A high density high strength ceramic article is disclosed having from about 70% to about 100% of its crystalline phases as alpha sialon, having less than about 20% by weight of its crystalline phases as beta sialon, having a density of greater than about 94% of the theoretical density, and having a flexural strength of greater than about 70 kpsi at about room temperature, a Knoop hardness of greater than about 14 GPa, and a Rockwell A hardness of greater than about 94. The process for producing the article is disclosed. The process involves forming a powder mixture consisting essentially of in percent by weight from about 48 to about 88 silicon nitride, from about 8 to about 30 aluminum nitride, from about 2 to about 16 of an oxygen containing compound of an element selected from the group consisting of yttrium, lithium, magnesium, calcium, scandium, cerium, rare earths, and combinations thereof, and from about 2 to about 12 of oxygen containing compounds of one or more metals as additives to aid densification, forming a green article from the mixture, and densifying the green article by one or more methods selected from the group consisting of sintering, sintering followed by hot isostatic pressing, and encapsulated hot isostatic pressing, at a temperature of from about 1600.degree. C. to about 2000.degree. C.

Ceramic materials based on silicon nitride and silicon aluminum oxynitrides have been the subject of much research over the last decade due to their engineering potential. Materials have been developed with high strength, creep resistance, hardness, resistance to chemical attack, and with retention of these properties at high temperatures. Due to their high hardness, machining of these ceramic materials once densified involves costly, difficult diamond machining. Hence much research has also been conducted into near-net shape forming and densification. For complex shapes, this does not permit hot pressing. Instead, sintering and hot isostatic pressing technologies have been developed. Also, commercially, sintering and hot isostatic pressing methods of densification are to be preferred over hot pressing for mass production since for hot pressing the productivity is poor and the production cost high.
This invention relates to one of the silicon aluminum oxynitrides (sialons) which has the alpha silicon nitride crystal structure but of expanded cell dimensions commonly known as alpha sialon. This material has been known for a number of years as a potentially useful engineering ceramic. Literature reference report full densification of these materials by hot pressing only, along with attempts at full densification by sintering without the application of pressure which yielded products of low strength. One such reference is an article entitled "The Strength of Alpha Sialon Ceramics", Journal of Materials Science, 15 (1980).
There are no references to the use of densification additives for these materials.
There is little or no evidence of high densities, that is, near theoretical densities or of high strengths being sustained in production artifacts having greater than about 70 weight percent of crystalline phases as alpha sialon. Little attention has been given to the usefulness of such products as enginering ceramics compared to the beta sialons or to manufacturing methods for producing such products which allow commercial mass production or the densification of complex shapes, that is, which avoid hot pressing. However, prior to this invention beta sialons and mixtures of alpha and beta sialons having less than about 70 weight percent as alpha sialon have found application as metal cutting tools as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,323,323 and 4,563,433 and have been commercially manufactured for this use.

High density high strength alpha sialon based article and process for producing same


A facsimile and a facsimile system are connected to an inside bus of an ISDN (integrated services digital network). When trouble, such as no toner, jam, no paper or the like, has occurred in a recording unit of a first facsimile apparatus on the inside bus, the first facsimile apparatus issues an announcement of interruption onto the bus. A second facsimile apparatus on the above-described bus monitors a signal on the bus. When the second facsimile has detected the announcement of interruption, it performs substituting reception in place of the first facsimile apparatus. It is thereby possible to maintain the continuation of communication even if trouble has occurred during reception and recording.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a facsimile apparatus and a facsimile system, and more particularly, to a facsimile apparatus and a facsimile system which are suitably applied to a plurality of facsimiles connected to a bus at the side of a subscriber of an ISDN (integrated services digital network) circuit as ISDN terminals.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A facsimile uses a thermal printer, a laser-beam printer or the like as an apparatus for outputting a facsimile image in reception, and a hard copy is obtained from the output apparatus. For the hard copy, a roll of paper can be used as well as cut paper. A received image is recorded on such paper, and is output.
The above-described printers include a ribbon for transfer, toner and the like, which are used for recording.
Heretofore, in this kind of facsimile, when, for example, a ribbon, toner or the like in a printer is exhausted, it becomes impossible to perform the recording and outputting operation. A hard copy cannot be obtained when it becomes impossible to perform the recording and outputting operation on paper,
Furthermore, even if there exists a required amount of the toner, ribbon or the like, and there exists a required amount of paper for the recording of a plurality of pages in a communication operation, there can also arise a case in which reception becomes impossible.
That is, it is practically extremely difficult to completely prevent the occurrence of jam when paper is output in a printer. Accordingly, it is generally impossible to prevent the occurrence of jam, and there arises the case in which reception becomes impossible due to the occurrence of jam. In particular, a facsimile is often operated when the operator is absent, such as an operation during the night. If jam occurs when the operator is absent, for example, during the night operation, the jammed state cannot be recovered, and hence reception becomes impossible,
The situation is identical if the amount of toner or a ribbon becomes less than a predetermined amount or exhausted during the operation when the operator is absent. Hence, the possibility that excellent reception cannot be performed is large when the operator is absent.
Particularly in the above-described case of the exhaustion of toner, the occurrence of jam or the like in a communication operation, it is not easy to maintain the continuation of the operation even if the operator is there to adopt suitable measures.
As a countermeasure for such a case, it is possible to consider the performance of substituting reception by a memory. In this case, however, it is necessary to provide a large-capacity memory device which can store images of several tens to several hundreds of pages in substituting reception. If such a memory device is provided in a facsimile, the cost of the facsimile increases.
The number of users who have introduced or intend to introduce two or more facsimiles is increasing in the present high-information society. However, if such a user individually has facsimiles having the configuration as described above in order to prevent beforehand the above-described problems, the installation cost inevitably increases in proportion to the number of apparatuses.
On the other hand, a facsimile which does not have the above-described memory device cannot deal with the case as described above, and cannot help but refuse reception on occasion.

Facsimile apparatus and facsimile system


An apparatus for facilitating the connection of pipes comprises a rotary (4) and a stator (5), the rotary comprising at least one hydraulically actuated jaw (24,25,26), and a pump (58) arranged on the rotary (4) for pumping hydraulic fluid for actuation of the or each jaw (24,25,26), the stator comprising a motor (55) arranged on the stator (5), so that rotational energy can be transferred from the motor to the pump in an operational configuration.

