The frame transfer priority (hereinafter called) FTP capability definition distinguishes between FTP indices and classes. Several FTP indices may be mapped into one or more FTP classes by a network and different networks may map differently FTP indices to classes. When a frame relay SVC traverses multiple networks it may not be clear what is the exact FTP it is assigned. The concept of frame transfer normalized priority (hereinafter called FTnP) overcomes this disadvantage. The FTnP is a precise and uniform measure of the FTP assigned to a frame relay SVC or PVC.

In the frame relay networks, the Frame Transfer Priority (hereinafter called FTP) service definition distinguishes between FTP indices and FTP classes. A frame transfer priority index identifies in the setup message the user's request for a frame transfer priority to be assigned to the SVC (Switched Virtual Connection). An FTP index is an integer taking a value from 0 to 15. The higher the FTP index, the higher the priority of the requested FTP service.
An FTP class allows a network to distinguish between frame relay SVCs and PVCs according to the FTP services to which they are assigned during call establishment (in the case of SVC) or provisioning (in the case of PVC). When a frame relay SVC enters the active state, frames of SVCs assigned to a high FTP class are processed and transmitted before SVC frames assigned to lower FTP classes. There are a maximum of 16 different FTP classes.
A salient aspect of the FTP capability definition is the decoupling between FTP indices and classes. The reason for this decoupling is to provide service providers with flexibility to tailor the FTP capability for customers needs. With the distinction between FTP indices and classes, a service provider will be able to support a number of FTP classes of its choice while at the same time accepting 16 different FTP indices. It is therefore clear that when less than 16 FTP classes are supported, several FTP indices will have to be grouped into one or more FTP classes.
The decoupling between FTP indices and classes, however, creates the following disadvantages:
According to the FTP capability definition, it is not possible to infer from the FTP index the frame transfer priority to be assigned to a SVC. Of course this information can be obtained from the service provider of a user. PA1 Different networks may map the same FTP index to different FTP classes. When a SVC has to traverse multiple networks, the exact FTP service assigned to the SVC is not clear. This problem of mapping differences may be resolved to provide a homogenous FTP service but it requires prearranged bilateral agreements between network operators.
The invention addresses to this problem of the decoupling between FTP indices and classes. The invention introduces a parameter called frame transfer normalized priority (hereinafter called FTnP) which is a precise and uniform measure of the FTP service assigned to a frame relay SVC or PVC. It removes the influence caused by the number of FTP classes which can vary from one network to another and by the multiple mappings of FTP indices to classes.


For mounting in a host on a motherboard over memory modules in insertion slots and cooler modules on CPUs on the motherboard to guide currents of air in carrying waste heat from the cooler modules and the memory modules to the outside of the host, an adjustable air director is disclosed to include a main air duct shell, which has sliding tracks on the top wall thereof, and a supplementary air duct shell, which is attached to one lateral side of the main air duct shell and has sliding coupling devices respectively coupled to the sliding tracks and movable with the supplementary air duct shell relative to the sliding tracks to adjust the transverse width of the adjustable air director subject to the arrangement of the CPUs and the insertion slots on the motherboard.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an air director for use in a host for guiding currents of air over memory modules in insertion slots and cooler modules on CPUs on a motherboard to carry waste heat away from the host and more particularly, to an adjustable air director that allows adjustment of the transverse width to fit the arrangement of the CPUs and the insertion slots on the motherboard.
2. Description of the Related Art
To satisfy consumers' data processing speed requirements for quick running of different software programs in a computer system, chip precision and multiplex operation must be improved. Following rise in operation speed of an electronic device, the problem of quick dissipation of waste heat becomes critical. If waste heat is not quickly carried away during the operation of an electronic device, the operation stability and efficiency of the electronic device will be affected, resulting in shortening of the lifetime or device damage. Therefore, heat dissipation has become an important subject to study.
For quick dissipation of waste heat from a computer, such as desktop computer or server, cooling fans are usually used to provide forced air.
Further, to enhance heat dissipation efficiency, an air director may be used with fans in a computer to guide currents of air through CPU (central processing unit) and chip modules in insertion slots of a motherboard in the computer. When an air director is used in a computer, it is attached to the motherboard and covered over the CPU and the chip modules on the motherboard with the front and rear open ends thereof respectively attached to a first fan that blows air into the air director and a second fan that draws air out of the air director. During operation of the motherboard, the first fan blows air into the air director and the second fan draws air out of the air director, and therefore waste heat is carried away from the CPU and the chip modules to the outside of the computer quickly.
However, different motherboards from different suppliers (such as INTEL, ASUS and others) have different sizes. Further, the arrangement of CPU and insertion slots on a motherboard from one supplier is different from that the arrangement of CPU and insertion slots on a motherboard from another supplier. Conventional air directors commonly have a fixed size. The use of a conventional air director may encounter the following problems:
1. When an air director is mounted on a relatively smaller motherboard that has CPU and insertion slots arranged together in a dense manner, the air director occupies a relatively higher ratio of surface area of the motherboard and may be unable to effectively guide forced currents of air through the CPU and the chip modules in the insertion slots, lowering the heat dissipation efficiency.
2. When using an air director with a relatively bigger motherboard that has CPU and insertion slots arranged at a relatively greater pitch, the air director may be unable to cover the whole area of the CPU and the insertion slots, resulting in installation failure.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide an air director that can be adjusted to fit different motherboards, eliminating the aforesaid problems and saving much the cost.


A communication terminal (1) in accordance with the present invention includes a controlling section (12) for, when a touch operation to a key of a numeric keypad (22) in which each key is associated with a plurality of pieces of called party identifying information is detected, causing a plurality of pieces of called party identifying information that are associated with the key to be displayed, and, when a condition is detected in which one of the plurality of pieces of called party identifying information is selected, setting as a to-be-called phone number a phone number identified by the one of the plurality of pieces of called party identifying information.

Conventionally, communication terminals, such as a touch-tone fixed telephone, a facsimile and a mobile phone with a numeric keypad, generally have a so-called phonebook function that enables registration of persons' names and their phone numbers in the communication terminals. However, as the number of registered phone numbers increases, an increased number of steps are required when making a phone call to select a person whom a user wants to call. Therefore, many of such communication devices have an additional function to quickly call a certain person in a small number of steps.
One way to achieve the function of enabling a quick phone call is a method (Method 1) of calling a pre-registered phone number (called party's phone number) by pressing and holding a certain key. Another way to achieve the function is a method (Method 2) of making a phone call to a called party by inputting a one-digit or two-digit number previously registered in association with the called party's phone number. A method for realizing the function of enabling a quick phone call in a small number of steps in such a manner is called "abbreviated dialing" or "speed dialing" etc.
Recently, communication terminals with no numeric keypad for number/text input, such as smartphones, have been increasingly used. Such a communication terminal with no numeric keypad includes a touch panel to display an operation screen which is operable by directly touching it.
Many of these communication terminals carry out text input in the following manner, as disclosed in, for example, Patent Literature 1. That is, five Japanese Kana characters are associated with each key of a software keyboard displayed on the touch panel. By selecting a key by touching the touch panel with, for example, a stylus and thereafter moving the stylus upward, downward, rightward or leftward while still touching the touch panel (i.e., so-called flick input), a Kana character previously associated with the direction of the movement is selected. Such an input method has become a common way of text input into communication terminals.
These communication terminals which include a touch panel operable by touching an operation screen can have the following method (Method 3) in order to achieve the above-mentioned function of making a quick phone call. That is, for example, a shortcut is created on the operation screen which enables a one-touch dialing to a called party, and a phone call to the called party can be made by selecting the shortcut.
Furthermore, Patent Literature 2 discloses a telephone that has the following function (Method 4) of making a quick phone call. That is, by drawing a stroke on a tablet, a corresponding gesture is entered and a phone number associated with the gesture is called (calling process).

Communication terminal, control method, and recording medium


A method for increasing the rate of shear rehealing of fluids made with cationic, zwitterionic, and amphoteric viscoelastic surfactant fluid systems by adding an effective amount of a polymeric rheology enhancer selected from polypropylene glycols and block copolymers of polypropylene glycol and polyethylene glycol. For applications in which rapid shear rehealing is required, the rheology enhancer allows fluids to be made and used at lower viscoelastic surfactant concentrations. Preferred surfactants are betaines and quaternary amines. The fluids are useful in oilfield treatments, for example fracturing and gravel packing.

