A foldable table top for converting an ironing board to a utility table comprises equivalent rectangular sections coupled together by a flexible hinge. Two handles on opposite ends of the table top latch together to hold the table top in a folded position for storage and transportation. The handles double as attachment brackets that pivot beneath the ironing board deck, snugly receiving each end of the deck within a recess to sandwich the ends between the handles and the bottom of the table top. If the ironing board has adjustable legs, the resulting utility table may be lowered or raised to the extent of the adjustment of the ironing board legs for the convenience of the user.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to improvements to ironing boards and, in particular, to an apparatus for converting a conventional ironing board into a utility table. More particularly, this invention discloses a folding table top for attachment to the planar deck of an ironing board.
2. Description of Related Art
For temporary work surfaces, people often need wide, horizontal surfaces elevated above the floor, such as a large table may provide. In homes, a dining room table may serve the purpose if available, but in small quarters, a large table may not be available because of space constraints. Where space may be at a premium, a plurality of collapsible card tables could serve the purpose if sufficiently rigid, but card tables seldom match in height or shape, presenting an irregular instead of a smooth work surface. A need exists for a utility table that easily can be set up and that occupies very little space when stored.
Conventional, free standing ironing boards provide a rigid, planar deck adequate in at least one dimension for such purposes, and such ironing boards offer other features of interest where space is at a premium. For example, they usually fold for storage, having adjustable legs that provide heights ranging from nearly flat on the floor to well above the waist of an average person. Ironing boards, however, are relatively narrow in their transverse dimension. To take advantage of the features offered by an ironing board, a need exists for a means to convert it to a utility table.
Folding table tops without legs are old in the art, various means having been devised to expand the work surface of card tables, dining room tables and even ironing boards. E. F. Fraser, U.S. Pat. No. 2,942,922, provides a detachable, folding table top comprising two sections coupled end-to-end to exceed the longitudinal length of a conventional ironing board while substantially expanding its transverse width. Fraser's attachment means, however, relies upon a plurality of clamping heads operated by thumb plates that secure the table top to the planar deck in the transverse dimension. Faser thereby depends almost entirely upon friction to secure the table top in both the longitudinal and vertical dimensions. Because Fraser's piano hinge coupling means extends below the lower surface of the table top, the ironing board must have a pad with sufficient cushioning to prevent the hinge from causing the table top to wobble. Since most commercially available ironing boards have a pad that wraps around the planar deck, Fraser's attachment means are even less reliable with such a pad in place. A need exists, therefore, for a folding table top that can reliably convert an ironing board into a stable, secure utility table.

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A suspension device for vehicles (a front suspension (10)) is disclosed in which, of connecting portions (23, 24) of a lower arm (20) and a tie rod (6) for connection to a knuckle (35), one of the connecting portions (24) which is close to the rear of the vehicle is offset inward in the vehicle width direction with respect to the other connecting portion (23) which is close to the front of the vehicle, in the steering neutral state. The center (P2) of a lower end portion of a coil spring (60) is offset outward in the vehicle width direction and rearward in the vehicle's longitudinal direction with respect to the center (P1) of an upper end portion of the coil spring (60).

Strut suspension devices for vehicles usually include a strut (a supporting pillar) consisting of a damper and a coil spring to support the vehicle body. Load input to a hub of a wheel of the vehicle from a road surface on which the vehicle is traveling is transmitted to the damper through a knuckle and other parts, which may cause a bending moment to act on the damper. The bending moment may increase frictional force at a sliding portion of the damper and thus keep the damper from smooth operation, which may decrease comfort of a passenger on board the vehicle and stability of steering the vehicle.
Such a technique relating to a strut suspension device, as described in Patent Document 1, is therefore well known that makes the load axis of a coil spring inclined outward in the vehicle width direction toward the bottom of the vehicle, with respect to the axis of the damper, and offsets the bending moment acting on the damper as described above with the spring force of the coil spring.


Disclosed herein is an apparatus for tissue regeneration or degeneration in human by applying rotational field narrow focused quantum magnetic resonance on the required area. The apparatus consists of a plurality of guns for delivery the quantum magnetic resonance, a traveling platform for carrying the person under treatment, an electronic switching system for controlling the guns, said electronic switching system being controlled by a main computer through an on board microprocessor and means for cooling and dispersing the heat generated during the operation.

A lot of research is being done on tissue/cell degeneration and regeneration. Bone tissue regeneration to repair bone defects, whether they are the result of injury, surgery, disease or old-age, has been a common goal of medicine and dentistry. In dental field, the grafting has been more popular. Conventionally, filling the affected bone with graft material and covering the graft material with a barrier material to exclude competitive cells can achieve bone tissue regeneration.
Three different graft materials are used in bone tissue regeneration, i.e. (i) A live active bone tissue, (ii) demineralized, freeze-dried, allogenic bone and (iii) autogenous cortical bone chips. However, there exists a need to regenerate bone tissue in a reliable manner without undue risk of infection and without the need for prolonged and multiple operative procedures.
Degeneration can also be done in a number of ways. For example, for treatment of cancer cells or tumor, chemotherapy or radiation etc are used. However, some of these therapies have serious side effects and the same is not recommended to many persons suffering with cancer or tumor, and the like.
It has been known to use magnetic therapy in both cell regeneration and/or degeneration. Magnetic fields are nothing new and they are a part of all basic life processes. Scientists have discovered as to how to focus and shape magnetic fields that occur in nature in order to stimulate cell metabolism and bring about healing and recovery. Magnetic fields affect symptoms by going straight to the source-body cells. Magnetic resonance treatment is a scientific refinement available for the present generation.
A system has been known for the last few years which allows the body to be exposed to pulsating low frequency magnetic fields that stimulates cell metabolism, increases the oxygen assimilation and accelerates the removal of toxic chemicals and waste. Depending the condition and sensitivity of the person, improvement could be noticed between 2 to 8 weeks.
Electromagnetic stimulation of sensory nerves or acupuncture points has focused mainly on stimulation of nerve tracts for the purpose of promoting release of natural opiates or pain pathway blocks through gating mechanisms. Various forms of such stimulation have been tried such as application of voltages or currents to acupuncture needles, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), pulsed magnetic field stimulation, local application of heat or cold, use of light radiation, and magnetic therapy. Prior art devices of this type include the use of low frequency magnetic pulses as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,234,953 B1, issued May 22, 2001.
None of the above described adopt the principle of rotational field quantum magnetic resonance. Application of magnetic resonance to the affected area either to regenerate or degenerate the cells as the case may be, is the field of study of the present invention. In the present system, the quantum magnetic resonance applied is tissue specific and further it has no side effects.
Accordingly, the primary object of the present invention is to develop a method for tissue regeneration or degeneration using rotational field narrow focused quantum magnetic resonance. A further object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for treatment using the said method.

Method for tissue regeneration or degeneration in human and an apparatus therefore


A controller is configured to obtain first image data from a camera associated with a ticket processing apparatus; transmit the first image data to an application server; receive, from the application server, a dispense command for the ticket processing apparatus; cause the ticket processing apparatus to dispense, based on the dispense command, a ticket having a scratching area; receive a user-provided scratching command from the application server; and cause a robotic scratching device to scratch, or remove an opaque substance from, the scratching area of the ticket in accordance with the user-provided scratching command.

Sales of lottery tickets (also referred to as scratch tickets or scratchers) are typically regulated by state or other governmental agencies, which require that tickets be sold at physical locations (e.g., points of sale) within their jurisdictions. As such, those who wish to participate in a preferred lottery game but cannot be present at one of these physical locations (e.g., due to a vacation, disability, or lack of convenient store location) may be prevented or discouraged from purchasing desired lottery tickets. Due to the nature of the lottery, many players prefer to purchase the same tickets and play the same numbers every lottery cycle, so the prospect of missing a particular lottery cycle can be disappointing.
In addition, lottery scratch tickets typically require physical actions as part of the gameplay. In some instances, tickets must be scratched off in order to reveal underlying information (e.g., numbers, shapes, patterns, and so forth) that is required to determine whether the ticket is a winner, and if so, what the prize for that ticket is. As a result, those with circumstances that make it difficult to physically play (e.g., due to a condition making it difficult to scratch the ticket) may be discouraged from playing.
Lastly, lottery scratch tickets may be split among a group of players (e.g., family members, coworkers, and so forth) in order to share the cost of purchasing multiple tickets ("lottery pools" or "office pools"), thereby increasing the odds of winning. In such instances, one person typically collects the money, purchases the tickets, plays the tickets, and reports the results back to the others. As such, the others in the group often do not get to share in the gameplay experience and may be less likely to continue to contribute to future group ticket purchases.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

