A bottle holder includes a first flexible strap that is clamped around a bottle, with an end of the strap being clamped by pivoting a locking lever in a locking block. A first version of the bottle holder has a clip for attachment to the belt or waistband of the user's clothing. A second version has a second belt for attachment to a stationary member, such as the rail of an exercise machine.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to apparatus for attaching a generally cylindrical object, such as a bottle, to a support structure, and, more particularly to attaching such an object a belt or waistband or to a fixed support structure, such as a rail of an exercise machine.
2. Summary of the Background Art
Many people prefer to drink certain types of bottled water or other drinks to an extend sufficient to justify carrying a personal supply of such liquids with them. While such liquids are readily available in grocery and convenience stores in small bottles suitable for individual consumption, a particular problem arises during walking, jogging, or while performing other moving exercises in that it is inconvenient to a bottle of liquid in one's hand. While such exercises tend to stimulate thirst, they also often carry the individual into locations where bottles of the desired liquids are not available. Thus, what is needed is a convenient method for attaching such a bottle to one's clothing so that it can be carried while the hands are left free.
Many individuals regularly use exercise equipment, such as treadmills and stationary bicycles for extended workouts or for workouts of shorter duration but faster pace. In either case, the person using the equipment often becomes thirsty before the workout period is completed. It is often desirable, both for reasons of personal comfort and for reasons of physical health to replace fluids lost during exercise before the period of using a particular piece of exercise equipment is completed. Yet, it is inconvenient and often undesirable to leave the exercise equipment to obtain water or another drink tailored to replace lost fluids; to interrupt an exercise program may jeopardize its effectiveness. Thus, what is needed is a method for providing water or another fluid to be drunk while using the exercise equipment. Since many types of exercise equipment include handrails or other horizontal bar structures within reach of a person using the equipment, this need can be filled by providing a means to removable attachment of a bottle to such a horizontal structure.
Several patents describe a bottle holder including an aperture engaging the neck of a water bottle and a lower portion extending downward to be held inside the user's belt. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,131,779 describes a bottle carrier having a connection section formed as an inverted U-shaped clip that is connected by a rod to a gripping section having a pair of claws with curved ends, between which the neck of a bottle is received. U.S. Pat. No. 6,394,329 describes a holder for attaching a bottle to a user's belt, with the holder including an upright portion to be inserted behind the belt and a lateral portion including two connected openings of different sizes to permit the insertion and removal of the bottle neck. U.S. Pat. No. 6,019,335 describes a bottle holder having a horizontal upper portion, an inclined intermediate portion, and a vertical lower portion that can be molded in one piece from plastic. The intermediate and upper portions are configured with an oval slot that is configured to accept and hold the neck of a bottle, with the bottle being supported by a ring around the neck of the bottle. The lower portion is configured as an inverted U-shaped clip, including a slot through which a VELCRO® type strap extends to encircle the bottle. What is needed is a bottle holder having a flexible strap with ends connected by a clamping mechanism providing belt tension to hold the bottle without a need to engage the neck of a bottle. Such a bottle holder would be usable with a number of bottle configurations, without regard for particular features of the bottle neck.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,331,721 and 6,168,057 each describe a U-shaped clip that can be applied to an object to facilitate holding the object by means of the clip on one's belt, waistband, or on another supporting edge of ones clothing, such as a pocket. Each of these clips has an inner leg to extend downward inside the belt or clothing and an outer leg, also extending downward from the top of the clip, with an outer surface having means for attachment to the object to be held. In the device of U.S. Pat. No. 5,331,721, the outer surface of the outer leg has a rectangular adhesive pad and a removable protective liner, so that the object to be held is securely clip. In the device of U.S. Pat. No. 6,168,057, the outer surface of the outer leg has the first strip of a pair of removably attachable fastening strips. The second strip is provided with an adhesive backing and a release layer, so that the object to be held is releasably attached to the clip. In the device of each of these patents, the outer surface of the outer leg is flat, so that the clip can only be attached to an object having a flat side, such as a walkie-talkie, a cordless telephone, or a single-use camera. What is needed is a belt clip having an adjustable strap to fasten around a generally cylindrical object, such as a water bottle.
Other patents show belt clips provided as portions of structures configured for special purposes. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,364,184 shows an adapter for removably holding a cellular phone on a belt clip to be secured by a belt. U.S. Pat. No. 5,711,424 shows a belt clip for a single-use camera, with the belt clip being included within the display packaging of the camera. U.S. Pat. No. 6,081,695 shows a holster having a loop for receiving the end of the user's belt and a main body portion with a pair of spaced-apart openings for receiving a belt clip forming part of a pager or cellular phone. U.S. Pat. No. 5,381,922 describes a carrier for a cylindrical article comprising a clip attachable to the user's belt and a flexible cup-like holder capable of closely fitting around the article, and adhesive pads on the clip and holder for attaching the holder to the clip. Again, what is needed is a belt clip having an adjustable strap to fasten around a generally cylindrical object, such as a water bottle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,572 describes a supporting device for sports bottles having a liquid container with an integral neck and a cap that fits on the neck to hold the sports bottle in a vertical position. The supporting device is an integrally formed manufacture having a retaining section with a hole to fit over the neck of the container and is secured against vertical movement when the sports bottle cap is screwed down. Integral with the supporting device is a mounting tab which extends downward toward the container's base at or near the side of the sports bottle container when the supporting device is secured on the sports bottle. The bottle can now be hung by placing the mounting tab over one's belt to free his hands while he is walking. Additionally, by adhering a receiving block, having a hole that accepts the mounting tab, in a convenient location within a car a sports bottle can be hung within a car within easy reach of the user. This device relies on the wide mouth of the bottle to hold the supporting device in place on the bottle and on the use of a straw to drink from the bottle, eliminating a need to unscrew the cap, which would loosen the attachment of the supporting device to the bottle. Thus, what is needed is a bottle supporting device that can be used with many types of bottles, including the small bottles, without wide necks, in which spring water is often sold.
Other patents describe specialized containers into which a fluid is poured before it is consumed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,988,464 describes a wide-mouth drink bottle having one strip of a two-part fastener extending along one side of the bottle. The mating part of the two-part fastener extends along the side of a vertical strap having a pair of loops through which the user's belt is placed. U.S. Pat. No. 5,984,145 describes a body-mounted water dispensing system for providing a convenient method of drinking liquids while exercising. The system includes a water container and pump, mounted on a belt, together with an outlet hose and drinking tube extending upward to the wearer's mouth. Again, what is needed is a low-cost disposable system. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,743,620, 6,260,731, and 6,279,794 each describe a specialized bottle including a clip allowing the bottle to be attached to clothing. What is needed is a system allowing the use of readily available disposable bottles, without requiring the fluid to be poured into another container before it is consumed, and similarly eliminating a need to wash the container after use.
The use of a belt to hold an elongated group of objects to a bracket is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,632,069, in the form of a bracket for mounting wire bundles or the like to be held by binder ties and for retaining the binder ties adjacent flanged lightening holes and bulkheads. The bracket further includes a single mounting leg. What is needed is a belt configured to allow loosening and subsequent tightening without tools for the application of releasably holding water bottles.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,151 describes a shoulder strap and a neck strap forming part of a hands-free canteen for carrying a drinkable liquid, such as mineral water. The assembly additionally includes a standard liquid containing bottle whose externally threaded neck is engaged by a screw-on cap having a small loop integral therewith. Another form of neck strap is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,244,135, with the neck strap passing through a slot in a flange of a container being carried, and with the neck strap comprising a flexible cord having ends held together with an aglet through a friction fit. Another support for a beverage container that may be placed around the neck of the user is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,611. What is needed is a method for hooking a water bottle to a belt or waistband without requiring modification to the bottle, such as a cap with an integral loop or a slot provided for passage of a strap.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,577,647 and 5,711,465 each describe a bottle carrying device that replaces the cap of a conventional water bottle. The bottle carrying device includes a carrying strap and a spout through which the water can be consumed when the bottle is squeezed. What is needed is a strap that can be attached to a bottle without a requirement to remove and replace the cap.
Other patents, including U.S. Design Pat. Nos. D340,583 and D487,660 and U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,807,679, 6,161,885, and 6,401,993 describe bottle carriers in which bottles, including the large water bottles used in water coolers, are carried from handles or straps. What is needed is a carrier for carrying small, conventional water bottles attached to the user's belt or waistband.
Other patents described significantly more complex structures for carrying one or more water bottles and other articles. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,263,618 describes a shoulder harness having a water bottle cover serving as a holder, which is attached to the harness strap by a VELCRO® closure. U.S. Pat. No. 5,732,860 describes a sports utility belt including a central body adapted to receive one or more water bottles connected to a drinking tube. U.S. Pat. No. 5,695,101 describes apparatus including a number of adjustable straps for carrying sports equipment such as a folding chair, a body board, and a beverage holder. Again, what is needed is a method for hooking a water bottle to a belt or waistband.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,299,720 describes a combined handle and friction connector for a container, in which a handle assembly can be either integral with a container or attachable thereto. The handle is spaced from the container by an opening for receiving the hand of the user, and has a snap-on groove for detachably connecting the handle and the associated container to a tubular support having a range of varying diameters. What is needed is a clamp having an adjustable strap for supporting attachment to supports having a wider range of shapes and dimensions.
The patent art describes a number of devices for removably attaching water bottles to structural elements by means of loop and hook closure mechanisms, such as VELCRO® closures. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,004,033 describes a composite water bottle holder formed by sewing a first edge of a sheet of neoprene material to form a generally cylindrical shaped water straps of bottle holder with a VELCRO® attachment mechanism including mating straps of material. U.S. Pat. No. 5,249,770 describes a holder including a body with a slot through which a flexible strap extends. One side of the strap forms one side of the VELCRO® closure, while the other side of the closure is formed by one or more pads attached to the body. One end of the strap is pulled around the structural element and through a buckle at the opposite end of the strap to be fastened to the pad(s) attached to the body. U.S. Pat. No. 5,199,678 describes a holder of holding a cup on the arm of a chair. The holder includes an "L"-shaped support structure having an upper surface along which one side of the VELCRO® closure extends and a lower surface from which a strap forming the other side of the closure hangs. The support structure is placed atop the chair arm, with the strap extending around the chair arm and along the upper surface of the support structure. U.S. Pat. No. 5,833,188 describes a fabric strap for releasably securing a bicycle accessory to a bicycle, with the fabric strap including the loop and hook portions associated with VELCRO® closures. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,325,991 and 5,381,932 each describe a holder including a hollow cylinder, open at the top, for holding a cylindrical object, such as a bottle, cup, or can, and additionally including an attachment member having an inner leg that can extend downward inside a belt or waistband and an outer leg removably attached to the hollow cylinder by a two-part fastener, such as a VELCRO fastener. What is needed is a low-cost clip that can be attached to a disposable bottle and disposed with the bottle, eliminating a need to return with a large empty holder. What is needed is a lower cost means for removably attaching a bottle holder to a structural element without requiring the use of such closures.
A number of patents, of which U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,060,832 and 5,425,484 are exemplary, describe methods for attaching a water bottle to a bicycle so that, while the water bottle is easily removable, a part of the attachment mechanism remains attached to the bicycle, for example, being bolted thereto. Since the bicycle typically belongs to the individual installing and using the water bottle and repeatedly using the bicycle, this remaining attachment portion does not present a serious problem. U.S. Pat. No. 5,105,958 describes a similar method for removably attaching a water bottle to a golf bag. However, what is needed is a water bottle attachment mechanism that is easily and totally removed from exercise equipment in a gymnasium, so that the equipment can be used by others, and so that the water bottle can be used on other equipment.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,597,087 describes a sports bottle having a hook for suspending the bottle from a support structure. Since sports bottles having a number of desirable features without such a hook are widely available filled with suitable liquids, what is needed is a mechanism for removably attaching an existing water bottle to a support structure. Additionally, since the support surface provided by exercise equipment may move with its use, causing a water bottle simply suspended from a hook to swing, what is needed is a mechanism clamping the water bottle to the support structure.
Other patents, including U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,570,835, 4,767,092, 5,400,990, 5,695,162, 5,966,865, and 6,631,876, describe relatively large holders for clamping bottles and other cylindrical devices to stationary structures. What is needed is a device including only an attachment adapter and a pair of flexible belt assemblies, that can be easily carried with a water bottle to a gymnasium and that will not present a significant burden when returning from the gymnasium, after disposal of the empty water bottle.

