Set-top terminals utilized in broadband broadcast networks are becoming increasingly intelligent (programmable). However, transmitting executable code, data and interactive audio/video materials through a selectively dedicated link requires an extensive, broadband point-to-point broadband network, which is prohibitively expensive to implement for large numbers of customers. The present invention provides for downloading application software and transmitting audio/video information through one channel of a digital broadcast network. The network also provides two-way, low-speed data communications capacity, e.g. for signaling and/or interactive text services. Signaling via data communication with a text server controls downloading of executable code from the digital broadcast channel into a programmable digital set-top terminal. Execution of the downloaded code in turn controls selective capture and presentation of audio and video segments received over one of the digital broadcast channels. Resident operating system and application software in the terminal provides all communication with nodes of the network. The downloaded code forms a non-resident application having a set of predetermined function calls for activating communication functions of the resident software.

Set top terminal devices commonly in use in existing cable television systems have a number of limitations. First, the devices are limited to processing of analog television signals. Also, cable television terminal devices are generally "dumb" devices having a limited set of functionalities constrained by the hard wired programming of the internal microprocessor controlled device. Essentially all cable television terminal devices respond to a selection input from the subscriber, tune to a selected channel available on the cable television network, decode the video program material if scrambled, and provide output signals compatible with a standard television receiver.
Enhanced cable television terminals provide some additional features, such as graphics overlay capability and two way communication of control signalling to and from headend terminal devices. Although such improved terminals facilitate some enhanced services, such as home shopping and purchasing, the performance of these cable television set-top terminals is still limited to analog decoding. Also the range of services is still limited by the hard wired capabilities of the microprocessor within the set-top terminal devices.
Proposals have been made to download computer executable code over cable television networks. In particular, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,051,822 and 5,181,107 both to Rhoades disclose a terminal device connectable to a cable television network and a telephone line. A subscriber requests a video game or other software stored in a remotely located software storage center by operating the terminal to establish a bi-directional telephone link with the remote storage center. The center transmits the encoded software program together with the terminal identification code as a digital bit stream over a television broadcast channel. The terminal requesting the software monitors all digital bit streams on the broadcast channel but receives only the software program addressed to it, i.e. only after identification code validation occurs. Once reception of all the software data is complete, the terminal acknowledges receipt to the remote storage center and drops the telephone line. The encoded software program is decoded, and the terminal provides a display informing the subscriber that the game or other program is ready for use. The terminal also offers the subscriber the means to interact with the software, e.g. play the game, using contemporary gaming control or input devices. While the Rhoades terminal structure does provide enhanced capabilities, such as video games and home shopping, the display functionality controlled by the downloaded software is limited to computer displays generated in response to the software, there is no direct interaction of the received software with any video program carried on the cable network. The downloaded software does not control further interactions with the storage center. Also, the video transmissions on the cable system are analog, and a separate telephone connection is required for selection inputs to the central storage facility. Furthermore, the terminal device apparently can receive software from the storage center of only one service provider.
Some prior art systems do permit downloading into the cable television decoder itself, however, at least initially, this downloading of information into the decoder was limited to information controlling the decoding of the television program signals, e.g. a key word used in a descrambling algorithm. Dufresne et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 4,623,920 teach a specific scheme for addressing data transmissions over a cable television network to groups of terminals or to individual terminals. The addressed data sent from the head end can include an option table of signals for controlling descrambling of available television programs, data to enable operation of a cable TV converter, or software for operating a peripheral microcomputer separate from the cable television terminal device. The Dufresne et al. terminal is limited to reception of data from only one service provider, i.e. the provider operating the cable TV network. Also, the services provided through the terminal are limited in that the downloaded data apparently does not alter or control the terminal functionality for further interactions with the provider through the network.
Another example of a software downloading system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,440,632 to Bacon et al. In this system, the headend of an analog cable television system downloads an `operating system` to each set-top terminal device. Again, the one service provider operating the headend supplies all downloaded code.
Recently, several different wideband digital distribution networks have been proposed for offering subscribers an array of video services, such as Video On Demand. The following U.S. Patents disclose representative examples of such digital video distributions networks: U.S. Pat. No. 5,253,275 to Yurt et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,132,992 to Yurt et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,133,079 to Ballantyne et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,130,792 to Tindell et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,057,932 to Lang, U.S. Pat. No. 4,963,995 to Lang, U.S. Pat. No. 4,949,187 to Cohen, U.S. Pat. No. 5,027,400 to Baji et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 4,506,387 to Walter. The terminal devices in these digital networks are still limited functionality devices. In these networks, the digital terminal devices still only receive selection inputs, transmit selection signals upstream to the source of the video materials, receive downstream video transmissions, decompress the digitized video materials and convert to analog form, and provide appropriate signals to a television receiver. One example of such a digital video distribution network and the terminal device for such a network, disclosed in Litteral et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,247,347, will be described in more detail below.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,247,347 to Litteral et al. discloses an enhanced public switched telephone network which also provides a video on demand service to subscribers over the public switched telephone network. A menu of video programming information is displayed at the subscriber's premises by a set-top terminal and a TV set. The subscriber may transmit ordering information via the public switched telephone network to the independent video information providers. Video programming may be accessed and transmitted to the subscriber directly from a video information provider (VIP) or through a video buffer located at a central office (CO) serving the subscriber.
Connectivity between the central office and the subscriber for transmission of video data is provided by an asymmetrical digital subscriber line (ADSL) system. ADSL interface units at the central office multiplex digital video information with voice information to be transmitted to the subscriber and support two-way transmission between the subscriber's line and the X.25 packet data network of one or more control channels. A complimentary ADSL interface unit at the subscriber's premises separates downstream video control signals and voice telephone signals from the line and multiplexes upstream control signals and voice telephone signals onto the line. The ADSL interface on the subscriber premises supplies the broadband digital data stream recovered from the transmission over the subscriber loop to a decoder unit in the set-top terminal. The decoder unit decompresses the audio and video data, and converts the digital audio and video to corresponding analog signals. The decoder can supply baseband analog audio and video signals to a television receiver, or these analog signals can be modulated to a standard television channel frequency for use by the television receiver.
The above detailed discussion of the Litteral et al. system shows that prior art digital distribution networks offer enhanced video services, but the terminal device functionality is still limited to program selection, decoding and display.
A number of suggestions have been made in the press regarding arrays of different services which will become available through broadband digital networks now popularly referred to as the "Information Super Highway". If a different VIP were to offer a different service, the VIP can limit the service to an interactivity with the subscriber essentially corresponding to the functionality available in the terminal device. This approach, however, limits the functional capabilities the new VIP may choose for the different service. Alternatively, the subscriber must buy another terminal device programmed or wired to function in accord with the VIP's new service. This second approach, however, forces the subscriber to purchase and connect up a different terminal device for each different service subscribed to.
From the above discussion it becomes clear that a need exists in the art for set-top terminal devices which process compressed, broadband digital audio/video information and are readily adaptable to perform a variety of related functionalities, as needed to facilitate a range of audio/video and interactive services offered by a large number of information providers.
In commonly assigned application Ser. No. 08/250,791 (and corresponding published PCT application WO/95/33338), it was suggested that software could be downloaded into the digital set-top terminal through a point-to-point connection through a digital broadband network, e.g. similar to that of Litteral et al. As disclosed therein, the software included at least customized applications programs for controlling terminal operation in a manner specified by any one of several information providers. It was also suggested that at least one party would operate a server to download operations system upgrades through a point-to-point connection.
The use of a full broadband channel dedicated to one subscriber for an entire interactive session, as in systems such as that disclosed in the application Ser. No. 08/250,791 (and WO/95/33338), places a heavy burden on network resources. Building a large capacity network to carry a large number of such individual sessions is prohibitively expensive. The alternative, providing a limited number of point-to-point links limits the number of subscribers who can access interactive services at any one time, making the interactive services commercially unattractive to the information providers. The need for level 1 and level 2 gateways further increases the cost and complexity of developing and deploying video dial tone networks having such point-to-point connectivity.
Also, some digital networks under development will have broadcast channels, but at least initially, will not offer point-to-point connections. The disclosure in the application Ser. No. 08/250,791 did not address problems of downloading software to terminals through digital broadcast networks.
In commonly assigned application Ser. No. 08/380,755, it was suggested that software, specifically software related to channel mapping functionalities and navigation through broadcast services, could be downloaded into the digital set-top terminal through a data carousel type cyclical broadcast. Such downloaded software consisted of one or more applications intended for wide general availability. The digital type set-top devices receiving such software were intended as open interface devices to which any provider offering such a download service could download the relevant data and executable code. The downloaded applications, however, provided relatively little interactivity.
Still frame services have been proposed for analog cable television systems to provide a limited capacity interactive service through a single broadcast channel of the CATV network. Some of the prior proposals for such services have utilized digital still frame encoding. However, the digital still frame technology was not compatible with the devices for receiving other signals on the CATV network, i.e. standard analog broadcast television signals. Consequently, a subscriber had to have a digital receiver for decoding the still frame signals separate and in addition to any cable decoder equipment needed to receive the analog channels. These terminals have not been adapted for use in all-digital broadband networks or to provide any associated digital video services. Also, such technologies intended for CATV networks are not readily adaptable to open architecture systems, such as the video dial tone networks disclosed in the above cited applications, for providing information services from multiple providers who operate independently of the network service provider.
Also, the various earlier proposals for software downloading have not adequately addressed issues relating to the interface between the resident software and the downloaded software. In an open video environment, such as a video dial tone network, where several providers offer a variety of software downloads through the network, the network operator must maintain the integrity of the network. In this regard, it is difficult for the network operator to police the downloaded software to insure compatibility with the network functionality. For example, if the downloaded software communicates with control elements of the network, the network operator must insure that the communications conform to accepted network protocol standards and relate only to accepted network operations, for example to avoid engaging a network node in an endless processing loop.
A need therefore still exists to adapt the digital video terminal devices and associated networks to provide interactive services in some manner which utilizes an acceptably low amount of bandwidth and still provides the user with the desirable highly programmable and dynamic interactivity. Also, a need exists for an interface between resident software and downloaded software that protects the network elements and maximizes network integrity.