The invention relates to viscoelastic surfactant fluid systems (VES's). More particularly it relates to additives for viscoelastic surfactant fluid systems that increase their stability at selected temperatures and shorten the time they take to heal after shearing.
Certain surfactants, when in aqueous solution, form viscoelastic fluids. Such surfactants are termed "viscoelastic surfactants", or "VES's". Other components, such as additional VES's, co-surfactants, buffers, acids, solvents, and salts, are optional or necessary (depending upon the specific VES fluid system and the intended use) and perform such functions as increasing the stability (especially thermal stability) or increasing the viscosity of the systems by modifying and/or stabilizing the micelles; all the components together are called a viscoelastic surfactant system or viscoelastic fluid system. Not to be limited by theory, but many viscoelastic surfactant systems form long rod-like or worm-like micelles in aqueous solution. Entanglement of these micelle structures gives viscosity and elasticity to the fluid. For a fluid to have good viscosity and elasticity under given conditions, proper micelles must be formed and proper entanglement is needed. This requires the surfactant's structure to satisfy certain geometric requirements and the micelles to have sufficient length or interconnections for adequate entanglements.
Many chemical additives are known to improve the rheological behavior (greater viscosity and/or greater stability and/or greater brine tolerance and/or lower shear sensitivity and/or faster rehealing if micelles are disrupted, for example by shear). Such materials are typically called co-surfactants, rheology modifiers, or rheology enhancers, etc.; they typically are alcohols, organic acids such as carboxylic acids and sufonic acids, sulfonates, and others. We shall use the term rheology enhancers here. Such materials often have different effects, depending upon their exact composition and concentration, relative to the exact surfactant composition (for example hydrocarbon chain lengths of groups in the surfactant and co-surfactant) and concentration. For example, such materials may be beneficial at some concentrations and harmful (lower viscosity, reduced stability, greater shear sensitivity, longer rehealing times) at others.
In particular, many VES fluid systems exhibit long viscosity recovery times after experiencing prolonged high shear. Slow recovery negatively impacts drag reduction and proppant transport capability, which consequently leads to undesirably high treating pressures and risks of near wellbore screen-outs. Slow recovery of viscosity after shear also means that higher concentrations of viscoelastic surfactants must be used. One way that the expense of higher viscoelastic surfactant concentrations can be offset is to use shear recovery enhancers and/or shear rehealing accelerators that allow the use of lower viscoelastic surfactant concentrations.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


An improved outdoor cooking apparatus features a pot with multiple cooking inserts and burner frame that supports a burner element. One insert can be used for cooking an entire poultry carcass. Other inserts are perforated baskets that can be used to fry items.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to outdoor cooking devices that are fueled with gaseous fuel (e.g. propane, butane) and more particularly to an improved outdoor cooking device that can be used in a number of different cooking situations including boiling, steaming, and with water or oil as a cooking medium. Even more particularly, the present invention relates to an improved cooking apparatus that has a specially shaped pot and multiple food holding inserts that can optionally be placed inside the pot. The inserts include one or more perforated pans for frying food items such as fish, poultry, or vegetables and wherein a specially configured insert can hold one or more entire poultry carcasses.
2. General Background of the Invention
A number of outdoor cookers have been sold commercially for a number of years and are admitted as "prior art" type burners. These "prior art" burners have traditionally included a metallic frame that supports a burner nozzle, such as a cast iron burner nozzle. Such burner nozzles are commercially available and are used to fire most natural gas fired hot water heaters.
Examples of these prior art type outdoor cooking devices can be seen in the Jan. 1, 1996 brochure of Metal Fusion, Inc., of Jefferson, La. Patents have issued naming Norman Bourgeois as inventor that relate to burners and related cooking apparatus. Examples include U.S. Pat. No. 5,065,735 for a "Convertible Burner Apparatus" that features different primary burner frames and legs that can elevate the burner frames. Other Bourgeois patents that relate to cooking devices include the aforementioned U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,813,321; 5,970,852; and 6,058,830, each said Bourgeois patent hereby incorporated herein by reference.
The burner nozzle can be a cast iron hot water heater type burner nozzle or a jet burner arrangement that uses a single outlet centered in a cylindrically-shaped, vertically oriented metallic tube. The most common version of the prior art "jet burner" arrangement is seen in Metal Fusion's catalog as Model No. 90PK. Another version of this type of cooker includes two spaced apart circular rings connected with struts and having a cylindrically-shaped wind guard or shroud. This type of prior art burner can be seen for example as Metal Fusion Model Nos. 82PK, 83PK, 85PK, 86PK, and 86PKJ.
For cooking some food items such as poultry items, it is sometimes desirable to fry the object in a basket that can be lifted from the pot. An example of this type of "prior art" arrangement is seen in the 1996 Metal Fusion catalog as Model No. 32TPK. For a combination cooking arrangement that includes a burner, pot and liner, the user typically places the poultry item in the basket and lowers it into boiling oil using a bail. In the prior art, bails have often been detachable from the basket so that the user can lower the basket into the pot and the contained boiling oil and then remove the handle or bail therefrom. This allows the user to eliminate the transfer of heat from the basket to the handle during the elongated cooking process.
A number of patents have issued that relate to cooking devices and utensils for use in combination with cooking vessels. The Walker U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,135 provides a utensil assembly and kit including same for cooking vessels used in preparing and supporting combustibles above the bottom of the cooking vessel and away from its inner walls. The utensil kit comprises a base supported above the bottom of the cooking vessel, a plurality of support attachments separately detachable and interchangeably mountable on the base for supporting selected combustible products, and releasable latch mechanism having two parts, one part disposed on the base, and the other part is disposed on each of the support attachments for engaging the base. One of the utensils is a poultry support attachment that fits inside the cavity of a chicken or other poultry enabling it to be positioned upright.
The Rappaport U.S. Pat. No. 3,053,169, discloses a poultry supporting device that sits upon a base in the form of a pan.
A rotisserie cooking arrangement is disclosed in the French Patent 2685862.
A roasting support for fowl is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,106,642. The apparatus includes a longitudinally extending rod that extends through the center of the turkey having an eyelet at its upper end.
A roaster for poultry and meat is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,301,602. The apparatus includes a vertical roasting apparatus wherein a predetermined amount of liquid for generating the moisture required to produce a high quality and flavorful roasting of the meat is included in a reservoir formed within the support structure itself and disposed internally of the poultry or meat being roasted.
A vertical spit for displaying roasting or warming is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,442,999.
A combination outdoor cooker and smoker is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,531,154. The apparatus includes a cooker having a gas burner coupled to an external gas source through a control valve by a gas supply conduit.
An Austrian patent 217592 discloses a cooking device that has a central member upon which a turkey or chicken is supported during the cooking operation.
British patent 2205734A discloses a device for use in preparing and cooking kebabs that includes walls which are interconnected to define a tube member and into which a first end wall is slidably received to further reinforce the shape formed by the sidewalls and whose end position is determined by the engagement of lips projecting inwardly from the sidewalls. The sidewalls are apertured longitudinally for receiving a knife to cut food within the tube member.
Issued patents to Barbour (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,758,569 and 5,896,810) disclose a cooking apparatus directed to the frying of poultry items such as turkeys.
Several patents have issued that are directed to a cooker or pot having a spigot provided on the pot wall that enables liquid to be withdrawn from the pot via the spigot. An example of such an early patent is the Saroni U.S. Pat. No. 57,577 entitled "Apparatus for Steaming Vegetables." In the Saroni 577 patent, a spigot B is provided for withdrawing liquid from the receptacle or pot.
The Paterson U.S. Pat. No. 74,123 discloses in FIG. 1 a spigot mounted on the wall of a pot.
The Durham U.S. Pat. No. 123,876 discloses a boiler (see FIGS. 1 and 3) in the form of a pot having handles and a lid H. The Durham '876 patent states that one or more of the lower components are using for cooking solids, and the others are either for soup or other liquid, the latter C or either of them being provided with a tap D at the bottom for drawing off the contents.
The Goodwyn U.S. Pat. No. 159,755 provides a cooking vessel. A faucet B is provided at the lower end of the boiler A.
The Harper U.S. Pat. No. 1,054,114 discloses a furnace that includes a vat that can be fastened to the top of the fire box by means of a sleeve D formed integral therewith and adapted to fit over the smoke pipe E. This vat is provided with a cover D′ and also an outlet pipe E having a spigot E′.
A cooking vessel is disclosed in the Clayton U.S. Pat. No. 1,272,222 that includes a cooking vessel 10 having an outlet nipple 11 in which is rotatably mounted on a valve plug 12. This valve structure enables the liquid to be easily drawn off.
The Jobe U.S. Pat. No. 1,390,908 discloses a cooking vessel that has an outer pipe 20 that has one end communicating with the inner receptacle for drawing liquids therefrom, the pipe extending through the outer receptacle and equipped with a valve 21.
The Austin U.S. Pat. No. 1,827,131 provides a pot drain in the form of pipe 12 that is fitted with a cap 13.
The Baker U.S. Pat. No. 2,350,335 discloses a brewer or cooker that has a drain valve 7 adjacent its lower end through which brewed coffee may be withdrawn.
The Shipman U.S. Pat. No. 3,838,680 discloses a combination heating and serving assembly having a drainage outlet or spigot 32 by which the liquid contents of the container may be drawn off from time to time.


