A film transporting apparatus comprises a bi-directional motor adapted to rotate in a first direction and a second direction opposite the first direction; a driving gear connected to the bi-directional motor and adapted to rotate in a first direction and a second direction in response to rotation of the bi-directional motor in its first direction and its second direction, respectively; a first gear; a displaceable gear coupled to the driving gear and adapted to rotate around the driving gear along a predetermined path between a first position disengaged from the first gear and a second position engaged with the first gear in response to the driving gear rotating in its first direction and its second direction, respectively; and a mechanism for controlling the rotation of the displaceable gear between the engaged and disengaged positions. The film transport apparatus is characterized in that the controlling mechanism includes a device for creating a frictional force along the predetermined path to control the rotation of the displaceable gear around the driving gear along the predetermined path and to hold the displaceable gear in its engaged and disengaged positions.

Conventional photographic equipment generally includes a transport apparatus including a mechanism to wind-up a photographic film onto a take-up spool and a mechanism to rewind the photographic film into a photographic film supply apparatus. The transport apparatus also includes a single electric motor having a drive force transmitted to the wind-up mechanism and to the rewind mechanism. Gear trains associated with the wind-up mechanism and the rewind mechanism are common part of the way, then branch off into two routes and the drive force of the motor is transmitted selectively to one of the mechanisms by the use of swing gears or the like.
Various U.S patents disclose photographic equipment having a swing gear type of device for selectively engaging either of two gears, or two gear trains, that, in turn, drive respective film supply and take-up spools. U.S. Pat. No. 4,688,763 issued Aug. 25, 1987 to Wakabayashi et al. is typical of these swing gear devices. The patent illustrates a swing gear attached to an arm which rotates so that the swing gear selectively engages a gear coupled to winding-up means and a gear coupled to rewinding means respectively.
Another U.S. patent which discloses a patent having a swing gear type of device is U.S. Pat. No. 2,906,184 issued Sep. 29, 1959 to W. Hennig et al. This patent discloses a gear mounted to a lever. The lever pivots so that the gear meshes with another gear during film advance. A spring, which insures mesh engagement between the two gears, is attached at one end to the lever and the other end to a frame.

Apparatus for transporting photographic film


A resonator type silencer in which the resonance frequency is variable in accordance with engine speed of an automotive engine. The silencer is comprised of a casing connected through a neck section to a duct through which intake air or exhaust gas flows. A cylindrical rotatable member is disposed in the casing and rotatably supported on a rotatable shaft, forming an annular space between it and the inner peripheral surface of the casing. A stationary partition wall is fixedly disposed inside the cylindrical rotatable member and extends radially. A movable partition wall is disposed in the casing and extends from the rotatable shaft to the cylindrical rotatable member. The movable partition wall defines, in cooperation with the stationary partition wall, a tuning chamber inside the cylindrical movable member. A movable blocking wall is disposed in the casing to block the annular space thereby to define a peripheral passage in communication with the neck section. A part of the cylindrical rotatable member is cut out to form a communication with the peripheral passage. The cylindrical rotatable member is driven to rotate in accordance with engine speed, thereby changing the length of the peripheral passage communicating with the neck section and the volume of the tuning chamber to alter the resonance frequency of the silencer.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to improvements in a resonator type silencer whose resonance frequency is variable to attenuate noise generated in an engine throughout a wide range of engine operating conditions, and more particularly to the resonator type silencer in which at least the volume of a tuning chamber is changeable by rotationally moving a control mechanism.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A variety of resonator type silencers have been proposed for installation in the intake system or the exhaust system of an automotive internal combustion engine. Such silencers are usually arranged to attenuate noise which is generated by the engine at a predetermined frequency under a resonance effect. The silencers have problems in that they cannot deal with intake or exhaust system noise whose frequency varies throughout a wide engine operating range, for example, high to low engine speed conditions.
In view of this, it has also been proposed to change the dimensions of a resonator section of the silencer in relation to the resonance frequency, for example, the volume of the tuning chamber of the resonator. However, changing the dimensions is usually accomplished by linearly moving a control mechanism, requiring a complicated driving device for the mechanism. This renders the silencer large-sized, while requiring a large space in the intake or exhaust system.


The invention relates to a validation device comprising at least one specular reflective layer, indicia on said reflective layer, a polymer protective layer overlaying said indicia, and a polymer protective layer on the side of the reflective layer opposite to said indicia wherein said indicia are formed by thermal dye transfer.

The proliferation of transaction cards, which allowed the cardholder to pay with credit rather than cash, started in the United States in the early 1950s. Initial transaction cards were typically restricted to select restaurants and hotels and were often limited to an exclusive class of individuals. Since the introduction of plastic credit cards, the use of transaction cards have rapidly proliferated from the United States, to Europe, and then to the rest of the world. Transaction cards are not only information carriers, but also typically allow a consumer to pay for goods and services without the need to constantly possess cash, or if a consumer needs cash, transaction cards allow access to funds through an automatic teller machine (ATM). Transaction cards also reduce the exposure to the risk of cash loss through theft and reduce the need for currency exchanges when traveling to various foreign countries. Due to the advantages of transaction cards, hundreds of millions of cards are now produced and issued annually, thereby resulting in need for companies and individuals to protect against forgery and theft.
Initially, the transaction cards often included the issuer's name, the cardholder name, the card number, and the expiration date embossed onto the card. The cards also usually included a signature field on the back of the card for the cardholder to provide a signature to protect against forgery and tempering. Thus, the initial cards merely served as devices to provide data to merchants and the only security associated with the card was the comparison of the cardholder signature on the card to the cardholder signature on the receipt. However, many merchants often forget to verify the signature on the receipt with the signature on the card.
Due to the popularity of transaction cards, transaction cards now also include graphic images, designs, photographs and security features. One security feature now incorporated is a diffraction grating, or holographic image, which appears to be three dimensional and which substantially restricts the ability to fraudulently copy or reproduce transaction cards because of the need for extremely complex systems and apparatus for producing holograms. A hologram is produced by interfering two or more beams of light, namely an object beam and reference beam, onto a photoemulsion to thereby record the interference pattern produced by the interfering beams of light. The object beam is a coherent beam reflected from, or transmitted through, the object to be recorded, such as a company logo, globe, character or animal. The reference beam is usually a coherent, collimated light beam with a spherical wave front. After recording the interference pattern, a similar wavelength reference beam is used to produce a holographic image by reconstructing the image from the interference pattern. However, forgers have developed counterfeiting methods. One response to the increased prevalence of counterfeiting has been to produce holograms of increasing complexity, but this has also led to increased cost. Other approaches have relied upon the use of covert images and special authentication or verification equipment, e.g., a laser, to enable the detection of such images, but such equipment has often been expensive and difficult to use. Thus, there is a continuing need in the art for secure articles that are extremely difficult to counterfeit, that can be cost-effectively produced, and that can be easily and inexpensively authenticated or verified under field conditions.
The transaction card industry started to develop more sophisticated transaction cards that allowed the electronic reading, transmission, and authorization of transaction card data for a variety of industries. For example, magnetic stripe cards, smart cards, and calling cards have been developed to meet the market demand for expanded features, functionality, and security. In addition to the visual data, the incorporation of a magnetic stripe on the back of a transaction card allows digitized data to be stored in machine readable form. As such, magnetic stripe reader are used in conjunction with magnetic stripe cards to communicate purchase data received from a cash register device on-line to a host computer along with the transmission of data stored in the magnetic stripe, such as account information and expiration date. The magnetic strips are susceptible to tampering, have a lack of confidentiality of the information within the magnetic stripe, and have problems associated with the transmission of data to a host computer.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,468,379 (Naito et al.) discloses a thermal donor and receiver where a security layer could be transferred as a donor layer to the thermal substrate. This forgery preventative layer could contain special decorative effect, hologram layer, a diffraction grating, or florescent materials. This layer would most likely be placed over the thermal image making it susceptible to scratches, wear, and tampering. Furthermore, the diffraction grating and hologram are easily be copied by new reproduction methods available.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,881,196 (Phillips) discloses The use of Wavelength filtering in the cladding layers using interference coatings and colorants produces waveguide modes of different colors. While it is a quick and simple way of testing for authenticity, the color shift may be produced by different means making it vulnerable to counterfeiting. It is desirable to have the light exiting the waveguide in more than one area of the device to make counterfeiting more difficult.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,446,865 (Holt et al.) discloses a badge that is illuminated with a visible wavelength of light and is reflected by a retroreflective film. An imaging system detecting the reflected light from the retroreflective film on the badge and detecting the reflected light from the physical characteristic of the person wearing the badge. The two imaging systems are a Sequential Laser Raster Scanning System and a Simultaneous CCTV Image Frame Freeze System. While this invention provides a high level of security, a machine is required to read the information and determine the authenticity of the ID card. The imaging system would be cost prohibitive and would be very difficult to be made into a portable authenticating system. It would be desirable to have an easily viewable way of detecting the authenticity of a security document and to have a device that had both optical and electrical means of authentication.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,291,150 (Camp at al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,948,719 (Koike et al.) disclose the use of a metallic layer in silver halide imaging elements. Silver halide is very sensitive to metals in sensitizing the emulsion and in processing the images. The metal can cause fogging or can leach out and contaminate the processing chemistry forming defects on the finished image. Silver would be the most suitable metal because it is also in the silver halide imaging emulsion, but even silver could create contamination and printing issues. Other metals are generally excluded because of the possible reaction and sensitization of the silver halide. It would be preferable to use a printing technology what is not restricted in the use of reflective layers. There is also a possibility of delamination of the metal and the photosensitive layer during, before or after development because of poor adhesion to the metal layer. Furthermore, Camp and Kiole used substantially uniform blanket coatings of metal. It would be more useful to have a patterned metal coating for a security application because it more difficult to counterfeit, copy, or scan. The inventions only utilize the optical properties of the metallic layer. Metallic layers have other unanticipated features and there remains a need in the industry for a feature to have both electrical and optical security elements.

