A grass collector for a grass mower adapted to move grass cuttings from a mower unit through a duct into a grass container disposed at a rear portion of a vehicle body, comprises: a support frame configured to be attached to the rear portion of the vehicle body of the grass mower; a connecting portion supported by the support frame; an engaging member provided to the grass container and engageable with the connecting portion wherein the grass container is detachably attached to the support frame by the engagement of the engaging member with the connecting portion; an engagement lock member provided in the grass container for preventing disengagement of the engaging member from the connecting portion; and an engagement releasing tool for releasing the engagement lock member, the releasing tool being disposed adjacent a handle provided on a top face of the grass container so that the releasing tool may be gripped simultaneously with the handle.

The present invention relates to a grass collector for use with a grass mower adapted to move grass cuttings from a mower through a duct into a grass container disposed at a rear portion of a vehicle body. The invention relates also to a grass mower having this grass collector.
A grass collector for a grass mower is known from e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 4,015,406. In this, a duct extending from a mower is connected to a support frame attached to a rear portion of a vehicle body, and a grass container having an open front face is supported to the support frame to be vertically pivotable by a manual operation so that the grass container can be pivotally switched over between a grass discharging posture where the front face of the container is away from the support frame and downwardly open and a grass collecting posture where the front face of the container is connected to the support frame to be communicated with the duct. In this document, when a control lever vertically slidably mounted on the top surface of the grass container is slid downward, a lower end of this control lever comes into engagement with a lock element provided on the support frame, thereby to lock the grass container to the grass collecting posture. When the control lever is pulled up, the lower end of the lever is removed from the locking portion, thereby to allow a pivotal movement of the grass container. Then, by pivoting the control lever under this lock released condition, the grass container can be pivoted to the grass discharging posture.
A further construction is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,476,668. In this case, when a hook-like lock member provided in a grass container is urgedly engaged with an engaging member provided in a support frame, the glass container is fixedly connected or locked under its grass collecting posture. When a control lever provided to an upper portion of the grass container is operated upward, the lock member is removed from the lock member to allow a pivotal movement of the grass container. Under this lock released condition, the grass container can be pivoted to a grass discharging posture.
The grass collector needs to be detached occasionally from the support frame for cleaning or storage of the grass container. In this regard, with the above-described conventional grass collectors, for such detachment of the grass container, it is necessary to disassemble the pivot portion of the container relative to the support frame. Hence, the detaching operation of the grass container is difficult.

Grass collector and grass mower having the grass collector


The present disclosure relates to a method that includes a first reacting of a first molecule and formaldehyde and/or a paraformaldehyde to form a triazine-containing intermediate and a second reacting of the triazine-containing intermediate with a second molecule having an epoxy group to form a triazine-containing product. As described herein, the triazine-containing product may be bioderived and biodegradable.

Industry continues to use bisphenol A (BPA) as a monomer for producing polymers and resins. The derivation from lignin of bioderived alternatives has the potential to alleviate dependence on the petroleum industry for the production of such materials, which could then eliminate the adverse health and environmental effects resulting from the use of BPA. Thus, there remains a need for improved reactants and methods for making useful and cost-effective bioderived, intermediates, polymers, and resins.

Bioderived epoxide triazine networks and methods of making the same


An electric cable for power transmission at low voltage has at least one conductor and an insulating coating surrounding the at least one conductor. The insulating coating has at least two insulating layers. In a radial direction from the inside toward the outside of the electrical cable, the insulating coating has at least one insulating layer made of a non-expanded polymeric material and at least one insulating layer made of an expanded polymeric material.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electric cable with increased flexibility and peeling-off properties.
Moreover, the present invention relates to an electric cable with increased intelligibility of the marked indicia thereon.
In particular, the present invention relates to an electric cable for power transmission at low voltage, preferably said electric cable being suitable for building wiring.
Furthermore, the present invention relates to a manufacturing process of said electric cable.
In the present description, the expression "low voltage" means a voltage of less than about 1 kV, the expression "medium voltage" means a voltage of between about 1 kV and about 30 kV, the expression "high voltage" means a voltage of between about 30 kV and about 220 kV, while the expression "extra high voltage" means a voltage of greater than about 220 kV.
2. Description of the Related Art
Cables for power transmission at low voltage are generally provided with a metallic conductor which is surrounded by an insulating coating adhering to said metallic conductor.
In the present description the expression "cable core" indicates a structure comprising at least one conductor and a respective electric insulating coating arranged in a position radially external to said conductor.
For the purposes of the present description, the expression "unipolar cable" means a cable provided with a single core as defined above, while the expression "multipolar cable" means a cable provided with at least one pair of said cores. In greater detail, when the multipolar cable has a number of cores equal to two, said cable is technically defined as being a "bipolar cable", if there are three cores, said cable is known as a "tripolar cable", and so on.
In a position radially external to said insulating coating, cables for power transmission at low voltage can be provided with an outer polymeric sheath having the function of mechanically protecting the cables from the external environment, e.g. from any impact and/or abrasion that might lead to cable cracks or ruptures formation. In a multipolar type configuration, in the case said outer protective polymeric sheath is present, the multipolar cable is provided with a common sheath surrounding the cable cores as defined above.
Document. U.S. Pat. No. 4,789,589 discloses an electric cable provided with a double layer insulating coating arranged upon a conductive element, said double layer comprising an inner layer of a polyolefin compound and of a cellular construction, and an outer layer of a given maximum thickness and of a non-cured and non-curable polyolefin base compound having a solid (i.e. non-expanded) construction, said base compound including a material compatible with the polyolefin of the inner layer. Preferably, the polyolefin of the outer layer is polyvinyl chloride. Document U.S. Pat. No. 4,789,589 refers to the problem of separation of the thin uncured outer layer from the inner layer during the manufacturing process and/or during installation of the cable. The Applicant observed that such a solution can not correctly work since the inner insulating layer, due to its expanded state, presents discontinuities (i.e., voids within the polymeric material, said voids being filled with air or gas) in the space surrounding the conductor, i.e. in the space where the electrical field is the most relevant.
Data communication cables provided with a double layer insulating coating comprising an inner layer of an expanded polyolefin compound and an outer layer of a non-expanded polyolefin base compound are described in documents CA-952,991 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,841,072.
Document JP 90-35544 discloses an electric low voltage distribution cable comprising a pair of twisted insulated conductors between which a foaming material is arranged. A sheathing material is also provided for covering the twisted cable cores. The foaming and the insulating material can be polyvinyl chloride.
Document U.S. Pat. No. 3,013,109 relates to non-metallic sheathed cables for building wiring comprising a protective sheath made of expanded cellular organic material. According to said document, the insulation is made of a dense solid material (e.g. a dense semi-rigid polyvinyl chloride) while the outer protective sheath is composed essentially of a tough, flexible resinous plastic material such as polyvinyl chloride in expanded cellular form. Furthermore, document U.S. Pat. No. 3,013,109 states that the outer protective sheath is distinct from the insulation and is slippable or slidable thereon with the result that the cable can be readily bent without distortion in the plane of the conductors and, after being deliberately bent at a selected angle, the cable maintains the bent shape indefinitely.
Document JP 11-203941 discloses a method for manufacturing a cable provided with an insulating coating obtained from a resin composition mainly comprising vinyl chloride resin, and with an expanded sheath layer obtained from a composition mainly comprising vinyl chloride resin into which a foaming agent has been compounded.
Document WO 98/52197, in the name of the Applicant, discloses the use of a layer made of expanded polymeric material of a suitable thickness to be applied in a position radially external to the aforesaid cable core. According to said document, the expanded layer confers the cable high resistance to accidental impacts which might be suffered by the latter during the steps of cable transport or laying. Said impacts are very dangerous for the cable since they can cause considerable damage to the cable structure (for example deformation of the insulating layer, detachment of the cable layers) determining, for example, changes in the electrical gradient of the insulating layer with a consequent reduction in its insulating capacity. Said expanded layer is preferably located in a position immediately below the outer polymeric sheath of the cable and, being able of endowing the cable with high impact strength, it makes possible to eliminate any traditional, generally metallic, protective armours. In order to confer the cable the desired impact resistance, the expanded layer is obtained from a polymeric material which, before expansion, has a flexural modulus at room temperature (measured according to ASTM Standard D790) of at least 200 MPa.
Document U.S. Pat. No. 3,936,591 discloses a non metallic-sheathed cable for building wiring comprising a wall of expanded polyvinyl chloride insulation surrounding each cable conductor and a thin-walled tubular jacket of polyvinyl chloride surrounding the totality of insulated conductors, said jacket conferring mechanical protection to the non metallic-sheathed cable.
Generally, a cable for building wiring is installed within the walls of a building and the installation process requires that the cable passes through walls restrictions or, more frequently, that the cable is pulled through conduits, wherein the cable is permanently confined.
In order to be correctly installed with simple and quick operations, a cable for building wiring needs to be particularly flexible so that it can be inserted into the wall passages and/or wall conduits and follow the bends of the installation path without being damaged.
During customer installation, due to the tortuosity of the installation path and to friction during the pulling operation, the cables for building wiring are generally subjected to tearing or scraping against rough edges and/or surfaces.
The Applicant has perceived that an increased flexibility of an electric cable for building wiring can allow to reduce the damages caused by said tearing or scraping actions.
Furthermore, a very important aspect which is required to be satisfied by a cable for building wiring is a simple and quick peeling-off of the cable. In the present description the term "peeling-off of a cable" is used to indicate the removal of all the cable layers which are radially external to the conductor so that it results uncoated and can be electrically connected to a conductor of a further cable or to an electrical apparatus.
The peeling-off property of a cable for building wiring is a widely felt request of the market since the peeling-off of a cable is an operation which is manually performed by the technical staff. For this reason, said operation is required to be easy and quick to be performed by the operator, taking also into account that it is frequently carried out in narrow spaces and rather uncomfortable conditions.

