A data conversion apparatus is provided with a temporary storage means for temporarily holding inputted variable-frame-rate coded data, a coded data time stamp reading means for reading a coded data time stamp of the inputted coded data, a time stamp conversion means for converting the coded data time stamp into an MP4 time stamp, and a fixed FPS means for converting the variable-frame-rate coded data into fixed-frame-rate coded data.

In recent years, distribution of images under low-bitrate environments, such as the Internet, mobile terminals, and the like, is becoming widespread. As image compression coding methods to be employed under these low-bitrate environments, there are H.263 standardized by ITU-T, MPEG-4 standardized by ISO/IEC, and the like.
MPEG-4 is able to perform coding at a variable frame rate (hereinafter referred to as "variable-frame-rate coding"), in contrast to MPEG-2 which has been adopted for DVD and become widespread. Variable-frame-rate coding is a coding scheme which permits setting of display time intervals of arbitrary frames, and this coding scheme is generally employed when optimum coding is carried out according to the complexity of a video signal in video signal compression, the property of the video signal (e.g., presence or absence of motion), and the like.
FIG. 10 shows an example of coded data at a variable frame rate. In FIG. 9, a video signal of 30 Hz is coded such that the first half is coded at 15 Hz by skipping every other frame while the second half is coded at 10 Hz by skipping two of every three frames.
Hereinafter, a coding process at a variable frame rate as shown in FIG. 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 16.
Initially, the construction of a conventional data coding apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. 11.
FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating the construction of the conventional data coding apparatus.
In FIG. 11, the conventional data coding apparatus is provided with an image capture means 81 for capturing an image inputted from a camera; a coding judgement means 82 for judging whether a frame signal of the captured image is to be coded or not; a coding means 83 for coding the captured data; an MP4 file coding means 85 for converting the data coded by the coding means 83 into a file format standard based on MPEG-4 (hereinafter referred to as "MP4"); and a recording medium 86 on which the MP4 file is recorded.
Hereinafter, a description will be given of a sequential processing operation of the conventional data coding apparatus having the above-mentioned construction.
In the data coding apparatus, initially, the image capture means 81 converts an image supplied from the camera into an image frame signal (hereinafter, referred to as "frame"), and outputs the frame together with the frame number which increments at the frame rate of the camera (e.g., 30 Hz) from when the image capture is started, to the coding judgement means 82.
Then, the coding judgement means 82 calculates a time stamp of the inputted frame on the basis of the frame number and frame information of the camera, which has previously been given, and judges whether the inputted frame should be coded or not, on the basis of the time stamp, the total amount of data which have already been coded, and the output bit rate.
The criteria of judgement as to whether the inputted frame should be coded or not depend on various conditions of the data coding apparatus (e.g., whether the bit rate is variable or fixed, whether the buffer model defined in the standard should be respected or ignored, which is more important between the image quality of the inputted frame and the frame rate, etc.), and the applications of the data coding apparatus. However, specific criteria for judgement are not described here.
When the coding judgement means 82 judges that the inputted frame should be coded, the inputted frame and the time stamp thereof are outputted to the coding means 83, wherein coding of the frame is carried out. The time stamp of the frame is subjected to scale conversion or offset processing, and converted into an MP4 time stamp to be recorded in the MP4 file.
On the other hand, when the coding judgement means 82 judges that the inputted frame should not be coded, the frame and its time stamp are not outputted to the coding means 83 but are discarded, and the apparatus waits for a next frame to be inputted from the image capture means 81.
Generally, the above-mentioned data coding process by the coding means 83 takes much time. Further, depending on the characteristics of the image of the inputted frame, there may be cases where the coding process is not completed by the time a next frame captured by the image capture means 81 is outputted to the coding judgement means 82. In this case, the next captured frame is discarded in the coding judgement means 82. Since the discarded frame is not outputted to the coding means 83, the coded data corresponding to the frame is skipped.
Then, the coded data obtained by the coding means 83 and the amount of coded data are outputted to the MP4 file coding means 85. Further, the amount of coded data is also outputted to the coding judgement means 82. In the coding judgement means 82, the amount of coded data is used as a criterion for "bit rate fixed" or "buffer model respected", among the above-mentioned criteria for judgement as to whether the inputted frame should be coded or not.
In the MP4 file coding means 85, the coded data and the amount of coded data are converted into an MP4 file and recorded on the recording medium 86.
Hereinafter, the structure of the MP4 file will be described with reference to FIGS. 12(a) and 12(b).
FIG. 12(a) shows an example of coded data at a variable frame rate, and FIG. 12(b) shows the structure of an MP4 file corresponding to the variable-frame-rate coded data.
The MP4 file is composed of plural Atoms obtained by tabulating information of each frame inputted, such as "Sample Size Atom" where the sizes of coded data are stored, "Sample-To-TimeStamp Atom" where the display intervals are stored, "Movie Data Atom" where the coded data are stored, and the like.
First of all, in the Sample-To-TimeStamp Atom, a pair of number-of-frames "num" and frame interval "dur" are described for each section of a fixed frame rate, successively from the head of the coded data, and the number of sections is described before the table comprising the numbers-of-frames "num" and the frame intervals "dur". Further, in the Sample Size Atom, the sizes of the respective frames are described in the order of the frame numbers, and the number of items (i.e., the total number of frames) is described before the table comprising the frame sizes. In the Movie Data Atom, data of the respective samples are successively stored.
For example, it is assumed that the frames captured by the image capture means 81 are coded by the coding means 83 to be variable-frame-rate coded data having three different frame rates as shown in FIG. 12(a). In this case, as shown in FIG. 12(b), in the Sample Size Atom, the number-of-items "9", and the sizes of the coded data of the respective frames from the 1st sample to the 9th sample are described in the order of frame numbers. In the Movie Date Atom, the data of the samples from the 1st sample to the 9th sample are successively stored. In the Sample-To-TimeStamp Atom, number-of-items "3", number-of-frames "num=3" and frame interval "dur-2" for section 1, "num=2" and "dur=3" for section 2, and "num=4" and "dur=1" for section 3 are described since the interval of the first three frames of the above-mentioned coded data is "2", the interval of the next two frames is "3", and the interval of the next four frames is "1". Although, in the above description, one sample corresponds to one frame for simplification, the data storage method into each Atom is the same as described above even when 1024 samples correspond to one frame.
Next, a description will be given of the MP4 file coding means 85 which converts the coded data into the MP4 file as described above, with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14.
FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the construction of the conventional MP4 file coding means 85, and FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a sequential processing operation of the conventional MP4 file coding means 85.
Initially, the construction of the MP4 file coding means 85 will be described with reference to FIG. 13.
The MP4 file coding means 85 receives coded data, the amount of coded data, and an MP4 time stamp to be used when the coded data is recorded as an MP4 file. The MP4 file coding means 85 is provided with a coded data temporary storage means 41 for temporarily holding the inputted coded data and the amount of coded data; a mdat atom formation means 43 for temporarily forms Movie Data Atom which is a data area where the coded data in the MP4 file is stored, on the mdat atom temporary storage means 46, by using the coded data supplied from the coded data temporary storage means 41; a stsz atom formation means 44 for forming Sample Size Atom which is a data area where the coded data amount in the MP4 file is recorded, on a stsz atom temporary storage means 47, by using the coded data amount supplied from the coded data temporary storage means 41; a stts atom formation means 45 for forming Sample-To-TimeStamp Atom which is a data area where the frame-to-frame time intervals in the MP4 file are recorded, on a stts atom temporary storage means 48, by using the MP4 time stamp supplied from the outside; and a temporary data coupling means 49 for coupling the respective Atoms which are separately formed on the respective temporary storage means 46˜48 by the respective formation means 43˜45, after inputting of the coded data to be recorded is completed. In the case where no MP4 time stamp is supplied from the outside to the MP4 file coding means 85, the MP4 file coding means 85 is provided with an MP4 time stamp reading means 42 which reads the time stamp of the coded data stored in the coded data temporary storage means 41, and subjects the time stamp to scale conversion or offset processing to covert it into an MP4 time stamp which is to be recorded in the MP4 file.
Although there are various methods of forming Movie Data Atom by the mdat atom formation means 43 according to the purposes, since the formation methods are insignificant in describing the present invention, specific descriptions thereof will be omitted. Furthermore, as for the Sample Size Atom formation method by the stsz atom formation means 44, the amounts of coded data are arranged from the beginning. The Sample-To-TimeStamp Atom formation method by the stts atom formation means 45 will be described later.
When inputting of all coded data to be recorded is completed, a stream end signal is inputted to the MP4 file coding means 84, whereby each of the atom formation means 43˜45 performs processing for completing each Atom, such as writing of the number of table items. Thereafter, the respective Atoms are rearranged in appropriate positions by the temporary data coupling means 49, and the created MP4 file is outputted to the recording medium 86.
Hereinafter, a description will be given of the Sample-To-TimeStamp Atom formation method by the stts atom formation means 45 in the MP4 file coding means 85, with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG. 14.
When data processing is started in the data coding apparatus, the MP4 file coding means 85 performs initialization (step S1). In step S1, "in" indicates the total number of frames inputted to the MP4 coding means 85, "index" indicates the section number at a certain point of time in the Sample-To-TimeStamp Atom, "n" indicates the number of unprocessed frames, i.e., the number of frames which have not yet been entered in the Sample-To-TimeStamp Atom, among the frames inputted to the data coding apparatus, and "Tp" indicates the MP4 time stamp of just-previous coded data.
When the coded data, the amount of coded data, and the MP4 time stamp are inputted to the MP4 file coding means 85, the MP4 time stamp is set at "Ts", the number-of-input-frames "in" is incremented by 1, and the number-of-unprocessed-frame "n" is incremented by 1 (step S2).
Next, it is judged whether the number-of-input-frames "in" is in≧3 or not. When in≦2, the process goes to step S6. When in≧3, the process goes to step S4. The reason of this bifurcation is as follows. Since the Sample-To-TimeStamp Atom describes the frame-to-frame time intervals, at least two frames are required. Further, since the Sample-To-TimeStamp Atom describes the number of frames having the same frame interval, writing of the first item cannot be performed unless there are at least three frames.
When in≦2, the frame interval d is calculated, and the MP4 time stamp Ts of the currently inputted frame is recorded as the MP4 time stamp Tp of the just-previous frame (step S6). Thereafter, the processes in steps S2˜S6 are repeated until a stream end signal indicating the end of coded data input is inputted to the stts atom formation means 45 (step S7).
In the above-mentioned repetition, when in≧3 in step S3, it is judged whether or not the frame interval d (=Ts−Tp) between the current frame and the previous frame matches the frame interval d which has previously been calculated (step S4). When it is judged that there is no match, a table item is added to the Sample-To-TimeStamp Atom on the basis of the definition of the Sample-To-TimeStamp Atom (step S5). That is, number-of-frames num=n−2 and frame interval dur=d are added to the Sample-To-TimeStamp Atom. After the addition of the item to the Sample-To-TimeStamp Atom, the section number "index" is incremented by 1 and the number-of-unprocessed-frames "n" is Set to "n=2". These two frames are the first frame (just-previous MP4 time stamp Tp) and the second frame (current MP4 time stamp Ts) in the section having the latest frame interval d (=Ts−Tp).
