A braiding portion and a sheath portion of a coaxial cable are positioned at predetermined locations on a fixture plate portion by making use of a positioning line formed on the fixture plate portion as a mark corresponding to a boundary between the braiding portion and the sheath portion. In addition, the sheath portion so positioned is pressed into second clamping barrels by taper portions of a jig member which are passed through holes formed in the fixture plate portion, and in association with this, the braiding portion is also pressed into a first clamping barrel.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an earthing plate and a jig for mounting a coaxial cable thereon, and more particularly to an earthing plate that is fixed to a body of an automobile or the like and a jig for mounting a coaxial cable such as an antenna cable on the earthing cable.
2. Related Art
In recent years, in many cases, a coaxial cable is connected to audio equipment installed on an automobile as an antenna cable. In order to fix the coaxial cable to the body while grounding it at an intermediate position along the length of the coaxial cable so laid out, in many cases, the coaxial cable is mounted on an electric wire fixture designated as an earthing plate. FIG. 7 is a perspective view which shows a conventional earthing plate on which a coaxial cable has not been mounted yet. FIGS. 8A and 8B are explanatory views which explain a problem inherent in the conventional earthing plate shown in FIG. 7.
As shown in FIG. 7, a conventional earthing plate 91 is formed substantially into a square conductive plate and includes two sheath portion clamping barrels 911 which extend from a front edge of the plate 91 and are turned back on themselves so as to be formed substantially into an arc-like shape and a braiding portion clamping barrel 912 which extends from the front edge at a position lying centrally between those sheath portion clamping barrels 911 and is turned back on itself so as to be formed into a U-shape. In addition, a machine screw hole 81a is opened at a central portion of the earthing plate 91 so that a machine screw is passed therethrough to fix the earthing plate 91 to the body.
On the other hand, a coaxial cable 92 that is to be mounted on the earthing plate 91 is made up, to describe radially outwardly from its axial center, of a core wire (not shown) which is a bundle of fine metallic wires, an insulating layer which surrounds the core wire, a braiding portion 922 provided with a layer of fine metallic wires which surrounds the insulating layer and a sheath portion 921 made of, for example, rubber which surrounds the braiding portion 922. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the coaxial cable 92 is removed around the full circumference thereof at part of the sheath portion 921, so that the braiding portion 922 thereat is exposed.
When mounting the coaxial cable 92 so configured on the earthing plate 91, the sheath portion 921 and the braiding portion 922 are aligned, respectively, with the sheath portion clamping barrels 911 and the braiding portion clamping barrel, the respective portions of the coaxial cable 92 are then manually pressed in a direction indicated by an arrow in FIG. 7 so as to be pressed into the corresponding barrels 911, 912, and the sheath portions 921 and the braiding portion 922 are clamped by the respective barrels 911 and 912 using an exclusive jig or fastened through clamping, so that the coaxial cable 92 is fixed to the earthing plate 91.
Note that there exists JP-2004-40867A as related art document information on the aforesaid conventional earthing plate.
When the three portions, the braiding portion 922 and the two sheath portions 921, are pressed, respectively, into the barrel 912 and the two barrels 911 at the same time, however, while it is easy to press the two sheath portions 921, which are located on sides of the braiding portion 922, into the barrels 911, the centrally positioned braiding portion 922 tends to be deflected as shown in FIG. 8A.
In addition, an extent to which the sheath portion 921 and the braiding portion 922 are pressed into the barrels 911 and 912 is unclear, and due to this, in the current situations, the pressing work relies on the faculties of sensation of workers. Consequently, there sometimes occurs a case where the coaxial cable 92 is displaced in position in a direction indicated by an arrow Y in FIG. 8B.
Furthermore, since an extent to which the setting position of the coaxial cable 92 is permitted to be displaced in a direction indicated by an arrow X in FIG. 8B is also uncertain, there sometimes occurs a case where the setting position of the coaxial cable 92 is displaced in the direction indicated by the arrow X.
The deflection of the braiding portion 922 as shown in FIG. 8A and the displacement of the setting position of the coaxial cable 92 in the directions indicated by the arrows X and Y in FIG. 8B may lead to the reduction in reliability and damage to the sheath portion 921 and the braiding portion 922 by the respective barrels, and it is feared that a short-circuit will be caused in the worst case. Consequently, it is demanded that the stable product quality be secured at all times without relying on the skills and faculties of sensation of workers.

Earthing plate and jig for mounting a coaxial cable thereon


A reflective rescue signaling device for revealing a specific location of a person in distress from a distance, which includes a buoyant container (30) provided with an attachment ring (38) to which a lid (50) is removably attached. The container is equipped with an attaching loop (42) having a bore (44) for fastening the container to an object or onto a person. The lid has a handle (70) on one side and a spindle (58) on the other to which a length of reflective tape (94) is rolled. The tape is attached on one end to the spindle and on the other to an inside surface of the container such that when the lid is removed the reflective tape may be unrolled from the spindle and thrown or dropped into the water When on land the tape may be manually unrolled and placed in an open clearing or on top of vegetation for visual recognition and identification from a distance or to indicate direction.

The present invention relates to signaling devices in general. More specifically to a visual indicating double sided reflective signal rescue tape that is extended outwardly for achieving visual identification from a distance.
Previously, many types of signaling devices have been used in endeavoring to provide an effective means for locating lost persons on both the land and on water. Many inventions have been made by those knowledgeable in the art such as flares, balloons, signal transmitters and the like. As an example Howard in U.S. Pat. No. 4.416,212 teaches a rescue signal to be used in the water which is defined by a tube of thin flexible material about the length of a persons arm and about the width of his hand. The tube is preferably colored international emergency orange. A flag of similar material, except of a contrasting color, is fastened to the end of the tube. When not in use and for storage the device is stowed in a compact package and carried in a downward opening pocket on the users life jacket.
Another approach to rescue equipment is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,079,364 issued to Antemore on Mar. 14, 1978 in which he discloses an alarm apparatus worn by a person when traveling or being around open water. The device is activated by itself when immersed in water. If the wearer should accidentally fall into the water an alarm will automatically sound without any action required by the user. The alarm is mounted in a buoyant housing constructed such that the device will be self-righting and float to the surface of the water in a upright position permitting the alarm signal to be emitted outwardly from the water when the housing reaches the surface. Various embodiments and actuating release circuits are disclosed in this patent of Antemore.
Other approaches have been taken by prior art to signal an emergency if a person falls unavoidably into a body of water, such as signal transmitters and satellite positioning electronic equipment that sends a signal indicating the actual location of the emergency. Simple pieces of shaped colored material have been used on land to spell out emergency messages for air searches that may be carried on ones person when traveling in remote areas.
The problem of locating people by rescuers has been with us for centuries as people sometimes become lost or injured in remote areas and boating accidents happen unexpectedly. While this occurrence is normally rare and unusual, incidents do transpire that are beyond the persons control however with preplanning and forethought ones life may be saved. It is therefore a primary object of the invention to provide a signaling device that is light in weight and compact enough to be carried on ones person without undue discomfort or annoyance particularly when wearing a life vest. The signaling invention presented is small enough to be attached easily to a life preserver in an out of the way position. Further the same device may be carried in a backpack or haversack when traveling in the back country or remote areas away from civilization. The invention may be also easily carried in an aircraft or an off-road vehicle where rescue may be achieved when location and identification is required.
An important object of the invention is the ease of recognition from a distance as the device incorporates a 50 foot (15.24 meter) tape of floatable material that has one side coated with a florescent emergency orange color and the other side a reflective silver surface. This tape is stored in a floatable container and when used is pulled out and thrown into the water. The lid of the storage container floats as does the tape and as it unrolls, when thrown, a streamer is created that has sufficient length to be recognized from great distances. In the water both the color and reflective surface may be visualized as it does not always lay straight allowing the reflective surface to glimmer in the sun and the fluorescent color to be recognized simultaneously. The tape or ribbon has sufficient width to be seen from an aircraft and its length is adequate for visual identification even on large bodies of water. On land the tape may be manually placed in an open clearing and either laid straight or folded with an arrow on one end to indicate position or location. If the survivor is injured on land and unable to move the tape may still be thrown and unravel as a streamer which may be visible from a distance.
Another object of the invention is its lightness, as it weighs only 10 ounces (311 grams), in the preferred embodiment. This is light enough to be carried without discomfort particularly if the user is on the water in a boat. The device may easily hang with a snap fastener on a belt loops or on a floatable vest on one of the ties or a loop furnished for the purpose. If the invention is included in the emergency gear of a backpacker the additional weight is not objectionable in view of the advantage gained.
Still another object of the invention is related to its physical size as it is only 3xe2x85x9c inches (8.6 cm) in diameter and 4xc2xc inches (10.8 cm) high, plus the handle, which is small enough to not be a bother hanging on the person and certainly not objectionable if placed in a bag or vehicle. Further, in the preferred embodiment, the body of the container is formed of a closed cell sponge and has a tough durable sin on the outside surface. If the body is stored in a cramped space and dents inwardly, when the compression is relieved, the material will return to its normal shape due to its inherent memory.
Yet another object of the invention is that it is easy and quick to use since all that is required is that the lid be removed and the tape is manually unrolled or in the case where on the water thrown a distance away from the user or even dropped into the water permitting the material to unroll by itself and, since it floats it, will disperse itself in time by the natural movement of the water sufficiently to expose its surface for identification from a distance.
Perhaps one of the most important objects of the invention is the minimal cost of the device as it is considerably less expensive than most of the prior art apparatus available in today""s market. Since many of the presently available emergency devices utilize electronic circuits, producing sound and light or RF signal generators, the cost is obviously commensurate with this utility. The instant invention circumvents this expense by using a simple mechanical two sided tape that is unrolled and provides unparalleled visual identification without the need for electrically operated circuits.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the preferred embodiment and the appended claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.


