A VCT phaser having a mechanical feedback in which no elaborate sensors and its concomitant electronic control loop is required. The phaser has center mounted spool valve controlling the flow of control fluid such that when a command positions the same at a predetermined position, passages within the phaser adjusts to a desired position through the mechanical feedback.

The performance of an internal combustion engine may be improved by the use of dual camshafts, one to operate the intake valves of the various cylinders of the engine and the other to operate the exhaust valves. Typically, one of such camshafts is driven by the crankshaft of the engine, through a sprocket and chain drive or a belt drive, and the other of such camshafts is driven by the first, through a second sprocket and chain drive or a second belt drive. Alternatively, both of the camshafts may be driven by a single crankshaft powered chain drive or belt drive. Engine performance in an engine with dual camshafts may be further improved, in terms of idle quality, fuel economy, reduced emissions or increased torque, by changing the positional relationship of one of the camshafts, usually the camshaft which operates the intake valves of the engine, relative to the other camshaft and relative to the crankshaft, to thereby vary the timing of the engine in terms of the operation of intake valves relative to its exhaust valves or in terms of the operation of its valves relative to the position of the crankshaft.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,002,023 describes a VCT system within the field of the invention in which the system hydraulics includes a pair of oppositely acting hydraulic cylinders with appropriate hydraulic flow elements to selectively transfer hydraulic fluid from one of the cylinders to the other, or vice versa, to thereby advance or retard the circumferential position on of a camshaft relative to a crankshaft. The control system utilizes a control valve in which the exhaustion of hydraulic fluid from one or another of the oppositely acting cylinders is permitted by moving a spool within the valve one way or another from its centered or null position. The movement of the spool occurs in response to an increase or decrease in control hydraulic pressure, PC, on one end of the spool and the relationship between the hydraulic force on such end and an oppositely direct mechanical force on the other end, which results from a compression spring that acts thereon.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,107,804 describes an alternate type of VCT system within the field of the invention in which the system hydraulics include a vane having lobes within an enclosed housing which replace the oppositely acting cylinders disclosed by the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,002,023. The vane is oscillatable with respect to the housing, with appropriate hydraulic flow elements to transfer hydraulic fluid within the housing from one side of a lobe to the other, or vice versa, to thereby oscillate the vane with respect to the housing in one direction or the other, an action which is effective to advance or retard the position of the camshaft relative to the crankshaft. The control system of this VCT system is identical to that divulged in U.S. Pat. No. 5,002,023, using the same type of spool valve responding to the same type of forces acting thereon.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,172,659 and 5,184,578 both address the problems of the aforementioned types of VCT systems created by the attempt to balance the hydraulic force exerted against one end of the spool and the mechanical force exerted against the other end. The improved control system disclosed in both U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,172,659 and 5,184,578 utilizes hydraulic force on both ends of the spool. The hydraulic force on one end results from the directly applied hydraulic fluid from the engine oil gallery at full hydraulic pressure, PS. The hydraulic force on the other end of the spool results from a hydraulic cylinder or other force multiplier which acts thereon in response to system hydraulic fluid at reduced pressure, PC, from a PWM solenoid. Because the force at each of the opposed ends of the spool is hydraulic in origin, based on the same hydraulic fluid, changes in pressure or viscosity of the hydraulic fluid will be self-negating, and will not affect the centered or null position of the spool.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,289,805 provides an improved VCT method which utilizes a hydraulic PWM spool position control and an advanced control method suitable for computer implementation that yields a prescribed set point tracking behavior with a high degree of robustness.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,361,735, a camshaft has a vane secured to an end for non-oscillating rotation. The camshaft also carries a timing belt driven pulley which can rotate with the camshaft and is oscillatable with respect to the camshaft. The vane has opposed lobes which are received in opposed recesses, respectively, of the pulley. The camshaft tends to change in reaction to torque pulses, which it experiences during its normal operation and it is permitted to advance or retard by selectively blocking or permitting the flow of engine oil from the recesses by controlling the position of a spool within a valve body of a control valve in response to a signal from an engine control unit. The spool is urged in a given direction by rotary linear motion translating means which, is rotated by an electric motor, preferably of the stepper motor type.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,497,738 shows a control system which eliminates the hydraulic force on one end of a spool resulting from directly applied hydraulic fluid from the engine oil gallery at full hydraulic pressure, PS, utilized by previous embodiments of the VCT system. The force on the other end of the vented spool results from an electromechanical actuator, preferably of the variable force solenoid type, which acts directly upon the vented spool in response to an electronic signal issued from an engine control unit ("ECU") which monitors various engine parameters. The ECU receives signals from sensors corresponding to camshaft and crankshaft positions and utilizes this information to calculate a relative phase angle. A closed-loop feedback system which corrects for any phase angle error is preferably employed. The use of a variable force solenoid solves the problem of sluggish dynamic response. Such a device can be designed to be as fast as the mechanical response of the spool valve, and certainly much faster than the conventional (fully hydraulic) differential pressure control system. The faster response allows the use of increased closed-loop gain, making the system less sensitive to component tolerances and operating environment.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,657,725 shows a control system which utilizes engine oil pressure for actuation. The system includes a camshaft that has a vane secured to an end thereof for non-oscillating rotation therewith. The camshaft also carries a housing which can rotate with the camshaft but which is oscillatable with the camshaft. The vane has opposed lobes which are received in opposed recesses, respectively, of the housing. The recesses have greater circumferential extent than the lobes to permit the vane and housing to oscillate with respect to one another, and thereby permit the camshaft to change in phase relative to a crankshaft. The camshaft tends to change direction in reaction to engine oil pressure and/or camshaft torque pulses which it experiences during its normal operation, and it is permitted to either advance or retard by selectively blocking or permitting the flow of engine oil through the return lines from the recesses by controlling the position of a spool within a spool valve body in response to a signal indicative of an engine operating condition from an engine control unit. The spool is selectively positioned by controlling hydraulic loads on its opposed end in response to a signal from an engine control unit. The vane can be biased to an extreme position to provide a counteractive force to a unidirectionally acting frictional torque experienced by the camshaft during rotation.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,477,999 shows a camshaft that has a vane secured to an end thereof for non-oscillating rotation therewith. The camshaft also carries a sprocket that can rotate with the camshaft but is oscillatable with respect to the camshaft. The vane has opposed lobes that are received in opposed recesses, respectively, of the sprocket. The recesses have greater circumferential extent than the lobes to permit the vane and sprocket to oscillate with respect to one another. The camshaft phase tends to change in reaction to pulses that it experiences during its normal operation, and it is permitted to change only in a given direction, either to advance or retard, by selectively blocking or permitting the flow of pressurized hydraulic fluid, preferably engine oil, from the recesses by controlling the position of a spool within a valve body of a control valve. The sprocket has a passage extending there through. The passage extends parallel to and is spaced from a longitudinal axis of rotation of the camshaft. A pin is slidable within the passage and is resiliently urged by a spring to a position where a free end of the pin projects beyond the passage. The vane carries a plate with a pocket, which is aligned with the passage in a predetermined sprocket to camshaft orientation. The pocket receives hydraulic fluid, and when the fluid pressure is at its normal operating level, there is sufficient pressure within the pocket to keep the free end of the pin from entering the pocket. At low levels of hydraulic pressure, however, the free end of the pin enters the pocket and latches the camshaft and the sprocket together in a predetermined orientation.
In addition, it is known to have an electronic feedback loop involving sensors sensing the positions of shafts such as camshaft or crankshaft in a VCT system. For example, pulse wheels are rigidly affixed onto the shafts for the sensors sensing purposes. The sensed pulses are in turn processed into information wherein derived positional information of a rotor or vane in relation to a housing is used to control a control valve (spool) which in turn is used to control a phase relationship. Typically, the spool valve comprises two lands thereon for stopping fluid communications as desired.
In Melchior's U.S. Pat. No. 5,645,017, U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,506, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,507,254, a rotary cylinder is connected to and rotates with a drive shaft by means of a gear pinion. A piston having a vane is connected to the driven shaft. One-way communication circuits are provided in the rotary piston, with check valves carried in the vane. The shaft of the piston is hollow and carries a slidable slide that rotates in synchronism with the driving shaft. The slide includes two external recesses that are separated by an axially extending rib that is helical in shape. The unidirectional circuits include a common section with an end leading to an orifice, which depending on the position of the slide is open to the recesses or closed by the axially extending valve rib. When the slide is in the null position, the fluid cannot move between the chambers, in the chambers or out of the chambers. When some leakage has occurred, causing an undesirably or uncontrolled phase shift, the orifice is uncovered or no longer blocked by the axially extending valve rib, allowing a direct one-way fluid flow passage from a first chamber to a second chamber through a check valve to a common passage, through a recess and back to the other passage leading to the second chamber. The shift in fluid from the first chamber to the second chamber causes the piston and axially extending valve rib to rotate relative to the cylinder until the orifice of the common passage is completely obstructed by the axially extending valve rib.
While advancing and retarding of the phase coupling are described as leakage between the chambers, eventually the remaining fluid in the phase coupling will be inadequate to alter the timing between the drive shaft and the driven shaft, due to leakage of the phase coupling as a whole, since a makeup line is not disclosed. The leakage cannot be fixed by moving fluid from one chamber to the other and vice versa, causing the chambers to have an inadequate amount of fluid to properly alter the phase between the drive shaft and the driven shaft.
Melchior cannot provide a makeup source to the chambers. Due to the position of the common passage/orifice and the positioning of the axially extending valve rib, makeup fluid cannot enter the chambers when the phase coupling is in the null position or in other positions based on the unidirectional circuits.
Since the phase coupling in Melchior's U.S. Pat. No. 5,645,017, U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,506, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,507,254 cannot be supplied with makeup oil from a supply due to the axially extending valve rib, the axially extending valve rib cannot be used with phasers that require a constant or semi-constant source of oil pressure to operate, such as a torsion assist phaser, an oil pressure actuated phaser, or a hybrid phaser disclosed infra. In an oil pressure actuated or a torsion assist phaser, the main force in moving the vanes is engine oil pressure, with fluid being supplied to a first chamber and simultaneously exhausted from the other chamber to sump. A constant source of pressurized fluid is required in order to actuate the phaser, and thus alternate the phase. In a hybrid phaser, cam torque is used in conjunction with an oil pressure to actuate the phaser and alter the phase. The oil pressure portion of the phaser is used when the cam torque is not large enough or will not be sufficient to alter the phase. Melchior also discloses a stepped shaped rib with similar problems as described above.