Downloading applications software through a broadcast channel


Systems, methods, and devices for predicting entitlements to computing resources are described. An entitlement associated with a user of a computer system may be identified. The entitlement may indicate a computing resource of the computer system that is accessible to the user. A set of attributes associated with the user may be selected, and an entitlement probability value may be obtained. The entitlement probability value may be based on the set of attributes and indicate a probability that the user is authorized to have the entitlement. The entitlement probability value may be used to determine whether to include the entitlement in an access review. Depending on the entitlement probability value the entitlement may be included in the access review or excluded from the access review.

Enterprises may maintain large computer systems to facilitate and support their endeavors. Individuals of such enterprises may utilize these computer systems to perform various activities or job functions. A principle of information security management holds that individuals should only be authorized to access computing resources necessary to carry out their assigned job functions. Accordingly, another principle of information security may recommend periodic access reviews to verify that individuals only capable of accessing computing resources those individuals are authorized to access.
If an access review reveals that an individual is capable of accessing a computing resource that the individual is not authorized to access, such access may be revoked for that individual. In this way, the security of the computing systems and its resources are maintained. One or more individuals of the enterprise may be responsible for conducting the access reviews, e.g., a manager. Large enterprises, however, may include thousands of individuals, and each individual may be associated with dozens—if not hundreds—of entitlements. For managers that manage multiple individuals, conducting access reviews for those individuals can be a challenge. For example, a manager that manages a dozen individuals each having an average of a hundred entitlements may be tasked with reviewing over a thousand entitlements during access reviews for those individuals. Such an endeavor is not only time-consuming, access reviews for so many entitlements may limit the ability of a manager to perform other managerial duties.
Therefore, a need exists for an improved approach to conducting access reviews that reduces the number of entitlements requiring review by a manager without negatively impacting the access risk to an enterprise.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


This invention comprises a series of steps which transforms one or more natural language expressions into a single, well-formed formal language representation. Each natural language expression is partially parsed into simple fragments, each of which is then associated with one or more short formal expressions. Each formal expression is constructed in such a way as to contain one or more placeholder variables, each of which is associated with one or more attributes to constrain the types of entities that each variable can potentially represent. The resulting plurality of formal expressions is then filtered for relevance within a given context, and the surviving expressions manipulated based upon a plurality of rules, which are cognizant of the attributes associated with each variable contained therein. A user is then presented with the resulting plurality of formal expressions, whereupon the user optionally selects, rejects, adds to, logically connects and otherwise manipulates each member of said plurality. When the user is satisfied that the plurality represents an intended meaning, the formal expressions are combined into a single, formal representation.

The present invention addresses the need for accurate transformation of natural language expression into formal language representation within the field of computer-based information processing.
To date, no method or apparatus is capable of accurately parsing complicated natural language expression at the same level as human beings. The present invention consists of a method such that a significantly larger fraction of all possible natural language inputs can be accurately transformed into the formal language representation that computer-based information processing often requires.
A common approach to the generalized problem of natural language interpretation is to severely restrict either the domain, the input language or both. The present invention comprises a method that significantly relaxes the degree to which both the domain and input language need be restricted in order to produce a similar degree of accuracy.

Method of transforming natural language expression into formal language representation


Disclosed are example methods, systems, and devices for allowing caller computing devices to authenticate calls via a service provider computing system. Users may opt to have entities register to contact the user with a positive ID, icon, or other notification on the user's computing device transmitted by the service provider computing system. A caller computing device may use a unique security token of the user to activate the notification on the user's device. The user device may be used to exert control over the security token via a service provider client application running on the user device. The caller computing device may initiate authentication via an API call to the service provider computing system. The caller computing device is able to have items (text, images, documents, etc.) delivered to the user computing device if authenticated.

"Cold" telephone calls (i.e., unsolicited calls from unrecognized or unknown persons and/or organizations) are made by scammers as well as by trustworthy callers who have legitimate reasons for calling. Such telephone calls leave the call recipient uncertain about whether the caller can be trusted. Caller identification (caller ID) is intended to provide the call recipient with the caller's telephone number, but caller ID spoofing allows deceptive callers to display a phone number different from the caller's actual telephone number. And even in situations in which the telephone number is accurate, the call recipient may not recognize the caller. Moreover, a legitimate caller may be affiliated with a trusted organization (such as a call recipient's physician or financial institution), but if the caller does not recognize the organization (e.g., a laboratory used by the recipient's physician for certain tests, a real estate agent recommended by a mortgage consultant, etc.), the call recipient does not know whether the caller is legitimate.
Conversely, a legitimate caller (such as an agent of a healthcare or financial services provider) may wish to discuss confidential or sensitive matters (such as health or financial records) with a specific person, but the caller first needs to verify that he or she is speaking with the correct person. The caller may not be certain that the correct telephone number was used, and/or that the person being sought is the person who answered the call. Such callers sometimes ask the call recipient to provide certain private information (e.g., birthdate, address, social security number, account numbers, etc.) so that the caller can verify the call recipient's identity before the caller begins discussing the confidential or sensitive matter. However, the call recipient does not know whether the caller can be trusted or is a scammer seeking the confidential information for unauthorized and/or fraudulent uses. The call recipient can refuse to provide the requested information, but this delays or foregoes what could be a time-sensitive or otherwise worthwhile conversation. The caller may choose to hang up and use a known telephone number to call the organization identified by the caller, in hopes of reaching someone who can discuss the matter, but this can be very time consuming and highly inefficient for both the call recipient and the caller. Additionally, legitimate callers expecting call recipients to provide such information to a stranger over the telephone may desensitize their clients/customers to such requests for confidential information, and the clients/customers may be more likely to subsequently fall for a scammer pretending to be a legitimate caller. Such organizations may inadvertently be "training" their customers to give out trusted information to otherwise unknown callers in this way, potentially setting up their customers for fraud in the future.


A hub includes a hub body having a speaker for outputting sound; a communication module disposed in the hub body and wirelessly communicating with peripheral devices; a hub base for supporting the hub body at a lower side thereof; a cover coupled to an upper part of the hub body and displaying, on an upper surface thereof, an interface screen formed on the basis of the information transmitted and received through the communication module; and a grille formed in the shape of a vertically long cylinder, which has a plurality of through-holes, such that the hub body is disposed therein, the upper end is coupled to the cover, and the lower end is coupled to the hub base.

