A method for operating a motor vehicle, including at least one electric motor connected to at least one rechargeable energy storage unit that stores electrical power, wherein the charging operation of the energy storage unit is carried out in such a way that a charging state limit that lies below the maximum charging state of the energy storage unit is not exceeded, wherein upon activation of at least one vehicle starting system, which is designed to automatically carry out a maximum acceleration of the motor vehicle from the standing position, the charging operation of the energy storage unit is carried out before the acceleration of the motor vehicle in such a way that the energy storage unit is charged up to a further charging state limit that lies above the first charging state limit and/or at least one further rechargeable energy storage unit is connected in series

The invention relates to a method for operating a motor vehicle including at least one electric motor which is connected to at least one rechargeable electric energy storage unit, wherein the charging operation of the energy storage unit occurs such that a charging state limit which is below the maximal charging state of the energy storage device is not exceeded.
Alternative drive systems of modern motor vehicles, which in addition to a convectional internal combustion engine include at least one electric motor as part of the drive unit or have at least one electric motor as exclusive drive unit are well known. The former are often referred to as so-called hybrid motor vehicles and the latter as pure electric motor vehicles. The amount of energy required for the operation of the respective electric motor is usually provided by at least one rechargeable energy storage unit, which is connected with the electric motor(s).
It is known to control the charging operation of corresponding rechargeable energy storage units so that a charging state limit, which is below the maximal charging state of the energy storage unit is not exceeded. Thus the charging operation of corresponding rechargeable energy storage units can for example be limited to a charging state of 80% of the maximal charging capacity of the respective energy storage unit. This allows increasing the service life of the respective energy storage unit.
Also known are vehicle start systems which are commonly known as "Launch Control" in motor vehicles, and which are configured far automatically effecting a maximal acceleration of the motor vehicle, which is in particular equipped with an automatic transmission, from standstill. Activating a corresponding vehicle start system effects automatic maximal acceleration of the motor vehicle from standstill to a predetermined or predeterminable target value such as a target speed, with the maximal acceleration being controlled via one or multiple control devices. Correspondingly, the motor vehicle can be accelerated from standstill for example with a maximal acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h. The activation of corresponding vehicle start systems causes a change of different parameters of the motor vehicle such as the transmission control or an anti-slip control (ASR).
In order to carry out an automated maximal accelerated starting of the motor vehicle, which is equipped with an electric motor which forms at least a part of the drive unit or forms the drive unit itself, the corresponding vehicle start systems are to date not adjusted to the potential of corresponding hybrid motor vehicles or pure electric vehicles.


An integrated brake component mounting bracket for a mechanical spring axle/suspension system of a heavy-duty vehicle includes an axle seat that is disposed on and is rigidly connected to an axle of the vehicle. An air chamber mounting bracket is rigidly connected to the axle seat, and a cam shaft assembly mounting bracket is rigidly connected to the axle seat. A brake air chamber of a brake system is attached to the air chamber mounting bracket, and a cam shaft assembly of the brake system is mounted to the cam shaft assembly mounting bracket. The integrated brake component mounting bracket thus provides mounting of the brake air chamber and the cam shaft assembly on the axle seat, which reduces the number of components that are welded to the axle and enables the use of a thinner-wall axle, desirably reducing the weight and cost associated with the axle/suspension system.

Technical Field
The present invention relates to the art of brake component mounting for vehicles. More particularly, the invention relates to the art of mounting brake components on mechanical spring axle/suspension systems for heavy-duty vehicles, such as tractor-trailers or semi-trailers. Still more particularly, the invention relates to an integrated brake component mounting bracket for a mechanical spring axle/suspension system, which enables the brake chamber and the cam shaft assembly to be mounted on an axle seat, desirably reducing the number of components that are welded to the axle and enabling the use of a thinner-wall axle. The use of a thinner-wall axle desirably reduces the weight and cost associated with the axle/suspension system.
Background Art
Heavy-duty vehicles that transport freight, for example, tractor-trailers or semi-trailers and straight trucks, include suspension assemblies that connect the axles of the vehicle to the frame of the vehicle. In some heavy-duty vehicles, the suspension assemblies are connected directly to the primary frame of the vehicle. In other heavy-duty vehicles, the primary frame of the vehicle supports a subframe, and the suspension assemblies connect directly to the subframe. For those heavy-duty vehicles that support a subframe, the subframe can be non-movable or movable, the latter being commonly referred to as a slider box, slider subframe, slider undercarriage, or secondary slider frame. For the purpose of convenience, reference herein will be made to a subframe, with the understanding that such reference is by way of example, and that the present invention applies to heavy-duty vehicle primary frames, movable subframes and non-movable subframes.
In the heavy-duty vehicle art, reference is often made to an axle/suspension system, which typically includes a pair of transversely-spaced suspension assemblies and the axle that the suspension assemblies connect to the vehicle subframe. The axle/suspension system of a heavy-duty vehicle acts to locate or fix the position of the axle and to stabilize the vehicle. More particularly, as the vehicle is traveling over-the-road, its wheels encounter road conditions that impart various forces to the axle on which the wheels are mounted, and in turn, to the suspension assemblies which are connected to and support the axle. These forces consequently act to place or create loads on the axle and the suspension assemblies. In order to minimize the detrimental effect of these forces and resulting loads on the vehicle subframe and other vehicle components as the vehicle is operating, and in turn on any cargo and/or occupants being carried by the vehicle, the axle/suspension system is designed to absorb or dampen at least some of the forces and/or resulting loads.
Two common types of heavy-duty vehicles are known in the art as dry freight vans and refrigerated vans. Dry freight vans include enclosed trailers to keep their freight dry, and are used to transport a wide variety of non-perishable consumer and industrial goods. Refrigerated vans include enclosed trailers with refrigeration systems, and typically are used to transport perishable goods. Such dry freight vans and refrigerated vans have traditionally employed axle/suspension systems that utilize mechanical spring axle/suspension assemblies. These mechanical spring axle/suspension assemblies typically include a pair of leaf spring sets or stacks that are transversely spaced and are connected to the axle. Each leaf spring stack is engineered to carry the rated vertical load of its respective axle. Ordinarily, a trailer of a dry freight or refrigerated van employs two mechanical spring axle/suspension systems at the rear of the trailer, that is, a front axle/suspension system and a rear axle/suspension system, which is a configuration that is collectively referred to in the art as a trailer tandem axle/suspension system. As is known to those skilled in the art, the front end of the trailer is supported by a separate axle/suspension system of the tractor. For the purpose of convenience, reference herein shall be made to a spring axle/suspension system with the understanding that such reference is to a trailer tandem mechanical spring axle/suspension system.
In most axle/suspension systems, it is necessary to mount components of the vehicle braking system to one or more locations on the axle/suspension system. More particularly, the axle of the axle/suspension system includes a central tube, and an axle spindle is integrally connected by any suitable means, such as welding, to each end of the central tube. A wheel end assembly is rotatably mounted, as known in the art, on each axle spindle. A brake drum is mounted on the wheel end assembly, and as will be described in greater detail below, components of the vehicle braking system are actuated to apply friction to the brake drum in order to slow or stop the vehicle. Inasmuch as each end of the axle and its associated spindle, wheel end assembly and brake drum is generally identical to the other, only one axle end and its associated spindle, wheel end assembly and brake drum will be described herein.
As known in the art, when the operator of a heavy-duty vehicle applies the vehicle brakes to slow or stop the vehicle, compressed air is communicated from an air supply source, such as a compressor and/or air tank, through air lines to a brake chamber. The brake chamber converts the air pressure into mechanical force and moves a pushrod. The pushrod in turn moves a slack adjuster, which is connected to one end of a cam shaft of a cam shaft assembly. The cam shaft assembly enables smooth, stable rotation of the cam shaft upon movement of the slack adjuster. An S-cam is mounted on the end of the cam shaft that is opposite the slack adjuster, so that rotation or turning of the cam shaft by the slack adjuster causes rotation of the S-cam. Rotation of the S-cam forces brake linings or pads to make contact with the brake drum to create friction and thus slow or stop the vehicle. In order for the brake chamber, pushrod, slack adjuster, and cam shaft to operate properly, the brake chamber and the cam shaft assembly must be mounted on a generally stable structural member near the brake drum. More particularly, mounting of the brake chamber and the cam shaft assembly on a generally stable structural member near the brake drum is necessary so that proper alignment of the brake chamber, pushrod, slack adjuster, and cam shaft is maintained, which is important for proper actuation and performance of the brake system.
In spring axle/suspension systems of the prior art, the brake chamber has been mounted on a brake chamber bracket, and the cam shaft assembly has been mounted on a cam shaft assembly mounting bracket, which is also referred to in the art as an S-cam bearing bracket. Because it is not feasible to mount the brake chamber bracket and/or the cam shaft assembly mounting bracket directly on or to a leaf spring, these brackets have been mounted on the axle in the prior art. More particularly, the leaf spring must flex to dampen forces and thus does not provide a stable structural mounting surface. In addition, because a leaf spring is formed with a metallurgical structure that enables it to flex while withstanding significant stress, attempting to mount such brackets directly on or to the leaf spring may significantly decrease the ability of the leaf spring to withstand stress. As a result, the axle central tube, which is a generally stable structural member that is relatively near the brake drum, has been used as a mounting location for the brake chamber bracket and the cam shaft assembly mounting bracket.
More particularly, the brake chamber bracket has been rigidly attached by welding to a front portion of the axle central tube just inboardly of a respective leaf spring stack. Similarly, the cam shaft assembly mounting bracket has been rigidly attached by welding to a rear portion of the axle central tube just inboardly of a respective leaf spring stack. Such prior art mounting of the brake chamber to a bracket that is in turn welded to the axle central tube, and mounting of the cam shaft assembly to a bracket that is also in turn welded to the axle central tube, has provided a generally stable structural mounting configuration that enables sufficient operation of the brake system components. However, this configuration has certain disadvantages, including a susceptibility to stress.
For example, axles typically are hollow, which desirably reduces the amount of material used to manufacture an axle, thereby decreasing manufacturing costs, and also reduces axle weight, thereby reducing vehicle fuel consumption and costs associated with operation of the vehicle. As a result, it is desirable to use an axle with the thinnest possible wall to optimize the material and weight savings.
It is known in the art that the portion of the axle central tube which is between the leaf spring stacks is a high-stress area, due to the transmission of forces and the creation of resulting loads across the axle between the leaf spring stacks during vehicle operation. When a component is welded to a hollow axle central tube, an area on the axle wall adjacent the weld is created that is generally more susceptible to stress than a non-welded area. As a result, when forces and resulting loads act upon the axle, a welded area along the axle central tube is generally more susceptible to possible damage from such forces and/or loads than a non-welded area. In order to compensate for the increased susceptibility to stress that is caused by welds, the wall thickness of the axle typically is increased, which undesirably increases the amount of material used to manufacture the axle, and also increases the weight of the axle. Thus, in the prior art, the use of a brake chamber bracket and a cam shaft assembly mounting bracket that are each welded to the axle central tube has required the use of a relatively-thick-walled axle, which undesirably increases the cost and weight of the axle.
Alternatively in the prior art, air-ride axle/suspension systems, which are different in structure and operation from spring axle/suspension systems, have employed mounting structures in which welding of the brake chamber bracket and/or the cam shaft assembly mounting bracket to the axle central tube was eliminated. However, such mounting structures cannot be employed in a spring axle/suspension system because air-ride axle/suspension systems are different in structure and operation from spring axle/suspension systems. For example, air-ride axle/suspension systems include a pair of transversely-spaced leading or trailing arm box-type beams, in which a first end of each box-type beam is connected to the vehicle subframe, and a second or opposite end of each box-type beam is connected to the axle. In the air-ride axle/suspension system prior art, welding of the brake chamber bracket and/or the cam shaft assembly mounting bracket to the axle central tube was eliminated by mounting the brake chamber and the cam shaft assembly mounting bracket directly on the box-type beam.
Due to the different structural requirements and operation of box-type beams of an air-ride axle/suspension system and leaf springs of a spring axle/suspension system, it is not feasible to attach the brake chamber bracket and the bearing bracket directly to a leaf spring. More particularly, air-ride axle/suspension systems include air springs to dampen certain forces and thus cushion the vehicle ride. As a result, each box-type beam typically is a rigid beam that is fabricated or cast and typically includes one or more sidewalls, an upper wall, and a rear wall, and is rigidly connected to the axle. As described above, in order for the brake chamber, pushrod, slack adjuster and cam shaft to operate properly, the brake chamber and the cam shaft assembly must be mounted on a generally stable structural member near the brake drum. In an air-ride axle/suspension system, the generally rigid nature of each box-type beam and its generally rigid connection to the axle enables the box beam to be used as a stable structural mounting surface for components such as the brake chamber or brake chamber bracket and the cam shaft assembly mounting bracket. In addition, since each air-ride axle/suspension system box-type beam includes one or more sidewalls, an upper wall, and a rear wall, sufficient structural surface area is provided to enable components such as the brake chamber or brake chamber bracket and the cam shaft assembly mounting bracket to be attached to the box-type beam.
In contrast, spring axle/suspension systems do not employ air springs, instead relying on the leaf springs to flex and thus dampen forces. Because the leaf springs flex during vehicle operation, they do not provide a sufficient stable structural mounting surface to enable the mounting of components such as the brake chamber or brake chamber bracket and the cam shaft assembly mounting bracket. In addition, because leaf springs are formed with a metallurgical structure that enables them to flex while withstanding significant stress, it is undesirable to attempt to mount such components or brackets on the leaf springs, as such mounting may significantly decrease the ability of the leaf springs to withstand stress.
As a result, a need has existed in the art for a brake component mounting bracket that overcomes the disadvantages of prior art systems by providing a structure that enables a brake chamber and a cam shaft assembly to be rigidly mounted on or adjacent to the axle without welding a brake chamber bracket or a cam shaft assembly mounting bracket to the vehicle axle, thereby enabling a thinner-wall axle to be used, which in turn desirably reduces the weight and cost associated with the axle/suspension system. The integrated brake component mounting bracket for a spring axle/suspension system of the present invention satisfies this need, as will be described below.