A handheld work apparatus includes a fuel tank, into which a flexible fuel line projects. A suction head is arranged at the free end of the fuel line. The suction head is connected via the fuel line to a fuel supply device of an internal combustion engine of the work apparatus. The suction head has at least one weight member. The weight member is formed at least partially as a magnet to achieve good cleaning of the fuel without a substantial increase in the weight of the work apparatus.

A suction head for a fuel line in a handheld work apparatus is known front U.S. Pat. No. 6,482,321. To ensure that the suction head is immersed in the fuel in every operating position of the fuel tank, a weight member is provided in the housing of the suction head.
Contaminants may enter the fuel tank, especially during the filling of the fuel tank, it being possible for such contaminants also to contain metal shavings. These metal shavings can obstruct the fuel supply during operation, especially when the fuel is metered through an electromagnetic valve to which the metal shavings can adhere.
It is known to provide a magnet in fuel filters. Such a magnet is usually made of metal, and therefore has a comparatively high weight. However, in handheld work apparatuses, a high weight is undesirable.

Handheld work apparatus and suction head for connection to a fuel line in a handheld work apparatus


A reply communication apparatus conforms to a protocol to return a reply electronic document in reply to a request electronic document sent from a communication apparatus. The apparatus has a hardware to perform a reply process in the protocol, and is operable to rewrite contents of the request electronic document to replace the request electronic document into a reply electronic document and to output the reply electronic document.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a communication apparatus connected to a network and a reply communication apparatus and an ARP reply communication apparatus which achieves high-speed reply.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the field of communication through a line, various protocols are regulated to respective layers of an OSI reference model, and processes related to the respective protocols are united to constitute a considerable complex process as a whole. Even though all these processes are executed by hardware, the hardware for the processes cannot be easily designed. Therefore, protocols related to layer 2 (data link layer) and higher layers except for layer 1 (physical layer) are generally executed by software.
The present invention is applied to a communication apparatus in which Ethernet (registered trademark) of the protocols is mounted. The Ethernet includes protocols related to layers 1 and 2. The protocols generally include DIX standard and IEEE802.3 standard. The two standards are generally called the Ethernet.
As protocols of layer 3 (network layer) and higher layers, TCP/IP is known. The TCP/IP is defined in a standard recommendation document RFC issued by IAB (Internet Architecture Board).
In this specification, an electronic document used in the Ethernet (belonging to layer 2) is called a frame, and an electronic document used in IP (belonging to layer 3) is called a packet. Between apparatuses on a network, the packet is transmitted while being mounted on a frame. A simple expression "packet is transmitted" from a device to a destination device is an expression made with attention to an operation of layer 3. When the operation of layer 2 is included, the expression means that "packet is mounted on a frame, and the frame is transmitted".
Furthermore, in the present invention, an internal header may be added to a frame in hardware processing. However, in this specification, frame Added with the internal header is called an internal packet.
For example, a communication apparatus 61 as shown in FIG. 6 has a PHY 62 which is connected to a line of a network and processes a frame serving as an electric signal to be input/output by layer 1, a MAC 63 which processes the frame transmitted from the PHY 62 by layer 2, a packet forwarding 64 which performs a layer 3 process with respect to a packet in the frame forwarded from the MAC 63, and a CPU 65. A process performed by the PHY 62 is called an L1 termination, a process performed by the MAC 63 is called an L2 termination, and a process performed by the packet forwarding 64 is called an L3 termination.
As one of protocols executed by the software, an address solution protocol (RFC826) called an ARP used between layer 2 and layer 3 is known. The ARP is a protocol which inquires about a destination MAC address at a destination the IP address of which is know and the MAC address is not known.
More specifically, in an ARP request packet, an operation field is set as an ARP request by an ARP request transmitting device, a self-apparatus port IP address is stored in a source IP address field, a self-apparatus port MAC address is stored in a source MAC address field, a destination IP address is stored in a destination IP address field, and a destination MAC address field is blank (i.e., 0 is stored in every field). When this ARP request packet is transmitted by broadcasting of the Ethernet, each communication apparatus on a network at which the ARP request packet arrives checks a type field in an Ethernet header and an operation field in the ARP packet to determine the ARP request packet. When the packet is an ARP request packet, the communication apparatus checks whether a self-apparatus port IP address is stored in the destination IP address field. In this manner, the communication apparatus which recognizes that the packet is an ARP request packet addressed to the apparatus itself returns an ARP reply packet.
In the ARP reply packet, an operation field is set as an ARP reply by an ARP request receiving device, a self-apparatus port IP address is stored in a source IP address field, a self-apparatus port MAC address is stored in a source MAC address field, a destination IP address is stored in a destination IP address field, and a destination MAC address is stored in a destination MAC address field. The destination IP address and the destination MAC address are the same as those stored in the ARP request packet. A communication apparatus which transmits the ARP request packet receives an ARP reply packet to make it possible to acquire a desired destination MAC address.
For example, as shown in FIG. 7, in a network in which a terminal D1 is connected to a router D serving as a connecting device (router or L3 switch) of layer 3, a terminal E1 is connected to a router E, the routers D and E are connected to a network F, and network interface cards (NIC) are incorporated in the terminals D1 and E1, when the terminal D1 serving as a communication apparatus in which ARP is mounted desires to transmit a normal frame to the terminal E1 serving as a communication apparatus on which ARP is mounted as in the terminal D1, even though the IP address of the terminal E1 is known, if the MAC address of the router D is not know, the normal frame cannot be transmitted to the router D. For this reason, the terminal D1 transmits an ARP request packet in which the IP address of the router D is stored in a destination IP address field by broadcasting of the Ethernet. Since the router D which receives the ARP request packet transmits an ARP reply packet to the terminal D1, the terminal D1 knows the MAC address of the router D to make it possible to transmit a normal frame to the router D.
Pieces of field information to be stored in the ARP request packet and the ARP reply packet are partially different from each other. However, the ARP request packet and the ARP reply packet basically have the same format. A set of the ARP request packet and the ARP reply packet is called an ARP packet.
Therefore, procedures to be executed in a communication apparatus with respect to an ARP reply will be described in classification by hardware (herein referred to as HW) and software (herein referred to as SW).
¥1. HW; All ARP packets arriving at a PHY by broadcasting are received and forwarded to a CPU.
¥2. SW; An ARP request packet is detected from the ARP packet forwarded to the CPU on the basis of an operation field.
¥3. SW; It is determined by a destination IP address field whether the detected ARP request packet is addressed to a self-apparatus port (the self apparatus has a plurality of ports, and respective ports have IP addresses, respectively).
¥4. SW; When the ARP request packet is not addressed to the self-apparatus port, the ARP request packet is discarded.
¥5. SW; When the ARP request packet is addressed to the self-apparatus port, an ARP reply packet to be transmitted is generated. The received ARP request packet is discarded.
¥6. HW; The generated ARP reply packet is transmitted from a PHY. The ARP reply packet is transmitted so as to be inserted into a flow of the packet of an internal line connected to the MAC 63. When there is another packet, the packet is temporarily stored in a packet buffer (not shown in FIG. 6), and the packet is transmitted after the ARP reply packet is transmitted.
A related art to the invention is JP-A-2002-208982.
When a communication apparatus on which an ARP is mounted receives an ARP request packet addressed to the self-apparatus, an ARP reply packet must be transmitted. However, the communication apparatus may be targeted for an attack using an ARP called a DOS attack by a malicious third party. In the DOS attack, a large number of ARP request packets are sequentially sent to the communication apparatus. The communication apparatus which receives the ARP request packets repeatedly executes the procedures ¥1 to ¥6. Since most of the processes are software processes, a load on a CPU increases to make the CPU impossible to execute other processes. As a result, the apparatus cannot receive the other packets to be essentially received, and transmission/reception of the other packets is largely delayed to insert an ARP reply packet. The ARP reply packet reaches an ARP request source in late. For this reason, a normal packet to be essentially transmitted to a reply side by the ARP request source is considerably delayed.
The above malfunction of the communication apparatus is an object of the DOS attack. However, as in not only a DOS attack, when ARP packets increase on a network, the function of the communication apparatus is deteriorated for the same reason as described above.
The present applicant conceives the following fact. That is, when a software processing part in the ARP reply procedure is replaced with hardware processing to increase a processing speed, a load on a CPU can be reduced, and the function of the communication apparatus can be prevented from being deteriorated by the DOS attack or the increase in number of ARP packets. However, even though the software processing is entirely replaced with the hardware processing, it is understood that the following problems are left unsolved. That is, a large-capacity packet buffer is disadvantageously necessary for insertion of an ARP reply packet, and control of the packet buffer is complex.

