A home improvement installation configuration system causes a device to output a user interface having a sector with a graphic representation of the installation and a sector with user-selectable input fields for dimensions of the installation. The system accesses a data store of design models and facets. When the user interface receives an installation design type and a number of facets of the installation, the system will extract a design model from the data store so that the extracted model corresponds to the design type and the number of facets. The user interface will output the graphic representation, receive dimension values, and augment the graphic representation with indicia of the dimension values. It will also identify facet(s) that are operable with the extracted model and that have measurements which correspond to the received dimensions. The system will cause the user interface to display each identified facet for selection.

Computer-aided design (CAD) systems are available for a variety of applications. CAD applications can include those that help consumers custom-design or custom-specify certain products. For example: home improvement retailers may provide online systems that can help a customer estimate the sizes of various components required for a home improvement project; automobile manufacturers may provide vehicle configuration tools that help a customer select various options of a desired vehicle; and furniture configuration software exists in which consumers can place icons corresponding to furniture in a room space to see how various items of furniture will fit and lay out in a room.
A problem with existing product configuration systems is that they do not fully provide users with CAD functionality. Instead, they are limited to enabling a user to select from various specific configurations and/or features that are available in an inventory, and thus do not facilitate truly custom design. In addition, existing product configuration systems are stand-alone systems that require either: (a) the retailer to implement significant technical integration and website modifications to offer the configurator to users in a seamless user experience; or (b) the user to exit the retailer's website or other software application and access an entirely different system to use the configuration system.
This document describes methods and systems that address technical issues including but not limited to those described above.

System for designing and configuring a home improvement installation


Systems and methods are provided for automatically controlling a participant indication request based on a context of a meeting. The controlling of the participant indication request includes automatic lowering of a raised hand. A context determiner determines the context of the meeting based on meeting data including video, audio, background acoustic data, and chat messaging. The context determiner uses a global participant indication model for determining a context that is in commonly used among participants of the meeting. An individual participant indication model captures participant-specific rules of determining a context. A meeting state manager determines a meeting state based on the context. The meeting state includes a host presentation, a participant presentation, a conversation, and a polling. A participant indication controller automatically lowers the raised hand based on a combination of the determined context and the meeting state.

Virtual meeting systems have become more popular as more meetings take place among remote locations due to economic and societal factors. Virtual meetings generally include transmitting video and audio content through various networks including the Internet. Some traditional virtual meeting system provides features for participants to communicate among each other in addition to the main video or audio communications. For example, participants exchange text messages over a chat feature and sent an alert for seeking a focus of attention from other participants by raising a hand. Participants of the virtual meeting expect these additional features to keep being synchronous to progression of the virtual meeting through video and audio for the participants of the video meeting to use the features effectively. Thus, developing a technology that serves the needs of improving interactions among participants during the virtual meeting would be desirable.
It is with respect to these and other general considerations that the aspects disclosed herein have been made. Also, although relatively specific problems may be discussed, it should be understood that the examples should not be limited to solving the specific problems identified in the background or elsewhere in this disclosure.

Automatically controlling participant indication request for a virtual meeting


A method and apparatus are provided for indicating the status of the refrigerant charge in an air conditioning system based upon the degree of subcooling present in the condensed refrigerant system temperature measurements. The status of the refrigerant charge in the system is indicated in real-time on a service panel for access by a field service technician. The status of the refrigerant charge in the system on a time-average basis for a specified period of operation is presented on an indicator panel. The indicator panel includes a first indicator light indicating that the refrigerant charge is low, a second indicator light indicating that the refrigerant charge is high, and a third indicator light indicating that the refrigerant charge is correct.

This invention relates generally to refrigerant vapor compression systems for residential or light commercial air conditioning applications and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for predicting the refrigerant charge in such systems.
Maintaining proper refrigerant charge level is essential to the safe and efficient operation of an air conditioning system. Improper charge level, either in deficit or in excess, can cause premature compressor failure. An over-charge in the system results in compressor flooding, which, in turn, may be damaging to the motor and mechanical components. Inadequate refrigerant charge can lead to reduced system capacity, thus reducing system efficiency. Low charge also causes an increase in refrigerant temperature entering the compressor, which may cause thermal over-load of the compressor. Thermal over-load of the compressor can cause degradation of the motor winding insulation, thereby bringing about premature motor failure.
Charge adequacy has traditionally been checked manually by trained service technicians using pressure gauge, temperature measurements and a pressure to refrigerant temperature relationship chart for the particular refrigerant resident in the system. For refrigerant vapor compression systems which use a thermal expansion valve (TXV), or an electronic expansion valve (EXV), the superheat of the refrigerant entering the compressor is normally regulated at a fixed value, while the amount of subcooling of the refrigerant exiting the condenser varies. Consequently, in such systems, the "subcooling method" is customarily used as an indicator for charge level. In this method, the amount of subcooling, defined as the saturated refrigerant temperature at the refrigerant pressure at the outlet of the condenser coil for the refrigerant in use, a.k.a. the refrigerant condensing temperature, minus the actual refrigerant temperature measured at the outlet of the condenser coil, is determined and compared to a range of acceptance levels of subcooling. For example, a subcool temperature range between 10 and 15° F. is generally regarded as acceptable in a refrigerant vapor compression system operating as a residential or light commercial air conditioner.
Typically, the technician measures the refrigerant pressure at the condenser outlet and the refrigerant line temperature at a point downstream with respect to refrigerant flow of the condenser coil and upstream with respect to refrigerant flow of the expansion valve, generally at the inlet to the expansion valve. With these refrigerant pressure and temperature measurements, the technician then refers to the pressure to temperature relationship chart for the refrigerant in use to determine the saturated refrigerant temperature at the measured pressure and calculates the amount of cooling actually present at the current operating conditions, that is outdoor temperature, indoor temperature, humidity, indoor airflow and the like. If the measured amount of cooling lies within the range of acceptable levels, the technician considers the system properly charged. If not, the technician will adjust the refrigerant charge by either adding a quantity of refrigerant to the system or draining a quantity of refrigerant from the system, as appropriate. Methods for determining the refrigerant charge level in an air conditioning system are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,239,865; 5,987,903; 6,101,820; and 6,571,566.
As operating conditions may vary widely from day to day, the particular amount of cooling measured by the field service technician at any given time may not be truly reflective of the amount of subcooling present during "normal" operation of the system. Thus, this charging procedure is also an empirical, time-consuming, and a trial-and-error process subject to human error. Therefore, the technician may charge the system with an amount of refrigerant that is not the optimal amount charge for "normal" operating conditions, but rather with an amount of refrigerant that is merely within an acceptable tolerance of the optimal amount of charge under the operating conditions at the time the system is charged. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a method and device for automatically indicating the status of the refrigerant charge within an operating system over a wide range of actual operating conditions. It is also desirable to provide a visual interface in association with such a device to indicate whether or not the system is properly charged.


A crosslinked molding, a process for producing the same, a sound medium using the same, and an ultrasonic coupler using the same are disclosed. The crosslinked molding comprises a crosslinked molding comprising a composition containing a rubbery elastic body comprising a hydrophobic high molecular weight material having at least one double bond in the molecule and an oily component dissolving the rubbery elastic body, the composition being crosslinked by the addition of an organic peroxide or by the irradiation of a radiation and molded.

