A flow control mechanism is provided for regulating the flow of fluid from a container or vessel, e.g., a plastic bottle containing a fluid such as water or the like. The flow control mechanism may be advantageously employed in a variety of applications where it is desired to dispense and/or access fluids in a controlled manner, e.g., applications wherein a liquid, colloidal system, suspension or the like is to be dispensed/accessed in a controlled manner. The flow control mechanisms are particularly advantageous as animal/pet drinking aids that provide animals/pets with convenient and controlled access to fluid refreshment, e.g., when away from a home-based water bowl. An exemplary control mechanism includes a cap member, overcap and ball captured therebetween. The cap member may be secured to a fluid-containing vessel and used to regulate or control the flow of fluid therefrom.

The present disclosure relates to a device for use with a container or vessel containing a fluid, and more particularly to a device for use with a bottle to assist in dispensing such fluid in a controlled manner, e.g., to assist an animal in drinking therefrom. The present disclosure further relates to a container and/or vessel that includes an advantageous flow regulation device.
Fluids are routinely contained within containers and/or vessels, e.g., plastic and/or glass bottles. To gain access to the fluids contained with a container/vessel, a cap is generally removed and the fluid is poured or otherwise dispensed therefrom. Thus, for example, in the case of plastic beverage bottles, a cap is generally screw threaded onto the throat of the bottle which can be removed, as desired, when it is desired to access the contents thereof. The beverage is generally consumed directly from the bottle, by way of a straw, or by pouring the beverage into a cup or glass.
In certain circumstances, beverage/water bottles may be provided with a control mechanism that permits fluid to flow therefrom upon axial movement of an annular flange relative to a fixed central abutment member. By moving the annular flange away from the bottle, an annular fluid flow path around the central abutment member is created. Axial movement of the annular flange is generally limited by a stop mechanism, thereby ensuring that the annular flange does not become separated from the bottle/control mechanism. Once the control mechanism is in the xe2x80x9copenxe2x80x9d position, fluid may be dispensed from the bottle under the action of gravity by tilting or inverting the bottle in combination with squeezing and/or suction forces. Return movement of the annular flange toward the bottle may be undertaken to xe2x80x9cclosexe2x80x9d the bottle, i.e., prevent further fluid flow therefrom.
The foregoing bottle designs are generally effective for human consumption of fluids. However, such designs are not effective for a host of other applications. Thus, for example, pet owners involved in providing their pets with recreation encounter a variety of issues. For example, dog owners encounter issues associated with satisfying a dog""s thirst when dog and owner are away from the dog""s water bowl, e.g., when on a walk or engaged in athletic/recreational activities. It is often inconvenient and/or impractical when not at home to bring along and set up a bowl or some other container from which a pet can drink. While naturally occurring sources of fluid refreshment are sometimes available, e.g., ponds, puddles and the like, more frequently pet owners are left to their own ingenuity in attempting to address their dog""s thirst when remote from the home-based water bowl.
Efforts have been devoted in the prior art to developing devices and/or systems for providing fluid refreshment to pets. For example, significant efforts have been expended in providing fluid dispensers for caged pets, such as rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters and the like. U.S. Pat. No. 3,529,575 to Schalk et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,771,496 to Atchley, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,363,802 to Huff disclose drinking bottles that may be detachably mounted to a pet""s cage. The fluids from the disclosed drinking bottles are introduced into the cage by way of an angled tube that fits through openings defined in the wire cage. Control and/or regulation of fluid flow into the cage is provided by a displaceable ball (Atchley ""496 patent and Huff ""802 patent), a valve assembly (Schalk ""575 patent), or multiple balls operating in conjunction to establish a seal.
Prior art efforts have also been devoted to developing systems for use by larger pets, e.g., dogs. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,301,634 to Ho discloses an animal feeder designed for convenient mounting to a horizontal wire member, the feeder including a ball 60 disposed in a tubular extension 43.
A pet drinking device offering portability to pet owners is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,293,226 to Hwang. The device of the Hwang ""226 patent includes a bottle having a threaded mouth and a cover that engages the threaded mouth. An unsecured gasket is positioned between the cover and the bottle. The cover includes a main body that is internally threaded to engage the mouth of the bottle, and a tube. The tube defines an outwardly threaded portion at an end thereof. An internally threaded sleeve is mounted to the outwardly threaded portion of the tube. An unsecured sealing ring is positioned between the tube and the sleeve. A ball and washer are positioned within the sleeve and a lid is tethered to the cover. A belt is also provided for mounting the Hwang drinking device to a stationary structure, e.g., a hook on a wall.
Despite the prior art efforts referenced hereinabove, a need remains for advantageous control mechanisms for regulating the flow of fluid from a container or vessel. More specifically, a need exists for a drinking aid for use with animals/pets, e.g., dogs, cats, ferrets, rodents and the like, that may be readily utilized with a container, e.g., a conventional water/beverage bottle, and that offers the animal/pet convenient and controlled access to fluid refreshment.
The present disclosure is directed to a control mechanism for regulating the flow of fluid from a container or vessel, e.g., a plastic bottle containing a fluid such as water or the like. The disclosed control mechanism may be advantageously employed in a variety of applications where it is desired to dispense and/or access fluids in a controlled manner, e.g., applications wherein a liquid, colloidal system, suspension or the like is to be dispensed/accessed in a controlled manner. The disclosed control mechanism may be provided as an accessory item, i.e., an item that is adapted to be secured to a container/vessel/bottle. The disclosed control mechanism may also be pre-mounted to a container/vessel/bottle, e.g., in the manufacturing process. In such circumstance, the present disclosure is directed to the container/vessel/bottle in combination with such advantageous control mechanism.
In an exemplary embodiment, the present disclosure relates to an animal or pet drinking aid that provides animals/pets with convenient and controlled access to fluid refreshment, e.g., when away from a home-based water bowl. The disclosed drinking aid overcomes difficulties associated with typical water bottles that deliver uncontrolled fluid flow when fully or partially inverted. The uncontrolled fluid flow provided by such conventional water bottles often finds its way into a pet""s windpipe or onto the ground, regardless of the effort and care expended in attempting to address the pet""s thirst.
In an exemplary embodiment, the disclosed pet drinking aid generally includes a cap that is adapted to be detachably mounted to a fluid-containing bottle. The cap may be advantageously threaded onto a fluid-containing bottle. Alternatively, the disclosed cap may include an elastomeric sleeve that facilitates detachably mounting the cap to a bottle, thereby obviating the need for cooperative threads as between the cap and the bottle. The disclosed cap also includes an internal ball that advantageously restricts and/or moderates the flow of fluid from a bottle when positioned at various angles of inversion. The internal ball is typically restrained or captured within the cap by a circumferential flange or rim that advantageously includes an elastomeric, e.g., rubber, washer adjacent and/or in engagement therewith. The washer provides an enhanced fluid seal when a pet is not accessing fluid contained within the container. Thus, for example, the bottle may generally be inverted without fluid leakage due to sealing interaction between the ball and the elastomeric washer, and between the washer and the rim of the cap.
In a first preferred embodiment of the pet drinking aid of the present disclosure, a ball is captured within a cap and is resiliently biased toward the dispensing end of the cap, e.g., by a compression spring. The cap is adapted to be detachably mounted to a fluid-containing bottle, e.g., a conventional water bottle. Preferably, the cap is internally threaded so as to facilitate screwing the cap onto the outwardly threaded neck of the bottle. In an exemplary embodiment of the disclosed pet drinking aid, a ball for regulating fluid flow and an internal plastic spring are positioned within the cap. The plastic spring advantageously supplies a light force against the ball so as to bias the xe2x80x9cfloatingxe2x80x9d ball against a lip or flange formed at or near the dispensing end of the cap, thereby capturing the ball therewithin. The diameter of the compression spring is generally slightly less than the diameter of the ball where it contacts the ball, thereby ensuring that the spring maintains engagement with the ball, i.e., the ball is not able to pass through the center of the spring. At the opposite end, the base of the spring typically engages a ridge formed in or defined by the cap, and may be advantageously staked, glued or otherwise mounted to the cap. Alternatively, the base of spring may be positioned between and secured relative to spaced ridges formed in the cap, or positioned between and secured relative to a plurality of spaced, inwardly projecting guides and/or projections formed in the cap. In a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, the ridge is positioned at or near the midpoint of the cap.
Once the cap is mounted to a fluid-containing bottle according to preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, and the bottle is fully or partially inverted, the motion/pressure supplied to the ball by the pet""s tongue, e.g., when licking the bottle/cap, pushes the ball in slightly, i.e., against the bias of the spring positioned therebehind. The movement of the ball relative to the housing of the cap allows fluid within the bottle to flow around the ball. Thus, as the pet licks the ball, the ball assumes a slightly recessed position within the cap and simultaneously spins/rotates, thereby allowing fluid to continuously flow to the pet""s mouth. When the pet""s licking action ceases, the spring advantageously biases the ball back into sealing engagement with the washer positioned adjacent the rim of the cap, thereby discontinuing the flow of fluid to the pet, regardless of the orientation of the bottle.
According to further preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, small projections/guides or a continuous lip or ridge may be provided on the interior of the cap to more reliably secure the elastomeric washer in position. This structural arrangement advantageously prevents the washer from becoming dislodged and interfering with the ball""s desired motion. In exemplary embodiments of the disclosed pet drinking aid, four guides/projections are provided to secure the washer in position. The length of the guides/projections is selected so as to ensure a desired level of security while simultaneously permitting facile assembly of the device. Thus, for example, the guides/projections may be fabricated such that they are about half the thickness of the washer material, and the guides/projections may be circumferentially spaced around the interior of the cap, e.g., one guide/projection located at 0 degrees, one at 90 degrees, one at 180 degrees and one at 270 degrees. Alternatively, according to a further exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, one continuous lip or ridge may be substituted for individual, spaced guides/projections. According to such alternative embodiment, the lip may be advantageously fabricated such that its thickness is less that the thickness of the washer. The thickness of the securing structure (e.g., guides/projections or lip/ridge) is selected so as not to impede/interfere with the ball sealing against the washer.
Several forces cooperate or interact to control/moderate the flow of fluid from a bottle/cap according to a spring-biased embodiment of the present disclosure. For example, the spring bias and the fluid pressure associated with the inversion (full or partial) of the bottle generally acts against the force of the pet""s tongue to determine the degree to which fluid flows from the bottle. Moreover, the speed with which the ball is rotated by the pet""s tongue influences the fluid dispensing rate and/or volume. The incremental force supplied by the spring bias advantageously provides a tighter seal to the cap of the present disclosure, particularly in circumstances where the bottle is positioned upright. That is, the spring continuously provides force for the ball to contact the washer at the cap""s outer opening, even when the bottle is upright, thereby minimizing or avoiding inadvertent leaking. However, the force of the spring is selected such that it is not so strong as to prevent the pet""s drinking motion from pressing the ball slightly inward and moving it in a circuitous motion, thereby allowing fluid to flow to the pet.
According to a further preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, an alternative cap is provided that includes an internal ball captured therewithin and a washer mounted at or adjacent the top of the cap. Unlike the previously described embodiments, however, this further preferred embodiment omits a biasing spring. A ridge is formed on the internal surface of the cap and defines the position where the ball rests when the cap and bottle are upright. Another washer may be optionally provided between the ball and the internal ridge to enhance sealing therebetween. The optional washer is advantageously secured relative to the cap by a plurality of small projections/guides or a continuous lip or ridge, as described with reference to the first washer hereinabove.
Inclusion of the second washer advantageously provides an enhanced seal when the fluid-containing bottle is upright. Generally, the inclusion of the optional washer necessitates slightly greater space for ball movement, so that when the pet is drinking from the bottle and cap, the ball is not pushed so far inward that it is forced into engagement with the additional washer. If insufficient space is provided, smooth rolling of the ball is impeded and fluid flow unacceptably retarded. It is noteworthy, however, that inclusion of an additional washer is generally not necessary or feasible in embodiments that utilize a biasing spring, as described hereinabove, because the ball may be prevented from engaging the second washer by the interposition of the spring.
In a further exemplary embodiment, a control mechanism is disclosed for use with a vessel/container/bottle and includes a lower cap member, overcap member and a ball that is captured therebetween. The lower cap member is adapted to be mounted to a vessel, container or bottle, e.g., by screw threading or the like. The overcap member is adapted to be movably mounted relative to the lower cap, e.g., by threading engagement therewith. The ball typically rests on an internal flange or shelf formed in the lower cap member and, depending on the relative location of the overcap member, either prevents fluid from flowing through the control mechanism or permits fluid to flow therearound in a regulated fashion.
More particularly, in an exemplary embodiment of the disclosed control mechanism, the overcap member may be xe2x80x9ctightenedxe2x80x9d such that the ball is prevented from movement relative to the lower cap/overcap members, thereby preventing fluid flow therearound. By moving the overcap member away from the lower cap member, the ball is freed up for rotational and axial (and limited lateral) motion within the space defined between the lower cap/overcap members, thereby permitting fluid flow from the vessel/container/bottle and through an opening defined in the overcap member. Exemplary control mechanisms may include further advantageous features and functionalities, e.g., reference indicator(s) that reflect (e.g., on a relative basis) the degree to which fluid will flow therethrough, detent mechanisms for audibly and/or tactilely communicating the degree to which the control mechanism has been opened/closed, and/or a backflow mechanism to prevent fluid from returning to the vessel/container/bottle from the control mechanism. Additional features, functionalities and applications of exemplary control mechanisms according to the present disclosure are set forth in the detailed description which follows.
According to preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, the advantageous control mechanism and animal/pet drinking aid are fabricated from conventional materials of construction, e.g., plastic(s), rubber(s) and the like. The disclosed control mechanism and pet drinking aid are advantageously sized and dimensioned to be utilized with any standard size fluid bottle, as are known in the art. In addition, the size and dimensions of the disclosed control mechanism and animal/pet drinking aid may be modified, based on the teachings herein, to effectively interact with alternative and/or future fluid containers.
Control mechanisms and animal/pet drinking aids according to the present disclosure are relatively inexpensive to fabricate and provide an efficient, safe and reliable way to dispense fluids from a container/vessel/bottle and/or provide animals/pets with fluids from a bottle, particularly in instances and places where a bowl or other container is simply not a feasible or convenient choice. Thus, according to the present disclosure, a control mechanism and an animal/pet drinking aid are provided that allow users to avoid undesirable situations where the pet may gag or choke on fluids supplied from a typical water bottle. The disclosed control mechanism and animal/pet drinking aid advantageously overcome the potential for waste and spillage generally associated with fluids provided from containers/vessels/bottles, e.g., fluids provided to pets in portable water bowls and the like. Additional features, benefits and functionalities associated with control mechanisms and animal/pet drinking aids according to the present disclosure will be apparent from the detailed description which follows.


