A lift apparatus for a watercraft having a plurality of components positioned below the platform at the aft end of a boat. The lift apparatus is configured to lift and deploy a watercraft from an undeployed orientation overlaying a platform to a deployed orientation away from the platform and on the water. In the deployed orientation the platform is substantially free from any lift apparatus component interference.

1. Field of the Disclosure
The disclosure relates in general to watercraft lifting assemblies, and more particularly, to a lift apparatus for a watercraft. Although not limited thereto, the lift apparatus is particularly useful for the deployment of watercraft that are typically positioned on a platform (such as a swim platform) of a boat.
2. Background Art
The storage and deployment of small watercraft from larger boats has long been problematic. For many leisure boats, a watercraft, such as a dingy, is often carried behind the boat, and, often on the swim platform.
With some dingys being quite large, there have been developed a number of mechanisms that can assist with the placement of the dingy on a fabricated extension of the swim platform. Certain of these solutions are quite difficult to implement and require extensive modification to the boat. For casual leisure boat users, such modifications are quite expensive, as are the devices themselves.
Other devices for stowage of watercraft on swim platforms require the use of pulleys and manually positioned and operated lifts and stands. Such stands, lifts and pulleys are typically mounted on the boat or on the swim platform itself. Thus, while assisting with the stowage of the watercraft, the components are invariably in the way of the boaters. Often, these components cause injury to users of the swim platform. In some instances, the components are removable, however, in such cases, many get lost or inadvertently fall overboard and sink.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a watercraft lift apparatus that overcomes the deficiencies set forth above.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a watercraft lift apparatus that provides easy deployment of a watercraft with minimal invasiveness to the swim platform of the boat.
These objects as well as other objects of the present invention will become apparent in light of the present specification, claims, and drawings.


A method of repairing a vehicle axle housing comprising the steps of enlarging a center passageway in the axle housing by, for example, boring, providing a stepped elongate sleeve having an outside diameter greater than the diameter of the enlarged center passageway of the axle housing, heating the axle housing to further enlarge the center passageway, inserting the sleeve in the center passageway and securing by, for example, welding, the sleeve to the axle housing. Typically, the axle housing will be broken into two sections and the above steps will be performed on the sections as well an additional step relating to trimming, by grinding or other suitable process, the opposed ends of the axle housing sections adjacent the fracture.

The invention relates generally to a method of repairing vehicle axle housings and more specifically to a method of repairing axle housings for large vehicles and heavy equipment which fracture into two sections generally along a plane perpendicular to the axis of the axle housing.
The drive line components of large trucks and particularly off road vehicles, such as construction and earth moving equipment, are well designed, massive and thus expensive. Notwithstanding careful design and massive execution, the drive line components of such vehicles and equipment such as prop shafts, axles, bearings and housings for these components are subjected to service which can only be described as rough and oftentimes accurately described as brutal. Hence, such components occasionally fail. Accompanying such failure is frequently an extended period of downtime. The obvious cost associated with such breakdown is that of the actual replacement part and the service time necessary to remove and replace it which, because of their relative rarity, will be significant. An even greater expense may accrue not from the actual repair but rather from the downtime from having such a machine out of service for a even a few days. It is against this background that the present inventor has sought approaches which minimize both actual repair expense and the expense associated with vehicle downtime.
The reconstruction of failed or broken vehicle components is addressed in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,739,119 to Blakeslee teaches a method of reclaiming automobile axles. A similar repair method relating to drive line bell housings is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,660,778 to Gerner.
My U.S. Pat. No. 4,455,732 teaches a method of repairing the damaged ends of vehicle axles. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,844,322 to Flowers et al. and 4,997,321 to Adams both teach methods of repairing sections of elongate articles such as piping or tubing.
From the foregoing patents, it is apparent that many aspects of vehicle axle repair have been addressed. However, the specific difficulties of repairing, for example, an axle configuration having a drive shaft extending therethrough have neither been addressed nor resolved. Hence, improvements in the art of vehicle axle repair are both possible and desirable.

Method of repairing vehicle axle housings


An active substance-containing adhesive patch with a pressure sensitive fixing device, containing at least one readily volatile ingredient, consisting of a substantially active substance-impermeable backing layer, at least two active substance-containing matrix layers and a removable protective layer, whereby the matrix layer containing the readily volatile active substance is laminated on a separately produced composite of one or more further matrix layers which are active substance-free, is characterized in that the first active substance-containing matrix layer consists of a spreadable molecularly disperse solution of the matrix base material in the readily volatile ingredient as the exclusive solvent, the composite which is obtained after laminating forming an active substance matrix that is as a whole shear-resistant after migration of the readily volatile ingredient into the composite.

Active substance-containing adhesive patches have already been introduced on the market under the special designation transdermal therapeutic systems (TTS) and have been used in the therapy of a number of diseases.
Many of the active substances that are particulary suited for transdermal therapy are already perceptibly volatile at room temperature, or at least at the usual processing temperatures of 60 to 80.degree. C. This is disturbing since, due to the hardly foreseeable degree of active substance loss during the process in each individual case, it is not possible to achieve a safe dosage of the pharmaceutic agent. Volatility, as understood by the instant invention, is present in any case if from a shallow vessel which is filled with an excess of the pure substance covering the base of the vessel, at 100.degree. C. at least 0.1 mg substance per hour is continuously released to the environment per 10 cm.sup.2 of free surface. In particular cases, as with highly effective pharmaceutic agents, which in TTS are typically dosed at surface concentrations of around 1 mg per 10 cm.sup.2, or less, even slight volatility can be disturbing. For this reason the above definition can only serve as a rough guideline.
The problem of volatility also concerns readily volatile ingredients in TTS which have no therapeutic effect themselves but which have the function of increasing the active substance flow through the skin. Substances suitable for this purpose are for example: benzyl alcohol, butanol and other short-chain alcohols, triglycerides, high-boiling aliphatic hydrocarbons, glycerin, glycerin monooleate, isopropyl myristate or other short-chain esters, menthol or other volatile terpene derivatives (which are mixture components of a great number of natural essential oils), octanol-1 and other volatile medium-chain alcohols (e.g. oleyl alcohol), octanoic acid and other medium-chain aliphatic carboxylic acids, and many other substances.
This problem with regard to manufacturing technology, which is common to all volatile active substances and auxiliary substances (described in summary as "readily volatile ingredients" in the following) has lead to a plurality of proposals of--mostly rather complicated--constructions for TTS containing such additives. For example, a rather large quantity of ethanol is stored along with the active substance (which in this case is non-volatile) in a bag-type reservoir; during use the auxiliary substance as well as the active substance pass through a control membrane (U.S. Pat. No. 4,379,454).
Since for the user a thin, flexible construction is important, it was desirable to realize the addition of readily volatile additives in more simple adhesive patches as well--in the ideal case consisting only of a self-adhesive matrix layer and a non-adhesive backing layer. This has indeed been frequently suggested. DE-OS 42 10 165, for example, describes simple matrix TTS with an added amount of polar and nonpolar penetration enhancers.
According to this classical technique, matrix TTS, and also such matrix TTS containing readily volatile ingredients which are to remain in the pharmaceutic product, are produced in by a method in which a solution of the adhesive is mixed in a low-boiling solvent with the active substance and the volatile ingredient, the mixture is applied in the form of a film to a base film/sheet, the volatile solvent is removed by heating (in most cases up to 50 to 80.degree. C.) and the thus-obtained product is covered with a removable protective foil. In this process, solvents suitable for dissolving the adhesive are used--i.e. such solvents as are even more readily volatile than the ingredients which have been added to the system to be retained therein--for example, methanol, ethanol or isopropanol, benzene, acetone, ethyl acetate etc.
Many of the additives mentioned in DE-OS 42 10 165, for example pinene and limonene, however, are, under these conditions, so highly volatile that it is not possible to achieve a reproducible dosage with the described single-layer system structure and the described process.
In an alternative production procedure, the hot-melt process, such as described in DE 37 43 946 for the transdermal application of nitroglycerin, such problems occur at a lesser extent since active substance and auxiliary substances are melted together in a closed system and come into contact with the ambient air only for a short time, after coating. On the other hand, a number of auxiliary agents and active substances are not suitable for this process because the auxiliary substances are not sufficiently thermoplastic, the active substances are too temperature-sensitive, or because the added amount of plasticizing but volatile auxiliary substances is too small to ensure process temperatures that are sufficiently low.
The possibility of introducing a piece of nonwoven printed with volatile active substance, e.g. nicotine, solves the problem of evaporation; however, this leads to comparatively thick active substance adhesive patches.
DE 32 31 400 makes use of the migration of active substances or adjuvants between matrix layers, in order to prevent the recrystallization of active substance and adjuvant. However, this document only describes matrix layers that have each been enriched with active substance or auxiliary substance, which matrix layers--after laminating and migration--result in a TTS exhibiting advantageous active substance flow. No mention is made therein of the use of the active substance or adjuvants themselves as solvents which can be employed at room temperature. Accordingly, the advantages of the migration process for obtaining shear-resistant TTS having volatile ingredients has not been realized in this document.
EP 0 249 475 describes a delivery system consisting of component parts which are to be joined immediately prior to use. After the combination thereof, the active substance migrates from the active substance-containing layer into the layer that is initially entirely free of active substance. This results in a desired retardation of the release. In this system no migration of the active substance has occurred at the point in time when the system is applied for therapeutic treatment. Thus, the system described in the above document does not show the advantages with regard to therapy and application technology of a system where at the time of application a migration has already occurred. The retardation of the active substance release described in the system according to EP 0 249 475 in most cases is not desired. Moreover, the system according to EP 0 249 475 is further disadvantageous in so far as it does not contain any teaching as to how to proceed with readily volatile active substances; consequently it does not describe how such substances can be dosed accurately in transdermal systems.

