Post treatment of an ultrasonically welded seamed flexible imaging member belt includes providing a flexible belt having an outer surface, an inner surface, parallel edges and a welded seam extending from one parallel edge to the other parallel edge, the belt seam including a seam region comprising an overlap of two oppositely miter cut edges, and two adjacent splashing formed around the seam; contacting the seam with abrasive and a super finishing tool; and super finishing the seam to remove at least the splashing on the outer surface of the belt.

Flexible electrostatographic belt imaging members are well known in the art. Typical electrostatographic flexible belt imaging members include, for example, photoreceptors for electrophotographic imaging systems, electroreceptors such as ionographic imaging members for electrographic imaging systems, and intermediate image transfer belts for transferring toner images in electrophotographic and electrographic imaging systems. These belts are usually formed by cutting a rectangular sheet from a web containing at least one layer of thermoplastic polymeric material, overlapping opposite ends of the sheet, and joining the overlapped ends together to form a welded seam. The seam extends from one edge of the belt to the opposite edge. Generally, these belts comprise at least a supporting substrate layer and at least one imaging layer comprising thermoplastic polymeric matrix material. The "imaging layer" as employed herein is defined as the dielectric imaging layer of an electroreceptor belt, the transfer layer of an intermediate transfer belt and, the charge transport layer of an electrophotographic belt. Thus, the thermoplastic polymeric matrix material in the imaging layer is located in the upper portion of a cross section of an electrostatographic imaging member belt, the substrate layer being in the lower portion of the cross section of the electrostatographic imaging member belt. Although the flexible belts of interest include the mentioned types, for simplicity reasons, the discussion hereinafter will be focus on the electrophotographic imaging member belts.
Flexible electrophotographic imaging member belts are usually multilayered photoreceptors that comprise a substrate, an electrically conductive layer, an optional hole blocking layer, an adhesive layer, a charge generating layer, and a charge transport layer and, in some embodiments, an anti-curl backing layer. One type of multilayered photoreceptor comprises a layer of finely divided particles of a photoconductive inorganic compound dispersed in an electrically insulating organic resin binder. A typical layered photoreceptor having separate charge generating (photogenerating) and charge transport layers is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,265,990, the entire disclosure thereof being incorporated herein by reference. The charge generating layer is capable of photogenerating holes and injecting the photogenerated holes into the charge transport layer.
Although excellent toner images may be obtained with multilayered belt photoreceptors, it has been found that as more advanced, higher speed electrophotographic copiers, duplicators and printers were developed, fatigue induced cracking of the charge transport layer at the welded seam area is frequently encountered during photoreceptor belt cycling. Moreover, the onset of seam cracking has also been found to rapidly lead to seam delamination due to fatigue thereby shortening belt service life. Dynamic fatigue seam cracking may possibly happen in ionographic imaging member belts as well.
The flexible electrostatographic imaging member belts are fabricated from a sheet cut from an imaging member web. The sheets are generally rectangular or in the shape of a parallelogram where the seam does not form a right angle to the parallel sides of the sheet. All edges may be of the same length or one pair of parallel edges may be longer than the other pair of parallel edges. The sheets are formed into a belt by joining overlapping opposite marginal end regions of the sheet. A seam is typically produced in the overlapping marginal end regions at the point of joining. Joining may be effected by any suitable means. Typical joining techniques include welding (including ultrasonic), gluing, taping, pressure heat fusing, and the like. Ultrasonic welding is generally the preferred method of joining because it is rapid, clean (no solvents) and produces a thin and narrow seam. In addition, ultrasonic welding is preferred because the mechanical pounding of the welding horn causes generation of heat at the contiguous overlapping end marginal regions of the sheet to maximize melting of one or more layers therein. A typical ultrasonic welding process is carried out by holding down the overlapped ends of a flexible imaging member sheet with vacuum against a flat anvil surface and guiding the flat end of an ultrasonic vibrating horn transversely across the width of the sheet, over and along the length of the overlapped ends, to form a welded seam.
When ultrasonically welded into a belt, the seam of multilayered electrophotographic imaging flexible member belts may occasionally contain undesirable high protrusions such as peaks, ridges, spikes, and mounds. These seam protrusions present problems during image cycling of the belt machine because they interact with cleaning blades to cause blade wear and tear, which ultimately affect cleaning blade efficiency and service life. Moreover, the protrusion high spots in the seam may also interfere with the operation of subsystems of copiers, printers and duplicators by damaging electrode wires used in development subsystems that position the wires parallel to and closely spaced from the outer imaging surface of belt photoreceptors. These closely spaced wires are employed to facilitate the formation of a toner powder cloud at a development zone adjacent to a toner donor roll and the imaging surface of the belt imaging member. Another frequently observed mechanical failure in the imaging belts during image cycling is that the ultrasonically welded seam of an electrophotographic imaging member belt can also cause initiation of cracks in the seam, which then propagate and lead to delamination after being subjected to extended bending and flexing cycles over small diameter belt support rollers of an imaging machine or when due to lateral forces caused by mechanical rubbing contact against stationary web edge guides of a belt support module during cycling. Seam cracking and delamination has also been found to be further aggravated when the belt is employed in electrophotographic imaging systems utilizing blade cleaning devices and some operational imaging subsystems. Alteration of materials in the various photoreceptor belt layers such as the conductive layer, hole blocking layer, adhesive layer, charge generating layer, and/or charge transport layer to suppress cracking and delamination problems is not easily accomplished. The alteration of the materials may adversely impact the overall physical, electrical, mechanical, and other properties of the belt such as coating layer uniformity, residual voltage, background, dark decay, flexibility, and the like.