An on-board catalytic monitoring system uses an intrusive technique to cause the vehicle's engine to cycle between first and second operating conditions. The first and second operating conditions are chosen such that different concentrations of emissions with different chemistries are present at the first and second operating conditions. A calorimetric sensor with a selective catalyst senses exothermic oxidation reactions produced by the emissions in the exhaust gas passing over the sensor. By matching the catalyst activity with the emission concentrations occurring at the operating conditions, the difference between the heat release sensor signals detected between the first and second operating conditions is indicative of the actual concentration of specific emissions in the exhaust gas stream. The difference or delta signal, obtained without reference to a zero point, provides an excellent correlation to the efficiency of the vehicle's catalytic converter for converting the sensed emission, i.e., hydrocarbons.

As is well known, government regulations require vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines not to emit certain specific gaseous pollutants or emissions produced by the engine beyond certain set emission threshold levels. Typically, the vehicle cannot exceed the emission thresholds when operated pursuant to a specified driving cycle such as that set forth in a FTP (Federal Test Procedure). The FTP requires that the vehicle be operated at various acceleration/deceleration modes as well as at steady state or constant velocity at various specified speeds in a standardized drive cycle. In the course of the drive cycle, the engine emits varying concentrations of specific gaseous emissions. Current laws in California, in other states, and around the world require that emission reduction equipment incorporated on a vehicle be continuously monitored by on-board diagnostic (OBD) systems. The function of these OBD systems is to report and set fault codes or alarm signals when the emission control devices no longer meet the mandated emission levels. One of the systems to be monitored is the catalytic converter which in current automotive applications is used to simultaneously reduce the levels of carbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen (NO.sub.x) and un-burnt hydrocarbons (HC) in the exhaust gases. This invention relates to such a system.
Typical emission systems currently used today employ a TWC catalytic converter (three-way catalytic converter--NO.sub.x, hydrocarbons and oxides, i.e., CO). TWCs store oxygen when the engine operates lean and release stored oxygen when the engine operates rich to combust gaseous emissions such as hydrocarbons or carbon monoxide. As the TWC catalyst ages, its ability to store oxygen diminishes and the efficiency of the catalytic converter decreases. Based on this fact, current OBDs in use today comprise an exhaust gas oxygen sensor (EGO) placed upstream of the catalyst and an EGO placed downstream of the catalyst to provide some indication of the capability of the catalyst to store oxygen. This provides an estimate of a direct measurement of the oxygen storage capacity of the catalyst. Through calibration, this measurement of an estimate of the oxygen storage capacity of the catalyst can be related to the ability of the catalytic converter to convert the regulated exhaust gas emissions, i.e., the conversion efficiency of the catalytic converter.
It is also known to conventionally control the air/fuel ratio during certain portions of the driving cycle to generate rich/lean exhaust gas mixtures to measure oxygen storage capacity of the TWC. Still further, a number of before and after oxygen sensing techniques have been employed to sense when the deterioration of the catalyst has progressed to an alarm actuating condition. Reference can be had to Kayanuma U.S. Pat. No. 5,283,383; Seki U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,514; and Carnevale et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,697,214. In at least one instance, as indicated by Ito et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,357,750, the observation is made that when the engine is forced to operate lean, certain correlations can be made to conversion rates for nitrous oxide and when the engine is forced to operate at a richer fuel ratio, certain correlations or relationships can be made to the conversion efficiencies for hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide vis-a-vis oxygen and A/F ratio sensors upstream and downstream of the converter.
Systems that use EGO sensors and techniques based on such systems are inherently flawed because they monitor the oxygen storage capacity of the catalyst and not the gaseous emissions which must be controlled. Additionally, monitoring techniques based on catalyst deterioration by mechanisms not used to initially calibrate the catalytic converter, may result in a false identification of the status of the emission system giving erroneous fail signals or failing to give a failed signal. Attempts to address the problem are discussed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,283,383 and 5,636,514.
Perhaps the most substantial problems with current EGO sensor techniques using oxygen storage to either measure emissions or catalyst deficiencies are the restrictions imposed on the catalyst design and engine management strategies.
From the catalyst design viewpoint, the factors leading to the deterioration of the oxygen storage capacity of the catalytic converter and the precious metal surface area (which directly accounts for HC, CO and NO.sub.x conversion) must be roughly matched with one another so that monitoring the catalyst (which really amounts to monitoring the precious metal surface area) can be accomplished by monitoring the oxygen storage capacity. Apart from any discussion relating to restrictions imposed on the design of the catalytic converter to achieve the desired match of precious metal surface area with OSC, emission regulations now coming into effect require that the vehicle control the emissions when the engine is cold or on startup and not only when the vehicle has reached its operating temperature. This requirement is met by the use of close-coupled, light/off catalysts, which may be void of rare-earth metal oxides. Such catalytic converters lack any oxygen storage function and cannot employ or use oxygen sensors to measure oxygen storage capacity.
From the engine control standpoint, and specifically to obtain good fuel control, it is favorable to increase the air to fuel perturbation rates to 10 Hz or greater to enable optimal performance of three-way catalyst. At such rapid cycling rate, it is impossible to discern meaningful variations in oxygen storage capability.
In fact, the oxygen storage capacity of the TWC has been demonstrated to poorly correlate with hydrocarbon conversion efficiencies. See J. S. Hepburn and H. S. Gandhi, "The Relationship Between Catalyst Hydrocarbon Conversion Efficiency and Oxygen Storage Capacity", SAE paper 920831, 1992 and G. B. Fischer, J. R. Theis, M. V. Casarella and S. T. Mahan, "The Role of Ceria in Automotive Exhaust Catalysis and OBD-II Catalyst Monitoring", SAE paper 931034, 1993.
Because of all the limitations discussed above, it is generally acknowledged that dual EGO approaches develop signals with poor resolution with only the ability to determine gross changes in the catalyst conversion efficiency. The deficiencies in the OSC monitoring systems discussed above have been recognized in the prior art and to circumvent these deficiencies it is known to attempt to directly measure the emissions to determine whether the vehicle is or is not in compliance with standards. Specifically, it is known to use gas sensors of the calorimetric type to measure gaseous emissions of the vehicle. That is, emissions react with oxygen or oxidants to release heat and the heat released is measured by the calorimetric sensor. The heat sensed by the calorimetric sensor is then correlated to the emissions producing the heat release. Reference can be had to U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,444,974 to Beck et al., dated Aug. 29, 1995 and 5,451,371 to Zanini-Fisher et al., dated Sep. 19, 1995. In the '974 patent, the calorimetric device is actuated only when the air/fuel ratio is lean so that sufficient oxygen is present to promote the exothermic oxidation reactions. In the system patents which utilize the sensor described in the '371 patent, gas samples upstream and downstream of the sensor are tapped and combusted with oxygen so that rich samples of exhaust gas can be analyzed. The use of such sensors is thus limited.
Such limitations have been somewhat overcome by utilization of a solid electrolyte to generate oxygen transfer in combination with a diffusion membrane to provide, in effect, an "oxygen pump" within the calorimetric sensor so that rich combustibles in rich concentrations can be reacted. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,836 to Friese et al. dated Apr. 9, 1996. More recently, calorimetric sensors have been significantly improved by the designs disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/970,837, filed Nov. 14, 1997, entitled "Calorimetric Hydrocarbon Gas Sensor" and Ser. No. 08/970,259, filed Nov. 14, 1997, entitled "Exhaust Gas Sensor" incorporated by reference herein. Calorimetric sensors recently developed by the assignees of the present invention permit direct, dynamic measurement of gaseous emissions by simply inserting only one calorimetric sensor downstream of the catalytic converter which produces better, more consistent and reliable measurements than that capable of being achieved with EGO sensors and OSC management techniques.
It must be appreciated that the calorimetric sensors developed to date are extremely sensitive since they measure minute traces of gaseous emissions generating small heat release quantities. As the emission standards become tighter or more stringent, the sensitivity of the calorimetric sensor has to increase to detect smaller and smaller quantities of heat released by the exothermic oxidation reactions produced by smaller and smaller emissions concentrations. In addition, the sensor has to operate for "cold engine" emission detection which further complicates the problem since exhaust gas temperature for a cold engine is different than that for a hot engine. Simply increasing the gain of the sensor to increase sensor sensitivity produces excessive variations in signal output. While various filtering schemes could be utilized to cancel out some variations, a more inherent problem is present when sensitivity has to be increased to meet ultra low levels of emissions in a dynamic operating environment. More specifically, any change in heat transfer dynamically affects the base reference point or the zero point upon which the sensor measurement is based. Furthermore, the heat transfer resulting from the exhaust is several orders of magnitude larger than that attributed to heat releases of minute emission concentrations. These heat reactions, termed "secondary" only for the purposes of discussion, arise in a dynamic operating environment of the internal combustion engine. Until this invention, such secondary reactions prevented use of a calorimetric sensor to directly measure absolute values of gaseous emissions to determine whether or not such emissions comply with stringent LEV and ULEV regulations.

