. U.S. Pat. No. 4,698,459 shows a case having base 10 and hinged cap 12 for protecting the connection between the terminal post of a battery and the battery cable. A closure comprising mating half sections for a wire junction are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,963,700 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,278,674, and further Patent '700 shows filling one of the sections with a tackified elastomer extended with oil and fillers.
There is no teaching in all of this art of a closure or housing for enclosing and protecting an electric plug when not deployed for establishing an electrical connection, and adaptable for extension from a vehicle, especially for such protection from ambient moisture. A plug of this type typically has one or more female receptacles, and therefore when the plug is not in use, it is susceptible to corrosion particularly because of ambient moisture. This invention has, therefore, as its purpose to provide a closure for protecting such a plug, as one extending from a vehicle, and when not in use. When the plug is to be used, it is removed from the protector, and an electrical connection can be established between the power source of the vehicle and a second hitched vehicle.


Systems and methods of controlling an internal combustion engine provide for a fuel combustion cycle that takes place in a combustion chamber of the engine. Injection of water into the combustion chamber during the fuel combustion cycle is controlled based on sensor input, such as temperature, extinguishment and pollution level input.

1. Technical Field
Embodiments of the invention generally relate to internal combustion engines. More particularly, embodiments relate to internal combustion engines that use water injection.
2. Discussion
The internal combustion engine (ICE), which is a cornerstone of the transportation and other industries, has long been the subject of considerable research. Many ICE's, such as standard four cycle and two cycle engines derive power from the combustion of fuel/air mixtures. For example, the ignition of hydrocarbon fuel, such as gasoline, propane, natural gas, or diesel is often used to force piston movement, which in turn rotates a crank shaft to transfer power to the wheels of a vehicle. Despite the popularity of these conventional ICE designs, a number of challenges remain. For example, in order to increase the power output of a conventional engine, it is often necessary to increase the number of combustion chambers (i.e., "cylinders"), which essentially provides the opportunity to increase the amount of fuel available for combustion over a given period of time. Unfortunately, this fuel increase tends to add to the cost of operation—particularly in situations where the price of fuel is relatively high.
Conventional ICE's also face significant obstacles with regard to toxic emissions. Indeed, the tightening of governmental emissions standards in the automotive industry is well documented and the subject of considerable debate. In order to meet these standards, automotive manufacturers may be under increased pressure to develop more advanced exhaust systems, such as enhanced catalytic converters, which can lead to increased manufacturing costs.
Another concern with conventional ICEs centers around the heat generated by the combustion cycle. In particular, engine designers are often forced to implement complex cooling systems to combat overheating. Other solutions involve constructing virtually all engine components out of high-temperature metals. Each of these solutions can further increase costs. In addition, any excess heat that is successfully removed from the system is generally treated as waste.
Although more recent engine development efforts have resulted in the design of a six cycle steam combustion engine, which uses two additional cycles to generate power from steam, there remains considerable room for improvement. In the six cycle engine, for example, once the combustion stroke has terminated and the exhaust gases have been lost and discharged via the exhaust stroke, water is injected in order to create vapor from the leftover heat. The vaporization pushes the piston down to develop a pressure steam stroke. At the end of the pressure steam stroke, a wet condition typically exists within the cylinder. As a result, the six cycle engine may fail to be as efficient as possible (or may be rendered inoperable) in cold weather environments.


Described herein are thermoset compositions and kits of compositions suitable for use in additive fabrication processes including high concentrations of urethane methacrylate oligomers having at least one polymerizable group, and a number average molecular weight from 750 to 4000 g/mol, an effective quantity of a monofunctional reactive diluent monomer, a defined concentration of a network building agent having a molecular weight that is lower than the urethane methacrylate oligomer, optionally a photoinitiator, and optionally, additives. Also disclosed are methods of creating three-dimensional parts via additive fabrication processes utilizing urethane methacrylate oligomer-centric compositions, wherein various exposure irradiances, cure temperatures, and oxygen content levels are prescribed, as well as the articles cured therefrom.