When a stream end signal is inputted to the stts atom formation means 45 (step S7), the atts atom formation means 45 performs the processing for completing the Sample-To-TimeStamp Atom, such as writing of the number of table items.
That is, as already described with respect to step S5, at the point of time of step S7, the frame interval information relating to two frames is temporarily stored in the stts atom formation means 45, and it is not added to the table items of the Sample-To-TimeStamp Atom. Accordingly, when the stream end signal is inputted, processing for these two frames must be performed. When the number-of-input-frames "in" is smaller than 2, although it cannot happen usually, an operation different from the usual operation should be carried out.
Hereinafter, a description will be given of the case where the number-of-input-frames "in" is 0 or 1 when the stream end signal is inputted, which cannot happen usually.
When the number-of-input-frames "in" is 0 (in=0), i.e., when no frame is inputted, the process goes to step S9. In this case, of course there is no necessity of adding an item to the Sample-to-TimeStamp Atom. Then, the section number "index" is set at 0 (step S9), and the value, 0, is written in the Sample-To-TimeStamp Atom as the number of items (step S12).
When the number-of-input-frames "in" is 1 (in−1), number-of-frames "num=1" and frame interval "dur=du" (du: arbitrary number) are added and, further, the section number "index" is set at 1 (step S9), and thereafter, the value, 1, is written as the number of items in the Sample-To-TimeStamp Atom (step S12). Since the frame interval "dur" is not defined unless there are two frames, the frame interval "du" to be added as the frame interval "dur" in step S9 is not a significant value but an arbitrarily decided value.
When the number-of-input-frames "in" is equal to or larger than 2 (in≧2), which is the normal state, since n pieces of frames remain unprocessed, these frames are added to the Sample-To-TimeStamp Atom. That is, an item corresponding to number-of-frames "num=n" and frame interval "dur=d" is added to the Sample-To-TimeStamp Atom and, further, the section number "index" is incremented by 1 (step S11). Thereafter, the value of the "index" incremented by 1 is written as the number of items in the Sample-To-TimeStamp Atom (step S12), Thus, the Sample-To-TimeStamp Atom table formation process is completed.
Next, a description will be given of the case where MPEG-4 data are transmitted from a base station to a data recording apparatus according to RTP (Real-time Transport Protocol), with reference to FIG. 17.
FIG. 17 is a block diagram illustrating the construction of a conventional data recording apparatus as a mobile terminal, and MPEG-4 data from a transmitter are transmitted employing RTP.
Hereinafter, the conventional data recording apparatus will be described.
The data recording apparatus comprises an RTP receiver 91, an RTP reception buffer 92, an RTP decoder 93, an MP4 file encoder 95, and a recording medium 96. First of all, the RTP receiver 91 receives, from the RTP transmitter 90 as a base station, MPEG-4 coded data which are divided into units of video packets and stored in RTP packets, and the RTP receiver 91 stores the RTP packets into the reception buffer 92.
The above-mentioned video packets are units of data into which a frame is divided. Even when a video packet is lost or an error occurs in a video packet, other video packets can be normally decoded. Further, each RTP packet is given an RTP time stamp, and a value obtained by adding a random offset to a coded data time stamp possessed by coded data stored in the RTP packet is set. Usually, when one frame of coded data is divided into plural RTP packets, these RTP packets are given RTP time stamps of the same value. Further, these RTP packets are given sequence numbers, and the receiving end, i.e., the data recording apparatus, can confirm packet disappearance by checking the continuity of the sequence numbers.
The RTP decoder 93 receives at least one RTP packet having the same time stamp from the reception buffer 82, and restores the RTP packet to MPEG-4 data by removing an RTP header from the RTP packet. The MP4 file encoder 95 converts the MPEG-4 data from the RTP decoder 93 into an MP4 file, and stores it in the recording medium 96. Information required for conversion into the MP4 file, such as the MP4 time stamp, the frame size, and the like, can be obtained from the RTP time stamp added to the RTP packet and the size, in the RTP decoder 93.
When MPET-4 data are transmitted from the RTP transmitter 90 as a base station to the data recording apparatus as a mobile terminal by employing RTP, there may be cases where RTP packets from the RTP transmitter 90 do not reach the data recording apparatus. For example, when plural RTP packets, into which frames are divided, are transmitted from the RTP transmitter 90, if some of the RTP packets are lost or all RTP packets constituting a frame are lost, the data recording apparatus skips the data which cannot be normally received by the RTP receiver 91, and records only the data which are normally received by the RTP receiver 91, as an MP4 file on the recording medium 96.
The variable-frame-rate coding described above has the advantage over the fixed-frame-rate coding in that coding can be carried out according to the compression ratio of an image signal. On the other hand, since the variable-frame-rate coding has a degree of freedom in the frame rate, when variable-frame-rate coded data are converted into the MP4 file, the table size of the Sample-To-TimeStamp Atom in the MP4 file, where the frame intervals are recorded, depends on the coded data. Therefore, the table size cannot be assumed, and data restoration becomes difficult when an abnormal condition occurs in the apparatus. Further, the volume of data processing required when the coded data recorded as an MP4 file are decoded from the MP4 file, is increased.
To be specific, in the conventional data coding apparatus shown in FIG. 11, when the MP4 file coding means 85 converts the variable-frame-rate coded data into the MP4 file, a new item must be stored in the Sample-To-TimeStamp Atom, every time the frame interval of the coded data changes, according to the result of judgement by the coding judgement means 82. Thereby, in the MP4 file, the table size of the Sample-To-TimeStamp Atom increases as well as the Sample Size Atom and the Movie Data Atom and, therefore, more capacity of the recording medium 86 is required as compared with the case where fixed-frame-rate coded data are recorded as an MP4 file. The increase in the table size of the Sample-To-TimeStamp Atom is evident from the comparison between the MP4 file structure in the case where the fixed-frame-rate coded data are converted into the MP4 file (FIG. 15) and the MP4 file structure of the variable-frame-rate coded data (FIG. 12). That is, when the coded data are based on the fixed frame rate as shown in FIG. 15, as the frame interval is always dur=1, the number of items on the table of the Sample-to-TimeStamp Atom is one, and the table size does not change.
Further, in the above-described Sample-To-TimeStamp Atom formation method, when the variable-frame-rate coded data are converted into the MP4 file, the table of the Sample-To-TimeStamp Atom is increased according to the result of judgement by the coding judgement means 82 for every input frame, in contrast to the Sample Size Atom or Movie Data Atom formation method. Therefore, it is impossible to estimate the final table size when recording of the MP4 file of the coded data is started.
Furthermore, in the conventional data coding apparatus, when the variable-frame-rate coded data are converted into the MP4 file by the MP4 file coding means 85, the Sample Size Atom and the Movie Data Atom are formed while writing the data successively in the stsz atom temporary storage means 47 and the mdat atom temporary storage means 46 for each unit of coded data (one frame). Therefore, even when an abnormal condition occurs in the data coding apparatus, data restoration is possible. However, when the Sample-To-TimeStamp Atom is formed, since the item of the table is determined at the time when the frame rate changes, the data on the table of the Sample-To-TimeStamp Atom cannot be restored completely if an abnormal condition occurs in the data coding apparatus.
Furthermore, as the table size of the Sample-To-TimeStamp Atom in the MP4 file is increased, the volume of processing required when reproducing the data recorded on the recording medium 86 is increased, as described below.
First of all, the Sample-To-TimeStamp Atom is interpreted, and the sample number is calculated from the MP4 time stamp or the MP4 time stamp is calculated from the sample number.
Hereinafter, a description will be given of the process of obtaining a sample number N corresponding to a given MP4 time stamp (T) from the Sample-To-TimeStamp Atom, with reference to FIG. 16.
FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating a sequential flow of the process of searching for a sample corresponding to a given MP4 time stamp by using the Sample-To-TimeStamp Atom.
Initially, an MP4 time stamp T is set (step S21), and the section number "index", the MP4 time stamp "T0" of the first frame in the section indicated by the section number "index", and the number-of-frames "N0" included in the section indicated by the section number "index" are initialized (step S22). Then, the number-of-frames "num" and the frame interval "dur", which are included in the section indicated by the current index, are extracted from the Sample-To-TimeStamp Atom (step S23), and furthermore, an end time Te of the section indicated by the current index is calculated (step S24). The end time Te of the section indicated by the current index is obtained by T0+num*dur.
Then, the end time Te of the section indicated by the current index is compared with the MP4 time stamp T to judge whether the MP4 time stamp is included in the section or not (step S25).
When T<Te in step S25, it is judged that the MP4 time stamp is included in the section indicated by the current "index", and the sample number of the MP4 time stamp is decided (step 327). The sample number is decided as follows. Since the time up to the section indicated by the current "index" is the MP4 time stamp T0 of the first frame in the section indicated by the section number "index", the time up to the frame indicated by the MP4 time stamp T is T−T0. Further, since the frame interval of this section is "dur", the frame of the sample indicated by the MP4 time stamp T is the {(T−T0)/dur}-th frame from the beginning of this section. Accordingly, the sample number N of the frame is N0+(T−T0)/dur.
On the other hand, when T>Te in step S25, it is judged that the MP4 time stamp T is not included in the section indicated by the current "index", and the next item on the table of the Sample-To-TimeStamp Atom takes place (step S26). That is, the end time Te of the section obtained in step S24 is set as the start time T0 of the next section, and the sum of the number-of-items "N0" up to this section and the number-of-frames "num" of this section is set as the number-of-items "N0" until the next section, did the section number "index" is incremented by 1. Thereafter, the process returns to step S23, and the above-mentioned processes are repeated until it is judged that T<Te in step S25. When "index" becomes equal to or larger than the number of items in step S26, it means that the frame indicated by the MP4 time stamp has not been detected.
As described above, when the number of items on the table of the Sample-To-TimeStamp Atom increases, the processes in steps S23 to S26 must be repeated until a section including the MP4 time stamp T is detected, whereby the time and effort for detecting the sample number N of the frame indicated by the MP4 time stamp T are significantly increased. Further, also in the process of obtaining the MP4 time stamp T from the sample number N, which is the inverse of the above-mentioned process, the volume of processing increases in proportion to the number of items on the Sample-To-TimeStamp Atom.
Furthermore, since packet retransmission is not performed in the data transmission using RTP shown in FIG. 17, packet delays are not accumulated and, therefore, this data transmission is suitable for real-time transmission. However, if a delay or temporary cut-off occurs in the network, some packets might be lost before reaching the data recording apparatus at the receiving end. In view of such property of RTP, in the data recording apparatus which records, as an MP4 file, the MPEG-4 data received from the RTP transmitter 90 at the base station by using RTP, there is a great possibility that the transmitted coded data may be lost. When the transmitted data are lost, the frame rate of the received coded data changes frequently, resulting in a considerable increase in the number of table items of the Sample-To-TimeStamp Atom which holds the frame-to-frame display intervals.
Furthermore, assuming that the above-described data coding apparatus or data recording medium is mounted on a mobile terminal which is significantly restricted by its physical size or power consumption or the capacity of the recording medium, the above-described problems, i.e., the increase in the data size of the Sample-To-TimeStamp Atom, the difficulty in completely restoring the data of the Sample-To-TimeStamp Atom, and the considerable volume of processing when reproducing the data, will lead to various problems.

