A device for the melting or purifying of inorganic substances, in particular of glass, which comprises a number of metal tubes which may be attached to a cooling medium and which are arranged next to each other, in such a way that together they form a container, a high frequency coil for the injection of energy into the container contents and a plastic coating for the metal tubes, the decomposition temperature of which lies below the temperature of the melt. The cooling system is configured and arranged such that the temperature of the boundary layer of the melt, immediately surrounding the component, lies below that of the decomposition temperature of the coating material.

The invention involves a device for melting or refining glass or glass ceramics.
Devices of this type have become known in the form of so-called skull crucibles. They contain a crucible wall 10. This wall 10 is generally cylindrical. It is made out of a ring of vertical metal pipes 12. Slits 14 remain between pipes 12 that are adjacent to each other. The bottom 16 of the crucible can also be made out of metal pipes. It can, however, also be made out of a fireproof material. At their ends, they are connected to vertical pipes for supplying coolant and/or for discharging coolant.
The heating is done by an induction coil (not shown) that surrounds the crucible wall 10, and via which high-frequency energy can be introduced into the contents of the crucible 8.
A skull crucible of this type has been made known, for example, from the patent EP 0 528 025 B1.
A skull crucible 8 operates as follows: the crucible 8 is filled with a glass batch or refuse glass (shards) or a mixture of them. The glass, and/or the melt, must be preheated at first in order to reach a certain minimum conductibility. The pre-heating is frequently done by burner heating. Once the coupling temperature has been reached, then the additional supply of energy via the irradiation of high-frequency energy can occur. Also, during the operation, it can be advantageous in special cases to heat the melt by burners which act on the melt from above, or by hot exhaust gases, in addition to the heating by high-frequency energy. This is especially necessary in some cases when using a skull crucible for refining. If the surface layer is namely cold and has a correspondingly higher viscosity, then bubbles are prevented from emerging out of the melt, or foam can form.
The skull principle can also be applied for containers other than crucibles. See the patent DE 199 39 782 A1, for example. In this process, several pipes are designed in a U-shape and lie adjacent to each other, so that they form a cage-like skull channel with each other that is open to the top. An induction coil then surrounds this channel in such a way that winding sections extend along the side walls of the channel.
The invention thus involves any type of device in which a container is made from many metal pipes, which themselves can be connected to a cooling medium, and in which high-frequency energy is introduced into the contents of the container.
The metal pipes mentioned are generally made of copper. This results in the following problems:
On the one hand, there is the danger that copper from the copper pipes gets into the melt. This leads to pronounced color streaking as a result of the copper impurity.
An additional problem consists in that gaseous or solid components escaping from the glass, such as, for example: HF, P2O5, B2O3, SO2, SO3, Cl2 precipitate onto the cooled part of the crucible not covered by the melt and cause corrosion there. This leads to a damage of the crucible and to impurity of the melt.
Furthermore, a removal of the residual glass when cleaning the container is expensive and painstaking, since this residual glass persistently adheres to the surfaces of the metal pipes.
The purpose of the invention is to create a device of the type named at the beginning in such a way that impurities of the glass melt due to the material of the metal pipe do not occur, that no corrosion occurs, and that the problem of the adherence of the glass melt does not occur.
The invention, in one form thereof, is a device for melting or refining inorganic substances, especially glass, wherein a plurality of metal pipes are connected to a cooling medium and lie next to each other in such a way that they form a container, and a high frequency coil is used for introducing energy into the contents of the container. The metal pipes are coated with a plastic having a decomposition temperature that is below the temperature of the melt and the cooling system is designed and arranged in such a way that the temperature of the boundary layer of the melt contacting the coated pipes is below the decomposition temperature of the coating material.
To achieve the intended purpose, different methods had been proposed previously. The use of platinum instead of copper is not only considerably more expensive, but also is not a perfect solution in terms of preventing impurities in the glass melt. The concept of using plastics had to be considered to be wrong from the beginning on, because of the low melting point of these materials. The inventors recognized, however, that plastics, in spite of their low softening temperature and in spite of their low decomposition temperature, come into consideration very well as a coating material, and they are suitable for solving the problems. As has been revealed in experiments, the cooling of the metal pipes caused the contact temperature between, on the one hand, the plastic of the plastic coating according to the invention, and on the other hand, the glass melt, to stay below the decomposition temperature of the plastic. The plastic coating remained undamaged after the experiments. The melting container could be reused.
By the plastic coating according to the invention, the most important of the partial purposes named above is achieved. Namely, a contamination of the melt does not occur. In the practical case, alkali zinc silicate glasses were melted in the skull crucible 8. Fibers, which were manufactured out of this glass, had an extremely low damping, which means that the coating prevented copper from diffusing out of the skull crucible into the melt. In a control experiment, uncoated copper pipes were used. These pipes led to considerable color streaking by copper impurity.
In another experiment, phosphate and fluorophosphate glasses were melted in a crucible designed according to the invention. The glasses exhibited a high optical purity, which otherwise is only obtained in platinum melting crucibles. Furthermore, the melt was free of platinum particles, which can, of course, not be guaranteed for platinum crucibles. The glasses were suitable for high-energy laser applications. Devices with plastic coating according to the invention are also suitable for oxide salt or metal melts. In the process, the expert will match the parameters of cooling, on the one hand, and the plastic properties, on the other hand, to each other.
The other important partial purpose of avoiding corrosion is achieved in a perfect manner. Corrosion does not occur in cooling pipes coated according to the invention.
Also, in the application of the coating according to the invention, no adhesion of glass residues occurs. Thus, the expense for the removal of these residues can be eliminated so that the cleaning of the crucible at the end of a melting or refining process is not a problem.

Device for melting or purifying of inorganic sustances


A gas generating system (10) including a filter assembly (36) formed from a plurality of nodules (36b) positioned and secured in relation to each other so as to form a porous structure (36a). In one embodiment, the nodules (36b) are metallic and are secured in relation to each other using either a sintering process or a brazing process. The nodules (36b) may be bonded directly together, or the nodules may be secured within a metallic matrix material. The gas generating system may also include a first baffle plate (40) positioned between the plurality of nodules (36b) and a gas source of the gas generating system (10), and a second baffle plate (42) positioned between the plurality of nodules (36b) and a housing wall (12c) of the gas generating system (10). The baffle plates (40, 42) provide added structural integrity to the porous structure (36a) and increase the length of a tortuous flow path of gases through the filter assembly (36). Apertures (40a, 42a) and are provided in the baffle plates (40, 42) to aid in directing the flow of gases through the porous structure (36b), thereby ensuring a tortuous flow path for the gases. A vehicle occupant protection system (480) incorporating the filter assembly (36) is also described.

The present invention relates generally to gas generating systems and, more particularly, to gas generating systems for use in applications such as inflatable occupant restraint systems in motor vehicles.
Installation of inflatable occupant protection systems, generally including airbag systems as standard equipment in all new vehicles has intensified the search for smaller, lighter and less expensive protection systems. Accordingly, since the inflation gas generator used in such protection systems tends to be the heaviest and most expensive component, there is a need for a lighter and less expensive gas generating system.
A typical gas generating system includes cylindrical steel or aluminum housing having a diameter and length related to the vehicle application and characteristics of a gas generant composition contained therein. Inhalation by a vehicle occupant of particulates generated by gas generant combustion during airbag activation can be hazardous. Thus, the gas generating system is generally provided with an internal or external filter comprising one or more layers of steel screen of varying mesh and wire diameter. Gas produced upon combustion of the gas generant passes through the filter before exiting the gas generating system. Particulate material, or slag, produced during combustion of the gas generant in a conventional system is substantially removed as the gas-passes through the filter. In addition, heat from combustion gases is transferred to the material of the filter as the gases flow through the filter. Thus, as well as filtering particulates from the gases, the filter acts to cool the combustion gases prior to dispersal into an associated airbag. However, inclusion of the filter in the gas generating system increases the complexity, expense, and especially the weight of the gas generating system.


A device is disclosed for stripping the insulation or dielectric housing from a cable or wire. The cable stripping device includes a wire guide block having a bore extending transversely therethrough and a slot which extends from an end of the block to the bore. An elongated holder is provided for receiving the wire guide block within a hollow portion of the holder. A rotary knife is disposed on a linkage assembly connected to the holder and is pivotable between an unengaged position to an engaged position, wherein the engaged position the blade extends through the slot and extends at least partially into the bore to engage with the cable or wire located within the bore, whereby in the engaged position, the knife blade is positioned to cut the insulation housing from the cable or wire as the cable or wire is pulled through the bore.

