The present invention provides a method, apparatus, and communication system (100) for determining the status of a transmission link (108) between a first port (105) of a first device (104) and a second port (107) of a second device (106). The communication system (100) includes a management device (102). The management device (102) includes an input port (103) and a processor (116). The management device (102) receives a first status of the first port (105) and a second status of the second port (107) on the input port (103). The management device (102) calculates at the processor (116) the status of the transmission link (108) based on the first status and the second status.

The present invention relates generally to communication systems, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for determining the status of a transmission link in a communication system.
Communication systems typically include multiple devices that communicate with each other over links connecting the devices. These links, commonly referred to as transmission links, are typically wirelines that run between ports on the devices.
Each device in a typical network knows the status of its ports. However, the device is typically not aware of the status of ports on other devices. Consequently, each device does not know the status of the link, since the status of the link is determined by the status of the two ports that the link is connected to. Therefore, each device is only aware of the status of its link, and through that status, whether the link attached to the port is operational.
Ports can have different statuses. For example, a port can be in-service, out-of-service, or testing. If a port is in an out-of-service state, for example, a transmission link utilizing that port typically cannot be used. However, the port at the other end of the transmission link is unaware of the status of the port on the other end, and in the view from that port, the transmission link is operational.
One approach used to test a transmission link between two devices is referred to as a loop-back test. In a loop-back process, a signal is sent over a transmission link from a first device to the second device. The message is immediately xe2x80x9clooped-backxe2x80x9d to the first device. In this manner, the transmission link can be tested to determine whether the transmission link is operational.
One problem with loop-back testing is that the transmission link is out of service while the loop-back testing is occurring. In addition, loop-back testing is typically a test condition, meaning that it is operator-driven. Typically, a loop-back test is performed after determining that there is a problem with the transmission link. The loop-back test is just one test used to determine the state of the link. Consequently, since the loop-back test is run only after an error has occurred, the loop-back test is not a real-time way of determining the status of the transmission link.
Therefore, a need exists for a method and apparatus that is able to determine in real-time the status of a transmission link between two devices.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a real-time solution to the aforementioned problem by utilizing the states of a first port and a second port to determine the status of a transmission link disposed between the first and second ports.
The present invention provides a method, apparatus, management device, and communication system for determining the status of a transmission link between a first port of a first device and a second port of a second device. The first device and the second device can be a switch, a phone, a computer, a modem pool, or any other piece of electronic equipment that is able to be coupled to another device.
The preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises receiving at the management device a first status of the first port and a second status of the second port. The first status is preferably determined at the first device and sent to the management device, while the second status of the second device is preferably determined at the second device and sent to the management device. The management device, which is preferably located remotely from the first device and the second device, receives the first status via a first path and the second status via a second path that is distinct from the first path. The first path and the second path can be distinct from the transmission link. The management device then calculates the status of the transmission link based on the first status and the second status.
In the preferred embodiment, the step of calculating the status of the transmission link comprises the step of setting the status of the transmission link to the greater, or most critical, of the first status and the second status. Accordingly, the status of the transmission link is calculated to be out-of-service if either the first status or the second status indicates that either link is out-of-service. An alarm can be sent when the status is calculated to be a predetermined value, such as an out-of-service alarm. In addition, a log can be updated when the status is calculated to be a predetermined value.

Method and apparatus for determining the status of a transmission link


A device for lifting panels and other construction materials wherein a single individual may cause such panels or the like to be elevated vertically in connection with a structure to a location considerably a higher location than that which the person performing the operation is located, and without the use of ladders or the like, wherein a frame is provided which can be mounted vertically and erected vertically and a panel or the like slides upwardly by a winch operation until in position for securing to the structure. And a provision for legs to be established to attach to said frame by which a work table may be provided to work on such panels or the like prior to their installation.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention is in the general field of lifting objects such as panels of construction material, and the like, and other objects of heavy weight such as plates of glass.
The invention is even more particularly directed to a method and apparatus for raising such objects to heights above the reach of a person, or having difficult size and weight characteristics.
This invention is even more particularly directed to an easily transportable lifting device suitable to practice the method of this invention, which may also be converted to a convenient, on the spot, work bench.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There is no prior art in this field known to me. In the past it has been customary for more than one person, utilizing ladders, or the like, to transport and lift heavy and awkward panels and the like.

Apparatus for lifting construction elements


An air spring assembly for a vehicle includes a spring seat adapted to be secured to vehicle structure of the vehicle. The spring seat has a post extending therefrom. The air spring assembly includes an inflatable air spring having a mounting cap for attachment to the spring seat. The mounting cap has a cavity extending therein to receive the post. The air spring assembly further includes a retaining member extending through the mounting cap and over the post to prevent the post from exiting the cavity to attach the mounting cap to the spring seat.

It is known to provide an air spring assembly for a vehicle between a chassis frame or body rail (on a unibody vehicle) and axle or lower control arm thereof. Typically, the air spring assembly includes an inflatable air spring diaphragm with a lower end fastened to the axle and an upper end fastened to the frame of the vehicle. Generally, fasteners such as bolts, clips, split pins, rivets, or nuts are used to fasten the air spring assembly to the axle and the frame. However, for some applications, there is not enough hand and tool clearance to tighten the fasteners.
As a result, it is desirable to provide an air spring assembly for a vehicle that is easy to install. It is also desirable to provide an air spring assembly for a vehicle that eliminates the need for separate fasteners. It is further desirable to provide an air spring assembly for a vehicle that has a low cost and simple mounting feature. Therefore, there is a need in the art to provide an air spring assembly for a vehicle that meets at least one of these desires.


A printing system in which one or more clients communicate with a plurality of printers by way of a print server, whose architecture is characterized by a plurality of layers, is provided. In practice, one of the plurality of layers receives a request from one of the one or more clients and the request designates an operation to be performed with respect to one of the plurality of printers. The printing system includes an application layer, communicating with the one of the plurality of layers, for developing a command expression based on the request received by the one or the plurality of layers, and a communications interface including a first connectivity module and a second connectivity module, with the first connectivity module communicating with a first one of the plurality of printers and the second connectivity module communicating with a second one of the plurality of printers. The printing system further includes a routing interface, communicating with both the application layer and the communications interface, for directing the command expression to a selected one of the first connectivity module and the second connectivity module. Accordingly, the selected one of the first and second connectivity modules uses the command expression to perform at least a part of the designated operation with respect to the one or the plurality of printers.

The present application is related in subject matter to and cross-referenced with both U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/003,734 (entitled Network Printing System filed by Levine) and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/842,584 (entitled Network Printing System and filed by Levine et al.), both of which applications were filed on the same day as the present Application.
This invention relates generally to a printer interface for use in a network printing context and, more particularly, to an HTTP based print server adapted particularly for use with a network printing system, the HTTP based print server permitting a plurality of Internet clients to achieve Internet communication with one or more document processing devices. The architecture of the print server is such that the Internet communication can be achieved whether the one or more document processing devices has an embedded HTTP server or not.
Electronic printing systems typically include an input section, sometimes referred to as an input image terminal ("IIT"), a controller, sometimes referred to as an electronic subsystem ("ESS") and an output section or print engine, sometimes referred to as an image output terminal ("IOT"). In one type of electronic printing system, manufactured by Xerox.RTM. Corporation, known as the DocuTech.RTM. electronic printing system, a job can be inputted to the printing system from, among other sources, a network or a scanner. An example of a printing system with both network and scanner inputs is found in the following patent:

Centralized print server for interfacing one or more network clients with a plurality of printing devices


Provided is a technique for matching different user representations of a person in a plurality of computer systems may be provided. The technique includes collecting information sets about user representations from a plurality of computer systems; normalizing the information sets to a unified format; grouping the information sets in the unified format into indexing buckets based on a user name using a non-phonetic algorithm; determining a similarity score for each pair of information sets in each of the indexing buckets; classifying each information set pair into a set of classes based on the similarity scores, wherein the set of classes comprise at least matches and non-matches; and using a data structure for merging information of information set pairs classified as matches.

Embodiments of the invention relate generally to matching different user representations of a person, and, specifically, to matching different user representations of a person in a plurality of computer systems.
Typically, legal custodians are represented in computer systems using system account Identifiers (IDs) and other identifiers that vary. For example, John Doe might be known by a human resource system with personnel ID 12345, whereas on department file servers, his ID may be "jdoe", and, in the email system, he may be known as email@example.com, and so forth. If a custodian, for example, owns or has access to data that is responsive to a legal case, then this data may have to be put on legal hold. It may be crucial to identify all data that a particular custodian owns or had/has access to, irrespective of the computer system or application system this data is stored in, or by which identifier or alias the custodian is known on a specific system.
This is further complicated as custodians may have changed their work location, organizational unit, name or user ID and so on in the past. A single custodian may have many IDs for the various systems the custodian works with or is managed through, sometimes even multiple IDs for the same system may exist. Further complications are operational IDs that a custodian may have access to. Additional complication may exist through custodians with the same name, but differences in other attributes, such as an organizational unit or a previous name (e.g., maiden name).
Organizations may be faced with the question of whether a certain person or custodian may have accessed data via a computer system or application without having the opportunity to ask the person or to find out the truth.