OBD calorimetric sensor system with offset error correction


Disclosed herein are a system and method for attaching an implant, such as an acetabular cup, to an adapter connector without requiring rotation of the connector or the implant, to allow for easy connection, manipulation, and insertion of the implant into a patient. An adapter connector or adapter inserter can include a collet and a collet spreader. The collet can include an exterior surface and an interior surface. The exterior surface can define a protuberance sized to engage an indentation in an adapter. The interior surface can define a collet cavity. The collet spreader can be located at least partially within the collet cavity. The collet spreader can include a flared surface and an engagement surface. The flared surface can be located at a first end of the collet spreader and arranged to engage the interior surface of the collet so as to cause the collet to expand.

A prosthesis or implant can be positioned in an anatomy, such as a human patient, for various purposes. For example, a prosthesis can be positioned to replace an articulating portion of a joint. For example, an acetabular cup can be placed in an acetabulum during a hip arthroplasty procedure. To install acetabular cups adapter inserters can be used. The adapter inserters can grip the acetabular cup and allow a surgeon to implant the acetabular cup. While reference is made to an acetabular cup, other implants can be used with the devices disclosed herein, including, for example, glenoid implants in shoulder surgery.

Quick connect thread locking mechanism and cam


A system for selective direct connection of a shaft to a differential casing includes a frictional coupling that is engaged prior to direct connection of the shaft to the casing. The frictional coupling ensures that the shaft is rotating at a speed which approximates the speed of the casing prior to direct connection. The frictional coupling thus reduces any jarring from the direct connection of the shaft to the casing, thereby reducing the stress on the system.

This invention in general relates to a differential wherein a direct drive connection of a driven shaft to a drive input is achieved gradually.
Gear differentials serve to divide a single drive input between driven shafts. Typically they are utilized in vehicles to drive two driven shafts from a single drive input. In some circumstances it is desirable for a driven shaft to rotate at a different speed than the drive input, or the other shaft. Gear differentials allow this differential speed. In other circumstances, however, it is desirable for the driven shafts to be driven at the same speed as the drive input.
Differentials are known wherein the shaft has a coupler which is selectively moved to directly connect the driven shaft with a member driven by the drive input such that the driven shaft is driven at the same speed as the drive input. With such prior art differentials, the direct connection of the driven shaft to the drive input occurs when the two may be rotating at different speeds relative to each other. Such a connection can be jarring, which is undesirable. It would be desirable to provide a smoother direct connection between the driven shaft and the drive input.

Differential with gradual direct connection


An optical calculating apparatus which can perform operations by optically controlling incident light and hence perform such operations very rapidly and in parallel is provided. A unit component is composed of a pair of electrodes and a modulation material layer sandwiched therebetween and consisting of a material such as a liquid crystal in which the molecular struture is twisted by an applied electric field to change the transmission amount and transmission direction of light incident from the outside, thereby performing a modulation. The optical calculating apparatus is constructed by stacking or laminating such unit components in n stages. The unit component of the first stage has a structure in which the modulation material layer is sandwiched between a pair of the electrodes and input light enters into the modulation material layer in the direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the electrodes.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an optical calculating apparatus in which a material for example a liquid crystal is employed and the transmission amount and/or transmission direction of transmitted light are controlled so that a filter operation, a fuzzy operation or the like wherein coefficients are prefixed is performed by controlling light.
2. Description of the Related Art
A typical device for modulating incident light and utilizing transmitted light which has been modulated is a liquid crystal display device. In a liquid crystal display device, transparent electrodes are formed on a pair of glass substrates, a liquid crystal layer is sandwiched between the glass substrates, and a polarizing plate is disposed outside the glass substrates. In accordance with the strength of an electric field applied between the electrodes, the transmittance and interruption of light incident on the liquid crystal display device are switched over.
Such a liquid crystal display device is used literally as a display device for viewing transmitted light, or in a system wherein transmitted light from the liquid crystal display device is irradiated on a photosensitive layer having an electric conductivity which varies according to the amount of incident light and a latent image is formed on the photosensitive layer, thereby obtaining a print output. In the latter case, the liquid crystal display device functions as a so-called liquid crystal shutter.
When a plurality of liquid crystal panels are used in these examples of the prior art, these liquid crystal panels are arranged in parallel with respect to the propagation direction of light. The series arrangement of liquid crystal panels is employed only in a special case such as that they are used to compensate the color formation when obtaining a predetermined color. Namely, such an optical output which has passed through or reflected from a device for modulating incident light is used only in the form of a display or printed matter, and is not used to realize the function of performing any kind of computation or operation in the device.
When a plurality of liquid crystal panels are arranged in series with respect to the propagation direction of light and the modulation state for incident light of each liquid crystal panel is previously set, an optical output in the case that an incident light is given can be obtained very rapidly. Moreover, it is possible to perform optical operations of this kind in parallel. Namely, it has been desired to develop a configuration in which operations are performed using such a device for modulating incident light.


A seamless cross-environment workflow is provided in a multi-operating system computing environment. The multi-operating system computing environment may include a mobile operating system and a desktop operating system running concurrently and independently on a mobile computing device. Two or more application programs, running in independent operating systems, share user interaction state information including user data, user settings, and/or application context information. Interaction state information may be shared for applications that are used primarily to access and edit local user content as well as applications that communicate to a remote server or access and navigate other remote content (e.g., Internet-based application, browser, etc.). The mobile computing device may be a smartphone running the Android mobile operating system and a full desktop Linux distribution on a modified Android kernel.

1. Field
This Application relates generally to the field of mobile computing environments, and more particularly to supporting multiple user environments through the use of multiple operating systems in a single mobile computing device.
2. Relevant Background
Mobile computing devices are becoming ubiquitous in today's society. For example, as of the end of 2008, 90 percent of Americans had a mobile wireless device. At the same time, the capabilities of mobile devices are advancing rapidly, including smartphones that integrate advanced computing capabilities with mobile telephony capabilities. Mobile providers have launched hundreds of new smartphones in the last three years based upon several different platforms (e.g., Apple iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, Palm, and Windows Mobile). In the U.S., smartphone penetration reached almost 23% by the middle of 2010, and over 35% in some age-groups. In Europe, the smartphone market grew by 41% from 2009 to 2010, with over 60 million smartphone subscribers as of July 2010 in the five largest European countries alone.
While smartphones are gaining in popularity and computing capability, they provide a limited user experience. Specifically, they typically have an operating system that is modified for mobile device hardware and a restricted set of applications that are available for the modified operating system. For example, many smartphones run Google's Android operating system. Android runs only applications that are specifically developed to run within a Java-based virtual machine runtime environment. In addition, while Android is based on a modified Linux kernel, it uses different standard C libraries, system managers, and services than Linux. Accordingly, applications written for Linux do not run on Android without modification or porting. Similarly, Apple's iPhone uses the iOS mobile operating system. Again, while iOS is derived from Mac OS X, applications developed for OS X do not run on iOS. Therefore, while many applications are available for mobile operating systems such as Android and iOS, many other common applications for desktop operating systems such as Linux and Mac OS X are not available on the mobile platforms.
Accordingly, smartphones are typically suited for a limited set of user experiences and provide applications designed primarily for the mobile environment. In particular, smartphones do not provide a suitable desktop user experience, nor do they run most common desktop applications. As a result, many users carry and use multiple computing devices including a smartphone, laptop, and/or tablet computer. In this instance, each device has its own CPU, memory, file storage, and operating system.
Connectivity and file sharing between smartphones and other computing devices involves linking one device (e.g., smartphone, running a mobile OS) to a second, wholly disparate device (e.g., notebook, desktop, or tablet running a desktop OS), through a wireless or wired connection. Information is shared across devices by synchronizing data between applications running separately on each device. This process, typically called "synching," is cumbersome and generally requires active management by the user.

Cross-environment application compatibility for single mobile computing device


This invention relates to novel compounds and hydrochloric acid salts thereof. More specifically, this invention relates to novel compounds and hydrochloric acid salts thereof derived from donepezil. This invention also provides compositions comprising one or more compounds of this invention and a carrier and the use of the disclosed compounds and compositions in methods of treating diseases and conditions that are beneficially treated by administering an acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor, such as donepezil.

Donepezil, also known as Aricept™, or 2-((1-benzylpiperidin-4-yl)methyl)-5,6-dimethoxy-2,3-dihydro-1H-inden-1-one, is a centrally acting reversible acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor. Its main therapeutic use is in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease where it is used to increase levels of cortical acetylcholine. See US FDA label for Aricept @http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsaifda_docs/label/2006/020690s026,021720s003lbl.pdf Donepezil is currently approved for treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Despite the beneficial activities of donepezil, there is a continuing need for new compounds to treat Alzheimer's diseases and conditions. It is desirable to discover novel derivatives thereof. Donepezil is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,895,841 and 7,727,548, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.


