A method and system for the collection of consumer sales data for use in intelligent management of shelf space in a retail environment based on quantitative analysis of consumer sales data in which interactions between two or more products are quantitatively applied in estimating sales for a particular selection of the shelf space location and/or shelf space amount. Such management may be achieved manually or automatically with the invention.

In the past, the allocation of shelf space between products has been substantially fixed over short intervals of time, with adjustments being made largely by manual processes, including negotiations with manufacturers. Further, the information used to justify space allocation schemes and arrangement has been subject to numerous subjective processes, often resulting in decisions of questionable validity. While many efforts have been made to model sales as a function of shelf space and other factors, there is a need for a method and system for making objective decisions making shelf space allocation based on consumer data in which product interactions are considered and quantified.
A variety of tools and techniques have been applied in the past to assist retailers in planning shelf space allocation. For example, AC Nielsen offers a software tool, Shelf Builder, to assist in planning shelf space allocation. However, it does not appear to address the decision making process or apply household data to analyze a proposed design. Web sites, such as http://acnielsen.com/news/american/us/1997/19970923.htm and http://acnielsen.com/products/tools/shelfbuilder/features.htm, provide information about the Shelf Builder software. Other software tools from AC Nielsen include the SPACEMAN Merchandising Central and SPACEMAN Professional packages, in which retail planograms can be integrated with corporate Intranets, point-of-sale data processing, and other retail data to permit analysis of multiple scenarios. A planogram is a diagram that shows how and where retail products should be placed on retail shelves or displays. It further analyzes space utilization, provides financial analysis, along with many other reports that permit retailers and manufacturers to effectively manage their businesses. "Planogramming" is the art of using planogram software, which can also referred to as "space and category management" software. Again, the use of household data to align shelf space allocation with buyer group trends in order to objectively allocate shelf space does not appear to be part of these tools.
Another technique for shelf space analysis is Activity-Based Costing (ABC), as described at http://acnielsen.com/pubs/ci/1999/q3/features/assort.htm. ABC can be defined as: "determining an individual product's profit after all costs, including the resources required to offer the product for sale-such as labor, equipment and building utilities." ABC is useful in accounting for the costs of getting and maintaining an item on shelf, but does not appear applicable to solving the problems of objectively allocating shelf space.
APOLLO™ 7.0 software suite, offered by Information Resources, Inc. (IRI), provides yet another technique. The APOLLO™ 7.0 software suite includes IRI's "Go-To-Shelf Strategy Solution," which is said to help a firm's consumer packaged goods and retailer clients ensure consistent execution of category management plans and new product launches at the shelf by combining store and consumer tracking information with other services. This software is discussed in the article "APOLLO™ 7.0 Premieres at FMI Marketechnics; Helps Ensure Consistent Execution of Category Management Plans," in Business Wire, Feb. 25, 1999
In spite of past efforts, there is a need for improved methods and systems of objective shelf space allocation that take decision making processes to a more quantitative or less subjective level, including methods and systems that permit decision making based on automated data analysis methods to optimize the use of shelf space. There is also a need for methods and systems that permit dynamic allocation of shelf space without the need for lengthy manual processes or without being highly subject to subjective factors. Further, in terms of promotions at retailers, such as temporary price discounts or coupon campaigns, shelf space allocations often need to be modified to better meet the demands of a promotion or to meet the sales potential that a promotion can provide. There is, therefore, also a need for an improved and efficient method and system for temporarily adjusting shelf space allocations in response to promotions, seasonal changes, or other foreseeable events to optimize sales, based on quantitative analysis of consumer data.
The invention described below addresses one or more of these and other disadvantages and needs.

Methods and system for allocating shelf space


A system can provide quality-of-service based network resource allocation and utilization in a dynamic network environment. A system may determine a current quality level of current media data presented to a user by a remote system in communication with the first system. The system may determine if it can provide subsequent media data to the remote system at a higher quality level than the current quality level. As one example, the system may identify a network connection with the remote system that supports providing the subsequent media data at the higher quality level to the remote system. The system may then obtain the subsequent media data at the higher quality level and send the subsequent media data at the higher quality level to the remote system.

In a dynamic network environment, various processing resources may freely enter and leave a network. Such resources may have superior or inferior service providing capabilities to other resources already present in the dynamic network. For example, a system providing relatively low quality audio service may enter a dynamic wireless network that includes one or more systems capable of providing a relatively high quality audio service. Also, for example, a system entering a dynamic wireless network may have the capability to deliver relatively high quality video, email, or numerical processing capability to a user. Additionally, for example, a system with access to relatively low quality information may enter a dynamic wireless network having a system resource with access to relatively high quality information.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Automatic quality of service based resource allocation


A loudspeaker comprising includes an enclosure, a driver element located within the enclosure and including a cone diaphragm, a first cavity defined by a first cavity wall and the cone diaphragm, the first cavity extending from the cone diaphragm and having a first opening which has an area less than an area of the cone diaphragm, an exit element extending from the first opening of the first cavity and acoustically coupling the first cavity to an environment outside of the enclosure, a second cavity, defined by a second cavity wall within the enclosure extending from a second opening in the first cavity, and an acoustic element in the second opening acoustically coupling the second cavity to the first cavity. The second cavity is not otherwise acoustically coupled to the environment outside of the enclosure.

This invention relates to loudspeaker design.
The frequency response of a loudspeaker characterizes the output spectrum of the loudspeaker in response to a stimulus. The frequency response is often analyzed in terms of a magnitude response and a phase response. In general, it is desirable for a loudspeaker to have as flat of a magnitude response as possible, meaning that no one frequency is significantly amplified or attenuated relative to the other frequencies.


An earth boring bit has sliding engaging surfaces between a cone assembly and a bearing pin. Micropores are formed in at least one of the engaging surfaces. Each of the micropores has a leading portion and a trailing portion. The leading portion is at a more gradual slope than the trailing portion. The micropores are located in a pattern of a greater density in a region of the engaging surfaces that operate at higher pressures than in other regions.

One type of earth boring bit utilizes cones that are rotatably mounted to bearing pins of the bit body. The cones have cutting elements on their exteriors. As the bit rotates, the cones rotate to cause the cutting elements to disintegrate the earth formation. The cylindrical portion of bearing pin and cylindrical cavity of the cone define a journal bearing. Thrust bearing surfaces are located between flat portions of the bearing pin and cone cavity. The bearing spaces between the cone and bearing pin are filled with a lubricant. A pressure compensator equalizes pressure of the lubricant with the hydrostatic pressure on the exterior. A seal assembly seals the lubricant within the bearing spaces.
A variety of seals have been employed in the past. One type of seal uses metal-to-metal sliding contact. The seal assembly has a stationary metal ring and a rotating metal ring with the rotating ring rotating with the cone. The faces of the rings slidingly engage each other. The seal assembly has an elastomeric member that urges the rings in engagement with each other.
The journal and thrust bearings comprise metal surfaces that slidingly engage each other. Inlays may be employed in areas of the bearing surfaces to enhance the life of the bearing. Various coatings and metallurgical treatments to the seal faces and bearings have been proposed. These coatings including metal films and diamond and diamond-like layers. These bits are often run to destruction. To obtain the longest possible life at a desirable rate of penetration, the seal assembly should not leak or fail and the bearings surfaces should not wear excessively before the cutting structure is worn out.
Though not to employed with earth boring bits in the past, one technique for enhancing seal and bearing life in general is to provide a pattern of micropores in one of the rotating surfaces. These micropores comprise small holes or dimples formed in a pattern throughout one of the sliding surfaces. Each micropore of the prior art type is symmetrical, having leading and trailing portions that are the same slope.