This invention relates to an apparatus and a method for facilitating the connection of pipes, and more particularly, but not exclusively, to a powered drill pipe tong for facilitating the connection of sections or stands of drill pipe.
Drill pipe tongs are commonly used for facilitating the connection of sections or stands of drill pipe to a pipe string. Typically, the pipe string hangs in a wellbore from a spider in a floor of an oil or gas rig.
A section or stand of drill pipe to be connected to the pipe string is swung in from a drill pipe rack to the well centre above the pipe string. A pipe handling arm may be used to guide the drill pipe to a position above the pipe string. A stabbing guide may then be used to align a threaded pin of the drill pipe with a threaded box of the pipe string. A drill pipe tong is then used to tighten the connection to a torque of typically 68,000 Nm (50,000 lb.ft).
The drill pipe tong is also used for disconnecting drill pipe. This operation involves breaking the connection which requires a torque typically greater than the tightening torque which may typically be used in the order of 11,000 Nm (80,000 lb.ft).
A drill pipe tong generally comprises jaws mounted in a rotary which is rotatably arranged in a housing. The jaws are moveable relative to the rotary in a generally radial direction towards and away from an upset part of the pipe to be gripped. The upset parts of the pipe are generally located above the pin and below the box of the pipe and have an enlarged outer diameter and/or a reduced inner diameter.
In use, the rotary is rotated forcing the jaws along cam surfaces towards the upset part of the section of pipe. Once the jaws fully engage the upset part, the rotary carries on rotating applying torque to the threads and hence tightens the connection between the section of pipe and the pipe string.
Several problems have been observed with such prior art drill pipe tongs.
In particular, such drill pipe tongs can badly scar the upset part of the pipe, particularly if the jaws start rotating relative to the drill pipe.
Once scarred, the pipe is then lowered into the wellbore. Friction between the wellbore (or casing lining the wellbore) and the scarred upset grinds the upset, reducing the diameter.
Scarring of the upset may also be caused by having to reapply the jaws. This is especially common when connecting pipe with xe2x80x9cwedge threadsxe2x80x9d which requires approximately 80xc2x0 of turn in order to torque the connection. Many prior art wrenching tongs need to be reapplied to the pipe every 25xc2x0.
A reduction in diameter of the upset requires the use of a drill pipe tong or for the old drill pipe tong to be modified therefor.
An attempt at solving this problem is disclosed in PCT publication Number WO 92/18744, which discloses a rotary comprising hydraulically operated active jaws and stationary passive jaws. The hydraulically activated jaws are engaged fully with the pipe prior to rotation of the rotary, thereby substantially reducing scarring. A hydraulic circuit is provided on the rotary for actuating the jaws. A plunger is used to activate the hydraulic system by depressing a hydraulic piston of the hydraulic circuit repeatedly. This operation takes time. If several seconds can be saved per connection, the overall cost of the construction of an oil or gas well can be drastically reduced, as long as reliability is not sacrificed.
Another problem associated with the rotary disclosed in PCT Publication Number WO 92/18744 is that repeated depressing of the plunger for engaging the jaws fully with the pipe may itself cause some scarring.
A further problem associated with power tongs is how to move jaws into engagement with a tubular with sufficient force and sufficient speed.
A still further problem associated with a rotary for power tong is how to fit a mechanism for applying jaws to a tubular into the confined space of a rotary. In particular, the problem arises that if a pump is provided on the rotary for pumping hydraulic fluid, the means of supplying power to the pump must be disconnected before the rotary can be rotated to torque the connection between pipes. This further adds to the overall time of the operation.
If a pump is not provided on the rotary, the hydraulic pressure must be provided via a hose attached to the rotary, and this also must be disconnected before the rotary can be rotated.
Accordingly, a first aspect of the invention provides an apparatus for facilitating the connection of pipes, which apparatus comprises a rotary (4) and a stator (5), said rotary (4) comprising at least one jaw (24,25,26), at least one piston (15,16,17) arranged in at least one cylinder (18,19,20) for actuating said at least one jaw (24,25,26), and a hydraulic circuit (100) linking a first chamber in front of said piston (15,16,17) and a second chamber to a rear side of said piston (15,16,17) such that, in use, hydraulic fluid is expelled from one of said first or second chambers and replenishes the other of said first and second chambers.
Other features of the first aspect of the invention are set out in claims 2 to 12.
There is also provided a method for facilitating the connection of pipes, comprising engaging a motor attached to a stator with a pump attached to a rotor and transferring rotational energy from the motor to the pump, enabling the pump to drive hydraulic fluid to actuate at least one jaw. In a preferred embodiment, the method comprises the step of moving the motor from a first position in which it is disengaged from the pump to a second position in which the motor and the pump are engaged to transfer rotational energy from the motor to the pump. A second aspect of the invention provides an apparatus for facilitating the connection of pipes which apparatus comprises a rotary and a stator, said rotary comprising at least one jaw, at least one piston arranged in at least one cylinder for actuating said at least one jaw, and a hydraulic circuit linking a first chamber in front of said piston and a second chamber to a rear side of said piston such that, in use, hydraulic fluid is expelled from one of said first or second chambers and replenishes the other of said first or second chambers.
There is also provided a method for facilitating the connection of pipes, the method using the apparatus of the first aspect of the invention, the method comprising the step of expelling hydraulic fluid from one of said front or rear sides of said piston and replenishing the other of said front or rear sides of said piston.
A third aspect of the invention provides an apparatus for facilitating the connection of pipes which apparatus comprises a rotary and a stator, said rotary comprises at least one jaw and at least one piston arranged in at least one cylinder for actuating said at least one jaw, and a hydraulic circuit, wherein said hydraulic circuit comprises a valve preventing return flow of hydraulic fluid and a restriction such that, in use, the arrangement allows a finite force to be applied to said pipe.
There is also provided a method for facilitating the connection of pipes, the method using the apparatus of the second aspect of the invention, the method comprising the step of allowing hydraulic fluid to leak from said hydraulic circuit such that said at least one jaw applies a finite force to said pipe.

Apparatus and method for facilitating the connection of pipes


The debt issuance of a company are credit enhanced via an investment platform wherein the company's issuances and investments are both subject to a master netting agreement between common counterparties, thereby creating a fully hedged transaction with an investible present value monetization of the future income stream for purposes of reinvesting. The Investment Platform comprises a proprietary Cross Settlement, Credit Enhancement, Risk-Mitigation and Netting System that has a hedged investment structure that automatically qualifies for credit enhancement wherein non-investment grade debt issuances can be transformed into investment grade debt issuances. The Investment Platform is powered by a proprietary investment algorithm and make-whole algorithm that matches movements in a selected benchmark rate or indices. It provides a matched supply of capital to reinvest as the core of the structure recycles the investment capital by a method of monetizing the future income stream, while simultaneously matching and hedging the investment.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of financial securities, investment banking, tax law, credit rating, credit enhancement, electronic exchanges, generally accepted accounting principles and securities law, and more particularly, to innovative financial processes; and creative solutions to corporate finance problems, using techniques that minimize risk, reduce issuance cost and mitigate interest rate changes and their distribution to various third party investors through an Investment Platform that consists of investment methods, products, and systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
Presently, there is a large array of different types of investment opportunities and securities offerings that are available to investors from a variety of issuers including equity, quasi-equity, certificates of deposit, medium term notes, preferred securities, debentures, and other forms of secured and unsecured debt. Each of these different types of opportunities can offer investors different financial and performance characteristics (e.g., with respect to financial stability, rate of return, and investment structure). Many such existing types of financing and investment opportunities, however, have drawbacks that include that they do not: 1) adequately protect the investor(s) with respect to the loss of the investor(s)' capital contribution to the investment; 2) protect the expected cash flow of the investment (e.g., in the case of default) 3) have a risk reward ratio that is suitable for non-qualified investors (but rather have a high risk reward ratio geared solely for institutional investors) or 4) otherwise have the requisite features to be readily available or suitable for the non-qualified investor.
For example, in most investments the investor provides a party with capital in exchange for an equity interest in some financial enterprise, a debt obligation of someone's, beneficial interests in equity or debt, or for other consideration. Such investments typically carry the risk for investors that they may lose all or part of their investment if the financial product fails or upon the occurrence of certain financial events.
The most common method of addressing this risk of loss is to have the investment guaranteed, credit enhanced or insured by a financially sound party to the transaction or third party, such as an insurance company or other financial institution or insurance portfolio. When repayment of an investment is assured by an insurance company, such assurance is typically evidenced by some form of insurance policy. When repayment of an investment is assured by another type of financial institution, it typically takes the form of a guarantee.
There exist many methods of portfolio insurance such as OBPI (Option Based Portfolio Insurance), CPPI (Constant Proportion Portfolio Insurance), and Stop-loss, etc. Equity and fixed income based structured products offered by financial institutions in the 1980's widely used the CPPI method.
Usually, institutional asset managers don't directly bear the market risks on the asset portfolios they manage for their customers. This is not necessarily true when they insure or guarantee the value of the portfolios they manage or other portfolios. In that case, consequences of sudden large market's decrease may be totally borne by the institution providing the insurance or guarantee, depending on the method of insurance they use.
In the 1980's, one form of guaranteed investment became popular: the principal protected note ("PPN"). A PPN is typically a promissory note (a type of debt security and a negotiable instrument regulated by article 3 of the Uniform Commercial Code), issued by an entity, the repayment of principal (and sometimes interest) of which is either entirely or partially guaranteed by a bank or other financial institution. What is unique about many PPN's is that their return is tied to the performance of a separate type of investment, such as one or more investment funds (sometimes referred to as a reference fund), a basket of stocks, commodities, indices, funds or other items. The PPN permits the investor to participate, to some extent, in the performance of that other type of investment without taking all or a portion of the risk of the loss of the corpus of the investor's investment. One drawback often seen in PPN's is that many of them do not pay out any return until the maturity of the PPN. Another drawback is that is that if the PPN is not fully guaranteed in all situations, the investor still bears the risk of loss of all or a portion of its investment if the conditions under which the note is not fully guaranteed occur.
In some prior art investment methods, an investor invests in a particular structured product which uses partial or no portfolio insurance or guarantees to protect the investor contributions. Such methods, however, are tied to the fundamentals and susceptible to market risks of the particular investment.
There is currently a great demand and activity in the investment and financial community related to high credit quality credit enhanced issuances. With respect to holding PPNs or similar forms of debt issuances as a principal form of investment, PPNs can provide a stable financial vehicle but they suffer from certain drawbacks such as the lack of an active trading market for the PPN thereby providing the investor with market liquidity based on current net asset value (NAV) of the investment. In addition, even in the field of structured note products, known techniques do not take advantage of the many features of PPNs to appropriately benefit investors such as to protect principal contributions of investors.
The financial markets worldwide are always looking for new forms of financial securities that can raise additional money for corporations or other financial entities and are attractive to investors. Companies have financial product engineers who are constantly looking for better structures for securities in order to raise more money for corporations, provide investment products attractive and suitable for investors and provide fees to the investment banking company. The financial securities must comply and operate within applicable tax, securities and other laws and regulations.
It would be desirable for methods, systems and products to be developed that take full advantage of the broadening the field to non-investment grade issuers in order to broaden the investible universe of marketable securities.
3. Objects and Advantages
The main objective of the invention is to:
A) Create a superior Open-offer Securities pricing, reverse inquiry auction and distribution platform for issuers of debt securities.
B) Create a superior risk mitigated investment process that can be offered to non-qualified as well as institutional investors.
C) Create a superior instrument that investors will prefer to invest in comparison to alternative structured products, PPN investment products or any other innovative financial products.
D) Create a superior hedged investment structure financial product that automatically qualifies for credit enhancement wherein non-investment grade debt issuances can be transformed into investment grade debt issuances.
E) Create a superior instrument that may raise more money for a corporation than traditional issuances of debt, convertible debt and/or equity.
F) Allow any financial institution issuing debt securities to be able to compete better financially and for investors with domestic and international financial entities that issue similar debt securities.
G) Create an innovative security that bundles traditional debt and equity/quasi-equity and an investment in an investment unit.
H) Create an innovative security that bundles jumbo certificates of deposit ("CD"), I/O (interest only) CD Strips, P/O (principal only) CD Strips, non-cumulative perpetual preferred stock and annuities and an investment in an investment unit.
I) Create a security that has the ability to replace and replenish the equity of a company and provide balance sheet enhancement pursuant to laws and regulation.
J) Create a superior hedged investment structured financial product wherein the First Party can purchase a Second Party's existing Debt Instrument issuances in a secondary market transaction from a new party (the "Fourth Party").