System and method for robotic ticket scratching via live remote mobile interface


An apparatus for injecting a gaseous medium into a flowing liquid medium consisting of a first pipe having a closed end facing against the direction of the flowing liquid and an open end disposed in the direction of liquid flow, a second pipe coaxially disposed with the first pipe and having an open end extending through the closed end of the first pipe and a closed end inside the first pipe and a plurality of elongate apertures in its periphery adjacent the closed end and a substantially rectangular pipe entering the first pipe at an acute angle to introduce liquid into an annular gap between the first and second pipe in a substantially helical flow pattern traversing the elongate apertures thereby to draw air from the second pipe through the elongate apertures into the liquid.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention, in general, relates to an apparatus for charging flowing liquid media, for the aeration and/or gas injection thereof, with a gas and, more particularly, for the activation or restoration of bodies of water and for the inducement of chemical and biochemical reactions.
2. The Prior Art
It is known to inject gases into, or to aerate, liquid media and, in particular, sewage by the injection of compressed air from rigid or rotating nozzles submersed in the flowing liquid medium.
The drawback of using rotating nozzles is that they require significant expenditures in terms of equipment for compressor plants, agitators or raking apparatus as well as construction.
The use of rigid or stationary jets disposed at the bottom of a tank or liquid body suffers from the disadvantage that such nozzles are quickly soiled or congested by sedimentation so that their effectiveness and the overall performance of the equipment is reduced.
Furthermore, ejectors or ejector nozzles aerators are known which are operated by high-pressure pumps. The disadvantage of such apparatus is that special fluids are required in case the solids contents or viscosity of the treated liquid are too high.
A drawback common to all known apparatus is that in addition to requiring extensive expenditures in terms of equipment they consume large amounts of energy and require frequent maintenance.
It is a general object of the invention to provide an apparatus for aerating, or injecting gas into, flowing liquid media
A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the kind referred to which may be realized with relatively insignificant expenditures in terms of equipment.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the kind referred to which may be operated at low levels of power consumption.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the kind referred to which for its operation draws upon the energy of flow inherent in treated flowing liquid.
It is also an object of the invention to provide an aeration or gas injection apparatus the low energy consumption of which results from making additional use of the kinetic inherent in the energy of flow of the treated liquid.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an aeration and gas injection apparatus which is durable and reliable.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for aerating, or injecting a gas into, a liquid which yields the lowest possible energy consumption at the lowest possible economic expenditure.
In the accomplishment of these and other objects, the invention provides an apparatus for charging a liquid medium with a gas.