Micropore engagement surfaces for earth boring bit


A method for forming an X-ray exposure mask having an X-ray permeable film with a high visible-light transmissivity. The method includes the steps of forming an aluminum oxide anti-reflective film on an x-ray permeable film, placing an x-ray absorber on the anti-reflective film and etching with the x-ray absorber to form x-ray pattern.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to improvements in an X-ray mask and more particularly, to an X-ray mask having an X-ray permeable film made of SiC having a high visible-light transmissivity and also to a method for fabricating the X-ray mask.
2. Description of the Related Art
As higher integration in an integrated circuit is demanded, the importance of micro-processing techniques for circuit patterns, in particular, a lithography technique for forming a pattern on a sensitizer has been recently increased. These days, the lithography technique using visible light as a light exposure medium is used in mass production lines, but its resolution determined by the wavelength of the used visible light is approaching to its limit. Instead, an X-ray lithography technique enabling the remarkable improvement of the resolution in principle has been rapidly developed. In the X-ray lithography, an X-ray exposure mask having a predetermined pattern formed thereon is held parallel to a sample with a spacing therebetween of on the order of 10 .mu.m so that radiation of X-rays from behind the mask causes the mask pattern to be transferred onto the sensitizer on the sample with a unity magnification.
With such a unity magnification transfer system, since the dimensional and positional accuracies of the X-ray mask pattern reflect directly on the device accuracy, the X-ray mask pattern is required to have dimensional and positional accuracies corresponding nearly to 1/10 of the minimum linewidth of the device. For this reason, the feasibility of realizing such an X-ray lithography depends on the development of such an X-ray mask having a high accurate X-ray absorber pattern.
An X-ray mask generally comprises a ring-shaped mask substrate made of silicon or the like, such an X-ray permeable film formed on the mask substrate as a SiC thin film having a very small X-ray absorption factor, and a mask pattern formed on the X-ray permeable film and made of a material having a large X-ray absorption factor.
Such an X-ray mask is usually fabricated by such a method as shown in FIGS. 11(a) to 11(f).
More specifically, as shown in FIG. 11(a), first, a 1 .mu.m-thick SiC film (X-ray permeable film) 2 is deposited on a silicon substrate 1 as a mask substrate by a low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) method. The X-ray permeable film is required to be such a self supporting film having a tensile stress which can transmit X-rays therethrough and can be excellent in the permeability to alignment light (visible light). Reported so far as the material of such X-ray permeable film as to satisfy such requirements are BN, Si, SiN and diamond, in addition to SiC.
Thereafter formed on the back side of the silicon substrate 1 of the aforementioned resultant assembly is a Cr film 5 having an opening.
Next, as shown in FIG. 11(b), a 0.5 .mu.m-thick W film 7 is deposited on the SiC film 2. In this case, the X-ray absorbing material is required to have a large X-ray absorption factor at an exposure wavelength and also to be easy in micro-processing. In addition, since the X-ray absorber is present on the X-ray permeable film as thin as 1 .mu.m, it is indispensable that the internal stress of the X-ray absorber is as low as about 1.times.10.sup.7 N/m.sup.2. This is because of the fact that, when the stress of the X-ray absorber is large, this causes the X-ray permeable film to be deformed, which results in that a positional distortion takes place in the X-ray absorber pattern. To avoid this, a sputtering method enabling the stress control is employed to control the internal stress and achieve the desirable deposition.
As shown in FIG. 11(c), a supporting frame 9 made of silicon is then joined by a direct bonding method to the silicon substrate 1.
As shown in FIG. 11(d), pattern writing is carried out with use of an electron beam writing system to form a resist pattern 10.
Then, as shown in FIG. 11(e), the W film 7 is subjected to a patterning process by anisotropic etching with use of the resist pattern 10 as a mask.
Finally, as shown in FIG. 11(f), liquid phase etching with use of a solution of potassium hydroxide (KOH) is carried out over the silicon substrate 1 with the Cr film 5 used as a mask to make an opening having a diameter of 30 mm therein.
Meanwhile, it is necessary for the purpose of raising its X-ray transmissivity that the X-ray permeable film should be formed as very thin as about 1 .mu.m. To this end, in order to minimize the pattern positional distortion caused by the stress of the X-ray absorber pattern, the X-ray permeable film is made of an SiC material having a large Young's modulus and a large Poisson's ratio.
In such a circumstance, a very vital issue to be solved for the practical use of the X-ray mask having the X-ray permeable film made of the SiC material is the level of the visible-light transmissivity of the X-ray permeable film. In other words, since alignment between the X-ray mask and a wafer is achieved with use of a He-Ne laser, it is generally required that the X-ray permeable film has a transmissivity of more than 70% at a wavelength of 633 nm, though the transmissivity varies from X-ray stepper to X-ray stepper. However, the SiC and diamond films have actually transmissivities of about 50-60%. This is considered to result from the fact that the SiC or diamond film has a large refractive index of about 2.3-2.6 and also has a large reflection factor at the interface between air (or He atmosphere) and the X-ray permeable film. For the purpose of overcoming this, there has been suggested such a method that an anti-reflective film is coated on an X-ray permeable film to improve a visible-light tranmissivity (refer to Proceeding of The Fifty-first Meeting of The Japan Society of Applied Physics, p.455).
The requirements of the anti-reflective film are that the refractive index n of the film should be close to the square root of the refractive index of the X-ray permeable film and that the thickness of the film should be an odd-number multiple of .lambda./(4 n)(where .lambda. denotes wavelength). A film having a refractive index of about 1.5-1.6 is suitable as an anti-reflective film and thus an SiO.sub.2 film having a refractive index of 1.45 has been used. Further, for the purpose of minimizing the absorption by the anti-reflective film itself, the thickness of the film is set to be 109 nm (.lambda./4).
However, this proposal has been defective in that, since an X-ray absorber pattern of such heavy metal as W formed on the anti-reflective film is formed by a reactive ion etching process, the anti-reflective film is also subjected to the etching in this etching process. In more detail, during the etching of the X-ray absorber pattern, a micro-loading effect causes a slow etching rate for a fine pattern while causes a fast etching rate for a rough pattern, which means that an etching end point varies with the pattern dimensions. For this reason, when the anti-reflective film as the underlying layer of the X-ray absorber pattern is small in its etching resistance, the anti-reflective film as the underlying layer of the rough X-ray absorber pattern is also subjected to the etching at the end of the etching operation of the fine pattern, which results in that the film thickness is varied and thus a sufficient anti-reflective effect cannot be realized. In actual applications, a gas containing fluorine such as CF.sub.4 or SF.sub.6 is used as an etching gas for the etching of the W film and at the same time, it is used as the etching gas for the SiO.sub.2 film, thus resulting undesirably in a small selection ratio between the both.
For the purpose of avoiding this, there has been proposed such a method that an X-ray absorber pattern is formed and thereafter an anti-reflective film is coated on the X-ray absorber pattern. This method however has a problem that, since the anti-reflective film is also deposited even on the side walls of the X-ray absorber pattern, contrast at the edge portions of the pattern is reduced and thus it becomes impossible to obtain an abrupt resist pattern. In addition, since the anti-reflective film is formed after the formation of the X-ray absorber pattern, its stress control also becomes very difficult.
The above method has another problem that the X-ray permeable film has a surface roughness as large as 50 nm (p-v) while the anti-reflective film formed on the X-ray permeable film is as thin as about 109 nm as already explained above, so that the surface roughness cannot be improved remarkably and this inevitably involves the reduction of its transmissivity caused by surface scattering. For the purpose of making the X-ray permeable film smooth, it is considered to form a thick anti-reflective film, but this imposes a very difficult stress control requirement and also involves the influence of light absorption by the anti-reflective film.
Furthermore, even the formation of the X-ray absorber pattern involves a large etching problem.
More specifically, when it is desired to subject the W film with an X-ray absorber pattern of a 1 G DRAM level and having a minimum linewidth of 0.15 .mu.m to an etching process with use of the resist as an etching mask, for example, its aspect ratio becomes close nearly to 10. In such an etching as to have a large aspect ratio, a micro-loading effect becomes a serious problem. That is, since an etching rate become slow for a fine pattern and becomes fast for a rough pattern, the etching end point varies depending on the pattern dimensions. Further, the sectional shape of the pattern also varies with different pattern dimensions (dimension conversion difference becomes large). For the purpose of reducing the influences of the micro-loading effect, it is necessary to make small the thickness of the etching mask. Because of the small selection ratio between the resist and W film, an SiO.sub.2 film has been employed as a mask material other than the resist in some cases. However, its selection ratio is not sufficient still and the SiO.sub.2 film must be made nearly as thick as the W film. In addition, when the thick etching mask remains on the X-ray absorber, its stress becomes a serious problem.
In this way, in the etching of the X-ray absorber pattern, it is required to make the mask material as thin as possible.
This requirement becomes a big problem not only in the formation of the X-ray absorber pattern but also in the etching of a microfine pattern.
As explained above, in order to improve the visible light transmissivity of the conventional X-ray permeable film, the X-ray permeable film is coated with the anti-reflective film. However, since the anti-reflective film is small in the etching resistance to the etching conditions for the X-ray absorber, it has been impossible to achieve a sufficient anti-reflective effect.
Further, since the surface roughness of the X-ray permeable film is large, even when the anti-reflective film is coated on the X-ray permeable film, this disadvantageously cannot prevent the reduction of the transmissivity caused by the surface scattering and also cannot attain a sufficient anti-reflective effect.
Furthermore, it is highly difficult to form a thin mask material for the etching of a microfine heavy metal pattern and the etching of the microfine pattern requires the realization of a mask pattern having a large etching selection ratio.

X-ray mask, method for fabricating the same, and pattern formation method


A non-fouling, bypass filter is disclosed. The filter is formed of a tapered structure having particulate material filtering properties. The tapered structure has an open base and a closed top, with its exterior surface being exposed to a gas/fluid stream to be filtered. A gas/fluid stream generating device generates a gas/fluid stream that is drawn into the tapered structure's interior and that is filtered due to the particulate material filtering properties of the tapered structure. The external profile of the conically shaped structure is adapted to cause a plurality of gas/fluid streams from the ambient gas/fluid to flow against the exterior surface of the tapered structure to prevent the building up of particulate material on the exterior surface.