Apparatus for attaching a bottle to a support structure


A substrate processing apparatus is disclosed for heating a substrate by a heater through a susceptor in a state in which the substrate is placed on the susceptor, to process the substrate. The heater is divided into a plurality of respectively controlled zone heaters to form gaps therebetween, a center position of a gap of the gaps which is positioned closer to an end of the substrate than any other gap is located in a range from an inner side 10 mm to an outer side 6 mm in a radial direction of the substrate with respect to the end of the substrate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a producing method of a semiconductor device, and more particularly, to a single wafer-feeding type semiconductor producing apparatus for heating a semiconductor wafer by a heater through a susceptor in a state in which the semiconductor wafer is placed on the susceptor, thereby processing the semiconductor wafer, and the invention also more particularly relates to a producing method of a semiconductor device having a step of processing a semiconductor wafer using this semiconductor producing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
To obtain heat uniformity over the entire surface of a wafer, heat uniformity of a susceptor on which the wafer is placed is important. To obtain the heat uniformity of the susceptor, if a heater which is greater than the wafer in size is used, the heat uniformity can be obtained but it is expensive. If a heater which is as small as possible is used on the other hand, escape of heat from outer periphery becomes a problem, and the heat uniformity can not be obtained. The susceptor and the heater have a hole through which a push-up pin for transferring the wafer passes, and the heat escapes from a heater electrode, which causes deterioration of the heat uniformity.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a substrate processing apparatus and a producing method of a semiconductor device capable of enhancing the heat uniformity over the entire surface of a substrate without increasing a size of a heater.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus for heating a substrate by a heater through a susceptor in a state in which the substrate is placed on the susceptor, thereby processing the substrate, wherein
the heater is divided into a plurality of respectively controlled zone heaters to form gaps therebetween, a center position of a gap of the gaps which is positioned closer to an end of the substrate than any other gap is located in a range from an inner side 10 mm to an outer side 6 mm in a radial direction of the substrate with respect to the end of the substrate.
Preferably, the center position of the gap is located in a range of an inner side 5 mm to the end of the substrate in the radial direction of the substrate with respect to the end of the substrate.
Preferably, the center position of the gap is located at the end of the substrate.
Preferably, the susceptor is divided into a plurality of divided susceptors, and divided ends of the zone heaters are respectively located in a range of 5 to 10 mm from the divided ends on the substrate side of the respectively corresponding divided susceptors.
Preferably, the divided susceptors have an outer peripheral susceptor which is to be located at an outer periphery of the substrate, and a member made of quartz is provided on or above the outer peripheral susceptor.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a producing method of a semiconductor device, comprising a step of heating a substrate by a heater through a susceptor in a state in which the substrate is placed on the susceptor, thereby processing the substrate, wherein
the heater is divided into a plurality of respectively controlled zone heaters to form gaps therebetween, a center position of a gap of the gaps which is positioned closer to an end of the substrate than any other gap is located in a range from an inner side 10 mm to an outer side 6 mm in a radial direction of the substrate with respect to the end of the substrate.

Substrate processing apparatus and semiconductor device producing method


I describe and claim an improved digital-to-analog conversion device and method. The device comprises a current supply circuit to generate a plurality of control currents responsive to a plurality of digital signals. An input voltage generating circuit is adapted to generate a plurality of input voltages responsive to the digital signals and the control currents. And a plurality of operational amplifiers is adapted to output a plurality of analog signals responsive to the input voltages.

