A mold apparatus for producing a synthetic resin foam part has a mold assembly (1) comprising a lower mold (2), an upper mold (3) removably attached to the lower mold to define a closed space, and an insert (4) removably disposed in the closed space. The insert has a partition (6) which is faced to the upper mold through a gap (11). The partition defines a chamber (7) between the insert and the upper mold. The closed space excluding the chamber constitutes a cavity (8) into which a molding compound is introduced. A pressure regulator means (21) is provided for exhausting air from the chamber (7) to keep the chamber in a subatmospheric pressure whereby air in the cavity (8) is also exhausted through the gap. A foam part is produced by feeding a synthetic resin blow molding compound into the cavity (8) under atmospheric pressure, tightly closing the mold assembly, exhausting air from the chamber and from the cavity through the gap to establish a subatmospheric pressure in the cavity, and causing the molding compound to be blow molded.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a mold apparatus for use in the molding of parts of expanded synthetic resin, preferably having an open cell structure, typically parts of flexible polyurethane foam. It also relates to a method for molding such parts using the mold apparatus.
2. Prior Art
Automotive seat back pads are conventionally formed of flexible polyurethane foam. One exemplary pad is shown in FIG. 11. The pad 100 has a face portion 101, a side portion 102, and a back portion 103 which are integrally molded. The back portion 103 is formed with an opening 104 so that the back portion 103 is of an inverted U shape. Thus the pad 100 as a whole has a bag or curved channel shape. When it is desired to mold such a bag shaped pad 100, a mold assembly 51 as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 is used in the prior art. More particularly, the mold assembly 51 is a three-sectional mold assembly consisting of a lower mold 52, an upper mold 53, and an insert 54. The lower mold 52 and the insert 54 define therebetween cavities 55a, 55b for forming the face and side portions. The upper mold 53 and insert 54 define therebetween cavities 56a, 56b for forming the back portion. A molded part is prepared by feeding a flexible polyurethane foam molding compound into the cavities 55a, 55b, 56a, 56b, fastening the molds, and causing the molding compound to expand.
Several problems arise in molding a pad as shown in FIG. 11. In order to mold an upper part 103a of the back portion 103 of the pad 100, generally known as a top pad part, the cavity 56a for forming the top pad part must be filled with the molding compound to its deepest point. To this end, it is a common practice to introduce the molding compound into the cavities 55a, 55b, 56a, 56b in slight excess of the necessity for thereby increasing the blowing pressure within the mold cavity. This results in the following problems. (1) An amount of molding compound in excess of the necessity is used. (2) As a result of extra feed of the molding compound in the cavity, more reaction gas is given off to increase the rate of rejection, particularly when a part of complex shape like the seat back pad shown in FIG. 11 is to be molded. (3) As the blowing pressure within the mold cavity increases, more burrs 106 are formed on the molded part 105 at the mold split positions or parting lines as shown in FIG. 14. After removal from the mold, an extra step is needed for deburring, tailoring and finishing.
In conjunction with the molding of automotive interior parts such as cushion pads from a polyurethane blow molding compound, a method for controlling the pressure in the mold cavity is proposed in Japanese U.M. Application Kokai No. 60418/1983. In this method, the mold cavity is defined between a lower mold and an insert. An upper mold is attached so as to cover the lower mold and the insert and define a pressure regulating chamber between the insert and the upper mold. The insert is provided with a vent hole for providing fluid communication between the chamber and the mold cavity. Then air in the cavity is discharged into the chamber through the vent hole.
Although this method uses the lower mold, insert and upper mold, the cavity for molding a part is defined by the lower mold and the insert. Therefore, the molded part is produced using only the lower mold and the insert while the upper mold only serves to define the pressure regulating chamber with the insert. In an essential sense, therefore, this mold assembly is a two-sectional mold rather than a three-sectional mold. Then this mold assembly cannot produce a bag-shaped part having a top pad portion 103a as shown in FIG. 11. It is still necessary to use a three-sectional mold as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 when it is desired to mold a bag-shaped part as shown in FIG. 11. Also for the molding of undercut parts, the apparatus of Japanese U.M. Application Kokai No. 60418/1983 is not applicable.
The apparatus of Japanese U.M. Application Kokai No. 60418/1983 further suffers from an increased rate of rejection in molding pads of relatively simple shape because air voids are formed near the parting line. Since regulation of the pressure between the cavity and the chamber is performed by way of the vent hole, the vent hole must be increased in size or number. Then air is locally exhausted to disorder the expansion balance of foam. It is cumbersome to trim off burrs formed in the vent hole(s) at the end of molding.
Japanese Patent Publication (JP-B) No. 102583/1995 discloses a method for molding a polyurethane foam part comprising the steps of reducing the gas pressure in a mold cavity, introducing into the mold cavity a polyurethane stock in the form of a mixture of 100 parts by weight of a polyol component and 0.1 to 0.6 part by weight of water as a blowing agent, and expanding the stock to flow in and fill the cavity. In this method, however, the gas pressure in the mold cavity is reduced by evacuating the cavity through a gap at the parting plane between two mold sections. The periphery of the mold along the parting plane is surrounded by a closed chamber which is evacuated to exhaust air from the cavity through the gap between the parting planes. Burrs or fins are often formed in the gap between the parting planes.

Method for molding expanded synthetic resin


Examples disclosed herein illustrate systems and methods to determine and evaluate the quality of mechanical splices of optical fibers using insertion loss estimation. In at least some of the disclosed systems and methods, an optical fiber termination system may include a reference fiber coupling a light source and a stub fiber of a fiber optic connector, a digital camera sensor and lens to capture images of scattered light emanating from a portion of the fiber optic connector and a portion of the reference fiber both in a field of view (FOV) of the digital camera sensor, and a processor. The processor may analyze digital images of scatter light emitted from at least a portion of the fiber optic connector and the reference fiber to estimate insertion loss at the fiber optic connector.

When working in the field of fiber optics, operators often establish connections between non-connectorized ends of optical fibers or fiber ribbons. This is generally referred to as splicing, and it may involve creating temporary or permanent joints between two fibers.
In certain instances, the two fibers are precisely aligned and then fused together using localized intense heat often times created with an electric arc. This is referred to as fusion splicing and is widely employed to create high performance permanent joints between two optical fibers. However, fusion splicer apparatuses are somewhat bulky, expensive and relatively fragile.
Alternatively, the two fibers may simply abut one another in an alignment fixture often referred to as a mechanical splice. The alignment fixture may be an alignment tube or V-groove which receives two ends of separate fibers on either side and has the means of physically securing the fibers. In other instances, the alignment device may be a fiber optic connector with a stub fiber embedded therein made to be connectorized to a field fiber. In this case the field fiber can be terminated utilizing a mechanical splice to the stub fiber inside the connector.

Optical fiber termination using a reference source


The optical diffuser mastering of the subject invention includes legacy microstructure surface relief patterns, along with smaller ones, overlaid on the larger ones. The characteristic features produced by the present invention will be found useful to eliminate visible structures in/on optical diffusers, such as those used in movie projection screens (utilizing either coherent (i.e., laser-generated) and non-coherent (e.g., lamp-generated) light), head-up displays (HUDs), laser projection viewing, etc., as the present invention produces much sharper images than those afforded by traditional holographic optical diffusers.

The prior art in holographic optical diffusers, which can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,675,863, 7,700,199, and 8,097,311, all of which are incorporated in their entirety by reference, comprises three-dimensional (3-D) surface relief patterns produced by optically recording laser speckle in thick (10 microns to 60 microns) photoresist material.
Referring to FIG. 1, an optical bench setup 100 capable of recording prior art holographic optical diffuser(s) in planar format, may be used as the starting point for improvements that comprise the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 2, an optical bench setup 200 capable of recording prior art holographic optical diffuser(s) in cylindrical (seamed and seamless) format, may be used as the starting point for improvements that comprise the present invention.

Composite holographic optical diffuser structure with high frequency overlay and method of fabrication thereof


An electronic device such as a head-mounted device may have displays that are viewable by the eyes of a viewer through adjustable lenses. The adjustable lenses may be liquid crystal lenses. A camera and other sensors in the head-mounted device may monitor the eyes of the user and gather other information. Control circuitry in the head-mounted device may control the adjustable lenses based on measured characteristics of the eyes of the user such as interpupillary distance and direction-of-view. The control circuitry may match the distance between the centers of the adjustable lenses to the measured interpupillary distance and may align the lens centers with the measured direction-of-view. The adjustable lenses may have transparent electrodes that are supplied with time-varying control signals by the control circuitry.

This relates generally to optical systems, and, more particularly, to devices with tunable lenses.
Electronic devices may include displays and optical systems such as lenses. For example, devices such as virtual reality and augmented reality headsets may include displays and may include lenses that allow users to view the displays.
It can be challenging to design devices such as these. If care is not taken, the optical systems in these devices may be insufficiently flexible or may not perform satisfactorily.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


An aspirated smoke detector includes a flow path and a generator of acoustic waves in the flow path. Airborne particulate matter in the flow path responds to the acoustic field by particle agglomeration; the resulting larger particles flow into a photoelectric-type smoke sensor. A sensed level of particles can be processed, or compared to one or more predetermined thresholds to establish presence of one or more predetermined conditions.