System and method for credit enhancing a debt issuance and creating a present value investable arbitrage


An array substrate and a display device is disclosed. The array substrate includes a base substrate, a plurality of gate lines and a plurality of data lines arranged to intersect each other on the base substrate, a pixel electrode arranged in a region defined by an adjacent gate line and an adjacent data line, and a thin film transistor arranged at an intersection of the gate lines and the data lines. A drain of the thin film transistor is connected with the pixel electrode through a via hole. The gate lines further include a widening portion between adjacent data lines. The widening portion comprises a recess structure. An orthogonal projection of the recess structure on the base substrate at least partly overlaps that of the drain of the thin film transistor on the base substrate.

At present, thin film transistor liquid crystal displays have been widely used in televisions, mobile phones and common information display devices. A thin film transistor liquid crystal display comprises a thin film transistor array substrate. Specifically, a gate of the thin film transistor is connected with a gate line, and the gate line is connected with a gate driving circuit via a gate lead located in a peripheral region. In this way, the gate driving circuit provides a switching signal to the gate over the gate line and accordingly achieves graphic display. However, there are a plurality of data lines and gate lines in an array substrate, between which there are coupling capacitances. Additionally, coupling capacitances will also be present between the gate and a source/drain of the thin film transistor. Therefore, the coupling capacitances will be charged during signal transmission, which leads to a signal delay of the gate lines. In particular, in large-sized liquid crystal displays, the time required for charging the coupling capacitances will become longer, which leads to a more serious signal delay of the gate lines.


A tool (1xe2x80x2) for pulling an end of a first pipe (102) towards a stationary, second pipe (101) includes gripping devices (47) for holding the first pipe (102), and winch devices (140) for pulling the tool with the pipe towards the stationary pipe (101). A collar (50) which is releasable attached to the stationary pipe, has an anchoring point (60,61) for the pull-in line (141). When the tool with the end of the first pipe approaches the stationary pipe, a moment arm (149) on the tool interfaces with a stop (65,66) on the collar. At the same time, an alignment and stroking actuator (110) grips the collar above the axis of the stationary pipe. The moment arm and alignment actuator cooperate to raise the first pipe into a horizontal position so that it is aligned with the stationary pipe.

The present invention relates to a method for connection of underwater pipelines and a tool for such connection.
Underwater conduits extending between various structures on the seabed to a floating production unit are produced in two ways. When the pipeline is a flowline for production of oil or gas, or an umbilical containing a number of conduits for checking production on the seabed, it normally extends between a manifold and the production unit. Such a pipeline may be up to several kilometres long.
Such pipelines are generally deployed on the seabed in advance independently of other equipment. When the line has to be connected to the bottom structure, its end point has to be drawn or pulled from its deployed position over to the bottom structure and the end of the pipe with the termination head is connected to a corresponding coupling head mounted on the structure.
Another type of pipeline extends between two installations on the seabed, where the installations may be wells, a manifold, a second pipeline or a branch of such a second pipeline, a so-called tee joint. The installations are located at a relatively short distance from one another, usually 20-60 metres. This type of pipeline (which is called a spool or spool piece) is fabricated on the spot in exact lengths based on measurements of the distance between the connection points, and is lowered and connected in one operation.
A common method for this type of connection is a so-called xe2x80x9cstab and hingexe2x80x9d where the spool piece is equipped with a hinge and is lowered vertically before being rotated into a horizontal position, see, for example, NO 308381.
A tool for the first type of operation is described in NO 303914. A tool frame is attached to an underwater vehicle, a so-called ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle). The frame comprises gripping bodies for gripping and holding a pipe, together with winches for pulling the frame with a secured pipe to a connecting point. Pulling lines from the winch are attached in suitable holders mounted on the coupling head, whereupon the ROV with the tool move to the end of the pipe which is lying on the seabed some distance from the template (while the winches pay out wire). The tool is locked to the end of the pipe, whereupon the winches are started, thereby causing the tool with the secured pipe end to be pulled in towards the coupling head.
The winches are preferably individually controllable, with the result that angular deviations in the horizontal plane are adjusted during the pull-in operation, thus enabling the end of the pipe, when it is pulled in, to be axially aligned with the coupling head. The connecting point, however, is located some distance, usually 2-3 metres, above the seabed and it is therefore difficult to adjust the angular deviations in the vertical plane which are created when the pipeline has to be raised from the seabed.
A disadvantage of this type of tool is that, in order to obtain a tie-in, only small deviations, usually less than 4xc2x0, are permitted, and this can be difficult to achieve, particularly in the vertical plane.
One way of solving this problem has been to manufacture the coupling head with a downwardly directed bend or a ramp to make it easier to overcome the difference in height. The disadvantage is that it complicates standardisation and leads to increased costs.
A need therefore exists for a pull-in tool which can permit greater angular deviation during pull-in and which is capable of compensating for these deviations and adjusting the termination head so that it is correctly aligned with the coupling head.
An object of the present invention is therefore to provide a connection tool which can cope with greater vertical angular deviations during pull-in.
A second object of the invention is to provide a connection tool which can make connections more cheaply and quickly.
The tool according to the present invention is suitable for connection of pipelines to coupling heads on bottom or seabed frames or installations or to tee joints in other pipelines, as well as for connection of umbilicals.

Method for connection of underwater pipelines and a tool for such connection


An instruction is provided to establish various operational parameters for an adapter. These parameters include adapter interruption parameters, input/output address translation parameters, resetting error indications, setting measurement parameters, and setting an interception control, as examples. The instruction specifies a function information block, which is a program representation of a device table entry used by the adapter, to be used in certain situations in establishing the parameters. A store instruction is also provided that stores the current contents of the function information block.

This invention relates, in general, to input/output processing of a computing environment, and in particular, to facilitating communication with adapters of the computing environment.
A computing environment may include one or more types of input/output devices, including various types of adapters. One type of adapter that may be included is a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) or Peripheral Component Interconnect express (PCIe) adapter. The adapter uses a common, industry standard bus-level and link-level protocol for communication. However, its instruction-level protocol is vendor specific.
Communication between the devices and the system requires certain initialization and the establishment of particular data structures.

Controlling the selectively setting of operational parameters for an adapter

International Business Machines Corporation


A suitcase includes a hollow suitcase body which has a front side wall, a rear side wall that is formed with a longitudinally extending recess, and a wheel unit that is mounted on a lower end portion of the rear side wall. A foldable plate is mounted pivotally on the front side wall and is turnable outward to a carrying position in which the foldable plate is generally perpendicular to the front side wall. A cover plate is mounted on the rear side wall to cover the recess. A strap mounting frame is mounted on an inner face of the cover plate and has a top portion provided with a horizontally extending first hook support, a rotatable shaft, and a strap wound on the shaft and having one end fixed thereto. A handle member has two upright tubular portions which are inserted slidably into two upright tubular sleeves formed on the inner face of the cover plate. The handle member further has a horizontal second hook support extending across distal top ends of the tubular portions. The strap has a distal end which is provided with a hook unit that engages removably the first hook support when the strap is wound fully on the rotatable shaft. The hook unit engages removably the second hook support after the strap is pulled to bind an object carried on the foldable plate.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a suitcase, more particularly to a wheeled suitcase with an extensible handle and a foldable plate for carrying another suitcase thereon.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional suitcase is provided with wheels to facilitate transport of the same. In some cases, a traveler has to carry a briefcase in addition to the suitcase. It is inconvenient for a traveler to carry the suitcase and the briefcase altogether.

Suitcase with extensible handle and foldable plate for carrying another suitcase thereon


Operating hardware for a window complete comprising an upper platform unit attached to a window frame; a lower platform unit attached to the window frame; a sliding drive mechanism comprising a sliding housing base, a sliding housing top piece, a planetary gear set, and a worm and wheel gear set; and a handle drive mechanism comprising an input bevel gear, a handle drive cap including a first hole for receiving the input bevel gear and a first half hole, an output drive gear, a handle drive base including a second hole for receiving the input bevel gear and a second half hole, and a handle drive shaft.