Security device with specular reflective layer


A plastic pallet has improved strength characteristics by the use of bosses arranged so as to avoid forming hinge lines in the deck. The arrangement is generally non-symmetrical about any axis of the deck. The bosses can be of varying sizes and varying depth.

This invention relates to pallets for use in transporting and storing goods. More particularly, the invention relates to twin sheet thermoformed plastic pallets having increased load handling capabilities.
Pallets have been constructed of various materials including wood, steel, and plastic. Wood pallets have problems of inadequate strength and limited life expectancy in use. Steel pallets, while having increased strength characteristics, are not suited to wet or corrosive environments. Both wood and steel pallets can be of considerable weight and neither are easily recycled, resulting in an additional cost for disposal at the end of their useful life.
Plastic pallets have been gaining increased acceptance due to factors such as the high strength to weight ratio, resistance to corrosion, and durability. While numerous techniques for producing plastic pallets are known, it has become increasingly popular to thermoform plastic pallets especially with the technique known as twin sheet thermoforming as discussed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,583,036 to Brown, 3,787,158 to Brown, and 3,925,140 to Brown.
Twin sheet plastic pallets are designed to take maximum advantage of the materials used. Efforts have been to maximize the load carrying capacity of the pallet, namely to meet its expected use by maximizing the load capacity for the given amount of material used in forming the pallet. The prior art contains pallets having linearly extending channels or ribs which are formed into the pallet to increase stiffness, see e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 3,187,691. These ribs or channels can have an undesirable effect of allowing bending or hinge moments to occur along the length of the rib, i.e. the material may flex about an axis determined by the length of the rib or channel. Attempts to counteract this have been to place parallel linear channels in one surface of the deck and a series of parallel channels running at an angle to the first series of channels in the lower surface of the deck, e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 3,610,173. Other efforts to increase the structural strength of the pallet have included use of non-linear protuberances or bosses formed in repeating symmetrical arrangements across the surface of the deck. The bosses do not have a substantially linear component in the surface of the deck and therefore no single boss makes a significant contribution to a bending or hinge moment across that single boss. See, e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 4,879,956.


A new and distinct variety of evergreen shrub holly distinguished in that it combines from three species (Ilex rugosa, I. integra, and I. pernyi), as well as exhibiting desirable landscape and production traits which distinguish it from other forms of Ilex. Plants of the new variety exhibit a moderately vigorous rate of growth, develop a dense, self-compacting, moderately broad conical form of moderate size, possess small, shiny, dark green leaves with a beautiful finely rugose surface and non-spiny margins (consumer friendly) with bright red fruit displayed on wood of the previous season's growth, and are outstanding for their high level of winter hardiness.

The new cultivar is a result of a formal plant hybridization program conducted during the past forty-five years with many different species of Ilex for the purpose of developing new cultivars that are superior and/or novel to Ilex cultivars current in the trade, and thus of high potential for commercial distribution. The important selection factors in this instance include superior winter hardiness, high vigor, excellent and novel foliage characteristics, and attractive fruit display.
To our knowledge, plants of the combination of these three species have not been previously reported.


An LED display unit disclosed. A plurality of pixels are provided on an insulation substrate. Each pixel comprises vertically arranged green, red, and blue LEDs, wherein the green LED is above the red LED, and the blue LED is below the red LED. Each pixel is positioned in a corresponding one of cavities defined in a predetermined pattern on the insulation substrate, and each cavity provides a light reflection surface on the inner wall.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a full-color type light emitting diode display unit (hereinafter referred to simply as an xe2x80x9cLED unitxe2x80x9d), and more particularly to an LED display unit which is expanded in light distribution angle, and is increased in luminance while improving Quality of mixed colors and white balance.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a result of successful production of high luminance blue LEDs, it becomes possible to manufacture a full-color display unit wherein three primary colors of blue, red, and green are used. A large-sized display wherein such LED display units are used has been manufactured, and such a large-sized display is fixed to, for example, the wall of a building or the like, so that it attracts walkers"" eyes. Meanwhile, high luminance of green LEDs has been also realized recently, whereby full-color display units became possible to be fabricated by the use of the same number of LEDs as those of red and blue LEDs. In this connection, a larger number of green LEDs have been heretofore used than those of red and blue LEDs.
LED display unit is classified generally into the following two types.
(1) Large-sized Display
One dot is formed by utilizing a plurality of cannon ball-shaped LED lamps each having different luminescent colors, one module to display one Chinese character is composed by horizontally and vertically arranging 16xc3x9716 lamps (=256 dots), and a plurality of the modules are horizontally and vertically arranged. The resulting large-sized display is principally employed for display of information on the wall of a building or along an express-highway.
(2) Small- to Medium-sized Display
One dot of a cannon ball-shaped LED lamp is formed by employing a plurality of LED chips each having different luminescent color, one module is composed by horizontally and vertically arranging 16xc3x9716 lamps (=256 dots), and a plurality of the modules are horizontally and vertically arranged. The small- to medium-sized display is principally employed for display of information on schedules in a train station yard.
In such a full-color type LED display unit as described above, a plurality of LED chips or a plurality of LED lamps each having different luminescent color are used for pixels, so that the following characteristics are required.
(1) Excellent quality of mixed colors
(2) Excellent white balance
(3) Wide light distribution angle
(4) High luminance
FIGS. 1A and 1B show a cannon ball-shaped LED wherein a plurality of the LED chips are used. The LED lamp 4 is one employed principally for a small-to medium-sized display, and made from a resin which is added with a light diffusing material. The LED lamp 4 comprises a lens 40 for sealing three LED chips 20G (green), 20R (red), and 20B (blue); and leads 41 for connecting the LED chips 20G, 20R, and 20B to wiring patterns of a printed-circuit board.
FIG. 2 shows an LED display unit in which the LED lamps 4 are used to be arranged in matrix. The LED display unit is constituted by horizontally and vertically arranging 16xc3x9716 LED lamps 4 (=256 dots) on a printed-circuit board 10. In this LED display unit, for preventing short circuit of wiring patterns on the printed-circuit board caused by close arrangement of leads of the LED lamps 4 on the printed-circuit board, the LED chips 20G, 20R, and 20B are obliquely arranged to widen the interval of the leads 41 of the LED lamp
FIG. 3 is a graphical representation showing results obtained by measuring light distribution angle of the LED display unit in the Axe2x80x94A direction in FIG. 2, wherein the abscissa indicates the light distribution angle, and the ordinate indicates relative luminance based on the maximum luminance of 1. As is apparent from the figure, all the three colors have a relative luminance of xc2xd or more in the region xe2x80x9caxe2x80x9d, and at least one of the colors has a relative luminance of xc2xd or more in the regions xe2x80x9cb1xe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cb2xe2x80x9d. On the other hand, all the three colors have a relative luminance of {fraction (1/10 )} or more in the region xe2x80x9ccxe2x80x9d. From the above results, the contents displayed on the LED display unit can be viewed in the range xe2x80x9ccxe2x80x9d of approximate 90xc2x0.
In the conventional LED display unit, howevers, there arises color collapse, and particularly, luminance of green is low in the region xe2x80x9cb1xe2x80x9d, while it is high in the region xe2x80x9cb2xe2x80x9d, so that sufficient white balance cannot be obtained, since three colors of LED chips have been obliquely arranged. Furthermore, although red color is hard to mix with either blue color or green color, the relative luminance of both blue and green is positioned on the upper and lower sides of the relative luminance of red color in the regions xe2x80x9cb1xe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cb2xe2x80x9d, so that good quality of mixed colors cannot be obtained.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an LED display unit which is expanded in light distribution angle, and is increased in luminance while improving quality of mixed colors and white balance.
According to the first aspect of the invention, an LED display unit comprises: a plurality of light emitting diode (LED) pixels arranged in a predetermined pattern to display a predetermined image;
each of the plurality of LED pixels, comprising: a green LED, a red LED, and a blue LED vertically arranged in a row, such that the green LED is above the red LED, and the blue LED is below the red LED.
According to the second aspect of the invention, an LED display unit, comprises: an insulation substrate provided with a plurality of cavities defined in a predetermined pattern on one surface thereof, a reflection surface being formed on an inner wall in each of the plurality of cavities: and
a plurality of light emitting diode (LED) pixels positioned in the plurality of cavities to display a predetermined image;
each of the plurality of LED pixels, comprising: a green LED, a red LED, and a blue LED vertically arranged in a row, such that the green LED is above the red LED, and the blue LED is below the red LED.