For example, when a flexible imaging member belt used in an electrophotographic machine is a photoreceptor belt fabricated by ultrasonic welding of overlapped opposite ends of a sheet, the ultrasonic energy transmitted to the overlapped ends melts the thermoplastic sheet components in the overlap region to form a seam. The ultrasonic welded seam of a multilayered photoreceptor belt is relatively brittle and low in strength and toughness. The joining techniques, particularly the welding process, can result in the formation of a splashing that projects out from either side of the seam in the overlap region of the belt. The overlap region and splashings on each side of the overlap region comprise a strip from one edge of the belt to the other that is referred to herein as the "seam region". Because of the splashing, a typical flexible imaging member belt is about 1.6 times thicker in the seam region than that of the remainder of the belt (e.g., in a typical example, 188 micrometers versus 116 micrometers).
The photoreceptor belt in an electrophotographic imaging apparatus undergoes bending strain as the belt is cycled over a plurality of support and drive rollers. The excessive thickness of the photoreceptor belt in the seam region due to the presence of the splashing results in a large induced bending strain as the seam travels over each roller. Generally, small diameter support rollers are highly desirable for simple, reliable copy paper stripping systems in electrophotographic imaging apparatus utilizing a photoreceptor belt system operating in a very confined space. Unfortunately, small diameter rollers, e.g., less than about 0.75 inch (19 millimeters) in diameter, raise the threshold of mechanical performance criteria to such a high level that photoreceptor belt seam failure can become unacceptable for multilayered belt photoreceptors. For example, when bending over a 19 millimeter diameter roller, a typical photoreceptor belt seam splashing may develop a 0.96 percent tensile strain due to bending. This is 1.63 times greater than a 0.59 percent induced bending strain that develops within the rest of the photoreceptor belt. Therefore, the 0.96 percent tensile strain in the seam splashing region of the belt represents a 63 percent increase in stress placed upon the seam splashing region of the belt.
Under dynamic fatiguing conditions, the seam provides a focal point for stress concentration and becomes the point of crack initiation which is further developed into seam delamination causing premature mechanical failure in the belt. Thus, the splashing tends to shorten the mechanical life of the seam and service life of the flexible member belts used in copiers, duplicators, and printers.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2002-0008332 A1 discloses a process for post treatment of an ultrasonically welded seamed flexible imaging member belt comprising providing an elongated support member having a smooth flat supporting surface, providing a flexible belt having parallel edges and a welded seam extending from one edge to the other edge, the belt seam comprising a seam region comprising an overlap and two adjacent splashings, thermoplastic polymer material having a glass transition temperature and an inner and outer surface, supporting the inner surface of seam on the smooth flat supporting surface with the seam region of the belt held down against and conforming to the flat supporting surface of the support member, contacting the seam with a heated surface, the contacting heated surface has a profile that is substantially parallel to the smooth flat supporting surface of the support member, heating the seam with the heated surface to raise the temperature in the seam region to a temperature of from about 2° C. to 20° C. above the Tg of the thermoplastic polymer material, and compressing the seam with the heated surface with sufficient compression pressure to smooth out the seam.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2004-0221943 A1 discloses a process for adhesive bonding of an endless seamed flexible belt, wherein the belt comprises a first end and a second end, each of the first end and the second end comprising a plurality of mutually mating elements which join in an interlocking relationship to form a seam, and the seam comprising an adhesive, the process comprising: a) providing an adhesive strip on a front side of a release substrate to form an adhesive tape, wherein the release substrate comprises a material selected from the group consisting of ethylene chlorotrifluoroethylene, ethylene tetrafluoroethylene, vinyls, siloxane containing polymers, acrylates, polyimines, and mixtures thereof; b) providing the adhesive tape over the seam, wherein the front side of the release substrate containing the adhesive strip is in contact with the seam and mutually mating members; and c) subjecting the adhesive tape to adhesive bonding, wherein the adhesive strip melts and flows between the mutually mating members of the seam. In an embodiment, the seam can be subjected to super finishing.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2004-0221942 A1 discloses a process for adhesive bonding of a photoreceptor belt, wherein the photoreceptor belt comprises a seam comprising an adhesive, and wherein the photoreceptor comprises a photoreceptor substrate, charge transport layer comprising charge transport materials dispersed therein, and an overcoat layer, the process comprising: a) providing an adhesive strip on a front side of a release substrate to form an adhesive tape, wherein the release substrate comprising a material selected from the group consisting of polypropylene, vinyls, siloxane containing polymers, acrylates, polyimines, and mixtures thereof; b) providing the adhesive tape over the seam, wherein the front side of the release substrate containing the adhesive strip is in contact with the seam and mutually mating members; and c) subjecting the adhesive tape to adhesive bonding, wherein the adhesive strip melts and flows between the mutually mating members of the seam. In an embodiment, the seam can be subjected to super finishing.
The entire disclosures of the above-cited patents and publications are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference.