Volatile active substance containing plaster that may be produced without solvents


The invention comprises a method and apparatus for handling the weld bead scarfed from the interior surface of continuous seam welded metal tube or pipe incident to its manufacture. A section of tube of predetermined length is cut from the lead and of the advancing continuous tube, having the scarfed weld bead therein, by a rotary cutter. The speed of the individual section is increased to create a gap between the individual section and the continuous tube, and a scissor mechanism severs the weld bead within the gap. The severed section of weld bead is then conveyed within the associated individual section of tube to a tube accumulation or storage area for removal and disposal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the manufacture of continuous welded seam metal tubes or pipes, and more particularly to the cutting or severing and disposal of a continuous weld bead scarfed from the interior surface of the tube or pipe as it is manufactured.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a widely used process for producing welded seam pipes and tubes, a continuous metal strip or skelp is advanced through forming apparatus and progressively shaped into a tubular form having an open, longitudinally extending seam. The formed tube then advances through a welding station wherein the adjacent longitudinal edges are urged together and joined by a suitable welding process. The particular welding process employed will generally be indicated by the material from which the tube or pipe is fabricated, for example, low carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum, etc., and may include any of the welding techniques conventionally employed with the different materials. Such welding often results in formation of a raised bead or flash extending along the longitudinal weld seam on one or both of the interior and exterior surfaces, and which may be undesirable on the finished product.
In a widely employed preferred process the tube or pipe is subjected to electrical induction so that the edges are heated to fusion temperature and the heated edges are urged together to produce a continuous weld of the seam. As a result of the pressure applied in forcing the heated edges together to achieve fusion, the material bulges both outwardly and inwardly to create a raised bead or flash extending along the weld seam on both the interior and exterior surfaces of the tube or pipe. An apparatus for producing such continuous welded seam tubing is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,148,960, issued Sep. 22, 1992.
In order to produce a commercially acceptable product, it is generally necessary to remove the protruding portion of the bead or flash flush with the surface of the tube or pipe. Various devices have been proposed heretofore for removing both the internal bead and the external bead. Removal of the external bead can be accomplished by any of a number of conventional processes such as grinding and scarfing. External surface scarfing apparatus is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,249,349, issued May 3, 1966, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,192,013 issued Mar. 9, 1992. Removing the internal bead is, of course more difficult than removing the external bead due to the restricted access to the removal area. A scarfing tool particularly suited for removing the internal bead is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,600,180, issued Jul. 15, 1986.
Following welding of the seam and severing of the raised internal and external weld beads, the continuous tube or pipe may advance through additional traction and working roll units for sizing. Thereafter, the advancing tube or pipe is severed transversely into sections of predetermined length. The external bead, as indicated, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,192,013, may be collected upon a reel for disposal as it is severed from the tube. The internal bead, however, is not accessible and thus remains within the tube following severance from the internal surface. Cylindrical tube or pipe is generally cut into sections by means of a rotary cutter which rotates around the outer periphery of the advancing pipe and progressively cuts through the pipe wall until the section is severed from the continuous member. The weld bead within the pipe is not, of course, severed by the rotary cutter. Following separation from the continuous member, the individual section is accelerated forwardly for transfer to a storage rack adjacent the production line. The weld bead carried within the tube sections becomes exposed between the sections and tends to break and become entangled in the conveyor mechanism before it can be removed. The weld bead thus not only creates a severe maintenance problem, but also represents a hazard to employees working in the area.

Apparatus and method for cutting and transporting scarfed weld bead


A method for compensating for color drift in a printer includes determining a first true tone response curve for a color channel when said printer is in a first state. A first estimated tone response curve for the color channel is also determined when said printer is in the first state. A second estimated tone response curve for the color channel is determined when the printer is in a second, color-drifted state relative to the first state. A second true tone response curve for the color channel is mathematically predicted using the first true tone response curve, the first estimated tone response curve, and the second estimated tone response curve. The first and second estimated tone response curves are estimated using a 2×2 printer model. A printing apparatus includes an image processing unit for implementing the color-drift correction process.

Almost all printers are subject to temporal color drift, i.e., color printed at time T1 is different from the color printed at a different time T2, for a given digital color input value. To maintain consistent color output from day to day or over other periods of time, it is necessary to monitor the printer output and apply corresponding color adjustments to the digital inputs sent to the printer. A similar problem is color drift across printing media, i.e., where a particular digital color input value to a printer results in different color printed output depending upon the style, color, quality, finish, etc. of the paper or other recording media upon which the ink/toner is deposited. These color drift problems are illustrated graphically in FIG. 1, wherein it can be seen that digital image data input to a printer results in printed output that varies from a time T1 to a time T2 and that varies from media (e.g., paper) M1 to media (e.g., paper) M2.
Full color characterization can be performed as needed to correct for temporal color drift or media color drift, as described, e.g., in R. Bala, "Device Characterization," Digital Color Imaging Handbook, Chapter 5, CRC Press, 2003. This is a time consuming operation that is preferably avoided in most xerographic printing environments. Simpler color correction methods based on 1-dimensional (1-D) tone response curve (TRC) calibration for each of the individual color channels are usually sufficient and are easier to implement. The 1-D TRC calibration approach is also well-suited for use of in-line color measurement sensors, but is typically halftone dependent. In general, for each color channel C and for each halftone method H, a series of test patches are printed in response to N different digital input levels which requires C×H×N test patches, because the test patches must be printed for each halftone method. It has been found in practice that N must not be too small (e.g., N=16 is usually too small) because the TRC for each halftone method is typically not a smooth curve, due to dot overlapping and other microscopic geometries of the printer physical output. Existing methods for 1-D calibration, being halftone dependent, are measurement-intensive, and are not practical for in-line calibration, especially in print engines equipped with multiple halftone screens.
Previously, Wang and others have proposed a halftone independent printer model for calibrating black-and-white and color printers. This halftone independent printer model is referred to as the two-by-two (2×2) printer model and is described, e.g., in the following U.S. patents, all of which are hereby expressly incorporated by reference into this specification: U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,469,267, 5,748,330, 5,854,882, 6,266,157 and 6,435,654. The 2×2 printer model is also described in the following document that is also hereby expressly incorporated by reference into this specification: S. Wang, "Two-by-Two Centering Printer Model with Yule-Nielsen Equation," Proc. IS&T NIP14, 1998.
The 2×2 printer model is explained briefly with reference to FIGS. 2A, 2B and 2C (note that in FIGS. 2A, 2B, 2C the grid pattern is shown for reference only). FIG. 2A illustrates an ideal example of a halftone printer output pattern IHP, where none of the ink/toner dots ID overlap each other (any halftone pattern can be used and the one shown is a single example only); practical printers are incapable of generating non-overlapping square dots as shown in FIG. 2A. A more realistic dot overlap model is the circular dot model shown in FIG. 2B for the pattern HP (the halftone pattern HP of FIG. 2B corresponds to the halftone pattern IHP of FIG. 2A). These overlapping dots D in combination with optical scattering in the paper medium create many difficulties in modeling a black-and-white printer (or a monochromatic channel of a color printer). In a conventional approach such as shown in FIG. 2B, the output pixel locations are defined by the rectangular spaces L of the conceptual grid pattern G and are deemed to have centers coincident with the centers of the dots output D (or not output) by the printer. Because the grid G is conceptual only, according to the 2×2 printer model, the grid G can be shifted as shown in FIG. 2C and indicated at G′ so that the printer output dots D′ of the pattern HP′ are centered at a cross-point of the grid G′ rather than in the spaces L′. Although the halftone dot patterns HP,HP′ of FIGS. 2B and 2C are identical, overlapping details within the rectangular spaces L′ of the grid of FIG. 2C are completely different as compared to FIG. 2B. More particularly, there are only 24=16 different overlapping dot patterns for the 2×2 model shown in FIG. 2C, while there are 29=512 different overlapping dot patterns in a conventional circular dot model as shown in FIG. 2B.
The 16 different overlapping dot patterns of FIG. 2C can be grouped into seven categories G0-G6 as shown in FIG. 2D, i.e., each of the 16 possible different overlapping dot patterns of a pixel location L′ associated with the model of FIG. 2C can be represented by one of the seven patterns G0-G6 of FIG. 2D. The patterns G0 and G6 represent solid white and solid black (or other monochrome color), respectively. The pattern G1 is one of four different equivalent overlapping patterns that are mirror image of each other, as is the pattern G5. Each of the patterns G2, G3, G4 represents one of two different mirror-image overlapping patterns. Therefore, in terms of ink/toner color coverage (gray level), all pixels (located in the rectangular spaces L′ of the conceptual grid pattern G) of each of the seven patterns G0-G6 are identical within a particular pattern G0-G6. In other words, each pattern G0-G6 consists of only one gray level at the pixel level L′, and this gray level can be measured exactly.
The test patches G0′-G6′ shown in FIG. 2E illustrate an example of one possible real-world embodiment for printing the seven patterns G0-G6. The present development is described herein with reference to printing and measuring the color of the test patches G0′-G6′, and those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that this is intended to encompass printing and measuring the color of any other test patches that respectively represent the patterns G0-G6 in order to satisfy the 2×2 printer model as described herein. It is not intended that the present development, as disclosed below, be limited to use of the particular test patches G0′-G6′ or any other embodiment of the 2×2 patterns G0-G6. In general, for the 2×2 printer model to hold, the shape of the dots D′ must be symmetric in the x (width) and y (height) directions, and each dot D′ should be no larger than the size of two output pixel locations L′ in both the x and y directions. The dots D′ need not be circular as shown.
The 2×2 printer model as just described can be used to predict the gray level of any binary (halftone) pattern, because any binary pattern such as the halftone pattern of FIG. 2C can be modeled as a combination of the seven patterns G0-G6, each of which has a measurable gray level as just described. In other words, once the seven test patches G0′-G6′ are printed and the gray (color) level of each is measured, the gray level of any binary pattern can be predicted mathematically and without any additional color measurements. For example, the halftone pattern of FIG. 2C is shown in FIG. 3, along with its corresponding 2×2 based model M, wherein each of the output pixels of the halftone pattern HP′ (conceptually located in a rectangular space L′ of the grid) is represented by one of the seven 2×2 patterns G0-G6 that has a corresponding color output pattern/coverage for its pixels. Thus, for example, for the pixel P00 of the binary pattern HP′, the 2×2 pattern G1 has pixels with corresponding color coverage (as indicated at P00′, while for the pixel P50, the 2×2 pattern G3 has pixels with corresponding color coverage as shown at P50′, and for the pixel P66 there is no color which corresponds to the pattern G0 as indicated at P66′ of the model M. As such, any binary pattern of pixels can be modeled as a combination of the 2×2 patterns G0-G6 by selecting, for each pixel of the binary pattern, the one of the 2×2 patterns G0-G6 that is defined by pixels having color coverage the equals the color coverage of the pixel in question.
When a binary pattern HP′ is represented by a model M comprising a plurality of the patterns G0-G6, the gray level output of the binary pattern HP′ can be estimated mathematically, e.g., using the Neugebauer equation with the Yule-Nielsen modification, as follows:
      G    AVG          1      /      γ        =            ∑              i        =        0            6                          n        i                          G        i                  1          /          γ                    where Gi, i=0 to 6 is the measured gray level of the respective 2×2 patterns G0-G6, ni is the number of pixels of the corresponding 2×2 pattern in the binary pattern, and γ is the Yule-Nielsen factor, a parameter which is often chosen to optimize the fit of the model to selected measurements of halftone patches. Details of such an optimization are given in R. Bala, "Device Characterization," Digital Color Imaging Handbook, Chapter 5, CRC Press, 2003. For example, the average gray level of the binary pattern of FIG. 2B/FIG. 2C can be estimated as:GAVG=(7G01/γ+25G11/γ+7G21/γ+3G31/γ+3G41/γ+3G51/γ+G61/γ)γ
The color 2×2 printer model can be described in a similar manner. The color 2×2 printer model can predict the color appearance of binary patterns for a given color printer and the color accuracy of the prediction is high for printers with relatively uniform dot shapes, such as inkjet printers. However, xerographic printers usually do not generate uniform round-shape dots for isolated single pixels and the dot overlapping is more complicated as compared to inkjet dot output. As such, the color 2×2 printer model applied to a xerographic printer will typically yield larger prediction errors.

