An organic electroluminescent (EL) device comprised of a starburst aromatic amine compound represented by the formula ##STR1## wherein N is nitrogen; A.sup.1 to A.sup.3 each individually represent biaryl; R.sub.a, R.sub.b, and R.sub.c represent independently one of the functional groups of the following formulae ##STR2## wherein N is nitrogen; each Ar.sup.1 and Ar.sup.2 are aryl; R.sub.1 to R.sub.8 are substituents independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, halogen, hydrocarbon, and alkoxy; and X represents oxygen, sulfur, or an alkylene.

This invention is generally directed to electroluminescent (EL) devices. More specifically, this invention is directed to organic EL devices with enhanced thermal and operational stability, and thus improved durability, and which devices utilize novel hole transport compositions comprised of starburst aromatic amines, which amines can form amorphous films with excellent to superior thermal stability. There are also disclosed processes for the preparation of starburst aromatic amines, and which amines may be selected for photoconductive imaging members, especially layered imaging members and wherein the starburst amines function primarily as charge transport components, or molecules, such as the photoconductive imaging members illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,265,990, the disclosure of which is totally incorporated herein by reference.


A paper processing device includes a casing, a transfer roller assembly and a paper pressing mechanism. The casing includes a paper placement platform. The plural papers from a printing device are transferred to the paper placement platform by the transfer roller assembly. The paper pressing mechanism is located under the casing. The paper pressing mechanism includes a support frame, a pressing bar, a driving mechanism and a linking mechanism. The pressing bar includes a protrusion block. The protrusion block is penetrated through an opening of the casing. The protrusion block and the paper placement platform face each other. The linking mechanism is connected between the driving mechanism and the pressing bar. While the linking mechanism is driven by the driving mechanism, the pressing bar is moved linearly relative to the support frame, and the protrusion block is moved from an initial position to a target position.

Printing devices are essential information apparatuses in modern offices. For example, the printing devices include copiers, printers, scanners and office machines. Among these printing devices, printers are the most popular. Generally, when a printer is connected with a computer, the electronic file in the computer may be printed on a blank paper. In a case that the electronic file contains numerous data, the electronic file needs to be printed on at least two blank papers. For facilitating managing and filing the printed papers, the stack of printed papers are removed from the paper outlet tray of the printing device, and then aligned and stapled. Due to the stapling operation, these papers are combined together without being disorderly spread everywhere.
For most users, the printing operation of the printer has to be finished before the stapling operation is manually done. Since different electronic files to be printed have different data amounts, the time periods of waiting for the implementation of the printing operation are usually different. Under this circumstance, the user usually fails to efficiently manage the printed papers. For solving this problem, a paper processing device with a stapling function has been disclosed.
Generally, the conventional processing device comprises a paper placement platform. The multi-page document outputted from the printer or the scanner can be placed on the paper placement platform.
After the multi-page document is placed on the paper placement platform, a paper-aligning action, a stapling action, a punching action or an associated action is performed to process the multi-page document. Then, the processed multi-page document is ejected out of the office machine. Consequently, the processed multi-page document can be taken by the user.
However, the conventional paper processing device still has some drawbacks. For example, while the multi-page document drops to the paper placement platform, the multi-page document is possibly uplifted or bent. While the plural pages of the multi-page document drop to the paper placement platform sequentially, the papers dropping to the paper placement platform at the later stage are influenced by the papers on the paper placement platform. Under this circumstance, the plural multi-page document cannot be well ordered. For solving this drawback, the paper processing device is equipped with a paper pressing mechanism. While the multi-page document drops to the paper placement platform, the multi-page document is flattened by the paper pressing mechanism. Consequently, the multi-page document on the paper placement platform can be stacked orderly.
The conventional paper processing device comprises a driving mechanism and a linking mechanism. The linking mechanism is connected with the driving mechanism. During the operation of the paper pressing mechanism, the linking mechanism is driven by the driving mechanism to rotate the paper pressing mechanism. Since the paper pressing mechanism is operated through rotation, a large layout space is required. Moreover, while the paper pressing mechanism is operated through rotation, the uplifted papers are readily kicked out by the paper pressing mechanism. Consequently, the purpose of flattening the papers cannot be achieved.
Therefore, there is a need of providing an improved paper processing device in order to overcome the above drawbacks.


The invention relates to a stabilizer for L-012 or a salt thereof, a stabilization method for L-012 or a salt thereof, coexisting with the stabilizer and L-012 or a salt thereof, and the like. The stabilizer is represented by Formula [1]:

Analytical methods using chemiluminescent reactions have been actively studied as a measurement system in an immunological field since they can allow measurements with high sensitivity. In enzyme immunoassay methods in which antigens or antibodies are labeled with enzymes, chemiluminescent reactions are utilized in the measurement of enzyme activities, and luminol or a luminol derivative such as isoluminol is used as a chemiluminescent material. In the quantification of materials that exist only in trace amounts in vivo, it is necessary to detect a target material with high sensitivity, and therefore, luminol or a luminol derivative has been widely used as a compound having an excellent chemiluminescent quantum yield.
Meanwhile, L-012 (or a salt thereof) is known to have a luminescence intensity which is higher by 10 times or more than that of luminol (for example, Non-Patent Literature 1), and there have been examples reporting quantification of a basic fibroblast growth factor (for example, Non-Patent Literature 2), detection/quantification of superoxide radicals (for example, Non-Patent Literature 3), and the like. Thus, L-012 (or a salt thereof) has attracted attention as an excellent chemiluminescent material which replaces luminol.

Abstract: wherein p pieces of M1 each independently represent a hydrogen atom or an alkali metal atom, q pieces of R1 each independently represent a hydroxy group or a sulfonic acid group, m represents 0 or 1, p represents an integer of 1 to 3, q represents an integer of 0 to 4, Y represents a nitrogen atom or a CH group (a methine group), and Z represents an aryl group having a specific structure or a pyrazolyl group having a specific structure.

FUJIFILM WAKO PURE CHEMICAL CHEMICAL CORPORATION


A multilayer ceramic capacitor includes a ceramic body including dielectric layers; first and second internal electrodes facing each other while having the dielectric layer disposed therebetween, and alternately exposed to end surfaces of the ceramic body; first and second external electrodes electrically connected to the first and second internal electrodes, wherein each of the first and second external electrodes includes a first external electrode layer formed of material containing copper and glass and extending from an end surface of the ceramic body to portions of main and side surfaces of the ceramic body; a second external electrode layer formed of material containing glass, disposed on the first external electrode layer, and being shorter than the first external electrode layer to expose portion of the first external electrode layer; and a third external electrode layer formed of material containing copper and glass and covering the first and second external electrode layers.

The present disclosure relates to a multilayer ceramic capacitor and a method of manufacturing the same.
Examples of electronic components using ceramic materials include a capacitor, an inductor, a piezoelectric element, a varistor, and a thermistor.
A multilayer ceramic capacitor, a multilayer chip electronic component, is a chip-type condenser that is mounted on a printed circuit board of various electronic products such as display devices including liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and plasma display panels (PDPs), computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), cell phones, and the like, to allow electricity to be charged therein and discharged therefrom.
A multilayer ceramic capacitor (MLCC) is used in various types of electronic components since it is relatively small and can be easily mounted while implementing high capacitance. The multilayer ceramic capacitor may include a ceramic body in which a plurality of dielectric layers and internal electrodes are alternately laminated, and external electrodes. The external electrodes may be formed by applying a conductive paste on a surface of the ceramic body.
Recent advances in technologies of electronic products have led to an increasing demand for small, high-capacitance multilayer ceramic capacitors.
In order to implement high capacitance, the number of stacked internal electrodes needs to be increased, resulting in an increase in the size of the ceramic body.
In this case, an allowable range of external electrode thickness with respect to the entirety of a size of a multilayer ceramic capacitor including external electrodes installed in each product may be significantly reduced, and thus, it is necessary to reduce the thickness of the external electrodes.
However, external electrodes formed of copper-glass materials typically used in an existing ultra-thin, ultra-high capacitance multilayer ceramic capacitor may suffer from reliability problems due to the permeation of a plating solution when they are provided as thin films.
In order to address the reliability issue due to a reduction of density in the external electrodes when the thin films are applied, an attempt to increase the content of glass in the external electrodes has been made. However, an increase in the content of glass may cause low electrical conductivity with internal electrodes, non-plated portions due to poor plating, and soldering failures when the capacitor is mounted on a substrate.
Patent Document 1 discloses a multilayer ceramic capacitor including external electrodes having a double-layer structure, but fails to disclose a triple-layer structure in which two external electrode layers containing copper and glass are disposed in a region in contact with internal electrodes and a region to be plated, and one external electrode layer containing glass is disposed therebetween.

