A pair of locking tongs for grasping items which includes two arms, each with a hinge end and a grasping end. A hinge pin is provided for pivotally connecting the two arms together at their hinge ends so that the arms can pivot between an open and closed position. A locking plate is provided for locking the arms in the closed position slidably disposed at the hinge ends of the arms. The locking plate is movable from a first unlocked position to a second locked position whereby the locking plate engages the hinged ends of the arms and prevents the arms from opening.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to locking tongs which can be locked in the closed position. More specifically, it relates to locking tongs having a locking clip installed at the pivot or hinge point which can be moved into a locked position so that the tongs are held closed.
2. Prior Art
Tongs are known which consist of two arms joined at one end by a pivot or hinge. Such devices are used to grasp food or other items where it is preferable to avoid contact by hands, for sanitary, safety or other reasons. For example, tongs can be used to serve very hot food items which would otherwise burn one's hand. Also, tongs could be used to serve food and would provide greater sanity than if the server's hands were used.
The tongs of the prior art have one significant disadvantage in that tongs which include a spring to bias the two arms in an open position are cumbersome to clean and store. For example, tongs which are biased in the open position will not fit easily into a dishwasher or storage drawer. Tongs which are equipped with springs could be easily cleaned and/or stored if they could be held in the closed position when not being used. One method to hold tongs in the closed position is to place a rubber band over the end of the arms. However, a rubber band is not dishwasher safe and would probably melt in the heat of the dishwasher. Also, rubber bands are not ordinarily sanitary and, therefore, it is not desirable to place them in contact with food serving utensils. Lastly, tongs which are held closed by a rubber band and placed in a drawer may snap open if the rubber band breaks and can create a situation in which the opened tongs jam against the inside of cabinet and prevent the drawer from being opened.


Disclosed is a heat exchanger having heat exchange plates and a base plate that can help to mitigate the thermal stresses encountered by a heat exchanger, particularly, around the peripheral edge portions of the heat exchanger and the base of heat exchanger. This is achieved by providing a channel of coolant fluid near the peripheral edge portions which is in between the peripheral edge portions and the manifold permitting flow of hot fluid. In addition, the base plate of the heat exchanger is protected from the hot fluid flowing through the manifold by providing deflectors that shield the base plate from the hot fluid.

Thermal stresses can be created in self-enclosed heat exchangers (i.e. stacked plate heat exchangers with integral manifolds, where the fluids are self-contained and do not require an outer housing) where manifolds for hot fluids are provided on the outer periphery of a plate stack, while central portions of the plate stack are cooled by circulation of a coolant. The hot fluid manifolds are in contact with the hot fluid and are significantly hotter than the central areas of the stack, which are in constant contact with a coolant. Consequently, there is a significant surface temperature difference at the hot gas inlet manifold between its side adjacent to the peripheral edge of the heat exchanger (outer side) and its side adjacent to the central (main) coolant passage (inner side). Such a thermal gradient in the manifold can result in high thermal stresses at the manifold. A similar issue can occur at the hot gas outlet manifold, however, it can be to a lesser extent, as the gas temperature has typically been reduced upon contact with the heat exchange coolant.
The situation described above can also create a thermal gradient across the plates which may cause thermal stresses. This issue can arise in any situation where a high temperature fluid enters a heat exchanger through uncooled manifolds provided at the outer edges of a plate stack, such as in an EGHR (exhaust gas heat recovery) cooling and charge air cooling, where a hot gas is cooled by a liquid or gaseous coolant.
FIG. 1 shows an example of an EGHR heat exchanger from a related U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/599,339, filed Aug. 30, 2012, and incorporated herein by reference. In use, the heat exchanger is mounted to an exhaust valve as shown in FIG. 2. The flow of hot exhaust gas and coolant are shown in FIG. 2. An embodiment of the plate of the heat exchanger is shown in FIG. 3. As would be recognized by a person of ordinary skill in the art based on a reading of the specification that although the heat exchanger described herein is with reference to an EGHR heat exchanger, the invention disclosed herein is not particularly limited for use in an EGHR heat exchanger but can be used in separate applications for heat exchange.
Due to design constraints dictated by the valve configuration in an EGHR, and in order to maximize cooling efficiency, the exhaust inlet and outlet manifolds are located at the edges of the heat exchanger core. It will be appreciated that the portions of the stack which are in contact with the coolant will be at a considerably lower temperature than those areas of the stack which are in contact with the hot exhaust gases only (circled in FIG. 2), thereby creating a thermal gradient across the plates making up the stack. In addition, the hot exhaust gas manifold portion located close to the peripheral edges of the heat exchanger plate can be significantly hotter than the hot exhaust gas manifold portion positioned on the inner side of the plate and in contact with the coolant fluid. This can significantly affect the durability of the heat exchanger that is exposed to hot gases, such as the heat exchanger in an EGHR system.
The thermal gradient described with reference to FIG. 2 can result in thermal stresses when the heat exchanger is heated and cooled under normal operating conditions. Also, because the plate stack has hot fluid manifold sections at the plate ends, the hot outer surfaces of the manifolds are exposed to the environment. Sudden contact of the hot outer surfaces of the heat exchanger with water, as when the vehicle is driven in wet conditions, will cause thermal shocks which may produce additional stresses. In addition, when the hot exhaust gas travels along the length of the inlet exhaust gas inlet manifold, the hot exhaust gas impinges directly on the lowest heat exchange base plate at the end of this hot exhaust gas inlet manifold section. As the flow of the hot exhaust gas impinges generally normal to the inlet manifold end portion at the base plate, it leads to a section of the base plate being at a higher temperature than other portions of the base plate, and leads to a thermal gradient and risk of localized material degradation over time due to hot exhaust gas impingement. Moreover, as the hot gas inlet manifold portion of the base plate is cooled to a lesser extent than the cooled core sections of the heat exchanger plates, the thermal gradient and stress on the base plate can be significantly higher.
There is a need in the art for a heat exchanger having uniformly cooled heat exchanger plates and a base plate that can help to reduce the thermal stresses caused by the thermal gradient which results from a hot exhaust gas flowing through the heat exchanger. In addition, there is a need in the art for a means that can help to reduce and/or protect the base plate from the hot exhaust gas impinging on the base plate of a heat exchanger.
Similar reference numerals may have been used in different figures to denote similar components.

Heat exchanger apparatus with manifold cooling


Methods and systems are provided for delivering product information to a mobile device. A beacon uses a transmitter to transmit a product identification key to the mobile device over a first communication channel. A remote server has a database of detailed product information corresponding to the product identification key. An application on the mobile device to requests the detailed product information from the remote server over a second communication channel. The remote server transmits the detailed product information to the mobile device over the second communication channel and the detailed product information is displayed on the mobile device.

For years, companies have pursued new ways to enhance a shopper's experience by delivering improved customer services and offering digital content through websites. As mobile devices have become more common, many companies have sought to provide digital information about products to customers directly on their mobile device through websites or applications on the device. In this way, companies have been able to better deliver specific product information to customers based on the customer's browsing history, previous search terms, and related products, to name a few. However, these methods do not necessarily reflect the customer's real time product interests while they are shopping.
Proximity-detection technology allows companies to interact personally with customers by triggering location specific content and alerts to their mobile devices. For example, several beacons placed at various locations on a vehicle would be able to tell shoppers at a dealership about features and specifications of the vehicle. As a customer browsed a parking lot of vehicles at a dealership, the customer's mobile device could be provided with product details of the specific vehicle the customer is near, reflecting the customer's actual interest in the vehicle.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide systems and methods for delivering product information to a mobile device. It is additionally desirable to deliver this information based on the proximity of the mobile device relative to the product. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.

Systems and methods for delivering product information to a mobile device


A method for tracking the location of a sewage hose. A sewage main line hose is connected to a sewage truck. A phosphorescent leader hose is connected to the end of the main line hose. A nozzle is connected to the end of the phosphorescent leader hose. The glow of the phosphorescent leader hose is observable in a dark sewage line. The location of the main line hose and the nozzle can be easily determined after observing the glow from the phosphorescent leader hose. In a preferred embodiment the phosphorescent leader hose utilizes europium phosphorescent powder for its phosphorescent properties.

In the sewage waste water industry, high pressure hoses are needed to clear and clean the sewage pipes. Sewage trucks are utilized that have large reels having the high pressure main line water hoses. Sewage trucks are also known as combination sewer cleaning trucks, combination trucks, jetters or jetter trucks. The main line can be of varying lengths up to approximately 1000 feet and can have a working pressure of anywhere from 2000-3000 psi. The main line hoses are color-coordinated with the color referring to the water pressure that the truck's pumps can generate.
At the beginning and end of the main line hose there is a leader hose (also referred to as a guide hose or Pilot hose). The leader hoses are more flexible and they have a higher working pressure than the main line hose. The leader hoses are used to lead the main line hose around turns and bends. A high pressure nozzle is connected to the end of the leader hose.
As an industry standard the leader hoses are black. They are extremely difficult to see in dark sewage lines. Workers may use mirrors or flashlights to help them see in the sewage line.
A function of the leader hose is to let the worker know the distance from the nozzle to the end of the main line hose. For example, the workers may see that they have 10 feet left or 15 feet left depending on the length of the leader hose. Leader hoses may be as long as 25 feet. It is important to know where the main line hose is in order to save the main line hose from any unnecessary damage. Unfortunately, as stated above, leader hoses are very hard to see because they are black. Also manhole depths can be high, up to 30 feet.
Europium Phosphorescent Material
Europium phosphorescent powders are a new generation of glow material. The europium phosphorescent powder provides glow much better than the zinc sulfide phosphorescent materials more commonly known. For example, green and aqua glow europium phosphorescent powders will remain clearly visible for as long a 30 hours sufficient light exposure. The length of time a glow powder will glow is defined as the time it takes for the afterglow brightness to diminish to 0.32 mod (0.32 mod is 100 times the human visible perception limit). Even at this level, the glow is clearly visible in darkness. Europium phosphorescent powder is available from United Nuclear Scientific with offices in Laingsburg, Mich.