A machine for producing and treating a web of material including a material web forming device, a dewatering and drying section, at least one application apparatus, a drying device and a processing device. The material web forming device forms a material web continuously from a supplied fibrous suspension. The dewatering and drying section is arranged along a material web path after the material web forming device. The section extracts water from the web by way of at least one of thermal and mechanical action. The at least one application apparatus is arranged along the material web path after the dewatering and drying section. The apparatus applies liquid or pasty application medium to at least one side of the web. The drying device is arranged along the material web path after the application apparatus. The drying device dries the moving material web to a final drying state. The processing device is arranged along the material web path after the drying device. The processing device at least one of processing, picking up and discharging the web. The at least one application apparatus includes at least one contactless application unit discharging application medium in a free application medium jet, an application medium curtain, an application medium veil or an application medium droplet spray. The at least one contactless application unit applying the application medium to the web on the basis of forces to the application medium, movement impulses imparted to the application medium and on movement of the application medium induced by the force of gravity.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a machine for producing and treating a sheet of web material, and more particularly to a material web forming device, which forms a material web continuously from a supplied raw material.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, machines which permit the production and treatment of the material web, include the application of an application medium to at least one side, in what is known as an online operation, where only contact application apparatuses, in the form of coating units, are used as the application apparatus. Contactless application apparatuses, such as contactless coating units, are conventionally used only in what is known as an offline operation within a coating or application machine, which is separated from the machine for producing the material web, to which the material web, to be treated, is supplied in the form of material web reels.
Contact application apparatuses can be a problem inasmuch as the performance and average operating time between operating interruptions can be impaired as a result of the contact application or coating. For example, there is an increased risk of a web break at the application unit, resulting in the entire production line coming to a standstill.
As compared with an online operation, relative to the coating of the material web, an offline operation has a lower volumetric efficiency.
What is needed in the art is an apparatus to improve the performance or runnability of the machine without having to accept the volume losses of the offline concept.

Machine for producing and treating a sheet of material


An ultrasonic signal processing method for improving the signal-to-noise ratio in ultrasonic measurements comprises the transmission of a predefined timed sequence of a number of ultrasonic burst signals at a first transducer, and reception of a signal representing said transmitted sequence of ultrasonic burst signals at a second transducer. This signal is processed by addition of multiple time-shifted copies of the received signal to said original received signal to obtain a sum of the original received signal and its time-shifted copies. An original burst signal having an improved signal-to-noise ratio is reconstructed from this sum.

Ultrasonic gas flow meters measure the gas flow by means of ultrasonic signals. For this purpose an ultrasonic gas flow meter has one or more acoustic paths, each path being defined between a pair of ultrasonic transducers. Each transducer of such a pair is capable of transmitting signals to, and receiving signals from the other transducer. When operating, both transducers in turn transmit and receive, resulting in an acoustic signal that travels along the acoustic path—either parallel or at an angle—inside the meter body with the flow direction (downstream) and against the flow direction (upstream). The difference in travel time for both transmission directions is proportional to the gas velocity. In order to measure even low gas velocities accurately, the travel times itself or the difference in travel time need to be measured with very high accuracy and resolution in time.
Typically, ultrasonic gas flow meters operate using a number of short bursts of high frequency signals (for example 5 cycles long). Typically, the operating frequency of ultrasonic transducers is in the range between 50 kHz and 500 kHz. As in ultrasonic gas flow meters differences in travel times need to be measured extremely accurately, a very high definition or resolution in the travel time measurement is a must. This cannot be achieved by using the envelope of the received burst signal, even if this is a short one. In order to obtain sufficient resolution, the exact time of the zero crossings in the burst signal is required. As typically multiple zero crossings are present in the burst signal, this creates the problem of identifying and locating one or more specific zero crossings, to be used as reference point(s) for the travel time measurement. This may be resolved with the aid of the shape of the envelope of the burst signal.
In a gas pipeline, ultrasonic noise may be emitted from various other sources. The frequency spectrum of such noise may extend into the frequency range where the ultrasonic transducers operate. Such noise may be flow induced noise, or equipment induced noise, such as noise emitted by pressure reducing valves. The latter type of interfering noise is more severe, especially when such pressure reducing valves operate at high pressure differentials, for example above 10 or 20 bar. Under these circumstances the amount of dissipated energy can be quite substantial. Even if only a very small fraction thereof is converted into acoustic energy, still a serious amount of noise may be emitted.
The noise from such valves may be characterised by having some dominant peaks at discrete (low) frequencies, but more appropriately it is described as broadband noise. The envelope of the frequency spectrum typically has a maximum in the range between 30 kHz and 80 kHz. This indicates that even outside this frequency range substantial amounts of ultrasonic energy may be present.
The same holds for valves that have been designed to be so-called "silent valves". The word "silent" typically applies to the noise in the audible range. Sometimes reduction of noise in the audible range is achieved by design modifications that shift the emission of noise to higher frequencies. As this noise is broadband by nature, it easily extends into the frequency range where ultrasonic transducers for ultrasonic gas flow meters may operate.
Due to practical limitations the power of the signals used in an ultrasonic flow meter is restricted to certain levels. The problem arises that either the noise interferes with the ultrasonic signals of the flow meter, or the ultrasonic signals of the flow meter may even become completely buried or masked by the noise. As a result of this the ultrasonic signals used by the flow meter may become undetectable and therefore the meter may become un-operational.
Until now in various ways, attempts have been made to resolve the problem of acoustic noise interfering with the signals of an ultrasonic flow meter.
Attempts have been made to resolve the problem of acoustic noise interfering with the signals of an ultrasonic flow meter by separating the ultrasonic gas flow meter and the noise source spatially. This means separating the two by applying a long length of pipe, preferably also including elbows and T-bends, between the meter and the noise source. As available space does not always allow for such an approach, this method may not only be costly but often is impractical as well.
Moving the operating frequency of the flow meter away from the frequency range of the ultrasonic noise has also been attempted. Due to the increase of attenuation of the ultrasonic signal in the fluid with increasing frequencies, for practical application the usable frequency range is limited to a maximum of about 300 to 500 kHz. This puts a limit on the gain that can be achieved in this way.
Special silencing devices have been designed to separate the noise source and the ultrasonic flow meter respective to each other. The effectiveness of such devices is limited as these devices themselves may generate noise (flow induced noise) at higher gas velocities, and again considerable costs may be involved.
Also attempts have been made to apply a variety of signal processing techniques in order to improve the signal-to-noise ratio, described as filtering, averaging, stacking and correlation.
Applying filtering techniques in the frequency domain does not provide much improvement as the frequency spectrum of the noise often overlaps with the operating frequency of the ultrasonic flow meter. Typically also the ultrasonic transducers are operated in a resonating mode in order to achieve the highest efficiency, consequently the transducers themselves act as frequency selective devices. Therefore, using additional electronic circuitry or software for filtering the signal in the frequency domain will not be very effective.
Improvement of the signal-to-noise ratio may be achieved by increasing the amount of ultrasonic energy by extending the duration of the burst signal. This suffers from the problem that it becomes more difficult to uniquely identify and locate a specific zero crossing with the aid of the shape of the envelope, or suffers from ambiguity when phase detection techniques are used, since the travel time to be measured represents multiple periods of the signal and the phase shift is multiple times 2π.
Another known method for improving the signal-to-noise ratio is referenced as stacking. This means averaging the signal that is obtained by repeatedly sending and receiving an ultrasonic signal. The assumption is that the received burst signals are correlated, such that addition of multiple received burst signals results in an increased signal, while the noise is uncorrelated and therefore will be reduced when multiple received signals are added up. The received signals are added taking the time of the emission as a reference point in order to synchronise the received burst signals while these are being added.
This method as well has limitations because of the natural turbulence in gas flow. The turbulence results in a variability of travel time (also known as "jitter") as a result of which the received burst signals become uncorrelated. This means that using the time of emission as a reference point, the received signals do not coincide exactly when being added. The averaging or stacking technique is therefore only effective on a short time scale: a time scale short enough, in comparison to the periodicity of the turbulence phenomena, to limit the variances in travel time to values substantially smaller than one period of the frequency in the burst signal. This limits the number of the received burst signals that can effectively be added up in order to increase the signal-to-noise ratio.
In the description of the above method the assumption has been made that each cycle of emitting an ultrasonic burst signal and receiving the same signal is completed before the next one is initiated. A new cycle therefore can only start after the acoustic signal has travelled across the fluid along its acoustic path, which may take up to several milliseconds, especially for a large size meter having long acoustic paths. This limits the number of pulses to the number that can be sent within a specific time interval, i.e. the time that the acoustic signals as received can be considered to be correlated.
As an alternative to this method, the process of sending and receiving of acoustic pulses could be interleaved or overlapping, meaning that acoustic pulses (burst signals) are being fired while previous acoustic pulses are still travelling trough the gas. As a result of this, a sequence of acoustic pulses will arrive at the receiver. The problem with this alternative method, however, is to identify each of the pulses from a sequence when they arrive, as they may be heavily distorted by the acoustic noise, or even buried or masked by the acoustic noise. Averaging the individual burst signals within a sequence using the known repetition rate of the firing of the pulses, will help to recover the pulse from the noise and make the pulses detectable, but results in ambiguity. This means that the burst signal may be retrieved at various points in time, while not being able to detect which one actually represents the travel time.
Correlation techniques are general-purpose signal processing tools that can be applied to a variety of electronic measurements. Major uses are the detection of the presence and the location of signals buried in noise. The waveform of the signal is generally known, for example the signal transmitted by an ultrasonic transducer. The correlation process incrementally slides the reference waveform over the signal being processed, looking for a matching signal. Signals that are not related to the reference waveform result in a correlation value of 0. If a matching signal is found, the correlation value increases to a maximum value of 1 for a perfect match and −1 for a matching but inverted waveform. The maximum value of the correlation function serves both purposes. If the maximum value is close to 1 the desired signal is present, and the location of the maximum is a measure of the propagation delay (or travel time).
The application of the correlation function to the travel time measurement in an ultrasonic meter suffers from several drawbacks. It is computationally intensive (i.e. it requires a great deal of processing power), and considering the very high time resolution that is required for the travel time measurement, it requires very high sampling rates.