Multilayer ceramic capacitor and method of manufacturing the same


An insulative shroud retention wafer for an electrical connector allowing for an optimization of pin placements of the electrical connector is provided. In an illustrative embodiment the shroud retention wafer comprises a first (66), second (68), third (70), and fourth (72) cylindrical members, each having an axial pin receiving aperture (86) and an axial center line (78, 80) extending through the pin receiving aperture (86). Furthermore, the cylindrical members maintain at least one protuberance (100). In operation, the cylindrical members of the shroud retention wafer couple with pins of the electrical connector to realize an electrical connection. Specifically, the protuberance (100) causes collapse of the cylinders (66,68,70,72) allowing for better gripping of pins of the electrical connector. The arrangement of the cylinders (66,68,70,72) of the shroud retention (28) wafer maximizes the number of cylindrical members on the wafer allowing for optimization of pin placement.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrical connectors and more particularly to arrangements for securing pins in electrical connectors.
2. Brief Description of Prior Developments
Typical prior art shrouds have a designed interference with a mating pin. In the application process the shroud is placed on the pin tip and, with some sort of toe and press, is pushed down the pin against the rear side of a back panel.
One of the difficulties associated with such a procedure is knowing if the shroud is properly aligned with the pins. That is, knowing if the shroud is misplaced by perhaps one position. Another problem, is that the shroud needs to be held on the pin tips while a tool is placed within it and it is placed into a press. It is also found that as pressure is applied to the shroud, the pin may have a tendency to bend causing pin deformations since the load is being placed on a long slender column.
As is disclosed in European Patent Application No. 578 487 A (U.S. Pat. No. 5,552,730), it is known in the art to provide a structure known as a locking plate or retention wafer between the shroud or housing and the circuit board or back panel. The arms fit in passageways in the base of the housing and these passageways include a camming surface for urging the gripping arms into contact with the pins. The disadvantage to the above arrangement described in European Patent Application No. 578 487 A is that the interacting protuberance and camming surfaces require the gripping arms or cylindrical members to be displaced from each other at a relatively large distance. The present invention aims to ameliorate the shortcomings of the described prior art by providing an electrical connector having a shroud retention wafer that acts to more easily cooperate with the pins of the electrical connector thereby avoiding the necessity of having such pins to be displaced from each other by large distances and protecting against possible pin deformations.
From the foregoing it is appreciated that there exists a need for an electrical connector to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art. By having an electrical connector with a shroud retention wafer, the cylindrical members or gripping arms of the electrical connector would not be displaced over a large distance from each other.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a shroud retention wafer which allows easier shroud application than typical shrouds.
It is another object to provide a shroud retention wafer which produces less damage to pins than typical shrouds.
It is also an object of this invention to provide a shroud retention wafer which provides better retention than typical shrouds.
The insulative shroud retention wafer of this invention includes a planar base member having a first and a second side. There are also first, second, third and fourth cylindrical members each having an axial pin receiving aperture and an axial center line extending said pin receiving aperture. These cylindrical members extend from the first side of the planar base member, and these cylindrical members are positioned in an arrangement such that a first longitudinal center line extends through the axial center line of the first and second cylindrical members. A second longitudinal center line extends in parallel spaced retention to the first longitudinal center line through the axial center lines of the third and fourth cylindrical members. A first transverse center line extends through the centerlines of the first and third cylindrical members. A second traverse center line extends through the center line of the second and fourth cylindrical members. A protuberance is peripherally positioned on the first cylinder at least in part at a position between the first longitudinal center line and the first transverse center line.


A floodlight has a housing and a housing support coupled to the housing. In the improvement, the support includes a strut extending along a strut axis and having a distal end and a pivot member at a proximal end. The pivot member is mounted for movement about an axis of rotation and has a boundary spaced from the axis of rotation by a first dimension. The housing includes a housing surface proximate the axis of rotation and spaced therefrom by a second dimension less than the first dimension. The housing includes a recess therealong and when the strut is folded against the housing, the strut is received in the recess. A group of floodlight components comprises a main housing and two or more differently-shaped center housings. The attachment portions of the center housings are sized and configured to be interchangeably received at the main housing forward opening. The group thereby accommodates any one of several different lamps, e.g., PAR 20, PAR 30 and/or PAR 38.

Floodlights are available in two broad types, i.e., area and directional. As the name suggests, the former are used to illuminate large areas such as parking lots. Directional floodlights provide a smaller field of illumination and are popular with architects, lighting designers and building owners as a way to visually "highlight" certain building and landscape features and improve the nighttime appearance and ease of use of buildings and grounds.
Directional floodlights are used for such purposes as "uplighting" the foliage of trees, illuminating stairs and walkways and emphasizing (by illumination) a particular architectural or structural feature. And the improvement can be dramatic--one need only compare a darkened or poorly-illuminated property to one selectively illuminated by well-sized, well-placed directional floodlights to appreciate the aesthetic differences.
A large property may require a dozen or even several dozen well-placed floodlights for the purpose. And as architects and lighting designers are well aware, these floodlights are likely to require differing lamps to provide differing levels of illumination. Lamps used for outdoor floodlight illumination cover a range of lamp sizes (both physical size and wattage rating) including MR 16 low voltage lamps, PAR 20, PAR 30 and
38 line voltage lamps and high intensity discharge (HID) lamps. (The acronym "PAR" is recognized in the industry as meaning a lamp with a parabolic aluminized reflector.)
A common practice of manufacturers of directional floodlights is to make a separate set of floodlight hardware for each lamp size to be used. The resulting multiplicity of components incrementally increases manufacturing costs and has a significant (and unfavorable) impact upon inventory, both for the manufacturer and for the contractor called upon to install the floodlights. That is, both the manufacturer and contractor must keep track of a larger number of component parts and run the increased risk of loss of some.
And that is not all. Architects and lighting designers are justifiably concerned that each floodlight be capable of being precisely directed toward the particular feature to be illuminated. This means that the floodlight should have a mounting arrangement that permits a wide range of aiming angles.
Directional floodlights involve another consideration, namely, installation space. While directional floodlights for the largest lamp noted above, the
38 lamp, are not particularly large, even modest space savings can be meaningful. (A PAR 38 lamp has a lens diameter of about 4.75 inches, i.e., about 12 cm.)
A new directional floodlight which better responds to the needs of architects, lighting designers and contractors and which provides certain manufacturing economies would be an important advance in the art.


A control system for the operation of the subsurface safety valve is disclosed. The control system uses a pressurized gas chamber, as well as a shuttle valve which connects to the main fluid pressure supply from the surface. The shuttle valve is connected to the gaseous chamber as well as to a barrier piston. As a result of the arrangement, leakages between the downstream side of the operating piston and the shuttle valve result in a reestablishment of the pressure balance on the operating system which allows the subsurface safety valve to close. Additionally, in the event of loss of gaseous pressure, the same pressure-balancing effect occurs on the operating piston, which allows the subsurface safety valve to go to a closed position. The configuration of the control system, which includes a gaseous chamber, allows for disconnection of the hydraulic fluid supply before the predetermined depth is reached to facilitate the connection of a tubing hanger.

Subsurface safety valves have been used for many years in producing wells. These valves are generally operated by a movable sleeve. The movable sleeve holds the valve open in one position and allows a flapper element to close the passageway to the surface when placed in a second position. Typically, hydraulic control systems have been in use for actuation of the shifting tube to control the position of the subsurface safety valve. Generally, these hydraulic control systems involve a piston cylinder assembly which acts on the flow tube to open the safety valve. Some of these control systems have involved pressurized gaseous chambers which act on other movable pistons within the control system, and have been used in the past to facilitate the operation of the control system. Pressurized gas chambers counteract the hydrostatic pressure in the control line when the assembly is installed at depth. One of the problems that have occurred in such control systems involving pressurized gaseous chambers is that there is a precharge of pressure in the gaseous chamber which is precalculated for the given depth and installation of the subsurface safety valve. However, in the installation techniques, the control line sometimes needs to be taken apart prior to the subsurface safety valve having reached the appropriate depth. When those situations have arisen, there was a pressure imbalance because the hydrostatic head, before the predetermined depth was reached in the control line, was overcome by the precharged pressure in the gaseous chamber. Since installation techniques, particularly in subsea applications, required disconnection of a control line in order to facilitate the connection of a tubing hanger, the prior control systems, without the unique features as Will be discussed with regard to the present invention, posed the potential risk of having control fluid expelled from the control line at the time the disconnection was necessary.
Prior control systems also relied on a single valve actuated by control line pressure to open a fluid passage between the fluid in communication with a lower piston and the collection chamber, and further to close off communication between the lower piston and the upper piston. This type of a system had a disadvantage involving the time between the opening of the one fluid passage and the closure of the other. In an intermediate position, the control line pressure was in communication with all areas of the system. If the control line pressure and the flow rate were incapable of moving the valve quickly into its final position, the control line fluid would be pumped into the gaseous chamber.
Accordingly, a new control system has been developed to create a barrier between the gaseous chamber and other portions of the circuit so that the gaseous chamber pressure charge is not lost when the control line pressure is dropped, such as when the control line needs to be disconnected to connect a tubing hanger. The additional barrier piston which has been provided in the present invention overcomes the problem of the main piston adopting an intermediate position, which, in prior designs, allowed the fluid into the gaseous chamber. A boost piston also ensures full operation of the main piston if a system leak develops. Accordingly, another object of the apparatus and method of the present invention is to eliminate sensitivity by the control system to the rate at which pressure is applied to the system. In the event of leakages in critical areas, such as a gaseous leak or a hydraulic fluid leak, the actuating piston that operates the subsurface safety valve is placed in pressure balance so that the subsurface safety valve can close.