Method for tracking the location of a sewage hose through dark sewage pipes


Where the ISDN subscriber terminal performs data transmission, the prefix transmitting section in the terminal transmits the prefix to a packet subsystem in advance. Based on this transmission, the modem pool apparatus designating section in the packet subsystem determines the corresponding modem pool apparatus to establish a communication path between the modem pool apparatus designating section and the modem pool apparatus. Further, the selected modem pool apparatus establishes a communication path to the start-stop transmission terminal. In accordance with the above sequence, a communication path of the ISDN subscriber terminal--packet subsystem--modem pool apparatus--the start-stop transmission terminal is established, thereby allowing the data communication between the ISDN subscriber terminal and start-stop transmission terminal to be realized.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for facilitating data communications between an ISDN subscriber's terminal or a packet terminal in a packet service network and a start-stop terminal connected to an existing telephone network via a modem and an analog line.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the widening use of Integrated Service Digital Networks (ISDNs), requirements for data communications between a terminal connected to an ISDN via a digital line and a terminal connected to an existing telephone network via an analog line have increased. To meet these requirements by the use of existing equipment and communication systems, a modem must be installed on the side of a terminal connected to te ISDN via the digital line.
FIG. 1 illustrates a system for carrying out data communications between a terminal connected to an ISDN via a digital line and a terminal connected to an existing telephone network via an analog line by the use of existing equipment and communication systems.
First, to connect to an ISDN terminal (hereinafter referred to as start-stop transmission terminals) for making start-stop transmissions in an existing telephone network, a Public Telephone Network (PSTN) 102 is connected to an ISDN switching unit 101 via a trunk and start-stop transmission terminals 104-1, 104-2 are connected to the telephone network 102 via modems 103-1, 103-2.
ISDN subscriber terminals 105-1, 105-2 are connected to the ISDN switching unit 101 via network terminators Nt 106-1, 106-2 and terminal adapters TA 107-1, 107-2. For data communications between the ISDN subscriber terminal 105-1 and the start-stop transmission terminal 104-1 connected to the Public Telephone Network PSTN 102 via an analog line, a modem 103-3 must be installed between the ISDN subscriber terminal 105-1 and the terminal adapter TA 107-1.
The ISDN provides packet switching connection as a basic connection service. For the packet switching connection, a packet handler 108 is attached to the ISDN switching unit 101 to carry out protocol translation between the ISDN switching procedure and the packet switching procedure. A packet network 109 is connected to the ISDN via the packet handler 108. A packet terminal 110 is connected to the packet network 109.
Described next is a system for facilitating data communications among various types of terminals interconnected as described above.
First, for existing data communications between the start-stop terminals 104-1 and 104-2, a communication path Pa is established from the start-stop transmission terminal 104-1 through the modem 103-1, the telephone network PSTN 102 and the modem 103-2 to the start-stop transmission terminal 104-2. For data communications between the ISDN subscriber terminals 105-1 and 105-2 within the ISDN, a communication path Pb is established from the ISDN subscriber terminal 105-1 through the terminal adapter TA 107-1, the ISDN switching unit 101, the network terminator NT 106-2 and the terminal adapter TA 107-2 to the ISDN subscriber terminal 105-2.
Moreover, for data communications between the packet terminal 110 and the ISDN subscriber terminal 105-1, a communication path Pc is established from the packet terminal 110 through the packet network 109, the packet handler 108, the ISDN switching unit 101, the network terminator 106-1 and the terminal adapter 107-1 to the ISDN subscriber terminal 105-1.
For data communications between the start-stop transmission terminal 104-1 connected to an analog network and the ISDN subscriber terminal 105-1, the modem 103-3 must be installed between the ISDN subscriber terminal 105-1 and the terminal adapter TA 107-1 . A communication path Pd is thereby established from the start-stop transmission terminal 104-1 through the modem 103-1, the telephone network PSTN 102, the ISDN switching unit 101, the network terminator NT 106-1, the terminal adapter TA 107-1 and the modem 103-3 to the ISDN subscriber terminal 105-1. A modem is needed because the ISDN terminal is not provided with any facility for terminating a protocol for the start-stop transmission.
Thus, the above conventional system has the following problems. First, a modem must be installed on the side of an ISDN subscriber terminal. That is, for an ISDN subscriber to establish communication with a terminal in an analog telephone network, a modem is always needed. This modem must be installed at the expense of the subscriber.
Second, switching between connection and disconnection of the modem installed on the side of the ISDN subscriber terminal is required according to the type of communication. That is, a modem installed at the expense of an ISDN subscriber is required only for communication with start-stop transmission terminals in the analog telephone network and not for communication with other ISDN subscriber terminals and packet terminals. Therefore, the modem must be inserted between the terminal adapter TA and the terminal for communication with a start-stop transmission terminal in the analog telephone network or removed for other communications to thereby directly connect the terminal adapter TA to the terminal.

Modem pool system based on a packet communication procedure


A method of using additives with silica-based slurries to enhance metal selectivity in polishing metallic materials utilizing a chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) process. Additives are used with silica-based slurries to passivate a dielectric surface, such as a silicon dioxide (SiO.sub.2) surface, of a semiconductor wafer so that dielectric removal rate is reduced when CMP is applied. The additive is comprised of at least a polar component and an apolar component. The additive interacts with the surface silanol group of the SiO.sub.2 surface to inhibit particles of the silica-based slurry from interacting with hydroxyl molecules of the surface silanol group. By applying a surface passivation layer on the SiO.sub.2 surface, erosion of the SiO.sub.2 surface is reduced. However, the metallic surface is not influenced significantly by the additive, so that the selectivity of metal removal over oxide removal is enhanced.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing techniques and, more particularly, to slurries utilized in chemical-mechanical polishing.
2. Prior Art
The manufacture of an integrated circuit device requires the formation of various layers (both conductive and non-conductive) above a base substrate to form the necessary components and interconnects. During the manufacturing process, removal of a certain layer or portions of a layer must be achieved in order to pattern and form various components and interconnects. Generally, this removal process is termed "etching."
One of the techniques available for removal of material from a semiconductor wafer is known as the chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) process, in which a chemical slurry is used along with a polishing pad. The mechanical movement of the pad relative to the wafer in combination with the chemical reaction of the slurry provide the abrasive force for removing the exposed surface of the wafer. A variety of CMP tools are available to perform this type of polishing. Improvements are currently being sought in the areas of pad and slurry composition and usage, all to obtain better control over existing CMP practices.
One area of CMP pertains to the removal of metallic materials. CMP of metals can be used to define vertical and horizontal wiring in semiconductor wafers, such as a silicon wafer. This process requires high selectivity in removal rate of metals versus dielectric surfaces, such as a silicon dioxide layer, to insure small oxide erosion on patterned structures. Silicon dioxide (SiO.sub.2) abrasives are commonly used to polish dielectric layers. However, because alumina particles have lower chemical reactivity than silica particles on SiO.sub.2, CMP of a metal layer is predominantly accomplished with alumina slurries to provide acceptable selectivity. Without this higher selectivity, undesirable amounts of the SiO.sub.2 layer will be polished away with the metal. However, there are a number of disadvantages associated with the use of alumina slurries.
Alumina slurries are generally more costly to use as compared to silica slurries. The added cost increases the cost of manufacturing integrated circuits on wafers. Generally, alumina slurries are defect prone and are more difficult to disperse than silica slurries. The defects are the result of scratches left on the polished surface by the alumina slurry, mainly due to the polishing by larger size and harder alumina particles.
Thus, it is appreciated that reliance on silica slurries is more beneficial than using alumina slurries for polishing metals, but only if the selectivity is sufficiently high to limit the erosion of oxide layers to an acceptable level. Accordingly, the present invention addresses a way of obtaining this higher selectivity using silica-based slurries to polish metal.

Method of using additives with silica-based slurries to enhance selectivity in metal CMP


Various implementations described herein are directed to an integrated circuit having a memory cell array disposed in a first area of the integrated circuit. The memory cell array may include memory cells with first transistors of multiple types. The integrated circuit may include a process sensor disposed in a second area of the integrated circuit that is different than the first area. The process sensor may include a process detector having second transistors of the multiple types that are separate from the first transistors. The second transistors of the process detector may be arranged for detecting process variation of the memory cells of the memory cell array.