Custodian disambiguation and data matching

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


A shoe preserver having a wicking portion and an absorbing portion retained within a flexible porous covering. The preserver is sized to substantially fill the volume defined by the interior of the shoe. A pair of preservers is interconnected by a flexible strap attached to the forward portion of the preserver such that upon insertion into the shoe, the shoe and preserver may be carried by the strap.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,131,036 to Hirschberg discloses a shoe drying device having a porous semi-rigid plastic foam wherein the foam defines a cavity which is filled with a powdered dessicant material.
U.S. Pat. No. 896,536 to Hayden discloses a shoe tree having an absorbent sponge material surrounded by a porous fabric, wherein a wooden block or piece is disposed within the sponge material to provide for insertion and removal of the shoe tree.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,173,528 to Beale discloses a disinfectant pad including an absorbent material enclosed by a porous covering.


A rotational sensor system for detecting rotational velocity and rotational direction of a rotating member, such as a vehicle axle, including a tone ring mounted to the rotating member. The system includes a pair of active sensors mounted adjacent to the tone ring and spaced from one another, which, when activated, produce an electric signal in response to movements in the tone wheel. A processor receives the electric signals from the sensors and generates a signal indicative of rotational velocity and rotational direction of the rotating member. Also, preferably, an output signal is created that uses square waves with different amplitude levels for the signal highs and lows depending upon the direction of rotation.

The present invention relates generally to speed sensing devices for rotating equipment and, in particular, to a speed sensing device that also detects rotational direction of the rotating equipment.
Vehicle wheel speed sensor systems are well known. Rotational speed is used for numerous measurement devices and control systems, including vehicle speedometer readings, vehicle cruise control feedback, and vehicle antilock braking system feedback. Wheel speed sensors can be mounted in any of several locations, such as in wheel bearing assemblies, and in the differential.
Speed sensor systems typically operate by means of a target mounted to rotated with the rotating equipment. This target is paired with, and is separated from, a stationary sensor by an air gap. The stationary sensor generates a signal when the target rotates past it. There are indices around the periphery of the target. The number of times the indices pass by the sensor, or the frequency of signals generated, in a given period of time, is then converted to a rotating speed and passed on to the appropriate measurement device or control system.
Vehicle wheel speed sensing systems are typically grouped into two types, active sensor systems and passive sensor systems. Passive sensors do not require a power supply in order to operate. In a passive sensor system, the stationary sensor is a permanent magnet that projects a magnetic field into the air gap. The stationary sensor detects a change in the magnetic field""s reluctance caused by the moving target, typically a toothed wheel made of ferrous material, as it passes through the magnetic field. The output of the passive sensor is a raw analog signal that varies greatly with the rotational speed of the vehicle wheel. The output of the passive sensor is also susceptible to false signals when the wheel is subjected to vibration. In addition, passive sensors are limited to a close clearance air gap of about 1 to 2 mm.
Active sensor systems represent the next generation technology to be utilized in vehicle wheel speed sensing devices. Active sensor systems typically utilize one of two technology devices, which are well known in the art as Hall Effect devices or Magneto-Resistive devices. The two technologies have been found to be comparable in terms of performance. Active sensor systems require a power supply to operate and are further divided into two categories, back-biased sensors and non back-biased sensors. Back-biased sensors generate the magnetic field from the stationary sensor, while the moving target, or encoder, is constructed of ferrous material, as in the passive sensor system. Non-back biased sensors, conversely, generate the magnetic field from the encoder. Because the magnetic field is generated from the moving target, non back-biased stationary sensors do not need magnets, require correspondingly fewer components and are thus smaller than back-biased stationary sensors. Sensors installed in either back-biased or non back-biased form detect the frequency of the changes in voltage of the magnetic field, and direct the output to the appropriate measurement device or control system. The output of the active sensor, in either back-biased or non back-biased form, is a high quality digital signal that varies between fixed values and is not affected by the rotational speed of the wheel. Active sensor control systems are smaller than passive sensor control systems, can function at zero and near zero rotational speed, are immune to false signals due to vibration, and are capable of having a greater air gap than passive stationary sensors.
A drawback to the above mentioned systems is that while they can measure rotational velocity, they do not measure the direction of rotation. But, for rotational detection relating to vehicle wheels, direction detection is becoming important in addition to the common measurement of wheel rotational velocity. This need is arising due to improvements in existing as well as new features being proposed for vehicles, including anti-lock braking, traction control, vehicle stability control, electric park brake, electro-hydraulic braking, adaptive cruise control, integrated chassis control, and in-vehicle navigation. Furthermore, due to market pressures to reduce the cost of vehicles, such a system capable of detecting both rotational velocity and direction need to perform the functions required, in harsh environmental conditions, accurately and reliably, and yet for minimal additional cost.
In its embodiments, the present invention contemplates a rotational sensor system for detecting rotational velocity and rotational direction of a rotatable member rotatable in a forward and in a reverse rotational direction about an axis of rotation. The rotational sensor system includes a rotatable element adapted to operatively engage and rotate with the rotatable member about the axis of rotation, with the rotatable element having a generally circular periphery that includes means, spaced about the periphery, for creating magnetic field variations, first sensor means, adjacent to the periphery, for sensing variations in a magnetic field and producing an electric signal in response thereto, and second sensor means, adjacent to the periphery and circumferentially spaced about the periphery from said first sensor means, for sensing variations in a magnetic field and producing an electric signal in response thereto. The system also includes means for generating a magnetic field, means for receiving the electric signals from the first sensor means and second sensor means and detecting a phase shift between the signals from the first sensor means and the second sensor means, and means for generating an output signal indicative of rotational velocity and rotational direction of the rotatable element.
The present invention further contemplates a rotational sensor system for detecting rotational velocity and rotational direction of a rotatable member rotatable in a forward and in a reverse rotational direction about an axis of rotation. The rotational sensor system includes a rotatable element adapted to operatively engage and rotate with the rotatable member about the axis of rotation, with the rotatable element having a generally circular periphery that includes means, spaced about the periphery, for creating magnetic field variations, first sensor means, adjacent to the periphery, for sensing variations in a magnetic field and producing an electric signal in response thereto, and second sensor means, adjacent to the periphery and circumferentially spaced about the periphery from said first sensor means, for sensing variations in a magnetic field and producing an electric signal in response thereto. The system also includes means for generating a magnetic field, means for receiving the electric signals from the first sensor means and second sensor means and detecting a phase shift between the signals from the first sensor means and the second sensor means, and means for generating an output signal indicative of rotational velocity and rotational direction of the rotatable element. The system further includes means for generating an output signal including a series of square waves having frequencies corresponding to the rotational velocity of the rotatable element and having amplitudes that are in a first range when the rotatable element is rotating in the forward direction and in a second range when the rotatable element is rotating in the reverse direction.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a relatively simple rotation sensing system that can detect rotational velocity, including near zero and zero rotational velocity, as well as rotational direction.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a rotational velocity and direction sensing system with a simple and reliable signal for its output protocol.
An advantage of the present invention is that more information about a rotating member is reliably provided by the sensing system while minimizing the complexity of the system.
Another advantage of the present invention is that it is relatively simple, meets functional requirements for measuring rotational velocity, even down to zero velocity, as well as rotational direction, while operating fast and reliably in harsh vehicle environments.

Rotational velocity and direction sensing system


A vessel configured to contain a liquid is provided. The vessel includes a collapsible bad, a reusable support structure, a sensor, and a controller. The collapsible bag is operative to contain the liquid. The reusable support structure is operative to support the collapsible bag. The sensor is operative to measure a parameter within the collapsible bag. The controller is in electronic communication with the sensor and operative to introduce an antifoaming agent into the collapsible bag based at least in part on a signal received from the sensor.

A variety of vessels for manipulating fluids and/or for carrying out chemical, biochemical and/or biological reactions are available. For instance, biological materials (e.g., animal and plant cells) including, for example, mammalian, plant or insect cells and microbial cultures can be processed using bioreactors. Traditional bioreactors, which are typically designed as stationary pressurized vessels, or disposable bioreactors, many of which utilize plastic sterile bags, may be used. Although reaction systems and other fluid manipulating systems (e.g., mixing systems) are known, improvements to such systems would be beneficial.