Techniques that construct a network in a certain space, such as a home or an office, using devices that communicate with each other in a wired or wireless manner are known. Various devices having a communication function are connected to the network.
Conventionally, a home appliance, such as a washing machine, a refrigerator, or an air conditioner, is connected to an access point (AP), which is connected to the Internet, in a wired or wireless manner, thereby establishing a network. Such a home appliance shares information with a terminal (e.g., a smart phone) connected to the Internet. This method is limited with respect to the functions that may be implemented via the terminal since the information obtained from the home appliance is limited. For example, when attempting to control a refrigerator using the terminal, since sensors provided in the refrigerator are unchangeable, the information that the terminal may share with the refrigerator is also limited.
Recently, Internet-of-Things (IoT) technology has been attracting attention as a technology that may overcome the problems described above. This is a technology that allows things to share information therebetween by connecting the things over a wired or wireless network. IoT technology adds communication, sensor functions, etc. to various devices to enable the device itself to receive or transmit information and process the information so as to be automatically driven.
In response to this diversified network environment, it is necessary to develop a hub that is capable of synthetically managing devices and of more actively communicating with a user based on information that is shared with the devices.
Meanwhile, there is a need for an appropriate interface and an operation device for operating the interface, in order to allow the user to easily grasp the information exchanged with IoT devices via mutual communication and to control the devices.
In addition, because it is necessary for the operation device to operate correctly, and moreover, because the operation sensation of the operation device has a very important influence on the feeling of quality experienced by the user, a method for improving the feeling of quality obtained from the operation device is needed.
In this respect, it is conceivable to provide a hub including a display that outputs an interface screen and a window provided above the display so that the interface screen is visible from the outside. Particularly, since the window is a part that constitutes the external appearance of the hub, it is necessary to consider factors that affect the external appearance of the hub by adding the window.
In general, in the case of a small home appliance having a display panel, such as an LCD or an LED, the display panel is fixed on a PCB by a piece of double-sided tape. However, in this case, it is not easy to correctly attach the display panel at a predetermined position. In addition, since a normal PCB is obtained by processing a flat plate having a predetermined standard, it is difficult to form a device, such as a rib, that guides the correct position of the display panel over the PCB or that prevents movement of the display and the PCB to maintain them at the correct position once the display has been provided on the PCB, even if external shocks or shaking occurs.
Meanwhile, a hub body including a speaker is disposed in a cylindrical metal grille having multiple through-holes therein. Thus, when a communication module is disposed in the hub body to wirelessly communicate with peripheral devices, communication may not be smoothly performed due to signal interference (or radio wave cutoff) due to the grille.
Considering various factors, such as the design aspect of products, harmony with the surrounding environment, and the aesthetic appearance apparent to the user, the upper surface of the hub may be formed in a circular shape. In this case, it is necessary to form the upper surface of the hub so as to configure an external appearance having a sense of unity in cooperation with the side surface that extends downwards from the outer periphery of the upper surface when the user views the hub from above.
Meanwhile, since the hub body including the speaker is disposed in the cylindrical grille having the through-holes, in the case in which the grille is configured to have an elliptical cross-section, the metal grille itself has elasticity and restoring force, and therefore, is not easy to maintain in an elliptical shape.
In addition, there are many points to consider in order to form the grille that has not only an elliptical cross-sectional shape but also a cylindrical shape, in which an opening in the upper end thereof is within a plane inclined at a predetermined angle relative to the horizontal plane.
In addition, the hub may include a speaker to function as an audio system that reproduces music. In this case, the grille surrounding the speaker is formed with the through-holes, through which sound may be emitted. Since the through-holes determine the quality of sound and are closely related to the rigidity of the grille itself, it is necessary to consider how the through-holes are formed.
In addition, it is necessary to provide a method for effectively dissipating heat generated from various electrical components, such as a control unit (or a controller). Moreover, when a radiation plate formed of a metal material is applied, it is necessary to take measures to prevent the radiation plate from vibrating due to the output of the speaker provided in the hub body.
Meanwhile, in the development of such a hub, there is a need to provide measures to firmly support the hub on the floor, thereby preventing breakage due to overturning, and to prevent electrical components provided in the hub from being flooded even if the hub is mounted on floor having water thereon, such as a kitchen countertop, a bathroom, or a sink.
In addition, although the hub becomes smaller and lighter and the mobility thereof becomes better, in this case, there is a problem in that a cord that supplies a voltage to the hub is separated during the movement of the hub.

Hub for communication network, and manufacturing method therefor


An integrated oxidation ditch comprises a number of oval channels. There are two or more circular zones in the central island of the oxidation ditch, wherein, the two circular zones are tangential to the inner wall or share the inner wall with an adjacent channel. Wastewater of different zones is connected with others. The center island is used sufficiently in the oxidation ditch and all the channels and the deposition zone or the deposition zone and an anaerobic zone, inner/outer re-circulation zone are integrated together. So the oxidation ditch improves space utilization efficiency and reduces the land and cost.

As a round or ellipse oxidation ditch, oxidation ditch comprises various ditches of double-channel one, triple-channel one, quadruple-channel one and so on, with a central island arranged in the center. Both sides and bottom of the central island are of concrete as well as the middle wall is of an integrated structure formed by segregating a ring girder of reinforcing steel bar and a brick wall. These ditches are generally arranged as an anaerobic area, an anoxic area and an aerobic area when designing oxidation ditch. Most of deposition tank equipped in the process is designed outside of the oxidation ditch, making the overall treatment device be incompact. For the purpose of saving investment and reducing area occupied, a treatment device came into being, wherein the deposition tank is designed at the central island position of oxidation ditch. As disclosed in the Chinese Patent No.CN03223656.5 that "A wastewater treatment device using A2/O oxidation ditch process", the device consists of an anaerobic tank, an anoxic tank, an oxidation ditch and a deposition tank, wherein the combination of the deposition tank and the oxidation ditch form the tank body in the shape of concentric double-walled cylinder with the oxidation ditch around the outer side, the deposition tank inside and the anoxic tank located outside of the oxidation ditch as well as very near to the anaerobic tank outside of the anoxic tank. Although this design saves the space between tanks, and the connecting pipes in shared walls between tank bodies, the round deposition tank at the central island is an individual one. The objectives of deposition and separation will be realized only when sufficient volume of the deposition tank is ensured. Cost of the deposition tank accounts for 10-20% of the total costs of oxidation ditch. In terms of whole facility, defects of large area occupied and excessively-high costs still exist. In addition, the flexibility of use is inadequate and the whole device will be down in case of repairing deposition tank.
If the central island position is designed as a separate anaerobic area or a separate oxidation ditch, neither of these two forms is, from the design angle, rather reasonable no matter for area occupied or layout arrangement.


An undercarriage assembly for a work vehicle includes first and second roller frame assemblies, one on each side of the vehicle, an idler wheel assembly connected to one end of each roller frame assembly, and a drive wheel connected to the opposite end of each roller frame assembly. An endless elastomeric track belt encircles a respective drive wheel, roller frame assembly, and idler wheel assembly on each side of the vehicle. A rigid support beam connects each roller frame assembly to the main frame of the vehicle. Each idler wheel assembly includes first and second self-aligning mechanisms to provide that the track belt runs true and straight. The roller frame assemblies can be spaced laterally from the vehicle, using various size spacers, to provide various gage settings of the endless track belt. During adjustment of the roller frame assemblies, a supporting arrangement supports one track roller assembly by the other track roller assembly.

Construction, earthmoving, and agricultural type work vehicles are often equipped with endless self-laying track chain assemblies for support and propulsion of the vehicle. Such prior art track type vehicles, utilizing metal track chain assemblies, are generally low speed, noisy vehicles and work in environments which do not require any adjustment to the track gauge. More recently, work vehicles having endless elastomeric track belts have been utilized to perform work tasks previously accomplished by metal track equipped vehicles. The vehicles having elastomeric track belts have many advantages over metal track vehicles and also over wheel type work vehicles. Some of these advantages include less weight and maintenance, lower soil compaction, lower noise levels, and the ability to travel on improved roadways.
One type of prior belted vehicle is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,746, issued to R. J. Purcell et al. on Apr. 4, 1989. In this patent, each of the endless elastomeric belts is driven by a pair of elevated drive wheels and is guided and supported by a pair of large diameter idler wheels and a plurality of smaller diameter guide rollers. The idler wheels and guide rollers are supported and suspended by a plurality of links, levers, and fluid cylinders. This large number of components in the undercarriage and suspension adds complexity, weight, and cost to the vehicle.
Another type of belted vehicle having a track roller frame assembly is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,836,318 issued to A. J. Tonsor et al. on Jun. 6, 1989. This patent discloses a vehicle having a track roller frame which is connected to the front of the vehicle by a pivot joint, and is connected to the rear of the vehicle by a collar which extends between the two drive wheels. The track roller frame also has an inside support device which connects the roller frame to the vehicle on the inside of the drive wheels. Although this type of suspension and track roller frame would appear to function satisfactorily for this particular type of vehicle, it is rather complex and limits the ground clearance under the vehicle. The roller frame supports between the drive wheels and to the inside of the drive wheels would also tend to collect dirt and debris.
The present invention is directed toward overcoming one or more of the problems as set forth above.


A higher reliable air control valve capable of improving producibility and reducing manufacturing cost without unpleasant characteristic change under operation. An air control valve includes: a bobbin wound by an energizing coil; a fixed plate for covering one end of this bobbin to construct a magnetic path; a yoke for at least partially covering the other end of said bobbin and an outer peripheral portion of the energizing coil, and being engaged with said fixed plate to constitute the magnetic path; an exterior member for constituting an exterior of said energizing coil and for making up the bobbin, the fixed plate, and the yoke in an integral form; a fixed core fitted into an inner diameter portion of said bobbin and fixed to said fixed plate; a movable core slidably inserted into the inner diameter portion of the bobbin along an axial direction and on which a valve body is slidably mounted via a spring at one end thereof along the axial direction; a return spring mounted between a spring adjusting member provided with said fixed core and said movable core; and a housing having an air inlet port, an air outlet port, and a valve seat provided in an air passage between said air inlet port and said air outlet port. Both said valve body mounted on said movable core and said valve seats of the housing constitute a valve; and said inner diameter portion of said bobbin is a guide for slidably holding said movable core along the axial direction.