Optical sensing techniques, usable in smoke detectors, can be classified as transmission and light scattering techniques. Transmission measurements in early fire detection require impractically long optical paths. Intensity of the scattered signal depends on many factors besides the number of particles per unit volume and intensity of incident light. Modest improvements of light scattering signal at low smoke densities can be achieved by optimizing wavelength, scattering angle, detector sensitivity, intensity of the incident light, and polarization state of the incident light.
Acoustic agglomeration of aerosols and colloids is a well-known technique to manage fine particulate matter in pharmaceutical, environmental and other industrial applications. Basic concept is based on forming standing wave in acoustic resonator. Acoustic (usually ultrasound) pressure forces both small and large particles to jiggle along with air molecules. However, larger particles have a larger slip factor and are not able to follow air movement (this is particularly true at ultrasonic frequencies) as well as smaller particles can. As a result, aerosol particles experience increased collision frequency as compared to collision due to thermal motion alone.
Each collision may result in coagulation of particles where smaller particles disappear and larger particles emerge. As larger particles get formed, they tend to move to a location of one or more nodes in the acoustic field where they start to agglomerate (a phenomena called flocculation). If the field is powerful enough they tend to levitate. In sum, if a standing wave resonant acoustic field is established in a space containing a small concentration of aerosols then in a few seconds, those particles will coagulate into larger particles at nodes of the acoustic field.
Optical smoke detectors are advantageous in that they will respond to smoldering-type fires and potentially can provide early warnings thereof. Such technologies are also usually readily acceptable world wide.
There is thus a continuing need to improve performance of optical-type smoke detectors. Preferably, sensitivity could be increased without at the same time increasing incidences of false alarms.


A high pressure pump includes a housing having a pump chamber therein for receiving a pump piston, and a separate pressure housing having a liquid pressure chamber therein in fluid communication with a pump discharge flow line within an outlet housing. A force-transmitting piston is provided within the pressure housing and is movable along an axis substantially coincident with the central axis of the pump piston to place a desired load on each of a plurality of compression rods. The pump may be initially manufactured with the pressure housing, or a separate pressure housing may be added to an existing pump without modifying other pump components. According to the method of this invention, a control valve in a compression line is opened, the pump is activated, then the compression line is closed to maintain the compression rods under load.

People familiar with the benefits of high pressure fluid systems having long desired higher pressure pumps which are cost effective to power such systems. In the cleaning industry, for example, fluid gun operators have recognized for years the enhanced benefits of cleaning with fluid pressure in excess of 12,000 PSI. Systems capable of operating at 20,000 PSI or even 40,000 PSI are being seriously considered for cleaning applications, and those skilled in the hydroblasting art appreciate the substantially enhanced capability of such higher pressure systems.
A significant problem with obtaining such higher fluid pressures on a commercial basis relates to the cost and life of the fluid pump. Pumps with a plurality of plungers are commonly used for obtaining high pressures, and such high pressure pumps preferably utilize an inline valve pump design, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,551,077, for generating high fluid pressure without causing significant metal fatigue which leads to pump failure. As the maximum output pressure from the inline pump increases, increased difficulties are encountered in the operation of placing the pump compression rods under the desired axial load. A plurality of these rods (typically four) are conventionally provided exterior of the pump chamber, and provide the desired compressive force to reliably seal the pump housing to the outlet housing. The rods are typically threaded for receiving corresponding nuts, and large powered wrenches have been employed to torque such nuts to the extent desired to produce a high compressive force. This desired compressive force maintains sealing between the pump housing and the outlet housing, which may comprise a pump discharge housing and a suction valve seat member. Powered wrenches, in turn, have their own capacity limitations, and are a significant drawback to the low cost maintenance and repair of a pump, since pump operators frequently do not have the necessary wrenches to torque the nuts to the extent recommended by the pump manufacturer. Hydraulic nuts have been proposed to place threaded rods under a significant load to produce a necessary compressive force, but these hydraulic nuts are expensive, and their utilization requires a fluid power source that may not be available.
As a consequence, some high pressure pumps fail because of leakage between the pump housing and the pump outlet housing, wherein the leakage is attributable to the failure to provide the necessary torque on one or more of the nuts that cooperate with the plurality of pump compression rods. To overcome this problem, some maintenance personnel have utilized larger and more expensive wrenches to torque the nuts, and in some instances have applied substantially more torque to the nuts than recommended by the pump manufacturer. In these cases, the compression rods are subjected to a substantially higher axial load than desired, which contributes to fatigue and failure of pump components. Due to the substantial forces involved, failure of a compression rod may cause significant damages to the pump and adjacent equipment, and more importantly may cause injury or death to personnel.
Improved methods and apparatus are required to facilitate the manufacture and repair of a high pressure pump in a manner that will subject pump compression rods to the necessary load required to seal the pump housing with the outlet housing, but will not overload these compression rods and thereby decrease the life of the pump. Pump life can be substantially enhanced according to the techniques of the present invention, while repair and maintenance costs for a pump are reduced since both the time and the equipment required to disassemble and reassemble a high pressure pump are significantly reduced.
The disadvantages of the prior art are overcome by the present invention, and an improved pump and a method of axially loading pump compression rods are hereinafter disclosed that will significantly contribute to the desire for a relatively low cost, high pressure pump.

High pressure pump with loaded compression rods and method


Multiple gear transmission comprising input and output shafts (1, 2), three planetary sets (P1, P2, P3), six rotatable shafts (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) and six shifting elements (03, 04, 05, 14, 16, 56). Selective engagement of the shifting elements produces seven forward and two reverse gears. The input shaft is connected with the sun gear of the first planetary set (P1), the output shaft with the web of the second planetary set (P2), the third shaft (3) with the sun gears of second and third planetary sets (P2, P3), one shaft (4) connects the web of the first planetary set (P1) with the ring gear of the third planetary set (P3), one shaft (5) is connected with the ring gear of the first planetary set (P1), one shaft (6) connects the web of the third planetary set (P3) with the ring gear of the second planetary set (P2).

Automatic transmissions, especially for motor vehicles, comprise planetary sets shifted by means of frictional or shifting elements, according to the prior art, such as clutches and brakes and usually connected with a starting element like a hydrodynamic torque converter or a fluid clutch subject to slip action and optionally provided with a bridge clutch.
One such transmission results from EP 0 434 525 A1. It essentially comprises one input shaft and one output shaft disposed in parallel, one double planetary gear set situated concentrically to the output shaft and five shifting elements in the form of three clutches and two brakes, the selective locking of which by pairs determines the different gear ratios between the input shaft and the output shaft.
Also known from the Applicant's DE 199 49 507 A1 is a multiple gear transmission where on the input shaft two non-shiftable front-mounted gear sets are provided which produce the output side two rotational speeds which together with the rotational speed of the input shaft can optionally be shifted by selective closing of the shifting elements used to a shiftable double planetary gear set acting upon the output shaft in a manner such that for changing from one gear to the respective higher or lower gear that follows, only one shifting element of the two just actuated shifting elements has to be engaged or disengaged.
There has also been disclosed within the scope of EP 0 434 525 A1 one multiple gear transmission containing one input shaft and one output shaft located in one housing, one planetary set concentric with the output shaft and consisting of four elements designated from one first to one fourth in order of rotational speed, that is, one so-called double planetary set and five shifting elements, namely, three clutches and two brakes, the selective engagement of which by pairs determines different reduction ratios between input shaft and the output shaft, the transmission having two power paths so that by the selective engagement by pairs of the five shifting elements six forward gears are achieved.
DE 199 10 299 C1 has disclosed a planetary gear variable transmission having three transmission elements where one input shaft can be brought to driving connection with one output shaft by at least one of three planetary gear transmission elements. In the known planetary gear variable transmission, by using each time three frictional-engagement clutches and brakes, it is possible to shift five forward gears including one direct gear having a predetermined ratio.
In the known planetary gear variable transmission, it is possible by interrupting a specific driving connection between two of the three transmission elements, to provide an added sixth forward gear. In another embodiment, this is accomplished by additional auxiliary planets and by an added outer auxiliary central gear that meshes with the latter and by an additional brake can be decelerated in the sixth forward gear. In the other embodiments, the auxiliary central gear makes still one seventh forward gear and one additional reverse gear possible.
The problem on which this invention is based is to propose a multiple gear transmission of the kind mentioned above where the construction cost is optimized and, in addition, the effectiveness in the main driving gears is improved with regard to the towing and toothing losses.


An energy storage device includes: a positive electrode plate containing a positive composite layer including a positive active material capable of occluding and releasing a lithium ion; and a negative electrode plate containing a negative composite layer including a negative active material capable of occluding and releasing a lithium ion. A peak pore diameter Rp of the positive composite layer in a pore distribution measured by a mercury penetration method is 0.5 μm or less, and a peak pore diameter Rn of the negative composite layer in a pore distribution measured by a mercury penetration method is 0.5 μm or less. A ratio Rp/Rn of the peak pore diameter of the positive composite layer to the peak pore diameter of the negative composite layer is 0.60 or more and 1.70 or less.