Reply communication apparatus and ARP reply communication apparatus


A zero running clearance system for gas turbine engines includes a gas turbine engine compressor having one or more first rotor assemblies and one or more first stator assemblies disposed adjacent the one or more first rotor assemblies; a gas turbine engine turbine having one or more second rotor assemblies and one or more second stator assemblies disposed adjacent the one or more second rotor assemblies; one or more shroud segments having blade seal surfaces disposed radially outside of the tips of blades of both the first and second rotor assemblies and a clearance distance extending between the blade tips and blade seal surfaces; and, an actuator selectively operable to axially move the first and said second rotor assemblies to alter the clearance distance.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to gas turbine engines in general, and to blade tip clearance therein in particular.
2. Background Information
In an axial flow gas turbine engine, air is compressed in a compressor section, mixed with fuel and combusted in a combustor section, and expanded through a turbine section that, via one or more shafts, drives the compressor section. The overall efficiency of such engines is a function of, among other factors, the efficiency with which the compressor section compresses the air and the efficiency with which the turbine expands the products of combustion. The compressor section typically includes a fan and a low pressure compressor driven by a shaft connected to a low pressure turbine in the turbine section, and a high pressure compressor driven by a shaft connected to a high pressure turbine in the turbine section. The high and low compressors are multi-stage, wherein the air flows in the axial direction through a series of rotors and stators that are concentric with the axis of rotation (longitudinal axis).
The stages are arranged in series. Each stage compresses the air passing through the engine and thereby incrementally increases the pressure of the air. The total pressure increase through the compressor is the sum of the incremental pressure increases through each stage, adjusted for any pressure losses. Thus, in order to maximize the efficiency of the gas turbine engine, it would be desirable, at a given fuel flow, to maximize the pressure rise (hereinafter referred to as "pressure ratio") across each stage of the compressor.
For a variety of reasons, including efficiency, it is highly desirable to minimize the clearance between the blade tips of a rotor and the casing surrounding the rotor. Prior art solutions to maintaining blade tip clearance include the use of abradables and active clearance control systems that manipulate the radial position of the casing surrounding the rotor. A problem with an abradable system is that it is not adjustable once the seal is abraded. Once set, the clearance depends solely on the thermal and centrifugal response of the rotor and the casing. A problem with prior art active clearance systems is their response time. Prior art active clearance systems often utilize the flow (or lack of flow) of cooling air as a mechanism to move the casing via thermal expansion or contraction and thereby achieve the desired clearance. Such systems are still subject to the casing's thermal response time, and the mismatch of the casing's thermal response to the rotor disk's thermal response.
FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic graph of a compressor blade tip clearance versus response time typical of a prior art gas turbine engine. At position A, the engine is running at a steady-state idle condition (i.e., low rpm's, low core gas temperature). At position B, the engine is sharply accelerated (e.g., acceleration for takeoff). As a result of the acceleration, the blade tip clearance decreases dramatically, reaching a minimum clearance at position C. At this point, the change in clearance is almost entirely attributable to mechanical growth of the rotor assembly as a result of the centrifugal loading on the rotor assembly and the thermal growth of the blade.
The increase in core gas temperature that accompanies the acceleration next causes thermal radial growth of the casing surrounding the rotor assembly (from position C to position D). The decrease in clearance between positions D and E is attributable to the eventual thermal growth of the rotor disk. The greater mass of the rotor assembly, in particular the rotor disk, causes it to have a slower thermal response than that of the casing. The eventual stabilized clearance at position E is a function of the final temperatures of the disc, blades, casing, the centrifugal pull, and the coefficient of thermal expansion of each part of the rotor assembly and casing.
The significant increase in clearance between positions E and F is a result of a deceleration. The deceleration causes a decrease in the centrifugal loading on the rotor assembly and rapid cooling of the blades, which results in a decrease in the mechanical growth of the rotor assembly. Under normal conditions, the clearance will decrease in the manner suggested by the line extending between positions F and I. Here again, however, the clearance will depend on the thermal responses of the disc and the casing.
If, however, a sharp acceleration is performed between positions G and H, the clearance in a prior art compressor will decrease significantly. The decrease in clearance results from the combination of: 1) the almost immediate mechanical growth of the rotor assembly; 2) the already decreased casing inner radial dimension as a result of the casing's relatively immediate thermal response rate following the deceleration; and 3) the lack of decrease in rotor assembly dimensions attributable to the rotor's relatively slow thermal response. With respect to the latter two factors, the difference in thermal response between the casing and the rotor assembly creates a situation where the casing has already substantially returned to its pre-thermal growth dimension, but the rotor assembly has not yet returned to its pre-thermal growth dimension. The resultant rub-out of the seal is shown at position H. In prior art gas turbine engines, the clearance at position H is often chosen as the worst-case clearance and blade tip clearance is designed to accommodate the operating scenario present at position H. As a result, the blade tip/casing clearances are minimum at position H, but less than optimum under normal operating conditions (e.g., positions A-G).
Thus, what is needed is an improved apparatus and method for maintaining a desired compressor blade tip clearance throughout transient and steady-state operation of the gas turbine engine.
What is also needed is an improved apparatus and method for maintaining turbine clearance closure concurrently with the desired compressor blade tip clearance throughout transient and steady-state operation of the gas turbine engine.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Gas turbine engine blade tip clearance apparatus and method


A power storage device includes a plurality of power storage modules laminated, a conductive plate and a sealing member. The conductive plate and the sealing member are provided between the power storage modules adjacent to each other in a laminating direction of the power storage modules. The plurality of power storage modules each have an electrode laminate, an electrolytic solution, and a sealing body. The electrode laminate has electrode exposed portions exposed from the sealing body at one end and the other end in the laminating direction. Between the power storage modules adjacent to each other in the laminating direction, the conductive plate is disposed between the electrode exposed portions opposing each other to be in contact with the electrode exposed portions, and at least a portion between the sealing bodies opposing each other is filled with the sealing member.

As a power storage device of the related art, known is a power storage device including a plurality of power storage modules laminated. As a power storage module of the related art, known is a bipolar battery including a bipolar electrode in which a positive electrode is formed on a first surface of an electrode plate and a negative electrode is formed on a second surface of the electrode plate. For example, a bipolar battery disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-135764 includes an electrode laminate having a plurality of laminated bipolar electrodes and a polypropylene cell casing (sealing body) provided on a side surface of the electrode laminate. A polypropylene layer is provided at the edge portion of the bipolar electrode, and the bipolar electrode and the cell casing are firmly fixed through the polypropylene layer by integral molding. Therefore, it is possible to seal an electrolytic solution.


A rotor cover attach and release apparatus for a centrifuge includes a knob and a cover and housing affixed to the knob. The apparatus also includes an adapter connected to the housing and a plunger including an annular groove disposed within the knob and housing. The apparatus further includes a moveable element retained within a passage located on the housing and a biasing element located within the housing. The plunger is biased in one direction. By actuating the plunger in the opposite direction, the movable element may enter the annular groove, thereby releasing the cover from the rotor. When the plunger is not actuated, the movable element may contact the plunger and enter the passage, thereby attaching the cover to the rotor.

Centrifuges typically include a housing with a centrifuge chamber, a rotor and drive spindle that supports samples to be centrifuged, a rotor cover and a chamber door. The centrifuge chamber within which the rotor rotates is covered by the chamber door during centrifugation to protect the centrifuge operator from the spinning parts in the chamber. The chamber door also provides containment should material be projected from the rotor during rotor rotation. The rotor cover encloses the samples inside the rotor and provides an aerodynamic smooth surface to reduce air friction during operation. The rotor cover is moveable between an open and closed position. The open position accommodates access to the rotor and while in the closed position the cover encases the rotor.
During normal centrifuge operation, a liquid sample is disposed and sealed within a receptacle, usually a centrifuge sample tube, and the tube is placed within holes located on the rotor. Thereafter, the rotor cover is placed in the closed position, covering the rotor and readying the centrifuge for operation. Occasionally the centrifuge tubes may leak. This leakage can result from improper sealing of the tube, using a tube not rated for the rotor operating speed, and/or using a tube composed from material that is chemically incompatible with the sample. As a result of the aforementioned leakage, the centrifuge components may become contaminated with the samples.
In existing centrifuges, the rotor cover is designed as a separate piece or unit from the rotor and requires manual attachment and detachment for each use. One current method for attachment includes utilizing a captive nut on the rotor cover that is screwed onto a threaded post located on the center of the drive spindle of the rotor. Another current method includes utilizing clamping studs, each having threaded members, wherein the studs are inserted into receiving portions on the rotor and drive spindle and rotated several times to secure the cover to the rotor and the rotor to the drive spindle.
Current rotors have threaded clamping studs; one is used to attach the cover to the rotor and the other is used to attach the rotor to the drive spindle. These studs are oriented in series such that the rotor to drive spindle clamping stud must be disengaged first and then the cover to rotor clamping stud must be disengaged. The cover can then be removed to gain sample access. A problem that sometimes occurs in the operation of these covers is that they are time consuming to operate because many employ multiple threaded parts that each are required to be rotated multiple times to attach the cover to the rotor and the rotor to the drive spindle. Each attachment piece must be manipulated by the centrifuge operator in order to ensure the cover is securely attached to the rotor prior to centrifuge operation and subsequently disengaged after centrifuge use, preventing the centrifuge operator from gaining access to his or her samples quickly and efficiently.
In view of the foregoing, it is desirable to provide a rotor cover for effectuating quick, efficient access to the rotor of the a centrifuge. It is also desirable to provide secure attachment and detachment of a centrifuge rotor cover, employing a minimum number of steps and components.