This section is intended to provide information relevant to understanding various technologies described herein. As the section's title implies, this is a discussion of related art that should in no way imply that it is prior art. Generally, related art may or may not be considered prior art. It should therefore be understood that any statement in this section should be read in this light, and not as any admission of prior art.
Generally, an integrated circuit (IC) having components of a computing system provided on a single chip typically refers to system on a chip (SoC). The SoC is fabricated to include digital, analog, mixed-signal, and/or radio-frequency (RF) capability on a single chip substrate. SoC applications are useful for mobile electronic devices due to their low power consumption and minimal area impact in embedded systems.
In some applications, an SOC may include embedded memory, such as, e.g., static random access memory (SRAM). Due to a denser layout, SRAM may have a higher defect density than other logic circuits, and to improve operating functionality of SRAM, memory circuitry should be tested to evaluate process variation of memory cells.

Detecting process variation of memory cells


A telephone directory holder and binder spine is designed for use with telephone enclosures. The directory holder comprises a separable directory holder unit which may be inserted in a directory at a site distant from the binder spine which is fixed to the telephone enclosure. The holder unit further comprises cables spanning first and second cable holders. The cable is releasable at one end from a holder to permit individual cable placement within the directory. Engagement of the first and second cable holders with the binder spine secures the holder unit with directory to the binder spine. Pre-placement of the directory holder unit within the directory at an off-site location is thus provided to enhance directory replacement.

The present invention relates to a book holder device. More particularly the invention relates to a telephone directory holder for use in public telephone enclosures and the like which permits the telephone directory to be rapidly and easily changed while affording increased security from inadvertent loss or vandalism.
Telephone directories made available for use in public areas, where little or no supervision over the telephone enclosure or directory can be offered, suffer from extremes of weather, abuse by the customer, and substantial vandalism. In an attempt to protect telephone directories from such harm and extend their useful life, a variety of telephone directory holders have developed which offer protective covering to the telephone directory as well as a means for retaining the directory within the holder to prevent theft and vandalism of the directory.
The means by which the directory is retained in the directory holder presents two competing considerations. On the one hand strength, durability, and resistance to disassembly of the directory securing device are required to withstand the harsh environment. On the other hand, the ability to rapidly and easily disassemble the directory securing device is also required to reduce maintenance. The latter feature is necessary so that in situations where a large number of directories are being utilized the process of updating the directory does not consume an inordinate amount of time. Therefore, these two competing considerations work against one another in the development of directory holding devices which are at once strong and secure and yet present ease and rapidity of directory changeover.
Previous directory holders involve metal rods or rectangular metal strips which are interleaved with pages of the directory to traverse the length of the spine of the telephone directory. The metal rods or strips are then locked into a variety of end pieces which secure the directory within a binder. Typically, however, these metal rods or strips may become misaligned or bent during the course of use or during reinsertion into the directory holder. Once bent from alignment they no longer perform their function satisfactorily. In addition, where the metal rod or strip is simply bent or bowed for insertion into the directory holder, unauthorized removal of the telephone directory is possible as there is no protective means to prevent the disengagement of the rods or strips by other parties.
As alluded to above, an additional problem arises when substantial security is incorporated into a directory holder design. Generally, the greater the security offered by the directory holder the more difficult is the removal of the directory in the field and the more complicated the changeover to a substitute directory volume. Where multiple rods or metal strips are utilized to hold the directory in place, it is especially difficult to align the rods with the pages of the directory while working in the field. Such designs can add substantially to the time and cost of changing over to new directories. In addition, these designs utilize a securing feature, a rod or a metal strip which is intergal with the binder portion of the directory holder. Thus the entire changeover process must be accomplished in the field rather than permitting a portion of the work to be completed at a more convenient site.


A method is provided for encapsulating sperm in a particle wherein the particle provides for the timed release of the sperm. In particular, the method uses a gel forming polymer to form the particle and a medium for maintaining most of the sperm in a non-capacitated stage while it is encapsulated. Further provided is a method for artificial insemination using the encapsulated sperm wherein the sperm is naturally or artificially capacitated after the artificial insemination. In an embodiment, capsules containing a core of sperm in a semen extender are formed as a mixture having membranes of different thicknesses to provide varying time of sperm release. In another embodiment, the sperm and extender are dispersed throughout solid beads that vary in chemical property and diameter to provide varying time of sperm release. The extender may be free of glucose, xanthine oxidase and H2O2, and contain fructose, fructose-6-phosphate, pyruvate, lactate or mixtures thereof as a carbohydrate source.