Flexible imaging member belt seam smoothing method


In a method and an apparatus for forage processing, in order to accelerate its drying process, mown stalk material is fed to rotating pressing elements (7, 7a, 7b), which consolidate the stalk material into a mat of stalk material. In order to produce an inherently stable mat of stalk material, the thickness and density of said mat are to be held constant, independent of the quantity of stalk material supplied by a mowing or collecting means (1), and the forage constituents within the mat are to be better mixed. To this end, the volume of stalk material fed to the pressing means (7) and a conveying speed of the pressing elements (7a and 7b) are continuously transmitted to a control means (20) as measured values, and on the basis of these parameters the conveying speed is reduced by means of the control means (20) in the case of a small quantity of stalk material accumulating (FIG. 1).

An apparatus for the performance of the above-named method is known from EP-A-0205206. In this known apparatus, the forage is pressed between two belts, guided on a plurality of drive rolls or deflecting rolls, one of which belts exhibits a perforated structure. In this way, a part of the liquid present in the stalks is expressed from the green mass so that the subsequent drying process up to the harvesting of the hay is shortened. What is more, the residual liquid remaining in the stalks can evaporate more rapidly by virtue of the fact that the surface of the stalks is fanned out by means of the pressing process. A forage compacted into a mat of stalk material exits the pressing elements, the density and the cross section of said mat of stalk material depending on the quantity of forage mowed or gathered in each case. In this method, the mass of stalk material needed for producing a uniformly thick and inherently stable mat is lacking if the inventory of stalk material is sparse, especially at field entries and when margins are mowed out. On the other hand, the mat of stalk material exits the known apparatus in a disordered form having little stability; that is, on exiting the machine and correspondingly being laid down on the stubble, the mat of stalk material breaks up into small elements that are not saved well in a subsequent harvesting operation. The losses of brittle material are therefore very great. Furthermore, the drying process is prolonged by virtue of the fact that blade and stalk portions of the forage are not adequately mixed together.

Method and apparatus for forage processing


When a first signal is switched from an L level to an H level and a second signal is switched from an H level to an L level, and a first constant current source cannot follow the switching immediately thereafter and has not yet been switched, a first node remains at an H level, so an output node remains at an L level. In such state, a second node having been connected to a third node of an H level before the switching becomes connected to the first node of an H level by the switching. At the same time, the output part of an inverter is switched from an H level to an L level, causing the second node to be switched from an H level to an L level as well via a capacitor. At this time, the potential of the first node is reduced to become equal to the second node, to make a transition to an L level.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to output buffer circuits and, more specifically, to techniques for reducing an output delay in slew-rate controlled output buffer circuits.
2. Description of the Background Art
Conventionally, an output buffer circuit includes a driver circuit that outputs a driver signal from an output node between a PMOS transistor for output and an NMOS transistor for output, a driver control circuit that controls the gates of the PMOS transistor for output and the NMOS transistor for output based on a supplied control signal, and a capacitor circuit that is interposed between the driver circuit and the driver control circuit, and controls a slew rate by using a capacitor.
The slew rate of an output buffer circuit is defined by such standards as ATA/ATAPI, and strobe signal and data having a period of 30 nanoseconds are defined by such protocols as UltraDMA-mode 6. For this reason, there has been a demand for an output buffer circuit having an accurately controlled slew rate with little delay.
In conventional output buffer circuits, the driver signal output from the output node between the PMOS transistor for output and the NMOS transistor for output is returned to the gates of the PMOS transistor for output and the NMOS transistor for output via the capacitor, to thereby set a prescribed slew rate.
In the conventional output buffer circuits, however, the gates of the PMOS transistor for output and the NMOS transistor for output are controlled only via a constant current source that is included in the driver control circuit. The operation of the constant current source therefore takes time, sometimes causing an increase in delay.
National Publication of Translation No. 2001-508635 discloses, as shown in FIG. 6, reducing a delay by connecting a capacitor CF returned from an output node vo alternately to the gate of a PMOS transistor P1 for output and the gate of an NMOS transistor N1 for output.
In National Publication of Translation No. 2001-508635, the capacitor CF to be connected to the gates is expected to have a potential of (gate potential of the NMOS transistor N1 for output (power supply potential)−NMOS threshold voltage Vthn) prior to being connected to the gate of the PMOS transistor P1 for output. But when a control signal input to an input node vi remains at an L level for a long time due to an intermission and the like, the potential of the capacitor CF does not become the (gate potential of the NMOS transistor N1 for output (power supply potential)−NMOS threshold voltage Vthn) due to leakage of the transistors and the like. Namely, the potential of the capacitor CF becomes a gate potential of the NMOS transistor N1 for output (power supply potential), resulting in little delay reduction.
Likewise, in National Publication of Translation No. 2001-508635, the capacitor CF to be connected to the gates is expected to have a potential of (gate potential of the PMOS transistor P1 for output (ground potential)+PMOS threshold voltage Vthp) prior to being connected to the gate of the NMOS transistor N1 for output. But when a control signal input to the input node vi remains at an H level for a long time due to an intermission and the like, the potential of the capacitor CF becomes the gate potential of the PMOS transistor P1 for output (ground potential) due to leakage of the transistors and the like, resulting in little delay reduction. In addition, the signals having a long "L" period and a long "H" period input to the input node vi cause a change in output delay.