Kendro Laboratory Products, Incorporated


A radio frequency identification (RFID) system may include a plurality of RFID readers and RFID tags. A RFID reader may include an antenna configured to operate at a first frequency and transmit a first beam of a first beam width to the plurality of RFID tags. The RFID antenna may further include an antenna array including a plurality of antennas configured to operate at a second frequency. The antenna array may be configured to transmit a second beam of a second beam width to the plurality of RFID tags. The RFID reader may receive backscatter signals and tag data from the plurality of RFID tags. The RFID reader may locate the plurality of RFID tags based on the backscatter signals and a direction of the second beam. The RFID reader may generate a 3D map of the tag data based on the locations of the plurality of RFID tags.

The present application relates generally to wireless power and communication. In one aspect, the present application relates more particularly to communications between tag readers and tags.
Radio frequency identification (RFID) reader and tags employ wireless technology for communications and power delivery or power harvesting. In general, a RFID reader propagates or emits signals to an RFID tag, for example, to obtain information or data from the tag. The RFID tag, which can be attached to an object, may receive the emitted signal and communicate its data to the reader. In this way, RFID systems can be used for purposes of locationing, monitoring or tracking of objects. Some RFID tags may utilize electromagnetic wave backscatter to communicate tag data to the reader.

Simultaneous wireless power transmission, communication, and localization

International Business Machines Corporaton


The Robust Safe Switch and Control Device is an “Internet of Things” end effecter that provides a minimally dissipating, robust switch tightly integrated with circuit, life and property automated safety features. The device enables extended sensing and monitoring capabilities that enable the effective management of the “Internet of Things.”

From the beginning of controlled electrical switching, arc pitting and the wear of switch contact points has been a pervasive issue that actually created significant job opportunities over many decades. With the advent of alternating current, point wear was at least somewhat normalized between the two points. And with the development of more powerful electrical machines switching apparatus became remote to the actual user as the economies of smaller wire and small currents were used to remotely switch much larger electrically activated switches.
For many decades, the salvation of remote switching of resistive and especially inductive loads was the mercury-wetted contact relay. The resurfacing of the contacts with every mechanical action provided a switching lifetime rated in the tens of millions of cycles; but recent environmental concerns have eliminated the use of mercury in routine industrial and commercial devices and more so in the household application of remote switching.
Solid state technologies created an opportunity for low power electronics to monitor the alternating current waveforms and attempt to synchronize the switch action of the actual opening and closing with the zero crossing of the waveform. The device speed of emerging solid state devices such as the Silicon-Controlled Rectifier (SCR) or Triac enabled the ambition for a zero-crossing switch. But these devices, at best, have about a 1.5 Volt drop across the device when switched on. This voltage, times the load current, is the energy dissipated as heat. For a 20 Amp load, this is 30 Watts of loss. In today's environmentally sensitive market, 30 Watts per switch is a terrible waste.
Mechanical relays on the other hand do not dissipate significant energy in the "on" state, but unlike SCRs and Triacs, which are easily switched at a zero crossing, the relatively slow mechanical relays form arcs as the contact points open or close while current flows and the resulting heat melts or pits a little of the contact points at every switch cycle. The contact points have to be specifically designed to be "self cleaning," in which case they are designed to wear out but maintain a low "on" resistance; or they are dramatically over-built in anticipation of wear. In either case, mechanical relays have a significant wear rate.
As of 2017 opportunities to extend useful functionality through the "Internet of Things" brings heightened sensitivity to the efficiencies of remote switching. Additionally over the last 20 years an increased awareness of the capability to provide life safety capabilities in circuit extension and switching devices has brought forth first Ground Fault Interrupter National Electric Code requirements for such devices. And in the last few years the requirement for Arc Fault Interrupter protection for property has become a reality.
This invention is a logical extension of the history of robust switching, the technology of embedded control, the emerging needs of an Internet-based remote switching activity, and the evolving concern to provide circuit safety as well as safety for life and property in the immediate environment of the switching activity.
Early inventions targeting more robust switching were focused on the monitoring and detection of the alternating current zero crossing as a switch point opportunity. Michael Sidman's U.S. Pat. No. 4,153,870 granted on May 8, 1979, revealed a method and apparatus to identify the zero crossing in a power circuit switched by a Triac or back-to-back SCRs.
Of significant achievement was the disclosure by Rockwell International of a monolithic solid state power controller featuring zero crossing switching and programmable or configurable current limiting in U.S. Pat. No. 4,174,496 by inventors William McFall et al, granted on Nov. 13, 1979.
A disclosure using lower-cost components for a zero-crossing switch was granted to inventor Raymond Robertson on Aug. 14, 1984, U.S. Pat. No. 4,466,038. In this invention a single unidirectional SCR is used to isolate and control circuit switching for half cycles, allowing for a near zero voltage switching opportunity to energize and close a mechanical switch.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,767,944 granted on Aug. 30, 1988, Hiroto Takeuchi and Masahiro Hishimura confirmed that analysis had shown switch contact points to be most affected by the operation of opening under a load, as the AC cycle was more than n/8 away from a zero-crossing point. Their method supported a novel apparatus which detects and measures the exact phase angle of the alternating current and drives a mechanical relay to only open when within n/8 of a zero crossing in the alternating current phase angle. Prior to this invention, the option of using a solid state switch in AC circuits was the most likely way to extend contact point life. But Takeuchi's invention significantly extended point life and did not generate the thermal loss and heat build up as did solid state switching.
Another unique extension solution to the switch point wear issue was disclosed by Hiroyuki Nishi et al in their Oct. 1, 1991, U.S. Pat. No. 5,053,907 in which three sets of contact points are synchronized to the alternating current waveforms of three phases and operate in conjunction with three triacs for the control of three-phase motors and other equipment. This device also includes circuitry to suppress leakage current of the electronics.
The true "hybrid" relay was first disclosed by Andrew Kadah in his Dec. 16, 1997, U.S. Pat. No. 5,699,218 which used a TRIAC as the solid state switching device and a mechanical relay to carry the load current. In this method the leakage current is minimized by capacitor coupling the gate drive to the TRIAC.
John Dougherty in his U.S. Pat. No. 6,046,899 of Apr. 4, 2000, presents a method of simultaneous operation of both a solid state switch and a mechanical switch where actuation of the two devices is achieved by a common power feed. This method relies on the inherent speed of the solid state device to close or open the circuit before the mechanical components have physically connected or broken the circuit and had opportunity to arc the contact points.
Gerard Blain and Luc Raffestin, in their U.S. Pat. No. 6,347,024 B1 of Feb. 12, 2002, revealed a method of simultaneously energizing the solid state switch and the mechanical relay on the same alternating current cycle. This method incorporates a programmable device that can be configured to sequence the solid state switch and the mechanical relay in response to the relative speed of a variety of solid state switches by adjusting the timing between control signals for each particular type of switch.
Herve Carton and Denis Flandlin, in their U.S. Pat. No. 6,643,112 B1 of Nov. 4, 2003, reveal a novel implementation of a single transistor used to eliminate the point arc of a mechanical relay. In this implementation the transistor is used in parallel with a mechanical relay to eliminate point arcing in DC circuits. And to detect the alternating current direction and only permits a mechanical switch closing or opening when the alternating current is flowing such that the transistor is forward biased and configured to initiate or terminate current flow at the next zero crossing.
Sergio Orozco in his U.S. Pat. No. 8,089,735 B2 of Jan. 3, 2012 further evolved both the method and the apparatus by integrating the temperature measurement of the solid state switch into the control process and protectively disabling the switch as the temperature rises before the solid state device is damaged by excessive heat.
Common to the significant evolutionary steps of robust switching is a relatively narrow focus towards maximizing the useful life of the switch and minimizing the operational thermal losses of the switching activity. The early Rockwell device (U.S. Pat. No. 4,174,496) stands out uniquely as an attempt to combine circuit protection with zero-crossing switching by implementing a configurable current limiting activity as an integrated functionality.
Recent technology developments have enabled the monitoring of branch circuits to not only add protection for equipment but also provide precise monitoring and control to protect human and animal life from the dangers of electric shock or electrically ignited fire. These concerns are now addressed in Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters and ARC Fault Circuit Interrupters.