This application claims priority from Korean Patent Application No. 10-2004-0061955 filed on Aug. 6, 2004, which we incorporate by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention relates to a digital-to-analog conversion device and, more particularly, to a fixed offset digital-to-analog conversion device and method.
2. Description of the Related Art
A digital-to-analog conversion (DAC) device converts a digital input signal into an analog signal with a voltage level corresponding to the digital input signal. The converted analog signal may be used in various semiconductor devices performing digital to analog conversion. An example of a conventional DAC is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,212,482, titled Digital-To-Analog Converter Having An Externally Selectable Output Voltage Range, issued Mar. 18, 1993 to Tetsuo Okuyama.
FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram of a conventional DAC 10. Referring to FIG. 1, the DAC 10 includes an input voltage generating circuit 11 and operational amplifiers (OP AMPs) 12 and 13. The input voltage generating circuit 11 includes a plurality of NMOS transistors NM1 through NM9. The input voltage generating circuit 11 generates input voltages Vin and Vinb on output nodes D1 and D2 in response to digital code signals B0 through B2 and B0B through B2B, respectively. The OP AMPs 12 and 13 generate output voltages Vout and Voutb, respectively, in response to the input voltages Vin and Vinb, respectively, and a reference voltage Vref. The OP AMP 12 supplies a current I1 to the input voltage generating circuit 11 via a resistor R0. The OP AMP 13 supplies a current I2 to the input voltage generating circuit 11 via a resistor R1. Resistors R0 and R1 may form a feedback loop corresponding to OP AMPs 12 and 13, respectively. The OP AMPs 12 and 13 have input offset voltages Vos1 and Vos2, respectively, where the input offset voltages Vos1 and Vos2 may be determined according to Equation 1.
                                          Vos                                                                          1                    =                                    I                                                                                1                                      G                                                                                1                                                                                Vos                                                                          2                    =                                    I                                                                                2                                      G                                                                                2                                                          Equation                                                  1
As shown in Equation 1, the input offset voltages Vos1 and Vos2 are proportional to the currents I1 and I2, respectively, and inversely proportional to the gain G1 of the OP AMP 12, and the gain G2 of the OP AMP 13. Since the input offset voltages Vos1 and Vos2 act as offsets (errors) of the output voltages Vout and Voutb, when the input offset voltages Vos1 and Vos2 increase, the offsets of the output voltages Vout and Voutb also increase.
The magnitude of the currents I1 and I2 supplied by OP AMPs 12 and 13, respectively, varies according to the digital code signals B0 through B2 and B0B through B2B input to the input voltage generating circuit 11. Specifically, when the number of NMOS transistors turned on in response to the digital code signals B0 through B2 increases, the magnitude of current I1 increases. Likewise, when the number of NMOS transistors turned on in response to the digital code signals B0B through B2B increases, the magnitude of current I2 increases. Since the magnitude of current OP AMPs 12 and 13 can supply to the input voltage generating circuit 11 is limited, the situation may arise when the OP AMPs 12 and 13 cannot sufficiently supply currents I1 and I2 to the input voltage generating circuit 11. Accordingly, the input voltage generating circuit 11 may generate the input voltages Vin and Vinb that do not correspond to the digital code signals B0 through B2 and B0B through B2B, causing the offsets of the output voltages Vout and Voutb to increase. Thus, in conventional DAC 10, the offsets of the output voltages Vout and Voutb change with changes to the digital code signals B0 through B2 and B0B through B2B.

Fixed offset digital-to-analog conversion device and method


A light output control method for a lighting system is provided. The lighting system includes a plurality of sensors and a light-emitting unit. The light output control method includes steps of: sensing a motion of an object within the sensing ranges of the sensors at different time spots, thereby generating multiple sensing values; obtaining a sensing sequence data according to the sensing values indicating the motion of the object sensed by the sensors; controlling the light-emitting unit to perform a light output control operation if the sensing sequence data complies with a predetermined condition.

A light emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor device capable of converting electrical energy into visible light and radiation energy when electrical current flows between the anode and the cathode due to a voltage applied on both terminals of the semiconductor device. When the current passes through the LED in the forward direction, electrons recombine with holes and the extra energy is released in the form of light. The wavelength of the emitted light corresponds to the material and the energy associated with electron-hole pair recombination. The advantages of using the LED include a low operating voltage, low power consumption, high illuminating efficiency, very short response time, pure light color, high structural firmness, high impact resistance, excellent performance reliability, light weight, cost effectiveness, long service life, and so on. Therefore, the incandescent bulbs or mercury vapor lamps used in the conventional lighting system are gradually replaced by LEDs in many applications.
By using three primary color LEDs, for example a combination of red (R), green (G) and blue (B) LEDs, and adjusting the brightness of the LEDs, light output beams with various emission colors can be produced. Generally, the lighting system has a user operation interface (e.g. a button or a knob) or a remote controller. By triggering the user operation interface or using the remote controller, the brightness or the color of the light output from the lighting system can be controlled accordingly.
Recently, remote controllers become essential components of many kinds of household electrical appliances such as TV sets, DVD players, audio equipments, air conditioners, and so on. That is, the use of remote controllers may facilitate manipulation of these household electrical appliances. Since various kinds of electrical appliances have their own remote controllers, the user is often confused with a lot of remote controllers and the selection of the actual remote controller becomes troublesome. Moreover, too many remote controllers are neither cost-effective nor user-friendly. For reducing the dependence on remote controllers, a lighting system has been developed in WO 2006/056814, which is entitled "PROXIMITY SENSOR DIMMING CONTROL FOR A LIGHT", and the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a lighting system disclosed in WO 2006/056814. As shown in FIG. 1, the lighting system 1 comprises an infrared transmitting and receiving unit 10 and a light-emitting unit 11. When an object 100 (e.g. a user's hand) is positioned in the sensing range of the infrared transmitting and receiving unit 10, an infrared beam 12 emitted by the infrared transmitting and receiving unit 10 is reflected by the object 100, and the reflected infrared beam 13 is then transmitted to an infrared receiver 101 of the infrared transmitting and receiving unit 10. Generally, the intensity of infrared light 13 reflected from the object 100 and received by the infrared transmitting and receiving unit 10 is dependent on the inverse square of the distance between the infrared transmitting and receiving unit 10 and the object 100. By determining the movement of the object 100 away from or toward the infrared transmitting and receiving unit 10, the brightness or the color of the light output from the light-emitting unit 11 of the lighting system 1 is controlled accordingly.
The approach of controlling the brightness or the color of the output light from the light-emitting unit 11 of the lighting system 1, however, still has some drawbacks. For example, since the intensity of infrared light detected by the infrared transmitting and receiving unit 10 is readily interfered with the background brightness, the detecting accuracy is deteriorated. In addition, the operating range of the infrared transmitting and receiving unit 10 is highly dependent on the intensity of the received infrared light. As known, the operating range is only up to approximately 30 centimeters.
Therefore, there is a need of providing an improved lighting system and a light output control method to obviate the drawbacks encountered from the prior art.

Light output control method and lighting system using the same


In order to provide a thermal printer, which can reliably pressure-contact a recording paper made of thick paper to a platen roller with a small motor and print high quality images, a thermal printer of the invention includes head supporting members, which support a thermal head to head up/down with respect to a platen roller; and a guide member capable of pressure-contacting a recording paper conveyed between the thermal head and the platen roller to the platen roller. The thermal head can head up/down when the head supporting members turn. The guide member is separated from the head supporting members, thereby the guide member ascends and descends with respect to the platen roller by a driving source (not shown) capable of turning the head supporting members.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thermal printer, and particularly, to a thermal printer, which can print high-quality images by conveying recording media with high accuracy.
2. Description of the Related Art
A thermal printer 31 in the related art will be described on the basis of JP-A-2002-144616. As shown in FIG. 3, the thermal printer 31 is provided with a printer main body 31a and a cassette mounting part 31b capable of mounting a ribbon cassette 39, to be described below, in the printer main body 31a.
In addition, a rotatable platen roller 32 is disposed in the printer main body 31a, and a thermal head 33 is disposed above the platen roller 32.
Furthermore, a recording paper 34 is fed between the thermal head 33 and the platen roller 32 so as to be conveyed in a direction of arrow A. The recording paper 34 is made of thick papers such as printing papers, on which color printing can be performed.
Thermal head 33 is supported by a head mounting platen 35, and the head mounting platen 35 is mounted on a head lever.
The head lever is formed in a cantilevered shape, and one end thereof (right side of the drawing) is supported by a supporting shaft 37. The head lever can rotate around the supporting shaft 37 as a fulcrum by a motor acting as a driving source, thereby a free end of the thermal head 33 is attachable to and detachable from (head up/down) the platen roller 32.
In addition, when a ribbon cassette 39, to be described below, is mounted on the cassette mounting part 31b in a head-up state of the thermal head 33, an ink ribbon 38 is positioned between the platen roller 32 and the thermal head 33.
The width of the ink ribbon 38 is larger than that of the recording paper 34 so as to be accommodated in the ribbon cassette 39. Both ends of the ink ribbon 38 are wound on a feed reel 39a and a take-up reel 39b, and the feed reel 39a and the take-up reel 39b are rotatably supported by side plates 39c of the ribbon cassette 39, which face each other.
When the ribbon cassette 39 is mounted on the cassette mounting part 31b, the take-up reel 39b is engaged with a take-up core (not shown) on the printer main body side so as to rotate in the counter-clockwise direction.
As the take-up reel 39b is rotated in the counter-clockwise direction by rotating the take-up core, the ink ribbon 38 wound on the feed reel 39a can be wound on the take-up reel 39b.
The ribbon cassette 39 is provided with a relief groove 39d for relieving a pressure-contact roller 41, to be described below, and a take-up hole 39e formed at the lower portion of the relief groove 39d. A guide roller 39f made of a metal rod is rotatably supported by the side plate 39c in the vicinity of the take-up hole 39e.
The ink ribbon 38 is detached from a right end of the head mounting platen 35 at a predetermined detachment angle and bent at about right angle at a guide roller 39f so as to be wound on the take-up reel 39b.
On the left side of the platen roller 32, the fed roller 40 and the pressure-contact roller 41, which is pressure-contacted with the fed roller 40, are disposed. The recording paper 34 is inserted between the fed roller 40 and the pressure-contact roller 41 and conveyed in the direction of arrow A by rotating the fed roller 40 in the counter-clockwise direction.
When the ribbon cassette 39 is mounted on the cassette mounting part 31b, the pressure-contact roller 41 is positioned in the relief groove 39d.
The head mounting platen 35 is integrally formed with a guide member (not shown), and the recording paper 34 made of thick paper, which is fed between the thermal head 33 and the platen roller 32 during printing, is bent at a predetermined abutting angle α to the platen roller 32 by the guide member.
However, in the thermal printer 31 in the related art, since the head lever is formed in a cantilevered shape, when the thermal head pressure-contacts the recording paper 34 made of thick paper, and the guide member keeps bending the recording paper 34 until the abutting angle reaches α, the head lever needs sufficient load to rotate.
For this reason, a motor for turning the head lever 36 should be large, which induces the increase in power consumption.
On the other hand, when a motor is small, even when the guide member (not shown), which is integrally formed with the head mounting platen 35, pressure-contacts the recording paper 34 to the platen roller 32 so as to bend the recording paper 34 at the abutting angle α, the recording paper 34 made of thick paper is prone to return to the original shape due to the resilient force of the recording paper 34. Therefore, the thermal head 33 in a head-down state can not reliably pressure-contact the recording paper 34 to the platen roller 32, and high quality image printing cannot be achieved.