None.
None.
(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an artificial insemination method which comprises providing sperm in a particle wherein the particle provides for the timed release of the sperm. In particular, a method for artificial insemination wherein the sperm in the particle is naturally or artificially capacitated after the artificial insemination. The present invention further relates to a method for encapsulating the sperm in particles and to the particles comprising sperm. In particular, the present invention relates to methods and particles wherein the sperm is provided in a semen extender that provides an energy source which does not facilitate capacitation of the sperm while in the particle. In a preferred embodiment, the particle comprising the sperm is a capsule or a bead.
(2) Description of Related Art
There is increasing demand for genetic transfer and using stored semen for artificial insemination as a means for genetically selecting animals with desirable traits such as production efficiency and meat quality. This demand has prompted a search for methods of storing semen that abrogates the decrease in viability of semen which occurs under prolonged storage. For example, the fertilizing ability of boar semen decreases during storage. Fertility of boar semen stored in liquid at 64xc2x0 F. in presently available extenders decreases from day one and is substantially diminished after 5 to 7 days. Thus, the farrowing percentages of sows inseminated artificially with semen after 5 days in storage are about half of the farrowing percentages of sows inseminated on the day of semen collection. The limited shelf life of boar semen not only restricts the shipping of semen samples to distant farms but also demands frequent deliveries, thus, the cost of artificial insemination is increased.
Another inherent problem of artificial insemination is the lack of a reliable method for determining the time of ovulation. Heat (standing estrus) detection allows the stockman to estimate when ovulation may occur. Females may be sexually receptive for 1-3 days, depending upon their age and previous experience. The natural estrous cycle in swine varies from individual to individual and ranges from 17 to 25 days. In addition, some sows may ovulate 12 to 24 hours before standing estrus; others may not ovulate until after estrus is detected. This inconsistent timing of ovulation in relation to standing heat further adds to the difficulties in determining when a sow should be inseminated. It is currently recommended that females be inseminated two or three times to compensate for inaccurate heat detection and variations in the timing of ovulation in relation to heat detection.
Currently, the most common method for storing semen is cryopreservation. However, thawing semen that has been frozen generally results in sperm damage.
Furthermore, cryopreservation also causes premature capacitation, which has been proven in bovine spermatozoa, thus, decreasing fertilization ability of the sperm (Cormier et al. J. Androl. 18: 461-468 (1997)). Therefore, there have been attempts to find other means for storing semen or for more effectively cryoprotecting the sperm.
Encapsulation of cells involving the polymerization of polyelectrolytes by multivalent ions is one of the most common methods for immobilizing whole cells. The first example of immobilizing a whole cell by this method was reported by Hackel et al. (Eur. J. Appl. Microbiol. 1: 291-293 (1975)). Currently, whole cell immobilization often uses ionically cross-linked alginate because it is considered non-toxic, economical, and simple to perform. Furthermore, alginate capsules can be coated with polylysine to increase the mechanical stability of the capsules.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,744,337 to Price et al. teaches using alginate to produce microspheres of controllable size in a method that involves internally controlling gelation of alginate in an oil:water emulsion. The method has been used to produce microspheres containing whole cells. The method allows the production of uniform spherical capsules less than 1,000 microns in diameter.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,912,005 to Lanza et al. teaches a method for implanting cells in a host using cells encapsulated in a temperature independent gel. The method uses ionically cross-linked alginate as the encapsulating material; however, to avoid having to use immunosuppressive chemicals to prevent host immune responses to the implanted capsules, the capsules are not coated with polylysine.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,846,530 to Soon-Shiong et al. teaches a method for encapsulating cells for transplantation wherein to strengthen the capsule, the polymer is covalently cross-linked. The covalently cross-linked capsules remain intact in the host for a longer period of time than tonically cross-linked capsules. The patent teaches covalently cross-linking lipids, polysaccharides such as alginate, and polycations to form capsules containing cells.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,084,350 to Chang et al. teaches a method for encapsulating cells consisting of encapsulating the cells in an ionically cross-linked alginate capsule, suspending the capsules in a solution and forming droplets containing one or more capsules, gelling the droplets, forming membranes on the droplets consisting of tonically cross-linked polylysine, and then liquefying the internal alginate capsules. The end product is a cross-linked polylysine capsule containing cells. The method prevents production of capsules containing cells that are trapped within the membrane.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,451,411 to Gumbotz et al. teaches using alginate capsules containing selected polyanions such as polyacrylic acid to shield the therapeutic agent therein from interaction with the alginate. For use in the host, the capsules are treated prior to use with an acid to reduce the molecular weight of the alginate and to prevent its interaction with the therapeutic agent.
Alginate has been used to encapsulate sperm cells. For example, Esbenshade and Nebel (Theriogenology, 33: 499-508 (1990)) encapsulated boar semen in capsules consisting of alginate capsules coated with polylysine. However, they found that the encapsulation caused an accelerated decrease in motility of the boar sperm. There was a complete loss of motility by 16 hours after encapsulation. The fertilizibility of the sperm was not evaluated. In another example, Nebel et al. (J. Anim. Sci. 60: 1631-1639 (1985)) encapsulated bovine sperm in polylysine coated alginate capsules; however, the sperm showed diminished motility and complete loss of fertility after encapsulation. In an effort to reduce spermatozoal injury of encapsulated sperm, Nebel et al. (Reprod. Fertil. Dev. 5: 701-712 (1993)) encapsulated sperm in polymers consisting of polylysine, polyvinylamine or protamine sulfate. The encapsulated sperm was capable of fertilization, but the encapsulated sperm were at a disadvantage to non-encapsulated sperm when cows were inseminated at conventional times.
Another approach to encapsulating sperm was the use of a thermal gel, wherein the thermal gel was solid at room temperature and liquid at body temperature. U.S. Pat. No. RE34,326 to van Blerkom teaches a method for encapsulating sperm for artificial insemination in nontoxic polymers such as polyurethane-polyether polymers which are freely flowing at body temperature and a gel or solid at room temperature. Bovine sperm encapsulated in the polymer and stored for 14 days at 7xc2x0 C. retained about 48% of its motility. Fertility of the sperm was not determined.
Therefore, while the prior art has taught methods for encapsulating semen, the prior art has not provided a proven means for prolonging the shelf life of liquid semen or reducing the damage to frozen semen. Thus, there remains a need to prolong the shelf life of semen, particularly the shelf life of boar semen. There is also a need for a method to extend the fertile period of the sperm cells in the female reproductive tract. Prolonging the shelf life of the semen would decrease the cost of the semen and the costs for shipping, it would improve the breeding efficiency by increasing the number of females settled by artificial insemination, it would decrease the labor involved in artificial insemination by reducing the number of times artificial insemination needed to be performed to achieve maximum pregnancy, and it would improve overall artificial insemination management because the variation in the timing of ovulation becomes less critical for successful artificial insemination.
The present invention comprises a method for encapsulating sperm within a particle comprising the steps of: (a) providing a sperm sample comprising a semen extender which provides an energy source that does not facilitate capacitation of the sperm and a gel forming polymer; (b) forming the sperm sample into a droplet containing the sperm sample; and (c) forming the particle by inducing the gel forming polymer to gel. Preferably, the semen extender is substantially free of glucose and reactive oxygen species and provides an exogenous energy source which does not facilitate capacitation of the sperm in the absence of the reactive oxygen species or the glucose. Preferred exogenous energy sources include those selected from the group consisting of fructose, fructose-6-phosphate, pyruvate, lactate, and mixture thereof.
In a particular method of the invention, the particle is a capsule comprising the sperm sample encapsulated by a membrane comprising the gel forming polymer wherein the gel forming polymer, preferably an ionotropic polymer, is induced to gel by a polyvalent ion. The gel forming polymer can be selected from the group consisting of sodium alginate, chitosan, guar gum, gum arabic, carrageenan, pectin, gelatin, iragacanth gum, xanthan gum, and mixture thereof.
In another method of the invention, the particle is a bead comprising the sperm sample encapsulated in a thermal gel that is a solid at room temperature and a liquid at body temperature. Preferred thermal gels include those selected from the group consisting of agarose, kappa-carrageenan, gelatin, agar, polyurethane-polyether polymers, and mixture thereof.
The present invention also provides several particular methods for encapsulating sperm within a capsule. The first method comprises the steps of (a) providing a sperm sample which is in a semen extender and a gelling inducer; (b) forming the sperm sample into a droplet containing the sperm sample, the droplet having an outer surface; (c) providing a gelling solution comprising an effective amount of a gel forming polymer which polymer gels on contact with the gelling inducer at the outer surface of the droplet; and (d) forming a capsule including an interior core and a gel membrane by contacting the outer surface of the droplet with the gelling solution for a time sufficient for the gel forming polymer to form a gel membrane at the surface of the droplet to a desired thickness, the core containing the sperm sample.
A second method for providing sperm within a bead comprises the steps of (a) providing a sperm sample which is in a semen extender and a gel forming polymer; (b) forming the sperm sample into a droplet containing the sperm sample; (c) providing a gel inducing solution comprising an effective amount of an inducer which causes the gel forming polymer to gel on contact with the gelling inducer; and (d) forming a bead by contacting the droplet with the gel inducing solution for a time sufficient for the gel forming polymer to form a gel to provide the sperm sample in the bead.
In either method, it is preferable that the semen extender is substantially free of glucose and reactive oxygen species and provides an exogenous energy source which does not facilitate capacitation of the sperm in the absence of the reactive oxygen species or the glucose. In particular, wherein the exogenous energy source is selected from the group consisting of fructose, fructose-6-phosphate, pyruvate, lactate, and mixture thereof.
It is further preferable that the gel forming polymer be an ionotropic polymer and the gel inducer is a polyvalent ion. In particular, the polymer is selected from the group consisting of sodium alginate, chitosan, guar gum, gum arabic, carrageenan, pectin, gelatin, iragacanth gum, xanthan gum, and mixture thereof.
The present invention further provides a method for encapsulating sperm within a thermal gel membrane capsule comprising the steps of (a) providing a sperm sample which is in a semen extender and a gelling inducer; (b) forming the sperm sample into a droplet containing the sperm sample, the droplet having an outer surface; (c) providing a gelling solution comprising an effective amount of a gel forming polymer which polymer gels on contact with the gelling inducer at the outer surface portion of the droplet and a thermal gel forming polymer at a temperature sufficient to inhibit the gel forming polymer from gelling; (d) forming a capsule including an interior core and a gel membrane by contacting the outer surface of the droplet with the gelling solution for a time sufficient for the gel forming polymer to form a gel membrane at the surface of the droplet to a desired thickness, the core containing the sperm sample, and the membrane entrapping the thermal gel forming polymer; and (e) removing the gel forming polymer to produce the thermal gel membrane capsule.
Further still, the present invention provides a method for encapsulating the sperm in a thermal gel bead, the method comprising the steps of (a) providing a sperm sample which is in a semen extender containing a thermal gel forming polymer and gelling inducer at a temperature sufficient to inhibit the gel forming polymer from gelling; (b) forming the sperm sample into a droplet containing the sperm sample; (c) providing a gelling solution to lower the temperature; (d) forming a bead by contacting the droplet with the gelling solution for a time sufficient for the gel forming polymer to form a gel; and (e) allowing the thermal gel to solidify to produce the thermal gel bead containing the sperm in the semen extender.
Further still, the present invention provides a method for providing the sperm in a thermal gel bead, the method comprising the steps of (a) providing a sperm sample which is in a semen extender containing a thermal gel forming polymer and a gel forming polymer at a temperature sufficient to inhibit the gel forming polymer from gelling; (b) forming the sperm sample into a droplet containing the sperm sample; (c) providing a gel inducing solution comprising an effective amount of a gel inducer which on contact with the gel forming polymer causes the gel forming polymer to gel; (d) forming a bead by contacting the droplet with the gel inducer solution for a time sufficient for the gel forming polymer to form a gel; and (e) allowing the thermal gel to solidify to produce the thermal gel bead that contains the sperm in the semen extender and the gel forming polymer.
Further still, the present invention provides a method for encapsulating the sperm in a thermal gel bead, comprising the steps of (a) providing a sperm sample which is in a semen extender containing a thermal gel forming polymer at a temperature sufficient to inhibit the gel forming polymer from gelling; (b) forming the sperm sample into a droplet containing the sperm sample; and (c) forming the bead by chilling the droplet to a temperature that is below the gelling temperature of the thermal gel whereby the droplet becomes a solid which contains the sperm in the semen extender.
Preferably in the aforementioned, the semen extender is substantially free of glucose and reactive oxygen species and provides an exogenous energy source which does not facilitate capacitation of the sperm in the absence of the reactive oxygen species or the glucose. Preferred exogenous energy sources include those selected from the group consisting of fructose, fructose-6-phosphate, pyruvate, lactate, and mixture thereof. It is also preferable that the gel forming polymer is induced to gel by a polyvalent ion. Preferably, the gel forming polymer is an ionotropic polymer, which can be selected from the group consisting of sodium alginate, chitosan, guar gum, gum arabic, carrageenan, pectin, gelatin, iragacanth gum, xanthan gum, and mixture thereof. It is preferable that the thermal gel be a polymer that is a solid at room temperature and a liquid at body temperature. Preferred thermal gels include those selected from the group consisting of agarose, kappa-carrageenan, gelatin, agar, polyurethane-polyether polymers, and mixture thereof.
The present invention further provides a method for artificial insemination comprising (a) providing an admixture of particles containing sperm in a semen extender which provides an energy source that does not facilitate capacitation of the sperm wherein the admixture comprises particles that vary in chemical property and diameter; and (b) introducing the admixture into a uterus. In one embodiment, the method comprises particles that are capsules comprising a core containing the sperm sample in a semen extender and a gel membrane encapsulating the core wherein the admixture comprises capsules having membranes of different thicknesses. In another embodiment, the particles are beads comprising the sperm sample in a semen extender and thermal gel.
Preferably, in the artificial insemination method, the semen extender is substantially free of glucose and reactive oxygen species and provides an exogenous energy source which does not capacitate the sperm in the absence of the reactive oxygen species or the glucose. In particular, wherein the exogenous energy source is selected from the group consisting of fructose, fructose-6-phosphate, pyruvate, lactate, and mixtures thereof and wherein glucose or precursors for reactive oxygen species are delivered with the particles containing the sperm during the artificial insemination. It one embodiment, the particles containing glucose or precursors for reactive oxygen species are delivered with the particles containing the sperm during the artificial insemination. It is preferable that the reactive oxygen species is produced by a mixture of xanthine and xanthine oxidase or H2O2.
In particular embodiments, the gel forming polymer is a thermal gel. Preferably, a thermal gel selected from the group consisting of agarose, kappa-carrageenan, gelatin, agar, polyurethane-polyether polymers, and mixture thereof.
In embodiments comprising a membrane, it is preferable that the membrane have a thickness from 0.1 to 3.5 mm and containing therein sperm in a semen extender.
In particular embodiments, the gel forming polymer is induced to gel by a polyvalent ion. Preferably, the gel forming polymer is an ionotropic polymer. The polymer can be selected from the group consisting of sodium alginate, chitosan, guar gum, gum arabic, carrageenan, pectin, gelatin, iragacanth gum, xanthan gum, and mixture thereof.
The present invention further provides a particle for the timed release of sperm in a uterus comprising sperm in a semen extender which provides an energy source that does not facilitate capacitation of the sperm and a gel forming polymer which forms the particle.
In one embodiment, the particle is a capsule comprising an inner core containing the sperm in a semen extender and a gel forming polymer membrane encapsulating the core wherein chemical property and thickness of the gel membrane determines the time release of the sperm when the capsule is introduced into the uterus. Preferably, the gel forming polymer is selected from the group consisting of agarose, kappa-carrageenan, gelatin, agar, polyurethane-polyether polymers, sodium alginate, chitosan, guar gum, gum arabic, carrageenan, pectin, iragacanth gum, xanthan gum, and mixture thereof.
In another embodiment, the particle is a bead comprising the sperm in a semen extender and a gel forming polymer wherein chemical property and diameter of the bead determines the time release of the sperm when the bead is introduced into the uterus.
In either embodiment, the semen extender is substantially free of glucose and reactive oxygen species and provides an exogenous energy source which does not facilitate capacitation of the sperm in the absence of the reactive oxygen species or the glucose. It is preferable that the exogenous energy source be selected from the group consisting of fructose, fructose-6-phosphate, pyruvate, lactate, and mixture thereof.
In particular embodiments, the gel forming polymer is selected from the group consisting of agarose, kappa-carrageenan, gelatin, agar, polyurethane-polyether polymers, sodium alginate, chitosan, guar gum, gum arabic, carrageenan, pectin, iragacanth gum, xanthan gum, and mixture thereof. In other embodiments, particularly in the bead embodiment, the gel forming polymer is a thermal gel. Preferably, a thermal gel selected from the group consisting of agarose, kappa-carrageenan, gelatin, agar, polyurethane-polyether polymers, and mixture thereof. In a further embodiment of the bead, the bead is encapsulated in a membrane comprising a gel forming polymer.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for encapsulating sperm in a particle, either a capsule or a bead wherein the sperm is maintained in a precapacitated or non-capacitated form. A further object of the present invention is to provide particles which allow for the timed release of the sperm when the particle is implanted in the uterus.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a method to prolong the shelf life of semen, particularly the shelf life of boar semen and concomitantly to expand or widen the fertile period of the sperm cells in the female reproductive tract.
These and other objects will become increasingly apparent through the following detailed description of the invention and examples.