Conventionally, an energy storage device including a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a nonaqueous electrolyte is known (see Patent Document 1). The positive electrode is formed by forming a positive composite layer containing a positive active material capable of absorbing and releasing lithium ions on the surface of a metal positive current collector. The negative electrode is formed by forming a negative composite layer containing a negative active material capable of absorbing and releasing lithium ions on the surface of a metal negative current collector.
During charging of the energy storage device, lithium ions are released from the positive active material, the lithium ions are diffused in the positive composite layer, and the lithium ions are released from the positive composite layer into the nonaqueous electrolyte. The lithium ions penetrate into the negative composite layer from the nonaqueous electrolyte, diffuse through the negative composite layer, and are absorbed in the negative active material.
Conversely, during discharging of the energy storage device, lithium ions follow a path, opposite to the above-mentioned path, from the negative active material to the positive active material.


A method includes generating an output signal at a transmitter using an input signal. The method also includes providing the output signal for communication over a communication link. The method further includes identifying a return signal by at least partially removing from the output signal at least one of: the communicated signal and base line wander. In addition, the method includes establishing a synthesized impedance to the return signal.

Conventional transmitters and receivers often communicate over transmission lines. For example, a transmitter may communicate with a receiver over an Ethernet cable. In conventional communication systems, a signal transmitted from a transmitter to a receiver over a transmission line is partially reflected back to the transmitter. To help minimize reflection, the impedance of the transmitter typically needs to match the characteristic impedance of the transmission line.
Several techniques have been developed to match the impedance of a transmitter to the characteristic impedance of a transmission line. However, these approaches typically suffer from a number of problems. For example, some techniques suffer from current or voltage loss and are sensitive to process variations during the manufacturing process. Also, some techniques require more complex circuitry that is external to the transmitting circuitry, which increases the size and complexity of the transmitter.

Apparatus and method for performing impedance synthesis in a transmitter


A method of controlling a head mounted display (HMD) device according to one embodiment of the present specification includes the steps of detecting whether the head mounted display device is in a wearing mode or a non-wearing mode, if the head mounted display device is in the wearing mode, displaying the digital information with a first user interface format, and if the head mounted display device is in the non-wearing mode, displaying the digital information with a second user interface format, wherein the digital information displayed with the second user interface format corresponds to the digital information displayed in a manner of expanding the digital information displayed with the first user interface format.

1. Field of the Invention
The present specification relates to a head mounted display device, and more particularly, to a head mounted display device displaying digital information with a user interface format different from each other according to whether a user wears the head mounted display device or not.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
As a head mounted display device has been lightened, users can watch digital information in a manner of wearing the head mounted display device like glasses. A display unit of the head mounted display device is located at a position close to eyes of a user. Hence, the head mounted display device should display digital information in a small size to enable the user to watch the digital information, which is displayed or projected. Because of the aforementioned characteristic of the head mounted display device, if the user takes off the head mounted display device, the user cannot watch the digital information provided by the head mounted display device. Hence, a method of providing the digital information to the user is required while the head mounted display device is in a state of being taken off.

Head mounted display device including multiple user interface formats and method of controlling therefor


The invention provides vernalization-related polypeptides, nucleic acids and methods of using the same for inducibly-conferring epigenetic change on a target gene in plant or non-plant settings.

In biennials and winter annuals, flowering is typically blocked in the first growing season. Exposure to the prolonged cold of winter, through a process called vernalization, is required to alleviate this block and permit flowering in the second growing season.
Plants have evolved the ability to alter their developmental program in response to environmental stimuli. A major switch in the developmental program is the transition to flowering. In many species the timing of this transition is determined by sensing seasonal changes. Photoperiod and temperature are two main environmental cues that plants monitor to determine the correct time to flower.
Vernalization is a term describing the promotion of flowering after exposure to cold. Specifically, vernalization results in "the acquisition or acceleration of the ability to flower by a chilling treatment" [31]. In other words, after vernalization plants do not necessarily initiate flowering but acquire the competence to do so. In many plant species, vernalization requires long-term exposure to the low temperatures of a typical winter. This is a useful adaptation because many vernalization-requiring species have a winter-annual or biennial habit; the plants begin growing in one season but flower in the spring of the second growing season. The term vernalization is derived from the Latin word vernus, meaning "of the spring". In vernalization-requiring species it is critical that the plants are not "tricked" into flowering in the late autumn season by transient exposure to cold followed by warm conditions; thus the requirement for prolonged cold. Flowering of many vernalization-requiring species is also promoted by long photoperiods and this photoperiod requirement provides another level of assurance that flowering does not occur in late autumn when the days are short.
The physiology of vernalization has been extensively studied since the defining work of Gustav Gassner in early 20th century [discussed in 32]. Grafting and localized cooling studies show that the apical meristem is the site of cold perception during vernalization and that vernalization causes the meristem to become competent to flower [32, 33, 34]. Once meristems have been exposed to prolonged cold, they "remember" that they have been vernalized. This memory is mitotically stable. One of the classic experiments that demonstrated this memory was to vernalize biennial Hyoscyamus niger and subsequently grow the vernalized plants in non-inductive photoperiods [discussed in 32]. The vernalized H. niger plants were able to remember the prior vernalization for long periods of time and were subsequently able to flower when exposed to inductive photoperiods. Another classic study that demonstrated both the site of vernalization and the memory effect was the in vitro regeneration of plants from various tissues of vernalized Lunaria biennis [33, 34]. Only tissues that contained dividing cells (including root meristems) regenerated into vernalized plants. Thus dividing cells (or perhaps cells in which DNA replication is occurring) are a prerequisite for vernalization, and the vernalized state is maintained through tissue culture. This type of experiment has also been done in Arabidopsis [35]. The mitotically stable cellular memory illustrates the epigenetic nature of vernalization. Of course it is vital that this memory is lost in the next generation so that the vernalization requirement is re-established.
These classical studies of vernalization raise some interesting questions. How can plants measure long-term cold exposure? For example, why does a week of cold not result in vernalization when 4 weeks does? What is the basis of this mitotically stable cellular memory of vernalization.
Recent genetic and physiological studies of the vernalization pathway in Arabidopsis and the identification of components involved in this pathway provide a framework for addressing these intriguing questions. As well, these discoveries provide useful molecules and methods for inducibly conferring epigenetic change beyond the vernalization context. Such, techniques for providing permanent change in gene expression of preselected genes would be widely welcomed in a variety of fields, including agriculture and pharmaceutical sciences.

Vernalization-related molecules and methods for inducibly-conferring epigenetic changes


A power amplifier amplifying an input signal to generate an output signal, comprising a cascode unit and a bias circuit. The cascode unit comprises a cascode stage, a first input stage, and a second input stage. The cascode stage generates the output signal. The first input stage, in cascode with the cascode transistor, has a first signal input to be biased to provide a first amplifier gain. The second input stage, in cascode with the cascode transistor, has a second signal input to be biased to provide a second amplifier gain. The bias circuit, coupled to the first and the second input stages comprises first and second switches. The first switch, coupled to the first input stage, is switched on to bias the first input stage with a bias voltage. The second switch, coupled to the second input stage, is switched on to bias the second input stage with the bias voltage.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to power amplifiers, and in particular to gain control of power amplifiers with low noise figure.
2. Description of the Related Art
Power amplifiers are widely employed in Radio Frequency (RF) transmitters or receivers in applications requiring the transmission of electromagnetic energy including GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), EGSM (Extended GSM), PCS (Personal Communications Service), DCS (Digital Cellular System), 3G cellular applications such as EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), WCDMA (Wideband CDMA), WiFi, UWB (Ultra Wideband), microwave communications, and the like.
In the case of an RF receiver, the received signal has a high dynamic range. Since baseband operates at a fixed voltage, a power amplifier with gain controllability is required in the RF receiver to convert wide dynamic range of the received signal to a constant. In transmitters, a power amplifier receives constant input signal levels and provides a varying range of output signal levels.
A noise figure (NF) is a ratio of actual output power to expected output power without noise introduced by the power amplifier, and is a function of amplifier gain and internal noise injection. To achieve a low NF, low noise amplification or higher power amplifier gain is employed. It is desirable to have a low NF in a power amplifier such that minimal transmission power may be achieved. However the high power amplifier gain for low NF compromises low power consumption for battery life. Thus there is a need for a power amplifier capable of gain adjustment at lower power consumption, to provide a better control over both.