Additive fabrication processes for producing three dimensional objects are well known. Additive fabrication processes utilize computer-aided design (CAD) data of an object to build three-dimensional parts. These three-dimensional parts may be formed from liquid resins, powders, or other materials.
Various types of materials are used in additive fabrication processes. Generally, thermoplastic materials are used in, for example fused filament fabrication (FFF) and selective laser sintering (SLS) processes, whereas thermoset materials are used in, tier example vat-based processes and processes that involve jetting of liquid materials.
Generally, electromagnetic radiation is used to induce rapid curing of the thermosetting materials. The electromagnetic radiation may be UV, visible, or infrared light and may be applied, for example, by lasers, lamps, or LEDs. The electromagnetic radiation may be applied selectively, e.g. by drawing a specific pattern with a laser, using a digital micromirror device (DMD), or a mask, or unselectively, e.g. by passing a lamp over the entirety of a surface. Post-processing by applying additional temperature or light to the newly formed three-dimensional object may be necessary to achieve the desired properties of a three-dimensional object formed from a thermosetting composition.
A well-known, non-limiting example of a vat-based additive fabrication process is stereolithography Stereo lithography is a process for rapidly producing models, prototypes, patterns, and production parts in certain applications. SL uses CAD data of an object wherein the data is transformed into thin cross-sections of a three-dimensional object. The data is loaded into a computer which controls a laser that traces a pattern of a cross section through a liquid radiation curable resin composition contained in a vat, solidifying a thin layer of the resin corresponding to the cross section. The solidified layer is recoated with resin and the laser traces another cross section to harden another layer of resin on top of the previous layer. The process is repeated layer by layer until the three-dimensional object is completed. When initially formed, the three-dimensional object is, in general, not fully cured, and is called a "green model." Although not required, the green model may be subjected to post-curing to enhance the mechanical properties of the finished part.
Many classes of thermosetting materials have been used in additive fabrication processes. One well-known class suitable for use in additive fabrication systems is a "hybrid" curable resin, or one that comprises: (1) epoxies, oxetanes, or other types of cationically polymerizable compounds; (2) one or more cationic photoinitiators; (3) acrylate resins or other types of free radical polymerizable compounds; and (4) one or more free radical photoinitiators. Such resins have become popular for applications requiring cured parts produced via additive fabrication processes with superior mechanical properties that approach engineering thermoplastics. Furthermore, hybrid curable systems are used wherein part warping, curl, or differential shrinkage is desired to be minimized.
Various advances have been made to hybrid-curable thermosetting materials for additive fabrication, either to improve the mechanical properties of the finished article, or to increase the number of additive manufacturing systems into which such systems may be incorporated. For example, US2010/0304088 describes a radiation curable resin composition comprising cationically polymerizable components and an impact modifier that, after full cure, results in a material having a high tensile modulus and high toughness, as shown by high impact strength and/or high resistance against crack propagation. U.S. Pat. No. 9,228,073 describes "filled" hybrid-curable materials that exhibit superior strength, stiffness, and high temperature resistance. U.S. Pat. No. 9,708,442 describes hybrid-curable materials that are sufficiently fast curing in more modern additive manufacturing systems incorporating LED or DLP-based UV/vis optics.
However, the ring-opening mechanism of cationic polymerization generally occurs relatively slowly, and requires a relatively high degree of activation energy, such that these systems require relatively high doses of actinic radiation to cure sufficiently quickly, and in any event could suffer from long-term liquid stability problems due to the "living" nature of the cationic polymerization mechanism. Another drawback of hybrid-curable systems is their lack of ready biocompatibility. Also, such systems may be tuned for high heat resistance or toughness, but it is challenging to tune such resins to perform exceptionally well in both such areas simultaneously. Finally, such systems often produce three-dimensional articles which exhibit yellowing over long-term exposure to UV light.
Purely free-radically polymerizable type materials have been known and used even longer than the aforementioned hybrid-based systems in additive fabrication processes. Such radically-polymerizable systems generally consist of one or more acrylate compounds (or other free-radical polymerizable organic compounds) along with a free-radical photoinitiator for radical generation. U.S. Pat. No. 5,418,112 describes one such radical-curable system. Although acrylate-containing compounds readily cure under even the relatively lower energy and lower intensity, they are not suitable for all additive fabrication applications. First, acrylate-based resins considered suitable for additive fabrication processes have traditionally produced brittle cured parts with insufficient mechanical properties to be incorporated into many end-use applications. Also, such resins typically exhibit problems of deformation, such as production of warped or malformed parts, because of residual strain due to the differential shrinkage during curing. Such problems are exacerbated on larger-platform additive fabrication machines, wherein the cumulative differential shrinkage effect amplifies part warping or malformation as cured objects become larger.
Although preferred from a biocompatibility standpoint, methacrylate-based free-radical polymerizable systems useable in additive fabrication processes have traditionally also yielded cured articles with inferior mechanical properties and increased differential shrinkage when compared with leading hybrid-curable materials. Furthermore, they exhibit inferior cure speed and comparable brittleness when compared to all-acrylate containing systems.
From the foregoing, it is evident that a heretofore unmet need exists to provide radiation curable materials for additive fabrication processes which are capable of ready printability in existing additive fabrication processes, and also yield cured articles with superior mechanical properties while simultaneously enabling improved biocompatibility. An example of existing additive fabrication processes includes top-down, open-vat SLA or DLP processes. An example of cured articles with superior mechanical properties would be those exhibiting simultaneous enhanced toughness and Tg. It would further be desirable to provide a platform of biocompatible materials which are readily-tunable so as to facilitate the creation of three-dimensional cured articles with a wide range of properties to accommodate the differing requirements of a variety of end-use applications.

Radiation curable compositions for additive fabrication


BAFF plays a central role in acquired immunity. The disclosure identifies BAFF-responsive genes that are substantially upregulated by administration of BAFF and substantially downregulated by treatment with a BAFF antagonist. Specific genes are: NF-κB2, CD23, H2-Mβ (the beta chain of H2-DM), Fig-1, and OBF-1. The disclosure provides methods and compositions for: monitoring the activity of a BAFF antagonist in a mammal; monitoring BAFF activity in a mammal; identifying a mammal to be treated with a BAFF antagonist; and related uses. Such methods include detecting one or more molecules selected from the group consisting of Fig-1 molecule, OBF-1 molecule, and H2-Mβ molecule in a biological sample of the mammal, and optionally further detecting NF-κB2 molecule and/or CD23 molecule in the biological sample.