Hitherto, a rubber polymer containing an oily component is subjected to a crosslinking treatment to provide a so-called oily gelatinous material as described in, e.g., JP-B-54-2661, JP-B-54-4734, and JP-B-2-61496 (the term "JP-B" as used herein means an "examined published Japanese patent application"), and a gelatinous material is obtained by subjecting a rubbery polymer containing water and a water-soluble plasticizer to a crosslinking treatment as described in, e.g., JP-A-2-71731 (the term "JP-A" as used herein means an "unexamined published Japanese patent application").
Since such gelatinous materials are usually excellent in shape retention property, flexibility, elasticity, low-temperature insulation property, etc., they are used as a stress dispersing material such as a mat for preventing a mattress injury, arresting sound, a vibration prevention, a head cooling belt, a cooling pillow, etc. Also, recently, by utilizing the sound characteristics of these gelatinous materials, they are utilized for an ultrasonic transmitting medium (sound medium), etc., and development of them for various products have been expected.
In the development of the uses of the gelatinous materials, a means for using an ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus for diagnosing the abnormality of the tissue on the inside of a living body and the pulsation of a bleed stream has been actively practiced as a sound medium. In such an ultrasonic diagnosis, ultrasonic pulses generated from a diagnosis apparatus are applied to the inside of a testee through an ultrasonic probe which is in close contact with the surface of the living body of the testee and waves reflected from the inside of the testee are detected. In this case, if the contact of the probe and the surface of the living body is insufficient and an air layer exists between them at the diagnosis, the applied ultrasonic waves greatly attenuate and a correct diagnosis cannot be made. Therefore, a method of improving the contact by coating the surface of the living body with an oily material such as an animal oil, a vegitable oil, paraffin, polyethylene glycol, etc., a pasty material, or a jelly-like material is usually employed.
However, the above method has problems, such as the surface of the testee becomes sticky and is stained to give an uncomfortable feeling, as well as since an oily material is liable to flow, the oily material cannot be uniformly coated, whereby the diagnosis result is liable to fluctuate. Also, in the case of diagnosing a site near the surface of a testee in an ultraviolet diagnosis, it is necessary to move the focus region of the ultrasonic pulse applied from the probe to the site diagnosed.
Accordingly, since a material which does not have a shape retaining property and is liable to flow, such as an oily material and a jelly-like material, is inferior in its handling properties, the development of a sound medium which has a shape retaining property and can freely change the thickness thereof has been desired.
As materials for solving these problems, gelatinous materials having a shape retaining property, flexibility, and proper elasticity are recently proposed as a sound medium for ultrasonic diagnosis. As such a medium, there are aqueous gels comprising aqueous polymeric materials and water as described in JP-A-59-82838, JP-A-1-146234, etc., and a polyurethane gel having liquid segments as the inside structure as described in JP-A-1-304109, etc.
However, although in the sound medium using the above-described gelatinous material, the disadvantages caused by the conventional oily materials, pasty material, and jelly-like material are overcome, in the case of the aqueous gel, since the gel contains water, there is a problem in custody that water contained in the aqueous gel is evaporated off and also the water content in the medium changes due to the influence of the humidity in the air to lose the flexibility. Also, in the case of the polyurethane gel, the material which can be used therefor is limited and a polyurethane gel useful for practical use has not yet been developed.
On the other hand, in the field of utilizing ultrasonic waves for ultrasonic medical treatment, ultrasonic waves are used for the treatment of chronic painful disease due to the pain-relieving effect, antiphlogistic effect, the effect of mitigating muscular cramp, etc., by applying ultrasonic waves onto the diseased part resulting in a temperature increase of the affected part, acceleration of the circulation at the affected part, acceleration of the permeability of the cell membrane, etc.
If the probe of an ultrasonic medical treatment device is not well contacted with the surface of the living body in the use of aiming such a medical treatment, the ultrasonic energy cannot be sufficiently applied into the body of a testee, whereby the various problems described above when using oily materials or pasty materials occur.

Crosslinked molding, sound medium using it and ultrasonic coupler


Provided is a clock generator that includes a comparator in which characteristics of two input signals vary over time. A voltage controller, having a resistor and at least one constant current source, generates a direct current (DC) voltage proportional to an output current of the constant current source and a resistance value of the resistor. The comparator compares a ramp voltage generated by the voltage controller with the DC voltage.

Field
Example embodiments relate to a clock generator. More specifically, example embodiments further relate to a clock generator insensitive to process variation and operating with high-performance, and an on-chip oscillator including the same.
Description of Related Art
There has been a trend to commercialize flat panel display devices equipped with touch screen panels.
In general, a mobile device which activates a main CPU of an application processor with predetermined period to perform processing of data received from at least one sensor module.
The mobile device uses a clock signal for data processing operation. The main CPU of the application processor operates by receiving the clock signal having a predetermined period from an external clock source, such as a phase locked loop (PLL) coupled to an off-chip oscillator. Accordingly, considering a normal operation speed and performance required for such a data processing operation, excessive power may be consumed since the external clock source is used.
Accordingly, demand for on-chip oscillators has been recently increasing.

Clock generator with stability during PVT variations and on-chip oscillator having the same


A sewage transfer system connecting the sewer outlet of a recreational vehicle to a remote sewer collection inlet that include a primary sewer line to connect the vehicle sewer outlet; an L-shape rigid pipe associated with the primary sewer line; and a hub, washer and clamping device to connect the L-shaped rigid pipe in a gas-tight and water-tight connection to the sewer inlet.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of sewage draining devices and more particularly to a sewage draining system for recreational vehicles or the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art and Objectives of the Invention
To facilitate maximum use of recreational vehicles at a camp site, it is desirable to quickly and efficiently connect the sewer outlet of the vehicle to the sewer inlet provided by the camp site. The manufacturers of recreational vehicles usually provide a flexible sewage drain pipe for this purpose which is usually formed of a coil spring embedded within a plastic casing much like the tubing used for dryer exhaust. While it offers strength and flexibility needed for typical camping use, it is relatively loose and conforms to the ground surface which in many cases varies so as to cause pools to form within the drain pipe.
Generally, standard plumbing and health ordinances and regulations governing recreational vehicles require park owners to provide a park draining system connected to a public or private sewage disposal system with park site sewer connections that have sewer inlets with four-inch diameters that extend three to six inches above grade. Each such inlet must have a gas-tight seal when connected to the recreational vehicle or a gas-tight seal plug when the vehicle is not connected. Drain connections with recreational vehicles must have a smooth surface and be not less than three inches in diameter, slope continuously downward and form no traps, and joints and connections that can be maintained in a gas-tight and water-tight condition.
Various types of sewer systems for recreational vehicles are known, and the most closely conforming to these requirements is reflected in U.S. Pat. No. 4,844,121. While various arrangements are provided to fit sewer inlets of varying diameters, no water-tight or gas-tight sealable connection is contemplated by this disclosure.
Consequently, it is desirable to provide a new and improved sewer transfer system for achieving a gas-tight and water-tight sealable connection from the recreational vehicle sewer outlet to the sewer inlet. Moreover, it is a certainty that existing regulations will be more vigorously enforced to require such devices in the immediate future. With the foregoing in mind, the present invention has been developed.


A phenylene-bridged Salalen catalyst, a catalyst system comprising an activator and the phenylene-bridged Salalen catalyst, a process comprising contacting one or more olefins with the catalyst system, and polymers produced by the process are disclosed herein.

Olefin polymerization catalysts are of great use in industry. Hence there is interest in finding new catalyst systems that increase the commercial usefulness of the catalyst and allow the production of polymers having improved properties.
WO2011/158241 is generally directed to the use of homogeneous catalytic systems which include a pre-catalyst complex of a Group IV metal and a salalen ligand in the polymerization of alpha-olefins. The alpha-olefin polymers obtained are characterized by controlled levels of tacticity. Also disclosed are salalen ligands and complexes thereof with Group IV metals.
EP1849778, EP2003135, JP2007284438, Berkessel et al. "A Practical and Versatile Access to Dihydrosalen (Salalen) Ligands: Highly Enantioselective Titanium In Situ Catalysts for Asymmetric Epoxidation with Aqueous Hydrogen Peroxide, Adv. Syn-Cat. 2007, 349, 2385-2391, and Nakano et al. "Alternating Copolymerization of Cyclohexene Oxide with Carbon Dioxide Catalyzed by (salalen)CrCl Complexes", Macromolecules 2009, 42, 6972-6980 are generally directed to methods and uses of various Group 4-6 salalen transition metal compounds as catalysts for various materials and processes.
Whitelaw et al. "Group 4 Salalen Complexes and Their Application for the Ring-Opening Polymerization of rac-Lactide" Inorg. Chem., 2010, 49 (15), pp 7176-7181 is generally directed to group 4 salalen complexes suitable to polymerize lactic acid to produce rac-lactide and isotactic polylactic acid both in the melt and in solution.
A. Yeori, et al. "Salalen: a hybrid Salan/Salen tetradentate AONNOU type ligand and its coordination behavior with group IV metals" Inorg. Chem. Commun. 2004, 7, 280-282; and Tshuva et al. "Isospecific living polymerization of 1-hexene by a readily available nonmetallocene 02-symmetrical zirconium catalyst, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2000, 122, 10706-10707 are generally directed to catalysts for polymerization of alpha olefins.
Press et al. "Salalen Titanium Complexes in the Highly Isospecific Polymerization of 1-Hexene and Propylene" Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2011, 50, 3529-3532 is generally directed to salalen catalysts capable of forming isotactic polypropylene; and Press et al. "Zirconium and hafnium Salalen complexes in isospecific polymerisation of propylene", Dalton Trans., 2013, 42, 9096 is generally directed to dibenzylzirconium and dibenzylhafnium Salalen complexes in polymerization of propylene with MAO as a cocatalyst.
Other references of interest include U. Zucchini et al. J. Organomet. Chem. 1971, 26, 357-372; Bryliakov et al., Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2008, 3369-3376; Gendler et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2008, 130, 2144-2145; Cohen et al. Macromolecules 2010, 43, 1689-1691, and Altomare et al., J. Appl. Cryst., 1993, 26, 343-350. All the above listed references are incorporated by reference herein.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for new and improved catalysts and catalyst systems to obtain new and improved polyolefins, polymerization processes, and the like. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for new and improved catalyst systems for the polymerization of olefins, to achieve specific polymer properties such as high tacticity, high molecular weight or a combination thereof.


When a heavy fuel oil with a sulfur content of 1 percent by mass or lower is produced from a feedstock consisting of a heavy hydrocarbon oil derived from a heavy crude oil having an API degree of 30 or less and containing sulfur and metal components in amounts larger than those of ordinary crude oil, the conventional processes requires higher reaction temperature and was accompanied with a remarkably enhanced deactivation rate of the catalyst which results in a remarkable shortened lifetime thereof. Therefore, it is regarded as substantially impossible to treat the feedstock. However, the present invention makes it possible to produce a low sulfur heavy fuel oil with a sulfur content of 1 percent by mass or less by hydrotreating a mix oil of 100 parts by volume of a heavy hydrocarbon oil derived from a heavy crude oil with an API degree of 30 or less and 30 to 1000 parts by volume of a heavy hydrocarbon oil derived from a light crude oil with an API degree of 35 or greater, without lowering the degree of demetallization while retarding the deactivation rate of the catalyst.