Apparatus for charging a liquid medium with a gas


Disclosed is an oil-in-water microemulsion composition for cleaning grease and oil with an optional deodorizing property. The composition comprises a cyclic organic solvent, an ether of an oligomeric glycol, a monoether of a monomeric glycol, a derivative of an aromatic sulfonic acid, water and, optionally, and a deodorizing additive.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a composition useful for cleaning, and optionally deodorizing, both light and oily grease and heavy and tarry asphaltenic deposits. This invention particularly relates to an oil-in-water microemulsion composition useful for cleaning, and optionally deodorizing, both light and oily grease and heavy and tarry asphaltenic deposits.
2. Background of the Invention
Many industrial and commercial process cleaning compositions or formulations include chlorine and/or fluorine containing compounds. While such compositions are very effective in cleaning oil, grease, heavy tars and other deposits from the surface of various materials, these halogen-containing compounds are believed to have long lasting adverse impact on the environment. In addition, some of these compounds may also pose health and safety concerns to those handling them.
Certain organic solvents have also been used in industrial and commercial process cleaning compositions. Typically the solvents are ketones, esters or aromatics. They are generally effective, however quite a large quantity is required and inevitably vapors of these organic compounds may escape to cause environment, health and safety related problems. In addition, these solvents tend to have low flash points.
A commonly encountered situation in the petroleum or refining industry is the presence of odorous materials together with many heavy, tarry or asphaltenic deposits from the reservoir or in the processing equipment or in a storage/transporting facility. Typically the odors are caused by hydrogen sulfide and/or mercaptans. .Most of the existing cleaning compositions are ineffective in deodorizing or otherwise mitigating this problem.
Accordingly, it would be desirable and advantageous to have a composition or formulation which is effective in cleaning all kinds of oils, grease, tars, asphaltenic deposits and mixtures thereof. It would also be desirable and advantageous to have a composition or formulation which, at the same time, has a relatively high flash point, is environmentally friendly, and has low organic contents. It is desirable to use naturally occurring and/or biodegradable materials in the composition. It is preferable to use a water-based composition. In addition, it is also desirable to have a composition that can deodorize as well as clean. It is even more desirable that use of such a deodorizing composition can result in minimal waste.
The object of the present invention is to provide an oil-in-water microemulsion composition for cleaning. The composition comprises a cyclic organic solvent; an ether of an oligomeric glycol; a monoether of a monomeric glycol; a derivative of an alkyl aromatic sulfonic acid; and water, wherein the amount of water is in the range of from about 20% to about 99.9%, by weight, of the composition.
It is another object of the present invention to produce a cleaning and deodorizing composition comprising a cyclic organic solvent; an ether of an oligomeric glycol; a monoether of a monomeric glycol; a derivative of an alkyl aromatic sulfonic acid; a deodorizing additive; and water.
It is a further object of the present invention to use the disclosed compositions to clean light and oily grease as well as heavy tarry asphaltenic deposits, with the option of removing or reducing odors caused primarily by sulfur containing compounds such as H2S or mercaptans.
The present invention relates generally to a composition that is useful for cleaning, and optionally, deodorizing light oily grease or heavy tarry asphaltenic deposits. It is preferred to have the composition in an oil-in-water microemulsion state to allow more effective use of the organic components in the composition.
The composition comprises a cyclic organic solvent, an ether of an oligomeric glycol, a monoether of a monomeric glycol, a derivative of an alkyl aromatic sulfonic acid and water. When a deodorizing property is desired in the composition, a deodorizing additive in an effective amount may be added to the composition to impart such a property.
The deodorizing additive may be used in a xe2x80x9cone-packxe2x80x9d formulation or the deodorizing additive can be kept separate as a second xe2x80x9cpackxe2x80x9d until a proper time before use, i.e. forming a xe2x80x9ctwo-packxe2x80x9d system. It is also contemplated that the deodorizing additive may be applied simultaneously with the rest of the composition to the surface to be cleaned. A xe2x80x9ctwo-packxe2x80x9d may be preferred for certain situations. One such situation is that deodorizing is not needed at all times. A two-pack system would use the deodorizing additive only when needed. This can reduce both wastes and costs. Another situation is where there is a long-term compatibility problem between the deodorizing additive and the rest of the ingredients of the composition. A two-pack system can minimize the problem and increase the shelf-life of the final product.
The compositions of the present invention may be used to clean and/or to deodorize grease or asphaltenic deposits, on surfaces of a variety of materials such as metal, fabric, plastic (polymers), concrete, and others. It is common to use the compositions to clean storage tanks, pipelines, reactors, equipment, and the like, at ambient conditions or under other suitable conditions.
Many organic solvents can be used as part of different formulations for cleaning purposes. For this invention, cyclic organic solvents are preferred and used. Suitable cyclic organic solvents include, but are not limited to, various saturated and unsaturated monocyclic and bicyclic hydrocarbons such as monocyclic terpenes and bicyclic terpenes, oxygenated derivatives (alcohol/acid/epoxide/ester) of these hydrocarbons and mixtures thereof. Examples of these cyclic organic hydrocarbons include, but are not limited to, d-limonene, /-limonene, dipentene [138-86-3], various xcex1 and xcex2-pinene isomers and their mixtures (such as [2437-95-8 ]; [7785-26-4]; [7785-70-8]; [19902-08-0] and [18172-67-3]), various xcex1 and xcex3-terpinene isomers (such as [99-86-5] and [99-85-4]), various camphenes [5794-03-6] and [5794-04-7], carenes [554-61 -0] and [13466-78-9] and mixtures thereof.
Certain derivatives of these materials are also within the embodiment of the present invention. Examples include terpinen-4-ol [562-74-3], xcex1-terpineol [10482-56-1] and their mixtures. It is further noted that acyclic terpenes and their mixtures may also be used. Examples are myrcene [123-35-3] and 2,6-dimethyl-2,4,6-octatriene. All of the numbers in brackets represent the CAS (Chemical Abstracts Services) numbers for identification purposes. These compounds, their mixtures and many of their derivatives may be obtained from companies like Aldrich Chemical Company and other chemical suppliers.
These organic solvents may be manufactured or they may exist as natural products or mixtures. Some of the solvents are biodegradable. It is preferred to use biodegradable organic solvents to avoid accumulation in or adverse impact on the environment. Biodegradable organic solvents tend to cause fewer post-use contamination problems, thus they are more environmentally friendly. It is more preferred to use a solvent, which consists essentially of d-limonene.
A suitable ether of an oligomeric glycol has one of the following structures, with one or both of the OH groups in an ether form:
wherein Ra, Rb, Rc, Rd, Re, Rf, Rg, Rh, Ri, and Rj, are independently selected from H or a C1 to C6 linear or branched alkyl groups, but Ra and Rj cannot both be H in the same molecule. If one of Ra and Rj is H in the molecule, it is a monoalkyl ether of the oligomeric glycol. If both of Ra and Rj are H in the same molecule, it is a dialkyl ether of the oligomeric glycol. Collectively, they are designated as the ethers of the oligomeric glycols. The symbol z is a number in the range of 1 to about 50.
A different way of describing the structures is that they are mono ethers (either Ra or Rj is H) or di ethers (neither of Ra and Rj is H) of an oligomeric glycol. The oligomeric glycol has a total of from two (z=1) to about fifty or fifty one (z=49 or 50) monomeric units and the monomeric units are selected from the group consisting of C2 to C10 carbon, preferably C2 to C8 carbon, backbone and mixtures thereof, wherein the backbone is linear or branched. The monomeric units refer to either that which is within the parenthesis or the one outside the parenthesis of the structure. It is also possible to use cyclic backbone monomeric unit such as 1,2-cyclopentanediol.
Ethers of dimeric glycols are preferred for preparing the compositions of the present invention. Ethers of di(propylene glycol), i.e. one of Rb, Rc, Rf and Rg is methyl and one of Rd, Re, Rh and Ri is methyl, such as mono-methyl di(propylene glycol) are particularly preferred.
Examples of preferred ethers are selected from the group consisting of di(propylene glycol) mono-C1 to C6 alkyl ethers, di(propylene glycol) di-C1 to C6 alkyl ethers, di(ethylene glycol) mono-C1 to C6 alkyl ethers, di(ethylene glycol) di-C1 to C6 alkyl ethers and mixtures thereof.
A suitable monoether of a monomeric glycol has one of the following structures:
wherein Rk Rl, Rm, Rn, and Ro are independently selected from H or a C1 to C8 linear or branched alkyl groups.
A different way of describing the glycol part of the structure is that the monomeric glycol is selected from the group consisting of C2 to C10 carbon, preferably C2 to C8 carbon, backbone and mixtures thereof, wherein the backbone is linear or branched.
Monoethers of propylene glycol, ethylene glycol and butylene glycol mono-C1 to C6 alkyl ethers are preferred for preparing the compositions of the present invention. Monoethers of propylene glycol such as t-butoxy-2-propanol are particularly preferred.
A number of derivatives or derivative mixtures of alkyl aromatic sulfonic acids are suitable for use in the present invention. One-, two- or three-ring alkyl aromatic sulfonic acids are within the embodiment. A representative (one-ring) monoalkylbenzene sulfonic acid is shown below:
wherein Rp is selected from the group consisting of C1 to C30 linear or branched alkyl groups, and C5 to C20 linear alkyl groups are preferred. C12 alkyl (dodecyl) groups are particularly preferred. Because linear alkylbenzene sulfonic acids possess higher biodegradability, they are more favored in most cases in order to reduce environmental impact. A n-dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid (and its derivatives such as salts) is a most preferred alkyl aromatic sulfonic acid. Rp may be in an ortho, meta or para position relative to the SO3Rq group. Para position for Rp in a benzene ring is preferred. It is also possible to have additional substituent groups, particularly alkyl groups at all possible positions on the benzene ring, di-benzene rings, or other fused or linked aromatic rings.
In the preceding structure, Rq is selected from the group consisting of H, Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs, NH4+, N(RrRsRtRu)+ (organoammonium salts), P(RvRwRxRy)+,(organophosphonium salts) and mixtures thereof. Rr, Rs, Rt, Ru, Rv, Rw, Rx and Ry are independently selected from H and C1 to C8 alkyl groups, but not all of them are H in the same molecule. The nitrogen derivatives, NH4+, organoammonium salts N(RrRsRtRu)+ and mixtures thereof are preferred.
Water is present in the composition in an amount of at least about 20% by weight of the total weight of the composition. In general, the amount of water is preferably in the range of from about 20% to about 99.9%, by weight, of the total composition. A particularly preferred range is from about 23% to about 90%, by weight, of the composition. Commercially, it is preferred to sell and ship a more concentrated product. The user, however, would prefer to use as dilute a composition as possible. Accordingly, it is also within the embodiment of the present invention to further dilute a particular composition with more water prior to application. In other words, it is possible to have a much higher water content in the final formulation used. For the purposes of the present invention, the water content can be as high as 99.999% in the actual diluted final formulation.
The amount of the cyclic organic solvent is in the range of from about 0.5% to about 75%, preferably from about 1% to about 60%, all by weight of the composition. The amount of the ether of the oligomeric glycol is in the range of from about 0.5% to about 30%, preferably from about 1% to about 25%, all by weight, of the composition. The amount of the monoether of the monomeric glycol is in the range of from about 0.2% to about 30%, preferably from about 0.5% to about 8%, all by weight of the composition. The amount of the derivative of the alkyl aromatic sulfonic acid is in the range of from about 0.5% to about 45%, preferably from about 1.5% to about 35%, all by weight, of the composition.
A particularly preferred oil-in-water microemulsion composition has the following concentrations: from about 0.5% to about 75% of d-limonene; from about 0.5% to about 30% of di(propylene glycol) methyl ether; from about 0.2% to about 30% of 1-t-butoxy-2-propanol; and from about 0.5% to about 45% of a derivative, such as acid, ammonium, organoammonium or mixtures thereof of n-dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid, all by weight, of the oil-in-water microemulsion composition.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the composition also contains an additive, present in an amount in the range of from about 0% to about 60%, preferably from about 0.01% to about 50%, all by weight, of the composition. This amount is generally effective in removing or reducing odors, particularly odors caused by H2S and, optionally, odors by mercaptans, sulfides, disulfides, and mixtures thereof.
There are many mechanisms leading to odor removal and/or reduction. Without being limited to any particular theory or hypothesis, some of these mechanisms involve reacting away or absorbing or adsorbing the odor-causing species. For instance, H2S concentration may be reduced by using a strong base such as caustic. Mercaptans may react with amines, amine hydroxides, amine oxides, amine-aldehyde adducts, and mixtures thereof to form different products, which are less odorous and/or have much lower vapor pressures.
There are many different additives that may be used for the disclosed composition for deodorizing purposes. Generally, these additives should react readily with hydrogen sulfide, optionally with mercaptans, sulfides or disulfides chemically, or they should have acceptable capacity to absorb/adsorb the odor-causing sulfur compounds. The additives may be either soluble (or miscible) or insoluble in any of the components of the composition. It is important that the deodorizing additives are compatible, as much as possible, with the other components of the composition, chemically or physically. For preferred oil-in-water microemulsions, the deodorizing additive is preferred not to cause the emulsion to separate into phases.
A preferred type of deodorizing additives consists essentially of amines, amine mixtures, amine hydroxides, amine-aldehyde adducts, and mixtures thereof. Examples include, but are not limited to, n-octylamine, choline hydroxide, tetrabutylammonium hydroxide, and mixtures thereof. Some of these additives, in various formulations and concentrations, can be obtained from various companies. For instance, SULFIX 200*, SULFIX 400*, SULFIX 600*, SULFIX 800*, SULFIX 9220*, SULFIX 9260* and SULFIX 9281* cleaning compositions can be obtained commercially from Baker Petrolite Inc. (*SULFIX 200, SULFIX 400, SULFIX 600, SULFIX 800, SULFIX 9220, SULFIX 9260 and SULFIX 9281 are trade designations of Baker Petrolite, Inc.).
Caustic materials such as NaOH, KOH, LiOH, RbOH, CsOH and mixtures thereof may also be used alone or with other additives in preparing the compositions of the present invention, provided that they are chemically and physically compatible with other components present in the composition.
Another type of additive includes an amine oxide or amine oxide mixtures. Examples of a suitable amine oxide includes, but is not limited to, lauryl dimethylamine oxide, myristyl dimethylamine oxide, stearyl dimethylamine oxide, 2,6-di-t-butylpyridine oxide and mixtures thereof.
A particularly preferred composition with an additive has the following concentrations: from about 0.5% to about 75% of d-limonene; from about 0.5% to about 30% of di(propylene glycol) methyl ether; from about 0.2% to about 30% of 1-t-butoxy-2-propanol; from about 0.5% to about 45% of a derivative of dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid, particularly the ammonium salt (NH4+) of n-dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid; from about 0.01% to about 50% of a deodorizing additive; and from about 20% to about 99.9% water, all by weight, of the composition, wherein the additive is blended together or kept separated until right before or a short time prior to use.
As described earlier, it is also envisioned that the deodorizing additive, when used, can be either mixed with all the other components of the composition, or alternatively, kept separate from the others until a convenient time prior to the composition is used. The latter xe2x80x9ctwo-packxe2x80x9d system may be preferred in cases such as treating sporadic, not constant, odor problems or when there is a long-term compatibility problem between the deodorizing additive and one or more of the other components of the composition. If the deodorizing additive is kept separate from the rest of the composition, some kind of mixing or blending device, mechanism or means may be required after the additive is added to the rest of the composition. If the composition is in an oil-in-water microemulsion state, it is important that the mixing or blending will not substantially destroy such a state in order to achieve sufficient cleaning.
In addition to the chemical composition, the physical state of the composition is also very important. A microemulsion, particularly an oil-in-water microemulsion, is preferred for all of the compositions of the present invention.
An emulsion comprises two immiscible phasesxe2x80x94an oil phase and a water phase. In an oil-in-water emulsion, water forms the continuous phase. There are many reasons for this preference for an oil-in-water microemulsion. For example, an oil-in-water microemulsion can reduce the amount of organic materials such as the cyclic organic solvent used in the composition. This is beneficial to the environment and at the same time reduces raw material cost. It is also believed that a microemulsion will work faster for cleaning or deodorizing due to the increased surface area of the microemulsion micelles. Higher surface areas can allow better and/or more effective contact between the components of the composition and the grease or asphaltenic deposit or H2S or the mercaptan present. It is preferred that the composition has a flash point higher than about 120xc2x0 F. (49xc2x0 C.).
Microemulsions are preferred. In particular, oil-in-water microemulsions, i.e. water is the continuous phase with oil droplets as the noncontinuous phase, are particularly preferred. The term xe2x80x9cmicroemulsionxe2x80x9d used herein means that the oil droplets in the continuous water phase are relatively small. Because of the small size of the oil droplets, it is commonly observed that microemulsions tend to remain more stable, i.e. without phase separation, for longer periods of time than emulsions with larger oil droplets. Another property of microemulsions is that they tend to appear more transparent or translucent than regular emulsions, resulting from less light scattering by the smaller oil droplets.
The microemulsions may be prepared by a number of methods known to those skilled in the art. For example, the microemulsions of the present invention can be formed quite readily from the components with the aid of a stirrer or blending equipment. Other commercially available emulsifying equipment providing mechanical agitation may be used as well to prepare the microemulsions.