A modular higher density communications coupling system including a universal platform for supporting multiple connectors from a single outlet hole is disclosed. The platform includes a main body member having a registration ridge extending forward of the main body member for extending into a standard sized outlet hole. A pair of apertures adjacent to each other extend through the main body member and are generally surrounded by the registration ridge. A pair of connector housings are attachable to the rear of the platform in alignment with the aperatures for housing connectors. A pair of retaining members on two sides of the apertures hold the connector housings in position. A pair of support members extend rearwardly from the main body of the platform on the other two sides of the apertures. A termination plate is mounted in the support members, the termination plate having a plurality of electrical couplings for connecting the wire from a wall to the connector. A grounding screw mount provides easy access from the front, side or rear. The relationship between the retaining members, apertures, and support members facilitates a higher density of electrical couplings than previously possible in the prior art. Telecommunications apparatus of the type identified within the specification, in combination with the aforesaid, is contemplated as coming within the scope of the present invention.

The need for increased telecommunication interconnections in the office and home has skyrocketed in recent years because of the increased use of computers and other telecommunication equipment for communications. Not many years ago, a standard office usually required only a single communication wall connector (i.e., a telephone jack) between a worker and the outside world. Telephone jacks were provided throughout the building on the basis of one connector per worker requiring a telephone.
The increased use of numerous audio-visual, computer, facsimile machines, and cable equipment for communication has significantly increased the requirement for telecommunication connections A single worker may require coupling to a computer network, a modem coupling, a telephone coupling, coaxial cable for cable communications, cable television, fiber-optic cable, or other connections. Another worker may require only a single connection, such as a telephone, to the outside world. Providing the required wall connectors for each worker is an expensive and monumental task for designers of today's office space and communication layouts.
A problem with current wall connector configurations is the existence of numerous types of connectors and different standards of interconnections between electrical couplings. A user may require a standard registered jack (RJ) of the type used for telephone equipment In other locations, the user may require a balun, a coaxial connector, a fiber-optic cable connector, or yet another style connector. Further complicating these requirements are the different industry standards for terminating such connectors. In the United States, one standard termination scheme is a 110-type insulation displacement connector (IDC). An older-type termination scheme still used in the United States is a screw termination in which the wires are stripped and clamped together with screws In Europe, an industry standard is a Krone'type IDC termination The requirement to couple to the different types of termination schemes while providing the desired wall connector presents difficult problems for those companies providing telecommunication wall connectors.

Modular higher density communications coupling system


Systems and methods are described, and an example system includes a transport bin configured to carry a baggage item and having spatial reference frame marking detectable by electromagnetic scan and by machine vision. The system includes a robotic arm apparatus at an inspection area, and includes a switched path baggage conveyor that, responsive to electromagnetic scan detection of an object-of-interest (OOI) within the baggage item, conveys the transport bin to the inspection area. The electromagnetic scan generates OOI geometric position information indicating geometric position of the OOI relative to the spatial reference frame marking. The robotic arm apparatus, responsive to receiving the transport bin, uses machine vision to detect orientation of the spatial reference frame marking, then translates OOI geometric position information to local reference frame, for robotic opening of the baggage item, and robotic accessing and contact swab testing on the OOI.