Electric cable and manufacturing process thereof


A scalp massager comprising a helmet (1) is provided with three first fixed contact points (5) contacting the scalp of the user located in the vicinity of the summit of the helmet. It comprises further three second contact points (8) one in the frontal zone of the helmet and the other ones in the parieto-temporal zones of said helmet, these second contact points comprising an inflating pump (17), and a valve (18) permitting to apply them against the scalp with an adjustable, determined, pressure. Finally, the helmet comprises further an eccentric (26) driven in rotation by a motor.

The favorable effects of the massage of the scalp are well known. They increase the growth of hairs or avoid their falling down. Furthermore the massage of the scalp causes a relaxation, a wealthy sensation and enables one to efficiently act against stress.
Different scalp massaging apparatuses are complicated to manufacture or difficult to use.
The document WO 88/01500 describes a scalp massager comprising a strap along which massaging blocs can slide. Each massaging bloc comprises a vibration generator transmitting vibrations to a supple wall intended to be in contact with the scalp. By modifying the position of the strap with respect to the head of the user and of the massaging blocs along the strap one obtains a massage of the totality of the scalp. Such a device is inadequate since it requires a plurality of complex massaging bodies comprising a vibration generator, and is of a long and fastidious use since it is necessary to displace this strap as well as the bloc successively a very great number of times to obtain a complete massage.
The document CH 663.537 describes a scalp massager comprising a helmet constituted by an outside envelope and an inside envelope which are displaceable the one with respect to the other and under the action of driving means. The internal envelope is provided with fingers pneumatically applied against the scalp of the user causing a massage of it, or of certain points of this scalp, when they are driven into the movements of the internal envelope, the external envelope of the helmet being fixed on the head of the user. This apparatus is complicated to manufacture and above all to use since it is necessary, in view of the fact that the outside envelope of the helmet is fixed to a support, for the user to keep his head in a determined position during all the time of the massage.
The document CH 557.679 describes a scalp massager comprising a helmet intended to be fixed on the head of the user to a frontal strap. This helmet is provided with a plurality of fingers applied against the scalp of the user and driven by a driving system into opposed movements. Here also the number of fingers and their driving render the apparatus complex and only a restricted number points of the scalp can undergo the massage.


A calender arrangement includes end rolls that are in the form of deflection controlled rolls having an internal stroke. One of the end rolls comprises at least one stop element that is in the form of a hydraulic positioned hydrostatic element which, together with the internal wall of the roll sleeve, defines a gap. When a constant throughput of hydraulic medium is fed in, an equilibrium of forces is produced, at which equilibrium the roll sleeve is positioned. The pressure built up in the process is a measure of the positioning forces. Small departures from the target position are permitted without control intervention.