A dynamic spinal stabilization system that enables spinal movements throughout a range of motions from a neutral condition of the spine, to a flexion condition, and an extension condition. The system includes metal pedicle screws and at least one metal support rod, wherein the system includes elastomeric members operatively located to substantially eliminate metal-to-metal contact of metal components of the system that are movable relative to one another.

While there are a variety of causes of spinal pain, in many instances such pain results from mis-alignment of members of the spine and/or changes in spacing of members of the spine. Often, these conditions result from degeneration, either from age or injury, of spinal discs. The primary surgical treatment options for disc degeneration are spinal fusion and dynamic stabilization.
Spinal fusion is a surgical procedure in which degenerated discs are removed and the resulting adjacent discs are held together by use of a rigid system of pedicle screws and rods until the discs grow together and fuse.
Dynamic stabilization is a surgical procedure that avoids disc removal and utilizes a flexible implant that restores desired alignment and spacing of vertebrae, relieves weight overload of individual discs, and permits substantially normal spinal movements. Improvement is desired in the provision of dynamic spinal stabilizers.
Spinal implants typically utilize various metal components, such as pedicle screws and rods. One problem associated with conventional dynamic stabilization devices is metal-to-metal contact of the various components, such as contact between the metal rod and the metal screw. Such metal-to-metal contact is undesirable, as metal-to-metal contact can result in metal flakes which flakes can be inflammatory and painful to the patient, and compromise the structural integrity of the stablizer.
Another disadvantage of conventional stabilizers is the presence of gaps between components of the stabilizer. Gaps are undesirable, as tissue can grow into gaps and interfere with the operation of the stabilizer and cause pain to the patient.
The present disclosure advantageously provides improved dynamic stabilization systems that avoid metal-to-metal contact of components that move relative to one another and minimize undesirable gaps between components of the system.


A roller mechanism for supporting an article on a support surface for selective movement thereon. The roller mechanism including a support member rotatably connected to the article to be supported, a bearing for providing antifriction rotation between the support member and the article to be supported, an axle or axles connected to the support member, and a plurality of roller elements mounted about the support member in a generally circular pattern, each roller element being independently rotatable about an axle. The roller mechanism may be selectively pivotal between a first position in which the support member and axle are inclined at an acute angle to the support surface such that less than all of the roller elements are in engagement with the support surface, whereby the roller mechanism is capable of moving in any direction along the support surface, and a second position in which the support member and the axle are substantially parallel to the support surface such that substantially all of the roller elements are in engagement with the support surface, whereby movement of the roller mechanism in any direction along the support surface is inhibited.

The present invention relates to a roller mechanism for supporting an appliance or other article on a surface which selectively permits or prevents, as desired, movement of the article along the support surface.
Various types of roller mechanisms have been used to support appliances, such as refrigerators, freezers, and other articles on a floor to permit rolling of the article along the floor. These prior roller mechanisms have generally included one or more wheels rotatably attached to an axle which is fixed to the appliance such that the appliance may only be rolled back and forth along the floor in a straight line. Such roller mechanisms do not allow for lateral movement of the appliance without sliding the roller mechanism along the floor surface. Other roller mechanisms such as casters, having one or more wheels rotatably mounted on a horizontal axle which is rotatable about an offset vertical axis, have also been used. While such casters permit movement in any direction along the support surface, a change in direction of movement will shift the location of the appliance in relation to the caster wheels. This type of motion of the appliance on swivelling casters may be detrimental when opening or closing magnetically latched refrigerator doors. While it is desirable to utilize a roller mechanism which is able to roll in any direction along a floor surface, it is also desirable to be able to selectively inhibit or prevent the roller mechanism from rolling.


A nozzle is used with a mold formed with a rearwardly open recess having an apex at which opens a gate orifice. The nozzle has a body rearwardly closing the recess. The body is centered on an axis aligned with the orifice and formed with an axially extending central passage adapted to receive a hot melt. The body has a tip spacedly received in the recess and itself formed with at least one radially throughgoing branch passage extending from the central passage and opening into the recess at a location spaced as far as possible from the gate orifice. The tip also is formed with a throughgoing bore axially aligned with the gate orifice. A nozzle pin is axially shiftable in the body by an actuator between an extended position projecting from the bore and fitting into and blocking the gate orifice and a retracted position unblocking the orifice.