Integrated brake component mounting bracket


The present invention provides a photothermographic material having, on at least one side of a support, an image forming layer including at least a photosensitive silver halide, a first non-photosensitive organic silver salt, a reducing agent, and a binder, and a non-photosensitive layer including a second non-photosensitive organic silver salt which is different from the first non-photosensitive organic silver salt, wherein particles of the second non-photosensitive organic silver salt have a mean equivalent circular diameter of from 0.03 μm to 0.5 μm. A photothermographic material, which exhibits improved color tone of developed silver images, improved resistance to damage from fingerprints, and high resistance to image defects, is provided.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a photothermographic material. More particularly, the invention relates to a photothermographic material preferably used as an image recording material for medical diagnosis.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, in the field of films for medical diagnosis and in the field of films for graphic arts, there has been a strong desire for decreasing the amount of processing liquid waste from the viewpoints of protecting the environment and economy of space. For this reason, technology regarding thermal developing image recording materials for medical diagnosis and for graphic arts, which can be exposed effectively by laser image setters or laser imagers and thermally developed to obtain clear black-toned images of high resolution and sharpness, is required. The thermal developing image recording materials do not require liquid processing chemicals and can therefore be supplied to customers as a simpler and environmentally friendly thermal processing system.
While similar requirements also exist in the field of general image recording materials, images for medical imaging in particular require high image quality excellent in sharpness and granularity because fine depiction is required, and further require blue-black image tone from the viewpoint of easy diagnosis. Various kinds of hard copy systems utilizing dyes or pigments, such as ink jet printers and electrophotographic systems, have been marketed as general image forming systems, but they are not satisfactory as output systems for medical images.
Thermal image forming systems utilizing organic silver salts are described, for example, in the specifications of U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,152,904 and 3,457,075 and in "Thermally Processed Silver Systems" by D. Klosterboer, appearing in "Imaging Processes and Materials", Neblette, 8th edition, edited by J. Sturge, V. Warlworth, and A. Shepp, Chapter 9, pages 279 to 291, 1989. All patents, patent publications, and non-patent literature cited in this specification are hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein. In particular, photothermographic materials generally have an image forming layer in which a catalytically active amount of a photocatalyst (for example, silver halide), a reducing agent, a reducible silver salt (for example, an organic silver salt), and if necessary, a toner for controlling the color tone of developed silver images are dispersed in a binder. Photothermographic materials form black silver images by being heated to a high temperature (for example, 80° C. or higher) after imagewise exposure to cause an oxidation-reduction reaction between a reducible silver salt (functioning as an oxidizing agent) and a reducing agent. The oxidation-reduction reaction is accelerated by the catalytic action of a latent image on the silver halide generated by exposure. As a result, a black silver image is formed on the exposed region.
Most conventional photothermographic materials have been generally produced by a process using an organic solvent such as toluene, methyl ethyl ketone, or methanol as a solvent. However, the use of an organic solvent as the solvent is not advantageous, not only in view of undesired effects on the human body during the manufacturing process, but also in view of the cost due to recovery of used solvents and other factors.
In view of the above, a manufacturing method using an aqueous dispersion of a hydrophobic polymer as a binder has been disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 10-10670 as a method of manufacturing a photothermographic material using a coating solution of an aqueous medium which does not require such concern. Further, JP-A No. 11-84573 discloses the use of a specified polymer latex as a binder of a surface protective layer.
These photothermographic materials utilizing an organic silver salt have a great characteristic of containing all components necessary for image formation in the film in advance and being capable of forming images only by heating. However, there is a problem in that it is difficult to adjust the color tone of a developed silver image to be favorable. Furthermore, because these components remain as unreacted components or reaction products after image formation, there is another problem in that these remaining components and reaction products exert adverse influences on storage stability of the image.
Further, in the manufacturing method using the aqueous dispersion of the hydrophobic polymer described above as a binder, since a styrene-butadiene polymer which is a raw material for synthetic rubbers is used as a polymer for use in the binder, the film quality is soft, and improvement has been demanded with respect to forces such as pressure, scratching, and the like.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A proxy server system comprising a request input unit that receives a request to collect data from a target server, a target server collection unit that collects data from the target server and an output unit that transmits the data for use by a module to generate data for a container document.