Devices for the movement of gases are widely utilized. The very first aircraft engines were piston driven propellers. They worked by coupling a piston engine to a propeller. Their simplicity lead to widespread adoption until jet engines were invented. Turbojet engines work by the principle of coupling a turbine to a fuel combination system. Spinning of the turbine compresses a fuel-air mixture which, when burned, provides thrust and torque to rotate the turbine. The first turbojet engines derived their thrust from exhaust leaving the engines. Modern variants of the turbojet engines include turbo prop and turbofan engines, which use torque generated by the exhaust to drive a propeller or fan in addition to compressing the fuel-air mixture. Rocket engines are possibly one of the oldest mechanical propulsion systems, and have not changed much since their inception. A rocket comprises a tube or cone in which sits (or into which is fed) a fuel oxidizer mixture. Expanding gas from combustion of this mixture creates thrust. Rockets, while offering the highest fuel-thrust ratio of any existing propulsion systems, cannot easily vary the amount of thrust they generate. Even adding an ability to turn a rocket on or off significantly complicates its design.
The correct explanation for the action of Crookes radiometer derives from work that Osborne Reynolds submitted to the Royal Society in early 1879. He described the flow of gas through porous plates caused by a temperature difference on opposing sides of the plates which he called "thermal transpiration." Gas at uniform pressure flows through a porous plate from cold to hot. If the plates cannot move, equilibrium is reached when the ratio of pressures on either side is the square root of the ratio of absolute temperatures. Reynolds' paper also discussed Crookes radiometer. Consider the edges of the radiometer vanes. The edge of the warmer side imparts a higher force to obliquely striking gas molecules than the cold edge. This effect causes gas to move across the temperature gradient at the edge surface. The vane moves away from the heated gas and towards the cooler gas, with the gas passing around the edge of the vanes in the opposite direction. Maxwell also referred to Reynolds' paper, which prompted him to write his own paper, "On stresses in rarefied gases arising from inequalities of temperature." Maxwell's paper, which both credited and criticized Reynolds, was published in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society in late 1879, appearing prior to the publication of Reynolds' paper. See, Philip Gibbs in "The Physics and Relativity FAQ," 2006, at math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/General/LightMill/light-mill.html.
Despite the descriptions by Reynolds and Maxwell of thermally driven gas flow on a surface dating from the late 19th century, the potential for movement of gases by interaction with hot and cold surfaces has not been fully realized. Operation of a Crookes radiometer requires rarefied gas (i.e. a gas whose pressure is much less than atmospheric pressure), and the flow of gas through porous plates does not yield usable thrust, partially due to the thickness and due to the random arrangement of pores in the porous plates.
Filters are commonly used to filter particulate and other material from a fluid stream such as, for example, a gas stream. Filters typically use fibrous materials to remove solid particles, such as, for example, dust, pollen, mold, bacteria, pollutants, etc., from an air or gas stream. The material used for filtration can include, for example, foam, pleated paper, spun fiberglass elements, cotton, etc. Chemical air filters use and absorbent, or catalyst, for the removal of airborne molecular contaminants, such as, for example, volatile organic compounds or ozone. Air ionizers use fibers or elements with a static electric charge, which attracts dust and other particulates.
In addition to air and gas, water and other fluids are also the subject of filtering. A water filter removes impurities from water by means of a fine physical barrier, a chemical process or a biological process. Filters cleanse water to various extents for irrigation, drinking, aquariums and swimming pools. Types of water filters include, but are not limited to, media filters, screen filters, sieve filters, disk filters, slow sand filter beds, rapid sand filters, cloth filters, etc.
Typically, filters must be serviced, or cleaned, on a regular basis to keep them from getting clogged. This is especially true when the filter is designed to filter out a high magnitude of particulates. A clogged filter can significantly restrict the fluid or gas flow, resulting in a breakdown of the filter and possibly the device or equipment to which it is attached. Additionally, the filter must be sized appropriately to handle the volume of fluid or gas it will receive so as to not unduly restrict the fluid/gas flow.

Apparatus and methods using non-fouling bypass filter


An image-forming method that comprises: a process of discharging a radiation-curable inkjet ink, which contains a photopolymerizable compound, a photopolymerization initiator, and a gelling agent and which undergoes a phase transition depending on the temperature, on a recording medium; and a process of curing the radiation-curable inkjet ink discharged on the recording medium by irradiating active radiation thereon. The method performs the irradiation with the active radiation so that the maximum illuminance at the surface of the recording medium is 2-5 W/cm2 and in the distribution of illuminance in the irradiated region at the surface of the recording medium in the direction of recording medium conveyance, the half-width of the illuminance is 20 mm or more. Using said image-forming method, productivity is high and images with excellent gloss homogeneity, surface curability and abrasion properties can be formed.

Inkjet recording methods enable simple and inexpensive image production and have therefore been used for printing of, for example, paints, adhesives, printing inks, circuit board materials, and electrical insulating materials on plastics, paper, woodwork, inorganic materials and other materials. As the inkjet recording method, UV-curable inkjet method is known wherein droplets of ink are landed on a recording medium and then cured by irradiation with ultraviolet rays to form an image. Recently, the UV-curable inkjet method has been attracting attention for its capability of forming images having high rubfastness and adhesiveness even on recording media which lack ink absorbing properties.
As UV-curable inkjet inks having high pinning properties, for example, inks have been proposed which contain a gelling agent and undergo temperature-induced sol-gel phase transition (see, e.g., PTL 1). Specifically, ink droplets that are in liquid state at high temperatures are discharged and landed on a recording medium, and at the same time are cooled for gelation on the recording medium, whereby combining of dots can be prevented.
On the other hand, as a light source for irradiating gelling agent-free UV-curable inks or radically polymerizable curable wax-containing UV-curable inks with ultraviolet rays, ultraviolet ray-emitting diodes (UV-LEDs) have been proposed (see e.g., PTLs 2 and 3).


A door handle assembly (10) to be mounted to a door, preferably a vehicle door, the assembly having a lock mechanism operating arrangement (11), made up of an operating handle (12) and an actuation lever (13), and a handle housing (14) to which the operating arrangement (11) is pivotally attached. To facilitate mounting of the door handle assembly to the door, the actuation lever (13) projects from the operating handle (12) at a predetermined fixed angle, and the actuation lever (13) is provided with an engagement surface (26) in the form of an open recess (31) directed away from the lock mechanism. The recess is intended to abut a portion (25) of actuation means (23) for the door lock when the door handle assembly is in its mounted state and the operating handle is displaced.

In the manufacturing industry it is a common goal to optimize assembly techniques so that components can be assembled to produce a product in a minimum number of steps using a minimum number of components. This is particularly true in areas such as the automotive industry in which the final products, that is, motor vehicles, are produced in large volumes from a vast number of components. Clearly, if the number of individual components can be reduced and/or their assembly simplified, large cost savings can be gained.
Particularly, but not exclusively, in the automotive industry, the assembly of inner door handles to doors has entailed a relatively protracted procedure which has not lent itself to automation. On a typical assembly line, the door is first fitted with its lock mechanism and actuator rod (or cable) before the inner door handle is mounted. The inner door handle is in the form of a door handle assembly comprising a lock mechanism operating handle which cooperates with the lock mechanism actuator rod by means of an actuation lever integral with the operating handle, and a handle housing to which the handle is pivotally attached. In order to allow the operating handle to cooperate with the actuator rod which is normally within the door, the side of the door to which the assembly is to be fitted is provided with an aperture through which at least the actuation lever of the operating handle can project The door is also provided with suitable apertures to accommodate the handle housing.
The mounting of a door handle assembly of the above described kind to a vehicle door will be described in the following description. Firstly, the assembly-line worker brings the door handle assembly to a position slightly spaced from the door. He then reaches through the aperture in the door and grasps the actuator rod. The rod is carefully inserted into a clip on the actuation lever and the entire door handle assembly is pushed into the aperture(s) in the door in a plane perpendicular to the door. Once positioned in this plane, the assembly is slid back and forth in a plane parallel to the door in order to take up any slack in the lock mechanism. This slack is a result of inaccurate tolerances during the fabrication of the door, fitting of the lock mechanism and positioning of the respective apertures for the door handle assembly Once the slack has been taken up, the door handle assembly is fixed in place by means of screws passing through the handle housing and cooperating with the door. As is common practice in the automotive industry, a decorative trim panel is then attached to the inner side of the door by means of screws or clips at predetermined locations. In order to allow the door handle assembly to be accessed for operation, the panel is provided with an aperture Due to the necessary parallel sliding motion of the handle assembly during its mounting, the aperture in the trim panel must be large enough to expose the door handle assembly in any of its possible fixation locations. As a result, a gap of several millimeters between the trim panel and the handle housing is exposed on at least one side of the housing. In order to cover this gap, a finishing bezel is then mounted around the handle housing.
One attempt to simplify the above-described mounting procedure is described in SU 1370-212-A. This document relates to a door handle assembly which includes an operating arrangement in the form of a grippable operating handle and an auxiliary actuation lever, both journalled to a housing. The actuation lever is a double-arm lever with one arm being elastic and arranged to bear against the operating handle while the other arm is provided with a pair of angled projections defining a slot. The slot is intended to grippingly accommodate an end of a lock mechanism actuator rod which is held in a predetermined position within the door. The actuation lever is so as to be able to rotate independently of the operating handle over an adjustable range of movement delimited by an adjustment screw carried by the actuation lever and interacting with the operating handle. The mounting procedure for such an assembly is the following.
The operating arrangement is pre-assembled to the housing and the adjustment screw is slackened off completely. As the assembly is introduced into the door, one of the pair of angled projections abuts the actuator rod so as to thereby cause the actuation lever to rotate with respect to the operating handle until the slot of the actuation lever is aligned with the rod. Further displacement of the assembly towards the door causes the rod to latch in the slot and to be held therein by the pair of projections. The assembly is fixed to the door and the adjustment screw is used for adjusting the relative position of the operating handle and actuation lever so as to return the operating handle to a position in which it is flush with the housing.
The above-described arrangement allows the door handle assembly to be mounted to the door as a result of a movement of the assembly in a direction substantially perpendicular to the door.
Whilst the arrangement according to SU 1370-212-A offers advantages over previous mounting techniques, it is not suitable for automation due to the need for adjustment of the relative positions of the operating handle and actuation lever once the assembly is affixed to the vehicle door. In addition, the handle construction is relatively complex and relatively close tolerances are required to ensure that the slot on the actuation lever will align itself with the actuator rod.