Embodiments of the present disclosure provide compounds derived by Troger's amine as shown below, microporous structures, membranes, methods of making said compounds, structures, and membranes, methods of use for gas separation, and the like (Formula A1).

Gas separation is an emerging technology with a rapidly developing market containing applications like air separation for oxygen or nitrogen enrichment as well as acid gas removal and hydrocarbon recovery from natural gas streams. As such there exists an urgent need for improved compositions and methods of synthesizing compounds that can be used in gas separation and other applications.

Troger's base-based monomers, and polymers, methods of making and uses thereof

KING ABDULLAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY


A transmission oil sump comprises a main oil compartment, in which a suction line of an oil pump is located, and a secondary oil compartment. The secondary oil compartment is in fluid communication with the main oil compartment via an opening. To prevent the introduction of air during rapid acceleration, cornering at high speeds and/or rapid deceleration of the vehicle, a barrier closes the opening to prevent the flow of oil out of the main oil compartment into the secondary oil compartment so that the oil level, required for the oil pump in the main compartment, remains adequately high. When not closed, the opening of the secondary oil compartment is open to ensure oil flow from the secondary oil compartment to the main oil compartment. The secondary oil compartments is arranged so as to collect oil that leaks from transmission components.

In vehicle transmissions the oil level existing in the transmission oil sump varies due to the dynamics of the vehicle, in particular due to speed changes. In extreme driving situations such as an ABS braking process, or when starting off with maximum acceleration or when cornering at high speed, the oil level in the transmission oil sump can vary to an extent which, disadvantageously, results in undesired introduction of air.
From DE 7304197 U an oil sump accessory for blocking through-flow passages by means of a back-flow of oil is known, which comprises a plate with a plurality of openings in which check-flaps are provided, to close the openings. In this way the oil below the accessory is retained and introduction of air by the oil pump in the transmission oil sump is avoided.
With this design situations can arise in which, due to extreme accelerations, the oil collects axially in one part of the transmission oil sump, and this in turn can lead to air introduction.
From JP 2005248991 A, a transmission oil sump is known, in which a baffle plate is provided which defines a main transmission oil compartment and an adjoining transmission oil compartment, and the transmission oil sump has a rotating component arranged in the adjoining transmission oil compartment. In this case the baffle plate is designed in such manner that it enables oil to flow from the adjoining transmission oil compartment into the main transmission oil compartment by virtue of a pumping action produced by the rotating component.
Disadvantageously, the design known from JP 20055248991 A entails higher costs and greater effort for its production and assembly.
From DE 1927174 A, a means for maintaining the oil level in a sump is known, comprising baffles arranged transversely to the driving direction, in which a baffle provided with one or more openings, extends to a height substantially above the oil level when the motor is horizontal, and is in close contact with the bottom and sidewalls up as far as a residual opening that acts as a bypass. In this case the openings can be blocked by a movable flap with a horizontal pivot axis at the top, arranged on the side of the baffle that faces toward the oil inlet grid. With this design oil can disadvantageously flow through the residual opening, particularly during prolonged situations of rapid vehicle deceleration or acceleration, and this too can result in the introduction of air.


A method and a system for changing operator display data on a display unit/electronic label located on a carrier in a Surface Mount Technology (SMT) system performing the steps of providing a carrier in the form of a bin or trolley configured to carry a plurality of bin load units, wherein said carrier comprises a display unit/electronic label; receiving or retrieving input data related to said carrier and an ongoing or upcoming SMT job; presenting display data on said display unit/electronic label based on said received input data; and scanning at least one barcode associated with or arranged on said carrier.

Surface Mount Technology is now the preferred method of automated production of electronic printed circuit boards. Machines for pick-and-place mounting of components on a substrate, such as a Printed Circuit Board (PCB), or a substrate for a System in Package (SiP) component are subject to different, often contradictory demands, such as mounting speed, mounting precision, size, prize, etc. The expression "pick and place" is understood by the person skilled in the art as describing the very mounting operation where a mounting head is moved to a component feeder area, where the mounting head picks one or more components from one or more of the component feeders from a component tape reel, and then is moved to a mounting area where the mounting head places the component or components on the substrate.
In conventional solutions, the SMT operator uses a job planning computer to obtain all instructions to complete the next step in a loading, kitting or changeover work or replenishment work process. In performing one of the above jobs, the SMT operator moves back and forth between the job planning computer and a storage area where component tape reels and carriers such as bins and trolleys are stored. The location of components tapes reels and carriers, e.g. bins or trolleys, may often result in downtime of the SMT pick and place machine. After a completed pick-and-place job, the SMT operator returns components tape reels from the SMT pick and place machine to the Surface Mount Device (SMD) warehouse or a Shelf Storage Unit.

Method, system and device for providing information on a display arranged on a carrier in a surface mount technology system


A control system of a vehicle automatic transmission in which an engine load and a vehicle speed are detected and used to determine a vehicle acceleration in accordance with the pre-established characteristics. An actual vehicle acceleration is at the same time calculated in response to the detected vehicle speed. The difference therebetween is then calculated and the calculated value is added to a difference calculated earlier to obtain an average therebetween. Five gear shifting scheduling maps, for example, one for moderate hill climbing, one for level-road running, one for steep hill descent, are pre-established and in response to the average obtained, one of the maps is selected. A gear shifting is controlled based on the selected map. In a pre-determined condition, such as when the engine load changes abruptly, braking is in progress and so on, the map selection is suspended and the control is carried out using the map selected earlier.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a control system for a vehicle automatic transmission, and more particularly to a control system for a vehicle automatic transmission which improves the gear shift control characteristics during hill climbing and descent.
2. Description of the Related Art
Most control systems for vehicle automatic transmissions use a gear shift scheduling map prepared in advance and the gear to be selected is determined by retrieval from this map using as address data an operating condition parameter indicating the engine load (e.g. the throttle opening) and an operating condition parameter indicating the vehicle speed. However, the gear shift map is based on the most commonly encountered driving conditions and is therefore not always able to provide the best gear shift characteristics under special conditions, as when driving up or down hill, for instance. A system that has been proposed for overcoming this problem is that taught by Japanese Patent Publication No. Sho 59-8698. This improved system uses separate gear shift scheduling maps (gear shift diagrams or programs) for different road profiles--one for level-road driving, another for up-hill driving, and so on. A calculation is made based on operating condition parameters such as the throttle opening and vehicle speed for predicting the value of an index of the running resistance of the vehicle on a level road. A concrete example of the index is the vehicle acceleration. The predicted acceleration is then compared with the actual acceleration calculated from the vehicle speed, and the gear to be selected is determined from the gear shift scheduling map based on the result of the comparison.
Control of this type requires the vehicle acceleration (more generally the index of running resistance) to be calculated from the engine load and other parameters with a high degree of accuracy. However, time lags in the air intake system, fuel supply system, drive train and the like produce a time lag between the occurrence of a change in engine load and the time when this change appears in the power output torque. The length of this time lag is particularly large when the engine load changes rapidly. Since it is therefore impossible to determine the index of running resistance with high accuracy during rapid changes in engine load, the gear shift control is apt to become inappropriate.
Such a difficulty in determining the index of running resistance with high accuracy also arises when a brake pedal is depressed, since engine output torque decreases in response to the braking force. Also the same will happen when gear shifting is in progress, i.e., when application and release of gear clutches takes place, or when any apparatus such as an air conditioner is equipped with which is to be driven by the vehicle engine, since engine output torque is partially consumed by the apparatus. The same also occurs when drive wheels slip which makes a vehicle speed different from a true value if the vehicle speed is detected from the rotational speed of the drive wheels. Or when range gear positions "D, D3, 2, . . . " are being switched therebetween, gear shift control characteristics will then be changed so that running resistance would be unstable.
It is therefore one object of this invention to provide a control system for a vehicle automatic transmission which overcomes the aforesaid drawbacks of the prior art system and is able to prevent erroneous control based on erroneous determination of the index of running resistance.
The prior art system also has shortcomings in that the need to predict the vehicle acceleration separately for each gear position makes them intrinsically complex and in that the method it employs for switching between different gear shift characteristics in response to the difference between the predicted and actual accelerations is apt to result in instable control in which the control value changes frequently, particularly during times when the vehicle operating conditions change rapidly.
It is therefore another object of the invention to provide a control system for a vehicle automatic transmission which eliminates these disadvantages of the prior art system.
Moreover, as mentioned above, braking will affect the determination of the index of running resistance. As regards the braking, due to a clearance between a brake disc and a brake pad or due to a play of a brake pedal, there is a time lag in the brake pedal depression and braking force resulted therefrom and thus, the braking force remains for a period after the brake pedal was released. The braking signal is frequently used in many controls including automatic transmission control and since it is expensive to prepare a sensor which can detect braking condition through hydraulic pressure of an brake oil, for example, such a sensor is usually used to detect braking condition as is turned on when a brake lamp is switched on or when the brake pedal is depressed. As a result, when the latter type of sensor is used, it could erroneously detect that braking condition ends at a time when the brake pedal is released.
It is therefore further object of the invention to provide a control system for a vehicle automatic transmission which eliminates the aforesaid shortcomings.
Further, as mentioned earlier, the index of running resistance could not be determined accurately when gear shifting is in progress. On the other hand, if a vehicle stops temporarily during hill descending and then starts once again, gear should preferably be shifted up to the top in a short period when vehicle continues rapid acceleration. Therefore, if the gear shift control is discontinues each time gear shifting is in progress, upshifting could be delayed, resulting another problem.
It is therefore still further object of the invention to provide a control system for a vehicle automatic transmission which solves the problem just mentioned above.
Furthermore, slippage in drive wheels could bring a problem in determining the index of running resistance accurately as referred to earlier. A traction control system is often introduced to control engine output in a situation such as the drive wheel's slippage. And if the traction control system is provided with and if the traction control system operates frequently, a road on which the vehicle travels could be quite different from that the aforesaid gear shift scheduling maps do expect.
It is therefore still further object of the invention to provide a control system for a vehicle automatic transmission which copes with a traveling condition in which the traction control system operates frequently.
Furthermore, when driving down hill, a gear shift scheduling map for hill descending is selected in the prior art system to facilitate hill descending by providing a better engine braking response. (The term "engine braking" or "engine brake" appeared in the specification means a condition in which a vehicle engine is driven by vehicle wheels so that the vehicle slows down its speed.) However, when running down a gentle or moderate slope, the necessity of engine braking is not so high and what is more, the engine speed becomes greater in low gear than that in high gear. This could make engine noisy, degrading a drive feeling.
It is therefore yet still further object of the invention to provide a control system for a vehicle automatic transmission which eliminates the disadvantage of the prior art system.