The present invention relates to an air control valve for controlling a flow rate of a fluid in response to an electric signal.
An air control valve for controlling a flow rate of air in response to an energizing current is provided in, for instance, an air passage used to bypass a throttle valve of an internal combustion engine. The air control valve is used to control an idling revolution number by controlling an air amount in response to a load of the internal combustion engine.
FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the conventional air control valve employed in such a use purpose, which is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. 4-39475.
In this drawing, reference numeral 10 indicates a solenoid unit of the air control valve. The solenoid unit 10 is arranged by a bobbin 11, an energizing coil 12 wound on the bobbin 11, a cylindrical yoke 13 for covering an outer peripheral portion of the energizing coil 12, a fixed plate 14 and a side plate 15, which are provided at both end surfaces of these members and constitute a magnetic path. The solenoid unit 10 is stored into a cover 17, and is fixed by a synthetic resin filling member 16. Furthermore, a sleeve 18 made of a nonmagnetic material is inserted into the inner diameter portion of the bobbin 11 and fixed therein. A fixed core 19 fixed on the fixed plate 14, and a movable core 20 slidably provided in the sleeve 18 are inserted into the inner diameter portion of the sleeve 18. A return spring 22 supported by a spring washer (spring retainer) 21 of the fixed core 19 is provided between the fixed core 19 and the movable core 20, so that the movable core 20 is energized along a direction opposite to the attraction force caused by the energizing coil 12. Reference numeral 23 indicates an external lead line of the energizing coil 12, and reference numeral 24 shows a grommet.
Reference numeral 30 indicates a valve unit of the air control valve. The valve unit 30 includes a housing 34 and a valve body 35. The housing 34 is fitted and secured to a faucet unit 15a provided on the side plate 15 of the solenoid unit 10, and includes an air inlet port 31, an air outlet port 32, and the valve seat 33 formed in an air passage defined in an intermediate portion between the air inlet port 31 and the air outlet port 32. The valve body 35 constitutes a valve together with a valve seat 33 of the housing 34, and is slidably fitted into a small diameter portion 20a of the movable core 20. The valve body 35 is depressed against a drop preventing stopper 37 provided at a tip portion of the small diameter unit 20a by a spring 36 provided between the valve body 35 and the movable core 20. It should be noted that reference numeral 38 is an adjusting screw for adjusting the characteristic of the an control valve. The adjusting spring 38 is provided between the stopper 37 and a spring retainer 40 fixed to an adjusting screw 39 provided on the housing 34. The adjusting spring 38 energizes the movable core 20 along a direction opposite to the return spring 22.
In the conventional air control valve with the above-described structure, even when the valve is under full close condition, the valve body 35 is kept under such a condition of being depressed against the stopper 7, and the spring 36 functions as a buffering operation when the valve seat 33 and the valve body 35 are closed.
When no energizing current is supplied to the energizing coil 12, the movable core 20 closes the valve by way of the return spring 22, and the energizing current is supplied to the energizing coil 12 so that, the attraction force is exerted between the fixed core 19 and the movable core 20. When this attraction force reaches a difference between the force of the adjusting spring 38 and the force of the return spring 22 applied along the direction opposite to this attraction force, the valve starts to open. When the energizing current valve is further increased, the valve open degree based upon the valve of the energizing current flowing through the energizing coil 12, or the duty ratio of the current is maintained. The air will flow from the air inlet port 31 of the housing 34 to the air outlet port 32 thereof, and an amount of this air is defined based upon the energizing current, or the duty ratio of the current.
In such an air control valve, since the sleeve 18 for holding therein the fixed core 19 and the movable core 20 is required to be made of the nonmagnetic material and for the non-corrosive material, stainless steel is usually used to manufacture the sleeve 18 in the conventional air control valve. However, this may cause the cost-up factor in view of the manufacturing stages and the material cost. Also, anti-corrosion characteristic and high accuracy are required for the valve seat 33, the cut-machined member of a brass material is employed. This may also increase the manufacturing cost.
Furthermore, the movable core 20 slidably held in the sleeve 18 along the axial direction is slidable also along the rotation direction. As a result, when a circulation stream happens to occur in the air taken from the air inlet port 31, or vibrations are applied to the conventional valve itself during operation, the valve body 35 would be rotated, so that there is a change in the relative position between the valve seat 33 and the valve body 35. In particular, when the valve open degree is low, the valve open degree characteristic with respect to the current value would be varied, and thus the revolution control would be brought into malfunction.
Furthermore, there are other problems that when the vibrations produced while the valve is fully open, and the over current are applied, the movable core 20 would collide with the fixed core 19, resulting in deterioration of durability.


A preferred method for transmission electron microscopy includes a step of generating a microscopy signal. The microscopy signal is then detected with an active pixel detector that includes a plurality of pixels. Each of the pixels includes at least one photodiode. Each pixel integrates an incident signal over a collection time period. Using a massively parallel on chip analog to digital conversion, very fast read out times can be achieved, e.g., many frames per second. In a preferred embodiment, the read out time permits there to be a single electron event recorded per pixel, indicating either a single electron or the lack thereof. This permits simple accumulation of the pixel counts for each pixel in read-out and storage electronics.

Transmission electron microscopy conducted conventionally involves the use of film, video cameras or CCD (charge coupled device) detectors to detect high energy charged particles directly or indirectly through the agency of a intervening electron-sensitive scintillator screen which allows information to be collected on photon sensitive devices. Existing detection techniques have drawbacks.
Transmission electron microscopy has many applications. One important application is to the analysis of protein structure. Protein crystallography is the premier method to determine the 3D structures of large proteins, DNA or RNA/protein complexes, and viruses.
Cryo-Electron Microscopy ("cryo-EM") could be used as a substitute technique for protein crystallography. An advantage of cryo-EM over protein crystallography is that it does not depend on growing large crystals, a very time consuming and, in many cases, impossible task. The main drawback, however, is the low resolution of the structures obtainable with conventional technology. For virus analysis, resolutions of about 7.4 Å have been achieved, and for large protein complexes, e.g., ribosome, resolutions of about 11.5 Å have been achieved. Despite these resolution limitations, cryo-EM has been employed successfully in time-resolved experiments to reveal the dynamic aspects of protein interaction.
Two principle factors limit the resolution of the structures characterized with cryo-EM. The first is difficulties with specimen stabilization and radiation damage. The second are difficulties with the collection and processing of the very large data sets required for statistical analysis. The problems with specimen stabilization and radiation damage have been largely corrected with electron microscopes that feature exceptional coherence and stability, and low temperature stages, and that hold specimens at either liquid nitrogen or liquid helium temperatures. Features have been developed that essentially remove chromatic aberration, for example.
The use of film to record images is problematic. While film provides excellent modulation transfer functions, especially in comparison with commercial CCD cameras, it requires several post-acquisition steps, including development and digitization, that are cumbersome and time-consuming. Even prior to the post acquisition, the use of film is cumbersome. The loading and unloading of film into a typical transmission electron microscope is a time-consuming procedure, and if the particular procedures are not followed exactly for a given microscope then the exposed film can be ruined or the unexposed film can be loaded improperly.
It has been estimated that to get a 10 Å (Angstrom) resolution structure of a large protein complex like the ribosome, it would be necessary to collect 100,000 images. We estimate that 3 Å resolution of a structure would require up to one million images with film. This renders present film detection techniques highly impractical, at the least.
CCD device detectors are also used for data detection in transmission electron microscopy. Commonly available CCD detectors for transmission electron microscopy have formats up to 4000×4000 pixels, although few, if any, commercial detectors deliver the full resolution of the device. The CCD detectors require the use of a phosphorescent scintillation screen to convert the electron image to a photonic image within a spectral range where the detector quantum efficiency is maximized. Unfortunately, with each electron event, a spot created within the scintillation screen is greater that the pixel pitch of the device. At 300 KeV, the full width at half maximum of the spot is around 30 μm; however, the full width at 1% is 200 μm. With a CCD pixel size of 15 μm×15 μm, the large spot size will effectively reduce a 2000×2000 pixel CCD to only 1000×1000 and a 4000×4000 pixel CCD to 2000×2000. To mitigate this problem, tapered fiber optics and/or demagnification lens optics can be used. However, large spatial distortions and non-uniformities, which are difficult to correct, are introduced by such optics. With demagnification lens-optics, the poor efficiency of the coupling dramatically reduces the number of photons reaching the CCD. CCD cameras for transmission electron microscopy can costs tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Direct collection transmission electron microscopy

The Regents of the University of California


Provided are embodiments for a system for offloading non-thrust loads. The system includes one or more thrust loads, and one or more non-thrust loads, and a controller that is operably coupled to the one or more thrust loads and the one or more non-thrust loads. The controller is configured to control the thrust loads and non-thrust loads, receive input from one or more sources, and identify a phase of flight based at least in part on the received input. The controller is also configured to offload one or more non-thrust loads during the phase of flight, and restore the one or more non-thrust loads. Also provided are embodiments for method for offloading non-thrust loads.