B cells play a central role in acquired immunity. These cells possess the unique ability to mount a rapid and directed antibody response against foreign antigens, and to act as antigen-presenting cells. To maintain B cell homeostasis and a self-tolerant state, it is important to have a continuous pool of B cell precursors that will mature and migrate to peripheral organs, as well as maintain a process of negative selection to eliminate autoreactive B cells. Dysregulation in the B cell developmental process could lead to a block in B cell development, and thus immune deficiency, or conversely, to an escape and expansion of self-reactive B cells leading to autoimmunity.
Generation of high affinity, somatically hypermutated autoantibodies is one of the hallmarks of autoimmune conditions. The autoantibodies can cause severe tissue damage (e.g., as in lupus nephritis) or loss of blood components (e.g., as in immune thrombocytopenia purpura). The prevailing treatment strategies for autoimmune disorders employ global immunosuppressants that have harmful side effects with long-term use.
Recent discovery of the B cell survival and maturation factor BAFF (also known as TALL-1, THANK, BLyS, zTNF4, and TNFSF13B, and sometimes referred to as neutrokine α, NTN2, Kay, MARCH, TL5, TNFL1, and "63954") provided a unique opportunity for developing targeted intervention strategies for autoreactive B cell function. Elucidation of the role of BAFF in acquired immunity has been rapid since its first description as a B cell growth factor. BAFF (SEQ ID NO:30) (Accession No. AAD25356) is described in, e.g., Schneider et al (1999) J. Exp. Med., 189:1697-1710; PCT Publication WO 99/12964 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/911,777 (issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,869,605); and U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,623,941 and 6,689,579. BAFF has been implicated in costimulation of B cells (Moore et al. (1999) Science, 285:260-263; Schneider et al. (1999) J. Exp. Med., 189:1747-1756; Mukhopadhyay et al. (1999) J. Biol. Chem., 274:15978-15981); increased B cell proliferation (Moore et al. (1999) Science, 285:260-263); and increased survival of normally deleted B cells (Khare et al. (2000) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., 97:3370-3375; Gross et al. (2000) Nature, 404:995-999; Mackay et al. (1999) J. Exp. Med., 190:1697-1710). Studies have indicated that higher than normal levels of BAFF may contribute to the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis. For a review, see, e.g., Mackay et al. (2002) Nature Reviews: Immunology, 2:465475; Kalled et al. (2003) Expert Opin. Ther. Targets, 7(1):115-23.
Three cognate receptors for BAFF have been identified: (1) B cell maturation antigen (BCMA; Accession No. S43486; Gross et al. (2000) Nature, 404:995-999; PCT Publication WO 01/12812; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/077,137); transmembrane activator and cyclophilin ligand interactor (TACI; Accession No. AAP57629; Gross et al., supra); and more recently, BAFF-R (also called BR3; Accession No. AF373846; Thompson et al. (2001) Science, 293:2108-2111). BAFF-R is the only one of the three receptors that is specific for BAFF (Thompson et al., supra). BCMA and TACI bind not only to BAFF but also to another TNF family ligand, APRIL (Yu et al. (2000) Nat. Immunol., 1:252-256; Wu et al. (2000) J. Biol. Chem., 275:35478-35485; Rennert et al. (2000) J. Exp. Med., 192:1677-1684; PCT Publication WO 01/24811; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/115,192).
Soluble forms of BAFF receptors have been made by fusing their extracellular domains to the Fc portion of immunoglobulin. Treatment of normal mice with such a soluble form of TACI or BCMA (TACI-Fc or BCMA-Fc) leads to reduced B cell numbers and a lack of humoral response (Shu et al. (1999) J. Leukoc. Biol., 65:680-683; Yan et al. (2000) Nat. Immunol., 1:37-41; Xia et al. (2000) J. Exp. Med., 192:137-143; Wang et al. (2001) Nat. Immunol., 2:632-637; Yu et al. (2000) Nat. Immunol., 1:252-256). For example, in a mouse model for rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease that involves both B and T cell components, TACI-Fc substantially inhibits inflammation and slows disease progression (Wang et al. (2001) Nat. Immunol., 2(7):632-637). These effects are thought to be attributed to BAFF sequestration because BAFF-deficient mice have a phenotype similar to that of TACI-Fc- or BCMA-Fc-treated mice (almost complete loss of mature B cells and a severely compromised humoral response) (Schiemann et al. (2001) Science, 293:2111-2114; Gross et al. (2001) Immunity, 15:289-302). More recently, BAFF-specific agents, including BAFF-R-Fc and BAFF antibodies, have been developed for treatment of autoimmune and other disorders (see, e.g., U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 09/911,777; 10/380,703; 10/045,574; and 60/458,707); Kalled et al. (2003) Expert Opin. Ther. Targets, 7(1):115-23).
Thus, while therapeutic strategies employing BAFF-specific agents already exist, and new drugs targeting the BAFF signaling pathway are being developed, there is a need to provide methods for evaluating and monitoring efficacy of such agents, for selecting optimal responders to such treatments, and for providing improved dosing/timing regimens for those therapeutics.