Halftone independent color drift correction


A process for preparing a phase change ink including (a) subjecting a white colorant to acoustic mixing at an acceleration of from about 30 to about 110 g; (b) optionally, adding a dispersant and subjecting the white colorant and dispersant to further acoustic mixing at an acceleration of from about 30 to about 110 g; (c) separately melt mixing an optional antioxidant, an optional synergist, and a phase change ink carrier comprising (i) a branched triamide and (ii) a polyethylene wax, a Fischer Tropsch wax, or a mixture or combination thereof, to form a melt mixture; (d) adding the melt mixture of (c) to the acoustically mixed white colorant of (a) or (b) with stirring; (e) optionally, adding a fluorescent dye with stirring; and (d) optionally, filtering the phase change ink.

The present disclosure is generally related to phase change ink, particularly processes for preparing a phase change ink including (a) subjecting a white colorant to acoustic mixing at an acceleration of from about 30 to about 110 g, wherein g is the acceleration of gravity; (b) optionally, adding a dispersant and subjecting the white colorant and dispersant to further acoustic mixing at an acceleration of from about 30 to about 110 g; (c) separately melt mixing an optional antioxidant, an optional synergist, and a phase change ink carrier comprising (i) a branched triamide and (ii) a polyethylene wax, a Fischer Tropsch wax, or a mixture or combination thereof, to form a melt mixture; (d) adding the melt mixture of (c) to the acoustically mixed white colorant of (a) or (b) with stiffing; (e) optionally, adding a fluorescent dye with stiffing; and (d) optionally, filtering the phase change ink.
Phase change inks for color printing typically comprise a phase change ink carrier composition which is combined with a phase change ink compatible colorant. In a specific embodiment, a series of colored phase change inks can be formed by combining ink carrier compositions with compatible subtractive primary colorants. The subtractive primary colored phase change inks can comprise four component dyes, namely, cyan, magenta, yellow and black, although the inks are not limited to these four colors. These subtractive primary colored inks can be formed by using a single dye or a mixture of dyes. For example, magenta can be obtained by using a mixture of Solvent Red Dyes or a composite black can be obtained by mixing several dyes. U.S. Pat. No. 4,889,560, U.S. Pat. No. 4,889,761, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,852, the disclosures of each of which are totally incorporated herein by reference, teach that the subtractive primary colorants employed can comprise dyes from the classes of Color Index (C.I.) Solvent Dyes, Disperse Dyes, modified Acid and Direct Dyes, and Basic Dyes. The colorants can also include pigments, as disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,221,335, the disclosure of which is totally incorporated herein by reference. U.S. Pat. No. 5,621,022, the disclosure of which is totally incorporated herein by reference, discloses the use of a specific class of polymeric dyes in phase change ink compositions.
Phase change inks are desirable for ink jet printers because they remain in a solid phase at room temperature during shipping, long term storage, and the like. In addition, the problems associated with nozzle clogging as a result of ink evaporation with liquid ink jet inks are largely eliminated, thereby improving the reliability of the ink jet printing. Further, in phase change ink jet printers wherein the ink droplets are applied directly onto the final recording substrate (for example, paper, transparency material, and the like), the droplets solidify immediately upon contact with the substrate, so that migration of ink along the printing medium is prevented and dot quality is improved.
Compositions suitable for use as phase change ink carrier compositions are known. Some representative examples of references disclosing such materials include U.S. Pat. No. 3,653,932, U.S. Pat. No. 4,390,369, U.S. Pat. No. 4,484,948, U.S. Pat. No. 4,684,956, U.S. Pat. No. 4,851,045, U.S. Pat. No. 4,889,560, U.S. Pat. No. 5,006,170, U.S. Pat. No. 5,151,120, U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,852, U.S. Pat. No. 5,496,879, European Patent Publication 0187352, European Patent Publication 0206286, German Patent Publication DE 4205636AL, German Patent Publication DE 4205713AL, and PCT Patent Application WO 94/04619, the disclosures of each of which are totally incorporated herein by reference. Suitable carrier materials can include paraffins, microcrystalline waxes, polyethylene waxes, ester waxes, fatty acids and other waxy materials, fatty amide containing materials, sulfonamide materials, resinous materials made from different natural sources (tall oil rosins and rosin esters, for example), and many synthetic resins, oligomers, polymers, and copolymers.
Ink jetting devices are known in the art, and thus extensive description of such devices is not required herein. As described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,547,380, incorporated herein by reference, ink jet printing systems generally are of two types: continuous stream and drop-on-demand. In continuous stream ink jet systems, ink is emitted in a continuous stream under pressure through at least one orifice or nozzle. The stream is perturbed, causing it to break up into droplets at a fixed distance from the orifice. At the break-up point, the droplets are charged in accordance with digital data signals and passed through an electrostatic field that adjusts the trajectory of each droplet in order to direct it to a gutter for recirculation or a specific location on a recording medium. In drop-on-demand systems, a droplet is expelled from an orifice directly to a position on a recording medium in accordance with digital data signals. A droplet is not formed or expelled unless it is to be placed on the recording medium.
There are at least three types of drop-on-demand ink jet systems. One type of drop-on-demand system is a piezoelectric device that has as its major components an ink filled channel or passageway having a nozzle on one end and a piezoelectric transducer near the other end to produce pressure pulses. Another type of drop-on-demand system is known as acoustic ink printing. As is known, an acoustic beam exerts a radiation pressure against objects upon which it impinges. Thus, when an acoustic beam impinges on a free surface (i.e., liquid/air interface) of a pool of liquid from beneath, the radiation pressure which it exerts against the surface of the pool may reach a sufficiently high level to release individual droplets of liquid from the pool, despite the restraining force of surface tension. Focusing the beam on or near the surface of the pool intensifies the radiation pressure it exerts for a given amount of input power. Still another type of drop-on-demand system is known as thermal ink jet, or bubble jet, and produces high velocity droplets. The major components of this type of drop-on-demand system are an ink filled channel having a nozzle on one end and a heat generating resistor near the nozzle. Printing signals representing digital information originate an electric current pulse in a resistive layer within each ink passageway near the orifice or nozzle, causing the ink vehicle (usually water) in the immediate vicinity to vaporize almost instantaneously and create a bubble. The ink at the orifice is forced out as a propelled droplet as the bubble expands.
In a typical design of a piezoelectric ink jet device utilizing phase change inks printing directly on a substrate or on an intermediate transfer member, such as the one described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,852, incorporated herein by reference, the image is applied by jetting appropriately colored inks during four to eighteen rotations (incremental movements) of a substrate (an image receiving member or intermediate transfer member) with respect to the ink jetting head, i.e., there is a small translation of the printhead with respect to the substrate in between each rotation. This approach simplifies the printhead design, and the small movements ensure good droplet registration. At the jet operating temperature, droplets of liquid ink are ejected from the printing device and, when the ink droplets contact the surface of the recording substrate, either directly or via an intermediate heated transfer belt or drum, they quickly solidify to form a predetermined pattern of solidified ink drops.
Hot melt inks typically used with ink jet printers have a wax based ink vehicle, e.g., a crystalline wax. Such solid ink jet inks provide vivid color images. In typical systems, these crystalline wax inks partially cool on an intermediate transfer member and are then pressed into the image receiving medium such as paper. Transfuse spreads the image droplet, providing a richer color and lower pile height. The low flow of the solid ink also prevents showthrough on the paper.
In these systems, the crystalline wax inks are jetted onto a transfer member, for example, an aluminum drum, at temperatures of approximately 100° C. to about 130° C. The wax based inks are heated to such high temperatures to decrease their viscosity for efficient and proper jetting onto the transfer member. The transfer member is at approximately 60° C., so that the wax will cool sufficiently to solidify or crystallize. As the transfer member rolls over the recording medium, e.g., paper, the image comprised of wax based ink is pressed into the paper.
White inks are highly desired for certain graphic and labeling applications. They are most typically used on transparent and dark substrates to compliment or provide a background to text or graphics. White text on smoke colored plastic is particularly striking. White colorants are pigments, which can comprise a variety of materials, most typically titanium dioxide. A general description of titanium dioxide properties can be found, for example, in Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, 4th Ed., (John Wiley & Sons, NY), Vol. 24, pages 239-240, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. Because white is produced by light scattering, a pigment having a volume average particle size of from about 200 to about 300 nanometers is generally selected to provide sufficient opacity. As the particle size in a dispersion decreases below this range, the dispersion selectively scatters blue light and appears bluish white. As the particle size decreases further, it will not scatter visible light and will become transparent. For example, smaller nanometer sized titanium dioxide pigments are known, but they are colorless. A combination of dense dispersions, for example, from about 2 to about 4 grams of pigment per milliliter of pigment and dispersion, relatively large size, and high loadings of pigment make it particularly challenging to design a storage stable and jettable white curable solid ink.
While known compositions and processes are suitable for their intended purposes, a need remains for phase change white inks that are suitable for ink jet printing processes, such as piezoelectric ink jet processes and the like. In addition, a need remains for phase change white inks that are suitable for acoustic ink jet printing processes. Further, a need remains for improved digital ink jet phase change white inks that can provide excellent print quality on colored package substrates including colored cardboard or thick paper, particularly brown or other darker colors, that can provide the desirable esthetic appearance and appeal of white prints over dark substrates, that provide improved storage stability and low Newtonian viscosity.
The appropriate components and process aspects of the each of the foregoing U.S. patents and patent Publications may be selected for the present disclosure in embodiments thereof. Further, throughout this application, various publications, patents, and published patent applications are referred to by an identifying citation. The disclosures of the publications, patents, and published patent applications referenced in this application are hereby incorporated by reference into the present disclosure to more fully describe the state of the art to which this invention pertains.