Super-automatic coffee maker for the preparation of espresso coffee continuously and with the possibility of selecting the quantity and type of espresso coffee desired, thus obtaining an espresso coffee of high quality and flavor. Machine comprising a vertical piston (2) adapted to press the coffee, ground in a grinder, into collection and brewing means (3), applicable in a removable way in the lower part of the coffee maker, in an underlying position and coinciding with said piston (2), to determine the espresso coffee which is then supplied through said means. At the end of each brewing, said collection and brewing means (3) are removed and the used pod contained in them is then ejected, and they are cleaned manually, with subsequent application of said means in the lower part of the machine, to perform a subsequent operating cycle.

The professional coffee makers currently used to prepare espresso coffee are the manual and super-automatic type and any type of coffee maker basically comprises a cupboard containing a water circulation circuit, supplied by mains water and attached at least to one heating boiler for the production of hot water and steam, wherein the water heating and steam temperatures are controlled by the thermostatic regulation at pre-set levels, said boiler being connected by means of circulation pumps and flow regulation valves, with a brewing unit, comprising a brewing chamber into which the ground coffee is first introduced, said unit communicating by means of an outlet pipe with an underlying collection container, so that the water heated in the boiler or in the exchanger to the pre-set and constant temperature is made to circulate by means of the circulation circuit and, passing through the dose of ground coffee, contained in the brewing chamber, obtains the espresso coffee, which is then supplied through the outlet pipe, reaching the underlying container.
The espresso coffee collected in the container may also be mixed with milk and possibly further heated with hot steam.
In these types of coffee maker, the coffee beans are ground beforehand in suitable grinders of the traditional type, which may be separated or incorporated into the coffee makers, so as to provide the ground coffee to introduce into the relative brewing unit of the coffee makers.
In particular, manual coffee makers are provided with at least one filter-holder element applicable in a removable way underneath the relative brewing unit of the machine and comprising a cup-shaped container provided with a filter and attached to an elongated support handle gripped by the operator, and the ground coffee is introduced manually into said cup-shaped container acting as the brewing chamber by the barman, in the desired quantity and before the brewing cycle, said ground coffee being pressed manually into the filtering cup before applying the filter-holder element underneath the brewing unit, and the brewing cycle is then started, wherein the heated water passes through the ground and pressed coffee and the filter meshes, thus obtaining the espresso coffee, which is supplied into the underlying container at optimum pressure for espresso.
Then, on completion of brewing, the filter-holder element is removed from the coffee maker and the used pod is ejected from the cup, by shaking or lightly striking the filter-holder element to detach the used pod, which is then discharged into special collection containers.
With these types of coffee makers it is therefore possible to obtain espresso coffee of high quality and flavour, grinding the coffee beans and pressing the ground coffee in the cup with suitable pressure and, if necessary, adjusting the pressure and the water temperature for the brewing step in an optimal manner based on experience, thus obtaining espresso coffee with highly satisfactory results.
The filter holder may be used immediately for a new brewing cycle, wherein a further dose of ground coffee is introduced into it for the preparation of another espresso coffee, and in this condition, as a result of heat conduction, the filter holder remains hot and allows a brewing cycle to be obtained in an optimal manner, with shorter heating time and therefore lower heating power.
These types of machines are particularly suitable for use in restaurants, bars and similar premises, since they prepare and supply high-quality espresso coffee at a high productivity rate, as a function of the requirements of individual users.
Unlike these manual coffee makers, the super-automatic coffee makers currently used are manufactured with several component parts realised and functioning in a slightly different manner, to allow continuous preparation of espresso coffee. In particular, in these super-automatic coffee makers, the grinder is always incorporated into the machines themselves and communicates with a vertical cylinder, housing a vertically sliding piston, controlled by an electric motor of the machine and movable from a lowered position to a raised position, and vice versa.
Said piston communicates with the hot water pipes fitted to the machine's boiler and act as presser and infuser, while the cylinder is provided with a collection cup of a dose of ground coffee. When the piston is moved into the high position, the collection cup is in the position communicating with the grinder outlet pipe and when the user selects a cup of coffee, the grinder is activated automatically and a dose of ground coffee is introduced into the collection cup. Subsequently, the piston is automatically and gradually lowered towards the cup containing the dose of ground coffee, so that, when the piston is in the completely lowered position, the dose of ground coffee is pressed against a corresponding striking block, with constant pressure which is independent of the quality of the espresso coffee to be obtained. Then, by means of the piston with the dose of coffee, the hot water is introduced through automatic opening of a solenoid valve inserted in the hot water pipes, with consequent passage of the hot water through the ground coffee and obtaining of a cup of espresso coffee, which is then supplied by means of a pipe to an underlying collection container. When brewing is completed, the hot water solenoid valve is automatically closed and the piston is once again moved into the high position, in which position an ejector cooperating with the cylinder cup is arranged, so that, in said position, said ejector acts against the used pod, ejecting it and discharging it into an associated collection container. The machine is thus prepared for a subsequent brewing cycle, which is performed with the same operating sequences.
In general, solutions exist in automatic machines wherein the movements of the piston and cylinder are inverted.
However, super-automatic espresso coffee makers thus realised do not allow an espresso coffee maker with the same quality features of manual machines to be obtained, both because the cylinder cup is the same for both single and double doses and because after ejection of each pod the cup is not cleaned precisely, with consequent mixing of the coffee residues of each cycle with the freshly ground coffee of a new dose, and obtaining of non-optimal brewing of this dose of coffee.

Automatic coffee maker for preparation of espresso coffee


Piece with a profiled shape having a hollow polygonal section along which an insulation-displacement and retaining slit for at least one wire is made. One face of the polygonal section is extended as a lug and curved toward the connecting piece, leaving a space intended to take a prong of an interconnection comb between the curved lug and the connecting piece. A connecting device comprising the piece, and an insulating casing.

The present invention relates to an insulation-displacement connecting piece able to be electrically connected to an adjacent connecting piece.
In the field of electrical connection apparatus, it is known practice to place electrical components, for example, junction blocks, next to each other, aligned. It is thus common to align a series of identical junction blocks on one and the same rail.
It is also known practice to interconnect electrical components such as junction blocks aligned next to each other. These electrical components generally comprise a host structure which may be formed by a female piece specifically designed to take a type of clip. Use is then made of a device called an interconnection comb which comprises several clips next to each other and electrically connected together. The comb is then plugged into the host structures for the aligned electrical components.
Where blocks for sensors/actuators are aligned on one and the same assembly rail, an interconnection has to be made between all the blocks in order to have a common electrical reference. There are therefore various solutions to ensure an electrical contact with an adjacent block.
One solution consists in providing each block on one face with a female connector and on its opposite lateral face with a male connector. Thus, by aligning the blocks next to each other, each male pin sits in a female connector, thus creating electrical continuity between the aligned blocks.
Another solution consists in assembling the various blocks on a base containing a rail which has been overmolded. An electrical connection with the overmolded rail is then provided at each block mounted on this base. A common potential is thus obtained for all of the aligned blocks.
These solutions of the prior art are all made with connections of the spring or screw type and are not designed for insulation-displacement connections.
However, application EP-0 109 297 has proposed an insulation-displacement connection block. Inside this block is placed a connecting piece which comprises a part in a profiled shape having a hollow rectangular section with two large faces and two small faces. One insulation-displacement slit for taking at least one wire is made along the two opposite small faces. Finally, the connecting piece has two lugs made in the extension of the two small faces and curved toward the inside of the polygonal part to allow the connection of a prong of an interconnection comb and a lug made in the extension of the large face and curved toward the small faces so as to define a space intended to take the prong of an interconnection comb.
Such a connecting piece does actually allow the use of an interconnection comb but has the drawback of having a structure which is complex and expensive to manufacture and of a relatively large size.
The need to have an insulation-displacement connecting piece which is of a smaller size and which has a low manufacturing cost is therefore apparent.
Thus, the object of the present invention is to provide an insulation-displacement connection terminal which can be easily connected to an adjacent connection terminal of the same type. This connection terminal will preferably be of minimal size.
For this purpose, the invention proposes an insulation-displacement connecting piece comprising a part in a profiled shape having a hollow polygonal section along which an insulation-displacement and retaining slit for at least one wire is made.
According to the invention, one face of the polygonal section is extended by a lug curved toward the connecting piece, leaving a space intended to take a prong of an interconnection comb between the curved lug and the connecting piece.
This solution means that it is possible to make a connecting piece which can be easily connected to an adjacent piece. Furthermore, it can be made with a small size while having a structure which is simple and easy to manufacture.
The face of the profile carrying the curved lug is preferably the face opposite to the insulation-displacement and retaining slit. However, it is possible to choose another face of the profile.
In a first embodiment, the lug is curved by about 90xc2x0 to face a section of the profile. This is either the section of the profile through which a wire to be connected is introduced, or the section opposite thereto. In order not to interfere with the introduction of the wire, the lug is chosen to be placed on the side opposite the side intended for the introduction of the wire. However, if a lower height is required, the other solution may be adopted.
To encourage a better electrical contact and to guarantee that there is an area of contact between an interconnection device and the connecting piece, the faces of the profile not carrying the edges of the insulation-displacement and retaining slit and not carrying the curved lug have, for example, a recess on the side by the curved lug. The contact is then made at the faces of the connecting piece carrying the edges of the insulation-displacement and retaining slit.
In another embodiment, the lug is, for example, curved by about 180xc2x0 to face the face of the profile which carries it.
To encourage a better electrical contact, the curved lug advantageously has, close to its free end, a boss projecting toward the connecting piece.
To encourage the introduction of a prong of an interconnection comb between the curved lug and the connecting piece, the free end of the curved lug is advantageously inclined with respect to the general direction of the lug and away from the connecting piece.
The present invention also relates to a connecting device for at least one wire, comprising a conducting connecting piece with an insulation-displacement and retaining slit and an insulating casing having a housing in which the conducting connecting piece is immobilized, and provided, on the one hand, with a substantially parallel oblong opening situated facing the slit and, on the other hand, with an opening which is possibly coincident with the oblong opening, intended for the passage of a prong of an interconnection comb, wherein the conducting connecting piece is a connecting piece as described above.
In this connecting device, the casing additionally comprises, for example, an opening made in the extension of the profiled part of the connecting piece intended for the passage of the end of an external tool designed to enable a wire to be introduced into the insulation-displacement and retaining slit. A connection can then be made using a tool as described, for example, in document EP-0 265 321.