For public safety, security procedures at airports include screening of check-in baggage for weapons, explosives, and other prohibited items. When the scanning detects in a baggage item one or more objects that may be or pertain to explosives or other hazardous materials, security specialists, such as Bomb Appraisal Officers (BAOs) are notified and take steps to handle the safety issue. Certain tasks in the handling can impose schedule and availability burdens on BAOs.

System and method for robotic resolution of scan alarm

The Government of the United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of Homeland Security


A switching circuit includes a first input stage having an input for receiving a first input signal, an output, and a power terminal for receiving an increasing analog current, a second input stage having an input for receiving a second input signal, an output, and a power terminal for receiving a decreasing analog current, and an output node coupled to the outputs of the first input stage and the second input stage for providing a switched output signal. An output stage is coupled between the first and second input stages and the output node. The first and second input stages are operational amplifiers.

A classical implementation of switching between two signals V1 and V2 could be a direct switching with a logical control as shown in circuit 100 of FIG. 1. Two CMOS switches S1 and S2 are used and they are controlled by a reversed logical control signal (CTRL and inverted CTRL through inverter 102). Either signal V1 or V2 is passed through operational amplifier 104 to provide the VOUT output signal. If the two signals have different signal voltages, there will be a jump or step at the output point 106. In some applications, this jump or step of the output signal could create a problem. For example, in an audio application, if the output signal goes to a speaker, the jump will create an undesirable pop noise at the speaker. In this case, a smooth transition between the two input signals is obviously preferred.
A traditional digital solution 200 for a smooth transition between switched input signals uses resistor networks 212 and 214, as well as corresponding switching networks 216 and 218 to divide a big step into small ones as shown in FIG. 2. Circuit 200 includes an input for receiving a first input signal V1, and a second input for receiving a second input signal V2. Circuit 200 also includes an output operational amplifier or buffer 204, soft-switching clock generator 206, a switch counter 208, and a logic controller 210. Circuit 200 also typically includes a final post processing low pass filter 220. By increasing the number of small steps and the soft-switching time, the pop noise is reduced. In the solution shown in FIG. 2, the resistors and parasitic components will deteriorate performance due to increased noise and Total Harmonic Distortion (THD). For some configurations of step numbers and soft-switching times, undesired audio tones are generated. A low pass filter is needed to remove high frequency digital spikes associated with circuit 200. The digital circuit 200 shown in FIG. 2 presents difficult trade-offs between pop noise and other performance considerations.
What is desired, therefore, is a simple analog switching circuit for providing a smooth transition between two input signals, and without the need for any post-processing or filtering, or without the use of complex digital circuitry.

Analog signal soft switching control with precise current steering generator

STMicroelectronics (Shenzhen) R&D Co. Ltd.


An oven includes a cooking chamber configured to receive a food product and an RF heating system configured to provide RF energy into the cooking chamber using solid state electronic components. The cooking chamber is defined at least in part by a top wall, a first sidewall and a second sidewall. The solid state electronic components include power amplifier electronics configured to provide the RF energy into the cooking chamber via a launcher assembly operably coupled to the cooking chamber via a waveguide assembly. The waveguide assembly includes a waveguide extending along at least one of the first sidewall or the second sidewall to provide the RF energy into the cooking chamber through a radiation opening provided at the at least one of the first sidewall or the second sidewall. The launcher assembly includes a launcher disposed proximate to a first end of the waveguide and the radiation opening is disposed proximate to a second end of the waveguide.

Combination ovens that are capable of cooking using more than one heating source (e.g., convection, steam, microwave, etc.) have been in use for decades. Each cooking source comes with its own distinct set of characteristics. Thus, a combination oven can typically leverage the advantages of each different cooking source to attempt to provide a cooking process that is improved in terms of time and/or quality.
In some cases, microwave cooking may be faster than convection or other types of cooking. Thus, microwave cooking may be employed to speed up the cooking process. However, a microwave typically cannot be used to cook some foods and also cannot brown foods. Given that browning may add certain desirable characteristics in relation to taste and appearance, it may be necessary to employ another cooking method in addition to microwave cooking in order to achieve browning. In some cases, the application of heat for purposes of browning may involve the use of heated airflow provided within the oven cavity to deliver heat to a surface of the food product.
However, even by employing a combination of microwave and airflow, the limitations of conventional microwave cooking relative to penetration of the food product may still render the combination less than ideal. Moreover, a typical microwave is somewhat indiscriminate or uncontrollable in the way it applies energy to the food product. Thus, it may be desirable to provide further improvements to the ability of an operator to achieve a superior cooking result. However, providing an oven with improved capabilities relative to cooking food with a combination of controllable RF energy and convection energy may require the structures and operations of the oven to be substantially redesigned or reconsidered.


A locking mechanism for securing different expansion cards in a slot of a chassis of a computing device is disclosed. The locking mechanism includes a base and a main body. The base is coupled to the chassis and movable between an open position and a closed position. The main body is coupled to the base and movable between a first orientation and a second orientation. When the base is in the closed position and the main body is in the first orientation, a first mating feature of the main body engages an expansion card having a first form factor inserted into the slot. When the base is in the closed position and the main body is in the second orientation, the second mating feature engages an expansion card having a second form factor inserted into the slot of the chassis.

Computing devices generally include a chassis (e.g., a housing) and a variety of different electronic components positioned inside the chassis. The chassis may also include a variety of slots into which expansion cards can be inserted. The expansion cards can connect to electronic components inside the chassis to offer new or improved features. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an expansion card 14 inserted into a circuit board 12 of the chassis 10, illustrating a typical device used to secure the expansion card 14 in the chassis 10. The circuit board 12 includes a connector socket 16 that extends perpendicularly from the surface of the circuit board 12. The connector socket 16 includes various electrical connectors that mate with respective connectors on the expansion card 14. The expansion card 14 includes a hook feature 18 that is formed by a notch 20 in the expansion card 14. When the expansion card 14 is inserted into the connector socket 16, a latch device 22 is inserted into the notch 20, such that the hook feature 18 is secured between the latch device 22 and the circuit board 12/connector socket 16. However, this type of locking mechanism is generally not compatible with different size expansion cards, thus limiting the types of expansion cards that may be added to the computing device. Further, this mechanism requires that all expansion cards 14 have a hook feature 18 and a corresponding notch 20 in order to secure the expansion card 14 inside the chassis 10. Thus, there is a need for an improved locking mechanism for securing different types of expansion cards in the slot of the chassis.

Rotatable locking mechanism for computer expansion cards


A soft compliant seal is attached to either an anchored or a loose reinforcement ring to provide a non-hermetic seal against liquids or particulates in order to maintain a space between two windows substantially free of all foreign matter.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of optical scanning and particularly to bar code laser scanners. More particularly it relates to an apparatus and method for sealing the optical surfaces of bar code laser scanners from spilled liquids and other contaminants to which such scanners may be exposed in normal use in a point of sale environment such as a supermarket.
2. Description of Related Art
Supermarket scanners, referred to herein as bar code laser scanners, typically consist of a lower chassis which houses the optical scan line generating elements, a lower sealed window through which the scan lines may pass which is sealed to the chassis, and an upper window which is removable and field replaceable, for example, upon being scratched or broken. In order for the scanner to operate in an optimal fashion, both windows must be optically transparent and free of scratches, smears, discolorations and other contaminants which would prevent the scanner light beam from passing as relatively unimpeded through the windows as possible. This invention relates to a method and apparatus for sealing the space or gap between the lower window and the upper window from contaminants. This space, or gap, as referred to herein, also includes the lower surface of the upper window and the upper surface of the lower window. The distance between the glass windows has high variability and commercial glass varies in thickness and flatness. This presents a requirement for a device capable of sealing the variable distance between the windows and capable of excluding liquids and dust from the gap. Prior art windows not employing a seal have not been able to adequately keep contaminants away from the gap. If contaminants reach the lower window, the lower window must then be cleaned which is frequently difficult, time consuming, and reduces machine availability.