Casement window operators are well known in the art and typically utilize a hand crank to perform a single operation, for example, the opening and closing of a casement window. Another type of casement window operator uses a hand crank to lock and unlock a window sash within a window frame of a casement window. While attempts have been made to create an integrated window hardware system that combines the operation of a single hand crank to control a window's swing for opening and closing, linked to the operation of locking and unlocking the window, significant mechanical issues have resulted.
An exemplary mechanical issue resulting from integrated systems stems from an uneven or unsure back pressure created at the window's sash seal. That is, during the mechanical transitions between the operational mode and the locking mode, a resulting back pressure causes a misalignment of the window. Such a misalignment event, is otherwise mechanically defined as the release point between the sash's hook and the window's latch, wherein any back pressure from the sash seal pushes the sash away from the window frame, creating the misalignment event.
Recent U.S. Pat. No. 8,141,295 B2 (2012) is a representation of an attempt to use a single hand crank to control both the locking and unlocking operation, linked directly to the operation of the opening and closing of the sash. However, this and other known recent disclosures fail to address or take into consideration the misalignment problem described above.
Additional casement window operators or hardware in an integrated system may further include use of the hand crank to cause a window to enter a wash mode. Currently known window hardware for providing a transition of a window into a wash mode requires a window operator to have extra knowledge about the window hardware as a complete system, and extra knowledge is considered a highly undesirable condition as described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,707,621 B2 (2014) and U.S. Pat. No. 8,141,295 B2 (2012), which teach a wash mode for their windows which still requires particular hand manipulation to place the window sash in the position for cleaning.
Accordingly, there exists a need to provide an integrated casement window operator or hardware system that allows use of a single hand crank to control both an operational mode and a locking mode that overcomes the identified misalignment problem. There further exists a need to provide a window casement hardware system having an operational mode, a locking mode, and a wash mode, all connected to a single hand crank.

Fenestration hardware system for casement windows


A multilayer article includes a substrate that includes at least one of a ceramic compound and a Si-containing metal alloy. An outer layer includes stabilized zirconia. Intermediate layers are located between the outer layer and the substrate and include a mullite-containing layer and a chemical barrier layer. The mullite-containing layer includes 1) mullite or 2) mullite and an alkaline earth metal aluminosilicate. The chemical barrier layer is located between the mullite-containing layer and the outer layer. The chemical barrier layer includes at least one of mullite, hafnia, hafnium silicate and rare earth silicate (e.g., at least one of RE2SiO5 and RE2Si2O7 where RE is Sc or Yb). The multilayer article is characterized by the combination of the chemical barrier layer and by its lack of a layer consisting essentially of barium strontium aluminosilicate between the mullite-containing layer and the chemical barrier layer. Such a barium strontium aluminosilicate layer may undesirably lead to the formation of a low melting glass or unnecessarily increase the layer thickness with concomitant reduced durability of the multilayer article. In particular, the chemical barrier layer may include at least one of hafnia, hafnium silicate and rare earth silicate.

The present invention is directed to a multilayer system for protecting components exposed to severe environmental and thermal conditions such as the hostile environment present in gas turbine engines.
A major limitation in the efficiency and emission of current gas turbines is the temperature capability (strength and durability) of metallic structural components (blades, nozzles and combustor liners) in the engine hot section. Although ceramic thermal barrier coatings are used to insulate metallic components, thereby allowing the use of higher gas temperatures, the metallic component remains a weak link. Such components must allow for the possibility of coating loss from spallation or erosion.
Silicon-containing ceramics are ideal materials for high temperature structural applications such as heat exchangers, advanced gas turbine engines, and advanced internal combustion engines. They have excellent oxidation resistance in clean oxidizing environments due to the formation of a slow-growing silica scale (SiO2). However, durability in high temperature environments containing molten salts, water vapor or a reducing atmosphere can limit their effectiveness. Molten salts react with silica scale to form liquid silicates. Oxygen readily diffuses through liquid silicates and rapidly oxidizes the substrate. High water vapor levels lead to hydrated silica species (Si(OH)x) and subsequent evaporation of protective scale. Complex combustion atmospheres containing oxidizing and reducing gases form SiO2 and reduce it to SiO(g). In situations with low partial pressure of oxidant, direct formation of SiO(g) occurs. All of these reactions can potentially limit the formation of a protective silica scale and thus lead to accelerated or catastrophic degradation.
Examples of silicon-containing ceramics are SiC fiber-reinforced SiC ceramic matrix composites (SiC/SiC CMC""s), SiC fiber-reinforced Si3N4 matrix composites (SiC/Si3N4 CMCs), carbon reinforced SiC ceramic matrix composites (C/SiC CMCs), monolithic silicon carbide and monolithic silicon nitride. A primary problem Si-containing ceramics face is rapid recession in combustion environments due to the volatilization of silica scale via reaction with water vapor, a major product of combustion. Therefore, use of silicon-containing ceramic components in the hot section of advanced gas turbine engines requires development of a reliable method to protect the ceramic from environmental attack. One approach in overcoming these potential environmental limitations is to apply a barrier coating which is environmentally stable in molten salts, water vapor and/or reducing atmosphere.
An early environmental barrier coating system (EBC) consisted of two layers, a mullite (3Al2O3.2SiO2) coat and a yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) top coat. The mullite coat provided bonding, while the YSZ coat provided protection from water vapor. Mullite has a good coefficient of thermal expansion match and chemical compatibility with Si-based ceramics. However, the relatively high silica activity of mullite and the resulting selective volatilization of silica cause its rapid recession in water vapor. This EBC provided protection from water vapor for a few hundred hours at 1300xc2x0 C. During longer exposures, however, water vapor penetrated through cracks in the mullite and attacked the Si-containing substrate, leading to coating delamination.
Another EBC with improved performance was developed as part of a NASA High Speed Research-Enabling Propulsion Materials (HSR-EPM) Program in joint research by NASA, GE, and Pratt and Whitney. The EBC consisted of three layers: a silicon bond coat, an intermediate coat consisting of mullite or mullite and barium strontium aluminosilicate (BSAS), and a BSAS top coat. The mullite, mullite and BSAS, and BSAS layers were applied by a modified plasma spray process developed at the NASA Glenn Research Center as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,391,404, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. The EBC was applied to SiC/SiC CMC combustor liners used in three Solar Turbine Centaur 50s gas turbine engines. The combined operation of the three engines resulted in the accumulation of tens of thousands of hours without failure at a maximum combustor lining temperature of about 1250xc2x0 C. A drawback of this BSAS-top coat EBC is that when applied to the solar turbine SiC/SiC liners it suffered from substantial BSAS recession after engine testing.
FIG. 1 of EP 1142850 shows an EBC which employs a YSZ topcoat 18, a YSZ-containing intermediate layer 24 between the topcoat and a Si-containing substrate 12, and a BSAS layer 22 between the YSZ-containing intermediate layer 24 and the substrate. The inventor of the present application has found that when BSAS and YSZ react, an undesirable low melting glass results. This problem was not recognized in the EP ""850 disclosure as is apparent by the close proximity of BSAS layer 22 and YSZ layer 24. EP ""850 discloses that intermediate YSZ-containing layer 24 can includes sublayers in which an inner sublayer in contact with the BSAS layer 22 contains one of BSAS, mullite or alumina and an outer sublayer in contact with the YSZ top coat consists essentially of YSZ. This again is disadvantageous in that it can position the outer YSZ sublayer in contact with an inner sublayer containing BSAS.
EP ""850 also discloses compositionally grading layer 24 using YSZ and one of BSAS, mullite or alumina. The EBC of EP ""850 will have BSAS-mullite contact when the mullite/YSZ graded layer is used. The inventor has found that mullite-BSAS reaction can become a serious durability issue in long-term exposures (over several hundred hours) as the reaction has the potential to produce a reaction product with a melting point as low as 1300xc2x0 C. Thus, the inventor has found that it is desirable to avoid the mullite-BSAS contact especially at outer layers where the temperature is higher. Another disadvantage is that the BSAS layer 22 adds 125 to 500 xcexcm of thickness to the EBC. A thick EBC has increased interlayer stress which may result in delamination. Therefore, the BSAS layer 22 at best presents a risk of delamination and at worst is deleterious to the EBC upon reaction of BSAS and YSZ or reaction of BSAS and mullite.
Current EBCs fail by delamination and spallation along a xe2x80x9cweak linkxe2x80x9d. The stress caused by the YSZ layer accelerates the failure. A key source for the creation of this xe2x80x9cweak linkxe2x80x9d is environmental/chemical degradation. Key material properties for long life EBCs should include environmental/chemical stability, low CTE, low modulus, sinter resistance, low thermal conductivity, and phase stability. Multilayer systems containing a YSZ outer layer and a mullite or mullite and alkaline earth metal aluminosilicate-containing intermediate layer, are potentially effective EBC systems, but there is a need to improve their performance by prolonging life or increasing the capacity to withstand higher operating temperatures.
The present invention is directed to a multilayer article which includes a substrate comprising a compound selected from the group consisting of a ceramic compound, a Si-containing metal alloy and combinations thereof. The multilayer article also includes an outer layer and a plurality of intermediate layers located between the outer layer and the substrate. The outer layer comprises fully or partially stabilized zirconia (ZrO2), preferably yttria stabilized zirconia, although rare earth elements besides yttria may be used as stabilizers. Intermediate layers are located between the outer layer and the substrate, one of which comprises a mullite (3Al2O3.2SiO2)-containing layer comprising 1) mullite or 2) mullite and an alkaline earth metal aluminosilicate. The mullite (no BSAS) intermediate layer is desirable when the multilayer article is used at temperatures of 1300xc2x0 C. and above for extended periods of time. One intermediate layer is an (outer) chemical barrier layer located between the mullite-containing layer and the outer layer. Yet another intermediate layer is an optional (inner) chemical barrier layer located between the mullite-containing layer and a bond layer or, if no bond layer is used, between the mullite-containing layer and the substrate.
The outer chemical barrier layer comprises a compound selected from the group consisting of mullite, hafnia (HfO2), hafnium silicate (e.g., HfSiO4), rare earth silicate (e.g., at least one of RE2SiO5 and RE2Si2O7 where RE is Sc or Yb), and combinations thereof, and, in particular, is hafnia, hafnium silicate or rare earth silicate. The outer chemical barrier layer is preferably located between an intermediate layer and the outer layer, more particularly, in contact with the outer layer and even more particularly is contiguous with both the outer layer and the mullite-containing layer.
The outer chemical barrier layer may be compositionally graded and consists essentially of a compound selected from the group consisting of mullite, hafnia (HfO2), hafnium silicate (e.g., HfSiO4 ), rare earth silicate (e.g., at least one of RE2SiO5 and RE2Si2O7 where RE is Sc or Yb), and combinations thereof in contact with the mullite-containing layer and consists essentially of stabilized zirconia in contact with the outer layer. The chemical barrier layer has a decreasing concentration of at least one of the mullite, hafnia (HfO2), hafnium silicate (e.g., HfSiO4 ) and rare earth silicate (e.g., at least one of RE2SiO5 and RE2Si2O7 where RE is Sc or Yb), and an increasing concentration of the stabilized zirconia, in a direction toward the outer layer.
The combination of the inventive outer chemical barrier layer composition and lack of a layer consisting essentially of BSAS between the mullite-containing layer and the outer chemical barrier layer, provides the multilayer article with very good performance. The outer chemical barrier layer advantageously inhibits or prevents the reaction between the outer layer and the mullite-containing layer. For example, when the outer layer includes YSZ and the mullite-containing layer includes BSAS, the chemical barrier layer prevents the formation of low melting glass resulting from YSZ and BSAS reaction. This chemical barrier effect is especially beneficial when the multilayer article is subjected to high temperatures (i.e., temperatures at 1300xc2x0 C. and above), where the interdiffusion between adjacent layers increases. In addition, by not employing a BSAS layer between the mullite containing layer and the outer chemical barrier layer, the thickness of the multilayer article can be substantially reduced. The thicker the EBC, the more likely that stresses will develop leading to delamination. In particular, a thickness of a portion of the multilayer article between an inner surface of the outer chemical barrier layer and an outer surface of the substrate ranges from 25 to 250 xcexcm and, more specifically, may be less than 200 xcexcm.
The inner mullite chemical barrier layer may be used between the mullite and glass ceramic intermediate layer and the silicon bond layer (or between the mullite and glass ceramic intermediate layer and the substrate when no bond layer is used) to prevent detrimental glass ceramic (e.g. BSAS, CAS, MAS)-silica reaction.
The inventive multilayer system includes two types of optional bond layers. The bond layer (e.g., bond coat) may be located between the mullite-containing layer and the substrate, preferably in contact with the substrate. A silicon-containing bond layer is preferred when the temperature at the bond layer is below the melting point of silicon. Alternatively, a bond layer which comprises a silicon-containing metal alloy having a melting point above the melting point of silicon may be used, such as Moxe2x80x94Si alloy and Nbxe2x80x94Si alloy. Suitable bond layer compositions would be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of this disclosure.
Turning to more specific features of the multilayer article of the invention, the alkaline earth metal aluminosilicate is preferably a compound selected from the group consisting of barium strontium aluminosilicate or BSAS (xBaO.(1-x)SrO.Al2O3.SiO2) where 0xe2x89xa6xxe2x89xa61, calcium aluminosilicate or CAS (CaO.Al2O3.2SiO2), magnesium aluminosilicate, also referred to as MAS or cordierite (2MgO.2Al2O3.5SiO2), and combinations thereof. An especially suitable mullite-containing layer comprises mullite and BSAS.
Although the outer layer may be referred to as a top coat, it need not be a coating per se. Also, other layers may be placed on top of the outer layer (i.e., further from the substrate than the outer layer). It should be understood that terms such as xe2x80x9cupper, lower, top, bottomxe2x80x9d and the like are used in this disclosure for purposes of illustration and should not be used to limit the invention, since these relative terms depend upon the orientation of the substrate. The intermediate layers are typically layers that are applied to the substrate or to a layer(s) on the article. However, some substrate materials, such as mullite matrix-containing materials, inherently form an intermediate layer (e.g., mullite). Whether applied or inherent, both constitute intermediate layers as these terms are used in this disclosure. The intermediate layers are defined herein as being located between the outer layer and a bond (e.g., Si-containing) layer on the substrate or, if no bond layer is used, between the outer layer and the substrate.
The substrate may be a ceramic compound, a Si-containing metal alloy, or both. The ceramic of the substrate may be a Si-containing ceramic or oxide ceramic with or without Si. The substrate comprises one of the following compounds: a Si-containing ceramic, such as silicon carbide (SiC), silicon nitride (Si3N4), composites having a SiC or Si3N4 matrix, silicon oxynitride, and silicon aluminum oxynitride; a Si-containing metal alloy, such as molybdenum-silicon alloys (e.g., MoSi2) and niobium-silicon alloys (e.g., NbSi2); and an oxide ceramic such as mullite-containing ceramics (e.g., a mullite matrix with ceramic fibers, such as alumina fibers, dispersed in the matrix). The substrate may comprise a matrix reinforced with ceramic fibers, whiskers, platelets, and chopped or continuous fibers.
Other features, details and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the attached drawings and detailed description that follows.