Insulation-displacement connecting piece able to be connected to an adjacent connecting piece


A system and method is provided wherein a device can be reprogrammed utilizing one or more programming symbols. A device subject to reprogramming can be a portable device. In one embodiment a device subject to reprogramming can be a portable symbol reading device capable of reading programming symbols.

With the proliferation of portable devices such as portable data terminals (PDTs), portable data assistants (PDAs) and cellular telephones it has become necessary to share information between portable devices or between a portable device and a host device. In a typical application, a portable device is docked to a docking station in communication with a host such as a PC. The PC is then actuated to transfer a computer file to the portable device, or the portable device is actuated to transmit a computer file to the host.
Formatted computer files or "formatted files" as referred to herein are available in a variety of different file formats. Execution files are available in the .EXE format. "Script files" are available in such formats as .BAT, .JS, and .VB. Text files are available in the format .TXT and image files are available in such formats as .PDF, .TIF, .JPG, .BMP and .PNG. Audio files are available in such formats as .MP3, .WAV and .AVI and .MID .XML is a computer file format that can support execution files, scripts files, text files, image files, audio files, or combinations of the above types of files. These types of files may be stored in a file system such as Intel's Persistent Storage Manager (IPSM) System. Certain types of files including dynamic link libraries (DLLs), executable programs, and critical data files can be stored as part of a devices operating system, also referred to as a kernel.
In portable devices, data is typically transferred from or to a portable device on a "file by file" basis. For example, an execution file (.EXE) may be downloaded from a host to a PDA. An image file (.JPG) may be uploaded from a cellular phone to a host. File by file copying methods utilize the operating systems of both the sending and receiving device.
During copying of a file in one of the above formats from a sending device to a receiving device, an operating system of the sending device must establish contact with the receiving operating system, specify the name and type of the file to be transferred, break the file down into manageable size packets, and transmit the packets across the previously established connection. The operating system of a receiving device accepts identifying information from the sending operating system, assesses available memory space location, and stores the data into such memory location that are otherwise not in use. Thus, while a "file by file" transfer of data allows for a highly selective copy of information from one device to another, the process is time consuming, especially if several files have to be transferred.
"Assembly line" methods for transferring data to portable devices are faster than a file-by-file transfer of data. In a typical back room method for programming a portable processor equipped device, a cable is hooked into a device motherboard and a memory content including a boot loader, an operating system (or "kernel") and a file system is "flashed in" to the device. However, such back room methods of programming require additional expensive hardware (such as a compact flash Ethernet interface), do not offer flexibility of programming options, often require intimate familiarity with proprietary program code, and are not available to a customer who purchases a finished product.
A manager in an application in which several portable devices require a system upgrade (e.g., a kernel upgrade) must send the devices back to the manufacturer for upgrading or must undertake time consuming reprogramming processes.
There is a need for a method transfer of information from and between portable devices, which is high speed, flexible, and which can be utilized by the purchaser of a finished portable device to execute system upgrades including file system and kernel upgrades.
In all of the above reprogramming methods, a set up of a communication device is required. For example, if the reprogramming is to be accomplished via a hard wire connection, a cable such as a USB or Ethernet cable may be interposed between a host and a device, and appropriate communication interfaces utilized. If the reprogramming method is to be accomplished via a wireless connection, a transceiver needs to be configured to be in communication with a specific point of a computer network. The above methods rely on the integrity and proper set up of communication devices to be successful. Reprogramming may fail if there is a problem in a communication device at any of several points of a computer network.

Reprogramming system and method for devices including programming symbol


A new cultivar of Xerochrysum named ‘KLEBB08392’ particularly characterized by a very early flowering response, clear yellow inflorescences, stable and healthy foliage, and an upright, compact and harmonic growth habit, is disclosed.

The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of Xerochrysum, botanically known as Xerochrysum bracteata(previously Bracteantha bracteata), and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name 'KLEBB08392'. 'KLEBB08392' was discovered as a seedling resulting from a cross in Summer 2005 in Stuttgart, Germany between the proprietary female Xerochrysum parent, 'W 156' (unpatented) and the proprietary male Xerochrysum parent, 'W 007' (unpatented). A single plant selection was subsequently chosen for further evaluation and for asexual propagation.
The new cultivar was first propagated in May 2006 by vegetative cuttings in Stuttgart, Germany and has been asexually reproduced repeatedly by vegetative cuttings in Stuttgart, Germany over a two and one-half-year period (approximately 4 to 5 generations). 'KLEBB08392' has been found to retain its distinctive characteristics through successive asexual propagations.
Plant Breeder's Rights for this cultivar have been applied for in Canada on Mar. 31, 2008. 'KLEBB08392' has not been made publicly available more than one year prior to the filing date of this application.


A metal-coated particle is prepared by providing a disintegrator apparatus with a working chamber containing counter-rotating disks equipped with teeth design to accelerate particles towards one another, providing a first material and a second metal as powders, such that the first material is harder than the second metal and introducing the first material and second metal powders into the working chamber of the disintegrator apparatus, whereby the soft second metal collides with the hard material and is coated onto the surface of the hard first material. A metal-coated metal with an intermetallic interface is prepared by introducing a first material and a second metal as powders into a disintegrator working chamber containing counter-rotating disks and teeth designed to accelerate particles towards one another. The first material harder than the second metal and is capable of reacting with the second metal to form an intermetallic compound. The disks of the disintegrator are counter-rotted so as to cause the metal powders to collide with each other, whereby the hard metal powder is mechanically coated by second metal. The rate of rotation of the counter-rotating disks are further increased in a high velocity process whereby high local temperatures generated on impact cause a reaction to occur at the first material/second metal interface to form an intermetallic compound.

The present invention relates to coated particles and a method for their preparation. The present invention further relates to thermally reactive powders used in flame spraying processes.
Thermally reactive powders are used to deposit adhesive films, coatings with superior properties (including wear resistant, corrosion resistant and electrical resistant), as well as the manufacture of monolithic products, for example, by the method of self-propagating high temperature synthesis (SHS).
The intense heat generated during the thermally reactive process accelerates the rate of the redox reaction between the components of the composite powder (for example, between aluminum and nickel or iron). Moreover, the reaction can either take place in the whole volume of the powder or spread from one part of the volume to another.
As a result of the reaction, depending on the contents of the gaseous phase, intermetallics, oxides or other compounds are formed. The reaction can take place either in the liquid or the gas phase. Composite powders made by this process have an unusual range of properties and are unique in their strength, ductility and resistance to oxidation over a broad range of temperatures.
The close proximity of the two metal species to one another is important to achieving a smooth continuous reaction. One way of obtaining the close contact of the two materials is to coat one with the other.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,338,699 and 3,436,248 disclose metal-coated metals prepared by coating the core metal with a paint composed of an organic binder and powders of the second metal. However, the coating does not adhere well and impurities (decomposition products for the organic binder) are introduced into the powder during the thermal reaction.
Coating a core metal with salt solution of the second metal followed by thermal decomposition of the metal salt has been used to obtain metal-coated metals. Decomposition of the deposited metal salt results in gas evolution and precipitate formation, thus compromising the quality of the metal coating. Degradation of the metal salt layer in the presence of hydrogen leads to cleaner decomposition products, however, impurities still remain.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for preparing particles with a variety of coatings. It is a further object of the present invention to prepare thermally reactive powders in the form of metal-coated metals. It is a further object of the invention to prepare such powders free of impurities and additives with optimal adhesion between the metal coating and metal core.