The present disclosure relates to energy management, and more specifically to intelligent engine offload of auxiliary loads for enhanced engine durability of an aircraft.
Aircraft can generate electrical power from an electrical generator that is coupled to the aircraft's engine. Various configurations can be used to control the rotation of the electrical generator to produce the electrical power for the aircraft. The electrical energy requirements for the aircraft can depend directly or indirectly from the electrical power produced by the generator. Because energy is limited onboard the aircraft, there may be a need to optimize the energy usage onboard the aircraft.

Intelligent engine offload of auxiliary loads for enhanced engine durability


A rail system for a marine vessel having an upper deck. The rail system has a set of forward rails that encloses a portion of the upper deck, where the set of forward rails includes a front rail and folding side rails. The set of forward rails is pivotable between an up position and a down position. A plurality of floor hinges pivotally couple the folding side rails to the upper deck. The set of forward rails has an up height when in the up position and a down height when in the down position that is lower than the up height.

The Background and Summary are provided to introduce a foundation and selection of concepts that are further described below in the Detailed Description. The Background and Summary are not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor are they intended to be used as an aid in limiting the scope of the claimed subject matter.
The following U.S. Patents and Patent Applications are incorporated herein by reference:
U.S. Pat. No. 6,715,440 discloses a collapsible changing room for a pontoon boat having a rear entry stern gate. The collapsible changing room is formed in part by the passenger seat positioned adjacent the rear entry stem gate. An L-shaped bracket is rigidly secured to the rear portion of the seat and is further hingedly secured to a vertical fence member spaced from the seat back. The seat and the L-shaped support can be rotated upwardly away from the boat deck to a position in which the seat bottom is generally perpendicular to the boat deck. When the seat is rotated to this position, a curtain frame hingedly connected to the seat can be rotated from a stored position within the seat base to an extended position substantially parallel to the boat deck. An opaque sheet or curtain depends from the curtain frame in a substantially vertical orientation to form an enclosed changing or privacy room. Generally, the curtain will include an opening having a closing mechanism such as a zipper to allow entry into the region partitioned by the curtain.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,443,088 discloses a gate assembly for a pontoon boat. The pontoon boat includes a platform deck atop a flotation device with a protective railing having fence sections and gate assemblies at least partially surrounding the deck. The gate assembly is disposed in a gap or opening in the protective fence between two of the fence sections and includes a gate, a gate stop, and a sliding hinge. The gate is attached by the hinge to one of the two fence sections at the opening of the protective railing, and the stop is attached to the other of the two fence sections and includes a stop member extending from the deck to near the top of the fence that will prevent the gate from swinging outwardly. The stop member includes a padding strip thereon between the stop member and the gate, which prevents rattling between the stop member and the gate.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,234,098 discloses a pontoon boat having a flotation device, a deck, and a pair of side rails. The flotation device includes at least two pontoons and a support frame extending between the pontoons and having a pair of side edges. The deck is disposed atop the flotation device and has a top surface and a pair of side edges. The side rail has a generally angled shape and comprises a generally horizontal leg and a generally vertical leg. A free edge of the horizontal leg overlies a portion of the deck proximal a deck side edge. The vertical second leg depends over the support frame side edge. The horizontal leg substantially, horizontally extends the deck. The rails include aligned inboard channels. Adjacent rails connect to one another by means of a plate or other member disposed in and attached to the inboard channel at the terminal ends of two adjoining rails providing for a non-overlapping joint.

Collapsible rail systems for marine vessels


According to one exemplary embodiment, a RAM employing system includes a RAM and a RAM controller coupled to the RAM. The RAM employing system further includes a command queue, which is configured to receive time encoded RAM commands from the RAM controller. The RAM is configured to retrieve, decode, and execute each of the time encoded RAM commands in the command queue.

Conventional systems utilizing a random access memory (RAM) (also referred to as a "system with RAM" or a "RAM employing system" in the present application), such as those including a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), typically have tight timing coupling, i.e., a known clock relationship, between the RAM and the RAM controller. In such systems having tight timing coupling, a single time domain exists between the RAM and the RAM controller, which allows the RAM controller to accurately track the status of the RAM on a per cycle basis to optimize the performance of the RAM. As such, the RAM controller can issue a sequence of RAM commands to the RAM in optimal order and with specific timing.
However, when conventional RAM employing systems are used with, for example, low-pin-count high performance systems, tight timing coupling between the RAM and the RAM controller may not be possible. More specifically, since low-pin-count high performance systems typically utilize buses that rely on flow control and loose timing coupling, the relationship between the clock of the RAM and the clock of the RAM controller will typically be unknown and difficult to determine. Therefore, in such systems utilizing loose timing coupling, a phase-shift results between the time domain of the RAM and the time domain of the RAM controller. Consequently, the specific timing of the RAM commands issued by the RAM controller to the RAM may not be maintained across the phase-shifted time domains, causing inaccurate or poor execution of RAM commands by the RAM.
Accordingly, there exists great need in the art for a RAM employing system that can be used with RAM controllers across multiple phase-shifted time domains, without sacrificing the RAM performance.

System and method for maintaining RAM command timing across phase-shifted time domains


Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for scheduling operations represented as a computational graph on a distributed computing network. A method includes: receiving data representing operations to be executed in order to perform a job on a plurality of hardware accelerators of a plurality of different accelerator types; generating, for the job and from at least the data representing the operations, features that represent a predicted performance for the job on hardware accelerators of the plurality of different accelerator types; generating, from the features, a respective predicted performance metric for the job for each of the plurality of different accelerator types according to a performance objective function; and providing, to a scheduling system, one or more recommendations for scheduling the job on one or more recommended types of hardware accelerators.

This specification relates to training machine learning models, including neural networks.
Neural networks are machine learning models that employ one or more layers of nonlinear units to predict an output for a received input. Some neural networks include one or more hidden layers in addition to an output layer. The output of each hidden layer is used as input to the next layer in the network, i.e., the next hidden layer or the output layer. Each layer of the network generates an output from a received input in accordance with current values of a respective set of network parameters.
Neural networks and other machine learning models can be processed for training or inference on a plurality of computing devices, collectively referred to in this specification as a distributed computing network.
A distributed computing network can be heterogeneous, meaning that the computing devices of the distributed computing network can include one or more different types of processing units, e.g., central processing units ("CPUs"), graphics processing units ("GPUs"), and tensor processing units ("TPUs"), as well as other forms of special-purpose logic circuitry, such as field-programmable gate arrays ("FPGAs"), and application-specific integrated circuits ("ASICs"). A heterogeneous distributed computing network can also include different generations of the same type of processing unit, e.g., the distributed computing network is considered heterogeneous if it includes a combination of first-generation TPUs, second-generation TPUs, and third-generation TPUs.
An individual computing device can be heterogeneous, meaning that the individual computing device can include multiple processing units of different types. In this specification, a distributed computing network that includes a heterogeneous computing device is considered a heterogeneous distributed computing network. A heterogeneous distributed computing network can receive a job representing a set of operations to execute on the network.

Recommendations for scheduling jobs on distributed computing devices


An improved in mold label for use in labeling products made by injection, or other, molding technologies has a zig-zag shaped edge cut contained in a registration area which contains ink that matches the product resin. At least one ledge is formed in a cavity wall of the mold proximate the position intended for receipt of an in mold label. The ledge protects the leading edge of the in mold label from the flow of resin through the cavity walls of the mold. Because the label leading edge is protected, the resin flows over the label and pins the label to the cavity wall of the mold, creating a container with the label formed on the container wall. Alternatively, a container lid is provided with a ledge to facilitate skirting and label placement on the pan area of the lid. These features both enhance the structural integrity and the uniform unblemished appearance of the finished molded container. Because of the enhanced structural integrity, high melt resin may be used to create the container, reducing the cycle time, and thus the cost of the product. The lack of blemishes in the finished container reduces manufacturing waste.

