Certain examples relate to computer implemented methods and systems including at least three modules whose combined functionality provides for interpretation and optimization of usual and unusual patterns in energy consumption; the identification, quantification, and monetization of hidden operating and financial waste and the accurate measurement of the results of implemented energy management solutions. The first, “Expert Module”, provides information that assists with the accurate interpretation of the information provided in the Operations module. The second, “Costs Module”, allows users to modify consumption and price components and derive the resulting operating costs based on the facility's applied or available rate structures. The third, “Operations Module”, charts and evaluates the current operating performance of a facility down to 15-minute intervals in comparison to the operating performance of a pre-selected “base year”. Comparisons are synchronized over intervals in a manner that allows users to compare and comment on individual graphs interactively.

Today's contemporary energy environment is characterized by high energy prices, government mandates to enhance energy efficiency, and a strong drive to transition to renewable energy resources. Combined, these factors are putting strong pressure on building owners and managers to make lowering energy consumption and cutting energy costs a major priority. This pressure is further compounded by the ever increasing number of energy efficiency regulations and standards such as Congress' Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 and the federal government's Energy Star rating program.
While a lot of emphasis has been placed on the use of high efficiency energy products and the purchase of clean and renewable energy resources, what is often missing from this strategy is waste elimination; waste that is embedded in the daily operations of most commercial, governmental, and industrial facilities; waste that is so prevalent and so widespread—but to which most Americans are oblivious. It begins at the doorstep of our office buildings and apartments; in our parking lots and garages; and it is prevalent inside our homes, malls, and offices—a waste which is conservatively estimated at 20% to 30% of our daily use of energy. Non-limiting examples are: Hallway and stairway lights which stay on at full capacity 100% of the time even when people are not present; parking lots in apartment and office buildings which stay lit like Christmas trees 100% of the time even when traffic is minimal in the wee hours of the morning; office lights, task lights, monitors, and computers which stay on 24 hours a day despite the fact that no one is there to use them after working hours; escalators and moving walkways which run continuously regardless of whether people are riding them or not; restroom lights at restaurants and retail outlets which stay on 24-hour a day, when long stretches of time go by without anyone using them. These are but a few of the most glaring examples of wasteful energy use practices currently prevalent in the United States. Most of this waste can be quickly eliminated with the installation of cheap motion sensors and simple "On/Off" switches.
In fact, eliminating operating waste is the quickest, most economical, and most environmentally friendly way to save energy and cut costs.
In certain examples, it may be desirable to provide waste reduction strategies at organizations, large and small, that provide tools to identify, quantify (measure), and monetize operating waste and savings opportunities; that can explain usual and unusual patterns in energy consumption; that can help develop and evaluate highly efficient and effective energy management solutions; and that can accurately measure and report performance results—on a continuous basis. In certain instances, without the availability of such tools, there may be less incentive to take action.
In certain instances, an impediment for the implementation of waste reduction strategies is lack of time, knowledge, and resources. Most large office buildings are owned by investment trusts or relatively small organizations that do not have an energy management team on staff; these buildings are typically run by building managers who are too busy tackling their day-to-day responsibilities of keeping their tenants happy to take the time or even to have the knowledge to use commercially available software to analyze, investigate, diagnose, and document the daily energy operations of their facilities. In fact, when it comes to energy, the most important issue for most building managers is energy budgeting; insuring that enough funds are available to pay their building's utility bills in a timely manner. In some instances, systems and/or methods providing more than simply energy budgeting may be desirable.
Moreover, much commercially available energy management software today is geared towards large enterprises that manage a large number of facilities. This kind of software, whether web-based or desktop based, is in some cases a "cookie-cutter/one-size-fits-all" approach to energy management; it organizes billing and energy consumption data into eye-catching charts and graphs. In certain examples, it may be desirable to also provide context, particularly taking into consideration the different types of facilities, such as whether the facility in question is a major office building, a warehouse, a hospital, a townhouse, or a major data processing center, and in some instances tailoring the analytical and/or reporting approach to at least the type of facility. While most enterprise software can flag the possibility of billing, operational, and mechanical problems, they typically leave it to the "energy manager" to analyze, investigate, diagnose, monetize, and document the possibility of such problems. Furthermore, despite the fact that several commercial packages also provide for the charting of energy interval pulse data from sophisticated metering devices—some, in real-time, in addition to identifying the possibility that an operating, mechanical, or metering problem has occurred, it may be desirable to quantify, monetize, or to explain the usual and unusual patterns that are identified.
A variety of systems and services currently on the market provide sophisticated energy tracking and monitoring of energy data. However, it may be desirable to provide quick identification, quantification, and monetization of operating waste and savings opportunities. In some instances, it may be desirable to explain the usual and unusual patterns in energy consumption identified by certain systems; as well as quickly identify effective and/or efficient energy management solutions, and it also may be desirable to provide accurate measurements of implemented solutions.
In order to better understand the major shortcomings of existing systems and methods in optimizing energy operations and eliminating operating waste at large facilities one can compare them to trying to help an overweight person reduce his weight; the best that existing systems and methods have to offer involves providing facility operations engineers with systems that can measure and plot energy consumption at their facilities in real-time—down to a 15-minute or 30-minute interval level—and not much else. Such systems are not known to include a knowledge base or an "Expert System" that can inform facility operators of their tenants' operations, the nature of the equipment they use and the list, power rating, and structure of their facility's mechanical and electronic systems. They also generally do not include any reference to the facility's applied utility rates structures nor provide any indication of the value—e.g., the cost of the energy—being saved at the facility.
Comparing that method to trying to help an overweight person lose weight is like providing that person with a device that can count his or her caloric intake and not much else! The age of that person, his or her physical health; profession (whether the person is a baggage handler or a switchboard operator) do not get taken into consideration. Progress is measured at the end of each month when the weight of the person is measured against his weight at the end of the prior month. There is no measurement of the value of losing weight such as lower cholesterol level, lower blood pressure, increased stamina, and lower food costs.
Understandably one cannot expect meaningful results from a mere measurement of real-time energy consumption without context just as one cannot expect a person to undergo a major weight loss from the mere counting of caloric intake.
Elements missing from the above approach, in certain instances, may include:
(1) Lack of a Frame of Reference: Just providing a measurement of anything is meaningless without a frame of reference. For example just stating that someone is 200 lbs. is meaningless in the context of weight loss. If the person's prior weight was 240 lbs. then that person has reduced his/her weight. On the other hand, if that person's weight was 180 lbs. then that person has gained weight. Therefore, the mere providing of real-time energy consumption without a comparison to a prior benchmark is of little use.
(2) Content without Context: Only stating that someone is 200 lbs. in itself is practically meaningless. It does even not tell if a person is heavy or slim. 200 lbs. on a 5′4″ frame would make a person very heavy. On the other hand, 200 lbs. on a large-framed 6′4″ person is likely to project an image of fitness and health, and a linebacker who weighed only 200 lbs. would be considered underweight. Therefore, merely providing real-time energy consumption without a context to what type of facility is being tracked (hospital, theater, or office building), the type of tenants it has, and the type of equipment it contains, is practically meaningless.
(3) Missing Valuation: The underlying principle of modern economic society is money. Money is representative of value. People work for money, they start businesses to make money, and they sacrifice to save money. Therefore, only providing a tool that helps reduce the use of a particular commodity (i.e. energy) without knowing the quantity that was reduced and being able to measure the value of the reduced quantity is practically meaningless.
Below is an analysis of certain offerings of major energy management companies in the United States. None of these companies provide a comprehensive system or method that is capable of quickly interpreting usual and unusual patterns in energy consumption; identifying, quantifying, and monetizing hidden operating and financial waste; and accurately measuring performance results.
For example, Energy Lens (www.energylens.com) created an Excel add-in that makes it easy to analyze detailed interval energy data. It allows users to study patterns in energy usage, and look for changes in energy performance. While useful for its intended purposes, Energy Lens' system merely flags the possibility that a problem may exist in the daily operations of a given facility. In certain instances, Energy Lens may be a basic analytical tool that identifies possible operating and mechanical errors. It may be desirable for a system to allow for the correlation of that data with the weather and/or provide for the synchronization of the operations data from one year to the next to quantify, and also measure differences in operations from one year to the next. It may also be desirable to provide an Expert system that could shed light into the nature of the facility's operations, or on the possible nature of any displayed irregular consumption data. And finally, it may be desirable to provide a cost modeling feature that could monetize the effect of the discovered irregular operations on operating costs.
LPB Energy Management (http://um-online.lpbenergy.com/umo_mansfield/Login.aspx) is an energy management company that is currently being acquired by Ecova. LPB provides a web-based program that generates reports and graphs displaying usage and cost statistics, and identifies potential billing errors and usage anomalies, and compares facilities in order to target those with the greatest savings potential. This system provides more capabilities than Energy Lens' system. This system would be a good match for managing multiple small facilities that operate in a similar fashion such as 7-Eleven, Macy's, and Best Buy stores, or organizations with a multitude of small facilities. However, it would be desirable, given the natural variation in energy bills, to provide operations benchmarking and year over year comparison, and to explain any variation in use, price, and cost; in order to help facility owners, and managers achieve greater energy efficiency. In summary, it would be desirable to provide utilities tracking software with the capability to identify, quantify, or monetize operating waste and savings opportunities.
Ecova (www.ecova.com) lists "Facility Optimization and Efficiency" as one of its solution areas. While Ecova's system does leverage the use of smart meters and building automation systems to generate real-time information streams that help identify "poor performers and outliers," and automatically alert users to conditions outside of pre-defined ranges, its system's mainly identifies possible operating and mechanical errors in real-time mode. It may be desirable to incorporate an Expert system that provides information that helps with the accurate interpretation of the energy information, cost modeling capabilities, and capabilities for the quick identification, quantification, and monetization of operating waste and savings opportunities.
First Fuel (http://firstfuel.com) has a Rapid Building Assessment platform which uses building consumption data from the utility company in order to "see" into buildings and understand how energy is being used through end-use benchmarking and then provide actionable recommendations. However, in some instances, it may be desirable to provide for synchronized comparative visual analysis with a designated baseline in order to measure or quantify performance, and/or to allow users the ability to comment on the provided information interactively in order to share and exchange ideas on the nature of discovered problems and opportunities. It may also be desirable to take into account financial information that may enable useful "recommendations" to be made. It may also be desirable to provide methods or systems that include an "Expert" system to enable users to quickly interpret the visual information unless they are intimately knowledgeable with the facility's operations.
Tangible Software Inc. (www.tangiblesoftware.com) provides an energy software system that addresses six areas of an enterprise's energy infrastructure: invoice management; acquisition and contract management; building consumption and control; meter data management; demand management; and carbon footprint management. While Tangible Software Inc.'s system does provide real-time interval data capture, it may be desirable to provide systems or methods that provide the ability to generate synchronized comparative visual analyses of the information with a designated baseline, an Expert system for the interpretation of the information, and/or a cost modeling capability to monetize possible problems and opportunities.