Method for coating particles using counter-rotating disks


A method for controlling one or more vehicle lights of a vehicle during execution of a vehicle function based on image analysis is provided. The method includes receiving instructions to analyze one or more images captured by a camera supported by the vehicle. The method also includes transmitting instructions to a vehicle light system including the one or more lights positioned within a vicinity of the camera. The instructions causing a change in a current state of the one or more lights to a temporary state. During the temporary state, the method includes receiving one or more images from the camera, and identifying one or more reference points within the one or more images.

Trailers are usually unpowered vehicles that are pulled by a powered tow vehicle. A trailer may be a utility trailer, a popup camper, a travel trailer, livestock trailer, flatbed trailer, enclosed car hauler, and boat trailer, among others. The tow vehicle may be a car, a crossover, a truck, a van, a sports-utility-vehicle (SUV), a recreational vehicle (RV), or any other vehicle configured to attach to the trailer and pull the trailer. The trailer may be attached to a powered vehicle using a trailer hitch. A receiver hitch mounts on the tow vehicle and connects to the trailer hitch to form a connection. The trailer hitch may be a ball and socket, a fifth wheel and gooseneck, or a trailer jack. Other attachment mechanisms may also be used. In addition to the mechanical connection between the trailer and the powered vehicle, in some examples, the trailer is electrically connected to the tow vehicle. As such, the electrical connection allows the trailer to take the feed from the powered vehicle's rear light circuit, allowing the trailer to have taillights, turn signals, and brake lights that are in sync with the powered vehicle's lights.
Some vehicles may be equipped with a trailer reverse assist functionality that aids the driver in maneuvering the trailer while driving the tow vehicle backwards. In some examples, the vehicle is equipped with a trailer knob that gives the driver the sensation that he/she is steering an attached trailer directly while backing up rather than steering the vehicle rearwards resulting in pushing the trailer rearwards. As such, a trailer reverse assist functionality gives the driver the intuitive feel when the driver is driving in the rearward direction and turning the knob to one direction, then the trailer turns to the same direction. This results in a simpler and easier way to maneuver the trailer while backing up. When the vehicle is connected to the trailer, the driver usually manually enters the length of the trailer, in addition to several other trailer parameters, allowing the tow vehicle to better maneuver the trailer in both forward and rearward directions and to allow the trailer reverse assist functionality to be activated. In some examples, the tow vehicle activates the trailer reverse assist (or any other trailer reverse function). Once activated, the trailer reverse assist requires knowledge of trailer parameters including the relative angle of the trailer 'αT' to the host/towing vehicle, and the hitch to center trailer axis length LT.
The current state of the art method to input these trailer parameters involves measuring lengths manually and applying a specific sticker (or target) to the trailer which is designed for sensor system to detect. Optionally, the trailer parameters may be learnt by other means of image processing. Current systems require rear-view cameras to detect a target sticker on the trailer; other systems require the camera to track the trailer by means of reference/tracking; points or edges. Therefore, a problem arises for these systems when there is not enough light present on the trailer for the system to detect the trailer or the sticker on the trailer.

Illumination for camera based automotive trailer function


A chip includes a dedicated scheduler, a general scheduler, and a plurality of hardware accelerators. The hardware accelerators are connected, at least one hardware accelerator is connected to the dedicated scheduler, and at least one hardware accelerator is connected to the general scheduler.

A wireless local area network (WLAN) technology is a popular wireless communications technology, and WLAN technical standards have been updated for many generations. When launching new WLAN chips, to ensure competitiveness, chip manufacturers hope that the new WLAN chips are compatible with existing technical standards and existing devices are fully used, and that the new WLAN chips support updates of the technical standards.

Updatable wireless local area network (WLAN) chip


A self-leveling cementitious mixture with excellent flow properties and which hardens with a controlled rate of strength development to an ultra-high compressive strength composite composition for use in making articles such as cementitious armor panel with ballistic and blast resistant properties including: a continuous phase resulting from the curing of an aqueous mixture, in the absence of silica flour, of inorganic cement binder, inorganic mineral filler having a particle size of about 150-450 microns, pozzolanic mineral filler, polycarboxylate based self-leveling agent and water. The cementitious mixture may include alkanolamine, such as triethanolamine, and acid or acid salt, such as tartaric acid. The cementitious composition may be reinforced with reinforcing fibers, e.g. glass fibers, in an amount of about 0.5-6.0% by volume of the overall cementitious composition. The fibers are uniformly dispersed in the cementitious composition before it is cured to form a final cementitious armor panel.

Fiber reinforced cementitious compositions containing hydraulic cement, inorganic mineral fillers and pozzolans as well as chemical additives like plasticizers and water dispersants have been used in the construction industry to form the interior and exterior walls of residential and/or commercial structures. However, a drawback of such conventional panels is that they do not have sufficient compressive strength to provide a high degree of resistance to ballistic and blast loads and other severe impacts.
Current practice for producing ultra-high strength cementitious compositions relies upon efficient particle packing and extremely low water dosage for achieving ultra-high material strength. As a consequence of the raw materials utilized to achieve dense particle packing and the extremely low water usage in these compositions, the cementitious mixtures have extremely stiff Theological behavior with dough like consistency in the freshly mixed state. The stiff consistency makes these mixtures highly unworkable and extremely difficult to process in conventional manufacturing processes for making thin cement-based products and composites.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,158,082 A to Belousofsky discloses a laminated cement based structure with a fiber glass skin that is impact resistant and may use Portland based cements.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,948,429 to Arfaei discloses a cementitious composition containing portland cement, sand, fumed silica and a polyether.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,997,630 to Angelskar discloses TEA and tartaric acid.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,119,422 B1 to Clear discloses an impact resistant strong structural cementitious building panel with outer facing of fiberglass reinforcing mesh where the composite cementitious has an aggregate core with inner and outer faces of fiberglass mesh.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,309,457 Guerinet et al. discloses a self-leveling cement composition that includes Portland cement, silica sand of maximum 10 mm size or 0-5 mm size, or a blend of 0-0.4 mm and 0-5 mm size; fine mineral aggregates such as fly ash or silica flour having dimensions of less than 200 microns, preferably less than 100 microns; a first plasticizer which is a water-soluble or water-dispersible organic compound containing at least one aminodi(alkenephosphonic) group; and a second water-soluble or water-dispersible plasticizer which is of the polycarboxylic acid type and contains polyether chains. Example 1 indicates a compressive strength in 28 days of 32 MPa (about 4600 psi).
U.S. Pat. No. 6,437,027 to Isomura et al. discloses a cementitious composition containing portland cement, silica sand of less than 5 mm size; and polycarboxylate polyether of 0.01-2.5 wt. %.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,620,487 to Tonyan et al., incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, discloses a reinforced, lightweight, dimensionally stable structural cement panel (SCP's or SCP panels) capable of resisting shear loads when fastened to framing equal to or exceeding shear loads provided by plywood or oriented strand board panels. The panels employ a core of a continuous phase resulting from the curing of an aqueous mixture of calcium sulfate alpha hemihydrate, hydraulic cement, an active pozzolan and lime, the continuous phase being reinforced with alkali-resistant glass fibers and containing ceramic microspheres, or a blend of ceramic and polymer microspheres, or being formed from an aqueous mixture having a weight ratio of water-to-reactive powder of 0.6/1 to 0.7/1 or a combination thereof. At least one outer surface of the panels may include a cured continuous phase reinforced with glass fibers and containing sufficient polymer spheres to improve nail ability or made with a water-to-reactive powders ratio to provide an effect similar to polymer spheres, or a combination thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,849,118 to Kerkar et al. discloses a cementitious composition containing Portland cement, silica sand of 0 to 6 mm size; and polycarboxylate polyether (ADVA plasticizer).
U.S. Pat. No. 6,858,074 to Anderson et al. discloses a cementitious composition containing portland cement, silica sand, fumed silica, accelerator, retarder, and polycarboxylate high range water reducing dispersant.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,875,801 to Shendy et al. discloses a cementitious composition containing portland cement, sands, fumed silica and polycarboxylate polyether of 0-2 wt %.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,942,727 Daczko et al. discloses a high early strength cementitious member that includes Portland cement; fine aggregate such as silica sand, the fine aggregate are materials that almost entirely pass through a Number 4 sieve, coarse aggregate such as sand, the coarse aggregate are materials predominantly retained on a Number 4 sieve); silica fume pozzolan; 0.025-0.7% polycarboxylate dispersant which can be a polyether based on dry weight of cement; and structural synthetic fibers. The cementitious member can be used to make wall panels. The cementitious member can exhibit 24 hour compression strength greater than 10,000 psi; however these compositions do not contain a pozzolan.
U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2002/0004559 to Hirata et al. discloses a cementitious composition containing portland cement, sands, fumed silica and polyethers of more than 0.5% wt. e.g. 2 wt. %.
U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2004/0149174 to Farrington et al. discloses a cementitious composition containing portland cement, sands, fumed silica and polycarboxylate of 0.01-0.2 wt %.
U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2004/0198873 to Bury et al. discloses a cementitious composition containing portland cement, silica sand, fumed silica and polycarboxylate of 0.02-2 wt %.
U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2004/0211342 to Sprouts et al. discloses a cementitious composition containing portland cement, silica sand, fumed silica and polycarboxylate of 0.1-2 wt %.
U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2004/0231567 to Dulzer et al. discloses a cementitious composition containing portland cement, sand, fumed silica and polycarboxylate of 0.1-10 wt % of the total dry cementitious binder.
U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2005/0239924 to Lettkeman et al. discloses a cementitious composition containing portland cement, fine sands, fumed silica and polycarboxylate of 0.05-2.5 wt %.
U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2005/0274294 to Brower et al. discloses a cementitious composition containing portland cement, fine sands, fumed silica and polycarboxylate of 1-4% wt.
U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2006/0281836 to Kerns et al. discloses a cementitious composition containing portland cement, fine sands, fumed silica and polycarboxylate.
U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2006/0174572 to Tonyan et al., incorporated herein by reference, discloses non-combustible reinforced cementitious lightweight panels and metal frame system for shear walls.
U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2007/0125273 to Pinto discloses a cementitious composition containing portland cement, fine sands, fumed silica and polycarboxylate such as 1-2 wt. %.
U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2007/0228612 A to Durst et al., incorporated herein by reference discloses blast resistant concrete also suitable for limiting penetration of ballistic fragments.