This invention relates generally to an improved label for food and drink containers made using an injection molding process. Specifically, this invention relates to a label ledge which supports a label that is applied to the product packaging during the injection molding process which results in a stronger, more attractive container than those made using in mold labeling.
Many plastic products are made using either injection or blow mold technology. Products that are made by injection molding are typically made using either a low melt resin or a high melt resin. When a lightweight or thin walled container is desired, it is generally more cost effective to make it from a high melt resin. This is because the high melt resin is more fluid at its processing temperature, and can more easily flow into the mold than can the low melt resin at its processing temperature. This quality permits the manufacturer to produce the products much more quickly using a high melt resin because the cycle time can be reduced.
Often it is desirable to place labels or designs on molded products. These labels or designs may either be applied to the product during the manufacturing of the product by using an in mold label, or afterwards using a label which is glued, printed, or otherwise applied to the finished product. It is generally more desirable to use an in mold label when creating commercial containers, because the label then becomes an integral part of the container. In mold labels generally create a more attractive product than labels which are glued or otherwise applied to the container after it has been manufactured. In addition to the initial appearance, using an in mold label also increases the commercial value of the container by creating a product that will remain attractive and visible after its direct use as a delivery container. Labels that are glued or otherwise applied to the container after manufacturing often peel or wash off. A label applied in mold will remain with the container as long as the container exists, with essentially the same appearance as the day the container was manufactured, thus creating a relatively permanent advertisement. This is particularly true when a label is applied to food product containers, which are often reused for food storage or consumption after the initial contents have been consumed.
Conventional or lenticular labels used during the injection molding process commonly obtain a latent fracture along the seam line, or other straight edges, when a label is applied in mold. A latent fracture can easily be turned into a full fracture by applying pressure on opposite sides of the container to which a traditional label has been applied. This is undesirable in a product subjected to repeated squeezing, such as drinking cups and container tops. Moreover, when these containers are subjected to extreme temperatures, such as when they contain ice cream, the extreme temperatures often cause a full fracture to develop along the latent fracture line.
In order to avoid such fractures, manufacturers typically use low melt resin to create containers to which labels are applied in mold. The sturdier container, which results from using the low melt resin, is less prone to fracture. However, using the low melt resin increases the cost of each container because of the increased processing time. In addition, the resulting containers are often heavier or have thicker walls than necessary for the product that the container is designed to hold.
In addition, manufacturers must typically keep large stocks of resin on hand for use in the molding process. Some manufacturers use high melt resin for the bulk of their products, but must also keep low melt resin available to produce in mold labeled products which cannot be made out of high melt resin, solely because the of the latent fractures created by the traditional in mold labels. By using a label which can be applied in mold to a high melt resin container, manufacturers may be able to avoid maintaining this additional stock of low melt resin.
Often the injection molding process drags ink from the edge cuts of the in mold label into the resin used to form the container, causing undesirable streaks in the resulting container. These streaks appear in the stacking ring and body of a container, which is generally unlabeled and downstream from the injection site. Although the resulting ink streaks are harmless, they are commercially unacceptable. As a result, a portion of each batch of containers must be discarded because their appearance is unacceptable. This streaking occurs when both low melt and high melt resin are used, and cannot be overcome by selection of an appropriate resin type.
Many containers formed via the injection molding process have radiused corners. For example, plastic cups commonly have a body that extends from a base. In some cases the body extends radially outwardly from the base. Problems arise when the corners or radiused portions of the container are adjacent the area where the in mold label is to be placed.
In an in mold labeling injection molding process, the mold has radii formed at various portions to define the cup or container. The label is placed along a cavity wall within the mold at the desired location. When the resin is injected into the mold, the resin flow of plastic often pushes the label out of the desired location, as opposed to pinning the label along the cavity wall of the mold. The flow of resin displaces the label away from the cavity wall and flows around both sides of the label, causing scrap. This leads to the wasting of large amounts of molding material, which correlate to increased manufacturing costs. Furthermore, the labels are not currently placed on elevated planes of containers. The labels are typically placed on the container, but not on the bottom of the container.
Finally, lids are often placed onto these cups and containers. Labels may be placed onto the lids to preserve the products residing therein. The labels may be decorative and positioned along the side panel of the lid, known as skirting, as well as on the top, or pan area, of the lid. However, the attempts to place labels on the container lids encounter the same challenges as seen with the labels placed around the container body: The lids have corners or radiused portions adjacent the area where the in mold label is to be placed.
Thus, a need exists for a label that can be applied during the injection molding process that does not permit displacement of a label during the flow of resin through the mold. Further, there is a desire to place labels on in mold container on an elevated plane. Finally, there is a desire to apply labels to containers as well as container lids during the injection molding process with an aesthetically pleasing result.

Label ledge for injection molded containers


Systems and methods for magnetic field-dependent relaxometry using magnetic resonance imaging (“MRI”] are provided. Relaxation parameters, including longitudinal relaxation time (“T1”) and transverse relaxation time (“T2”), are estimated from magnetic resonance signal data acquired at multiple different magnetic field strengths using the same MRI system. By measuring these relaxation parameters as a function of magnetic field strength, T1 dispersion data, T2 dispersion data, or both, are generated. Based on this dispersion data, quantitative physiological parameters can be estimated. As one example, iron content can be estimated from T2 dispersion data.

The field of the invention is systems and methods for magnetic resonance imaging ("MRI"). More particularly, the invention relates to systems and methods for magnetic field-dependent relaxometry using MRI.
The use of MRI as a quantitative tool has continued to attract great interest in the clinical and research communities. One of the most common MRI techniques for quantitative diagnosis is relaxometry, in which longitudinal relaxation time, T1, transverse relaxation time, T2, or both can be estimated in a region-of-interest and used to generate quantitative maps based on the relaxation times. In general, relaxometry techniques make use of sampling magnetic resonance signals at two or more different time points (e.g., echo times) using a long repetition time ("TR").
Imaging iron content in the body (and especially the brain) is very desirable. Iron content has been shown to correlate with multiple neurological disorders (e.g., Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease). Current methods to image iron content revolve around quantifying the drop in magnetic resonance signal when the echo time of a gradient echo sequence is increased. This allows the apparent transverse relaxation rate, R2*=1/T2*, to be measured in vivo. However, R2* can change for many reasons that might not be associated to iron content. Furthermore, this technique is not very sensitive to small quantities of iron.
Longitudinal and transverse relaxation times have been shown to be dependent on magnetic field strength. For instance, the transverse relaxation times, T2, of ferritin solutions show a linear increase with magnetic field strength, with the slope of this increase depending on the ferritin loading factor. If the T2 of tissues at multiple field strengths can be computed, then iron content can be estimated. Moreover, it may be possible to determine which form the iron is deposited in, which could be very advantageous in trying to identify iron's role in neurological disorders.
These magnetic field-dependent relaxometry techniques have not been adopted for routine clinical implementation, however, because they require estimating the relaxation parameters at multiple different magnetic field strengths. Using currently available technology, this requirement is generally satisfied only by moving the subject between multiple different MRI systems, each with a different magnetic field strength (e.g., a 0.5 T, 1.0 T, 1.5 T, and 3 T system.
Thus, there remains a need for providing systems and methods for magnetic field-dependent relaxometry that can be readily implemented in clinical and research environments without the need for multiple different MRI systems.


A process for preparing a divinylarene dioxide including the steps of: (a) feeding one or more feed streams of the following reactants into a reactor system: (i) at least one divinylarene, (ii) at least one oxidizing agent, and (iii) at least one solvent to form a reaction mixture in the reactor system; (b) continuously reacting together the one or more feed streams of the reactants of step (a) in the reaction mixture; and (c) controlling heat removal of the reaction mixture as the reactants of step (b) react together; wherein the heat removal is sufficient to provide a residence time of the reactants in the reaction mixture of less than about 180 minutes residence time of the reactants in the reaction step (b); and an apparatus for preparing a divinylarene dioxide.

Divinylarene dioxide, such as divinylbenzene dioxide (DVBDO), an oxirane compound, advantageously can have a 1,000 times lower viscosity (for example, 8 mPa-s-12 mPa-s) than conventional epoxy resin compounds; and divinylarene dioxide resins are beneficially used in many applications including for example coatings, laminates and adhesives. Therefore, it would advance the art to provide a process for preparing an oxirane compound at high yields and high selectivity on a commercial scale.
Currently known processes for producing an oxirane compound include a batch, a semi-batch process or a continuous process. Known batch or a semi-batch process for producing a divinylarene dioxide resin, such as DVBDO, have the disadvantage of, for example, involving highly exothermic oxidation of divinyl benzene (DVB) with a net heat of reaction of up to 606 kJ/mol and an adiabatic temperature rise up to 523 K for a feed stream composition containing up to 13 weight percent (wt %) DVB. The reaction exotherm of the semi-batch process, for example, is addressed by slow addition of the reactants over 4-5 hours resulting in a long processing time of up to 6 hours; and hence, the productivity of the process is considered low. For example, the yield of DVBDO produced in a 15.14 cubic meter batch reactor is about 150 kg/hour.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,977,374 discloses a continuous process for preparing oxirane compounds; and the advantages of a continuous process over a batch synthesis. WO/2012/082482 and WO 2011/084687 A1 disclose a process to make divinylarene dioxide from divinyl benzene in the presence of a peroxycarboximidic acid agent. WO/2012/082482 mentions using a process including a combination of a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) and a plug flow reactor (PFR) for continuously processing divinylbenzene dioxide.

Process and apparatus for producing divinylarene dioxide


Control systems and methods are for a marine engine emitting exhaust gas. A sensor senses a characteristic of the exhaust gas. An electrical heater heats the sensor. A control circuit monitors current drawn by the heater. The control circuit controls an operational characteristic of the engine based upon the characteristic of the exhaust gas and modifies its control of the operational characteristic of the engine when the current drawn by the heater changes by a predetermined amount.