A receiver circuit provides a first stage having an input for receiving input signals and an output node. The first stage includes an amplifier. A second stage has an input coupled to the output of the first stage. The second stage includes a switching circuit coupled to the output node of the first stage for driving the input signals by favoring a rising edge or a falling edge in accordance with a control signal. The second stage also includes a feedback loop coupled to an output of the second stage. The feedback loop provides the control signal for switching the switching circuit to favor the rising edge or falling edge.

1. Technical Field
This disclosure relates to receiver circuits, and more particularly, to a receiver circuit immune to noise superimposed to a signal during or shortly after a transition.
2. Description of the Related Art
Digital circuits may be subject to noisy signals. Noisy signals may result in bit errors when converting the analog waveforms to digital signals. Noise suppression can reduce noise. For example, in receiver circuits that convert (noisy) analog input signals to digital on-chip signals, hysteresis is one means to suppress noise. Instances of slope reversal caused by reflections on ill terminated signal traces and extremely slow transitions (e.g., in burn-in test setups for semiconductor device tests) superimposed with random noise can cause incomplete pulses and spikes of the on-chip digital signals. This can cause malfunction of circuitry that assumes certain minimum and maximum pulse widths.
A structure of a differential amplifier-based receiver is shown in FIG. 1. A first stage 10 includes an N-channel differential pair 11 with a P-channel current mirror 13. A second stage 12 is realized by an inverter 14. One advantage of this configuration is that a switch-point is very well defined by the reference voltage VREF. The switch-point is the input voltage level (VIN) at which the output switches. For good system performance, a hysteresis of about 5-10% of the input voltage (VIN) swing is desirable. For stub series terminated logic (SSTL-2, for example), this would be a few tens of mV""s.
The prior art realization of receivers with hysteresis does not typically provide sufficient hysteresis control. The prior art provides weak controllability (i.e., achieving a small shift of the switch point based on the output state) or slow reaction time (i.e., incapability to suppress fast noise spikes). Negative noise pulses typically occur shortly after a transition (change in state). Such noise (or slope reversal noise) is typical for ill matched or unterminated clock traces as a consequence of reflections.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,796,281, adding additional current to an output node of a first stage (differential amplifier) creates hysteresis. Note however, that the amount of current added is not well controlled and thus the amount of hysteresis is not well controlled. To achieve small hysteresis the transistors (for example, Q2 in U.S. Pat. No. 5,796,281) that switch the additional current have to be a small fraction of the size of main transistors of the amplifiers in U.S. Pat. No. 5,796,281. For speed purposes, however, these transistors are close to their minimum size already. Thus, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to achieve small and controlled amounts of hysteresis. Note that a hysteresis, which is too large, will also adversely affect speed. FIGS. 26.4 and 26.5 of Baker et al., xe2x80x9cCMOS Circuit Design, Layout and Simulation,xe2x80x9d IEEE press 1998, also show circuitry for providing additional current at an output node of a first stage to attempt to control hysteresis. This circuit suffers from the same drawbacks as described above.
In other attempts to introduce controlled small amounts of hysteresis, a reference voltage is shifted based on the output state of the receiver. Although some controllability is achieved, the switching process takes too long to effectively help suppress noise spikes. It also requires two reference voltage generators, which cause additional current consumption. See e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,775,807.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,745,365, the solution described consumes even more power by utilizing two receivers with offset VREF. Both receivers have to run at the same speed.
Even with the limited control of hysteresis, the receiver systems of the prior art may also suffer from the drawback of oscillations in the case of extremely slow transitions or static input signals with a value between the switch points (state transition changes) of the receiver circuit. This makes these approaches unfeasible where there is no strict lower limit on the slew rate.
Therefore, a need exists for a receiver design which has the same power and receiving delay as the conventional (e.g., differential amplifier and inverter stage of FIG. 1) receiver, but also is highly immune to negative noise pulses occurring shortly after a transition.
A receiver circuit provides a first stage having an input for receiving input signals and an output node. The first stage includes an amplifier. A second stage has an input coupled to the output of the first stage. The second stage includes a switching circuit coupled to the output node of the first stage for driving the input signals by favoring a rising edge or a falling edge in accordance with a control signal. The second stage also includes a feedback loop coupled to an output of the second stage. The feedback loop provides the control signal for switching the switching circuit to favor the rising edge or falling edge.
Another receiver circuit includes a first circuit having two modes of operation controlled by a feedback loop. The feedback loop is connected to an output of the first circuit, and the modes of operation include a first mode having a quicker response to an input falling signal edge than a second mode and a second mode with a quicker response to an input rising signal edge than the first mode. A driver stage is integrated into the first circuit to favor the rising edge or the falling edge in accordance with a control signal provided by the feedback loop.
In other embodiments, the second stage may include an inverter coupled to the output of the first stage, and the inverter preferably has an output representing the output of the receiver circuit. The second stage may include a first transistor coupled between the output of the inverter and a supply voltage and a second transistor coupled between the output of the inverter and a ground, wherein the first and second transistors have different strengths relative to transistors of the inverter to provide skewed driver strength for driving the input signals to the output of the second stage.
In still other embodiments, the second stage may include current sources coupled to an input of the inverter and coupled to gates of the first and second transistors through the switching circuit to provide driving current to the inverter and the first and second transistors in accordance with the control signal. The switching circuit may include switching elements switched by the control signal to alternately select circuit elements, which favor a rising edge and a falling edge. The switching elements may include CMOS transfer gates. The amplifier may include a differential amplifier and/or a transconductance amplifier. The input signals may include analog signals and the receiver circuit preferably suppresses noise of the analog signals. The output preferably represents a digital logic state. The feedback loop may include delay elements such that noise after a transition in the input signals is suppressed for a delay period provided by the delay elements provided by the delay elements. The feedback loop may be programmable to adjust the delay period provided by the delay elements. The feedback loop may be controlled by a control circuit to adjust the delay period provided by the delay elements. The delay period may be controlled in accordance with an input signal input to the receiver circuit. A delay value of the delay elements is preferably less than half a clock period of the input signal.
Another receiver circuit, in accordance with the present invention, includes a first stage having an input for receiving input signals and an output node, the first stage including an amplifier, and a second stage having an input coupled to the output of the first stage. The second stage includes an inverter coupled to the output of the first stage, the inverter having an output representing the output of the receiver circuit and including transistors, a first transistor coupled between the output of the inverter and a supply voltage, and a second transistor coupled between the output of the inverter and a ground, wherein the first and second transistors have different strengths relative to the transistors of the inverter to favor a transition edge being driven to suppress noise after the transition edge. A feedback loop is coupled from the output of the inverter for enabling switching elements, the switching elements being switched in accordance with the output of the inverter to favor the transition edge being driven at the output of the inverter.
In other embodiments, the first transistor may include a P-channel transistor and the inverter may include an N-channel transistor and a relative strength ratio between the P-channel transistor and the N-channel transistor is preferably between about 3:1 to about 10:1. The second transistor may include an N-channel transistor and the inverter may include an P-channel transistor and a relative strength ratio between the N-channel transistor and the P-channel transistor is preferably between about 3:1 to about 10:1. Current sources may be coupled to an input of the inverter and coupled to gates of the first and second transistors through the switching elements to provide driving current to the inverter and the first and second transistors in accordance with a control signal on the feedback loop.
In still other embodiments, the switching elements may include CMOS transfer gates. The amplifier may include a differential amplifier and/or a transconductance amplifier. The input signals may include analog signals and the receiver circuit preferably suppresses noise of the analog signals. The inverter output preferably represents a digital logic state. The feedback loop may include delay elements such that noise after a transition in the input signals is suppressed for a delay period provided by the delay elements provided by the delay elements. A delay value of the delay elements is preferably less than half a clock period of the input signal.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments thereof, which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings.


A pressure control apparatus includes a first brake pressure control valve for controlling communication between a first wheel brake for applying a braking force to an driving wheel of a vehicle and a pressure generating chamber of a master cylinder and for controlling communication between the first wheel brake and a low back pressure reservoir, and a second brake pressure control valve for controlling communication between a second wheel brake for applying a braking force to a non-driving wheel of the vehicle and the pressure generating chamber and for controlling communication between the second wheel brake and the low back pressure reservoir. A pump draws brake fluid from the reservoir into the first wheel brake and into the second wheel brake through the second control valve. A valve is provided for controlling communication between the wheel brakes and the pressure generating chamber through check valves and for controlling communication between an inlet passage of the pump and the pressure generating chamber. A check valve for blocking fluid flow from the inlet passage of the pump into the reservoir is also provided.