An outboard motor stow pivot bracket is disclosed for stowing a motor in a generally vertical orientation while mounted on the transom of a dinghy which itself is swung beamwise (on beam ends) from a horizontal, in-the-water position up into a generally vertical stowed position on the back of a carrier boat such as on the stern of a pleasure craft. The pivot bracket includes a channel structure sized to fit on the motor-support edge of the dinghy transom and has outside surfaces adapted to receive the standard transom clamp of an outboard motor. At opposite ends of the channel structure are a pair of complementary pivot journals, and a pivot bolt connects a selected one of these pivot journals to a support structure on the dinghy transom in a universal construction that allows the user to assemble the bracket for pivoting in one direction or the other, depending upon the desired orientation of the motor and of the dinghy in their stored positions. A locking toggle connected between the channel structure and support on the dinghy transom locks the channel structure and the clamped motor in the stored position pivoted 90 degrees to the support edge of the dinghy transom.

This invention relates to devices for mounting outboard motors on the transom of small boats, such as hard shell and inflatable dinghies especially of the type suitable for being carried in a raised, generally vertical stowed position on the stern of a larger boat. More particularly, the invention concerns a mechanism for allowing the outboard motor to be pivoted to and from a stowed position without removing it from a clamped, secured mounting on the dinghy transom ready for use.
Dinghies of all types are often carried on the stern of a pleasure craft using davit systems such as the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,850,295 which allow the dinghy to be swung from a horizontal, in-water position about the beams end of the dinghy into a raised vertical, out-of-water stowed position. The davits are often mounted on the swim step or other stern support structure so that one side of the dinghy can be pulled up to place it in the stowed position and carried in a raised stowed condition ready for being launched off the back of the pleasure craft.
In the stowed position, the upper edge of the dinghy transom that supports the outboard motor becomes substantially vertical, an orientation that makes for an awkward, and often hazardous positioning of the outboard thrust or propeller stem. For example, the outboard motor will become horizontal when the dinghy is stowed in the manner described above, projecting the stem outwardly beyond a side of the carrier boat making for a dangerous obstruction. Also the motor including internal fluid cavities and external components may not ride well in the horizontal position. For these reasons, boat owners often remove the outboard motor from the dinghy each time the dinghy is raised into its stowed position on the back of the pleasure craft and then return the motor to the dinghy when it is launched. Furthermore, this requires providing another stowage bracket or location for the outboard motor when the dinghy is stowed and the removing and remounting of the outboard motor can be dangerous to the operator as well as risk dropping the motor into the water.
Other devices and means for solving this problem have exhibited certain disadvantages including difficulty of use, unsafe clamping and securement, excessive weight, cost and susceptibility of damage in marine environments, especially corrosive salt water conditions.

Pivot bracket for stowing outboard motor on stowed dinghy


A radio communication station and method of communications between two radio stations, uses information about the radio communication methods each radio station is equipped to use, such that software used to reconfigure a station is exchanged mutually between the two radio stations by conveying the software according to a predetermined first radio communication method. The radio communication method is suitable for a communication application to be conveyed after the application is selected, where at least one of the two radio stations is equipped with the application as the second radio communication method. Software is transmitted to the radio station that is not equipped with the second radio communication method so it can perform the requisite processing.

A block diagram of a conventional radio communications system is shown in FIG. 5.
There have been only a few kinds of communication applications used in conventional radio communications systems. Therefore, each of radio stations 10 and 20 in a conventional radio communications system has been equipped with a fixed set of hardware and software 11i and 21i (i=1, 2, - - - , N), which implements a radio communication method that satisfies communication quality required for each communication application.
Here, the communication application refers to software for exchanging information with other equipment and processing the information, and is situated at a higher layer in the radio communication method. That is, the communication application of a radio station has a function to process information followed by exchanging the information with another communication application of the same kind that is installed in another radio station through a communication path that is provided by the radio communication method. Communication applications for audio communication, communication applications for image communication, communication applications for email, communication applications for file transfer, communication applications for web communication, and the like are known as such communication applications, for example.
The radio communication method is positioned at a lower layer in the above-mentioned communication application, providing the communication path for radio communications conducted between radio stations. Specifically, a radio communication method is defined as a set of various parameters, such as a radio wave frequency to be used, a frequency bandwidth, a modulation method, a multiplexing method, a coding and decoding method, an error correction method, a radio channel structure, a data transmission format, and a communication protocol indicating a data communication procedure. And this radio communication method offers the communication path for the radio communications to be made according to such various parameters.
Namely, in the conventional radio communications system, when the communication application for voice communication and the communication application for message communication, for example are used, a radio station of the radio communications system is equipped with hardware and software for the radio communication method (radio channel structure, communication protocol and the like) for offering a communication path that satisfies communication quality demanded of the communication application for the voice communication, and hardware and software for the radio communication method (radio channel structure, communication protocol and the like) for offering a communication path that satisfies a communication quality demanded of the communication application for the message communication.
Further, since the radio station is equipped with such hardware and software fixed, they are not changed after manufacture of the radio station.
By the way, kinds of communication applications used in a radio communications system have been increasing in recent years with versatile information presented to radio communications. In such a situation, a radio station has been required to install hardware and software corresponding to many radio communication methods to be capable of handling numerous communication applications. In this case, if a radio station shall be pre-equipped with both the hardware and software corresponding to these radio communication methods like before, cost of the radio station will increase.
Furthermore, since it is rare that a user needs all kinds of the communication applications, the hardware and software corresponding to radio communication methods for unnecessary communication applications become useless.
These problems can be solved by software radio technology. The software radio technology is the technology by which hardware independent of radio communication methods and software dependent of radio communication methods realize various radio communication methods. If the radio station is equipped with the hardware independent of radio communication methods in this way, an addition of a new function and a change in a radio communication method (for example, modulation method) can be realized by downloading new software for the addition of the function and the change from a network and the like (refer to JP, 11-346186, for example).
However, with the above conventional technology, the software of a radio communication method has had to be distributed to a terminal from the network side. That is, distribution of the software of a radio communication method has been made only from a fixed station.
For this reason, unless the network side is equipped with software of a new radio communication method, communications according to the new radio communication method between the network and the terminal cannot be performed even if the terminal attempts to communicate with the network according to the radio communication method after the terminal downloads software of the new radio communication method from other nets (Internet and the like), for example.
Further, the radio station (a station on the network side) that is supposed to communicate with many radio stations (terminals) for various communication applications pursuant to user demands must anticipate beforehand and equip itself with sets of software for variety of radio communication methods suitable for various communication applications. Furthermore, it cannot communicate with a radio station at all if a communication is requested in a radio communication method suitable for a communication application, which is not prepared.

Radio communication method and a radio station with software reconfiguration features