iEnergyIQ (http://ienergyiq.com) is an Enterprise Energy Management company that provides software as a service and energy analytics for enterprises. These services include the ability to generate customized reports and graphs, as well as identify potential billing errors and usage anomalies. It is also capable of analyzing pulse data from meters and sub-meters. However, while iEnergyIQ is capable of comparing one meter's stream of pulse data with another account's steam of pulse data, it may be desirable to provide systems and/or methods providing synchronized comparative visual analyses of the information with a designated baseline, an Expert system for the interpretation of the information, and/or financial modeling capabilities.
eSightEnergy (www.esightenergy.com) is primarily an energy management system for enterprises. It offers a robust suite of web-based online modules with various levels of functionality as well as a desktop centric version. Basically, this system allows users to track and integrate energy consumption from meters located in disparate locations and generate consolidated reports. It is similar to the iEnergyIQ model described above. It may be desirable to provide systems and/or methods, however, that provide interpretive analyses, quantification and monetization of identified usage anomalies.
EPS (www.epsway.com) bills itself as a leader in energy management solutions for industrial manufacturers. Its approach includes performing an energy audit on the subject facility, making recommendation on replacing inefficient assets and shifting to alternate sources of energy. This company's energy efficiency solutions are based on using its xChange Point solution. This company's offering is more of an approach than a system—and it geared towards industrial facilities with limited application in the commercial office building market. The approach includes installing meters to monitor energy usage of systems and processes at an industrial facility, installing web-based software to enable access to the systems "near real-time" data, and have the company's team of energy experts make monthly recommendations on how to improve energy efficiency. However, it may be desirable to further include an "Expert" module and/or or a financial modeling part with systems such as this.
Other web-based energy and utility management systems are known such as EnergyCap (www.energycap.com), Abraxas Energy Consulting (www.abraxasenergy.com), Adapt Engineering (www.adaptengr.com), Amersco, (www.ameresco.com), Dynamic Energy Concepts (www.dynamicenergyconcepts.com), Energy-Accounting.com (www.energy-accounting.com), Enernoc (www.enernoc.com), Honeywell (www.honeywell.com), Pace Global (www.paceglobal.com), Pure Energy Management (www.pureenergymgmt.com), Utility Management Services (www.utilmanagement.com), EnergyWatchDog (www.energywatchdog.com).
All of the companies listed above can provide systems that can track and monitor billing and operations data and identify possible billing and operating anomalies at various levels. However, it may be desirable to provide systems and methods for an integrated solution that may enable users to quickly interpret and explain unusual patterns in energy consumption, that can quickly identify, quantify and monetize operating waste and savings opportunities; or that can quickly and accurately measure performance results—on a continuous basis, in certain example embodiments. Therefore, a need exists for methods and systems that are capable of quickly interpreting usual and unusual patterns in energy consumption; identifying, quantifying, and monetizing hidden operating and financial waste; and accurately measuring performance results—in a reduced amount of time, with reduced cost and effort.
To meet such challenges, for example, certain example embodiments herein provide an Expert system to identify, understand and explain usual and unusual operating profiles and/or the ability to measure and quantify energy consumption changes (increases/decreases) from the prior year by synchronizing back exactly (in preferred example implementations) 364 days (or multiples of that number, i.e., 728, 1092, 1456 for going back to a base year up to 4 years in arrears). Synchronizing with 363 or 365 days will result in Mondays being synchronized with Sundays and/or Fridays being synchronized with Saturdays. Also, synchronizing one month, three months, or six months in arrears will be less meaningful, as it could straddle seasons where operations are drastically different. This leave the 364 days (exactly 52 weeks) as an example meaningful synchronization method, in certain example embodiments. In other examples, 350, 357, 371, and/or 378 days may also be close enough so as to result in meaningful synchronization. Correlation can be displayed at the level of one day, one week, one month, or one year, and anything in between, according to different example embodiments.
Furthermore, by adding a financial "What If" module, one can monetize the quantity of energy that is varying from one year to the next.
Certain example systems and methods disclosed herein may be implemented in different ways. For example, in certain instances, a system may be applied/method implemented may include performing synchronization "retroactively" once the data has been made available by the utility company. As another example, in other instances, a "Real-Time" system may be applied/method may be implemented wherein the comparison were made between a prior baseline and the current data in real-time. This second approach may be as effective as the first approach in certain examples, and may trigger automatic action based on pre-determined criteria in some instances.
Furthermore, since both consumption and weather data will be collected concurrently by the system in certain example embodiments, the system may be able to perform regression analysis to determine the correlation and sensitivity of the changes in energy data to the changes in weather data. The change of correlation or sensitivity to the weather from one year to the next can be a useful indicator or a trigger for automated action in "Real-Time" systems.
Additional non-limiting example features and advantages include:                The synchronization of current or recent operating patterns with the corresponding operating patterns of the prior year—or any other pre-selected based year.        A synchronization that is based on a 364 days difference from one year to prior year as well as any multiple of that number (364) for each additional year in excess of one year.        The synchronization can start by any day of the week—not necessarily by Monday. For example, the weekly synchronization can start on a Sunday, or a Friday, or any other day.        A synchronization that can range from a comparison of hour to another, one day to another, up to one year and another—and anything in between.        A synchronization that allows for the identification of usual and unusual energy consumption patterns.        A synchronization than allows for the accurate measurement and quantification of the difference in energy consumption resulting from the difference in the displayed operating patterns.        The addition of an interactive commenting and discussion log that can reference, document, and explain the usual and unusual operating patterns displayed in the Operations Module.        The addition of tabular consumption, temperature, and cost data at the bottom the operating profiles of real-time data streams.        The combination of an "Expert" Module that would help in the interpretation and explanation of displayed operating patterns and leverages information collected from system participants to optimize the efficiency of commodity markets, collaborate on finding solutions to common problems, as well as discovering new technologies and the sharing of knowledge and ideas regarding the availability and the implementation of new energy systems, methods, and technologies.        The method of the composition of the "Expert" Module.        The combination of a "Costs" module that could monetize the difference in operating patterns from one year to the next as well as from one year to a preselected base year.        The use of the above methods separately or in combination with each other.        Triggering automated notifications and visual and audible warning signals whenever certain combinations of operating conditions and temperature differences (from the prior year or a preselected base year) have been met.        Triggering predetermined Action Control Scripts based whenever certain combinations of operating conditions and temperature differences (from the prior year or a preselected base year) have been met.        Tracking is not limited to energy and weather on the chart, it can include other parameters of interest to the user, such as hotel vacancy rates, number of meals served, etc.
In certain example embodiments, a method of synchronizing current and/or recent operating pattern(s) with corresponding operating pattern(s) of a prior year may be provided. The method may comprise storing current and/or recent operating patterns on at least one storage device, the current and/or recent operating patterns comprising current and/or recent incremental commodity usage data. The method may further comprise storing operating patterns of at least a year prior to the current and/or recent operating patterns on the at least one storage device, the prior year operating patterns comprising historical incremental commodity usage data. The current and/or recent operating patterns may be synchronized, via a processor coupled to the storage device, with operating patterns of at least a year prior, based at least in part on periodically-repeating time periods over which the usage occurred to generate an incremental historical comparison of usage from different but related periodically-repeating time, that at least partly takes into account time-variable factors affecting the usage, including using the processor to automatically correlate usage data that is exactly an integer multiple of 364 days apart, in certain example embodiments.
Other example embodiments may relate to a system for monitoring and reporting usage of a commodity such as energy. The system may include at least one storage device configured to store historical incremental commodity usage data. The system may further include a processor coupled to the storage device, the processor time-correlating the historical incremental usage data based at least in part on periodically-repeating time periods over which the usage occurred to generate an incremental historical comparison of usage from different but related periodically-repeating time periods that at least partly takes into account time-variable factors affecting the usage. Furthermore, in certain instances, the processor may automatically identify unusual usage patterns by comparing with synchronized historic usage patterns and automatically providing contextual interactivity for the usage patterns based on a stored knowledge base, temperature- and/or consumption-based action control lists, and information including commodity pricing, and/or facilities analytics.
In further example embodiments, a system for tracking performance of a facility relating to energy and/or water usage may be provided. In certain instances, the system may include at least one storage device configured to store historical and/or current incremental commodity usage and/or cost data. The system may further comprise a first computer-implemented module comprising a plurality of components, the components comprising a facility information component, a cost analysis component, and an operations analysis component. In certain cases, the facility information component may comprise data pertaining to a particular facility, comprising a description of the facility, a function of the facility, operating hours of the facility, and/or information relating to usage of utilities by the facility, stored on the storage device. The cost analysis component comprising historical billing data may be stored on the storage device. The operations analysis component may comprise data corresponding to a plurality of weekly modules comprising 15 to 30 minute interval usage and weather data for each day of the week. Additionally, a second computer-implemented module may comprise periodic updates to the cost analysis and operations analysis components. The system may also include a processor configured to execute the first and second computer-implemented modules. Furthermore, the data corresponding to the weekly modules from a prior year and from a current year may be synchronized by day of week such that data from a Monday of a particular week in the prior year and data from a Monday of a corresponding week in the current year are synchronized in order to accurately track performance of the facility with respect to energy and/or water usage. In certain example embodiments, this synchronization may result in data from a given day being correlated with data from a day 364 days prior to the given day.
In other example embodiments, the modules may be daily rather than weekly. Further, rather than synchronizing by day of the week, the data corresponding to the modules from a prior year and from a current year are synchronized by day of week such that data from the given day and data from a day 364 days before the given day and/or a multiple thereof are synchronized in order to accurately track performance of the facility with respect to energy and/or water usage.
Further example embodiments relate to a method of tracking performance trends relating to utility usage. The method may comprise synchronizing 15 to 30 minute intervals of data from a particular week in first year with 15 to 30 minute intervals of data from a corresponding week in a second year such that the data is synchronized by day of the week in order to track the performance of utility usage from the particular week of the first year to the corresponding week of the second year by comparing usage from the week of the first year and the week of the second year in 15 to 30 minute intervals.
Still further example embodiments relate to a non-transitory storage medium arrangement for in use being operatively coupled to a computing device. The computing device in use may access the storage medium arrangement to generate an output including at least user display data. The storage medium arrangement may store at least instructions executable by computing device to correlate data stored on the storage medium arrangement and generate said user display data output. In certain examples, the storage medium arrangement may have stored thereon: utility usage data defining at least utility usage including an amount of usage and time periods corresponding to said usage; and instructions executable by said computing device to process usage amount at least in part based on said time periods to correlate and register said usage data accordingly to utility demand patterns that are likely to recur in time, to thereby enable comparison between time-comparable demand cycle patterns.
In certain example embodiments, the correlation may be performed by aligning a given day in a current year with the day that is exactly 364 days before the given day. In other example embodiments, the correlation and/or synchronization may be with a day that is a multiple of 364 days prior to the given day, and/or with a day that is close to 364 days prior to the given day and is divisible by 7 (e.g., 350, 357, 371, 378, and the like).