Ultrasonic signal processing method and applications thereof


A magnetic recording and reproducing head records a signal from and reproduces a signal from a magnetic recording medium having a perpendicularly magnetizable film. The magnetic recording and reproducing head includes a magnetic sensing section comprising a slender needle of a soft magnetic material, and an exciting coil wound around the slender needle for magnetizing the slender needle to record a signal on the magnetic recording medium. To reproduced the recorded signal, high-frequency electric energy is applied to the magnetic sensing section to produce a reflected wave, and a change in the reflected wave caused by a leakage magnetic field produced by a signal recorded on the magnetic recording medium is detected as representing the recorded signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a high-density magnetic recording and reproducing head for recording high-density information on and reproducing high-density information from a magnetic recording medium.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There have been developed magnetic recording mediums with high coercive forces to meet demands for high-density magnetic recording of desired information. Perpendicular magnetic recording has been proposed which employs a magnetic recording medium with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy.
Thin-film magnetic recording and reproducing heads have been developed for achieving narrower recording tracks and shorter wavelengths. The tendency in the field of magnetic recording and reproducing heads is being shifted from bulk heads toward thin-film heads.
Another developing effort has been directed to a thin-film magnetic head based on the magnetoresistive (MR) effect that is dedicated for reproducing recorded signals. The thin-film magnetic head does not depend on the relative speed between the magnetic head itself and a magnetic recording medium, the relative speed being lower as the density of recorded signals is higher. The MR magnetic head has an MR magnetic sensing section composed of a thin film of Permalloy. There has not been developed a material having a large MR effect, i.e., a sufficiently large ratio .DELTA.R/R of a resistance change .DELTA.R caused when a magnetic field is applied to a resistance R when no magnetic field is applied. The ratio .DELTA.R/R of the Permalloy is of a small value of 2%.
Recently, there has been proposed an active magnetic head which utilizes a change in the inductance of a coil under an external magnetic field (see, for example, the lecture preprint No. 5, page 35, for the spring national convention of Electronic Information Communication Society, 1990).
The applicant has proposed a microwave waveguide type magnetic detecting device capable of reproducing, with high sensitivity, a signal magnetic field produced by a signal magnetically recorded on a magnetic recording medium, as disclosed in Japanese patent application No. 3-333687.
As shown in FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings, the disclosed magnetic detecting device is embodied as a magnetic reproducing head comprising a microwave waveguide 2 positioned at a terminal end thereof and including a soft magnetic material 1 whose magnetic permeability varies due to an external magnetic field applied, and a high-frequency oscillator 3 for oscillating the microwave waveguide 2.
A magnetic field to be detected, i.e., a signal magnetic field produced by a signal magnetically recorded on a magnetic recording medium 4, is applied to the soft magnetic material 1. The magnetic permeability of the soft magnetic material 1 varies when the applied magnetic field varies. When the magnetic permeability of the soft magnetic material 1 varies, the impedance of the microwave waveguide 2 varies, resulting in a change in the reflectivity of the high-frequency electric energy supplied to the microwave waveguide 2. The change in the reflectivity of the supplied high-frequency electric energy results in a voltage change at a certain location in the microwave waveguide 2, which is measured as the change in the applied external field.
The principle of operation of the microwave waveguide type magnetic reproducing head will further be described below. When a microwave waveguide which is not matched at a load end thereof is oscillated by high-frequency electric energy supplied through a microwave transmission line such as a coaxial cable, a reflected wave as well as a traveling wave exist in the waveguide, producing a standing wave resulting from the overlapping reflected and traveling waves. The amplitude ratio of the standing wave is maximum in those microwave waveguides whose load end is open or short-circuited.
FIG. 2 of the accompanying drawings shows the magnitude .vertline.V.vertline. of a standing wave in the microwave waveguide 2 whose load end is open. The solid-line curve shown in FIG. 2 indicates that a standing wave exists whose amplitude .vertline.V.vertline. is minimum at x=x.sub.0. In FIG. 2, the ratio of the maximum amplitude to the minimum amplitude of the standing wave is referred to as a voltage standing wave ratio, and .lambda. indicates a distance or pitch between adjacent two of repetitive cycles of the standing wave.
The voltage standing wave ratio and the pitch .lambda. depend on the magnetic permeability B in the waveguide. When the magnetic permeability .mu. varies with the external magnetic field Hex, the voltage standing wave ratio and the pitch .lambda. also vary, resulting in a change in the standing wave as indicated by the broken-line curve in FIG. 2. According to the broken-line curve, the standing wave amplitude .vertline.V.vertline. becomes a voltage Vex at x=x.sub.0. Therefore, the external magnetic field Hex can be detected based on the voltage Vex.
The microwave waveguide 2 may be in form of a microwave stripline. The microwave stripline comprises, as shown in FIG. 1, a grounded conductor 5 and a line conductor 6, with a dielectric 7 and the soft magnetic material interposed therebetween.
The soft magnetic material 1 has its magnetic permeability B depending sharply on the applied magnetic field. When the magnetic field is applied in a certain direction, the magnetic permeability of the soft magnetic material 1 increases. As the applied magnetic field increases in intensity, the the magnetic permeability of the soft magnetic material 1 decreases.
The microwave stripline has its load end 2a open. At the other end of the microwave waveguide 2 remote from the load end 2a, the high-frequency oscillator 3 is connected between the grounded conductor 5 and the line conductor 6 through a transmission line 8 which may comprise a coaxial cable.
The microwave waveguide 2 is oscillated by the high-frequency oscillator 3 with a frequency of about 1 GHz, for example, with no signal magnetic field applied. The frequency of the high-frequency oscillator 3 is adjusted so that the standing wave amplitude is minimum at x=x.sub.0, as indicated by the solid-line curve in FIG. 2. At x=x.sub.0, the standing wave voltage is detected by a detecting circuit 9, and measured by a voltmeter 10.
As shown in FIG. 1, the open load end 2a of the microwave waveguide 2 is positioned closely to the magnetic recording medium 4 in confronting relationship thereto. A leakage magnetic field, i.e., a signal magnetic field, produced by a signal magnetically recorded on the magnetic recording medium 4 is applied as an external magnetic field Hex to the soft magnetic material 1. Since the magnetic permeability .mu. of the soft magnetic material 1 changes due to the applied external magnetic field Hex, the voltage standing wave and the standing wave pitch .lambda. also vary as indicated by the broken-line curve in FIG. 2. Therefore, the magnetically recorded signal can be read as the voltage change.
When the frequency of the high-frequency oscillator 3, i.e., the carrier frequency f, is selected to be of 1 GHz, for example, even if the signal magnetic field Hex is of a sufficiently high frequency of about 100 MHz, the carrier can be removed by the detecting circuit 9, and only the change in the signal magnetic field Hex can be detected as the voltage change.
The microwave waveguide type magnetic reproducing head can be fabricated by the thin film technology.
However, there is a limitation on the track width of any thin film magnetic heads because of problems in the fabricating process and magnetic characteristics. Consequently, it is necessary to record signals in shorter wavelengths for higher recording density.
Since the MR magnetic head and microwave waveguide type magnetic head, referred to above, are dedicated for reproducing recorded signals, some fabrication problems such as their positioning and structural complexities arise out of combining themselves with recording heads.

High-density magnetic recording and reproducing head


A system for inserting O-rings into axially spaced annular grooves in a cylindrical cavity includes a cylinder for insertion to a limited extent into the cavity from one end, with a rod extending from the cylinder through the cavity; a sleeve for insertion to a limited extent into the cavity from the other end; spacer rings for selective mounting on the cylinder and the sleeve to selectively position the cylinder and sleeve relative to the cavity, whereby to cover all but one of the annular grooves within the cavity. A tube fits into the sleeve and over the rod to push an O-ring along the rod and into the one annular groove left exposed by the cylinder and sleeve.