Method of forming a collapsible bag using a mold and mandrel


An alumina sintered body has a main phase made of alumina crystals, a first dispersed phase made of MgAl2O4 dispersed in the main phase, and a second dispersed phase made of SiO2 and/or CaO dispersed in the main phase. A content ratio of the main phase is within a range from not less than 98% to less than 98%. The alumina sintered body satisfies a relationship of 100×I2/I1≧5.5%, where I1 indicates a maximum peak height intensity derived from alumina, and I2 indicates a maximum peak height intensity derived from MgAl2O4 in a X-ray diffraction of the alumina sintered body. An area ratio of the second dispersed phase on a surface of the alumina sintered body is not more than 15.2%. A spark plug has a central electrode, a ground electrode and an insulator made of the alumina sintered body having the specific features previously described.

1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to an alumina sintered body and a spark plug having an insulator using the alumina sintered body. The alumina sintered body contains alumina crystals as a main phase, a crystal phase dispersed in the alumina crystals and a glass phase formed in a crystal boundary of the alumina crystals.
2. Description of the Related Art
Alumina sintered bodies are used as an insulator as an automobile component because of having a superior heat resistance and withstand voltage properties. For example, an alumina sintered body is used as an insulator of a spark plug used in an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle. It is preferable for the insulator of the spark plug to be made of an alumina sintered body having superior withstand voltage properties. For example, patent document 1, Japanese patent laid open publication No. 2013-529355 has proposed a ceramic material containing alumina, oxide of group II alkaline earth metal and silicon dioxide.
Automobile fuels include alcohols such as ethanol in addition to fossil fuel such as gasoline and light oil. Because a conventional spark plug uses an insulator made of ceramic material, there is a problem of often causing corrosion of the insulator often by alkaline impurities such as Na (sodium) contained in alcohol fuel. Research and development of insulators used in spark plugs have been performed from one point of view to improve withstand voltage, but not performed adequately from the point of view of improving corrosion resistance of the spark plug.

Alumina sintered body and spark plug using the same


An illustrative cable connector hand tool and associated method are operable to permit cable connection sections to respectively pass through a side opening of hand tool members into a center aperture of the tool members. In one illustrative embodiment, the hand tool members are formed with a recessed portion adapted to receive an end of one of a pair of cable connectors such that mating edges of the cable connectors used to couple the cable connection sections are visible when the cable connectors are in a coupled configuration abutting each other. An illustrative embodiment includes the recessed portion formed with a plurality of keyway indentions or recesses spaced apart in the center aperture that are operable to engage keys, protrusions, or lugs on an outer wall of the cable connectors.

The present invention relates to a hand tool for use with loosening and tightening cable connections. In particular, an illustrative embodiment hand tool is used for hand tightening or loosening cable connectors. When tightening the cable connectors, the illustrative hand tool compresses mating cable sections and/or creates a seal between mating cable sections. The hand tool is configured to prevent over torqueing the connection that may cause damage to such connectors. The hand tool is small, and is adapted to be used in confined spaces within which conventional wrenches or tools are unable to effectively operate. The hand tool can be used in harsh environments and with slick hands. The hand tool permits visual inspection of mating (i.e., position) of the connectors relative to each other, which indicates relative position of cable mating sections in order to ensure the cable connectors are fully seated. The hand tool is configured for use with cables where conventional tools cannot be effectively inserted or removed (e.g., a socket or wrench including a handle cannot effectively be used due to confined space and/or the need to apply force to two different sides of an installed connector assembly so as to couple two cable sections), and which prevents injuries to an operator when having to apply force to loosen the connectors after they have been in an installed configuration for a significant time period.
According to an illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, a cable connection hand tool includes a first cable connector hand tool member and a second cable connector hand tool member. Each of the first and second cable connector hand tool members includes a body defining a side opening to allow a cable conduit portion to pass into a center opening, an inner wall of the body defining a first recessed portion formed with a plurality of keyways to cooperate with keys on a cable connector receiving the cable conduit portion, and a lip extending inwardly from the inner wall and spaced apart from the keyways to cooperate with a ring wall formed on the cable connector.
According to another illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, a cable connection hand tool includes a pair of cable connector hand tool sections, each having a rectangular body defining a center aperture and flat edges around at least three sides of the body, and an aperture in a fourth side of the body defining a side opening that is operable to permit a cable to pass through the side opening into the center aperture of the body. The body is formed with a recessed section which is adapted to receive a proximal end of one of a pair of cable connectors such that mating edges of the cable connectors are visible when the cable connectors are in a connected configuration. The recessed portion is formed with a plurality of spaced apart recesses that are operable to engage protrusions on an outer wall of the cable connector. The cable connectors engage each other with respective male and female threaded connection sections, each of the cable connectors including a lip which extends from a distal end and surrounds the cable, and is adapted to engage with a corresponding wall formed on the cable. The cable connectors apply compressive force to the ends of a cable when the tool sections rotate the cable connectors via the threaded sections of the cable connectors.
According to a further illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, modified connector hand tool sections each have an outer housing with a removable insert. The housing permits insertion of an insert into an insert recess in the housing which has a different recessed section that is sized for coupling with specific pairs of cable connectors which have different outer diameters, as well as optionally different placement of keys or protrusions. The inserts can be retained in the outer housing which has detents or other releasable coupling structures adapted to retain or couple with the insert, including spring loaded ball bearings that engage with a depression in the insert, or fasteners or thumbscrews which couple the housing with the insert.
According to another illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of using a hand tool to couple together first and second cable sections includes the steps of providing first and second cable sections including first and second cable connecting ferrules, the first and second cable connecting ferrules each having a radially outwardly extending sealing flange, providing first and second cable connectors, the first and second cable connectors each including a body having a connector passageway configured to receive and slide over the first and second cable sections, and a wall at the distal end of the body configured to engage with the sealing flange of one of the first and second cable connection sections, providing a cable connector hand tool including first and second hand tool members, coupling together the first and second cable sections, and threadably coupling together the first and second cable connectors. The method further includes the steps of coupling the first hand tool member with the first cable connector, coupling the second hand tool member with the second cable connector, and applying rotational force to the first and second hand tool members, thereby tightening together the first and second cable connectors. The method further includes the step of visually examining an interface of the first and second cable connectors between the first and second hand tool members to verify that mating surfaces of the first and second cable connectors are in physical contact, such that the sealing flanges of the first and second connecting ferrules are fully seated in sealing engagement.
According to a further illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of manufacturing a hand tool for coupling together first and second cable sections includes the steps of providing a first cable connector hand tool member including a first rectangular body formed with at least three flat edges, the first rectangular body having a width and a height configured to facilitate gripping by a user, and forming a center passageway within the first rectangular body and extending between opposing inner and outer surfaces, the center passageway having a diameter configured to receive a first cable connector nut. The method further includes the steps of forming a side opening within a side edge of the first rectangular body and extending into the center passageway, the side opening dimensioned to receive a first cable conduit, and forming a recessed portion within the first rectangular body concentric to the center passageway and having a diameter configured to define an arcuate lip for engaging a distal wall of the first cable connector nut, the recessed portion having a depth such that an axial mating surface of the first cable connector nut is configured to extend beyond the inner surface of the first rectangular body. The method also includes the step of forming circumferentially spaced, radially extending keyways within the recessed portion to accommodate keys supported on the first cable connector nut. The method further includes the steps of providing a second cable connector hand tool member including a second rectangular body formed with at least three flat edges, the second rectangular body having a width and a height configured to facilitate gripping by a user, and forming a center passageway within the second rectangular body and extending between opposing inner and outer surfaces, the center passageway having a diameter configured to receive a second cable connector nut. The method further includes the steps of forming a side opening within a side edge of the second rectangular body and extending into the center passageway, the side opening dimensioned to receive a second cable conduit, and forming a recessed portion within the second rectangular body concentric to the center passageway and having a diameter configured to define an arcuate lip for engaging a distal wall of the second cable connector nut, the recessed portion having a depth such that an axial mating surface of the second cable connector nut is configured to extend beyond the inner surface of the second rectangular body. The method also includes the step of forming circumferentially spaced, radially extending keyways within the recessed portion to accommodate keys supported on the second cable connector nut.
According to another illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of manufacturing a hand tool for coupling together first and second cable sections includes determining a clearance measurement in a confined space receiving a cable connector assembly adapted to couple together mating cable sections including a plug and a socket, wherein the cable connector assembly includes first and second cable connecting nuts, each of the cable connecting nuts formed with keys extending radially outwardly from an outer surface, and including a threaded connecting portion, the threaded connecting portions of the first and second cable connecting nuts threadably engaging each other to couple the plug and the socket of the mating cable sections by compressive force applied to the mating cable sections. The first and second cable connecting nuts are adapted to abut each other at mating surfaces when fully threadably engaged with each other. The cable connector assembly is located in the confined space such that the space does not permit use of a wrench with a handle for 360 degree rotation of the first and second cable connecting nuts. The method further includes determining, based on the clearance measurement, a maximum outer dimensional envelope for first and second hand tool members adapted to engage with the keys on the first and second cable connecting nuts and permit visibility of the mating surfaces of the first and second cable connecting nuts between the first and second hand tool members. Illustratively, the method further includes determining a predetermined amount of torque on the first and second hand tool members required to rotatably couple the first and second cable connecting nuts so as to fully engage the plug and the socket of the mating cable sections, and then determining a minimum dimensional envelope of the first and second hand tool members based on the predetermined torque and a predetermined injury force associated with a shape of the first and second hand tool members based on a force that causes an abrasive or force application injury to an operator's hand using the hand tool a first plurality of times.
Additional features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of the illustrative embodiment exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as present perceived.