In one embodiment, a computer-implemented method of a designated automated answering system (AAS) includes receiving a client-side application message to an AAS. The AAS includes a server-side entity managed by an enterprise. The client-side application message comprises a user's query for enterprise-related information. The client-side application message are parsed to identify user-identification data. A step includes determining one or more information sources relevant to the query for enterprise-related information. At least one or more information sources are queried. A step includes receiving a query information from the at least one or more information sources. The query information is relevant to the user's query. A natural-language text message that responds to the user's query is generated. The natural-language text message includes a single response.

1. Field
This application relates generally to electronic messages, and more specifically to a system, article of manufacture and method of an automated answering system and/or other services.
2. Related Art
A significant rise of messaging in mobile from a consumer standpoint is occurring. It is noted that usage of messaging in an enterprise context can be different. For example, messaging can be closely tied with the corporate business applications. Accordingly, improvements in a simple reply-request mobile messaging paradigm can be applied to retrieve information from business applications.

Methods and systems of an automated answering system


A method for axial support of a pump or compressor rotor shaft during start-up or shut-down of a vertical fluid displacement module for subsea operation including a motor and a pump or compressor. Lubrication fluid is momentarily supplied for hydrostatic operation of hydrodynamic thrust bearing(s) from a topside or land-based fluid supply via a flow control module arranged in conjunction with a subsea pressure control unit configured for controlling the supply and discharge of barrier and lubrication fluids to/from the fluid displacement module.

Pumps and compressors operated in the recovery of hydrocarbon products at great sea depths are subjected to a harsh environment including e.g. high pressures in the order of well over 100 bar. In order to prevent ingress of liquid, gas and solid particles into the motor and pump/compressor structures, hydraulic fluid at slightly higher pressure is circulated through the structures to provide lubrication and barriers that prevent intrusion of harmful matter. Typically, barrier and lubrication fluid is circulated through the motor structure at a first pressure, and barrier and lubrication fluid is circulated through the pump or compressor structure at a pressure that is slightly lower than the pressure in the motor fluid circuit. A pressure difference of about 5-10 bar is often applied and sufficient to separate the motor and pump/compressor fluid circuits, and the same pressure difference can be applied to separate the barrier and lubrication fluid circuits from the production fluid in the pump or compressor.
The motors, pumps or compressors used for this purpose are heavy duty designs requiring considerable power to bring the pump's or compressor's rotor(s) in rotation, as well as long life bearings to take up thrust load applied to the rotor by its weight and from the production fluid. Once in rotation lubrication fluid is pressurized and fed by the rotor or by means associated with the rotor to supply tilted pads of a thrust bearing to allow for hydrodynamic lubrication film build-up and thereby to keep thrust-engageable surfaces separated with a fluid film flow between the surfaces.
At stand still, the thrust-engageable surfaces may come into contact under the weight of the rotor, e.g., or in result of the static pressure in the pumped medium at stand still. Changeover from rotation to non-rotation and vice versa, i.e. at start-up and shut-down, imposes a problem as the hydrodynamic operation of the thrust bearing fails when the rotor speed is insufficient for separating the thrust-engageable surfaces. At start-up and shut-down, rotation of the "dry" bearing causes wear of the thrust-engageable surfaces. Start-up of a pump or a compressor with dry bearings results initially in a very high torque demand, which calls for a corresponding over-sizing of the subsea power distribution grid, motor and transformers, etc.

Method for momentary hydrostatic operation of hydrodynamic thrust bearings in a vertical fluid displacement module


Methods, apparatus, systems are disclosed for altering displayed content on a display device responsive to a user's proximity. In accord with one example, a computing system includes a memory, a sensor to collect data representative of a viewing distance between a display and a user of the display, and a scaler to adjust a size of at least one object displayed by the display based on the viewing distance from the display.

Conventional graphical user interfaces include a number of settings by which a user is enabled to modify the graphical user interface to suit the needs of a user. For example, users are able to select fonts, font sizes, contrast, magnification, window size, and the like. These settings are typically accessed through displayed soft buttons or sliders, a drop down menu listing, or a pop-up menu selection.
While the present disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific examples are shown and described herein. It should be understood, that the present disclosure is not limited to the particular forms and examples disclosed and instead covers all modifications, equivalents, embodiments, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

Apparatus, system and method for dynamic modification of a graphical user interface


An input apparatus uses a wheel for input operations of a mobile phone. The input apparatus employs a wheel and two function keys for facilitating the input operations, such as number dialing, short-message editing and menu selecting, for user. The input apparatus according to the present invention is advantageously used for compact mobile phone.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an input apparatus for mobile phone with a dial wheel, and more particularly to an input apparatus for mobile phone with a dial wheel and two function keys for facilitating the number dialing, short-message editing and menu selecting for user.
2. Description of Prior Art
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a prior art mobile phone with a plurality keys. The operations such as number dialing, short-message editing and menu selecting are performed by pressing the keys on the mobile phone. For example, if a number "109" is to be dialed, the user moves his finger to a key "1" and presses the key "1", then moves his finger to a key "0" and presses the key "0", and then moves his finger to a key "9" and presses the key "9". Finally, the user presses a dial key to dial the number "109".
The next example is exemplified for editing the message "down". The user first moves his finger to the key corresponding to the letter "d", i.e., the key "3" and presses the key consecutively until the letter "d" appears on the screen of the mobile phone. The user then moves his finger to the key corresponding to the letter "o", i.e., the key "6" and presses the key consecutively until the letter "o" appears on the screen of the mobile phone. Afterward, the user moves his finger to the key corresponding to the letter "w", i.e., the key "9" and presses the key consecutively until the letter "w" appears on monitor of the mobile phone. Finally, the user moves his finger to the key corresponding to the letter "n", i.e., the key "6" and presses the key consecutively until the letter "n" appears on the screen of the mobile phone.
For the operation of menu selecting, the conventional mobile phone provides a specific key to activate a menu. Afterward, a user can use an up-direction key and a down-direction key to move a highlighted bar to a specific menu item and then presses another key to select this item.
As can be seen from above description, the operations such as number dialing, short-message editing and menu selecting rely on key operation on the mobile phone.
However, as the mobile phones become more and more compact, the operations through keys thereon may cause problem of typing error.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,496,181, a mobile phone having a dial wheel is disclosed. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,097,964, a mobile phone having a dial wheel is disclosed to browse web pages on the mobile phone.
However, in above-mentioned two patents, the wheel cannot be used alone to input short message and to dial number, which is still inconvenient to users.

Inputting apparatus for mobile phone with a dial wheel


A flare stack with smokeless burn and reduced steam consumption. The flare stack includes a central pipe having a flare tip. The flare tip has a top edge. An outer pipe surrounds the central pipe and forms an annulus between them. A spreader spreads gas from the central pipe into the annulus. Steam and air, with oxygen, are forced into the base of the annulus and past the spreader to mingle with the gas and create smokeless burning. Steam and air are supplied by at least one conical conduit leading into the annulus, the conduit having an inlet for the flow of steam into it, a steam manifold having an outlet corresponding to each conduit, each outlet being directed towards a corresponding inlet in the conduit; and an opening between each outlet and inlet for the flow of air into each conduit drawn by a venturi effect.

It is frequently necessary to burn gas at oil and gas installations. The gas is typically directed to a vertically standing pipe or flare stack. Gas exiting the top of the pipe is ignited with an ignitor. It is important that the gas be kept burning. With high winds, the flame can easily be blown out. As a result, high gas flow rates may be required to keep the flame burning externally of the flare stack. In addition, environmental concerns sometimes require that the burning of the flare gas be smokeless.
In one prior art flare tip, gas is vented through a central pipe. Steam and air is injected through smaller pipes that are parallel to the central pipe and disposed circumferentially around it. The smaller pipes extend beyond the end of the central pipe and blow steam at a 45.degree. angle towards the center of the central pipe. The injection of steam and air pushes oxygen into the gas stream from the central pipe and assists in ensuring complete combustion of the purge gas, such that the burn is smokeless. While this design is effective in avoiding smoke, it uses a lot of steam.
It is also known in the prior art of flare stacks to provide, at a flare tip, a central pipe within a concentric outer pipe, thus forming an annulus between them and to spread gas from the central pipe into the annulus along radially oriented horizontal tubes with openings in their top edges. Gas from the central pipe spreads out into the radial tubes and exits the openings. Air is blown into the annulus past the radial tubes to draw the gas upward and force a burn to take place above the top of the flare tip.
The inventor has found that the performance of flare tips in terms of wastage of steam may be improved by use of the invention described in the following.