An in-turned annular flange of a refrigerator door panel is interconnected to an out-turned flange of a door liner through the use of individual seal and liner retainer elements which enable the liner to be snap connected to the door panel. More specifically, with one of the retainer elements initially attached to the door panel and the remaining elements are attached to respective side portion of the liner. One side of the liner is initially attached to the door panel and then the liner is pivoted until the remaining sides of the liner are snap-connected to the door panel. After the door panel, liner and retainer assembly are foamed during an insulation procedure, all the components are securely held in place. Finally, a door seal, which includes primary and secondary seal elements, is interengaged with first and second seal connecting structure defined by the retainer elements.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the art of refrigerators and, more particularly, to the structure and mounting of a seal assembly between a pivotable door and a refrigerator cabinet.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
It is widely known in the art to provide a seal assembly between a pivotable door and a cabinet portion of a refrigerator in order to aid in maintaining desired environmental conditions within the cabinet when the door is closed. When deciding on employing a particular seal assembly in connection with a refrigerator, not only is it necessary to consider the sealing capabilities of the assembly which will have a direct bearing on the energy efficiency of the refrigerator, but the cost effectiveness, ease of assembly and overall aesthetics are important.
These various factors are affected by many parameters, including the design of the seal itself and the manner in which the seal is retained by the door. Regardless of the fact that there exists an abundance of prior proposed refrigerator door seal assemblies, there still exists a need for an improved seal assembly which is simple in construction, exhibits extremely effective sealing characteristics and is designed, in combination with door connecting structure, to be easily assembled.

Push-in refrigerator door seal and retainer system


A movable object holding system for holding a movable object including a body portion 11 and a protruding portion protruding from the body portion, comprising a hand part 40 holding a movable object, the hand part 40 comprising plural guide portions limiting movement of the movable object in a first axis direction and a second axis direction that are perpendicular to each other and a pair of positioning portions 43e limiting movement of the movable object in a third axis direction that is perpendicular to the first and second axis directions, wherein the hand part 40 holds the movable object with the protruding portion of the movable object disposed in a space surrounded by the plural guide portions and touching the pair of the positioning portions 43e and with a part of the body portion of the movable object exposed out of the hand part 40.

JP2018-043331A describes a technology to grip an object to be gripped with plural finger bodies of a robot hand.
Since an orientation of the object to be gripped is not kept constant, the technology described in JP2018-043331A has a problem that the orientation of the object to be gripped has to be changed when the object to be gripped is placed, which makes control of the robot hand and a robot arm rather complicated.
The present invention has been created to work out the problem as described above and has an objective to provide a movable object holding system with a relatively simple configuration that enables holding a movable object in a predetermined orientation.


In one aspect, a method for controlling an engine system includes starting the engine system, activating an engine idling reduction mode allowing automatic shutdown and automatic restarting of an engine, disallowing automatic shutdown of the engine within the engine idling reduction mode if a state of charge of a voltage source is below a charge limit for permitting automatic shutdown of the engine, and modifying the charge limit as a function of a number of starts of the engine. Other aspects include a method for disallowing automatic shutdown of an engine if a voltage source has not achieved a fully charged condition, a method of triggering an automatic restarting of an engine, if the engine is automatically shutdown, based on at least two separate indicators of engine temperature, and a method of disallowing automatic shutdown of an engine if ambient temperature is less than a predetermined value.

Well service engines, such as those used in machinery for performing oil or gas extraction, enter long periods of idle, resulting in wasted fuel and wear on parts of the engine. For example, a well service engine used in extracting natural gas may idle for approximately thirty minutes to one hour while the well is prepared for the next fracturing stage. There is a need, therefore, for a control system that allows for a reduction in engine idling to reduce fuel waste and to prolong the life of parts of the engine and, therefore, to minimize disruption in use of the well service engine, while also maintaining engine readiness.
In developing such a control system, certain aspects of well service engines must be taken into account to protect parts of the engine and to avoid disruption and/or complete shutdown of the engine. For example, when a well service engine is used on equipment frequently used in freezing temperatures, the control system will need to ensure the well service engine stays warm, to allow for immediate restart and to ensure engine readiness. In addition, keeping the engine batteries charged is important to avoid disruption of and/or maintain the ability to start the engine. Because well service engines typically use metal bearings, it may also be necessary to track the number of starts of the engine to monitor the remaining life of the metal bearings and to minimize the number of restarts.
German Patent Publication No. DE102012100250 A1, discloses a device having a start number calculation unit that computes a weighted start count of an engine using a weighting factor, and a stop controlling unit that restricts an automatic stop of the engine based on the weighted start count. While the '250 publication discloses a device for tracking a number of starts of an engine, and disallowing automatic stop of the engine under certain conditions, the disclosed device does not account for fuel consumption or a battery state of charge while the device is in an engine idling reduction mode.
The engine idling reduction system of the present disclosure may solve one or more of the problems set forth above and/or other problems in the art. The scope of the current disclosure, however, is defined by the attached claims, and not by the ability to solve any specific problem.


Embodiments of the invention relate to systems and methods for provisioning and using a multi-purpose device. The device contains information regarding a plurality of memberships. The device contains one or more membership certificate chains, comprising multiple certificates, wherein a membership provider certificate is signed by a private key associated with a membership root certificate authority, and wherein a member certificate is signed by a private key associated with the membership provider certificate. The member certificate includes member attributes regarding the user, such as member benefit information. The device also includes a payment certificate chain, comprising multiple certificates, wherein a payment provider certificate is signed by a private key associated with a payment root certificate authority, and wherein a payment certificate is signed by a private key associated with the payment provider certificate. The payment certificate includes payment attributes regarding the user, such as a payment account.

Fraud in the medical service industry is a problem, both in the private and public sector. For instance, a plastic card is commonly used to verify the benefits associated with an individual for medical services. The patient arrives at the medical clinic or pharmacy with a plastic card bearing the insurance provider's name, the name of the person receiving the medical service and in some cases the co-payment requirement. However, a forger can duplicate an insurance card allowing an individual seeking medical service to associate themselves with a set of benefits that they may not be entitled to.
Additionally, inconvenience and inefficiency are other problems in the medical industry. A typical patient carries with them multiple cards for different benefits (medical, dental, vision, medicine, etc.) and yet more cards to make payments for the co-payments or remaining balances for the medical services.
Furthermore, when requesting service, the patient has little understanding of the ultimate financial responsibility from the transaction until much later. Usually, the medical service provider or the patient calls the medical insurer to discuss the coverage further adding to the inefficiency. In many instances, the billing for the medical service provided begins long after the medical services are provided to the patient. The billing is usually accomplished by a long back and forth discourse through mail between the medical service provider, the medical insurer and the patient that usually includes statements, reminders, insurance benefit explanations and appeals. This process of operating with non-verified and incomplete information leads to dissatisfaction and inefficiencies in the system.
Embodiments of the invention address these and other problems.

Multi-purpose device having multiple certificates including member certificate


The water holding capacity of meat is improved by agitating the meat at an elevated temperature with the processing solution and by maintaining the elevated temperature with precision. A preferred temperature is in the range of 45° to 60° F. and the agitation is preferably a massaging action after injection of the liquid into the meat.

In U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,332, there is described a paddle massager in which pieces of meat can be subjected to a massaging action to distribute an aqueous solution, which has been injected into the meat, uniformly throughout the tissue thereof. A prior patent dealing with such massaging action is U.S. Pat. No. 5,405,630. A plant utilizing such a paddle massager and a maceration of the meat product before it enters the massager is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,972,398.
In prior massaging techniques, it has generally been thought that the massaging action should be carried out cold, i.e. at a relatively low temperature which is maintained by circulating a coolant through the jacket of the machine. A typical temperature of this cooling liquid, which is generally a glycol/water solution, can be about 23° F.
The massaging action is intended to uniformly distribute the treating solution into the muscle tissue of the meat. The solution can be a brine and normally includes phosphates, nitrate, nitrite, salt, flavor enhancers, proteins, binders fats or other meat treating agents such as preservatives.
The tradition has been to inject the meat with the solution, usually with needles under an elevated pressure under conditions in which the meat is normally cold at the time it is injected and the injectable solution itself is relatively cold. It is desirable to conduct the massaging action so that the product emerges from the massager in a relatively dry state, i.e. the marinade or treating solution is fully taken up within the body of the meat, leaving the surface free from or practically free from a liquid film.
These techniques have been used for all sorts of meats, including beef, pork, lamb and veal, and for practically any cut of meat in which a substantial body of meat must be tenderized or treated, for example, roasts, hams, shanks, loins and the like.
However, earlier systems have been found to involve a number of problems. For example, it has been found that, with conventional systems, a phenomenon may develop which can impede effective massaging. For example proteins released from the meat tend to bind with water of the treatment solution at a given temperature (depending on the composition of the treatment solution) and form a compound. This compound may be exuded from the body of the meat and act as an external coating or internal barrier. In either case, this compound impairs penetration, absorption and/or dispersion of the treatment solution throughout the cross section of the body and the result is an unaesthetic surface. It has been noted, further, that meat products which are treated cold following the injection may not develop the uniform internal coloration which is desired for many cuts of meat. Furthermore, the protein/water coating on the body of meat tends to reduce friction and thus the massaging effectiveness so that longer massaging operations may be required.
Still another drawback of earlier systems appears to be the limited breakdown of treating solutions like polyphosphates and nitrites by enzymes present in the meat so that such additives to the inject are not utilized completely or efficiently.


The present invention is directed to a process for manufacturing a polyether ether ketone (PEEK) membrane which may be used for ultrafiltration or microfiltration at high temperatures. In this process for manufacturing a non-sulfonated PEEK membrane which comprises dissolving PEEK in a solvent to obtain a membrane forming stock solution, forming the stock solution into a desired shape and bringing the formed stock solution in contact with a coagulating liquid capable of coagulating PEEK, the key features involve using concentrated sulfuric acid as the solvent, dissolving PEEK therein to prepare the stock solution and keeping the stock solution at 15 degrees C or lower until initiation of membrane formation.