Herein disclosed a howling detecting and suppressing apparatus for detecting and suppressing howling sound components comprising: a frequency dividing processing section for converting a plurality of sound time signal segments each corresponding to a time segment into a plurality of sound frequency signal segments each corresponding to a frequency segment; a howling suppressing section for respectively adjusting gains for said sound frequency signal segments converted by said frequency dividing processing section to generate howling-suppressed sound frequency signal segments; a howling detecting section for judging whether a howling sound component is present or not for each of said howling-suppressed sound frequency signal segments generated by said howling suppressing section to detect howling sound frequency signal segments each in which it is judged that said howling sound component is present and non-howling sound frequency signal segments each in which it is judged that said howling sound component is not present; and a frequency synthesizing processing section for synthesizing said howling-suppressed sound frequency signal segments suppressed by said howling suppressing section to generate howling-suppressed sound time signal segments, whereby said howling suppressing section is operative to respectively adjust gains for said sound frequency signal segments converted by said frequency dividing processing section by changing the gains of said howling sound frequency signal segments detected by said howling detecting section and passing through said non-howling sound frequency signal segments detected by said howling detecting section.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a howling detecting and suppressing apparatus for, a howling detecting and suppressing method of, and a howling detecting and suppressing computer program product for automatically detecting and suppressing howling sound components occurred as a result of acoustic coupling between a speaker and a microphone, and an acoustic apparatus comprising the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Up until now, there have been proposed a wide variety of howling detecting and suppressing apparatuses for automatically detecting and suppressing howling sound components occurred as a result of acoustic coupling between a speaker and a microphone. One of the conventional howling detecting and suppressing apparatuses of this type is disclosed, for example, in the Patent Application Laid-Open No. H07-143034.
One typical example of the howling detecting and suppressing apparatus will be described hereinlater with reference to FIG. 19. The conventional howling detecting and suppressing apparatus is shown in FIG. 19 as comprising an input terminal 1901, an A/D converter 1902, a plurality of notch filters 1903, a plurality of coefficient memories 1904, a D/A converter 1905, an output terminal 1906, a fast Fourier Transformation performing unit 1907, a judging unit 1908, a coefficient selecting means 1909, and a coefficient memory 1910. In the conventional howling detecting and suppressing apparatus, the input terminal 1901 connected with, for example, a microphone, not shown, is adapted to input an analog sound signal therethrough. The A/D converter 1902 is adapted to convert the analog sound signal inputted through by the input terminal 1901 into a digital sound signal including a plurality of frequency segments. The notch filters 1903 are connected in series with the A/D converter 1902. Each of the notch filters 1903 uniquely corresponds to a frequency segment and is adapted to filter the corresponding frequency segment of the digital sound signal in accordance with a coefficient stored in one of the coefficient memories 904 to suppress or pass through the corresponding frequency segment. Each of the coefficient memories 1904 uniquely connected to one of the notch filters 1903 and is adapted to store the coefficient to be used by the one of corresponding notch filters 1903. D/A converter 1905 is adapted to convert the digital sound signal including the frequency segments thus filtered through by all of the notch filters 1903 into a filtered analog sound signal. The output terminal 1906 is adapted to output the analog sound signal thus filtered to, for example, a speaker, not shown. The fast Fourier Transformation performing unit 1907 is adapted to analyze the frequency segments of the digital sound signal filtered through by all of the notch filters 1903 to generate analyzed frequency segment information. The judging unit 1908 is adapted to detect a peak frequency segment to be used to suppress and eliminate a howling sound component. The coefficient memory 1910 is adapted to store coefficients such as, for example, coefficients f0, f1, f2, . . . fn to be set to the notch filters 1903. The coefficient selecting means 1909 is adapted to select the coefficients to be respectively set to the notch filters 1903 on the basis of the peak frequency segment detected by the judging unit 1908 from among the coefficients f0, f1, f2, . . . fn stored in the coefficient memory 1910.
The operation of the conventional howling detecting and suppressing apparatus above stated will be described hereinlater. In the conventional howling detecting and suppressing apparatus, each of the notch filters 1903 is assumed to have flat frequency characteristics in their respective default states.
In the conventional howling detecting and suppressing apparatus, the input terminal 1901 connected with, for example, a microphone, not shown is operated to input an analog sound signal therethrough. The A/D converter 1902 is operated to convert the analog sound signal inputted through by the input terminal 1901 into a digital sound signal including a plurality of frequency segments. The notch filters 1903 connected in series with the A/D converter 1902 are operated to input the digital sound signal. Each of the notch filters 1903 is operated to filter one of the frequency segments of the digital sound signal in accordance with a coefficient stored in the corresponding one of the coefficient memories 1904 to suppress or pass through the one of the frequency segments of the corresponding frequency segment. The D/A converter 1905 is operated to convert the digital sound signal including a plurality of frequency segments thus filtered through by all of the notch filters 1903 into a filtered analog sound signal. The output terminal 1906 is operated to output the filtered analog sound signal to, for example, a speaker, not shown. The fast Fourier Transformation performing unit 1907 is operated to analyze the frequency segments of the digital sound signal filtered through by all of the notch filters 1903 by calculating power values of frequency segments to generate analyzed frequency segment information. The judging unit 1908 is operated to judge maximum and average power values of frequency segments to detect a maximum frequency segment on the basis of the analyzed frequency segment information generated by the fast Fourier Transformation performing unit 1907. Here, a maximum frequency segment is intended to mean a frequency segment having the maximum power value. A frequency segment having the maximum power value may also be referred to as a peak frequency segment.
The analog sound signal inputted through the input terminal 1901, for example, includes a howling sound component; the frequency segment containing the howling sound component will appear as a peak frequency segment because of the fact that the frequency segments containing the howling sound component have great power values. This means that the judging unit 1908 can detect a frequency segment containing a howling sound component as a maximum frequency segment.
More specifically, the judging unit 1908 is operated to judge maximum and average power values of frequency segments to detect a maximum frequency segment, i.e, a peak frequency segment, and judge if the ratio of the maximum power value to the average power value is greater than a predetermined threshold value or not. The judging unit 1908 is operated to determine that the maximum frequency segment contains a howling sound component if it is judged that the ratio of the maximum power value to the average power value is greater than the predetermined threshold value because of the fact that a frequency segment containing a howling sound component has a peak power value. Alternatively, the judging unit 1908 may count how many times it is judged that the ratio of the maximum power value to the average power value with respect to a maximum frequency segment is greater than the predetermined threshold value and determine that the maximum frequency segment contains a howling sound component if the number of times thus counted with respect to the maximum frequency segment exceeds a predetermined number because of the fact that the frequency segments containing howling sound components continuously maintain remarkably great power values. This means that the conventional howling detecting and suppressing apparatus thus constructed detects a howling frequency segment by judging whether the ratio of the maximum power value to the average power value is greater than a predetermined threshold value or not because of the fact that a frequency segment containing a frequency component has a peak power value.
The judging unit 1908 is operated to generate and transmit howling information indicating the maximum frequency segment thus determined to contain a howling sound component to the coefficient selecting means 1909. The coefficient selecting means 1909 is operated to select a coefficient specified for the howling frequency segment, for example, coefficient f0, to be set to one of the notch filters 1903 corresponding to the howling frequency segment from among the coefficient f0, f1, f2, . . . fn stored in the coefficient memory 1910. The coefficient selecting means 1909 is operated to transfer the thus selected coefficient f0 stored in the coefficient memory 1910 to the corresponding one of the coefficient memories 1904 uniquely connected to the one of the notch filters 1903 corresponding to the howling frequency segment. The one of the notch filters 1903 corresponding to the howling frequency segment is operated to filter the howling frequency segment in accordance with the coefficient f0 stored in the corresponding one of the coefficient memories 1904 to suppress and eliminate the howling sound component.
The conventional howling detecting and suppressing apparatus above described detects a howling frequency segment by judging whether the ratio of the maximum power value to the average power value is greater than a predetermined threshold value or not, making it possible to automatically and reliably detect the howling sound component regardless of whether the noise level of the inputted sound signal fluctuates.
Furthermore, the conventional howling detecting and suppressing apparatus above described comprises a plurality of notch filters 1903 each corresponding to a frequency segment to filter the corresponding frequency segment of the digital sound signal in accordance with a coefficient stored in the corresponding one of the coefficient memories 1904 to suppress or pass through the corresponding frequency segment, thereby enabling to automatically and reliably suppress the howling sound component.
The conventional howling detecting and suppressing apparatus, however, encounters a drawback that the conventional howling detecting and suppressing apparatus may erroneously detect a howling frequency segment when the conventional howling detecting and suppressing apparatus happens to input a sound signal containing a frequency segment with a remarkably great power value. This means that the conventional howling detecting and suppressing apparatus may erroneously detect a howling frequency segment when the power value of the frequency segment contained in the sound signal is remarkably great because of the fact that the conventional howling detecting and suppressing apparatus detects a howling sound component on the basis of the ratio of the maximum power value to the average power value.
The conventional howling detecting and suppressing apparatus, furthermore, encounters another drawback that the conventional howling detecting and suppressing must increase the number of the notch filters 1903 and coefficients f1 to fn in order to enhance the frequency resolution because of the fact that the conventional howling detecting and suppressing apparatus must comprise the number of notch filters 1903 equal to the number of frequency segments to be filtered. This means that the conventional howling detecting and suppressing apparatus is required to be large in the size in order to enhance the frequency resolution.
The present invention contemplates resolution of such problems.