Data conversion apparatus, data coding apparatus, and data recording apparatus

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A process for the hydrogenation of ACP to MBA over a supported palladium catalyst wherein a solvent comprised of ethylbenzene and/or MBA is employed and a small amount of water effective to suppress catalyst deactivation is incorporated in the feed. A further improvement comprises maintaining hydrogen pressure on the catalyst during and between hydrogenation runs.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the hydrogenation of acetophenone (herein "ACP") to alpha-methyl benzyl alcohol (herein "MBA") using a supported palladium catalyst, wherein an ethylbenzene and/or MBA solvent is used and catalyst activity is maintained by the incorporation of small amounts of water in the hydrogenation reaction mixture.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Methods have previously been known for the hydrogenation of ACP to MBA. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,927,120 and 3,927,121 relate to this reaction using copper type catalysts. U.S. Pat. No. 4,208,539 also shows the hydrogenation of ACP to MBA, a barium-copper chromite-zinc catalyst is used.
Hydrogenation conditions tend to be somewhat severe where copper type catalysts are used, and efforts have been made to develop systems which are effective at milder hydrogenation conditions.
Britner, et al., J. Org. Chem., Vol. 24, pages 1855-1857 (1959) show hydrogenation of ACP to MBA using a palladium on carbon catalyst as do Freifelder, et al., J. Pharm. Sciences, Vol. 53, page 967 (1964), Rylander, et al., Engelhard Industries, Inc., Tech. Bull. 8(4), pages 148-153 (1968) and Baltzly, J. Org. Chem., Vol. 41, No. 6, pages 920-936 (1976). Zavgorodnii, et al., React. Kinet. Catal. Lett., Vol. 11, No. 1, pages 31-34 (1979) also show ACP hydrogenation over various supported catalysts.
Although ACP hydrogenation to MBA over supported palladium catalysts has been reported, we have found that a severe disadvantage of such systems is the tendency for the systems to rapidly lose activity.