In recent years polymeric separation membranes have widely been used for the preparation of ultrapure water for semiconductors in the electronic industry, the filtration, purification or removal of microorganisms in the medical, pharmaceutical or food industries, or the filtration of industrial waste water, etc., and the current trend is one of continuing expansion in the range and volume of their applications and use. For example, a separation membrane whose ion fractions and organic substances are scarcely eluted and which is excellent in heat and chemical resistance is in demand for the preparation of ultrapure water for the production of semiconductors, while at thermal or nuclear power plants a separation membrane excellent in heat resistance is in strong demand for the stable, longtime filtration of condensed water having temperatures exceeding 100 degrees C. Thus, from the viewpoint of membrane performance the demand for increased heat and chemical resistance is growing.
On the other hand, the materials which have widely been used heretofore for manufacturing separation membranes for ultrafiltration or microfiltration include cellulose derivatives such as cellulose acetate, etc., polyacrylonitrile resins, polyamide resins, polymethyl methacrylate resins, polysulfone resins, polyvinylidene fluoride resins, polyolefin resins, polycarbonate resins and the like. However, because of highly advanced requirements for separation membranes in recent years as mentioned above, these materials have been unsatisfactory with regard to their elution characteristics and the heat resistance and chemical resistance of the membranes made therefrom.
Attention is being paid to PEEK because of its excellent heat resistance, chemical resistance and low elution characteristics, so that this resin has been tried as a material for filtration membranes. For example, JP-A-61-115954 (equivalent to European patent 182506) describes a separation membrane of a sulfonated polyaryl ether ketone and a process for preparing the same. It is however known that such a membrane swells in water (Macromolecules, 86p, 18, 1985) and therefore degrades remarkably in mechanical strength and separation performance, for example, in water of 60 degrees C or higher.
Further, non-sulfonated PEEK membranes have been proposed. For example, JP-A-2-136229 (equivalent to U.S. Pat. No. 4,992,485) proposes a process for preparing a PEEK filtration membrane by using the membrane casting solution prepared by dissolving a specifically structured PEEK in a specific non-sulfonating acid solvent. However, the non-sulfonating acid solvents employed in this process are strong organic acids such as methane sulfonic acid, trichloromethane sulfuric acid, etc., hydrofluoric acid or mixtures of them and concentrated sulfuric acid. They are not only strong in toxicity and corrosiveness but also high in price and therefore are not suited for practical use from a commercial viewpoint. Further, these acids are disadvantageous for practical use because much work is required to make them harmless when they are recovered or disposed of as wastes.
Still further, JP-A-3-56129 (equivalent to European patent 382356) and JP-A-5-192550 (equivalent to EP-A-499381) describe methods of preparing asymmetric polyetherketone resin membranes, but these methods use the aforementioned specific strong acids such as methanesulfonic acid, hydrofluoric acid, etc. as solvents for PEEK.
The acid that may be easily used industrially to dissolve PEEK is concentrated sulfuric acid, which however has not been used in general as a solvent for PEEK because it sulfonates the phenylene groups between the ether groups of PEEK.

Process for preparing a polyether ether ketone membrane


A blast wave damper comprises a section of duct, with a multiplicity of rigid elements each extending across the duct. All the elements are parallel to each other, and they are arranged in an array consisting of a multiplicity of lines, each such line extending across the duct. The elements in one line are staggered relative to the elements in an adjacent line, and the gaps between successive elements within a line are no wider than the widths of the elements. There may be ten columns of tubular elements in a regular array. This may be combined with a louver mechanism arranged to shut if the pressure drop exceeds a threshold.

Field of the Invention
The present disclosure is directed to a damper for mitigating blast waves in a duct.
Background of the Invention
It is known that ignition of a flammable mixture in a duct may create a blast wave which propagates along the duct. This is a particular issue in oil or gas production platforms, where such flammable mixtures may arise. If such a blast wave propagates into a region where there are people, this may cause significant injury, such as burst eardrums or damaged lungs. The provision of louvers to inhibit such blast waves is known, but louvers cannot shut sufficiently quickly to prevent passage of the pressure wave.
Consequently, there is a need for a blast protection damper to prevent passage of pressure waves. Additional needs include the rapid closure of dampers to prevent passage of pressure waves.


An electrical connector includes a housing member and a number of contacts attached to the housing member. The contacts include a number of first contacts and second contacts arranged side by side along a transverse direction, respectively. Each of the first and second contacts include a main portion, a contact portion and a bending portion extending from a lateral edge of the main portion. The bending portion has a narrow width in order to occupy small space of a rear wall of the housing member so that the rear wall of the housing member still has adequate area for mounting other components.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrical connectors, more particularly to electrical connectors with improved contacts to be soldered to a printed circuit board (PCB).
2. Description of Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 5,769,666 discloses an electrical connector including an insulative housing, a plurality of contacts retained in the housing and a metal shield received in the housing. The contacts include contact portions and bending portions extending downwardly from rear ends of the contact portions. The bending portions are perpendicular to the contact portions and include contractive tail portions for being soldered to a PCB. The metal shield encloses the contact portions for EMI protection. The bending portions directly extend downwardly from the rear ends of the contact portions. The bending portions occupy much area of a rear wall of the housing because a width of the bending portion viewed from a rear-to-front direction is much larger than that viewed from left-to-right direction. As a result, the rear wall of the housing doesn't have reasonable area for mounting components.
Hence, an improved electrical connector is desired to overcome the above problems.

Electrical connector with improved contacts


An image forming apparatus includes an endless belt stretched over a plurality of rollers. The apparatus also includes a potential detecting device for detecting a potential of the endless belt. The detecting device is positioned downstream, along a sheet transport path, of a transfer position where the belt has direct contact with the image bearing member. The apparatus further includes a transferring member for transferring a toner image formed on the image bearing member to a sheet. An image forming process is halted when the potential detecting device does not detect a change in potential caused by presence of a sheet on the endless belt.

The invention relates to an image forming apparatus in which a toner image formed on an image bearing member is transferred to a sheet which is being transported on an endless belt rotatably stretched over a plurality of rollers including a driving roller.
Most of recent image forming apparatuses are multifunctional in that they can operate under multiple processing modes such as copying mode, printing mode, or facsimile mode. Also, such recent image forming apparatuses have high-speed printing capability and achieve a processing rate of one or more sheets per second.
To perform high-speed processing, such apparatuses consecutively feed a plurality of sheets thereinto so that the sheets undergo consecutive image forming processes.
The apparatuses are provided with a sheet feeding sensor for detecting that a sheet starts being fed, and a sheet ejection sensor for detecting that a sheet is ejected. The apparatuses determine where therein a sheet as fed is positioned, based on sheet transport speed and time elapsed since the sheet starts being fed with reference to a sheet feeding start time as detected by the sheet feeding sensor.
However, it is difficult to maintain a constant sheet transport speed because of various types of sheets to be used for image formation and because of various conditions under which the apparatuses may be used. A decrease in sheet transport speed in a part of sheet transport path prevents a sheet from being transported timely to sheet transporting members positioned downstream of the part. At worst, the delay results in a sheet jam. A jammed sheet also may damage essential components such as an image bearing member.
As a solution to the foregoing problems, JP H10-161436A discloses an image forming apparatus in which a charging voltage for recharging a toner image carried on a sheet is adjusted according to a potential of the sheet as measured. Toner on a sheet being transported on a transport belt needs to be re-charged so as to be more attracted to the sheet before the sheet is transported into the fusing device. If the toner is excessively charged, however, the sheet is also attracted to the transport belt and thus may cause a jam. The apparatus of JP H10-161436A is intended for preventing such a sheet jam.
JP H11-202647A proposes another solution. An image forming apparatus as disclosed by JP H11-202647A detects whether a sheet passing beyond a portion of an intermediate transfer belt which faces a second transfer device remains on the intermediate transfer belt. If the sheet remains on the belt, an outer second transfer roller provided in the second transfer device is moved out of contact with a surface of the belt. Then, an image bearing member and the belt are deactivated so as to stop transporting the sheet after a predetermined time elapsed since deactivation of the image bearing member and the belt.
A sheet to which a toner image is transferred from the image bearing member at a transfer position is attracted to a circumferential surface of the image bearing member by a surface potential thereof. Thus, a separating claw is provided at a separation position located downstream of the transfer position on the circumferential surface of the image bearing member, in order to separate the sheet from the circumferential surface. The separating claw is moved selectively in or out of direct contact with the image bearing member, according to sheet transport timing.
If there is a delay in transporting a sheet, however, a leading end of the sheet reaches the separation position with the separating claw away from the image bearing member. Without being separated from the circumferential surface of the image bearing member, the sheet is guided by rotation of the image bearing member to a cleaning section provided downstream of the separating claw, so that the sheet gets jammed in the cleaning section. The sheet jam in the cleaning section may damage the cleaning section itself and the surface of the image bearing member. Further, clearing a sheet jam in the cleaning section is a difficult task which an operator finds rather bothersome.
A feature of the invention is to provide an image forming apparatus in which an image bearing member is deactivated, according to determination that a sheet is not separated from the image bearing member, when a sheet is not detected at a predetermined timing at a predetermined position located downstream of a transfer position along a sheet transport path. The configuration prevents occurrence of a sheet jam in a cleaning section, thereby saving an operator from having to do the difficult task of clearing the sheet jam.