The invention relates to cutting devices, and more particularly to devices for stripping or cutting the insulation or dielectric material which surrounds the inner metallic conductor within a cable or wire.
Presently, there is a significant demand for scrap copper and other metals which may be recycled and formed into other desirable products. One widely available source for scrap metal is contained in scraps of cable which, for a variety of reasons, are no longer useful. For example, a large number of pieces of copper wire are typically left over after wiring a house for high and low voltage transmission throughout the house.
If the metal conductor in the scrap cable is to be recycled, the insulation or dielectric material that surrounds the inner metallic conductor must be removed. In addition, many salvage yards require the insulation to be stripped from the conductor before it will be accepted for recycling. In order to strip the insulation from the metallic conductor, a wire stripping tool is typically employed. The wire stripping tools that are presently known for accomplishing this task range from sophisticated complicated machinery to simple hand tools.
A common element in most wire stripping devices is the blade that is necessary to split the insulation on the cable. However, these tools are often undesirable for quick and easy removal of vast amounts of insulation housing from large volumes of cable. For example, if sophisticated machinery is used to remove the insulation from the cable, the procedure tends to be expensive. The expense of this sophisticated machinery can also prevent their use in the field since such expense offsets the profit which can be obtained from the recycling process.
A further example of problems that arise is when hand tools are used to strip wire. Existing hand tools for stripping wire do not allow for a quick removal of the housing from the cable because precise adjustments that account for wire diameter and length must be made prior to removing the housing from a particular cable. Thus, a non-desirable amount of time may be required to remove the cable insulation.
Another disadvantage of using hand tools for removing insulation with large amounts of cable is safety. Safety is compromised when the user must manipulate a bladed hand tool in one hand and a cable in the other hand. This scenario requires significant coordination and thus, may be unsafe even for highly skilled users. a cable stripping tool is needed that is inexpensive, easy to operate, safe, and designed to quickly strip the insulation housing from large amounts of cable.
In accordance with the invention, a device is disclosed for stripping the insulation or dielectric housing from a cable or wire. The cable stripping device includes a wire guide block having a bore extending transversely therethrough and a slot which extends from one end or side of the block to the bore and a knife which is pivotable between an unengaged position to an engaged position. In the engaged position, the blade extends through the slot and extends at least partially into the bore to engage with the cable or wire located within the bore, whereby the knife is positioned to cut the insulation or dielectric housing from the cable or wire as the cable or wire is pulled through the bore.
In one aspect of the invention, the knife is a rotary knife.
In another aspect of the invention, the wire guide block includes a second bore that a different diameter, either smaller or larger, than the diameter of the first bore for accommodating and receiving a differently sized cable or wire.
The device may include an elongated holder for receiving the wire guide block within a hollow portion of the holder. A biasing device, such as a coil spring located within the hollow portion of the elongated holder, may be provided for biasing the wire guide block outwardly from the elongated holder. A travel limiting device may also be provided for limiting the extent of outward travel of wire guide block biased by the biasing device. The biasing device serves to facilitate engagement of the knife with the cable or wire within the bore.
In one aspect of the invention, the travel limiting device comprises a channel formed in either the wire guide block or the elongated holder and a set screw is located on the other part such that the set screw cooperates with the channel to limit the travel of the wire guide block within the hollow portion of the holder.
In one preferred embodiment the knife is pivotably disposed on a linkage assembly connected to the holder. The linkage assembly may include a clevis attached to the holder and a knife arm pivotably attached to the clevis at one of its end. The other end of the knife arm holds the knife blade and permits it to pivot into the bore.
In one form of the invention, a handle connected to the knife arm may be provided for increasing the leverage of a user to facilitate pivoting the knife arm between the unengaged and engaged positions. A knife guard located in proximity to the knife may also be provided for shielding the knife from the user.
In another aspect of the invention, a latching device may be provided for locking the knife in the engaged position. The latching device may include a latch having a detent. A rounded protrusion located on the device, such as on the clevis of holder, may also be provided to cooperate with the detent portion of the latch to engaged the detent to lock the knife arm in the engaged position. The latch may also include a camming surface which engages with the rounded to facilitate the engagement of the protrusion with the latch and to guide the protrusion into the detent.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a device that facilitates cutting the insulation or dielectric housing surrounding the inner conductor of a cable or wire to facilitate the stripping the insulation from the metallic conductor to facilitate recycling of the conductor and disposal of the insulation.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, together with the drawings and the appended claims.


Methods and apparatus for generating and distributing customized channel map information used by set top boxes to access program channels and provide access to content delivery services are described. One or more regional headends broadcast base channel maps. Set top boxes request base channel map enhancement information from a server which may service multiple regions, e.g., regions corresponding to different head ends. The channel map server dynamically generates base channel map enhancement information, or identifies previously generated base channel map enhancement information, based on one or more business policy rules applicable to the individual set top box requesting the update channel map enhancement information. The channel map server may be implemented nationally or covering multiple regions, and customization of channel maps for set top boxes can be implemented on customer, business or even an individual set top box basis based on business policy rules.