An actuating device employed in a steering system comprises an input-side sun gear, which is provided on an input shaft of a steering shaft and is rotated integrally with the input shaft of the steering shaft, an output-side sun gear, which is provided on an output shaft of the steering shaft and is rotated integrally with the output shaft, an input-side planetary gear, which is engaged with the input-side sun gear, revolves around the input-side sun gear, and is provided on a planetary gear shaft, and an output-side planetary gear, which is engaged with the output-side sun gear, revolves around the output-side sun gear, and is provided on a planetary gear shaft, the output-side planetary gear being spaced apart from the input-side planetary gear.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an actuating device employed in a steering system for a vehicle, and particularly, to an actuating device for changing a gear ratio employed in a steering system for a vehicle, which can be constructed to solve the problem of misalignment of a planetary gear shaft, compensate the tolerance of a sun gear, and minimize vibration and noise.
2. Description of Related Art
A steering apparatus is provided for changing the driving direction of a vehicle according to a driver's intention, and is an auxiliary apparatus that can change the center of rotation of front wheels of the vehicle to enable the vehicle to be driven in the direction desired by a driver.
Meanwhile, a power steering apparatus utilizes a device that provides auxiliary steering power when a driver operates a steering wheel, to supplement the operating force applied to the steering wheel by the driver so as to enable the driving direction of the vehicle to be easily changed with little force.
The power steering apparatus is mainly classified into a hydraulic power steering apparatus (HPS) and an electric power steering apparatus (EPS).
The hydraulic power steering apparatus is an apparatus in which, when working oil is supplied from a hydraulic pump, connected to the rotating shaft of an engine, to an operating cylinder, a rack bar is horizontally moved by means of auxiliary steering power generated by the pressure of the working oil to rotate both wheels. The above apparatus enables the driver to operate the steering wheel with little force.
In contrast, the electric power steering apparatus (EPS) is an apparatus in which, instead of a hydraulic pump and an operating cylinder, a rack bar or a column comprises a motor and an electronic control unit (hereinafter, referred to as an "ECU") to allow auxiliary steering power to be supplied by driving the motor.
Recently, to actively cope with the effect of the external environment, such as strong side winds or the left-right asymmetrical state of roads, on vehicles that are being driven, an active front wheel steering apparatus has been developed and marketed. In the active front wheel steering apparatus, a steering shaft between a steering wheel and a steering column is separately constructed, the steering angle generated by the steering wheel, which is operated by the driver, is not directly transmitted to the steering column, the steering angle, which frequently varies, is continuously sensed, the sensed steering angle is compared/analyzed together with all kinds of information on the vehicle, and an electric signal is then transmitted to a motor, which controls the rotation of a steering shaft of the steering column, to adjust the steering angle.
Further, this active front wheel steering system is provided with an actuating device for changing the gear ratio between an input and an output of a gearing device.
FIG. 1 is a view showing the structure of one example of a conventional active front wheel steering system for a vehicle, and FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing an actuating device for changing the gear ratio.
As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional active front wheel steering system comprises a steering wheel 10, a steering shaft 13 connected to the steering wheel 10, a steering column 15 encompassing the steering shaft 13, an input angle sensor 17 provided at the lower end of the steering column 15, an actuating device 19 provided below the input angle sensor 17 to change the gear ratio, a first motor 11 for operating the actuating device 19, a first motor positioning sensor 12 provided on the first motor 11, an output angle sensor 14 provided at the lower portion of the actuating device 19, a vehicle speed sensor 16 for sensing the vehicle speed, a rack-and-pinion mechanism 21 provided under the actuating device 19 for converting rotational movement of the steering shaft 13 into a linear movement of the rack bar 27, a second motor 18 for supplying auxiliary steering power to the rack bar 27, and an electronic control unit (ECU) 25 for receiving various signals from the input angle sensor 17, the first motor positioning sensor 12 and the output angle sensor 14.
As shown in FIG. 2, the conventional actuating device comprises an input shaft 31, a first sun gear 22 provided at the lower end of the input shaft 31, an input-side planetary gear 37 externally engaged with the first sun gear 22, an output-side planetary gear 38 connected to the input-side planetary gear 37 through a planetary gear axis 39, a second sun gear 23 externally engaged with the output-side planetary gear 38, an output shaft 24 connected to the second sun gear 23, a worm wheel 35, and a worm shaft 36.
The actuation principles of the conventional active front wheel steering system and the actuating device for changing the gear ratio having the above structure are as described below.
When the driver operates the steering wheel 10 to rotate the input shaft 31, the first sun gear 22 provided at the lower end of the input shaft 31 is rotated in response to the rotation of the input shaft 31.
In this case, in addition, the input-side planetary gear 37, which is externally engaged with the first sun gear 22, is rotated, and the output-side planetary gear 38, which is connected to the input-side planetary gear 37 via the planetary gear axis 39, is rotated.
Finally, the second sun gear 23, which is externally engaged with the output-side planetary gear 38, is rotated, and the output shaft 24, which extends from the second sun gear 23, is rotated in response to the rotation of the second sun gear. As a result, steering force generated from the steering wheel 10 operated by the driver is transmitted to the rack-and-pinion mechanism 21.
However, the above process is performed when the first motor 11 is not driven. If the first motor 11 is driven, the following change occurs.
If the vehicle speed sensor 16, for sensing the vehicle speed, the input angle sensor 17 and the output angle sensor 14, for sensing any change in the steering angle, and the first motor positioning sensor 12 generate electrical signals, respectively, and these electrical signals are transmitted to the ECU 25, the ECU 25 transmits an electrical signal to the first motor 11 to drive the first motor 11.
Also, as the first motor 11 is driven by the above process, the worm shaft 36, which is connected to a motor shaft (not shown), is rotated, and the worm wheel 35, which is engaged with the worm shaft 36, is rotated according to the rotation of the worm shaft. Finally, a carrier 29, which is formed integrally with the worm wheel 35, is rotated to enable the ratio of the output angle with respect to the input angle to be adjusted.
If the vehicle is driven at high speed, in the active front wheel steering system, when the driver turns the steering wheel 10 in one direction to rotate the input shaft 31, the first sun gear 22 and the input-side planetary gear 37, the ECU 25 controls the first motor 11 to allow the worm wheel 35 as well as the carrier 29 to be rotated in the direction by which the rotation of the output-side planetary gear 38 connected to the input-side planetary gear 37 is prevented, and so the rotation angle of the output shaft 24 eventually becomes smaller than that of the input shaft 31, to assist in the safe driving of the driver.
On the other hand, if the vehicle is driven at low speed for parking and so on, in the active front wheel steering system, the ECU controls the first motor 11 to allow the rotation angle of the output shaft 24 to become larger than that of the input shaft 31, and so the driver can easily drive the vehicle with little force.
Additionally, in the conventional actuating device shown in FIG. 2, the first sun gear 22, the second sun gear 23, the input-side planetary gear 37 and the output-side planetary gear 38 are generally formed in a helical gear shape. The helical gear is a gear in which a row of gear teeth is inclined with respect to, rather than parallel with, the axis of rotation of the gear. As compared with a gear in which the row of gear teeth is parallel with the rotation axis of the gear, since the length of the contact portion of a gear tooth engaged with a gear tooth of another helical gear is longer, the helical gear can transmit more power, and the helical gear rotates more smoothly due to the inclined row of gear teeth.
In the conventional actuating device constructed as above, however, since both end portions of the planetary gear shaft 39 are supported by bearings (not shown), the axis of the planetary gear shaft 39 becomes misaligned due to an error in the location of the bearings disposed at both ends of the planetary gear shaft 39. Additionally, for this reason, friction is increased, to thus generate noise.
Additionally, in the conventional actuating device, a damping structure for axially supporting the planetary gear shaft 39 is not applied. Thus, the conventional actuating device is disadvantageous in that the tolerance of the gear is not compensated, and vibration and noise are generated because no axial damping effect can be obtained.
Furthermore, in the conventional actuating device, since the worm wheel 35 and the carrier 29 are formed in a barrel shape and the bearings should be installed at both end portions of the planetary gear shaft 39, the weight, machinability of parts, and assemblability are deteriorated.

Actuating device employed in steering system for vehicle


Disclosed is an apparatus and method of forming, including a supporting structure, a sensor on the supporting structure, a pair of columns on the supporting structure at opposite sides of the sensor, the pair of columns having a column height relative to a top surface of the supporting structure, the column height being higher than a height of the active surface of the sensor relative to the top surface of the supporting structure, and a lidding layer on the pair of columns and over the active surface, the lidding layer being supported at opposite ends by the pair of columns. The active surface of the sensor, the lidding layer and the pair of columns form an opening above at least more than about half of the active surface of the sensor, and the supporting structure, the sensor, the lidding layer and the pair of columns together form a flow cell.

Currently, lids of flow cells used with a sensor for on-chip detection are supported above the active surface of the sensor by columns situated on the active surface. The reason for putting the lid over the sensor is the flatness and smoothness of active area (submicron roughness) often needed to enable fluidic exchange to happen cleanly without entrainment or trapping of reagents. The current structure leads to a reduction in the area of the active surface that can be used for sensing. In some cases, only one-third (or less) of the active surface of the sensor is able to be used.
Therefore, there is a need for a way to use more of the active surface of a sensor.

Structure and method to use active surface of a sensor


A computer network comprises plural computer systems connected to plural printers. Each computer system comprises at least one application program for generating print data for one or more of the printers. One of the computer systems is partially employed as a stock control computer. An application program stored on the stock control computer runs a model of the overall system, including maintaining an up-to-date schedule of all print jobs on the system, and maintains a log of all media resources (i.e., paper) available to each printer. The application program ensures that the printers have suitable media resources and/or that print jobs are allocated to printers where appropriate media resources are available, if possible.