The present invention relates to processes of hydrotreating heavy hydrocarbon oil. More specifically, the present invention relates to a process of hydrotreating capable of producing a low sulfur heavy fuel oil with a sulfur content of 1 percent by mass or less at a lower cost, from a feedstock consisting of a heavy hydrocarbon oil derived from a heavy crude oil with an API degree of 30 or below, without lowering the degree of demetallization.
A process of producing a low sulfur heavy fuel oil is known, in which to pass a feedstock consisting of a heavy hydrocarbon oil containing more sulfur and metal components, through a fixed bed reactor filled with two types of catalysts, i.e., a demetallization catalyst and a desulfurization catalyst so as to reduce the sulfur content of the feedstock.
When a heavy hydrocarbon oil (feedstock) is brought into contact with a hydrotreating catalyst, a desulfurization reaction occurs thereby removing sulfur components in the feedstock, i.e., removing sulfur components from organic sulfur compounds such as benzothiophenes, dibenzothiophenes, mercaptans, thioethers, and dithioethers. In addition to the desulfurization reaction, there occur a demetallization reaction removing metal components such as nickel, vanadium, iron, and sodium, a cracking reaction, a denitrification reaction at the same time. However, as these reactions proceed, they involve the secondary formations of cokes and metals which deposit in the pores or on the surface, of the hydrotreating catalyst. These deposits poison the active sites on the hydrotreating catalyst and cause a reduction in the catalyst activities such as desulfurization activity. Furthermore, the deposits are built up in and plug the pores of the catalyst and cause a reduction in the catalytic activities. In general, the lower the API degree of a feedstock, the greater the sulfur compounds and metal such as nickel and vanadium contained in the heavy hydrocarbon oil derived from the feedstock, resulting in an enhanced deactivation rate of the catalyst. Therefore, when a heavy hydrocarbon derived from a feedstock with a low API degree is treated, it is necessary to drastically reduce the throughput. The molecules containing metals in the heavy hydrocarbon oil are large in size and poor in reactivity and thus lower the degree of demetallization and adversely affect the subsequent devices.
Low sulfur heavy fuel oils are used for electric power, boilers, ships, and industrial furnaces. When an attempt is made to collect a low sulfur heavy fuel oil from a feedstock consisting of a heavy hydrocarbon oil derived from a heavy crude oil containing sulfur and metal components in amounts larger than those of ordinary crude oil and having an API degree of 30 or below by the conventional processes, it requires higher reaction temperature and is accompanied with a remarkably enhanced deactivation rate of the catalyst, resulting in a remarkably shortened life time thereof. Therefore, it was regarded substantially impossible to produce a low sulfur heavy fuel with a sulfur content of 1 percent by mass or less, by the conventional processes. As the result, there arose a problem that heavy crude oils with a low API degree can not be utilized effectively.

Process of hydrotreating heavy hydrocarbon oil


The present disclosure provides a battery module, which comprises: a harness isolation board provided with a mounting groove; an output pole connection sheet; and a fixing assembly. The fixing assembly comprises: a connecting member placed in the mounting groove to be fixed on the harness isolation board; and a fastening member securely connected to the connecting member and fixing the output pole connection sheet. The connecting member and the fastening member are separately formed and securely connected together, the fastening member is fixed on the harness isolation board via the connecting member, thus the fixing manner between the connecting member and the harness isolation board is not related to the fastening member, and in turn it only needs to improve the structure of the connecting member and the harness isolation board to enhance the connecting strength and the anti-torque effect between the fixing assembly and the harness isolation board.

With the development of modern society, electric vehicles (especially pure electric vehicles) have been favored by more and more customers and have been used more and more widely. As the vehicle body and shape of various types of electric vehicles are continuously updated and each type of electric vehicles is pursuing the higher and higher energy density, the layout of internal space of the battery pack is becoming more and more compact, so the requirement for the space utilization of the battery module is becoming higher and higher, in particular, the higher requirement for the space utilization of the positive and negative output poles of the battery module is proposed. The connection method of the positive and negative output poles of the battery module often uses a bolt to be locked, that is, the output pole connection sheet of the battery module and a copper bar which achieve the electrical connection between the battery modules are locked by the bolt.
At present, there are mainly two methods of fixing the bolt: the bolt is fixed directly on the output pole connection sheet of the battery module by riveting, or the bolt is embedded directly in a harness isolation board of the battery module (such as the bolt and the harness isolation board can be integrally formed by insert molding). When the bolt is fixed directly on the output pole connection sheet, a locking force is directly transferred to the output pole connection sheet through the bolt in the process of locking the bolt, which easily destroys the welding strength between the output pole connection sheet and the electrode terminal of a corresponding battery; when the bolt is directly embedded in the harness isolation board, because of the bolt is generally made of metal material, the harness isolation board is made of plastic material which has low tensile strength and yield strength, the locking force is directly applied to the harness isolation board through the bolt in the process of locking the bolt, and due to the difference in the materials of the bolt and the harness isolation board, the harness isolation board is easily fractured and damaged.

CONTEMPORARY AMPEREX TECHNOLOGY CO., LIMITED


A precombustor system to be used in conjunction with an oxy-fuel burner employing recycled flue gas is disclosed. A method of introducing streams into the precombustor to achieve desired improvements in flame properties is also disclosed.

The present disclosure is directed to a combustion system. In particular, the present disclosure is directed to an oxy/fuel combustion system.
The conversion of boilers and process heaters from air/fuel to oxy/fuel operation for CO2 capture and/or purification represents a major modification to a mature technology. Much of the technical discussion surrounding effects introduced into the performance of these boilers and heaters has focused on the distribution of heat transfer between, for example, radiant and convective exchange, and its effect on process efficiency and component life.
Many large boilers and heaters operate with dozens of burners. These burners impart mixing and momentum to reactants that largely define factors such as flame length, shape, luminosity and efficiency of carbon burn out. These performance factors are finely tuned by process engineers and operators over years of operation to facilitate process conditions enabling component life and process efficiency to be increased. It is known, however that, due largely to differences in emissivity and heat capacity between nitrogen and carbon dioxide, the reactant flow rates for oxy/fuel operation using synthetic air (CO2/O2) may be lower than for equivalent air/fuel firing rates. Since the number of burner designs used in current commercial practice is very large, it is not practical to attempt an optimization of each burner design. It is more practical to provide a device that can be fitted onto existing or future burners to provide adjustability to the flame characteristics as they are encountered during boiler and process heater operation. It is accordingly the object of this disclosure to describe a device and method of operation of oxy-fuel burners used in boilers and process heaters that allows for this adjustability to occur.
At fixed fuel firing rate, recycling of flue gas may permit process operators to optimize heat exchange within the system. Generally, the proportion of flue gas recycle to oxygen flow rate results in a mixed concentration of O2 in CO2 of between 25 and 30 mol % for air/fuel firing. The level is different when considering matching of flame temperature than it is for matching of heat exchange characteristics, and it is also fuel dependent. Moreover, the relative importance of burner flame momentum in this optimization is essentially unknown.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,256,058 discloses an oxy-fuel burner that employs a precombustor between a burner and a process furnace. U.S. Pat. No. 5,199,866 discloses an adjustable oxy-fuel burner. The disclosure of these U.S. Patents is hereby incorporated by reference.
There is a need in this art for an oxy-fuel combustion system and method for its usage that can employ recycled flue-gas (RFG) in a burner that can produce a flame having desirable properties.

Combustion system with precombustor for recycled flue gas


Surprisingly effective additive formulations for the reduction of highly undesirable yellowing or other discoloration of white, uncolored, polyurethane foam articles are provided. White polyurethane foam exhibits a susceptibility to yellowing and discoloration to a great extent, particularly in relatively short periods of time, than other types of polymeric articles. The inventive additives impart excellent low-discoloration properties over appreciable amounts of time of regular exposure to harmful elements, thereby according the pertinent industry a manner of providing white polyurethane foams for longer periods of time. Methods of producing such reliably white-colored polyurethane foams are also provided.