The present invention is to provide novel imidazole derivatives effectual as an antihyperlipemic agent and therapeutic and preventive drugs for arteriosclerosis, and to provide methods for manufacturing the said derivatives.. More particularly, the present invention is directed to the compounds represented by the following general formula [I]; ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1 is hydrogen or lower alkyl, n is 0 or 1, X is N-r.sup.1 wherein r.sup.1 is hydrogen or lower alkyl, O, S, SO, SO.sub.2, CH.sub.2, CH(CH.sub.3), CONH or C(r.sup.2).dbd.NO wherein r.sup.2 is hydrogen or lower alkyl, m is 0 or an integer of from 1 to 12, and A is methyl or a group represented by the following general formula; ##STR2## wherein Y is N-r.sup.3 wherein r.sup.3 is hydrogen or lower alkyl, N(r.sup.4)SO.sub.2 wherein r.sup.4 is hydrogen or lower alkyl, O, S, SO, SO.sub.2, CH.sub.2, CH(CH.sub.3), CONH or C(r.sup.5).dbd.NO wherein r.sup.5 is hydrogen or lower alkyl, R.sup.2 is a halogen, a lower alkyl, a lower alkoxy, a cycloalkyl or COOr.sup.6 wherein r.sup.6 is hydrogen or a lower alkyl, and l is 0, 1, 2 or 3, however, m denotes an integer of from 6 to 9 when A is methyl, or m denotes 0 or an integer of from 1 to 6 when A is a group represented by the following general formula; ##STR3## and X and Y are each independently CH.sub.2 when m is 0, the pharmaceutically-acceptable salts thereof and methods for manufacturing the said compounds and the pharmaceutically-acceptable salts thereof.

In recent years, antihyperlipemic agents, which inhibit the biosynthesis of cholesterol and neutral lipids, which are both influential as the inducing cause of arteriosclerosis and other diseases, have attracted considerable attention.
As the representative drugs for such diseases, pravastatin and simvastatin are presently known.
As the similar compounds to the compounds of the present invention, the following compounds are disclosed as an antimicrobial agent in Japanese Patent Publication No. Sho 60-18654, ##STR4## and the following compound is disclosed as an preventive agent for decoloration in Japanese Patent Laid-opened No. Hei 2-197839, ##STR5## and further, the following compound is disclosed as an anti-allergic agent in Japanese Patent Laid-opened No. Hei 6-199791. ##STR6##
It is an object of the present invention to provide novel imidazole derivatives, which are excellently effective on hyperlipemia, having therapeutic and preventive effect on arteriosclerosis, safe, and causing less side effect, and to provide advantageous methods for manufacturing the said imidazole derivatives in an industrial scale.


The present invention is to provide a mechanism for fastening a rear side of computer comprising a rear panel provided at the rear of a case of the computer, and a fastening assembly having one end pivotably connected to the case adjacent the rear panel for pivoting the fastening assembly to approach or move away from the rear panel, wherein, after a plurality of fastening members being mounted at the rear panel, the fastening assembly is able to tightly press the fastening members thereby sandwiching an engagement piece of each fastening member between the fastening assembly and the rear panel and quickly fastening the fastening members at the rear panel.

Information and electronic technologies have known a rapid, spectacular development leading to an increasing use of electronic and telecommunication products. A variety of quality high technology products such as computers, cellular phones, etc. are continuously commercially available. Such products not only bring a great convenience to our daily life but also shorten distances between people both in space and time. For example, with respect to personal computers (PCs) more advanced models are developed in order to keep pace with the rapidly increasing demand of vast consumers. In this regard, we can know a relative development level of high technology products of a certain country with respect to other countries by determining whether, for example, the produced computers thereof are able to provide a more convenient, effective service to the people of that country.
As known that an expansion slot on a mainboard of a computer is able to connect to one of a variety of expansion cards. The expansion slot may be one of types such as AGP, PCI, ISA, CNR, or AMR. Conventionally, there are more than five PCI slots provided on an ATX mainboard. Also, the more of the number of the expansion slots the higher of the expansion capability of the computer. As such, almost all major mainboard manufactures endeavor to research and develop improved expansion cards and expansion slots for meeting the needs of vast consumers. However, improvement about fastening of the expansion cards is rare.
A typical fastening mechanism for a rear panel of computer is shown in FIG. 1. As shown, a plurality of screws are used to fasten the expansion card. In detail, a mainboard is provided on the bottom of a computer case 2. A plurality of expansion slots 7 are formed on the mainboard. Each expansion slot 7 is able to connect to an inserted expansion card 5. The expansion card 5 comprises a circuit board having a bracket 50 at one end of the circuit board. At least one connector is formed on the bracket 50 at a surface opposite to the circuit board. One end of the bracket 50 is bent to form an engagement piece 501. A hole is formed at the engagement piece 501. An access port cover 8 is provided at each opening at the rear panel associated with the empty expansion slot (i.e., no expansion card 5 insertion therein) 7. Also, a hole is formed at one end of the access port cover 8.
Moreover, a rear panel 3 is provided at the rear side of the case 2 and is disposed corresponding to the expansion slots 7. A plurality of openings 32 are formed on the rear panel 3 and are also disposed corresponding to the expansion slots 7. A threaded hole 33 is formed between one ends of any two adjacent openings 32. The bracket 50 of one expansion card 5 inserted in the expansion slot 7 may engage with the opening 32 at the rear panel 3. Also, the connector is exposed from the case 2 and the engagement piece 501 of the bracket 50 is rested on one side of the rear panel 3. Hence, a plurality of screws 34 may be used to drive through the holes and the threaded holes 33 to secure the brackets 50 to the rear panel 3 and secure the access port covers 8 to the rear panel 3 respectively. As a result, both the expansion cards 5 and the access port covers 8 are reliably mounted on the mainboard.
However, the prior art fastening mechanism for the expansion cards (particularly the above screw threading technique) is disadvantageous due to time-consuming, labor intensive, and inconvenient to user. Thus, users may be frustrated by the tedious expansion card installation procedure if no other effective techniques are employed to eliminate the above disadvantages associated with either insertion or removal of the expansion card. To the worse, users may be reluctant to install the expansion card. Accordingly, a major blow to the expansion card market is foreseeable. In another aspect, companies engaged in high technology product production must not only provide quality goods for meeting the needs of computer assembly DIY (Do-It-Yourself) but also increase an assembly speed of computers at the assembly line. Particularly, the installation of expansion cards is key to an increase of the assembly speed of computers. Thus, continuing improvements in this field are constantly being sought.

Fastening mechanism for rear panel of computer


A method and apparatus for managing a virtual processor including resources for operating application through a real central processing unit, which includes determining a utilization of a plurality of real CPUs to which a plurality of virtual processors are divided to be allocated; and repartitioning the virtual processors and reallocating the repartitioned virtual processor to at least part of the real CPUs, when the utilization of any one of the real CPUs is at a threshold or less.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus and a method for a virtualization, and more particularly, to an apparatus and a method for managing a virtual processor including resources for operating an application through a hardware.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, an Operating System (OS) provides an interface between hardware and various applications in various signal processing apparatuses. That is, the OS manages resources for operating applications through the hardware. Moreover, the virtual interface between the hardware and each application is implemented in the OS through virtualization. Currently, virtualization implements a plurality of virtual processors by dividing resources for each application, and allocates them to the hardware. However, in the signal-processing unit, virtual processors are statically allocated or dynamically allocated to the hardware. Thus, in the static allocation of the virtual processors, stability can be guaranteed and a relative high-speed operation speed can be obtained when a signal-processing unit operates applications. However, a problem arises in that the virtual processor has a low efficiency in use. And, in the dynamic allocation of the virtual processors, the efficiency of use of the virtual processor can be improved in the signal-processing unit. However, there is a problem in that it is difficult to secure stability in operating applications and the operating speed is decreased. Accordingly, it is difficult to guarantee the performance capability of a given level in the signal-processing unit. This problem becomes more serious when a plurality of operating systems are driven in the signal-processing unit.

Apparatus and method for managing virtual processing unit


A method of forming a positive resist pattern comprising the steps of: (A) forming a positive resist film on a substrate; (B) irradiating the resist film with an active ray for patterning; (C) exposing the whole surface of the resist film to a light beam with a predetermined light exposure amount that causes substantially no film thickness reduction after development, the light beam being absorbed by the resist film and different from the active ray used for patterning; and (D) carrying out development after the irradiation for patterning and the exposure of the whole surface, which method forms a positive resist pattern, while depressing formation of a surface inhibition layer of the resist film and improving the affinity of the surface of the resist film to a developer, thereby improving the performance of the resist.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of forming a positive resist pattern in the process of manufacture of semiconductors.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A positive resist pattern is generally formed according to the following manner. Firstly a positive resist is coated on a substrate such as a silicon wafer to form a resist film, then the resist film is irradiated with an active ray such as a light beam or an X ray through a mask or otherwise irradiated with a scanning active ray such as an electron beam or an ion beam, followed by an alkali development by taking advantage of an increase in solubility of the irradiated portion in an alkali, so as to remove only the irradiated portion and give a final pattern.
This known method of forming a resist pattern may cause occurrence of a surface inhibition layer of the resist film, which may adversely affect the resolution of the resist. In a positive resist comprising a quinone diazide type photosensitizer and a novolak resin, for example, when the resist film is thin or the substrate has a high reflection factor and particularly when a post-exposure bake is accompanied, the surface inhibition layer decreases the resolution. In a chemically amplified positive resist using a photo acid precursor, amine existing in the air deactivates the acid and forms the surface inhibition layer. As is well known, this results in decreasing the resolution, varying the performance of the resist remarkably depending on the time period between the exposure and the post-exposure bake, which is generally referred to as the time-delay effect, and causing a T-shaped profile in which only the surface portion is spread out.
Defects in the pattern after alkali development also sometimes occur. It is generally considered that such defective development is caused by air bubbles produced when a developer is applied onto the resist film and by micro-bubbles due to the gas dissolved in the developer. It is said that the smaller contact angle of the developer on the surface of the resist leads to the less defects of development (the Proceedings of the 43rd Applied Physics Joint Conference, 1996 Spring-Term, 27p-ZW-7 and 27p-ZW-9).