Phase change ink composition and process for preparing same


A method and system are presented for selectively entering lottery entries into a state lottery drawing via an internet web site, the method includes the initial step of entering the home page of the web site. There is querying of users for their sign-in identification to establish whether they are pre-registered user members or non-members. Pre-registered user members are presented with a choice of member functions and content as to account information, and selection of a game to be played. Non-members are presented with a choice of different functions and content including the ability to establish an account. Both members and non-members may access functions and content including information relating to gambling addiction, and descriptions of the games that may be played.

Many government and private entities conduct lotteries. Government-conducted lotteries offer players the chance to win a large prize, and have the added benefit of increasing governmental revenues without burdening the public with additional taxes. In many instances, the revenue generated from a governmental lottery is dedicated, at least in part, to a particular purpose or goal, such as improving the education system or reducing property taxes.
Typically, government-conducted lottery systems utilize a central lottery computer to communicate with remote dedicated lottery terminals. A player typically selects numbers on a lottery "sense mark slip," and the lottery terminal operator inserts the sense mark slip into a reader at the lottery terminal, which optically reads the sense mark slip using a known mark sensing process. Alternatively, most lottery systems offer automatic lottery number generation features, commonly referred to as "quick-pick" systems, which randomly select lottery numbers on behalf of the player. The dedicated lottery terminal then communicates the player's selected numbers to the central lottery computer for validation and storage. After the lottery numbers have been stored, the dedicated lottery terminal, under the direction of the central lottery computer, prints and issues the official lottery ticket.
One popular lottery game, commonly referred to as "lotto," typically requires the player to choose six numbers between one and forty-two. The selected group of numbers are then compared to the winning lottery numbers, which have been randomly selected from the larger pool of numbers, between one and forty-two, at some specified time and date after purchase of the lotto ticket. To win a prize, the player-selected lotto ticket numbers must match all or some of the winning lottery numbers.
Lotto drawings are typically conducted on a periodic basis, with many state lotteries conducting "lotto" drawings as often as twice per week. Previously, players were required to appear in person at a dedicated lottery terminal to purchase their lottery tickets for each lottery drawing. In order to increase ticket sales, as well as customer-convenience, many lottery systems now offer subscription sales of lottery tickets, which automatically enter a player in the lottery game for a predefined number of weeks, often at a discounted price.
If the jackpot prize is not awarded for a particular lotto drawing, the jackpot prize value typically rolls over to increase the jackpot for the subsequent drawing. Thus, jackpots increase from week to week as no one wins. The amount of the jackpot prize is typically determined based on a sales trend from the prior year. It has been found that many people only buy lottery tickets when the jackpot exceeds a certain amount. Thus, as the jackpot prize gets larger, there is a dramatic increase in the number of tickets sold. Occasionally, when jackpots have risen to particularly large amounts, some lottery systems have not had sufficient capacity to meet the increased ticket demand.
Thus, during times of peak demand, players are met with longer lines at lottery terminals, and generally find it more frustrating to obtain a lottery ticket. Rather than providing an environment that encourages such infrequent players to become regular players, the difficulty associated with obtaining a lottery ticket for a large jackpot often discourages players from returning. While the subscription sale of lottery tickets allows regular players to enroll in all drawings for a predefined period, and thereby avoid a time-consuming trip to the lottery terminal when the jackpot increases, conventional lottery subscription sale systems do not provide a solution for infrequent players who only want to enroll in drawings associated with larger jackpot prizes.
Inherent in existing lottery systems are other limitations on their availability to persons who wish to participate in the lottery. For example, in bad weather, it is difficult for many people to negotiate travel from their homes or offices to a facility selling lottery tickets. Many people do not have cars or access to convenient public transportation needed to get to such a facility. And many elderly and handicapped are all but excluded from participation in lotteries because of a lack of the mobility needed to get from home to a lottery selling location.
Thus, there is considerable need for a system that will facilitate participation of all people in such lotteries and other authorized games of chance.

Method of facilitating participation in lotteries


Water and solid debris are separated from gasoline during its storage within a container. The separation is effected automatically, at low cost and in a highly reliable manner. It is continuous throughout storage and is not reversed by portage of the container or removal of gasoline therefrom. Engines fueled with gasoline from the container are far less subject to contamination from water or impurities than those fueled from gas cans of the conventional type.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a container for holding gasoline that is provided with a means for separating dirt and water from stored gasoline.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Portable gasoline storage devices of the type disclosed by Canadian Patent 87,712, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,491,251 typically include a plastic or metal container having a handle, pouring spout, and air relief vent. In some of these containers, a screen is placed in the pouring spout to filter dirt and thereby prevent it and other solid particles from exiting the device.
Methods and means for separation of impurities from liquids such as gasoline are complex and costly, with the result that their use is restricted to very large tanks or industrial processes. Soviet Patent 1,587,003 to Tranov, et al. describes a separator in which water and petroleum are pumped over a plate with a rim. U.S. Pat. No. 5,151,185 to Hammerschmitt et al. describes a multi-chamber device with sloping pipes and vertical pipes. These separation devices are large, complex and costly, and would not be amenable to separation of impurities from liquids in small, portable containers.
Water contamination can seriously effect the performance and mechanical integrity of a gasoline powered engine. Yet, many of these engines, including land vehicle engines, lawn mower engines, chain saw engines, and the like, are frequently refueled using portable gasoline storage devices. In such cases, contamination from water and impurities can damage the engine or impair its performance.
There exists a need in the art for a method and means for separating both water and dirt from gasoline in a portable storage device.