Information corresponding to a set of channels that a particular device, e.g., set top box (STB), or set of devices are entitled to receive, is often communicated in a file sometimes referred to as a channel map file. The channel map file is normally distinct from other files used to communicate program guide information. The set top box is expected to enforce subscriptions and not access programs and/or services listed in a guide file but which are not included in the program channel map corresponding to the particular set top box.
Program guide information, e.g., information about broadcast and/or on-demand video or audio programs including, for example, the title of a program, program channel number, broadcaster such as MSNBC, CBS, etc. as well as enhanced guide information are often communicated to a set top box regardless of whether or not the set top box is entitled to display a particular channel. Thus guide information can be generated and distributed in a limited number of files with the understanding that a set top box will display the guide information relevant to the services it is entitled to receive and/or which the system allows to be listed in the displayed guide even though access to the service may be blocked for an individual subscriber. The guide information is normally generated and communicated separately from other files used to control actual access to content, e.g., the full set of programs which are available.
While a set top box may receive a file, e.g., a service definition file providing information used to generate a program guide such as a grid guide, actual access to the guide information and the corresponding program content is controlled separately at the set top box based on other information and files such as channel map files which are normally accessed based on a particular set top box's right to receive access to the channels in a particular channel map.
Thus, in conjunction with information identifying what channel map a particular set top box should access, one or more channel map files are used to indicate to a set top box the services to which it is entitled. The channel map file normally includes a list of service identifiers and the corresponding service names. A channel map file may also include information on a channel number to be displayed along with information indicating a LOGO associated with the service which may be displayed. A set top box knows based on the one or more channel maps which it is entitled to access the services it is entitled to receive. Details relating to the services included in a channel map as well as program guide information relating to the services are normally provided in files other than a channel map file.
The services which a particular customer is entitled to receive is often a matter of a business policy, e.g., customers subscribing to a particular plan or package in a geographic region plan may be entitled to a particular channel package. Channel map information like program guide and other information is normally communicated from regional or local headends with set top boxes accessing the channel map or maps to which it is entitled as indicated by, e.g., an entitlement ID communicated to a set top box. The communication from regional or local headends of channel map and guide information is normally implemented using broadcast file servers. Such servers normally broadcast files on a recurring basis.
Unfortunately broadcast file servers are limited, in both terms of their storage capacity and bandwidth allotted to the broadcast file server for communicating channel map information. Hotel chains are an example of one type of business which often desires a custom channel package and channel ordering. For example, a large hotel chain may want particular line up and ordering of news and/or information channels throughout all its hotels regardless where in the country they are located. Unfortunately, with limited broadcast file server resources this may be difficult to justify on a national basis because of the resources required to provide customized hotel channel maps in all regions of the country. While in areas where the hotel chain has a large number of hotels, e.g., on the east coast, it might be worthwhile to dedicate the limited available broadcast server resources to the hotel chain. However hotel chain has one or a few hotels it might be difficult or not practical from a cost perspective to provide the same customized channel maps to the hotels of the hotel chain. Thus with the broadcast file server based approach individual custom channel maps might be difficult or impractical to support on a nationwide basis.
Furthermore, while in one region customization of a channel map for a business may make sense due to the number of customers corresponding to the business in the region, the fact that the same business has few customers in another geographic region may make it impractical to allow that business to have a business specific channel map in the other region due to the limited capacity of the broadcast file server system used to distribute the channel maps. Also, from a management perspective the loading of custom channel maps into multiple regional or local headends for a business may be difficult and not justifiable in certain regions due to the business's limited number of customers or locations in a particular region.
Given the constraints on the number limits of different channel maps that can be communicated using the broadcast communications model, the degree of customization of service packages and channel maps has been somewhat limited. Small business who would like a customized package of services and customized channel map for their limited number of locations are often forced to pick from a predetermined number of predefined packages or take local video server based approaches to developing a customized channel package.
The shortcomings of the broadcast file server approach to delivering channel map information will be apparent from a review of FIG. 1 which illustrates a known system 100 for content delivery and distribution. Communications system 100 includes a regional network headend 102 which serves a limited geographic region. Multiple headends 102 are used, one per region, when large areas need to be serviced. The service headend 102 serves a corresponding set of customer premise devices, e.g., set top boxes (STBs), in the given region including set box 1 130 through set top box Y 132. In addition, the system 100 also includes a billing server 105. Customer premise STB devices 130, 132 are coupled to the network head end 102 via a communications network 125, e.g. a cable network. Billing server 105 processes and stores account, services and billing related information corresponding to the customers serviced by network headend 102.
The network headend 102 includes an applications server 103 and a network controller 112. Application server 103 is implemented as a broadcast file server (BFS). The application server 103 under the control of a system administrator creates a service definitions file 104 that describes the attributes of a service. The application server 103 further generates and stores a plurality of channel map files 106, 108, and a catalog file 110. The channel map files 106, 108 include a service identifier indentifying one or more services corresponding, e.g., to different program files. Set top box device location, user subscriptions, and/or other entitlement information determine which channel map files a particular set top box is allowed to access. The catalog file 110 includes criteria for associating channel map files 106 through 108 to a given set of STB devices. The set top boxes can determine from the catalog file which channel maps they are allowed to access. Thus, the information in the catalog file can be used in determining which channel map files a particular set top box is entitled to use and the information is used by the set top box for this purpose.
The service definition file, catalog file and one or more channel map files are broadcast from server 103 on a recurring basis, e.g., over one or more predetermined channels. The set top boxes listen to the broadcast channels and then access the information, channels and/or services to which they are entitled to access.
While the system shown in FIG. 1 works well if there is a single region, e.g., advertising region, to be serviced, an area serviced by a headend is often divided into many different regions. The different regions are often for targeted advertising purpose with many of the advertising regions receiving broadcast program streams due to different advertisement content even when the television programming content being delivered is the same. To the extent a customized channel map is being used by a business customer, that channel map must be distributed, stored and broadcast in all regions in which the business customer has a facility, e.g., business site including STB. As discussed above this can be difficult to manage and may tax the limited resources of a broadcast file server system for regions where there are many customers seeking the use of customized channel maps.
In view of the above discussion, it should be appreciated that there is a need for improved methods and apparatus for providing customization of channel and service packages such as those which can be achieved by the distribution of customized channel maps. It would be desirable if at least some methods could be developed which allowed for customization of service packages without limitations without the need for a large number of devices in a particular region to justify the customization. In particular, it would be desirable if businesses such as hotels could be offered the benefits of customized channel maps on a multi-regional or national basis without having to have all regional headends broadcast the customized channel maps. It would also be desirable if in at least some embodiments, updated and/or customized channel maps could be generated based on a set of business or policy rules in an automated manner without a large amount of human intervention at regional headend sites.

Methods and apparatus for creating customized service related information for customer devices


This invention relates to a wire line core barrel inner tube assembly capable of travelling longitudinally within a drill string toward and away from a drill bit carried on the lower end of the string, the drill string having an annular landing shoulder therein. The inner tube assembly includes an elongated body having an annular landing shoulder adapted to co-operate with and seat on the landing shoulder of the drill string when in use. The body has a valve chamber defined therein and inlet and outlet ports leading from the valve chamber to the exterior of the body on opposite sides of the landing shoulder. These define a by-pass passage through which drilling liquid passing along the drill string must flow on its way toward the bit when the landing shoulder of said body is seated on the landing shoulder of the drill string. The valve chamber has a valve seat therein and a valve closure is located within the valve chamber. A biasing device urges the valve closure against the valve seat with a selected pre-loading force as to prevent flow of drilling liquid through the by-pass passage and toward the drill bit until the pressure differential across the valve closure is increased to a level sufficient to overcome the pre-loading force applied by the biasing device.

This invention relates to the art of drilling and in particular it relates to wire line core drilling apparatus.
In the course of wire-line drilling, the core barrel inner tube assembly is dropped or pumped along the bore of a drill string to a position just above or behind the drill bit. The drill string is provided with an annular landing shoulder therein. The inner tube assembly is also provided with a landing shoulder which is adapted to co-operate with and seat on the landing shoulder of the drill string. The inner tube assembly is provided with spring loaded latches which automatically move outwardly and engage in an annular recess, termed the latch seat, which is provided in the lower section of the drill string (otherwise known as the outer tube) thereby to anchor the inner tube assembly against axial movement in the bore. A drilling liquid, typically water, is pumped along the drill string thereby to propel the inner tube assembly along to the landing position which is of course correctly positioned relative to the drill bit.
The primary objective of a core drilling operation is to obtain a core of drilled material for purposes of geological analysis. The lower end of the drill string is accordingly provided with an annular drill bit of any desired well known variety, the bit having diamonds or boart embedded therein to enable the bit to cut through the hardest formations likely to be encountered. As the drilling proceeds, the rotating bit cuts through the formations and a core of the formation being drilled rises upwardly into and is captured by the core receiving barrel of the inner tube assembly. When the core barrel is filled, the drilling operator on the surface lowers an overshot assembly down the drill string by way of a wire line. The overshot assembly is arranged to engage with the upper end of the inner tube assembly and the wire line is then hoisted upwardly, in the course of which the spring loaded latches release thus allowing the inner tube assembly to be hoisted to the surface. The core of material, which has broken off from the formation, is captured within the inner tube assembly in well known fashion and when the inner tube assembly reaches the surface the core is removed and taken away for analysis. Following this, the inner tube assembly is then lowered down the drill string in preparation for the taking of a further sample. The movement is usually assisted by a flow of drilling liquid, i.e. water, this flow of water being provided by a flush pump which is capable of producing the flow rates and pressures required during the course of a drilling operation.
During the course of a normal core drilling operation, the above-noted pump forces the drilling liquid down the drill string, through and along the above-noted inner tube assembly, and downwardly to the bit where the liquid cools the bit and flushes away the cuttings therefrom, the fluid velocity being sufficient to lift these cuttings upwardly along the exterior of the drill string and along the drill hole up to the surface. The loss of drilling liquid circulation can give rise to serious problems. Since the liquid cools and lubricates the bit, loss of liquid will soon give rise to overheating and burning out of the bit in consequence of which the entire drill string must be pulled out of the hole. Even worse, loss of circulation may cause the drill string to cease up or jam within the hole owing to a build-up of cuttings between the drill string outer wall and the bore hole surface. (Drilling liquid can be lost when drilling through formations having substantial cracks and crevices. If the crevice is large enough, all of the liquid standing in the drill string and bore hole can be lost. When this happens, the pressure at the surface will drop to 0 and if there is an obstruction in the hole and the drilling liquid cannot pass through the bit because of bad rock conditions, by the time the pressure builds up to indicate this on the fluid gauge, it is likely too late, the bit will be either burned out and/or the drilling string will be stuck.) Removal of a stuck drill string can be a difficult operation and in serious cases the hole can be lost altogether.
Another problem with the system described above is that the drill operator on the surface often has difficulty determining when the latches are properly engaged in the latch seat. If the inner tube assembly is not properly landed on the landing rings and latched, and drilling is allowed to proceed, a great deal of time may be lost because the core then cannot be retrieved by means of the wire line system. The drill string must be moved from the hole and a fishing operation may be necessary to recover the core. At best, the core which is obtained is likely to be broken and unsuitable for an accurate analysis of same to be made.
In the past, the operator has used various inaccurate techniques to estimate when the inner tube assembly has landed and latched in position. A good operator should be able to listen to the descending assembly and may be able to hear the latches click into position. Other operators try to estimate when the correct position on the inner tube assembly has been reached merely by timing the descent of the assembly within the drill string. For these techniques to work, very experienced drillers are required and even then, problems are often encountered. An experienced driller will not have a sufficient "feel" for the situation and the resulting guess work can give rise to lengthy and costly delays.