Method of artificial insemination by timed release of sperm from capsules or solid beads

Board of Trustees operating Michigan State University


The present invention provides a foundation for a wind turbine. To reduce set-up time and to allow complete alignment of the platform which carries the base flange of the tower construction, the invention provides a foundation with a cage structure having an upper stress distribution flange connected by a plurality of tensioned anchor bolts to a lower flange. The flanges are separated by a number of distance elements whereby the shape of the cage structure becomes fixed by the combination between tensioned bolts and distance elements. Since the cage structure has a fixed shape, the upper stress distribution flange can be aligned before the cage structure is embedded in concrete, and it becomes unnecessary to wait for the concrete to harden.

When laying a foundation for a wind turbine, a reinforced concrete element is often cast and subsequently, the turbine tower is positioned on the concrete element and fixed hereto. A simple way of fixing the tower to the concrete element is to anchor substantially vertical anchor rods in the concrete element, and attach these to a flange which is attached to the tower wall.
Due to the heavy weight of the tower construction, the anchor rods and the concrete element will be exposed to a large pressure at points carrying the tower. Even though the foundation is levelled before positioning the turbine tower, the anchor rods are exposed to a large pressure from the tower.
Traditionally, final levelling of the tower construction is carried out while a crane supports the tower. After levelling of the tower construction, an additional casting layer, sometimes referred to as grouting, is added to fill out a gap between the concrete element and the levelled flange. Additionally, the grouting may fix the levelled position. The crane is used to keep the tower construction in place while the additional casting layer hardens.
Due to the increasing size of wind turbines, the size of the supporting crane is also increasing which further increases the associated cost and time consumption.


In order to achieve improved mechanical properties for a coil (1), it is proposed to structure a first electroconductive winding (3) of the coil (1) as a coil former. This coil has a first connecting element (15), to which a second connecting element (17) is attached via an insulating part (25). The two connecting elements (15, 17) form the connections for the coil (1). In this way, a self-supporting coil structure is achieved. The coil (1) is particularly intended as an undervoltage winding with a low number of windings for cast resin transformers.

The present invention relates to a coil, particularly for a high-voltage transformer, in which a first electroconductive winding is designed as a coil former.
DE-OS 39 17 212 discloses a transformer coil in which a wire winding is applied to a winding element of non-magnetic metal. The winding element is structured as a sleeve having a slit that passes axially through it. The winding start of the coil is electrically connected with the winding element, where a front end projection of the winding element serves as the electrical connection for the winding start of the coil. This winding arrangement is preferably cast into a cast mass, where a second connecting element cast into this is electrically connected with the winding end of the coil. This solution is only suitable for low-output transformers, e.g., for small transformers.
DE 27 36 092 A1 discloses a coil for a high-tension transformer in which a first electroconductive winding has a first connecting element. A second connecting element is attached to the first connecting element via an insulating portion. The second connecting element is also connected to a second electroconductive wiring that is insulated with respect to the first winding. Here, the windings are produced from rigid circuit boards which are each self-supporting. This type of coil and winding structure is only suitable for such high currents at which the necessary conductor material is already self-supporting by itself, due to the conductor cross-section.
Patent Abstracts of Japan, Vol. 1, No. 133 (E-77) (6162), Nov. 4, 1977, JP-A-52 068 921, discloses an internal connection part for a winding which is inserted into an axial slit of an insulating coil former as an intermediate piece.
Despite these known transformers there is still a need for a high voltage transformer with a winding designed as a coil former.


Apparatus for preventing the unwanted changing of the temperature range setting of an air conditioner unit. The shaft of a unit""s thermostat is passed through a first panel and a control knob is mounted upon the distal end of the shaft. A raised second panel is placed over the first panel having an opening for rotatably receiving the body of the control knob. A radially extended arm is mounted upon the control knob so that it swings over an arcuate path of travel between the panels as the shaft turns. Spaced apart holes are formed in one of the panels along the arcuate path of travel and stop pins are removably mounted in said holes on either side of the arm to control the range of movement of the shaft and thus the operating range of the air conditioner.

This invention relates generally to apparatus for preselecting the operating range of an air conditioning unit, and specifically to apparatus for preventing unauthorized changing of the operating range of an air conditioning unit once the range has been selected.
This present invention will be described with specific regards to a packaged terminal air conditioning unit (PTAC) of the type typically utilized in hotels, motels, inns or other similar type lodgings wherein the unit is adapted to provide heating or cooling to a specific comfort area within a building. The unit is generally housed within a sleeve mounted in an outside wall of a building and includes an outdoor section and an indoor section that are separated by a wall containing a covering of insulating material. The insulation prevents heat from being exchanged freely between the sections and also provides a sound barrier.
The occupant of the lodging is afforded the ability and accessibility to control the output of the unit so that the temperature within the occupied comfort area can be selectively regulated within a temperature range which, in most cases, is the entire operational range of the unit. Accordingly, the unit is oftentimes set at an extremely high level above what might be considered a normal comfort level resulting in a considerable waste of energy and an unnecessary increase in the proprietor""s operating expenses.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to improve air conditioning units and, in particular, to units that are located in hotels, motels and other public places of lodging where the occupant has free access to the operation of the unit.
It is a further object of the present invention to conserve energy.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a tamper proof temperature control for an air conditioner unit wherein the operation range of the unit can be selected within desired limits.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable temperature control for an air conditioner unit wherein the temperature range of the control can only be selected by authorized personnel.
These and other objects of the present invention are attained by a tamper proof apparatus for use in an air conditioning unit for controlling temperature output of the unit within a preselected range of temperatures. A first panel is mounted in the unit and the distal end of a thermostat control knob is arranged to pass upwardly through the panel. A control knob is placed over the distal end of the shaft that includes a radially extended arm that is positioned adjacent to the control panel. The arm describes an arcuate path of travel as the knob and shaft are rotated. A raised second panel is mounted over the first panel in a spaced apart relationship therewith. The second panel includes an opening in which the control knob is rotatably contained. The arm, however, is captured between the two panels. A series of spaced apart holes are located in the lower panel along the arcuate path of travel described by the arm. Stop members are interchangeably mounted on either side of the arm within selected holes to limit the range of rotation of the arm and thus the range of control of the thermostat. The stop members, like the arm, are located between the panels so that the location of the stop members cannot be altered without separating the panels.