Jack-up bolts are provided at two places along the rear platen movement direction on both sides of a lower part of a rear platen of an injection molding machine. The jack-up bolt engages threadedly with a bolt hole formed in the rear platen, and a lower end face of the jack-up bolt abuts on the upper surface of a slide plate to support the rear platen. A fixing bolt is inserted in a through hole formed in the jack-up bolt, and is threadedly engaged with a tap hole provided in the slide plate, by which the rear platen and the slide plate are integrated. The rear platen moves while being supported by the slide plate. When the tilt of the rear platen is corrected, the fixing bolt is loosened and the jack-up bolt is turned, by which a distance between the rear platen and the slide plate is adjusted.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a mold clamping mechanism for an injection molding machine and, more particularly, to the prevention of a tilt of a rear platen constituting a part of a mold clamping mechanism.
2. Description of the Prior Art
For an injection molding machine, mold opening/closing and mold clamping are performed by moving a movable platen to which a movable-side mold is attached toward a fixed platen to which a fixed-side mold is attached. During the time when the movable platen moves toward the fixed platen, the surface of the movable-side mold must be in parallel with the surface of the fixed-side mold. For this purpose, the movable platen must move in a posture parallel with the fixed platen. If the parallelism between the movable platen and the fixed platen breaks down, the parallelism between the fixed-side mold and the movable-side mold is naturally lost, which exerts an influence on the accuracy of molded product.
Thereupon, in order to obtain a molded product with high-accuracy, it is necessary to maintain the parallelism of the movable platen with the fixed platen and to restrain the loss of parallelism in the mold opening/closing operation.
To restrain the loss of parallelism, a method has conventionally been used in which the tilt of the movable platen in the advance direction is corrected by adjusting a roller, a sliding bearing, or the like that supports the movable platen, by which the parallelism between the movable platen and the fixed platen is maintained.
For a toggle type mold clamping mechanism using a toggle mechanism, in order to maintain the parallelism between the movable platen and the fixed platen with higher accuracy, it is necessary to correct the tilt of a rear platen in addition to the tilt of the movable platen.
The position of center of gravity of the whole of the rear platen and the toggle mechanism shifts to the movable platen side due to the influence of a toggle mechanism component such as a toggle link constituting the toggle mechanism. Therefore, the rear platen is prone to tilt to the movable platen side. This tilt of the rear platen exerts an influence on the tilt of the movable platen via the toggle link and tie bars that are provided between the fixed platen and the rear platen to guide the movable platen. Also, if the tilt of movable platen is corrected forcibly by the roller, the sliding bearing, or the like that supports the movable platen in a state in which the rear platen tilts, the parallelism between the rear platen and the movable platen breaks down, so that an unbalanced load acts on the tie bars and the toggle mechanism, and thus partial wear is liable to occur. As a result, the parallelism between the fixed platen and the movable platen breaks down.
A method is known in which an eccentric shaft that supports the movable platen on a bearing fixed to a linear guide unit is provided, and the tilt of movable platen is adjusted by this eccentric shaft. Also, a method of adjusting the rear platen in the same way as the adjustment of the tilt of movable platen is also known (refer to Japanese Patent-Application Laid-Open No. 9-262884).
As described above, the tilt of rear platen resultantly exerts an influence on the parallelism between the movable platen and the fixed platen. Therefore, in the case where the tilt is corrected by the linear guide unit and the eccentric shaft as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-262884, there arises a problem in that the linear guide unit becomes large and complicated. The linear guide unit is required to have a construction enough to withstand a vertical load caused by the deformation of the rear platen at the time of mold clamping. For this purpose, the linear guide unit must have a large size and a complicated construction, which increases the cost. The use of linear guide unit can be thought for a component that moves at a high speed like the movable platen. The aforementioned Publication describes the adjustment of the tilt of movable platen using the linear guide unit and the eccentric shaft, and merely describes the additional applicability of this adjusting method to the rear platen. However, since the rear platen does not move at a high speed, there is little need for using the expensive linear guide unit.

Mold clamping mechanism for injection molding machine


An image display apparatus includes: a first driving mode that selects only one scanning wiring in one selection period; and a second driving mode that drives the image display apparatus so as to select, in one selection period, a plurality of scanning wiring at the same time and to select, in the following selection period, a plurality of scanning wiring shifted by one scanning wiring from the plurality of scanning wiring selected in the preceding selection period, and                uses, in the first driving mode, a correction display signal computed in the first driving mode and for correcting variation in luminance, and        outputs, in the second driving mode, a modulation signal based on a correction display signal different from the correction display signal computed in the first driving mode.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for driving an image display apparatus for forming an image on a plane.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an image display apparatus of a fixed pixel structure, there are cases where the uniformity of luminance is degraded by variation in luminous efficiency of each pixel or the like. In order to cope with this problem, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 8-234690 and JP-A No. 9-251276, a technology for improving the uniformity of luminance by correcting the amount of drive for each pixel has been known.
FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a conventional image display apparatus. A reference numeral 1 denotes a display panel using a surface conduction electron-emitting device. Scanning wiring Dx1 to Dxm in the direction of row and modulation wiring Dy1 to Dyn in the direction of column are arranged in a matrix and electron-emitting devices (not shown) are arranged at respective points of intersection, so that the display panel 1 is provided with the electron-emitting devices arranged in a matrix with m rows and n columns.
When current is passed through this device, electrons are emitted and the device has a non-linear characteristic as shown in FIG. 2. For example, when a voltage of 16 V is applied to the device, electrons are emitted, but when a voltage of 8 V is applied, electrons are hardly emitted. Further, the emitted electrons are accelerated by acceleration means (not shown) and collide with a phosphor surface (not shown) to emit light. That is, the device emits light when it has a voltage of 16 V applied thereto but does not emit light even when it has a voltage of 8 V, one-half the voltage, applied thereto. Hence, passive matrix drive shown in FIG. 3 can be performed.
A reference numeral 2 in FIG. 1 denotes a scanning driving unit. The scanning driving unit 2 is constructed of a selector switch 22, a selection potential generating unit 23, and a non-selection potential generating unit 24.
A reference numeral 3 denotes a modulation driving unit. The modulation driving unit 3 is further constructed of a shift register 31, a latch 32, a pulse width modulating circuit 33, and a driving amplifier 34.
A reference numeral 4 denotes a synchronization separating unit and a reference numeral 5 denotes an AD converter. The synchronization separating unit 4 and the AD converter 5 are provided if necessary. A reference numeral 6 denotes a control circuit for generating a drive control signal. A reference numeral 7 denotes an image processing unit for converting resolution. A reference numeral 8 denotes a multiplier for correcting display data by correction data. A reference numeral 11 denotes a correction memory for storing the correction data.
A reference symbol S1 denotes an analog image signal input to an apparatus. A reference symbol S2 denotes a synchronous signal separated from the analog image signal S1. A reference symbol S3 denotes is a digital image signal obtained by sampling the analog image signal S1 by the AD converter 5. A reference symbol S4 denotes a display signal obtained by subjecting the digital image signal to image processing. A reference symbol S5 is a conversion timing signal supplied to the AD converter 5. A reference symbol S6 denotes an image processing control signal for controlling the action of the image processing unit 7. A reference symbol S7 denotes an image clock signal for controlling the action of the shift register 31. A reference symbol S8 denotes a modulation control signal for controlling the action of the modulation driving unit 3. A reference symbol S9 denotes a PWM clock that becomes the action reference of a pulse width modulating circuit 33. A reference symbol S10 denotes a scanning control signal for controlling the action of the scanning driving unit 2. A reference symbol S11 denotes a corrected correction display signal. A reference symbol S13 denotes a correction memory control signal for controlling a data output timing from the correction memory 11. S15 denotes a correction signal read from the correction memory 11.
The synchronous signal S2 extracted from the analog image signal S1 input to the apparatus by the synchronization separating unit 4 is input to the control circuit 6.
The control circuit 6 generates various kinds of drive control signals S5 to S10, and S13 from the synchronous signal S2.
The AD converter 5 inputs the analog image signal S1 according to the conversion timing signal S5 and samples the analog image signal S1 and outputs the digital image signal S3.
The image processing unit 7 inputs the digital image signal S3 and performs image processing such as image adjustment and resolution conversion and outputs the display signal S4.
The correction memory 11 outputs the correction signal S15 according to the correction memory control signal S13. The multiplier 8 inputs the display signal S4 and the correction signal S15 and multiplies the display signal S4 by the correction signal S15 and outputs the correction display signal S11.
An action for the scanning driving unit 2 and the modulation driving unit 3 to drive the display panel 1 will be described. Timing at this time is shown in FIG. 4.
In the modulation driving unit 3, the correction display signal S11 is input to the shift register 31 in sequence in synchronization with the image clock signal S7 and display data is held in the latch 32 according to the LOAD signal of the modulation control signal S8. Then, a pulse signal having a length responsive to the data held in the latch 32 is generated by the pulse width modulation circuit 33 by use of the STRAT signal of the modulation control signal S8 with reference to the PWM clock S9 and has its voltage amplified to Vm by the driving amplifier 34 and drives the modulation wiring of the display panel 1.
In the correction memory 11 is stored correction data corresponding to the respective pixels of the display panel 1.
It is assumed that the display signal S4 corresponding to each device constructing each pixel of the display panel 1 is D(x, y) (where 1≦x≦n and 1≦y≦m, ditto for the following), and that the total sum of electric power applied to each light-emitting device in one frame based on the display signal S4 or the correction display signal S11 is the amount of driving V(x, y), and that the amount of light emission of each device is P(x, y), and the relative luminous efficiency of each device (Individual luminous efficiency normalized by the average of the luminous efficiencies of all devices. An average device is 1, and an inefficient device, namely, a dark device is 1 or less) is K(x, y).
Since the amount of light emission of the display device is proportional to the amount of driving applied to the display device, the following equation holds:P(x, y)∝V(x, y)  [Equation 1]
When a correction is not made, variation in the luminous efficiency of the device affects an image to be displayed and hence an image ofP(x, y)∝D(x, y)×K(x, y)  [Equation 2]
is formed on the display panel 1. This makes the image look rough and spotted.
Here, the inverse of luminous efficiency K(x, y) of each device is made a correction coefficient Q(x, y), which is stored in the correction memory 11. The correction coefficient Q(x, y) is a correction value for correcting the variation in the luminance of each device and is determined for each device. When the multiplier 8 multiplies the D(x, y) of the display signal S4 by the Q(x, y) of the correction signal S15 as a correction value and D(x, y)×Q(x, y) as a correction display signal S11 drives the display panel 1, under the influence of luminous efficiency of the device, an image ofP(x, y)∝D(x, y)×Q(x, y)×K(x, y)  [Equation 3]
is formed on the display panel 1. Since Q(x, y) is the inverse of K(x, y), the image of P(x, y)∝D(x, y), in which variation in the luminous efficiency of each device is cancelled, is formed, in other words, a uniform image can be generated.