The invention relates to a calender arrangement for treating a product web, especially a paper web. The invention relates also to a deflection controlled roll having internal roll sleeve stroke and to a method of fixing an operating position of such a deflection controlled roll when it is being used as an end roll in a stack of rolls of a calender arrangement.
From DE 30 04 913 C2 it is known to use a deflection controlled roll both for the upper and lower end roll of a stack of rolls in a calender, in which deflection controlled roll the roll sleeve is supported by hydrostatic sleeve support elements on a roll axle that is secured against rotation in lateral bearings, and is movable vertically relative to the roll axle, that is to say it is provided with an internal roll sleeve stroke. The intermediate rolls of the stack of rolls are also configured so as to be movable vertically. Since the vertical position of the entire stack of rolls must be preset in some manner during operation, stops are provided for that purpose. The roll axle of each deflection controlled roll accordingly passes through a vertical elongate hole in a bearing side support of the roll sleeve in such a manner that the roll sleeve is movable vertically relative to the roll axle within the range of the elongate hole. Under the influence of the sleeve and loading arrangement, the roll sleeve of one end roll moves in the vertical direction until at both its ends it comes to rest with the stop of the elongate hole against a counterstop associated with the roll axle and thus reaches a defined preset position (operating position) of the roll sleeve and therefore of the entire stack of rolls, and is held in that operating position during operation. A disadvantage therein is that during operation of the calender unavoidable vibrations of the machine parts. intensified by a rigid mechanical stop, are transferred to the roll sleeve and to the entire roll system and may result in an impairment of the product web to be treated. It is a further disadvantage that only one position, namely the outermost eccentric position of the roll sleeve stroke, which is provided by a rigid mechanical stop, serves to preset the operating position. The fact that the roll sleeve is supported in the stop also means that the line load profile has restricted (limited) controllability.
From DE 34 16 210 C2 there is known a roll press having an end roll, in which the roll sleeve is mounted near its end on the associated roll axle. Arranged in the region of the bearings are force sensors, the output signals of which so influence a controller for the supporting forces of the hydrostatic support elements acting upon an internal circumference of the roll sleeve that the detected forces are minimized, that is to say, as small forces as possible are transferred to the roll sleeve by way of the bearings. In the development of that arrangement according to DE 39 09 911 C1, hydraulic force sensors are used. A disadvantage thereof is that such an end roll without internal roll sleeve stroke relative to the roll axle cannot be used as a self-loading deflection controlled roll that enables substantially more precise setting and control of the loading forces, that is to say of the line load profile. A further disadvantage is the complexity of the control system and the limitation to only one vertical operating position of the roll sleeve.
The same disadvantages affect the roll arrangement according to DE 29 43 644 C2 in which the relative heights of the roll axle and roll sleeve of an end roll are so controlled that the roll axle adopts an approximately middle position in the roll sleeve.
From DE 39 18 989 C1 it is known, in a deflection controlled roll, for the vertical extension movement of hydrostatic support elements that bear against the roll axle so as to be vertically displaceable and that act by at least one open hydrostatic bearing pocket against an internal circumference of the roll sleeve to be limited by means of stops. When a stop is reached, the support element is secured mechanically and cannot extend further. This results in a specific positioning of the roll sleeve relative to the roll axle. A disadvantage thereof is that the positioning is effected by the actual transmission of forces for setting the line load and, consequently, alters with the latter, resulting in changes in reference position in dependence upon changes in the transmission of forces.
Finally, from DE 42 03 497 A1 there is known a compensating roll for the pressure treatment of product webs, consisting of a stationary roll core surrounded by a rotating roll sleeve which is supported on the roll axle and is vertically displaceable by means of hydraulic support elements lying next to one another, the support elements being arranged on two diametrical lines of the envelope of the roll axle. As a result of the hydraulic support elements"" being acted upon by pressure medium at specific pressure values, the resulting forces co-operate and enable the longitudinal and sectional deformation of the roll sleeve. A disadvantage thereof is that such a compensating roll is configured without an internal roll sleeve stroke, so that the above-mentioned disadvantages occur in this case also.
The problem underlying the invention is therefore so to configure a calender arrangement so that one and the same device enables positioning of the roll sleeve of a self-loading end roll having an internal sleeve stroke, which carries intermediate rolls, held so as to be displaceable vertically, of a stack of rolls and is thus able to set a desired line load profile in the roll nip precisely, and enables detection and control of the forces acting in the positioning region.
A further problem is to provide a deflection controlled roll which enables positioning of the roll sleeve relative to the roll axle in an operating position without substantial additional expenditure.
A calender arrangement is accordingly provided in which an end roll is configured as a deflection controlled roll having internal stroke and is arranged to be fitted with the device for positioning the roll sleeve relative to the roll axle. In the operating state of the calender, the roll sleeve is held in an operating position by means of the positioning device. The roll sleeve carries displaceable intermediate rolls of a stack of rolls. Mounting the roll sleeve on support elements and on at least one stop element enables extremely precise setting and control of a line load profile in the entire roll nip.
The opposite end roll can also be configured as a deflection controlled roll having internal stroke and which can be equipped in the same manner as the one end roll.
The term xe2x80x9cpseudo-stopxe2x80x9d is intended to show that the position of the roll sleeve relative to the axle is not determined by mechanical components lying next to one another, but that the hydraulic medium film is interposed in the through gap between the stop element and the roll sleeve. The height of the through gap depends upon the pressure of the hydraulic medium that is fed in, which is a measure of the positioning forces.
A deflection controlled roll having internal roll sleeve stroke is provided that enables positioning of the roll sleeve by hydraulic means. The hydraulic stopper operates by virtue of the limited element stroke, which secures it on the roll axle with a selectable stroke, in the manner of an overflow valve, and thus stops and holds the roll sleeve in a selectable operating position. Within the range of the internal stroke, the deflection controlled roll can accordingly be displaced to a predeterminable position and fixed there.
If the hydrostatic bearing pocket of a stopper that has been pushed to the maximum stroke is supplied with a constant oil or pressure medium flow, a pressure can build up in that bearing pocket when the internal circumference of the roll sleeve draws closer to the bearing pocket. The pressure can build up to a predeterminable target value at which the bearing pocket rests against the internal circumference of the roll sleeve with a seal gap of a specific gap height resulting from the flow through the gap corresponding to the target pressure value. If that specific gap height is reduced as a result of external disturbing forces, the pressure in the bearing pocket rises and produces an opposite force. If the specific gap height is increased as a result of external disturbing forces, the pressure in the bearing pocket falls, as a result of which an opposite force is likewise produced.
Such a hydraulically positioned hydrostatic stopper is not involved in the actual transmission of forces. A target oil pressure can thus be so set to obtain a specific rigidity of fixing, that is to say the system is, on the one hand, not too rigid but, on the other hand, is not too yielding. The damping of oscillation can thus be optimized.
The hydraulically positioned hydrostatic stopper in the form of a piston/cylinder unit can also be provided with a piston diameter that is different from that of the actual load transmission elements, that is to say the support elements, in order to be able to influence the supporting forces of those elements further. The same applies also to the sealing edge widths of the hydraulically hydrostatic stoppers.
Rises and falls in pressure in the bearing pocket of a stopper are additionally indicators of undesired radial roll sleeve displacements. The changes in pressure value in the bearing pockets can therefore be measured and used as control signals for regulating the supporting forces of the support elements. If, for example, the pressure in the bearing pocket of a stopper rises above the target pressure value as a result of direct or indirect vertical roll sleeve displacements, that rise in pressure can, when a predeterminable maximum pressure value has been reached, trigger a control signal which can be sent to a controller for the support elements which alters the supporting forces in such a manner that the target pressure value is restored. If the pressure in the bearing pocket falls below the target value, a control signal can likewise be sent to the controller for the support elements when a predeterminable minimum pressure value has been reached, and the controller can alter the supporting forces in such a manner that the target pressure value is restored. The roll sleeve is thus hydraulically clamped at the predetermined operating position and held there.
The effective range of the securing can also be determined by way of a target pressure in a bearing pocket of the stopper. The effective range is firstly the difference between the target pressure and a maximum pressure in the bearing pocket, which can be firmly predetermined by way of a pressure limiting valve in a pressure fluid supply line, and secondly the difference between the target pressure and the minimum pressure in the bearing pocket, which can be determined by means of the selected target pressure. Forces are thus controlled. In that manner, the roll and the roll sleeve can be protected from being destroyed. The target pressure of a stopper can be selected as desired, since it can be taken into account as a value that can be firmly set in the profile calculations, its value not being the result of the oil pressure optimization in the support elements.
It is also advantageous if at least two stoppers are arranged in such a manner that they lie approximately at the quarter points of the roll, because there they produce the smallest profile errors, considering the intermediately supported rolls, when there are departures from a target pressure.
It is also advantageous for the stoppers for positioning the roll sleeve to be incorporated additionally into the roll as independent backward-facing elements having independent pressure fluid supplies.
It is also advantageous to incorporate the deflection controlled roll according to the invention into a calender in such a manner that the stoppers are arranged on the backward-facing side of the roll. In the event of pressure changes, which are admittedly small in troublefree normal operation, local departures from the line loading can thus be minimized.
Further developments and advantages of the invention can be found in the following description and in the dependent claims.
The invention will be explained hereinafter in greater detail with reference to the embodiments shown in the attached drawings.

Calender arrangement and a deflection controlled roll and method of operating them

Eduard Kxc3xcsters Maschinenfabrik GmbH and Co. KG


An automotive brake light switch mounted on a brake booster includes a housing defining a constant pressure chamber and a variable pressure chamber partitioned by a diaphragm, with a first through-hole of the housing, a second through-hole formed in the diaphragm and an air intake valve to allow the constant pressure chamber to selectively communicate with the variable pressure chamber, wherein the air intake valve is fitted into the second through-hole and configured to selectively open or close the first through-hole in response to a brake pedal, the brake light switch apparatus having a switch body, a switch rod slidably mounted to the switch body so as to turn on/off a switch of the switch body, wherein a protruding length of the switch rod is changeable by the air intake valve, and a coupling portion coupling the switch body to the housing through the first through-hole.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a brake light switch for a vehicle and, more particularly, to an automotive brake light switch mounted on a brake booster, in which the operation of a switch rod of the brake light switch is controlled by an air intake valve such that the switch rod protrudes by a constant length.
2. Description of Related Art
As is well known in the art, a variety of lights such as back up lights, which are illuminated when a transmission is placed in reverse, signal lights indicating a change in direction, brake lights and tail lights showing the vehicle to following drivers are mounted on the tail or rear of a vehicle. These lights on the tail warn the following drivers of a change in the direction or speed of the front vehicle in order to prevent collision.
Of these lights, the brake lights are illuminated when a driver steps on a brake pedal to stop a vehicle. Specifically, when the driver steps on the brake pedal, a brake light switch mounted on the brake pedal activates the brake lights by detecting the operation of the brake pedal. The brake lights are especially important for safe driving since they serve to warn the following drivers when the brakes are applied. The brake lights also require rapid response since they are frequently operated in a running vehicle.
In order to activate the brake lights, a brake light switch and a brake pedal are provided to cooperate with each other.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a conventional brake light switch 1 is mounted on a pedal frame 4. The brake light switch 1 includes a switch body 5, a switch rod 6 mounted on the switch body 5 so as to be linearly movable, with a distal end thereof coming into contact with a brake pedal 2, and a nut 7 mounted on the pedal frame 4, for allowing to adjust the length of the switch rod 6.
The brake light switch 1 is attached to the brake pedal 2 with an interval d from 1 to 2 mm.
In the conventional brake light switch, however, the interval d is frequently changed by the operation of the brake pedal 2 and the vibration of a vehicle. When the interval d is reduced, hydraulic pressure enhanced by a brake booster 3 causes to turn on the brake lights before the switch rod 6 protrudes by a sufficient length. When the interval d is increased, the switch rod 6 excessively protrudes to turn on the brake lights all the time, thereby discharging a battery.
In the conventional brake light switch 1 as described above, the nut 7 is unfastened by a tool and then fastened again after the length of the switch rod 6 is adjusted in order to assemble the brake switch 1 to the pedal frame 4. As drawbacks, assembling works are troublesome and working time increases, thereby lowering working efficiency.
Furthermore, the nut 7 is loosened due to vibration and the like as time passes, so that the brake light switch cannot properly operate.
The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.