All U.S. patents noted below are fully incorporated herein by reference.
Polyurethane foam articles that include no coloring agents therein are, at the production stage, white in appearance. Such an uncolored article, particularly in slabstock form, is highly desirable for many different potential end-uses, ranging from mattresses, to novelty items and toys, to apparel accessories (i.e., women's shoulder pads), to undergarments, and the like. However, it has long been a problem that such white polyurethane foam articles (such as slabstock, rigid, or other types) exhibit a very high propensity for deleterious discolorations and yellowing due to a number of factors. Ultraviolet exposure, or lightfastness problems, reaction with oxidative atmospheric chemicals, thermal degradation or scorching during exothermic production all appear to contribute to such discoloration problems. As such, the ability to provide long-term white colorations has been a struggle for the polyurethane foam industry.
As noted above, such yellowing and/or discoloration problems appear to be the result of a combination of factors. Light stability, including ultraviolet exposure, appears to have a significant effect on products based on isocyanates, particularly upon aromatic isocyanates (one of the primary reactants to form the vast majority of polyurethane foams). Yellowing is a natural result thereof upon sufficient exposure to light and there is little protection from such a deleterious result without a protective additive or selection of more resilient polymer for polyurethane production.
Also contributing to such discoloration issues is gas fade, otherwise known as the exposure of such polyurethane foams to combustion byproducts that exist and are pervasive within many environments. The highly oxidative species generally present within such atmospheric materials (such as, for example, nitrous oxide) appear to readily react with reactive foam constituents such that modification of color therein readily occurs as a result. Furthermore, thermal conditions during the highly exothermic reaction of low density urethane foam formulations contribute as well to potential discoloration, particularly within the center of the target article (since this is the location of the greater exothermic activity during production). Brittleness of the foam, as well as yellowing and even browning are distinct and strong possibilities as a result. All together, the ability to produce white polyurethane is just as difficult as retaining white colorations within produced articles due to these highly problematic and readily pervasive conditions.
Since removal of such conditions is, for all intents and purposes, impossible, additives have been developed to remedy such problems individually. Benzotriazole-based additives have been found to alleviate a certain and significant level of discolorations resulting from ultraviolet light exposure, for example. White coloring agents (such as titanium dioxide, for example) can also be incorporated to mask potential yellowing, but such a solution has marginal benefit and can adversely affect the physical properties of the foam. As a result it is considered unsatisfactory the majority of the time. At least for this individual ultraviolet and/or light exposure issue, the aforementioned benzotriazoles appear to provide a certain degree of reliable protection.
Thermal exposure also appears to contribute problematic discoloration properties to such articles. Basically, it is well known that such polyurethane foam products require the presence of at least one catalyst to effectuate the desired reaction between the necessary polyol and isocyanate components. The most prevalent catalysts, due to cost in producing, using, and disposing, are tertiary amine-based compounds. These catalysts include hydroxyl terminated types, such as the most popular types used throughout the industry, DMEA (dimethyl ethanol amine), DABCO TL catalysts (blends of triethylene diamine and 2-[[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl]methylamino]ethanol), and Texacat ZF10 (N,N,N′-trimethyl-N′-hydroxyethyl-bis(aminoethyl)ether). These catalysts unfortunately present the ability to exaggerate certain problems within the resultant foams, most notably scorch discoloration and/or degradation. Scorching is a common occurrence within exothermic foam-producing reactions, particularly when air flow is minimized within the foam-making procedure.
Apparently, such catalysts react readily with free isocyanate due to their reactive hydroxyls within the polyurethane and/or colorants and/or other additives present. In particular, such heat generation is pronounced due to the avoidance of CFC-type blowing agents (which dissipate heat during high temperature exothermic reactions upon use). As it is, the foam blowing agents now utilized throughout the industry are ineffective at dissipating the very high temperatures generated during the curing process. These high temperatures appear to oxidize the polyol due to the reaction with free radicals and hydroperoxides generated during the curing process. Such compounds react readily with hard polyurethane segments within the foam product to form quinonoid-type structures that consequently cause color bodies to form. These resultant color bodies thus create discolorations within the final foam product since they are of a different color than the desired foam product. Apparently, such high temperature discolorations and degradations more readily occur between about 30 and 60 minutes after foam generation (during gelation and blowing of the foam-producing composition) has taken place. During such exothermic oxidation reactions, the foam is then "burned" by the high temperatures thereby producing the highly undesirable discolored areas within the resultant foam article. Such scorching may also cause degradation of "burned" portions of foam to the extent that the affected areas exhibit much different physical properties than the unaffected foam. In such an instance, generally the scorched portions will become more brittle (and more prone to tearing or a loss in resilency) than the properly formed foam.
Attempts at alleviating these particular problems have included the addition of potentially environmentally unfriendly, and potentially toxic antioxidants, such as 2,6-di-t-butyl-4-methylphenol (BHT), octadecyl-3-(3,5-di-t-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)propanoate (Irganox® 1076, from Ciba Geigy), and octyl-3(3,5-di-t-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)propanoate (Irganox® 1135), within the curing process. This has proven only marginally effective; however, again due to the expense and the large amount of such antioxidant compounds required, as well as the large amount remaining within the foam (which may be troublesome due to environmental and safety concerns), such a procedure is necessarily avoided if at all possible. Since there is a 15 to 30 minute window of opportunity to control high temperature exposures, some foam producers have practiced forced air cooling of the foam-producing composition in the past to reduce scorch problems. Unfortunately, however, the cost involved with providing the necessary degree of heavy air flow (particularly in a specific limited direction) is prohibitive. With both procedures, the costs involved have resulted in transferred costs to the foam purchaser and end user. Alternative methods, either simpler and less expensive in nature, have not been forthcoming within the industry.
Thermal discoloration problems are not easily cured with the aforementioned benzotriazole compounds as foam additives, if at all, either. In greater detail, and as suggestions for remedying scorch problems in such polyurethane foams, U.S. Pat. No. 6,541,531 teaches certain organic cyclic esters as additives for such purpose. Also, the aforementioned BHT and similar derivatives thereof provide a certain degree of thermal protection to such foam articles.
However, such antioxidant compounds (as noted above, including BHT, etc.) for anti-scorch and benzotriazoles for UV/light protection cannot simultaneously protect the target polyurethane foams from highly oxidative combustion byproducts present within many atmospheric environments, particularly in urban and less populated centers. Such a phenomenon as gas fade has been largely ignored within the polyurethane industry due to the difficulties of protecting such foam articles from the oxidative species so pervasive around the world. As it is, it appears that the additives utilized for such protective reasons actually react readily with such combustion byproducts that discoloration, although alleviated during light exposure or scorching possibilities, is persistent, if not worse, due to gas fade exposure. The above-noted BHT is particularly susceptible to nitrous oxide reaction such that a pH dependent color body is generated that severely discolors the article. Such a colored product generates a highly undesirable unnatural aged appearance within the resultant article. Though BHT provides benefit in light and thermal testing, it thus exhibits severe limitations and deleterious effects in response to gas fade.
As such, it is apparent that this combination of factors has not been properly considered together, nor alleviated, at least through simple additive methods and formulations. Thus, there currently exists no effective remedy to such a three-pronged problem for producing and retaining naturally colored polyurethane foams with white appearances. The industry demands such a currently nonexistent improvement.

Reduction of discoloration in white polyurethane foams


In a multihop network having a first type of node, a second type of node and a third type of node, techniques are provided for optimizing topology learning in the multihop network which can reduce the amount of control traffic that occurs due to frequent topology changes. For example, each of the nodes can transmit a node identifier and status information to the first type of node. The status information associated with each node can include a node type and a mobility state of the node. The first type of node can store the node identifier and the status information from each of the nodes. The first type of node can reserve or allocate a channel resource to each of the second type of nodes having a mobile state. The channel resource is used by the second type of node for exchanging topology information with the first type of node.

An infrastructure-based wireless network typically includes a communication network with fixed and wired gateways. Many infrastructure-based wireless networks employ a mobile unit which communicates with a fixed base station that is coupled to a wired network. The mobile unit can move geographically while it is communicating over a wireless link to the base station. When the mobile unit moves out of range of one base station, it may connect or "handover" to a new base station and starts communicating with the wired network through the new base station.
In comparison to infrastructure-based wireless networks, an ad hoc network typically includes a number of geographically-distributed, potentially mobile units, sometimes referred to as "nodes," which are wirelessly connected to each other by one or more links (e.g., radio frequency communication channels). The nodes can communicate with each other over a wireless media without the support of an infrastructure-based or wired network. Links or connections between these nodes can change dynamically in an arbitrary manner as existing nodes move within the ad hoc network, as new nodes join or enter the ad hoc network, or as existing nodes leave or exit the ad hoc network. Because the topology of an ad hoc network can change significantly techniques are needed which can allow the ad hoc network to dynamically adjust to these changes. Due to the lack of a central controller, many network-controlling functions can be distributed among the nodes such that the nodes can self-organize and reconfigure in response to topology changes.
One characteristic of the nodes is that each node can directly communicate over a short range with nodes which are a single "hop" away. Such nodes are sometimes referred to as "neighbor nodes." When a node transmits packets to a destination node and the nodes are separated by more than one hop (e.g., the distance between two nodes exceeds the radio transmission range of the nodes, or a physical barrier is present between the nodes), the packets can be relayed via intermediate nodes ("multihopping") until the packets reach the destination node. As used herein, the term "multihop network" refers to any type of wireless network which employs routing protocols among nodes which are part of a network. In such situations, each intermediate node routes the packets (e.g., data and control information) to the next node along the route, until the packets reach their final destination
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.16 Working Group on Broadband Wireless Access Standards aims to prepare formal specifications for the global deployment of broadband Wireless Metropolitan Area Networks. Among other things, the 802.16 standards define a point-to-multipoint (PMP) system with one hop links between a base station (BS) and a subscriber station (SS). Such network topologies sometimes include pockets of poor-coverage areas. While such coverage voids can be avoided by deploying base stations tightly, this drastically increases both the capital expenditure (CAPEX) and operational expenditure (OPEX) for the network deployment. A cheaper solution is to deploy relay stations (RSs) (also known as relays or repeaters) in the areas with poor coverage. These relay stations can repeat transmissions from the base station so that subscriber stations within communication range of a relay station can continue to communicate with the base station using high data rate links. The incorporation of relay stations in an IEEE 802.16 network transforms it into a multihop network with each node having one or more options to access a network, such as the Internet, via a base station (BS).
For example, networks which comply with the IEEE 802.16j specifications will employ relay stations in an IEEE 802.16e network to provide for range extension and capacity improvements. Depending upon the particular network configuration, a particular subscriber station may gain network access via one or more neighbor relay stations and/or one or more neighbor base stations. In addition, relay stations themselves can have one or more available path options to connect to a particular base station.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.