Temperature control for an air conditioning unit


A fixed electrode is divided into a plurality of electrode pieces and driving signals of different voltages are applied to the electrode pieces such that a distribution of driving forces applied to a vibrator is proportional to the surface displacement distribution in a vibration mode across the vibrator.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a speaker apparatus, and more particularly to an electrostatic speaker apparatus in which desired frequency versus sound pressure and vibration amplitude characteristics can be achieved.
2. Description of the Related Art
As known in the art, a so-called electrostatic (capacitor-type) speaker includes a pair of fixed electrodes that face each other, and a vibrator disposed between the pair of fixed electrodes. Such an electrostatic speaker is designed so that a driving signal is applied across the pair of fixed electrodes and a d.c. bias voltage is applied between an electrode of the vibrator and each of the fixed electrodes, thereby generating sound pressure according to the driving signal.
FIGS. 8 to 10 illustrate the structure of a conventional electrostatic speaker 1, by way of example. The electrostatic speaker (hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9cspeaker apparatusxe2x80x9d) 1 includes frames 1a and 1b which are screwed to each other. Inside the frames 1a and 1b, fixed electrodes 2a and 2b are placed so as to face each other.
The fixed electrodes 2a and 2b are exposed to the air at openings 3a and 3b formed in the center of the frames 1a and 1b, respectively. As shown in FIG. 8, the fixed electrodes 2a and 2b are made of a substantially rectangular planar plate, and have multiple openings formed therein.
In the following description with respect to the structure, generally, the fixed electrodes 2a and 2b and a diaphragm 4 formed therebetween are rectangular; however, the fixed electrodes 2a and 2b and the diaphragm 4 may have a circular or any other shape.
The diaphragm 4 is placed in a gap between the fixed electrodes 2a and 2b. The outer periphery of the diaphragm 4 is held between a metal frame 5 and a vibrator electrode 6, and is fixedly received in the frames 1a and 1b through elastic members 7.
The diaphragm 4 has air gaps each having a predetermined length formed with respect to the fixed electrodes 2a and 2b. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, spacers 8a and 8b are disposed in close proximity to the fixed electrodes 2a and 2b, respectively, so that the diaphragm 4 is held between the spacers 8a and 8b. In this structure, the thickness of the spacers 8a and 8b can be used to precisely set the lengths of the air gaps, namely, a distance da from the fixed electrode 2a to the diaphragm 4 and a distance db from the fixed electrode 2b to the diaphragm 4.
Driving signals and d.c. bias voltages are applied to the speaker apparatus 1 having the above-described structure using a circuit shown in FIG. 11.
The circuit includes a booster transformer T1 and a transformer T2. A commercial power supply is connected to the primary winding of the booster transformer T1. The secondary winding of the booster transformer T1 is connected to a multistage voltage doubling rectifier circuit including diodes D1 to D7 and capacitors C1 to C8. The output of the multistage voltage doubling rectifier circuit is connected to the center tap of the secondary winding of the transformer T2.
The secondary winding of the transformer T2 is connected to the fixed electrodes 2a and 2b through resistors R3 and R4, respectively. One end of the secondary winding of the booster transformer T2 is connected to the vibrator electrode 6, or the diaphragm 4, through a resistor R1 and a terminal TC, so that d.c. bias voltages are applied between the diaphragm 4 and the fixed electrode 2a, and between the diaphragm 4 and the fixed electrode 2b. The d.c. bias voltages can be, for example, as high as 2.5 KV.
From a power amplifier connected to the speaker apparatus, audio signals are supplied across terminals which are connected to the primary winding of the transformer T2. As the audio signals are passed to the primary winding of the transformer T2 via a resistor R2, they are boosted by the transformer T2 before appearing on the secondary winding as the driving signals. The driving signals are thus applied to the fixed electrodes 2a and 2b through terminals TF and TR, respectively.
In the thus constructed electrostatic speaker 1, driving forces F are expressed by the following general equation (1) of the Coulomb""s law:                     F        =                  k          ·                                                    q                1                            ·                              q                2                                                    r              2                                                          (        1        )
where q1 and q2 denote the charges of the electrodes, r denotes the distance between the electrodes, and k is the constant of proportion. Accordingly, the electrostatic speaker 1 is driven by the driving forces F calculated by general equation (1).
In the speaker apparatus 1, the fixed electrodes 2a and 2b are substantially rectangular, and the electrode surfaces facing the diaphragm 4 are entirely parallel to the diaphragm 4. In other words, the distance from any portion of the electrode surfaces to the diaphragm 4 is da or db shown in FIG. 10. Therefore, the driving forces applied to the diaphragm 4 are uniform over the diaphragm surface.
Now, a case is considered where uniform driving forces F which are expressed by F=F0sin(xcfx89t) are generated on the entire surface of the diaphragm 4 by the applied voltages. Then, the frequency characteristic of displacement distribution z across the diaphragm 4 is defined by the following equation (2):                     z        =                              ∑                          m              ,              n                                                                                ∫                                                      (                                                                  F                        0                                                                                Ξ                                                  m                          ,                          n                                                                                )                                                                          ⅆ                    V                                                                              M                                                  (                                                            ω                                              m                        ,                        n                                            2                                        -                                          ω                      2                                                        )                                                                                Ξ                              m                ,                n                                                                sin                                            (                                  ω                                                        xe2x80x83                                                      t                                )                                                                        (        2        )
where (m, n) indicates the order of the unique vibration mode of the diaphragm 4, and "Xgr" denotes a reference function which indicates the displacement distribution in the unique vibration mode. Furthermore, V denotes the volume, M denotes the total weight of the diaphragm 4, and xcfx89m,n and xcfx89 denote the mnth-order resonance angular frequency and the angular frequency, respectively.
In the following description, the substantially rectangular diaphragm 4 has sides with lengths of a and b in the x- and y-axis directions, respectively, by way of example. The x-axis direction corresponds to the direction in which the longer sides extend, and the y-axis direction corresponds to the direction in which the shorter sides extend, as viewed from the surface direction of the diaphragm 4, as shown in FIG. 8. In this case, the displacement distribution in the unique vibration mode is given by the following equation (3):                               Ξ                      m            ,            n                          =                  sin                                xe2x80x83                                                        m                                            xe2x80x83                                          π                        a                                          x            ·            sin                                          xe2x80x83                                                        n                                            xe2x80x83                                          π                        b                              y                                    (        3        )
When equation (3) is substituted into equation (2), the following equation (4) is derived with respect to the displacement distribution z across the diaphragm 4:                     z        =                              ∑                                                            m                  =                  1                                ,                3                ,                                  5                                    …
                                                                            n                  =                  1                                ,                3                ,                                  5                                    …                                                                                4                                                  F                  0                                                mn                                                  xe2x80x83                                                                  π                  2                                                            abM                                                  (                                                            ω                                              m                        ,                        n                                            2                                        -                                          ω                      2                                                        )                                                                                Ξ                              m                ,                n                                                                sin                                            (                                  ω                                                        xe2x80x83                                                      t                                )                                                                        (        4        )
FIGS. 7A to 7D show four resonance modes as portions of the vibration modes indicated by equation (4).
FIG. 7A shows a resonance mode where (m, n)=(1, 1) in equation (4), showing the state where the entire surface of the diaphragm 4 vibrates in the same direction at a particular frequency. In a resonance mode where (m, n)=(3, 1) at a higher frequency, as shown in FIG. 7B, a vibration is created in a ridge-trough-ridge fashion along the longer sides (in the x-axis direction).
FIG. 7C shows a resonance mode where (m, n)=(1, 3) in which a vibration is created in a ridge-trough-ridge fashion along the shorter sides (in the y-axis direction). FIG. 7D shows a resonance mode where (m, n)=(3, 3) in which a vibration is created in a composite ridge-trough fashion along the longer sides and the shorter sides.
Therefore, the diaphragm 4 has a characteristic that multiple resonance modes may be generated, and the frequency characteristic found by calculation is shown in FIG. 12. FIG. 12 shows portions that may be affected by resonance in the resonance modes where (m, n)=(1, 1), (3, 1), (5, 1), and (7, 1).
Since multiple resonance modes may be generated, there have been problems with the speaker apparatus 1 in which the entire electrode surfaces of the fixed electrodes 2a and 2b are parallel to the diaphragm 4.
As shown in FIG. 12, there are peaks and dips in the amplitude versus frequency characteristic in the diaphragm center of the diaphragm 4 so that the characteristic is not smoothed. Many resonance modes are generated in the used frequency domain, resulting in peaks and dips in the output sound pressure versus frequency characteristic. Particularly, a problem occurs in the frequency domains corresponding to the resonance modes in which vibrations occur in reverse phase, as shown in FIGS. 7B, 7C, and 7D, in that the sound pressure level is reduced, namely, desired frequency versus sound pressure and vibration amplitude characteristics are not achieved.
In a similar way, in a speaker apparatus including fixed electrodes and a diaphragm which are shaped into a circle having a radius of a, the displacement distribution in the unique vibration mode across the diaphragm is expressed by the following equation (5) in the cylindrical coordinate system:
"Xgr"m,n=Jm(xcex2m,n,r).(Am,n,c cos mxcex8+Am,n,s sin mxcex8) for m=0, 1, 2, . . ., n=0, 1, 2,xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(5)
where Jm denotes an m-th Bessel function, r denotes the radial coordinate, A denotes the constant, xcex8 denotes the angular coordinate, and xcex2 is given by the following equation (6):
Jm(xcex2m,na)=0xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(6)
FIG. 13 shows vibration modes if uniform driving forces are acted on the entire surface of a circular diaphragm by the applied voltages in a similar way to the case where a rectangular diaphragm is used. In FIG. 13, m=0. Also in this case, a problem occurs in that multiple resonance modes are generated so that desired frequency versus sound pressure and vibration amplitude characteristics cannot be achieved.
A present inventor discloses an electrostatic speaker in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 9-182190 in which the surface shape of fixed electrodes is set so that distances from portions of the fixed electrodes to the surface of a vibrator vary and the driving forces applied to the vibrator are proportional to the surface displacement distribution in the unique vibration mode of the vibrator, whereby only a particular resonance mode is generated. For example, the surface shape of the fixed electrodes is curved so that distances from portions of the fixed electrodes to the surface of the vibrator are different and the driving forces applied to the vibrator are proportional to the surface displacement distribution in the unique vibration mode of the vibrator.
However, the electrostatic speaker disclosed in the above publication requires that the fixed electrodes be precisely machined, leading to a problem of an increase in cost.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a speaker apparatus in which only a single resonance mode is generated to achieve desired frequency versus sound pressure and vibration amplitude characteristics.
To this end, according to the present invention, a speaker apparatus includes a fixed electrode divided into a plurality of pieces, and a vibrator, which face each other. Driving signals of different voltages are applied to the divided fixed electrode pieces, and bias voltages are applied between an electrode of the vibrator and the fixed electrode, thereby applying driving forces to the vibrator according to the driving signals.
This allows distribution of the driving forces across the vibrator to be proportional to the surface displacement distribution in the unique vibration mode of the vibrator. Furthermore, there is no need to precisely machine the fixed electrodes, thereby providing a simplified driving circuit.