Howling detecting and suppressing apparatus, method and computer program product

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A diode bridge (12) includes a plurality of diodes (D1,D2,D3,D4) for coupling an input voltage signal (Vin) through a resistor (RH) to a holding capacitor (CH) for sampling when the diodes (D1,D2,D3,D4) are forward biased, and uncoupling the voltage signal (Vin) from the capacitor (CH) for holding when the diodes (D1,D2,D3,D4) are reverse biased. A constant current drain (S1) causes a constant bias current (IBIAS) to flow out of the bridge (12) through first and second bias current nodes (N1,N2) to a voltage source (VEE). The nodes (N1,N2) are also connected through current source resistors (R1,R2) to a voltage source (VCC). A first current regulator (72) is bootstrapped to the input signal (Vin) and regulates first and second bias currents flowing into the nodes (N1,N2) to constant values (IBIAS/2) to compensate for resistive current source modulation. A second current regulator (92) is also bootstrapped to the input signal (Vin) and regulates bias current flowing through the resistor (RH) into the junction (20) between the resistor (RH) and the capacitor (CH) to a constant value (IBIAS/4) to compensate for output slew current modulation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to the field of electronic waveform sampling circuits, and more specifically to a sample and hold circuit which compensates for signal modulation by resistive current sources and output slew currents using bipolar transistors of a single conductivity type.
2. Description of the Related Art
Sample and hold circuits charge a holding element, which is usually a capacitor, to the instantaneous amplitude of an analog input signal during a tracking or sampling interval, and then uncouple the signal from the capacitor during a holding interval. The sampled voltage which is held by the capacitor is typically applied to an analog-to-digital converter which produces a corresponding digital value which is stored in a random access memory of a waveform processing unit. A set of stored digital values obtained at increments of a sampled waveform constitutes a digital approximation of the analog signal, and can be analyzed or processed using a variety of known algorithms in accordance with a particular application.
FIG. 1 illustrates a basic prior art class A sample and hold circuit 10 including a switchable diode bridge 12 such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,659,945, entitled "SAMPLING BRIDGE", issued Apr. 21, 1987 to A. Metz. The bridge 12 has a first bias current node N1 and a second bias current node N2. The anodes of diodes D1 and D3 are connected to the node N2, whereas the cathodes of diodes D2 and D4 are connected to the node N1. The cathodes of the diodes D1 and D3 are connected to the anodes of the diodes D2 and D4 respectively. An analog input voltage signal Vin which is to be sampled is applied to the junction of the diodes D1 and D2 which constitutes an input 14. An output signal Vout appears at the junction of the diodes D3 and D4, which constitutes an output 16, and is applied to a holding circuit 18 including a charging resistor RH and an integrating or holding capacitor CH. A junction 20 is defined between the resistor RH and capacitor CH.
The diode bridge 12 further includes a diode D5 having a cathode connected to the node N2, and a diode D6 having an anode connected to the node N1. The anode of the diode D5 is connected to the cathode of the diode D6. A unity-gain replica of the output signal Vout is fed back through a buffer amplifier A1 to the junction of the diodes D5 and D6 and designated as a bootstrap bias voltage VBS. The diodes D5 and D6 are connected in anti-parallel relation to the diodes D1, D2, D3 and D4.
An NPN bipolar sampling transistor Q2 has a collector connected to the node N1 and an emitter connected to a constant current drain S1. A signal Vsample for selecting or commanding a tracking or sampling mode of operation is applied to the base of the transistor Q2. An NPN bipolar holding transistor Q1 has a collector connected to the node N2 and an emitter connected to the drain S1. A signal Vhold for selecting or commanding a holding mode of operation is applied to the base of the transistor Q1. The drain S1 causes a predetermined constant bias current IBIAS to flow out of the bridge 12 through the node N1 or N2 and whichever transistor Q1 or Q2 is turned on into a voltage source VEE.
A first current source resistor R1 is connected between a voltage source VCC, which produces a voltage higher than the voltage VEE, and the node N2. Diodes D7 and D9 have anodes connected through a second current source resistor R2 to the voltage source VCC and cathodes connected to the anodes of diodes D8 and D10 respectively. The cathodes of the diodes D8 and D10 are connected to the node N1.
The diodes D7, D8, D9 and D10 are connected in the same configuration as the diodes D1, D2, D3 and D4 respectively and enable the resistor R2 to have the same resistance as the resistor R1 and be connected to the same voltage source VCC. Although not specifically illustrated, it is within the scope of the invention to connect the resistors R1 and R2 to different voltage sources.
The circuit 10 is operated in sampling mode by applying the sampling signal Vsample to the transistor Q2 and removing the holding signal Vhold from the transistor Q1. The transistor Q2 is turned on, thereby connecting the node N1 to the drain S1, whereas the transistor Q1 is turned off, thereby disconnecting the node N2 from the drain S1. The diodes D1, D2, D3 and D4 are forward biased, thereby coupling the signal Vin therethrough to the capacitor CH which charges through the resistor RH to the instantaneous value of the signal Vin to produce the signal Vout. The diodes D5 and D6 are reverse biased, and do not pass signal or bias current therethrough.
The bias current IBIAS flows out of the circuit 10 through the drain S1. Under theoretically ideal conditions, half of this current, IBIAS/2, flows through the resistor R1, node N2, diodes D1, D2, D3 and D4, node N1 and transistor Q2 to the drain S1 to forward bias the diodes D1, D2, D3 and D4 and couple the signal Vin to the capacitor CH. Another half IBIAS/2 of the bias current IBIAS flows through the resistor R2, diodes D7, D8, D9 and D10, node N1 and transistor Q2 to the drain S1.
The circuit 10 is operated in holding mode by applying the holding signal Vhold to the transistor Q1 and removing the sampling signal Vsample from the transistor Q2. The transistor Q1 is turned on, thereby connecting the node N2 to the drain S1, whereas the transistor Q2 is turned off, thereby disconnecting the node N1 from the drain S1. The diodes D5 and D6 are forward biased by the bootstrap bias voltage Vbs, thereby causing the diodes D1, D2, D3 and D4 to be reverse biased and not pass signal or bias current therethrough, such that the signal Vin is uncoupled from the capacitor CH.
The current IBIAS flows out of the circuit 10 through the drain S1 in holding mode as it does in sampling mode. Half of this current, IBIAS/2, flows through the resistor R2, diodes D7, D8, D9 and D10, node N1, diodes D5, and D6, node N2 and transistor Q1 to the drain S1 to forward bias the diodes D5 and D6, reverse bias the diodes D1, D2, D3 and D4 and thereby uncouple the signal Vin from the capacitor CH. Another half of this current, IBIAS/2, flows through the resistor R1, node N2 and transistor Q1 to the drain S1.
The diodes D5 and D6 must have a forward voltage drop which is larger than the forward voltage drop of the diodes D1, D2, D3 and D4 in order to cause the diodes D1, D2, D3 and D4 to be reverse biased when the diodes D5 and D6 are forward biased. Where a particular application must be implemented by diodes of a single type, the required effect can be produced by substituting two or more series diodes for each of the diodes D5 and D6, although not specifically illustrated.
Sample and hold circuits are often required to operate at very high speeds. Complementary bipolar integrated circuit fabrication techniques which enable transistors of both NPN and PNP conductivity types to be formed are currently limited in that the circuits produced by these techniques are only capable of operation at low speeds. For this reason, prior art high speed sample and hold circuits such as illustrated in FIG. include only resistors and bipolar devices of a single conductivity type, usually NPN, and are vulnerable to tracking errors caused by non-linear signal modulation.
As described above, under theoretically ideal conditions, bias currents, each having a value of IBIAS/2, flow into the bridge 12 through the resistors R1 and R2 and the nodes N2 and N1 respectively in sampling mode. Under real conditions, however, these bias currents vary in accordance with the magnitude of the signal Vin and produce non-linear errors in the output signal Vout. This effect is known as "resistive current source modulation".
A second source of tracking non-linearity results from the fact that the holding circuit 18 has finite impedance. The resistance of the resistor RH and the capacitance of the capacitor CH determine the noise bandwidth in a class A sample and hold circuit. The holding circuit 18 constitutes a load impedance which must be driven by the bridge 12 over the entire frequency range of the signal Vin. In driving the load impedance, the bridge 12 must source and sink different drive currents into the capacitor CH through the resistor RH and junction 20 which are slew rate (rate of change of the signal Vin) dependent. This drive or slew current also modulates the output signal Vout, and the effect is known as "output slew current modulation".
These two sources of signal modulation have limited the speed, linearity and resolution of class A sample and hold circuits and restricted their use to relatively low performance applications.

Sample and hold circuit with full signal modulation compensation using bipolar transistors of single conductivity type


A method and apparatus of fusing a pin to a wire to reliably form a good quality fusion joint includes placing the pin and insulated or uninsulated wire in a notch of a lower fusing electrode so that the pin is spaced a predetermined distance above the wire. The upper fusing electrode applies fusing current and heat symmetrically to the pin and notch side walls and the portion of the lower electrode beneath and in contact with the wire. Heat is transferred to soften the pin and burn or vaporize the insulation off the wire before the pin and wire touch. Since all parts are held symmetrically, parts can not skew or burn off unevenly. Electrode pressure builds to drive the soften, heated pin and wire together and to apply fusing current through the contacting pin and wire to form a good fusion joint. Another aspect of the invention includes forming the lower fusing electrode with a plurality of fusing notches to afford quick operator set-up and sequential, automatic fusing of the series of wire/pin assemblies. Openings and channels are formed adjacent the notches to concentrate the fusing heat to the portion in contact with the wire.