A standard injection molding machine feeds a hot plasticized melt through a nozzle to a mold. The mold has a cavity open to the outside at a gate orifice that the nozzle is fitted to in order to inject the melt under pressure into the cavity. The nozzle is provided with a valve structure so that flow of the melt can be interrupted as the mold is opened and the previously formed workpiece is removed.
In order to insulate the nozzle, which must be kept very hot to maintain the melt molten, from the mold, which must be as cool as possible to speed curing of the plastic, the mold is formed around the gate orifice with a cup-shaped recess that is generally complementary to but somewhat larger than a top of the nozzle, so that the nozzle tip, when fitted in the recess, does not directly touch the mold. Such a system is known from DE 196 08 676. Here the melt is fed from a central melt passage via at least one a short oblique bore to the recess into whose apex opens the gate orifice. A pin in the nozzle can move between an extended position in which it projects from the nozzle tip and fits into the gate orifice and a retracted position pulled back from the gate orifice. When the pin engages in the gate orifice it has a valve function and blocks flow from the recess into the mold cavity, and when retracted it allows such flow. In this system the gap formed by the cavity between the nozzle tip and the mold has a significant insulating function, as the heat capacity of the melt is very small compared to that of the metal nozzle and mold.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,781,572 describes another such injection nozzle where the melt is fed to oblique bores via a central melt passage, the bores being provided in the nozzle tip and ending in a cup-shaped recess. Here also, the melt is fed through the recess to a gate orifice of the recess that can be closed by means of a pin. In a region adjacent the end of the pin at the mouth of gate orifice, the pin is formed around its entire circumference with an annular groove so that the pin in this region has a smaller diameter. Axial shifting can align either the small-diameter region or the bigger end region with the mouth of the gate orifice. If the bigger end region is at the mouth of the gate orifice, the gate orifice is closed, so that no melt can enter the mold cavity. If, however, the small-diameter groove region is aligned with the mouth of the gate orifice, an annular space is formed between the mouth of the gate orifice and the outside surface of the pin, and the melt can pass through the gate orifice via this space to the mold cavity. With this system, the oblique bores of the nozzle tip end close to the gate orifice of the nozzle in the recess, that is near the apex of the recess.
In practice it has been shown that during injection molding a number of molding cycles are necessary after a dye change until the molded part no longer has any of the old dye. It takes several cycles to flush all the old plastic out of the recess, wasting product and making workpieces that cannot be used.

Feed nozzle for injection-molding machine


The present invention provides a method for distributing identical data to mobile units. The method includes providing a plurality of first messages including information indicative of a pseudo-address and a corresponding one of a plurality of mobile unit addresses. The method also includes providing at least one second message including the pseudo-address and a portion of a payload of a packet destined for a plurality of mobile units indicated by the plurality of mobile unit addresses.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to communication systems, and, more particularly, to wireless communication systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional wireless communication systems typically include one or more devices that provide wireless connectivity over an air interface. Depending upon the type of wireless access technology implemented in the wireless communication system, the devices may include base stations, base station routers, access points, and the like. For example, in a cellular telephone system such as a Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS) or a Global System for Mobile communication (GSM), base stations may be used to provide wireless connectivity within associated geographic areas or cells. For another example, in a WiFi system or a short-range wireless communication system implemented in accordance with Bluetooth or one of the IEEE standards, an access point may be used to provide wireless connectivity within a hotspot, such as an airport terminal or a coffee shop.
Mobile units may communicate with the base stations over the air interface. Exemplary mobile units may include cellular telephones, personal data assistants, smart phones, paging devices, text messaging devices, global positioning system (GPS) devices, network interface cards, notebook computers, desktop computers, and the like. For example, mobile units may transmit and/or receive messages including voice and/or data information, signaling information, paging messages, broadcast messages, and the like. The base stations are typically communicatively coupled to one or more networks so that the mobile units may communicate with other devices that are also communicatively coupled to the networks. For example, one mobile unit may establish a wireless communication link with another mobile unit via a network coupled to the associated base stations. For another example, mobile units may receive information from a server attached to the network.
Servers attached to the network may transmit information to mobile units using either point-to-point communication techniques or point-to-multipoint communication techniques, which conventionally include multicast and/or broadcast techniques. In point-to-point communication, e.g., from the server to a specific mobile unit, transmitted packets include a packet header that includes information indicative of the mobile unit, such as a media access control (MAC) layer address. The packet may then be transmitted to a base station associated with the mobile unit and the base station may transmit the packet over the air interface. Each packet may be divided up into a number of messages for transmission over the air interface. Each message includes the relevant mobile unit address and a portion of the payload of the original packet. Since the air interface is a shared medium that may carry packets or messages destined for many different mobile units, each mobile unit only "listens" to packets or messages that include the mobile unit's address.
Point-to-multipoint communication permits a server to transmit the same information to more than one mobile unit. For example, users of mobile units may be subscribed to receive a pay-per-view television program provided by a server. The subscribed mobile units may be assigned a multicast or broadcast address for the point-to-multipoint transmission. The server then transmits information to the broadcast/multicast address and the subscribed mobile units "listen" for transmission associated with this address. Thus, the server may multicast the pay-per-view television program to all of the subscribed mobile units by multicasting or broadcasting a stream of packets representative of the pay-per-view television program to the subscribed mobile units using the multicast/broadcast address.
In some cases, multiple streams of packets transmitted to different mobile units by a single base station may be identical. For example, two point-to-point transmissions addressed to two different mobile unit addresses associated with a single base station may contain identical information. For another example, streams of multicast or broadcast data associated with different multicast/broadcast addresses may include identical streams of packets or messages that are being sent to the associated subscribed mobile units. Transmitting duplicate information to mobile units at different addresses may consume an undesirably large portion of the scarce radio transmission resources associated with the air interface, potentially reducing the capacity of the air interface.