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method, technology, and system for displaying, measuring, assessing, and improving the operating and financial performance of metered energy and water consuming systems


An improved sonic wave generating device and method transmits variable wave energy to a fluid medium that is transmitted to objects such as subsurface petroliforous formations to be treated. Reverberative pressures and wave energy are reduced by improvements to and from a positive pressure supplied feed pump which pumps the medium to the primary wave generating pump(s) includes means to maintain an increased hydrostatic or positive head to the suction inlet of the feed pump which prevents or neutralizes feed back energy waves from the wave generating device to the feed pump, along with a check valve located at the inlet to the primary pump(s) and a buffer system of conduits located between and in the outlet from the feed pump and the check valve to prevent and dampen recoiling energy waves produced by the pumps and augmenting cavitation valve system. Such apparatus and methods delivers kinetic energy resulting in stress against and into the interstices of the formation to produce virtual work strain and deformation, followed by periodic relief of the stress, thus releasing the potential energy of and within the formation to produce fatigue failure thereof.

Broadly, this invention is directed to the treatment of objects, particularly fluid containing subsurface strata or formations for the purpose of increasing the production of the fluids therefrom.
The concept of utilizing sonic waves and/or variable high frequency vibrations in the treatment of subsurface strata or formation is found in the prior art including but not limited to the early patents of Sherborne U.S. Pat. No. 2,670,101 and Bodine U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,355,618; 2,667,932; 2,871,943; 3,016,093; 3,016,095; and Reissue 23,381. These references have as a common denominator the creation and utilization of sonic standing waves, whether symmetrical or not which are repetitive or reoccurring without change, as a means of increasing oil recovery. As is typical of hydraulic fracturing of subterranean formations, the purpose was to apply substantially unidirectional application of fluid pressure and force against the formation until the formation yielded and fractured leaving vugular channels for the increased production and flow of the desired formation fluids.
The concept of methods and apparatus for creating sonic waves wherein the wave characteristics are variable or changeable at the will of the operator are found in many of the Clarence W. Brandon patents such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,981,624; 3,640,344; 3,045,749; 3,323,592; 2,866,509; 3,422,894; 3,302,720; 3,765,804; and 4,022,275. Brandon's concepts have been expanded and improved by the present invention.
For the purposes of this invention, Clarence W. Brandon, U.S. Pat. No. 3,981,624 issued Sep. 21, 1976 is incorporated herein by reference. In the aforesaid Brandon patent, the construction of the reciprocating pistons used in the sonic wave generator, i.e. the variable stroke pumping unit, sometimes referred to herein as "sonofrac machine" utilized a working plunger or piston which comprised a cylindrical member which was open at both ends yet divided by a partition. Reference is made to the description and specification relative to FIG. 33 of the aforesaid '624 patent. Immediately adjacent the partition and extending towards the forward end of the piston was a longitudinally extending slot which constituted the inlet port opening into the hollow interior of the piston. At the outer end of the piston was a valve chamber terminating in a conical valve seat with a spring loaded mushroom type valve normally closing the end of the piston. These pistons and their valves are internally operable to receive fluid under pressure capable of forcing fluid out against the spring loaded valve at a higher pressure and frequency. The variable stroke pump required that liquid medium, e.g. water and/or oil or other fluid, be delivered from a separate pump under sufficient pressure to enter the variable speed main pump piston along with and in conjunction with the movement of the piston.
A triplex type feed pump, i.e., a low speed/high pressure pump was provided as a means for delivering the fluid under pressure to the variable stroke sonofrac machine. It has been found to be important in treating subsurface formations that the energy generated by a sonofrac machine, such as found in the aforesaid Brandon patents, be directed away from the variable stroke pump generator into the formation with no part of that energy being lost or wasted, that is, that the energy not be allowed to reverberate back into the generating machine, or back to the feed pump.
The triplex feed pump was connected to an adjoining water tank with a supply or suction line for the source of liquid. Delivery of water from that tank into the piston of the triplex pump depended upon the very slight pressure exerted by the head or weight of water in the supply tank. In many instances this pressure was inadequate to overcome friction and resistance from the supply tank and suction inlet piping. Consequently, the cylinders of the triplex pump were not filled, and in some instances cavitation of the triplex pump occurred during operation. In other instances reflective or refractive energy waves from the sonofrac machine would disrupt the operation of the feed pump. As a result, the triplex pump was known to become damaged during tests and in any event was incapable of delivering sufficient water either in quantity or pressure to the variable stroke pump described in the aforesaid Brandon patent which has been incorporated by reference herein.
In addition, the Brandon sonofrac machine taught circulation of fluid from and between the two main piston pumps 100 and 101 and related cavitation valves to enhance pressures and wave formation, etc.. It has been found that this type of interconnected fluid circulation system created reverberations that tended to cancel system pressures, wave formation, etc.
Similarly, the connection of the two cavitation valves 82 to a single discharge line created similar cancellation and dampening of the enhanced pressures and enhanced wave energy which the valves were otherwise intended to produce upon the pressures and wave energy produced by the main pumps 100 and 101.
Brandon's prior design of the plungers in pumps 100 and 101 used plungers with cavities (side inlets) and discharge valves acting as their ends to allow fluid to pass from those plungers during reverse strokes--then for the discharge valves to close and compress fluid forward of the plungers during their forward strokes. This imparted action to the column of fluid beyond the pump plungers producing wave forms, etc.
However, those pumps were redesigned by Brandon, their plungers revised from 2" diameter to 4" diameter with inlet openings at the rear of the main plunger bodies, instead of the side inlet openings. When the pump plungers are forced in reverse against fluid delivered to their cylinders from feed pump 26, a compressive force was delivered against the supply of fluid delivered from feed pump 26.
The Brandon style of pumps did not include check valves used as inlet valves to close against the reverse action, and as a result, pumps 100 and 101 could not ratchet increasing pressure. That is, the intake openings of pumps 100 and 101 were connected by a common line to the conduit from feed pump 26 which allowed fluid to oscillate between the pumps. As such, the reverse action of pump plungers might deliver as much force back against pump 26 as they might deliver ahead.