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for joining electric component pins and electric wires. The invention has great utility in but is not limited to joining insulated magnet wires to multipinned terminal blocks and non-insulated wire strands to multipinned terminals.
The art of joining wires to wires and wires to metal pins is quite old. The art of joining wires to wires to form pigtails or splices includes U.S. Pat. No. 4,687,900 wherein stranded wire 12 is joined to initially insulated magnet wire by placing these wires in the notch of a lower fusing electrode and joining them through the application of pressure, heat, and current through the engagement of the upper fusing electrode. Care is taken to locate the non-insulated stranded wires above and in contact with the insulated magnet wire so that the current path is completed through the wire 12 to the side walls of the lower electrode to generate electrode heat, for burning off the wire 14 insulation and establishing a current and heating path through both wires to be joined. A technical problem associated with this approach results from the wires being unsymmetrically placed or held in the notch. This approach may cause the initial application of fusing current and heat to the insulated wire 14 being unevenly applied to remove or burn off the insulation. This effect would cause non-uniform or unreliable joints from one termination to the next.
Attempts have been made for joining non-insulated wires to pins, however, these attempts experienced reproducability and reliability problems because it was difficult to position the small pin exactly centered on the wire. The pin usually shifted toward one side of the notch or the other causing the initial current to pass more through one notch side wall than the other. This non-symmetrical flow heats the bottom electrode notch and the magnet wire unevenly causing non-uniform results from one termination to the next.
Another technical need in the art relates to the time, costs and inefficiency of setting up to implement the fusing action and the requirement to move or index either the work piece or the upper and lower fusing heads to join a multiplicity of wires to a multiplicity of pins on a single device. Present apparatus require the operator to set up the pin, wire and lower electrode assembly before each fusing operation. This results in a slow, tedious, costly process with high chance of human error that reduces quality and yields from the system.

Apparatus for fusing symmetrically together differently dimensioned members


At the shipping department of a company, contracted outlets or outlets of delivery companies, information concerning the shipper and receiver are written into a label having a memory, but no controller or energy source. The label has a transmitter and the label makes use of power supplied by RF query signals to fetch the information stored and transmits such information to a label reader located either in a portable recorder or at sorting locations. After the information is written into the label, the label is attached to the package. Upon being picked up, the label on the package is read by a portable recorder which transmits the information to a main computer. The packages are then delivered to local hubs of the receiving outlets where information in the labels of the packages are read and the packages sorted according to the information in the labels on the packages and the packages are then delivered to either a central hub and/or local distribution centers of the destinations, where the labels of the packages are then read and the packages sorted accordingly for ultimate delivery to the receiver. Tracking numbers and other delivery information may be retrieved at any point along the way either by portable recorder or at the sorting centers and transmitted to the main computer for tracking and response to inquiries.

This invention relates in general to delivery systems and in particular to an improved package and mail delivery system.
In a conventional package delivery system, packages including parcels and envelopes are delivered in the following manner. The shipper of the parcel or envelope is identified and the shipper's name, telephone number and address as well as the receiver's name, telephone number and address are recorded on a delivery form. The delivery type, tracking number and other remarks such as COD and other special instructions are also recorded on the delivery form. After the above-noted information has been recorded on the delivery form, the form is placed onto or attached to each package. Some delivery forms have pre-printed barcodes, or a separate barcode label may be printed and placed onto or attached to the package. The barcodes may be used as tracking numbers also.
In a conventional package delivery system, packages are picked up by delivery companies from locations where the above-noted information is input into a computer for purposes such as invoicing and tracing. Tracking numbers on the delivery forms or on the separate barcode labels are read by a barcode scanner and transmitted to the central computer center for customer service, so that information of the whereabouts of the packages can be provided in response to customer inquiry. The packages are typically sorted manually by having a person read the receiver's address on the delivery form of each package. After the packages have been sorted they are delivered by train, truck or plane, depending on the type of delivery specified on the delivery form, to the destination. On its way, the package may need to be sorted repeatedly by hand at different locations in a similar manner before it is delivered to the specified destination. During each step of the delivery process, the tracking number of each package may be read by a barcode scanner and transmitted to the central computer center.
The above-described conventional package delivery system is expensive and prone to errors. Since the sorting is done manually, a large number of people would have to be hired to sort the packages by means of the information entered on the delivery forms.
In view of the above disadvantages, alternatives have been proposed. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,153,842 for example, an integrated circuit package label and/or manifest system is proposed by Dlugos, Sr. et al. In this system, a battery or solar cell powered integrated circuit package label is attached to each package, where each label is used to store delivery information. After the package has been delivered, the label is detached and returned to the carrier, where some or all of the information in the label is read by a terminal and uploaded to a host computer for billing and analysis. The label is then reused.
While the proposed integrated circuit patched label of Dlugos, Sr. et al. described above is an improvement over the conventional system, the labels proposed by Dlugos, Sr. et al. are expensive since each of such labels requires a microprocessor and a battery or solar cell for powering the label. It is, therefore, desirable to provide a simpler design for the package delivery system which is simpler and inexpensive.


A driving rotation tool includes a socket base, a socket clearance hole inside the socket base and surrounded by three first gripping surfaces, three second gripping surfaces and six third gripping surfaces for development of edge planes around the socket clearance hole wherein the third gripping surface is located between the first gripping surface and the second gripping surface for circular permutation of first gripping surface, third gripping surface and second gripping surface. The first gripping surface is a cambered surface. The second gripping surface is an angled surface consisting of two adjoining planes which form an obtuse angle. As such, the tool facilitates not only normally driving a nut or a bolt head but also screwing or unscrewing the nut or the bolt head with edges or corners worn out or damaged and further promotes overall convenience, practicability and market competitiveness.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a gyration tool, particularly a driving rotation tool used to screw or unscrew a workpiece worn out or damaged.
2. Description of the Related Art
A wrench as one tool to screw or unscrew a nut or a bolt head in regular work usually needs a socket, which is held in the wrench for occluding the nut (or the bolt head), and is turned to drive the socket as well as the nut or the bolt head for completion of screwing or unscrewing. In this regard, a relative slip is common in the socket in which the nut or the bolt head with some edges or corners worn out or damaged after long-term usage is held and leads to failure of screwing or unscrewing the nut or the bolt head. Accordingly, a technology as shown in FIG. 1 features a socket 90 with a coupling hole 91 surrounded by raised resisting bevels 92, each of which has a recessive slanted angle and is opposite to and resists a midpoint of every edge on a nut 100 (or a bolt head), for turning the nut 100 (or the bolt head). However, a force to completely screw or unscrew the nut 100 (or the bolt head) is insufficient and fails in driving the nut 100 (or the bolt head) in virtue of restrictive line contacts between the nut 100 (or the bolt head) and the socket 90.
To settle the above problem of a relative slip between the socket and the nut (or the bolt head), an alternative technology (R.O.C Patent No. M323375) as shown in FIG. 2 provides a non-slip socket on which a stable force can be applied forward and reversely: a socket 95 is provided with (a) a hexagon coupling hole 96 which is used to drive a workpiece head 100A (a nut or a bolt head) and (b) rectangular resisting parts 97 axially located at centers of at least three inner walls and contacting all peripheral surfaces of the workpiece head 100A vis-à-vis.
However, the above technology for a non-slip socket driving a nut or a bolt head and minimizing drawbacks such as slippage relative to the nut or the bolt head still has some problems, for instance, the socket 95 needs the rectangular resisting parts 97 axially located at centers of at least three inner walls in order to hold the workpiece head 100A (a nut or bolt head) inside the coupling hole 96 of the socket 95 for exact touches of all contact surfaces which complicate an operation and waste more time; the socket 95 is also taken as an unideal design because the workpiece head 100A with one side bulged or deformed is difficultly or hardly inserted into the socket 95. Furthermore, its deserved to be corrected that the prior art for a non-slip socket which depends on at least three contact surfaces for occlusion may lead to unstable (or shaken) gyration or separation of a workpiece with its workpiece head 100A deformed during application of force. Against this background, it has become a critical issue to correct and get over drawbacks in the prior socket by persons skilled in the industry.
Accordingly, the inventor having considered an imperfect structural design and other drawbacks of the prior art and attempted to optimize a socket with features such as convenient application, stable operation and no excessive waste of nuts or bolt heads has studied and developed the present invention of a driving rotation tool for serving the general public and promoting development of the industry.


An upright cleaner removes dust from a drum brush. The upright cleaner includes a case having a suction port, a drum brush rotatably provided in the case to sweep and guide foreign matter to the suction port, a dust removal unit provided in the case so that the dust removal unit is moved between a first position where one side of the dust removal unit contacts the drum brush and a second position where the side of the dust removal unit is separated from the drum brush, and a lever connected to the dust removal unit to actuate the dust removal unit.