Method of manufacturing cable connector hand tools

The United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy


An online system predicts whether a location will experience a threshold increase in traffic over the location's historical average amount of traffic. To predict a future deviation over historical traffic, the online system identifies events within a threshold distance of the location and determines an average number of indications that users will attend events within a threshold radius of the location during a prior time interval. The online system determines a total number of indications that users will attend future events within the threshold distance of the location, disregarding locations associated with less than a threshold number of future events and future events for which the online system received less than a threshold number of indications that users will attend, and determines a ratio of the total number of indications to the average number of indications that users will attend received for the prior events during the time interval.

This disclosure relates generally to presenting content to users of an online system, and more specifically to identifying locations likely to include an increased number of online system users to a publishing user providing content to the online system.
Online systems, such as social networking systems, allow users to connect to and to communicate with other users of the online system. Users may create profiles on an online system that are tied to their identities and include information about the users, such as interests and demographic information. The users may be individuals or entities such as corporations or charities. Online systems allow users to easily communicate and to share content with other online system users by providing content to an online system for presentation to other users. Content provided to an online system by a user may be declarative information provided by a user, status updates, check-ins to locations, images, photographs, videos, text data, or any other information a user wishes to share with additional users of the online system. An online system may also generate content for presentation to a user, such as content describing actions taken by other users on the online system.
Many online systems allow users to create events, invite users to an event, and maintain information identifying users who will attend the event. For example, a user identifies a location, a time, and a description of an event to the online system, which stores the time, the location, and the description in association with an event identifier. The user also identifies other users to invite to attend the event to the online system, which stores information identifying the other users in association with the event identifier and sends invitations to attend to event to the other users. As the other users respond to the invitations, the online system receives the responses and stores information identifying users who indicated they will attend the event and users who have indicated they will not attend the event.
Additionally, many online systems commonly allow publishing users (e.g., businesses) to sponsor presentation of content on an online system to gain public attention for a user's products or services or to persuade other users to take an action regarding the publishing user's products or services. Content for which the online system receives compensation in exchange for presenting to users is referred to as "sponsored content." Many online systems receive compensation from a publishing user for presenting online system users with certain types of sponsored content provided by the publishing user. Frequently, online systems charge a publishing user for each presentation of sponsored content to an online system user or for each interaction with sponsored content by an online system user. For example, an online system receives compensation from a publishing user each time a content item provided by the publishing user is displayed to another user on the online system or each time another user is presented with a content item on the online system and interacts with the content item (e.g., selects a link included in the content item), or each time another user performs another action after being presented with the content item.
Publishing users may provide content to the online system for presentation to users based on locations of the users. For example, a publishing user having a business at a particular location provides content to the online system for presentation to users who are within a threshold distance of the particular location to entice users to visit the business. However, numbers of online system users within the threshold distance of the particular location may change depending on events within the threshold distance of the particular location. Publishing users are often unware of events occurring within the threshold distance of the particular location and determine amounts of content provided to the online system for presentation or compensation to the online system for presenting content based on historical numbers of users within the threshold distance of the particular location. This causes many publishing users to miss opportunities to present content when numbers of users within a threshold distance of a location are likely to exceed historical numbers of users within the threshold distance of the location, decreasing users exposed to content from the publishing users while also decreasing compensation to the online system from the publishing users.

Identifying a location based on expected differences between online system users expected to be at the location and online system users previously at the location


There is provided an attenuator device having a simple configuration and capable of selecting an output of beam of an arbitrary wavelength range from a plurality of output ports. The attenuator device comprises: a plurality of output fibers (1-3 and 1-5) having an end surface serving as an output port; discarding optical fibers (1-2 and 1-4) having an end surface serving as a discarding port and each arranged adjacently to the output optical fiber; a diffraction grating (5) which diffracts an incident beam into various directions according to the wavelength thereof; and a micro mirror array (7) which adjusts the output direction of the diffracted beam for each of the wavelength ranges output from the diffraction grating (5). The micro mirror array (7) adjusts the output direction of the diffracted beam so that a part of the diffracted beam may be output to the output port while the rest being output to the discarding port.

In the prior art, there has been known the attenuator device utilizing the offset-dispersion double spectrograph. This offset-dispersion double spectrograph may also be called the offset-dispersion type double monochromator or the zero dispersion double spectrograph. In the attenuator device utilizing the offset-dispersion double spectrograph, an input beam is sequentially subjected to two wavelength dispersion effects (in the opposite directions), the diffracted beam after receiving the first wavelength dispersion effect and before receiving the second wavelength dispersion effect is subjected to an attenuation operation. Then, the attenuated beam is subjected to the second wavelength dispersion effect and is then output to the outside.
In the attenuator device utilizing the offset-dispersion double spectrograph, as described in JP-A-2002-196173, the attenuation operation is executed by using a micro mirror array. Specifically, the micro mirror array is so configured that the diameters of the individual micro mirrors may be smaller than the spot diameter of beam (to be operated) incident on the micro mirror array, and that the multiple micro mirrors may be arranged in the spot diameter of the beam to be operated. Moreover, the attenuation operations is performed by inclining some of the plural micro mirrors positioned in the spot diameters in directions different from the output direction and by guiding to outside of the optical path, i.e., discarding a part of the beam to be operated. Moreover, the beam discarded at that time is detected by a sensor to monitor the spectral information, so that the number of micro mirrors to be inclined in the directions different from the output direction is controlled on the basis of that spectral information.
In the attenuator device utilizing the offset-dispersion double spectrograph described in JPA-2002-196173, the micro mirror array is so configured that the diameter of the individual micro mirrors may be smaller than the spot diameter of the beam (to be operated) incident on the micro mirror array, and that the multiple micro mirrors may be arranged in the spot diameter of the beam to be operated. This arrangement raises a problem that the configuration of the micro mirror array is complicated.
Moreover, the arrangement imagines the single output port so that it cannot meet the function using the plural output ports selectively.

Attenuator device, and optical switching device


A catalyst composition includes: A) a solid catalyst precursor containing a metallocene compound, a magnesium compound and a particulate polymeric material; and B) a cocatalyst containing aluminum compound. The catalyst is prepared by combining metallocene compound, magnesium compound and particles of polymeric material to form a catalyst precursor; and activating the catalyst precursor with alkylaluminums and/or aluminoxanes. Homopolymeric or copolymeric polyolefins are produced by contacting olefins or olefins and alpha-olefins with the catalyst composition.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to new supported olefin polymerization catalyst systems, methods of producing the catalysts and processess of polymerizing and copolymerizing alpha-olefins. More particularly, this invention relates to the preparation of catalyst compositions comprising a metallocene compound, a magnesium containing compound and a polymeric material.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Several publications are referenced in this application. These references describe the state of the art to which this invention pertains, and are incorporated herein by reference.
The field of olefin polymerization catalysis has witnessed many remarkable discoveries during the last 50 years. In particular, two broad areas of invention have emerged: first, the discovery of Ziegler-Natta catalysts in the 1950's, which are still being used extensively in the polyolefin industry; second and more recently, the discovery of the highly active metallocene-based catalysts. Since these discoveries, ongoing research has been conducted to improve the performance of the catalysts.
Despite progress in these areas, the catalysts previously known in the art still have limitations. For example, conventional Ziegler-Natta catalysts often display limited activity, which is reflected in high catalyst residues. On the other hand, the metallocene-based catalysts intrinsically posses high activity, although the catalyst precursors and in particularly the cocatalysts required for polymerization, such as aluminoxanes or borane compounds, are very expensive. Another limitation that both systems share is the lengthy method of preparation.
Traditionally, the active components of both Ziegler-Natta and metallocene catalysts are supported on inert carriers to improve and control the product morphology in olefin polymerization. Magnesium chloride and silica have predominantly been used for the preparation of supported olefin polymerization catalysts.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,173,547 describes preparing a supported catalyst for olefin polymerization by treating silica with both an organoaluminum and an organomagnesium compound. The treated support is then contacted with a titanium tetrachloride.
However, procedures typically used for the preparation of suitable magnesium chloride and silica supports, such as spray drying or recrystallization processes, are complicated and expensive. Hence, methods of catalyst preparation previously described have the inconvenience of being complicated and expensive, and these methods do not allow consistency of particle size and particle size distribution. Also, despite the extensive and increasing use of supports for olefin polymerization catalysts, the previously used support materials themselves have several deficiencies. For example, in the case of silica, high calcination temperatures are required to remove water which is a common catalyst poison. This represents a significant proportion of the preparation time of the catalyst. Furthermore, in addition to the calcination treatment of silica, silica supported metallocene catalyst preparations typically require chemical treatment, namely the use of expensive aluminoxane or borane compounds in catalyst preparation
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,625,015 and 5,595,950 describe a catalyst system in which silica is contacted with an aluminoxane prior to the deposition of the metallocene component.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,624,878 describes direct coordination of a Lewis basic silica to B(C6F5)3 in the presence of an amine reagent. In addition to the expense associated with the aluminoxane or borane, this catalyst preparation procedure itself is complicated and expensive.
The use of silica or magnesium chloride as a support also results in support material largely remaining in the product, which can affect the product properties, such as optical properties, or processing.
One of the objectives of the present invention is to provide a catalyst which overcomes the difficulties encountered in the prior art.