Self-leveling cementitious composition with controlled rate of strength development and ultra-high compressive strength upon hardening and articles made from same


The present invention relates to a method for screening an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof by using cells bearing magnetic beads and, more particularly, to a method for screening an antibody binding specifically to an antigen protein or an antigen-binding fragment thereof, in which cells having biotinylated phospholipids in the cell membranes thereof and a streptavidin-magnetic bead complex fused to the surfaces thereof, and a magnetic-based system are utilized.

In 1975, technology for developing monoclonal antibodies began with hybridoma technology. Hybridoma technology is technology for selecting monoclonal antibodies by inducing an immune response in mice and then fusing B cells with myeloma cells and maintaining an immortal state. This technology involves obtaining a mouse antibody and thus has a side effect in that the mouse antibody is recognized as an antigen, when applied to humans, thus causing an immune response. This is called "HAMA" (human anti-mouse antibody response) (Tiandra J. J. et al., Immunol. Cell Biol., Vol. 66, pp. 367-76, 1990).
In order to overcome the side effects, a chimeric antibody and a humanized antibody were developed by applying a technique that transforms mouse antibodies, similar to human antibodies. However, there are still problems in that immune responses occur and development time is considerably long.
Phage display technology for expressing proteins or peptides on the surfaces of bacteriophages was developed in 1985. Phage display is a method of producing a phage library having various antibody fragments and using the phage library for antibody selection, and is continuously used by developers owing to the fast selection speed and relatively simple application thereof.
Antibodies are selected through a method of selecting, recovering and amplifying antibody fragments specific to a desired antigen using the phage library, which is called "biopanning". There are various typical methods of panning, including panning using recombinant proteins, cell panning, magnetic bead-based panning, panning in vivo, and panning using tissue (McGuire M. J. et al., Method Mol. Biol., Vol. 504, pp. 291-321, 2009).
Panning using recombinant proteins is generally used, but disadvantageously has a limitation of an antibody library for a specific antigen and requires a purified antigen with high purity. With the purified protein, it is difficult to realize post translation modification (PTM) of the protein, so even if an antibody is discovered, it may not actually work in vivo.
To overcome this, cell panning was developed, and it has become easier to develop antibodies that bind to specific membrane proteins (G protein coupled receptors, ligand-gated ion channels, receptor tyrosine kinases, and immunoglobulin-like receptors). This method uses a native form of cells as antigens and thus is capable of selecting antibodies in a form realizing the three-dimensional structure and the PTM of the protein.
However, cell panning is labor-intensive and may exhibit great difference among users in experiments. Thus, there is a need for next-generation cell panning that is capable of solving and overcoming these problems.
Various diagnostic and therapeutic antibodies have been developed to date through phage display, and high-speed mass screening system methods fused with an automated system are also being developed in order to establish a rapid and accurate panning method.
Accordingly, as a result of extensive efforts to develop a method for screening antibodies at a high speed and high volume, the present inventors found that antibodies can be selected at high speed, sensitivity and accuracy while reducing side effects by screening an antibody library using a magnetism-based system and cells containing magnetic beads and antigenic proteins, thus completing the present invention.
The information disclosed in this Background section is provided only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the present invention, and therefore it may not include information that forms the prior art that is already obvious to those skilled in the art.

Magnetic-based biopanning method through attachment of magnetic bead to cell


A retainer having an elongated body secures one end of a cargo-engaging strapping to a wall anchor of a cargo transport unit wall. In operation, a loop is formed in the strapping and passed from a first side of the anchor to a second side, where the retainer is inserted within the loop, such that the loop engages a portion of a strapping-engaging surface of the retainer body. Then the loop is pulled toward the anchor until the retainer seats against the anchor. Finally, the portion of the strapping extending from the first side is pulled toward the second side, whereby a loose end of the loop is secured against the anchor. The retainer prevents strapping slippage along the anchor, which preserves the tension in the strapping and prevents the cargo from shifting and becoming damaged. The retainer also allows for improved application and removal of the strapping.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to a retainer and method for securing cargo, using strapping, onto cargo transport units having wall anchors. A retainer is used with strapping and a wall anchor to decrease the occurrence of strapping slippage and potential subsequent cargo damage. The retainer also provides for decreased application and removal time and a safer removal process. The method uses a retainer to quickly secure cargo and to prevent strapping slippage and potential subsequent cargo damage. Special application is found for this approach in securing wide rolls of printing paper transported by boxcar.
2. Description of Related Art
According to standards issued by the Association of American Railroads ("AAR") in publications such as General Information Series No. 681; "Wide Roll Printing Paper Secured by 1½″ Wide Polyester Cord Straps in Cushion Equipped Boxcars," which is hereby incorporated herein by reference, wide rolls of printing paper transported by boxcar are to be secured with a plurality of 1.50 inch wide polyester cord straps which are secured to the boxcar sidewalls by wall anchors or lading tie anchors. One end of a strap is wrapped around a wall anchor three times and knotted, in order to prevent disengagement of the strap from the anchor. Once the rolls are loaded, the straps from opposite sides of the boxcar are joined together and tensioned with a buckle to securely grip the rolls.
One problem with the above-described process is that there can be slippage and stretching of the polyester straps. Sudden movements of the boxcar cause lading such as the rolls of this AAR standard to exert substantial force on the lading, which applies force against the polyester straps. If not properly secured, the lading will shift. When the knot system is used, this applied force causes the knots to tighten and slip. Eventually, the knots slip toward the wall anchors and become tightly wedged between the anchor and the wall. As a result of this slipping, several inches of slack are added to the straps and they cease to tightly grip the lading, which allows the lading to more easily shift, become damaged, or even fall.
Another problem with using knots to secure the polyester straps is that the initial application process is lengthy, as is the removal process. According to AAR standards, the strap must be wrapped around the wall anchor three times before it is knotted. This can require constant readjustment to ensure that a proper length of strap extends beyond the anchor, such that it can be tied in a knot. The removal process is even more lengthy, because the knots become wedged behind the anchors and must be removed with a knife or similar cutting instrument or the knot and strap can be burned off. In most instances, a ladder must be used to reach the higher straps and it is especially time-consuming and cumbersome, if not dangerous, to use a knife or fire to remove the knots while standing on a ladder.
Accordingly, a general object and aspect of the present invention is to provide a cargo-securing device for use with strapping and existing wall anchors of a cargo car or other cargo transport unit.
Another object or aspect of this invention is to provide a cargo-securing device which reduces the amount of cargo damage resulting from strapping slippage caused by knots tightening, stretching, and slipping behind wall anchors and the like during transport.
Another object or aspect of this invention is to provide a cargo-securing device which can be easily and safely applied and removed from the strapping and wall anchors for securing the strapping.
Another object or aspect of this invention is to provide a cargo-securing device which is sufficiently simple and inexpensive to be disposable.
Another object or aspect of this invention is to provide a cargo-securing method which eliminates the need to use a knot to secure strapping to wall anchors for transport of cargo such as wide rolls of printing paper in a boxcar or the like.
Other aspects, objects and advantages of the present invention, including the various features used in various combinations, will be understood from the following description according to preferred embodiments of the present invention, taken in conjunction with the drawings in which certain specific features are shown.