Apparatus and method to cause fatigue failure of subterranean formations


Master cylinder of a hydraulic braking circuit, particularly for a motor vehicle, comprising a piston (2) sliding axially in a body (4) comprising an annular lip seal (51) produced by molding, and comprising an internal, dynamic sealing lip (14) surrounding the piston and connected by a curved surface (36) to a planar rear face (30) comprising radial passages which are defined by blocks formed as projections on the rear face of the seal, these blocks being separated from the curved surface (36).

The present invention relates to a master cylinder of a braking circuit, particularly for a motor vehicle.
Motor vehicles comprise a brake control generally comprising a brake pedal acting on a master cylinder, to transmit, via a hydraulic circuit, a fluid pressure to receivers that brake the various wheels.
The master cylinder comprises a piston sliding axially in a body comprising a lip seal which presses against the piston, in order to separate a rear volume containing a reserve of liquid at atmospheric pressure from a front volume comprising a chamber pressurized by the displacement of this piston.
A master cylinder of this type, described in document U.S. Pat. No. 6,272,858 B1, is equipped with a circular seal with two lips. The internal lip of the seal surrounds the piston providing dynamic sealing and, when the piston is at rest in a rear position, enters a piston groove which has a shallow depth and gently inclined side walls.
In this piston rest position, a radial drilling formed in the piston opens into the groove behind the internal lip of the seal, to place the pressure chamber in communication with the reserve of liquid and, if necessary, readjust the volume of the hydraulic circuit.
The lip seal is wedged axially in an annular housing of the body around the piston and comprises an external lip which presses against an external cylindrical wall of this housing, to provide static sealing between the pressure chamber and the rear volume.
The seal additionally comprises a planar rear face which presses against a planar transverse rear face of the annular housing, to wedge the seal axially in the housing.
Motor vehicles may comprise driving aid systems which brake some of the wheels of the vehicle, for example to stabilize the course followed by the vehicle, in the case of ESP systems.
In such cases, the system may quickly call for substantial amounts of liquid in the brake circuit, which liquid is drawn through the master cylinder to be supplied to the wheel brakes, from the reserve of brake fluid. The fluid has then quickly to pass via the lips of the annular seal, which lift because of the depression pulled downstream.
In an known arrangement, the rear face of the annular seal comprises radial grooves which extend over the entire height of the seal, so as to allow liquid to pass radially outwards, between the annular seal and the planar rear face of the housing of the body.
When there is a demand for fluid in the brake circuit, the liquid follows a path along the radial grooves to reach the external lip, and feeds into the braking circuit via this path.
In the case of an annular seal that has been produced by molding, one known method of manufacturing the mold is to use EDM machining to machine that surface of the mold that corresponds to the rear face of the annular seal, comprising the bearing surfaces and the grooves, using a one-piece electrode.
A chief disadvantage with this method, given the spread on manufacturing dimensions, is that it is possible that the electrode may not be positioned precisely relative to those parts of the mold that have been produced beforehand by turning, and this may give rise to leaks in the annular seal at the lines where the surfaces created by turning meet those created by EDM, when such lines are on a dynamic sealing surface.

Braking circuit master cylinder lip seal


A method and apparatus for a configurable packet routing, buffering and scheduling scheme to optimize throughput with deadlock prevention in SRIO-to-PCIe Bridges have been described. A single level enqueue method with dynamic buffering and dequeuing based on packet re-ordering is disclosed. Single level packet routing and scheduling to meet SRIO and PCIe rules to enqueue packets based on FType/TType is disclosed. Backpressure based on ingress watermarks for different packet types is disclosed. Use of a circular-reorder queue (CRQ) for both ingress and egress allows packet reordering and packet passing.

Serial Rapid Input Output (SRIO) and Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) are known to one of skill in the art as input/output (I/O) interfaces. Equally well known to one of skill in the art is that SRIO and PCIe have differing specifications, protocols, and requirements.
SRIO based End-Points (EP) rely on flowid to route, watermarks to store, and Request-Grant-Accept (RGA) type algorithm to schedule packets. When the SRIO EP is used in a bridge application, the existing packet routing and scheduling schemes cannot transfer packets while meeting both SRIO and PCIe ordering rules and may create deadlock in the system. This presents a problem.

Method and apparatus for a configurable packet routing, buffering and scheduling scheme to optimize throughput with deadlock prevention in SRIO-to-PCIe bridges


A running gear for a rail vehicle includes a wheel unit and a cooperating unit. The running gear defines a longitudinal direction, a transverse direction and a height direction, while the wheel unit defines a wheel unit axis. The cooperating unit is connected to the wheel unit and cooperates with the wheel unit during operation the running gear to drive and/or brake the wheel unit. Furthermore, during operation of the running gear, an airflow passes the wheel unit and the cooperating unit, in the height direction, at a first height level below the wheel unit axis. At least one air guide device is provided, the air guide device being arranged and adapted to guide an airflow portion of the airflow towards a section of the cooperating unit located at a second height level, the second height level being located above the first height level above the wheel unit axis.

The present invention relates to a running gear for a rail vehicle, comprising a wheel unit and a cooperating unit, the running gear defining a longitudinal direction, a transverse direction and a height direction, while the wheel unit defines a wheel unit axis. The cooperating unit is connected to the wheel unit and cooperates with the wheel unit during operation of the running gear to drive and/or brake the wheel unit. Furthermore, during operation of the running gear, an airflow passes the wheel unit and the cooperating unit, in said height direction, at a first height level below the wheel unit axis. The present invention further relates to a rail vehicle comprising such a running gear.
In modern rail vehicles, in particular, modern high-speed rail vehicles, there is a tendency to close the lower surface of the running gear as far as possible, e.g. by corresponding shield elements or the like, in order to achieve several goals. One of these goals is to avoid impacts of pieces of ballast or other objects lying on the track currently negotiated, thereby avoiding damage of sensitive components of the running gear. Such a shielding concept is disclosed, for example, in EP 1 781 523 B1. A further goal of such extensive shielding of the lower surface of the running gear is to achieve a less disturbed flow leading to a reduction of the overall drag of the running gear, and, ultimately, a reduction of the overall drag of the vehicle.
A disadvantage, however, of this extensive shielding concept is that components of the running gear experiencing heating during operation (such as motors, gears, brakes etc) are not cooled any more by the airflow at the underside of the running gear. Hence, other cooling mechanisms have to be implemented for these components, which ultimately add to the overall cost of the running gear.


Since in a system of the invention comprising a TU portion 1b for accommodating general extension telephones 5 and PSTN 8, and a TM portion 1a for performing a call control with a packet network, call control information from the PSTN 8 and the like to the packet network is received by the TU portion 1b and then transferred to the TM portion 1a and converted into call control data adapted to the packet network, and voice data from the PSTN 8 and the like to the packet network is received by the TU portion 1b and then converted into voice data adapted to the packet work, it is possible to use a packet network such as the Internet, convert voice data into IP packet data and thereby provide a communication service equivalent to a conventional circuit switching service at low cost.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an exchange making terminal apparatuses communicate with one another, said terminal apparatuses being connected to a packet network such as the Internet, an intranet of a private LAN and the like, and connected to a public circuit switching network.
2. Description of the Related Art
The most apparatuses used in a present public telephone network are analog telephones. And an exchange (PBX: private branch exchange) connected to a public telephone network has many special functions so as to provide various services by connecting an analog telephone directly to the PBX as an extension telephone.
On the other hand, voice communication using the Internet (Voice over Internet Protocol: VoIP) can be performed by connecting a public telephone network and the Internet to each other through an exchange (see Patent literature 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No.Hei 11-191,791 (FIG. 1), for example).
Also in such a situation, however, it is necessary to accommodate a public telephone network, an extension telephone, the Internet, a terminal 61 adapted to ITU-T Recommendation H.323 (hereinafter, referred to as an IP telephone) and the like, and perform a process of address-converting a called telephone number into a number on a packet network, a calling process, a call connection process and the like also in a packet switching network such as the Internet, and it is necessary also to apply an SS7 signaling signal to a packet switching network (in a conventional public telephone network, a call is transmitted by an SS7 signaling (hereinafter, referred to as No.7) signal until an end office takes part in the call and is managed by each end office).
And there has been needed an exchange capable of being inexpensively adapted to also the case of building a system of only digital data communication using a packet network such as the Internet.

Hitachi Communication Technologies, Ltd.


A plate material for a shadow mask, consisting essentially of iron or of iron and nickel and having a surface configuration which stabilizes the adhesion between the plate material and a photoresist and improves the adhesion between the plate material and a negative pattern in the process of producing a shadow mask, thereby enabling improvements in the quality and the productivity, and which causes no annealing adhesion in the shadow mask softening annealing step in the process of producing a color picture tube. The plate material has a surface roughness Ra and a surface roughness projection condition Rsk, which are defined as follows:. Ra: from 0.3 to 0.8.mu.m PA1 Rsk: +0.1 or more PA1 where Ra is the surface roughness specified in JIS B 0601, and Rsk is a value representative of the relativity of an amplitude distribution curve to a mean line, i.e., the projection condition expressed by ##EQU1## where Y(i) is a roughness curve obtained within a reference length of a sectional curve when the mean line and the direction of vertical magnification are assumed to be the X-axis and the Y-axis, respectively; Rq is a quadratic mean roughness; n=230; and j=2 to 5.