An archery bow sight that includes a plurality of sight pins projecting from respective pin holders mounted within guide tracks for elevation adjustment. The sight includes a transport element manually driven by a drive element, both of which are positioned outside the guide tracks. The sight also includes a manipulator element, operable in association with the transport element for selectively engaging respective pin holders, whereby to effect selective individual elevation adjustments of sight pins. Generally, at least one pin holder is releasably secured within a first guide track, at least one pin holder is releasably secured within a second guide track and the manipulator element can selectively couple the transport element to either such pin holder. Sometimes, a yardage indicator mechanism is provided to permit returning a moved sight pin to a known sighted-in position for a given target yardage.

1. Field
This application pertains to archery bow accessories, and is directed to pin sights that can be attached to the riser of an archery bow. It is more particularly directed to a fine adjustment mechanism for such pin sights.
2. State of the Art
Pin sights are in extensive use by archery hunters. Several versions have evolved over the years, in response to the changing demands of the marketplace. A principal driving force for pin sight development has been the advancing technology of the archery bows, with which those sights are used.
A traditional fixed-pin sight usually has 3 to 5 pins, which can be individually set for a particular known distance (yardage). The top pin establishes a selected yardage distance, and progressively lower pins establish correspondingly longer distances. Once set, the pins are tightened and remain "fixed" in position during use. Setting up and adjusting a fixed-pin sight is relatively straight forward, but requires some trial and error testing. Bow hunters typically set their fixed-pins for easy-to-remember distances, usually in 5 or 10 yard increments. Once the pins are set, accurately shooting to known distances is readily accomplished. For example, in preparation for launching an arrow at a target 30 yards distant, an archer simply places the pre-set 30-yard pin on the intended target. The sight inherently compensates for the arrow's normal trajectory at that distance. Targets located at unknown distances present a greater challenge. The archer must estimate the distance, and chose the sight pin most appropriate for that distance, making suitable adjustments to account for any difference between the estimated actual distance and the pin's distance setting. A common three pin setup positions individual pins for 20, 30 and 40 yards. A fixed-pin shooter must learn to compensate as necessary for intermediate distances for which no pin is set. If a target is 25 yards away, the 20 yard pin will shoot a bit too low and the 30 yard pin a bit too high. Accordingly, fixed-pin shooters must learn the technique of "gap shooting;" that is, to hold on the target somewhere between the two pins.
Movable sight pins avoid the need for "gap shooting." A moveable pin sight usually has a single pin, which is adjusted before each shot. Moveable pin sights rely upon a system of brackets, levers, or worm gears to smoothly slide the entire sight housing ("pin guard") up and down. The pin can thus be adjusted for any distance within a range in seconds. At the rear of the sight bracket, a small adjustable pointer, linked to the pin, indicates the yardage along a graduated scale (or a series of handmade marks). Each mark represents a known yardage, so the moveable pin sight can be adjusted to any distance by moving the pointer. It is feasible to mark a pin position corresponding to every incremental yard within the distance range of interest. As a practical matter, however, moveable pin scale markings are calibrated at 5 or 10 yard increments. A typical moveable pin sight might be setup with scale marks corresponding to every 5 yards within a 40 yard range, for example 20 to 60 yards. If a target is 27 yards away, the pointer can be set between the 25 and 30 yard scale marks. This system allows yardages to be carefully adjusted on a scale, before the bow string is drawn. In other words, the pin can be placed on the target without further gap adjustment.
Some pin sights provide for "gang adjustment." That feature provides for movement of a group of pins simultaneously. In a typical such arrangement, loosening a screw permits sliding a dovetail bar up or down in a groove. The entire sight housing and all its associated pins are thereby raised or lowered in elevation. Similarly, a separate fastener allows the entire sight housing and associated pins to be moved horizontally, thereby effecting a "windage" adjustment. These capabilities make initial setup and sighting-in easier and provide a greater range of available settings.
Generally, gang adjustments are made by loosening a screw and then sliding the sight housing to a new position. Some such sights incorporate a micro-adjust feature which allows gang windage and elevation adjustments to be made by turning an adjustment knob (usually attached to a simple gear that drives the motion of the housing). These "Micro Adjust" sights are very precise and easy to work with, but they are typically quite expensive.
As compound bows have evolved to deliver faster arrow speeds and flatter trajectories, the space between sight pins (pin gaps) has tended to become smaller. For example, a bow that shoots an arrow faster than 300 feet per second may be paired with a pin sight in which the 20 yard pin is virtually stacked right on top of the 30 yard pin. Close vertical pin spacing is usually accomplished through the use of multiple pin-tracks and/or angled pins such that one pin can be literally set on the edge of another. Sights designed with this feature are said to have "zero pin gap" capability.
A previously known pin sight arrangement improved upon by this invention is embodied in the "Optima Professional" sights disclosed in the 1994 Browning Archery Catalog, the description of which is incorporated by this reference as a portion of this disclosure. That sight mounts individual pins in respective individual pin holders. A plurality of such pin holders are positioned in stacked column arrangement within parallel channels such that the vertical position of each pin is individually adjustable by means of a lead screw (elevation tracking screw). The pins may thus be individually positioned in close proximity within the pin guard of the sight. Because the spacing of adjacent pins within a channel can only be reduced to a lower limit dependent upon the dimensions of the pin holders, (which remain within the channels), these spacings are larger than what is currently regarded as "zero pin gap." To achieve closer spacings requires expedients, such as bent pins, that are undesirable from a manufacturing standpoint, and distracting to an archer.