A vehicular hydraulic brake system provided with a brake pressure control apparatus to perform anti-lock control in order to prevent road wheels from locking during brake actuation of a brake pedal and traction control in order to prevent the driving road wheels from spinning when a vehicle starts to move or increase speed is known and is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. HEI 5-507667.
An apparatus for controlling vehicle motion through use of a brake pressure control apparatus to restrain an excessive over-steer and an excessive under-steer which will occur during, for example, cornering by a braking force to one wheel or several wheels of the vehicle irrespective of depression of a brake pedal is also known and is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. HEI 2-70561.
The vehicular hydraulic brake system generally has two brake pressure circuits each of which includes two wheel brakes. The brake pressure control apparatus, which individually controls the brake pressure in the first and second wheel brakes during actuation of the brake pedal and individually supplies and controls the brake pressure in the first and second wheel brakes during non-actuation of the brake pedal, is required to perform anti-lock control, traction control and vehicle motion control.
Several other requirements are also placed on brake control systems. The brake pressure control apparatus is also required to be reduced in size, weight and cost. The brake pressure control apparatus is further required to rapidly increase the wheel brake pressure during non-actuation of the brake pedal, and to supply brake pressure from a master cylinder to the wheel brake when the brake pedal is depressed during the vehicle motion control.


The invention described herein generally relates to a pliers welding multi-tool including welding pliers and a plurality of welding tools that can be stowed in one or both handles of the pliers welding multi-tool. The pliers welding multi-tool handles can include rotating, sliding, or other interfaces to store or take out the pliers or other tools. Other tools integrated in the pliers portion or stored within the handles can include a welding fillet gauge, a welding thickness gauge, a welding tip remover, a welding nozzle remover, a bevel-angle tool, a root gap gauge, a plate and rod gauge, and others.

People and equipment associated with creating and inspecting welds utilize a number of tools, some of which are specialized for welding purposes. These tools can often be stored and transported individually without protection for the tools or the user of the tools.
When a collection of tools are stored or transported individually as described, they may be prone to become misplaced. The tools can also be damaged by impact with other tools, impact with a hard surface after a fall, and so forth. Further, a user carrying a relatively large number of tools can be poked, jabbed, or otherwise negatively affected by the tools as the user tries to grasp the tools within a pocket or a toolbox.
Current methods for storing and transporting welding tools can include a random array of tools kept within a tool box, pocket, or other expedient means. As such, consistently locating and protecting individual tools can be difficult, and users can be negatively affected by the lack of safety considerations involving loose tools. Further, many of these tools lack substantial handles or grips enabling a user to have adequate leverage to apply suitable force or torque to the tools.
Multi-tools available on the market today are typically designed for general use. They may include blades or common-sized drivers, but are difficult to adapt to the highly-specific realm of welding. Further, heat and other environmental hazards associated with welding may render common multi-tools inappropriate for use by a welder or in conjunction with welding machines.


A grain conveying apparatus and system for conveying and separating elements of a grain mixture of a first minimum size, such as cob pieces, and a second maximum size smaller than the first minimum size, such as grain or corn, including an upper passage having at least one aperture generally smaller than the cob pieces and larger than the grain or corn. As the grain mixture is conveyed through the upper passage, the cob pieces will pass across the apertures, and the grain or corn will pass through the apertures to the lower passage thereby separating the elements of the grain mixture as it is conveyed from a source bin to separate receiving bins.

Presently, there is an increased demand for corn cobs as a feedstock for cellulosic ethanol, as well as other uses. As a result, there is heightened interest in collecting corn cobs during corn harvest. To this end, agricultural harvesters are now harvesting and collecting shelled corn as well as pieces of cob and discharging the remaining crop residue or stover, e.g., corn stalks, leaves, and husks, onto the field. In many cases, the grain bin of the harvester will contain a mixture including a significant amount of cob pieces collected with the grain.
Storing a mixture of grain and cob pieces is disadvantageous because the cob pieces are generally larger and lighter than the grain. Harvester grain bins fill more inefficiently and require more frequent unloading, and transferring the mixture of grain and cob pieces between containers creates a risk of damage to both elements. As the mixture is discharged to the receiving container, gravitational forces will likely cause the denser grain elements to fall at a greater velocity, relative to the larger, lighter cob pieces. This may result in breakage of the cob pieces, resulting in a loss of moisture, or may otherwise damage the grain. Therefore it would be advantageous to separate the mixture into a grain receiving container and a cob receiving container as soon as possible, preferably as the mixture is unloaded from the harvester.
Thus, what is sought is a grain conveying apparatus and system including separation capabilities which provides one or more of the capabilities, and overcomes one or more of the shortcomings and limitations, set forth above.

Grain conveyor apparatus and system including separation capability


A cable winch system comprising a driven drum for winding and unwinding cables, a cable guide including two parallel members spaced-apart to allow for the cable to freely travel in between the members. The cable guide is pivotally attached to a geared oscillation device which cyclically guides the cable to facilitate evenly distributed winding and unwinding of the cable along one end of the drum to an opposite end of the drum. The system is operated remotely, away from the travel of the cable in a non-interfering relationship with the oscillation of the cable guide. The system can be operated hydraulically or pneumatically. A shaft with a handle on one end and the opposite end connected to a universal joint which in turn is connected to the geared oscillation device allows for the remote operation of the system.

Many fishing vessels, such as shrimp boats, use nets lowered and raised from the water. The nets are extended for insertion in the water and retrieval from the water using a combination of chains, cables, trawl doors, outriggers, etc, where the cables are wound on a winch drum. Although single cables can be used from the winch to the trawl doors, generally a main cable (typically about ¾ inch in diameter) is used as the core cable and to an end of this cable, 2 or more smaller cables (e.g., three ⅝ inch diameter cables) are typically spliced. These smaller cables are attached to the trawl door, which is used as a spreader for the nets that are lowered into the water and dragged behind the boat.
One of the problems in raising the nets is ensuring that the cables are wound evenly, that is, evenly distributed, across the drum. The single larger cable is wound on the drum and the multiple cable end is then wound. If the cables are not evenly wound, then the trawl doors will not be raised simultaneously. For example, one trawl door may be lifted and the other may still be in the water.
Prior art apparatus requires that the cables be manipulated manually through guides extending from the ceiling bulkhead structure or extending from the deck area. The guides are pivotally mounted. In the situation where the guides are located so as to extend from the deck, the operator has to lean above the cables being wound on the drum. In the situation where the guides are attached to the ceiling bulkhead structure, the operator finds himself below the cables being wound on the drum. In either case, the operator is exposed to dangerous life threatening conditions.
If cable guides are located so as to extend from the deck area in front of the drum, the guide has to be manipulated by hand such that the operator has to use a lot of physical force to push the guide away from him, thereby leaning over the cables being wound or unwound. The guide then has to be pulled back toward himself to continue winding the cable in the other direction. This cycle is repeated. Meanwhile, the operator in essentially standing in the area in front of the drum in harms way of the cable lines. If cable guides are located so as to extend from the ceiling bulkhead area, the guide has to be similarly manipulated, except now the operator finds himself essentially below the cables being wound or unwound and still in front of the drum.
There is also a significant amount of tension in the cables. The trawl doors alone can weigh 2000 to 3000 pounds, and the drag force of the nets filled with shrimp also add a significant tension force to the cables being wound.
It is not uncommon for the cables to be entwined in buoys and crab lines. When these lines get near the drum, the flapping of the lines or lines that break and snap can backlash against the operator severely injuring or killing the operator. Another common problem is the unsteady seas. The winch operator is trying to maintain his balance while using force to manipulate the guides as the cable is being wound and unwound. This unsteady balance can cause the winch operator to fall into the drum or cable lines. A shrimp boat winch operator recently was killed in the Gulf of Mexico when his arm got entangled in the cables being wound. Because he was in front of the drum near the cables being wound, he could not reach the drum drive clutch to disengage the rotating drum, and was pulled into the drum reel. One can imagine after that what happened to him after being pulled into a drum reel adjacent another drum reel winding cables on the other side of the boat. According to newspaper reports, it took nearly four hours for the Coast Guard to remove the body from the wound drum.
What is needed is a system where the cables can be guided and evenly distributed on the drum while ensuring the safety of the winch operator. It is also understood that the present invention described below can apply to any winch system that has to wind a single cable, or a combination of a cable connected in line to other spliced cables, to a chain, rope, or similar lanyards and rigging lines, where the operator is at significant risk of injury or death.


A security tie down includes a threaded sleeve embedded in a ground surface, and a steel eyebolt screwed into the sleeve. An object for being secured, such as a vehicle, is tied to a ring of the eyebolt with a locked cable. The eyebolt includes hard faced welded beads welded thereon for resisting cutting. When not in use, the eyebolt may be unscrewed to avoid tripping passersby, and a threaded plug may be screwed into the sleeve to exclude dirt.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to tie downs for tying down objects to the ground.
2. Prior Art
Tie downs are commonly used for tying a vehicle, such as an aircraft, to the ground to secure it against high winds and theft. A typical tie down includes a depression formed on a concrete surface, and an arcuate bar embedded in the concrete across the opening of the depression. A vehicle is parked near the tie down, and connected to it with a cable or chain. However, such a tie down must be made when the concrete is poured, so that it cannot be easily retrofitted. The steel bars used are often not strong enough to withstand conventional cutting tools. Further, the depression tends to collect dust and dirt, so that it may eventually be filled, which makes looping the wire or chain under the bar difficult.