A piston for a pressurized container (i.e., “aerosol can”), the piston including a body having circumferential fins, with the fins being of uniform thickness, decreasing thickness radially away from the body, or varying thickness circumferentially. Further disclosed are container precursors and containers incorporating such a piston, and methods of filling and dispensing from such containers.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to pistons, to precursors for making containers, to containers, to product-containing containers, to methods of making such pistons, precursors, containers and product-containing containers, to methods of dispensing, and to methods of filling containers. In another aspect, the present invention relates to pistons for pressure operated dispensing containers, to pressure operated dispensing containers utilizing a piston longitudinally slidable within the container, product-containing containers, to methods of dispensing, and to methods of filling. In even another aspect, the present invention relates to pistons for pressure operated dispensing containers, to pressure operated dispensing containers utilizing a piston longitudinally slidable within the container, product-containing containers, to methods of dispensing, and to methods of filling, all of which provide improved resistance to "leak through" of product past the piston.
2. Description of the Related Art
Pressure operated dispensing containers which utilize a piston longitudinally slidable within the container are well known in the art. These types of containers are used to dispense any number of products, for example many consumer products such as shaving gels.
Such a pressurized container is generally cylindrically shaped, and includes a movable piston disposed therein, which divides the container reservoir into two chambers, i.e., the chamber above the piston or the "upper chamber" wherein the product composition resides, and the chamber below the piston or the "lower chamber" wherein the compressed fluid is injected or pressure filled. Said compressed fluid is at a pressure higher than ambient and higher than that of the product in the upper chamber. A dispensing valve is positioned to be in liquid communication with the product containing composition compartment, to allow for dispensing of the product composition for use.
The piston is roughly in the form of an inverted cup, with a curved surface designed to closely match the inside-top of the container such that in its penultimate position at the top of the container, the piston will have forced and dispensed essentially all of the product composition in the upper chamber through the dispensing valve. This helps in minimizing product composition left unused or undeliverable inside the container. In addition, the piston has an upper and an annular skirt or sidewall which extends down from the upper surface. The upper surface acts as a barrier to separate the product from the gas. The annular sidewall of the piston stabilizes and positions the piston in the container and provides a surface which rides on the inner wall of the container.
While the exact details of loading may vary from industry-to-industry and product-by-product, the following is a general description. The product to be dispensed is loaded into the upper chamber of the container under pressure. The loading is a three stage operation, with each stage occurring at a different index position on the loading machine. During the first stage, known as the fill stage the product is introduced into the can above the top of the piston. During the second stage, known as the pressure stage a pressure differential is created above and below the piston to force some of the product down around the periphery of the piston between the piston sidewall and the container. During the third stage, known as the pushup stage, the piston is pushed toward the top of the container. This pushup stage also causes product to seep down around the periphery of the piston. After the loading of the product into the upper chamber is completed, propellant is loaded into the lower chamber under pressure. In use, when the valve at the top of the container is opened, the propellant pushes the piston toward the top of the container through the valve.
In operation of, for example, a pressurized container of shaving gel, a user will activate the product dispensing valve, whereupon the pressurized gas The wall supports are arranged in vertically aligned pairs and extend along the disk substantially one-half the radius thereof. The cylinder has upper and lower wiping edges defined by the concave wall and the entire piston assembly may be integrally molded from a synthetic plastic material.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,901,416, issued Aug. 26, 1975, to Robert S. Schultz, discloses a piston-operated pressurized container adapted for top-loading with viscous foods or other viscous products, the body of the piston having a substantially smaller diameter than the diameter of the container. The outer periphery of the piston is provided with a resilient flange member that maintains a light sealing pressure on the interior surfaces of the container, allowing the piston to move upwardly within the container. The inventive method provides enhanced assurance against product leakage and against propellant-contamination of product, prior to selective product discharge as desired.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,987,941, issued Oct. 26, 1976, to Alfred V. Blessing, discloses a container for cooked liquid food substances in which there is provided a follower lid or upper cover capable of following the level of the liquid as the food substance is removed from the container. The invention includes a particular construction of lid and seal that allows for free upward and downward movement of the lid in contact with the liquid as the liquid level changes. In this manner, the liquid is not in contact with air which would cause its contamination and loss of flavor.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,023,717, issued May 17, 1977, to Schultz, discloses a pressurized container for viscous foods or other viscous products in which the body of the piston includes an axially intermediate flexible circumferential band which lightly contacts or is expandable in the presence of loading pressure exerted by propellant gas. The band thus develops light sealing contact with the interior wall surface of the container, and such contact effectively isolates unexpelled product from the gas-pressure side of the piston, regardless of the extent to which product has been expelled.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,106,674, issued Aug. 15, 1978 to Schultz, discloses a pressurized container for viscous foods or other viscous products in which the body of the piston includes, adjacent to the head end, a flexible circumferential band which lightly contacts or is expandable in the presence of loading pressure exerted by propellant gas. The band thus develops light sealing contact with the interior wall surface of the container, and such contact effectively isolates unexpelled product from the gas-pressure side of the piston, regardless of the extent to which product has been expelled. The piston further includes a circumferentially continuous tail structure which is connected to and axially spaced from the expandable band and which serves to stabilize the piston against malfunction in the course of its single product-expelling stroke.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,234,108, issued Nov. 18, 1980, to Diamond, discloses a piston for an aerosol container, particularly adapted for insertion through the top of the container. The piston includes an annular, cylindrical collar near its top end and a conical outwardly flaring flange atop the cylindrical collar, with the flange flaring wider toward the top of the container, whereby the flange scrapes the container interior as it moves up. The cylindrical collar is more flexible than the conical flange to ease insertion of the piston and for more effective piston sealing despite the piston cocking in the container. An anti-cocking ring is provided on the piston.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,323,177, issued Apr. 6, 1982 to Nielsen, discloses an ejection piston for use in cylindrical dispensing containers or packages of the type containing viscous or plastic masses such as sealing compounds and adhesives. The piston assembly comprises a piston part having a peripheral skirt as well as an arched piston top, and a separate piston actuating member arched in a direction opposite to the piston top. An ejection pressure is applied to the actuating member and transmitted to the piston top whereby the effective diameter of the piston top is slightly increased. An annular sealing sleeve for receiving the piston skirt and the adjacent free end of the cylindrical container during storage may be formed integrally with the piston actuating member.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,703,875, issued Nov. 3, 1987 to Malek, discloses an injection-molded piston for an aerosol container with a face portion for contacting and exerting pressure on material to be dispensed, and a thin, flexible skirt depending axially from and circumscribing the face portion for forming an effective seal against the inside wall of the container. The outer wall of the skirt is continuous, while the circumference of the inner wall has alternating areas of constant thickness along said areas and areas of minimum thickness, the curved portions forming with the outer wall a plurality of sections, the thickness and circumferential extent of each of which decrease axially along the skirt toward its distal end. The piston includes a depending extension on the skirt which aids sealing.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,913,323, issued Apr. 3, 1990, to Scheindel, discloses a piston that is longitudinally slidable within a pressurized container to dispense materials from the container. The piston has a generally annular sidewall and a traverse barrier wall at one end of the sidewall and integral therewith to define a cup-shaped closure open at one end. An annular step is provided on the sidewall which divides the sidewall into two segments, an upper segment and a lower segment. The annular step is below and spaced from the barrier wall. The upper segment has a diameter smaller than the diameter of the lower segment and the clearance between the upper segment and the interior of the container is substantially greater than the clearance between the lower segment and the interior of the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,556, issued Jul. 7, 1992, to Sporri, discloses an aerosol can piston and container system, employing an aerosol can with a sidewall which is necked in at the bottom and a low mass piston with recessed, depending legs. The piston has a lower skirt portion, the outermost diameter of which is slightly smaller than the diameter of the inner wall of the can above the necked-in portion. The legs depending from the piston have an effective outer diameter somewhat less than the inside diameter of the lower necked-in portion of the can sidewall and depend sufficiently downward to sit on the can bottom countersink while maintaining the skirt of the piston at a level just above the level at which the can sidewall necks inwardly. The legs thus stabilize the piston and prevent tipping and canting. In an alternative embodiment the piston also includes a plurality of vertical columns protruding from its sidewall to further stabilize the piston.
However, in spite of the above advancements, there still exists a need in the art for pistons, for container precursors, for containers, for product-containing containers, for methods of dispensing, for methods of filling containers, and for methods of making such pistons, container precursors, and containers.
There exists another need in the art for pistons, for container precursors, for containers, for product-containing containers, for methods of dispensing, for methods of filling containers, and for methods of making such pistons, container precursors, and containers, which reduce the "leak through" problem as compared to the prior art.
There exists even another need in the art for pistons, for containers, for container precursors, for product-containing containers, for methods of dispensing, and for methods of filling containers, and for methods of making such pistons, container precursors, and containers, which do not suffer from the disadvantages of the prior art apparatus and methods.
These and other needs in the art will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon review of this specification, including its drawings and claims.

Piston for dispensing device, dispensing device, product containing dispensing device, method of filing, and method of dispensing


A support assembly for use in combination with a boat or like marine craft having an open cockpit or compartment area thereon wherein the support platform is disposed in overlying, covering relation to the open cockpit and is dimensioned, structured and configured to support one or more people thereon in either an upright or reclining position. The material from which the support platform is formed comprises an at least partially flexible, tightly woven polypropylene material which is secured in the aforementioned operative position by anchoring and connection facilities so as to maintain tension on the support platform and thereby provide the support platform with a substantially rigid configuration which will at least minimally yield to the weight of a person's body supported on the support platform over the open cockpit of the boat or marine craft.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a support platform removably disposed in overlying relation to an open compartment or cockpit area on a boat or like marine craft which is capable of supporting the weight of one or more persons thereon.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Certain modern day boats or like marine craft frequently include a hull design and structure comprising open compartments or "cockpit" areas which are provided to generally increase seating capacity or are utilized for other design and operational purposes. Boats or marine craft of this type are known as "open fisherman" and/or "bowrider" wherein the latter design the open cockpit area is located generally in the bow portion of the boat.
The increased popularity of such hull designs for these types of marine craft have presented the problem of conveniently and efficiently covering such open cockpit areas when such is desired and when the open cockpits are not in use.
The following U.S. Patents represent prior art designs which have attempted to provide some type of canopy, covering or like structure to overly the open cockpit areas for the reasons set forth above. More specifically, the U.S. Pat. No. to Yost, 4,092,754, discloses a boat interior and cabin design having a front open cockpit area which is covered in one preferred embodiment by flexible material soft top cover connected about peripheral portions thereof to the marine craft through the use of a plurality of snap-type fasteners. In another embodiment of the Yost patent, the cover or canopy is made from a somewhat harder rigid material having depending side walls and windows integrally formed therein. The connection of the harder type cover occurs over the open cockpit area in much the same way as the previous soft cover design. While the Yost canopy and/or cover is capable of its intended function, neither are specifically designed or capable or providing an adequate support platform which is substantially planer in configuration thereby not detracting from the intended lines and overall design of the marine craft.
The patent to Wills, U.S. Pat. No. 4,922,849, similarly discloses a bow cover for covering an open portion of the bow in an open-bow boat which includes a raised interior portion and a flared portion therearound with an inwardly directed opening through each. Wills provides a cover arrangement being fastenable to the interior portion and extending over the passageway to the bow of the boat. Again, while assumed to be operable for its intended function, Wills does not show a structure which is capable of being used primarily as a support platform to allow one or more people to be supported thereon whether in an upright position or a reclining position such as when sunbathing.
In other areas, basic soft or flexible material covers are of course well known to cover open compartment areas in vehicles. This is evidenced by the U.S. Pat. No. to Belk, 3,727,972. The Belk patent is directed to a cover to overlie the open bed of a pick-up truck or like vehicle. The cover includes a flexible sheet provided along its periphery with a plurality of openings to receiving complementary located and headed buttons secured about the periphery of the vehicle bed. The cover includes an elongated retainer embedded in the sheet periphery so as to extend along the sheet openings in position to underlie the button heads and thereby secure the cover in the desired, covering position. The Belk structure is designed merely to prevent access to the interior of the open bed of the truck-like vehicle and is not designed to provide any type of support platform of sufficient structural integrity to allow one or more people to be supported thereon.
Accordingly, there is an obvious need in the marine craft industry for a support platform having the structural integrity to support one or more people over an open cockpit or compartment area of a boat or like marine craft. Such a preferred structure should be capable of not only adequately overlying and covering the interior of the open cockpit but should have other favorable features such as easy attachment and detachment of the cover/support platform from its intended, operative position. Such a preferred structure should be formed of a material which may be inherently flexible but which is recognized as a high strength material, such as but not limited to tightly woven polypropylene, which when brought into a tensioned operative position overlying the aforementioned cockpit area, assumes a substantially rigid, planer configuration clearly capable of supporting more than one person in either an upright or reclined position.

Support platform to cover an open cockpit portion of a boat


The invention relates to an at least two-layer polyester film with a total thickness of from 5 to 200 μm which comprises, alongside polyethylene terephthalate, from 2 to 20% by weight—based on the weight of the entire film—of polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), where at least one outer layer comprises less than 0.1% by weight of PEN (based on the weight of this outer layer).