Optimizing topology learning in a multihop network


There is provided a light adjuster and a laminated glass which are capable of reducing labor time while inhibiting formation of cadmium and preventing degradation of the liquid crystal layer. A light adjuster 103 is comprised of a pair of PET films 109a and 109b that sandwich a liquid crystal layer 108 therebetween, transparent electrically conductive films 110a and 110b that are provided on respective facing surfaces of the pair of PET films 109a and 109b, and an electrode structure provided at one end of the light adjuster 103. The electrode structure is comprised of a silver paste 111 that is applied to an exposed part of the transparent electrically conductive film 110b, a metallic layer 112 formed of a copper tape that is stuck on the upper surface of the silver paste 111, and a connector 113 formed of a copper tape that is connected to the metallic layer 112. Further, the connector 113 is stuck on a sleeve 115 that accommodates a lead line 114 that supplies power from an external power source, not shown.

Hitherto, electrochromic devices (hereinafter referred to as "EC devices") have been known as devices such as light adjusters having a light adjusting capability of enabling the transmissivity to be freely adjusted (hereinafter referred to as "light adjusting devices"). Such an EC device is, for example, made from a material that undergoes a spectral change upon an electrochemical redox reaction, such as tungsten oxide or prussian blue, and controls the transmitted light by absorbing light. However, because such an EC device is current driven, if the EC device is made to have a large area, then a large voltage drop arises, the response speed drops markedly, and degradation of constituent materials due to electrochemical changes and so on occurs during prolonged passing of a current; such an EC device thus cannot be used as a light adjuster that is required to be durable.
In recent years, voltage driven light adjusting devices have thus been used in a laminated glass instead of such current driven EC devices. For example, nematic curvilinear aligned phase (NCAP) liquid crystal light adjusters are known as such voltage driven light adjusting devices. Such a nematic liquid crystal light adjuster is made from a liquid crystal material, and has excellent durability, and can easily be made to have a large area (see, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kohyo) No. S58-501631).
As shown in FIG. 2, in general, such a light adjuster 20 is comprised of a liquid crystal layer 23 having a light adjusting function in which a plurality of voids 21 are filled with nematic liquid crystalline rod-like molecules (hereinafter referred to as "liquid crystal molecules") 22, and a pair of PET films 24 that sandwich the liquid crystal layer 23 therebetween; transparent electrically conductive films 25 are provided on facing surfaces of the PET films 24 so as to be bonded to the liquid crystal layer 23, and a voltage is applied to the liquid crystal layer 23 via this pair of transparent electrically conductive films 25. The liquid crystal layer 23 is formed of a transparent polymer film 26 having a plurality of voids 21 therein, and each void 21 is filled with liquid crystal molecules 22 so as to form a liquid crystal capsule 27.
According to this light adjuster 20, when a voltage is not being applied, the liquid crystal molecules 22 line up along the curved wall surfaces of the liquid crystal capsules 27, and are thus not arranged along the direction of travel of light transmitted through the liquid crystal capsules 27; the optical path of the transmitted light thus meanders around, and incident light is scattered at boundary layers between the liquid crystal capsules 27 and the polymer film 26, and hence the liquid crystal layer 23 becomes cloudy. On the other hand, when a voltage is applied, the liquid crystal molecules 22 line up along the direction of the electric field produced. At this time, if the liquid crystal layer 23 is made from a material such that the ordinary refractive index no of the liquid crystal molecules 22 matches the refractive index np of the polymer film 26, it becomes such that boundary layers between the liquid crystal capsules 27 and the polymer film 26 do not exist optically, and hence light incident on the liquid crystal layer 23 can be transmitted unhindered, whereby the liquid crystal layer 23 becomes transparent.
Due to the above principle, the light adjuster 20 has a visual field controlling capability of shutting off the visual field through scattering of incident light when a voltage is not being applied, and securing the visual field through allowing incident light to be transmitted unhindered when a voltage is being applied. A laminated glass using such a light adjuster is employed in show windows or the like, as a laminated glass having a visual field controlling capability.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the schematic construction of a laminated glass using the light adjuster in FIG. 2.
In FIG. 3, a laminated glass 30 is comprised of a pair of glass sheets 31a and 31b that are disposed in facing relation to each other, transparent intermediate layers 32a and 32b provided on respective facing surfaces of the glass sheets 31a and 31b, and the light adjuster 20 that is sandwiched between the intermediate layers 32a and 32b. The light adjuster 20 has an electrode structure, described below, which is provided on a part of the transparent electrically conductive film 25b which is exposed with the liquid crystal layer 23, the transparent electrically conductive film 25a, and the PET film 24a being partially cut off.
This electrode structure includes a connecting base formed of a silver paste 33 that is applied to the exposed part of the transparent electrically conductive film 25b, and a copper tape 34 that is stuck on the upper surface of the silver paste 33, and a connector 35 in the form of a strip formed of a metallic mesh that is interposed between the copper tape 34 and the intermediate layer 32a and is soaked with solder. With the soaked solder being melted, the connector 35 becomes secured at one end thereof to the copper tape 34, and the other end becomes secured to the lead line 36 that supplies power from an external power source.
With the light adjuster 30, a part of the connector 35 is made to protrude from the periphery of the laminated glass 30 in order to secure connection of the connector 35 and the lead line 36. The part which protrudes, however, can freely bend and will not interfere with other parts. Therefore, the handleability of the laminated glass using the light adjuster can be improved.
However, in the above-described electrode structure, the connecting base and the connector 35 are formed of separate members. Consequently, the structure is complex, and there arises a problem that the labor time required to prepare the light adjuster 20 becomes extensive.
Further, since the connector 35 is soaked with solder, there is a possibility that cadmium is produced, which triggers environmental problems. In addition, since the connector 35 is secured to the copper tape 34 and its adjacent parts when the soaked solder is melt, it becomes necessary to heat the light adjuster 20, which causes a problem that the liquid crystal layer 23 of the light adjuster 20 degrades due to the heating.
The present invention has been devised in view of the above-described problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a light adjuster and a laminated glass which are capable of reducing labor time while suppressing production of cadmium and preventing degradation of the liquid crystal layer.

Light adjuster with electrically conductive tape stuck on electrically conductive cylindrical housing in which is accommodated part of wiring


A portable wireless alarm system includes at least two alarm devices each of which includes a signal generator for generating an action signal, wherein the alarm devices are communicatively networked with each other by means of radio frequency to contribute a security network in such a manner that, within the security network, when one of the alarm devices is triggered to generate the action signal, another alarm device is automatically triggered by the action signal to produce alert signal, so as to enlarge a coverage area of the alarm device. In addition, the alarm device is a portable wireless alarm device that is communicated with an alarm activator by means of radio frequency signal to remotely control the alarm device to be activated. Therefore, the portable wireless alarm device is capable of wirelessly setting up at a designated location with free installation to ensure the best security.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to an alarm system, and more particularly to a wireless alarm system which comprises at least two portable alarm devices to provide a communication network with each other for contributing a security network. In addition, the a portable alarm device used in the wireless alarm system is easy to operate and does not require installation for all kinds of vehicle such as car, aircraft, boat, mobile home, etc.
2. Description of Related Arts
Most residences, facilities, and vehicles have installed security alarm systems to monitor the properties from burglars and accidents. A conventional security alarm system, such as burglary alarm system, generally comprises a control system to control a plurality of security devices, such as motion detectors for detaching human action within the protection areas, window sensors for detecting any damage thereof, opening contacts such as door/window switches for detecting in and out of people, and alert devices including communication devices such as voice dialer and/or digital dialer and audible and visual alarm devices for providing local alarm when burglar breaks in the protection area. Due to the security purpose, most people would like to install such security alarm system in their houses and/or the vehicle to protect their properties.
Generally speaking, the conventional security alarm system is in disarming condition. The user can switch the security alarm system to an arming condition by setting a control keypad or a remote control of the control system to activate all the security devices before the user leaves. The user can switch off (disarmed) the alarm system by setting the control keypad or remote control when the user comes back.
However, the conventional security alarm system has several drawbacks. All the security devices must be properly installed. For example, the motion detectors and the window sensors must be electrically wired to each single room of a house/facility from the control system for house installation. The alert device must be electrically connected to a battery of the vehicle as a car alarm system. Since the installation of the conventional security alarm is complicated and costly, a qualified technician is required to install the conventional security alarm. An improper installation of such security alarm may cause a false alarm or even damage the electrical wiring system of the house, facility, or vehicle.
In addition, the maintenance of the conventional security alarm system is also costly. When one of the components does not function, the whole system may be disabled as well. Therefore, the user usually pays for the maintenance perimeter for the alarm system provider in order to keep the well function of the security alarm system.
Accordingly, the installation of the security alarm system is a must. In other words, the user must install different security alarm systems for his of her properties. For example, the house of the user must employ one kind of security alarm system and the vehicle of the user must employ another kind of security alarm system. Therefore, the user will pay an extremely high cost for those security alarm systems.
Therefore, a kind of portable wireless alarm system is highly desired in market so that the user may move the alarm system from place to place, such as from one room to another room, from one vehicle to another vehicle or from home to a vehicle, independently for security purposes.
However, no matter the security alarm system is a stationary type or a portable type, once it is disarmed or destroyed the alarm system has no function and is useless. For portable alarm system, it is even more easily be discovered and damaged. Therefore, most of the alarm systems can't stop burglars who visit the place before or know the place well. Such burglar can get to the control panel immediately and destroy it within seconds to disarm the system. Further example, an experienced car thief can open the hood and disconnect the respective car alarm system wires to disarm the car alarm within couple seconds. If no one alerts of such couple-second siren, the car is gone. Unlucky, there is no solution to such situations.
Moreover, each security alarm system has the own setting and is unable to communicate with each other such that each of the security alarm system works independently. For example, when the security alarm system of a neighbor of the user is triggered to perform an alert response, the security alarm system of the user will remained inactivated. Therefore, the user cannot immediately help the neighbor. In other words, no communication and relationship between any two neighbor-users with a safety area so that the security alarm system can only monitor the own setting coverage area.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Wireless alarm system for contributing security network