Control system for vehicle automatic transmission


A dielectric porcelain composition here contains as main components BaO, Nd2O3, TiO2, MgO and SiO2 at the given ratios and as subordinate components ZnO, B2O3, CuO and an alkaline earth metal oxide RO (R: an alkaline earth metal) at given ratios, preferably with the addition of Ag as an optional subordinate component, so that it can have low-temperature sintering capability stable and reliable enough to permit a conductor formed of Ag, an alloy containing Ag as a main component or the like to be used as an internal conductor.

In recent years, mobile communications fields represented by car phones and cell phones have seen some drastic growth. And then, high-frequency bands referred to as the so-called quasi-microwaves of the order of several hundred MHz to a few GHz are used for those mobile communications. In electronic devices used with mobile communications equipment, like resonators, filters and capacitors, too, high-frequency characteristics are thus of importance.
Important factors for the recent widespread use of mobile communications are, to say nothing of more sophisticated services, size and cost reductions of communications equipment. This in turn leads to the need of reducing the size and cost of associated high-frequency devices. For instance, to achieve size reductions in terms of resonator material, there are dielectric porcelain compositions required, which have a high specific dielectric constant and limited dielectric losses at the frequency used, and which are reduced in changes in the temperature characteristics of resonance frequency.
For materials for high-frequency devices that meet such demands, there have been BaO-rare earth oxide-TiO2 base dielectric porcelain compositions known so far in the art.
Now, to downsize high-frequency devices, there are surface mount devices (SMDs for short) going mainstream, which each have conductors such as electrodes and wirings. In what follows, a conductor such as an electrode or wiring built in a high-frequency device will be called an "internal conductor".
To form conductors such as electrodes or wirings in the device, it is required that a dielectric porcelain composition be co-fired with them. Of a BaO-rare earth oxide-TiO2 base dielectric porcelain composition, however, the firing temperature is relatively high, say, 1,300 to 1,400° C., and materials for conductors such as electrodes or wirings, used in combination with it, have been limited to noble metals such as palladium (Pd) and platinum (Pt) that can stand up to high temperatures.
Because those noble metals cost much, however, it is desired for the purpose of making devices less expensive that low-resistance yet less expensive conductors such as Ag or Cu can be used as the internal conductors.
To this end, there has been a technique proposed, in which subordinate components such as B2O3 are added to a material composed mainly of a BaO-rare earth oxide-TiO2 system. With that technique, a dielectric porcelain composition can be fired at a temperature lower than the melting point of a conductor such as Ag or Cu, so that the conductor such as Ag or Cu can be co-fired in the form of an internal conductor (see, for instance, JP-A's 2001-31468 and 6-40767).
To achieve further size reductions of devices, on the other hand, there has been a multilayer type device of high performance proposed, in which a dielectric porcelain composition having a high specific dielectric constant is joined to a dielectric porcelain composition having a low dielectric constant, thereby forming a plurality of high-frequency devices as one integral piece (see, for instance, JP-A 9-139320).
However, if, in forming such a multilayer type device, the dielectric porcelain composition having a high specific dielectric constant differs in properties from that having a low dielectric constant, defects will occur at a interface of both upon firing, because the shrinkage behaviors and linear thermal coefficients of both do not match.
In view of such considerations, it is desired that for multilayer type device formation, the dielectric porcelain composition having a high specific dielectric constant and the dielectric porcelain composition having a low specific dielectric constant be basically made up of the same or a similar material having much the same physical properties.
However, the BaO-rare earth oxide-TiO2 base dielectric porcelain composition well fit for the material of a small high-frequency device has a much higher specific dielectric constant, as set forth in the aforesaid patent publication 1, and even with simple addition of subordinate components, it would be difficult to produce a BaO-rare earth oxide-TiO2 base dielectric porcelain composition that has a low specific dielectric constant as demanded for a composite arrangement (multilayer type device).
To fabricate a multilayer type device having limited power losses for high-frequency purposes, there are also growing expectations of a BaO-rare earth oxide-TiO2 base dielectric porcelain composition that is much more improved in terms of dielectric losses than could be possible with the prior art.

Dielectric porcelain composition and method for production thereof


A protective sports glove having a hand protective portion having a palm portion, a thumb portion, and finger portions, interconnected by an inner fabric portion. An outer hand protective fabric structure is connected to the inner fabric and has a plurality of outer protective padded formations disposed over the hand protective fabric structure, the thumb portion, and the finger portions. The padded formations are formed such that one of the padded formations overlaps an adjacent padded portion so that some of the inner fabric is overlapped when the adjacent padded portions are moved with respect to one another. The glove also includes a wrist protective portion formed integral with the hand protective portion and a cuff portion coupled to the hand protective portion.

In contact sports such as lacrosse or hockey, where sticks are essential elements of the game, the hands and wrists are especially vulnerable to injury when being checked by another player's stick. For this reason, players typically utilize padded gloves to protect their hands, wrists, and lower forearms during play.
The flexibility of a players fingers and hands is often restricted due to the heavy padding protective with which typical protective gloves are constructed. Currently, some gloves have been designed with segmented padding in the finger and hand portions to reproduce the natural gripping position of a player's hands. U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,243 issued Apr. 30, 1996, to Hall et al., discloses a hockey glove having padded ribs fanning out from the point of the proximate knuckle on the index finger to allow for ergonomic flexing of the glove when the player's hand is gripping a hockey stick. The ribs are configured next to one another such that when the hand is gripping the stick, the ribs separate to form a right angle with respect to one another. However, if a player is struck on the hand while gripping the stick, the player's hands are not sufficiently protected at the seams where the ribs join. It is thus a problem to design the ribs that are ergonomic and protective.
Wrist guards are also known in the art and are widely used on lacrosse gloves to provide protection for a player's wrist between the cuff and the glove portion. U.S. Pat. No. 4,947,073 issued Feb. 5, 1985, to Deutsch discloses a glove including a padding portion which protects the back of a player's wrist and is securely attached to the glove portion by stitching. Such stitched attachment limits flexibility and adjustment and of glove. Hall et al includes a wrist protection band attached to the glove by a web. However, such a web does little to control adjustment of the wristband with respect to the glove.
Protection of the lower forearm is also a concern for people who utilize protective gloves, such as lacrosse players. These protective gloves must protect a player's forearm, yet it must not interfere with wrist flexibility. Deutsch, discloses a lacrosse glove in which the cuff portion is adjustably connected to the glove with removable lacings. The Hall patent discloses a sports glove provided with Velcro straps to secure the cuff around the wrist. Gloves of these designs do not prevent players from undoing such fasteners to improve their wrist flexibility. In fact, it is known that players commonly undo such straps, thereby causing the inner wrist portion to be exposed and unprotected, increasing the chances for injury. Additionally, Deutsch and Hall et al disclose cuffs that are secured to the glove portion by stitching. This stitching limits the flexibility of a player's wrist and also cannot be adjusted. Thus, it is a problem to design an adjustable cuff for a sports glove that protects a player's wrist and that does not compromise wrist flexibility.


A hydraulic antivibration support comprises an annular elastomer body surrounding a central axis and interconnecting a first support member and a support plate both of which are likewise annular. The elastomer body has two concentric annular cavities closed by the support plate, and constituting a working chamber and a compensation chamber which is radially defined on the outside by a thin side wall of the elastomer body, said two chambers being filled with liquid and being interconnected by a constricted passage which is defined in part by a channel-section piece located in one of the two chambers.

An example of such a hydraulic antivibration support is given in document JP-A-59 037 348.
Nevertheless, the antivibration support disclosed in that document is relatively complex and expensive, and it is not always possible to make a constricted passage of desired length, it being understood that the vibration frequency at which the support provides optimum damping depends on said length.