Method of providing a positive resist pattern


A system to support collaboration among client devices on a network comprising: a storage device that includes a class data structure to associate a message object, a file object, and a task object; a message bus module to communicate over the network; a file module configured to associate a message a file object instance with at least one of a message object instance and a task object instance; a task module configured to associate a task object instance with at least one of a message object instance and a file object instance; and a message module configured to associate a message with at least one of a file object instance, and a task object instance.

The healthcare industry is highly fragmented, and many Americans experience poor care coordination and quality across providers, forcing them to piece together their own medical records and care. Healthcare providers, on the other hand, face challenges in care coordination because of the lack of interoperability among Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems and the use of outdated and unsecured methods such as phone, fax, short message service (SMS), and mail, leading to errors, inefficiencies, poor care coordination, and regulatory violations, in addition, many of the secure, HIPAA-compliant communication and collaboration software in the market today are designed for use by a single organization or provide partial support for collaboration, which creates friction and hurdles for healthcare providers in coordinating care across organizations and care settings.
A technology system is needed to support communication and collaboration among healthcare providers across a network of organizations as well as with their patients so that they can deliver a higher-quality and better coordinated care. A system is needed that enables and manages various relationships among individual users and organizations to support more effective collaboration. A system is needed that provides tight coupling of collaboration features such as messages, files, and tasks.

System and method for collaboration over a network


A position pointing mechanism for use with a position detecting apparatus, including a pen shaped position pointing device manipulable with one hand of a person operating the mechanism, a rotatable dial having an exposed periphery moveable along the axis of the position pointing device and located on the pen shaped position pointing device so as to be operable with a finger of the one hand in which the position pointing device is held. Provision is made for detecting rotation of the dial, and for detecting relative pressure between the position pointing device and the position detecting apparatus.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pen-shaped position pointing device used in a position detecting apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
A position pointing device inputs two dimensional position information and pen pressure by tracing on a tablet. If other information is needed, then a tactile switch or the like is installed on the position pointing device.
The prior configuration, however, was not suitable to input information which requires more information than just two dimensional position and pen pressure information, e.g. three dimensional position information. In a drawing application if pen pressure controls line width, other characteristics such as hue or ink amount cannot be operated by a finger easily, compelling the user to click a function button on a screen with the pen tip.

Position pointing mechanism and method for position detecting apparatus


A low profile portable wind resistant Camp Stove that is small enough, pint size, to fit inside a small SIERRA MUG mess kit, for use with HEXAMINE, a solid chemical fuel. Variations are provided for altitude adjustment and two or more heat ranges.

This invention is an improvement of U.S. Pat. No. 4,905,659 in that it is related to light weight, wind resistant, portable stoves for camping and general outdoor applications that use solid Hexamine fuel tablets as the primary source of fuel.
Before now, it was believed that the smallest practical size for an efficient wind resistant Hexamine stove was about 4" d. by 4" h. in order to accommodate a normal Sierra Cup or Sierra Mug and allow efficient combustion of one Hexamine Tablet.


A deformable well screen for preventing migration of solid particles into a hydrocarbon production well is disclosed, the screen including at least one substantially tubular filter layer of which the sieve opening size remains fairly constant during or after expansion and/or other formation of the screen. Optionally the screen also includes a series of circumferentially scaled filter segments that are arranged around an expandable slotted tube, an expandable slotted tube of which the slots are filled with resin coated granules, an expandable slotted tube with micro-slots, an assembly of woven metal wire screens that are sintered together and/or a synthetic geotextile fabric.

UK patent specification 2,115,040 discloses a wellbore screen. This screen may include outer and/or inner protective layers which are co-axial to the filter layer and which have a much larger sieve opening size than the filter layer or layers.
A problem encountered with the screen of UK patent specification '040 is that woven metal wire and other filter sheets are fragile and can be easily squeezed and damaged during installation and use. Only a minor deformation of the filter sheet may already result in variation of the sieve opening which may hamper a proper performance of the screen.
Furthermore sand screens of the known type are typically made in a flat or tubular shape and are designed to remain in their original shape without substantial deformation during and/or after installation. However, in boreholes with an irregular surface and/or sharp bends this requires the use of a screen with a much smaller diameter than that of the wellbore. Such use of a small diameter screen will result in high fluid flowrates through the sieve openings of the screen, strong wear of the screen and an increased risk of plugging of the screen and of collapse of the borehole.
It is an object of the invention to alleviate the problems.


An improved high-consistency disc refiner employs a central ring or flinger nut. The radial vanes mounted on the flinger nut are releasably mounted to the flinger nut base in which keyways are milled. Matching keys on the bottom of the flinger nut vanes position the vanes in the keyways. The flinger nut vanes are held in position by bolts which extend through bolt holes which are parallel to the axis of rotation of the rotor and which are threadedly engaged with the flinger nut base.

During the production of fibers for paper making, wood or another fiber source is ground into chips and/or mechanically treated such that the chips may be broken down further and refined into individual fibers.
Disc refiners are used with high density stock containing forty to sixty percent fiber by weight to break down clumps of fibers into individual fibers. Disc refiners are also used with low density, low consistency pulp of two to five percent fiber dry weight to increase the freeness or bonding capability of the individual fibers.
The refiner disc consists of a disc-shaped steel or steel-alloy casting which has a multiplicity of more-or-more less radially extending bars cast on the surface thereof. One disc is mounted on a rotor for rotation and another disc is held opposed to the first refiner disc, either by rigid mounting or by mounting on an opposing rotating rotor. The refiner discs, as they move past each other, separate and refine the wood pulp as it passes between the opposed discs.
A refiner for high density stock employs an auger which is axially mounted with respect to the rotor on which the refining disks are mounted. Positioned adjacent to the end of the auger is a flinger nut which feeds the stock into a breaker bar section which in turn feeds the stock to the refiner disks where wood chips and clumps of fiber are broken down into individual fibers. Conventional flinger nuts employ radially extending vanes which become worn, necessitating expensive replacement of the flinger nut.
In the manufacture of paper, the cost of the stock or wood fibers used to manufacture the paper is the single largest component in the cost of the paper made. The paper fibers or stock is manufactured from wood chips which are in many aspects an industrial commodity whose price is governed by the market and not easily controlled. Thus, in improving the cost and efficiency of the papermaking process, it is important to focus on reducing the cost of processing the wood chips to produce the stock or furnish from which the paper is made. High density refiners which are used principally with mechanical or semi-chemical pulps are subjected to an intense wear environment. The wood chips which are fed to the refiner can contain sand and grit, which in the environment of the high density stock can produce relatively rapid ware.
What is needed is a flinger nut which can be efficiently maintained for improved wear life.

Refiner having center ring with replaceable vanes


A focus ring is shaped by cutting off a silicon carbide body formed by a sintering method or a CVD method. The shaped focus ring is exposed to a plasma generated from at least one of a carbon tetra fluoride gas and an oxygen gas for producing impurities, and the impurities are introduced to void-like defects existing in the vicinity of a surface of the focus ring. Subsequently, positrons are injected in the vicinity of the surface of the focus ring into which the impurities are introduced, and the defect density in the vicinity of the surface of the focus ring is detected by the positron annihilation method.

In general, a substrate processing apparatus for performing an etching process on a substrate, e.g., a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter, referred to as a 'wafer'), has an accommodation vessel (hereinafter, referred to as a 'chamber') for accommodating the wafer therein. In such a substrate processing apparatus, a high frequency power is applied into the chamber to produce a plasma from a processing gas such as a CF4 based gas or the like, and an etching process is carried out on a surface of the wafer by using a produced plasma.
In the chamber, there are disposed various parts for maintaining the plasma at a predetermined state; and a focus ring has been known as one of these. The focus ring is a ring-shaped part and is disposed to surround a periphery of a circular plate-shaped wafer in the chamber. The focus ring needs to have a similar electric characteristic, e.g., conductivity, to that of the wafer to guide the plasma in the chamber to the wafer efficiently. Thus, a conventional focus ring has been formed by silicon (Si).
Since, however, the silicon is eroded by the plasma, the focus ring is consumed and deformed in the chamber in a short period. If the focus ring is deformed, the plasma state on the wafer is changed. Thus, the focus ring needs to be replaced in a short period in case where a silicon focus ring is employed.
Therefore, a focus ring made of silicon carbide (SiC), which is known as a material that is hardly eroded by the plasma, has been used recently. Silicon carbide has substantially the same conductivity as the wafer; and it does not incur metal contamination under a plasma atmosphere. Therefore, it is advantageously employed as a part in the chamber.
As for the silicon carbide, there have been known a sintered silicon carbide formed by a sintering method and a CVD silicon carbide formed by a CVD method. The amounts of wear of the former and the latter due to the plasma are about 15% less and about 50% less, respectively, compared to that of silicon.
Since, however, the sintered silicon carbide is known to be likely to produce particles, it has been proposed that a surface of the focus ring formed by the sintered silicon carbide is coated with the CVD silicon carbide that is unlikely to produce particles (see, e.g., Japanese Patent Laid-open Application No. 10-135093). Hence, it is possible to suppress particle generation from the focus ring.
However, the CVD silicon carbide is obtained by introducing a material gas around a graphite base material disposed in a high temperature atmosphere, to form a silicon carbide thick film on a surface thereof; and cutting off a formed thick film. Further, since a surface of the CVD silicon carbide thus obtained is rough, lapping is carried out on the focus ring to improve the appearance and to prevent particle scattering by smoothing the surface thereof. Hence, the manufacture of the focus ring by using the CVD silicon carbide is rather difficult.
Further, even though the CVD silicon carbide is unlikely to produce particles, some particles are still produced. In particular, many particles are generated during an initial etching process after a loading a new focus ring, specifically, for initial 120 hours of a high frequency power application. Accordingly, in case where the CVD silicon carbide focus ring is employed, a seasoning process needs to be performed for a long period to stabilize an atmosphere in the chamber after the exchange of the focus ring; hence a decrease in an operating rate of the substrate processing apparatus becomes problematic.