A curable resorcinol-based epoxy resin is disclosed having the general structural formula (I) ##STR1## wherein at least one of R.sub.1, R.sub.2, or R.sub.3 is selected from the group consisting of (a) the general structural formula (II) ##STR2## wherein R.sub.4 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and an alkyl group having 1 to about 4 carbon atoms, and (b) an allyl group.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to resorcinol-based epoxy resins having improved physical and mechanical properties such as a reduced ability to absorb moisture, high glass transition temperature, good processability and less volatility.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Epoxy resins are a class of thermoset resins with a wide range of applications. For example, epoxy resins are employed in composite fabrication in both wet and dry lay-up techniques well known to those skilled in the art for the electrical, aerospace, filament winding and hardware industries. The disadvantage of many epoxy resins is their ability to absorb high amounts of moisture when they are used in both wet and dry composite fabrication. Obtaining an epoxy resin having a low moisture absorption characteristic, however, in many cases, has led to a compromise in other desirable physical and mechanical properties such as, for example, high glass transition temperature, ease of processability, flexural properties, tensile properties and curing conditions.
It is well known that all epoxy resins contain the epoxide, orirane or ethoxylene group: ##STR3## wherein X represents the point of attachment to the remainder of the resin molecule. The epoxide function generally appears in the form: ##STR4## known by those skilled in the art as the glycidyl group which is attached to the remainder of a compound by such as, for example, an oxygen (i.e., glycidyl ether), nitrogen (i.e., glycidyl amine), or carboxyl group (i.e., glycidyl ester).
U.S. Pat. No. 2,892,849 discloses a process for preparing epoxyalkyl aryl ethers, including resorcinol diglycidyl ether.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,916,202 discloses an epoxy resin having glycidyl amine groups. This patent discloses epoxy resins made from aliphatic amines, sulfonamides, and aromatic amines.
Japanese Patent No. -026173 discloses a process for making an epoxy resin from a carboxylic acid derivative of resorcinol such as Beta-resorcylic acid.
Japanese Patent No. -020172 discloses the process of making an epoxy resin from the reaction of another resorcinol derivative namely 4,4'-thiodiresorcinol with the epichlorohydrin.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,467,171 discloses stereoisomeric 1,3-diglycidyloxybenzenes which have been known for many years.
Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, Volume 52, No. 4, Apr. 1960, pp. 324-325 discloses epoxy resins from resorcinol-acetone condensation products.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,291,837 discloses the preparation of monoepoxy compounds from benzyol resorcinol and thier application towards U.V. stabilizers.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,656,207 discloses resorcinol-based epoxy compounds but not benzoyl resorcinol diglycidyl ether compounds.
None of the prior art discloses the preparation and application of diglycidyl ether derivatives of benzyol resorcinol, styryl- and alphamethyl styryl substituted resorcinol and also the tetraglycidyl ether of bis[resorcinol] type resin of the present invention.
In spite of these prior art disclosures, there remains a very real and substantial need for a resorcinol-based epoxy resin having enhanced curing properties, flexural properties, tensile properties, low moisture absorption properties, a high glass transition temperature and less volatility.


A power over Ethernet (PoE) power sourcing equipment (PSE) architecture for variable maximum power delivery. PoE PSE subsystems rely on some control to “turn on” a power field effect transistor (FET), which allows current to be transmitted to a powered device (PD). A hybrid approach is provided where an internal FET can be augmented with an external FET to provide an architecture that can be flexibly applied to applications with various space, cost and cooling limitations. The maximum delivered power can also be boosted with the addition of an external FET to the internal FET.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to power over Ethernet (PoE) and, more particularly, to a PoE power sourcing equipment architecture for variable maximum power delivery.
2. Introduction
In a PoE application such as that described in the IEEE 802.3af and 802.3at specifications, a power sourcing equipment (PSE) delivers power to a powered device (PD) over Ethernet cabling. Various types of PDs exist, including voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless LAN access points, Bluetooth access points, network cameras, computing devices, etc.
In accordance with IEEE 802.3af, a PSE can deliver up to 15.4 W of power to a single PD over two wire pairs. In accordance with IEEE 802.at, on the other hand, a PSE may be able to deliver up to 30 W of power to a single PD over two wire pairs. Other proprietary solutions can potentially deliver even higher levels of power to a PD.
In accommodating the ever-increasing range of potential power delivery levels it is important that the field effect transistor (FET) design of the PSE have sufficient flexibility. What is needed therefore is a PoE PSE architecture for variable maximum power delivery.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Power over ethernet power sourcing equipment architecture for variable maximum power delivery


There is provided a light source apparatus including at least one light emitting diode (LED) string including at least one light emitting diode and at least one inductance unit generating an induced current according to a change in a current applied to the light emitting diode, a main switch controlling power applied to the LED string according to an on/off switching operation, and a capacitor charged with a voltage of the power applied to the LED string when the main switch is switched on and applying the charged voltage to the LED string when the main switch is switched off.

In order to drive a light emitting device having a light emitting diode (LED), a separate light source apparatus provided with an LED driving circuit is required. That is, since related art illumination lamps directly receive alternating current (AC) power to be driven, a separate light source apparatus is unnecessary, but an LED has characteristics such that it is driven by direct current (DC) power. In general, in an LED device, AC power is rectified, and in order to convert a DC signal rectified from the AC power to have a required magnitude, a DC/DC converter is included in a light source apparatus. Thus, demand for a scheme for miniaturization of a light source apparatus and an improvement in power efficiency under the conditions described above has been increased.

Light source apparatus and light emitting diode package


A drive wheel for a belt tensioner is adapted to be coupled to a belt reel and includes an external tooth system including plural teeth distributed along the circumference. The teeth are inclined in a first circumferential direction and/or the teeth have at least one end face facing away from the central axis of the drive wheel and being inclined in a first circumferential direction and/or the clearances between neighboring teeth are not symmetrical with respect to planes defined by radial and axial directions. The teeth have no symmetry with respect to planes extending tangentially relative to the circumferential direction.

The invention relates to a drive wheel for a belt tensioner. The invention further relates to a belt tensioner for a seatbelt system comprising such drive wheel.
From DE 10 2006 031 359 A1 a belt tensioner for a seatbelt system is known comprising a drive unit and a force transmission element which upon activation of the drive unit acts on a pivoted drive wheel coupled or adapted to be coupled to the axle of a belt retractor. The drive wheel can be either a gearwheel or an impeller wheel. The force transmission element consists of a substantially deformable material so that a damped adjustment of the force transmission element occurs at the drive wheel. The problem of tooth-on-tooth occurring in a non-resilient toothed rack as force transmission element can be avoided in this way.