Catalyst composition and process for olefin polymerization and copolymerization using supported metallocene catalyst systems


Systems and methods for mass producing customized engraved articles of manufacture based on orders from multiple different customers.

The present invention relates generally to engraving articles of manufacture, and more particularly to techniques for simultaneously mass producing engraved articles of manufacture with potentially different customized engraved patterns.
Mechanical engraving is the traditional way to produce engraved articles, and involves the removal of material from the substrate through mechanical means such as precision drilling and grinding. With mechanical engraving machines, it is possible to achieve very precise high-resolution engravings with a substantial range of depth to result in an engraving having an ascetically-pleasing appearance.
Use of a laser is another technique for engraving articles. Laser engraving involves modification of the optical appearance of the surface of the article by a laser beam, for example through ablation of material and/or removal of some of a surface layer. Other types of laser marking include carbonization (slight burning) for substrates such as paper, cardboard, wood, or polymers, transformation (e.g. bleaching) of pigments (industrial laser additives) in a plastic material substrate, expansion of a polymer, if e.g. some additive is evaporated, and generation in the substrate of surface structures such as small bubbles. The ability of a laser to mark a surface and the quality of the marking depends on multiple factors, including the wavelength of the laser, the power of the laser, and the material being marked.
Many types of articles are engraved. For example, businesses will often engrave pens, plaques, business card holders, and other promotional items with information such as the name of a business or a marketing or other type message. The types of articles and reasons for engraving such articles are numerous. However, one common factor in the engraving industry is that the article being engraved is not typically manufactured by the entity doing the engraving. More typically, articles are manufactured by a first entity (e.g., a first company or business), ordered by a second entity (e.g., a second company or business), and engraved by either the second entity or yet a third entity (e.g., a third company or business).
For the general consuming public, engraving a product is often considered a luxury due to the extra care, time and expense involved and the added manufacturing step of performing the engraving. Accordingly, engraving an item may be reserved for special occasions or important events or distinctions. Furthermore, engraving machines have heretofore been directed at engraving a single article of manufacture at a time. For this reason, orders for customized engraved articles of manufacture are typically short-run (for example, 1 to less than 5000) manufacturing jobs and don't lend themselves to mass-production of multiple different engraving jobs.
It would be desirable to have systems and methods that enable mass production of customized engraved articles of manufacture.

Method and system for mass production of customized engraved products


A method for fabricating a tunable optical phased array, and a tunable optical phased array are disclosed by the present application. The tunable optical phased array includes: a substrate layer (10), a distributed Bragg reflector (20), a support layer (30), a piezoelectric layer (40), an antenna array (60), and a transducer module (50) configured to make interconversion between a phase control signal and a surface wave; the antenna array (60) and the distributed Bragg reflector (20) are used to form a Fabry Perot resonant cavity, and the phase control signal output by a signal source is concerted into the surface wave by the transducer module (50), and the surface wave is conducted to the antenna array (60) through the piezoelectric layer (40).

The statements herein merely provide background information related to the present application, and do not necessarily constitute the prior art. Beam steering is a core device in the fields such as laser radar, optical communication, etc. In traditional design schemes, the beam is usually steered by using a mechanical vibration mirror, a micro-mirror in a micro-electromechanical system (MEMS), a bi-prism, photoelectric crystal, liquid crystal and the like. However, the beam steering achieved by a mechanical or micro-mechanical MEMS is provided with disadvantages of relative slow speed, less control flexibility, and poor stability and reliability, and there is a problem that the scanning area is uncontrollable and irregular for the bi-prism when performing the beam steering, and there are problems of a small angle for beam scanning, a large crystal volume, high price and large driving power consumption in the process of beam steering for the photoelectric crystal. Although the liquid crystal based spatial light modulator is relatively mature, but it has problems of slow speed, a complicated driving mode, and weak performance against high and low temperature for a liquid crystal material.
With gradual migration of the laser radar from professional fields such as aerospace, surveying and mapping etc. to fields such as consumption and industry, the traditional beam steering devices and beam scanning methods cannot meet requirements of performance indicators such as volume, power consumption, reliability, stability, and service life in industries such as automobiles, robots, automation and the like. Thus, there is an urgent need for a new type of beam steering device and beam scanning method.

Method for fabricating tunable optical phased array, and tunable optical phased array


A massaging device driven by a water wheel and having a plurality of fingers spread in concentric rings about an arched cover. The fingers are supported in and actuated by a rotating camming platform including a series of concentric camming surfaces with curved bases and irregularly shaped annular sidewalls. The fingers are reciprocated along their vertical axes to create a wave-like motion relative to the cover. Concurrently, the fingers are actuated to pivot about a central transverse axis defined by pin members located on opposite sides of the fingers. When driven by a water wheel, the device contains a water channel along its base, which channel extends to a water chamber containing the water wheel. The wheel is turned by water flow through the chamber thereby rotating the camming platform to which it is coupled by way of gears.

The present invention relates to massaging devices, in particular, to massaging devices suitable as foot massagers.
The present massaging device is useful therapeutically given that when the user's feet are placed on its cover, the rhythmical movement of the fingers mounted therein creates, in addition to a pleasant sensation in and on the foot inducing relaxation and increased blood flow through the feet, a simulation of accupressure massage stimulating reflex zones and points and improving body health.
The use of handheld massaging devices is known. There are a variety of battery operated massagers on the market which provide massaging action in different ways.
A water pressure driven massage apparatus with a plurality of massage members spread about its surface is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,603,688 issued Aug. 5, 1986 to Roming. This device operates so that the body part being massaged pushes the massaging members back against projections on the water turbine which is driven by water pressure. At the same time, water exits through the cover on the front of the device. This device is not geared in any way.
U.K. published patent application 2,227,942 by Katsunuma et al discloses a handheld massager capable of accommodating various different attachments. The device does have a rotatable cam which actuates the massaging members. However, the device is not geared and does not have a driving mechanism capable of being driven by water flow.


An exercise machine which includes an elongate frame which forms an enclosure, a resistance assembly located at least partly in the enclosure, a support member for supporting the frame at an inclined position with an upwardly facing front side and a downwardly facing rear side, a seat extending from the front side of the frame at a location at which part of the frame opposes a back of a user seated on the seat, and at least a first actuator which is movable by the user against a first resistance force which is generated by the resistance assembly.