1. Field
Embodiments relate to an upright cleaner configured to remove dust from a drum brush.
2. Description of the Related Art
A cleaner is an apparatus that removes foreign matter from a room to clean the room. A vacuum cleaner is generally used at home. The vacuum cleaner suctions air using suction force of a blowing device and separates foreign matter from the suctioned air using a filter to clean a room. The vacuum cleaner may be classified as a canister type vacuum cleaner or an upright vacuum cleaner.
The canister type vacuum cleaner includes a main body having a blowing device and a dust collection device mounted therein, a suction body mounted separately from the main body to suction dust from a floor, and a connection hose connected between the main body and the suction body. To clean a room, therefore, a user may move the suction body in a cleaning direction while holding a handle mounted at the connection hose.
On the other hand, the upright cleaner includes an upright main body and a suction body integrally coupled to the lower part of the main body. To clean a room, therefore, a user may move the entirety of the upright cleaner in a cleaning direction while holding a handle mounted at the upper side of the main body.
In particular, a drum brush is mounted in the suction body of the upright cleaner to improve cleaning efficiency. The drum brush contacts a surface to be cleaned while being rotated at high speed to separate foreign matter from the surface. The separated foreign matter is suctioned into the suction body and is then introduced into a dust collection device provided in the main body.
In this case, some of the foreign matter suctioned into the suction body is rotated by rotational force of the drum brush rotated at high speed while being attached to the drum brush. As a result, cleaning efficiency is lowered.


A computer program and method for the direct creation of a page having text and image. The program accepts input of text, and the input of an image and directly combines the text and image to a page in an internet common language. The invention also provides a testing method which allows the retrieval of a portion of a previously created master page, provides program code to allow a student to input data in response to the retrieved portion and to directly create an answer page. Program code also allows the master page and the answer page to be retrieved and compared.

Perhaps the biggest problem currently facing industry in the U.S. is providing computer training and testing. Computer programs are becoming essential to more and more businesses and people. Programs are constantly changing, at an ever increasing rate. For every new program or version of a program released, management must decide either to stay with the old program or adopt the new release. Staying with the old program involves the risk of using a solution that is less efficient, less powerful or simply less popular than that used by the competition. On the other hand, adopting a new program involves costs attendant to such a change, for example, training costs and disruption to business activity by time spent learning and adapting to the new program. Also, companies must train new employees to use the computer systems which the company has adopted. A significant cost of doing business is related to computer training.
Training is critical not just for companies and individuals seeking to learn how to use a given product. Software makers also often create training programs and certifications to ensure that there is an adequate supply of qualified personnel for a product. It is critical for these software makers to create training programs soon after the product is released, and to create examinations for the certifications that are an effective measure of mastery of the product.
A need exists for a type of computer training that is highly effective and yet inexpensive and quick to create. Moreover, a related need exists for a method of evaluating how well the student has actually learned the material covered in the training and whether the student can apply the training to an actual situation.
Various types of training and of learning materials now exist. The main modes of instruction now available are textbooks, lectures, videos, or computer based learning (or some combination thereof). Without going into an exhaustive analysis of all possible types of training and combinations of learning methods it may be simplest to focus on what factors make it easier for users to learn quickly in a situation where technological change is both rapid and urgent. The following are the main points to be considered by management or by individuals when choosing a training or learning method:    1. Is the material self-paced? If so, this means that classes do not have to be scheduled, and people who can learn quickly are not held up by those who cannot.    2. Can the learning take place at the student's choice of location? It is an advantage if the training can be done at the student's desk or office rather than requiring travel to a special location.    3. Is the material affordable, i.e., is it within available budget? Is there a more cost-effective training tool?    4. Is the material available? Obviously, even if it has been decided that video instruction is best, this will not be relevant if a video for the requested subject matter has not yet been created or is otherwise unavailable for use.    5. Is the material in a standard format? The more familiar the format is, the less time will be required for learning, and the more receptive students will be.    6. How effective is the material? A printed book might be cheap and usable as self based training, but a book might be less effective than a video, because a well made video can demonstrate a technique in a computer application rather than simply describing it.    7. Is the training interactive? Active participation is generally a more effective tool as the student must actually exercise the skills.    8. Is the training verifiable? Does the training provide testing which demonstrates that the student has mastered the subject?
When comparing textbook instruction, lectures, video instruction and computer based instruction, a number of comparative advantages and disadvantages with respect to the above points can be seen. Lecture based training has numerous disadvantages which are obvious from consulting the above list. Simple printed instructional matter is the cheapest to create and distribute. Students can consult a text at any time and no special equipment is needed for viewing. However, printed instructional matter by itself is generally not as effective as is a more interactive media.
Videos and some types of interactive computer tutorials have great advantages. (Examples of interactive computer tutorials are tutorials created with Macromedia Courseware or Director. Examples of videos are those made by Keystone Learning Corporation.) Much of current software consists of using a graphical user interface. A demonstration is far more effective than reading a description or attending a lecture. Videos have an advantage over computer-based tutorials in that they tend to be cheaper to create than interactive computer tutorials. Videos have a disadvantage in that they are not interactive. However, videos are much cheaper to create than interactive computer tutorials. Videos and most interactive tutorials have a significant disadvantage when compared to a book: videos and computer tutorials do not have random access (you can flip a book open to any page, but you cannot easily jump directly to any spot in a video or in an interactive computer tutorial that resembles a video).
Fairly recently publishers have come up with a format that combines all the advantages of a book with most of the advantages of a video or interactive tutorial, and thus has unique advantages when considered with respect to the points enumerated above. This format consists of small amounts of text with snapshots of a computer screen (screenshots). Tasks are described step by step. Each step has a corresponding picture.
Some examples of this format are:
Easy Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional (Que Easy Series) 2000 Shelly O'Hara ISBN 0789721872
Directory 7 For MacIntosh and Windows (Peachpit Visual Quickstart Series) Andre Persidsky ISBN 0201353989
Master Office 2000 Visually (IDG 3-D Visually Series) Ruth Maran et al ISBN 0764560506
For the purpose of this explanation, we will call such books (books in which computer tasks are visually described through actual screenshots) "visual tutorials".
Printed visual tutorials still have some disadvantages. They are expensive for organizations or individuals to create. They are usually not in electronic form, so they are not electronically searchable and cannot be easily shared.
Currently, it is possible for users to manually create a kind of HTML (hypertext markup language) visual tutorial using tools such as Microsoft Front Page. However, inserting a screenshot into a web page requires first using the PrtScrn key to copy the screen to the clipboard, using a graphics program to take the screenshot from the clipboard and transfer it to a PNG (portable network graphics) file, and then using FrontPage to insert the screenshot into a single webpage. The page numbers and links must be created manually, depending on the web page creation software being used. The user must manually change the screen resolution if so desired. This visual tutorial creation method is laborious and does not result in a standard layout and design, since each user has to decide how to create the links from one page to another, where to put the text, how to distribute the book, and so on. Further, most users do not know how to manually create a visual tutorial as described, and they also may not have the required graphics and HTML creation software installed on their machines. The present invention not only makes all steps in the process of creating a visual tutorial automatic, it also allows users to create formats for the books separately, and then create from these formats multiple versions of a page from a single master page. Further, this page can be created in any industry standard format, including RTF and PDF, not just HTML.
In addition to tutorials, there has been a need for an effective test method for truly evaluating whether a person has mastered a subject such as networking or systems analysis. Further, certain companies conduct certification testing which is to test whether the student possesses the basic ability to perform certain jobs. This testing has generally been conducted on a multiple choice format. Such a format does not necessarily establish that the student can perform the required actual work. Also, since there are a limited number of questions and there are sources which collect and distribute the questions, students are able to study for the test without comprehending the subject. Thus, there has been a need for a method to test students which more closely appropriates the actual situation and requires the student to actually manipulate the programs for which certification is sought.
There is a need to provide a tool for creating and distributing visual tutorials that makes it easy for even the average user to create and distribute such tutorials, and allows such tutorials to be created in either electronic or printed form, and in multiple designs and formats. This is what the present invention does. The present invention also extends the visual tutorial format to take advantage of all of the possibilities inherent in an electronic, online media as opposed to the printed media, and in an interactive media (a computer program) as opposed to a static media (a printed page). One such extension is to allow the visual tutorials to be used as interactive test. That is, the present invention creates a visual tutorial which is more than just a visual tutorial in electronic form. Thus, the present invention is one which allows users both to easily create visual tutorials (thus having advantages over existing means of creating such tutorials) and is also one which extends the possibilities of the visual tutorial format.

Abstract: A system and method for on-line creation, storage and retrieval of books or pages on books having pages with text and related images. The system can also provide for the on-line testing by the retrieval of a portion the pages of a master book and the creation of an answer page, and permit the comparison of the master and answer page.


The present invention provides the following three laminates: First, a polyimide-metal laminate which is obtainable by applying to one side of a metal foil a silane-modified polyimide resin composition (A) comprising alkoxy-containing silane-modified polyimide (a) and a polar solvent (b), drying and curing the composition; Second, a polyamideimide-metal laminate which is obtainable by applying to one side of a metal foil a silane-modified polyamideimide resin composition (C-1) comprising methoxy-containing silane-modified polyamideimide (d), a polar solvent (b) and an inorganic filler (c), drying and curing the composition; and third, a polyimide-metal laminate in which the cured film of the above composition (A) has a metal plated layer thereon.