Method for driving image display apparatus


Disclosed herein are apparatuses and methods for configuring a circuit board to have a plurality of die having different bottom-side electrical potential. An apparatus comprises a circuit board comprising a metallic base plate, a thermally conductive dielectric, and a plurality of metallic pads. Each of a plurality of die of the apparatus is coupled to a respective one of the plurality of metallic pads, and the plurality of die comprises a first die and a second die. Based on each of the plurality of die being coupled to a respective one of the plurality of metallic foil pads, the first die is configured to exhibit a first bottom-side electrical potential and the second die is configured to exhibit a second bottom-side electrical potential. The apparatus is further configured to conduct heat from the plurality of die away from the plurality of die via at least the metallic base plate, the thermally conductive dielectric, and the plurality of metallic pads.

Packaging for electronics can serve several purposes. For example, packaging can prevent physical damage and corrosion, provide electrical isolation, and enable thermal dissipation for the electronics contained within the packaging. Packaging is increasingly important due to rapid advances in integrated circuit (IC) fabrication and the demands of a growing market in almost all areas of application, such as power electronics, portable electronics, consumer electronics, home electronics, computing electronics, automotive, railway, aerospace and defense, industrial drivers and motor controls, medical devices, and others. However, design and performance requirements for these electronics are demanding, for example within harsh mechanical, thermal, and electrical environments. This can be due to high intrinsic power dissipation of the electronics.
Packages in the electronics industry address the foregoing issues, but they also present challenges for incorporating multiple die with one or more different backside electrical potentials. For example, these packages may use a slug-up, surface mount technology (SMT) package that has less than desirable performance characteristics for the thermal path from the die to a heat sink. These packages may also require an external heat pad to be attached to a pad on the bottom of a printed circuit board (PCB) and may use standard lead frame material as the thermal pad, thereby potentially limiting the thermal performance to that of a large copper area on the PCB. Such configurations have several shortcomings. These shortcomings may include, but are not limited to, the failure to minimize thermal paths for dissipating heat from the internal die, lack of electrical isolation between the internal die and any external heat tab that connects to the heat sink, preventing the heat sink from being kept at a non-zero electrical potential, and preventing full power dissipation of the package. These and other shortcomings are addressed by the methods and systems described herein.

Thermally conductive electronic packaging


Devices and methods are provided where photoresist is applied on a substrate and at least some regions of the photoresist are dried prior to removing a substrate from a substrate support.

In the course of processing substrates, for example semiconductor wafers or other kinds of substrates, photolithography is often performed to provide a mask for processing steps like etching or other operations which are to be applied only to part of the substrates. Typically, for photolithography a photoresist is applied to the substrate, the photoresist is exposed through a mask such that only defined regions of the photoresist are exposed to light, and the photoresist is subsequently developed. In case of positive photoresists, the regions exposed to light may be removed during the development, while for negative photoresists the regions not exposed to light are removed during the development of the photoresist.
In typical processing environments, substrates are transferred between the various processing steps like applying photoresist, exposing the substrate to light and developing the photoresist, by means of a mechanical gripper arm or other similar device which grips the substrate at a periphery thereof. However, this may lead to problems in some cases when the gripping device grips the periphery of the substrate where photoresist is applied, as the photoresist may for example adhere to the gripping device.
In some conventional solutions, the photoresist may be removed at the peripheral portion of the substrate prior to transferring the substrate using the gripping device. However, at least for some kinds of processing it may be desirable that the peripheral portion of the substrate remains coated with photoresist.


An electrical connector includes an housing having a base portion, a tongue portion extending forwardly from the base portion and a number of passageways, the tongue portion defining a front face, a first side face and a second side face; a metal shell enclosing the tongue portion to define a receiving room therebetween, and defines a top wall, bottom wall and a pair of side walls, a first receiving room being formed between the bottom wall and the first side face; a number of contacts received in the passageways respectively and including a plurality of first contacts and second contacts, the first contacts each defining a first contacting portion, a first soldering portion and a first retaining portion, the second contacts each defining a second contacting portion, a second soldering portion and a second retaining portion. Both the second contacting portions and the first contacting portions are positioned on a same side of the second side face to be exposed to the first receiving room, the first contacting portions extend beyond the first side face.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrical connectors, more particularly to electrical connectors with additional contacts.
2. Description of Related Art
In information technology, Universal Serial Bus (USB) is a serial bus standard to interface devices. USB can connect computer peripherals such as computer mouse, keyboards, PDAs, gamepads and joysticks, scanners, digital cameras, printers, personal media players, and flash drives. For many of those devices, USB has become the standard connection method.
The design of USB is standardized by the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF), an industry standards body incorporating leading companies from the computer and electronics industries. As of 2006, the USB specification was at version 2.0 (with revisions). The USB 2.0 specification was released in April 2000 and was standardized by the USB-IF at the end of 2001. The USB 2.0 specification is available from website: http://www.usb.org/home. Previous notable releases of the specification were 0.9, 1.0, and 1.1. Equipment conforming to any version of the standard will also work with devices designed to any previous specification (known as: backward compatibility).
The USB 2.0 specification defines several types of USB connectors such as Standard-A and Standard-B plugs and receptacles. Type-A plugs only mate with type-A receptacles, and type-B plugs only mate with type-B receptacles. FIG. 22 shows an existing USB 2.0 Standard-A plug 8, the Standard-A plug 8 includes an insulative plug tongue portion 80 formed of an insulating material, four conductive contacts 81 fixed on the insulative plug tongue portion 80. The four conductive contacts 81 located orderly from left to right are used to transfer power, D−, D+ and ground signals, respectively, the two central conductive contacts constitute a pair of differential contacts used to transfer/receive data. However, the current USB 2.0 version has a top data-transfer rate of 480 megabits per second which does not efficiently meet requirement of data transmission speed for Blue-ray and HD DVD.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Electrical connector with improved contacts