The present invention relates to a metallic plate material for a shadow mask used in a color picture tube, which is designed to improve the adhesion between the plate material and a photoresist and also the adhesion between the plate material and a negative pattern in the shadow mask producing process, thereby reducing the suction time required to bring the negative pattern into contact with the plate material, and thus enabling an improvement in the productivity, the plate material also permitting the negative pattern to be transferred accurately and causing no annealing adhesion in the shadow mask softening annealing step in the process of producing a color picture tube.
Hitherto, shadow masks for color picture tubes have been formed using a low-carbon, aluminum-killed, cold-rolled steel plate consisting essentially of iron or an alloy plate consisting essentially of iron and nickel, for example, a 36 nickel-iron invariable alloy plate. As to these plate materials, no precise definition of the surface roughness has been made particularly.
Since there is no precise definition of the surface roughness of the conventional plate materials for shadow masks, as stated above, the adhesion between a metallic plate material and a photoresist is likely to become unstable in the process of producing a shadow mask from the plate material used as a blank, and the adhesion between a negative pattern and the metallic plate material coated with the photoresist is also unstable in the step of transferring the negative pattern. In addition, annealing adhesion occurs in the step of subjecting the resulting shadow mask to softening annealing to give press deformability thereto in the process of producing a color picture tube, thus having adverse effects on the quality and the productivity.


A tablet supply apparatus including a main body having a case accommodating unit at the upper portion thereof, plural tablet cases that are secured in the case accommodating unit and in which tablets are accommodated, a chute through which tablets discharged from each of the tablet cases drop, a hopper that is disposed below the chute and provided in the main body, a filling device for filling tablets received by the hopper into a container, and at least one tablet feeder for freely putting into the hopper tablets whose kinds are other than the kinds of the tablets accommodated in the table cases. The tablet feeder has an opening for putting tablets, a shutter for temporarily trapping the tables put from the opening and a switch for opening the shutter, and is designed so that the put tablets on the shutter are visually recognizable.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tablet supply apparatus having a function of filling tablets into a container such as a bag, a bin or the like.
2. Description of Related Art
There has been hitherto known a tablet supply apparatus in that a plurality of tablet cases accommodated according to category (kind) are provided, predetermined kinds of tablets are taken out from tablet cases on the basis of input prescription data into a hopper, the collected tablets are filled from the hopper into a container such as a bag, a bin or the like and a container in which desired kinds of tablets are filled is automatically prepared. As one of the above type tablet supply apparatuses has been proposed a tablet supply apparatus having a tablet feeder for adding the tablet supply apparatus with a tablet which has not yet been set in any table case when it is required to fill a container with the tablet concerned (for example, see JP-A-2004-203433). In the tablet supply apparatus disclosed the above publication, plural accommodating compartments are formed in the tablet feeder. When an operation of filling tablets into a container is started, it is instructed to an operator in advance which kind of tablets should be put into which accommodating compartment, and the operator beforehand executes an advance preparation of putting a predetermined kind of tablets into a predetermined accommodating compartment on the basis of this instruction. After the advance preparation is finished, an operation of filling tablets into a container is started by the tablet supply apparatus.
However, the tablet supply apparatus described above has a problem that the advance preparation which is executed by the operator before the operation of filling tablets into a container is cumbersome. Particularly, when various kinds of tablets are to be put into the accommodating compartment, the operation is required to be prudential to execute the putting work because the accommodating compartment is small, and thus there is a problem that the putting work become troublesome.


The present invention provides for a one-piece band member (10) for use w transmissions. The band member (10) is integrally constructed having the end portions (16) of a strap member (12) being formed an apply member (18) and a reaction member (20) and then folded (22) back over the outer circumference of the strap member (12) to provide a unitary unit. A friction lining (14) is secured around the inner circumference of the strap member (12).

Transmission bands are used to act as a brake or clutch to stop a rotating drum member of a transmission. The interior circumference of a transmission band is usually lined with a friction material to assist in achieving the smooth cessation of drum rotation. The ends of a transmission band generally have brackets or lugs known as apply and reaction members which are used to anchor the band member and engage apply pin members located within the transmission, The reaction member is usually anchored and the apply pin engages the apply member to push the apply member toward the reaction member, thereby decreasing the circumference of the band and causing the band to frictionally engage the rotating members or drums within the transmission to brake those members to a stop.
Commonly, prior art transmission bands have been designed to provide endurance under the stressful, repetitive conditions found in the operation of a transmission. Most often these heavy, thick, bands have a thickness or gauge of around 0.080 inches (0.20 cm), allowing the band to enjoy a long life and yet provide some flexibility during application of the band to the rotating transmission drums. However, with the advent of higher fuel costs and automotive manufacturing demands for fuel efficiency, recent research has centered around producing transmission bands of lighter weight materials and thinner cross sections. Development of these lighter weight bands having thinner cross section designs has been plagued by increased problems in the overall quality of the transmission bands and their ability to perform the required repetitive and stressful functions.
A typical single wrap transmission band is formed as a strip of sheet metal having a friction lining adhered about the interior circumference with separate apply and reaction members attached to the ends of the strap members. The apply and reaction members are commonly manufactured as formed brackets which are secured to the strap by an appropriate form of attachment such as a tab lance, extrusion, spot weld, or structural adhesive. The application of these heavy forged apply and reaction members to the lighter, thinner straps is, however, counter-productive to meeting the demands of the automotive manufacturers for lighter weight components. The prior art forged apply and reaction brackets not only have a relatively thick cross section and substantial added weight, they interfere with the potential for enhanced operation characteristics of the transmission band. Transmission bands manufactured from a thinner gauge sheet metal have enhanced operational characteristics when compared to the prior art thicker gauge bands especially in the ability of the band to conform to the rotating drums of the transmission and wear evenly about the band. Bands manufactured with the thick forged apply and reaction brackets, however, do not have the desired flexibility toward the ends of the band where the apply and reaction members are attached and the band, therefore, does not engage, with uniformity, around the rotating transmission pieces. Thus, there is an enhanced possibility of uneven wear of the transmission bands.
Problems have also been encountered with known transmission bands that have been designed to incorporate lighter-weight apply and reaction brackets. A noticeably reduced ability in the load carrying capability of the transmission band commonly results from a premature failure of the band due to stress and fatigue of the lighter-weight apply and reaction members.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a transmission band which engages the rotating transmission members with greater conformity than current bands.
A further object of this invention is to provide a lightweight, one-piece transmission band having the apply and reaction member integrally formed in the base material.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a lightweight, one-piece transmission band having load carrying capabilities at least as good if not better that those of the heavier common prior art bands.

Borg-Warner Automotive Transmission & Engine Components Corporation


The invention relates to a spring-loaded air rifle which includes a trigger that actuates a firing mechanism that controls an interconnection part, which exerts a force on a counter-pawl that releases a spring that actuates a piston, in which said firing mechanism is an electronic firing mechanism which includes a flexible rod for actuating a switch.

Rifles comprising a spring of the type described in EP 0655598 are spring-loaded rifles which unlike those of the PCP (Pre Charged Pneumatic) type do not require an external source of pressurised gas to discharge shot or any kind of munition.
In spring-loaded rifles air is compressed manually by means of a spring. As a consequence, activating the trigger (firing) releases a spring which activates a piston. Rapid movement by the piston causes the air in a container to be compressed. The compressed air present in the container or caused through the action of the piston is subsequently discharged through an opening of diameter smaller than the container, which helps to increase the pressure of the air. Finally the discharged compressed air is used to impel a shot or other type of munition.
The rifles have substantially poorer performance with regard to accuracy than a rifle of the PCP type. The main difference in performance is due to the need for parts to move during firing, which causes vibration and recoil. Nevertheless spring-loaded rifles are an important option because of their low cost and their need for few additional accessories, such as pre-compressed gas cylinders, among others.
At the present time spring-loaded rifles are mechanically fired by means of a trigger and a counter-ratchet which are released through the action of the trigger, allowing the air compressed by the spring to pass through the barrel.
In order to improve accuracy it is necessary for the user's action on the trigger to require the least force possible, given that action of greater force on the trigger causes undesirable movement of the rifle at the time of firing. Thus at the present time the connection between the trigger and the counter-ratchet has an area of contact which is as small as possible. This ensures that the required movement to release the counter-ratchet and therefore to fire is small, requiring less force to activate it.
This type of mechanism to reduce the amount of force necessary to activate firing has the result that when the contact surfaces are very small, any force applied externally, for example by an impact, even if not directly acting on the trigger, causes the trigger and the counter-ratchet to disengage, activating undesired firing. Hence the need to have the smoothest possible firing in a weapon which passes safety tests such as for example that known as the drop test. This test comprises dropping the weapon freely in all possible positions of the rifle, and the test is passed if the rifle does not fire in any position.
According to this invention an electronic firing mechanism may be incorporated so that the least force possible is used and a contact surface between the trigger and counter-ratchet which guarantees safety is maintained. Through the use of a firing mechanism of this type there is no need to overcome the friction force between the two surfaces, given that the system of operation is different, as only the force necessary to activate a switch is used. The trigger and counter-ratchet are preferably disconnected through an internal mechanism through the action of a solenoid, but any other electromechanical firing mechanism may be used.