The helical contact compression springs of a circuit breaker are preassembled in a contact clip for easier assembly of the circuit breaker. The bottom wall of an elongated trough formed by the clip is pierced by holes forming cylindrical protrusions extending into the trough. The clip is placed over the springs supported in a row in a fixture. A die head presses on the spring clip to compress all the springs and then simultaneously insert punches into the holes in the clip to expand the protrusions and secure the springs to the clip. The fixture includes a slide mounted on guides for movement between a loading position and an operating position under the die head. A support block is pivoted on the slide to present one of two sets of spring recesses for circuit breakers having different current ratings with the slide in the loading position.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to circuit breakers having a contact arm spring subassembly for providing pressure to maintain the contacts closed, and to a method and apparatus for making the subassembly to simplify the assembly of the circuit breaker.
2. Background Information
Molded case circuit breakers have a moveable contact mounted on a contact arm which is pivoted by a carrier between a closed position in which the moveable contact contacts a fixed contact to connect a protected circuit to a source and an open position in which current to the load is interrupted. Typically, the contact arm is made up of a stack of copper laminations supported in the carrier to operate as a single conductor. Contact springs are provided in the carrier to apply contact pressure to the contacts when they are closed and to allow for contact wear. Typically in molded case circuit breakers, arcing contacts are provided in addition to the main contacts. The springs for the contact arm laminations carrying the arcing contacts are selected such that the arcing contacts do not separate until after the main contacts open. With this arrangement, the arcing contacts take the major wear associated with interrupting the arcs which are struck when interrupting large currents.
In some molded case circuit breakers, the contact springs are supported in a contact spring clip. This contact spring clip is an elongated channel member having a series of cone shaped protrusions punched into the bottom wall which serve to locate the individual helical compression springs for alignment with the respective contact arm laminations. The contact arm laminations, the carrier, and the contact spring clip and individual springs are assembled along with flexible shunts, shunt plates, and barriers between the laminations to form a moving conductor assembly. Currently, it is difficult to maintain the proper position of all of the parts, and especially the springs, while making the assembly. While the cone shaped protrusions in the spring clip provide a point of reference for the springs, they are not visible throughout assembly. As a result, the springs could be misaligned, or possibly drop out without notice. These assembly problems directly affect product cost due to additional assembly time needed to assure proper spring retention and alignment. Rework resulting from mislocated and missing springs and disassembly of misassembled product is significant. Multi-phase circuit breakers require separate moving conductor assemblies for each phase, which compounds the problem.
There is a need, therefore, for an improved circuit breaker which can be assembled easily and reliably.
There is a concurrent need for an improved method and apparatus for assembling multi-phase circuit breakers having multiple contact springs for each moving conductor assembly.
There is a related need for an improved subassembly of contact springs and an associated spring clip to facilitate assembly of the circuit breaker.
There is also a need for such a method and apparatus which are flexible enough to easily accommodate assembly of circuit breakers having different numbers of contact springs.

Spring biased movable laminated contact arm conductor assembly


An automatic method for assigning the clock phases on a domino datapath embedding static gates includes replacing domino cells on non-critical paths by a static equivalent cell, delaying the clock arrival on domino gates driven by static signals, ensuring that critical data never waits for the clock in the domino pipeline, ensuring that a domino data never goes to precharge, and therefore is lost before it is consumed, ensuring that the domino datapath operates at any speed below the maximum operating speed, ensuring that domino signals leaving the design through primary outputs of a static block are latched to prevent the precharge to overwrite the evaluated results, providing an optimal solution in terms of performance, area and power, defining some constraints that are checked and enforced by the downstream tools in order to guaranty the proper functionality of the design.

Domino logic is a precharged, non-inverting family of CMOS logic that uses multiple clock phases to achieve high-speed operation. Domino logic is faster than standard static logic, but it is more difficult to use because of its increased complexity, primarily in the clocking network. Using dynamic logic, such as domino logic, is a well-known way of gaining speed in high performance designs. However, dynamic logic tends to use more integrated circuit die area and consumes more power as compared to static logic.
Typically domino logic operates in two phases: precharge and evaluate. During the precharge phase, when the clock is low, the output of the cell goes low. During the evaluate phase, when the clock is high, the output of the cell can only transition from a low to a high value. This is in contrast to standard static logic typically used with CMOS technology. In static logic designs, the output of the cell can rise or fall, depending on the input conditions, during normal operation.
The clocking scheme consists of three or more skewed clock phases operating at the same frequency. Typically, the clock phases have a balanced duty cycle and are equally skewed in order to maximize their overlap, since the tolerance to the clock uncertainty increases with the phase overlap.
What is desired is a method for replacing domino logic cells with smaller, less complicated, and lower-power static cells in selected parts of a logic circuit design that are not impacted by the lower operating speeds of the static cells.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and apparatus for mixing static logic with domino logic


This invention relates to a method and apparatus for measuring the phase change of an output optical signal from a device. In one embodiment an input optical signal is split into first and second optical signals, and the first optical signal is passed through the device while applying an external stimulus to the device, to produce an output optical signal having a phase shift. The carrier frequency of the second optical signal is changed, and the output optical signal and the changed second optical signal are then combined. The combined signal is detected in accordance with the external stimulus applied to the device, and the phase change of the output signal of the device is measured as a function of the external stimulus applied to the device.

Many optoelectronic devices used in fields such as optical communications involve changing the phase of an optical signal as a function of an external stimulus. The phase change can be the basis for the device functionality (e.g., Mach-Zehnder modulator, interferometric wavelength converter), or a residual effect such as chirp that is secondary to the device functionality (e.g., electroabsorption modulator). Such residual phase shift is important because of its potential impact on system performance. For the purposes of device design and system performance evaluation, it is important to be able to characterize the change in phase as a function of an external stimulus (optical phase transfer function).
Several methods are known for measuring the phase change of an optical signal as a function of an external stimulus. For example, the required information can be obtained indirectly from two separate measurements: the dependence of the intensity of the optical signal on the external stimulus, and the dependence of the alpha-parameter of the optical signal on the external stimulus (see for example Dorgeuille et al., IEEE J. Quantum Electron., 30:2565–2572, 1994). Alternatively, a balanced lock-in detection technique can be used to measure the amplitude and phase of the interference generated by two ultra short optical pulses (signal from the device under test and the reference signal), as described in Romstad et al., IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett., 14:621–623, 2002. In another technique, a box car averager is used to measure the amplitude and phase of interference signals generated by a bulk optic interferometer with a moving mirror (Yu, J., "The Beam Propagation Method and Its Application to the Design of Semiconductor Modulators," Ph.D. thesis, Queen's University at Kingston, Kingston, Ontario, 1994). Lastly, an interferometer can be used to convert changes in the optical phase to changes in power (see Yoshida et al., Electronics Letters, 30:1795–1796, 1994).
However, such known techniques have limitations including (1) the result of interest is obtained indirectly, (2) the measurement setup is complicated, and (3) the measurement setup uses specialized and expensive equipment that may not necessarily be readily available.

Method and apparatus for directly measuring the phase change of an optical signal


Each time a currently scheduled virtual machine (VM) accesses a hardware resource over a bus for the hardware resource via the currently scheduled VM running on a processor, a hardware component adjusts a bandwidth counter associated with usage of the bus for the hardware resource, without involvement of the currently scheduled VM or a hypervisor managing the currently scheduled VM. Responsive to the bandwidth counter reaching a threshold value, the hardware component issues an interrupt for handling by the hypervisor to maintain bandwidth quality-of-service (QoS) of bus bandwidth related to the hardware resource. Upon expiration of a regular time interval prior to the bandwidth counter reaching the threshold value, the hardware component resets the bandwidth counter to a predetermined value associated with the currently scheduled VM, without involvement of the currently scheduled VM or the hypervisor; the hardware component does not issue an interrupt. The hardware resource can be memory.

A computing device typically runs one instance of an operating system that has access to the hardware resources of the computing device. However, a technique known as virtualization permits a computing device to run a number of instances of operating systems. In virtualization, the computing device instantiates a number of such virtual machines (VMs), and each VM runs its own instance of an operating system.

Maintaining hardware resource bandwidth quality-of-service via hardware counter

International Business Machines Corporation


A device for regulating the delivery pressure of gases includes a valve unit having at least one valve seat and a respective closure element displaceable along an axis with respect to the valve seat which is controlled by a diaphragm. The device further includes a first spring which acts on the diaphragm in order to subject it to a preselected resilient load. A second spring is selectively activated to exert an additional resilient load on the diaphragm. The device includes a handle associated with the first and second springs in order to impose selectively the desired delivery pressure value, between a minimum value and a maximum value of pre-calibration, the pressure value being proportionally correlated with a predetermined resilient load exerted on the diaphragm.