An apparatus for preparing a two-dimensional color code includes a reading section for reading an original image object to output to processing device; processing means having a code conversion section to output two-dimensional color codes corresponding to gradations of shades of color separately of CMY colors in original image data of one pixel read; and a printing section for printing on a printing sheet. An apparatus for restoring a two-dimensional color code reads the two-dimensional color code at the reading section to output the gradations of shades of color separately of CMY colors. The printing section prints restored image data on a printing body on the basis of the gradations of shades of color.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a two-dimensional color code, preparing and restoring method for the code and apparatus therefor in which data is coded by a recording apparatus or a system having a color code reading function, recorded and stored in a recording medium, and original data is restored from the coded data.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the ensuing explanation, a printing apparatus is used as a recording apparatus, and recording on a recording medium will be explained by way of printing on a printing sheet as a specific embodiment.
Bar codes so far well known are that a plurality of bars having a predetermined length is arranged in a row. Data is coded into a predetermined form in the state in which data can be read by an optical reading device, and data is represented by changing the width of bars and the width of a space between bars.
Further, it has been contemplated that the bar codes are colored in order to increase information amount thereof, which is known, for example, from Japanese Published Examined Patent Application No. Sho 61-217887. If there are a plurality of writable and readable colors as bar codes, the information amount recordable with the same density increases accordingly.
On the other hand, a two-dimensional code is contemplated as means for increasing the information amount.
Examples of two-dimensional codes known include one in which plural stages of one-dimensional bar codes are superposed in which a plurality of bars is laterally arranged in one row, and one in which a two-dimensional matrix is formed in a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction, and data is represented by a combination of states of pixels of the matrix.
Coloring of one-dimensional bar codes and coding of many information amounts by use of two-dimensional codes have been realized. However, there is mere use such that goods information in the physical distribution and production is coded to make use of information thereof.
On the other hand, kinds of information that can be coded include not only systematic information applied with codes constituted by English Figures in accordance with the predetermined rule as in goods information, but also plain information not systemized in which analog data is merely digitalized such as image information and voice information.
The latter information amount is much more than the former. If full color image data should be coded, there would require coded printed matter having a large area several times of a printing area of the original data.
Further, when the coded printed matter is made substantially equal to the printing area of the original data, resolution of the restored image results in very poor since information per unit area of the code is less.
Accordingly, in the present method, the data amount capable of being bar-coded is limited not to be able to correspond to coding of full color image data or the like.
Therefore, a system using a disk or the like applied with a magnetic memory as a storage medium is generally used as compared with a system using coded printed matter as a storage medium.
There are merits and demerits according to difference in storage media. The data storage using printed matter has the merit in that no space is occupied and the medium itself is cheap and tends to be lowered in cost. The procedure capable of coding many information with less area has been demanded.
The present invention has been achieved in order to solve the above-described problem. It is an object of the present invention to provide a code, and preparing and restoring method for the code and apparatus therefor, which can code many information amounts with less area and can use printing sheets as storage media even a large capacity of data.

Two-dimensional color code, preparing and restoring method for the code and apparatus therefor


The present invention relates to a method of controlling an electro-thermal heating system in a wind turbine blade, comprising measuring a supply voltage to the electro-thermal heating system, determining a duration of a variable time based enforced off period based on the measured supply voltage, and inserting the variable time based enforced off period between subsequent switching duty cycles that controls the electro-thermal heating system. The present invention also relates to a wind turbine that comprises one or more wind turbine blades wherein each wind turbine blade comprises an electro-thermal heating system and a processor adapted to perform the method.

Wind turbines generate electrical power from wind energy and can be situated on land or off-shore. Wind turbines situated in cold climates can suffer from icing events where ice may be formed on the surface of the wind turbine blades due to freezing water on the cold surface. The accumulation of ice on the surface of a blade can result in undesirable consequences. For example, a change in the profile of the wind turbine blades due to the accumulation of ice may reduce the speed of rotation of the wind turbine or change the angle of attack of the blade which can affect the thrust generated by the rotor of the wind turbine and the power generated by the wind turbine. As a result, the wind turbine may operate below optimal speed and efficiency which degrades the performance of the wind turbine. Also, the additional weight of the accumulating ice on the wind turbine blades may cause fatigue and stress failures of the blades.
Therefore, there is a need to be able to prevent or reduce the effects of icing on the blades of a wind turbine in order to prevent damage to the blades and also to increase the performance of a wind turbine.
Various systems and methods have been described to either, or both, to de-ice (e.g. remove ice accumulated) a wind turbine or to provide anti-icing (e.g. prevent ice from accumulating) for a wind turbine.
For example, it is known to attach to, or embed within, a wind turbine blade several Electro-Thermal Heating (ETH) elements to form an ETH system which, when supplied with electrical power, generate heat to increase the surface temperature of the surface of the blade. Such ETH elements may be used for either or both of anti-icing or de-icing of the wind turbine blade.
The ETH system is typically controlled by switching on and off the ETH elements according to a predetermined and specified switching cycle to generate the required heat at the required locations in the wind turbine blade. However, a critical control parameter, such as the supply voltage, of the ETH system may fluctuate which can affect the power output of the ETH system and may cause damage to the ETH system and/or to the blade by, for example, increasing the heat generated by the ETH system to be above design limits.
The present invention seeks to address, at least in part, the problems and disadvantages described hereinabove and to seek to provide a method to compensate for fluctuations in control parameters of the ETH system.

Electro-Thermal Heating system for wind turbine blades


The invention relates to synthetic transposon and retrotransposon genes that exhibit higher levels of expression relative to natural transposon and retrotransposon genes. The invention further relates to transposons and retrotransposons comprising such synthetic genes.

Transposons are discrete mobile DNA segments that are common constituents of plasmid, virus, and bacterial chromosomes. These elements are detected by their ability to transpose self-encoded phenotypic traits from one replicon to another, or to transpose to a known gene and inactivate it. There are two types of transposons, ranging in size from about 750 to greater than 50,000 nucleotide base pairs. One type, known as the small insertion sequence or IS element, does not encode any known phenotypic traits. The other type encompasses relatively large units that do encode phenotypic traits such as antibiotic resistance (Plasmids and Transposons Environmental Effects and Maintenance Mechanisms; Edited by C. Stuttard and K. Rozee; Academic Press, New York; Pages 165-205). Transposons or transposable elements include a piece of nucleic acid bounded by repeat sequences. Active transposons encode enzymes that facilitate the insertion of the nucleic acid into DNA sequences.
In vertebrates, the discovery of DNA transposons, mobile elements that move via a DNA intermediate, is relatively recent (Radice, A. D., et al., 1994. Mol. Gen. Genet. 244, 606-612). Since then, inactive, highly mutated members of the Tc1/mariner as well as the hAT (hobo/Ac/Tam) superfamilies of eukaryotic transposons have been isolated from different fish species, Xenopus and human genomes (Oosumi et al., 1995. Nature 378, 873; Ivics et al. 1995. Mol. Gen. Genet. 247, 312-322; Koga et al., 1996. Nature 383, 30; Lam et al., 1996. J. Mol. Biol. 257, 359-366 and Lam, W. L., et al. Proc. Natl. Acad Sci. USA 93, 10870-10875).
Retrotransposons are naturally occurring DNA elements which are found in cells from almost all species of animals, plants and bacteria which have been examined to date. They are capable of being expressed in cells, can be reverse transcribed into an extrachromosomal element and reintegrate into another site in the same genome from which they originated.
Retrotransposons may be grouped into two classes, the retrovirus-like LTR retrotransposons, and the non-LTR elements such as human L1 elements, Neurospora TAD elements (Kinsey, 1990, Genetics 126:317-326), I factors from Drosophila (Bucheton et al., 1984, Cell 38:153-163), and R2Bm from Bombyx mori (Luan et al., 1993, Cell 72: 595-605). These two types of retrotransposon are structurally different and also retrotranspose using radically different mechanisms.
Unlike the LTR retrotransposons, non-LTR elements (also called polyA elements) lack LTRs and instead end with polyA or A-rich sequences. The LTR retrotransposition mechanism is relatively well-understood; in contrast, the mechanism of retrotransposition by non-LTR retrotransposons has just begun to be elucidated (Luan and Eickbush, 1995, Mol. Cell. Biol. 15:3882-3891; Luan et al., 1993, Cell 72:595-605). non-LTR retrotransposons can be subdivided into sequence-specific and non-sequence-specific types. L1 is of the latter type being found to be inserted in a scattered manner in all human, mouse and other mammalian chromosomes.
The L1 element (also known as a LINE) has been extremely successful at colonizing the human genome. Early approximations estimated that L1s are present at 100,000 copies in the human genome and comprise 5% of nuclear DNA (Fanning and Singer, 1987, Biochim Biophys Acta 910:203-121). However, recent studies suggest that as many as 850,000 L1s may exist in the human genome (Smit et al., 1996, Current Opinion in Genetics and Development). Most of these copies are truncated at the 5′ end and are presumed to be defective. Similar to full-length elements, the 5′ truncated copies are often flanked by short target site duplications (TSDs).
A 6.1 kb full-length L1 consensus sequence reveals the following conserved organization: a 5′ untranslated leader region (UTR) with an internal promoter; two non-overlapping reading frames (ORF1 and ORF2); a 200 bp 3′ UTR and a 3′ poly A tail. ORF1 encodes a 40 kd protein and may serve a packaging function for the RNA (Martin, 1991, Mol. Cell Biol. 11:4804-4807; Hohjoh et al., 1996, EMBO J. 15:630-639), while ORF2 encodes a reverse transcriptase (Mathias et al., 1991, Science 254:1808-1810). ORF1 and possibly ORF2 proteins associate with L1 RNA, forming a ribonucleoprotein particle. Reverse transcription by ORF2 protein may occur, resulting in L1 cDNAs, which are integrated into the genome (Martin, 1991, Curr. Opin. Genet. Dev. 1:505-508). Additionally, L1 elements are usually flanked by TSD's ranging from 7 to 20 bp. The full L1 and other non-LTR retrotransposons lack recognizable homologs of retroviral integrase, protease and RNase H. This group of elements employs a fundamentally different mechanism for transposition than the LTR-retrotransposons.
Some human L1 elements can retrotranspose (express, cleave their target site, and reverse transcribe their own RNA using the cleaved target site as a primer) into new sites in the human genome, leading to genetic disorders. For example, germ line L1 insertions into the factor VIII and dystrophin gene give rise to hemophilia A and muscular dystrophy, respectively (Kazazian et al., 1988, Nature 332:164-166; Narita et al., 1993, J. Clinical Invest. 91:1862-1867; Holmes et al., 1994, Nature Genetics 7:143-148), while somatic cell L1 insertions into the c-myc and APC tumor suppressor gene are implicated in rare cases of breast and colon cancer, respectively (Morse et al., Nature 333:87-90; Miki et al., 1992, Cancer Research 52:643-645). L1 retrotransposons account, directly or indirectly, for more than 30% of mammalian genomes by mass (Lander et al., 2001, Nature 409:860-921), by means of self-mobilization and trans-mobilization of Alu elements (Dewannieux et al., 2003, Nature Genet. 35:41-48). A full-length (about 6-kilobase) L1 consists of two open reading frames, ORF1 and ORF2, encode proteins for retrotransposition (Feng et al., 1996, Cell 87:905-916; Moran et al., 1996, Cell 87:917-927).
Thus, a highly active L1 element would be potentially useful as a tool for mammalian genetics.