Many websites offer users the capability to personalize a homepage. Such websites have typically offered the user the opportunity to include predefined sections of information or data in a predefined presentation format selected from choices designed and incorporated by the website operator. The user of such systems typically may personalize the content within the sections, such as selecting specific stocks to include in a section showing stock prices. These personalized pages provide very limited flexibility.
This and other drawbacks exist with current systems.

Proxy server collection of data for module incorporation into a container document


A structurally supported tire includes an outer annular band, and a plurality of web spokes extending transversely across and radially inward from the annular band and anchored in a wheel or hub. The annular band may further comprise a shear layer, at least a first membrane adhered to the radially inward extent of the shear layer, and at least a second membrane adhered to the radially outward extent of the shear layer. A preferred web spoke has a cutaway section transverse to the annular band. The cutaway section has a profile formed by straight line segments joined by a blending radius. The profile of the cutaway comprises a height and a maximum depth greater than five percent of the height and less than thirty percent of the maximum width. The profile has an angle alpha formed by a line tangent to the profile relative to the horizontal at least equal to ten degrees at the radially outermost and radially innermost extent of said profile. The minimum radius of curvature of the profile is at least equal to twenty percent of the height of the cutaway section.

The invention relates to a non-pneumatic, structurally supported tire or tire/wheel combination. More particularly, the invention relates to a non-pneumatic tire that supports a load with its structural components and has pneumatic tire-like performance capabilities to serve as a replacement for pneumatic tires.
The pneumatic tire has capabilities in load carrying, road shock absorption, and force transmission (accelerating, stopping, and steering) that make it the preferred choice for use on many vehicles, most notably, bicycles, motorcycles, automobiles, and trucks. These capabilities have also been highly advantageous in the development of the automobile and other motor vehicles. Pneumatic tire capabilities in shock absorption are also useful in other applications, for example, in carts carrying sensitive medical or electronic equipment.
Conventional non-pneumatic alternatives, for example, solid tires, spring tires, and cushion tires lack the performance advantages of pneumatic tires. In particular, solid and cushion tires rely on compression of the ground-contacting portion for load support. These types of tires can be heavy and stiff and lack the shock absorbing capability of pneumatic tires. When made more resilient, conventional non-pneumatic tires lack the load support or endurance of pneumatic tires. Accordingly, except in limited situations, known non-pneumatic tires have not found wide use as substitutes for pneumatic tires.
A non-pneumatic tire/wheel having performance characteristics similar to those of pneumatic tires would overcome the various deficiencies in the art and would be a welcome improvement.


A method for calibrating auto white balancing in an electronic camera includes (a) obtaining a plurality of color values from a respective plurality of images of real-life scenes captured by the electronic camera under a first illuminant, (b) invoking an assumption about a true color value of at least portions of the real-life scenes, and (c) determining, based upon the difference between the true color value and the average of the color values, a plurality of final auto white balance parameters for a respective plurality of illuminants including the first illuminant. An electronic camera device includes an image sensor for capturing real-life images of real-life scenes, instructions including a partly calibrated auto white balance parameter set and auto white balance self-training instructions, and a processor for processing the real-life images according to the self-training instructions to produce a fully calibrated auto white balance parameter set specific to the electronic camera.

White balance is the process of removing unrealistic color casts from images captured by an electronic camera, such that the images provide a true color representation of a scene. For example, objects in the scene that appear white to human eyes are rendered white by white balancing the initial output of an image sensor. Human eyes are very good at judging what is white under different light sources, but image sensors often have great difficulty doing so, and often create unsightly blue, orange or green color casts. Different illuminants, i.e., light sources, have their unique spectral characteristics. The spectral characteristics of a given illuminant may be represented by its color temperatures. The color temperature of a light source is the temperature of an ideal black body radiator that radiates light of comparable hue to the light source. The color temperature refers to the relative warmth or coolness of white light. As the color temperature rises, the light energy increases. Hence, the wavelengths of light emitted by the illuminant become shorter, i.e., shift towards the blue portion of the visible spectrum, and the color hue becomes cooler.
An image sensor capturing images of a scene illuminated by a given illuminant will initially produce images with colors affected by the color temperature of the illuminant. Therefore, many electronic cameras use automatic white balance (AWB) to correct for the color output of the image sensor according to the illuminant. In order to apply AWB, the electronic camera must have AWB parameters, often represented as gains to color channels, for each illuminant. The AWB unit of an electronic camera first determines which illuminant is being used to illuminate the scene. Next, the AWB unit applies the AWB parameters of that illuminant to the image of the scene to provide an image with a more true representation of the colors of the scene.
Typically, to produce a set of AWB parameters for an electronic camera, the electronic camera captures images of a gray object, such as a specially made gray card, under various color temperature illumination conditions representing the range of illuminants encountered in actual use. For example, images are captured under four different reference illuminants: a D65 light source which corresponds to noon daylight and has a color temperature of 6504 degrees, a cool white fluorescent (CWF) lamp with a color temperature of 4230 degrees K, a TL84 fluorescent lamp with a color temperature of 4000 K, and light source A (incandescent tungsten) with a color temperature of 2856 K. Ideally, a manufacturer of electronic cameras with an AWB function, should perform this calibration procedure for each electronic camera produced. However, such a practice is generally too expensive. A common practice in the image sensor industry is to calibrate one or a small number of electronic cameras, called the golden modules, under various illumination conditions, and then apply the resulting AWB parameter set to all other image sensors. However, sensor-by-sensor variation inherently exists due to variation in the spectral properties of, e.g., the spectral properties of the quantum efficiency, the color filter array, and the infrared-cut filter of the image sensor. As a result, using the golden module AWB parameter set for all other image sensors frequently leads to errors.

Apparatus and method for automated self-training of white balance by electronic cameras


A method, an apparatus, and a computer program are provided to secure diagnostic software from a software or hardware manufacturer for a computer. Traditionally, diagnostic software was distributed to professionals and other personnel in limited numbers. However, it was still possible to obtain unauthorized copies of the diagnostic software. Therefore, to alleviate the possibility of having unauthorized copies, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) memory device containing identification number can be used and a hidden partition that is inaccessible by an end-user where an encrypted version of the identification number is stored. In order to use diagnostic software, the specific USB memory device must be physically interfacing a computer. Hence, by limiting the number of USB memory devices, unauthorized copies can be prevented.

There is often a need to run diagnostic software on the hardware and software components of computer systems owned by or in the custody of end-users. Typically, computer system manufacturers ship their hardware and/or software with a limited subset of diagnostic software programs which provides rudimentary information. If this rudimentary information indicates the need for further attention, an expert technician may run additional tests or invoke recovery processes using advanced diagnostic software that should best be run by experts.
Advanced diagnostic software typically represents significant intellectual property to the diagnostic software provider. For various reasons, it is important that this software not be allowed to become copied or run without authorization. Some reasons for this include:
The advanced diagnostic software may "unlock" additional features of the computer system which are normally charged for by the computer hardware or software vendor or the advanced diagnostic software may be used to circumvent licensing restrictions.
Installation and configuration of the advanced diagnostic software may be beyond the scope of the abilities of the end-user.
The advanced diagnostic software could be used to change vendor and/or product identification data which would allow somebody to re-brand a device and create a grey market or counterfeit product.
The advanced diagnostic software, if improperly run, could result in destruction of data or change performance characteristics of the computer system.
Unlike floppy disks and tapes, many operating systems (Microsoft Windows family, LINUX, and Apple OSX) automatically recognize and mount USB memory as removable hard disks and/or CD-ROM devices. There is also a common file system and data format, so the same device can work on multiple operating systems, without the need for reformatting.
The advanced diagnostic software may be licensed for use on only a single host computer system. In this case, the user's technicians will be authorized to run the diagnostic software only in a limited scope and/or for a temporary period of time. However, the provider of the advanced diagnostic software does not want to risk the user making unauthorized copies.
Sometimes diagnostic software is built into a large and expensive hardware component such as a fibre channel analyzer or a more advanced switch that is not available on-site. In this event, an engineer has to acquire and transport the hardware component to the end-user site. Because USB solid-state memory is small and inexpensive, transporting a USB memory through airport security or customs is significantly less stressful and time-consuming consuming then dealing with a large and valuable piece of equipment that might have otherwise need be checked as baggage or shipped overnight at high cost and high risk of damage. Furthermore, while such analyzer equipment may have imbedded software and ability to record diagnostic reports for a limited set of devices, the USB solid-state memory diagnostic software device of the present invention, is more flexible because it can store diagnostic software for virtually any system, can change the set of diagnostic software that it employs to gain the ability to diagnose new and different systems, is a more convenient means of introducing diagnostic software to diagnose the customers' equipment at the customer's site, and is less likely to be lost, stolen, or damaged in transport.
Where the computer system to be diagnosed was sold to an end user by a reseller or agent, the computer system may often be maintained and supported by technicians of the reseller or agent who are unconnected to the provider of the advanced diagnostic software. In this case, a technician of the reseller or agent may be authorized to use one copy the provider's advanced diagnostic software to support and maintain one end user's computer system in a limited manner. Unfortunately, however, there is a great incentive on the part of these technicians to wrongfully make unauthorized copies of the advanced diagnostic software and/or to wrongfully leave copies of the advanced diagnostic software resident on the end user's computer system, without receiving proper authorization from the provider of the diagnostic software. Because these technicians are highly trained computer experts, they are often able to defeat common devices intended to prevent unauthorized copying and/or use of software.
Prior efforts to prevent unauthorized copying and use of other types of software are not generally effective for preventing unauthorized copying and use of advanced diagnostic software. For example, "dongle" devices that contain an authentication code and are physically attached to a port in order to use a software product still require the software to be loaded onto the end user's computer system in order to allow the software to run. Expert computer users are generally able to defeat the anti-copying features of such dongle devices by "tricking" the computer system into "thinking" that the proper dongle device is attached.
Use of a CD-ROM to store the advanced diagnostic software is also not a satisfactory solution, because expert computer users can simply copy a CD-ROM bit-for-bit. Also, the data resulting from the diagnosis cannot be written to the CD-ROM, which makes use of the diagnostic software less convenient.
Use of a writable CD or floppy disk to store the advanced diagnostic software is also not a complete solution. Even if the writable CD or floppy disk is serialized and password-protected, an expert computer user can perform a bit-for-bit copy of the CD or floppy disk and can determine the serial number and passwords to defeat the protections against unauthorized use.
Therefore, there is a need for a method and/or apparatus for securing diagnostic software that addresses at least some of the problems associated with conventional methods and apparatuses for securing software.