Method of distributing identical data to mobile units


A lens for preventing the build-up of snow and ice on LED traffic lights. The lens is hollow and fits over the LED signal beacon of the traffic light. The lens has a sidewall defined by a right circular conical frustum between a circular base and a plane spaced apart from the base and oriented at an oblique angle to the base. A convex face portion of the lens extends from the sidewall and closes the hollow space within the lens.

A benefit of LED (light emitting diode) lighting is a significant reduction in power use for an equivalent light output, compared to incandescent lighting. The use of LED lighting in traffic lights, however, has led to the problem of unacceptable snow and ice build-up on the lens and consequently raised potential safety concerns. The reason for the snow build up is that there may not be sufficient heat generated by the LED lighting to melt any snow and ice that may have accumulated on the lens surface. In turn, this results in a visual impairment of the traffic light signal indication.
The comparative absence of the snow build-up problem with incandescent lighting has apparently depended on the fact that incandescent lighting generates thermal energy in the form of heat which is useful in melting snow and ice from the face of the lens. Since the advent of LED lighting, there has arisen an increased number of reported incidents of obstructed signal beacons due to the accumulation of snow and ice thereon. It has been particularly observed that the build-up of snow and/or ice on prior art LED traffic lights starts at the bottom of the LED signal beacon and progressively moves upward to obstruct the traffic light.


A device for vision testing comprises a viewing position (6) and an image surface (5). The distance between the viewing position (6) and the image surface (5) is enclosed. The relation between the resolution of the image surface and the distance between the viewing position (6) and the image surface (5) is such that the angle of a point on the image surface (5) is less than or equal to 1 minute of arc seen from the viewing position (6).

Testing of the central vision ("in the line of sight") is necessary for diagnosing and following up a wide spectrum of disorders which either destroy, disturb, or disconnect the neural units that make up the visual system. Examples of such disorders include inflammations and degenerations in the macula of the retina, inflammations in the visual nerve, such as multiple sclerosis, and tumour formations pressing against, for instance, the optic nerve or optic chiasm, such as pituitary tumours. In the following the need for improved diagnostics will be developed in more detail using a common disorder as an example.
There is a rapidly increasing number of individuals all over the world with double-sided visual loss due to degeneration of the macula of the eye, referred to as Age Related Macular Degeneration, ARMD. ARMD is the leading cause of blindness in elderly people. Many people know or will soon know somebody suffering from ARMD. ARMD causes an accelerating degradation of visual acuity. ARMD causes in the final stage a serious handicap in everyday life. For instance, the possibilities of reading, watching TV and driving a car are eliminated.
Great efforts are made throughout the world to understand the development of ARMD and to an effective treatment. Promising forms of treatment have just appeared and the search for new drugs is very intense. For optimal results, the treatment must be given at an early stage. It is thus necessary to detect ARMD at an early stage. An early diagnosis and meaningful measurement are key issues in research on and treatment of ARMD.
The most commonly applied test is the classic visual acuity chart that was created around 1850. A patient in the final phase of ARMD has to hold the chart at a reading distance to be able to see the largest letters. The visual acuity chart is an excellent tool when testing spectacles but suffers from great drawbacks when diagnosing and measuring nerve and retinal disorders, including ARMD.
It is established that normal visual acuity can be upheld even with 50% loss of neural units. The problem with visual acuity charts and other similar tests is that the letters contain an excess of information. The test letters can be recognized even if some parts of the letters are invisible. In addition, natural unconscious eye movements assist in filling in the missing parts of the letters, thus making diagnosis of ARMD still more difficult.
The dividing line between central vision (in the line of sight) and peripheral vision (field of vision) is traditionally placed at about 3°, which is at the outer edge of the macula of the retina. Of course, the limit is artificial: vision is "seamless" over the entire field of vision.
Completely different types of tests are used for central and peripheral vision. This is due to the fact that it is difficult to determine what is seen in peripheral vision. For example, it is difficult to read letters that are presented outside about 3° C. The predominant peripheral technique, perimetri, is based on light spots projected in predetermined positions on the inside of a grey hemisphere. The test aims at finding the faintest contrast that can be discovered at each test point (typically about 50 test points). Contrast sensitivity is bracketed with repeated presentations in one and the same position. The predominant test in central vision is visual acuity. As mentioned above, in most cases letter charts are used and here, too, a function level is bracketed by using different letter sizes.
All conventional peripheral and central tests thus use forking techniques in order to specify a function level. The observed function levels can then be compared with normal data. Normal data are widely spread, as are most human characteristics.


Top attributes of a product are identified from text content of an electronic document and are presented as visual depictions of the attributes. The attributes are identified and ranked based on the text content, such as whether the text content describes the attribute in a positive or negative manner. Top attributes are selected from the ranking and a visual depiction of the top attributes is identified. The visual depiction can be a universally recognized symbol or a custom image designated to an attribute. The visual depiction is superimposed on the text content associated with the attributes when the electronic document is presented at a display. In this way, top attributes for a product can be presented in a manner that condenses the relevant information provided by the electronic document into a format better suited for providing the information on small screens of mobile devices.