A system and method for quality of service management within a call handling system is disclosed. The method discloses: initiating a dialog between a contact and an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) module; matching the contact with a predefined contact category; retrieving a predefined quality of service level associated with the contact category; and processing the dialog in accordance with the quality of service level. The system discloses means for effecting the method.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to systems and methods for call handling, and more particularly to quality of service management within a call handling system.
2. Discussion of Background Art
Automated call handling systems, such as Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems, using Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) and Text-to-speech (TTS) software are increasingly important tools for providing information and services to contacts, such as customers, in a more cost efficient manner. IVR systems are typically hosted by call centers that enable contacts to interact with corporate databases and services over a telephone using a combination of voice speech signals and telephone button presses. IVR systems are particularly cost effective when a large number of contacts require data or services that are very similar in nature, such as banking account checking, ticket reservations, etc., and thus can be handled in an automated manner often providing a substantial cost savings due to a need for fewer human operators.
The IVR systems ability to recognize a customer's speech signals is a major factor in the customer's perception of the quality of service provided by the call center. Due to the importance of understanding one's customers, many call center's attempt to provide a very robust set of ASR classifiers for interpreting the customer's speech signals. However in order to implement such a robust ASR system, call centers must invest in a substantial amount of hardware resources as well as a complex, time consuming set of ASR classifiers. The costs of implementing such a system may however be so high as to make such an IVR system impractical for some companies and service providers. Such providers may then need to resort to either an inferior set of ASR tools or a greater number of human operators.
Some call centers attempt to balance the ASR classifier costs with the benefits of having an IVR system by selecting a predetermined number of ASR classifiers for interpreting the contact's speech signals that fall within the call center's current budget. However, such monolithic approaches can in some implementations result in an inordinate number of speech recognition errors for hard to understand contacts who not only are disappointed with the call center experience, but who also must be shifted over to more costly human operators in order to complete the call. In other implementations, such a monolithic approach can result in a much higher per caller cost, since many callers could have been understood using just one ASR classifier, but instead the call center used a much larger number of ASR classifiers resulting in a greater fixed cost to the call center.
Other call centers attempt to balance the ASR classifier costs with the benefits of having an IVR system by using a greater number of ASR classifiers to understand the contact based on the availability of hardware resources, such as processor power and available memory, within the call center. Such a system thus would tend to provide a degraded quality of service level during peak calling times, and perhaps would only provide an acceptable quality of service level during slow times.
In response to the concerns discussed above, what is needed is a system and method for quality of service management that overcomes the problems of the prior art.

System and method for quality of service management with a call handling system

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A method and composition which permits sterilization of surfaces coupled with biologically active moieties by ionizing radiation is described. The protecting composition contains a surface-stabilizing agent which adheres to the surface and has a molecular weight.gtoreq.5 kd, and an oxygen radical scavenger which is preferably a di- or polysaccharide or reduced form thereof. In the method of the invention, a surface which is coupled to a biologically active agent is protected with the invention composition, dried to a moisture content of less than 1%, and then sterilized by ionizing radiation under standard conditions. The sterilized surfaces of the invention are particularly useful in the production of medical devices intended for extracorporeal use, particularly in cell-separation techniques.

There is extensive experience in the immobilization of biologically active molecules to surfaces for research and clinical use. Techniques for enzyme immobilization, adsorption of affinity reagents such as antibodies to surfaces for use in separation procedures and diagnostic assays, and covalent attachment of such reagents or enzymes to surfaces for industrial and medical use are known. More recently, medical devices which incorporate biologically active molecules as functional components have been employed in extracorporeal treatments wherein the treated fluids from the patient will be used directly for administration. It is not practical to treat the fluid which is exiting the device so as to assure freedom from contamination that might have been acquired in transit. Therefore, it is essential that the device through which the fluid is passed itself be sterile.
Ordinary techniques, such as autoclaving and irradiation for sterilizing medical equipment are problematic because these procedures would inactivate the biologically active molecule that is an integral part of the apparatus. Furthermore, the biologically active molecule may be destabilized by the process of coupling it to the surface, and techniques are needed to provide stability with respect to this aspect, as well.
There are many reports of coupling active biological materials to solid support. For example, Larsson, P. H., et al., J Immunol Meth (1989) 116:293-298, describe a method for covalent attachment of antibodies to polystyrene dishes wherein the resulting covalently derivatized dishes can then be used in cell depletion procedures in a panning process. U.S. Pat. No. 4,933,410, issued 12 Jun. 1990, also describes a method for derivatizing polystyrene surface so as to acquire the capability covalently to bind active proteins such as antibodies and their fragments, protein A, complexing agents, and other substituents. Derivatization of a polystyrene surface through covalent linkage to antibodies or their fragments is also described by Peterman, J. H., et al., J Immunol Meth (1988) 111:271-275; Chu, V. P., et al., J Ap Polymer Sci (1987) 34:1917-1924, describes covalent derivatization of polystyrene surfaces for immunoassay protocols. In addition, enzyme immobilization using covalent linkages was described by Rossi, V., et al., Int J Art Org (1981) 4:102-107. The immobilization of arginase, described in this article, did not include procedures for sterilization; however, in a subsequent article, Callegaro, L., et al., Int J Art Org (1983) 6:19-96, the same group describes the use of fibers containing L-asparaginase which are sterilized using .gamma.-irradiation, under conditions, not specified, which apparently did not completely inactivate the enzyme. None of the other references cited above address the problem of sterilization of the activated surfaces.
The difficulties of using ionizing radiation to sterilize solid surfaces containing biologically active materials was disclosed with respect to Factor XIII grafted onto collagen films by Blanchy, B. G., et al., J Biomed Mat Res (1986) 20:469-479, which describes the sensitivity of Factor XIII to .gamma.-radiation. Some improvement was effected by utilizing electron beam irradiation.
The problem of providing sterile activated surfaces is addressed directly by a number of publications. A general summary of approaches to sterilization of medical devices or biosensors is provided by Cesar, E. Y., et al., "Biosensors in Artificial Organs," ASAIO Trans (1987) 33:840-845. Some of the literature reviewed in this publication includes a description of the use of antibiotics to sterilize a glucose sensor (Kondo, T. et al., Diabetes Care (1982) 5:218:221); the use of propylene oxide to sterilize immunoadsorbents (Sato, H., et al., Int J Art Org (1985) 8:109-114), and ionizing radiation is described by Sato, H., et al., Int J Art Org (1986) 9:131-136. In the last paper cited, it was noted that losses were observed in adsorptive capacity of the conjugated antibodies even after freeze-drying from a 2% mannitol solution. Woolston, J., in Med Device Technol (1990) 1:24-31, gives a general survey of publications on the irradiation sterilization of medical devices which contain biologically active proteins.
Because ionizing radiation is known to effect chemical reactions in the target, the nature of these reactions has been explored with respect to peptides and proteins in a series of articles by Davies, K. J. A., and others in J Biol Chem (1987) 20:9895-9901, 9902-9907, 9908-9913. In this series of papers, it is noted that chemical scavengers for oxygen radicals, including t-butyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, mannitol, and urate could protect irradiated molecules from chemical degradation due to the products of radiation. This general picture of the chemical effects of irradiation is also described in a review article by Garrison, W. M., Chem Rev (1987) 87:381-398.
The construction of a surface with covalently attached monoclonal antibody and sterilized for medical use is described by Morecki, S., et al., J Biol Resp Modif (1990) 9:463-474. As is generally the case in providing surfaces with biologically active materials which are supplied in dried form, the surface is blocked with albumin before drying to stabilize the biological material during the drying process and in the dried state. The dried surfaces were reported to be sterilized using electron beam irradiation. No comment is made as to the effect of the irradiation sterilization process on the effectiveness of the resulting surface in adsorbing target cell subsets.
Taken together, the foregoing reports indicate that sterilization of surfaces to which biologically active materials, especially proteins, are coupled, gives unpredictable results with respect to maintaining the activity or binding capacity of the coupled active factors. There is clearly a need for a protocol that can assure the integrity of the biocapacity of the surface when irradiation sterilization is employed to assure freedom from contamination.