Parameters important for the suitability of a film for the packaging of perishable goods are the oxygen barrier and also, in the case of transparent packaging, the permeability of the film to UV (the ultraviolet portion of light). The second item is particularly important in the case of foods, for example those presented in supermarket counters which are subject to irradiation by lamps with relatively high UV emission. If the UV permeability of the packaging here is too high the result can be unattractive discoloration and changes in taste.
A particularly important third criterion for the suitability of a packaging film is its price, since even relatively small price differences can shift the purchasing decision in the direction of a more favored product, even if the packaging does not meet high quality requirements with regard to durability.
The polyester-based packaging films currently available in the market are almost exclusively PET—(polyethylene terephthalate)-based films, such as Hostaphan® RNK (Mitsubishi Polyester Film GmbH, Wiesbaden). Although these films are low-priced and generally have an acceptable oxygen barrier for many applications, this barrier is nevertheless often inadequate, in particular for transparent, unmetallized packaging. In addition, PET retains relatively high permeability to UV light.
Films made from PEN (polyethylene naphthalate) provide a substantially higher oxygen barrier and also have lower UV permeability, but are uneconomic due to the high price of PEN and are therefore little used in industry.
Although this problem can be reduced to some extent by using multilayer films which comprise one or more PEN layers on a PET base (e.g. DE-A-197 20 505 or WO 01/96114), these films have problems with delamination of the layers made from the different polyesters and are relatively difficult to produce. In addition, the regrind arising cannot subsequently be reused for a product of the same value, since PET and PEN become mixed during the regrinding process and can therefore no longer be utilized to produce the high-value layers comprising 100%, or almost 100% by weight, of PEN. The material can only replace the comparatively inexpensive PET. For these reasons, although these films are less expensive than films composed mainly of PEN they are considerably more expensive than standard PET packaging films, and are therefore used only in niche markets with particular requirements.
Films made from blends of PET and PEN have also been described (e.g. GB 2 344 596), but here there is no indication as to how these blends can be used to produce a film with improved UV barrier and oxygen barrier, capable of being used to produce transparent packaging with increased shelf life. Nor are there any indications of the quantitative PET/PEN ratios suitable for producing films with good oxygen barrier and UV barrier.
Another very general method for improving the UV permeability of polyester films is to add UV stabilizers/absorbers e.g. Tinuvin® (Ciba Speciality Chemicals, Switzerland). However, the use of these compounds is likewise accompanied by relatively high costs, and, depending on the stabilizer used, creates problems with suitability for direct contact with foods.
Packaging made from PEN copolymers or from PET/PEN copolymers (or blends) also has very high blue fluorescence intensity when it is irradiated with UV light. In the case of PET/PEN copolymers with low PEN content of <5%, this intensity is indeed even higher than for straight PEN. While slight blue fluorescence can indeed be desirable to eliminate a yellow tinge in the film, strongly clearly visible blue fluorescence makes the contents appear unnatural (artificial), and this can adversely affect the consumer's purchasing decision. This fluorescence should therefore be minimized.
An object of the present invention was then to provide a film which, when compared with straight PET films, provides a better oxygen barrier and UV barrier, can be produced at low cost and is suitable for packaging applications, and, when compared with packaging comprising PET films, ensures an improved lifetime for the packaged goods, even at relatively high UV doses. In addition, the film or the packaging produced therefrom should not have any tendency toward particularly strong blue fluorescence when irradiated with UV light.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Multilayer, transparent film made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) for producing packaging composites with UV protection


Ultra-pure silver nitrate is prepared from crude silver by a process comprising the steps of dissolving the crude silver in nitric acid to form a crude silver nitrate solution; adding an alkaline agent, such as sodium hydroxide, to the crude silver nitrate solution to precipitate metallic contaminants and form a partially purified silver nitrate solution; adding a selective reducing agent, such as sodium formate, to the partially purified silver nitrate solution, to reduce silver nitrate to metallic silver and thereby precipitate silver powder while leaving metallic contaminants in solution; dissolving the silver powder in nitric acid to form a highly purified silver nitrate solution; and crystallizing ultra-pure silver nitrate from the highly purified silver nitrate solution.

Silver nitrate which is of very high purity has many important industrial applications, for example, it is required for the manufacture of photographic materials, for certain catalytic uses, and for use in the pharmaceutical industry. In the process that is generally used for preparing silver nitrate, metallic silver is dissolved in nitric acid and the contaminants associated with the metallic silver will contaminate the silver nitrate, unless appropriate steps are taken in the manufacturing process to effectuate their removal. A very wide variety of different contaminants, particularly metallic contaminants, can be present; with the specific contaminants involved and the amounts of each depending on the source of the metallic silver used as a starting material in the process. The contaminants include polyvalent metals such as copper, iron, lead, nickel, tin, bismuth, zinc, chromium, manganese, antimony, cadmium, gold, iridium, palladium, platinum, rhodium, mercury, calcium and magnesium; monovalent metals such as sodium, potassium and lithium; and anions such as sulfate, chloride, bromide, iodide, fluoride, sulfide, phosphate, nitrite, selenite, arsenate, borate and tellurite. Over the years, many different processes have been proposed to achieve removal of such contaminants, and thereby produce silver nitrate of very high purity.
Among the many patents describing the preparation and purification of silver nitrate, the following are representative:
(1) Marasco et al, U.S. Pat. No. 2,543,792, issued Mar. 6, 1951.
This patent describes a process in which an aqueous silver nitrate solution is brought into successive contact with elemental carbon, activated alumina and silver oxide to remove metallic impurities.
(2) Moede et al, U.S. Pat. No. 2,614,029, issued Oct. 14, 1952.
This patent describes a process in which an aqueous silver nitrate solution is treated with sufficient silver oxide to attain a pH of at least 6.1, precipitated metals and metal hydroxides are separated from the solution, and the solution is brought into contact with a water-insoluble, porous, solid adsorbent such as activated alumina or magnesia.
(3) Moede, U.S. Pat. No. 2,940,828, issued June 14, 1960.
This patent describes a process in which an aqueous silver nitrate solution is treated with sufficient silver oxide to attain a pH of at least 6.1, the solution is exposed to ultraviolet light, then filtered, and then brought into contact with a water-insoluble, porous, solid adsorbent such as activated alumina or magnesia.
(4) Dietz, U.S. Pat. No. 3,141,731, issued July 21, 1964.
This patent describes a two-step process in which an aqueous silver nitrate solution is first treated with silver oxide to increase the pH and precipitate certain of the contaminants, and then heated to a temperature of about 75.degree. C. to about 95.degree. C. and further treated by addition of iron, usually in the form of iron nitrate, and silver oxide to precipitate the remaining contaminants.
(5) Green, U.S. Pat. No. 3,554,883, issued Jan. 12, 1971.
This patent describes a process comprising the steps of mixing a silver nitrate solution with silver oxide in a proportion sufficient to give a pH in the range from about 5.1 to about 5.8 and form a precipitate, removing the precipitate to leave a partially purified solution, mixing the partially purified solution with silver oxide in a proportion sufficient to give a pH in the range from about 5.9 to about 6.3 and form a second precipitate, and removing the second precipitate to yield a purified solution.
(6) Long et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,800,030, issued Mar. 26, 1974.
This patent describes a process in which gaseous acetylene or methylacetylene is bubbled into a silver nitrate solution to cause a selective reaction with the silver and the reaction product is separated to thereby leave the contaminants in solution.
(7) Asai et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,136,157, issued Jan. 23, 1979.
This patent describes a process in which metallic silver is dissolved in nitric acid to form a silver nitrate solution, aluminum ion is added to the silver nitrate solution, the pH is adjusted by addition of silver oxide to thereby form a precipitate, and the precipitate is separated from the silver nitrate solution.
The processes of the prior art suffer from serious deficiencies which have hindered their industrial utilization. For example, some of these processes are complex and costly, and some involve steps which are quite hazardous. Moreover, they are often ineffective in providing silver nitrate of a very high degree of purity. Such silver nitrate is referred to herein as "ultra-pure" silver nitrate, by which is meant silver nitrate in which all, or almost all, contaminants have been reduced to exceedingly low levels, such as levels of below one part per million by weight and often below one tenth of one part per million by weight. Ultra-pure silver nitrate is particularly valuable in the manufacture of photographic materials in that many contaminants, even when present in exceedingly small amounts, can have very serious adverse effects on the properties of such materials. Thus, the present invention is of particular benefit to the photographic industry, although it has utility wherever silver nitrate of exceptional purity is needed.
It is toward the objective of providing an industrially feasible and economically practical process that will provide ultra-pure silver nitrate that the present invention is directed.