Driving wheel for seatbelt tensioners and seatbelt tensioners for a seatbelt system


A thick-film electric heater having thick-film layers applied directly on a thermally conductive non-flat substrate. Preferably, the substrate is cylindrically shaped. A dielectric layer is silk-screened on the substrate surface. A resistive layer is silk-screened on the dielectric layer to form a circuit for the generation of heat. The resistive layer has at least one resistive trace in a pattern that is discontinuous circumferentially. At least a pair of silk-screened contact pads are applied in electrical communication with the resistive layer for electrical connection to a power source. An insulation layer is applied over the resistive layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to injection molding systems and specifically to a heater for hot runner nozzles for such systems.
2. Related Prior Art
Common to all devices for processing thermoplastic polymeric resins are associated means for obtaining and maintaining thermoplasticity of the resin during processing, such as the shaping of the resin material into an article. Maintenance of thermoplasticity may require both heating and cooling of the resin at various times in the processing of the resin. Cooling may be needed to avoid thermal degradation of the resin. Almost all of the resin processing techniques rely at least in part on heating or cooling of the polymeric resin by thermal transfer through the agency of a metal surface, part of the processing apparatus. Heat is generally applied to an outside surface of the metal apparatus by concentrated heat sources such as band heaters, or from within the body of the metal part by heater rods or circulating, heated fluids such as air, water or other chemical liquids. In all cases, the metal heat transferring components have to be of substantial thickness and mass to resist extreme pressures and mechanical forces. The large metal mass responds slowly to changes in thermal input or cooling so that precise control of narrow temperature ranges is difficult to control. Also, when temperature differences are desired in adjacent zones of the same apparatus, it is difficult to localize the particular and different temperatures to be maintained for appreciable periods of time. This shortcoming is especially troublesome for relatively complex processing techniques and apparatus, such as in the injection molding of large parts.
Hot runner injection molding systems have several melted material flow passageways that are uniformly heated over the entire flow path leading from a molten reservoir to a mold cavity or cold runner. The melted material that flows through the passageway must remain liquid until reaching the mold cavity or cold runner. To control flow rate and pressure, the heated passageway leads to or from injection mold runner nozzles which may be externally heated. This nozzle is sometimes referred to as a hot runner gate injection nozzle or a hot runner probe injection nozzle but will hereafter be simply referred to as a "runner nozzle." These runner nozzles are typically located in the hot runner molding system's manifold base. The nozzles extend through ports leading to each of the molding cavities or to a secondary heated or unheated passageway within a mold block. It is essential to adequately and uniformly heat the runner nozzle because this is often the final point in the heated portion of the flow passageway just prior to being injected into the mold. At this point the material must be at or above its melting point in order for the molten material to flow freely through the runner nozzle, so the nozzle can reliably perform its function of controlling flow rate.
Significant transitions in temperature at the point of the runner nozzle are not desirable as the nozzle is a key part of any molding process because transitions in temperature may change the fluid consistency of the melted material such as thermoplastic which may result in a defective final product. Also, if it is desired to intermittently shut off flow and turn flow back on for a given nozzle, heating of the nozzle is necessary to maintain the residual material in a melted state, to prevent clogging.
Currently, runner nozzles are typically heated by a heat source external to the nozzle. Typically, the runner nozzle is heated by a resistive wire proportionally spirally wound heating element. The spirally wound element forms a cylinder that is co-axially disposed about the exterior surface of the runner nozzle. However this type of heater configuration operates inefficiently due to heat loss because of the open exposure of the heating element to the surrounding environment. It also increases the diameter of the nozzle and thus requires bigger openings in the manifold plate to receive the nozzle. Also, many of the standard nozzle heaters are not completely encapsulated by an insulated sheath, which make it more difficult to maintain a temperature at the runner nozzle location that is uniform with the remainder of the flow passageway. In addition the physical design of the resistive element (i.e. spiral) is limited as well. The gauge of the resistive wire heating element required to generate enough heat is such that the wire cannot be formed into complex circuit patterns. In many cases various complex circuit patterns other than a simple spiral pattern are desired in order to achieve more efficient heat distribution. Also, these types of heaters can be bulky and difficult to maintain and repair. Installation is difficult because of the large leads of the resistive element, and the mold designer must allocate space for the large leads and increased nozzle/heater combination. In addition, in many cases the externally heated runner nozzle apparatus has to be adapted to accommodate a thermocouple device which requires an additional space for the thermocouple and its wiring. A better way is needed to uniformly heat the runner nozzle, heat it efficiently and the design should be cost effective and easy to maintain and repair.
Conventional industrial equipment which provides heat externally to a flow passage, such as the subject runner nozzle, will generally provide heat by the means described above or by a single or multiple band heater design.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,973,296 to Juliano, et al., the invention is a tubular heater that consists of a metallic tubular substrate that has a dielectric film layer and a resistive thick film layer applied directly to the exterior cylindrical surface of a tubular substrate by the method of precision fine film printing. This method is similar to the method used to produce some thick-film resistors. The precision fine film printing requires the use of an expensive fine film printing machine that uses a fine tip writing pen to dispense the conductive ink.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,411,392 to Von Buren, teaches a slotted band heater in conjunction with a slotted clamping sleeve that installs over a hot runner nozzle. This two part device utilizes the clamping force of the outer sleeve to maintain thermal communication between the band heater and the nozzle.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,922,082 to Bredt et al., an electrical resistive heating device which comprises two co-axially spaced apart electrodes, each in intimate surface-to-surface contact with an interposed heating element is disclosed. The heating element comprises a powdered material which functions as an electrical resistive heater when an electrical potential difference is applied thereacross by the electrodes. Heat generated in such element is conducted through at least one of the electrodes which in turn conducts it to an object which it is desired to heat. The powdered material is pressed in the annular space between the two electrodes.
A new heating device is needed that can be easily installed over a runner nozzle or other conduit and be readily massed produced, reliable, provide repeatable and predictable temperature profiles at a reduced manufacturing and maintenance cost.
The improved apparatus of the present invention includes as a heater means a multi-layer thick-film heater which may be mounted in close association with the thermoplastic polymeric resins being processed in the apparatus. Heavy metal components to achieve thermal transfer to the resin are not necessary. There can be a saving of weight, materials and labor in manufacture. With the closer juxtaposition of the heating element in the subject plastic, a closer control of resin temperature is maintainable with quicker response times to maintain a pre-determined resin temperature, even in adjacent but different zones or localities. The lower thermal mass of the heating elements is more responsive to cooling or changes from heating to cooling or cooling to heating. A more accurate and repeatable temperature profile can be obtained with the device resulting in improved machine performance and a higher quality finished product.


A light-emitting apparatus includes a first light-emitting device, a second light-emitting device, and a device driving portion having drive transistors. The first light-emitting device includes a first electrode, first light-emitting unit, second electrode, second light-emitting unit, and third electrode. The second light-emitting device includes a third light-emitting unit, fourth electrode, fourth light-emitting unit, and fifth electrode. The light-emitting units are formed in the same step and each have a light-emitting layer that emits a first color light. The second electrode and the fourth electrode are formed in the same step. The light-emitting units are formed in the same step and each have a light-emitting layer that emits a second color light. A first drive transistor is electrically connected to the first electrode while a second drive transistor is electrically connected to the fourth electrode.

A liquid crystal display apparatus and the like have been typically used as a light-emitting apparatus used for a display. In recent years, as another light-emitting apparatus, an organic electroluminescent light-emitting apparatus using an organic electroluminescent device (hereinafter, occasionally abbreviated as an "organic EL device") also has been put into practical use. In the organic EL device, a light-emitting unit including a light-emitting layer is provided between an anode and a cathode and light emission is provided by exciton energy generated by recombination of holes and electrons injected to the emitting layer.
A light-emitting apparatus used for a color display is mainly exemplified by a three-color light-emitting apparatus and a color-filter light-emitting apparatus.
In the three-color light-emitting apparatus, a color display is obtained by forming devices capable of respectively emitting light in three primary colors of red (R), green (G) and blue (B) and controlling a luminous intensity of each of the three colors. However, the three-color light-emitting apparatus requires a high-definition coating using a metal mask when coating, evaporation or the like is performed in order to form light-emitting layers that emit the respective colors of RGB.
On the other hand, in the color-filter light-emitting apparatus, a white light-emitting device and a color filter are used. White light is converted into three colors of RGB by passing through the color filter. Since the color-filter light-emitting apparatus does not require a high-definition coating, the color-filter light-emitting apparatus can be manufactured more easily than the three-color light-emitting apparatus.
The white light-emitting device exemplarily includes: an anode; a cathode; and a single light-emitting unit interposed between the anode and the cathode, in which two light-emitting layers are laminated to each other in the light-emitting unit. The two light-emitting layers simultaneously emit light, thereby providing white light emission as the entire light-emitting unit.
Another arrangement of the white light-emitting device is a so-called tandem arrangement including an anode, a cathode, a plurality of light-emitting units interposed between the anode and the cathode, in which the light-emitting units are laminated to each other through an intermediate layer (e.g., an intermediate electrode) therebetween.
Patent Literature 1 discloses a display apparatus including the tandem organic EL device in combination with a color filter.
The organic electroluminescence device included in the display apparatus disclosed in Patent Literature 1 is provided by a white light-emitting device that includes: an anode; a cathode; a first light-emitting unit having a red light-emitting layer and a green light-emitting layer; a second light-emitting unit having a blue light-emitting layer; and a connection layer (intermediate layer) interposed between the first and second light-emitting units, the first and second light-emitting units and the intermediate layer being provided between the anode and the cathode. In the display apparatus disclosed in Patent Literature 1, the white light-emitting devices are disposed to the respective RGB filters. When each of the white light-emitting devices emits white light, the white light passes through the color filters to convert the color of the light.