Method and apparatus for storage and use of diagnostic software using removeable secure solid-state memory


System and method for processing time-based media such as sequences of images, audio sequences, and the like on a computing device such as a personal computer. A method may comprise receiving a plurality of sample data, processing the sample data based on a type of the sample data, and returning a plurality of processed sample data. The processing may include performing video compression of the sample data if the sample data is video, including identifying difficult to compress frames by determining a color frequency chart for each video frame and comparing the color frequency charts of neighboring video frames. The processing may also include performing either speech to text translation or speech compression when the sample data is voice, performing music compression when the sample data is music, and performing either text to speech translation or performing language translation if the sample data is text.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a the field of processing time-based media. More specifically, the invention relates to a system and method for processing sequences of images, audio sequences, and the like on a computing device such as a personal computer.
2. Background
Computers and other processors based devices handle many kinds of data. Computers are regularly required to process data in the form of time-based media such as sequences of video, sequences of audio, and combined audio/video sequences. An example is a sequence of video shot from a camera. Another example includes sequences of still images augmented by sound that create a virtual three-dimensional view with accompanying sound. Processing of time based media is often achieved via a compressor/decompressor known as a CODEC which may be implemented in software, in hardware, or a combination of both software and hardware. Generally, a CODEC is any technology for compressing and decompressing data.
Operating systems provide utilities which may be used by application programs for various purposes, including the handling of time-based media data such as audio and video. The utilities may be provided via application program interfaces commonly referred to as APIs. Many operating systems do not provide more than rudimentary support for time-based media such as video and audio. An extension to a traditional operating system which may be included as part of an operating system or an extension which may exist in conjunction with an operating system and between application programs and an operating system may be provided to enhance the processing of video, audio, and other time based media.


An office organizer comprising writing instruments, a calculator, note pad, a calendar, and so on is mounted on the conventional sun visor of a motor vehicle. The organizer includes a hinged panel permitting it to be swiveled to an open position shielding the side window of the vehicle. In an alternatively preferred embodiment, a series of supplemental hinged panels are provided to increase the capacity of the organizer. The hinged panels preferably are transparent and suitably optically coated to provide a safe field of vision when they are unfolded and to afford protection from the harmful effects of sunlight.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to office organizers, and more particularly, to office organizers adapted to be mounted on the conventional sun visor of a vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Office organizers for use in vehicles generally are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,512,503 discloses an organizer comprising a main tray and a slidable tray for holding various items in individual compartments. The unit is attached to the seat of an automobile by strap fastener means. Similarly, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,241 there is shown an organizer for use in automobiles comprising a tray and a series of dividers for designing compartments in the tray. Here again, the unit is fastened to the automobile seat, however, in this case, the vehicle's seatbelt is suitably employed. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 4,811,981 discloses an organizer in the form of a unit insertable within the glove box interior space of an automobile. The unit comprises a pair of cooperating shelf portions which are adjustable relative to each other so as to fit a wide range of different vehicles.
None of the patented organizers mentioned above is capable of being mounted on the sun visor of the vehicle involved. Nor are they transparent to permit the driver to see through the organizer and therefore use it when the vehicle is being driven.
These important disadvantages are overcome and other advantages are achieved only by the present invention as will be made apparent from a study of the remainder of the specification which follows.


A portable heating unit for heating a refrigerant supply tank is provided to facilitate the recharging of refrigeration units, such as air conditioning unit, refrigerators, etc. The heating unit includes a housing defining an enclosure sized to receive at least a portion of the supply tank and is adapted to be filled with water. An electrical heating element is used to heat the water. A temperature control switch is provided to cut power to the heating element when the water temperature exceeds a predetermined amount. A pressure switch is also provided to cut power to the heating element when the pressure within the supply tank exceeds a predetermined amount. The pressure switch also operates a solenoid activated outlet valve, and activates the solenoid when the supply tank pressure exceeds the predetermined pressure to evacuate the water from the housing. Lastly, the unit includes an operational pressure switch which is responsive to the pressure in a hose connected to the supply tank valve. The operational pressure switch closes the circuit containing the heating element only when the supply hose is pressurized (i.e., when it is connected to the target unit and when the tank valve is opened).

This invention relates to refrigerant supply tank heating units for recharging refrigeration units, and in particular, to a portable on-site heating unit.
For various reasons, refrigeration units, such as air-conditioning units, refrigerators, etc., loose their refrigerant and must be recharged. Typically, the system being serviced is recharged simply by connecting it to a supply tank by means of a hose. Typically, the supply tank is a 30-50 lb. tank. The recharging process relies on the pressure differential between the refrigeration supply tank and the refrigeration system, and the refrigerant flows from the pressurized supply tank to the refrigeration unit which has a lower pressure than the supply tank. As long as the pressure in the supply tank is greater than the pressure in the refrigeration unit, refrigerant will flow unaided from the supply tank to the refrigeration unit.
As the target unit is filled, the supply tank empties, and the pressure differential between the two becomes smaller. As the pressure differential becomes smaller, the flow of refrigerant from the supply tank to the target unit slows, increasing the time it takes to fully fill the target unit. This problem is enhanced in cold weather, when the refrigerant supply tank is cold, and hence the refrigerant is at a lower pressure than on a warm day.
Service technicians have resorted to heating the supply tank to increase the pressure of the refrigerant in the supply tank. This overcomes the problem caused by the reduced pressure in the tank. However, I know of no unit which is not complex, simple in construction, light in weight, easy to use, and easy to transport from one location to another. U.S. Pat. No. 5,557,940 to Hendricks discloses a refrigerant heating unit. However, the Hendricks heating unit relies on a blower and heater to heat the refrigerant. The blower is heavy, making the unit difficult to transport to roof-tops to service roof-top air-conditioners.

Portable refrigerant supply tank heating unit


A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for modeling object-oriented systems includes an object modeling tool that defines methods and event transitions in an object-oriented system and generates an executable program that exhibits the behavior of the object-oriented system and interfaces with the object-oriented system. The object modeling tool further translates the event transitions to an execution language, wraps methods written in the target language, wraps event transitions corresponding to an event, and gathers one or more wrapped events and methods into an executable program.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to object-oriented systems, and in particular to an object-oriented modeling tool.
2. Description of Related Art
Object modeling tools permit a developer to develop an object model and then execute the model to observe its behavior. In creating an executable model, developers are often forced to choose the programming language of the executable program early in the development process. If the programming language is chosen early, the advantages and disadvantages of that language tend to color many other choices. The developer might try, for example, to take advantage of features such as runtime functions, bindings, or multiple inheritance.
When the executable program is generated with current modeling tools, the entire object-oriented system is generated and included within the executable program. This means that each time the object-oriented system is modified, the entire object-oriented system may need to be regenerated.
There is a need in the art for an object modeling tool that allows the developer to create a model and later select the execution language. Further, there is a need in the art for an object modeling tool that permits the modular generation of an executable program.