Hydraulic antivibration support and a motor vehicle subassembly including such a support


A method, apparatus, and system are disclosed for increasing light extraction efficiency in a light guide optical system. The light guide optical system may comprise a light emitting source. The light emitting source may be, for example, a light-emitting diode (LED) or plurality of LEDS. The light guide optical system may also comprise a light guide plate (LGP). The LGP may include light extraction features located on surfaces of the LGP. The LGP may also include a shaped injection surface on an input surface of the LGP. The shaped injection surface may be angled to deviate near-parallel light emitted from the LED to enable the near-parallel light emitted from the LED to be extracted from the LGP via the light extraction features. The shaped injection surface may be a split edge (i.e., a V-groove) or a curved edge.

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are today often used in systems that include light-guide optics. Such optics are used to re-direct the light of the LEDs into more desired spatial and angular distributions. LEDs typically emit light in a Lambertian angular light distribution. When light is emitted in a Lambertian angular light distribution, it is emitted substantially equally in all upper-half-sphere directions. As a result of the emission of light in a Lambertian angular light distribution, a significant amount of light propagates in directions near to the normal of the emitting surface of the LEDs (i.e., at low angles of propagation, close to 0 degrees). When these light rays are impinging onto conventional light-guide optics such as light guide plates (LGPs) that may be flat and parallel to the emitting surfaces of the LEDs, they are minimally perturbed by these surfaces. For example, the transmission angle˜incident angle/1.4 for low-angle rays propagating from air into glass or plastic. As a result, when these light rays are impinging onto conventional light-guide optics, they are deviated into even lower-angle directions (i.e., directions close to parallel to the main light-guide surfaces). As a result, most of these light rays traveling through the light-guide optic do not interact with the guiding surfaces or interact at only low frequencies and therefore can only be weakly mixed within the light-guide and can only be weakly out-coupled.

Shaping input surfaces of LED light-guides for increased light extraction efficiency


The oscillator circuit comprises a capacitor and first to fourth constant current supplies and switches are connected to the capacitor. Both terminals of the capacitor are used for charges and discharges. One period comprises four steps; charging the first terminal of the capacitor, discharging the second terminal, charging the first terminal, and discharging the second terminal.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an oscillator circuit, and, in particular, to an oscillator circuit using charges and discharges of a capacitor, and an integrated circuit incorporating the same.
2. Description of Related Art
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 10-233657 discloses a CR (capacitor-resistor) oscillator circuit using charges and discharges of a capacitor. This oscillator circuit comprises a capacitor and a comparator, wherein one input terminal of the comparator is supplied with a reference voltage and the other input terminal is supplied with the voltage generated by charging and discharging the capacitor, and the comparator outputs the results of the comparison as the oscillation signal. In this circuit, the reference voltage is switched between a lower reference voltage and a higher reference voltage based on the generated oscillation signal. The operation of charging and discharging the capacitor is also controlled based on this oscillation signal.
In the above-mentioned CR oscillator circuit, the period of the oscillation is determined only by the conditions of one terminal of charging and discharging the capacitor. In order to have a longer period with this oscillator circuit, a capacitor with higher capacitance is required. Such a capacitor, however, takes a larger area, which causes the problem of the increasing cost of the chip.

Oscillator circuit and integrated circuit incorporating the same


In a public telephone circuit using DCME and DSI, an apparatus with high line efficiency is obtained by demodulating the facsimile signal and transmitting the signal after converting it to a low transmission rate signal. An apparatus of the present invention connected to the exchanger at the trunk side input port comprises bearer interfaces connected to the DCME, FAX modems (3), a multiplexer (4) and a FAX modem discriminator (11). The apparatus demodulates the facsimile signal received from the trunk side input port and transmits the demodulated signal through the transmission line having 64 kbit/s on-demand clear channel under the CCITT recommendation Q. 50.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a facsimile transmission apparatus for transmitting the facsimile signal with high efficiency which is connected to a DSI (Digital Speech Interpolation) unit and a DCME (Digital Circuit Multiplication Equipment) unit in the line which includes voice signal and facsimile signal, for example, a public telephone circuit.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are two kinds of prior art described hereinafter.
FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a conventional facsimile apparatus for demodulating and digitizing a facsimile signal and then transmitting it, and also for transmitting a facsimile signal without storing the facsimile signal, that is, operating in a real time operation.
In FIG. 9, 51 is a trunk side analog input port, 52 is a trunk side analog output port, 53 is facsimile modem (FAX modem), 54 is a multiplexer, 55 is a bearer side digital output port, 56 is a bearer side input port. The facsimile signal from the trunk side analog input port 51 is inputted to the FAX modem 53, demodulated in the FAX modem 53 and converted to a digital signal having a maximum bit rates of 9.6 kbit/s. The digital signal is transmitted to the multiplexer 54 and multiplexed to a higher speed multiplexed signal and is transmitted from the bearer side signal output port 55 to a remote side multiplexer 54 through a remote bearer side input port.
In the receiving side, the multiplexer 54 derives the digital facsimile signal having a maximum bit rate of 9.6 kbit/s from the high speed multiplexed signal received from the remote side multiplexer, and sends it to the FAX modem 53. The signal is modulated in the FAX modem 53 and converted into an analog signal, then transmitted to the trunk side output port 52.
In the conventional apparatus, an input facsimile signal goes through the apparatus without being stored in the apparatus, and is transmitted to the remote apparatus. Namely, the conventional apparatus operates as a real time operation apparatus. In the conventional apparatus, the input signal is restricted to the facsimile signal. Therefore, the voice signal which can not be transmitted to the FAX modem must be controlled to avoid being passed through the apparatus at the pre-stage of the trunk side port 51, 52. Also, the apparatus must be compatible with procedures which include all types of facsimile apparatus and its combinations. Therefore, procedures which are not compatible with the apparatus can not be used.
A number of FAX modems are able to operated in parallel within the range of the transmission capacity. Though each input is one analog line in the above description, it can use a digital input by providing a digital/analog converter in front of the trunk side input.
FIG. 10 shows another conventional art system in which the trunk side interface is the same as is in FIG. 9. In FIG. 10, 57 is a receiving facsimile modem (FAX modem), 58 is a transmitting FAX modem, 59 is a receiving data storage device, 60 is a transmitting data storage device. The input signal is inputted to the receiving FAX modem 57 from the trunk side port 51. The receiving FAX modem 57 terminates the facsimile signal in contrast with the FAX modem 53 of FIG. 9. The receiving FAX modem 57 operates in accordance with the same procedure for the remote side facsimile apparatus. The receiving FAX modem 57 sends the digital signal of the picture facsimile to the receiving data storage device 59. The receiving data storage device 59 stores the picture signal. In FIG. 9, the output of the FAX modem 53 includes the facsimile control signal, but the output of the apparatus in FIG. 10 includes only picture signal. The stored picture signal is transmitted to the bearer output port 55 under the control of the multiplexer 54 when there is available capacity on the bearer transmission line. The output signal is inputted to the remote side multiplexer 54 through the remote side input bearer port 56. The remote side multiplexer 54 derives the picture input signal from the high speed signal and stores it into the transmitting data storage device 60. The transmitting FAX modem 58 operates as a typical facsimile apparatus. The transmitting FAX modem 58 calls the designated destination facsimile and sends the picture data by the typical facsimile procedure when the call is connected. In the facsimile apparatus, the picture data are usually output to paper, but in this apparatus the picture data are stored in the transmitting data storage device 60. If the designated destination facsimile is busy, then the same operation is repeated.
In FIG. 10, the apparatus includes a plurality of the transmitting FAX modems 58, but if the capacity of the transmitting data storage device 60 is large, one transmitting FAX modems 58 will have the same function. If the number of the transmitting FAX modem 58 is small, the storage time becomes long and the advantage of the facsimile, that is in real time operation, is lost.
As explained above in FIG. 9, the conventional apparatus needs a facsimile signal for its input signal. That is, the apparatus provided at the trunk side shown in FIG. 9 must send only a facsimile signal to this facsimile transmission apparatus. In the case where the connected apparatus is discriminated in advance as a facsimile apparatus or a telephone set, for example, such as in a PBX system, this facsimile transmission apparatus can be used if the facsimile signal is selectively transmitted to the facsimile transmission apparatus. This facsimile transmission apparatus must correspond to all facsimile signals. There are many facsimile procedures, for example, tonal procedure, and binary procedure. CCITT recommendation T. 30 allows use of other non-standard procedures which are used only in some manufactures. In the conventional apparatus shown in FIG. 9, the facsimile transmission apparatus can be used only for the system which corresponds to the particular facsimile apparatus. Therefore, if the facsimile transmission apparatus procedure is not compatible with the facsimile apparatus procedure, the facsimile transmission apparatus can not be used with a public telephone circuit which includes many non-compatible procedures.
The apparatus provided at the trunk side shown in FIG. 10 must send only a facsimile signal to this facsimile transmission apparatus in the same way as is in FIG. 9.
The facsimile transmission procedure need not be compatible with all procedures described in FIG. 9. It may receive the signal by a procedure which corresponds to the facsimile transmission procedure. The facsimile transmission apparatus is able to transmit the signal by its own procedures at the output transmitting side. In FIG. 10, since the facsimile transmission apparatus terminates and stores the signal, time delay becomes large. Therefore, the apparatus practically can not be used with a the public telephone circuit which operates on a time basis.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a facsimile transmission apparatus which can be used for all types of public telephone circuits and which is not restricted by a particular kind of facsimile apparatus.
It is further object of the present invention to provide a facsimile transmission apparatus which increases the bearer side efficiency compared with the facsimile transmission apparatus using only DCME and DSI.
It is still further object of the present invention to provide a facsimile transmission apparatus which permits a decrease in the number of the FAX modems.