Preparation of ultra-pure silver nitrate


The present invention discloses a susceptor mounting assembly for holding semiconductor wafers in an MOCVD reactor during growth of epitaxial layers on the wafers, that is particularly adapted for mounting a susceptor in an inverted type reactor chamber. It includes a tower having an upper and lower end with the upper end mounted to the top inside surface of the reactor chamber and a susceptor is arranged at the tower's lower end. Semiconductor wafers are held adjacent to the susceptor such that heat from the susceptor passes into wafers. A second embodiment of a susceptor mounting assembly according to the invention also comprises a tower having an upper and lower end. The tower's upper end is mounted to the top inside surface of the reactor chamber. A susceptor is housed within a cup and the cup is mounted to the tower's lower end.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to Metalorganic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) reactors and more particularly to susceptors used in MOCVD reactors.
2. Description of the Related Art
Fabrication of gallium nitride (GaN) based semiconductor devices in MOCVD reactors is generally described in DenBaars and Keller, Semiconductors and Semimetals, Vol. 50, Academic Press Inc., 1997, p. 11-35. MOCVD is a nonequilibrium growth technique that relies on vapor transport of the precursers and subsequent reactions of group III alkyls and group V hydrides in a heated zone. Growth/source gasses and dopants are supplied to the reactor and are deposited as epitaxial layers on a substrate or wafer. One or more wafers usually rest on a structure of graphite called a susceptor that is heated by a heating element such as a radio frequency (RF) coil, resistance heated, or radiantly heated by a strip heater. The heated susceptor then heats the wafers, which allows for the source gasses to form epitaxial layers on the wafers.
FIG. 1 shows a conventional susceptor 10 that is used in MOCVD reactors such as those provided by Thomas Swan Scientific Equipment Limited. It has a hollowed cylindrical shape and is mounted over the reactor's heating element at the bottom of the reactor, below a source gas inlet. It has a circular base plate 12 and cylindrical sleeve 13, with the circular plate 12 having a series of circular depressions 14 equally spaced around the susceptor's longitudinal axis. Each of the depressions 14 can hold a semiconductor wafer during growth. When the susceptor 10 is heated by the heating element the semiconductor wafers are also heated and when source gases enter the MOCVD reactor, they combine and deposit on the heated semiconductor wafer as epitaxial layers. The susceptor 10 can typically spin at speeds in the range of 1,000 to 2,000 rpm, which results in more uniform epitaxial layers on the wafers.
Conventional susceptors 10 are usually formed from a monolithic structure of graphite or coated graphite that absorbs heat from the heater element and conducts it to the wafers in contact with the susceptor 10. The entire susceptor 10 is heated uniformly to achieve consistent growth conditions across the entire surface of the wafers. However, during fabrication of the epitaxial layers, materials not only deposit on the heated wafer, but can also deposit on the heated susceptor 10. For example, during growth of Group III Nitride based devices, significant amounts of GaN, InGaN, AlInGaN, and similar compounds can deposit on the susceptor surfaces. The result is a buildup of reaction deposits on the susceptor that can adversely impact subsequent fabrication steps. The deposits can act as impurities during subsequent growth of the epitaxial layers and they can also result in poor interface transitions between subsequent layers of different compositions. For example, if a layer using an indium source gas is grown on the wafers, indium can be deposited on the susceptor 10. If the next layer to be grown does not include indium, indium from the susceptor surfaces can be included in the transition between layers and in the next layer. These impurities can cause poor device performance and can prevent consistent reproduction of semiconductor devices on the wafer. This deposition of materials on the susceptor surfaces also results in more reactants being consumed than is necessary for the formation of devices on the wafers.
Another disadvantage of conventional susceptors is that because the heating element heats the entire susceptor (not just the areas under or around the wafers) large amounts of heat are required. Conventional susceptors have a relatively large surface area in comparison to the wafers and most of the energy is wasted by not heating the wafers. This taxes the heater, contributing to early heater failures.
Another disadvantage of conventional susceptors is that they are difficult to manufacture. They are machined from a large section of graphite and if any part of the susceptor is damaged the entire structure can be unusable. The fabrication of the depressions can be extremely difficult because they are offset from the structure's longitudinal axis and as a result, they cannot be machined using a simple lathe, but must involve more complex processes. In some susceptors it may also be desirable to shape the surface of the depressions to compensate for variations in temperature. For the same reasons that it is difficult to machine the depressions, it also difficult to shape the surface of the depressions.
Various "inverted" type systems have been developed to grow semiconductor devices, wherein the susceptor is not mounted at the bottom of the reactor. An inverted type metal organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) system for the growth of Group III-V compound semiconductor materials is described in Aria et al., Highly Uniform Growth on a Low-Pressure MOPVE Multiple Wafer System, Journal of Crystal Growth 170, Pgs. 88-91 (1997). The wafers are held in a susceptor and placed facedown (inverted) in the growth chamber, with the flow gasses flowing under the growth surfaces. Gasses are injected into the chamber from one of the sidewalls of the chamber, through a triple flow channel, and the gas exhaust is on the opposite sidewall.
The fluid flow and mass transport for "chimney" chemical vapor deposition (CVD) reactors is discussed in Holstein, Modeling of Chimney CVD Reactors, Journal of Crystal Growth 125, Pgs. 311-319 (1992). A chimney reactor has wafers held on heated susceptors (usually two) that are vertically mounted on the interior side walls of the reactor.
Growth of GaAs based semiconductor devices in an MOCVD reactor is also discussed in Lee et al. MOCVD in Inverted Stagnation Point Flow, Journal of Crystal Growth, Pgs 120-127 (1886). The reactor is based on inverted stagnation point flow geometry where the reactants flow up towards wafers clamped to an inverted heated susceptor.
Each of these inverted type systems use conventional susceptors that are usually formed from a monolithic structure of graphite or coated graphite. They also suffer from the disadvantages described above.

Susceptor apparatus for inverted type MOCVD reactor


Systems and methods for providing controlled AC arc welding processes. In arc welding power source embodiments, configurations of main and auxiliary bridge circuits allow for the directional switching of the output welding current through the welding output circuit path and selectively provide one or more high impedance paths to rapidly decay the arc current. The high impedance path aids in the low spatter transfer of molten metal balls from a consumable electrode to a workpiece and further aids in the maintaining or the re-establishing of an arc between the consumable electrode and the workpiece when a molten metal ball is transferred.

Certain prior art welding systems use bridge topologies in a welding power source to provide AC welding capability. A half-bridge topology may be used in a welding power source having dual output current paths configured to share a common path, such that each output can induce a flow of opposite polarity in the shared path. In practice, many welding power sources are configured as such and may require only the addition of a second set of rectifier devices to complete the second path. A switch may be placed in the non-shared path of each power source leg and the direction of current flow through a connected welding output circuit path is determined by the active leg. A full bridge topology may be used with just about any power source topology, providing flexibility and the potential to be added to existing designed power sources. The full bridge topology allows easy implementation of zero cross assisting circuits. A blocking diode may be used to protect the devices in the power source from high voltage transients that occur during the zero cross.
For certain short circuit transfer welding processes such as, for example, a surface tension transfer process, the output current must decay rapidly to specific values at certain points in the process. Techniques have been applied in the prior art to achieve such rapid reductions in output current in DC positive and DC negative applications. However, the ability to rapidly reduce the output current in both positive and negative directions in an AC arc welding process, while keeping leakage currents and spatter to a minimum and while allowing an arc to easily re-establish between a consumable electrode and a workpiece after the transfer of a molten metal ball from the electrode to the workpiece, is a challenging problem.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional, traditional, and proposed approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems and methods with embodiments of the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.

Systems and methods providing controlled AC arc welding processes


A first laser beam and a second laser beam are selectively generated. The first or the second laser beam is irradiated on an optical storage medium having a recording layer on which main data has been recorded. The main data includes data to be reproduced and reproduction management data. The laser beam selection is made according to the reproduction management data. The first laser beam has a first laser power capable of carrying the main data without erasing when reflected from the optical storage medium. On the other hand, the second laser beam has a second laser power capable of erasing the main data from the optical storage medium while carrying the main data when reflected from the optical storage medium. The data to be reproduced and carried by the first or the second laser beam is then reproduced.

The present invention relates to an optical data recording and reproducing apparatus and a method thereof, and an optical storage medium, such as a CD (Compact Disc) and DVD (Digital Video Disc, Digital Versatile Disc) for storing data which are recorded and reproduced by the apparatus and method.
Phase-change recording to record signals on optical storage media such as PDs and DVD-RAMs employs a laser beam that is irradiated on each optical storage medium to change a state of a recording layer of the optical storage medium from an amorphous state to a crystalline state and vise-versa.
Such phase-change recording type optical storage media are in the amorphous state just after layer formation. The amorphous state exhibits a low reflectivity as shown in FIG. 1 and hence a problem lies in picking up the laser beam reflected from the recording layer.
In order to solve the problem, a laser beam is irradiated on the optical storage media to raise a temperature of the recording layer to a temperature Tx at which the recording layer is in the crystalline state. The irradiation changes the recording layer from the amorphous state to the crystalline state that exhibits a high reflectivity as shown in FIG. 1 with no difficulty in picking up the reflected laser beam.
The laser beam is again irradiated on the optical storage media to raise a temperature of the recording laser higher than a temperature Tmp at which the recording layer is in the amorphous state. The irradiation changes the recording layer from the crystalline state to the amorphous state.
As described above, the laser beam is controlled in signal recording so that it exhibits a bottom power to raise the temperature of the recording layer high than the temperature Tx and a peak power to raise the temperature of the recording layer higher than the temperature Tmp.
FIG. 2 illustrates a recording layer of a phase-change recording type optical storage medium D with pits P in the amorphous state while the other portions C in the crystalline state. This amorphous-crystalline state combination enables new signal over-writing on the storage medium D on which other signals have already been recorded.
Reproduction of the recorded signals is done by controlling the laser beam to decrease the temperature of the recording layer lower than the temperature Tx, the laser beam being irradiated on the recording layer and reflected therefrom.
The phase-change recording type rewritable optical storage media with large storage capacity as described above are highly applicable to data communications via optical fibers of high transfer rate and satellites, for example.
Such optical storage media are particularly applicable, for instance, to pay-per-view type video-on-demand service. Under the service, data, for example, containing many movies are compressed and transferred to users and recorded on the user's optical storage medium. Each user pay fees only for the movies they have watched among the recorded many movies.
However, under such service, a software such as a movie that has expired the term for use should be erased from the user's optical storage medium in order to protect copyright of the software.

Optical storage medium and apparatus and method of reproducing data therefrom using different laser power


A heterostructure that includes, successively, a support substrate of a material having an electrical resistivity of less than 10−3 ohm·cm and a thermal conductivity of greater than 100 W·m−1·K−1, a bonding layer, a first seed layer of a monocrystalline material of composition AlxInyGa(1-x-y)N, a second seed layer of a monocrystalline material of composition AlxInyGa(1-x-y)N, and an active layer of a monocrystalline material of composition AlxInyGa(1-x-y)N, and being present in a thickness of between 3 and 100 micrometers. The materials of the support substrate, the bonding layer and the first seed layer are refractory at a temperature of greater than 750° C., the active layer and second seed layer have a difference in lattice parameter of less than 0.005 Å, the active layer is crack-free, and the heterostructure has a specific contact resistance between the bonding layer and the first seed layer that is less than or equal to 0.1 ohm·cm2.