Print systems, particularly those used in commercial environments, generally comprise one or more computers connected to a plurality of printers by means of some data link, for example, a computer network. The printers convert print data, generated in the computers, into hard-copy output. The computers will generally include one or more application programs from which print data is generated for output to one or more of the printers. The print data for a particular print 'job' usually comprises a page description language (PDL) file describing the physical content of the printable area, and a job description language (JDL) file for describing other attributes of the print job, such as the number of copies to be printed.
The processing of print jobs will involve the use of some medium onto which the print job will be produced, e.g. paper, cardboard, labels, acetate transparencies, envelopes. The type of media to be used will be specified in the JDL file attached to the print job. The JDL file may also further define the medium in terms of its type or weight, e.g. pink 100 gram paper, white 250 gram paper. Many printers also comprise some finishing apparatus, such as laminators, binders etc. The use of such apparatus will also require media, for example, laminating covers, binding spines and so on. Again, the fact that a print job should be processed on a printer having a particular finishing apparatus, and the media required for that finishing apparatus will be specified in the JDL file.
In order for a print system to work efficiently, it is important that a supply of the appropriate media is made available. Delays in printing caused by a lack of appropriate media can be costly in terms of failing to meet required deadlines. This is particularly important in commercial environments where time is an important factor and where customers specify a particular time when they would like the printing completed. Since it is difficult to predict the exact amount and type of the media required, and at what time, it is common practice for a relatively large amount of each media to be stored. This has disadvantages in that the media has to be bought in bulk, and requires large storage space, which can be expensive. This is further complicated by the fact that some types of media need to be stored under certain environmental conditions, e.g. at a certain humidity. In cases where a number of printers are used over a relatively large site, several storage areas may have to be provided.

Method of, computer program for, and system for maintaining print system media resources

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A plug portion (27) is projected from a first block (1) so as to be inserted into a insertion hole (5) opened in a second block (2). A support surface (9a) is formed on the first block (1) so as to be brought into contact with a supported surface (2a) formed on the second block (2). In the support surface (9a) is opened a fluid flow hole (59). A gap supporting member (K) acting force upon the second block (2) in such a direction as to separate the second block (2) from the first block (1) so as to form a gap (G1) between the supported surface (2a) and the support surface (9a) is provided on the first block (1). A pull member (21) eliminates the gap (G1) by making the second block (2) approach the first block (1) against the force of the gap supporting member (K) in such a condition that an outer peripheral surface of the plug portion (27) is in close contact with an inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole (5) to bring the supported surface (2a) into contact with the support surface (9a).

As such a clamping apparatus, for example, one described below in Patent Document 1 is conventionally available, with the following structure.
A plurality of reference pieces are attached on an upper surface of a jig fixed on a bed of a machine tool. A clamp reference surface for receiving a worked surface of a work piece is formed on an upper surface of each of these reference pieces. A jet hole communicatively connected to a compressed air source is opened upwardly on the clamp reference surface.
Then, when the work piece is clamped, compressed air jetting out upward from the jet hole is used to clean the worked surface of the work piece, thereby preventing swarf from being caught between the worked surface of the work piece and the clamp reference surface.    Patent Document 1: Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. S54-17580


A device for tying an elastic balloon is disclosed. The nonmovable device defines a hole through which the neck of the balloon may be passed to form the knot in the neck. An opening at the edge of this hole facilitates removal once the knot has been formed. The device utilizes tabs and orthogonal retaining and restraining elements to simplify its utilization by either left- or right-handed people. No separate member remains with the balloon once the sealing through means of forming a knot has been affected. In addition, no parts of the device move and thus it greatly facilitates inexpensive and simple utilization in a repetitive fashion. Through the disclosure of several different embodiments, variations of the basic design are disclosed to enhance the possibility of inexpensive manufacture.

This invention relates to the field of tying elastic balloons such as a latex balloon. More specifically, the invention relates to mechanical devices which facilitate quick and easy knotting of the neck of an elastic balloon or balloons.
One of the most inexpensive and widely-utilized items of decoration is the elastic balloon. So widespread is this decorative item that it is hard to imagine any child who has ever had a birthday not being thoroughly familiar with the delight associated with simple party balloons. Certainly every person who has ever utilized an inflated balloon is well aware that sealing the end of a balloon--while capable of being done through the use of a clamp--usually is accomplished through the dextrous feat of manually tying the balloon. The significance of this task is especially brought to light when one considers that the recent trend toward utilizing large numbers of balloons for special occasions necessitates the repetition of this task for long periods of time. Although devices have existed for some time to seal balloons, one of the primary elements of this decorative technique is its low cost and simplistic use. The utilization of separate devices to seal inflated elastic balloons has therefore not met with great acceptance.
An example of the types of inventions which have existed to separately seal an elastic balloon covers a broad range of designs. In U.S. Pat. No. 1,680,318, a separate assembly disk is proposed which utilizes a rubber string to separately seal an inflated elastic balloon. Similarly, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,396,906a balloon sealing device which wraps the neck of the balloon around the device thereby effecting the seal is also disclosed. More recently, U.S. Pat. No. 3,783,551 shows a more refined device again which separately seals the elastic balloon. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,877 provides a separate sealing device designed not for elastic balloons but rather particularly suited as a separate device to seal the unique metalized film balloons as have recently become popular.
As stated above, none of these designs focuses on the need to cheaply and simply tie the balloon neck itself and thus effect sealing of the balloon. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,510,653, an effort was made to facilitate this particular need. That patent, entitled "Method and Apparatus for Tying Balloons and the Like" utilizes the movable jaw action of a simple clothes pin to hold the neck portion of an inflated balloon while the looped portion is rolled off the device thus resulting in a knotted balloon. Unfortunately, that design does not lend itself to the simple and quick utilization necessary for repetitive use. It may even require more intricate manipulation than that necessary to manually tie an elastic balloon without assistance. Although that design (like the separate devices proposed earlier) recognizes the need to assist one in the need to simply and cheaply effect a seal of an elastic balloon, none of these designs have satisfied the need to utilize the balloon itself to effect the seal without requiring difficult manipulation of the balloon. The limitation of these prior inventions can be understood when it is recognized that those skilled in the art had, in almost every case, utilized a separate device to either permanently effect the seal or to temporarily effect the seal while other manipulation was achieved. They simply taught away from the present invention which utilizes the inherently understood technique of knotting a balloon while avoiding the difficulty inherent to an elastic, inflated work piece. The prior inventions simply taught away from the simple task of utilizing the balloon itself to effect the seal. Those skilled in the art assumed that it was not possible to simplify the knotting task through use of a separate device without providing additional steps of clamping the balloon while the device was utilized.
Accordingly, the present invention focuses on providing a device which is reusable, which simplifies the knotting process, which is inexpensive, and--perhaps above all--can be repetitively utilized without difficulty. As a key element the device provides a design having a permanent hole through which the knot can be effected. In addition an opening is provided to allow simple removal of the balloon once the knot has been formed. Another important element of the present invention is the fact that no movable parts are involved. This not only greatly enhances the device's cost-effectiveness, but avoids any problem with the device wearing out as repetitive use was a focus from the start.


A motor vehicle windshield is formed with a transparent vapor-deposited metal coating for windshield heating and with an antenna for radio reception. Preferably, the metal coating is connected to an inner conductor of a coaxial cable leading to the radio receiver, while the outer conductor of the coaxial cable is connected to chassis or ground potential. A slot (10, 20, 30, 40, 55, 56) in the metal coating is dimensioned to have a length of some harmonic of one wavelength in the FM frequency band, a width smaller than a half wavelength, and a minimum spacing a from the supply buses on each side of the windshield.

German Published Examined Application DE-AS 23 60 672 and corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 3,928,748 disclose a prior art heated windshield with antenna. In that conventional vehicle windshield, a system of conductors is provided which simultaneously performs heating and antenna functions. In the windshield, electrical resistance elements are arranged between current supply busses, of which one is located near the upper windshield edge, and the other is located near the lower windshield edge, the heating wires running vertically between the busses. One of the two busses is divided into two parts, the respective adjacent ends of which are capacitively coupled to a receiver. The two parts of the bus, and whatever extensions are attached thereto, thus form a Frequency Modulation (FM) antenna, also known in Germany as a UKW antenna. The specifications of this antenna are derived from theoretical calculation of the lengths of the extensions and subsequent corrections based on empirical measurements.
For some time, there has been discussion of vehicle windshields which are coated over their entire surface with gold or another conductive metal. This metal coating is intended to also serve for windshield heating. For this purpose, busses for heating current supply are arranged at, for example, two opposing windshield edges. Due to the attached metallic layer, none of these busses are adapted to serve as FM antennas. One way nevertheless integrate, into vapor-deposition-coated windshields, which are sensitive in the FM reception bands, as well as in the AM reception bands, if the coating is formed with an uncoated slot having a length approximating a half-wavelength and a width very much smaller, and a minimum spacing from current supply busses on opposing sides of the windshield, and the coating is connected to the receiver.
In the following discussion, the Greek letter lambda or .lambda. is the symbol for the wavelength of a particular radio frequency in the radio band which the antenna is designed to receive, typically an arbitrarily chosen frequency at the middle of the band. It is well known that antennas have a resonant frequency which depends upon their length, and receive best signals at that frequency or some harmonic thereof.

Combination antenna and windshield heater


A composite material turbine nozzle blade including an airfoil adapted to have a cooling fluid flow through it and extending between a shroud and a root is provided. The shroud is shaped to be attached to one or more turbine casings of a turbomachine and the root is shaped to provide a junction with a turbine internal casing. The root is produced with a loosened texture and includes an external upstream side loosened texture lug and an external downstream side loosened texture lug, the ends of the two external side lugs extending axially relative to the rotation axis of the turbomachine to form a device for supporting and centering the internal casing.