The disclosure concerns a rinse hanger for rinsing a wetsuit thereon. The rinse hanger is differentiated by a hook and cap assembly configured to provide swivel function; longitudinal grooves for improved structural support and weight displacement; a male adapter extending along a longitudinal axis; the hanger body being symmetrical about the longitudinal axis; and other features as described herein. A user hangs a wetsuit on the hanger and places the hook end of the hanger on a structural support, a quick release connector and hose is then coupled to the hanger and water flow is communicated through holes in the hanger body to rinse the inside of the wetsuit. The quick release connector and hose are removed, and a spray nozzle is coupled to the quick connector and hose, the spray nozzle is used to rinse an outside of the wetsuit. The hanger is then hung for drying and storage.

Many historians believe that President Thomas Jefferson invented the wooden clothes hanger in the late eighteenth century. Since then, a myriad of hanger designs have become commercially available.
With the advent of the wetsuit, sometime in the mid 1950's, came a need for a hanger that was adapted to hold the relatively heavy wetsuit (heavier than typical garments), which can weigh up to about 25 pounds when saturated with water (wet), or sometimes more!
In the last fifty years or so, many wetsuit-specific hangers have become commercially available or otherwise proposed in the art. Early introductions focused on material strength for supporting the weight of a wetsuit. More modernly, however, other hangers have been introduced which suggest solutions to other problems associated with the care of wetsuits.
For example:
Ryan, U.S. Pat. No. 4,949,739, issued Aug. 21, 1990, discloses a "WETSUIT WASHING HANGER DEVICE"; hereinafter referred to as "Ryan". The hanger disclosed by Ryan does not include a hanger hook but instead includes a bent wire configured to attach with a shower head, whereby the shower head is utilized as a source for water flow introduced into the hanger and directed toward a wetsuit hanging thereon.
Darling, U.S. Pat. No. 4,989,624, issued Feb. 5, 1991, discloses a "WETSUIT WASHER"; hereinafter referred to as "Darling". The hanger disclosed by Darling includes two parallel cross arms, one arranged above another, a top cross arm is configured to communicate water downwardly spraying through holes therein, whereas the bottom cross arm is configured to hold the wetsuit.
Santos, U.S. Pat. No. 5,037,487, issued Aug. 6, 1991, discloses a "SPRAY HANGER FOR WET SUIT"; hereinafter referred to as "Santos". The hanger in Santos appears to include a series of PVC type tubing and connectors arranged to form a three dimensional sprinkler system, wherein as best understood a wetsuit is placed on the hanger of Santos and water is communicated to rinse the inside. While the concept of a rinse hanger is communicated in Santos, this disclosed hanger is something that would be home-made. The hanger of Santos is quite rudimentary and cumbersome, and lacks the manufacturability and distribution/shipping capability of a commercially viable product.
Plumley et al., US 2005/0274751, published Dec. 15, 2005, discloses a "WETSUIT RINSING HANGER"; hereinafter referred to as "Plumley". While Plumley describes a product concept resulting in a hanger that at least conceptually suggests the ability to rinse a wetsuit hanging thereon, the disclosure is not enabling such that a manufacturer might make and use the product. For example, those with skill in the art, upon review of the Plumley disclosure, would question inter alia how the product is molded, what type of plastic molding process, what do the molds look like, what material is used to make the hanger?, etc. As best understood, the product described in Plumley has never been manufactured for the reason that it is either (i) not manufacturable; or (ii) manufacture of the product is cost prohibitive. While Plumley discloses the concept of a wetsuit rinsing hanger, the disclosure is not enabling such that one with skill in the art can make and use the disclosed product. Other problems with the product described in Plumley include: (i) lack of surface area support which results in wetsuit shoulder fatigue and failure; (ii) as disclosed the hanger hook, when pressed into the hanger body, will penetrate the hanger body thereby resulting in product failure, diminished water flow, low pressure at spray holes, etc.
While none of these wetsuit rinsing hangers disclosed in the patent art has experienced commercial success, there are a handful of wetsuit hangers that currently represent the bulk of mainstream wetsuit hanger sales. Accordingly, those hangers defining the current state of the art include:
McJunkin, US 2006/0226177, published Oct. 12, 2006, discloses a "WETSUIT HANGER DRYER"; hereinafter referred to as "McJunkin". McJunkin discloses a hanger that includes a fan built inside of the hanger and adapted to generate a flow of air for circulation within the volume of the wetsuit hanging thereon such that the wetsuit might dry faster.
Watson, U.S. Pat. No. 8,875,961, issued Nov. 4, 2014, discloses a "WETSUIT HANGER"; hereinafter referred to as "Watson". The hanger system disclosed in Watson is merely a pair of bent bars attached to a wall, the bars can be individually adjusted to extend outwardly or downwardly from the wall, wherein a wetsuit can be folded over the hanger bars and stored for drying.
Finally, while not known to be in the patent art, probably the most common wetsuit hanger of the current commercially available hangers is the HangPro™ "SlideHanger", which can be further reviewed online at: http://www.thehangpro.com/slidehangeraspx. The SlideHanger is a monolithic one-piece molded hanger body having a hook and an arm extending from the hook and bent about a one hundred eighty degree bend, wherein a wetsuit is folded at or near the waist and slid over the bent arm of the SlideHanger. Those having skill in the art would likely agree that the SlideHanger is the current state of the art in commercially available wetsuit hangers.
However, at least O'Neill wetsuits, currently one of the largest wetsuit manufacturers in the World, and XTERRA wetsuits, in their respective instruction guides for wetsuit care, each suggests that a wetsuit should not be folded on a hanger or otherwise. Thus, while the SlideHanger may be the commercial state of the art, there is a long felt and continued need for an improved wetsuit hanger.
While the above discussion is centered on wetsuits, such as those worn by surfers, divers, triathletes, and other active aquatic activity participants, the contents and discussion of this document can be similarly applied to other garments which might benefit from a structural support and rinse capability in a hanger. Such related problems and other applications will be easily recognized by those having skill in the art of sporting garments and active wear. Therefore, the discussion of the background art is not intended to be used to limit the scope of the herein-described invention.


The invention relates to a device for the delivery of flat objects to a friction/suction picking device with a suction head, the objects standing in a stack on a thin edge thereof on a support surface arranged on a stop surface and transported in the direction of the picking point using conveyor means. A sensor for measuring the vacuum in the suction head, is arranged on or in the suction head, which is connected to the drive controller on the conveyor means. Depending on the measured vacuum the conveyor means can be controlled such that the front object has an inclination as low as possible with the lowest possible stack pressure on the at least one friction picking device.

The invention relates to an apparatus for feeding flat items, e.g. (large) letters or cards, to a suction-type separating arrangement according to the preamble of claim 1.
In separating apparatuses which are intended for flat items and, from a stack of flat items which is positioned on a more or less horizontally arranged conveying belt or chain as the transporting means, withdraw individual items from the end of the stack, it is customary for the stack, which becomes shorter and shorter as a result of the items being withdrawn, to be fed to the separating apparatus (VE). These VEs use, inter alia, friction technology. The contact pressure of the first item was achieved here by the stack behind it pressing the first item onto the withdrawal element/s (AE). A frictional force acting in the withdrawal direction thus built up as a result of the normal force acting between AE and item. The disadvantage, however, was that this normal force also acted between the first and second items. The apparatus thus only functions reliably as long as the coefficient of friction between AE and item is greater than between the first and second items. Otherwise, the first and second items may be withdrawn together (double withdrawal). VEs with relatively high throughput requirements, meanwhile, use friction/suction technology in order to achieve optimum separating rates in respect of quality and quantity. The system of these friction/suction-type separators (RSV) makes it possible to resolve this contradiction since the necessary normal force is produced by the additional attachment by suction, and the advancement means then merely has the task of conveying items up to the VE. The normal force between the item which is to be withdrawn and the following item can approach zero as far as the withdrawal operation is concerned.
For optimum throughput, it is necessary, once one item has been withdrawn, for the next item to be available at the VE as quickly as possible without the abovementioned effects occurring. Up until now, for this purpose (see FIG. 2), use has been made of apparatuses which sensed the force of the stack 4 positioned against them and thus, in the case of the force decreasing or being absent, set the advancement mechanism, e.g. a circulating conveying belt 5, in operation (DE 196 12 567 C2). The items to be withdrawn were thus pressed against force-sensing elements, e.g. spring-loaded levers 3. Two of these levers are provided for each withdrawal arrangement, in such a manner that they can be moved independently of one another. Furthermore, you are evaluated via at least one sensor 9 (displacement or pressure).
In order to avoid the inclined positions detrimental to RSVs (lack of planar position against suction element=loss of negative pressure=less frictional force), these levers are evaluated with an AND connection, i.e. the advancement means is only switched off when both levers give the logical signal "active". The disadvantage here is that the force produced by these levers acts in the same direction as the normal force which is necessary for withdrawal purposes. An obvious advantage of the RSV is relinquished again here. This is disadvantageous particularly in the case of items such as letters and flat items, since the forces which are necessary for optimum stack sensing are approximately in the same order of magnitude as the normal forces at withdrawal. The levers 3 force the items of the stack 4 away from the withdrawal means 1 (suction belt). The suction force thus always has to overcome the lever force. The levers 3 act statically as a brake between the withdrawal system and the item which is to be withdrawn and reduce the frictional force during the withdrawal process. Furthermore, at the moment at which the item is attached to the frictional elements by suction, the lever 3, rather than "measuring" the stack 4, only "measures" the item butting against it. It is only when the item has been drawn out of the lever mechanism that the lever 3 can sense the stack 4. For a high withdrawal capacity, the advancement system has to be very quick and/or integrated over a number of cycles.