There is a plethora of information surrounding content and items, including description, reviews by customers, reviews by experts, reviews by other third parties, and the like. Further, technologically advanced items have many attributes, incorporating features that highlight the capabilities of the item. Often, these attributes distinguish one item from others that are available. As technology advances, the attributes associated with these content and items become increasingly important for conveying specific capabilities, information, and use of a particular content or item.
The headings provided herein are merely for convenience and do not necessarily affect the scope or meaning of the terms used.

System, method, and media for identifying top attributes


Disclosed is a construction machine that enables an operator to operate a vehicle width changing control lever while visually confirming positions of crawlers. The construction machine includes a lower track structure 1 whose left and right crawler track devices 11A and 11B are adapted to change in spatial interval, and an upper swing structure 2 swingably mounted above the lower track structure. The construction machine further includes a hydraulically actuated cylinder for changing vehicle width, disposed between the left and right crawler track devices, the vehicle width changing cylinder changing the interval between the left and right crawler track devices upon supply and discharge of a hydraulic fluid being controlled by a vehicle width changing control valve, and a vehicle width changing control lever 34 disposed on a left section of a swing body support structure 50 relative to an operator's seat 23, the vehicle width changing control lever operating the vehicle width changing control valve.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to construction machines of a crawler type, and more particularly, to construction machines in which spatial interval between respective left and right crawler track devices can be varied.
2. Description of the Related Art
Some compact hydraulic excavators are equipped with a vehicle width changer. Such a vehicle width changer enables width of the vehicle or a spatial interval between left and right crawler track devices of the vehicle to be extended for improved traveling stability and enhanced excavating stability of the vehicle body. The vehicle width changer also enables the vehicle width to be narrowed down for traveling through confined spaces such as an alley, or for being loaded and carried on mini-trucks.
For example, operating means for a vehicle width changer is already placed in practical use. In such operating means, a blade-lifting lever disposed to the right of an operator cab also serves as a vehicle width changing control lever, with switching between the two lever functions being conducted by switching the solenoid valve using an operator switch. Another known example includes, as described in JP-2000-198471-A, a control lever (hereinafter, referred to as a vehicle width changing control lever) on a front side of a seat base under an operator's seat.

Hitachi Construction Machinery Co., Ltd.


A new and distinct variety of Cornus Kousa plant named "Parasol" that is particularly characterized by its branching habit resembling the spokes of an umbrella, its beautiful flower heads with numerous rounded, ivory-white bracts, and its deep red autumn foliage.

This invention relates to the discovery and asexual propagation of a new and distinct variety of Cornus Kousa, a member of the Cornaceae family, and commonly referred to as Japanese Dogwood. The new Cornus Kousa variety has been named "Parasol."
The new variety was discovered by William Devine, in the fall of 1969, as a chance seedling from an unnamed specimen of Cornus Kousa of unknown parentage, growing in the cultivated, landscaped yard of a home in Silver Spring, Montgomery County, Md. It was one of a number of seedlings resulting from open-pollinated seed collected from the Cornus Kousa yard specimen. Some of the seedlings were transplanted and grown to flowering age in a bed of a nursery in Kennedyville, Kent County, Md. A total of four seedlings were observed, two of which demonstrated poor growth habit and were thus destroyed; and two of which demonstrated quality leaf characteristics and flowering. The two retained seedlings were named "Double-one," which later became "Doubloon," and "Double-two" which, after observation of its distinctive branching characteristics, became "Parasol."
The new Cornus Kousa variety was first propagated by William Devine in the summer of 1975, when he rooted cuttings and did several field grafts on both varieties. The "Doublooon" variety was released originally for observation, but with no restriction on further propagation, and has since been released commercially. The "Parasol" variety was never released and is the subject of this invention. The original "Parasol" mother plant has been subsequently destroyed.
"Parasol" most closely resembles "Doubloon" and is considered to be most closely related to "Doubloon." The new Cornus Kousa "Parasol" variety is currently being grown in Kennedyville, Kent County, Md., and testing has shown it maintains its distinguishing characteristics, as hereinafter set out, through successive asexual propagation using both root cuttings and grafting.
The new Cornus Kousa "Parasol" variety is an excellent ornamental plant exhibiting beautiful flower heads of large, ivory-white bracts, and rich autumn coloration. The "Parasol" variety is unusual due to its increased number of floral bracts, creating a more abundant and attractive floral display. The flowers of "Parasol" have at least twice the number of floral bracts than the species-typical flowers of Cornus Kousa. The variety has never, during seventeen (17) years of observation, exhibited any reversion to typical inflorescence consistent with the four (4) bracted species Cornus Kousa.
From an ornamental standpoint, "Parasol" is, overall, a far more attractive plant than the "Doubloon" variety. "Parasol" is particularly distinguishable from "Doubloon" in that it demonstrates a branching habit of clusters of short side branches, resembling the spokes of an umbrella. This unique branching habit of the "Parasol" variety, along with its numerous flower bracts, creates a particularly decorative garden display.
The "Parasol" variety can be further distinguished from "Doubloon" by the following combination of characteristics. The flower bracts of "Parasol" are ivory-white in color (White 155 A), with rounded tips; whereas the flower bracts of "Doubloon" are pure white in color (White 155 D), with pointed tips. Also, "Parasol" flowers are about 51/2 to 61/2 cm. across, while "Doubloon" flowers are about 6 to 7 cm. across. Morever, the flowers of "Parasol" are longer lasting than those of "Doubloon."
The leaves of "Parasol" are moderate ovate in shape, about 3 to 4 cm. in width, and exhibit an entire leaf margin; whereas the leaves of "Doubloon" are broad ovate in shape, about 4 to 5 cm. in width, and exhibit a slightly undulate leaf margin. The summer mature leaves of "Parasol" are a deeper green (Green 135 A) than those of "Doubloon" (Green 141 A). In addition, "Parasol" exhibits far more beautiful fall foliage of a deeper, richer red coloration (Red 46 A) than that of "Doubloon" (Red 42 A).
"Parasol" is a hardy variety which appears resistant to summer drought-induced leaf scorch; and, compared to the "Doubloon" variety, the "Parasol" variety demonstrates much less susceptibility to dogwood borers.