Fine adjustment mechanism for archery bow sight pins


A modular interactive voice recognition (“IVR”) overlay system and a method of processing calls. The system provides an application server, a plurality of agent workstations and a graphical user interface (“GUI”) to allow a hybrid approach to processing calls using an automated IVR and live agents. The system and method allow a single agent to process multiple calls simultaneously and is compatible with existing IVR systems and can be implemented as an add-on to existing IVR systems.

Telephone call-centers are widely used in nearly all industries. These call-centers typically provide some form of customer service. The customer service being provided may include technical support, taking and processing orders, processing reservations, confirming the status of a product, etc. Although call-centers can be effective in providing customer service, there is a tension between providing effective call-center based service and the associated costs. Live agents generally provide the most accurate and comprehensive service to callers, however, staffing a sufficient number of live agents to handle a high-volume of calls can be cost-prohibitive. Therefore, in order to handle a high volume of calls and avoid the costs associated with having a sufficient number of live agents, many companies have supplemented, or replaced, live agents with automated interactive voice response ("IVR") applications or systems.
IVR systems may use a speech recognition engine, a voice synthesizer engine, and a computing device running voice extensible markup language ("VXML") browser and scripts. The typical IVR systems can be effective in handling calls that are limited to simple dialogue. These calls include calls where a caller's utterances are generally contained within a clearly defined set of possible utterances. Examples of such calls include calls where the questions require either a "yes" or "no" answer, or calls that request information that is exclusively numerical, etc. IVR systems have proven ineffective at handling more complex call dialogues where a caller's utterance is not necessarily contained within a clearly defined set of utterances. Calls that ask open-ended questions, or require more detailed and unique information such as a mailing address, an electronic mail ("email") address, or even a caller's name can be difficult for current IVR systems to process accurately and efficiently. In these situations, existing IVR systems often misunderstand the caller's utterances. This generally results in wasted time, and the call being routed to a live agent for proper handling, raising costs for call processing and increasing wait times and frustration levels for callers.

Interactive voice response system and method with common interface and intelligent agent monitoring