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/316,164, filed Dec. 9, 2011, which is incorporated herein by reference in entirety, discloses marine engine exhaust systems that include an exhaust conduit conveying engine exhaust gas from upstream to downstream, a sensor sensing oxygen content of the exhaust gas in the conduit, and a shield located in the conduit.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,552,586, which is incorporated herein by reference in entirety, discloses a marine engine exhaust system having an oxygen sensor located within a catalyst housing structure and downstream from a catalyst device.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,467,628 discloses a control system for an oxygen sensor heater. The control system includes a passive heater control module that generates a heater control signal at a first duty cycle and measures a resistance of the oxygen sensor heater. An exhaust gas temperature mapping module maps the resistance to an exhaust gas temperature. An active heater control module generates a heater control signal at a second duty cycle based on the exhaust gas temperature.

Control systems and methods for marine engines emitting exhaust gas


A clamp apparatus including band means which is annular or substantially annular in form. The band means has two opposing ends and protruding means are provided to protrude outwardly of the band means at each of the opposing ends. At least one of said protruding means is integrally formed with the band means.

Profile clamps are typically used for joining the ends of two pipes or conduits together in use. An example of a profile clamp comprises an annular clamping band having two opposing ends and a space defined between the ends. A lug is provided at each end of the band and the lugs, which are generally opposing each other, are arranged to protrude radially outwardly from the band. A tensioning device, such as for example a nut and bolt, is typically located between the two opposing lugs to allow the clamping band to be moved between clamped and unclamped positions in use. An example of a profile clamp is disclosed in US2015/0267729.
Conventionally, profile clamps have generally been formed by a metal pressing process. Problems associated with a conventional profile clamp are that the clamping band tends to lose its shape and form towards the lugs, particularly when the clamping band is placed under load in use. This can result in non-uniform contact between the clamp and the one or more items being clamped in use. A profiled clamp with a roller annular V-shaped profile could overcome this issue. However, this typically requires additional features to be welded or formed onto the ends of the v-shaped profile, thereby increasing the costs associated with manufacturing the clamp. In addition, this type of clamp is less able to adapt to changes in temperature, which can cause thermal expansion stresses in the clamp or underlying components.
It is therefore an aim of the present invention to provide clamp apparatus that overcomes the abovementioned problems.
It is a further aim of the present invention to provide a method of using or manufacturing clamp apparatus that overcomes the abovementioned problems.
It is a yet further aim of the present invention to provide profiled clamp apparatus or V-profiled clamp apparatus; and a method of using or manufacturing profiled clamp apparatus or V-profiled clamp apparatus.

Clamp apparatus and method of use or manufacture thereof


A system for providing an interactive response system for hosted services may include a processor and a memory. The processor may facilitate steps of receiving data streams from participant devices, such as devices participating in a multimedia conference, and transmitting, in response to receiving the data streams from the participant devices, the data streams to the other of the participant devices. The steps may further include receiving, from one of the participant devices, a request to initiate communication with an invitee device, processing the data streams to determine a language associated with the data streams, and providing, to the invitee device, a communication in the determined language. The communication provided to the invitee device may be an initial communication of an interactive response system, such as an interactive voice response system or an interactive messaging response system.

Multiple individual users participating in a hosted service, such as a hosted multiway multimedia conferencing service, may be able to interact and communicate with one another irrespective of the users' physical locations and irrespective of the technological capabilities of the users' devices. For example, some users may access the hosted service using devices that include a display for viewing/accessing a graphical user interface (GUI) corresponding to the hosted service, such as a computer, while other users may access the hosted service using devices that do not include such a display, such as legacy telephones.
In some instances, the hosted service may allow participating users to invite additional users to participate in the hosted service. For example, users participating in a multiway multimedia conference may invite an additional user to join the multiway multimedia conference. However, since the participating users and the invited user may be disparately located, and since the participating users and the invited user may access the hosted service using technologically disparate devices, the invited user may be unable to control and interact with the hosted service in the same manner in which the participating users control and interact with the hosted service.

Interactive response system for hosted services


An electrified vehicle according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a battery including a first strand of cells and a second strand of cells, an electric machine selectively powered by the battery, and at least one auxiliary component selectively powered by the battery. The battery is configurable such that the at least one auxiliary component is able to draw power from the first strand of cells but not the second strand of cells. A method is also disclosed.

The need to reduce automotive fuel consumption and emissions is well known. Therefore, vehicles are being developed that reduce reliance on internal combustion engines. Electrified vehicles are one type of vehicle being developed for this purpose. In general, electrified vehicles differ from conventional motor vehicles because they are selectively driven, at least partially, by one or more battery-powered electric machines. Conventional motor vehicles, by contrast, rely exclusively on the internal combustion engine to drive the vehicle. Some electrified vehicles also include one or more auxiliary component, such as an electric brake, steering component, etc., that draws power from the same battery that powers the electric machine.

Electrified vehicle with splittable battery and associated method


A multi-tier traction battery support assembly includes, among other things, a lower-tier battery array, an intermediate bracket directly secured to at least one endplate of the lower-tier battery array, and an upper-tier battery array supported on the intermediate bracket. A multi-tier traction battery support method includes supporting an intermediate bracket with at least one endplate of a lower-tier battery array and supporting an upper battery array with the intermediate bracket. The intermediate bracket is secured directly to the at least one endplate.

Electrified vehicles differ from conventional motor vehicles because electrified vehicles are selectively driven using one or more electric machines powered by a traction battery. The electric machines can drive the electrified vehicles instead of, or in addition to, an internal combustion engine. Example electrified vehicles include hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), and battery electric vehicles (BEVs). The traction battery can include battery arrays arranged in tiers.

Traction battery upper-tier battery array support assembly and support method


The present invention relates to a water filter including an outer connector, an inner connector, a flow control sheet and a strainer. A flange extends from the periphery of the upper surface of the outer connector with at least two protrusions extending therefrom. A plurality of guiding ribs is formed at the inner surface of the sidewall of the outer connector near the bottom surface of the outer connector and radiating from the center of the outer connector. A board is formed at the inner surface of the sidewall of the outer connector connecting with upper ends of the guiding ribs. A plurality of puncturing posts projects from the upper surface of the board. A rim extends from the periphery of the upper surface of the inner connector with at least two positioning cutouts being defined therein. The inner connector is received in the outer connector with the positioning cutouts respectively engagingly receiving the protrusions of the outer connector. A plurality of annular posts is formed in the inner connector with a plurality of guiding apertures being defined therethrough. The guiding apertures are above the puncturing posts of the outer connector. Thus, the water filter is ready to disassemble for cleaning and easy to assemble or disassemble in a DIY manner. Furthermore, the water filter is simple and for which a mold is ready to design and fabricate with low cost thereby facilitating to mass-produce.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a water filter, and particularly to a water filter which is used for connection with a faucet for leaching, guiding and saving water.
2. Prior Art
In general, a conventional water filter is connected to an outlet portion of a faucet for leaching, guiding and saving water. There are various structures or types of water filters. Referring to FIGS. 4–6, a conventional water filter mainly includes an outer connector 60, an inner connector, a flow control sheet 80 and a strainer 90 (Showed in FIG. 4).
A positioning post 61 is formed at the center of the outer connector 60 with one end near the bottom surface of the outer connector 60 and the other end projecting from the upper surface of the outer connector 60. A plurality of puncturing posts 62 is formed at the outer connector 60 about the positioning post 61 and is arranged in several circles with different diameters. The heights of the puncturing posts are gradually reduced along a direction away from the positioning post 61. A plurality of ribs 63 is formed at the inner surface of the sidewall of the outer connector 60 (Showed in FIG. 5).
A plurality of apertures 71 is evenly defined about the center of the inner connector 70. A plurality of cutouts 72 is defined in the outer surface of the sidewall of the inner connector 70 (Showed in FIG. 6). When the inner connector 70 is received in the outer connector 60, the cutouts 72 of the inner connector 70 engagingly receive and position the ribs 63 of the outer connector 60. The upper surfaces of the outer and inner connectors 60, 70 are coplanar (Showed in FIG. 4).
When the conventional water filter is attached to an outlet portion of a faucet (not shown) and the faucet is turned on, water will flow into the water filter, from the strainer 90, through the flow control sheet 80, into the apertures 71 of the inner connector 70, towards the puncturing posts 62 for piercing air bubbles in the water, and then out of the outer connector 60. Since the air bubbles in the water are pierced by the puncturing posts 62, the water flowing out of the outer connector 60 has no air bubbles and therefore is filtered. Thus, the water filter has a filtration function.
However, when it is desired to disassemble the water filter for cleaning after a period of time of use, the water filter cannot be detached directly by tools (not shown) since the inner and outer connectors 70, 60 are engaged with the cutouts 72 receiving the ribs 63 and the upper surfaces of the inner and outer connectors 70, 60 being coplanar. Maybe a sharp member (not shown) is used to extend through the bottom surface of the outer connector 60 and is applied with force to push the inner connector 70. However, the outer and inner connectors 60, 70 are not ready to detach since they are in tight engagement. Furthermore, since the inner and outer connectors 70, 60 are made of plastic, once the force is over applied, the outer and inner connectors 60, 70 are easy to be damaged, even adversely affect the function of the water filter. Thus, the conventional water filter is inconvenient for users to assemble or disassemble in a DIY manner, even not practical.
Moreover, the outer and inner connectors 60, 70 are complicated due to the configurations of the puncturing posts 62, the ribs 63 and the cutouts 72 and therefore a mold for the water filter is complicated too, which results in high manufacture cost. Thus, it is desired to improve the conventional water filter.