Multilayer article having stabilized zirconia outer layer and chemical barrier layer

The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration


An electric vehicle driven by a pair of left and right electric motors is provided. The vehicle includes a controller for controlling the start of the vehicle. The controller performs such control as avoiding brake drag caused by the operation of the electric motors before the elimination of the braking of a pair of left and right parking electromagnetic brakes.

The present invention relates to an improvement in electric vehicles driven by electric motors and, more particularly, to starting control at hill starts.
An electric vehicle of this kind is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI-3-98404 entitled xe2x80x9cCOMPACT ELECTRIC VEHICLE.xe2x80x9d This electric vehicle includes an electric motor as a driving source, an electromagnetic brake which releases the brake when being energized, a current detecting circuit for detecting the energized state of the electromagnetic brake and a controller which outputs an operation command signal to the electric motor when the current detecting circuit detects the energized state of the electromagnetic brake. That is, upon verification of energization of the electromagnetic brake, the electromagnetic brake is assumed to be released from the braking state and the electric motor is operated. This prevents overload to the electric motor due to so-called brake drag caused by the operation of the electric motor before the elimination of the braking of the electromagnetic brake.
At so-called hill start where an electric vehicle a under electromagnetic braking is started on an upgrade, the conventional electric vehicle rolls back during the time between brake release and sufficient power generation of the electric motor, reducing the riding comfort.
An attempt ot release the brake simultaneously with energization of the electric motor so as to avoid the above problem is not preferable because it would cause the electric motor to start rotating before the completion of the brake release, causing the above-described brake drag, and damaging the brake and the electric motor. An electric vehicle that is capable of effectively preventing brake drag and on-grade rollback is thus desired.
According to the present invention, there is provided an electric vehicle which comprises÷a directional speed member for issuing forward travel, neutral state and reverse travel instructions of the vehicle, a pair of left and right electric motors which operate based on the operation of the directional speed member, a pair of left and right parking electromagnetic brakes for applying holding brakes to the vehicle in the neutral state, and a controller for controlling the start of the vehicle to prevent drag of the parking electromagnetic brakes.
The holding brakes do not mean brakes during travel but brakes such as parking brakes during no travel. Holding braking torque is substantially lower than stopping braking torque. The electromagnetic brakes for holding brakes can be small in volume, leading to reductions in size, weight and cost of the electromagnetic brakes.
The present invention allows effective prevention of brake drag and on-grade rollback of the electric vehicle.
The controller preferably outputs a starting control signal to induce the start of the pair of left and right electric motors with the start of release of the pair of left and right electromagnetic brakes based on information that the directional speed member is switched from neutral to forward travel or reverse travel, and performs such control as gradually reducing the starting control signal output until the electric motors are actually in a rotating state.
The gradual reduction of the starting control signal output means continuous reduction of the signal output relative to time. The gradually reducing speed is set smaller than the releasing speed of the electromagnetic brakes. Too high gradually reducing speed causes too small output of the electric motors before the release of the electromagnetic brakes.
Inducing the start of the electric motors with the start of release of the electromagnetic brakes causes an excess in output of the electric motors due to the small volume of the electromagnetic brakes, causing development of brake drag due to the excessive rotation of the electric motors during the release of the electromagnetic brakes, and shortening the life of the brake shoes. Downward adjustment to gradually reduce the starting control signal output reduces the outputs of the electric motors. This results in practical elimination of the brake drag during the release of the electromagnetic brakes. During the release, the braking torques of the electromagnetic brakes become smaller with time and the electric motors start rotating when the outputs of the electric motors exceed the braking torques of the electromagnetic brakes. Thereafter the operation shifts to normal control.
At hill starts, since the present invention generates a starting control signal for inducing the start of the electric motors with the start of release of the electromagnetic brakes, the sum total of the braking torques of the electromagnetic brakes and the output torques of the electric motors functions as an upgrade rollback stopping force.
The starting control signal output is preferably set smaller than a normal control signal output for rotating the electric motors. If the braking torques of the electromagnetic brakes are too small, the outputs of the electric motors can be excessive, causing brake drag. Setting the electric motor outputs smaller only at starting avoids brake drag. Thus brake drag can be more effectively avoided.
The controller has the functions of: switching the circuits of the pair of left and right electric motors to a short circuit brake mode with the start of release of the pair of left and right electromagnetic brakes based on information that the directional speed member is switched from neutral to forward travel or reverse travel, and maintaining the mode for time t1 required for switching the electromagnetic brakes from a braking state into a released state; switching the circuits of the electric motors to a forward mode or a reverse mode as instructed by the directional speed member while maintaining a control signal to the electric motors at an output corresponding to zero vehicle speed, and maintaining the mode for time t2 required for the circuit switching of the electric motors; and allowing an increase of the control signal output to the electric motors after the lapse of the time t2 and bringing the electric motors into a driving state in accordance with the directional speed member.
Measurements of the time required for the electromagnetic brakes to switch from the braking state to the released state vary because of variation in their mechanical components. A value artificially determined based on an average value of measured values is thus used here as the time t1 corresponding to the time required for the electromagnetic brakes to switch from the braking state to the released state.
As described above, the present invention operates the short circuit brakes while releasing the electromagnetic brakes from the braking state to the released state preparatory to vehicle travel so as to prevent vehicle motion. Then, during the release of the short circuit brakes, the controller outputs a control signal corresponding to zero vehicle speed to cause the electric motors to generate outputs just before travel. This allows the prevention of rollback at hill starts or the like.
After the lapse of the time t1 required for the release of the electromagnetic brakes and the time t2 required for the elimination of the short-circuiting brake circuits, the electric motors are brought into a driving state, so that the occurrence of brake drag can be avoided and increase in volume of the elements used in the electric motor circuits can be limited.