A lead frame magazine handling device is disclosed which includes a magazine loading assembly, a magazine unloading assembly, two sets of receiving jaw mechanisms, a guided elevating assembly, and a programmable controller. The empty magazines are moved to the receiving jaw mechanism using the magazine loading assembly. At the same time, with the inner and outer sets of the receiving jaws in conjunction with the guided elevating assembly, one can alternately move the empty magazines and loads them to the lead frame receiving station to carry out the tasks of receiving and storing lead frames, and then, move to the magazine unloading assembly to unload the magazines which are fully loaded with lead frames so as to carry out the next operation.

The electronic industry has changed very rapidly as the demand of IC continues to grow. In order to increase the production efficiency, IC manufacturers continue to improve their manufacturing process so as to reduce cost. While the manufacturing of lead frames of IC uses lead frame magazine to carry out the receiving and handling of lead frames, the issue of how to shorten the receiving and handling time of lead frame magazines has become a high priority problem for improving manufacturing efficiency. In general, a lead frame magazine handling device performs the loading and unloading operations in two stages, that is, upper and lower transmitting stages, respectively. It uses a mechanism that can move up and down to load the magazines in order to carry out the task of receiving the lead frames, which have passed through the die bonding process, and magazines, as shown in FIG. 1. This device needs to possess the task of automated magazine loading, automated magazine unloading, automated magazine changing and elevating indexing, in order to receive lead frames. While the design and control of the mechanism of the prior art is to use the input mechanism of empty magazine 1, i.e., a conveyor, to perform the input of an empty magazine 2, and to use a receiving jaw 3 to carry the magazine in order to perform indexing, lifting up and bringing down, and receiving the lead frame products. Furthermore, when the magazine is full, the fully-loaded magazine 4 will be sent to the magazine unloading mechanism 5. Finally, the magazine receiving jaw 3 will be sent back to the empty magazine input zone, thus completing a full cycle. The time period from the output location, for the receiving jaw 3, to the empty magazine supply location is the idle time of the system. Therefore, when the frequency of replacing magazines becomes very high, the operating mode of the mechanism still needs the three steps--the input of empty magazine, the lifting up and bringing down of the loaded or empty magazine, as well as the output of the fully-loaded magazine, to accomplish sequentially. Then, the time wasted on the waiting for supplementing magazines will have a significant effect to the system efficiency. The main reason is that it has only one set of magazine receiver and cannot do multiple tasking, thereby, the waiting time of magazine supplementation cannot be shortened, as a result, the system efficiency is low.
In order to resolve the handling efficiency of the lead frame magazine, the inventors, through years of working experience with continuous studies and designs, finally develop a lead frame magazine handling device that is relatively small in size, low in cost, high on efficiency, and that can positively execute lead frame supply, positioning, and receiving, in order to greatly raise working efficacy.

Industrial Technology Research Institute


A technique for forming a film of material (12) from a donor substrate (10). The technique has a step of introducing energetic particles (22) in a selected manner through a surface of a donor substrate (10) to a selected depth (20) underneath the surface, where the particles have a relatively high concentration to define a donor substrate material (12) above the selected depth and the particles for a pattern at the selected depth. An energy source such as pressurized fluid is directed to a selected region of the donor substrate to initiate a controlled cleaving action of the substrate (10) at the selected depth (20), whereupon the cleaving action provides an expanding cleave front to free the donor material from a remaining portion of the donor substrate.

The present invention relates to the manufacture of substrates. More particularly, the invention provides a technique including a method and device for cleaving a substrate in the fabrication of a silicon-on-insulator substrate for semiconductor integrated circuits using a pressurized fluid, for example. But it will be recognized that the invention has a wider range of applicability; it can also be applied to other substrates for multi-layered integrated circuit devices, three-dimensional packaging of integrated semiconductor devices, photonic devices, piezoelectronic devices, microelectromechanical systems ("MEMS"), sensors, actuators, solar cells, flat panel displays (e.g., LCD, AMLCD), biological and biomedical devices, and the like.
Craftsmen or more properly crafts-people have been building useful articles, tools, or devices using less useful materials for numerous years. In some cases, articles are assembled by way of smaller elements or building blocks. Alternatively, less useful articles are separated into smaller pieces to improve their utility. A common example of these articles to be separated include substrate structures such as a glass plate, a diamond, a semiconductor substrate, and others.
These substrate structures are often cleaved or separated using a variety of techniques. In some cases, the substrates can be cleaved using a saw operation. The saw operation generally relies upon a rotating blade or tool, which cuts through the substrate material to separate the substrate material into two pieces. This technique, however, is often extremely "rough" and cannot generally be used for providing precision separations in the substrate for the manufacture of fine tools and assemblies. Additionally, the saw operation often has difficulty separating or cutting extremely hard and/or brittle materials such as diamond or glass.
Accordingly, techniques have been developed to separate these hard and/or brittle materials using cleaving approaches. In diamond cutting, for example, an intense directional thermal/mechanical impulse is directed preferentially along a crystallographic plane of a diamond material. This thermal/mechanical impulse generally causes a cleave front to propagate along major crystallographic planes, where cleaving occurs when an energy level from the thermal/mechanical impulse exceeds the fracture energy level along the chosen crystallographic plane.
In glass cutting, a scribe line using a tool is often impressed in a preferred direction on the glass material, which is generally amorphous in character. The scribe line causes a higher stress area surrounding the amorphous glass material. Mechanical force is placed on each side of the scribe line, which increases stress along the scribe line until the glass material fractures, preferably along the scribe line. This fracture completes the cleaving process of the glass, which can be used in a variety of applications including households.
Although the techniques described above are satisfactory, for the most part, as applied to cutting diamonds or household glass, they have severe limitations in the fabrication of small complex structures or precision workpieces. For instance, the above techniques are often "rough" and cannot be used with great precision in fabrication of small and delicate machine tools, electronic devices, or the like. Additionally, the above techniques may be useful for separating one large plane of glass from another, but are often ineffective for splitting off, shaving, or stripping a thin film of material from a larger substrate. Furthermore, the above techniques may often cause more than one cleave front, which join along slightly different planes, which is highly undesirable for precision cutting applications.
From the above, it is seen that a technique for separating a thin film of material from a substrate which is cost effective and efficient is often desirable.

Controlled cleavage process using pressurized fluid


A data compressor is provided which performs substitution-based data encoding. The compressor identifies repetitive data of an input file and writes meta-data representative of the repetitive data to a first buffer using a triple structure. The triple structure includes information of a length of non-repetitive data preceding repetitive data, an offset between like groups of repetitive data, and a length of the repetitive data. Non-repetitive data is written to a second buffer. The compressor concatenates the first and second buffers along with information of the length of the input file and the length of the first buffer to form a compressed file. A corresponding decompressor parses the compressed file and quickly computes the original file using a pre-allocated memory area.

Data compression is widely used in the processes of transmitting and storing data, especially when transmitting data via a communication channel that is slow, expensive, and/or not reliable. Data compression is a process that reduces the number of bits of information that are used to represent information in a data file or data stream. Data compression is possible because of the existence of certain patterns or strings of information often found in a data file. In particular, certain strings of data may appear in a number of locations within the data file and it is sufficient to identify such repeated strings merely by their position within the file. By taking advantage of such redundancies in the information of a file, it is possible to represent the exact same information using fewer bits of data.
The importance of data compression arises for two primary reasons. First, when data is represented in a compressed form, it requires less bandwidth and less time to transmit this information between different devices, for example between devices in a network, or between different components of a system. Additionally, when storing data, data compression supports storing of the same data file using a smaller amount of memory. Therefore, compressed data is data that may be transmitted faster and stored more efficiently than uncompressed data.
Numerous methods are found in the art for compressing data files. However, these methods generally have shortcomings related to restrictions on the length of match strings that can be encoded and the processing overhead associated with the use of escape characters. Generally, regarding the use of escape characters, existing data compression algorithms use a special character to signal whether the characters that follow the special character are normal data or meta-data; this special character is called the escape character. When compressing files, e.g., binary files, it is not easy to define the escape character. Furthermore, the application of the escape character introduces overhead in the compressed file that impacts the efficiency of the compression.
In the drawings, the same reference numbers identify identical or substantially similar elements or acts. To easily identify the discussion of any particular element or act, the most significant digit or digits in a reference number refer to the Figure number in which that element is first introduced (e.g., element 104 is first introduced and discussed with respect to FIG. 1).