Stabilization of sterilized surfaces for research and medical use


A device for loading, unloading and carrying a bicycle in an upright position on a motor vehicle roof provided with a pair of transverse carrier rails, comprising a shaped tube having its base pivotally connected to a support fastened to a first carrier rail, adapted to be rotated in a continuous manner from a lowered position for the engagement or disengagement of the bicycle frame, to a raised position for transporting the bicycle. There are further provided means for supporting and securing bicycle front wheel and bicycle frame, that are fastened to the second carrier bar and to the free end of the tube, respectively.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for loading, unloading and carrying a bicycle on a motor vehicle roof provided with a rack or structure for carrying articles, formed by a pair of transverse anchoring rails.
2. Background Information
There are known several devices for uprigthly carrying bicycles provided with a frame having a horizontal upper tube, such as racing bicycles or those known as "mountain bikes", on motor vehicle roofs, such devices usually comprising fastening members having various shapes and sizes, adapted to firmly secure bicycle frame and front wheel to a supporting structure fastened in turn to the roof edge, or to the drip moulding in case the motor vehicle is so equipped.
The operations of positioning the bicycle onto the motor vehicle roof and then securing it for transport require lifting the bicycle from ground level to a height, in the bicycle carrying structure, equal to the resting area of the wheel, usually the front wheel, which is 20-30 cm above the motor vehicle roof.
This requires considerable efforts in loading and unloading operations with the associated risk that bicycle frame or pedals strike the car body, damaging it.

Device for loading, unloading and carrying bicycles on motor vehicle roofs provided with a pair of carrier rails


A self-cleaning bleeder valve comprises an annular housing that is mounted in an opening in a pressure vessel, and a valve member that screws into the housing for movement toward and away from an orifice opening in the housing. The valve member includes a gasket seal and orifice drill at an inner end of the valve member. The orifice is positioned such that when the valve member is screwed into the annular housing, the drill extends through the orifice, automatically cleaning the orifice while restricting the rate of gas flow out of the orifice to the space between the drill and the orifice.

The present invention relates to bleeder valves or vent valves and more particularly to a bleeder valve having an internal drill that automatically cleans the gas escape orifice and provides a lower bleed rate than traditional bleeder valves.
A bleeder valve or vent valve is a valve connected to a pressurized container that, when released, permits the gas in the container to bleed or leak slowly out of the container. A typical bleeder valve includes an outer annular housing or valve body and an inner plug or valve member or adjusting screw that screws into the housing. The housing screws into an opening in a pressurized tank, and the valve member screws into the housing. A small opening, or orifice, in the housing permits the gas to escape from the interior of the pressurized container when the valve member is at least partially released. One problem with such valves is they become clogged from time to time and the orifice has to be cleaned out. Normally, it would be desired to have the orifice as small as possible, so the bleed rate would be as low as possible. When the orifice becomes clogged, however, it is usually necessary to clean the orifice using a conventional drill. The drill bit employed for cleaning out the orifice has to be large enough so that it will not break frequently. Because the orifice has to be substantially the same size as the drill bit, the orifice has to be correspondingly larger than would be optimum for a slow bleed rate in order to accommodate the larger drill bit. Additionally, cleaning out a clogged orifice with a conventional drill is generally cumbersome and inconvenient.
An object of the present invention is to provide an improved bleeder valve wherein the valve member includes an integral orifice cleanout drill that decreases the bleed rate of the gas and cleans the orifice without the need to drill out the orifice with traditional drilling methods.

Self-cleaning low emission bleeder valve type liquid level gauge


Compositions and methods for delivering agents across cell membranes are disclosed. The compositions include an agent to be delivered, a viscous material, such as a hydrogel, lipogel or viscous sol, and, optionally, a carrier that includes a ligand that binds to or interacts with cell surface receptors. The agent to be delivered binds to or otherwise interacts with cell surface receptors, is attached, either covalently or ionically to a molecule that binds to or interacts with a cell surface receptor, or is associated with the carrier. Agents to be delivered include bioactive compounds and diagnostic agents. The compositions have an apparent viscosity roughly equal to the viscosity of the cytosol in the cell to which the agent is to be delivered. The rate of cellular internalization is higher when the viscosity of the viscous material and that of the cytosol in the cell are approximately the same, relative to when they are not the same. The compositions enhance cellular entry of bioactive agents and diagnostic materials when administered vaginally, nasally, rectally ocularly, orally, or to the respiratory or pulmonary system.

It is often difficult to deliver compounds, such as proteins, peptides, genetic material, and other drugs and diagnostic compounds intracellularly because cell membranes often resist the passage of these compounds. Various methods have been developed to administer agents intracellularly. For example, genetic material has been administered into cells in vivo, in vitro and ex vivo using viral vectors, DNA/lipid complexes and liposomes. While viral vectors are efficient, questions remain regarding the safety of a live vector and the development of an immune response following repeated administration. Lipid complexes and liposomes appear less effective at transfecting DNA into the nucleus of the cell and may potentially be destroyed by macrophages in vivo.
Proteins and peptides are typically administered by parenteral administration, or, in some cases, across the nasal mucous membrane. Uptake of drugs administered topically is frequently poor, and degradation frequently occurs when drugs are administered orally. For example, hormones such as gonadotropin releasing hormone ("GnRH") and its analogs have been administered to humans in an attempt to increase fertility by increasing systemic levels of luteinizing hormone ("LH"). When given often, low doses of native GnRH have been shown to induce follicular development and ovulation. These drugs are typically administered via an indwelling catheter into the abdominal cavity. An external pump is attached to the catheter which injects the peptide at frequent intervals. This method of administration is extremely invasive and undesirable. Also, the method is prohibitively expensive for use in animals.
The binding of ligands or assembly proteins to surface receptors of eucaryotic cell membranes has been extensively studied in an effort to develop better ways to promote or enhance cellular uptake. For example, binding of ligands or proteins has been reported to initiate or accompany a cascade of nonequilibrium phenomena culminating in the cellular invagination of membrane complexes within clathrin-coated vesicles [Goldstein, J. L., et al. (1985) Ann. Rev. Cell Biol. 1, 1-39; Rodman, T. S., et al. (1990) Curr. Op. Cell Biol. 2, 664-672; Trowbridge, I. S. (1991) Curr. Op. Cell Biol. 3, 634-641; Smythe, E., et al. (1989) J. Cell Biol. 108, 843-853; Smythe, E., et al. (1992) J. Cell Biol. 119, 1163-1171; and Schmid, S. L. (1993) Curr. Op. Cell Biol. 5, 621-627]. This process has been referred to as receptor-mediatedendocytosis (RME). Beyond playing a central role in cellular lipid trafficking [Pagano, R. E. (1990) Curr. Op. Cell Biol. 2, 652-663], RME is the primary means by which macromolecules enter eucaryotic cells. Having a better understanding of the role of RME in uptake of drugs would be advantageous in developing improved methods of drug delivery.
It would be advantageous to have new methods for delivering agents intracellularly. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide compositions and methods for enhancing intracellular delivery of bioactive and/or diagnostic agents. It is a further object of the present invention to provide less invasive methods for delivering high molecular weight and labile drugs, such as proteins and nucleic acid molecules, and diagnostic agents.