Synthetic mammalian retrotransposon gene


The present invention relates to an improved process for the preparation of Letrozole (I) and its synthetic intermediate 4-[(1-(1,2,4-triazoly)methyl]benzonitrile (III). In particular, it relates to a process to prepare Letrozole and its intermediate (III) substantially free from regioisomeric impurities. The present invention further relates to acid addition salts of 4-[(1-(1,2,4-triazoly)methyl]benzonitrile (III) such as the oxalate salt, and also to Letrozole (I), the intermediate (III) and salts thereof preparable by the processes of the present invention.

Letrozole, chemically named as 4-[1-(4-cyanophenyl)-1-(1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)methyl)]-benzonitrile (I) is one of a new class of drugs, known as aromatase inhibitors, which function by reducing oestrogen levels in postmenopausal women as many breast cancers increase in size by utilising the hormone oestrogen. In women who have undergone the menopause, the main source of oestrogen is through the conversion of androgens (sex hormones produced by the adrenal glands) into oestrogen. The conversion process, which is known as aromatisation, happens mainly in the fatty tissues of the body and is catalysed by an enzyme called aromatase. Letrozole blocks this aromatisation process and reduces the amount of oestrogen in the body. Consequently, Letrozole is marketed as a type of hormonal therapy that is used in the treatment of breast cancer in women.

Letrozole and processes to prepare it were first described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,978,672. The synthesis of Letrozole proceeded via the reaction of intermediate 4-[(1-(1,2,4-triazolyl)methyl]benzonitrile (III) with 4-fluorobenzonitrile (IV) in the presence of a catalyst, potassium tert-butoxide. The preparation of intermediate (III) was achieved by the reaction of 4-bromomethylbenzonitrile with 1,2,4-triazole in a mixture of chloroform and acetonitrile at reflux, followed by the purification of the product (III) by column chromatography. It was found that during the preparation of intermediate (III), an undesired regioisomer, namely 4-[(1-(1,3,4-triazolyl)-methyl]benzonitrile (V), was formed in about 20-25% yield. Consequently, this leads to an uneconomical loss of yield and to a difficult and inconvenient purification of intermediate (III), which was required to remove the regioisomeric impurity (V). In addition, complete purification was not possible and the impurity (V) was carried through the synthesis resulting in the formation of regioisomer (II) in the synthetic step to prepare Letrozole. As a consequence, the final purification of Letrozole had to involve the removal of impurity (II). These two purifications were very difficult and a substantial quantity of material was lost during the purifications by column chromatography. In addition, the removal of the impurities by column chromatography vastly increased the solvent consumption of the process and purification using column chromatography is not a practical approach for the industrial production of Letrozole or its intermediates.

Another process for the preparation of Letrozole, disclosed in patent application WO 2005/047269, recognised that the removal of the undesired regioisomers by column chromatography is a problem. The disclosed method for separation of the unwanted impurity (V) from the intermediate (III) is by preparation of its hydrochloride salt, which is relatively less soluble in the solvents dichloromethane and chloroform, and separation by filtration while the desired product hydrochloride salt remains in solution. The desired intermediate is then isolated as the free base and purified by removal of solvent to afford the intermediate (III) with a purity of 99.7% by HPLC. Although control of the isomeric purity was somewhat achieved by this method, the loss of significant quantities of the desired product (III) could not be avoided and this route is not attractive for commercial production, particularly as the process involved the use of several solvents and a lengthy process for the separation of the undesired isomer which makes the process less feasible for scale-up. In addition, regioisomeric impurity (V) could still be detected in the product (III) and, as described above, this is a great disadvantage in the preparation of Letrozole as impurity (V) is converted into regioisomeric impurity (II) which is very difficult to remove from Letrozole on a commercial scale.
A regio specific preparation of the intermediate 4-[(1-(1,2,4-triazolyl)methyl]-benzonitrile (III), was disclosed in patent application WO 2004/076409. The disclosed process afforded intermediate (III) significantly free from its regioisomeric impurity by using the 4-amino-derivative of 1,2,4-triazole so that regioselectivity in the reaction could be achieved. The desired intermediate 4-[(1-(1,2,4-triazolyl)methyl]benzonitrile (III) was obtained by de-amination of its 4-amino derivative with sodium nitrite and concentrated hydrochloric acid. However, this process suffers from the disadvantages that extra steps are involved in the synthesis and toxic nitrous acid is formed during the de-amination reaction. Consequently, it is not a very safe and feasible approach for the commercial production of Letrozole. In addition, this process, although reducing the level of 1,3,4-triazolyl isomeric impurity, did not totally eliminate the formation of the impurity.
Similar approaches to reducing the regioisomeric impurity were discussed in patent applications WO 2007/039912 and US 2007/0066831, wherein the reaction of an alkali metal (preferably sodium or potassium) salt of 1,2,4-triazole with α-bromo-tolunitrile (4-bromomethylbenzonitrile) was disclosed. The alkali metal salt of 1,2,4-triazole was dissolved in a solvent such as NMP, DMAc, DMF, THF or a mixture thereof, and subsequently treated with 4-bromomethylbenzonitrile to afford intermediate (III). This process, although reducing the level of 1,3,4-triazolyl isomeric impurity, did not totally eliminate the formation of the impurity. In addition, the formation of the alkali salt of 1,2,4-triazole also increases the time cycle of the process due to the additional step. The process also required column chromatography for purification of the final product Letrozole, which again makes this process unfeasible for industrial application.

In another approach, disclosed in patent application, WO 2007/144896, a 4,4′-disubstituted diphenylmethane moiety was prepared and then the 1,2,4-triazole ring was introduced to afford Letrozole. The process involved the coupling of 4-fluorobenzonitrile (IV) with 4-tolunitrile in DMF using potassium tertiary butoxide as a catalyst. The resulting 4,4′-di(cyanophenyl)methane was brominated with N-bromosuccinimide to afford a bromomethyl intermediate, which was reacted with 1,2,4-triazole to afford Letrozole. However, formation of the 1,3,4-triazolyl isomeric impurity (II) could not be totally avoided and, in addition, the reaction of 4-tolunitrile and 4-fluorobenzonitrile also leads to significant formation of a tris-phenyl impurity (T) which is problematic to remove, particularly on a commercial scale.
Another process, disclosed in patent application, US 2005/0209294, describes the reaction of 4-bromomethylbenzonitrile with the Li, Na or K salt of 1,2,4-triazole in tetrahydrofuran or N,N-dimethylformamide at 10° C. The product, intermediate (III), was then purified by solvent crystallization using a solvent selected from a group comprising 2-propanol, toluene or diisopropyl ether. This process required one additional step to prepare the 1,2,4-triazole Li, Na or K salt and did not give a pure product.
A further process, disclosed in patent application WO2007/090464 A1, describes the preparation of intermediate (III) by reacting 1,2,4-triazole with a suspension of sodium hydride before further reaction with 4-bromomethylbenzonitrile. The reaction product was directly converted to Letrozole without further purification. Repetition of the process disclosed in this patent application gave inconsistent regioisomeric impurity levels in Letrozole and intermediate (III), giving around 90.0% purity at best. In addition, the use of sodium hydride also makes the process relatively unsafe on a commercial scale.
A process, disclosed in patent application WO 2007/054964 A2, describes the isolation of intermediate (III) by reacting 1,2,4-triazole with 4-bromomethyl-benzonitrile in 2-propanol using potassium carbonate as base. After completion of the reaction, the undesired regioisomer (V) was removed by making the hydrochloride salt of the crude reaction mixture followed by solvent extraction and then extraction of the product under alkaline conditions. Different extractions under various pH conditions to achieve the desired purity make the process lengthy and cumbersome and repetition of the process does not lead to intermediate (III) or Letrozole (I) free from their respective regioisomeric impurities.
A process, disclosed in patent application WO2007/107733 A1, includes the use of Caesium carbonate as a base and potassium iodide in catalytic quantity in the reaction of 1,2,4-triazole with 4-bromomethylbenzonitrile. In the reaction, CsCO3, KI and 1,2,4-triazole were taken in acetone and a solution of 4-bromomethyl-benzonitrile in DCM was slowly added followed by refluxing of the reaction mixture. Isolation and purification of the desired isomer (III) was carried out by making the hydrochloride salt to afford product (III) in 99% of the desired isomeric purity.
Another process, disclosed in patent application WO 2009/069140 A1, describes the preparation of triazole intermediate (III) by addition of 1,2,4-triazole in small lots to a mixture of 4-bromomethylbenzonitrile and a base (such as sodium or potassium carbonate) in toluene at 50 to 110° C. The residue left after removal of the organic solvent was dissolved in ethyl acetate and washed with water. IPA-HCl solution was then added to adjust the pH to between 0 and 2. The purified triazole intermediate was liberated by basifying the hydrochloride salt to afford a product with 99.0% isomeric purity.
In all the acid/base purification methods discussed above, when repeated the regioisomeric purity of the desired isomer (III) or (I) was found to be 99.0% at best. The methods also required extraction with various solvents and/or column chromatography which makes the process less viable on a commercial scale.
Therefore the prior art processes described above for the preparation of Letrozole and its intermediates have major disadvantages with respect to the formation and removal of process related impurities; poor commercial viability due to the use of hazardous reactants; expensive, time consuming separation methods such as column chromatography; and/or low yields of the final product.
As the commercial production of Letrozole is of great importance and in view of the above disadvantages associated with the prior art there is a real need for alternative and improved processes for the preparation of Letrozole (I) and intermediate 4-[(1-(1,2,4-triazolyl)-methyl]benzonitrile (III) which do not involve multiple steps and further eliminate the need for cumbersome purification techniques, particularly for the removal of the regioisomers (II) and (V). The alternative processes must be economical and high yielding and provide Letrozole with a high degree of chemical purity.
The present process discloses a simple, economic and commercially viable process for the preparation of intermediate 4-[(1-(1,2,4-triazolyl)methyl]benzonitrile (III) and Letrozole (I) with 99.7% or more isomeric and chemical purity.