Light-emitting device, electronic equipment, and method for producing light-emitting device


An elevator cup for retaining a cosmetic pomade in relation to a cosmetic dispenser. An annular peripheral wall defines an inner volume for longitudinally receiving and retaining the cosmetic pomade, and a plurality of fins that project radially inward from the peripheral wall. The fins can be disposed in clusters comprising at least two fins angularly spaced by approximately forty degrees or less to establish a dovetail configuration. Clusters can have three fins, potentially with a center fin of a reduced radial dimension compared to outer fins. The clusters can be evenly spaced around the annular peripheral wall.

Solid and semi-solid cosmetic products, such as lipsticks and lip balms, are typically retained in stick or pomade form by an elevator cup that is extended and retracted along a track within a cylindrical sleeve of a dispenser body. The pomade can be loaded into the elevator cup either automatically or manually. With manual filling, stick-shaped pomades are typically pre-formed in a mold, chilled, and pressed into the elevator cup of the dispenser by hand. Automatic filling commonly involves molding and chilling the pomade and then ejecting it of the mold and into the elevator cup.
Historically, frictional forces between the pomade and the inside wall of the elevator cup were exploited to retain the pomade relative to the elevator cup and the dispenser in general. However, it is known that modern wear-resistant, silicone-based lipsticks commonly have reduced diameters as compared to conventional lipsticks. It has further been found that such cosmetic pomades tend to be slippery and to shrink over time. These factors have posed challenges to the secure axial and orbital retention of the pomade, particularly over time. Manufacturers commonly must conduct drop tests and other examination and testing seeking to ensure that retained pomades will avoid orbital and axial movement relative to the elevator cup during use.
Attempts have been made to improve the retention of such stick-like products in relation to elevator cups of retractable dispensers. For example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0217857 of Ho, U.S. Pat. No. 4,983,059 to Holloway, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,357,588 to Liard each disclose dispensers with a plurality of longitudinal ribs or fins that project inwardly from a peripheral wall of an elevator cup. In each instance, the ribs are designed to slice or project into the pomade once the pomade is disposed in the elevator cup thereby to assist in gripping it and preventing the pomade from shifting or becoming dislodged in relation to the elevator cup during use. With U.S. Pat. No. 5,609,430, Mazzola et al. sought to further combat the issues presented by slippery, shrinking cosmetic pomades by employing plural inwardly extending ribs that have a radial curvature for preventing axial and orbital displacement of the pomade. Even further, Spatz in U.S. Pat. No. 4,820,070 suggests employing ribs with dove-tail cross-sections.
Such rib configurations have represented useful contributions to the art and have assisted in better retaining cosmetic pomades during installation, transport, and use. However, even the combined prior art has left a plurality of deficiencies and issues with respect to the competing goals of seeking stable retention of a cosmetic pomade against axial and orbital movement while avoiding deleterious harm to the structural integrity of the retained cosmetic pomade. For instance, prior art structures with relatively abbreviated ribs or fins advantageously avoid excessive damage to the pomade structure, but they are limited in their resistance to orbital and axial displacement of the cosmetic. Conversely, prior art dispensers as taught, for instance, by Spatz and Mazzola et al. with irregularly shaped ribs might well achieve greater mechanical and frictional engagement between the ribs and the pomade, but the piercing the body of the pomade with irregularly shaped ribs produces the necessary result of localized, and at times generalized, deformation and damage to the pomade body. With that, the structural integrity of the pomade tends to be compromised thereby producing an elevated risk of structural failure during use or as a result of impacts on the pomade and the cosmetic dispenser in general.
It will thus be recognized that there remains a need for an improved elevator cup for stick-shaped products that provides stable support and retention of the pomade against orbital and axial displacement while avoiding excessive damage to the pomade and structural vulnerabilities deriving therefrom.

Elevator cup and dispensing device incorporating the same


A towing bar assembly that may convert from an articulated assembly extracting a vehicle in an inaccessible location to a rigid assembly for safely towing a vehicle on a road and having an automatic articulating mechanism for moving the towing assembly into and out of the articulated position.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an assembly for towing. More specifically, the present invention relates to a towing bar assembly for towing vehicles. In particular, the present invention relates to a towing bar assembly that may convert from an articulating assembly for more easily extracting a vehicle from an inaccessible location to a rigid assembly for more safely towing a vehicle on a road, an automatic locking mechanism for locking the towing bar assembly in a closed or storage or unarticulated position and/or in an open or operating or articulated position, and a mechanism for articulating the towing bar assembly. By having an assembly that may convert from one that articulates to one that is rigid, and that may be automatically locked in the desired position, and that may be automatically operated, safer storage, use, and towing can be achieved with heretofore unrealized results.
2. Description of the Related Art
Assemblies for towing vehicles require many, often competing functions. As in many designs, in order to maximize the functionality of one operation there is often a concomitant reduction in the functionality of another operation. For example, in order to extract vehicles from an inaccessible location, such as a ditch, it is preferable to have a supple and flexible assembly to reach the ditched vehicle. Such assemblies are often woven fabric, multi-strand cable, or other substantially tensile structures. However, after extraction, when towing the vehicle on a road, it is preferable to have a rigid assembly to more securely affix the towed vehicle to the towing vehicle. Such assemblies are often of rigid triangular shape. However, such rigid assemblies, although safer for towing on the road, are of far less use in the extraction process. There is therefore a great need in the art for a towing assembly that can both reach difficult locations and still safely tow the extracted vehicle.
Additionally, currently known towing assemblies either do not lock in place or require manual locking in place. As a result, such towing assemblies either freely move between a first position and a second position or must be locked in a desired position by manual manipulation by a user or operator, both of which may not be highly desirable under certain usage situations. An automated locking mechanism therefore can be beneficial.
Further, currently known towing assemblies must be manually manipulated from the closed or storage or unarticulated position to the open or operating or articulated position, and back. As a result, such towing assemblies must be manually manipulated between a first position and a second position, also which may not be highly desirable under certain usage situations. An automated operating mechanism therefore can be beneficial.
Accordingly, there is now provided with this invention an improved towing assembly effectively overcoming the aforementioned difficulties and longstanding problems inherent in towing vehicles and in using and operating towing assemblies. These problems have been solved in a simple, convenient, and highly effective way by which to construct a towing assembly comprising an automated lock and/or an automated operating mechanism.

Towing assembly with automatic articulating mechanism

Defense Products and Services Group Holding Company


An electrode structure made of noble metal or a noble metal alloy having a thickness of ≦100 μm is provided for implants. The electrode structure has an electrode core made of gold, silver, copper, or an alloy of at least two of these elements, and the electrode core is completely encased by a first coating, which is formed from platinum, iridium, or ruthenium.

The invention relates to an electrode structure made of a noble metal or a noble metal alloy having a thickness of ≦100 μm for implants, as well as to three methods for its production. The invention further relates to the use of such an electrode structure.
Electrode arrangements made of noble metal are known, for example, from International patent application publication WO 02/089907 A1. There, electrode structures are formed from platinum film and are fixed on a carrier made of plastic material. Such electrode arrangements are used, for example, for cochlear implants.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,266,568 B1 discloses an expandable cochlear electrode arrangement and a method for its production. There, a plurality of electrode contacts spaced from each other are arranged on a flexible carrier.
German published patent application DE-OS 35 07 623 A1 discloses a long-term implantable sheet electrode having a physiologically inert matrix made of flexible plastic, which is coated with an electrical conductor, for example made of platinum. The coating is there formed galvanically or by vapor deposition.
It is now an object of the invention to make available another electrode structure for implants, which can be produced simply and economically. Furthermore, suitable methods for its production, as well as its use, should be provided.

Electrode structure and methods for making and using same


An integrated digital-analog archiving system can automatically initiate a migration process to move electronic documents to a media library. For each electronic document, the system may retrieve the electronic document from a digital data storage medium, extract metadata from the electronic document, determine size, orientation, and format of the electronic document, generate indicators for indicating the start and end of the electronic document to be stored on an analog data storage medium, generate an analog document identifier for identifying the electronic document on the analog data storage medium, generate a scaled image of the electronic document based on the size, orientation, and format of the electronic document, generate a text string based at least in part on the extracted metadata, and render the indicators, the analog document identifier, the scaled image of the electronic document, and the text string on the analog data storage medium.