This invention relates to an exercise machine.
Exercise machines make use of diverse devices such as free weights, weight plates, elastic bands, springs and the like to provide a resistance force against which a user can exercise. It has been found that, in many of these machines, the stroke length, which is the distance against which a user moves his arms or legs, as the case may be, against a resistive force, must be reasonably long and this, in turn, means that an exercise machine must also be of substantial dimensions.
It is preferable to have a substantially constant resistance force, against which a user exercises, over the stroke length. If use is made of a spring or similar component, to provide the resistance force then, as is known, the spring characteristic is such that the resistance force increases more or less linearly with spring deformation. In other words the more the resistance device is moved the greater is the resistance force which acts against movement from the user. This is not necessarily a desirable characteristic.
If one or more weights are used to provide the resistance force then a substantially constant resistance force is obtained over the stroke length. When a user who is physically strong makes use of the exercise machine then the number of weights which must be provided is substantial and this carries with it a penalty in that the exercise machine is then not necessarily easily transportable and, inevitably, the exercise machine is cumbersome and expensive to ship to a customer.
Another factor is that the positive resistance force, which is the resistance force displayed by the resistance device when energy is put into an exercise machine by a user, should, as far as is possible, be the same as the negative resistance force which results when energy which is stored in the exercise machine is released, on a return stroke. These forces can only be matched to one another, at least to some extent, if frictional and similar losses are minimised.
It should be possible, particularly for a device which is intended for a home user, to be able to adjust the resistance force, exhibited by an exercise machine, with relative ease. The exercise machine should, as noted, be compact and light so that it is suited for easy transport and storage, particularly for the home user. It is also desirable to be able to use the machine in one of at least two modes eg. by working against a resistance force by pulling downwardly on an actuator which may be of any suitable form eg. a handle, a bar, an ankle or wrist cuff, or the like, or by working against a resistance force by pulling upwardly on an actuator. These modes are given merely by way of example for the exercise machine could be constructed to provide the resistance force against other types of movement eg. a pushing or a rotating movement by the user.


A plurality of user interface (UI) actions from a particular user is detected via a user interface of the application. The plurality of UI actions is analyzed to determine a usage pattern for the particular user. A modification to the user interface is determined based on the determined usage pattern. The determined modification in the user interface is implemented to customize the user interface of the application for the particular user. The determined modification may be stored in a user profile for subsequent use.

Computing devices have become widely available in recent years. Examples of computing devices are desktop computers, laptops, tablets, and smart phones. Typically a wide variety of software and/or applications is implemented on the computing devices. The software and/or applications may be word processing, mail tools, image processing tools, games, and/or web-based browsers. The computing devices may implement a user interface to facilitate user interaction with the applications implemented on the computing device. The user interface may accept mouse operations, touch screen operations, accelerometer changes and/or keystrokes to initiate an event in the software or application on a computing device. For example, a smart phone may accept touch screen operations to activate a feature of an application, select an object and/or enter data within the application. As another example, in a web-based browser executing on a tablet or desktop computing device, a user interface may accept mouse operations or touch screen operations in the application to select an item for purchase, zoom in for a closer view, select features of the item (e.g., color) and put the item in a shopping cart. As another example, a mouse click or a keystroke may be used on a laptop to select a menu option of an image processing application. As another example, screen touches, keystrokes and/or mouse clicks may be used to select features such as font size, a scroll bar setting and/or other configuration of a browser window.
Users of an application may interact with the application in ways described above (e.g., mouse clicks, etc.). A user may interact with the application in many combinations of user interface actions within the same session of the application. During a session of the application a user may interact with a given feature in a particular manner. For example, a user may always used keystrokes to invoke commands instead of selecting the command in a tool bar via a mouse. The toolbar utilizes valuable area in the view window of an application. As another example, a user may be very familiar with an application in certain areas but inexperienced with certain features of an application. Without guidance of a tutorial or pop-ups with feature explanations, the user may become frustrated with the application. The overall user experience may be degraded.

Systems and methods for dynamically altering a user interface based on user interface actions


A fixing device may include: an endless belt circularly movable about a first axis extending in an axial direction; a nip member and a heater extending in an internal space defined by an inner peripheral surface of the endless belt; and a rotary body disposed to be opposite to the heater with respect to the nip member. The nip member may slidingly contact the inner peripheral surface. The rotary body and the nip member may nip the endless belt therebetween. The nip member may include a main portion extending in the axial direction and having a first axial end portion; and a protruding portion protruding from the first axial end portion toward the heater, the protruding portion having a first surface configured to receive radiant heat from the heater.

A conventional electrophotographic image forming apparatus (such as a later printer or digital copier) includes a fixing device that thermally fixes a developing agent image formed on a recording sheet thereto. Such conventional fixing device includes a flexible endless fusing film (or an endless belt), a heater disposed in an internal space of the fusing film, a nip plate disposed in the internal space and in sliding contact with an inner peripheral surface of the fusing film to receive radiant heat from the heater, and a pressure roller that nips the fusing film together with the nip plate to permit the endless fusing film to be circularly movable in a circumferential direction thereof.
In this fixing device, a developing agent image formed on a recording sheet is thermally fixed to the recording sheet with radiant heat from the heater while the recording sheet is nipped and conveyed between the pressure roller and the fusing film.

Fixing device having nip member provided with protruding portion


A cutting apparatus is provided for cutting a sheet material. The cutting apparatus includes a bed for resting thereon the sheet material, a hollow rail structure spaced from the bed, a cutting element moved along the hollow rail structure to travel on the sheet material and cut it in a desired manner, a holding plate coupled to the hollow rail structure for depressing the sheet material on the bed to facilitate the cutting operation of the cutting element, and a sustaining element disposed in the hollow rail structure. The sustaining element sustains against an upper inner surface of the hollow rail structure to lift up the holding plate and sustains against a lower inner surface of the hollow rail structure to put down the holding plate.

Paper cutter is a common tool for cutting one or more pieces of paper into specified sizes efficiently. A conventional paper cutter has a rail with one fixed end pivotally secured onto the bed and one free end. A slider carrying a cutting blade can slide along the rail. While using such paper cutter, the rail is lifted up by exerting a force on the free end with the fixed end as a fulcrum. Then, the paper to be cut is placed under the rail, lying on the bed. By putting the rail down and exerting a depressing force on the rail, the paper holding plate mounted to the rail urges the paper against the bed. When the cutting blade is carried by the slider to travel on the paper clamped between the paper holding plate and the bed, the paper is cut into pieces. Since the paper is secured between the paper holding plate and the bed by way of user's depressing force, it is laboring and hard to assure of well positioning of the paper. The problem is more serious when a pile of paper is simultaneously cut. The pile of paper to be cut may not be well aligned, and in practice, the topmost sheet may slightly deviate from the others when the rail is put down to rest on the topmost sheet of paper. Hence, it is difficult to cut the paper into desired sizes accurately.
For solving this problem, an improved paper cutter is proposed by Mori in U.S. Pat. No. 5,287,783. As illustrated in FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b), the schematic diagrams show the appearance and the inner structure of this paper cutter. The paper cutter mainly comprises a bed 10, a rail 11, and a slider 12. The rail 11 is supported by two supporters 132 at two ends thereof and movably coupled to the bed 10 via the supporters 132. Below the rail 11, there is positioned a paper holding plate 131 for urging the paper to be cut against the bed 10 so as to facilitate the cutting operation. The motion of the paper holding plate 131 is controlled by a link structure 133 mounted onto one of the supporters 132. The link structure 133 includes a movable member 1331, a link 1332 and pins P1, P2, P3. For lifting up the rail 11, the movable member 1331 is turned on the pin P1 by the user, as indicated at 1331′. Hence, the pin P3 connected to the movable member 1331 moves along an arc locus L around the pin P1, as indicated at P3′. The link 1332 connected to the pin P3 will bring the pin P2 to the position of P2′. Therefore, the rail 11 led by the pin P2 is lifted up, as indicated at 11′. When the rail 11 is thus lifted up, the paper holding plate 131 also moves upwards since the paper holding plate 131 is coupled to the rail 11. After the pile of paper is put under the paper holding plate 131, the movable member 1331 is turned back to have the paper holding plate 131 move downwards to hold the paper on the bed 10. Since the paper holding plate 131 moves downwards to press the paper with the downward movement of the rail 11, slightly horizontal shift of the paper holding plate 131 is substantially conducted due to the slantingly movement of the link 1332 rather than exactly vertical movement relative to the paper. Accordingly, the topmost sheets of paper may be pushed away from the pile of paper due to the horizontal shift of the paper holding plate 131. Moreover, the link structure is too complicated to be assembled simply and conveniently so as to be disadvantageous to the assembling time and production cost.

Paper-cutting apparatus and paper-holding device of the same


Devices and methods are provided for generating a regulated output voltage with improved line rejection based on an input voltage and a reference voltage. The device may include a pass transistor and a replica transistor, wherein source ports of the pass transistor and the replica transistor are coupled to the input voltage, a drain port of the pass transistor is coupled to the output voltage, and a gate port of the pass transistor is coupled to a gate port of the replica transistor. The device may further include a coupling circuit configured to couple current from the drain port of the replica transistor to the gate port of the replica transistor, the coupling circuit further configured to control voltage on the drain port of the replica transistor based on the reference voltage.