Drilling apparatus, particularly wire line core drilling apparatus


A decorative expandable hanging file has closed reinforced sides, a supportive base and reinforced partitions. The partitions may contain vertically extending label surfaces to allow for file identification while the file is stored in a standard hanging file frame.

Expandable files are a necessary tool in the modern office or business and are also used in homes and schools. These files are typically rectangular in cross section with z-shaped folds along the sides which allow the file to expand from front to back. The files are shipped and stored in their compact state. When put into use they expand gradually as they are filled with papers or other items. Generally, expandable files are stored on shelves with their front and rear faces perpendicular to the length of the shelf.
Shelved expandable files are normally labelled with a marker on the front, so the contents can be known when the file is lying flat on a table or desk, and on the side, so the file can be identified when shelved. The problem with side labelling is that the z-folded side portion must be unfolded or flattened to write on it, making labelling difficult, and once labelled, the z-folds reshape, making the labelled side difficult or impossible to read without reflattening the side of the folder. In tightly packed shelves, reflattening to read a side label may necessitate removing multiple files from the shelf in order to locate the desired file. This procedure is both bothersome and time consuming.
In contrast to shelved expandable files, hanging folder files are typically stored in a unit such as file drawers or cabinets having a standardized legal size (81/2" by 14") or letter size (81/2" by 11") filing frame on which horizontally protruding attachments on the hanging files are secured. Labelling tabs which protrude vertically above the top of the file can be added to identify the file without need for removal from the filing unit. Hanging folder files are typically one folded piece of paper without closed sides, making "expansion" possible, but leading to loss of papers or other stored items through the open side portions, especially when the file is removed from its storage unit. Hanging folder files are also flimsy and therefore cannot stand up on a desk or table as can an expandable file.
Thus, there is a need for a file which combines the advantages of an expandable file, namely expansion capability, durability, closed sides and supportive base, with the advantages of a hanging file, namely standard size and attachments for storage in a filing unit and suitability for the addition of top-labelling which can be viewed from the drawer without the need for removing the file.


Disclosed are compositions including primers and probes, which are capable of interacting with the disclosed nucleic acids, such as the nucleic acids encoding the reverse transcriptase, protease, or integrase of HIV as disclosed herein. Thus, provided is an oligonucleotide comprising any one of the nucleotide sequences set for in SEQ ID NOS: 1-89, 96-122, and 124-151. Also provided are the oligonucleotides consisting of the nucleotides as set forth in SEQ ID NOS: 1-89, 96-122, and 124-151. Each of the disclosed oligonucleotides is a probe or a primer. Also provided are mixtures of primers and probes and for use in RT-PCR and primary PCR reactions disclosed herein. Provided are methods for the specific detection of several mutations in HIV simultaneously or sequentially. Mutations in the reverse transcriptase, protease, or integrase of HIV can be detected using the methods described herein.

The HIV pandemic now exceeds 40 million persons and its expansion is being met with an increased use of anti-HIV drugs to care for the lives of those affected. Emergence of drug resistance is expected to increase as the use of these drugs for the clinical management of HIV-1 infected persons increases worldwide. Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) containing a combination of three antiretroviral drugs is currently recommended and has been effective in reducing mortality and morbidity. Four classes of drugs are available that inhibit either virion entry (e.g., T-20), nucleotide extension by viral reverse transcriptase (e.g., 3TC, d4T), reverse transcriptase enzymatic activity (e.g., nevirapine, efavirenz), or the viral protease (e.g., nelfinavir, lopinavir). Drug resistance that is conferred by mutations is frequently selected in viruses from patients failing antiretroviral therapy and is considered a major cause of treatment failure.
Current treatment guidelines recommend baseline drug resistance testing for the selection of optimal drug regimens for patients initiating antiretroviral therapy. Accurate identification of any resistant viruses the person carries will help guide the selection of treatment regimens with fully active drugs. Drug resistance testing is performed through the use of phenotypic or genotypic assays. Phenotypic assays measure drug susceptibilities of patient-derived viruses and provide direct evidence of drug resistance. However, phenotypic assays are culture-based, complex, laborious, and costly. Genotypic assays are frequently used to detect mutations associated with drug resistance by sequence analysis of the viral RNA from plasma. These assays are also complex and are insensitive to the detection of low levels of mutants, such as what might be present early in the emergence of resistance or which might persist at low set points in the absence of treatment. Commonly-used sequencing methods do not reliably detect mutants present at levels below 20-30% of the total viral population within a sample. Described in this application are PCR-based drug resistance detection assays that are able to detect drug-resistant viruses present at frequencies as low as 0.5%-0.04% within the plasma of infected persons. These sensitivities are 40-500-times greater than what has been achieved by conventional sequence testing.
Although drug resistance is frequently seen in patients failing antiretroviral therapy, a substantial prevalence (˜8-25%) of transmitted drug-resistant HIV-1 is found among drug-naïve populations, supporting the need for baseline drug resistant testing. Because drug-resistant mutants are generally less fit than wild type viruses in the absence of drug, many drug-resistance mutations revert back to wildtype over time and become gradually undetectable in plasma. However, the drug-resistant viruses that become undetectable in plasma remain archived in the patients and are re-selected when drugs are used. Therefore, it is important to have sensitive assays that can accurately detect the presence of low frequency drug-resistant mutants. Data from the use of the sensitive real-time PCR assays described in this patent application demonstrate clearly that conventional sequencing of drug-naïve persons underestimates the prevalence of transmitted drug resistance (Johnson et al., 13th HDR Workshop, Tenerife, Spain, 2004). Testing transmitted drug resistant viruses for additional mutations by the sensitive assays identified new mutants that increased the prevalence of resistance within the population by another 2 to 8%. The increases imply that drug resistance mutations are transmitted at frequencies 20-80% higher than previously reported. Therefore, these data demonstrate the poorer sensitivity of sequencing methods for baseline drug resistance testing.
Drug resistance testing is also indicated for patients receiving HAART to manage treatment failures and to help guide the selection of new HAART regimens with active drugs.
Recent data have pointed to the importance of sensitive drug resistance assays for this testing and associate low-frequency drug-resistant viruses that are not detectable by conventional sequencing with poor treatment outcomes (Mellors et al., 11th CROI, 2004; Jourdain et al., JID 2004) (1). These studies reported that persons exposed to a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) who generated resistance mutations detectable only by sensitive assays, and not by conventional sequencing, respond more poorly to subsequent NNRTI-containing regimens. Data from the subtype C HIV-1 assays reported herein show that more than one-third of the drug-resistant viruses that emerge from intrapartum single-dose nevirapine intervention are not identified by conventional population sequencing (Johnson et al., 12th CROI 2005). The detection of the substantial numbers of low-frequency drug-resistant viruses will be important for selecting a regimen with fully active drugs.
In clinical monitoring of treated persons, the greater sensitivity of the present real-time PCR resistance assays over conventional sequencing may allow earlier detection of resistance mutations that emerge during treatment and provide advance notice of possible declines in response to therapy. Early detection will help guide clinicians in modifying drug regimens in an effort to prevent treatment failure and the emergence of high-level drug resistance. Methods with greater sensitivity in detecting low levels of resistant virus, below what is capable by conventional sequence analysis, are important for improving clinical management of patients under HAART. The substantially higher sensitivity, the simplicity, the high throughput capability, and the low cost of the present real-time PCR drug resistance assays are all advantages over conventional sequence analysis.

Real-time PCR point mutation assays for detecting HIV-1 resistance to antiviral drugs

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AS REPRESENTED BY THE SECRETARY, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES


A voucher verification system is based on SMS message-based processing of voucher verifications by a central verification authority. Merchants may establish an account with the system and then register mobile communication devices and those of employees by sending an SMS-based registration request to the system. Once registered, the merchant and employees may verify the status of vouchers by sending SMS-base verification requests to the system. Verifications of voucher status are returned to the merchant mobile device via SMS messaging.