The field of the present invention is that of turbomachines, more particularly that of turbomachine low-pressure turbine nozzles. It relates more precisely to a ceramic matrix composite (CMC) material turbine nozzle. CMC materials are typically formed of a fibrous reinforcement of refractory fibers, such as carbon or ceramic fibers, densified by a ceramic or at least partially ceramic matrix.

CMC turbine nozzle adapted to support a metallic turbine internal casing by an axial contact


Multimedia IMS communications are established by matching callee capabilities with caller preferences and identifying a URI parameter in response thereto. When a session initiation protocol (SIP) request identifying caller preferences for an internet communication session and an identified callee is received (602), a determination is made of whether the identified callee is a registered address of record (AOR) or not (604). If the identified callee is a registered AOR (604), a uniform resource identifier (URI) parameter and a globally routable user agent URI (GRUU) associated with callee capabilities are identified (608, 612, 614). The URI parameter is used to create a modified SIP including the URI parameter (616) for sending (618) to an IMS enabled wireless communication device (120).

Today's wireless communication systems provide a multitude of functions in addition to traditional mobile telephone communications, such as providing internet access and email service for mobile devices operating in such portable communication systems. Third generation (3G) portable communication protocols, such as wideband CDMA (WCDMA) or CDMA2000, support internet protocol (IP) multimedia subsystem (IMS) communications. While a mobile device using IMS is limited to a single local IP address and server port that is associated with a specific Private User Identity (Private ID), the single secure IMS connection can be used to support a multitude of services implemented by numerous User Agents (UA) all executing on the same mobile device, where a UA is an application which uses the IMS connection in association with a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP). Unfortunately, when an IMS request is received outside of a session or dialogue, it may not be immediately clear to which UA the request is targeted. Consequently, a complicated algorithm based on message contents (e.g., method, feature tags, body, etc.) may be required to resolve the UA destination of the IMS request within the mobile device.
For mobile devices which support globally routable user agent uniform resource identifiers (GRUUs), a different GRUU can be registered for each of the UAs using a specific IMS connection. While mechanisms for matching caller preferences contained in incoming SIP requests to registered callee preferences in order to determine a target contact address currently exist, even if the SIP request is found to match a specific registered GRUU, possibly one of a set of GRUUs all bound to the same contact address, there is currently no means of indicating the selected GRUU to the mobile device. One proposal is to use a new SIP URI parameter that a mobile device may add to a GRUU for the purpose of identifying it. This parameter is opaque to the proxy server handling the domain. However, when the server maps the GRUU to the contact bound to it, the server will copy the grid parameter into the contact. As a result, when the UA receives the request, the Request URI will contain the grid parameter it placed in the corresponding GRUU. This mechanism can only be used to identify the GRUU to which a SIP message was explicitly addressed (i.e., SIP request addressed to a GRUU instead of an Address of Record (AOR)). It cannot be used to identify the GRUU that was selected as a result of the network matching caller preferences to registered callee capabilities (i.e., SIP request addressed to an AOR).
Thus, what is needed is a method and apparatus for IMS to include in a SIP request addressed to an AOR and received outside of a dialog, an indication of the GRUU that was selected as a result of matching caller preferences with callee capabilities so that, upon receiving the request, an IMS terminal can use the indicated GRUU to easily route the SIP request to the targeted UA. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the invention and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background of the invention.

Method and apparatus for identifying caller preferences matched to callee capabilities for IMS communications


Certain embodiments of the present application relate to a variable frequency drive (VFD) cabin for a pump configuration including a mobile trailer on which the VFD cabin is to be mounted. The VFD cabin generally includes a medium-voltage VFD and a ventilation system. In certain embodiments, the ventilation system is configured to generate an overpressure condition within the cabin to discourage the entry of dust and debris into the cabin. In certain embodiments, one or more components of the medium-voltage VFD are coupled to the floor of the cabin via a vibration damping system. In certain embodiments, the VFD cabin may be directly coupled to a chassis of the mobile trailer without an intervening suspension being provided between the VFD cabin and the chassis.

Conventional hydraulic fracking systems are diesel-powered in that several different diesel engines supply the power to the hydraulic pumps, as well as several types of auxiliary systems that assist the hydraulic pumps to execute the fracking, such as hydraulic coolers and lubrication pumps. Conventional diesel-powered hydraulic fracking systems require a diesel engine and a transmission to be connected to a hydraulic pump to drive the hydraulic pump. However, typically several hydraulic pumps are required at a single fracking site to extract the fluid from the fracking well. Thus, each of the several hydraulic pumps positioned at a particular fracking site requires a dedicated diesel engine and dedicated transmission to adequately drive the corresponding hydraulic pump, thereby requiring several diesel engines and transmissions to also be positioned at the fracking site in addition to the several hydraulic pumps.
Typically, the diesel engines limit the horsepower (HP) at which the hydraulic pumps may operate, thereby requiring an increased quantity of hydraulic pumps to attain the required HP necessary to extract the fluid from the fracking well. The increase in hydraulic pumps also results in an increase in the number of diesel engines and transmissions required at the fracking site, as each hydraulic pump requires a corresponding diesel engine and transmission. As the diesel engines, transmissions, and hydraulic pumps for a single fracking site increase, so does quantity of trailers required to transport and position configurations at the fracking site.
The numerous diesel engines, transmissions, and hydraulic pumps required at a fracking site can significantly drive up the cost of the fracking operation. Each of the numerous trailers required to transport and position these configurations require commercial driver's license (CDL) drivers to operate, as well as increased manpower to rig the increased assets positioned at the fracking site. The amount of diesel fuel required to power the numerous diesel engines to drive the numerous hydraulic pumps required to extract the fluid from the fracking well also significantly drives up the cost of the fracking operation. Further, parasitic losses typically occur as the diesel engines drive the hydraulic pumps as well as drive the auxiliary systems. Such parasitic losses actually decrease the amount of HP that the hydraulic pumps have available for operation, thereby significantly decreasing the efficiency of hydraulic pumps. In doing so, the duration of the fracking operation is extended, resulting in significant increases in the cost of the fracking operation. The diesel engines also significantly increase the noise levels of the fracking operation. For these reasons among others, there remains a need for further improvements in this technological field.

Electric driven hydraulic fracking operation


To improve an air bypass device in bypass air flow and designing freedom, a locking stepped part 3, a bush inserting hole 4, and a valve body drive mechanism inserting hole 5 are provided above an upper end 2a of a valve body guiding hole 2 of an air control valve main body 1, an air flow-in hole 6 is provided below a lower end 2b of the valve body guiding hole 2, and an inner peripheral wall 2c of the valve body guiding hole 2 includes a plurality of air control grooves 7a . . . extending downwardly from the locking stepped part 3 and being closed by an annular bush 11 on the locking stepped part 3 to form independent air distribution chambers 12a . . . , which are connected to intake passages 8b1 . . . at the downstream side from the respective throttle valves of multiple throttle bodies T1 . . . through bypass air passages 15a . . . .

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an air bypass device, in which bypass air bypasses a throttle valve and is supplied to an intake passage at the down stream side from the throttle valve. More particularly, the present invention relates to an air by pass device in a multiple throttle body, in which a single air bypass device is used, and bypass air is supplied to intake passages at the down stream side from throttle valves of respective throttle bodies constituting the multiple throttle body.
2. Description of the Conventional Art
Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 2002-89415 discloses a conventional air bypass device.
The conventional air bypass device will be described using FIG. 6(b) in the relevant patent gazette (names and codes used in the gazette are used). An inlet 31 of a bypass passage is opened in a bottom part of a cylindrical valve body housing chamber 32. A circular first upstream side branch passage 36 and a circular second upstream side branch passage 37 are opened on an inner peripheral wall of the valve body housing chamber 32.
Openings of the first and second upstream side branch passages 36 and 37 opened on the inner peripheral wall of the valve body housing chamber 32 are controlled by a bypass valve 33 operated by a valve body drive mechanism 34.
Further, the first upstream side branch passage 36 is connected with a first downstream side branch passage 63, and the downstream of the first downstream side branch passage 63 is connected with an intake passage at the downstream side from a first throttle valve.
Further, the second upstream side branch passage 37 is connected with a second downstream side branch passage 65, and the downstream of the second downstream side branch passage 65 is connected with an intake passage at the downstream side from a second throttle valve.
Accordingly, openings of the first and second upstream side branch passages 36 and 37 opened in the valve body housing chamber 32 are controlled by a stroke of a bypass valve 33. Bypass air corresponding to the openings is supplied to the intake passages at the downstream side from the respective throttle valves through the first and second downstream side branch passages 63 and 65. Thus, an idling operation of an engine corresponding to atmosphere temperature of an engine can be carried out.

Air bypass device in multiple throttle body


A sensor wafer may be configured for in-situ measurements of parameters during an etch process. The sensor wafer may include a substrate, a cover, and one or more components positioned between the substrate and the cover. An etch-resistant coating is formed on one or more surfaces of the cover and/or substrate. The coating is configured to resist etch processes that etch the cover and/or substrate for a longer period than standard thin film materials of the same or greater thickness than the protective coating.