It is well known that such devices are used for regulating the pressure at which combustible gases are delivered to burners or similar equipment in order to keep substantially constant the value of the delivery pressure when the supply pressure varies.
The invention is applicable in particular to the specific technical field of pressure regulators that are arranged for use with combustible gases of various natures, such as, for example, natural gas and liquid gas, which have combustibility characteristics which differ from one another and which are such as to require corresponding separate operations for calibrating the regulator.
As is known, natural gas is normally supplied at a pressure lower than that of liquid gas and it is therefore preferable to provide in the distribution network, or in the equipment arranged for the alternative use of either of the two above-mentioned gases, pressure regulators in which a device capable of converting the regulator between two different calibration configurations is integrated.
An example of a regulating device having the above-mentioned features is known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,747,629. This document describes a pressure regulator which is provided with a first springing system which acts on the diaphragm of the regulator to determine a first pressure value, in the case of use with natural gas, and a second, additional, springing system which can be selectively activated to exert on the diaphragm a resilient load correlated with a second preselected pressure value, which is desired in the case of use with liquid gas. The passage from the first to the second calibration configuration is achieved by an auxiliary spacer means acting on the second springing system in the second configuration. The pre-setting of the two pressure values can in turn be regulated by screw means arranged to pre-load resiliently the respective springing systems. Thus, in order to use the device, the only requirement is the activation of the conversion spacer means in order to pass from one to the other of the configurations provided for, without requiring any other regulating intervention.
Also known in this field is the requirement to be able to keep the delivery pressure substantially constant when the flow rate varies, because the pressure tends to decrease as a function of the increase in the power required at the equipment. In applications in which the flow supplied can vary substantially (owing to the variation in the power required), a different and specific pre-setting is therefore desirable for each functioning condition and also for each of the gases provided for in the application.

Device for regulating the delivery pressure of combustible gases


An ink for ink-jet recording contains a copper phthalocyanine pigment as a colorant, and a thiazole compound. The ink further contains a metallic phthalocyanine compound having one or more counter ions, wherein about 2 mol % to about 20 mol % of the counter ions is ammonium ion and/or organic ammonium ion.

One important characteristic of an ink for ink-jet recording is good ozone resistance. This means to prevent discoloration (degradation of image quality) of printed matter by ink-jet recording attributable to contact with the ozone in air. Copper phthalocyanine dyes, which often are used as colorants for cyan colored inks, have good light fastness as compared with dyes typically used for magenta and yellow colors. However, many copper phthalocyanine dyes have inadequate ozone resistance. Some copper phthalocyanine pigments have been developed which have good light fastness as well as ozone resistance.
Another important characteristic of an ink for ink-jet recording is resistance to mildewing. When mildew is generated, it becomes a foreign matter, so that ejecting stability at the nozzle of ink-jet head is decreased and the nozzle can become clogged. Accordingly, a thiazole compound can be added to the ink as a mildew proofing agent whether or not a copper phthalocyanine pigment is used as a colorant.
Although generation of mildew can be restrained in the ink to which a thiazole compound as a mildew proofing agent is added, another problem arises with generation of precipitates. This tendency is especially conspicuous when a copper phthalocyanine pigment is used as a colorant. Further, an anticorrosive agent such as a benzotriazole compound is sometimes additionally compounded to the ink for the prevention of corrosion of metallic materials that are brought into contact with the ink in the ink passage of ink-jet head. The anticorrosive agent can further contribute to the generation of precipitates.


A magnetic random access memory (MRAM) structure includes a source line connected to a source area of a semiconductor substrate, a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) connected to a drain area of the semiconductor substrate, and a gate disposed over the semiconductor substrate between the source area and the drain area. The MRAM structure further includes a contact structure that is configured to apply a first voltage bias to the gate and a means for applying a second voltage bias to the semiconductor substrate outside of the source area and the drain area.

The majority of present day integrated circuits are implemented by using a plurality of interconnected field effect transistors (FETs), also called metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs), or simply MOS transistors. A MOS transistor includes a gate electrode as a control electrode and spaced apart source and drain regions between which a current can flow. A control voltage applied to the gate electrode controls the flow of current through an underlying channel between the source and drain regions.
Magnetic random access memory (MRAM) is a nonvolatile memory technology that uses magnetization to represent stored data. Generally, MRAM includes a plurality of magnetic cells in an array. Each cell typically represents one bit of data, and thus may be referred to as a "bit cell." Included in the cells are magnetic elements. A magnetic element may include two ferromagnetic "plates" (or layers upon a semiconductor substrate) each of which has a magnetization direction (or orientation of magnetic moments) associated with it. The two ferromagnetic plates are separated by a thin non-magnetic layer. One specific type of MRAM element is a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) element. An MTJ element includes at least three basic layers: a "free layer," a tunneling barrier layer, and a "fixed layer." The free layer and the fixed layer are ferromagnetic layers; the tunneling barrier layer is a thin insulator layer located between the free layer and the fixed layer. The magnetization direction of the free layer is free to rotate, either in the film plane or perpendicular to the film plane; the magnetization of the fixed layer is fixed in a particular direction typically co-linear to the free layer. A bit is written to the MTJ element by orienting the magnetization direction of the free layer in one of the two directions. Depending upon the orientations of the magnetic moments of the free layer and the fixed layer, the resistance of the MTJ element will change. Thus, the bit may be read by determining the resistance of the MTJ element. When the magnetization direction of the free layer and the fixed layer are parallel and the magnetic moments have the same polarity, the resistance of the MTJ element is low. Typically, this is designated a "0." When the magnetization direction of the free layer and the fixed layer are anti-parallel and the magnetic moments have the opposite polarity, the resistance of the MTJ is high. Typically, this is designated a "1."
Spin torque transfer (STT) (also known as spin transfer switching or spin-transfer effect) is one technique for writing to MTJ memory elements. STT is based upon the idea that when a spin-polarized current (most of the electrons of the current have spins aligned in the same direction) is applied to a free ferromagnetic layer, the electrons may transfer their spin angular momentum to the free layer to switch the direction of magnetization of the free layer. The advantages of using STT for writing to magnetic elements include smaller bit size and lower writing current requirement as compared with its predecessor toggle MRAM which using magnetic field for write operation. One of the advantages of STT-MRAM, or more specifically the recent perpendicular MRAM is its scalability, i.e. MRAM can be made smaller such that memory capacity is higher. However, scaling of MRAM memory requires miniaturization of the transistor together with MRAM. Currently one of the challenges in MRAM is that the select transistor may not be able to supply enough current due to its small size to switch the MTJ element reliably. Typically higher the current, more reliable is the switching of MTJ between 0 and 1 state. Moreover, in STTMRAM the switching current (or "drive" current) required to switch the magnetization direction of the MTJ element from parallel to anti-parallel is about 20 to about 50 percent larger than that required to switch from anti-parallel to parallel. Furthermore, in a conventional STT MTJ element the larger parallel-to-anti-parallel switching current is further limited by a "source degeneration" or the so called "source-site loading" effect. This source degeneration effect constrains the amount of drive current flowing through the MTJ element and may prevent the MTJ element from switching the magnetization direction from anti-parallel to parallel reliably. The reader may reference U.S. Pat. No. 8,416,600 B2 (Lin et al.) for further information regarding STT MRAM structures, as well as prior art attempts to achieve more reliable parallel-to-anti-parallel switching.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an MRAM structure with drive current amplification to ensure reliable switching of the magnetization direction of the MTJ element from parallel to anti-parallel. Additionally, it is desirable to provide methods for the fabrication of such structures that are easily integrated into existing process flow schemes used in semiconductor fabrication facilities. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present disclosure 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.

Drive current enhancement for integrated circuit memory structures


A snow and ice remover having a scraper, and a device for passing a heated fluid along the scraper onto the ice.

The present invention relates to snow and ice removers.
In the past, scrapers have been provided for removing ice and snow from the windshield of a vehicle. Typically, such scrapers have an elongated handle with a scraper attached to a distal end of the handle. Such scrapers have been found to be inadequate for the purpose of scraping the ice and snow from the windshield.
Quite frequently the ice which accumulates on the windshield is quite thick, and it is nearly impossible to remove the ice by a blade of the scraper. Often, the user must utilize a corner of the blade to make a number of channels in the ice and permit use of the scraper blade. The removal procedure by the scraper even in this case is very difficult and time consuming, and particularly in the cold environment of the weather is considerably uncomfortable since the removal procedure may require considerable time. In addition, the ice may not be completely removed by the scraper, and possibly poses a safety hazard in driving the car due to the loss of visibility through the windshield. Further, the blades of such scrapers are typically made of plastic which may break during use which causes additional inconvenience to the use since a new scraper must be obtained in order to complete the removal procedure.


A ventilation system includes a processor in communication with a mechanical ventilator and a user interface comprising a quick start mode for allowing an individual to operate the system with little or no respiratory care expertise until a respiratory care practitioner can take over operation is disclosed. The ventilation system further includes a function that permits seamless transition between modes of operation.