The invention provides silicon substituted fullerene compounds. The compounds can form polymers or wrapped fullerenes. The compounds may be made by reacting an organo-silicon compound with a fullerene in the presence of a catalyst by a hydrosilylation reaction.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to silicon-substituted fullerene compounds and methods of making them.
2. Background Art
Fullerenes are a recently discovered form of pure solid carbon. They are cage-like hollow structures comprised of hexagon and pentagon rings fused together to form ball shaped hollow molecules which resemble geodesic domes. Fullerenes may range from 32 carbons up to many hundreds of carbon atoms. A fullerene molecule containing 60 carbons (C.sub.60) is the archetype, and is known as Buckminsterfullerene. For a general discussion of fullerenes, see R. Curl, et al., Scientific American, 54-63 (October 1991). The disclosure of this articles, and of all other articles referred to herein, are incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
Fullerenes have been synthesized by decomposing graphite rods in the presence of helium. Graphite rod decomposition may be accomplished by electric arc, as discussed in A. Koch, et al., 56 Journal of Organic Chemistry, 4543-4545 (1991)(C.sub.60 ; C.sub.70), or by plasma discharge as discussed in D. Parker; et al., 113 Journal American Chemical Society, 7499-7503 (1991)(C.sub.60 -C.sub.266).
Researchers have identified many interesting uses of fullerenes over the past few years. For example, fullerenes show promise for use in diamond films, nonlinear optical and superconducting materials, semiconductors, and photo-conductors. Because pure fullerenes form discreet crystals, more processable forms of fullerenes are needed to more fully exploit their unique properties.
A few polymers of fullerenes have been synthesized to help meet this need. In this regard, D. Loy, et al. synthesized a C.sub.60 -p-xylyene copolymer. See, 114 Journal American Chemical Society, 3977-3978 (1992). Another example is a palladium polymer of a Buckminsterfullerene synthesized by H. Nagashima, et al., Journal of the Chemical Society, "Chemical Communications", 377-379 (1992). Other examples are the synthesis by S. Shi, et al. of a polyester and polyurethane of diphenyl C.sub.61. (See, 114 Journal American Chemical Society, 10656-10657 (1992)) and a polymer-substituted fullerene shown in E. Samulski, et al., 4 Chemical Materials, 1153-1157 (1992).
A drawback of some of the foregoing substituted fullerenes is that they employ expensive reagents, like palladium and xylylene. Further, some are made from reagents which have toxic side effects. Accordingly, there is a need for an inexpensive and non-toxic polymeric substituted fullerene.


In an arc welding method and apparatus, a plasma (13) is generated at a welding intended position on a base material (2) by a laser (16) irradiated to the base material (2). When a discharge electrode (12) is at a minus potential, an arc discharge (4) takes place in the direction of the plasma (13) and is induced at a position irradiated with the laser (16). When the electrode (12) is at a plus potential, arc electrons are generated from a laser irradiated point and discharged to the electrode (12). When a voltage applied between the electrode (12) and the base material (2) is alternating, the polarities of the electrode (12) and the base material (2) alternately change so that the foregoing phenomena alternately occur. When the base material (2) is at a minus potential, an arc discharge (4) takes place from a laser spot. Also, in regard to the arc discharge (4), since the plasma (13) is generated by the laser (16), a stable arc discharge (4) can be generated irrespective of the state of the base material (2) or the state of the electrode (12).