The fabrication of an integrated circuit, display or disc memory generally employs numerous processing steps. Each process step must be carefully monitored in order to provide an operational device. Throughout the imaging process, deposition and growth process, etching and masking process, etc., it is critical, for example, that temperature, gas flow, vacuum, pressure, chemical, gas or plasma composition and exposure distance be carefully controlled during each step. Careful attention to the various processing conditions involved in each step is a requirement of optimal semiconductor or thin film processes. Any deviation from optimal processing conditions may cause the ensuing integrated circuit or device to perform at a substandard level or, worse yet, fail completely.
Within a processing chamber, processing conditions vary. The variations in processing conditions such as temperature, gas flow rate and/or gas composition greatly affect the formation and, thus, the performance of the integrated circuit. Using a sensor having a substrate that is of the same or similar material as the integrated circuit or other device to measure the processing conditions provides the most accurate measure of the conditions because the material properties of the substrate are the same as those of the actual circuits that will be processed. Gradients and variations exist throughout the chamber for virtually all process conditions. These gradients, therefore, also exist across the surface of a substrate, as well as below and above it. In order to precisely control processing conditions at the wafer, it is critical that measurements be taken upon the wafer and are available in real time to an automated control system or operator to readily optimize the chamber processing conditions. Processing conditions include any parameter used to control semiconductor or other device fabrication or any condition a manufacturer would desire to monitor.
One technique for monitoring process conditions in-situ makes use of a measuring device having sensors incorporated onto a substrate similar to the wafers that are processed in the chamber. US publication No. 20060174720 discloses an example of a measuring device incorporating a substrate with sensors that measure the processing conditions that a wafer may undergo during manufacturing. The substrate can be inserted into a processing chamber by a robot and the measuring device can transmit the conditions in real time or store the conditions for subsequent analysis. Sensitive electronic components of the device can be distanced or isolated from the most deleterious processing conditions in order to increase the accuracy, operating range, and reliability of the device.
Monitoring etch conditions, e.g., the temperature, in-situ during an etch process (e.g., a plasma etch) using a sensor wafer is particularly problematic since the sensor wafer is subject to etching during monitoring of the process conditions in the chamber. An unprotected sensor wafer is therefore subject to attack, e.g., by silicon etch chemistry or plasma bombardment in an etch environment. Current sensor wafers use a silicon cover to protect the sensors and best simulate the workpieces being etched. However, when the silicon cover is subjected to the etch process black or white silicon is produced. The black or white silicon contamination can lead to particle generation, which is undesirable in the process chamber.
Some prior art sensor wafers based on silicon wafer substrates have used standard thin film materials such as polyimide or silicon oxide coatings to protect the sensor wafer from etching during measurement in plasma etch conditions. However, the polyimide and silicon oxide coatings have limited resistance to etch under poly and through-silicon via (TSV) etch conditions. For a sensor wafer used in a plasma etch chamber it would be desirable for the protective coating to last at least 10 hours. Experience with such coated wafers has shown that SiO2 and polyimide coatings cannot last this long unless they are extremely thick, e.g., approximately 10 μm thick for SiO2 and at least 100 μm thick for polyimide. Unfortunately, a thicker coating can introduce artifacts in temperature measurement and may also warp the wafer. Thus, there is an unmet need for a sensor wafer that can survive for 10 hours of cumulative exposure to a plasma etch environment.
In addition to being etch resistant, it would be further desirable for the coating to be relatively thin, non-contaminating, and strongly adhering to the cover and substrate material.
It is within this context that embodiments of the present invention arise.

Etch-resistant coating on sensor wafers for in-situ measurement


A method, system, and computer program product provide for video action classification by selecting a first video frame and a first plurality of video frames from a received video to process the first video frame with a 2D convolutional neural network processing pathway to extract spatial features classifying the first video frame, and to process the first plurality of video frames with a 3D convolutional neural network processing pathway to extract spatiotemporal features classifying the first plurality of video frames so that the spatial features are combined with the spatiotemporal features to generate a classification label for the video action.

The rapidly growing field of video action classification has many applications and scenarios where video action classification is increasingly making significant contributions in areas such as human-computer interaction, medicine, and autonomous driving. However, existing video classification approaches use convolutional neural network-based solutions that require excessive computational resources while providing poor accuracy. For example, the application of existing 2D convolutional neural network (CNN) solutions for classifying videos does not achieve the same accuracy as they do for images because the 2D CNN solutions track only spatial features from video frames. And while there are proposals for inflating 2D CNN into inflated 3D networks that can capture both spatial and temporal features, existing inflated 3D networks use a single processing pathway that is not good at recognizing both slow motion (many spatial features) and fast motion (many temporal features). And while there have been recent proposals for using multi-pathway 3D networks to perform video classification, such multi-path 3D CNN solutions require huge computational resources and processing complexity to extract temporal and spatial features on multiple pathways. In addition, there are significant training costs associated with 3D CNN networks in the absence of training data for such networks. As a result, the existing solutions for video action classification are deficient at a practical and/or operational level by virtue of imposing undue computational cost and processing complexity to achieve poor or suboptimal labelling accuracy.

Method and system for video action classification by mixing 2D and 3D features

International Business Machines Corporation


Systems and methods are provided for insight automation from content data. The system generates insights from online and offline data at scale using unsupervised or supervised machine learning algorithms. The system can further generate insight at various levels for continuous evaluation and automated promotion.

Over 2.5 quintillion bytes of data are created every single day at the current pace, and the pace is accelerating with the growth of social network. A lot of these data are content data and are from social media, such as social chatter. Social media is used by customers and prospects to communicate among themselves, and occasionally with companies. This communication can result in leads, sales or advocacy, but is often less structured and conversational. It can be reactive too, as social media is increasingly used as a customer support channel.
A large number of enterprises attempt to tap into such content data to understand problem areas faced by their customers, and to use such feedback to make improvements and correction. However, analyzing this data at scale to derive actionable insights for businesses is a complex computational problem. Further, most of these insights are perishable and need immediate attention and action. On the other hand, business users have a limited attention span and bandwidth to prioritize and take appropriate action against these most pressing conditions for the business. Existing enterprise analytical tools such as dashboards, etc., not only pose problems with respect to scale, but analyses using these tools are largely human-driven. Accordingly, bias and lag are introduced into the decision-making process, which leads to missed signals for opportunities and threats to business.
In order to meaningfully analyze the potentially large volume of customer feedback that a business may collect, a typical approach may predefine topics/themes relevant to a specific business function and then develop an approach to map specific customer feedback to an appropriate theme. Typical approaches to mapping feedback to themes are mapping based on rule based patterns or using machine learning techniques. Various attempts at employing machine learning techniques have so far provided limited business value. See U.S. Pat. No. 8,983,975.
There is a need for an improved technology platform and computer network implemented method to analyze the social data at a more granular level for real time sensing of behavior, needs and perception. There is a further need for a technology platform and computer network implemented method for generating insight at various levels for continuous evaluation and automated promotion.

System and method for insight automation from social data


A method and system for writing data to a media utilizing an energy assisted magnetic recording (EAMR) head are described. The EAMR head includes at least one laser and at least one EAMR transducer. The laser(s) provide energy. The EAMR transducer(s) are coupled with the laser. The EAMR transducer(s) are configured to direct the energy to spot(s) on the media and to write a plurality of tracks of data in a block. The method and system include writing a track of the plurality of tracks on the media within the spot(s) using the EAMR transducer and stepping a track pitch along a particular radial direction on the media. The method and system also include repeating the writing and stepping steps until the plurality of tracks for the block is written.