Some embodiments of the present invention provide a spacer configured to mount a fan housing to a surface of a structural support. In some embodiments, the spacer includes a body, a first aperture passing through the body and having a first length through the body, and a second aperture passing through the body and having a second length through the body, wherein the second length is different than the first length. The body can be oriented in a first orientation with respect to the fan housing and structural support or in a second orientation with respect to the fan housing and structural support to mount the fan housing at different distances from a mounting surface of the structural support.

Ventilation fans, such as those often found in bathrooms, typically draw air from within an area and pass the exhausted air out to another location, such as through a vent in the gable or roof of a home or other building structure. Some ventilation fans are used to circulate air within an area. Ventilation fans typically include a rotating fan wheel coupled to and driven by a motor or other driving unit supported within the fan housing. When rotated, the fan wheel generates airflow into a housing of the fan and out of an outlet opening.
Conventional ventilation fans are often mounted to a building structure, such as in a ceiling or wall of the building structure. In many cases, such fans are mounted to a beam, joist, stud, or other portion of the building structure. For example, the housing of a ventilation fan can be secured to a structural support by one or more fasteners passed through apertures in the housing and into the structural support.


This specification discloses an article for providing fresh water to fowl and a method for making the same. The article comprises a valve which is adapted to be attached to a bottle. The valve is adapted to be attached to a bottle by way of a female connection adapter. This specification also discloses a valve comprising a valve body and an actuating mechanism comprising an actuating pin, a receiver pin and a ball. The receiver pin has a thermal conductivity selected from the group of between greater than 50 Btu/(hr-° F.-ft) at 68° F., greater than 100 Btu/(hr-° F.-ft) at 68° F. and greater than 150 Btu/(hr-° F.-ft) at 68° F. The receiver pin also has a length dimension configured so that greater than about 25%, greater than about 35%, greater than about 50%, greater than about 75% or greater than about 90% of the receiver pin length extends beyond the receiver first end when the valve is closed.

Providing a fresh source of water for chickens, ducks, guinea hens and other fowl is a significant concern for many farmers. The simplest method of providing fresh water involves placing buckets, bowls or troughs of water into the pen, brooder or other holding area. This simple approach has been used for many years, but it requires regular flushing, cleaning and re-filling of the bucket, bowl or trough. If the bucket, bowl or trough is not flushed, thoroughly cleaned and re-filled on a regular basis the stagnant water becomes dirty, can be contaminated with fecal matter and can be overrun by bacteria and insects that can transmit serious diseases to the fowl. This is of particular concern for young fowl that are kept and raised in a brooder containing a fresh water source where the young fowl are more likely to soil the water source and are more susceptible to disease. Additionally, buckets, bowls and troughs of water can freeze in cold temperatures requiring a time consuming process of thawing or breaking up the frozen water to give the fowl access to drinkable water.
Some have proposed an article that provides a self contained water source that can be released through a valve into a common trough when actuated by the fowl. One such device is proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,829,933 to Van der Veer and comprises a float operated actuater for a drinking nozzle that is manually actuated to release water into a drinking trough. This approach suffers in that once the water is released to the common trough it can become contaminated with dirt, bacteria and fecal matter.
Other have proposed an article which is completely self contained and provides water to when actuated by the fowl. Articles have existed at least since the 1940's for providing water to fowl through a self contained system. These systems generally make use of a valve or a series of valves which can be actuated by the fowl to release a flow of water.
For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 2,486,729 to Beckley describes a poultry-watering device comprising a water pipe connected to a low pressure water supply system with a series of fitted fixtures that are sensitive to the contact of the fowl.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,322,101 to Eagles et al. describes a nozzle having a nipple that is attached to an unknown source of water. An animal contacts the nipple, opening the valve and permitting water to flow out of the valve.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,418,977 to Godshalk describes a poultry watering device comprising a rigid valve body member inserted through a port in an elongated conduit. The fowl pushes upwardly with its beak against the valve to unseat the valve element and permit the flow of water through the valve.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,416,221 to Novey describes a nipple type waterer and valve having an end fitting accessible to an animal with the tip being in the form of a nipple that can be displaced laterally to open the valve.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,984,537 to Steudler, Jr. describes a nipple drinker including a passage, a ball valve which closes the passage when seated and a ball valve actuating stem having a head and a pin. Fowl can actuate a stem to unseat the ball valve to initiate water flow.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,058,881 to Thompson describes a watering valve for birds and small animals having a spring biased metering pin with a tubular actuator stem. The bird or animal applies a demand force to the actuator stem to displace the stem and initiate water flow.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,308,657 to Schumacher et al. describes a drinking valve having a casing, an acceptance part, a connecting part and a snap-in connection.

Apparatus for providing fresh water to fowl and method of making the same


A conveyor belt cleaner system comprising a plurality of scrapers for contacting and cleaning a conveyor belt includes an adjustable, internal torsion assembly that avoids external springs. A scraper assembly comprises an elongated, generally tubular torque arm of square cross section having an integral, upwardly projecting flange that mounts the scrapers. The torque arm is mounted for rotation radially toward or away from the conveyor belt between suitable brackets. Internal Z-shaped torsion springs extend generally from the brackets to the torque arm interior. The springs yieldably bias the scraper assembly against the conveyor belt. One leg of the Z-shaped springs is torsionally locked within the torque arm between opposed corners, and the opposite end terminates in a drive key projecting from the brackets. Preferably a ratchet system is employed to lock the torque arm in a desired tension. A variety of different scraper blade shapes and configurations can be used. Primary cleaners are preferably formed of urethane. In one embodiment, trunnions extending from the brackets over the spring legs are coaxially, telescopingly received within the torque arm.

The present invention broadly relates to conveyor belt scrapers or cleaners. More particularly, our invention relates to mechanical biasing systems for conveyor belt cleaners.
As is well known in the art, materials handled by conveyor belts often tend to stick to the belt surface. Numerous conveyor belt cleaner systems have been proposed for cleaning purposes. Systems that hold a series of teeth or blades against a conveyor belt surface to scrape off material adhering to the belt have been present in the industry for years. Such systems have removable blades and adjustment systems for varying the position of the blades relative to the conveyor belt. Such a system is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,953,689.
Cleaning blades or scraping structures must normally be mechanically biased against the belt surface to be cleaned for maximum efficiency. Such a system is disclosed in Swinderman U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,386. This patent discloses a weighted, generally V-shaped blade that is tethered to a frame encompassing a conveyor belt. The downward pressure of the scraper is increased by the addition of ballast to a housing disposed on the scraper. Lenbek, U.S. Pat. No. 4,586,600, relates to a torsioning arrangement for a belt cleaner which employs a camming feature to hold the scrapers in the cleaning position against the belt. Stahura U.S. Pat. No. 4,098,394 discloses a mounting support arrangement for a conveyor belt cleaner which employs a ratchet system to keep the scrapers biased against the belt and a locking dog to secure the shaft containing the blades against counter rotation.
Swinderman U.S. Pat. No. 4,925,434 discloses a torsional tension device for imparting torsional bias to the shaft containing the cleaning blades while simultaneously providing a shock absorbing mechanism. This is accomplished by a series of hubs and a torsion coupling of elastomeric material connecting the two hubs together. Bushings of elastomeric material provide the shock absorbing feature of the Swinderman patent, while set screws lock the shaft in a position imparting tension through the blades against the belt.
Other devices for biasing blades against a conveyor belt are disclosed in Gordon, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,202,437; 4,231,471 and 4,533,036. The first of these patents discloses a conveyor belt scraper assembly having three sets of blades disposed on a rotating housing. Each set of blades slides in a channel on the housing. This allows the blades not currently in contact with the belt to be replaced. The second of the Gordon patents discloses a conveyor belt apron assembly employing "U" shaped brackets. Each bracket being individually biased toward the conveyor belt and each bracket holding a scraper. The tension of this bracket assembly is adjusted by a wedge extending into the side walls of the bracket. The third Gordon patent discloses a plurality of elastomer blades mounted on a shaft. All or some of the blades having a resilient resin torsion member biasing each blade toward the conveyor belt.
All the above patents to one degree or another lack features desirous in a conveyor belt cleaning system. Desirable features include ease of adjustment, compactness of design, shock absorbency, and ease of installation. Known devices use cumbersome and unreliable external torsion spring systems that detract from efficiency.

Torque arm system for conveyor belt cleaners