A sport set (10) and methods for golf club identification are provided. The sports set (10) includes a plurality of clubs (10 and 12) with each club (10 or 12) or subset of the plurality of clubs (10 or 12) provided with a distinguishing surface configuration on at least a portion of the exterior surface of head (18) to enable a golfer to visually distinguish between each club (10 or 12) or between subsets of clubs (10 or 12).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the game of golf and, more particularly, to configurations and methods to distinguish between golf clubs in a set of golf clubs.
2. Description of the Related Art
Mastering the game of golf is an endless pursuit for millions of people around the world. To master the game, one must not only conquer the physical aspects of the game but must also conquer the mental aspect of the game. One important step in mastering the mental aspect of the game is to identify the appropriate shot to play from a particular distance given the ball's particular lie with, of course, consideration given to the layout of the golf course. A wide variety of golf shots are available. The golfer may choose from a full swing, a flop shot, a lob shot, a chip shot, a sand shot, a pitch shot, a punch shot or other shot that may be available in that golfer's arsenal. Each shot confers various advantages given the lie of the ball and will also determine the speed and trajectory of the ball as it leaves the face of the club head. Thus, the shot chosen will depend on many factors, including: the distance to the pin; the existence of any obstructions such as tree limbs; the environmental conditions, most notably wind velocity; and the lie of the ball, most notably whether the ball is in the sand or on the rough, fairway, fringe or green and whether the ball is on a flat or an angled surface. However, the calculus does not end with the selection of the shot to be used, the golfer must also identify the appropriate club that he or she has available to execute the chosen shot. If the golfer chooses his or her club properly and executes the shot correctly, the ball will take the desired course which typically avoids obstacles and sends the ball in the general direction of the pin.
Unfortunately, proper club identification does not always result in proper club selection. Golfers carry a wide variety of clubs in their bags. If the golfer plays by the rules, the golfer will have no more than 14 clubs in his bag. Ideally, the particular clubs carried by any given golfer are selected to best suit the attributes of that particular golfer's game. The clubs selected by most golfers include a driver, one or more fairway woods, nine or more irons and a putter. From these clubs, the golfer identifies what that golfer feels is his or her strongest club for a particular shot. The bags holding the clubs are generally designed to be relatively compact so that they may be carried by the golfer and are typically configured to receive the handle and shaft of a club leaving the head exposed for club identification. Due to the generally compact design of golf bags and the relatively large number of clubs to be carried, the club heads are generally crowded together and tend to overlap one another. This crowding and overlapping can make the selection of a particular club difficult and frustrating. During the course of a round, a scratch golfer will identify and select an average of seventy two clubs. This results in seventy two opportunities to identify or select the wrong club from one's bag. Although a misidentification of a club for a particular golf shot should be correctable through practice and lessons, the erroneous selection of a club when the proper club had been identified only frustrates the golfer, increasing his or her score and typically facilitating the breakdown of his or her mental game. Thus, the golfer's enjoyment of the game is reduced. Therefore, a need exists for a set of clubs that enables a golfer to more easily and consistently select an identified club.
The similarity in appearance between the various clubs makes the club selection even more difficult. There are only subtle structural differences among the various woods (including the driver) and among the various irons. The differences include slight differences in the size and shape of the club heads as well as differences in the lengths of each club's shaft. However, as noted above, the golf bag receives the shaft (and grip) of each golf club. Thus, only the head of each golf club is typically extending from a golf bag when a club is selected for a shot. This orientation of the clubs in the bag eliminates the shaft length as a distinguishing factor for the golfer and leaves only the subtle differences in the club heads to facilitate identification. Further, the club heads extend from the golf bag at various angles further distorting their appearance and obscuring the various visual clues that aid a golfer in selecting between clubs. Further with a primary difference between the shapes of clubs being their loft, the various angles at which the club heads sit within the bag make proper identification based on the loft of a club almost impossible. Therefore, a need exists for a set of clubs that can be distinguished from one another based on more than just club head size and shape.
Various apparatus and methods have evolved to allow golfers to properly identify the desired club. However, these systems typically require a golfer to identify a number stamped or molded on the sole of the club or to identify a number on a club head cover. In addition, other more technically complicated systems allow the push button identification and mechanical extension of the identified club head above the other clubs in a users bag to aid in selection. However, these apparatus and methods have particular drawbacks.
Generally, golf clubs are identified by numbers or letters stamped or molded into the sole plate of the club head. The numbers and letters are generally recessed into the sole to prevent them from wearing off over time. The numbers' placement typically allows the club to be identified when the club is inverted, such as the club would be when the club was placed in a golf bag. However, due to the nature of various numerals in addition to the "P" and "S" frequently used on pitching wedges and sand wedges, respectively, there can be some confusion as to the club identified by the number or letter. Particularly, the 6 and 9 irons, and the pitching wedge are easily confused. Similarly, the 2 and 5 irons, and the sand wedge are also easily confused. In addition, the 3 and 8 irons can easily be confused by a golfer. Furthermore, as the clubs typically rest in a golf bag, the club heads frequently overlap. This overlap tends to obscure the numbering and lettering on the soles of the club heads. Thus, a golfer attempting to select an identified club must fumble through the club heads to find and select the identified club. Aside from the frustration of having to search for the club, the golfers fumbling about brings the club heads into contact with one another resulting in excess wear to the club heads from the repeated searches. Therefore, a need exists for a set of clubs and method for club differentiation that does not solely rely on numbering or lettering for proper club selection.
In addition to the confusion between numbers and letters on the sole of the golf clubs, the numbers and letters can affect the swing of a club. As noted above, the numbers or letters are typically stamped or molded into the sole of the club head. That is, the numbers and letters are recessed into the sole of the club head. When the club is swung and the sole contacts the ground, there are necessarily variations in the resistance to the movement of the club along the ground in the golfer's swing plane. These differences in resistance can cause variations in the same swing with the different numbering and lettering on the clubs, thereby reducing a golfers consistency. Thus, a need exists for a method of club identification that does not necessarily require the stamping or molding of numbers and/or letters into the sole of a club head to eliminate the variation in resistance between clubs as their soles contact the ground.
Further, the nature of golf is that it is typically played outside on natural turf and other natural groundcovers that tend to bring the sole of the club head into contact with dirt and other debris. Ideally, the dirt is cleaned from the club head after every shot. However, typically dirt is compacted into the recessed numbering and/or lettering on the soles of the club heads. This obscures the numbering and/or lettering making it more difficult to properly distinguish the clubs from one another and thus, more difficult to select the proper club. Therefore, a need exists for a set of clubs and method for club differentiation that is not compromised when the sole of the club is dirty.
Another apparatus and method for identifying the proper golf club are designations on club head covers. Frequently, club head covers are provided to protect the finish and allow for identification and selection of clubs. However, head covers can be cumbersome. They are frequently difficult to remove from the club head and to replace over the club head frustrating the golfer and increasing the amount of time required to finish the round. In addition, the club head covers can be placed on the wrong club causing the player to select the improper club. Further, club head covers may be left on an earlier hole and are frequently lost during the course of a round as the player forgets to replace the head cover after a shot, again frustrating the golfer. Therefore, a need exists for a set of clubs and method for club differentiation that does not add to the equipment that must be carried around the course and that can not be separated from the club head so that it may be forgotten at a hole or lost.
Yet another apparatus and method for selecting the proper club are electronic club dispensers. These club dispensers are typically integral with the golf bag and in some cases provide a touch pad to extend a club for selection. That is, once a club is identified on the touch pad, the club is mechanically raised above the other clubs to allow for simplified selection. Although this system simplifies the selection of the clubs, it typically requires that a club be replaced at a particular location within the bag. This placement requires a degree of concentration that a golfer would likely not want to dedicate to placing a golf club within a golf bag and misplacement of a club results in the wrong club being presented for subsequent selection. In addition, such golf bags are complicated and expensive to manufacture. Their complicated nature invites component failure decreasing golfer satisfaction with both the equipment and game. In addition, golf bags with electronic club dispensers tend to be heavier than standard bags. This extra-weight is extremely undesirable especially to golfers who carry their clubs or use a pull cart to transport their clubs around the course. Therefore, a need exists for a set of clubs and method for club differentiation that is not complicated or expensive to manufacture and that does not add to the weight of the equipment that a golfer must transport around the course.

Set of golf clubs and method for identification of clubs


An apparatus and methods are disclosed for using optical sensors to determine the position of a movable flow control element in a well control tool. A housing has a movable element disposed within such that the element movement controls the flow through the tool. An optical sensing system senses the movement of the element. Optical sensors are employed that use Bragg grating reflections, time domain reflectometry, and line scanning techniques to determine the element position. A surface or downhole processor is used to interpret the sensor signals.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a method for the control of oil and gas production wells. More particularly, it relates to an optical position sensor system for determining the position of movable elements in well production equipment.
2. Description of the Related Art
The control of oil and gas production wells constitutes an on-going concern of the petroleum industry due, in part, to the enormous monetary expense involved as well as the risks associated with environmental and safety issues.
Production well control has become particularly important and more complex in view of the industry wide recognition that wells having multiple branches (i.e., multilateral wells) will be increasingly important and commonplace. Such multilateral wells include discrete production zones which produce fluid in either common or discrete production tubing. In either case, there is a need for controlling zone production, isolating specific zones and otherwise monitoring each zone in a particular well. Flow control devices such as sliding sleeve valves, packers, downhole safety valves, downhole chokes, and downhole tool stop systems are commonly used to control flow between the production tubing and the casing annulus. Such devices are used for zonal isolation, selective production, flow shut-off, commingling production, and transient testing.
These tools are typically actuated by hydraulic systems or electric motors driving a member axially with respect to a tool housing. Hydraulic actuation can be implemented with a shifting tool lowered into the tool on a wireline or by running hydraulic lines from the surface to the downhole tool. Electric motor driven actuators may be used in intelligent completion systems controlled from the surface or using downhole controllers.
The surface controllers are often hardwired to downhole sensors which transmit information to the surface such as pressure, temperature and flow. With multiple production zones intermingled in the single well bore, it is difficult to determine the operation and performance of individual downhole tools from surface measurements alone. It is also desirable to know the position of the movable members, such as the sliding sleeve in a sliding sleeve valve, in order to better control the flow from various zones. Originally, sliding sleeves were actuated to either a fully open or fully closed position. Surface controlled hydraulic sliding sleeves such as Baker Oil Tools Product Family H81134 provides variable position control of the sleeve which allows for continuous flow control of the zone of interest. In order to efficiently utilize this control capability, a sensor system is needed to determine the position of the sleeve. Position data is then processed at the surface by the computerized control system and is used for control of the production well. Similar position data will enhance the efficient flow control of the other downhole tools mentioned. In addition, for critical tools, such as downhole safety valves, indication of the position, or setting, of the valve is desired to ensure that the valve is operating properly.
Thus there is a need for a position sensing system which can monitor the operating configuration of downhole tools by measuring the position of a movable member over a large displacement range.