Voltage regulators generally convert an input, or supply voltage, to a controlled output voltage where the control is based on a reference voltage. While a constant output voltage is usually desired, in practice the output voltage of a conventional linear voltage regulator exhibits some fluctuation in response to variations on the supply line input voltage. Line rejection is the measure of the output fluctuation with respect to the variation in the input voltage. Current design trends for circuits that rely on regulated voltage are becoming increasingly intolerant of fluctuation and are requiring increased line rejection. Attempts to improve line rejection in conventional voltage regulators often require cascading two or more regulators, which results in increased component count, reduced efficiency and/or increased circuit complexity, all of which may be inappropriate for some applications.
Although the following Detailed Description will proceed with reference being made to illustrative embodiments, many alternatives, modifications, and variations thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Voltage regulator with improved line rejection


A scanning apparatus includes a scan bar configured to generate image data to reproduce a document scanned by the scanning apparatus. The scan bar includes a light source and a plurality of light sensors. The light source and the plurality of light sensors define at least one ultraviolet light channel and at least one visible light channel. The light source may emit visible light and ultraviolet light. The plurality of light sensors may be configured to allow the scanning apparatus to distinguish between the visible light and the ultraviolet light.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a scanning system, and, more particularly, to a scanning apparatus having an ultraviolet light source.
2. Description of the Related Art
A scanning apparatus is used to optically scan documents to generate corresponding image data. One such scanning apparatus, commonly referred to as a flatbed scanner, includes a scan bar that is moved relative to a stationary document to obtain scan data related to the document. Another type of scanner has a stationary scan bar, and the document is moved relative to the scan bar to obtain scan data related to the document.
Such scanning apparatus typically have a light source projecting light on the scan target and a sensor unit that records light reflected from the target. The target data is then translated to image data is some meaningful image format. Such image data may be forwarded, for example, to an imaging apparatus, such as a printer, or may be transferred to another device, such as a computer or facsimile device.
The light source and the sensor unit operate in only the visible range of the light spectrum, typically using red, green and blue (RGB) components. For example, in a CIS (Contact Image Sensor) scanner, the light source is made up of three LEDs emitting red, green and blue colors. As another example, in a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) scanner, there is only one light source continuously emitting white light, and the RGB channels are separated by sensors that are fitted with RGB filters.
In such scanning apparatus, it is difficult to provide automatic page location/skew detection and/or print media type detection, since often the print media cannot be distinguished from the document pad on which the document is supported during scanning. Further, for example, in such prior scanning systems, it remains difficult to provide ink type detection.
What is needed in the art is an improved scanning apparatus that addresses such deficiencies of the prior art.

Scanning apparatus having an ultraviolet light source


A system is provided for measuring the color visual fields of a patient's eyes, and includes a viewing area for the patient to direct one of their eyes toward. The viewing area also has a viewing area perimeter, and the viewing area is divided into four substantially equal quadrants. The system further includes a fixation structure, which is located substantially at a central portion of the viewing area. Generally, the purpose of the fixation structure is to hold the attention of the patient. There are also a plurality of predetermined and substantially linear paths included in the system. The paths extend in directions radially outward from the fixation structure toward the viewing area perimeter. The plurality of predetermined paths are spaced apart by substantially equal angles of separation. Also, each quadrant of the viewing area includes at least two predetermined paths therein. A stimuli target is also provided to continuously and automatically move along the predetermined paths. The stimuli target moves in a direction beginning at a beginning point on the viewing area and continues toward an ending point for each path. The stimuli target completes movement on a first path before beginning movement on a second path.

The visual field of a human eye is the area simultaneously visible to one eye without movement. This area is also known as the peripheral or indirect vision and is the area that surrounds the central or direct vision. More technically, the peripheral vision is that which results from retinal stimulation beyond the macula. Additionally, color perception is closely related to visual acuity for objects. In a similar way that vision decreases as it approaches the perimeter of the visual field, so does the color sense become lessened. As the outer perimeter of the visual field is approached, partial color blindness is followed by a space where the entire color sense is lacking. The variation in this peripheral field, for the several colors, gives rise to perimetry. It is with the measurement of the behavior of these peripheral portions of the retina that this invention is concerned with.
Generally speaking, perimetry takes a visual field by fixating a patient's eye in its central vision while introducing stimuli targets of light in the peripheral vision. By presenting large numbers of light stimuli throughout the visual field and recording the patient's reaction to these stimuli, a mapping of the visual field may be obtained.
It is particularly important to obtain visual field mappings when diagnosing and treating diseases which affect the visual field, such as glaucoma. Currently, most visual field mappings are obtained by machines. These machines are called automated visual field perimeters or computerized perimeters. These machines present light stimuli or targets, monitor the central vision fixation, record the reaction to targets, and map the visual field.


The present invention relates to aqueous based tackifier fluids and their use in stabilizing particulates in propped fractures. Some embodiments of the present invention provide methods of creating a proppant pack in a subterranean formation, comprising introducing an aqueous servicing fluid comprising proppant particulates, wherein at least some of the proppant particulates are at least partially coated with an aqueous tackifier compound, into a subterranean fracture; and, activating the aqueous tackifier compound so as to form a proppant pack. Other embodiments provide methods of stabilizing a proppant pack comprising introducing an aqueous tackifier compound to at least a portion of an existing proppant pack; and, activating the aqueous tackifier compound so as to stabilize the proppant pack. Other embodiments provide servicing fluids comprising proppant particulates and an aqueous fluid wherein at least some of the proppant particulates are at least partially coated with an aqueous tackifier compound.

The present invention relates to aqueous based tackifier fluids and their use in stabilizing particulates in propped fractures.
Hydrocarbon-producing wells are often stimulated by hydraulic fracturing treatments. In hydraulic fracturing treatments, a viscous fracturing fluid is pumped into a producing zone at a rate and pressure such that the subterranean formation breaks down and one or more fractures are formed in the zone. Particulate solids, such as graded sand, which are often referred to as "proppant" are suspended in a portion of the fracturing fluid and then deposited in the fractures when the fracturing fluid is converted to a thin fluid to be returned to the surface. These particulates serve, inter alia, to prevent the fractures from fully closing so that conductive channels are formed through which produced hydrocarbons can flow.
To prevent the subsequent flow-back of proppant and other particulates with the produced fluids, a portion of the proppant introduced into the fractures may be coated with a curable resin that may facilitate the consolidation the proppant particles in the fracture. Typically, the resin-coated proppant is deposited in the fracture after a large quantity of uncoated proppant has been deposited therein. The partially closed fractures apply pressure to the resin-coated proppant particulates whereby the particulates are forced into contact with each other while the resin enhances the grain-to-grain contact between individual proppant particles. The action of the pressure and the resin bring about the consolidation of the proppant particles into a hard, permeable mass having compressive and tensile strength, serving to prevent unconsolidated proppant and formation sand from flowing out of the fractures with the produced fluids and damaging production equipment and/or the potential production of the well.
In conjunction with or instead of resins, some or all of the proppant may be coated with a tackifier to help control the migration of formation fines through the proppant pack. Tackifiers, by their nature, remain sticky or retain adhesive character even after being placed in the formation. Thus, as formation fines attempt to flow through the pack with formation fluids, they can become entrained with the tackifying agent so as to not be produced with produced fluids.
The use of such tackifying agents has proven particularly useful in hydrocarbon and water production, especially in coal bed methane formations. However, traditional tackifying agents require hydrocarbon-based or non-aqueous carrier fluids, which may prove problematic in certain surface terrestrial, aquatic, or marine environments. Additionally, traditional agents often fail to provide the highly elastic proppant-to-proppant bond that is desirable in certain subterranean formations. Traditional tackifying agents also often lack the ability to control the onset of "tackification" (i.e., the tackifying agent cannot be placed as a non-tacky fluid that may then be activated to become tacky). Because of this, the proppant typically should be tackified before being placed in a fracture, limiting the ability to remediate and/or tackify proppant that has already been placed. Moreover, traditional tackifying agents tend to cure over time when exposed to oxidative environments.