O-rings are in common use for many sealing applications. Directional control valves provide one example of their use. Directional control valves direct the flow of pneumatic or hydraulic fluid to and from cylinders, fluid motors, or other actuating units. A directional control valve typically includes a spool axially movable within a cylindrical cavity to open and close various passages in the valve body. The cylindrical cavity includes a number of axially spaced annular grooves with O-rings set into some of them. The valve spool is movable axially back and forth within the cylindrical cavity and through the O-rings.
O-rings are subject to damage and wear and, depending on operating conditions, must be replaced from time to time. Heretofore, this has been a painstaking job requiring forceps or other such tools and fingers to manipulate an O-ring axially into the cylindrical cavity until it seats itself in its annular groove. Some control valves have a number of annular grooves. Some of the grooves are for O-rings, and some are fluid passages. In such a case, the placement of O-rings in their proper grooves is not only tedious and time consuming, but also critical.


A fuel cell includes a cathode-electrolyte-anode unit, and a perforated foil structure distributes fuel gas over an electrode surface thereof. Longitudinal axes of at least some of the holes forming perforations in the foil are inclined differently relative to the foil surface such that, near a fuel gas feed, the outlet openings of the holes facing the electrode are oriented at least slightly toward the area of the fuel gas outlet from the fuel cell. Near a fuel gas outlet, the inlet openings of the holes facing the electrode are oriented at least slightly to the area of the fuel gas feed. However, holes whose inlet openings facing away from the electrode are oriented toward the fuel gas feed, and holes whose outlet openings facing away from the electrode are oriented toward the fuel gas outlet, may also be arranged alternately side-by-side.

The invention relates to a fuel cell which includes, in addition to a cathode-electrolyte-anode unit, a structure which distributes fuel gas over the electrode surface, with the surface of the structure facing the electrode being formed by a perforated foil.
German Patent Document DE 43 40 153 C1, for example, discloses a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) of the generic type, in which, in addition to an independently prefabricated cathode-electrolyte-anode unit, an independent intermediate layer is provided between the electrodes and the bipolar plates or separating plates (known to a person skilled in the art). This independent intermediate layer is constructed as an electrically conductive, elastic and gas-permeable "contact cushion" with a deformable surface structure. The so-called cushion filling may be a highly elastic metallic tissue, and the cushion cover may, for example, be a perforated metal sheet. The purpose of the contact cushion is to provide an optimal electrical contact of the electrodes, while a less exact surface quality of, for example, the anodes and cathodes is acceptable, without impairing electrical contacting within the fuel cell or fuel cell stack constructed of several individual fuel cells.
An essential criterion for an optimal fuel cell function, however, is not merely a sufficient electrical contact of the individual cell elements, but in addition a good flow of fuel gas (or "working gas") onto the fuel cell electrodes. A good flow of oxygen or ambient air is almost equally important.
One object of the present invention to provide an improved fuel cell which, in addition to a cathode-electrolyte-anode unit, has a structure for distributing the fuel gas over the electrode surface, with the surface of the structure facing the electrode being formed by a perforated foil.
This and other objects and advantages are achieved by the fuel cell structure according to the invention, in which the longitudinal axes of at least some holes or passage openings forming the perforation of the perforated foil are inclined with respect to the foil surface.
With regard to operation of the fuel cell, it is extremely advantageous for the oncoming flow direction of the fuel gas or of the air-oxygen toward the respective electrode to extend at least partially diagonally with respect to the electrode surface, in order to ensure a good substance supply to the electrode. Therefore, according to the invention, the longitudinal axes of holes or passage openings which form the perforation in the above-mentioned (known) foil (on whose surface an electrode of the fuel cell rests) are inclined with respect to the foil surface.
According to a feature of the invention, the longitudinal axes of at least some of the holes or passage openings forming the perforation may be inclined differently with respect to the foil surface, depending on the point at which the holes or passage openings are situated with respect to the fuel cell or the fuel gas flow carried therein. Thus, on the side nearest the fuel gas inlet or feed into the fuel cell, the outlet openings of the hole facing the electrodes may, as a matter of priority, be oriented at least slightly toward the side of the fuel gas outflow from the fuel cell, so that a targeted fuel gas flow occurs also along the electrode surface and the fuel gas is therefore relatively uniformly distributed over the electrode surface. In the same sense, on the side nearest the fuel gas outflow from the fuel cell, the inlet openings of the hole or passage openings which face the electrode (virtually leading away the burnt gas or the reaction products from the electrode) as a matter of priority, may then be oriented at least slightly toward the side of the fuel gas inflow (=fuel gas feed) into the fuel cell. In this fashion, the gas can optimally enter into these passage openings. The term "as a matter of priority" used above means that not all holes in the mentioned areas need be inclined in the above-described manner; rather, only some of the holes may be inclined in this fashion and other holes in this area may have a different inclination or no inclination at all with respect to the foil surface.
However, it is also advantageous to provide holes or passage openings whose longitudinal axes are inclined (and which could also be called bores), also on the side of the fuel gas inlet (or fuel gas feed) into the fuel cell if the inlet openings of these inlet-side holes (again as a matter of priority) are at least slightly oriented toward the fuel gas inlet. In the same manner, on the side of the fuel gas outflow from the fuel cell, the outlet openings of these outlet-side holes (also as a matter or priority) may be oriented at least slightly toward the fuel gas outflow (or toward the side of the fuel gas removal). This technique also helps to provide an optimized fuel gas guidance, because the fresh fuel gas can easily enter into the passage openings, and the burnt gas or the corresponding reaction products can easily exit the passage openings for the fuel gas outflow (fuel gas removal) from the fuel cell. If, in this case, the respective passage openings have longitudinal axes extending in a straight line, advantageously, the respective passage openings can meet both the conditions described in this paragraph and the conditions described in the preceding paragraph, at the same time.
However, it is also possible that holes, whose inlet opening facing away from the electrode is at least slight oriented toward the side of the fuel gas feed, and holes, whose outlet opening facing away from the electrode is at least slightly oriented toward the side of the fuel gas outlet of the fuel cell, are provided essentially alternately (side-by-side) in the foil. As a result, virtually side-by-side, reaction products can be removed from the electrode, and new fresh fuel gas can be guided to the electrode.
According to the invention, holes or passage openings whose longitudinal axes are inclined over the foil surface in a foil of a fuel cell on which an electrode of the fuel cell rests, have another advantage, specifically in regard to a special fuel cell manufacturing process. While, in the fuel cell according to the above-mentioned German Patent Document DE 43 40 153 C1, the ceramic layers of the solid-oxide fuel cells are produced individually (for example, by means of sintering green products of the respective layers—specifically the cathode, the electrolyte and the anode, it is also possible to spray the individual electrode layers successively onto metallic or ceramic substrates. Suitable thermal spraying methods can be used for this purpose, such as vacuum plasma spraying, atmospheric plasma spraying, flame spraying and others. In this case, the so-called substrate can form the carrying structure of the fuel cell, particularly in the case of vacuum-plasma-sprayed fuel cells. Porous and thus gas-permeable as well as simultaneously electrically conductive (and therefore usually metallic) materials can be used for the substrate, in order to ensure as best as possible ensure the supply of the starting material, the removal of the product and the electric current conduction within the fuel cell.
When the perforated foil is used as such a carrier substrate for the electrode layers (to which the first electrode layer is therefore applied in a pulverized manner by a thermal spraying method), if the holes are inclined with respect to the foil surface (in the case where the spraying coating process takes place at a right angle with respect to the foil or substrate surface), good powder retention can be achieved without making the diameter of the holes significantly smaller than the diameter of the drains of the electrode powder to be applied. That is, undesirable penetration of the powder grains during their thermal spraying onto the foil through the holes provided therein can be largely avoided because the longitudinal axes of the holes are inclined with respect to the foil surface.
The perforation in the foil (the holes, passage openings or bores) can be produced, for example, by means of a laser beam, an electron beam or nuclear track. However, these holes can also be formed by electrochemical methods or by masking and etching. All of the above-mentioned methods are well suited for a large-batch production. Particularly for electrode coating onto the foil by a thermal spraying method, the holes are preferably made from the side of the foil or of the substrate that is not to be coated with the electrode material. The reason is that the elevations of the hole edges forming on the coating side for the electrode material will then be helpful for a better interlocking of the ceramic electrode with the foil (or a corresponding strip).
According to an advantageous further development of the invention, the foil perforated according to the invention or a corresponding metal sheet or strip may consist of a suitable metallic material and may be combined with another structure to form an enclosure having a cavity. This additional structure also consists of a metallic material, so that this combined formation can finally form a bipolar plate of the individual fuel cell onto which (or more precisely onto its perforated foil) an electrode layer of the cathode-electrolyte-anode unit can be applied virtually directly, for example, by means of a thermal spraying method. By way of the above-mentioned cavity of this enclosure, the fuel gas or the air-oxygen can then be guided to and from the electrode. This enclosure is therefore a hollow body which preferably consists of a top shell and of a bottom shell that are preferably mutually welded together; they are generally connected in a material-locking manner, along their edges, in order to ensure a sufficient gastightness in this area.
Essentially two embodiments are possible in this case. According to a first variant, the preferably previously perforated foil can be welded as a substrate into a so-called top shell of the enclosure, which may have a rectangular, square, round or arbitrarily oval cutout. For this purpose, a corresponding foil, a strip or a metal sheet is first perforated (in a strip shape or piece by piece), and is then welded into a corresponding cutout of the top shell of a fuel cell enclosure to be produced. Such a weld seam replaces the sealing-in of the fuel cell in its bipolar plate by means of a glass solder or other ceramic or metallic glue, which is normally required in a planar solid-oxide fuel cell.
Subsequently, in the manufacturing method according to the invention, the cathode-electrolyte-anode unit can be sprayed directly onto the welded-in perforated metal foil. In this case, using a spraying mask, the anode is preferably sprayed on, almost to the weld seam between the perforated foil and the top shell. Subsequently, a larger mask is used to apply the electrolyte layer to the anode layer, so that the latter can be made gastight and can be electrically insulated. In addition, the weld seam and a small edge of the metal sheet situated around it can be sealed off by spraying by means of electrolyte material in the same operation. Then, by means of a mask, the cathode layer can be applied by spraying exactly to the surface of the anode.
According to a second embodiment, the top shell can be used directly as a carrier substrate for the anode layer to be sprayed on, in which case it has no recess. Instead, the top shell itself is perforated in the area of the anode (which is to be applied later by means of a thermal powder spraying process), so that the enclosure top shell itself is the foil perforated according to the invention. The perforation can be performed either before or after the two enclosure halves (the top and bottom halves) are welded together. The cathode-electrolyte-anode unit is then applied in the manner as described for the first embodiment. However, the sealing function of the electrolyte will be limited to the sealing-off of the porous anode layer.
In a known manner, several such enclosures can be arranged above one another to form a fuel cell stack. Each fuel cell is provided on its so-called top shell with a cathode-electrolyte-anode unit, the assembled top shell and bottom shell each operating is a bipolar plate, within which the fuel gas can be guided to the anode layer. Since it is then necessary to create a gas distribution space or flow space for the ambient air (or the air/oxygen) between the exterior of the bottom shell of a first enclosure and the top electrode layer of the second enclosure situated in the fuel cell stack below this first cassette, the exterior side of the bottom shell can be provided with a corresponding embossing structure creating such a flow space. The corresponding embossings may, for example, have a meandering structure, interrupted and laterally offset channels, an inflow zone, and much more in the flow direction and transversely to the flow direction.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Fuel cell having a perforated foil distributing the fuel gas over the electrode surface

Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft


A surface-treated powder powder which is surface-treated with an acrylic/silicone copolymer having at least one hydrolyzable silyl group in the molecule, and a cosmetic material containing this powder.

In general, human secretions such as sweat, tears and sebum spoil cosmetic materials. In particular, with suncut creams and makeup cosmetic materials, sebum secreted by the skin becomes mixed with cosmetic material blending oils, leading to excessive wetting of the cosmetic material which is a major factor causing it to deteriorate. To reduce the oils in the cosmetic material remaining on the skin, it has been attempted to use volatile oil agents such as octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane and decamethylcyclopentasiloxane as a part of the oils which were blended.
Rubbing and water are external factors which spoil makeup. To improve poor makeup lasting properties which occur due to water-soluble substances, such as sweat and tears, to prevent loss of aqueous components or sebum in the skin and to maintain skin protection, silicone oils are blended to improve water repellence. For example, due to their light feel, outstanding water-repellence and high safety, silicone oils such as dimethylpolysiloxane have been used abundantly as oils in cosmetic materials in recent years. At the same time, powders, e.g., pigments such as titanium oxide, zinc oxide, red ocher, mica and sericite are widely used in basic cosmetics, suncut materials, nail colors and nail coats, foundation, mascara and eyeliner. To block the surface activity of these powders and impart water resistance and sebum resistance, it is common to give them a surface treatment such as alumina treatment, silica treatment, oil treatment, metallic soap treatment or organopolysiloxane treatment.
In recent years, in many cases, the organopolysiloxane has a reactive part within the molecule. The organopolysiloxane forms a chemical bond with the powder, which modifies the powder surface and blocks its surface activity. Also, the treatment agent does not secede from the powder surface even if a solvent system cosmetic material is used, and as change of cosmetic material properties due to treatment can be reduced, this is highly effective.
For example, in Japanese Patent (JP-B) No. 2719303, a method of carrying out the surface treatment by 12-60 wt parts of methylhydrogen polysiloxane to 100 wt parts of powder, is disclosed. In Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (JP-A) No. 07-196946, a surface treatment method which uses a straight chain single terminal alkoxy-modified silicone is disclosed. Thus, powder treatment by a reactive organopolysiloxane is a generally known technique, however in all cases, the blocking of the powder surface activity was insufficient, and in particular, when the treatment agent was a methylhydrogenpolysiloxane (methyl hydrogen polysiloxane or dimethylhydrogenpolysiloxane), as unreacted Si—H groups remained in the powder even after surface treatment when the powder was blended with the cosmetic material, there was a problem of hydrogen gas being generated depending on the condition of liquid properties of the cosmetic material. Moreover, when a powder treated with a single terminal alkoxy-modified silicone was used as a pressed powder cosmetic material, there were few problems regarding water resistance and sebum resistance, but when it was used in a solution system, the treatment effect could not be said to be adequate. This is considered to be due to few reactive sites which react with the powder as compared with a methylhydrogen polysiloxane treatment agent, so that untreated parts remain in the powder surface.
Thus, although conventional powders treated by reactive organopolysiloxane treatment agents had outstanding aspects, they were not effective in all forms of cosmetic materials. A surface-treated powder with improved blocking of surface activity, water resistance and sebum resistance was therefore desired.
As a result of intensive studies carried out to discover a surface-treated powder with improved blocking of surface activity, water resistance and sebum resistance, the Inventors found that by surface-treating the powder with an acrylic/silicone copolymer having at least one hydrolyzable silyl group in the molecule, a good surface-treated powder can be obtained, and by blending this surface-treated powder with a cosmetic material, a cosmetic material which was very pleasant to use, long-lasting and very stable over time was obtained, and thereby arrived at the present invention.
It is therefore a first object of the invention to provide a surface-treated powder having an improved surface treatment (blocking of surface activity, water resistance and sebum resistance).
It is a second object of the invention to provide a cosmetic material which is very pleasant to use, long-lasting and very stable over time.

Surface-treated powder and cosmetic preparation

Abstract: The surface-treated powder of this invention preferably contains 0.1-30 wt parts of the acrylic/silicone copolymer relative to 100 wt parts of the powder prior to surface treatment. The acrylic/silicone copolymer preferably comprises a trunk polymer comprising an acrylic polymer, and a branched polymer comprising an organic polysiloxane.

Abstract: The surface activity of the surface-treated powder of this invention is very well blocked, and it has excellent water resistance and sebum resistance. In addition, the cosmetic material of this invention containing this surface-treated powder has good cosmetic lasting properties, and is highly stable over time.


A method of braking a host vehicle traveling behind a second vehicle includes acquiring visual images of the second vehicle and determining an actual deceleration of the second vehicle based on the visual images. Non-visible light emitted by the second vehicle is detected. A commanded deceleration of the second vehicle is determined based on the detected light. A first signal is produced indicative of the actual deceleration. A second signal is produced indicative of the commanded deceleration. Braking of the host vehicle is initiated in response to at least one of the first and second signals.

Current driver assistance systems (ADAS—advanced driver assistance system) offer a series of monitoring functions in vehicles. In particular, the ADAS can monitor the environment around the vehicle and notify the driver of the vehicle or other systems of the vehicle of conditions therein. To this end, the ADAS can capture images of the surrounding environment and digitally process the images to extract information. The information is used to warn the driver of road obstacles located along the driving path. A common ADAS includes automatic emergency braking to help prevent rear-end collision and lane detection to help maintain the vehicle within the commanded driving lane.


A microactuator for precisely positioning an optical fiber, such as in alignment with an optical device, includes an alignment support structure, a carrier movably mounted on the alignment support structure and at least one actuator which bends or deflects in response to a predetermined stimuli to thereby controllably position the carrier and, in turn, an optical fiber mounted on the carrier relative to the alignment support structure. The actuator can include a bimorphic actuator, an asymmetric monomorph, a diaphragm or a comb structure, for example. As a result, the actuator typically deflects in response to electrical or thermal stimuli. The carrier can include the actuator such that upon deflection the actuator is urged against a portion of the alignment support structure and the carrier is correspondingly moved relative to the alignment support structure. Alternatively, the alignment support structure can include the actuator such that upon deflection the actuator is urged against a portion of the carrier and the carrier is correspondingly moved relative to the alignment support structure. By maintaining the alignment support structure in a fixed relation to an optical device, however, the carrier and, in turn, the optical fiber mounted on the carrier can be positioned in precise alignment with the optical device.