Traction enhancing devices for footwear assemblies are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a footwear assembly includes a footwear product with an outsole that has one or more embedded traction enhancing devices. Each traction enhancing device can be a stud that is at least partially embedded in the carrier portion of the outsole and that partially projects from the carrier portion. Each stud can be configured to reduce or eliminate relative movement between the stud and the carrier portion to prevent the stud from loosening or falling out. For example, each stud can include a shaft having an engaging surface, such as a threaded, ribbed, or textured surface, that engages the carrier portion. Each stud can also include a portion having an enlarged surface area, such as an anchor or head, embedded in the carrier portion to improve retention of the stud in the carrier portion.

Articles of footwear have been designed and worn by humans since early in recorded history. Articles of footwear were initially designed to protect the bottom of the feet of wearers while walking or running over rough surfaces. Although the primary purpose of footwear remains basically unchanged, the various types of activity and surfaces on which wearers run, walk, or stand on have led to an ever increasing diversity in the style and construction of footwear. For examples, humans engage in a wide variety of physical activities, such as walking, running, standing, etc. on a wide variety of surfaces, including slippery surfaces. There is a need for enhanced traction on slippery surfaces, such as ice, snow, etc.


The present invention includes a three position actuator which is used to position the gear range control lever on a two speed transfer case. Three positions are required to achieve HIGH, LOW and NEUTRAL. Two individual air chambers may be selectively charged with compressed air to move two pistons along a common actuator rod to achieve linear translation of the control lever to selectively position the transfer case in HIGH, NEUTRAL or LOW range. The transfer case is shifted from LOW to NEUTRAL to HIGH by releasing the charge of compressed air thereby permitting the return spring to shift the control lever to HIGH gear range. Thus, in the event of failure of the system supplying the compressed air, the actuator will return the transfer case to HIGH gear range which provides an appropriate gear range selection for limp home mode.

1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to remote actuator devices and specifically to an actuator device which may be used to remotely select a gear range for a two speed transfer case.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
Presently two speed transfer case gear selection is accomplished by force applied through a sleeved cable connected to the transfer case gear range control lever. The force is typically applied through a driver operated lever located in the cab of the vehicle. Frictional resistance in the sleeved cable increases the force which the driver must apply to the lever to accomplish a shift of the transfer case. In large trucks the cable must be routed a great distance and often through a circuitous path. Consequently, a great deal of force is required to shift the transfer case through a sleeved cable.
Remote actuator devices are available which derive motive force from compressed air, hydraulic fluid or electrical energy. Simple actuation devices utilizing these sources of motive force are subject to failure upon interruption of the source of motive force. Such a failure manifests itself as a transfer case which is stuck in the gear range previously selected. The previous gear selection is only by coincidence that which is appropriate for limp-home operation. Therefore, there exists a need to provide a stand-by supplemental motive force which will shift the transfer case to a limp-home gear range in the event of interruption of the source of motive force. Return springs are known in the art for achieving this purpose. However, return springs represent an additional force which must be overcome when shifting the transfer case.
The force required to shift the transfer case from HIGH or LOW into NEUTRAL involves a force which must disengage a jaw clutch which is accomplished by moving the clutch axially along a splined shaft. This force requirement peaks at the early portion of the stroke and then drops to a minimum. Conversely, the force required to shift the transfer case to HIGH or LOW from NEUTRAL involves a force which must engage a jaw clutch with a mating gear. This force requirement peaks as the jaw clutch engages the gear and accomplishes synchronization.
These force peaks define minimums necessary to accomplish the shift. In each respective instance, either shifting into engagement or out of engagement, the force peaks are approximately equal. If insufficient force is applied the shift will not occur. If too much force is applied during disengagement, the shift will be prevented due to binding of the engagement splines. In addition, too much force will result in an abrupt shift during engagement risking damage to the respective gears.
An actuator must be designed taking into account the presence of the stored spring force. Thus an actuator must provide a smaller amount of force in the early portion of the stroke and progressively more as the actuator reaches the end of its stroke. Therefore, there exists a need for a simple actuator which can achieve three position control of a transfer case which provides a fail-safe, limp-home gear change while providing equal amounts of force to accomplish respective shifts either into engagement or out of engagement.

Three position actuator for shifting a two speed transfer case


The present disclosure relates to an online platform for out of home advertising. The online platform may allow various advertisers to search for advertising panels (e.g., digital billboards), select available time periods for an advertising panel, upload an advertisement (“ad”), and have the ad displayed on the advertising panel. An advertiser can search for advertising panels using one or more search parameters (e.g., geographical location and demography of target audience). The online platform may also allow advertising panel owners to publish their advertising panels, manage availability, and approve or reject ads for display. The online platform may generate reports relating to the advertising panels.

Marketing materials may be displayed to the public in various forms of advertisement. One such type of advertising can include out of home (OOH) advertising, which may refer to advertising that occurs outside of the home of a consumer. An example of OOH advertising medium can include a billboard displayed to consumers in an environment. Examples of suitable environments for OOH advertising can include a restaurant, a convenience store, a medical facility, etc.
In many cases, an advertiser may take multiple steps to display specific marketing materials in an OOH advertising environment. Examples of such steps can include the advertiser identifying an available billboard, determining the owner of the billboard, contacting the billboard owner, get pricing and availability of the billboard, negotiate with the billboard owner, receive a contract from the billboard owner, review the contract, receive an invoice, make payment, send the advertising content and display schedule of the advertising content, and request various performance reports. Performing these steps for OOH advertising can be time consuming and inefficient for both the advertiser and the owner of the OOH advertising medium (e.g., the billboard owner).
Further, the likelihood of the advertiser not finding a suitable OOH advertising medium may be great, as the advertiser may be unaware of potentially suitable OOH advertising mediums, particularly if the advertiser is located far from the OOH advertising medium. Additionally, owners of the OOH advertising medium may be unable to identify and attract advertisers to display their marketing materials on OOH advertising medium of the owner. Consequently, time slots available for the OOH advertising medium may go unsold.
The drawings depict various embodiments for the purpose of illustration only. Those skilled in the art will recognize that alternative embodiments may be employed without departing from the principles of the technology. Accordingly, while specific embodiments are shown in the drawings, the technology is amenable to various modifications.

Online platform for out of home advertising


A drive for rotating and reciprocating a distributing roller in inking or damping units of offset printing presses includes two gears rotating at different speeds from one another, only the first rotation-transmitting gear of the two gears is driven by a gear connected to the plate cylinder and the second lateral reciprocation-transmitting gear is driven by the first gear by way of an intermediate gear meshing with both gears.