Optical position sensing for well control tools


In a telecommunication system, a mobile terminal is connected, before initiation of a handover procedure, to a first base station, and first data packets flow from the first base station by way of a first link to a data-packets switch which, in response thereto, transmits third data packets by way of a third link. After termination of the handover procedure, the mobile terminal is connected to a second base station, and second data packets flow from the second base station by way of a second link to the data-packets switch which, in response thereto, transmits third data packets by way of the third link. By, during the handover procedure, coupling both the first link and the second link to the third link by way of the data-packets switch, during the handover procedure data packets are switched in an advantageous manner, which requires no great accuracy and no additional analyzing/converting device.

The invention relates to a telecommunication system comprising at least a first and a second base station for wireless communication with a mobile terminal which before initiation of a handover procedure is wirelessly connected to the first base station and which after termination of the handover procedure is wirelessly connected to the second base station, which first base station is capable of being coupled to a data-packets switch by way of a first link and which second base station is capable of being coupled to the data-packets switch by way of a second link, with first data packets arriving by way of a first link comprising a first header part and a first data part, and second data packets arriving by way of the second link comprising a second header part and a second data part, and third data packets to be transmitted by way of a third link comprising a third header part and a third data part.
Such a telecommunication system is generally known. When, as a result of a displacement during communication, the mobile terminal comes into an overlapping part of the first coverage area of the first base station and the second coverage area of the second base station, the handover procedure is started. Before initiation of the handover procedure, there flow first data packets, by way of the first link, from the first base station to the data-packets switch which, in response thereto, transmits third data packets by way of the third link. After termination of the handover procedure, there flow second data packets, by way of the second link, from the second base station to the data-packets switch which, in response thereto, transmits third data packets by way of the third link. Since in each base station there is a buffer which buffers data packets, data packets could be lost during the handover procedure, particularly around the time of deactivation of the first wireless connection between the mobile terminal and the first base station, and of activation of the second wireless connection between the mobile terminal and the second base station. In order to prevent data packets getting lost, two possible solutions have been invented.
According to a first solution, there is applied an analyzing/converting device (a so-called UMTS Mobility Server or UMS) [UMTS=Universal Mobile Telecommunications System] in parallel to the data-packets switch. During the handover procedure, the analyzing/converting device by way of the data-packets switch receives all data packets from both base stations, analyzes the information present in these data packets, and combines and converts the data packets, whereafter a flow of third data packets obtained in this manner is transmitted by way of the data-packets switch. Apart from the need of placing an additional analyzing/converting device and the time consumed by analyzing, combining and converting, the analyzing/converting device has the drawback either that during the handover procedure three additional connections of the data-packets switch should be put into operation, which drastically reduces the effectiveness of the data-packets switch, or that the analyzing/converting device, not only during the handover procedure but during the complete communication, should be applied to a location situated between the base stations and the data-packets switch.
According to a second solution, the data-packets switch should break the coupling between the first link and the third link at the point in time on which the first buffer in the first base station is completely empty, and the data-packets switch should realize the coupling between the second link and the third link at exactly the same point in time, while up to this point in time the second buffer in the second base station is only allowed to buffer and not to let through, and exactly from this point in time onwards should generate stored data packets for transmission by way of the second link. The second solution (the so-called synchronized switching) has the drawback that in different locations simultaneous actions should be carried out with very great accuracy, which entails a great susceptibility to interference.

Telecommunication system, and data-packets switch, and method


Wheelchairs can be provided with special seats having hinged connections with leg supports locatable in proximity to the seat front edge to provide resting surfaces for amputated legs of disabled persons while sitting in the wheelchair. Each leg support is attached to the seat front edge so as to be swingable between a raised position aligned with the seat, a lowered vertical position extending downwardly from the seat front edge, and an intermediate position extending angularly downwardly from the general plane of the seat. An adjustment mechanism is provided for varying the angle of the leg support in the intermediate position, to achieve a condition most comfortable for a range of users.

This invention relates to wheelchairs, and particularly to an amputee leg support installable on a wheelchair to support the amputated leg of a disabled person seated in the wheelchair. The amputee leg support is constructed so that it can have two different adjusted positions on the wheelchair, according to the position most comfortable for the user.
My U.S. Pat. No. 5,306,074, issued on Apr. 26, 1994, discloses a wheelchair having a seat equipped with a support for supporting the leg of a person whose leg has been amputated at or below the knee. The leg support provides a resting surface for the amputated leg, i.e. the upper portion of the leg remaining after the amputation operation.
The apparatus disclosed in my U.S. Pat. No., 5,306,074 includes a leg support hinged to the front edge of the wheelchair seat, whereby the leg support can be manually swung between a raised position extending horizontally in front of the seat and a lowered position extending vertically downwardly from the seat. The leg support typically has a length of about eleven inches, so that when the leg support is in its raised horizontal position it presents an obstacle to a person getting in or out of the wheelchair. By moving the leg support to its lowered position the leg support represents less of an obstacle; the person can get in or out of the wheelchair without difficulty.
The present invention relates to an improvement to the wheelchair attachment disclosed in the above-noted U.S. Pat. No. 5,306,074. In the present invention, the leg support is constructed and mounted so that it can be swung to a raised horizontal position, a lowered vertical position extending downwardly from the front edge of the wheelchair seat, or an intermediate position acutely angled to the seat.
The intermediate position of the leg support gives the user an alternate position that might prove more comfortable to certain persons than the horizontal prone position disclosed in my U.S. Pat. No. 5,306,074. At the same time, the present invention retains the horizontal prone position that provides a desired comfort level for many users. In either the horizontal prone position or the acutely angled position, the leg support provides a support surface for the thigh area and rear surface of the leg remaining after an amputation. The support action increases the comfort level of the user, and also tends to prevent the user's amputated leg from curling toward the thigh due to contraction of the leg muscles as a result of prolonged sitting in a wheelchair without adequate leg support.
In the preferred practice of the invention an adjustment is provided for allowing the user to vary the angle of the leg support in the intermediate position. Typically the declination angle of the support leg can vary from about twenty degrees to about fifty degrees, depending on the adjustment setting.
A swingable latch plate (or support plate) is used on the seat member to co-act with an adjustable abutment member on the leg support to hold it in its intermediate position angled downwardly from the seat member. Adjustment of the abutment member adjusts the angle of the leg support.
Specific features of the invention will be apparent from the attached drawings and description of an illustrative embodiment of the invention.


A servo valve is connected to a hydraulic cylinder for driving a movable body for shifting. A control signal is applied from a controller to the servo motor for controlling speed of the movable body in an injection molding machine. Control is performed in such a manner that open-loop control of a speed is performed by applying a control signal on the basis of a speed command value to the servo motor in a shifting zone of the movable body including an acceleration region. Closed-loop control is performed by applying a control signal (derived on the basis of a deviation between a speed detection valve and speed command value), to the servo valve in a shifting zone of the movable body including a decelerating region. By such a control method, in which the shifting zone including the accelerating region and the shifting zone including the decelerating region are separated, stability of control, necessary response characteristics, and precision can be maintained in a shifting range.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a control method for an injection molding machine, in which a servo valve is connected to a hydraulic cylinder for shifting a movable body, such as a movable platform, screw or so forth, for controlling a speed of the movable body.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, in a clamping device Ms provided in an injection molding machine M as shown in FIG. 3, a servo valve 4 is connected to hydraulic cylinders 3x and 3y which drive a movable platform 2m (movable body 2) for shifting, for performing closed loop control of the speed of the movable platform 2m by supplying a control signal Cs derived on the basis of a difference between a speed detection value Vd and a speed command value Vc, from a controller 5.
On the other hand, since response of servo control is lowered when the servo valve 4 is employed, a measure has been taken conventionally in such a manner that an accumulator is connected to a discharge line of a hydraulic pump for maintaining stability and providing high response of the servo control by charging a high fluid pressure in the accumulator, as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. Heisei 8(1996)-150642. When the accumulator is connected to the clamping device Ms shown in FIG. 3, it is typical to establish connection as illustrated by the phantom lines. In FIG. 3, a reference numeral 50 shown by phantom lines denotes an accumulator connected to a discharge line Ls of a hydraulic pump 6. Reference numeral 51 shown by phantom lines denotes a check valve connected between the hydraulic pump 6 and the accumulator 50 upon connection of the accumulator 50.
However, with such conventional control methods employing the servo valve, size and cost of the hydraulic circuit is increased due to the accumulator where an extra hydraulic pump is used for charging high fluid pressure to the accumulator. Also, since the accumulator has to be constantly charged with the high fluid pressure, power consumption becomes large, which in turn, increases problems with energy efficiency and economy.

Control method for injection molding machine