A device for processing flat objects (40) delivered successively in a delivery direction, in particular print shop products, and/to a continuously advanced material web (42). The device, which is to be used particularly for welding a material web, includes at least one rigid body (90) that can be pivoted about an axis of rotation (D) and at least one tool (10) having a processing-effective zone (12), the tool being attached to the body (90) and movable along an orbit (U) by rotating the body (90). The tool is attached to the body (90) pivotally or rotatably about a pivot axis (S). The pivot position of the tool can be adjusted as a function of the rotational position of the rigid body by means of a stationary control gate and a control element interacting with the control gate and connected to the tool.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns the field of conveying and packaging technology and relates to an apparatus for processing continuously conveyed flat products, in particular printed products, and/or a continuously moving, quasi endless material web, in particular a sheet-material web.
2. Description of Related Art
Processing products in a conveying stream requires, on the one hand, high processing speeds and a straightforward, low-wear design for the mechanical components which means that the latter are not particularly susceptible to malfunctioning and, on the other hand, precise control of the movement of the tools and of the products and a processing time which is as long as possible. Most processes used for processing products or a material web, e.g. welding, cutting or printing, also require a certain counterpressure or resistance to be applied by a counterpart tool which interacts with the actual tool. Some of these requirements are met in different ways.
Movement of the tools along a circular path is mechanically straightforward to achieve and is usually preferred. Such apparatuses with welding tools which are moved along circular paths by virtue of a rigid body being rotated are known, for example, from EP-A 1 362 790, WO 00/35757 or WO-A 2005/118402. While the tools in EP-A 1 362 790 or WO-A 2005/118402 are always oriented in the radial direction, the orientation of the tools in WO 00/35757 is kept constant in that the tools are fastened in a rotatable manner on the rotary body and, as the latter rotates, circulate synchronously in the opposite direction.
In the case of the apparatus according to WO 00/35757, the position of the processing zone of the tool, that is to say of that part which interacts with the product or the material web, depends greatly, on account of the distance from the pivot axis, on the quality of synchronization of the counterrotation of the tool with the rotary movement of the rotary body. If guide tracks are used for this purpose, these guide tracks have to be formed very precisely.
The apparatuses according to EP-A 1 362 790 and WO 00/35757 comprise counterpart tools which move synchronously with the actual tool and likewise circulate on a circular path. In order to extend the processing duration, and thus the processing region, the movement paths of the tool and counterpart tool, these paths being circular in the non-loaded state, intersect. Since the tools are mounted resiliently relative to the rotary body, the circulatory path of the tool is flattened by the counterpressure applied by the other tool respectively and the processing region is thus extended. The forces which act on the tools here, however, may lead to wear.
International patent application PCT/CH2007/000130, which was not published before the priority date, proposes, as an alternative to the purely circular path, to connect the tool to the carrying arm in a pivotable manner via a lever arm such that the processing zone is at a distance from the pivot axis and thus, depending on the pivoting position, is at a variable distance from the center of rotation. The pivoting position is adjusted by a control element which interacts with a control track and is located in the region of the processing zone and, thus, likewise at a distance from the pivot axis. In this way, it is possible to produce a circulatory path for the processing zone which differs from a purely circular path, and in particular has a rectilinear segment for extending the processing region. A second control element and a second control track also make it possible to adjust the orientation in space. In the case of this apparatus, the precise position of the processing zone and the orientation and speed thereof during passage through the processing region depend greatly on the accuracy of the control track. The control track, thus, has to predetermine the movement path of the control elements within relatively narrow limits, e.g. if the orientation is to be kept constant. This may give rise to problems when, for example, products of different thicknesses are processed. Moreover, the forces which prevail during processing have to be absorbed via the control elements and control tracks. Undesired torques arise here.
An apparatus for welding a material web without a circulating counterpart tool is known from WO-A 2005/118402. The apparatus comprises a plurality of welding tools which are arranged on a wheel, are always oriented in a radial direction and thus, once again, describe a circular path. Located beneath the wheel is a conveying belt by means of which a material web and also products which are to be wrapped by the material web are conveyed into the processing region of the welding tools. The conveying belt acts as a counterpart tool and itself applies the resistance which is necessary for processing. Although each individual point on the conveying belt is moving, the conveying belt as a whole does not change its position relative to the welding tool, and this does away with any synchronization problems.
In the case of the welding apparatus according to WO-A 2005/118402, the purely circular circulatory path of the tools and of the processing zones thereof, in this case the hot welding zone (welding bars) of welding tools, is arranged such that it undercuts the conveying plane defined by the top side of the non-loaded conveying belt. For this purpose, the conveying belt, which is guided around two stationary rollers, is multilayered and can be compressed perpendicularly to the belt plane. Directed toward the tool is a firm, friction-reducing carrying layer which is a good thermal insulator and is, for example, Teflon-coated, and this is followed by a damping layer, e.g. made of compressible foam, and a base material. The carrying layer is, thus, deflected downward to a slight extent by the pressure of the tool, and the damping layer is compressed. This damping layer can compensate for small undercuts of the conveying plane by the tools in the order of magnitude of a few millimeters. It is not possible, however, to control the orientation of the welding tools in the case of the apparatus according to WO-A 2005/118402.
It is, thus, an object of the invention to reduce the abovedescribed problems of the prior art and to ensure, in particular, precise controllable positioning of the processing zone of the tools in the processing region.
The apparatus according to the invention serves for processing flat articles, in particular printed products, conveyed one after the other in a conveying direction and/or for processing a continuously conveyed material web. A preferred use is that of welding a sheet-material web for packaging products. Other uses are possible, e.g. printing, cutting, application of adhesive, supplying supplementary products.
The apparatus comprises at least one rigid body, which can be rotated about an axis of rotation, e.g. a wheel or a carrying arm, and at least one tool, which is fastened on this body, can be moved along a circulatory path by virtue of the body being rotated and has a processing zone. This tool is, in particular, a welding tool with a welding bar as the processing zone. The tool is fastened on the body such that it can be rotated or pivoted about a pivot axis, wherein the pivoting position of the tool can be adjusted, in dependence on the rotary position of the rigid body, by means of a fixed-location control track (control cam) and a control element which interacts with the control track and is connected to the tool. According to the invention, the pivot axis is at a constant distance from the axis of rotation, and the processing zone of the tool is arranged in the immediate vicinity of the pivot axis, wherein the control element is spaced apart from the processing zone. This design has the advantage that the position of the processing zone in space is known precisely at any point in time because the processing zone is always located on a circular path of which the radius corresponds to the distance of the pivot axis from the center of rotation.