Generally, three drives are superimposed on the generated surface of a distributing roller in inking or damping units of offset printing presses. First there is the positive drive of the distributing roller by a transmission, more particularly a geared transmission, which is responsible for the rotation of the distributing roller, second there is the positive drive for lateral reciprocation of the roller and third there is the friction drive produced by the pressure with which the distributing roller cooperates with contiguous rollers.
A drive such as described above is generally disclosed in DD-PS 41 474 and according to this disclosure the drive has a loose gear which transmits the lateral reciprocation to the distributing roller and this loose gear has two teeth less than the gear which transmits rotation to the distributing roller, the latter gear being rigidly connected to a bearing extension of the distributing roller. The loose gearwheel is connected by a pin with a roller to a circular cam groove in a sleeve, which is rigidly connected to the bearing extension, the pin being disposed in the hub of the loose gear. When the loose gear having two teeth less than the other gear rotates, the pin and roller in the hub are driven with acceleration circularly in the cam groove, resulting in the sleeve with the bearing extension and, therefore, the distributing roller being reciprocated once by the distance of the pitch of the cam groove relative to the number of teeth of the loose gear and of the rotation-transmitting gear.
When the pin with the roller experiences accelerated circular engagement with respect to the cam groove, the loose gear experiences vibrations emanating from the press, for example, from the drive gear train of the printing cylinder and/or from the friction drive of the rollers and cylinder with the rotary vibrations and/or distributing vibrations deriving from the plate cylinder recess as the inking rollers run on and off and due to the possibility of the inking rollers being driven with peripheral slip. Also, the loose gear experiences vibrations arising from the derivation of the cyclic traversing movement of the distributing roller from a rotary movement of the cam groove with the roller entrained therein with acceleration in the circular groove, the roller being rigidly connected by way of the pin to the hub of the loose gear.
The loose gear is relatively light in weight and so its moment of inertia is inadequate to damp the vibrations which are superimposed on one another. Additionally, since the loose gear is rigidly connected to a gear of the drive gear train from the printing unit rollers, the vibrations of the loose gear are transmitted without damping as far as the printing rollers. Thus, this kind of drive entails a risk of the formation of gear tooth striping on the print support, as a result of play between tooth flanks due to the undamped vibrations of the loose gear.

Drive for the rotation and laterally reciprocating distributing roller in inking or damping units


A pull clip for the bottom bar of a window shade, the pull clip comprising a pair of arms joined by a bridge portion, the arms flexibly biased toward a rest position when displaced therefrom, at least a portion of the arms releasably receivable within one or more channels on the bottom bar, at least one of the arms or the bridge portion including an engagement member, the engagement member frictionally engaging the bottom bar when the arms are received within the one or more channels to restrain the movement of the pull clip along the one or more channels, the pull clip including a receiver, the receiver facilitating the attachment of a cord or wand to the pull clip.

One common form of window shade comprises a fabric or other material that is wound upon a roller that is fixed or mounted to the top portion of the window frame. The fabric can be pulled downwardly and unrolled from the roller in order to block or minimize the amount of light infusion through the window. Later, when it is desired to allow unrestricted light to pass through the window, the fabric is typically wound back upon the roller through the use of one of a wide variety of different mechanical mechanisms. Most commonly the bottom portion of the fabric is fixed to a generally horizontal member that is generically referred to as a bottom bar. The bottom bar serves the purpose of finishing off the lower portion of the fabric, and also acts as an element of mass or weight that helps the fabric to hang taught and straight. Often the bottom bar is comprised of extruded plastic or aluminum.
Window shades are typically created in a wide variety of different lengths, including custom lengths, in order to accommodate windows of varying widths. To assist in the lowering of the shade a rope or cord pull, or in some cases a wand, may be attached to the mid-portion of the bottom bar. Since the window shade, and hence the bottom bar, may be of a variety of different widths, the particular location of the attachment of the pull cord or wand to the bottom bar will vary from window to window. It is therefore desirable to have a mechanism that permits the attachment of the pull cord or wand at various positions along the length of the bottom bar. Accordingly, the present invention concerns a mechanism that assists in the connection of a pull cord or wand to the bottom bar and that permits the pull cord or wand to be located at various positions along the length of the bottom bar.

Pull clip for bottom bar of window shade


A metrology/inspection system moves the imaging and/or measuring equipment of the system relative to a wafer. Accordingly, measurement or inspection of the wafer does not require that the wafer be mounted on a precision stage. This allows the wafer to be at rest on any structure native in a processing apparatus when the system measures or inspects the wafer. Accordingly, measurement does not require removing the wafer from the processing apparatus and does not delay processing since the wafer can be measured, for example, during a required cool down period of device fabrication process. Alignment of an optical system includes pre-alignment base on edge detection using the optical system and more precise alignment using image recognition. An R-θ stage can position the optical system at inspection areas on the wafer. Image rotation can provide a fixed orientation for all images at the various inspection areas and can maintain the fixed orientation when moving from one inspection area to the next.

Field of the Invention
This invention relates to measurement and inspection systems and particularly to systems and methods for measuring or inspecting specific locations on a wafer while the wafer remains in a processing apparatus.
Description of Related Art
During fabrication of semiconductor devices, wafers containing devices are often inspected or measured to determine whether processes are proceeding as expected. Such measurements provide information that guides adjustments of process parameters to improve the yield of operable devices.
Typically, the inspection or measurement of a wafer requires moving the wafer to a metrology station where the wafer is mounted on a precision stage. The stage precisely positions the wafer to allow inspection or measurement of specific points on the wafer. Standalone metrology stations have drawbacks including: the space required for the station; the processing delay for removing, measuring, and returning the wafer for further processing; and possible contamination or damage to the wafer that moving the wafer introduces. Metrology equipment that measures or inspects a wafer while the wafer remains in a processing apparatus would avoid many of the drawbacks of standalone stations. However, the typical processing apparatus lacks a stage or other means capable of precisely positioning a wafer for inspection or moving in the wafer in response to the needs of the metrology equipment. Further, the space available in and around processing apparatuses is limited so that compact equipment is required.
Many measurement and inspection systems mount samples such as semiconductor wafers on X,Y stages. An X,Y stage can move a sample in two independent orthogonal directions X and Y to select an area of the sample for viewing, imaging, or measurement. For example, an X,Y stage can move a wafer to select and position an area of the wafer in the field of view of an imaging system. The travel distances of the X,Y stage in the X and Y directions determine the size of the largest sample that can be inspected from edge to edge, and large samples require large travel distances. Accordingly, inspection systems have become larger to accommodate larger samples, for example, larger diameter semiconductor wafers.
The space required to accommodate the range of motion of an X,Y stage has a width that is equal to or greater than the width of the sample plus the travel distance in the X direction and a length that is equal to or greater than the length of the sample plus the travel distance in the Y direction. FIG. 1 illustrates a system 100 that uses an X,Y stage to position a circular sample 110. System 100 includes an imaging and/or measurement system (not shown) that can be, for example, a video camera, a microscope, an interferometer, a reflectometer, an ellipsometer, an FTIR spectrometer, or any type of spectrophotometer. Such systems typically have a field of view 130 that is much smaller than sample 110. To view the left edge of sample 110, the X,Y stage moves sample 110 to a position 112 where the left edge of sample 110 is in field of view 130. Position 112 is offset to the right from the central position of sample 110 by the radius r of sample 110. A position 116 for viewing the right edge of sample 110 is offset a distance r to the left along the X axis from the central position. Accordingly, the X,Y stage must have a travel distance of 2r along the X axis for edge-to-edge inspection of sample 110. Similarly, the X,Y stage must have a travel distance of 2r along the Y axis between positions 114 and 118, and a minimum area 120 required for an X,Y stage capable of positioning sample 110 for edge-to-edge viewing is about 16*r2.
Many applications require the sample to be accurately positioned and oriented or at least require accurate information regarding the position and orientation of the sample relative to the X,Y stage. This requirement is common in automated semiconductor manufacturing where the samples are generally round semiconductor wafers. A wafer's position can be accurately determined by rotating the wafer about a rotation axis and monitoring the variation in the perimeter location of the wafer as a function of the rotation. An analysis of the measured perimeter variations can accurately determine the offset from the rotation axis to the center of the wafer. Additionally, the process can identify the orientation of the wafer because most semiconductor wafers have an orientation indicator such as a notch or a flat on its perimeter. An edge detector detects when the flat or notch in the wafer's perimeter rotates past. Examples of such position detector systems, which are often referred to as prealigners, are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,457,664 of Judell et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,308,222 of Bacchi et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,934 of Bacchi et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,513,948 of Bacchi et al. Prealignment for an X,Y stage requires addition of structure such as a separate prealignment station, from which the wafer is transferred to the X,Y stage after prealignment, or a rotatable sub-stage on the X,Y stage for rotating the wafer.
FIG. 2 illustrates a system 200 using a polar coordinate stage 220 to position sample 110. Polar coordinate stage 220 has a rotatable platform mounted on a linear drive mechanism. The linear drive mechanism moves the platform and a sample along a coordinate axis R, and the platform rotates the sample about the rotation axis of the platform. Polar coordinate stage 220 requires significantly less area when positioning sample 110 for edge-to-edge inspection. In particular, a travel distance r (the radius of the sample) along axis R out to a position 212 is sufficient to center in field of view 130 any radial coordinate ρ in the range from 0 to r. Rotation of sample 110 then selects an angular coordinate θ so that any point on sample 110 can be positioned in field of view 130. Since polar coordinate stage 220 only requires one-dimensional linear motion and half the travel distance of an X,Y stage, the polar coordinate stage takes much less area than an X,Y stage requires. In particular, a polar coordinate stage needs an area of about 6*r2, which is less than 40% of the area that an X,Y stage requires.
A disadvantage of a polar stage is the portion of sample 100 in field of view 130 generally appears to rotate when the stage rotates sample 100 to move from one inspection location to another. Thus, different areas appear to have different orientations when an operator or machine vision software views the sample through an imaging system. Additionally, the speed of movement generally varies from one location to another for any constant stage rotation speed. In some measurement systems, an operator observes an image of a portion of the sample being measured or inspected and controls movement of the sample to select which areas are measured or inspected. With a polar stage, image rotation and variable image motion can easily confuse or disorient the operator when the operator is continuously viewing or inspecting sample 110 and moving the sample from one position to another. Accordingly, systems and methods are sought that provide the area savings of a polar coordinate stage but avoid the confusion of image rotation and variable speeds of motion.