In one embodiment, a method for remote mirroring includes providing a control entity coupled to a primary site and a secondary site, receiving first memory space information indicative of a location of a first memory space, establishing a remote mirroring relationship between the primary site and the secondary site, copying data from the primary site to the secondary site, and writing status information to the first memory space for storing status information representative of a relationship between data stored in the primary site and destined to be copied to the secondary site and data copied from the primary site to the secondary site.

The importance of data has increased during the last decade while the cost of data storage medium has decreased, thus motivating data storage vendors to provide data protection schemes that are based upon duplication of data.
One of these protection schemes is known as remote mirroring. Remote mirroring involves repetitively generating one or more duplicates on a remote secondary site. Remote mirroring is mainly used for disaster recovery.
Remote mirroring does not guarantee that the secondary site is fully synchronized (consistent) with the primary (production) site at all times. A data set is consistent if it does not reflect any operation that depends on another operation that is not reflected in the data set.
In case of a disaster at the primary site, it is crucial to know whether the secondary site is fully synchronized and allows continuation of normal operation.
In cases where the primary and secondary site run compatible firmware, the primary site controller uses a special proprietary "update secondary" command to update the secondary site controller as to its status with respect to full synchronization.
In many cases the secondary site includes a secondary site controller that is not compatible with the primary site controller. This can occur due to cost constrains (for example—using a cheaper secondary site controller) but this is not necessarily so. In these situations the status of the secondary site can not be updated by sending a special proprietary "update secondary" command from the primary site controller to the secondary site controller.
There is a need to enable a control entity to know whether a secondary site is consistent even when the secondary site controller is not compliant with the primary site controller.

Remote mirroring between a primary site and a secondary site

International Business Machines Corporation


An air conditioner includes a housing including an indoor cavity and an outdoor cavity spaced apart from and communicating with each other, an indoor unit assembly provided in the indoor cavity, and an outdoor unit assembly connected to the indoor unit assembly and provided in the outdoor cavity. A part of a bottom wall of the housing is recessed towards an inner cavity of the housing to form a mounting groove and penetrating opposite side walls of the housing. The mounting groove is located between the indoor cavity and the outdoor cavity.

In related art, an air conditioner has a split structure. The air conditioner indoor unit is located indoors, and the air conditioner outdoor unit is located outdoors. The indoor unit and outdoor unit need to be connected by a pipeline passing through the wall. The method for mounting the air conditioner is complicated, and the mounting process is cumbersome.

GD MIDEA AIR-CONDITIONING EQUIPMENT CO., LTD.


The activity, selectivity and yield of a dehydrogenation process used to produce olefins from normal paraffin hydrocarbons having 2 to 5 carbon atoms per molecule is improved by the introduction of an essentially constant level of water into the inlet of two or more beds of dehydrogenation catalyst.

Processes for the production of olefinic hydrocarbons are very useful in the production of a great many products. Because of the commercial importance of olefin compounds, those skilled in the art of producing olefins are constantly searching for better and more economical methods to produce olefins.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,360,586 (Bloch et al), a process is disclosed for reacting a straight-chain paraffinic hydrocarbon of from about 7 to about 20 carbon atoms per molecule in contact with a Group VIII noble metal catalyst supported on a nonacidic refractory inorganic oxide carrier, hydrogen and water in an amount of at least about 400 ppm based upon the hydrocarbon.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,907,921 (Winter), a process is described wherein the activity of a used dehydrogenation catalyst is improved by an increase in the water concentration maintained in the reactants toward the end of the catalyst's life. More specifically, the process comprises injecting 5 to 25 weight ppm of water into a hydrocarbon feed stream comprising normal paraffins having 5 to 18 carbon atoms per molecule, passing the feed in admixture with a gaseous recycle stream over a dehydrogenation catalyst comprising a platinum component and an alkali or alkaline earth component supported on a porous alumina carrier material, and increasing the rate of water injection to a value of 25 to 125 weight ppm after at least 40% of normal paraffins which may be processed before the catalyst requires replacement have passed through the reaction zone.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,430,517 (Imai et al), a process is disclosed for the dehydrogenation of C.sub.2 -C.sub.30 hydrocarbon compounds in the presence of water injection of water in an amount of 1-20,000 wppm.
Even with the broad teaching of the prior art that the presence of water is desirable in the dehydrogenation of hydrocarbons, those skilled in the art of catalysis have believed that a platinum containing catalyst is poisoned by high levels of oxygenates by various mechanisms. Therefore, since water is an expected intermediate for the formation of oxygenates such as carbon monoxide, the addition of water or water precursors is viewed as a platinum catalyst depressant. Additionally, heavy oxygenates are thought to lead to the formation of gums or coke precursors. The presence of water in a dehydrogenation zone strips or removes chloride from the platinum catalyst to form hydrogen chloride and the water is converted to form carbon monoxide via the water shift reaction at dehydrogenation conditions. For these reasons, the introduction of water into a catalytic dehydrogenation zone is considered undesirable.
We have discovered that by introducing a relatively small amount of water or water precursor at the inlet of two or more beds of dehydrogenation catalyst, the performance of the catalyst is significantly increased without any perceptible adversity.


A flat gasket, e.g. a cylinder head gasket of an internal combustion engine is described, which has through openings with metallic U-borders. The outer surface of at least one of the U-legs is provided with a structure that allows a residual quantity of an impregnating agent with which the soft material of the gasket is impregnated, to remain adhering in such a uniform manner that, after crosslinking, an adequate microsealing and macrosealing is ensured. In the unloaded state, as a result of the surface tension of the impregnating agent, the structure ensures that said agent continues to adhere in finely divided form with a convex meniscus.

The invention relates to a flat gasket, e.g. a cylinder head gasket for an internal combustion engine, as well as to a process for its production, with at least one through opening provided with a metallic border resting on the opening edge and having a U-shaped cross-section and treated with an impregnating agent solution.
Such gaskets are frequently produced from a soft material on a sheet metal carrier. The gasket material must deform to such an extent under the sealing pressure that on fitting, the adaptation to the sealing faces necessary for sealing is obtained. When used as a cylinder head gasket, the metal border has the function of shielding the soft material against the very hot combustion gases. It must also provide a seal against the gases which are under a high pressure. The cross-sectionally U-shaped borders bent over the opening edge or rim serve to produce a locally increased surface compression for sealing against the high combustion chamber pressures. As is known, in the combustion chamber area much higher pressures are required than in the case of sealing oil and coolants.
In order to ensure an adequate microsealing and macrosealing during the first starting revolutions of a new internal combustion engine the surfaces of the border facing the engine block and cylinder head are covered with elastomeric coatings, which have to be applied in complicated, separate operations. Their basic composition often comprises a silicone-based elastomer, which crosslinks under heat action. The impregnating agents used for treating the flat gasket after stamping and bordering have a similar composition and serve as binders.
A simultaneous coating of the border and impregnation of the soft material has hitherto failed in that during the dripping process following impregnation, uncontrolled residual drip formation and accumulations on the smooth metal surface of the border are unavoidable. Therefore separate cleaning operations for the border are required, in order to obtain a clean surface as a base for a uniform coating thickness of the following elastomer coating. As the cleaning process requires both the dissolving of the accumulations in a solvent and a reliable wiping off, this operation involves relatively high costs.

Flat gasket and process for its production


A secure storage device contains multiple compartments under a table top. The table top may move laterally to allow authorized users to access storage areas. A drawer in the device may also be accessed by an authorized user. The movement of the table top and drawer is directed by a central computer in communication with a biometric sensor located on the device. The central computer may be programmed to allow different types of access to the device based upon fingerprints or other biometric information from a user.