The use of vouchers containing discounts or other offers are a fundamental tool merchants use to incentivize consumers to purchase their products. However, to prevent abuse of vouchers, merchants need to verify that a voucher is valid, including determining whether the voucher has been previously redeemed. Current systems utilize online verification or voice response telephonic verification-based systems. For online verification, the merchant must have access to the Internet at every point of sale (POS) terminal. This requirement places an unnecessary limitation on the flexibility merchants can utilize in where and how they process payment transactions. Telephonic transactions require the merchant to call a central location, interact via voice or keypad, and hold on the phone while waiting for verification. This process creates an unnecessary hindrance in the merchant's ability to engage their customers during the payment transaction. Accordingly, there is a need for a voucher verification system that does not require investment in specialized equipment and that allows merchants to complete the overall payment transaction with minimum service disruption.


The present invention is directed to a polyolefin type resin laminate that comprises a base layer made of a polyolefin type resin consisting mainly of butene-1 type polymer in which the content of other .alpha.-olefin unit of 15 mol % or below, the intrinsic viscosity [.eta.] is 1.2 to 4.0 dl/g, the ratio Mw/Mn of the weight-average molecular weight [Mw] to the number-average molecular weight [Mn] is from 2 to 10, and the haze is 50% or below, and layers each provided on each of the opposite surfaces of said base layer and made of a polyolefin type resin having a melt index [MI] of 0.1 to 30 g/10 min, the haze of each of the latter layers being up to that of said base layer, characterized in that the haze of said laminate is 3% or below, the strain recovery rate is 90% or over and the ratio of the tear strength in the M. D. to the tear strngth in the T. D. is from 0.25 to 4.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a novel polyolefin type resin laminate. More particularly, the present invention relates to an excellent polyolefin type resin laminate that is suitable as a stretch film for packaging food, causes no public hazards, is nontoxic, and would neither deteriorate the packaged state nor lower the commercial value of an article when the article packaged in the laminate.
2 Description of the Related Art
Recently, stretch-wrap packages are used widely because, for example, stretch-wrap packages have such features that (a) the stretch film can fit the profile of an article to be packaged without forming crumples, so that the commercial value of the appearance of the article to be packaged is increased, (b) the stretch film has a moderate gas permeability so that it can prevent the freshness of an article to be packaged such as perishable foods from lowering, and (c) efficient packaging operation can be done by using an automatic packaging machine.
The following, for example, are required for stretch films to be used in such stretch-wrap packages: a stretch film (1) should be excellent in deformation recovery property, i.e., should be high in strain recovery rate, (2) should be excellent in transparency, (3) should be excellent in fog resistance, (4) should be high in breaking extension, (5) should have a moderate gas permeability and should be low in water vapor permeability, (6) should not allow the components in the film to transfer to the food in the package, (7) should not bring about problems when it is treated as waste, and (8) can withstand cold storage and cold transportation.
Conventionally, as such stretch film, use has been made of a non-stretched film usually consisting of a soft vinyl chloride resin.
However, in the case of such soft vinyl chloride resin films, although, of the above requirements, items under (1), (2) and (4) are relatively satisfied, soft vinyl chloride resin films have, for example, such defects that (a) since the soft vinyl chloride resin film contains a large amount of a plasticizer, it is liable to cause blooming, and it is liable to transfer to the article that is packaged in the film, which is not preferable in view of food hygiene (the requirements under (3) and (6) mentioned above are not satisfied), (b) when the film is fused or burnt, it re)eases hydrogen chloride gas, which is not preferable in view of environmental hygiene (the requirement under (7) mentioned above is not satisfied), (c) when an article packaged therein is refrigerated and stored or transported, the film becomes brittle and liable to be broken (the requirement under (8) mentioned above is not satisfied), and (d) the water vapor permeability of the film is high, and the film is not suitable for packaging some types of perishable foods (the requirement under (5) mentioned above is not satisfied).
To obviate the defects of such a stretch film made of a soft vinyl chloride resin, a film made of a polyolefin type resin is suggested.
However, this film is inferior in deformation recovery property. That is, for example, when the film is pressed by one's finger, necking occurs, and the film is deformed and is hardly restored to the original shape. In the case wherein an article packaged in a film made of a polyolefin type resin is displayed on a shop front to allow consumers to watch it by freely handling it, if the article is handled many times by consumers to watch it, the state of the package becomes worsened, leading to lowering of the value of the article packaged in said film. Therefore, because the film of a polyolefin type resin has such a defect that it cannot be used in a field in packaging food wherein it is required that the packaged state would not be worsened if the package is handled many times, the field wherein the film of a polyolefin type resin is used is inevitably restricted.
On the other hand, as polyolefin type resins, butene-1 type polymers such as a butene-1 homopolymer and a copolymer of butene-1 with other .alpha.-olefin are known, and these butene-1 type polymers are used mainly to improve the heat-sealing properties of polypropylenes (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 110550/1986), but it is the present state that the application of them wherein their characteristics can be utilized to the maximum has not yet been developed fully.


An optical amplifier includes: an optical amplifying fiber; and a pump light source that supplies pump light to the optical amplifying fiber, the pump light being used for parametrically amplifying signal light input to the optical amplifying fiber by using a non-linear optical effect of the optical amplifying fiber. The fluctuation of the zero-dispersion wavelength of the optical amplifying fiber in the longitudinal direction is within the limit of 0.5 nm/100 m.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical amplifier, an optical amplifying system, a wavelength converter, and an optical communication system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Optical amplifiers have become indispensable for optical communications. In today's optical communication systems, Erbium-Doped Fiber Amplifiers (EDFAs), Raman amplifiers, and Raman amplifying systems are in practical use as optical amplifiers and optical amplifying systems for optical communication bands.
When an optical communication system is constructed by using an optical amplifier, it is desirable if the optical amplifier has excellent noise characteristics (less noise), because the less noise there is, the longer the transmission distance becomes. However, as for EDFAs, because the technology for reducing noise has matured, it is difficult to further reduce noise from the current level. In contrast, using Raman amplifiers and Raman amplifying systems can contribute to reducing noise in optical communication systems. However, it would be difficult to introduce either a Raman amplifier or a Raman amplifying system to each of all the optical fiber transmission paths that are installed.
Further, an Optical Parametric Amplifier (OPA) such as the one disclosed in International Publication No. WO 2012/121223 that utilizes a non-linear effect occurring inside an optical fiber for realizing an optical amplification is known to be able to reduce the noise than EDFAs. Further, Phase Sensitive Amplifiers (PSAs) are known as optical amplifiers that utilize a non-linear effect occurring inside an optical fiber. However, for the reasons that OPAs have a small amplification bandwidth and that the gain spectrum thereof is not flat, OPAs have not been put into practical use.
To cope with these situations, the inventors of the present invention disclosed an invention of an OPA realizing a gain spectrum that is flat and has a broadband characteristic by performing a quasi-phase-matching process (see International Publication No. WO 2012/121223, International Application No. PCT/JP2012/072255, S. Takasaka et al., "Flat and Broad Amplification by Quasi-Phase-Matched Fiber Optical Parametric Amplifier", OFC/NFOEC 2012, OTh1C.4 (2012), and S. Takasaka et al., "FOPA with Flat 21-dB Gain and NF less than 4-dB using Alternately Concatenated Pump-Phase Shifters and HNLFs", OFC/NFOEC 2013, JTh2A.13 (2013)).

Optical amplifier, optical amplifying system, wavelength converter, and optical communication system