A method is disclosed for processing related subject and reference macromolecule populations composed of complementary strands into their respective subject and reference populations of representative fragments and effectuating purification of unique polymorphic subject fragments.

This invention is generally related to a method of characterizing macromolecules composed of complementary strands. More specifically the invention concerns a method for subtractive comparisons of populations of representative fragments (hereinafter PRFs) representing two related complex macromolecules such as genomic DNA and RNA and partial purification of polymorphic PRF components in which the two macromolecules differ.
Polymorphisms are genetic differences between two related genomes which are inheritable and contribute to the diversity within a species. They correspond to subunit structural differences in the DNAs (or RNAs) which encode the genome. Many DNA polymorphisms are without manifest physiological effects, while others are causal factors for inherited traits, whether the effects be positive, neutral or causative for genetic disease. Therefore, the isolation of fragments of the total genomic DNA which represent polymorphism sites is an important task of biological and medical research. For medical genetics, these fragment isolations constitute one step in the development of capacities to diagnose genetic diseases. More generally, it is a common constituent of biological research programs to isolate genes and characterize their functions.
Previously, the detection of genetic differences in genomic DNA and the isolation of genes has been limited by the complexity of genomes which could be analyzed by conventional procedures without resorting to laborious comparative probing techniques. The following is a discussion of some of those procedures and their drawbacks.
Subtraction hybridization was one of the first approaches used in the isolation of genes or their corresponding RNA. This process relies on the duplex or double stranded structure of DNA and RNA/DNA hybrids. DNA duplexes can be denatured, i.e., separated into their complementary strands by treatment with heat or with destabilizing agents, such as a formamide or a high pH solution. Annealing conditions can be established under which strands pair up and reform duplexes. The stability of the duplexes is highly dependent on proper pairing of constituent bases across the strands. The four constituent bases found in DNA molecules are adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine (hereinafter, abbreviated A, T, G, and C, respectively). Proper subunit pairings across the strands are A with T and G with C. In the first subtraction hybridization experiments, viral subject DNA and host cell DNA were utilized. The viral component of the total RNA extracted from the virus infected cells was selectively bound to viral, but not to host cell DNA. (Bautz and Hall, The Isolation of T4-Specific RNA on a DNA-Cellulose Column, 48 Pro. Nat. Acad. Sci. 400 (1962)). Hybridization will occur between two complementary single strands even if one of the strands is stably attached to a matrix.
During conventional subtraction hybridization, DNAs of a subject genome and a related reference genome are utilized. The duplex DNAs of both are fragmented and then denatured. Fragmented reference strands are bound to a matrix, such as agarose, cellulose or nylon. Fragmented subject strands are annealed with a large molar excess of the bound reference strands. During the annealing process, most of the subject strands pair with reference complements and are entrapped in hybrid duplexes of subject and reference strands. Subject strands without reference complements cannot pair off in a stable duplex with, and thereby be entrapped by, the reference DNAs. After the annealing step, removal of the matrix eliminates reference DNAs and the entrapped homologous subject DNAs. The free subject DNAs are comprised of the sought unique subject DNAs and common DNAs which have escaped entrapment in hybrid duplexes. The former comprise a much greater proportion of the free DNAs than they did of the input subject DNA population, since the majority of the common DNAs have been subtracted out. The net subtraction hybridization process thus provides a partial purification for the sought unique DNAs lacking reference complements.
The extent of elimination of the unwanted subject DNAs during a conventional subtraction hybridization process depends on the molar ratio of the input materials. The annealing of strands into duplexes is a bimolecular reaction obeying conventional chemical mass action laws. With an input ratio of one subject DNA to ten reference DNAs, the annealed products are in the ratio of 0.1 (subject): 2 (hybrid): 9 (reference duplexes). Thus, with respect to the input subject DNA population, the elimination of matrix bound DNAs eliminates 90% of the subject DNA with reference homologies.
Conventional subtraction hybridization technology has limited applicability, i.e., polymorphisms corresponding to deletions in the genomes of simple organisms such as viruses and bacteria. The technique fails for point mutations and rearrangement polymorphisms. The subject DNA polymorphisms being sought still have homologies with the reference DNAs, and would consequently be entrapped and eliminated during a subtraction hybridization procedure. Moreover, genomic DNA of higher species contains numerous base pair sequences which are repeated and dispersed throughout the chromosomes. For example, about 80% of human genomic DNA is comprised of several families of repeated (reiterated) DNA sequences, the largest families having hundreds to thousands of copies. Single copy genes or sequences comprise the remaining 20% of human genomic DNA. The reiterated sequences cause an undesirable complication. During an annealing of DNA strands of a complex genome, the reiterated sequences make more rapid contacts than the much lower concentration single copy sequences. Consequently, reiterated regions form stable duplex regions, regardless of non-homology between adjacent single copy gene regions. As a result, extended "promiscuous" tangles of DNA form that are stabilized by the duplex regions. The formation of promiscuous tangles hinders the purification in conventional subtraction hybridization.
Alternative approaches to conventional subtraction hybridization utilize restriction nucleases. A restriction nuclease is an enzyme that has the capacity to recognize a specific target sequence, several base pairs in length in double-stranded DNA molecules, and to cleave both strands of the DNA molecule at the locations of target sequence. The DNA molecules defined by digestion with a restriction nuclease are referred to as restriction fragments. Any given genomic DNA digested by a particular restriction nuclease is converted into a discreet PRF.
A restriction fragment length polymorphism (hereinafter, RFLP) is a particular type of polymorphism manifested as a difference in the lengths of some genetically related fragments of the two PRFs compared. The underlying genetic manifestations can be as subtle as a single base pair change, which creates or eliminates a cleavage site, or as gross as a genetic deletion which changes the length of DNA between cleavage sites. To detect a RFLP, an analytical method for fractioning double-stranded DNA molecules on the basis of size is required. The most commonly used technique for achieving such a fractionation is agarose gel electrophoresis. In that method DNA molecules migrate through the gel which acts as a sieve that retards the movement of the largest molecules to the greatest extent and affects the movement of the smallest molecules to the least extent. A comparison of gel electrophoretically fractionated PRFs reveals the fragments unique to each genome among those common to the subject and reference PRFs compared. The unique fragments represent the RFLP. Fractionated PRFs can also be denatured and annealed within the confines of the fractionation gel. Such in situ annealings have been employed previously, in a strategy to selectively detect reiterated PRF members. (Roninson, Detection and mapping of homologous, repeated and amplified DNA sequences by DNA renaturation in agarose gels, 11 Nucleic Acids Res. 5413-31 (1983)).
Fractionations which distinguish compared DNAs by the stability of the base pairing have also been used (Fischer and Lerman, Length-Independent Separation of DNA Restriction Fragments in Two-Dimensional Gel Electophoresis, 16 Cell 191-200 (Jan. 1979)). They can reveal some polymorphisms between DNAs of the same length.
So long as a fractionation procedure can resolve the constituents of each PRF, differences between PRFs are easily detectable. For example, desired resolution can be achieved with one dimensional fractionations for many viral PRFs, or with two dimensional fractionations responsive to fragment length and thermal stability, for bacterial PRFs. However, for higher organisms, even if the best fractionation techniques are used, resolution of the sought polymorphic PRF constituents is not achieved. With such higher organisms, separation of any single member from the majority of the PRF membership occurs, but there are so many members that there is a continuum of overlapping fragment bands which prevents resolution and detection of members within the continuum.
When there is a continuum of fragment bands, probing techniques have been used to display positions of particular genes. A cloned form of the gene which is sought is given a radioactive or biochemical label that can be later employed to reveal its position. It serves as a probe to locate its homologues. The fractionated subject DNAs are denatured into constituent strands and then transferred and stably bound to a membrane, e.g., blotted onto a stable membrane. Single stranded probe and blotted subject DNAs are then annealed. The probe binds in a stable manner by base pairing, only at the position of its genetic homologues, and the positions of homologous fragments on the blot, are thereby detected. With most single gene probes, the compared PRFs show no differences for the fragments selectively displayed. Nevertheless, laborious comparative probings of related PRFs can be sequentially performed and with a large enough population of probes, polymorphisms useful for genetic diagnostic purposes can eventually be detected. (Gusella et al., A Polymorphic DNA Marker Genetically Linked to Huntington's Disease, 306 Nature 234 (1983)).
Another technique has been used to selectively display a sub-population of polymorphisms of viral genomic DNA. In this technique, the PRFs of the genomic DNA of two genomes to be compared are prepared. They are pooled in equal amounts and hybridized. Hybridization products are then treated with nuclease Sl which cleaves at distortions in DNA duplexes. (Shenk et al., Biochemical Method for Mapping Mutational Alterations in DNA with S1 Nuclease: The Location of Deletions and Temperature-Sensitive Mutations in Simian Virus 40, 72 Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 3:989-993 (1975)). Some hybrid duplexes comprised of polymorphic DNA strands have a sufficient degree of distortion and are consequently cleaved at these sites. Secondary fragments thus generated are detected through a fractionation, during which S1 cleavage fragments migrate faster than intact predecessor fragments. It is essential for this distortion cleavage technique that a control consisting of a hybridization of each PRF against itself is conducted for comparative analysis of the products. Such controls do yield secondary S1 fragments which arise because of partial homologies and reiterated sequences within the genomic DNA. The fragments encoding them form distorted duplexes and partially duplex complexes during hybridizations. Thus, secondary fragments arise during the S1 nuclease digestion. These secondary fragments must be identified in order to distinguish polymorphisms between genomes from internal homologies within a genome. This distortion cleavage technology has also been used with bacterial genomic DNA. (Yee and Inouye, Two-dimensional S1 nuclease heteroduplex mapping: Detection of rearrangments in bacterial genomes, 81 Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 2723-2727 (1984)). Internal homologies are a small fraction of the total genomic DNA in bacterial genomes and are identifiable from the control. By contrast, internal homologies are extensive in the genomic DNA of higher organisms. As a consequence when this technique is used with PRFs of higher organisms, the sought polymorphisms are obscured by the great abundance of secondary fragments arising as a consequence of the extensive internal homologies.
Other polymorphism identification techniques have been used with a very limited domain of utility. These are techniques which require the prior cloning of the genome fragment whose polymorphisms will subsequently be sought. The most refined of these methodologies is comparative nucleotide sequencing, through which the particular subunit differences of the polymorphism are identified.