For the vertical or planar electronic power device (MOS components, bipolar transistors, J-FET, MISFET, Schottky or PIN diodes, thyristors), optoelectronic component (Laser, LED) and photovoltaic component (solar cells) market, it is interesting to utilize an AlxInyGa(1-x-y)N (x between or equal to 0 and 1, y between or equal to 0 and 1, x+y less than or equal to 1) conducting substrate and preferably a bulk GaN (or "freestanding") substrate.
These substrates are, however, difficult to manufacture with current technologies and remain very expensive.
A proposed alternative consists of a heterostructure comprising a thick active layer of AlxInyGa(1-x-y)N (preferably in doped GaN) formed on a conductive substrate.
But the growth of thick layers with a good crystalline quality is still difficult with current methods if the seed substrate is not of the same material as the material epitaxied.
The epitaxy of a thick layer of GaN (approximately 10 micrometers) on a seed substrate such as doped Si or SiC, due to the differences in the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) and lattice parameter between the materials, leads to the formation of defects and cracks in the layer which reduces the effectiveness of the electronic, optical or optoelectronic devices formed on this material.
In addition, as document WO 01/95380 discloses, this epitaxy necessitates the utilization of a buffer layer—for example a layer of AlN—between the seed substrate and the GaN that presents high electric resistance.
The epitaxy of a thick layer of GaN on a sapphire substrate followed by the transfer of the layer to a conductive substrate by laser detachment is an expensive process.
In addition, the choice of these materials does not allow a dislocation density of less than 107 cm−2 to be reached in the active layer.
In addition, the layer thus formed presents very significant bending which necessitates long preparation steps (polishing, etc.) so that it may be bonded and transferred to a final substrate.
In addition, the transfer of a layer of GaN from a bulk substrate by the SMARTCUT® technology does not enable the desired thicknesses to be reached in a satisfactory manner to date.
Document US 2008/0169483 describes the formation of an epitaxy substrate comprising a seed layer of GaN transferred by the SMARTCUT® technology to a support substrate.
A layer of conductive GaN is then deposited on the seed layer and then it is transferred to a thermally and electrically conductive support.
This method is complex since it involves two transfers of the active layer of GaN to form the final conductive structure.
Document US 2009/278233 describes the formation of a heterostructure for light-emitting devices.
The manufacturing of the heterostructure comprises first a step of providing on a handle substrate a seed layer suited for the epitaxial growth of an active layer made of a III/N material and a step of growing the active layer on the seed layer, thus producing an intermediate structure.
This intermediate structure is then bonded to a final substrate, preferably via a eutectic bonding layer, and the handle substrate is removed.
This method is thus complex since it involves the use of two different support substrates, the first one for the epitaxial growth of the active layer, the second one for the operation of the component.
Therefore one seeks to design a heterostructure for electronic power components, optoelectronic components or photovoltaic components and a method of manufacturing the heterostructure in view of obtaining a thick, crack-free monocrystalline layer of a material of composition AlxInyGa(1-x-y)N on a support substrate, not presenting the disadvantages of methods from the prior art. In particular, a simplification of the process steps is sought.
More precisely, the heterostructure must present the following properties:                a thick active layer, i.e., with a thickness greater than or equal to 3 micrometers, preferably greater than 10 micrometers,        a good vertical electrical conductivity despite interfaces between different materials forming the heterostructure, i.e., a total electrical resistivity of less than or equal to 10−2 ohm·cm,        a low electrical resistivity of the support substrate, i.e., typically lower than 10−3 ohm·cm,        a high thermal conductivity of the heterostructure, i.e., typically greater than or equal to 100 W/m·K,        a low dislocation density in the active layer, i.e., of less than or equal to 107 cm−2.
In the case of electronic power components, the active layer of the heterostructure shall comprise a main portion with a thickness representing between 70 and 100% of the thickness of the active layer, the main portion being weakly doped so as to enable a dispersion of the electric field over the thickness of the active layer.
In the present text, "layer portion" is understood to refer to a part of a layer considered in the sense of the thickness of the layer. Thus, a layer may be constituted of several stacked portions, the sum of the thicknesses of portions being equal to the total thickness of the layer. The different portions of the active layer may be in the same material, but with different doping, or rather may be in different materials of composition AlxInyGa(1-x-y)N, where 0≦x≦1, 0≦y≦1 and x+y≦1.
Thus, the active layer of a PIN diode may be designed with alternating InGaN/GaN/InGaN or doped p GaN/weakly doped GaN/doped n GaN layers.
The active layer for optoelectronic or photovoltaic components may be constituted of a stack of layers in different materials of composition AlxInyGa(1-x-y)N, where 0≦x≦1, 0≦y≦1 and x+y≦1.
In addition, "subjacent" designates a layer portion the farthest removed from the surface of the heterostructure and "superjacent" designates a layer portion closest to the surface of the heterostructure. By way of example, the active layer of a PIN diode comprises a single subjacent and superjacent layer on both sides of the main portion.
Another object of the invention is to design a support adapted for epitaxy of the active layer in view of forming the heterostructure described above.
More precisely, this epitaxy support must enable growth of the thick active layer without forming cracks and must in addition present electric properties compatible with the intended applications.

Heterostructure for electronic power components, optoelectronic or photovoltaic components


A transmission control assembly having a housing and a bracket pivotally coupled to the housing for movement along a first path. A yoke is selectively coupled to the bracket for concurrent movement with the bracket along the first path. The yoke is also selectively pivotal about a second pivot axis substantially transverse to the first pivot axis for movement along a second path. A tactile device is supported by the bracket and engageable with the housing. The tactile device moves about the bracket during the movement of the bracket along the first path. A locking mechanism is coupled between the bracket and the yoke. The locking mechanism moves between an unlocked position when the yoke is coupled to the bracket for allowing movement of the tactile device and a locked position engaged with the tactile device when the yoke moves along the second path for preventing movement of the tactile device.

Some currently available automobiles are equipped with manual (i.e., standard) transmissions that require drivers to operate a clutch and to manually shift gears while driving. Some other currently available automobiles are equipped with automatic transmissions where gear shifting is automated.
Relatively recently, a market has been identified for automobiles that allow drivers to decide, each time that a driver takes the wheel, whether to operate the automobile's transmission automatically or in an alternate mode that, to some extent, simulates operating the transmission in a manual mode. For example, manual low gear shifting system modes, such as the TIPTRONIC mode found in PORSCHE automobiles, the STEPTRONIC mode found in BMW automobiles, etc., are currently available.
More specifically, in a manual low gear shifting system mode, the driver is provided with a first shift gate that includes shifter positions such as "Park", "Reverse", "Neutral", "Drive", etc. However the driver is also provided with a second shift gate that allows the driver to bypass the automatic transmission mode and to manually initiate an "upshift" or "downshift" from one gear to another.
In a manual low gear shifting system mode, the driver takes over most of the shifting decisions ordinarily performed by a controlled device of an automatic transmission. Thus, the driver may delay an upshift in order to obtain increased acceleration or may initiate the onset of a downshift in order to increase the braking effect of the engine. In view of this relatively recently identified market, devices, systems, and methods have been developed that allow for drivers to switch between automatic and alternate transmission operation, such as, for example, operation in a manual low gear shifting system mode.
The above-discussed manual low gear shifting system mode is typically activated/engaged while the automatic transmission is in a low gear setting. At least for this reason, what is needed are novel devices, systems, and methods that minimize the likelihood of any of the components of the automatic transmission moving out of their low gear settings without the driver's knowledge and/or consent (e.g., without the driver having made a conscious decision to switch out of the manual low gear shifting system mode and back into the automatic mode).
What is also needed are novel devices and systems that allow for the switching of the mode of operation of an automotive transmission between a manual low gear shifting system mode and an automatic mode, yet that are relatively inexpensive, lightweight, and/or that are made up of relatively few components.

Transmission control assembly having a locking mechanism


Methods of in vitro culturing of tree tissue are disclosed in which high frequency tissue regeneration is achieved thereby increasing the likelihood of regenerating somaclonal variants having desirable traits. These methods include: culturing with a ratio of naphthaleneacetic acid and benzyladenine, or of benzyladenine and zeatin, in a tissue regeneration medium, the ratio being selected to induce a high frequency of tissue regeneration; culturing on a tissue regeneration medium having a high auxin concentration with a relatively low cytokinin concentration for a short period of time, e.g. up to ten days, to regenerate a high number of morphogenic callus cells; and, regenerating somatic embyros using a medium comprising 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, benzyladenine, sucrose and glutamine, for high frequency regeneration of emboyogenic calli which are then developed into somatic embryos. These high frequency tissue regeneration methods are used to develop plants having tolerance to toxic chemicals by combining the methods with in vitro exposure to toxic chemical thereby to challenge somaclonal variants with the toxic chemical to test for and recover tolerant variants.