System and method for data compression and decompression


Disclosed is a denture adhesive composition comprising a partial salt of a lower alkyl vinyl ether-maleic acid copolymer wherein the partial salt comprises a cationic salt function consisting essentially of: from about 0.01% to about 10% of ferric iron cations; and from about 0.1% to about 75% of divalent and/or monovalent metal cations selected from the group consisting of zinc, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, ammonium, and mixtures thereof.

Ordinary removable dentures, dental plates and the like, comprise teeth mounted in a suitable plate or base. Denture adhesives or stabilizers are used to provide a cushion or gasket between the denture and the gums or tissues and to fill the interstices between the dentures and the gums or tissues.
Denture stabilizing or adhesive compositions can exhibit several deficiencies. Aesthetic deficiencies may include oozing of the adhesive from under the dental plate during insertion and throughout the wearing period and messiness and difficulty of removing the residual adhesive from the mouth and dentures. Additionally, food may become trapped between the denture and the oral cavity of the wearer. Considerable effort has been made over the years to develop denture adhesive compositions with improved holding capabilities which are aesthetically pleasing and easy to use. Both synthetic and natural polymers and gums have been used singly, in combination, and in combination with various adhesives and other materials in an attempt to lessen the deficiencies commonly associated with denture adhesive products.
Lower alkyl vinyl ether-maleic copolymers and salts thereof are known in the art for use in denture adhesive compositions. Such disclosures include: U.S. Pat. No. 3,003,988 to German et al., issued Oct. 10, 1961; U.S. Pat. No. 4,980,391 to Kumar et al., issued Dec. 25, 1990; U.S. Pat. No. 5,073,604 to Holeva et al., issued Dec. 17, 1991; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,525,652 to Clarke, issued Jun. 11, 1996. Despite the above-noted technologies, as well as others, a need still exists for denture stabilizing compositions providing improved hold and aethestics.
In accordance with the present invention, it has been discovered that denture adhesive compositions comprising ferric iron and divalent and/or monovalent metal partial salts of lower alkyl vinyl ether-maleic acid copolymers provide superior denture stability and retention over a significantly longer period of time versus conventional denture adhesives. Specifically, the compositions exhibit higher resistance to salivary washout while maintaining the same or better denture hold as conventional denture adhesives. This added resistance to salivary washout translates to longer denture hold and stability.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide ferric iron and divalent and/or monovalent metal partial salts of lower alkyl vinyl ether-maleic copolymers. It is also an object of the invention to provide improved adhesive compositions which may be used with dentures and to provide a firm hold and exhibit higher resistance to salivary washout.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent from the detailed description which follows.


Disclosed are proteinaceous compositions comprising collagen and an effective amount of a compatible cytotoxic drug which compositions are characterized by having a single collagen transition temperature of less than about 45.degree. C. Such compositions possess enhanced retention of the cytotoxic drug at the site of injection and are optically translucent.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to novel collagen/cytotoxic drug compositions. The compositions described herein possess surprising and unexpectedly enhanced drug retention at the site of injection as compared to collagen/cytotoxic drug compositions heretofore disclosed in the art.
2. State of the Art
The treatment of many cellular disorders, for example, tumors, involves the use of cytotoxic drugs. These drugs exert their activity in a variety of ways, usually interfering with a cellular function essential for replication and/or viability of the cell. In many, if not most, instances, the cytotoxic drug is not specific for the unnatural cell, but rather tends to exert its effectiveness due to the more rapid proliferation of the abnormal cell, as compared to normal cells. While many organs of the body of a mammalian host regenerate cells rather slowly, there are also other organs, particularly bone marrow, which involve rapid proliferation of stem cells. Therefore, the cytotoxic agents not only can detrimentally affect the slowly regenerating cells, but also have a particularly pernicious effect on the immune system.
One method to target cytotoxic drug activity toward abnormal cells is set forth by Luck and Brown, Reissue U.S. Pat. No. RE 33,375, which describes treatment of cellular disorders involving abnormal solid cellular growths by introduction of cytotoxic agents dispersed in a physiologically acceptable proteinaceous matrix, such as collagen, into the solid cellular growth or area of an existing or removed solid cellular growth. This patent discloses that the methods described therein provide enhanced effectiveness of the drug on the solid cellular growth with reduced cytotoxic effects on cells distant from the site of introduction. The disclosure of this patent is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
While effective against solid cellular growths, the physiological acceptable proteinaceous matrix prepared by Luck and Brown is optically opaque. If such a preparation was clear to translucent, it would be more pharmaceutically elegant.
Notwithstanding the benefits of the methods described by Luck, et al., further reductions in the cytotoxic effects on cells distant from the site of introduction would be particularly beneficial. Additionally, the preparation of a more pharmaceutically elegant composition would also be desirable.


Psychophysical tests are administered to cochlear implant (CI) users to determine a spectral modulation transfer function (SMTF), the smallest detectable spectral contrast as a function of spectral modulation frequency, for each individual CI user. The determined SMTF for individual CI user is compared against a SMTF of a normal hearing person to determine the specific enhancements needed. A spectral contrast enhancement that best fits the needed enhancements for the individual CI user is selected, and a sound processing strategy is adjusted to provide customized spectral contrast enhancement for the individual CI user. The sound processing strategy implemented includes an outer hair cell model.

Prior to the past several decades, scientists generally believed that it was impossible to restore hearing to the profoundly deaf. However, scientists have had increasing success in restoring normal hearing to the deaf through electrical stimulation of the auditory nerve. The initial attempts to restore hearing were not very successful, as patients were unable to understand speech. However, as scientists developed different techniques for delivering electrical stimuli to the auditory nerve, the auditory sensations elicited by electrical stimulation gradually came closer to sounding more like normal speech. The electrical stimulation is implemented through a prosthetic device, known as a cochlear implant (CI), which is implanted in the inner ear.
Cochlear implants generally employ an electrode array that is inserted into the cochlear duct. One or more electrodes of the array selectively stimulate different auditory nerves at different places in the cochlea based on the pitch of a received sound signal. Within the cochlea, there are two main cues that convey "pitch" (frequency) information to the patient. There are (1) the place or location of stimulation along the length of a cochlear duct and (2) the temporal structure of the stimulating waveform. In the cochlea, sound frequencies are mapped to a "place" in the cochlea, generally from low to high sound frequencies mapped from the apical to basilar direction. The electrode array is fitted to the patient to arrive at a mapping scheme such that electrodes near the base of the cochlea are stimulated with high frequency signals, while electrodes near the apex are stimulated with low frequency signals.
A sound coding strategy is an algorithm that translates signals picked up by a microphone into a sequence of electric pulses that can be transmitted to the intra-cochlear electrodes. While existing sound coding strategies can support satisfactory recognition of speech in quiet environments, subjects' speech comprehension can decrease dramatically in difficult listening conditions. Some causes of poor performance in demanding listening tasks may be partially attributed to sound processing strategies themselves. For example, all strategies assume that each channel is represented independently in the cochlea. However, the performance of CI users can generally be worse than that of normal-hearing subjects listening through cochlear implant simulators with a similar number of channels. This suggests that a substantial amount of channel interaction can occur in cochlear implant subjects. Channel interaction may "smear" spectral peaks that are essential, for example, for encoding vowel identity. Thus, performance of some CI subjects might be improved by utilizing a strategy that emphasizes peaks in short-term spectra.
Accordingly, U.S. Pat. No. 7,242,985, incorporated herein in its entirety by reference, discloses a cochlear stimulation system that accounts for the interaction between frequency bands and thereby enhances the contrast between neighboring signals. The cochlear stimulation system implements an outer hair cell model strategy in which lateral suppression coefficients are adjusted to distinguish the contributions of individual signals to the composite signal defining a sound. In general, this is accomplished by dividing an audio signal into multiple input signals such that each input signal is associated with a particular frequency band. Each of the input signals can then be scaled in accordance with respective scaling factors representing the separation between different frequency bands. Once scaled, the multiple input signals can be converted into simulation signals that represent the laterally suppressed sound.
Another contrast enhancement strategy, the Moving Picture Experts Group MP3 audio layer 3 (MP3) strategy, is based on a psychoacoustic model which recognizes that there are certain sounds that a human ear cannot hear. Psychoacoustics describes a relationship between physics of sounds and their perception. An absolute hearing threshold and masking are two fundamental phenomena in psychoacoustics. The absolute hearing threshold is the minimum intensity for the human ear to detect sound at a given frequency in quiet. Masking describes the nonlinearly raised threshold for the human ear to detect sound in the presence of an existing masking signal. The human ear has a naturally masking function. If two sounds are very different but one is much louder than the other, the human ear may not perceive the quieter signal. While hearing capacity varies from person to person, in general, the human ear cannot hear outside the 20 Hz to 20 kHz range. In addition, the human ear is more sensitive to certain frequencies, typically between 2 kHz to 4 kHz. The MP3 strategy takes advantage of the naturally masking function of the human ear to mask sound information that a normal human ear can not perceive.
The MP3 strategy implements multiple perceptual codecs to eliminate the sound information inaudible to the human ear. A perceptual codec can be subdivided into multiple discrete tasks. A sound signal can be broken into smaller component pieces called frames, each with a short (fraction of a second) duration. Also, the spectral energy distribution, frequency spread, can be determined by breaking the signal into multiple sub-bands and processing them independently. The frequency spread for each frame can be compared to mathematical models of human psychoacoustics stored in the codec to determine which frequencies need to be rendered accurately. All other frequencies that cannot be perceived by the human ear are removed through masking effects.
While the outer hair cell model and the MP3 strategy provide effective sound processing strategies, neither technique provides a customized contrast enhancement strategy based on the specific needs of an individual CI user. Since no people experience exactly the same hearing loss, there exists a need to provide optimal spectral contrast enhancement tailored to the individual cochlear implant user. The patients who experience a small amount of smearing would perceive spectral contrast enhancement as a distortion of sound, since the smaller spectral peaks would be suppressed. On the other hand, patients who experience a large amount of spectral smearing, would benefit from spectral contrast enhancement. This is because spectral contrast enhancement allows large spectral peaks to be heard, while suppressing the neighboring ones. For patients with a large amount of smearing, neighboring channels introduce noise to the patient, and if suppressed, this noise can be decreased. Therefore to create the optimal amount of spectral enhancement, it is desirable to find out how much spectral smearing is present for the individual patient.