It is oftentimes desirable to align optical fibers with an electro-optic device, such as a laser diode. Such alignment is particularly desirable in order to maximize the percentage of light coupled from the light source or electro-optic device to the optical fiber and to thereby increase the transmission efficiency of the optical signals. However, the alignment of optical fibers is complicated by the relatively small sizes of both the optical fiber waveguide, such as a single mode optical fiber which, for example, can have a light transmitting core diameter of approximately 2-10 micrometers, and the light source which has approximately the same size.
The alignment of an optical fiber is further complicated since an optical fiber generally has six degrees of freedom, each of which must be separately aligned. In particular, an optical fiber must generally be aligned in three translational directions, i.e., the X, Y and Z directions, and three rotational directions, i.e., .theta..sub.X, .theta..sub.Y and .theta..sub.Z. Furthermore, the alignment of polarization preserving or polarization maintaining optic fibers is complicated by the need to maintain the polarization axis of the optical fibers in alignment with that of the polarized optical system.
Notwithstanding these difficulties, various methods have been proposed to align a single optical fiber with a variety of electro-optic devices. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,955,683 which was issued Sep. 11, 1992, to Nobuo Shiga, et al. and is assigned to Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.; 4,798,439 which was issued Jan. 17, 1989, to Keith Preston and is assigned to British Telecommunications, PLC; 4,741,796 which was issued May 3, 1988, to Hans Althaus, et al. and is assigned to Siemens Aktiengesellschaft; 4,702,547 which was issued Oct. 27, 1987, to R. Scott Enochs and is assigned to Tektronix, Inc.; U.K. Patent Application GB 2,128,768 which was published May 2, 1984, and is assigned to Hitachi Ltd.; and U.K. Patent Application GB 2,146,841 which was published Apr. 24, 1985, and is assigned to Hitachi Ltd.
As illustrated by these patents and known to those skilled in the art, individual metallized optical fibers can be soldered to a support. In order to position the optical fiber, the solder bonding the metallized optical fiber to the support is generally heated to a temperature above the predetermined melting temperature of the solder. Thereafter, the optical fiber can be moved and, once the optical fiber is properly positioned, the solder can be allowed to cool and resolidify to fix the position of the optical fiber relative to the support and, more importantly, to a light source. These systems typically require, however, some means, such as solder, for retaining an optical fiber in place after the optical fiber has been positioned in a separate alignment process, distinct from the means for retaining the optical fiber in position.
In particular, U.S. Pat. No. 4,798,439 to Keith Preston (hereinafter the "'439 patent") describes an optical assembly and a related method for mounting optical components, such as an optical fiber, on a substrate. According to the '439 patent, an optical fiber is lowered into a layer of solder, such as a solder preform or a solder paste, which has been applied to a submount assembly. Thereafter, a heating element is lowered into contact with the solder to locally melt the solder about the optical fiber such that the optical fiber can be mounted therein. During the mounting process, a first end of the optical fiber is positioned to receive the output of a laser, also illustratively mounted on the submount assembly. By positioning the optical fiber such that the power level of the light transmitted through the optical fiber is maximized, the optical fiber is appropriately aligned with the laser. Once aligned, the heating element is cooled to allow the solder to solidify and to fix the optical fiber to the submount assembly.
Another method of positioning an optical fiber is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,741,796 to Hans Althaus, et al. (hereinafter the "'796 patent"). In particular, the '796 patent describes a method for aligning an optical fiber with a laser diode. According to this method, an electrically conductive body having a groove defined therein is bonded to a base. An optical fiber extends through the groove and is bonded to the electrically conductive body with a bonding agent. By inducing current flow through the electrically conductive body, the temperature of the electrically conductive body is increased such that the optical fiber is positionable within the bonding agent. After properly positioning the optical fiber relative to the laser diode, the current flow is stopped to cool and solidify the bonding agent, thereby fixing the position of the optical fiber.
While the above-described alignment and bonding systems may controllably position an individual optical fiber, the heat required to allow one optical fiber to be positioned can oftentimes affect the position or alignment of adjacent optical fibers, thereby misaligning the adjacent optical fibers. In addition, these alignment and bonding systems and methods, such as the systems disclosed by the '439 patent and the '796 patent, are generally relatively laborious and time-intensive, particularly, in instances in which a number of optical fibers must be individually aligned.
Accordingly, several commercial alignment systems have been developed to automatically connect, or pigtail, an opto-electronic device, such as a laser diode, to an optical fiber. For example, Melles Griot has developed a system for precisely aligning optical fibers with other optical components. As known to those skilled in the art, however, the Melles Griot alignment system generally includes a variety of relatively complex and costly components which significantly increase the fabrication costs to produce such precisely aligned optical devices. In addition, once the optical fiber has been aligned by a Melles Griot alignment system, the optical fiber must generally be bonded with a separate bonding means, such as solder, as described in the foregoing patents.
One particular application that demands precise alignment of one or more optical fibers involves fiber optic connectors. Fiber optic connectors are commonly employed to align and to interconnect one or more optical fibers with a variety of optical devices or with other optical fibers. For example, fiber optic connectors can be mounted on end portions of a pair of fiber optic cables, each of which include a number of optical fibers. The optical fibers of the fiber optic cables can, for example, transmit data or control signals between various remote devices, such as sensors or actuators, and a central control computer, such as a flight controller of an aircraft. The fiber optic connectors can then be interconnected such that the optical fibers of a first fiber optic cable are aligned with the optical fibers of a second fiber optic cable.
In order to efficiently transmit signals between optical fibers, the fiber optic connectors must precisely align the individual optical fibers such that the optical signals transmitted therethrough are efficiently coupled from fiber to fiber. Such alignment is particularly essential in connecting single mode optical fibers which must be precisely aligned with the light-transmitting core of another single mode optical fiber of similar size in order to efficiently transmit optical signals therethrough.
In order to effectively couple optical signals from fiber to fiber, a fiber optic connector must maintain the precise alignment of the individual optical fibers in a predetermined manner such that the optical fibers will remain aligned as the fiber optic connecter is mated with another fiber optic connector or with other types of optical device. Therefore, a variety of methods as described above have been developed to align individual optical fibers prior to sealing the optical fibers within the fiber optic connector. Since fiber optic connectors typically include a plurality of optical fibers, all of which must be precisely aligned, the alignment process must generally be repeated for each optical fiber of the fiber optic connector prior to hermetically sealing the fiber optic connector. As described above, however, the heat required to allow one optical fiber to be positioned can oftentimes affect the position or alignment of adjacent optical fibers, thereby misaligning the adjacent optical fibers. In addition, these alignment and bonding systems and methods are generally relatively laborious and time-intensive, particularly, in instances in which a number of optical fibers must be individually aligned within the small volume of a single fiber optic connector.
More specifically, a fiber optic connector has been developed by AT&T Bell Laboratories and is described by R. J. Pimpinella in an article entitled "A New Type of Fiber Optic Connector Designed for Military Optical Backplanes", published in the Proceedings of the 42nd ECTC Conference on May 18-20, 1992, pages A-6-1 through A-6-5. This fiber optic connector includes a silicon base which defines a v-groove. An optical fiber can be positioned within the v-groove and a ball lens can be disposed adjacent an end portion of the optical fiber to form an optical fiber sub-assembly. The optical fiber sub-assembly can be mated with a second optical fiber sub-assembly, also comprised of an optical fiber and a ball lens mounted to a silicon base, such that the optical signals transmitted by a first optical fiber are collimated by the pair of ball lenses so as to be efficiently coupled to the second optical fiber. In order to prevent unnecessary exposure of the optical fiber to potentially harmful environmental influences, the optical fiber sub-assemblies can be disposed within respective self-sealing connector enclosures. In order to allow the first and second optical sub-assemblies to be mated, however, at least one of the connector assemblies has a spring-loaded cover that retracts upwardly to receive a corresponding portion of the other connector enclosure.
The fiber optic connector disclosed by R. J. Pimpinella as well as the above-described alignment methods and systems do not provide for the precise alignment of one or more optical fibers within a hermetically sealed package, such as a hermetically sealed fiber optic connector. Instead, the retraction of the spring-loaded cover of the connector enclosure of the fiber optic connector disclosed by R. J. Pimpinella can allow contaminants or moisture to enter the connector enclosure. In addition, the fiber optic connector disclosed by R. J. Pimpinella does not provide for realignment of the optical fibers without replacing the silicon bases in which respective v-grooves are defined. Further, the fiber optic connector disclosed by R. J. Pimpinella is also relatively difficult due to the recessed areas adjacent the ball lens.
As known to those skilled in the art, the precise alignment of an optical fiber within a hermetically sealed package is complicated since, in addition to precisely aligning the optical fiber in each of the six degrees of freedom, the alignment process must typically be performed without physically contacting or otherwise heating the optical fiber since heat, such as body heat, can cause the optical fiber to move due to thermal expansion, thereby misaligning the optical fiber. In addition, access to an optical fiber within a hermetically sealed package is generally limited since the optical device with which the optical fiber is being aligned is disposed within an internal cavity defined within the hermetic package.

Microactuator for precisely positioning an optical fiber and an associated method


A gauge which uses a prism or other type of reflector to illuminate a single graphic or icon on a dial such that only one graphic on the dial is shown during the operation of the gauge. All of the remaining graphics have a dead front appearance, and cannot be viewed, such that the gauge presents only one discrete value at a time. The dial is beneath a lens, and the prism is beneath the dial. An actuator is mounted to a PCB, and an LED is also mounted to the PCB to allow the prism to transmit light to the desired area of the dial. The dial also includes a central graphic, or icon, and the gauge is able to display different values, while the central graphic remains constantly illuminated in the center of the gauge.