Albany Gate, Darkes Lane, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire


A method for contact-free testing of antennas applied to a material web, wherein the material web having the antennas is passed to a measurement device. The antennas are passed past an assigned measurement antenna arrangement of the measurement device in the region of the measurement device and the measurement antenna arrangement has a high-frequency signal Smess of a transmitter applied to it. This signal is correlated with a pre-determined working frequency fA of the antennas. The high-frequency signal Srück that returns from the measurement antenna arrangement is determined and compared with default values, and the adherence to production tolerances is determined by the comparison of the returning high-frequency signal Srück with the default values for each of the individual antennas.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method for contact-free testing of antennas for RFID labels applied to a material web. RFID labels have not only an antenna but also an RFID chip as an active or passive circuit, and are suitable, for example, for identifying objects of all kinds, such as goods and transport packagings. In the identification of the packaging of mass-produced articles, in particular, only one-time use of an RFID label is generally provided, so that production costs are particularly low.
2. The Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 6,147,662 describes a method for the production of RFID labels, wherein an antenna is imprinted onto a material web with conductive ink or with conductive toner, and wherein subsequently, an RFID chip is set onto the antenna and contacted with it. The RFID labels are passed to a measurement device before being wound up into a roll, with defective RFID labels being determined and marked. In the case of RFID labels that are operated at a frequency in the UHF range (300 MHz to 3000 MHZ), in particular, a high level of rejects must be expected because the structures are usually fine. The production costs are greatly increased by a high level of rejects, since the entire RFID labels, with their antenna and RFID chip, must be sorted out and disposed of.

Method for contact-free testing of antennas applied to a material web


The present invention provides a solution for controlling checkout throughput. Specifically, under the present invention a set of attributes of an item will be obtained. An analysis of the set of attributes will then be performed to determine whether an inconsistency exists based on a tolerance threshold. Such analysis can include, for example, comparing the weight of the item to its expected weight. This can help determine if a mistake has been made or fraud has been committed. Whether an inconsistency is observed is based on a tolerance threshold. For example, a certain deviation (i.e., the tolerance threshold) from an expected value could be allowed to could be allowed to reduce errors during the checkout process and thereby increase checkout throughput. As such, the present invention allows the tolerance threshold to be tuned based on a desired checkout throughput.

Shopping checkout (e.g., retail supermarket, etc.) is a process by which most everyone is familiar. Typical checkout involves a shopper navigating about a store collecting items/items for purchase. Often the shopper will utilize a shopping receptacle such as a shopping cart and/or shopping basket. Upon completion of gathering the desired items, the shopper will proceed to a checkout station for checkout (e.g., bagging and payment). In recent years, many stores have become equipped with self-checkout stations whereby a shopper will scan and bag the items his/herself, and then make payment via the self-checkout station.
One long standing concern of store owners is shopper throughput (e.g., how quickly shoppers move) through the checkout processes (whether self-checkout or traditional checkout stations are implemented). Specifically, long lines, long waits, etc. can greatly add to shopper dissatisfaction with a particular store/shopping venue. These waits are compounded by various errors at checkout stations and/or the need for store employee intervention. In view of the foregoing there exists a need for a solution that solves at least one of the deficiencies of the related art.

International Business Machines Corporation


A flip-top recloseable carton is provided in the form of a six-sided parallelopiped enclosure having opposing top and bottom walls, front and back walls, and side walls formed from corresponding panels and flaps defined on a unitary, continuous paperboard blank. The outer layers of the side walls and the front wall are provided with horizontal tear-strip sections which form an integral and continuous tear strip that permits a user to open the carton from its sealed form. Repeated closing and positive locking of the carton is realized by use of a die-cut portion on the inner layer of the front wall which includes a proximal flap and an island portion dispersed in forcibly displaceable mutual engagement. Once the engaging flap and island portion are disengaged forcibly by opening the carton lid, reclosing thereof leads to snap re-engagement of the flap and island elements accompanied by positive tactile and audible feedback indicative of effective carton closure.

Paperboard cartons are typically formed from rolls of paperboard which are cut into "blanks." Score lines are scribed between sections of a blank to divide the blank into rectangular sections and to facilitate folding of these sections with respect to one another. In forming a carton from the blank, a top, side, or bottom panel of the carton is initially left unsealed so that the carton may be filled with a product through the unsealed panel. Different equipment is typically used to fill the carton, depending on the panel which is left unsealed; "side-fill" equipment is used to fill a carton with an unsealed side panel, "top-fill" equipment is used to fill a carton with an unsealed top panel, and "bottom-fill" equipment is used to fill a carton with an unsealed bottom panel Once the carton is filled with a product, the carton is sealed and the filled carton is ready to be sold to a consumer.
With respect to powdered detergent applications, most detergent companies use "top-fill" equipment or "bottom-fill" equipment to fill powdered detergent into cartons prior to sealing the cartons. In order for a detergent carton design to be compatible with existing filling equipment, it is advantageous for the detergent carton to be constructed with the appropriate panel left unsealed so that the carton may be filled through the carton top or bottom.
In a variety of consumer packaging applications, not only is it advantageous to supply cartons or containers which are compatible with typical industry "filling" equipment, but it is also important to supply cartons which are capable of being conveniently, yet securely, opened and reclosed repeatedly. The ability to be repeatedly opened and closed down in a lockable manner is particularly important where the carton is used for storage of granular or powdered material, such as laundry detergent powder.
An exemplary recloseable carton design uses a carton lid which hingedly attaches to a back panel of a carton base. An integral tear strip is generally used to permit the opening of a carton which has been packed with the appropriate material and subsequently sealed. The lid is separated from the base by removing the tear strip and lifting the lid up. Subsequently, the carton is reclosed by pushing the lid back down to its original position.
Conventional recloseable cartons of the above-identified type suffer from disadvantages which severely restrict their use in certain consumer packaging applications, particularly where the packaged product constitutes granular or powdered material such as concentrated laundry detergent powder or the like. The present inventor has discovered that a major drawback in this regard is the general absence of a positive locking arrangement in combination with a carton design which is conducive to repeated open and reclose operations. More specifically, the previously discussed exemplary design has been found to be undesirable in certain applications because of the likelihood of the lid opening and leading to spillage of the contents thereof when such a closed carton is tipped over or otherwise disposed at an acute angle.
The present inventor has also discovered that such recloseable cartons can be improved by providing some form of positive indication, either tactile or audible, of the fact that an opened carton has been reclosed adequately in order to realize an effective locking position It has been determined in this regard that the presence of such tactile or audible feedback indicative of effective locking is desirable because the presence thereof provides consumers with a high "comfort" factor with respect to reclosure. Particularly in applications where the recloseable cartons are used to house granulated material having a restricted storage life once the storage container has been torn open, such positive feedback has bee determined to provide an apparent sense of reassurance to consumers as to retention of "freshness", "safety", or scent of the contained product.
Accordingly, there exists a distinct need for a recloseable, flip-top carton design which overcomes disadvantages of the above type associated with conventional recloseable paperboard cartons. The present invention effectively and conveniently realizes such a recloseable carton design.

Flip-top recloseable carton with positive closure arrangement