In recent years, electric appliances and electronic apparatuses are becoming increasingly lightweight and compact. Circuit boards, used as components of electric appliances and electronic apparatuses, are also required to be miniaturized and given higher densities because of this trend.
To achieve the miniaturization of circuit boards, polyimide films have been widely used as materials in such boards because they are inexpensive and have excellent physical properties such as electrical properties, thermal resistance, flexibility, etc. They are used for flexible printed circuit boards, tape-automated bonding tapes, chip-on-film and other substrates.
When used as materials for substrates such as flexible printed circuit boards (hereinafter abbreviated as "FPC"), tape-automated bonding tapes (hereinafter abbreviated as "TAB") and chip-on-films (hereinafter abbreviated as "COF"), polyimide films are usually adhered to copper foils using adhesives such as epoxy resin, and formed into a laminate. However, such laminates do not fully exhibit the inherent characteristics of polyimides because the thermal resistance and other properties of the adhesives are lower than those of the polyimide.
Some methods for producing laminates without using poorly thermal-resistant adhesives have been suggested. One such method forms a polyimide-copper foil laminate by applying a polyamic acid solution onto a copper foil and drying the solution to convert it to the corresponding polyimide. Another such method forms a polyimide-copper foil laminate by the thermocompressive bonding of a polyimide film to a copper foil. Adhesion between the polyimide layer and copper foil in these polyimide-copper foil laminates is low. Therefore, it is difficult to use a copper foil with a smooth surface (low surface roughness) for such laminates, which is necessary for fine pitching and to handle high frequencies. In addition, the problem is reported in terms of deteriorated heat resistance in such laminates.
Kobunshi Ronbunsyu (Japanese Journal of Polymer Science and Technology) 2000, vol. 57, No. 4, 233 describes the following: when a polyamic acid is directly applied onto a base material, e.g., a copper foil, to allow conversion to the polyimide, copper ions tends to migrate into the polyimide near the copper foil interface, thereby the insulation of the polyimide layer may be decreased. Increasing the thickness of the polyimide layer to ensure sufficient insulation, however, is unfavorable because it prevents an increase in density of electronic circuitry. Therefore, the development of a metal foil laminate which can effectively inhibit the migration of copper ions in a thin film is required.
Polyamideimide-copper foil laminates are known, which are produced by forming a conventional polyamideimide film layer on a copper foil by coating method, thermocompressive bonding method or the like. The adhesion of a polyamideimide layer to a copper foil is superior to that of a polyimide. However, its adhesion is still insufficient. In addition, such laminates have problems with high water absorption, low dimensional stability and poor electrical insulative properties such as dielectric constant. Therefore, such laminates are not suitable as materials for substrates such as FPC, TAB, COF, etc.

Polyimide-metal layered products and polyamideimide-metal layered product


An absorbent folded hand towel having improved effectiveness at hand drying based on the weight of the towel. The towel is composed of an absorbent fibrous cellulosic web having in combination: 1) a total area of less than about 500 cm.sup.2 ; 2) a basis weight of greater than about 45 gsm; 3) a TWA of greater than about 3 g/g; and 4) a unit tensile strength of less than about 1300 meters, so that the hand towel provides a hand towel utility of less than about 5 grams per hand dry event.

Absorbent folded hand towels made of fibrous cellulosic material are widely used to dry hands at commercial, institutional and public facilities. Such folded hand towels are designed for a single use to prevent the spread of pathogens. Since these towels are typically provided at no cost to the user, it is desirable to minimize their cost of use.
During each use or hand drying event, one or more hand folded towels are rubbed over the hands of a user to absorb water. The ability of an individual towel to absorb water (also called "water capacity") roughly correlates to the arrangement of fibers and total weight of absorbent fibrous cellulosic material in the towel (which is also a major component of the cost of such towels). It generally follows that increasing the water capacity of a towel also increases its weight and thus its cost.
One widely adopted approach to lowering the cost of using absorbent folded towels is to provide a towel having a "high capacity" and sufficiently large area so that only one towel would be needed for a typical hand drying event. In order to keep such towels from using too much fiber, the basis weight of such large format towels is often kept low. These towels may be made utilizing papermaking techniques or furnishes that provide sufficient strength at low basis weights to reduce or prevent the towel from tearing during dispensing. Alternatively, these towels may be configured so that two or more plies are folded to form a leading edge that has sufficient strength for reliable dispensing. Studies have shown that fewer of these "high capacity" towels are used in a hand drying event. Unfortunately, the greater weight of each "high capacity" towel means that the total weight of towel used during the hand drying event is relatively high. Exemplary high capacity towels have surface areas of 600 cm.sup.2 or more and basis weights of 45 gsm or more.
Another approach to lowering the cost of using absorbent folded paper towels is to provide inexpensive "very low capacity" towels. The basis weight of these "very low capacity" towels is kept low so that less fiber is used. Such low basis weight towels are also made utilizing papermaking techniques or furnishes that provide sufficient strength at low basis weights to reduce or prevent the towel from tearing during dispensing. The problem with this approach is that users typically perceive these towels as ineffective at hand drying and take more towels per use causing the total weight of towel used during the hand drying event to be relatively high. Exemplary very low capacity towels have surface areas of less than 600 cm.sup.2 and basis weights of 45 gsm or less.
Thus, there is a long and unfilled need for an absorbent towel that delivers the right amount of water capacity for users to dry their hands while minimizing the total weight of towel used during each hand drying event.
Meeting this need would have an important economic benefit by reducing the cost of hand towels to operators of commercial, institutional and public facilities. Meeting this need would also have an important environmental benefit by reducing the total weight of towel (i.e., fibrous cellulosic material) used during each hand drying event. That is, it is desirable to reduce the total weight of the folded towel that is used and the total weight of the folded towel that is discarded.


A clamp for clamping two concentric tubes, typically two concentric tubes in an oil or gas well. The clamp has two axially movable tapered components which can be pulled over one another in an axial direction to provide a contraction of internal diameter which grips the smaller diameter tube. In one embodiment, a spacer is fitted to allow the tapered components to be held apart until the tubes have been correctly positioned. The spacer is then removed, and the tapered components are drawn together to effect the clamping. A hydraulic ram can be provided to separate the tapered components should readjustment be required. In another embodiment, the larger diameter tube is made with a relatively thin wall, so that it can be distorted inwards to grip the smaller tube.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the clamping of concentric well casings, where an inner well casing is to be clamped in position relative to an outer well casing, to achieve a desired relative axial position between the casings, for operational reasons axial fixing between coaxial well casings over a range of positions may be required at various times during drilling and/or production from wells, and the present invention makes it possible to clamp one or more casings within another at any desired position and subsequently to unclamp the casings for disassembly, or to change their relative positions and then reclamp the casings in a new relative position. As the clamping mechanism is preinstalled and can be externally activated, the blowout preventers can remain in place throughout the installation, clamping or release of the subsequently installed casing.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In oil and gas wells, it is conventional to pass a number of concentric tubes or casings down the well. An outermost casing is fixed in the ground, and the inner casings are each supported in the wellhead or in the next outer casing by casing or tubing hangers.
These casing hangers may take the form of a body with interengaging internal shoulders on the outer casing and a body with external shoulders on the inner casing hangers, located at fixed positions on each previously installed casing.
There are however applications where a fixed position casing hanger is unsatisfactory, because the hang-off point of one casing on another may require to be adjustable.
The invention has particular application for such casing and tubing hangers, which require adjustment.
Where drilling or production wellheads have to accommodate a casing or tubing without predetermined hang-off point, it has been known to use casing slip-type support mechanisms.
It is also known from European patent number EP251595B2 to use an adjustable landing ring on a surface casing hanger to accommodate a space-out requirement.
It is furthermore known that where production wellheads have to accommodate casing or tubing with a tension load greater than the running weight, retractable shoulders or internal wedge mechanisms have been used to allow passing of the casing or tubing hanger, and re-tensioning to a predetermined point.


Systems and methods are provided for analyzing policy rules defined for a subscriber and determining packet treatment in a network. Definitions are retrieved pertaining to policy rules for a subscriber. At least one policy point in a network is determined based on the retrieved definitions. The packet treatment is determined at each of the at least one policy point. The packet treatment is shown for each of the at least one policy point. Packets may be injected into the network at injection points and statistics may be collected. The statistics may be compared with results of analyzing policy rules for the subscriber.

Policies that control resources in a network are distributed and managed by multiple independent active system components. Currently, network design and resource policies are analyzed by setting up a test network and using various devices to inject traffic into the test network at different injection points. Designers then observe and analyze resulting traffic and behavior of the test network. If the test network does not behave as expected, designers may change the network and/or resource policies and re-inject test traffic into the network so that they may observe and analyze behavior in the changed network. Due to a lack of analysis tools, such testing is quite cumbersome, time consuming and error prone.