An electromagnetic energy measurement apparatus and method for measuring first, second, and third wavelength components includes first and second coated optical elements having non-parallel surfaces. Proper selection of the parameters of the optical elements reduces the level of coma and astigmatism in the apparatus. Additionally, filters pass the first, second, and third wavelength components to first, second, and third sensors. Improvement in the alignment of the field of view between sensors is realized by applying an adjustable compressive force on the filters to individually adjust the field of view.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus and method for measuring electromagnetic energy, and more specifically the invention relates to an apparatus and method for providing measurements of electrical energy having multiple wavelength components of electromagnetic energy, and which further provides measurements of electromagnetic energy that exhibit reduced levels of coma and astigmatic aberration effects, and which additionally provides an adjustment apparatus and method for aligning the field of view for measurements of electromagnetic energy.
2. Description of Related Art
Methods and apparatuses for measuring electromagnetic energy are well known in the art. It is often necessary to simultaneously measure intensities of multiple wavelength components of electromagnetic energy at a single spatial point. In addition, it is often useful to measure intensities of multiple wavelength components of electromagnetic energy at multiple spatial points along a line using multiple one-dimensional arrays of detectors to provide simultaneous readings. Furthermore, it is also sometimes necessary to use multiple two dimensional arrays of detectors to provide simultaneous measurement of intensities of multiple wavelength components of electromagnetic energy at multiple spatial points over an area.
A color line scan camera is an example of a measuring apparatus that includes multiple one dimensional arrays of detectors to provide simultaneous measurement of intensities of multiple wavelength components of electromagnetic energy at multiple spatial points along a line. The color line scan camera is useful for providing images of material as it is transported in regular fashion across a conveyor.
Most color line scan cameras employ a beam-splitter to divide the electromagnetic energy into its component parts and route it to the appropriate line scan detector.
Beam-splitters come in an array of types and sizes. A common beam-splitter known in the art is a cube or prism beam type splitter. These beam-splitters are often expensive and may be difficult to employ in infra-red applications. Another approach is to use a plurality of plate-type dichroic mirrors selected to filter and route the electromagnetic energy to the appropriate detector or sensor. Unfortunately, plate-type dichroic mirrors often introduce coma and astigmatism when placed in a convergent beam. This astigmatism and coma, of course, degrades image quality.
Pellicles have also been employed in the construction of beam splitters. In this arrangement, a set of pellicles are arranged to filter and route the electromagnetic energy to the appropriate detector. The pellicle is effective in reducing the amount of coma and astigmatism but is problematic in construction and application. Unfortunately, pellicles are often very delicate and often formed from nitrocellulose plastic having a thickness of less than 10 micrometers. The thickness and delicateness of the pellicles restrict the types of coatings that may be applied. For this reason, often coatings which are necessary to achieve a desired filtering or reflective result for the given electromagnetic energy are not compatible with the pellicle. Alternatively, coated glass pellicles may be used with coatings that are incompatible with the nitrocellulose plastic. However, coated glass pellicles are also difficult to form in a workable fashion in a beam-splitter because the coatings may distort the surface of the glass, resulting in variations of surface flatness which can introduce measurement anomalies.
Additionally, beam-splitters may also introduce chromatic aberrations which result in acuity degradations of the measuring apparatus. These chromatic aberrations distort the field of view and often result in alignment errors between colors or wavelength components.
Despite these various methods and apparatuses, there continues to be a need for a measurement method and apparatus that is able to provide measurements without significant astigmatism and coma distortion, and to provide adjustment for the alignment of the field of view, in a cost effective manner.

Electromagnetic energy measurement apparatus and method


A speech is processed by instantaneously converting sounds of the speech into a sequence of stenographs which are read in the form of first electric signals representative of the stenographs. The first electric signals are further converted into second electric signals representative of words corresponding to the sounds. The second electric signals are successively displayed on a display unit to provide visual displays indicative of the words. The visual displays may be either copied on a sheet by the use of a copying machine or printed on a recording sheet by the use of a printer.

This invention relates to a speech processing system for use in processing a speech and to a device therefor.
Recently, international conferences have often been held with participants attending them from various countries. In the international conferences, it is of great importance to promote a mutual understanding among the participants. However, it frequently happens that a part of the participants can speak languages designated for the conferences and the remaining participants can not speak the designated languages. Under the circumstances, the remaining participants can not accurately and clearly understand the speech and can not respond thereto.
It is mentioned here that written words or sentences can often be understood even by the participants who can not speak the designated languages. Therefore, proceedings or procedures can be expedited in the conferences if each speech of speakers can instantaneously be displayed in the form of written words or sentences. Moreover, a mutual understanding can considerably be promoted among the participants if a record of the proceedings can be gotten simultaneously with completion of the conference.
Consideration might be made about the use of so-called conventional speech recognition devices so as to convert each speech of speakers into words or sentences. However, all of the conventional recognition devices can recognize only specific words spoken by a specific speaker or speakers. Anyway, it is very difficult to recognize a great number of words spoken by unspecified persons for the time being.