A semiconductor memory device may include: a memory cell region including a plurality of memory cells coupled between a plurality of word lines and a plurality of bit lines; and a refresh control block suitable for performing a first refresh operation onto the plurality of the word lines in response to a refresh signal, counting the number of active signals that are inputted between at least two neighboring refresh signals and when the counted number of the active signals is equal to or greater than a reference number, performing a second refresh operation onto a word line corresponding to a target address.

1. Field
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate generally to a semiconductor design technology, and more particularly, to a refresh control circuit for a semiconductor memory device that is capable of performing a target refresh operation.
2. Description of the Related Art
A memory device may typically include a plurality of memory cells for storing data in the form of stored charges. Each memory cell may typically include a capacitor that stores charges (i.e., data) and a transistor that serves as a switch controlling the flow of charges to and from the capacitor. Whether a data is in a 'high' logic level (i.e., a logic value '1') or a 'low' logic level (i.e., a logic value '0') is decided based on whether there are charges in the capacitor of a memory cell including the data, that is, whether the terminal voltage of the capacitor is high or low.
Data are retained in the form of charges that are accumulated in a capacitor. Therefore, theoretically, there should be no power consumption in simply retaining the data. However, because of a current leak due to a PN junction of a transistor, the initial amount of charges that are stored in a capacitor may gradually disappear, thereby causing data loss. To prevent this data loss, the data of a memory cell has to be read before the data is lost, and then the memory cell has to be re-charged to refresh the charges based on the read data. This operation has to be performed periodically to retain the data and is known in the art as a refresh operation.
The refresh operation is carried out whenever a refresh command is inputted from a memory controller to a memory. The memory controller may repeatedly input the refresh command to the memory at a predetermined time interval which is determined in consideration of a data retention time of the memory device. The data retention time of the memory device may represent how long a memory cell may retain its data without performing a refresh operation. Since the memory cells are designed to have a data retention time which is not shorter than a predetermined standard, the term between the refresh operations may be decided based on the predetermined standard.
However, when the amount of charges stored in a memory cell is affected by the active-precharge of a word line that is disposed adjacent to a word line coupled to the memory cell, the data of the memory cell may be deteriorated within a shorter time than the refresh term. This phenomenon is called a Row Hammering effect.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a portion of a cell array that is included in a memory device. In the drawing, 'BL0' and 'BL1' represent bit lines.
Referring to FIG. 1, 'WLK−1', 'WLK' and 'WLK+1' are three word lines that are disposedside by side in the inside of a cell array. The word line WLK marked with 'ATTACK_WL' may be a word line that is activated many times, a word line whose frequency of being activated is high, or a word line that is activated for a long time. The word line WLK−1 and the word line WLK+1 are word lines that are disposed adjacent to the word line WLK. Also, 'CELL_K−1', 'CELL_K', 'CELL_K' are memory cells that are coupled to the word line WLK−1, the word line WLK, and the word line WLK+1, respectively. The memory cells CELL_K−1, CELL_K, and CELL_K+1 may include cell transistors TR_K−1, TR_K and TR_K+1 and cell capacitors CAP_K−1, CAP_K and CAP_K+1, respectively.
In FIG. 1, when the word line WLK is activated many times, frequently activated, or activated for a long time, the voltage of the word line WLK may toggle frequently or the voltage of the word line WLK may be kept high for a long time. This may affect the data that are stored in the memory cells CELL_K−1 and CELL_K which are coupled to the word lines WLK−1 and WLK+1, respectively, due to a coupling effect occurring between the word line WLK and the word line WLK−1 and between the word line WLK and the word line WLK+1. The Row Hammering effect may shorten the time that the memory cells retain the data stored therein. The Row Hammering effect may be a serious concern, especially for high density semiconductor memory devices due to the increased proximity of neighboring word lines.
Normal refresh operations which sequentially refresh the plurality of word lines in a memory device when a refresh command is inputted do not specifically address data loss of memory cells due to the Row Hammering effect. Hence a new refresh operation is needed.

Refresh control circuit for target refresh operation of semiconductor memory device, and operating method thereof


A method for testing subscriber loop conditions includes receiving test signal data from a test signal provider, receiving a request for transmitting a test signal described by the test signal data, and transmitting the test signal over a communication channel. The test signal may correspond to a pre-qualification test signal, a qualification test signal, or an in-service test signal. Test results may be transmitted to the test signal provider or to some other designated recipient.

With the explosion in the growth of Internet usage among both businesses and households, telephone companies have been pressured to provide affordable, high bandwidth access that will support high-speed multimedia services, such as video on demand, high speed Internet access, and video conferencing. To meet this demand, telephone companies are increasingly turning to xDSL technology. The xDSL technology, while having several different embodiments, can provide throughput rates over 100 times faster than that available through traditional 56 kbps modems.
The following are some of the xDSL technologies that are either available today or are currently being tested on a trial basis: Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL), which has a throughput of 32 kbps to 8.192 Mbps downstream to the customer and 32 kbps to 1.088 Mbps upstream to the network; Rate Adaptive Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (RADSL), which is a rate adaptive variation of ADSL; High-bit-rate Digital Subscriber Line (HDSL), which offers full duplex throughput at T1 (1.544 Mbps) or E1 (2.048 Mbps) data rates; Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line (SDSL), which provides bi-directional throughput at data rates ranging from 160 Kbps-2.084 Mbps; and Very high-bit-rate Digital Subscriber Line (VDSL), which provides high data rates for customers close to the central office (e.g., 51 Mbps for subscribers within 1000 feet). But most importantly, xDSL technologies offer these high data rates over a standard copper telephone line. Thus, with such a large, embedded copper network already in place, network operators view xDSL technology as a means for extending the life of their investment in copper by many years.
Not all copper telephone line connections, or subscriber loops, between a central office and customer locations, however, are suitable for transmitting xDSL signals. A subscriber loop may, for example, include loading coils that would prevent the successful implementation of xDSL communication. Therefore, it is often necessary to conduct pre-qualification tests to identify potential communication impairments and to determine the likelihood that a DSL modem, if installed at a certain subscriber premises, will perform according to the proposed service offering. Furthermore, once a DSL modem is installed at a customer premises, qualification tests and in-service tests are often used to determine existing communication impairments and to compare DSL modem performance against the proposed service offering.
Subscriber loop testing is very important to DSL service providers, especially for the purpose of qualifying and provisioning a loop for DSL operation. The importance of such testing is highlighted by the creation of new companies, such as Turnstone, that specialize in subscriber loop testing. This need for testing may accelerate as the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Spectrum Management Standard reaches approval, and as Competitive Local Exchange Carriers (CLECs) challenge loop parameter allegations of Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers (ILECs). This testing will be crucial not only at initial installation, but afterward as loop conditions change due to more DSL crosstalk from the ever-increasing number of DSL services. Moreover, as higher performing DSL equipment becomes available, newer tests may be developed for conducting pre-qualification and qualification testing.
Presently, loop testing is segregated into three types: (1) Portable test equipment that a technician applies temporarily to the loop to be tested; (2) permanent, dedicated loop test equipment placed in-line with DSLAMs; and (3) loop test equipment housed inside DSLAMs with test functions switched onto the line to be tested. ILECs also have metallic line testing (MLT) that is restricted to public telecommunication systems (PTS) frequencies. Traditionally, however, each of the above mentioned test equipment only offers a limited number and variety of subscriber loop tests. Therefore, there exists a need for a subscriber loop testing system that is capable of efficiently and effectively performing a greater number and variety of subscriber loop tests.

System and method for subscriber loop testing