This invention relates to in vitro culturing processes for regenerating tissue, e.g. shoots, somatic embryos or roots, of tree genotypes at high frequency, to the use of such processes for producing tree genotypes which tolerate normally lethal dosages of toxic chemicals, such as herbicides, and to the tolerant tree genotypes thus produced.
Trees are being increasingly exposed to chemical stress because of urbanization, industrialization, and intensive forest and horticultural management practices. Chemical stress is produced by such chemicals as sulfur dioxide, ozone, nitrogen oxides, mineral salts, heavy metals, and acid precipitation. Chemical stress can damage or kill trees.
Herbicides are another cause of chemical stress to trees. Yet, the use of herbicides is desirable in tree cultivation for preparing planting sites, reducing weed competition, converting sites in order to plant other species, and additional purposes. As tree cultivation intensifies, herbicide use is increasing in order to make production more economical. Cultivation with herbicides is less expensive than mechanical methods which may not even work.
Herbicides could be used more and their use would be mere efficient if the tree crops exposed thereto are tolerant of the herbicides. This is particularly so in the case of the genus Populus, a genus of great value to the forest industry, trees of this genus being the object of much use in short rotation intensive culture to yield pulp, fiberboard and fuelwood. Unfortunately, Populus trees are sensitive to many herbicides. Naturally occurring Populus trees do not have commercially useful levels of tolerance to such environmentally safe, broad-spectrum herbicides as glyphosate, sulfonylureas (sulfometuron methyl), or imidazolinones. In the absence of herbicides, weed competition limits the plantation establishment of Populus trees even though the weeds can be killed by such herbicides. Present Populus weed control methods involve labor-intensive shielding methods or are limited to use during cessation of the growth of the Populus crop.
Chemical stress tolerance and other traits are difficult or impossible to obtain in trees by traditional crossbreeding. If higher plant genes for such traits exist, they occur at such low frequencies in tree populations that they cannot be economically selected, if at all. As a result, it is difficult or impossible to obtain tolerant parents for breeding. In addition, trees take a long time to reach sexual maturity, usually many years. Thus, traditional breeding for a trait, such as chemical stress tolerance, would take years, perhaps a century. Additionally, often nothing is known about the modes of inheritance of a trait in trees. This lack of knowledge further complicates breeding.
In vitro tissue culturing offers a practical alternative for developing genetically modified individuals of tree species. Variants can be produced during in vitro culture propagation whereby all the progeny of a given plant material are not identical. This variation resulting solely from the in vitro culturing process is known as somaclonal variation. Somaclonal variation may be Mendelian (quantitative) and non-Mendelian (qualitative), and may arise from preexisting cellular genetic variation or variation arising in the culture process, or both. Somaclonal variants may be expressed, described, and tested from a single passage in microculture and may have desirable economic traits that can be exploited directly through their sexually or vegetatively propagated progenies, or indirectly by further somaclonal or traditional breeding programs.

Methods of high frequency tissue regeneration, regeneration of herbicide-tolerant populus plants therewith, and the herbicide-tolerant plants made thereby

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Agriculture


A switcher system or circuit and corresponding methods provide dynamic voltage scaling. One embodiment of an apparatus includes: a switcher controller configured to monitor a signal from a processor for a first state, determine a time that the signal is in the first state, and provide an adjustment signal based on the time, and a power supply coupled to the adjustment signal and configured to provide a variable supply voltage to the processor core, the variable supply voltage controlled by the adjustment signal after the determining a time.

Dynamic voltage scaling is known and is an approach whereby power dissipation in digital hardware, e.g., microprocessors, etc., can be limited. As is known power dissipation of CMOS and similar semiconductor technologies increases with switching frequencies (clock frequencies) as well as power supply voltage. On the other hand, processing capacities increase with increased switching frequency and this may require increased supply voltages.
Thus, an increase in power supply voltage may be required to increase a processor or other switching core clock frequency. Minimizing power dissipation requires that the supply voltage closely match the voltage that is required to accommodate the switching frequency that is needed to handle present processing loads.
Some prior art systems use an open loop system to control the DVSI. Open loop systems normally have to be operated conservatively (lots of margin) in order to account for worst case process and temperature variations. This typically results in significant power dissipation over an otherwise optimized system.
Closed loop systems in theory could compensate for the process and temperature variations. Embodiments of prior art closed loop DVSI control systems have suffered from undue latency between a recognition that power supply voltage should or could be adjusted and thus, undue dissipation occurs or processing latencies suffer.


A pneumatic tire having lateral tread grooves extending parallel or aslant to the axial direction of the tire, wherein the lateral tread grooves are provided with a bridge which extends between the opposed groove sidewalls thereof apart from the groove base thereof to connect the groove sidewalls with each other, whereby the movement of the groove sidewalls and the deformation thereof when contacting with and leaving the ground is reduced to prevent uneven wear such as heel and toe wear without deteriorating the braking performance.

The present invention relates to a pneumatic tire having less heel and toe wear around lateral tread grooves.
Various types of tread patterns have been used for a pneumatic tire, for examples, a rib type pattern consisting of main grooves extending circumferentially of the tire in a straight or zigzag configuration, a rib-lug type pattern consisting of main grooves and axially extending lateral grooves formed in the shoulder regions of the tire, a tread pattern called all-season type or snow type consisting of main grooves and lateral grooves crossing the main groove, a lug type pattern consisting of wide lateral grooves extending to the equator of the tire from each tread edge, a block type pattern consisting of wide main grooves and wide lateral grooves intersecting the wide main grooves, and the like.
In a tire provided with lateral grooves on the tread like the above-mentioned rib-lug type or all season type patterns, its performance such as traction, wet grip and the like is improved by such lateral grooves. Such lateral grooves, however, shorten the wear life of the tire.
As shown in FIG. 21, the tread face T wears partially at radially outward portions of the groove sidewalls GW of the lateral groove G, and the wear K of the portion on the kick-out side Ga (the toe side) is faster and greater than that on the other step-in side (the heel side), and accompanying with the wear K the wear of the portion on the step-in side grows to a so-called heel and toe wear, whereby the wear life is shortened.
In order to prevent such abnormal wear, there have been proposed to increase the hardness of the rubber for the sidewalls of the lateral grooves, to decrease partly the groove depth of the lateral grooves, to increase the inclination angle of the sidewalls of the lateral groove, to and decrease the groove width and the like, which are intended to improve the resistance to wear or to lessen the amount of the slip of the tread against the road face by lessening the movement of the groove sidewalls GW into the lateral groove G.
However, to use the harder rubber for the sidewalls of the lateral groove complicates the production of the tire, and such rubber partly increases the hardness at the tread face, which sometimes degrades tire performance such as road traction. Further, the decreased depth of the lateral grooves tends to decrease traction in on-the-snow performance and wet grip. Also by increasing the inclination angle of the groove sidewall and decreasing the groove width, a substantial improvement in preventing uneven wear can not be expected.
It is therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a pneumatic tire in which uneven wear of the tread is prevented and tire life is prolonged by bridging the lateral grooves disposed in the tire treat.

Pneumatic tire including lateral tread grooves with a bridge thereacross


The invention relates to a hanging type of an article display and dispensing system. The invention directs itself to a frame container including an underboard frame and outer container which may be hung on a wall and allows easy removal of articles therein.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hanging type of an article display and dispensing system. In particular, this invention directs itself to a frame container including an underboard frame and outer container which may be hung on a wall and easily allow removal of articles therein.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In some prior art utilizations, products may be separately and individually provided on display stands. This type of article display has been the custom for numbers of years. This manner of selling packaged products is inefficient with respect to volume considerations and is aesthetically unappealing while inconveniencing the user. Merchants must pile the packaged products up when selling the merchandise. Thus, merchandise located at the top of a pile may be easy to remove, while the lower merchandise may cause the consumer problems. This is inconvenient for purchasers and is also not the optimum way to display the merchandise. When customers bring the packaged boxes of merchandise home, such are generally stored in a stacked configuration and removal causes the same problem as merchants encounter. Furthermore, such prior art does not allow for display advertising. Manufacturers prefer to print merchandising terms or drawings on the outside of packing boxes to attract customers. Traditionally, prior art horizontal packing boxes only are printed on the outside surface of the box. It is generally preferred that display indicia be printed on a plane hanger sheet 4 formed on one side of the box as shown in one prior art packing box of FIG. 5. This prior art type of packing box cannot be mounted one upon the other for the merchandise drawings may be covered and occupy too much volume resulting in economic inefficiency. Moreover, merchants must exert themselves to remove merchandise individually, then hang them back on a wall. Additionally, packing boxes of smaller dimensions do not have enough surface area to allow sufficient printing on the merchandise boxes. The present packing mode for smaller merchandise uses paper sheets to adapt plastic case packing shaped in a vacuum, showing merchandise packed therein to customers through transparent plastic covering materials. However, such increases the cost of packing and meets resistance from environmental protection movements in the use of plastic materials. Due to these disadvantages, the subject invention has been devised to improve the packing and display of merchandise, and is adapted to the concept of environmental protection as well as the economic efficiency of packing costs.

Article display and dispensing container with vertical troughs


An apparatus for a power system with a power input at an upstream end and power outputs connected to loads in a downstream end, the power system comprising a plurality of devices interconnected in a tree topology. The apparatus communicatively coupled to each of the devices and configured to identify each of the devices, cause a change of an operation state or parameter of each of the devices at a time. The apparatus further configured to determine, for each of the devices having an operation state or parameter thereof changed, which of the other devices having a related change of an operation state or parameter thereof, and identify how the devices are connected in the tree topology based on said determined other devices having a related change of an operation state or parameter thereof, for each of said devices having an operation state or parameter thereof changed.

A power system comprises typically several digital filter and DC/DC conversion components. These can be configured and monitored through e.g. the open standard power-management protocol Power Management Bus (PMBus).
A typical intermediate bus architecture (IBA) may comprise one power input module (PIM), which supports one or several intermediate bus converters (IBCs), which in turn support several point of load units (PoLs) in a tree based configuration. The PoLs are in turn connected to one or more loads.

Apparatus, power system, computer program, and method