High efficiency facsimile transmission apparatus


A new and distinct variety of Guzmania, named "Red Star", characterized as to novelty by a unique combination of broad leaves; compact foliage; and large, stout and intensely colored, red inflorescence having remarkably wide bracts.

Our present invention is that of a new and distinct variety of plant in the genus Guzmania within the faily Bromeliaceae, which we have named Guzmania "Red Star".
Plants of the genus Guzmania, especially the species G. lingulata and its many varieties and hybrids, have long been desirable, decorative plants due to their long-lasting, ornamental inflorescence and symmetrical foliage. It has been a continuing goal of breeders to produce a compact Guzmania plant with a large, brilliantly-colored inflorescence, which plant would also be fast-growing. This goal has led to the frequent hybridization of Guzmania lingulata varieties with Guzmania wittmackii varieties. G. lingulata contributes relative compactness and brilliant color. G. wittmackii contributes a large inflorescence, but also long leaves, large size and an open growth habit. Because G. lingulata is a highly variable species, its many cultivars and naturally occurring varieties provide a large gene pool. The re-making of the cross of G. lingulata with G. wittmackii using different cultivars results in hybrids of the two species being markedly different from one another.
In the course of an ongoing breeding program, we selected for hybridization a variety of Guzmania minor which has been designated G. minor "No. 5" and a cultivar of G. wittmackii which has been designated G. wittmackii "No. 8901". G minor is considered a botanical variety of G. lingulata by many persons; and others consider it a closely related but separate species. Like G. lingulata, G. minor is highly variable in phenotype characters.
The progeny of the cross were grown at Laarne, Belgium, and were highly homogenous. One plant particularly exhibiting the distinctive characteristics of the hybrid was selected to constitute the new variety. We have reproduced the selected plant of the new variety asexually at Laarne, Belgium, by division of basal suckers, with characteristics remaining true to type. Subsequent to its asexual reproduction by basal sucker division, the new variety has also been asexually reproduced by us at Laarne, Belgium, by means of tissue culture.


A Prepaid Data Hub for maintaining pre-payment information for roaming subscribers. The Hub interacts with two or more wireless telecommunication systems that implement two different wireless protocols and which may be operated by different wireless service providers. The Hub retrieves pre-payment information using two or more different protocols, with a first protocol being native to the home network, but a second protocol being an external prepaid portal protocol. The Hub also monitors subscriber data traffic to limit the amount of access consumed in a subscriber session, notify subscribers of a low balance, and the like. The Hub eliminates the need for network gateway devices to themselves provide control over and/or maintain pre-payment information.

This disclosure relates to wireless networks and devices and more particularly to where some users, operating on a prepaid basis, are allowed to roam beyond their home network to other visited networks.
Growth in the use of personal wireless devices continues at a rapid pace. The wireless communication market now supports not just mobile handsets, but also mobile and fixed wireless broadband access devices, wireless local area network equipment, laptop computers, personal digital assistants, smart phones, tablet computers, wireless routers, wireless network attached storage devices and a seemingly endless array of applications.
Wireless networks have traditionally relied on a paid subscriber model where each individual user must pay for access to the network in some fashion. Historically this had been done on a month to month subscription basis, it is increasingly popular especially in developing markets for users to opt for a prepaid model. That way, users can control the amount which they spend and service providers can assure that they will receive revenue in advance for its use.
It is also desirable for users to be able to use their devices outside their home network, such as when they are travelling. There are existing solutions for providing this functionality. International Patent Publication No. WO00/024161 entitled "Charging Method in Telecommunications Network" describes one approach applicable for a GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) packet data service that are provided over a Global System for Mobile (GSM) network. In these networks a Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN) and a Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN) are connected via an intra-operator backbone network. The SGSN may be a gateway device located where the subscriber is, that is, in the roaming network, and the GGSN located at a gateway in the subscriber's home network. The approach described here implements a Camel Service Environment (CSE) in all of the various SGSNs and GGSNs, so that a billing unit can then be responsible for debiting a prepaid account on the basis of information it receives from the CSE-enabled gateways.
In another approach described in European Patent Application EP 1223737 entitled "Providing Prepaid Services to a GPRS Mobile Station when Roaming", it was recognized that the Camel Service Environment requires both the visited network and the home network to each support the same Camel level (for example, Camel Phase 3). In another approach described here, a prepaid service data maintaining node is operated under control of the home network service provider. The prepaid service data maintaining node provides the gateway nodes with information data and/or instructions concerning the prepaid data service operated by the home network, even when not all of the SGSN themselves participate in Camel.
International Patent Publication No. WO02/41592 entitled "Network Requested Packet Data Protocol Context Activation" describes a particular method for providing a Packet Data Protocol (PDP) context activation in a core network based on GSM to provide Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP2) data services. The GGSN in this network maintains routing information for Packet Switched (PS) users. The routing information can be used to tunnel Protocol Data Unites to a Mobile Station's current point of attachment, i.e., the SGSN.


The present invention describes the process and apparatus for the simultaneous measurement of sulfur-containing compounds and organic compounds with or without sulfur in their structures. A detector cell is described that allows simultaneous measurement of compounds that can be ionized in a flame and thereby cause the electrical conductivity of the flame to increase, and the selective measurement of sulfur-containing compounds which simultaneously form sulfur monoxide. Sulfur monoxide, upon mixing with ozone, emits light from 240 to 450 nm. The intensity of the light can be measured and related to the concentration of sulfur in the sample, while changes in electrical conductivity of the flame measured by imposing a voltage across the cell quantifies the organic compounds irrespective of whether or not they contain sulfur. Ratios of the signals of light intensity and electrical conductivity are different for each compound and, when the detector is coupled with a chromatographic separation column and process, this ratio facilitates the identification of unknown constituents in a mixture.