Materials and methods for enhancing cellular internalization


A processing architecture includes a first CPU core portion coupled to a second embedded dynamic random access memory (DRAM) portion. These architectural components jointly implement a single processor and instruction set. Advantageously, the embedded logic on the DRAM chip implements the memory intensive processing tasks, thus reducing the amount of traffic that needs to be bussed back and forth between the CPU core and the embedded DRAM chips. The embedded DRAM logic monitors and manipulates the instruction stream into the CPU core. The architecture of the instruction set, data paths, addressing, control, caching, and interfaces are developed to allow the system to operate using a standard programming model. Specialized video and graphics processing systems are developed. Also, an extended very long instruction word (VLIW) architecture implemented as a primary VLIW processor coupled to an embedded DRAM VLIW extension processor efficiently deals with memory intensive tasks. In different embodiments, standard software can be accelerated either with or without the express knowledge of the processor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the fields of microprocessor and embedded DRAM architectures. More particularly, the invention pertains to a split processor architecture whereby a CPU portion performs standard processing and control functions, an embedded DRAM portion performs memory-intensive manipulations, and the CPU and embedded DRAM portions function in concert to execute a single program.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Microprocessor technology continues to evolve rapidly. Every few years processor circuit speeds double, and the amount of logic that can be implemented on a is single chip increases similarly. In addition, RISC, superscalar, very long instruction word (VLIW), and other architectural advances enable the processor to perform more useful work per clock cycle. Meanwhile, the number of DRAM cells per chip doubles and the required refresh rate halves every few years. The fact that DRAM access times do not double every few years results in a processor-DRAM speed mismatch. If the processor is to execute a program and manipulate data stored in a DRAM, it will have to insert wait states into its bus cycles to work with the slower DRAM. To combat this, hierarchical cache structures or large on-board SRAM banks are used so that on average, much less time is spent waiting for the large but slower DRAM.
Real-time multimedia capabilities are becoming increasingly important in microcomputer systems. Especially with video and image data, it is not practical to build caches large enough to hold the requisite data structures while they are being processed. This gives rise to large amounts of data traffic between the memory and the processor and decreases cache efficiency. For example, the Intel Pentium processors employ MMX technology, which essentially provides a vector processor subsystem that can process multiple pixels in parallel. However, even with faster synchronous DRAM, the problem remains that performance is limited by the DRAM access time needed to transfer data to and from the processor.
Other applications where external DRAM presents a system bottleneck are database applications. Database processing involves such algorithms as searching, sorting, and list processing in general. A key identifying requirement is the frequent use of memory indirect addressing. In memory indirect addressing, a pointer is stored in memory. The pointer must be retrieved from memory and then used to determine the address of another pointer located in memory. This addressing mode is used extensively in linked list searching and in dealing with recursive data structures such as trees and heaps. In these situations, cache performance diminishes as the processor is burdened with having to manipulate large data structures distributed across large areas in memory. In many cases, these memory accesses are interleaved with disk accesses, further reducing system performance.
Several prior art approaches have been used to increase processing speed in Microsystems involving a fast processor and a slower DRAM. Many of these techniques, especially cache oriented solutions, are detailed in "Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach, 2nd Ed.," by John Hennessy and David Patterson (Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, 1996). This reference also discusses pipelined processing architectures together with instruction-level parallel processing techniques, as embodied in superscalar and VLIW architectures. These concepts are extended herein to provide improved performance by providing split caching and instruction-level parallel processing structures and methods that employ a CPU core and embedded DRAM logic.
The concept of using a coprocessor to extend a processor architecture is known in the art. Floating point coprocessors, such as the Intel 80×87 family, monitor the instruction stream from the memory into the processor, and, when certain coprocessor instructions are detected, the coprocessor latches and executes the coprocessor instructions. Upon completion, the coprocessor presents the results to the processor. In such systems, the processor is aware of the presence of the coprocessor, and the two work together to accelerate processing. However, the coprocessor is external from the memory, and no increase in effective memory bandwidth is realized. Rather, this solution speeds up computation by employing a faster arithmetic processor than could be integrated onto a single die at the time. Also, this solution does not provide for the important situation when the CPU involves a cache. In such situations, the coprocessor instructions cannot be intercepted, for example, when the CPU executes looped floating point code from cache. Another deficiency with this prior art is its inability to provide a solution for situations where the processor is not aware of the presence of the coprocessor. Such a situation becomes desirable in light of the present invention, whereby a standard DRAM may be replaced by an embedded DRAM to accelerate processing without modification of preexisting application software.
Motorola employed a different coprocessor interface for the MC68020 and MC68030 processors. In this protocol, when the processor executes a coprocessor instruction, a specialized sequence of bus cycles is initiated to pass the coprocessor instruction and any required operands across the coprocessor interface. If, for example, the coprocessor is a floating point processor, then the combination of the processor and the coprocessor appears as an extended processor with floating point capabilities. This interface serves as a good starting point, but does not define a protocol to fork execution threads or to jointly execute instructions on both sides of the interface. Furthermore, it does not define a protocol to allow the coprocessor to interact with the instruction sequence before it arrives at the processor. Moreover, the interface requires the processor to wait while a sequence of slow bus transactions are performed. This interface concept is not sufficient to support the features and required performance needed of the embedded DRAM coprocessors.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,485,624 discloses a coprocessor architecture for CPUs that are unaware of the presence of a coprocessor. In this architecture, the coprocessor monitors addresses generated by the CPU while fetching instructions, and when certain addresses are detected, interprets an opcode field not used by the CPU as a coprocessor instruction. In this system, the coprocessor then performs DMA transfers between memory and an interface card. This system does not involve an embedded DRAM that can speed processing by minimizing the bottleneck between the CPU and DRAM. Moreover, the coprocessor interface is designed to monitor the address bus and to respond only to specific preprogrammed addresses. When one of these addresses is identified, then an unused portion of an opcode is needed in which to insert coprocessor instructions. This system is thus not suited to systems that use large numbers of coprocessor instructions as in the split processor architecture of the present invention. A very large content addressable memory (CAM) would be required to handle all the coprocessor instruction addresses, and this CAM would need to be flushed and loaded on each task switch. The need for a large CAM eliminates the DRAM area advantage associated with an embedded DRAM solution. Moreover, introduction of a large task switching overhead eliminates the acceleration advantages. Finally, this technique involves a CPU unaware of the coprocessor but having opcodes that include unused fields that can be used by the coprocessor. A more powerful and general solution is needed.
The concept of memory based processors is also known in the art. The term "intelligent memories" is often used to describe such systems. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,396,641 discloses a memory based processor that is designed increase processor-memory bandwidth. In this system, a set of bit serial processor elements function as a single instruction, multiple data (SIMD) parallel machine. Data is accessed in the memory based processor using normal row address and column address strobe oriented bus protocols. SIMD instructions are additionally latched in along with row addresses to control the operation of the SIMD machine under control by a host CPU. Hence, the description in U.S. Pat. No. 5,396,641 views the intelligent memory as a separate parallel processor controlled via write operations from the CPU. While this system may be useful as an attached vector processor, it does not serve to accelerate the normal software executed on a host processor. This architecture requires the CPU to execute instructions to explicitly control and route data to and from the memory based coprocessor. This architecture does not provide a tightly coupled acceleration unit that can accelerate performance with specialized instruction set extensions, and it cannot be used to accelerate existing applications software unaware of the existence of the embedded DRAM coprocessor. This architecture requires a very specialized form of programming where SIMD parallelism is expressly identified and coded into the application program.
It would be desirable to have an architecture that could accelerate the manipulation of data stored in a slower DRAM. It would also be desirable to be able to program such a system in a high level language programming model whereby the acceleration means are transparent to the programmer. It would also be desirable to maintain the processing features and capabilities of current microprocessors, to include caching systems, instruction pipeing, superscalar or VLIW operation, and the like. It would also be desirable to have a general purpose processor core that could implement operating system and applications programs so that this core could be mixed with different embedded DRAM coprocessors to accelerate the memory intensive processing of, for example, digital signal processing, multimedia or database algorithms. Finally, it would be desirable if a standard DRAM module could be replaced by an embedded DRAM module with processor architectural extensions, whereby existing software would be accelerated by the embedded DRAM extension.


A duplex pallet for the transport or storage of articles of the present invention has a deck surface easily switchable between a configuration matching with, e.g., the ISO (International Standards Organization) standards and a configuration matching with, e.g., JIS (Japanese Industrial Standards). While the deck surface is held in the configuration matching with the ISO standards, a hook and a contact guide are respectively released from a clamp post and a pallet body so as to release one longer edge of a movable deck from one shorter edge of the pallet body. Subsequently, the movable deck is rotated away from the pallet body by 90 degrees, then shifted inward, and then further rotated in the same direction by 180 degrees until the hook mates with another clamp post. At the same time, another contact guide is inserted into a space between an upper deck and a lower deck. In this condition, one longer edge of the pallet body and the other longer edge of the movable deck contact each other, implementing the configuration matching with JIS.

The present invention relates to a duplex pallet for the transport, storage or the like of articles and, more particularly, to a duplex pallet generally made up of a pallet body or first deck and a movable deck or second deck connected to the pallet body.
Pallets made of wood are extensively used for the transport of packed articles. After a pallet has been loaded with packaged articles, it is transported by a forklift or similar vehicle together with the articles to a container or a truck for transport or to a warehouse for storage. The problem with such a pallet is that to promote efficient transport of articles each having a particular size, various kinds of pallets each having a deck surface of particular size or configuration must be prepared. Selecting a pallet of optimal size for each kind of article is extremely troublesome.
In light of the above, a pallet with a deck surface which is variable in configuration is proposed in, e.g., Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 8-217071 and Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 5-82829. However, the pallet taught in Laid-Open Publication No. 8-217071 is fastened by a plurality of bolts and nuts, resulting in time- and labor-consuming fastening work. In addition, inspections and maintenance are necessary for regulating the dimensions of a plurality of pallets within a standard range. Although the pallet disclosed in Laid-Open Publication No. 5-82829 is variable in contour, various kinds of pallets each matching with the dimensions of a particular article and adjusted in dimension must be prepared and selectively used. This is also time- and labor-consuming. Moreover, the pallet is variable in horizontal length, but not variable in vertical length.
Technologies relating to the present invention are also taught in, e.g., Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No.s 8-91375, 7-187186, 7-149346 and 60-148451, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 6-72840, and Japanese Patent Kohyo No. 8-509684.