Purification of polymorphic components of complex genomes

The United States of America as represented by the United States of Energy


The present document described a solid source and a method for synthesis of silicon-containing precursors for chemical vapor deposition. The solid source comprises a solid polysilane; an energy coupling agent distributed in the solid polysilane; and hydrogen, mixed with the solid polysilane and the energy coupling agent distributed in the solid polysilane, in a necessary amount to satisfy a hydrogen deficiency during a hydrogenolysis reaction.

(a) Field
The subject matter disclosed generally relates to solid sources and methods for the synthesis of gaseous precursors used in the Chemical Vapor Deposition (i.e., CVD). More particularly, the subject matter disclosed relates to solid sources for the synthesis of gaseous silicon-containing precursors used in the CVD of silicon-based ceramic thin films used for, without limitation, protective coatings, refractory ceramics, and thin films for electronic and semiconductor devices.
(b) Related Prior Art
Chemical vapor deposition (i.e., or CVD) is a chemical process used to produce high-purity and/or high-performance solid materials. The process is often used in the semiconductor industry to produce thin films. In typical CVD processes, the wafer (i.e., the substrate) is exposed to one or more volatile precursors, which react and/or decompose on the substrate surface to produce the desired deposit. Frequently, volatile by-products are also produced, which are removed by gas flow through a reaction chamber.
Microfabrication processes widely use CVD to deposit materials in various forms, which include, without limitation, monocrystalline, polycrystalline, amorphous, epitaxial and the like. These materials include, without limitation, silicon, carbon fiber, carbon nanofibers, filaments, carbon nanotubes, SiO2, silicon-germanium, tungsten, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, titanium nitride, various high-k dielectrics and the like.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,396,563 to Scarlete et al. discloses a semiconductor thin film of amorphous silicon carbide obtained through vapor deposition following desublimation of pyrolysis products of polymeric precursors in inert or active atmosphere. This Polymer-Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition (PA-CVD) allowed one or multi-layers compositions, microstructures and thicknesses to be deposited on a wide variety of substrates.
European Patent no. EP 2,122007 to Awad et al. discloses a method for forming a film on a substrate. The method comprises the steps of heating a solid organosilane source in a heating chamber to form a gaseous precursor, transferring the gaseous precursor to a deposition chamber, and reacting the gaseous precursor using an energy source to form the film on the substrate. The film comprises Si and C, and optionally the film comprises other elements such as N, O, F, B, P, or any suitable combination. However, according to this method, CVD of the film changes. However, the a) higher average temperature and b) high thermal gradient in the section of the solid source, induced by the conductive heating of the solid organosilane source used in this method, both required for the formation of the gaseous precursors (inhomogeneous distribution in the section of the solid source resulting in a much higher temperature on the outer shell that in the core of the solid source) produces a high amount of low molecular weight, volatile carbosilane species with negative impact on the yield of the transformation of the solid source into the desired gaseous precursor—dimethylsilane.
US Patent Publication no. 2010/0051096 to Kim, D. S. et al. discloses a silicon solar cell which comprises an antireflective coating, which coating comprises amorphous silicon carbonitride, and where the amount of carbon in the silicon carbonitride is from 5 to 25 atomic %. The gaseous mono-silicon organosilanes are obtained from pyrolysis of a solid organosilane source, such as polydimethylsilane. This document shows that C-containing silicon-based ceramic films can be used for the fabrication of solar cells.
US Patent Publication no. 2010/0186811 to Kim, D. S. et al. discloses an antireflective coating for silicon-based solar cells which comprises amorphous silicon carbonitride, a solar cell comprising the antireflective coating, and a method of preparing the antireflective coating from one or more gaseous mono-silicon organosilane obtained from pyrolysis of a solid organosilane source, listing polydimethylsilane, polycarbomethylsilane, triphenylsilane, or nonamethyltrisilazane for example. This document shows that C-containing silicon-based ceramic films can be used for the fabrication of solar cells.
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in "Layered graphene sheets could solve hydrogen storage issue" (2010, Mar. 19), and J. Burress, J. Simmons, J. Ford and T. Yildirim in "Gas adsorption properties of graphene-oxide-frameworks and nanoporous benzene-boronic acid polymers" (American Physical Society Meeting, Mar. 18, 20101, Portland, Oreg.) reported that grapheme-oxide frameworks (GOF) can accumulate hydrogen in large quantities. The description of hydrogen-supports like the one described here does not come with the possibility of eliminating the hydrogen-deficit of PDMS with respect to improved stoichiometrical (i.e., full) decomposition in DMS. Rafiee J. et al. from Renssselar Polytechnic Institute have reported a novel form of engineered graphene that exhibits hydrogen storing capacity far exceeding any other known material. No connection is mentioned with respect to a possible usage of this material for obtaining improved decomposition of PDMS into DMS.
Yang Yang and Richard Kaner, from the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI), have reported a technology for making graphene sheets in big quantities and at a low price. No connection is mentioned in this method with respect to a possible usage of this material for obtaining improved decomposition of PDMS into DMS.
Morgan, D. et al. presented in their CRS' Report for Congress 95-540 SPR the capability of hydrogen storage and controlled release via glass microspheres. These are small, hollow, glass micro-balloons which have diameters that vary from about 25 microns to 500 microns (i.e., 1/1000 inch to 20/1000 inch), and which have wall thicknesses that are about 1 micron. They can be used in large beds to store hydrogen at high pressures. The microspheres are filled with hydrogen gas at temperatures of 200 to 400 degrees Centigrade. The high temperature makes the glass walls permeable, and the gas fills the spheres. Once the glass is cooled to room temperature, the hydrogen is trapped inside the spheres. This document allows exact control of the temperature of H-delivery in the system. The composition of the glass could be arranged such that at the Tg, a high amount of H is abruptly delivered in the system. However, this document allows for efficiency only if the H-storage property of graphite is lower than the practical required level for the stoichiometric decomposition of PDMS into DMS. No connection is mentioned in this method with respect to a possible usage of this material for obtaining improved decomposition of PDMS into DMS.
The generation of gaseous precursors from the source is currently based on conductive and radiative heating. Processing of a 250 g charge of solid source requires a continuous 5-15 kW supply from an electrical resistor over 4-8 hours. There is therefore a need for an improved solution for the transfer of the energy required by this reaction.
Bulk graphite is commonly used as susceptor for radio frequency heating (i.e., RF heating). For example, Berkman et al. discloses in U.S. Pat. No. 3,980,854 a susceptor for heating a plurality of semiconductor wafers, by RF induction, comprising a hollow truncated pyramid of conventional graphite.
In another environment, Kaeppeler et al. discloses in U.S. Pat. No. 7,048,802 the use of graphite foam for depositing crystalline layers on crystalline substrates by means of reaction gases fed to a heated process chamber. This process chamber is formed by the cavity of an especially multi-part graphite tube arranged in a reactor housing that especially comprises quartz walls. This reactor housing, in the area of the process chamber, is enclosed by a high-frequency coil and the space between the reactor housing and the graphite tube is filled with a graphite foam sleeve.
Additionally, synthesis of graphite flakes which includes grapheme layers is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,754,184. In this patent, a process for the production of nano-structures is presented, involving the steps of providing a graphite flake comprising graphene layers, intercalating the graphite flake to form a graphite intercalation compound exhibiting Stage I, II or III intercalation, and exfoliating the graphite intercalation compound under conditions such that a plurality of individual graphene layers are separated from the graphite intercalation compound.
Silicon carbide can also be used as susceptor material. Koag et al. discloses in U.S. Pat. No. 5,119,540 a method, and associated apparatus and product, for forming extremely pure epitaxial layers of silicon carbide by reducing the carrier concentration of residual nitrogen in silicon carbide formed by chemical vapor deposition processes. The method comprises placing a substrate upon which an epitaxial layer of silicon carbide will form upon a susceptor. U.S. Pat. No. 5,119,540 takes advantage of the fact that, although the breaking of Si—Si bonds which is the onset for Kumada rearrangement starts as low as 200° C., the quantitative production of this rearrangement which is carbosilane is observed only around 400° C.
There is therefore a need for improved solid sources and methods for the synthesis of silicon-containing precursors for chemical vapor deposition and/or for the synthesis of gaseous precursors used in the chemical vapor deposition of silicon-based ceramic thin films used for, without limitation, protective coatings, refractory ceramics, and thin films for electronic and semiconductor devices.