However, the orientation of the processing zone can be adjusted precisely with the aid of the control element and of the control track. Since the control element is spaced apart from the pivot axis, a change in its position does not result in any change, or in only a very slight change, in orientation of the processing zone without a simultaneous change in position relative to the product which is to be processed. In order to achieve a desired level of accuracy, less outlay is thus required for the purposes of configuring and positioning the control track than has been the case hitherto.
Since the processing zone is mounted directly on the rigid body, e.g. on the carrying arm, rather than on a circumferentially projecting lever arm, the force which can be applied during processing is led off in the radial direction. The force is, thus, absorbed directly by the rigid body via the center of rotation thereof. There is no torque arising which has to be absorbed and compensated for. This likewise contributes to an increase in the processing quality and to the stability of the apparatus.
The control track is preferably designed such that the orientation of the tool in space is essentially constant at least in a sub-region of the circulatory path, in particular in, and upstream and downstream of, the processing region. This has advantages, in particular, for welding since the welding bar can be inserted between two products, and come into contact with the material web, vertically.
The apparatus can be used with a moving counterpart tool which is fitted, for example, on a complementary counterpart apparatus. This is advantageous, in particular, in cutting tools which require a counterpart blade.
In a preferred development of the invention, however, the counterpressure which is necessary for processing is applied by the conveying belt of a conveying arrangement without any separate counterpart tool being present. The conveying belt, for this purpose, has mechanical properties adapted to the processing, e.g. strength, heat resistance, low friction.
For this purpose, the apparatus comprises a conveying arrangement for conveying the articles or material web. The conveying arrangement has at least one carrier belt, which is driven in circulation, and deflecting means for deflecting the same. A conveying support for the products or the material web is formed by an outer surface of the carrier belt, this outer surface being directed toward the at least one tool. This conveying support interacts in the processing region, as a counterpart tool, directly or indirectly, i.e. via the product or the material web, with the tool in that it sets against the tool a certain resistance or processing pressure which is necessary for processing purposes.
The advantage of such an apparatus is that only a small amount of space is required and there is no need for synchronization with a counterpart tool. Moreover, the product is fully supported by the carrier belt at any point in time. This allows precise conveying and processing even at high processing speeds.
A hitherto unsolved problem in respect of a counterpart tool which is fixed in location overall, e.g. a conveying belt, is constituted by relatively large degrees of deflection of the conveying belt caused directly or indirectly by the tools, e.g. when the latter, on account of inaccurate supply, strike against a product rather than coming between the products. In the case of a stiff conveying belt, this may result in the tools jamming or being damaged. An elastic conveying belt can compensate for this in some cases, but does not appear, in normal circumstances, to meet the requirements relating to precise feeding of the products (no sagging).
For the purpose of solving this problem, in an advantageous development of the invention, at least one of the deflecting means for the carrier belt is mounted resiliently. Depending on how the resilient mounting is configured, the following advantages may be achieved: if those deflecting means between which the conveying support is defined are resilient, they can change their position in space and, thus, move out of the way of the tool, e.g. when the latter applies pressure to a product instead of alongside the same. If the deflecting means which define the conveying support are fixed, but a further deflecting means is resilient, the resilient mounting can compensate for deflection of the carrier belt. In both cases, the carrier belt itself may thus be comparatively stiff and firm. This makes it possible, using straightforward means, to realize a conveying support which, even under loading, is well-defined, largely planar and does not sag. The further deflecting means prestresses the carrier belt preferably in the outward direction in order, despite the stiffness of the carrier belt, to achieve a planar, non-sagging conveying support.
In a development of the invention, the conveying function of the conveying arrangement is separate from the supporting function by virtue of an additional supporting means being arranged beneath the conveying support, at least in the processing region. This supporting means has a supporting surface which runs parallel to the outer surface of the carrier belt, is directly adjacent to the inner surface of the carrier belt and stabilizes the carrier belt. A largely planar conveying surface is, thus, provided irrespective of the elastic properties of the carrier belt. The carrier belt itself may thus, if appropriate, also be elastic.
As an alternative, or in addition, it is particularly preferred if the supporting means is mounted resiliently, preferably that the supporting surface can be tilted in, and transversely to, the conveying direction. The supporting surface is preferably prestressed in the outward direction toward the carrier belt. The resilient mounting is configured such that the supporting surface remains planar even when tilted. As a result, the conveying support can move out of the way of any disruption, but remains planar in the process.
For the purpose of extending the processing region in the, in this case, circular circulatory path of the processing zone, it is advantageous that the circulatory path of the tool undercuts the conveying plane and the carrier belt or the supporting means has a compressible damping layer for absorbing the deflection of the carrier belt, of usually 10-15 millimeters, which occurs during normal processing.
In particular, when a damping layer is present, the resilient mounting of the conveying support and/or of the supporting means serves, in particular, to compensate for disruption which results in the conveying support being deflected to an extent which is greater than that customary for normal processing.
The apparatus according to the invention is preferably used for welding a material web, e.g. within a sheet-wrapping production line. The tools are welding tools with a welding bar as the processing zone. The carrier belt of a conveying arrangement in the form of a belt conveyor acts as the counterpart tool. Products positioned on a sheet-material web are wrapped by the sheet-material web, and the resulting sheet-material enclosure is then welded transversely to the conveying direction by the welding tools and severed by material displacement during welding, this resulting in two spaced-apart weld seams being formed. Such a processing apparatus will be explained in more detail hereinbelow with reference to the figures.
The products are preferably supplied to the abovementioned conveying arrangement by a belt conveyor. There are advantages if the conveying plane of the conveying arrangement is positioned obliquely, and runs upward, relative to the conveying plane of the belt conveyor. This is explained in more detail hereinbelow with reference to the drawings.
The presence of a removal arrangement, which is arranged downstream of the actual processing apparatus, as seen in the conveying direction, is also preferred. This removal arrangement can preferably grip the processed products or the processed material web, e.g. can fix the same on its conveying belt by means of suction air. It conveys preferably at a greater conveying speed than the abovementioned conveying arrangement. Since the welding zone can also be deformed plastically immediately following processing, it is possible for the sheet-wrapped products, if not severed optimally, to be severed from one another in this way simply by being pulled apart.