Spectral contrast enhancement in a cochlear implant speech processor


A tape drive system for a tape cartridge including a tape and wireless identification tag may read information from the wireless identification tag and write the information to the tape. The tape drive system may toggle a bit stored on the wireless identification tag to indicate that the information has been written to the tape. The information may include tape initialization information.

1. Field
Embodiments of the invention relate to methods and systems for writing information to tape cartridges.
2. Discussion
A data tape cartridge may be written by multiple generations of tape drives. Each generation may increase the capacity of the tape by increasing the number of tracks recorded to the tape and/or by changing the tape format. When a tape recorded with one format is loaded into a newer generation drive with a different format, the older data format may not be appended to. To write with the new generation drive, the tape must be reclaimed—overwriting the older format data.
In some tape drive applications, certain header data, e.g., tape volume header information and application format data, may be written to the tape by the drive. This process is commonly known as initialization. Such data is typically written to the tape using a drive by the media manufacturer. The initialized tape may then be sold to customers at a premium price.
Data may be written to tape using the data format of the drive writing the data. An issue may arise if the tape is loaded onto a new generation drive for the purpose of recording customer data. For example, any header data may not be appended to and must be rewritten by the new drive. This process may involve reading the header data from the tape, rewinding and rewriting the header records to the tape. This process may be time consuming and costly. Additionally, the ability to read older tapes is not always available and/or reliable.

Method and system for writing information to a tape cartridge


A method for operating an electronic device includes: determining whether a battery remaining power amount of the electronic device is lower than or equal to a reference remaining power amount with which a power supply of the electronic device is maintained in a turned-on state until a time at which an alarm is set to be activated; and transmitting alarm information about the alarm to a second electronic device. The alarm information is information configured by an instruction prearranged between the electronic device and the second electronic device to enable the second electronic device to set an alarm function according to the alarm information automatically after reception of the alarm information.

With the development of mobile communication technology, an electronic device is used as an essential communication device for individuals. In addition, with the provision of various supplementary services, such as a camera, data communication, video replay, audio replay and messenger, schedule management, and alarm functions in addition to a voice communication function in the electronic device, the use of the electronic device has increased gradually. As the function of the electronic device is diversified and the use thereof increases, a battery becomes bigger. However, the use of the electronic device also increases, thereby decreasing the usable time of the battery.
Generally, a user prefers to use an alarm function along with various supplementary functions using the electronic device rather than a separate alarm clock. An alarm needs to be informed using sound so as for the user to know an event or schedule. However, the electronic device performing the alarm has a possibility that the battery is exhausted and the alarm function is not performed normally. Therefore, when there is a possibility that the battery is exhausted before the alarm is generated, there is a need for a method for improving reliability in performance of an alarm function.

Method for performing alarm function and electronic device thereof


A buffer IC includes two FIFO buffers accessible in a triple-bus configuration including a bi-directional port, an input port, and an output port. Each of the ports uses a fall-through timing which facilitates interconnection of similar buffer ICs into a chain to expand the depth of a FIFO buffer. Typically, the input and output ports have a data width that differs from the data width of the bi-directional bus the FIFO buffers perform bus matching. One type of bus matching collects data values from the smaller width port to form larger width values for output from the larger port. Another type of bus matching splits data values from the larger width port to form data values for output from the smaller port.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to first-in-first-out buffers.
2. Description of Related Art
First-in first-out (FIFO) buffers are well known for intermediating data flow between devices. FIFO buffers have input and output ports which operate independently to allow devices connected to the FIFO buffer to write and read asynchronously. For example, a first device writes to the FIFO buffer via an input port, and a second device reads from the FIFO buffer via an output port to create a one-way data flow from the first device to the second device. FIFO buffers maintain read and write pointers which indicated where data is written or read so that the first values written into the FIFO buffer are the first values read out. Control logic handles handshake and/or flags signals to and from attached devices to control access and prevent the devices from trying to write to a full buffer or read from an empty buffer.
FIFO buffers have been implemented as integrated circuits (ICs) containing memory, input/output (I/O) ports, and control logic. FIFO buffer ICs flexible enough for a wide variety of applications are sought. One limit on FIFO buffer flexibility is memory size which may be insufficient for some applications. A large memory increases the number of applications of the FIFO buffer IC but also increases manufacturing costs. Another limit on a FIFO buffer's flexibility is its input/output (I/O) interface. For example, an IC containing the two FIFO buffers can provide a bi-directional data path, but some devices which would attach to a FIFO buffer require a bi-directional port while other devices require separate input and output ports. Additionally, data widths (i.e. the number of parallel bits contained in a data signal) vary from device to device. A FIFO buffer which has only bi-directional ports or only separate input and output ports or ports with fixed data widths is limited in its applications.

Triple-bus FIFO buffers that can be chained together to increase buffer depth


A magazine arrangement for receiving multiple film cartridges, that, for processing of the filmstrips present in the film cartridges, can be attached to a processing machine. A magazine includes a cylindrical member that has chambers, arranged in a circle around the member center axis, in which the film cartridges are housed axially one above another. Each free end of the magazine is covered by two superimposed closure disks that are mounted rotatably with respect to one another about the member center axis against spring force. In this context an adapter is provided with which the magazine can be joined, in the direction of the member center axis, to a further magazine of the same shape and size; whereby the adapter has an arrangement which can be brought into engagement with the closure disks of the two magazines. With a magazine arrangement configured in this manner, film cartridges can be transferred from one magazine into another magazine, or individual defective cartridges can be separated and removed from the magazine.

In order to develop exposed films, the individual filmstrips are removed from the film cartridges, spliced together and, wound onto a drum, fed into the film developing machine.
The individual filmstrips are spliced together in a splicer apparatus, the filmstrips being automatically removed from the film cartridge and spliced together. After film development and production of prints, the filmstrips, the completed prints, and the associated mailing envelopes are assembled correctly at a delivery point, priced, and sent back to the customers.
To automate splicing of the filmstrips, Swiss Patent 530 034 discloses an apparatus for loading automatic film processing machines which has a motor-driven carousel that is equipped with slide-in retainers for magazines, each of which has multiple compartments for positioned receiving of one film container each. Arranged at a specific point on the rotation path of the magazines positioned on the carousel is a transport apparatus for lifting displacement of one magazine at a time, which when the magazine pivots inward automatically couples with it and moves all the magazine compartments, in stepped fashion, past a specific point for processing of the film containers.
Also proposed is an apparatus in which axially aligned chambers are configured in a cylindrical member in a circle around the member center axis, in which chambers multiple film cartridges are housed, stacked axially one above another. This apparatus is coupled to a splicer apparatus for automatic removal of the film cartridges and for processing of the filmstrips.
The disadvantage of this apparatus becomes evident when a defective film cartridge is detected in one of the chambers. In this instance the magazine must be taken off the splicer apparatus and then an entire column of film cartridges must be removed, by means of a separate auxiliary apparatus, from the chamber in question, and the defective film cartridge separated and repaired; and if this is not immediately possible, an empty cartridge must be placed at this point and the entire column put back into the chamber. Then the magazine must be reattached to the splicer apparatus.
This procedure is time-consuming and laborious, and interrupts the film processing process in an intolerable manner. If the defective film cartridge is not removed, this causes machine jams and possibly damage to the machine, the film cartridge, and not least the filmstrip, so that proper print production can no longer be guaranteed.