In medicine, mechanical ventilation is a method to mechanically assist or replace spontaneous breathing of a patient using a machine called a ventilator. Mechanical ventilation is often a life-saving intervention, but carries many potential complications including pneumothorax, airway injury, alveolar damage, and/or ventilator-associated pneumonia, thereby requiring that a respiratory care practitioner operate the ventilator.
The delivery of a "gold standard" of care in mechanical ventilation to a patient population relies on having a sufficient number of acute care ventilators on hand as well as a requisite number of respiratory care practitioners to properly operate them. Recognizing that in a severe pandemic like the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic, or a mass casualty event, such as a major earthquake, hurricane, or terrorist incident, the very real possibility exists that patient loads generated by such events will initially exceed the number of stockpiled ventilators and/or the requisite number of respiratory care practitioners on hand to provide even a modified gold standard treatment to a large number of patients requiring mechanical ventilation. Even if a sufficient number of mechanical ventilators are stockpiled in a particular area, the large number of immediate casualties in such a catastrophic event could overwhelm the limited number of respiratory care practitioners available to provide the necessary expertise to operate all of the ventilators required to treat a large number of patients, especially those patients not being treated by emergency personnel or at a healthcare facility, such as a hospital.


An electroluminescent device comprising a transparent or translucent support, a transparent or translucent first electrode, a second conductive electrode and an electroluminescent phosphor layer sandwiched between the transparent or translucent first electrode and the second conductive electrode, wherein the first and second electrodes each comprises a polymer or copolymer of a 3,4-dialkoxythiophene, which may be the same or different, in which the two alkoxy groups may be the same or different or together represent an optionally substituted oxy-alkylene-oxy bridge; a display comprising the above-mentioned electroluminescent device; a lamp comprising the above-mentioned electroluminescent device; manufacturing processes for the above-mentioned electroluminescent devices; and the use of such devices for the integrated backlighting of static and dynamic posters and signage.

EP-A 440 957 discloses dispersions of polythiophenes, constructed from structural units of formula (I):
in which R1 and R2 independently of one another represent hydrogen or a C1-C4 alkyl group or together form an optionally substituted C1-C4-alkylene residue, in the presence of polyanions.
EP-A-686 662 discloses mixtures of A) neutral polythiophenes with the repeating structural unit of formula (I),
in which R1 and R2 independently of one another represent hydrogen or a C1-C4 alkyl group or together represent an optionally substituted C1-C4 alkylene residue, preferably an optionally with alkyl group substituted methylene, an optionally with C1-C12-alkyl or phenyl group substituted 1,2-ethylene residue or a 1,2-cyclohexene residue, and B) a di- or polyhydroxy- and/or carboxy groups or amide or lactam group containing organic compound; and conductive coatings therefrom which are tempered to increase their resistance preferably to <300 ohm/square. Furthermore, the potential use of such layers as electrodes in electroluminescence devices is disclosed.
ORGACON™ EL film is a commercially available subbed polyethylene terephthalate support coated on one side with a transparent layer of electrically conducting poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/poly(styrene sulfonic acid) [PEDOT/PSS] produced by Agfa-Gevaert N.V. It is promoted in the current brochure for this product as a low cost alternative to polyethylene terephthalate film coated with a transparent coating of indium tin oxide (ITO) for use in electroluminescent lamps. T. Cloots et al. in the extended abstracts of the 5th International Conference on the Science and Technology of Display Phosphors held at San Diego on Nov. 8-10, 1999 disclosed a comparison of electroluminescent lamps in which ITO-PET supports have been replaced with ORGACON™ EL film. However, under simulated ageing conditions of 60° C. and 90% relative humidity electroluminescent devices produced with ORGACON™ EL film (see COMPARATIVE EXAMPLES 3 and 4) exhibited markedly inferior lifetime compared with electroluminescent devices produced with ITO-PET (see COMPARATIVE EXAMPLES 1 and 2).


A test device includes first and second testers each having at least one testing contact for making contact with at least one external contact of an electronic component; and a conveying device that conveys electronic components to the first and second testers in a synchronized manner such that the external contacts of the electronic components form an electrical connection to the testing contacts. Via the testing contacts, it is possible to apply input voltages and input currents to the electronic components and it is possible to measure the voltages, currents and resistances prevailing in the electronic components. The testers check the electronic components on the basis of a predetermined overall set of test criteria or on the basis of subsets of the overall set of test criteria.

After the production of electronic components, it is often necessary to subject the components produced to a functional test. For time and cost reasons, it is often not possible in this case to perform a second 100% testing of all the relevant parameters for all the electronic components produced. Rather, for a small number of electronic components of a batch produced, in the context of a random sample, a second 100% measurement is carried out at a manual measuring station.
The measuring instruments or measuring equipment or testers used in this case are often very sensitive. Functional disturbances or failures of such testers are often only identified belatedly during such tests.

Device and method for testing electronic components


An improved solid state storage device (SSD) with memory organized into a plurality of groups, each group including a plurality of ranks, and each rank having at least two banks sharing a bidirectional data bus. A matrix reorder circuit is used to distribute data across individual memory components in a way that prevents multibit uncorrectable or undetectable errors due to the failure of a single memory component. The matrix reorder circuit is used for both reading and writing data, and operates on a stream of pipelined data of arbitrary length.. According to another aspect of this invention, a flaw map and additional hot spare memory are used to electrically replace failing memory components in the. According to another aspect of this invention, memory in a bank is accessed during one half of a reference cycle and refreshed during the second half of the reference cycle, each bank being 180 degrees out of phase with the other so that a read or write is performed on one bank while a memory refresh is performed on the other bank.

In recent years advancements in integrated circuit technology have enabled development of memory chips of greatly increased capacity, reducing the cost per unit for solid state storage devices (SSDs). Because of the cost reductions and the greatly reduced space requirements, SSDs have become increasingly popular as an alternative or supplement to magnetic storage devices such as tapes or disk drives, particularly in I/O bound processing systems. U.S. Pat. No. 4,630,230, issued Dec. 16, 1986, to Sundet, describes an SSD utilizing an organization which minimizes data fan in and fan out and addressing fan out requirements. The storage section is organized into two groups, each group including a plurality of sections. Each section provided includes eight banks, paired in modules. The addressing and data is provided to the two groups identically so that each group receives one word each clock cycle. A pipeline technique of data distribution is employed, where data words are supplied to a first section in each group and transferred section to section on each succeeding clock cycle until all sections have a word and may be written into storage simultaneously. In the case of a write operation, words are captured from the sections simultaneously and passed out of the memory section to section. Refresh operations are accomplished on a periodic basis and a plurality of power supplies are provided for the storage modules in order to distribute refresh current demand over time and between the power supplies, providing for a safe and speedy refresh operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,951,246, issued Aug. 21, 1990, to Fromm et al., teaches a nibble-mode dynamic random access memory (DRAM) SSD utilizing the general concept of pipelining as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,630,230, issued Dec. 16, 1986, to J. Sundet. Memory is organized into sections, with each section including a plurality of groups. Each group is organized into a plurality of ranks, with each rank including a pair of banks. Each group includes addressing circuitry shared between the two banks, each of which may be independently controlled, one at a time. Nibble-mode DRAM is deployed in each bank, and the addressing circuitry is adapted to address the DRAM in Nibble-mode cycles.
A plurality of ports into the SSD are provided, with each port having an independent data path to each section of the memory. Each section includes steering logic to direct data flow from a path into the group being accessed. An assembly register is provided for the group of ranks in a group, and includes a plurality of segments with data storage locations, with one segment for each rank. The assembly register is configured to receive data words in a pipeline fashion, which are in turn transferred from the assembly register into a write data register, which includes a plurality of locations corresponding to the locations in the assembly register. The data words are transferred from the write register into the memory under the control of the addressing circuitry. In a read operation, the ranks are accessed to simultaneously produce a plurality of data words, which are loaded in parallel into a read data register which is configured to pipeline the data to a data path out to a port.
The designers of modern storage devices have a number of requirements which include maximizing the capacity of a device to store data, maximizing the data transfer rate into and out of the device, maximizing reliability, and minimizing cost.
In light of these requirements, there is a need to provide for a fast way of distributing data across individual memory components in a way that prevents multibit uncorrectable or undetectable errors due to the failure of a single memory component.
There is a further need to provide for an easy way of logically replacing a failed memory component.
There is a further need to provide for a way of distributing power comsumption evenly across the device to eliminate the need for special load regulation of the power supply.
There is a further need to provide for a way of eliminating the time required to wait while memory is being refreshed.