Execution engine in an object modeling tool

International Business Machines Corporation


A fastener for fastening a pair of metal panels comprises a head which has an annular recess at its underside. A threaded shank has a buttress thread which terminates in a self-driving tip. An sealant/adhesive coating is preapplied to the fastener. The coating seals and bonds between the fastener and the panels upon installation of the fastener.

This invention relates generally to fasteners which are employed to fasten metal panels such as sheet metal. More particularly, the present invention relates to fasteners which are employed for fastening panel roofs.
Roofing systems for metal buildings frequently employ metal roofs comprising corrugated or trapezoidal metal panels which are fastened by conventional "sheet metal fasteners". A roofing composition is then applied to the panels to provide a water barrier. While conventional metal roof systems have proved to perform satisfactorily over time, it is indisputable that metal roofs do have a significant failure rate. A principal source of failure occurs when the fasteners loosen. If there is poor drainage or the seam seals fail, moisture may migrate to the vicinity of the fastener opening. The moisture may then lead to corrosion which eventually may attain a magnitude that jeopardizes the integrity of the roof system. A number of metal roof coating systems have been introduced to compensate for the failure problems of the conventional metal roof by enhancing the water barrier system of the roof. However, fastener failure remains a significant problem if there is inadequate roof securement.
In typical metal roof construction, the metal panels are secured by numerous sheet metal fasteners. The sheet metal fasteners are conventionally self-drilling threaded fasteners which in tandem with a washer are driven by torque guns into the metal supports. The fasteners are typically installed from on top of the roof panel in a routine labor intensive process. The panels will eventually tend to move or slide due to structural settling and also due to environmental factors such as wide temperature differentials, intense heat, winds, and the impact of rain and snow including their collection onto the roof structure. The sliding-type movements of the panels tend to force the fasteners sideways and eventually upwardly out of locking relationship. The immediate vicinity of the panel surrounding the fastener opening which is exposed by the loosened fastener becomes a source of collection of moisture and ultimately a source of corrosion, so that the fastener provides no securement function whatsoever. If fastener failure becomes excessive, the roof system will essentially fail and repair or replacement will be required.


A method and a device for evaluating the contents of a map, the map containing at least one first driving environment feature, including a step of recording at least one second driving environment feature by at least one sensor of at least one vehicle, a step of comparing the at least one first driving environment feature contained in the map to the at least one second, recorded driving environment feature, and a step of evaluating the contents of the map as a function of the performed comparison.

German Patent Application No. DE 10 2014 013 672 A1 describes methods for ensuring the safety and reliability of an autonomous or partially autonomous operation of vehicles on a traffic roadway system, where one or a plurality of vehicles travel on the traffic roadway system, the vehicles each have sensors for recording an environment, a digital road map of the traffic roadway system, and a communication unit for communicating with an external server and an evaluation unit. It is a distinction of the method that the evaluation unit determines information on the suitability of this route for an autonomous or partially autonomous operation of vehicles on the basis of the recorded driving environment and the digital road map for a route covered by the particular vehicle.

Method and device for evaluating the contents of a map


A gaming machine includes apparatus necessary to send requests to and receive authorizations from an EFT system. All such requests for credit are limited to a preset amount, so that when a player uses an EFT transfer to obtain playing credit, that credit will be limited to no more than a specified amount. In practice, the player inserts his or her ATM card (debit card), keys in a PIN number, requests playing credit, and receives the preset amount of credit which can be converted to plays on the gaming machine.

The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for controlling monetary transactions on gaming machines. More particularly, the invention relates toystems employing electronic funds transfer systems directly coupled to gaming machines for the purpose of obtaining playing credit.
Gaming machines are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Many slot machines, for example, now employ CRT video display screens in place of more traditional mechanically-driven reel displays. Further, poker and other games of chance are now commonly provided on video/electronic machines.
Currency handling apparatuses on gaming machines also are becoming more sophisticated. Where once only coin handling mechanisms were present on gaming machines, high denomination bill acceptors, capable of accepting $50.00 and $100.00 dollar bills, now find wide use. Such bill acceptors include advanced optical, magnetic, and electronic detectors used in conjunction with complex signal processing systems to identify counterfeit currency and prevent tampering.
Gaming establishments such as casinos have themselves adopted high technology solutions. For example, some casinos have connected their gaming machines to a local area network to monitor machine activity. In addition, some casinos now issue magnetic player identification cards which players use to obtain awards for frequent playing. A player holding such card inserts it in a card reader provided on a gaming machine before he or she begins play. Accounting software on the local area network then detects the card insertion, notes the player identity and follows the machine activity. In this manner, the casino tracks the gaming habits of various players.
Some casinos have even connected multiple local area networks to wide area networks spanning multiple casinos. Such wide area networks allow groups of slot machines at various casinos to be connected to one another for various purposes including use in "progressive" games. Progressive games allow jackpots from multiple machines in multiple locations to grow as one large jackpot (e.g., a million dollar jackpot for quarter (25 cent) slot machines).
Further, Automatic Teller Machines ("ATMs") are now frequently found in casinos. Thus, casino patrons can access funds from their accounts at remote financial institutions (e.g., banks). Presumably, casinos install such ATMs so that the players will have a large supply of cash available to them to play casino gaming machines.
In the same vein, various groups have proposed "cashless" gaming machines. For example, in the 1980's, Kenilworth Systems Corporation of Plainview, N.Y. marketed a cashless system for gaming machines. This system employed a proprietary encoded card that could be inserted into a card reader on a gaming machine. The machine would then identify an amount of available funds recorded on the card and convert at least some of those funds to credit for playing the gaming machine. After the player had exhausted the transferred credit, he or she could pay a cashier to encode the card with additional credit for further plays.
More recently, it has been proposed to provide casino gaming machines with the electronics for Electronic Funds Transfer ("EFT") processing. Such systems were initially proposed by Crevelt in "Slot Machine Mania" pp. 225-226, Gollehon Books, Grand Rapids, Mich. (1988, 1989). The same general systems were later described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,038,022 issued to Lucero. Such references propose systems in which a player simply inserts his or her credit or debit card into a card reader on a gaming machine, enters his or her personal identification number ("PIN") on a keyboard, and then requests a desired amount of funds to be transferred from his or her remote financial institution to the local gaming machine. The requested funds transfer would then be approved by the institution, transferred to the gaming machine, and converted to credit to play that machine.
As contemplated by Lucero, this system would result in higher revenues for casinos, as gaming machine players would be able to remain at a given machine for an extended period of time without visiting a cashier or ATM machine. While this may be true, it unfortunately means that a small minority of susceptible individuals will tend to financially over extend themselves. Allowing such individuals to have direct and easy access to their entire bank accounts could, under certain circumstances, be financially ruinous. Thus, the system proposed by Lucero likely will be unpalatable to at least some legislatures which regulate gaming.
Thus, there exists a need for an EFT system that allows cashless transfers of funds to gaming machines and yet protects against rash decisions by some players to divert large amounts of their savings to gaming.

Preset amount electronic funds transfer system for gaming machines


A heat pipe includes a metal tube and an amount of fluid sealed in the copper tube. The metal tube may include an inner surface. The inner surface is patterned to define at least one pitch and at least two grooves. A given pitch separates adjacent grooves. The amount of fluid may include a liquid and carbon nanotubes, carbon nanocapsules and/or metal nanoparticles suspended therein.

A heat pipe is a device that has an extremely high thermal conductivity and that is used to transport heat. In order to achieve this, heat pipes take advantage of simple physical effects:
As a liquid evaporates, energy—in the form of heat—must be taken from the environment. Therefore, an evaporating liquid will cool the surrounding area. This is how a heat pipe effectively cools the heat source. However, this doesn't get rid of the heat; heat is just transported with the vapor. At the target side for heat transport, the heat pipe must be cooled, for example using a heat sink. Here, the inverse effect takes place: the liquid condenses and, therefore, emits heat. Using these effects, it is possible to build heat pipes that have a thermal conductivity that is many thousand times higher than a copper piece of the same size.
FIG. 11 (prior art) is a schematic view of a heat pipe 10. Referring to FIG. 11, the heat pipe 10 includes a closed metal tube 12 filled an amount of working fluid 18a, 18b. The heat pipe 10 further includes a heat sink 14 mounted on an upper side of the closed metal tube 12. If a heat source 16 is applied to the lower side, the working fluid 18a will evaporate, while cooling the heat source 16. The working fluid 18a will move up and condense near the heat sink 14 on top. From there, the working fluid 18b will drip back to the heat source 16. Such working fluid 18b drips with the help of gravity, so this heat pipe 10 works in only vertical orientation.
What is needed, therefore, is a heat pipe which may not rely on gravity alone to move a working fluid to a heat source.


A device and method used to correct beamforming of an acoustic phased array in cases of eccentricity of the acoustic device in a tubular. A processor calculates the eccentricity from multiple scan lines and create a geometric model of a well or pipe relative to the device. The processor may correct each scan line's focus and/or angle of incidence at a surface of the well or pipe based on the observed eccentricity.