Aqueous-based tackifier fluids and methods of use


A sheet metal fastener for securing a covering member to a cementitious-like base or insulating material wherein the fastener includes at least two hollow shanks that depend from a common head and wherein each shank includes opposing generally U-shaped spreadable legs for trapping plugs of the material there between and wherein side walls of the legs also flare laterally away from one another to grasp an additional plug of the material between adjacent shanks as the fastener is driven into the base or insulating material.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention is generally directed to fasteners having opposing and spreadable shank portions that diverge outwardly relative to one another in order to trap a plug of material there between as the fasteners are driven into a base material. More specifically, the invention is directed to such fasteners that are particularly well suited for use to securing roofing felts, insulations and membranes to cementitious and/or composite materials.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
In the commercial roofing industry, cast in-place roofing decks are formed using gypsum, light weight concrete, Zonolite®, perlite, vermiculite and other cementitious materials. After being poured, such materials are sealed against the weather by covering with felts, plastics and other types of membranes that are secured using various types of fasteners. The fasteners are thereafter covered with asphalt, adhesive or other plastic sealants, often followed by additional layers of membrane, thereby forming a waterproof assembly.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,710,672 to Hallock an early form of spreadable fastener is disclosed having particular utility for securing roofing felt or roofing papers to poured lightweight materials such as insulating concrete used in the roofing industry. The fastener included a pair of legs or shank segments that spread apart when driven into cementitious material to thereby trap a plug of the poured lightweight material there between. The plug of material serves as an anchor to retain the fastener locked to the roof deck. An improvement on this patent was issued as U.S. Pat. No. 4,032,802, also to Hallock. The improved fastener provided beveled cutting edges along the penetrating tip of the spreadable legs or shank segments for the purpose of permitting the fastener to easily and cleanly penetrate roofing felts, papers, plastics or other membranes without tearing or ripping the membranes which would result in failure of the integrity of the seal provided by the membrane system.
One of the major problems associated with cementitious roofing systems is that the sealing membranes can be damaged under high wind conditions such as encountered during hurricanes and tornadoes. Pressure changes across the surface of the sealing membranes can create uplifting forces that can pull anchoring fasteners from the cementitious material or rip the membranes around the heads of the fasteners used to secure the membranes in place.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need to provide fasteners for poured roof deck systems that provide not only an increased resistance to withdrawal forces but also increase the surface engagement with the sealing membranes to thereby reduce the possibility of membrane tearing about the head of a fastener.

Sheet metal fasteners with multiple spreadable shanks


Embodiments of a mechanism for forming a shallow trench isolation (STI) structure filled with a flowable dielectric layer are provided. The mechanism involves using one or more low-temperature thermal anneal processes with oxygen sources and one or more microwave anneals to convert a flowable dielectric material to silicon oxide. The low-temperature thermal anneal processes with oxygen sources and the microwave anneals are performed at temperatures below the ranges that could cause significant dopant diffusion, which help dopant profile control for advanced manufacturing technologies. In some embodiments, an implant to generate passages in the upper portion of the flowable dielectric layer is also used in the mechanism.

Trench structures, such as shallow trench isolations (STIs), are used to separate and isolate active areas on a semiconductor wafer from each other. STIs are formed by etching trenches in a substrate, overfilling the trenches with a dielectric such as an oxide, and then removing any excess dielectric. STIs help to electrically isolate the active areas from one another.
However, as circuit densities continue to increase, the widths of trenches of STIs decrease, thereby increasing the aspect ratios of the STI trenches. Aspect ratio of a trench (or a gap) is defined as the trench height (or gap height) divided by the trench width (or gap width). It becomes very difficult to fill narrow and deep trenches completely with a gap-fill dielectric material for advanced technologies. Incomplete gap-filling results in unwanted voids and increases the risk of inclusion of unwanted defects when the unwanted voids are exposed during removal of excess dielectric. The voids may also result in inadequate isolation between active areas. The presence of voids in STI would affect yield.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.


Optoelectronic devices and methods are used to maintain a CWDM transmitter operating within design parameters over an extended ambient temperature range. In order to avoid excessive wavelength drift with temperature shifts, lasers in the CWDM transmitters are heated or cooled to a selected temperature, for example by using a thermoelectric cooler. By heating and cooling the lasers, any wavelength drift that an ambient temperature variation might inflict on the laser is minimized to the range hotter or colder than the selected temperature. As the temperature range of the laser increases above the selected temperature, the AC swing driving the laser is increased to maintain a sufficient extinction ratio for acceptable transmitter performance.

1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to optoelectronic components. More particularly, the present invention relates to systems and methods for maintaining a CWDM transmitter emitting within a target wavelength channel over an extended temperature range.
2. The Relevant Technology
Computer and data communications networks continue to develop and expand due to declining costs, improved performance of computer and networking a equipment, the remarkable growth of the internet, and the resulting increased demand for communication bandwidth. Such increased demand is occurring both within and between metropolitan areas as well as within communications networks. Moreover, as organizations have recognized the economic benefits of using communications networks, network applications such as electronic mail, voice and data transfer, host access, and shared and distributed databases are increasingly used as a means to increase user productivity. This increased demand, together with the growing number of distributed computing resources, has resulted in a rapid expansion of the number of fiber optic systems required.
Through fiber optics, digital data in the form of light signals is formed by lasers or light emitting diodes and then propagated through a fiber optic cable. Such light signals allow for high data transmission rates and high bandwidth capabilities. The light signals are then received at a photodiode which converts the light signal back into an electrical signal. Current optical designs typically include both the laser and the photodiode within a single transceiver module that can be connected to a host device, such as a host computer, switching hub, network router, switch box, computer I/O and the like, via a compatible connection port at one end and to a fiber optic cable at the other. Each transceiver module typically contains, in addition to the laser and photodiode, all the other optical and electrical components necessary to change electrical signals to optical signals via the laser and optical signals back into electrical signals received at the photodiode.
Another advantage in using light as a transmission medium is that multiple wavelength components of light can be transmitted through a single communication path such as an optical fiber. This process is commonly referred to as wavelength division multiplexing (WDM), where the bandwidth of the communication medium is increased by the number of independent wavelength channels used. Several wavelengths channels can be transmitted using coarse wavelength-division multiplexing (CWDM) applications to achieve higher channel density and total channel number in a single communication line.
FIG. 1 illustrates eight wavelength channels that are typically used in CWDM systems. As illustrated, CWDM typically implements a channel spacing of 20 nanometers. Thus, CWDM allows a modest number of channels, typically eight or less, to be stacked around the 1550 nm region of the fiber. FIG. 1 illustrates how CWDM transmission may occur at one of eight wavelengths: typically 1470 nm, 1490 nm, 1510 nm, 1530 nm, 1550 nm, 1570 nm, 1590 nm, and 1610 nm.
In order to save cost and reduce power consumption, CWDM transmitters conventionally use uncooled lasers with a relaxed, room temperature tolerance of ±3 nm. The wide spacing accommodates the uncooled laser wavelength drifts that occur as the ambient temperature varies within a relatively small acceptable range.
FIG. 2 illustrates in greater detail three adjacent channels in a CWDM system. Each channel uses a filter that has a pass-band approximately 11 nm wide. Operation outside the allowable allowed pass-band results in high attenuation of the transmitted signal, and in extreme cases, potential cross-talk with the adjacent channel. It is not necessary that the emitted light from a transmitter occupy the entire channel, only that it stays within it. Thus, it can be seen that the spectrum of the light transmitted from a transmitter may occupy the wavelength range illustrated by wavelength range 12 in the center of the passband. It is also acceptable if the transmitted light is on one side of the wavelength channel, for example wavelength range 14. A CWDM system does not operate properly, however, if a transmitter emits light in a wavelength range that is outside the designated passband or overlaps with an adjacent passband, by way of example wavelength range 16.
There are several factors determining the wavelength of a signal produced by traditional laser sources. These factors include, for example, current density, temperature of the light emitter, and the specific inherent characteristics of the light emitter. With reference to FIG. 3, a chart depicting wavelength (λ) shift over a varying temperature range is depicted. The range of wavelengths is depicted along the y axis, having no particular wavelengths indicated and the range of temperatures is depicted along the x axis, from −40° C. to 85° C. A line 20 is shown to depict the characteristic wavelength shift as temperature increases. It is generally accepted that a wavelength drift of 0.1 nm per degree Celsius shift if a good approximation of the shift for Distributed Feedback ("DFB") laser sources that are commonly used in CWDM applications. It can therefore be seen how the wavelength of the emitted light shifts approximately +12.5 nm over the 125 degree temperature change. This is illustrated by the slope of plot 20, with the low point 22 of the slope at −40° C. being 12.5 nm below the high point 24 at 85° C.
In order to control the effects of temperature-caused wavelength drifting, CWDM transceivers are typically cooled by devices external to the transceiver, such as fans and their placement in controlled temperature rooms. The controlled environment maintains the transceiver component within a reasonable temperature range so that the laser emits at a wavelength range within the designated wavelength channel.
Using CWDM transceivers only in controlled environments can be very restrictive and expensive, however. As a result, there has arisen an interest to operate CWDM transceivers in less expensive or more convenient locations. For example, it would represent and advance in CWDM technology if a CWDM transceiver could be operated in the field, for example at a data relay station in a remote location. In fact, the desired operating conditions for CWDM transceivers are currently as large as from −40° C. to 85° C.
As a result, what are needed are devices and methods to enable CWDM transceivers to be operated in an environment having large temperature variations without experiencing excessive wavelength drift. In particular, it would represent an advance in the art to enable the operation of CWDM transceivers without the use of fans or their placement in controlled temperature rooms.

Temperature control for coarse wavelength division multiplexing systems