Solid source and method for the synthesis of silicon-containing precursors for chemical vapor deposition


A method for packaging skeins shaped as a circular ring of a flexible element of elongated shape, in particular a cable or a hose, wherein the turns are held unitarily to each other, comprises the following phases: sustaining the skein in overhang towards a binding station holding it by the clamping of opposite planar aces of the skein effected in correspondence with at least a first portion of the skein; binding the skein in correspondence with at least its second, free, portion which projects from the first held portion; rotating the skein around its own axis of symmetry by a predetermined angle with respect to the position of the skein in the previous binding phase; and binding the skein again in correspondence with its own rotated position.

The present invention relates to the packaging of skeins shaped as circular rings of flexible elements, of elongated shape, such as hoses, cables and the like, and in particular it pertains to a method for packaging the skeins and a packaging machine that implements said method.
The packaging of elongated, flexible, elements into skeins shaped as circular rings currently comprises: a) winding the flexible element onto itself in such a way as to form an ordered succession of turns in mutual contact; and b) connecting the turns together in such a way as to maintain them tightly wound to each other in order to allow the entire skein to be handled as a single body, with no danger that the skein may unravel as a result of the relative displacement of the turns; said connection being hereafter defined with the generic term of binding, regardless of the way said binding is in fact achieved.
The aforesaid packaging is effected by means of various techniques.
A first known packaging procedure provides for the unitary retaining of the turns by means of a certain number of independent bindings, regularly distributed along the skein. Each of these bindings is effected by means of a retaining ring which: is embodied by a strip positioned on its own plane radial to the skein; envelops the turns intersecting their related planes; concatenates with the totality of the turns; and is so tightened as to compress all turns in mutual contact conferring a substantial overall rigidity to the skein.
The aforesaid bindings are obtained by means of machines comprising a certain number of operating heads, or otherwise machines with a single head provided with a plurality of guiding slots, located at regular intervals around the skeins and each forming a ring for holding the turns by dispensing, clamping and cutting a packaging ribbon, commonly called strap, which unwinds from a related coil.
The operating heads are in a well-determined number by construction, so that the related packaging machine can effect a number of bindings exactly corresponding to the number of operating heads, or even a lesser number through the deactivation of one or more heads suitably chosen to allow the formation of bindings regularly distributed along the contour of the skein.
The number and location of the heads with which the machine is provided by construction rigidly condition the operating capabilities of the machine itself. Although in general the possibility of varying the binding pitch is not precluded, the aforesaid packaging machines can in fact produce bindings that are mutually offset according to a rather limited number of different pitches so that such machines are characterized, in actuality, by a high productive rigidity.
A second packaging technique, also known and representing an advance over the previous one, calls for combining with the aforesaid bindings, effected with a strap, a band of plastic film (for instance of heat-shrinking material) which is positioned around the circumference of the skein in such a way as to form an exterior sheath, constituted by a single annular strip that encompasses the cylindrical contour surface of the skein and holds the totality of the turns within it. Such containment sheath serves the fundamental purpose of preventing the skein from unraveling while in use when, after the holding rings lying on the radial planes of the skein have been cut or untied, a certain length of hose or cable is extracted and cut from the skein itself.
This packaging technique obviously retains unaltered all the limitations, in terms of binding pitch options, of the machines that embody the technology discussed above. Moreover, it requires a greater manufacturing complexity of the packaging machines; and lastly it entails a greater quantity of packaging material, with obvious consequences both in terms of production cost and of the disposal of the skein packing.
A third packaging method, known from the patent document MC 98A000074, describes a technique that calls for each ring shaped skein to be wrapped entirely, and externally, from one side and from the other, with successive wraps of an uninterrupted, extensible ribbon. The wraps are effected in such a way as to form a sheath wherein each wrap is located on a plane transverse to the skein itself and angularly offset with respect to the wraps that immediately precede and immediately follow.
This packaging method presents numerous advantages, such as that of allowing packaging with very thin film, hence with considerable material savings, and that of allowing to draw and cut the cable from the skein, from the beginning to the end thereof, without it ever being possible for the skein to unravel.
The aim of the present invention is to eliminate all the drawbacks of the known solutions, ascribable to the execution of bindings with predetermined pitch by means of a packaging method able to allow holding the turns of the skein together with bindings distanced at regular pitches with respect to the axis of symmetry of the skein, of any amplitude; able to be modulated progressively and selectable on each occasion according to the specific packaging in process and in particular to the dimensions of the various skeins and to the characteristics of the hose or of the cable that constitute them.
According to the present invention, this aim is attained by a method for packaging skeins shaped as a circular ring of a flexible element of elongated shape, such as a cable or a hose, wherein the turns are held unitarily to each other, comprising the following phases:
sustaining the skein towards a binding station holding it by the clamping of opposite planar faces of the skein, said skein sustaining phase being made with skein sustaining in overhang towards the binding station, said sustaining phase being obtained in a feeding station and by means of a skein clamping effected in correspondence with at least a first portion of said skein and effected by a pair of parallel jaws vertically oriented between which the skein is housed;
binding the skein, in correspondence with at least one its second portion projecting from the first portion held, by connecting the turns together either with at least one ring for holding the turns of the skein which is oriented transversely to the skein turns intersecting the turns and concatenating therewith, or with an holding ring which wraps by one self the skein enveloping it solely from the exterior; and
rotating the skein around its own axis of symmetry by an angle predetermined with respect to a preceding position of the skein in the previous binding phase, the skein being rotated by the jaws around a direction parallel to the axis of symmetry of the skein and
binding the skein again in correspondence with its own rotates position.
The machine has a general configuration that is suited to allow indifferently to realize all binding types with the sole condition of being equipped with the specific type of head corresponding to the different packaging techniques. If the binding station is of the type able to dispense a packing ribbon or a strap, the machine according to the invention allows to realize radial bindings with no constraint limiting the number and distance between the bindings.
If, vice versa, the binding station is embodied by a wrapping head able to dispense a ribbon of plastic film, able to be deformed elastically and longitudinally and uninterrupted, the packaging machine can be set up to provide one of the possible concrete embodiments of the method as per patent application MC 98A000074.

Method and machine for packaging skeins, shaped as rings, of a flexible, elongated element


An organic light emitting diode display device and a method of manufacturing the same are disclosed. The organic light emitting diode display device comprises: a substrate; an active layer disposed on the substrate; a first insulating layer disposed on the active layer; a gate electrode disposed on the first insulating layer; a pixel electrode disposed on the first insulating layer; source and drain electrodes electrically insulated from the gate electrode and electrically connected to the active layer; an intermediate layer disposed on the pixel electrode, wherein the intermediate layer comprises an organic emission layer; and an opposite electrode disposed on the intermediate layer, wherein the pixel electrode is connected to the source electrode or the drain electrode, wherein the gate electrode comprises a first conductive layer, a second conductive layer, a third conductive layer, and a fourth conductive layer that are sequentially stacked, and wherein the second and third conductive layers comprises a first oxidation-reduction potential difference therebetween, and the first and third conductive layers comprises a second oxidation-reduction potential difference therebetween, and the first oxidation-reduction potential difference is less than the second oxidation-reduction potential difference.

1. Field
The present technology relates to an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display device and a method of manufacturing the same, and more particularly, to an OLED display device and a method of manufacturing the same, which may inhibit the blistering of an insulating layer and the corrosion of a gate electrode.
2. Description of the Related Technology
In recent years, display devices are gradually becoming be superseded by portable thin flat panel displays ("FPD"s). Among the FPD's, the organic light emitting diode ("OLED") display devices or the inorganic light emitting diode ("ILED") display devices have attracted much attention as advanced display devices, because the OLED's or ILED's have wide viewing angles, good contrast, and fast response speeds. In addition, an OLED display device having an emission layer ("EML") formed of an organic material has a higher luminance, a higher driving voltage, and better response speed characteristics than an ILED device, and is capable of embodying various colors.
An OLED display device typically includes a cathode electrode and an anode electrode between which an organic EML is disposed. When a voltage is applied to the cathode and anode electrodes, the organic EML connected to the cathode and anode electrodes may emit visible light.
An OLED display device may include a plurality of thin layers, and a fine pattern having a desired shape may be formed in each of the thin layers. The formation of the fine pattern can involve a large number of processes. In this case, the fine pattern may be formed using various methods, mainly, by photolithography processes using a mask.
The photolithography processes may require fine control. Also, the formation of patterns using a mask may involve a plurality of operations, such as a photolithography forming operation, an exposure operation, a developing operation, and an etching operation. Therefore, as the number of operations of the photolithography process using the mask increases, processes for manufacturing an OLED display device may become complicated, a process time may be increased, and controlling the processes may become difficult, thus causing a lot of failures.
Furthermore, an OLED display device may include various electrodes formed using conductive thin layers. In this case, the electrical and emission characteristics of the OLED display device may be changed according to the electrical characteristics of the electrodes.

Organic light emitting diode display device and method of manufacturing the same