In wells and fluid carrying pipes, such as oil wells and water delivery infrastructure, there often arises a need to inspect the internal structure for integrity or obstructions. For example, hydrocarbons in production casing may contaminate ground water if there are cracks or deformations in the casing. Ultrasound is a known way of imaging such structures to detect problems thus protecting the environment.
In some configurations, such as that taught in CA2989439 the ultrasound sensors are disposed radially around a collar of the device, each sensor facing generally outward towards the walls of the pipe or well. Each sensing element may be a piezoelectric transducer arranged to project most of its generated sound energy radially towards the well or pipe. This energy travels through the fluid medium and backscatters off the wall (and subsequent layers).
The transducers may be in a pitch-catch or pulse echo arrangement, in each case the image processing depends on the time for transmitted signals to be received.
Current systems are susceptible to eccentricity, i.e. whereby the longitudinal axes of the device and well are not concentric. This is most pronounced when the device is operating in horizontal pipe, where gravity tends to decentralize the device despite the use of centralizers.
This is particularly problematic with phased arrays, where several transducer elements cooperate to transmit and receive ultrasonic pulses. Timing delays are carefully calculated to create a wavefront having a set direction and focus at a particular depth on the pipe. These timing delays assume the pipe is circular in cross section and co-axial with the device (i.e. with the circular array of transducers.)
The present invention aims to address one or more of the above shortcomings by operating transducers in a novel way.

Correcting for eccentricity of acoustic sensors in wells and pipes


The present invention relates to a plasma generator to apply cold plasma in the fields of medicine, biology, ecological recovery, activation, purification, special processing of gases, liquids and solid substances as well as other areas of technology and science. A plasma generator of the invention comprises: a power source; an electronic oscillator constructed on an amplifying (control) element which is connected to a low voltage input section; a resonance transformer having a low voltage input section and a high voltage output section; and, one pin of the high voltage output section of the resonance transformer which is connected to a discharge electrode. The present invention provides a universal plasma generator with decreased mass and dimensions which provides unipolar plasma for plasma therapy and activation of substantial media by virtue of the field.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a plasma generator, more specifically, to a plasma generator to apply cold plasma in the fields of medicine, biology, ecological recovery, activation, purification, special processing of gases, liquids and solid substances as well as other areas of technology and science.
2. Description of the Related Art
Plasmotrons which can generate plasma under normal atmospheric pressure conditions with temperature up to thousands degrees Celsius are well known in the art. The thermal heating of plasma is actived by classical electromagnetic induction, via induction heating of electrically conducting media in alternating electromagnetic field of the inductor. The device consists of high voltage AC generator, quartz pipe-shaped case and liquid-cooled inductor, an inductance coil having large numbers of turns. In order to generate the induction discharges in a volume of approximately 1 liter (0.001 m.sup.3), a multi-turn inductor of 0.1 m diameter is essentially required, the inductor reactance being raised greatly at 1 MHz and higher frequencies. Naturally, it is very difficult to match the high voltage generator with the inductor reactance, and the effective output power is decreased. Accordingly, the prior art plasmotron has revealed some drawbacks of large dimensions, poor efficiency and very high plasma temperature, which, in turn, restricted its operational features considerably, especially in medicine, biology and ecological treatment.
The other types of plasma generator have been used in electric discharge therapy device which comprise electronic oscillator, modulation unit, output resonance transformer and rod-like discharge electrode. A plasma beam is induced between the end of the electrode and the biological object. The electronic oscillator produces oscillations in 200 kHz through 300 kHz frequency range. The modulator which can be constructed in transistors periodically switches on and off the signal of the oscillator at about 3 kHz to 5 kHz rate. Thus, the modulator provides impact excitation of resonance transformer circuit, which brings about measured output emission in a form of corona discharge between the electrode and the object. The device produces favorable therapeutic effect to treat a number of diseases, disorders, pathologies, mainly due to the induced heat in the specified areas of body.
The device, however, has also revealed shortcomings that the discharge transformation from corona to spark form may be appeared and the conduction currents origination directly in the tissue. The classical corona and spark discharge inevitably results in ionization, electric break-through and thermal heating of the air gap between the inducing electrode and the body which is used as the second electrode. Moreover, direct resonance action of the device by virtue of field is shunted as a result of ionization of substantial medium and chaotic heat motion of particles in the discharge area.
The problems of the prior art plasma generator, in principle, have limited all the direct use of electromagnetic field in medicine, biology and directed activation of substantial media such as gases, liquids and solid bodies. Under the circumstances, there are strong reasons for exploring and developing alternative type of a novel plasma generator to solve said problems in the art.

Plasma generator for generating unipolar plasma


An electrical connector assembly includes a female connector, which includes a female connector housing defining a cavity having an hourglass shape and a first array of electrically-conductive pins disposed within the cavity. The electrical connector assembly further includes a male connector that includes a male connector housing having an hourglass-shaped protrusion dimensioned to be inserted into and fit tightly within the cavity and a second array of electrically-conductive sockets, which are contained within the protrusion and are dimensioned and aligned so that upon insertion of the protrusion into the cavity, each of the pins is introduced into and makes electrical contact with a respective one of the sockets.

Medical procedures, such as radio-frequency ablation, electroporation, and electrophysiological measurements within the heart and other internal organs, utilize a catheter inserted in a body of a subject. The catheter, comprising electrodes for both transmitting and receiving electrical signals between the body tissue and control electronics external to the body, is connected by an electrical connector to external electronics.


Method and system for enhancing RF immunity of integrated circuits (ICs). Susceptibility of different subcircuits within the IC is determined by simulation or bench testing. Relatively simple filters are implemented based on the susceptible frequency range and circuit parameters such as impedance. Filter(s) may be integrated into the IC avoiding PCB level redesign. Susceptibility determination and mitigation method may be applied to new IC designs or existing ICs without major redesign.

Electronic technology is used virtually everywhere. Coffee pots, wrist-watches, automobiles, cash registers, personal computers, telephones, and thousands of other types of common electronic equipment are used by people at any time of the day. While electronic devices provide outstanding convenience and benefit to today's society, they also have the potential to interfere with radio communications and other electronic devices.
Electronic devices by their very nature generate radiated and conducted noise. Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) is often a result of non-ideal passive component behavior combined with timing signals. For example, a resistor acts at high frequencies like a circuit comprising a series combination of an inductance and a resistor in parallel to a capacitor, while an inductor acts at high frequencies like an inductor in parallel with a capacitor, and the like. Electronic devices may also include many electrical and mechanical components that can act as unintentional coupling mechanisms. These coupling mechanisms provide signal paths for noise generated by other devices which affect sensitive circuitry. This may lead to interruption of operation or degraded performance of an electronic device or system.
Because the negative impacts of EMI such as interruption of computing device operations, communications, and emergency services are a major concern, intentional and unintentional generation of electromagnetic noise, as well as susceptibility of electronic devices to EMI are regulated by governmental entities in many countries.

Method and system for integrated circuit RF immunity enhancement


Semiconductor structures and fabrication methods are provided having a bridging film which facilitates adherence of both an underlying layer of dielectric material and an overlying stress-inducing layer. The method includes, for instance, providing a layer of dielectric material, with at least one gate structure disposed therein, over a semiconductor substrate; providing a bridging film over the layer of dielectric material with the at least one gate structure; and providing a stress-inducing layer over the bridging film. The bridging film is selected to facilitate adherence of both the underlying layer of dielectric material and the overlying stress-inducing layer by, in part, forming a chemical bond with the layer of dielectric material, without forming a chemical bond with the stress-inducing layer.

Semiconductor structures, such as semiconductor devices or integrated circuits, typically include transistors and involve several processing steps of patterning and etching to form the desired circuit structures. During each processing step, materials may, for instance be deposited on, or etched from a semiconductor wafer being processed. Because each step of a fabrication process may introduce complexity and cost, it is desirable to reduce or minimize defects within or between materials used in order to maximize fabrication efficiency and enhance commercial advantage.