Components for substrate processing apparatus and manufacturing method thereof


A first server device may receive, from a user device, a request to authenticate the user device for a first service using authentication credentials for a second service that is different than the first service; provide the authentication credentials to a second server device that provides the second service; receive from the second server device, and when the authentication credentials are valid for the second service, user information relating to a user of the user device; and provide, to the user device, an authentication response, associated with the user information, that provides authentication of the user device for the first service.

Authentication credentials are commonly used to authenticate users that wish to use network services, such as a network service provided by an application server. For example, a user may access application servers to manage subscriptions and/or user accounts (e.g., subscriptions and/or accounts relating to digital content streaming and/or services, telecommunications services, banking services, shopping services, etc.). Each application server may provide a user with access to a particular account based on receiving valid authentication credentials (e.g., a username, a password, etc.) that identify the user and authenticate the user's identity. Thus, a user may need to remember multiple sets of authentication credentials to access different application servers and different accounts associated with the user.

Credential linking across multiple services


A measuring method includes: illuminating a silicone-coated layer using a light source; and imaging light from the light source that is specularly reflected from the silicone-coated layer to form an image of a surface of the silicone-coated layer. The method further includes detecting pores and/or voids in a silicone coating of the silicone-coated layer from the image; determining a silicone coverage of the silicone-coated layer based on the detected pores and/or voids; and determining a release force of the silicone-coated layer based on the silicone coverage.

The invention relates to a measuring method, measuring arrangement, and measuring device.
For example, when self-adhesive label laminate is produced, the release layer is coated with silicone. The purpose of silicone is to ensure the release of the self-adhesive label from the release layer, in other words the release force needs to be matched with the final purpose of use of the self-adhesive label laminate. On the other hand, silicone is a relatively expensive material, so the aim is to use as little of it as possible on the release layer.
It is possible to measure rather precisely the amount of silicone on the release layer by measuring methods that are based on infrared spectroscopy or x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, for example. However, the amount of silicone does not in all cases correlate with the release force accurately enough. Consequently, in addition to measuring the amount of silicone, it is necessary to determine silicone coverage. Silicone coverage is determined by means of a so-called dye stain test. In a dye stain test, a colourant is spread on a silicone-coated release layer for a specific time. After the colourant has been removed, the penetration of the colourant into the release layer is measured by observing the colour difference between a dyed and undyed product.
A dye stain test has to be carried out as a laboratory measurement, which often results in a very long delay with the production process control in mind, and covers a small part of the manufactured product, only. A dye stain test is also quite laborious, cumbersome, and slow. Thus, the need exists for an improved measuring solution to determine silicone coverage.

Measuring method, measuring arrangement and measuring device


A compact laser construction instrument intended for use by the average construction contractor. The instrument is capable of generating a rotating plane of laser light and a beam of light that is perpendicular to the rotating plane. It includes a beam generator adapted to generate a beam of collimated light along a given axis. A rotating platform is provided for supporting the beam generator for rotation in a plane parallel the axis of the collimated light and about a rotation axis that is perpendicular to the axis of the collimated light in order to generate a plane of light. A means is provided that is positioned for rotation with the platform for generating a second beam of collimated light along the rotation axis to generate a rotating narrow beam of light that is perpendicular to the plane.

This invention relates generally to a laser apparatus and more particularly to a compact laser construction instrument that is adapted to home-construction use.
It is known to provide a laser construction instrument that generates a rotating plane of laser light for surveying purpose as well as for guiding excavators, road graders and the like. Such instruments are capable of generating a laser plane that is accurate to 1/16 of an inch per 100 foot of distance. Such accuracy comes at a price and typically requires complex optical systems and a self-leveling mechanism. While the expense is justified for large scale construction usage, it becomes prohibitive for casual users, particularly for home builders and home owners. While it is known to utilize such a construction laser plane generator for laying out the grid of a suspended ceiling, the known laser plane generators are beyond the price point of all but the professional ceiling contractors.
The known laser plane generator generates a collimated beam of light in a vertical axis, which is deflected by a rotating deflection device into a horizontal plane that rotates using a rotating penta-prism or penta-reflector. It has been discovered that enhanced performance may be obtained by using a rotating penta-prism or penta-reflector that reflects only a portion of the vertical beam into the horizontal while providing a beam which passes through the penta-prism or penta-reflector in the vertical axis. This provides a beam of light that is perpendicular to the generated light plane. This can be used for setting walls and foundations and the like at true right angles. The difficulty with such known devices is that both the penta-prism and penta-reflector impose a lateral offset to the vertical axis beam, requiring compensation. If such compensation were not provided, a rotating cylinder, rather than a rotating beam, would be provided. Such compensation adds additional expense to an already costly device. The penta-prism and penta-reflectors are precision optic devices costing several hundreds of dollars a piece.


A system component having a configurable communication behavior. The system component includes at least one interface for a data bus for the communication with at least one further system component. A defined communications protocol for the transmitting and receiving of data and bus commands is used on the data bus. The communications protocol provides that the at least one further system component queries the communication behavior of the system component via the data bus to adapt its own communication behavior to that of the system component. The system component includes a register for configuration data that define the communication behavior of the system component on the data bus, the register being connected to the data bus so that the configuration data stored in the register are available on the data bus. The function scope of the system component allows for different communication behaviors.

A new interface I3C was developed under the auspices of the Mobile Industry Processor Interface Alliance, abbreviated as MIPI Alliance. The MIPI Alliance is a company network with the goal of developing and propagating hardware and software interfaces between a chip set and peripheral components such as sensors and displays. The I3C standard builds on the I2C standard, which is the de facto most prevalent 2-pin serial bus protocol standard for low-speed peripheral devices and sensors. The I3C bus protocol offers some significant improvements over the I2C bus protocol, e.g., a dynamic arbitration of bus addresses, higher data rates, simplified electrical demands on the master and slave, in-band interrupts, and hot-join mechanisms.
FIG. 2 shows an I3C bus system 10. Each system component 1 includes a first register, a bus characteristic register (BCR), and a device characteristic register (DCR). The device characteristic register describes the type of system component 1, for instance that system component 1 is a sensor, and possibly further sensor-specific information. In the bus characteristic register, the role of system component 1 is defined, among other things, such as whether system component 1 functions as a master or as a slave. In addition, the communication behavior of system component 1 is defined. In particular, it is stored in the bus characteristic register whether system component 1 supports an in-band interrupt (IBI) function with payload or without payload.
In conventional I3C system components (slave and/or master), the communication behavior is defined in advance and correspondingly stored in the bus characteristic register.
The I3C bus protocol provides that the master queries the communication behavior of the slave stored in the bus characteristic register in order to then adapt its own communication behavior accordingly. However, in the case of the IBI function, this is possible only if the master is able to support both IBI without payload and IBI with payload. A master which supports only IBI without payload can therefore not communicate with slaves for whose communication behavior IBI with payload is specified.
The use of the I3C bus protocol for the communication between system components is described in PCT Application No. WO 2017 155897 A1, for example.

System component having a configurable communication behavior, and method for operating such a system component


An electrical apparatus has an elongated housing with fuses located therein. Windows are provided in the housing to close apertures in registration with fuse locations to allow access to fuses by removing the window. Fuses may be carried on a circuit card removably engageable with a terminal block secured to a wall within the housing. A fuse compartment cover is removably secured to the housing. The window comprises a fuse condition indicator to allow determination of the condition of the fuse (i.e. blown or not blown) without having to open the window. Additionally, powered indicators such as LEDs visible through the windows may indicate the state of fuses. The housing may comprise a power distribution unit and may be rack mounted or mounted to a wall of a rack assembly. The windows are located on the housing to be removable free of engagement with the assembly. In various embodiments, the windows may be included in a different one of the walls so that the windows will be unobstructed when the housing is in one of a number of orientations. The fuse compartment may be opened without removing the unit from the rack.