Gauges are commonly used in different applications to convey information to a driver about various operating conditions of a vehicle. Several gauges may be included as part of an instrument cluster to provide information to the driver relating to vehicle speed, engine speed, amount of fuel used, engine temperature, fuel economy, and the like. Gauges are also used for applications other than for automotive use, such as air compressors, boilers, and the like. When used in a vehicle, typical gauges receive information from a device such as the vehicle's electronic control unit (ECU). These gauges include a pointer which rotates and aligns with various portions of a scale, and the pointer moves to various locations along the scale, depending upon the information received from the ECU.
However, most of these types of gauges have a pointer that is in front of the scale, and the pointer rotates about an axis. The pointer typically is mounted near the center of the gauge, and extends outwardly, overlapping with part of the scale. The pointer is calibrated to properly align with the portion of the scale when the gauge is viewed substantially perpendicularly. The reading provided by the gauge may have a margin of error when viewed from various angles. Also, the pointer takes up space on the front of the gauge, which limits the amount of information that may be displayed on the scale.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a gauge which is viewable from different angles, provides an accurate reading, and improves the reading of the scale.


A lift dolly is comprised of a first castor-based platform and a second castor-based platform. Each platform is secured to an object to be lifted such that when so secured, the first platform extends diagonally upwardly and the second platform extends diagonally upwardly and terminates below the first platform. Downward articulation of the first platform causes lever lifting of its end of the object and also engages and causes downward articulation of the second platform which lever lifts its end of the object. Through continued lifting the lever fulcrum moves toward center increasing the mechanical advantage of the device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lifting device and specifically to a two-piece moving fulcrum lever action lifting device.
2. Background of the Prior Art
Numerous devices are available for lifting and transporting objects in limited areas such as a factory floor. The devices range from the very simple to the very complex and all have the objective of moving heavy objects with limited physical input from the user. While many devices are very efficient in operation, the devices currently available suffer from one or more limitations.
Some objects provide superior lifting capability but do not provide locomotion to the lifted object. A second device, such as a simple dolly, must be utilized to accomplish the task. Devices that provide lift and locomotion capability, such as a small crane, are complex, and expensive to build and maintain. Such devices tend to be relatively difficult and time-consuming to use, often requiring the need for experienced operators.
There is therefore, a need in the art for a device capable of lifting a heavy object and moving the object to a new location. The device must be of simple design and construction and must be relatively easy to maintain. The device must be straightforward to use requiring only minimal training to operate.


In a method of coding an electronic text document, the length of a space preceding a word in a line of text data of an electronic document relative to the length of a space following the word is modulated with the value of a bit of signature data. The signature data are thus embedded into the text data of the electronic document, not being easily discernible to illicit readers.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of coding an electronic text document, more particularly, a method of coding an electronic text document to be transferred over a computer network, and apparatus for implementing the method.
2. Description of the Background Art
The recent development of the computer networks enables a rapid and economical distribution of electronic documents to increasingly be available. Especially, with the electronic libraries and the databases, the increasing opportunity at which a huge amount of important and valuable documents are available to the public by database search leads to the problem of illicit distribution of copyrighted material. An exact duplicate of electronic documents may instantaneously be reproduced without involving any troublesome works rather than printed documents.
In order to prevent electronic documents from being illicitly copied, techniques of embedding signature information into electronic documents are proposed. One of the techniques is to slightly shift the distance between the adjacent pairs of lines of words in an electronic document, or line pitch, in dependent upon signature information to be embedded. In accordance with this scheme, the capacity of information to be embedded is dependent upon the number of lines formed by the text on a full page. In adddtion, the line pitch is not uniform through the entire page, which may be noticed during editing.
According to another proposal, the position of a word in a line in an electronic document in a horizontal direction is shifted dependently upon signature information. The signature information conveyed is readable by comparing the document thus coded with its original one. This requires, for decoding, comparison of the coded document with its original. The word processors, e.g. ones for processing European languages, have the function of justifying the rightmost ends of lines. A hard copy of a page, reproduced from an electronic document may often be inconsistent with its original page due to the justification.
The third tactic is of discernibly deforming the font of a specific letter or character on the basis of signature information to be embedded. One of the ways of altering the text formatting or certain characteristics of textual elements is proposed in an article, J. Brassil, et al "Electronic Marking and Identification Techniques to Discourage Document Copying", IEEE Transactions No. 0743-166X/94, pp. 1278-1287, 1994.

Method of and apparatus for embedding data into an electronic document by modulating spaces between words


A block, in particular a shuttering block or standard block, has two longitudinal walls which form an outer wall and an inner wall. These are connected to one another by at least one transverse wall, which extends over at least part of the height of the block. The outer wall is produced from an insulating material and is connected to the inner wall via positively locking connecting devices. In this arrangement, the at least one transverse wall is integral with the outer wall.

A block of the generic type is known from FR-A-2 536 777.
In the case of the known block, the inner wall and the transverse walls are produced from concrete or a concrete-like material, those ends of the transverse walls which face the outer wall of the block being provided with T-shaped extensions, and it being possible in each case for the horizontal bar on the "T" to be inserted into complementary recesses in the outer wall, which is produced from an insulating material.
The disadvantage with the known shuttering block, however, is that it allows only comparatively poor sound insulation and heat insulation, which is not sufficiently in keeping with modern environmental awareness, in particular as regards the saving of energy.
The object of the present invention is thus to provide a block, in particular shuttering block or standard block, which allows improved sound insulation and heat insulation in comparison with the prior art.
This object is achieved according to the invention in that the at least one transverse wall is integral with the outer wall.

Block, in particular shuttering block or standard block


A system, apparatus and/or method included in or embodied as a television signal receiver synchronizes auxiliary data with an auxiliary video output signal for appropriately inserting closed captioning into the auxiliary video signal. In one form, the television signal receiver correlates a main video signal with the auxiliary video signal in order to ascertain when and/or where to insert the auxiliary data in to the auxiliary video signal. In an exemplary manner, the field information between a video portion of a main television signal and a video portion of an auxiliary output television signal is tracked for determining field inversion between the two. Through the determination of field inversion between the video portion of the main television signal and the video portion of the auxiliary output television signal, auxiliary data such as closed caption, extended data service and the like, is provided to (inserted in) an auxiliary television signal output in a sequence proper for the sequence of video data being provided thereto. Proper sequencing of the auxiliary data allows the auxiliary data to be provided appropriately with the auxiliary video portion of the television signal to the auxiliary television signal output. Additionally, the system, method and/or apparatus provides a field delay if a deinterlacer is used (i.e. to produce a signal suitable for progressive scan images).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns television signal processing and, more particularly, concerns a system, method and/or apparatus that is operative to correlate auxiliary information of a television signal to an auxiliary video output signal.
2. Background Information
Current televisions typically include an auxiliary output that allows a user to connect a device thereto that utilizes the television signals received by the television. The device thus utilizes the audio and video signals of the television signal. As is known in the art, in addition to the normal audio and video information or data contained in a television signal, a television signal may also contain what is known as auxiliary information or data. Such auxiliary information typically includes, but is not limited to, teletext data, closed caption data, extended data service (XDS) data, and the like. Heretofore, the auxiliary data has either not been provided to the auxiliary output with the audio and video data or has only been sporadically provided to the auxiliary output with the audio and video data.
Moreover, as is known in the art, the video portion of a television signal is provided in fields of information, with two fields constituting a frame. In what is known as an interfaced format, the first field is provided to a display and then the second field is provided to the display that is interlaced into the first field. In what is known as a progressive mode, the two fields are provided simultaneously (i.e. line by line) to a display. According to convention, the auxiliary data is provided in particular lines of the first and second fields.
In one form, auxiliary data includes or constitutes what is known as closed caption data. Closed caption data provides text for the audio portion of the television signal that is displayable on a display for the aid of hearing impaired individuals. Because this information is sequential in nature, it is essential that the closed caption data from the first field be presented before the closed caption data from the second field. Otherwise, if the data is not provided in the correct order, the displayed text will be out of order, be nonsensical, and thus defeat the purpose of aiding the hearing impaired.
When closed caption data is output to an auxiliary output using a vertical interrupt of the main display, there could be a difference between the auxiliary and main field information. Sometimes, then field inversion can exist between the main output and the auxiliary output, causing the problem that first field data may be output to the second field and vice versa. For the video portion of the television signal, this may not be a problem. However, for auxiliary information such as closed caption data or extended data service (XDS) data, if the field is changed, i.e. the auxiliary information is in an incorrect field, correct extraction of the closed caption and XDS data cannot occur.
It is thus evident from the above that there is a need for correctly inserting auxiliary information (e.g. closed caption and/or XDS data) from a received television signal into an auxiliary video signal in a television signal receiver.
It is thus further evident from the above that there is a need for synchronizing auxiliary data with an auxiliary video output signal in a television signal receiver.

Auxiliary signal synchronization for closed captioning insertion