The present invention relates to laser-based induction of arc discharge, and a laser based arc induction welding method and apparatus for arc welding a narrow gap.
Arc welding includes TIG (tungsten inert gas) welding, MIG (metal inert gas) welding, CO2, MAG (meal active gas) welding, and so on. Then, for moving an arc generated position in the MIG welding and so on other than the TIG welding, it is often the case that a torch 1 having a filler electrode 3 is moved with respect to a base material 2, which is to be worked, to move the arc, as illustrated in FIG. 15. For reference, in the case of the TIG welding, an electrode is separated from a filler, so that the tungsten electrode is moved with respect to a base material, which is to be worked, to move an arc. This is because the TIG welding uses non-consumable electrode, while the MIG welding and so on use a consumable electrode.
Also, for example, in a method described in JP-A-5-146877, a feeding wire 19 is bent by a filler bending gear 6 to move an arc discharge 4 for welding, as illustrated in FIG. 16.
Also, as illustrated in FIG. 17, there is a method in which the position of an arc discharge 4 is moved using a filler 3 fed by a filler feeding hose 11 as an eccentric tip is rotated by a motor 9 and a belt 10, to form a welding bead 7 for welding.
Further, JP-A-62-263869 describes an arc welding method which induces an arc using a laser.
Also, for welding a groove using the TIG welding or the like, a torch 1 is moved for waving, as illustrated in FIG. 18, to weld the groove by means of an arc discharge 4 generated between a filler electrode 3 and a base material 2 which is to be worked.
For welding a narrow gap, the torch 1 is inserted into the gap for welding. However, since the torch 1 cannot be waved, the welding is carried out by a method as described, for example, in JP-A-5-146877.
Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 19, a wire fed by a filler bending gear 6 is bent to form a welding bead 7 between base materials 2 within the groove for welding. Reference numeral 8 designates a backing jig.
Also, as illustrated in FIG. 20, an eccentric tip is rotated by a motor 9 and a belt 10 to rotate a filler supplied from a filler supply hose 11 to control the direction of a discharge 4.
However, even in the method of moving the torch in the above-mentioned prior art, and wire bending and rotated eccentric tip described in JP-A-5-146877, it is not always easy to induce an arc discharge to a precise position due to the shape of a target work, electromagnetic influence, and so on.
Also, a method described in JP-A-62-263869, which is an arc induction method for inducing an arc using a laser, is not sufficient to always reliably induce an arc to a precise position.
Particularly, in the prior art, when an arc discharge electrode (filler electrode) 3 approaches a side wall of a base material 2 in narrow gap welding, a plasma 5 is generated by an arc discharge between the electrode 3 and the side wall of the base material 2 as illustrated in FIGS. 21 and 22, resulting in a problem that the welding cannot be stably carried out, and so on.
Also, either of other arc welding such as a bending wire method, an eccentric torch rotating method, and so on does not precisely induce an arc discharge to a position to be welded, so that they have a problem in that an arc discharge takes place at a position different from a welding intended position due to the shape of a work and the influence of an electric field so that stable welding cannot be carried out.
Also, since the arc discharge cannot be precisely moved into a narrow gap, a portion A indicated in FIG. 21 is left unwelded, resulting in a problem of defective welding.
Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 23, when the distance xcex1 between an electrode 3 and a side wall of a base material 2 is smaller than the distance xcex2 between the electrode 3 and the bottom of a groove of the base material 2, an arc discharge plasma 5 is generated on the side wall during arc welding.
For this reason, as illustrated in FIG. 24, the groove side wall is welded by a welding metal 30, but the bottom of the groove is left as an unwelded portion 31.
For preventing the bottom of the gap from being left unwelded, it is contemplated to extend the gap angle from 45 degrees to approximately 90 degrees, in which case, however, a welded portion is largely increased and a longer time is taken for welding. Further, a larger amount of filler material to be melted must be consumed, thereby increasing a welding cost.
As another method, it is contemplated to gouge an unwelded portion from the back surface after a welding operation to again weld the unwelded portion from the back surface.
However, this method requires an additional time for gauging and repetitive welding, and causes an increased cost. Further, the gauging from the back surface itself may be difficult in some cases.
In the prior art, an example of inducing an arc with laser is described in JP-A-62-263869 which, however, is not sufficient to always reliably induce an arc to a precise position. Specifically, after an arc is generated at a desired portion by means of laser, a plasma caused by the generated arc acts to give rise to a phenomenon illustrated in FIG. 23.
Also, as described in xe2x80x9cWeaving of Arc due to CO2 Laser,xe2x80x9d Abstract of National Conference of Institute of Welding, Vol. 60 (""97-4), a fast surface treatment is accomplished by a laser included TIG arc.
However, in the fast surface treatment relying on the laser induced TIG arc, a wide gap exists between a TIG electrode and a work, and a moving speed is so high that this is not a region which can be welded by a TIG arc alone, and in which the directivity of the TIG arc is lost near the base material. For this reason, a precise induction of an arc in the TIG welding is difficult.
It is a first object of the present invention to provide a laser-based arc induction method which is capable of precisely producing a stable arc discharge at a desired position, stably inducing an arc discharge to an arc discharge position by means of a laser, and stabilizing the arc discharge itself.
It is a second object of the present invention to provide a laser-based arc induction welding method and apparatus which are capable of precisely performing stable arc welding at such positions as the bottom and a corner of a narrow gap, and capable of stabilizing an arc discharge.
To achieve the above objects, the present invention is configured in the following manner.
(1) In a laser-based arc induction method for irradiating a laser to a work intended position on a surface of an object intended for working, and inducing an arc discharge generated between an arc electrode and the object intended for working to take place between the arc electrode and a position irradiated with the laser, an arc discharge voltage supplied between the arc electrode and the object intended for working is a periodically changing voltage.
(2) Preferably, in the laser-based arc induction method of (1) set forth above, the periodically changing voltage is an alternating voltage.
(3) Also, preferably, in the laser-based arc induction method of (1) set forth above, the periodically changing voltage is a pulsed voltage.
(4) Also, preferably, in the laser-based arc induction method of (3) set forth above, a pulse interval of the pulsed voltage is 0.1 ms or more.
(5) In a laser-based arc induction welding method, a periodically changing voltage is applied between an arc electrode and an object intended for welding, a laser is irradiated to a welding intended position on the object intended for welding to generate a plasma and metallic vapor when arc welding is performed, and an arc discharge is induced to the welding intended position irradiated with the laser to perform the arc welding.
(6) Preferably, in the laser-based arc induction welding method of (5) set forth above, the periodically changing voltage is an alternating voltage.
(7) Also, preferably, in the laser-based arc induction welding method of (5) set forth above, the periodically changing voltage is a pulsed voltage.
(8) Also, preferably, in the laser-based arc induction welding method of (5) set forth above, the object intended for welding is a welding intended portion within a narrow gap.
(9) Also, preferably, in the laser-based arc induction welding method of (5) set forth above, the laser is swung with respect to the welding intended position.
(10) A laser-based arc induction welding apparatus comprises voltage applying means for applying a periodically changing voltage between an arc electrode and an object intended for welding, laser irradiating means for irradiating a laser to a welding intended portion within a narrow gap of the object intended for welding when an arc welding is performed, and control means for controlling operations of the voltage applying means and the laser irradiating means, wherein the laser is irradiated to the welding intended portion of the object intended for welding to generate a plasma and metal vapor, and an arc discharge is induced to the welding intended portion irradiated with the laser to perform the arc welding.
(11) A laser-based arc induction welding apparatus comprises voltage applying means for applying a periodically changing voltage between an arc electrode and an object intended for welding, laser irradiating means for irradiating a laser to a welding intended portion within a narrow gap of the object intended for welding when an arc welding is performed, weaving means for weaving the laser with respect to the welding intended position on the object intended for welding, and control means for controlling operations of the voltage applying means, the laser irradiating means and the weaving means, wherein the laser is irradiated to the welding intended portion of the object intended for welding to generate a plasma and metallic vapor, and an arc discharge is induced to the welding intended portion irradiated with the laser to perform the arc welding.
(12) Preferably, in the laser-based arc induction welding apparatus of (10) or (11) set forth above, the periodically changing voltage is an alternating voltage.
(13) Also, preferably, in the laser-based arc induction welding apparatus of (10) or (11) set forth above, the periodically changing voltage is a pulsed voltage.
Since the arc discharge voltage is a pulsed or alternating periodically changing voltage, after the generation of an arc discharge, induced by the laser, is started at the laser irradiated position, the arc discharge voltage is reduced before the arc is induced to a position different from the laser irradiated position due to a plasma generated by the arc discharge to extinguish or mitigate the plasma generated by the arc discharge. Then, after the plasma generated by the arc discharge is extinguished, the arc voltage is increased to continue the arc welding at the position irradiated with the laser.
Also, generally, a plasma generated by an arc discharge extinguishes in about 0.5 ms after the arc discharge level decreases. Therefore, the pulse interval of the pulsed arc discharge voltage may be 0.1 ms or more.

Method for guiding arc by laser, and arc guiding welding and device by the method

Hitachi Construction Machinery Co., Ltd.


In a ball valve wherein the rotation of a ball (1) provided in a valve chest (8) opens and closes a valve, an orifice (4) is provided in a passage (3) of the ball, and communicating passages (5) connecting the upstream side of the orifice (4) with the valve chest (8) and communicating passages (6) connecting the downstream side of the orifice with the valve chest (8) are provided. The passage (3) provided in the ball (1) has a large aperture at one end (30) and a small aperture at the other end (31), the respective communicating passages (5) (6) are formed so as to communicate the passage (3) with the valve chest (8) when the valve is opened, and the aperture of the passage (32) whereat a seat carrier (11) of the small aperture side of the ball faces the ball is made substantially the same as the aperture of the small aperture side end (31) of the passage of the ball (1).

Conventionally, in transport lines for liquids in the semiconductor industry, bio and medical industries, food industry, and other chemical industries, use has been made of ball valves comprised of balls provided in the valve chests and gripped by seat carriers fitted with seat rings, and pocket-less ball valves comprised of balls arranged rotatably in a casing formed with a spherical space inside so as not to form pockets therein.
In these conventional ball valves, when the valves were left open to pass the fluid therethrough for long periods, the connection between the space formed between the valve chest and the ball and the passage of the liquid is completely shut, whereby the liquid sealed in the space becomes completely dead (stagnant), and thus it becomes impossible to prevent a proliferation of bacteria, etc.
Further, a pocket-less ball valve has a large rotational torque, since substantially the entire ball surface serves as a sliding part, but to ensure a smooth operation thereof, the machining precision of the ball and the spherical space must be very strict. Further, from a micropoint of view, since sliding parts are used, when water enters therein it becomes impossible to prevent a proliferation of bacteria, etc.
Further, in the conventional ball valve, when the valve is closed, fluid flowing into the valve chest space stagnates, as it is closed off from the ambient atmosphere, and this sometimes causes problems. For example, in the semiconductor industry, hydrogen peroxide water is sometimes flushed through pipes to sterilize the insides of the pipes, but if the ball valve is closed after passing the fluid therethrough, the hydrogen peroxide water sealed in the valve chest is vaporized and the pressure in the valve chest rises, causing problems of cracks in the ball valve body and a breakage of the seat rings.


A wedge device for clamping of pipes and tools during petroleum production, this wedge device comprising an annular mounting element arranged for connection to a deck or a rotary table, where a plurality of man wedges, with associated clamps and displaceable with respect to the annular mounting element, encircle the vertical central axis of the wedge device, and where the clamp is located on an auxiliary wedge displaceably or rotatably coupled to the main wedge.

(1) Field of the Invention
This invention regards a wedge device. More particularly, it regards a wedge device for clamping of pipes and tools during petroleum production. The wedge device comprises an annular mounting element arranged to be connected to a deck or a rotary table, and a plurality of main wedges with associated clamps, displaceable with respect to the annular mounting element, and which encircle the vertical central axis of the wedge device. Each clamp is located on an auxiliary wedge displaceably coupled to the main wedge.
Traditionally, drill rigs of the type used in petroleum production use a wedge device to suspend pipes, typically in the rig drill floor.
According to prior art it is common to make use of so-called slips which are placed in a tapered ring, and which are arranged to grip a pipe when the pipe and the slips are displaced downward in the tapered ring.
It is also known to make use of hydraulically actuated clamps to suspend pipes.
A common feature of these known solutions is the frequent need, brought on by the uncertainty of the operation, for a safety clamp to grip the pipe in the event that the slips or the hydraulically pretensioned clamps slip along the pipe. Devices according to prior art are often adapted a relatively narrow range of pipe dimensions. Thus it is necessary to have access to a number of different components in order to be able to work for instance on pipes having different diameter.
It is also difficult for the slips to take up any torque before a significant vertical load has been placed on them.
The object of the invention is to remedy or reduce at least one of the drawbacks of prior art. The object is achieved, in accordance with the invention, through the characteristics stated in the description below and in the following claims.
(2) Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
Not Applicable.