Many people own guns, jewelry, and other dangerous or valuable objects that they wish to keep securely hidden from view in their homes. However, it is difficult to securely store items in devices that require a passcode or physical key, as passcodes and keys may be difficult to locate or remember, especially in an emergency. Particularly for gun owners, who may wish to access a gun quickly in the event of a home invasion or other safety threat, it is desirable to be able to access a storage device without having to locate a key or remember a code.
It is also desirable to remotely monitor the status of a storage device and determine if it is open or closed, as well as to be able to open or close a storage device remotely. It is further desirable to be able to monitor which person(s) may have access to a storage device.
Homeowners who desire quick access to their valuables recognize that it is ideal if such valuables are stored in the main living quarters, hidden in "plain sight." This allows homeowners to easily and quickly access their belongings without having to walk down to a basement, attic, or closet where many people otherwise store their guns and valuables.
Exemplary embodiments described herein address these problems and more. Exemplary embodiments provide a secure storage device that uses a biometric sensor to ensure that only approved persons can access stored objects. Exemplary embodiments provide a secure storage device with multiple compartments, allowing for access to each compartment to be monitored, recorded, and only given to authorized persons. Exemplary embodiments also provide a device that can be used as a coffee table, has a bidirectional table top that can move in two directions to provide access to multiple compartments, and also has a drawer for storage.
Other aspects and features of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments along with the accompanying drawing figures.


An approach is described for a method, system, and product, the approaching includes identification of an integrated circuit design, identification of sync groups (nets having synchronous voltage levels), generation of a physical design having sync group constraints, and performance of design rule checking on a physical design based on at least transferred sync group information. This provides for performing design rule analysis at least using small minimum spacing requirements then would otherwise be required with prior techniques. In some embodiments, the approach includes a verification process that ensures that synchronous voltage behavior is appropriately associated with members of respective sync groups and cleans up old association data that is no longer relevant/correct.

Semiconductor devices are used in a variety of electronic applications, such as personal computers, cell phones, digital cameras, and other electronic equipment. Semiconductor devices are typically fabricated by sequentially depositing insulating or dielectric layers, conductive layers, and semiconductive layers of material over a semiconductor substrate, and patterning the various material layers using lithography to form circuit components and elements thereon.
Despite the continued increases in the density and performance of integrated circuits, consumers and the engineers/designers that provide them products continue to demand more from semiconductors devices. One way to improve the functioning of an integrated circuit is to increase the amount of processing elements/circuits that are provided within a given integrated circuit without otherwise causing other problems. Since integrated circuit design is heavily dependent on the tools used to design them, an improvement in the processes of an electronic design automation (EDA) system could yield semiconductor devices that provide improved performance.
These EDA tools are often used for performing layout (arrangement of shapes to be manufactured) and verification and/or correction of rule violations on an integrated circuit design. For instance, some layout processes enforce spacing rules used to avoid manufacturing devices that have unintended behavior in order to create a correct by construction layout—e.g. to avoid shorts, electromagnetic interference, compliance with manufacturing tolerances, and manufacturability of shapes. In particular, one area where current design rule check processes could be improved is in analysis of shapes that have a synchronous voltage behavior which is not currently accounted for in verification processes.
Therefore, what is needed is an improved approach for generating and maintaining a physical design for an electronic circuit that accounts for synchronous voltage behavior.

Method, system, and product for generating and maintaining a physical design for an electronic circuit having sync group constraints for design rule checking


In order to realize low impedance of input and output by introducing unbalanced balanced input/output and reduction of the number of parts, and further in order to improve the out-of-band-characteristics, a structure such that two groups of longitudinal mode resonator type SAW filter units (3IDT-LCMR) having input and output phases different by 180 degrees from each other, is proposed. Central IDT electrodes of both SAW filter units are grounded at one terminal, and are connected at the other terminals in parallel to be an unbalanced input port. Two terminals whose phases are the same among four outer IDT electrodes of both SAW filter units, are connected in parallel to be a balanced output port. The outer IDT electrodes may be connected in parallel to be an unbalanced input port, and the central IDT electrodes may be connected in parallel to be a balanced output port. In addition, the output port may be unbalanced, and the input port may be balanced.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a surface acoustic wave (SAW) filter which is installed on a vehicular terminal such as a cellular phone or the like and distinguishes a high frequency signal, and especially relates to a technical field of a surface acoustic wave filter which performs unbalanced balanced conversion of an input-output signal and makes it to a lower impedance.
2. Description of the Related
FIG. 5 shows an example of installing a surface acoustic wave filter on a front end portion of a vehicular terminal. In the present example, an antenna switch 2 is disposed immediately below an antenna 1, and on a reception side, the surface acoustic wave filter distinguishes received high frequency signals coming through the antenna switch 2 by a receive SAW filter unit 3 formed on a piezoelectric substrate. On a transmitting side, it outputs transmitting high frequency signals distinguished by a transmission SAW filter unit 4 to the antenna 1 via the antenna switch 2.
A reception output of the SAW filter unit 3 is to be an input of a receive amplifier (LNA: Low Noise Amplifier) 6 obtaining impedance matching by a matching circuit 5. Similarly, an output of a transmission amplifier (PA: Power Amplifier) 7 is to be an input of the SAW filter unit 4 obtaining impedance matching through a matching circuit 8.
The antenna switch 2 takes an unbalanced input-output circuit structure, whereas the receive amplifier 6 takes a balanced input circuit structure (for instance, a differential amplifying circuit). Therefore, the SAW filter unit 3 is made into a circuit structure to obtain a balanced output from an unbalanced input, the transmission amplifier 7 takes a balanced output circuit structure (for instance, high frequency transformer output). Accordingly, the SAW filter unit 4 is made into a circuit structure to obtain an unbalanced output from a balanced input.
As a circuit system enabling the unbalanced balanced conversion, there is a structure such that two 3IDT-LCMRs (3IDT type longitudinal Coupled mode resonator type SAW filter unit) which are 180 degrees different in input phase from each other, are electrically connected in parallel to serve as an input terminal, and a balanced terminal output is formed by electrically connecting the 3IDT-LCMRs in series to be an output, so that a balanced driving output having a high terminal impedance is obtained by using this series connection point as a ground lug (for instance, see Patent Document 1).
It should be noted that the 3IDT-LCMR is prepared by forming three IDTs (Inter Digital Transducer) 91 to 93 having a plurality of electrode fingers in the direction of propagation of the surface acoustic wave on a piezoelectric substrate, and by further providing reflectors 94 and 95 at the outermost thereof. As for the IDT 91 (93), a pair is formed by disposing comb electrodes 91a (93a) and 91b (93b) so as to engage with each other. The comb electrode 91a (93a), which is one of the pair, is connected to, for instance, an input port 96, and the comb electrode 91b (93b), which is the other of the pair, is grounded, for instance. Further, as for the IDT 92, a pair is formed by disposing comb electrodes 92a and 92b so as to engage with each other, and the one is grounded while the other is connected to, for instance, an output port 97.
In the 3IDT-LCMR thus structured, an electric signal inputted into one input side IDT (for instance, 91, 93) is converted into a surface acoustic wave to propagate to the other output side IDT (for instance, 92), so that the surface acoustic wave is taken out by being reversely converted into an electric signal on this output side IDT. Thus, the output phase and the input phase can be reversed by 180 degrees according to the difference between the electrode arrangement of the input side IDT and the electrode arrangement of the output side IDT. Furthermore, it is possible to modify the propagation characteristics of the surface acoustic wave, that is the filter frequency characteristic or the like according to the difference in pitch, shape, or the like of electrode fingers forming the comb electrode of the IDT.
As another circuit system which can carry out unbalanced balanced conversion, there is a technology such that a balanced type surface acoustic wave filter connecting both a series arm surface acoustic wave resonator and a parallel arm surface acoustic wave resonator in a symmetrical lattice shape is connected between a pair of electrodes of the output side IDT or the input side IDT of the SAW filter unit (for instance, see Patent Document 2).
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. Hei 10-117123
[Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. Hei 8-65098
Recently, miniaturization and lower pricing of vehicular terminals have progressed, and reduction in the number of parts of the high frequency units is an important subject. Furthermore, demand for reduction of the terminal impedance of a receive amplifier disposed at the rear stage of an SAW filter unit, from conventional high impedance of 100 Ω to several hundreds Ω to low impedance of less than 50 Ω, has also increased.
For instance, in a configuration shown in FIG. 5, a signal inputted from an antenna 1 is transmitted to a receive SAW filter unit 3 at required impedance of 50 Ω terminal impedance in an unbalanced driving by a switch 2 on the reception side, and a receive amplifier 6 in a rear stage of the SAW filter unit 3 has been required to have a terminal impedance of as low as about 30 Ω to 50 Ω in a balanced driving, in recent years. Accordingly, in the SAW filter unit 3 disposed in a front stage of the receive amplifier 6, it has been demanded that the input be 50 Ω at the terminal end in an unbalanced driving, and the output be about 30 Ω to 50 Ω in a balanced driving, and a matching circuit 5 which has been an indispensable circuit can be eliminated by realizing such an input and output impedance.
When an SAW filter unit, the terminal impedance of which is a high balanced driving output, is used to cope with these required electric performances, as in Patent Document 1, matching circuits 5 and 8 are required to be disposed between the receive amplifier 6 and a transmission amplifier 7, and the number of parts (capacitors and coils) for the matching circuits, which requires a large circuit space. Furthermore, designing and adjustment of the matching circuit becomes complicated.
Concerning to this point, in the system disclosed in Patent Document 2, the output impedance can be kept low. However, the out-of-band damping characteristic, which is an important characteristic for the SAW filter unit, is not sufficient.

Surface acoustic wave filter and transmitter-receiver