Fuses are widely used in electrical equipment connected in series to protect conductors and components from damage due to high current levels ("overcurrent"). Typically, a fuse consists of a fusible link installed in a circuit. When the current in the circuit reaches a predetermined maximum level provided by the fusible link, the fusible link melts or burns (i.e., blows). This breaks the circuit connection provided by the link and terminates the flow of overcurrent in the circuit.
Once the condition causing the overcurrent is corrected, the fuse must be replaced in order to allow current to flow through the fuse and its associated circuitry. Many forms of fuse mounting apparatus have been developed for this purpose.
In many forms of consumer electronics, for example, a cylindrical fuse holder penetrates the electronic unit housing. A removable fuse holder cap extends outwardly from the housing (and unshielded by the housing as well). A tubular fuse is disposed in the cylindrical interior fuse passage in the fuse holder. Electrical contacts at each end of the fuse abut mating contacts at opposing ends of the fuse passage. When the removable cap is removed, the fuse may be readily removed from the cylindrical fuse passage, inspected to determine if it is blown, and replaced if necessary.
A common fuse apparatus in automotive applications provides a fuse block holding a plurality of U-shaped fuses in one location for a number of circuits. In this type of fuse apparatus, the circuitry protected by each fuse remains may or may not be protected by enclosures, such as the engine compartment or a dash board. This centralized fuse location, however, simplifies the task of replacing a fuse since a user does not have to gain access to the protected circuitry. Although this centralized fuse apparatus provides more convenient access to fuses in the apparatus, the user must still test or remove and observe a given fuse to determine if it is blown and the cause of a problem in associated circuitry.
In many other applications, these types of prior art fusing and fuse-access schemes are unsuitable. In many instances, the size or current capacity of the fuse does not lend itself to these types of fuse arrangements. In many of these types of applications, the fuses are mounted on a circuit board within and enclosed by the electronic equipment housing, so that the fuses may be both well shielded and located relatively adjacent to or within the circuit(s) they protect within the housing.
These types of internally mounted fuses (with one or more fuses mounted within the confines of a closed housing) are not easily inspected or accessed. In order to do so, the housing of the unit in which the fuses are mounted must be fully opened by removing a side or top or bottom panel in the housing.
In many cases, the unit must first be removed from an equipment rack in order to be able to open the housing in this fashion and obtain access to the interior of the housing. Then, after inspecting one or more fuses mounted in the housing, the housing must be reassembled and re-mounted in the rack.
Often, an internally fused electronic apparatus will have a warranty provision voiding the warranty if the user opens the equipment housing. A user of this type of equipment therefore cannot even inspect a fuse, much less gain access to it for removal or replacement, without voiding the warranty. Instead, the user must typically obtain a return material authorization from the vendor, ship the unit to the vendor's repair facility for service, and then have the repair facility again ship the unit back to the user—all simply to inspect, and if necessary, replace one or more blown fuses in the unit.
These types of fuse access problems have long been quite predominant in the case of rack mounted systems in which system components are connected to a power distribution unit (PDU) that supplies power to the components in the rack. PDU-supplied rack mounted systems are common in broadcast network head ends and reception/re-broadcast stations, telecommunications central offices, and data centers for local and wide area networks. Components of rack systems can include servers, routers, satellite receivers, amplifiers, codecs (coder/decoders), and cooling equipment.
In these types of environments, the PDU often has a number of power output receptacles mounted in a rectangular housing. The rectangular housing can be mounted adjacent an electronic equipment rack structure (typically outside the confines the rack such as the outside face of a vertical support in the rack), and electronic components in the rack have power supply cords plugged into the power output receptacles in the PDU.
The PDU typically has a number of fuses, each providing overcurrent protection to one or more power output receptacles and electronic equipment plugged into the receptacles. Most commonly, the fuses in this type of PDU are mounted in fuse holders mounted directly to circuit boards within the PDU housing. The fuses can only be inspected and accessed by first unplugging the associated electronic equipment (forcing the equipment to shut down), removing the PDU from the rack if mounted on it, and then opening the PDU housing by removing a top or bottom cover. Removal of the printed circuit board may even be necessary. After inspection and replacement of blown fuses if necessary, the entire process is reversed in order to return the PDU and associated equipment to operational status.
This situation has long prevailed notwithstanding the substantial downtime, problems, costs, and delays that follow from having fuses mounted in this fashion within the PDU and other electronic equipment, particularly heavy duty industrial PDU's and electronic equipment manufactured in compliance with standards requiring particularly low levels of radio frequency or other emissions from the equipment. These problems are particularly problematic in industrial polyphase power supply systems, in which fuses may blow more frequently.
The applicants believe that conventional PDU's have long presented other problems as well. For example, as noted above prior art PDU's are often mounted outside the confines of the rack housing by securing the PDU to the outside surface of a portion of the rack. Wiring between the PDU and associated electronic equipment is therefore exposed outside the confines of the rack and subject to accidental and potentially interrupting or damaging contact with other structures or personnel passing by the rack and associated PDU. When such contact occurs, which it does in practice, electronic equipment can be accidentally shut down or even damaged, and the time required to locate and resolve the problem can be substantial and costly for the operator and its customers or other users.

Electrical circuit apparatus with fuse access section


Composite components having structurally reinforced contact interfaces are provided. In one example, the component can include an inner laminate formed of one or more inner plies having reinforcement fibers oriented along a reference direction within a matrix material. The component can also include an interface laminated positioned on the inner laminate along at least a portion of a contact surface of the component. The interface laminate is formed of one or more interface plies having reinforcement fibers oriented along a direction offset from the reference direction within a matrix material. Methods for fabricating such components are also provided.

A gas turbine engine generally includes a fan and a core arranged in flow communication with one another. Additionally, the core of the gas turbine engine general includes, in serial flow order, a compressor section, a combustion section, a turbine section, and an exhaust section. In operation, air is provided from the fan to an inlet of the compressor section where one or more axial compressors progressively compress the air until it reaches the combustion section. Fuel is mixed with the compressed air and burned within the combustion section to provide combustion gases. The combustion gases are routed from the combustion section to the turbine section. The flow of combustion gases through the turbine section drives the turbine section and is then routed through the exhaust section, e.g., to atmosphere.
More commonly, non-traditional high temperature materials, such as ceramic matrix composite (CMC) materials, are being used for various components within gas turbine engines. For example, because CMC materials can withstand relatively extreme temperatures, there is particular interest in replacing components within the flow path of the combustion gases with CMC materials. In particular, rotor blades of the turbine section of the gas turbine engine are more commonly being formed of CMC materials.
CMC turbine rotor blades generally are formed from a plurality of plies of CMC material. Ideally, the plies utilize continuous CMC fibers, i.e., CMC fibers that are continuous along the length of the ply. Because CMC materials typically are strongest in the direction of the CMC fiber, turbine rotor blades utilizing continuous CMC fiber plies can better withstand stresses during operation of the turbine.
CMC rotor blades utilizing continuous fiber plies are often coupled with or connected to a turbine rotor disk. The surfaces of such CMC blades that contact or interface with the rotor disk are subjected to high contact stress and/or other stresses during operation of the gas turbine engine. As a result, the contact interfaces of such CMC blades typically wear faster than other portions of the blade.
In addition, during fabrication of such CMC blades, controlling the dimensions of such blades can be challenging. Thus, in some instances, additional material is added to the contact surfaces of the blades, the blades undergo a number of processes, and then are finish machined to form the blades to the desired geometry. In some instances, the added material includes continuous fiber plies that are laid up along the same direction as the underlying plies. While such plies can provide satisfactory structural integrity at the contact interfaces of such CMC blades, there is no readily apparent visual aid to ensure that the underlying plies have not been machined into and therefore compromised during the finish machining process. Moreover, when the fibers are oriented along the same direction, the plies can nest within one another, adding a further variable to controlling the dimensions of the blade. In other instances, the material added to the underlying plies has included a monolithic ceramic matrix material. While the monolithic ceramic matrix material can provide a visual aid for an operator to ensure the blade has not been over machined, such monolithic ceramic matrix materials positioned at the contact surfaces of such CMC blades has led to undesirable wear properties and crush capability of the blades.
Accordingly, a composite component having a structurally reinforced contact interface would be useful. In particular, a composite component having a structurally reinforced contact interface that can provide improved wear resistance, durability, and crush capability would be beneficial. Moreover, a composite component having a structurally reinforced contact interface that can provide a readily apparent visual aid to ensure the component has not been over machined would be advantageous.

Contact interface for a composite component and methods of fabrication


A method and apparatus are provided for braking and stopping a vehicle whose powertrain includes an electric drive. The electric drive is used to generate braking torque which is used to decelerate the vehicle down to a full stop. The braking torque is achieved using any of several closed loop speed control systems. The system can be used as a substitute for or as a supplement to conventional friction bakes.

Many recent designs of electric powered and hybrid electric powered vehicles employ a regenerative braking system in order to increase operating efficiency. During a braking event, the electric motor which normally drives one or more traction wheels is switched to operate as an electrical generator. Using the momentum and kinetic energy of the vehicle, the electric drive motor generates electricity that may be used to recharge on-board energy storage systems, such as batteries and ultra capacitors, power accessories, or power auxiliary on-board systems.
Regenerative braking systems are particularly effective in recovering energy during city driving, where driving patterns of repeated acceleration and decelerations are common. Electric drive vehicles employing regenerate braking typically utilize traditional friction brakes, along with a vehicle control system that coordinates the operation of the friction brakes and the regenerative brake in order to provide adequate stopping ability while making dual brake operations essentially transparent to the driver. Normally, such a control system controls the electric motor torque to perform regenerative braking until the vehicle decelerates to a certain speed at which time the friction brakes are gradually applied to bring the vehicle to a compete stop.
The dual braking strategy described above may not be optimum for certain types of electric drive configurations, and may not be appropriate for configurations where it is desirable to completely avoid friction braking components. For example, a two axle vehicle might be provided with friction brakes on the wheels of only one axle; clearly it would be desirable to provide an electric means of fully braking the axle not equipped with friction brakes. In some configurations, it may be desirable to completely avoid the use of friction brakes, thus necessitating the use of some electronic means of achieving adequate braking. Even in those configurations where all wheels are equipped with friction brakes, it may be desirable to provide frictionless electric braking for each axle in the event that the friction brakes are intentionally or unintentionally disabled for any reason.
Accordingly, a need exists in the art for a braking system for vehicles with electric drive systems capable of providing frictionless deceleration and braking of the vehicle to all speeds down to and including zero speed, regardless of the configuration of the vehicle's motor drive, axles and wheels. The present invention is intended to satisfy this need.

Method and apparatus for braking and stopping vehicles having an electric drive