System for use in processing a speech by the use of stenographs


A control system for an exercise machine includes a closed loop hydraulic circuit. The single control system allows an exercise machine to operate in either isokinetic or isodynamic modes. The system utilizes a hydraulic cylinder to allow an exercise machine to provide both positive and negative isodynamic resistance. The control system utilizes rotary and linear cylinders which allow for the proper ratio of torque resistance between joints to be automatically incorporated into the machine. By presetting an adjustment mechanism, a different concentric resistance and eccentric resistance on each opposing muscle group of a given exercise is achieved due to the fact that the applied air pressure automatically changes at the instant the exercise velocity reverses as the user changes the direction of a given exercise. The control system also allows for a limited range of motion for a given exercise to be present by a user. The control system allows for a given exercise machine to utilize three different modes.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a control system for an exercise machine, and more particularly to such a system which uses hydraulic means as a force to develop a resisting component which allows isodynamic resistance to be utilized by an exercise machine.
Positive work occurs during the lifting of a weight as a muscle shortens. An example of this is the common curl exercise which shortens the biceps. This shortening against resistance is called concentric contraction. Negative work occurs during the lengthening of a muscle as it limits the speed of descent of a weight. This forced lightening is called eccentric contraction.
Isotonic resistance is a constant force, produced by a compressed gas or a weight stack. Isokinetic resistance means "constant speed" resistance, but here refers to resistance such as that caused by viscous fluid being forced through an orifice. True isodynamic resistance is the combination of isokinetic and isotonic resistances. Thus isodynamic resistance could be produced by lifting a weight attached to a fluid-friction device such as a dashpot, or by lifting a weight by means of an hydraulic system having fluid friction. True isodynamic resistance always has a minimum resistance greater than zero, due to the isotonic element. The resistance varies with velocity above or below that minimum depending on whether the mode or motion is in the positive direction and thus concentric or in the negative direction and thus eccentric. Isodynamic resistance depends both on the amount of weight lifted and how fast it is lifted. Isodynamic resistance can be positive only, as long as it is greater than zero at a velocity of zero. Isodynamic resistance increases with the speed of concentric contraction while stressing the same muscle group in both the positive and negative directions of motion, unlike isokinetic exercise which stresses opposing muscle groups with concentric contractions only. Isodynamic resistance allows eccentric resistance to decrease with speed, as, when lowering a weight attached to a dashpot it is found that holding the weight stationary requires force equal to the weight, but moving the weight at its natural frictional speed of descent requires no force at all. In other words, the slower a user of an exercise machine lowers the weight, the higher the isodynamic resistance.
A user's negative strength is significantly greater than positive strength due to muscular friction. Due to the fact that muscle strength and leverage both change with position, the resistance must change automatically in order to work the muscle equally at all positions of the exercise.
Hyperplasia, or the creation of new muscle fibers by the splitting of old ones, is the most desirable ay to gain muscle strength and mass because the gains are much more permanent. Hypertrophy has been found to slow the maximum contraction rate while hyperplasia increased the maximum speed of contraction. This predomination theory suggests that a muscle is enlarged by hyperplasia at maximum exercise speeds because smaller fibers can contract faster than larger fibers. To obtain the full effect of hyperplasia, exercise must be conducted at maximum velocity. Inertia prevents maximum exercise velocities in most other exercise machines. Maximum contraction velocities are also required to insure training of all muscle fibers including the white fast twitch fibers which, along with viscosity, play a major role in the determination of a muscle's maximum contraction velocity. Slower contractions only stimulate the red slow twitch fibers. The isodynamic mode enables one to exercise at maximum intensity through the use of maximum velocity for a chosen force. This is proven by the formula P=Fv (Power equals Force times velocity). The maximum rate of contraction only regards the concentric mode of exercising. The eccentric mode occurs during the lengthening of the muscle being exercised or during the negative mode of an exercise.
The user will get the most out of the eccentric or negative mode by limiting the rate at which the resistance is let down. The exerciser reduces eccentric resistance with an increase in speed. The resistance during the concentric (positive) phase should be less than the user's strength in order to allow the lift. During the negative phase, the resistance should be greater than the user's strength in order to force him back down to the starting position. From this one can see that the negative resistance will be considerably more than the positive and therefore will cause more growth. It is important to note that the negative or eccentric resistance is very important to the growth and conditioning of muscles due to the fact that it causes more growth. Since the negative is so heavy, the chance of the user losing control is greater. If this happens and the control safety system is in effect, the resistance will immediately be reduced to zero until the user resumes the exercise in a positive direction. This safety device allows for the safety of the user and the machine.
The present invention will allow concentric resistance to increase with speed and eccentric resistance to decrease with speed. In addition, the system will allow an exercise machine to utilize gauges which illustrate the resistance for extension and flexion.
Total isolation and full range motion are very often mutually exclusive features because many muscles of the body act as what may be called "compound" or "two-joint" or "multiple-joint" muscles. That is to say that these particular muscles control both translation and rotation at a single joint or rotation at two or more joints simultaneously. This is why the single-axis rotary-form or single axis linear form movement of most machines cannot allow full-range motion. The double-headed biceps brachii is an example. The bicep is the primary muscle used in flexing or reducing the angle at the elbow. However, it has a secondary but equally important function of supporting the arm from backward rotation about the shoulder axis that is parallel to the clavicle or collarbone. Upper arm motion and forearm motion both affect the biceps' range of motion because the biceps spans both the shoulder joint and the elbow. Flexibility throughout a full range of motion can only be gained or maintained by moving the joint and muscle through their full range under resistance. Negative resistance is required to push the exerciser through a range of motion that would not be possible by stretching alone. Application of resistance through less than a full range of motion can lead to muscle development that will eventually inhibit motion beyond the range of motion of the exercises used. The control system of the present invention together with the described exerciser will enable multiple joint muscles to be trained with multiple degrees of freedom across a full range of motion at a determined ratio of torque resistance between joints to be determined both by the strength of the user and certain dimensions of the machine. Presently, swimming is the only way in which multiple-joint/double-jointed muscles may be properly trained throughout their full range of motion with a resistance present throughout said full range. The described exercise machine of the present invention will offer an alternative to swimming for such training of multiple-joint/double jointed muscles.
The ability to rain multiple joint muscles as the primary muscles with multiple degrees of freedom with all single joint muscles acting as synergists and stabilizing muscles for the multiple joint muscles would be the ideal situation. A certain ratio of torque strength exists among the different joints controlled by a multiple joint muscle due to differences in leverage at different joints which is due to different joint to tendon attachment distances. The present invention discloses a control system and an exercise machine which allow for such a training of multiple joint muscles. The present invention uses hydraulic cylinders of differing diameters attached to the various user-activated members, to respond with differing torques tot he respective muscles exerting those torques and so maintain the proper ratio of torque strength. While the ratio of torques thus remains constant (while the members are at rest--hydraulic friction varies the force while members are in motion), the overall amount of torque or force may be varied by the exercise machine control system.
A feature of the disclosed invention which is not available in any other exercise device is the utilization of true isodynamic resistance in both the positive and negative modes. Many people who exercise with isokinetic machines are lulled into exerting a force which is somewhat less than their capacity. This is because the faster the isokinetic machine is worked, the greater the required force. So, if a person is psychologically down, he will tend to exert less by exercising slower which is easily done on an isokinetic machine. This shortcoming is eliminated in the present invention by the combination of modes which sets a bottom limit to the exercise effort but allows any effort above the bottom limit to fluctuate in an isokinetic fashion. In this way the person exercising can set the isodynamic mode to something near his capacity, as this will prevent him from relaxing or working less than this setting in both the positive and negative directions. Also, most isokinetic machines have a dead band at the end of an exercise stroke. The dead band is the time (or distance) over which resistance to applied force is minimized or zero. In a fluid-friction isokinetic machine, the dead band would be caused by the compressibility of the viscous working fluid and the volumetric change of the plumbing under pressure. It corresponds to backlash in a mechanical system.
The present invention allows an exercise machine to operate in three different modes. The three modes are pos/pos, pos/neg, and reverse pos/neg. The pos/pos or double positive mode allows two opposing muscle groups to be trained concentrically and consecutively. An example of two opposing muscle groups is the biceps and triceps. The pos/neg mode is the normal exercise which most exercisers are accustomed to. The positive resistance is followed by a negative resistance after the positive resistance has been performed. The reverse pos/neg mode reverses the positive and negative resistances. For example, a leg extension exercise machine may be used as a leg extension machine in the pos/neg mode, and used as a leg curl machine in the reverse pos/neg mode. Also, an arm curl machine could be used in the pos/neg mode to perform biceps positives or contractions and then the negatives which follow. This would also be the biceps mode when lifting and lowering a weight. If the reverse pos/neg mode is used, a user would then perform triceps positives or contraction and then the subsequent negatives, as when doing pushups.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various prior art hydraulic exercise machines and the like, as well as the apparatus and method of their construction in general, are known, and those found to be exemplary of the prior art are U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,326,707, 4,397,462, 4,681,316, 4,592,545 and 4,577,862.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,326,707 to Strecker discloses a hydraulic exerciser comprising a hydraulic control circuit, a single acting positive displacement pump, and an exercise machine designed using the control circuit and pump. The Strecker patent discloses the use of hydraulics in exercising. The Strecker patent claims to disclose isometric, isokinetic and isodynamic modes of resistance. However, the Strecker patent does not disclose a negative or eccentric force or a force greater than zero at zero velocity. Therefor, the Strecker patent does not disclose either an isodynamic mode or for that matter an isotonic mode. This is due to the fact that isodynamic resistance is a combination of isotonic and isokinetic resistance. Negative or eccentric resistance is always present when isotonic or true isodynamic resistance is present. The Strecker patent has no isotonic resistance and therefore no isodynamic resistance due to the fact that no negative or eccentric resistance is present. It is a well known fact that negative or eccentric resistance is very important to the training of muscles due to the fact that it promotes more growth than positive or concentric resistance. The Strecker patent discloses only isokinetic resistance and does not disclose isodynamic resistance. The negative or eccentric resistance present in the present invention causes it to be a substantial improvement over the Strecker patent as far as combining hydraulics and weight training is concerned. The advantages of the present invention due to the added characteristic of negative resistance may be found in numerous publications which deal with the advantages of negative resistance. The Strecker patent also fails to disclose a means of presetting different positive and negative resistances.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,465,274 to Davenport discloses a hydraulic exercise device that includes an upstanding mast whereon a number of fixed and movable exercise portions for simultaneous and sequential operation are provided, each utilizing an isokinetic load system as a load resistance against which exercises are performed although the Davenport patent wrongly claims an isotonic load system. The Davenport patent clearly discloses a hydraulic exercise machine which utilizes isokinetic resistance. The Davenport patent lacks both isotonic and true isodynamic resistance. The advantages of isodynamic resistance over isotonic resistance are stated above.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,316 to DeCloux discloses a hydraulic exercise machine which may be used to perform isokinetic exercise activities. The DeCloux patent lacks isotonic resistance in both the positive and negative directions. Therefore, the DeCloux patent lacks isodynamic and isotonic resistance. The advantages of isodynamic resistance over isokinetic resistance are stated within the prior art which discusses isodynamic resistance.
The prior art searched was void of disclosures of exercise machines with displaceable members which allow a user to train multiple joint muscles throughout their full range of motion. Therefore, the prior art was also void of any system or exercise machine which would enable a person to train multiple-joint muscles throughout their full range of motion while utilizing isodynamic resistance.
The prior art is also void of a system which allows for one value of concentric resistance and another value of eccentric resistance to be preset.
These patents or known prior art disclose various implementations of hydraulic methods which may be used to develop isokinetic resistance. However, it is believed that the present invention is unique in the development of true isodynamic resistance using fluid and weight means, which has an ability to produce resistance with inertia which is important for the development of peak forces leading to peak strength production.


Method for the emergency braking of a wind power plant, in which at least one rotor blade of the wind power plant is adjusted into its feathering position, wherein a first phase, in which the at least one rotor blade is adjusted with a first speed, and a second phase, in which the at least one rotor blade is adjusted as of a predetermined first blade pitch angle with a second speed, which is increased until a maximum speed is reached and/or until a second determined blade pitch angle is reached.