Semiconductor structures with bridging films and methods of fabrication


The present invention provides an apparatus that permits sections of tubulars to be connected to or disconnected from a string of pipe during a drilling operation. The apparatus further permits the sections of drill pipe to be rotated and to be axially translated during the connection or disconnection process. The apparatus further allows for the continuous circulation of fluid to and through the tubular string during the makeup or breakout process. The apparatus defines a rig assembly comprising a top drive mechanism, a rotary drive mechanism, and a fluid circulating device. Rotation and axial movement of the tubular string is alternately provided by the top drive and the rotary drive. Additionally, continuous fluid flow into the tubular string is provided through the circulation device and alternately through the tubular section once a connection is made between an upper tubular connected to the top drive mechanism and the tubular string.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to methods and apparatus for the continuous drilling of a wellbore through an earth formation. More particularly, the present invention pertains to the continuous circulation of fluid through two tubulars that are being connected or disconnected during a wellbore drilling operation. In addition, embodiments of the present invention relate to continuously rotating and axially advancing two drill pipes into a wellbore while circulating drilling fluid through the two drill pipes and forming a connection between the two drill pipes.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the drilling of oil and gas wells, a wellbore is formed using a drill bit that is urged downwardly at a lower end of a drill string. The wellbore extends from the earth's surface to a selected depth in order to intersect a hydrocarbon-bearing formation. In many drilling operations, the drill string comprises a plurality of "joints" of drill pipe that are threadedly connected at the platform of the drilling rig. As the wellbore is formed at lower depths or more extended intervals, additional joints of pipe are added at the platform. These joints are then rotated and urged downwardly in order to form the wellbore.
During the drilling process, drilling fluid is typically circulated through the drill string and back up the annular region formed by the drill string and the surrounding formation. As the drilling fluid is circulated, it exits ports, or "jets," provided in the drill bit. This circulation of fluid serves to lubricate and cool the bit, and also facilitates the removal of cuttings and debris from the wellbore that is being formed.
One common method for providing rotation to the drill string involves the use of a kelly bar. The kelly bar is attached to the top joint of the drill string, and is driven rotationally by means of a rotary table at the derrick floor level. At the same time, the kelly bar is able to move vertically through a drive bushing within the rotary table at the rig floor. An alternative method for imparting rotation to the drill string uses a top drive that is hung from the derrick and is capable of gripping the drill string and rotating it. In such an arrangement, a kelly bar is not required.
As the drill bit penetrates into the earth and the wellbore is lengthened, more sections of hollow tubular drill pipe are added to the top of the drill string. This involves stopping the drilling, i.e., rotational and axial translation of the drill pipe, while the successive tubulars are added. The process is reversed when the drill string is removed. Drill string removal is necessary during such operations as replacing the drilling bit or cementing a section of casing. Interruption of drilling may mean that the circulation of the mud stops and has to be re-started when drilling resumes. Since the mud is a long fluid column, the resumption of circulation throughout the wellbore can be time consuming. Such activity may also have deleterious effects on the walls of the wellbore being drilled, leading to formation damage and causing problems in maintaining an open wellbore.
Intermittent cessation of fluid circulation may require additional weighting of the mud. In this respect, a particular mud weight must be chosen to provide a static head relating to the ambient pressure at the top of a drill string when it is open while tubulars are being added or removed. The additional weighting of the mud to compensate for cessation of fluid circulation adds expense to the operation.
One purpose of fluid circulation while drilling relates to the suspension of cuttings. To convey drilled cuttings away from a drill bit and up the wellbore, the cuttings are maintained in suspension in the drilling fluid. When the flow of fluid ceases, such as when adding or removing a section of drill pipe, the cuttings tend to fall down through the fluid. To inhibit cuttings from falling out, the drilling mud is further weighted, and viscosity is reduced. The use of thicker drilling fluids requires more pumping power at the surface. Further, the act of "breaking" the pumps to restart fluid circulation following a cessation of circulation may result in over pressuring of a downhole formation. This can trigger formation damage or even a loss of fluids downhole, endangering the lives of the drilling crew due to loss of hydrostatic pressure. Of course, the additional weighting of drilling mud adds expense to the drilling operation.
Systems and methods for continuously circulating fluid through two tubulars that are being connected or disconnected are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,412,554. The '554 patent is assigned to Weatherford/Lamb, Inc. The '554 patent is incorporated herein by reference, in its entirety. The systems and methods of the '554 patent allow for continuous fluid circulation during the drilling operation; however, rotation of the drill string must still be stopped and re-started in order to connect and disconnect the tubulars. Therefore, valuable time loss occurs when drilling stops in order to connect the next successive section of drill pipe. Additionally, starting rotation of the drill string can over torque portions of the drill string, causing failure from the additional stress.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,315,051 discloses methods and apparatus for both continuously rotating a tubular string and continuously circulating fluid through the tubulars as sections of pipe are added or removed. However, inability to continue to advance the tubular string down the borehole during the connection process temporarily stops drilling into the formation. The wellbore forming process is thus stopped temporarily in order to make up or break out the successive pipe connections.
Therefore, there is a need for efficient methods and apparatus for connecting and disconnecting tubular sections while at the same time rotating and axially translating a tubular string there below, and while continuously circulating fluid through the tubular string.

Methods and apparatus for connecting tubulars while drilling


A pedal-powered one-wheeled vehicle with apparatus coupled to the pedals for laterally stabilizing a user's legs. The user can apply inward pressure to the leg stabilizing apparatuses to achieve greater lateral stability and more precise control of the vehicle. Means may be provided for keeping the leg stabilizing apparatuses from moving too far apart, and for varying the distance between the pedals. Some embodiments may have an elliptical wheel.

Unicycles, most commonly pedal-powered and equipped with seats, are widely used for recreation as well as for acrobatic performance. As a recreation and exercise device, unicycles are difficult to learn to use. The difficulty provides an entertaining challenge but at the same time deters some people who otherwise would be interested in learning.
There also exist seatless unicycles, popularly known as "Ultimate Wheel" or sometimes "Impossible Wheel" (although the latter may also refer to a seatless unicycle with unmoving foot supports). These require even more skill than seated unicycles because the user's feet on the pedals are the only points of contact between the user and vehicle. Without a seat it is extremely difficult to prevent the wheel from tipping sideways to an undesired degree during the pedaling motion. Unwanted sideways tilting of the vehicle can cause loss of side-to-side balance, or can hinder propulsion by causing an uncovered wheel to rub against the user's legs.
A standing pedal-powered unicycle with means for greater lateral stability would therefore be useful as a more accessible alternative to the prior art, as a training device to prepare for more difficult types of unicycles, or simply to provide additional variety in the field.


Systems, methods, and computer program products for presenting, on a statement associated with a financial transaction instrument, an amount of interest avoided during a statement period. A first interest amount is computed for the statement period according to a first interest calculation method, the first interest amount being an interest amount actually billed to the transaction instrument account holder. A second interest amount is computed for the statement period according to a second interest calculation method. An amount of interest avoided for the statement period is computed by taking a difference of the first interest amount and the second interest amount. The amount of interest avoided for the statement period is displayed on the statement, whereby the holder of the transaction instrument is informed as to the amount of interest avoided by use of the first interest calculation method, rather than the second interest calculation method.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to systems, methods, and computer program product for calculating and displaying interest avoided by use of a particular interest calculation method, and in particular, the interest avoided by using an interest protection calculation method relative to a standard interest calculation method.
2. Related Art
Conventionally, many credit and charge card issuers calculate interest using the so-called "average daily balance (ADB), including new purchases," method, where interest begins to accrue for new purchases as of the day they are posted to the account. At the same time, most card issuers offer a grace period, so that no finance charges are applied if the account holder starts a given cycle with a zero balance and pays the bill in full at the end of the cycle. However, if any portion of the balance is left unpaid, then the advantages of the grace period are forfeited and new purchases made in the cycle are subject to interest charges as of the day they post to the account.
Many card holders do not understand this interaction between the grace period and the "ADB, including new purchases," method used to calculate interest charges. Consequently, many card holders never enjoy the benefit of a grace period, because they always carry a purchase balance and their card includes new purchases in its interest calculation method. Moreover, card holders may mistakenly believe they have the benefit of a grace period, because credit card issuers may highlight this feature, without properly explaining that it only applies if no balance is carried on the card.
Other types of interest calculation methods, such as the "two-cycle ADB, including new purchases," method used by the Discover® card, may also not be advantageous for card holders. Under this method, the card holder not only loses the grace period in the current cycle, when a balance is carried from a preceding cycle, but also is subject to retroactive interest charges on purchases made during the preceding cycle.
Some credit card issuers provide a grace period that applies even if a balance is carried on a card, such as for example by excluding a new purchase from the interest calculation for a certain period of time (e.g., 30 or 60 days) after the purchase posts to the account. Under this method, new purchases are not included in the average daily balance calculation, and thus, interest does not accrue on a new purchase until after this period of exclusion. An example of a card that offered this benefit to the card holder is the Optima True Grace® card once issued by American Express®.
However, cards offering such benefits may suffer from the drawback that customers generally lack an understanding of the intricacies of grace period and interest calculation methodologies. In particular, consumers tend not to appreciate the benefit of having a card that employs one method of interest calculation versus another, because it depends in part on the manner in which the card is used (e.g., whether the consumer typically carries a balance on the card). Moreover, it may be unclear which purchases remain in an interest exclusion period and when that period is to expire.
Thus, marketing such cards to consumers requires detailed explanations of interest calculation methods and grace periods, which is impractical for card issuers. Moreover, most consumers are of the mindset that they will be paying their monthly balances in full. Thus, adopting an outlook that one can benefit from a grace period, even with carrying a balance, may be counterintuitive.
Given the foregoing, what is needed is a system, method, and computer program product for providing a financial transaction instrument associated with a transaction account that gives the account holder a grace period on new purchases, regardless of whether a balance is carried, while providing the account holder with a tangible understanding of how this feature benefits them individually. In particular, what is needed is a way of demonstrating to the account holder how the features of the financial transaction instrument result in lower monthly interest charges, based on the account holder's actual transactions.

Calculating and displaying interest avoided by use of a particular interest calculation method

American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.