Strapping retainer for lading and method for using the same


A siderail support mechanism with multiple locks and an impact release feature is configured to positively lock in an upright deployed position, but is adapted to release upon imposition of a longitudinal impact load such as that caused by striking a stationary barrier.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to support mechanisms for hospital bed siderails. In one of its aspects, the invention relates to a locking mechanism for siderail support mechanisms. In another of its aspects, the invention relates to a siderail support mechanism with an impact release feature.
2. Description of Related Art
Four-bar link siderail support mechanisms require being locked in various positions. It is important that the siderail stay locked for patient safety.
It is also known that patients are transported throughout the hospital on beds with siderails in the upright deployed position. Occasionally, the bed will come too close to the side of a door opening, causing the siderail to strike the doorjamb. This impact has the potential to damage either the bed or the doorjamb, or both.
It would be advantageous to provide a siderail locking mechanism that securely locks the siderail in the upright deployed position, but that is also capable of non-destructively releasing when struck by a longitudinal impact load such as that imposed by a collision with a stationary barrier during hospital transit.


A non-electronic rangefinder assembly has a rectangular block, a bracket, and a means for coupling to a riser of a bow. The rectangular block features a selection of markings, including notches, in the body that correspond to distances to a target for predetermined targets. The rectangular block may be removed from the bracket (attached to the bow riser) to allow other rectangular blocks, corresponding to other targets, to be attached to the bracket for use.

The art and practice of archery has existed for thousands of years. Every archer is faced with the necessary challenge and obligation of being skilled at determining the distance from their location to that of their intended target to be optimally successful in hitting that target. Due to the physical nature of the release and flight of the arrow, should an archer plan an arrow flight trajectory for 35 yards, and the target is 40 yards away, this discrepancy can, and will, generally lead to the archer missing the target completely. Modern advances in technology and archery tools have made the practice of judging target distance much easier, and more accurate, yet these modern aids still have limitations and will not work in every target encounter. Problems with current range-finding technology and tools include: imprecise measurements, especially due to not being draw specific (bowstring); limited ranging distance (generally only up to 50 yards); limited position utilization; limited adjustability of the range-finding instrument; and limited breadth of application for specific animal and object targets. Furthermore, today's electronic rangefinders can be hampered by clouded and/or fragile lenses, operating malfunctions, errors or inconsistencies, the requirement to have power (e.g., batteries), and general level of expense and upkeep. Accordingly, there is a need for a rangefinder that does not require a power source, that does not require a lens, is not complex to use, and that is inexpensive. The present invention seeks to solve these and other problems.


Over-voltage indicator and related circuit and method. The over-voltage indicator can work with an I/O circuit of a chip for detecting over-voltage in an I/O pad and providing an indication signal accordingly. When over-voltage does not happen, the over-voltage indicator continues to detect a signal level of the I/O pad and keeps the indication signal low. Once over-voltage is detected, the over-voltage indicator pauses detecting, asserts a high level in the indication signal, and periodically resumes detecting until end of over-voltage is detected. With informing provided by the indication signal, a core cell of the chip can perform proper operation to reduce potential damage caused by over-voltage.

System circuits like chips, integrated circuits (ICs) and system-on-chip (SOC) have become the key hardware components in modern information society. Generally speaking, a chip has a core circuit and an I/O circuit. The core circuit implements main functions of the chip, e.g., logic operations, signal processing/conversion, coding/decoding and data management. The I/O circuit handles input/output signal exchange with external circuits through pins and pads of the chip, such that the core circuit can communicate with external circuits. Because the I/O circuit directly interfaces external environment (external circuits), the I/O circuit must has a certain level of tolerance for variety of external environments.
Please refer to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art I/O circuit 10 in a system circuit S0. The system circuit S0 can be a chip, and an internal circuit 12 can be a core circuit of the chip or a pre-driver for signal outputting. The I/O circuit 10 includes a buffer 18 for driving output signal. The buffer 18 is set between the internal circuit 12 and an I/O port (labeled as I/O in FIG. 1), where the I/O port is a pad (pin) of the chip. The information outputted by the internal circuit 12 can be transmitted to the I/O circuit 10 in the form of the input signals IP and IN (which are usually a pair of differential signals), then the buffer 18 can drive an output signal DP at the I/O port according to the input signals IP, IN; and thus information of the internal circuit 12 can be outputted.
Since the I/O port directly interfaces external environment (e.g., a printed circuit board or another chip), signal level at the I/O port is easily affected by external environment. For example, over-voltage may happen at the I/O port. That is, because of unexpected short-circuit or other reasons, voltage level at the I/O port may rise abnormally, even rise above the operation bias voltage of the I/O circuit 12. To reduce affection of over-voltage, the buffer 18 has an additional stacked transistor Mc, and the I/O circuit 10 also includes an n-well pull-up circuit 16 and a gate tracking circuit 14 for over-voltage protection. The n-well pull-up circuit 16 connects to the I/O port for responding over-voltage by providing a signal VNW and a gate signal GT according to voltage at the I/O port. The gate tracking circuit 14 connects between the internal circuit 12 and the buffer 18 for controlling electrical connection between the internal circuit 12 and the buffer 18.
As shown in FIG. 1, the buffer 18, the gate tracking circuit 14 and the n-well pull-up circuit 16 of the I/O circuit 10 are biased between operation bias voltages VCCA (a positive voltage) and GNDA (ground). The buffer 18 has two transistors Md1, Md2 and the stacked transistor Mc. The transistors Md1, Md2 drive the output signal DP at the I/O port, and the stacked transistor Mc locates between the transistors Md1, Md2. Note that the bulk of the transistor Md1 is biased by the signal VNW. The n-well pull-up circuit 16 includes transistors Ma1-Ma3; the gate tracking circuit 14 has transistors Mb1, Mb2 forming a transmission gate and another transistor Mb3. The bulk of the transistor Mb2 and the source of the transistor Mb3 are also biased by the signal VNW. That is, the three p-channel transistors Md1, Mb2 and Mb3 have their n-well bulks biased by the signal VNW.
Normal operation (when over-voltage does not happen) of the internal circuit 12 and the I/O circuit 10 can be described as follows. In normal operation, signal level at the I/O port should be alternating between the operation bias voltages VCCA and GNDA. Then, in the n-well pull-up circuit 16, the transistors Ma2, Ma3 are off (with their gates biased at voltage VCCA), the gate signal GT remains a low level (close to voltage GNDA), and the transistor Ma1 is on to keep the signal VNW high (close to voltage VCCA). In the gate tracking circuit 14, voltage at the node Np1 should also alternate between the operation bias voltages VCCA and GNDA, so the transistor Mb3 is off (with it gate biased at voltage VCCA), the transistor Mb1 is on and the transistor Mb2 is also on (with its gate biased by the low gate signal GT), so the node Np2 can be conducted to the node Np1 allowing the signal IP (from the internal circuit 12) to be transmitted to the buffer 18 for normal signal outputting.
On the other hand, when over-voltage occurs at the I/O port, the voltage level at the I/O port rise above the operation bias voltage VCCA; for example, the operation bias voltage VCCA is 3.3V, and voltage level at the I/O port may rise to 5V because of unexpected external environment change (like short-circuit). Under over-voltage circumstance, because the voltage level at the I/O port (i.e., level of the signal DP) rises above the voltage VCCA, the transistors Ma2, Ma3 in the n-well pull-up circuit 16 start to turn on. The turned-on transistor Ma3 makes the signal GT rise close to the over-voltage level of the signal DP, and also turns off the transistor Ma1. Similarly, the turned-on transistor Ma2 pulls the signal VNW close to the over-voltage level of the signal DP.
In the buffer 18, the voltage levels at the node Np3 and the bulk of the transistor Md1 both rise close to the over-voltage signal DP, so the transistor Md1 is off. The transistor Mc is on such that the node Np4 has a level close to a voltage (VCCA−Vth_Mc), where Vth_Mc is threshold voltage of the transistor Mc. In this way, over-voltage at the node Np3 will not directed feed into the node Np4, and then the transistor Md2 is protected.
In the gate tracking circuit 14, the transistor Mb3 turns on with its source signal VNW rising above the operation bias voltage VCCA due to over-voltage and the voltage level at the node Np1 is pulled close to the over-voltage level of the signal DP. For the transistor Mb2, over-voltage levels at its gate (biased by the signal GT), its bulk (biased by the signal VNW) and the node Np1 make the transistor Mb2 off. In this way, over-voltage will not damage the internal circuit 12 through the node Np2.
However, the prior art I/O circuit 10 in FIG. 1 has some disadvantages while performing over-voltage protection. For example, when over-voltage happens, reliability of the transistor Mb2 can be damaged. As described above, during over-voltage event, the transistor Mb2 has over-voltage at its gate (biased by the gate signal GT), its bulk (biased by the signal VNW) and the node Np1. At this time, if the internal circuit 12 happens to send a low IP signal to the node Np2, gate oxide of the transistor Mb2 will suffer a great voltage difference across the node Np2 (with a low level voltage) and the gate (with an over-voltage signal GT). This over-voltage voltage difference usually can reach a level close to breakdown voltage of the gate oxide of the transistor Mb2, and thus make the transistor Mb2 vulnerable. The aforementioned reliability concern also addresses anther disadvantage of the prior art: the prior art over-voltage protection technique can not inform the internal circuit 12 of incoming over-voltage, leaving no room for the internal circuit 12 to properly response the over-voltage events.