The present invention relates to a method for the emergency braking of a wind power plant, in which at least one rotor blade of the wind power plant is adjusted in its feathering position. Furthermore, the invention relates to a wind power plant with at least one rotor blade and at least one rotor blade pitch device, which can set the blade pitch angle for the at least one rotor blade and can move the at least one rotor blade into its feathering position upon receipt of a control signal for an emergency braking.
The blade pitch angle of the rotor blade is defined as the angle that encloses the chord of the rotor blade with the rotation plane.
The feathering position of the rotor blade, also sometimes called the sail position, is the position of the rotor blade, in which the chord of the rotor blade is approximately perpendicular to the rotation plane of the rotor blade. In the feathering position, either the front edge or the rear edge of the rotor blade is turned into the wind such that no more lift can be created on the blade profile.
It is generally known to also move the rotor blades of the wind power plant into a feathering position during an emergency run with a nearly constant speed.
An apparatus for the pitch control of the sail position of the blade or blades of a wind turbine is known from DE 33 20 685 C2, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference. It is described that the pitch control of the sail position with a constant, high speed can lead to excess blade load due to the considerable slowing (negative) torque and the reverse thrust that can be created by the blades. It is thus suggested, when moving the rotor blades into the sail position after the blade angle has been increased by up to one point in that the air flow over the blades no longer creates a positive torque on the wind turbine rotor, to reduce the speed of the pitch control of the sail position in order to minimize the slowing torque and the reverse thrust created by the blades and thus to minimize the blade load. It is also noted that, for safety reasons, the reduction of the pitch control speed when the blades near their sail position should not take place at the cost of the pitch control of the sail position with maximum speed while the air flow over the blades generates a positive shaft torque.
A wind energy plant with individual pitch devices is known from DE 10 2005 034 899 A1, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference. When moving the rotor blade into its feathering position, a selector is provided that selects a controller regime at the beginning of the moving procedure that provides a high pitch control speed for the rotor blade. At point in time t2, as of which the rotor blade has reached a critical blade angle of attack θ0, a lower pitch control speed is selected for the rotor blade.
A method and an apparatus for the braking of a wind power plant are known from EP 1 788 237 A2, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference. It is provided here that, if the rotor blades are moved from a first position to a second position, the blade pitch angle changes with a first speed and then is pitch controlled with a second speed, wherein the second speed is slower than the first speed.
A method for the pitch control of the rotor blades during the stopping of the rotor is known from WO 2009/010059 A2, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference. In this method, the rotor blades are moved into a position, in which no thrust can be absorbed by the rotor. When there is aerodynamic thrust, the rotor is then controlled such that the thrust is mainly zero or works against the movement direction of the tower with its first natural frequency.
A method for the stopping of the rotor of a wind power plant is known from EP 1 701 034 A2, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference, in which the rotor blade is moved during a first vibration phase I with a first pitch control speed. In a directly subsequent phase II, in which the mast of the wind power plant is tilted against the wind, the pitch control speed of the rotor blade is reduced until the mast of the wind power plant has reached its maximum amplitude against the wind. In the phase III following the swinging back of the mast, the rotor blade is moved again with the first pitch control speed. The pitch control process thereby takes place within the first seconds.
The object of the invention is to reduce the loads on the rotor blades and the rotor blade connections and the tower head vibrations during the emergency braking of the wind power plant.

Method for the emergency braking of a wind power plant and a wind power plant with a rotor blade pitch control for emergency braking


There are provided the controlling methods of the transmitting apparatus and the receiving apparatus, which cancel the flow control to execute the normal reproduction by the user who looks at the warning display or in response to the reception of the flow control cancel signal from the receiver side. Otherwise, there are provided the controlling methods of the transmitting apparatus and the receiving apparatus, which cancel the flow control reception to execute the normal reception without the buffer if the contents with the video is reproduced.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a transmitting apparatus for transmitting the audio data reproduced from the recording medium to the network and its control method, and a receiving apparatus for receiving the above audio data and its control method.
2. Description of the Related Art
The digital audio/video system capable of achieving the high quality-of-audio reproduction by transmitting the digital audio data or digital video data, which is reproduced by the reproducing device such as the DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) player, etc., to the network including the transmission line such as the serial bus (IEEE Std. 1394-1955 IEEE Standard for a High Performance Serial Bus) based on the IEEE 1394 standard, etc. and also receiving the audio data by the receiving apparatus such as the amplifier, etc., is being implemented.
According to such digital audio/video system, such a flow control is carried out that the audio data are stored in the buffer on the receiving apparatus side and also the reproducing speed on the transmitter side is controlled within the speed variation of ±1% not to cause the overflow or the underflow of such buffer.
According to this flow control, since the receiving apparatus can read the audio data stored in the buffer by using the clock with the quartz precision, the high quality audio output can be achieved without the jitter component.
Out of the DVD-Audio discs that are reproduced by the reproducing apparatus such as the DVD player, etc., there is the disc in which the portion (track) containing the audio only and the portion (track) containing the video and the audio are present.
When the data reproduced from such DVD-Audio disc are transmitted/received according to the above flow control, the problem is not particularly caused in reproducing the portion (track) containing the audio only.
However, in the reproduction of the portion (track) containing the video and the audio, since the reproducing clock on the reproducing device side is controlled by the receiving apparatus within the maximum variation of ±1%, there is caused the problem that the distortion of the video image may be generated. Further, there is caused the problem that, since the audio data are buffered in the receiving apparatus, the coincidence of timings between the video and the audio (so-called lip synchronization) is lost.
The present invention has been made in view of the problems mentioned above, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a transmitting apparatus and a control method therefor and a receiving apparatus and a control method therefor capable of eliminating the distortion of the video and also attaining the lip synchronization even when the portion of the DVD-Audio disc, etc., in which the video and the audio are contained, is reproduced.

Transmitting apparatus and control method therefor and receiving apparatus and control method therefor


Carbon nanotube columns each comprising carbon nanotubes can be utilized as electrically conductive contact probes. The columns can be grown, and parameters of a process for growing the columns can be varied while the columns grow to vary mechanical characteristics of the columns along the growth length of the columns. Metal can then be deposited inside and/or on the outside of the columns, which can enhance the electrical conductivity of the columns. The metalized columns can be coupled to terminals of a wiring substrate. Contact tips can be formed at or attached to ends of the columns. The wiring substrate can be combined with other electronic components to form an electrical apparatus in which the carbon nanotube columns can function as contact probes.

Electrically conductive spring probes on an electronic device can make temporary, pressure based electrical connections with terminals or other such input and/or outputs of a second electronic device. For example, such probes on the electronic device can be pressed against the terminals of the second electronic device to make temporary electrical connections between the probes and the terminals and thus between the electronic device and the second electronic device. Embodiments of the present invention are directed to carbon nanotube columns as spring probes and methods of making and using spring probes that comprise carbon nanotube columns.

Carbon nanotube columns and methods of making and using carbon nanotube columns as probes


A remote control device for a television receiver having a user-controlled restore function. The remote control device has a user-programmable switch for enabling the user to store user-selected data in a memory, including TV input data and channel data. A restore switch is provided for enabling a microprocessor to transmit digital data to an infrared or RF transmitter, corresponding to the user-selected data. Actuation of the restore switch will restore the television receiver to a state of operation responsive to the user-selected stored data based on the user's settings of the user-programmable switch.

Modern television receivers are replete with inputs for displaying the output of various electronic equipment. For example, in modern high definition television receivers, there may be a 75 ohm RF input, one or more S-video inputs, two or more composite video inputs, two or more component video inputs, two or more HDMI or DVI inputs, and numerous audio inputs. The remote control device for the television receiver ordinarily has push buttons to enable remote actuation of the respective inputs on the receiver. The remote control device may also be "universal" in that it also operates to control the electronic and sound components (equipment) that are connected to the respective inputs. As a result of the large number of inputs that are controlled by the remote control and also the different electronic components (equipment) that are controlled by the remote control device, a person who is not a technophile may become confused when using the remote control device and may find it difficult to return to the particular mode and input desired.
For example, the user may ordinarily desire to watch a program transmitted on a desired channel via a satellite receiver or cable receiver connected to one of the HDMI inputs of the high definition television receiver. However, that user, or someone else, may have watched a DVD on a DVD player that is connected to one of the component inputs to the television receiver. The user who is not a technophile may find himself or herself unable to return to the desired satellite or cable channel on the HDMI input after the DVD has been viewed due to the complexities of the remote control device which is involved with a large number of inputs and several modes.
As used herein, the term "user" refers to a consumer who has access to the television receiver after it has been shipped by the manufacturer.
In addition to not having a full understanding of the operation of the remote control device, the user may not be aware of the particular designations of all of the inputs to know which input is supported, for example, the satellite or cable receiver connected to one of the HDMI inputs. For example, the inputs may be labeled video 1, video 2, video 3, component 1, component 2, component 3, HDMI 1, and HDMI 2. Even if the user understands the operation of the remote control device, he or she may not know which of the named inputs which are displayed on the television display, is the one to which the satellite or cable receiver is connected.
It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a remote control device for a television receiver which enables the user to rapidly and easily find a desired mode and/or input for displaying the output of a selected electronic component.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Remote control device for a television receiver with user programmable means