Various processes have been devised for the measurement of the chemical components of a complex mixture separated by gas, liquid or supercritical fluid carriers, and for the measurement of the composition of gas, liquid and supercritical fluid streams or the gases evolved upon heating a solid matrix. Representative of such processes are detection by changes in physical properties of the streams, including changes in the refractive index and thermal conductivity. Another detection scheme is based on the measurement of electrical currents induced by the formation of ionic species during combustion of a stream (flame ionization). Irradiation of a stream using electromagnetic radiation and radioactive sources or changes in the absorption of electromagnetic radiation by components of a stream are also employed.
In general, these processes allow detectors that can be classified as either "general" or "universal" detectors. These detectors produce a response for all of the chemical constituents contained in a carrier stream (except for the eluent or carrier itself). Selective detectors, on the other hand, respond to specific chemical constituents based on one or more elements within each compound detected and/or unique physical or chemical properties of the components. Selective detection is often required when the chemical components of interest are present at low concentrations, together with much higher concentrations of other chemicals in the stream.
Detection systems can be further classified as being non-destructive detectors, in which the chemical composition of the stream is not altered by the measurement process, or destructive detectors, in which the sample is destroyed or chemically altered as a result of the measurement process. Generally, to use a destructive detector, such as a flame ionization detector, in combination with a selective detector, it is necessary to split the sample stream prior to measurement of the chemical constituents by the respective detectors. Difficulties in controlling the amount of the sample stream which flows into the different detectors using stream splitting has severely limited the utility of this technique.
In chromatographic analysis, the identity of a chemical compound is determined based on the "retention time" of the compound in a chromatographic system. The amount of the compound is determined based on the detector response. Typically, several analyses are performed using standard solutions of the test compound at different concentrations. Based on this information, a calibration curve is constructed by comparing the detector response (e.g. peak area) to the amount of injected compound. For both "universal" and "selective" detectors, retention time as well as response of a given chemical compound relative to a "standard" compound provide information regarding the identity of the chemical.
Once response factors for a wide range of chemical compounds are known, it is possible to determine the concentrations of different compounds based solely on their retention times and detection response without the need for constructing calibration curves for each individual component. For example, relative response factors using a flame ionization detector are available for a large number of hydrocarbons and other chemical compounds found in petroleum and petrochemical samples, thus greatly simplifying quantifications of these complex samples. Comparison of the relative response factors for compounds on two or more different detectors provides even more information regarding the identity of a particular chemical compound, since fundamentally different measurement techniques are employed.
An important class of selective detectors are devices for the selective measurement of sulfur-containing compounds. When present as impurities at low concentrations, sulfur-containing compounds are detrimental to a wide range of chemical processes. In consumer products, trace levels of sulfur-containing compounds can impart objectionable taste and odor to products. In petrochemical applications, trace sulfur contaminants can rapidly poison costly catalysts. For these reasons, numerous processes and apparatus have been developed for the measurement of low concentrations of sulfur-containing compounds in sample streams.
Representative of such processes is that disclosed in West German Patent No. 1,133,918 to H. Dragerwerk and B. Drager for the flame photometric detector (FPD). Sulfur-containing compounds are oxidized in a hydrogen/air flame to form diatomic sulfur S.sub.2 in an electronically excited state. Emission of light from this species can be measured using a photomultiplier tube or similar light detection device equipped with an optical filter to eliminate the light emitted from other species in the flame. Through the use of different optical filters, the FPD can also be used for the measurement of phosphorus-containing compounds based on the emission of light from electronically excited phosphorus dioxide (PO.sub.2) formed in the hydrogen/air flame. Compounds that do not contain sulfur or phosphorus cannot be measured using the FPD. However, compounds that do not contain sulfur or phosphorous can result in a decrease or "quenching" of the detector response for sulfur-and phosphorus-containing compounds. S. O. Farwell and C. J. Barinaga, Sulfur-Selective Detection with the FPD: Current Enigmas Practical Usage, and Future Directions, 24 Journal of Chromatographic Science, 483 (1986).
The reactive sulfur and phosphorus species generated in the FPD flame are short-lived and therefore require that the light measurement device be located in close proximity to the flame. This basic design requirement has precluded the simultaneous operation of the FPD with other "universal" detection systems, such as the flame ionization detector. Of course, there is no such thing as a truly universal detector. For example, the flame ionization detector responds sensitively to nearly all organic compounds (excluding formaldehyde and formic acid) but not to inorganic compounds (e.g., O.sub.2, N.sub.2, Ar, CO.sub.2, CO, SO.sub.2, H.sub.2 S, COS, etc.).
Another example of selective detection of sulfur-containing compounds is that disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,678,756 and 4,352,779 of R. E. Parks. According to this process, a sample is passed through a furnace containing a metal oxide catalyst to convert sulfur-containing compounds to sulfur dioxide. The sulfur dioxide is then passed through a second furnace, where the sample is mixed with hydrogen gas to facilitate the conversion of sulfur dioxide to hydrogen sulfide. The effluent of the second furnace is then directed into a reaction cell where the hydrogen sulfide is mixed with ozone and the resultant chemiluminescence is measured by means of a photomultiplier tube. In the system described by Parks, non-sulfur-containing compounds cannot be measured, since the expected products from the oxidation furnace (carbon dioxide and/or carbon monoxide) and from the reduction furnace (methane) either do not undergo an ozone-induced chemiluminescent reaction, or the light emitted from such reactions is eliminated through the use of optical filters.
Numerous other patents and publications may be found which disclose other approaches to the selective detection of sulfur-containing compounds. Gaffney and co-workers have described a technique for the measurement of reduced sulfur compounds (e.g., hydrogen sulfide, methanethiol, dimethyl sulfide, etc.) based on reactions of the sulfur-containing compounds with ozone to form electronically excited sulfur dioxide (SO.sub.2 *) which then emits radiation in the 200 nm to 400 nm region of the spectrum. J. S. Gaffney, D. F. Spandau, T. J. Kelly, R. L. Tauner, Gas Chromatographic Detection of Reduced Sulfur Compounds Using Ozone Chemiluminescence, 347 Journal of Chromatography 121 (1985). This detection system does not permit measurement of all sulfur-containing compounds (e.g., sulfur dioxide) and suffers from interferences from non-sulfur-containing compounds such as olefins.
Birks and co-workers have described a sulfur selective detector based on fluorine-induced chemiluminescence. J. K. Nelson, R. H. Getty, J. W. Birks, Flourine Induced Chemiluminescence Detector for Reduced Sulfur Compounds, 55 Analytical Chemistry 1767 (1983). Reduced organic sulfur-containing compounds (e.g., mercaptans, sulfides, disulfides, etc.) react with molecular fluorine to form vibrationally excited hydrogen fluoride and other electronically and vibrationally excited species which emit radiation in the red and near infrared region of the spectrum. Inorganic sulfur-containing compounds (e.g., H.sub.2 S, SO.sub.2, etc.) do not undergo fluorine-induced chemiluminescence, while many non-sulfur-containing compounds, such as olefins and aromatic hydrocarbons, do react and interfere in the measurement of sulfur compounds.
Other workers have described a detection system based on the reaction of sulfur-containing compounds with chlorine dioxide. These reactions result in the formation of electronically excited diatomic sulfur, which emits radiation in the visible region of the spectrum (250 to 450 nm).
None of these previously reported systems for the measurement of sulfur-containing compounds permit the simultaneous measurement of non-sulfur-containing compounds, without the need for splitting the sample to a second "universal" detector system.
Halstead and Thrush have described the chemiluminescent reaction of sulfur monoxide with ozone. The Kinetics of Elementary Reactions Involving the Oxides of Sulphur III. The Chemiluminescent Reaction Between Sulphur Monoxide and Ozone, C. J. Halstead, B. A. Thrush, 295 Proceedings of the Royal Society, London, 380 (1966). Sulfur monoxide, produced from sulfur dioxide using a microwave discharge, was reacted with ozone. One of the reaction products was identified as electronically excited sulfur dioxide. The emission spectrum from this species was recorded and found to extend from 280 to 420 nm, with maximum emission at 350 nm.
Previous studies have shown that sulfur monoxide is one of the species formed in the combustion of sulfur compounds in a flame. Sulfur Chemistry in Flames, C. H. Muller, et al., in 17th International Combustion Symposium, pp 867-879 (1989) and Experimental and Numerical Studies of Sulfur Chemistry in H.sub.2 /O.sub.2 /SO.sub.2 Flames, M. R. Zachariah, O. I. Smith 69, Combustion and Flame 125 (1987). Under the typical operating conditions of the FPD, sulfur monoxide is present at about 10 times the level of diatomic sulfur.
On the basis of these observations, Benner and Stedman reported the development of a "Universal Sulfur Detector" (USD) based on the formation of sulfur monoxide in a hydrogen/air flame and subsequent detection of SO based on a chemiluminescent reaction with ozone. R. L. Benner, D. H. Stedman, Universal Sulfur Detection by Chemiluminescence, 60 Analytical Chemistry 1268 (1989). The original embodiment of the USD was a continuous monitor for the measurement of the total concentration of sulfur-containing compounds in ambient air. The USD is also described in the parent U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/275,980. In this design, the air stream containing the sulfur compounds is mixed with an excess of hydrogen in a quartz burner assembly equipped with an external ignition source. A quartz sampling probe is used to collect sulfur monoxide and other products from the flame for transfer to a modified nitric oxide/ozone chemiluminescence detector.
This detection system was found to provide greater sensitivity for the measurement of sulfur-containing compounds than existing sulfur-selective detectors and did not suffer interferences in the measurement of sulfur species due to the presence of higher concentrations of non-sulfur species such as water, carbon dioxide and heptene.
The USD is designed so that the sulfur-containing compounds are contained in an air stream which is required to support combustion when mixed with a second stream containing hydrogen gas. The optimum gas flow rates were determined to be 400 to 500 mL/min of air and 300 mL/min of hydrogen. The optimum internal diameter for the quartz sampling probe was reported as about 0.1 mm. A key feature of the system reported by Benner and Stedman was the need to add a halogenated compound, such as CF.sub.2 Cl.sub.2, into the air stream in order to achieve stable instrument baseline and long term instrument stability. The fundamental design of the USD precludes the measurement of non-sulfur containing compounds by conventional means such as the detection of ionic species produced in the flame.

Process and apparatus for simultaneous measurement of sulfur and non-sulfur containing compounds


Apparatuses, systems, and methods are disclosed for executing data transformations for a data storage device. A storage controller module controls a storage operation for a set of data within a data storage device. A transformation module determines to apply a data transformation to the set of data in response to a transformation indicator. A processing module applies the data transformation to the set of data internally on the data storage device prior to completing the storage operation.

Data storage devices typically access data in fixed sized data blocks. When a client is using data in a size smaller than a full data block, it must still access the full block. Providing access to data only in fixed sized blocks can be an inefficient use of system resources.
Transferring full data blocks when less than the full data blocks are being used increases traffic on data buses, which typically have limited bandwidth. Processing full data blocks can increase processing overhead for host devices and for clients using the data. Transferring and processing full data blocks when less than full data blocks are being used also consumes more host memory than would otherwise be used.
Even when a client is using full data blocks, processing large amounts of data can also be taxing on system resources. As data is processed, it is typically transferred on a data bus, stored in host memory, and processed using a host processor, all consuming resources of a host device.

Apparatus, system, and method for data transformations within a data storage device


A method and an apparatus for determining a usage level of a memory device to notify a running application to perform memory reduction operations selected based on the memory usage level are described. An application calls APIs (Application Programming Interface) integrated with the application codes in the system to perform memory reduction operations. A memory usage level is determined according to a memory usage status received from the kernel of a system. A running application is associated with application priorities ranking multiple running applications statically or dynamically. Selecting memory reduction operations and notifying a running application are based on application priorities. Alternatively, a running application may determine a mode of operation to directly reduce memory usage in response to a notification for reducing memory usage without using API calls to other software.