There are many types of archives. Some may exist for historical purposes. For example, over the course of an individual or organization's lifetime, documents may be kept to show a historical view of that person or organization. Some may be put in place by corporations or enterprises alike for compliance reasons. For example, in the United States, an employer is required to preserve for at least three years payroll records, collective bargaining agreements, sales and purchase records, etc.; the Internal Revenue Service requires all records of employment taxes be kept for at least four years; and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) requires a 6-year retention period for protected health information (PHI) such as patients' medical records and other personal health information. Certain types of information, e.g., DNA work product, may be required to be preserved for even longer lengths of time, e.g., 99 years or more.
Whatever the reason is for preserving such documents, they are traditionally assessed, collected, organized, and preserved by information professionals called archivists. The traditional document preservation process may entail reducing documents deemed worthy of long-term preservation and printing them onto microforms. Microforms can be films or paper that contain microreproductions (e.g., using microphotography or any suitable standard reproduction techniques known to those skilled in the art) of documents. Microform images are commonly reduced to about one twenty-fifth of the original document size. For special purposes, greater optical reductions may be used.
Microforms can have different physical formats. For instance, microform images can be printed on microfilm (mounted on reels) or microfiche (flat sheets). The term "film" generally refers to a thin translucent strip or sheet of cellulose coated with a light-sensitive emulsion, used in a camera to take still pictures or photographs. The term "microfilm" generally refers to a film suitable for bearing a miniature photographic copy or a miniaturized reproduction of printed or other graphic matter, usually of a document, newspaper, or book pages, etc., made for a library, archive, or the like. The term "microfiche" generally refers to a flat sheet of microfilm in a form suitable for filing printed or graphic matter, typically measuring 4 by 6 inches, and containing microreproductions, in a grid pattern. These archival media can be cataloged and stored in archival facilities. Archivists may maintain control over and provide access to the archival media.
A document that has been through this traditional document preservation (analog archiving) process has a physical representation (e.g., on a piece of film) that has a measurable physical quality (e.g., the piece of film is 4 by 6 inches). The digital document preservation (digital archiving) process commonly used in today's electronic environments is entirely different from the analog archiving process described above.
In practice, a digital archiving process can be viewed as a records management process that ensures the protection, maintenance, and accessibility of certain documents and that begins from the moment a document is created and ends with the document being destroyed or preserved. To this end, a records management system is usually responsible for maintaining information on the creation and management of electronic archives in accordance with applicable regulations, policies, rules, and/or laws. Such a records management system can be an essential part of a content management system, because certain managed content may need to be preserved for compliance reasons, as discussed above.
A digital archiving system such as a records management system described above may have many components, including software tools for creating and classifying records, software tools for managing security and confidentiality policies applicable to the records, and long-term storage media for storing the records electronically. However, when compared with the long-term storage media used in an analog archiving system (e.g., microfilms), the long-term storage media used in a digital archiving system (e.g., optical discs, hard drives, tapes, etc., collectively referred to as digital data storage media) have a significantly shorter lifespan. For example, with appropriate storage conditions, preservation standard microfilms have a life expectancy of 500 years. By contrast, digital data storage media generally have a practical life expectancy between 2 to 5 years and published life expectancies of 10, 25, and up to 30 years. As such, relative to an analog archiving system, a digital archiving system may need to move a huge amount of data very frequently.
Another issue relates to the cost of keeping digital data storage media up to date. Each time when an old digital archiving system becomes out of date (e.g., system obsolete) and/or when an old digital data storage medium expires (e.g., software obsolete, format obsolete, or end of life), a massive amount of electronic documents may need to be migrated to a new digital archiving system or a new digital data storage medium. Compared to analog data storage media, digital data storage media can be very expensive and hence the cost of preserving documents on digital data storage media can be very high relative to the cost of preserving documents on analog data storage media.
Yet another issue relates to the need to verify and ensure that each document (in the massive amount of documents that need to be migrated) has not been modified during migration. Skilled artisans appreciate that migration of a document from one electronic data storage device to another may unavoidably involve data conversion of some sort. Furthermore, certain information such as timestamp may be automatically added to the document. Unlike analog archiving systems, such alterations are usually not visible to and/or not easily discoverable by human users.
An analog archiving system stores an actual image of the original data, so it is easy to view and requires no software to decode the data stored thereon. The archived information cannot be modified and can be read and instantly comprehensible to those who are literate in the language of the archived information. The only equipment needed is a reader machine with a magnifying glass. This eliminates the issue of obsolescence discussed above.
Analog archiving systems, however, are not without drawbacks. For example, reader machines used to view microforms are often difficult to use, requiring users to carefully wind and rewind until they have arrived at the point where the data they are looking for is stored. There is not an automated way to search and retrieve microforms.

Integrated digital-analog archiving systems and methods for document preservation


A method and apparatus for reproducing information on a magneto-optical recording medium can reproduce a signal having a period equal to or smaller than the diffraction limit of light at high speed, can obtain a reproduced signal with a high C/N ratio from a small recorded domain at an amplitude nearly equal to that of a large recorded domain, can greatly improve the recording density and transfer rate, and can also make the reproduction apparatus compact. The information reproduction method includes the steps of irradiating a laser beam onto a medium and forming a temperature distribution having at least two peaks by the laser beam. The apparatus has a laser light source and an optical system for irradiating a laser beam emitted by the light source onto the medium, wherein the laser beam forms the temperature distribution having at least two peaks.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magneto-optical recording medium or the like which undergoes information recording/reproduction by a laser beam using a magneto-optical effect and, more particularly, a method of reproducing information from a magneto-optical recording medium, that can attain high-density recording of a medium, and an information reproduction apparatus using the magneto-optical recording medium.
2. Related Background Art
As a rewritable, high-density recording scheme, a magneto-optical recording medium that records information by writing domains in a magnetic thin film using heat energy of a semiconductor laser, and reads out that information using a magneto-optical effect has become popular. In recent years, demand has arisen for a large-capacity recording medium by increasing the recording density of such magneto-optical recording medium.
The line recording density of an optical disk such as a magneto-optical recording medium largely depends on the laser wavelength of a reproduction optical system and the numerical aperture of an objective lens. That is, since the beam waist diameter is determined upon determination of the laser wavelength .lambda. of the reproduction optical system and the numerical aperture NA of the objective lens, the spatial frequency that can be detected upon reproducing a signal is limited to about 2NA/.lambda.. Therefore, in order to realize high-density recording in a conventional optical disk, the laser wavelength of the reproduction optical system must be shortened, or the numerical aperture NA of the objective lens must be increased. However, a decrease in laser wavelength or an increase in numerical aperture of the objective lens has limitations. For this reason, a technique for increasing the recording density by modifying the structure of the recording medium or its read method has been developed.
For example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 6-290496 proposed a method of reproducing a high-density recording signal by making the domain wall present at the boundary of neighboring recording marks move in the presence of a temperature gradient, and detecting the wall motion. According to this method, the wall moves at the instant when the recording medium has been heated to the mobility temperature of the wall, and a high-density recording signal is reproduced by detecting such wall motion. Hence, a signal can be reproduced independently of the diffraction limit of light.
However, the magneto-optical reproduction method described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 6-290496 does not consider any measure against noise arising from the influences of a domain wall from behind the beam spot (with respect to the traveling direction).

Laser beam forming temperature distribution of two peaks on a magneto-optical recording medium


A feeder containing animal feed uses feed removal equipment to remove feed at a known constant rate. This feed metering apparatus is used to indicate the amount of feed remaining in the feeder at any time. This apparatus is operated to move a pointer indicating feed quantity only when feed is actually being removed from the feeder. The movement of the pointer is adjusted to correspond to feeder rates for different feeder equipment either by adjusting the duty cycle of a motor driving the pointer to different percentages of the feeder equipment operating time, or by adjusting the motor rpm rate, either by using an adjustable frequency changer to drive an ac motor, or by changing the power from ac to dc and using dc to drive a speed adjustable dc motor.

The following apparatus provides a variety of means for determining the amount of feed in an animal feeder:
In Skalka, U.S. Pat. No. 3,279,078 a fill gauge has a pivoted indicator connected to a tension member disposed downward along the corrugated side of a feed bin. when the bin is filled the tension member is forced into the corrugations the full height of the bin which pivots the indicator to the full position. As feed is removed the tension member is forced into fewer corrugations which causes the indicator to pivot correspondingly toward the empty indication.
In Skalka, U.S. Pat. No. 3,443,437 a visual indication of the amount of grain within a bin consists of a plurality of pivotally supported paddle members spaced at various elevations within the pin which are pivoted in response to the grain level. The height of the pivoted members indicating the presence of grain indicates the height of the grain.
In Pollock, U.S. Pat. No. 5,425,329 fill indicator apparatus for a feed bin uses two visual indicators. The first visual indicator is an external flag which is mechanically connected to the feed level and moved linearly along the side of the bin in response to the feed withdrawal. A second and separate visual indicator uses a second external flag which responds to an increasing level of feed as the bin is being filled to prevent the bin from being overfilled.
All of these devices require a mechanical connection to at least one part located within the feeder proper. This results in the possibility of binding or other forces from the feed disposed against the part causing an inaccurate reading. It would be desirable to be able to indicate the amount of feed remaining in a feeder without the necessity of placing any parts within the feeder subject to forces which may cause inaccuracies in the read-out or jamming of the part resulting in total reading failure.