Apparatus for processing flat articles, in particular printed products


A heat exchanger for a marine internal combustion engine is disposed between first and sides of a V-shaped engine configuration. A plurality of tubes and related structure are disposed within a cavity formed as an integral part of an air intake manifold of the engine. A first cooling fluid, such as ethylene glycol, is circulated in thermal communication with outer surfaces of the plurality of tubes within the heat exchanger and a second cooling fluid, such as lake or sea water, is circulated through the internal passages of the plurality of tubes. A conduit is provided within an end portion of the heat exchanger to remove heat from a lubricant, such as oil, of the internal combustion engine.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally related to a heat exchanger for a marine engine and, more particularly, to a heat exchanger that is integral with an air intake manifold of a V-type engine.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 5,309,885, which issued to Rawlings et al on May 10, 1994, describes a marine propulsion device including a fuel injected four-cycle internal combustion engine. The internal combustion engine comprises an engine block including a combustion chamber, a fuel vapor separator, a fuel supply mechanism for introducing fuel to the combustion chamber, a conduit communicating between the fuel vapor separator and the fuel supply mechanism for introducing fuel, and a cooling jacket for cooling the fuel vapor separator.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,780,715, which issued to Flitz on Dec. 25, 1973, describes an early fuel evaporation intake manifold. The manifold is provided for an internal combustion engine and includes a low thermal mass, thin metal gasket plate clamped between upper and lower manifold castings and having an integral heat exchanger forming the floor of the riser bore plenum. The gasket plate and cored channel in the lower manifold casting define an exhaust crossover passage having a vertical run incident to the heat exchanger and flaring to a restrictive high aspect-ratio heat transfer duct coextensive with the heat exchanger. The exhaust gases are directly against the heat exchanger at the vertical run and accelerate through the restrictive duct to break up the stagnant fluid film at the heat exchanger or effecting rapid heating thereof to promote greater fuel vaporization during engine warmup.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,258,687, which issued to Mauch et al on Mar. 31, 1981, describes an engine with an integral mounted EGR cooler. An automotive type V-8 engine has an exhaust gas recirculation system wholly contained within its intake manifold, and a flat, sandwich type EGR cooler is constructed in be integrally mounted to the underside of the manifold in the valley of V-8 over the combination valley cover-manifold gasket, without the use of hoses, clamps and other paraphernalia normally associated with externally mounted EGR coolers.
The patents described above are hereby expressly incorporated by reference in the description of the present invention.
In marine engine applications, in which a closed cooling system is provided, the coolant within the closed cooling system is typically cooled through the use of lake or sea water. To accomplish this, a heat exchanger is provided. It would be significantly beneficial if a structure could be provided in which the heat exchanger is disposed in a compact configuration.
A cooling system for a marine propulsion system, made in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, comprises an internal combustion engine having a plurality of cylinders, with the plurality of cylinders being disposed in a V-shaped configuration with at least a first one of the plurality of cylinders being disposed on a first side of the V-shaped configuration and at least a second one of the plurality of cylinders being disposed on a second side of the V-shaped configuration. A cooling passage is formed within the internal combustion engine to conduct a first cooling fluid in thermal communication with a heat producing component of the internal combustion engine. The heat exchanger is connected in fluid communication with the coolant passage and in fluid communication with a source of a second cooling fluid. The heat exchanger is configured to conduct the first and second cooling fluids in thermal communication with each other. The heat exchanger is disposed between the first and second sides of the V-shaped configuration of cylinders.
The heat exchanger comprises a plurality of tubes within which the second cooling fluid is conducted. The first cooling fluid is conducted within a cavity of the heat exchanger external to the outer surfaces of the plurality of tubes. The first cooling fluid is conducted to flow within a closed circuit comprising the heat exchanger and the cooling passage formed within the internal combustion engine.
In certain embodiments of the present invention, a conduit is disposed within the heat exchanger and in thermal communication with the second cooling fluid. The conduit is connected in fluid communication with a lubrication system of the internal combustion engine in order to conduct a liquid lubricant through the conduit in thermal communication with the second cooling fluid. The conduit comprises a helical tubular structure disposed in an end portion of the heat exchanger in one embodiment of the present invention.
The present invention can further comprise an intake manifold disposed at least partially between the first and second sides of the V-shaped configuration of cylinders. A cavity is formed within the intake manifold and shaped to receive the heat exchanger therein. The heat exchanger is disposed within the cavity formed within the intake manifold, whereby an internal surface of the cavity serves as an outer shell of the heat exchanger.
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, heat is transferred from the first cooling fluid to the second cooling fluid within the heat exchanger. The second cooling fluid is water which is drawn from a body of water, such as a lake or ocean in which the marine propulsion system is operated. The plurality of tubes is disposed along an axis which is generally parallel to a crankshaft of the internal combustion engine in a particularly preferred of the present invention.

Heat exchanger assembly for a marine engine