Magazine arrangement for receiving film cartridges


A meter is mounted on the wrist of the user with a suitable strap while the active or positive probe from the meter extends through a probe holder on the finger of the user. The probe lead is fairly short extending from the meter, through the probe holder to project beyond the index or pointing finger. Two forms of holding the probe to the finger are illustrated. The other probe to ground or neutral is longer and provided with a contact clip. The invention frees both hands of the user or at least all of the fingers except the one used to point the probe. With the invention the meter is more effectively and economically used.

Workers in electrical installation and service fields have long used multi-meters for testing, measuring, or monitoring electrical current and potentials. When first introduced it consisted of a low current DC meter mounted in a rugged case with a complex switching arrangement using precision wire wound resisters, or shunts across, or in series. Such meters are now even more versatile. With a rectifier meters are both AC and DC with various ranges. By switching a dry cell battery in series with proper values it will check resistance values or continuity by using a reverse scale on the meter face. A multi-meter now is a most basic and essential instrument and allows the user to read, for example, AC and DC voltages and current, resistance, capacity, inductance, dBm, and frequency, all with two color coded test leads, and to test or check everything from small electronic components such as diodes, transistors or printed circuits, to larger apparatus such as panels, controllers, moving machinery panels, or large electrical structures. Few of the latter types of structures are tested under ideal conditions and can present many hazards to the user of a multi-meter.
For example, using a multi-meter standing on a ladder is not easy. The user may often wish for more than two hands. One hand may be required simply to hang on or adjust a safety harness. The physical hazards can be much worse such as hundreds of feet in the air on an antenna or transmission tower or mast. Many such structures are designed to sway or move. On a tower or mast of a ship at sea the swaying or movement can be extreme. Also, control panels may be dark, complicated and with close quarters, and full of high voltage lines, relays and other moving parts. Often times a multi-meter user needs a helper if for no other reason than to hold a flashlight or take notes.
Such meters may be used in wall cavities or in an engine compartment, under the dash, or even under a car. If the electrical panel is on a moving train or vehicle the situation becomes even more difficult.
One of the most important items used with any multi-meter is the test leads. Today test leads come with a variety of tips and accessories. Many are made with different plastic compounds and come in various lengths. The test lead in measuring voltage, resistance and current flow is usually not considered important. One common problem is the length of wire on most test leads. The wire usually dangles, wraps around other objects, or just gets in the way, and most users have learned to put up with lead problems.
Any person who has used a meter over any length of time has encountered the problems noted above by dropping or burning out meters, by putting the probe inadvertently into hot or moving equipment, or by tangling the probe lead. The cost of the problem in time, meters and equipment is extraordinary.
It would accordingly be advantageous if a multi-meter user could take full advantage of the instrument without the problems noted above.

Multi-meter and probe assembly and method of use


A reel mount moving device for moving a reel mount to the position of each reel contained in each of a plurality of cassettes of different sizes, with any of the cassettes mounted, includes the reel mount which is arranged to be rotated by a power of a drive source for moving a recording medium, a converting member for converting the power of the drive source into a force of moving the reel mount, and a switching member arranged to cause the converting action of the converting member to be selectively turned on or off.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a recording and/or reproducing apparatus and more particularly to a reel mount moving device arranged to permit selective use of ones of a plurality of cassettes of different sizes in a recording and/or reproducing apparatus such as a VTR.
2. Description of the Related Art
The reel mount moving device of the above-stated kind has been arranged to move the reel mount between a plurality of reel positions by driving the reel mount with a motor provided solely for moving the reel mount in such a manner as to allow the reel mount to engage each reel disposed in each of a plurality of tape cassettes of different sizes which are selectively mounted on the apparatus.
In the conventional reel mount moving device, however, the reel mount which is of a considerably large size must be moved a predetermined distance. The motor therefore must have a large torque. The reel mount moving device thus has necessitated use of a relatively expensive and large motor for moving the reel mount. However, since the reel mount moving motor is used only in mounting a tape cassette and not in recording nor in reproduction, the performance of the conventional reel mount moving device has been inefficient in terms of cost and space.

Recording and/or reproducing apparatus permitting selective use of cassettes of different sizes


A drift eliminator is formed from alternating curved spacers and corrugated spacer members to define tube-like passageways for the flow of air through an evaporative cooling apparatus. The formation of the corrugated blade member with beveled side walls places the back walls of the channels in a different plane than the front walls, with the lower edge of the front walls of the channels being positioned in a common plane along with the lower edge of the blade members. The angled side walls impede the formation of a film of water across the inlet opening into the channel, which requires an increase in horsepower for the fan to push air through the drift eliminator. Mechanical fastening devices molded into the respective members connects the corrugated spacer members and the blade members. A method of forming the corrugated spacer members to provide the angled side walls is also provided.

A drift eliminator has the function of removing water droplets, entrained typically as a mist which is referred to as "drift", from the flow of air moving through the drift eliminator. The drift eliminator is utilized in evaporative cooling devices, such as cooling towers, to reduce the water volume within the air flow being discharged from the cooling device so that the circulating water is not lost from the evaporative cooling device. By retaining the circulating water within the evaporative cooling equipment, the drift eliminator allows the evaporative cooling device to retain most of the circulating water, as well as the water treatment chemicals within the circulating water.
Drift eliminators are normally formed as a stack of shaped or formed members that cause the air flow moving through the drift eliminator to travel along a curved path. The curved path creates changes in direction for the air flow that result in the water droplets being removed from the air flow. The water droplets will impact the curved walls of the drift eliminator and flow by gravity to the lower end of the drift eliminator stack and be discharged into the circulating water of the evaporative cooling device. Some water droplets continue within the air flow and are discharged from the drift eliminator, and ultimately from the cooling device.
"Drift rate" relates to the amount of water droplets that are carried out of the tower with the air. Drift rate is quantitatively measurable and is commonly expressed as a percentage of the circulating water flow in a tower. A critical performance criterion for drift eliminators is the velocity of the air flow moving through the drift eliminator. If the air velocity exceeds the rate for which the drift eliminator is designed to operate, the drift rate increases causing the drift eliminator to fail by exceeding the specified drift rate, i.e. allowing excessive drift to be discharged from the evaporative cooling device. The maximum operable air velocity rate is a function of the geometry of the drift eliminator, the proximity of the eliminator to the tower's water distribution system, the circulating water flow inside the tower and other factors.
Generally, conventional drift eliminators can be formed in a parallel blade configuration or in a cellular configuration. Parallel blade drift eliminators are constructed from a number of parallel curved blades separated by discrete spacers, which may be separate items or integrally formed in the blade. Cellular drift eliminators are formed from a number of curved blades separated by corrugated spacers that form tube-like cells through which the moisture-laden air flow moves. The parallel curved surfaces created from the stacked blades and corrugated spacers define impingement surfaces to separate water droplets out of the air flow. The tubular design of the cellular drift eliminator configuration adds strength to the stacked assembly. Cellular drift eliminators typically have a higher drift removal efficiency than parallel blade eliminators, but at a slightly higher pressure drop and thus require more power for a fan to move air through the drift eliminator.
Cellular drift eliminators are normally flat on the top and bottom with the walls of the cellular tubes terminating in a generally common horizontally extending plane. The cellular configuration provides increased strength over the parallel blade configuration. As is identified in U.S. Pat. No. 6,315,804, issued to Randall Bradley on Nov. 13, 2001, the planar configuration at the lower ends of the cellular tubes subject the tubes to being breached across the opening of the cellular tube by a film of water from the water droplets falling along the walls of the cellular tubes. The surface tension of these water blockages is sufficient to require an increase in power to move the air flow through the drift eliminator. One solution to this problem is disclosed in aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 6,315,804, which is to cut a notch into the side wall of the cellular tubes so that water droplets cannot film across a horizontally planar opening.
A drift eliminator formed from curved blades that are stacked and glued together is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,500,330, granted to Wilson Bradley, Jr. on Feb. 19, 1985. In this patent, the drift eliminator blades are formed from suitable polymeric material, such as polyvinylchloride (PVC), into which is formed impact members to assist in the removal of water droplets from the air flow through the drift eliminator. In U.S. Pat. No. 7,105,036, granted on Sep. 12, 2006, to Gregory Shepherd, a drift eliminator is formed from a plurality of corrugated blade members in a stacked configuration to define cellular tubes for the movement of air through the drift eliminator. The corrugated blades are stacked in a manner to place troughs together so that the troughs can be bonded together by glue or other appropriate adhesive to form the cellular passageways.
The approach taken in aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 6,315,804 requires the formation of the polymeric corrugated blade member, which can be formed through a thermoforming process in which a flat sheet of PVC film is heated and vacuum formed into the corrugated structure disclosed therein. A subsequent manufacturing step is then required to cut the arch or notch into the side wall of the blade corrugations. In this manner, the notch in the side wall will prevent the formation of the film of water over the inlet portion of the cellular tube, while maintaining a planar surface for support of the drift eliminator.
It would be desirable to provide a blade configuration that will prevent the formation of a film of water across the inlet opening of the cellular tube passageways for the flow of moisture laden air through the drift eliminator without diminishing the strength of the stacked structure.

Drift eliminator with formed beveled tip