FIG. 1 depicts a portion of a conventional energy assisted magnetic recording (EAMR) disk drive 10. The conventional EAMR disk drive 10 includes media 12, slider 14, laser 16, grating 18, and EAMR transducer 20. In operation, the EAMR transducer 20 receives light, or energy, from the conventional laser 16. More specifically, light from the laser 16 is coupled into the grating 18. A waveguide (not explicitly shown in FIG. 1) and, in some embodiments, a near field transducer (NFT) (also not shown) within the EAMR transducer 20 direct the light from the grating to the media 12. An optical spot 22 on the media 12 near the air-bearing surface (ABS) is thus developed. The energy delivered to the conventional media 12 through optical spot 22 heats a small region 24 of the conventional media 12. The region heated is known as the thermal spot 24. The conventional EAMR transducer 10 magnetically writes data within the thermal spot 24 by energizing the write pole (not shown) of the conventional EAMR transducer 20. The region of the conventional media 12 within the thermal spot 24 has a reduced coercivity due to its higher temperature. Therefore, the conventional EAMR transducer 20 may more easily write to the conventional media 12.
Although the conventional EAMR transducer 20 functions, there are drawbacks. Extending the conventional EAMR transducer to higher densities may be problematic due to the thermal spot 24 size. More specifically, the size of the thermal spot 24 may limit reductions in the track pitch. In order to write at higher densities, a smaller thermal spot is desired. Because the conventional media 12 typically includes lower thermal conductivity underlayers, the thermal spot 24 is typically larger than the optical spot 22. Thus an even smaller optical spot 22 is desired at higher densities. In order to obtain a smaller optical spot 22, optical components within the conventional EAMR transducer 20 must be shrunk. Fabrication of portions of the conventional EAMR transducer 20, such as the NFT (not shown), at such small sizes may be challenging. Consequently, shrinking the size of the optical spot 22 and thermal spot 24/24′ for higher density recording may be problematic. For conventional EAMR recording, a reduction in the track pitch with respect to thermal spot size may also adversely affect performance. If the spot size is greater than or equal to the track pitch, tracks may be significantly or completely erased. For example, FIG. 2 depicts a portion of the conventional media 12′ in which tracks 30, 32, and 34 are written. For each track 30, 32, and 34, the thermal spot 24′ is used for writing. The thermal spot 24′ has a diameter d. Cross-hatched thermal spots 24′ correspond to a magnetic field of one polarity (e.g. out of the plane of the page), while clear/white thermal spots 24′ correspond to a magnetic field of another polarity (e.g. into the plane of the page). For clarity, only two spots 24′ are labeled. The bits in each track 30, 32, 34 are written in the down track direction (vertically in FIG. 2). The track pitch is TP and less than the thermal spot diameter. A conventional squeeze write scheme is used. In this situation, the track 32 may be inadvertently overwritten by the heating in thermal spot 24′ for tracks 30 and 34. Further, techniques such as thermally insulating portions of the conventional media 12/12′ or using higher thermal conductivities have been used to achieve a smaller thermal spot size. However, such techniques require re-engineering of the media 12 and thus may have limited utility.
Accordingly, what is needed is a system and method for improving performance of an EAMR transducer, particularly at higher densities.

Method and system for performing EAMR recording at high density using a large thermal spot size


A printer autocontrast system measures the current passing from a toner reservoir to a charged dielectric member which receives toner from the reservoir. The charge delivered to the drum in this way is scaled and compared to an estimate of the intended image charge to develop an error signal. The error signal corrects a control parameter to adjust the operation of an electrographic printhead which forms a latent image on the dielectric member.

The present invention relates to electrographic imaging apparatus wherein a latent image is formed on a dielectric member and this image is toned to print out a permanent image on a recording sheet such as paper. Putting aside factors such as variation in toner composition, the amount of toner picked up by the imaging member depends on the charge distribution on the surface of the dielectric member, and this distribution may vary, for a given constant image pattern, due to environmental factors such as humidity and the aging or adjustment of various operating parameters of the machine. Thus, for example, in a photocopier, the charge may vary as the copy lamps or the photoconductive imaging member age and their characteristics change, or as the corona charging assembly and power supplies drift.
To compensate for variations in drum charge, it is common to provide a manual contrast control on such machines. Such a control may operate by shifting a corona charging potential, changing a transfer or bias potential used to transfer toner to the drum, or by some similar adjustment to compensate for the low or high density, or low or high contrast, which the charge distribution would normally produce.
In a like manner, it is also known to provide automated contrast or density control circuits which sense the charge on the drum and make similar adjustments to the lamp intensity, developing bias control or other such control parameter. Such sensors may sense the charge on a non-image position of the drum, or may identify a minimum value of the drum potential as the drum rotates past a sensor. It is also known to use an optical densitometer to sense the density of the toner which has adhered to the charged drum, and to make compensatory adjustments based on the sensed optical density, to some machine parameter.
In general, the setting up of an autocalibration system is believed to entail inspection of the amount of toner applied at a given setting for one or more particular fixed test patterns or test images, and special initialization procedures are used to evaluate and adjust system print darkness. Thus, these systems do not adjust print density on a-page-by-page basis for normal print images. A more general autocontrast control is therefore desirable.


A moisture detection apparatus is installed within a building below a critical area of the building's envelope and has a casing, which may be telescoping, and which as a window on one or both ends. An absorbent material is disposed within an interior chamber of the casing as is a moisture soluble dye that changes color upon contact with moisture and thereby changes the color of the absorbent material which color change is visible through the windows, the moisture entering the interior chamber through at least one upwardly oriented aperture on the casing. The apparatus is installed so that the window protrudes either through an interior wall section of the building's exterior wall, an exterior wall section of the wall, or both. If water penetrates the building, the water enters the casing, and causes the dye to change the color of the absorbent material to alert an occupant that a cladding failure has occurred.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a moisture indication device that is permanently affixed to a building in order to detect and alert to the presence of moisture penetration through the building's exterior envelope.
2. Background of the Prior Art
Stucco systems and the closely related EIFS (Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems) are very popular exterior cladding systems that tend to be found on higher end homes. These beautiful systems give a building a warm and inviting feel and are very beautiful, however, they are not without problems. Stucco and similar systems (the term "stucco" being used broadly hereinafter to include such similar systems) are very durable claddings. Standing alone, in that a portion of a building that is purely stucco (a flat wall for example), the system will tend to have an extremely low rate of failure even in the harshest of conditions. The problem with such finishing systems lies at boundary areas such as doors, windows, laundry vents, etc., where two and more often three different types of materials arrive at the same proximity. If the stucco system is sealed properly and according to the particular manufacturer's specifications, problems with the stucco tend to be low. However, as anyone who has ever witnessed a building construction site, proper sealing of stucco (or any other building component for that matter) is not always the case. If the stucco is not sealed properly, then water may penetrate into the building past the stucco system, especially over time as the various materials expand and contract at different rates with the changes in temperature. Although modern silicone sealants are used at stucco transition points where stucco meets doors, windows, etc., which sealants are very durable and long-lasting, a bad sealing job can easily trump even the best sealants available, and even the best sealants can fail over time even if properly installed.
Water penetration into the exterior of the building can be very damaging especially if the damaging effects are allowed to percolate. The water can be absorbed by the wall insulation which is in "dead space" within the exterior walls and therefore the insulation tends to hold the water. As the insulation is in contact with the lumber used to construct the wall, the lumber begins to decay, resulting in wood rot. As most building exterior envelope failures tend to occur about doors and windows, there is a strong possibility that the wood rot is occurring on a load bearing component of the building. If sufficient time passes without the wood rot being corrected, structural failure of a portion of the building can occur. Additionally, the water within the relatively warm interior space of the building tends to incubate mold, which mold can be extremely dangerous to the health of occupants of the building especially those with breathing difficulties or compromised immune systems. Remediation of mold infestation within a building can be a daunting task. Furthermore, the water also attacks the cladding itself causing failure from the inside out.
One problematic aspect of water penetration is that it is generally not observed by the building's occupants until serious damage has occurred. It is not uncommon to have a building owner first discover that water penetration problems exist during a routine building inspection as part of the sale of the building. It is also not uncommon to have a remediation tab of $10,000.00, $20,000.00, or even much higher. And as an added insult, many insurance policies are trending away from coverage of any mold or other fungal damage.
Although stucco systems are prone to failure from improper sealing, other types of exterior finishing systems may also fail with the attendant problems associated with such failure.
One basic method to combat stucco failure is to have a quality stucco person perform the installation and/or have the job inspected. However, it is usually the builder who selects the subs to work on the building and builders oftentimes are motivated first by profit. As long as the building can withstand the one year builder's warranty which most builder's give (or are required to give), the builder is home free. Generally, only the most egregious envelope failures are detected in the first year of a building's life, therefore, many builders opt for the lowest bid (and highest profit to the builder) sub with quality being simply a variable. Most general building inspectors will catch obvious stucco problems but detailed analysis of the building's envelope tends to be outside of the scope of such inspections.
Another method to combat stucco seal failure is to have a specialized inspection of the building's envelope performed periodically, preferably yearly. Such specialized inspections involve an analysis of all critical points of the stucco finish either by inserting a moisture detection probe into the wall of the building from the exterior of the building, or more recently, using non-invasive infrared moisture detection systems to "see" into the walls for possible moisture presence. By being performed yearly, any failure that occurs can be caught and remedied relatively quickly and relatively inexpensively. Such inspections have the effect of reducing the damage caused by envelope failures, although a penetration that lasts for six months can still do substantial damage. Additionally, such inspections can be quite expensive.
Another method employed is to install moisture detection systems directly into the building, usually during original construction of the building. Typically such systems work by providing an open electrical circuit within the detection device and should water penetrate the envelope and come in contact with the device, the water closes the electrical circuit thereby activating some form of alarm to alert the building's owner or occupant that a cladding failure has occurred. These systems, which work with varying degrees of efficiency, tend to be very expensive to install and are extremely difficult to install in existing structures. Some standalone mechanical devices have been proposed that are much easier to install into existing buildings, however, such devices tend to be complex in design and construction making such devices relatively expensive to manufacture.
Accordingly, there exists a need in the art for a device that detects failure of a building's exterior cladding that results in water penetration past the failure point so that immediate corrective action can be taken so as to minimize the damage caused by the water penetration. Such a device must be relatively simple in design and construction so that it is readily affordable to a typical building owner that may have to purchase several dozen such devices to fully monitor a building. Such a device must be installable during building construction as well as after the building is complete.