A card device, comprising an elongated blank folded to form a front panel and a back panel and including a fastener means to form a card with one unsealed end. The front panel has a die cut opening of a predetermined size and shape with a clear window panel covering the opening and displaying a first image thereon. An image enhancing slidable insert sized to be inserted between the front and back panels through the unsealed end is provided and includes an outwardly facing surface contrasting with the first image to enhance the first image. A second image is placed on the inwardly facing surface of the back panel, including a visible image portion and a background portion which is aligned to substantial reduce the visibility of the first image. Accordingly, insertion of the slidable insert enhances the first image and removal of the slidable insert causes exposure of the second image to the substantial exclusion of the first image.

Baseball cards are among the most widely collected memorabilia. Collectors seek both old cards, which are traded and which have been increasing in market value, and new cards to complete collections for each team for each season. Baseball cards have photographs of the player, as well as importance statistics and other information. Individual manufacturers of baseball cards also include trade dress and other identifying indicia, so that collectors can easily determine the source of the series from which any card originated.
In addition to baseball cards, other sports have similar cards, although collection and value have not reached the economic or numerical proportions of baseball cards. Other cards exist in areas of interest other than sports have not yet reached a significant market size. Nevertheless, growth in these areas will depend upon the degree of inherent interest in the topic and also on the amount of marketing effort expended.
In addition to straightforward collecting of baseball cards and the like, persons young and old enjoy time spent with the cards, perhaps in using their imagination to select all time favorite teams or best statistics for individuals or teams, and engaging in imaginary trading and managing decisions an the like.
One such baseball card market in which ones imagination and even ones fantasies can be enjoyed is the children's market, in which an ordinary child who might be playing in age group baseball can fantasize about playing on a major league team. This fantasy or "playing", which many experts believe is desirable for intellectual growth, would be enhanced if a child's image could also be provided on a baseball card. However, it is almost essential that the fantasy card, if that is a reasonable name for the card containing the child's photograph, be accurate and substantially identical with established and recognized, or "real" baseball cards.
Prior art methods of meeting this need have not been well received, however. The only product which has been available to date is one in which a person mails a photograph to a marketing company. The particular or logo identifying indicia of a particular brand of baseball card is than burned in or printed on top of the photograph. No matter what photograph is used, the likeness to a real baseball card is marginal at best and is hardly worth the effort one must expend in order to obtain this marginal card. One clear disadvantage is the time delay of up to eight to ten weeks from order to satisfaction. Ten weeks is too large a portion of a major league season to wait.
Accordingly, while it is not presently possible, the fantasy or dream would be complete if the personalized baseball card with perhaps an actual photograph of the collector would look like a real baseball card and would be available substantially immediately. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide such a card.
One device which has been proposed for use with photographs is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,662,093 to Suttles et al. This device includes a front and back panel with a die cut opening. A photograph is held by an initial attaching means which aligns the photograph. The panels are thereafter folded and fastened permanently. There is no attempt to present a plurality of images which cooperatively permit a combination of publically known images with personalized photos and the like.
At the present time, baseball cards and the like are limited to one photograph or image. Larger book-like designs no longer resemble a baseball card and thus do not truly belong in a collection. Nevertheless, card devices which include a combination of two messages or images have great potential and it is another object of the present invention to provide such a device.
Yet another area in which virtually no commercial success has been realized is in personalized promotional, advertising and packaging material. For example, personalized magazine covers are at best a novelty item in which a photograph is mailed, and the replica is returned in perhaps six to ten weeks and after substantial expense. Personalized movie posters do not exist at all and character representations of various personalities are not available except perhaps on a custom order basis. Accordingly, yet another object of this invention is to provide a card device which can be inexpensively and immediately used in personalizing promotional, advertising, character merchandising, and packaging materials.


The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for transmitting and receiving a broadcast signal. The method for receiving a broadcast signal comprises: generating a broadcast stream including at least one program; generating first program table information that represents the broadcast stream; receiving non-real time (NRT) service schedule information; generating second program table information that represents the NRT service, in accordance with the received NRT service schedule information; configuring a stream including the broadcast stream, the 1st program table information and the second program table information; and transmitting the stream.

A digital TV may provide various additional services in addition to video and audio as its original function, and for example, may select a program that a user wants through metadata representing program broadcasting airtime.
In the case of Advanced Television System Committee (ATSC) digital broadcasting, program information is delivered using the Program and System Information Protocol (PSIP) standard, and the digital TV interprets the delivered program information and displays an Electronic Program Guide (EPG) on the screen for user's easy selection.
Moreover, a digital TV service is being widely used via a wire/wireless communication network. The digital TV service provides various services that a related art analog broadcasting service couldn't provide.

Method for transmitting and receiving a broadcast signal and a broadcast receiver using the method


In a multiblower system for cooling electronic components, each blower has a backflow preventor. The backflow preventor has two pieces of flexible material and a screen attached to the intake side of the blower assembly. Each of the pieces of flexible material is scored through to form a petaled opening through which air may pass. The scores on one of the pieces of flexible material are out of alignment with the scores on the other piece when assembled together in the blower assembly. When the blower is running, the petals in the pieces of flexible material open to allow air to pass through the blower assembly. When the blower is stopped, the petals are closed against the screen due to the pressure differential between the inside of the enclosure and the outside of the enclosure caused by the effect of the draw of the other blowers in the system. The non-aligned scores on the two pieces of flexible material causes a seal to be formed through which air may not pass back into the enclosure through the stopped blower. In addition, the flexible material acts as a damper between the blower assembly and the electronics enclosure. Further, the petaled opening of the backflow preventor directs air more toward the center of the blower creating a laminar airflow, reducing the turbulence of the air as it is removed from the enclosure.

Electronic system enclosures often employ multi-blower, or multi-fan, systems for cooling. A typical multi-blower system may use two blowers for cooling. Each blower has an associated opening located on the system enclosure through which hot air is exhausted from the system enclosure.
In the event that one of the blowers fails, the blower still in operation is able to draw air into the electronic system enclosure through the exhaust opening of the failed blower, a condition called backflow. The backflow of air through the failed blower impairs the ability of the blower still in operation to cool the system. A way of preventing backflow of air through a stopped fan in a blower system is needed.
In addition, movement of large volumes of air is typically required in order to cool enclosures effectively. To keep the size of the blowers small, the blower rate is increased in order to move a sufficient quantity of air. The speed may be for example 2000 to 6000 rpm. The vibration generated by the spinning fans inside the blower assemblies can disturb components inside the enclosure. For instance, the vibration could cause errors in disk drives. A vibration damping system is needed to protect the components inside the electronics enclosure.

High efficiency blower system with integral backflow preventor


Methods, systems, and computer program products for selection of visually displayed audio data are provided. In one implementation, a computer-implemented method is provided. Original audio data is displayed in a plurality of visual forms. A first input is received selecting a region within a first visual representation of the original audio data. A second input is received selecting a region within a second visual representation of the original audio data. Audio components from the selected regions are isolated to provide isolated audio data. The isolated audio data corresponds to audio data common to both user selected regions. The isolated audio data is edited and then missed into the original audio data.

The present disclosure relates to audio editing.
Different visual representations of audio data are commonly used to display different features of the audio data. For example, visual representations include a frequency spectrogram display shows various frequencies of the audio data in the time-domain (e.g., a graphical display with time on the x-axis and frequency on the y-axis). Similarly, an amplitude display shows audio intensity in the time-domain (e.g., a graphical display with time on the x-axis and intensity on the y-axis).
Audio data can be edited. For example, the audio data may include noise or other unwanted audio data. Removing unwanted audio data improves audio quality (e.g., the removal of noise components provides a clearer audio signal). Alternatively, a user may apply different processing operations to portions of the audio data to generate particular audio effects.
A particular part of the audio data can be uniquely identified by its time, frequency, and pan position. Thus, different audio data having a same time, pan position, and frequency are indistinguishable. In conventional editing systems, however, the user performs edits on the audio data using only one of these parameters with respect to time. For example, the user can isolate and edit a particular frequency of the audio data at a particular time. However, the frequency editing operation will be performed on all instances of that frequency in the audio data over a specified time including all pan positions.

Selection of visually displayed audio data for editing


An improved antenna structure for RFID tags uses a pair of bent dipole antennas having arms that extend substantially about an outer edge of an RFID substrate. The antennas can be adjusted to resonance at about a half-wavelength of an applied electromagnetic field in the conductive material of the antennas. The antennas can be shorted together using a shorting path, the position of which can be adjusted to adjust an input impedance of the antenna structure. A shorting stub can be used to couple the antenna structure to a supply voltage connection of an RFID device used for the tag. The overall length of the shorting stub can be adjusted to match the impedance of the antenna structure to the impedance of the RFID device. These antenna structures can be used with RFID devices such as CDIP devices and bumped die packages.