As more and more services are becoming available for small or mobile devices, the number of applications running in a single device has increased significantly. Usually, a small or mobile device is used mostly for certain specific applications, while being equipped with general purpose computing capabilities. For example, it is common to find a mobile phone device that also runs a browser application, a gaming application, and a music player application, etc. On the other hand, a mobile video player device may run a gaming application and/or an email application in addition to a video application. Normally, multiple running applications in the same device compete with each other by sharing the same memory space embedded inside the device.
Although the density of memory devices continues to increase, memory capacities in small or mobile devices are still very limited as their physical sizes shrink at the same time. Traditionally, virtual memory technologies are employed to allow multiple applications to share a limited RAM (random access memory) using a secondary memory with a much larger capacity. However, the capacity in a secondary memory, such as a flash memory, for a small or mobile device may also be very limited.
Usually, a system monitors memory usage by multiple running applications to ensure availability of a required capacity of free memory. In some systems, when memory usage reaches a critical level, the system takes memory management actions to increase the size of free memory, such as activating a garbage collection procedure to obtain allocated memories from applications which are no longer running. The system may also target a selected application, such as by simply killing the application. Selecting a target application is usually based on the size or age of an application. As a result, the larger the size, the more likely an application may be killed when memory usage is tight.
However, the priority among running applications in a small mobile device may not correspond to the size or age of an application. In addition, killing a running application may result in adverse user experiences on the device as a whole. Furthermore, relying on memory reduction by a single running application to reduce overall memory usage may not be effective enough or may disrupt the running state of the application. Therefore, existing memory management approaches fall short of addressing the challenges of serving multiple running applications in a small or mobile device with limited memory capacity.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


The present invention relates to a radar level gauge (1) comprising an antenna (2), a tank sealing (3), an electronics unit (4) and a waveguide feed (5) between the electronics unit (4) and the antenna (2). The waveguide (5) is essentially straight and has a 90°-symmetric cross section and is further arranged to accommodate two essentially orthogonal waveguide modes. The waveguide (5) further has a length (I) below two times the range resolution of said radar level gauge (1). The present invention further relates to a method for improved radar level gauging using a radar level gauge (1) as above.

Radar level gauging in all kinds of tanks has found a steadily increasing use since the mid-seventies. The extension of the use to more diversified applications has posed a number of challenges on the design of radar level gauges.
Obvious basic functions for all radar level gauges are sealing of the tank, which may hold high pressure, dangerous contents etc., and sealing of the enclosure protecting the electronics of the radar level gauge, at least for outdoor environments applications and sometimes for open sea applications etc. The enclosure for the electronics is many times also determined by regulations for explosion protection related to electric equipment. This is all standard technology but a characteristic need for radar level gauges is an electrical (microwave) connection from the radar electronics to the antenna.
Coaxial connections and waveguides are used presently for this microwave connection. At least one microwave joint is usually provided in this microwave connection, for instance to be able to replace a faulty electronic unit while the tank is pressurized. The microwave joint is a critical part during field replacements.
Coaxial connectors are manufactured as standard items including sealed parts etc. and thus frequently used in radar level gauges. Field experience however is that the tiny connectors, which are necessary for high frequency use, may easily be damaged during handling outside of laboratory environments and that they will degrade severely if even a very small amount of water, a 0.1 mm layer or less, or dirt is trapped inside at handling during certain weather conditions. Waveguides are also frequently used and are much more robust but have to be well integrated in the mechanics in order to provide a cost efficient solution. Due to the larger dimensions of the waveguide the requirement for good electrical connection is less pronounced and local water droplets etc. can be tolerated. Normal waveguide impedance is a few 100 ohms instead of the 50 ohm impedance in a coaxial cable indicating much less current densities for the same transported power.
Sensitivity is a very critical property in applications where small antennas have to be used and where the low reflection of a turbulent surface of a low-epsilon liquid have to be taken care of. In a typical radar level gauge in a quiet refinery tank or corresponding tank on a ship in harbor, the two way attenuation for the radar signal may be 40 to 50 dB, while a typical process tank with a 2″–3″ antenna, turbulent surface etc. will exhibit a corresponding attenuation of 70 to 80 dB or more. Further, a coaxial cable for a 25 GHz radar will introduce a loss off several dB in a typical radar level gauge application, when used as a connection from the electronics to the antenna.
Furthermore all radar systems need some duplexing function to use the same physical antenna for transmitting and receiving and typically that introduces two-way losses of 6–10 dB or more with the simple system used in most radar level gauges. Power splitter or hybrid junction are examples of such systems both giving at least 3 dB in each direction. Two separate antennas would save these 6–10 dB but a more practical way is to use two antenna functions inside the same antenna mechanics. In that case right-hand circular polarization (RHCP) and left-hand circular polarization (LHCP) are sometimes used to form two independent antenna functions connected by separate lines to the microwave transmitter/receiver unit. A rotational symmetric horn antenna is one example of a physical antenna where these two electrically independent antenna functions LHCP/RHCP are easily housed.
Said RHCP/LHCP arrangement is also very useful for handling reflections to flat walls in the tank. Such reflections, both towards the surface and towards the walls, are known to change the circular polarization of the radar wave from RHCP to LHCP or the other way around, and by sending for instance RHCP and receiving LHCP only waves reflected an odd number of times (1, 3 etc.) will be received without extra attenuation. For many kinds of echoes, but especially for disturbing reflections in a flat wall within the antenna beam, this is known to be an efficient method to make the echo more clean and thus increase accuracy for a radar level gauge. In a big tank (used in refineries etc.), with mounting holes for big antennas available, a narrow antenna beam can be used (based on big antenna diameter) limiting the number of false reflections in tank structures but in a small tank, typical for many applications in the process industry, a wider antenna beam is necessary (due to small mounting holes for antennas) which combined with the more compact geometry will give a larger number of false reflections in tank structures.
In small tank applications there will always be internal reflections or bouncing back and fourth between the antenna and the microwave unit and such reflections will create a number of false echoes seemingly below the antenna but entirely created internally. Obviously such echoes are weak but nevertheless important at weak surface reflections due to turbulence, foam etc. or due to a dirty antenna surface.
One radar level gauge including the RHCP/LHCP-method is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,543,720. The practical solution there is complex in order to cover a wide range of applications. The complex mechanics involved also indicates a far too high cost for the typical process use. Also, this arrangement is intended for use in connection with large storage tanks and not suited for measurements in smaller size tanks, such as process tanks, which usually are of substantially smaller physical dimensions.

Radar level gauge with antenna arrangement for improved radar level gauging


Systems and methods of the present disclosure facilitate managing a business. In some embodiments, the system includes a product data module and a plurality of business process modules executing on at least one processor of a server. The product data module may be configured to store at least one product description. Responsive to a first user, the system may associate a product class with a first description. Responsive to a second user, the system may associate a first product description with a first of the business process modules. The system may be configured to select a second business process module based on the product class and update the second business process module with the first product description.

Different business units using a resource planning system can interact with each other using a shared data resource that serves as a repository for all of the information used by the system. The structure of the data within the shared data resource can be customized and specialized to the software architecture of the interfaces used by the different business units within the organization. This can make it challenging to customize or modify the data sharing capabilities between the different business units, and can result in a data structure that is challenging for the average end user to work with.
Furthermore, resource planning systems may treat products as single entities. Treating products as single entities may require users of the system to understand the details of multiple, different products, and how the different products work together. In operation, the resource planning system may also disclose information about the products to customers, which may be detrimental to the business organization.

Business management system that uses product data with product classes


A refrigerator for RVs comprising an upright cabinet with an internal cold compartment and a door member mounted on the cabinet for closing said compartment, two pairs of upright hinge pins on the cabinet on opposite sides of the door enables the door to swing from both right and left sides of the cabinet. A single actuator is provided for putting the door from a left swing to a right swing and vice versa. In addition, the actuator can secure the door on the cabinet during RV travel. It can also enable easy removal of the door from the cabinet. Cams and cam followers are associated with the cabinet and the door to cause the door to be lifted when opened and lowered when closed to assure easy opening and closing of the door.

This invention relates generally to a refrigerator for a recreational vehicle (RV) where living space is limited and the flexibility of a refrigerator that can be opened and closed from different sides is desirable. More particularly, the refrigerator of this invention is provided with an actuator member in a prominent place on the refrigerator door. Use of the actuator member manifests a setting of "left", "right" or "locked" for the door. The RV refrigerator of this invention is also advantageously used because it has the ability to have its door readily removable from the refrigerator body whenever this is desired.

RV refrigerator with swinging closure door capable of being opened from both left and right sides


An integrated circuit chip can include an interference mitigator. The interference mitigator can be to modify encoding to generate a cancellation pattern for optimum cancellation of radio frequency interference (RFI) at the effective mid-point of the data bus. The interference mitigator can also be to transmit the generated cancellation pattern across the data bus to cancel the radio frequency interference.

Within a computing system, data signals can be transmitted along data buses between components of the computing system. These components can include memory devices and input/output (I/O) devices, among others. These data buses can include memory input/output (I/O), Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe), and Universal Serial Bus (USB), among others. The data signals can generate radio frequency interference (RFI). This interference can affect a variety of radios within the computing system, such as WiFi, cellular, or GPS, and can disrupt normal reception of desired radio signals.
The same numbers are used throughout the disclosure and the figures to reference like components and features. Numbers in the 100 series refer to features originally found in FIG. 1; numbers in the 200 series refer to features originally found in FIG. 2; and so on.

Unidirectional coding for bidirectional data bus radio frequency interference mitigation