A separator material suitable for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell and a method of producing the same. The separator material exhibiting gas impermeability, strength, dimensional stability during long-term use, and only a small degree of dissolution of organic substances which hinder the cell reaction. The separator material includes a graphite/cured resin molded product produced by binding a graphite powder using a mixed resin prepared by mixing an epoxy resin with a specific epoxy equivalent and a phenolic resin with a specific hydroxyl equivalent at a specific equivalent ratio and adding an imidazole compound without an amino group as a curing accelerator. The graphite/cured resin molded product has, when immersed in hot water at 90° C., a water absorption elongation percentage after 500 hours of immersion of a specific value or less and an amount of ammonium ions dissolved and an amount of TOC dissolved after 50 hours of immersion of specific values or less. The method of producing the separator material includes preforming a molding powder obtained by grinding a kneaded product of a mixed resin and a graphite powder to prepare a preform, and thermocompression-molding the preform in a mold.

A fuel cell directly converts the chemical energy of fuel into electric energy at a high conversion efficiency. In particular, a polymer electrolyte fuel cell can produce high output at a low temperature in comparison with a phosphoric acid fuel cell and the like. Therefore, the polymer electrolyte fuel cell is expected to be a small portable power supply such as an automotive power supply.
The polymer electrolyte fuel cell includes a stack formed by stacking single cells, two charge collectors provided outside the stack, and the like, each of the single cells including an electrolyte membrane formed of a polymer ion-exchange membrane such as a fluororesin ion-exchange membrane having a sulfonic acid group, catalytic electrodes supporting a catalyst such as platinum and provided on either side of the electrolyte membrane, separators provided with grooves used as gas passages for supplying a fuel gas such as hydrogen or an oxidant gas such as oxygen or air to the electrodes, and the like.
As shown in FIG. 1, the single cell includes a pair of electrodes 3 and 4 (cathode 3 and anode 4) disposed on either side of a polymer electrolyte membrane 5 formed of a fluororesin ion-exchange membrane, separators 1 formed of a dense carbon material and dosposed with the electrodes 3 and 4 interposed in between, and sealing materials 6 provided on the end of the separators in parallel with gas grooves. The electrodes 3 and 4 are formed of a porous body formed of carbon short fibers supporting a catalyst such as platinum, a product obtained by binding carbon black supporting a catalyst using a resin, or the like.
A number of linear or grid-like grooves 2 are formed in the separator 1. The space formed between the groove 2 and the cathode 3 is used as a passage for an oxidant gas (oxygen-containing gas such as air), and the space formed between the groove 2 and the anode 4 is used as a passage for a fuel gas (e.g. hydrogen gas or mixed gas containing hydrogen as the main component). A current is caused to flow between the electrodes by utilizing the following electrochemical reactions which occur when the fuel gas and the oxidant gas contact the electrodes. A cell stack is assembled by stacking several tens to several hundreds of single cells.Anode: H2→2H++2e−Cathode: ½O2+2H++2e−→H2OTotal reaction: H2+½O2→H2O
Therefore, since it is necessary to completely separately supply the fuel gas and the oxidant gas to the electrodes, the separator must exhibit high gas impermeability. Moreover, since it is effective to reduce the internal resistance of the cell in order to increase power generation efficiency, the separator is required to have a reduced thickness and exhibit high conductivity.
In order to improve the cell performance, it is important to prevent an increase in contact resistance between the separator and the electrode and prevent a leakage of gas between or from the single cells by assembling the stack so that the single cells closely adhere and maintain an excellent contact state during power generation. Specifically, the separator material is required to exhibit high strength so that breakage or deficiency does not occur during assembly, and to exhibit sufficient strength at a cell operating temperature (about 80 to 120° C.). Moreover, the separator material is required to exhibit high moisture resistance so that a dimensional change due to moisture absorption in air does not occur.
A carbon material is generally used as the separator material for which the above properties are required. A carbon/cured resin molded product is suitably used as the separator material which is produced by binding a carbon powder such as graphite using a thermosetting resin as a binder and molding the resulting product.
For example, JP-A-2000-021421 discloses a polymer electrolyte fuel cell separator member and a method of producing the same, wherein the separator member is formed of a graphite-cured resin molded product which is a plate-shaped molded product containing 60 to 85 wt % of a graphite powder having a particle size distribution with an average particle diameter of 50 μm or less and a maximum particle diameter of 100 μm or less, and 15 to 40 wt % of a thermosetting resin, and has a resistivity in the plane direction of 300×10−4 ohm·cm or less, a ratio of the resistivity in the thickness direction to the resistivity in the plane direction of 7 or less, and a flexural strength of 300 kgf/cm2 or more.
JP-A-2000-243409 discloses a polymer electrolyte fuel cell separator member and a method of producing the same, wherein the separator member is formed of a carbon-cured resin molded product containing 40 to 90 wt % of a carbon powder and 10 to 60 wt % of a thermosetting resin and having a flexural strength at room temperature of 30 MPa or more and a flexural strength decrease rate from room temperature to 100° C. of 30% or less.
JP-A-2004-127646 proposes a method of producing a polymer electrolyte fuel cell separator member, the method including mixing a phenolic resin solution, of which the cured product exhibits a saturated water absorption of 3% or less, and a graphite powder so that the resin solid content is 10 to 25 wt % and the graphite powder is 75 to 90 wt %, kneading the mixture, drying and grinding the kneaded product, filling a mold with the ground particles, and thermocompression-molding the ground particles. This patent document describes that a separator which is warped to only a small extent and shows an increase in electric resistance due to water absorption to only a small extent can be produced by using a phenolic resin with a low water absorption.
As a resin molding material suitable for fuel cell separators and the like, JP-A-2001-261935 discloses an epoxy resin molding material containing an o-cresol novolak epoxy resin, a bisphenol A epoxy resin, and artificial graphite as the essential components, and JP-A-2002-083609 discloses a fuel cell separator composition containing a graphite powder, an epoxy resin binder, and a curing accelerator, wherein the graphite powder is mixed in an amount of 5 to 15 times the weight of the epoxy resin binder, the epoxy resin binder contains an epoxy resin and an epoxy resin curing agent, and the epoxy resin binder has a viscosity of 0.01 to 0.5 Pa·s at 150° C. and has a viscosity of 3 Pa·s or more or is solid at 25° C.

Separator material for solid polymer fuel cell and process for producing the same


An expandable jack that is stackable, is provided with four base members having vertical columns extending upwardly therefrom. A horizontal cross-member structure, having width adjustment capability, is adapted to slide along the height of a pair of vertical columns and once appropriately height positioned to be locked into place. One of the cross-members of the cross-member structure has height adjustment capability. The device permits quick and easy height or width adjustment and also permits quick and easy height adjustment of one or two horizontal cross-members.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a jack system capable of horizontal expansion, vertical expansion, cross-member adjustment, and vertical stacking.
2. Background of the Prior Art
The use of jack systems is almost universal in most construction sites. The jacks permit workers to perform tasks at various heights along the construction job with relative safety. The art is replete with various types of jacks having a variety of features and designs.
There are some desirable features associated with jack systems that have not been adequately addressed by the prior art systems. Specifically, workers may want to vary the width of a jack system in order to accommodate more works, more supplies, or a large piece of machinery to perform the job at hand. While a second jack may be placed behind the first jack in order to expand the width of the jack work site, this solution has drawbacks in that system stability is lessened especially in high elevation jacks. Furthermore, the use of two separate jacks is required.
Another desirable feature that is not adequately addressed by the prior art is the stackability of jack systems. Although jack systems are regularly stacked, the stacking mechanism is usually cumbersome and time-consuming to utilize.
A final feature not addressed by the prior art is the need to vary the relative height of the cross-members. For example, a brick mason may continually want to increase the height of the cross-members upon which he has placed a plank which holds his bricks as he continues to raise the level at which he is placing the bricks onto the building. This allows the brick mason to gain and cleaner access to his supplies and materials.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a jack system that is capable of expanding along its width and that is easily stackable. Furthermore, the jack must have variable height cross-members. Ideally, such a jack system will be easy to use and be of relatively straightforward design and construction.