The ability to identify and/or track items such as packages and items of inventory is of great importance in industries such as manufacturing, distributing, and retail sales. Such industries are increasingly moving toward wireless systems that can automatically identify and track these items, as well as being able to communicate information regarding these items, such as identification information, destination, lot number, or even measured parameters such as temperature, lifetime, or status. One method for identifying items and providing information involves attaching a wireless communication device to an item or lot of items. This communication device can include a transponder, or transceiver, which can be easily attached to the item, such as in or on a label or tag for the item. The wireless communication device can respond to commands or instructions included in standard radio frequency (RF) signals.
One wireless communication device that is gaining in popularity is the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag, which can include a transponder or transceiver as known in the art. RFID tags typically are placed onto items to be tracked, such as clothing items in a retail store. The store operates at least one RF zone used to communicate with the various RFID tags. An RF base station or RF reader typically is at the center of each RF zone, designed to generate a continuous wave electromagnetic field at a determined carrier frequency, which currently is 915 MHz in the United States for standard wireless communication. The electric field can be modulated in order to create a data signal that can be carried with the field, at a data rate that typically is lower than the carrier frequency. The modulated signal can be transmitted from an RFID base station. The signal then is received by an RFID tag in the RF zone, such that the tag can determine whether or not to respond, such as by reading an identification code or range of codes contained in the signal. If the RFID tag is to respond, the tag can generate a corresponding modulated RF signal, containing information stored within the tag or determined by the tag, and can transmit the modulated response RF signal to be received by the base station.
There typically are two types of RFID tags: active tags that include an RF transmitter and passive tags that do not include a transmitter, but rely upon modulated back-scattering to provide a return link to an interrogating base station. Passive tags can have an internal power source, such as a battery, or can obtain operating power by rectifying an RF signal transmitted from a base station. Each RFID tag typically has a minimum RF field strength requirement in order to read the incoming signal. An RFID tag powered by electromagnetic field can require substantially more power in the incoming signal than a system having an internal battery. Since field-powered RFID tags do not include a power source, however, these tags typically are much less expensive than active tags containing power sources. Further, field-powered tags are more reliable over time since there is no battery to lose power. RFID tags without power sources also can be simpler and cheaper to produce.
RFID systems have significant advantages over other existing identification and/or tracking systems, as the RFID systems have a rapid read rate, and can read tags that are at a distance from, and/or out of the line of sight of, the base station or tag reader. Further, some RFID tags allow for the updating of information stored within the tag. A typical RFID tag includes a chip coupled to an antenna, such as a dipole antenna as known in the art, formed on a substrate. A problem with such a device is that the orientation of the antenna with respect to the reader can greatly affect the readability of the RFID device, as well as the ability of the device to receive a signal. If the direction of the antenna is substantially parallel to the direction of the electromagnetic field, for example, the RFID device might not pick up a readable signal.
It would be advantageous to increase the reading distance and accuracy of the RFID tags as much as possible, in order to minimize the number of necessary readers and reduce the likelihood of data errors. It also would be desirable to limit the size of the RFID tags, in order to facilitate the application and storage of the tags as well as to lower manufacturing costs. Simply lengthening the antenna to increase the carrier frequency can result in a tag that is too large to be used with a label on a retail item. Further, the transmitting power cannot be increased simply to increase the read distance, as the maximum radiated power is limited by governmental regulation. It also would be advantageous to develop an RFID tag that can read and transmit in substantially any direction, allowing for orientation-independent operation of the RFID tag.


A connector with a steering angle sensor includes a steering roll connector in which an inner cylinder as a rotating body is provided inside an outer cylinder concentrically therewith, a spiral cable is stored between the outer and inner cylinders, and one end of the cable is supported on the outer cylinder while the other end of the cable is supported on the inner cylinder. A disk is fixed on the inner cylinder concentrically therewith. A plurality of slits are circumferentially formed in an outer edge portion of the disk. A sensor portion including a light receiving unit and a light emitting unit which are disposed so as to be opposite to each other through the outer edge portion of the disk is provided in a column switch.

The present invention relates to an improvement in a connector with a steering angle sensor and an improvement in a steering column structure using the same, in which a steering angle sensor is integrated with a steering roll connector (SRC) which is a cable-type electric connection device.
An SRC by which electric signals can be transmitted to a squib on a steering wheel with a high reliability is adopted particularly in vehicles mounted with air-bags. On the other hand, in four-wheel steering cars, so-called steering angle proportional control is performed for steering rear wheels in the reverse phase at a low speed range and in the same phase at a middle or high speed range in proportion to a steering angle. For this control, a steering angle sensor for detecting the steering angle is mounted on the four-wheel steering cars.
FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a conventional steering column portion provided with an SRC and a steering angle sensor, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a slit plate of the steering angle sensor. A turn signal and head lamp switch lever 3 and a wiper control switch lever 5 are provided in the outer circumference of a steering column switch (column switch) 1 through a steering shaft. An SRC 7 is provided on the upper side of the column switch 1 (on the upper side of FIG. 4). In the SRC 7, an inner cylinder 11 as a rotating body is provided in the inside of an outer cylinder 9 as a fixed body concentrically therewith. A not-shown cable is stored spirally in an annular storage chamber formed between the outer cylinder 9 and the inner cylinder 11. One end of the cable is supported on the outer cylinder 9 while the other end is supported on the inner cylinder 11. The cable supported on the inner cylinder 11 is led out as a wire harness, and connected to a squib (an electric heater wire charged with a very small amount of explosive) on a steering wheel.
In the thus configured SRC 7, electricity can be supplied to the rotating body (steering wheel) with a higher reliability than that in an electric connection device of sliding contact type in which instantaneous interruption of electric service is produced in the sliding portion.
On the other hand, a steering angle sensor 13 is provided on the lower side of the column switch 1 (on the lower side of FIG. 4). The steering angle sensor 13 is constituted by a slit plate 17 having a plurality of slits 15 (see FIG. 5) provided in its outer edge portion, and a sensor portion 19 holding the outer edge portion of this slit plate 17 from its upper and lower sides. In the steering angle sensor 13, the slit plate 17 is attached to the steering shaft so that the slit plate 17 rotates with the steering shaft, while the sensor portion 19 is fixed to the column switch 1. In the sensor portion 19, a not-shown light emitting means such as a light-emitting diode and a not-shown light receiving means such as a phototransistor are provided so as to be opposite to each other through the outer edge portion of the slit plate 17.
In the steering angle sensor 13, the phototransistor receives light from the light-emitting diode through the slits 15 of the slit plate 17 which rotates in accordance with the steering of a steering wheel, and this light passing through the slits is converted into current pulses and counted by a counter or the like so as to detect the rotation angle of the steering wheel.
However, in the above-mentioned conventional column structure, the SRC 7 is attached to the upper side of the column switch 1 while the steering angle sensor 13 is attached to the lower side of the column switch 1. Therefore, there has been a problem that the size H in the direction of the steering shaft of the column switch 1 is increased, so that it is necessary to ensure a large on-vehicle size for the column switch 1.
In addition, two electric equipments respectively constituted by a rotating body and a fixed body are provided on the same shaft of a steering shaft, so that similar parts are disposed doubly. Therefore, there has been a problem that the number of parts is increased.

Connector with a steering angle sensor and column structure using the same


The present relates generally to methods, systems and apparatuses for three dimensional and cross-sectional imaging of objects (e.g., silicon) and subjects at a nanometer-scale resolution using short wave-length (e.g., extreme ultra-violet) light.

I. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to methods, systems and apparatuses for three dimensional and cross-sectional imaging of objects (e.g., microstructured silicon) and subjects at high resolutions (e.g., nanometer-scale resolution) using short wave-length (e.g., extreme ultra-violet) light with an ultra-broadband spectrum.
II. Description of Related Art
Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an interferometric, non-invasive optical tomographic imaging technique offering millimeter penetration (approximately 2-3 mm in tissue) with micrometer-scale axial and lateral resolution. OCT is a widely known imaging technique, especially in opthalmology, other biomedical applications and art conservation. The technique was first demonstrated in 1991 with ˜30 μm axial resolution (Huang et al., 1991). However, OCT has not achieved a resolution much if anything below 1 μm. Such resolution would be useful for many purposes including those mentioned above, but also for imaging technical materials, such as semiconductors.