A titanium alloy product according to the present invention: has a strength level higher than that of an existing titanium alloy product; can be successfully cold rolled (coil rolled); and is also provided with workability. In the titanium alloy product according to the invention, expensive alloy elements are not essentially required, and hence cost can be suppressed. The titanium alloy product according to the invention includes Al equivalent represented by (Al+10O (oxygen)): 3.5 to 7.2% (% by mass, the same hereinafter), Al: more than 1.0% and 4.5% or less, O: 0.60% or less, Fe equivalent represented by (Fe+0.5Cr+0.5Ni+0.67Co+0.67Mn): 0.8% or more and less than 2.0%, and one or more elements selected from the group consisting of Cu: 0.4 to 3.0% and Sn: 0.4 to 10%, in which the balance is Ti and unavoidable impurities.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a titanium alloy product having a high strength and an excellent cold rolling property.
2. Description of the Related Art
Because titanium alloys have high specific strength and are excellent in corrosion resistance, they are used in a wide range of fields as members of aerospace instrument, members of chemical plant, and automotive members. An example of a typical titanium alloy includes Ti-6Al-4V alloy. This Ti-6Al-4V alloy is excellent in strength properties, as the 0.2% proof stress of 828 MPa or more is standardized in ASTM Gr. 5;however, is poor in a cold rolling property because a large amount of Al is comprised as an additive element. Accordingly, it is difficult to manufacture a thin plate of the alloy by coil rolling, and is processed into a thin plate by a process generally called pack rolling. In this pack rolling, titanium plates obtained by hot rolling are piled up in layers to be wrapped up with a mild steel cover, and then hot rolled while the temperature thereof is being kept not to be lower than a predetermined one, thereby allowing titanium plates to be manufactured. In this process, there are problems that the work is extremely complicated in comparison with cold rolling and the process needs a lot of expenses. Further, there are many restrictions in terms of processing, because the temperature range suitable for the hot rolling is limited.
On the other hand, an example of a general-purpose titanium alloy that can be coil rolled includes, for example, Ti-3Al-2.5V alloy (ASTM Gr. 9). However, the 0.2% proof stress of this alloy is approximately 500 MPa, which is considerably smaller than that of the aforementioned Ti-6Al-4V alloy. In addition, Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei 2(1990)-57136 discloses a heat-resistant Ti alloy plate excellent in cold workability. This alloy plate has been developed for the first purpose of improving cold workability, and the additive content of each of an α-stabilizing element and a β-stabilizing element is low. Accordingly, an increase in strength by solute strengthening is small, and hence it is difficult to use this alloy plate in an application in which a high strength is required.
On the other hand, as a titanium alloy that has a strength similar to that of the Ti-6Al-4V alloy and that can be coil rolled, KSTi-9 (Ti-4.5Al-2Mo-1.6V-0.5Fe-0.3Si-0.05C, ASTM Gr. 35, Japanese Patent No. 3297027) has been developed, and cold rolled coils thereof are actually manufactured on a mass-production scale. Similarly to the Ti-6Al-4V alloy, Mo and V are used as β-stabilizing elements in the KSTi-9. In addition, an example of a high strength Ti alloy includes Ti-4Al-2.5V-1.5Fe-0.250 (ATI 425 (U.S. registered trademark)). In this Ti alloy, V is used as a major β-stabilizing element (β-strengthening element).
Further, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 1(1989)-111835 discloses an alloy that has been developed for the purpose of improving cold workability. In the Ti alloy disclosed therein, the additive content of a β-stabilizing element is high to obtain high workability thanks to a residual β-phase.

Titanium alloy product having high strength and excellent cold rolling property


An antilock brake system is constructed in such a manner that a housing 61 of an electronic unit 6 is connected integrally to a housing of a hydraulic unit main body 5 for controlling brake fluid pressures, and an upper housing 71 of a junction block 7 is connected to the housing 61 of the electronic unit 6. An electric wiring section for the electronic unit 6 is constituted by bus bars 75 incorporated in the junction block 7. Even in the event that the antilock brake system is equipped on an automobile, the number of wiring harnesses extending between the engine compartment and the passenger compartment can be reduced. In addition, the number of components that are mounted on the automobile can also be reduced, thereby making it possible to reduce the man hour for fabrication.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an antilock brake system for an automobile adapted to prevent locking of the wheels of the automobile by adjusting the pressure of brake fluid when applying a quick brake or the brake on a slippery road, and more particularly to the structural characteristics of such an antilock brake system.
2. Statement of the Prior Art
There is devised as one of the systems to improve the safety of automobiles an antilock brake system adapted to prevent locking of the wheels of an automobile when applying a quick brake or the brake on a slippery road. Recently, as the demand for high-performance automobiles has been increasing, there is a tendency that many automobiles equipped with the aforesaid antilock brake system are produced.
A conventional antilock brake system will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8.
FIG. 7 is a schematic explanatory view showing a conventional antilock brake system, and FIG. 8 is a diagram showing connections of electric wires.
As shown in FIG. 7, the conventional antilock brake system comprises rotation detectors 101 to 104, a hydraulic unit 105, an electronic unit 106, and a relay box 107, and the construction thereof will schematically be described as below.
The rotation detectors 101 to 104 are intended to detect the rotating conditions of wheels A to D, and are provided on the wheels A to D, respectively. The rotation detectors 101 to 104 each comprise sensors 101a to 104a, and sensor rotors 101b to 104b. The sensors 101a to 104a each are constituted by permanent magnets, coils, and pole pieces, and are mounted on the steering knuckles, with the front wheels, and on the hub spindles, with the rear wheels. The sensor rotors each comprise concaves and convexes (not shown) circumferentially arranged at equal intervals on the outer circumferences, and are mounted on the drive shafts, with the front wheels, and on the rear hubs, with the rear wheels.
Therefore, the sensor rotors 101b to 104b rotate integrally with the wheels A to D. The sensors 101a to 104a detect the rotating conditions of the wheels A to D by detecting the concaves and convexes on the outer circumferences of the sensor rotors 101b to 104b while the rotors are rotating. The rotation detectors 101 to 104 then send out detected signals to the electronic unit 106.
FIG. 8 is one example of connections of electric wires used in the conventional antilock brake system. The hydraulic unit 105 controls the pressure of brake fluid for the wheel cylinders by controlling the switching of four solenoid valves 105a to 105d, which is carried out based on control signals sent from the electronic unit 106. The hydraulic unit 105 has a motor 105e for driving a pump, not shown, for making brake fluid flow back to the master cylinder for applying pressure thereon.
The electronic unit 106 calculates the wheel speed and the acceleration and negative acceleration of the wheel on the basis of the detected signals sent from the rotation detectors 101 to 104 and estimates the vehicle speed, and monitors whether or not there exists any wheel that will be locked if the brake is applied in a state so calculated. In a case where the electronic unit 106 judges that there is or are wheels that will be locked, it then controls the solenoid valves 105a to 105d of the hydraulic unit 105 so as to reduce the brake fluid pressure with respect to the wheel cylinders of the wheels so judged. In a case where the electronic unit 106 judges that the locking of the relevant wheels is avoided, it then controls the switching of the solenoid valves 105a to 105d so as to increase the brake fluid pressure again.
The relay box 107 incorporates a motor relay 107a for switching on and off the motor 105e and a fail safe relay 107b for interrupting the power source for the solenoid valves 105a to 105d of the hydraulic unit 105 and the motor relay in the event that irregularity takes place in the antilock brake system.
In the conventional antilock brake system, as shown in FIG. 7, it is common practice that the hydraulic unit 105 and the relay box 107 are disposed in the engine compartment, while the electronic unit 106 is disposed under the seat or inside the front panel. As mentioned above, the rotation detectors 101 to 104 are mounted on the wheel portions. In FIG. 8, reference numeral 108 denotes a battery for the automobile, reference numeral 109 an ignition switch, reference numeral 110 a stop lamp switch disposed in the vicinity of the brake pedal, and reference numeral 111 a stop lamp constituting a part of the rear lamp.
In current automobiles, as the demand for high-performance automobiles has been increasing, the number of electronic units used also increases. On top of this, on many occasions securing of wider room space is demanded. However, when the electronic unit 106 is disposed in the passenger compartment as before, a large number of long wiring is required for electrically connecting this electronic unit 106 to the inside of the engine compartment, resulting in a drawback in that it is difficult to meet the demand for securing wider room space.
In addition, as in the case of the conventional antilock brake system, when the hydraulic unit 105 and the electronic unit 106 are separately installed in the engine compartment and the passenger compartment, respectively, a process of providing the aforesaid wiring harnesses for effecting electric connections between these two components is required, which creates a problem when trying to improve the manufacturing productivity of automobiles. In particular, in current automobiles, there is a tendency that not only the antilock brake system but also a lot of systems that have not been employed before are equipped on automobiles, which requires more wiring harnesses, making a wiring harness mounting operation complicated. In order to cope with the simplification of the process, it is desired to reduce the necessity of wiring.

Antilock brake system with integral housings for a junction block and electronic control unit