A method of connecting two CMC substrates that includes providing two substrates; placing one substrate approximate to the other substrate, such that at least a portion of the two substrates overlap and define a brazing area; placing a brazing material approximate the brazing area; defining a primary raster pattern that encompasses the brazing area and a portion of the two substrates outside the brazing area; defining a secondary raster pattern that encompasses the brazing area; allowing a laser to scan the primary raster pattern to preheat the brazing area to a temperature below the brazing material's melting point; allowing the laser to scan the secondary raster pattern to heat the brazing area to a temperature that is above the brazing material's melting point; melting and allowing the brazing material to flow within the brazing area; and cooling the brazing area to form a brazed joint connecting the two substrates.

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Ceramic matrix composite (CMC) substrates are often used in aerospace engine applications because of the stability exhibited by their mechanical and chemical properties when exposed to high temperatures. For example, gas turbine engines require high temperature stability for structural components that are used in or near the combustion zone, such as airfoils, blades and vanes. The use of various metals or metal alloys in these applications is undesirable because of their limited ability to operate over a prolonged time in such an environment.
Often the coupling together of two or more ceramic matrix composite (CMC) substrates to form a CMC component is required during a manufacturing process or as part of a subsequent repair undertaking. In fact, the joining of CMC substrates has been identified by the industry as being an essential "toolbox technology" for the repair and manufacturing of CMC components. However, the coupling of CMC substrates can be challenging for a variety of reasons. Two of these reasons, for example, include: (1) a lack of uniform heat distribution throughout the surface area of the CMC substrates that are being joined together; and (2) the formation of low-melting point eutectic phases in the braze joints and/or areas adjacent to the braze joints due to reactions between the brazing material and free silicon present in the CMC substrates. The susceptibility to failure and oxidation during operation at high temperatures of any brazed joints and surrounding areas resulting from a manufacturing or repair process is undesirable.
The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.

Indirect laser brazing of SiC/SiC CMCs for manufacturing and repair

TRUSTEES OF THE COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES


An avatar editing environment is disclosed that allows users to create custom avatars for use in online games and other applications. Starting with a blank face the user can add, rescale and position different elements (e.g., eyes, nose, mouth) on the blank face. The user can also change the shape of the avatar's face, the avatar's skin color and the color of all the elements. In some implementations, touch input and gestures can be used to manually edit the avatar. Various controls can be used to create the avatar, such as controls for resizing, rotating, positioning, etc. The user can choose between manual and automatic avatar creation. The avatar editing environment can be part of a framework that is available to applications. One or more elements of the avatar can be animated.

An avatar is representation of a user or their alter ego. An avatar is often in the form of a three-dimensional (3D) model used in computer games or a two-dimensional (2D) icon or picture used on Internet forums, social networks and other communities. Avatars can also be used in video games, including online interactive gaming environments.
Avatars in video games are the player's physical representation in the game world. Online games often provide means for creating varied and sophisticated avatars. In some online games, players can construct a customized avatar by selecting from a number of preset facial structures, hairstyles, skin tones, clothes, accessories, etc. (collectively referred to as "elements"). Once the preset elements are selected, there is no facility for allowing users to manually adjust the elements (e.g., resize or position elements).


A non-optical bio-disc, a bio-disc device including the non-optical bio-disc and/or optical disc, a bio-driver apparatus in which a controller disc including a controller for the bio-disc is installed, and an assay method using the same, which are suitable for labs-on-a-chips for various diagnostic assays, nucleic acid hybridization assays, and immunoassays, are provided. The bio-driver apparatus is compatible with general optical discs, including audio, CD-ROMs, DVD players, etc. Thus, the bio-driver apparatus and the assay method offer and economical and convenient alternative to existing products. In addition, the bio-driver apparatus can be readily and easily applied in connection with a computer for remote diagnosis via the internet.

The present invention is a continued application of International Patent Application No. PCT/KR02/00126, which was filed 27 Jan. 2002 and claims the priority of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2001-0003956, filed 27 Jan. 2001, and International Patent Application No. PCT/KR02/01035, which was filed 31 May 2002 and claims the priority of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2001-0031284, filed 31 May 2001. International Patent Application No. PCT/KR02/00126 and its priority Korean application are entitled "Nucleic acid hybridization assay method and device using cleavage technique responsive to complementary double strand or single strand of nucleic acids or oligonucleotides", International Patent Application No. PCT/KR02/01035 and its priority Korean application are entitled "Micro valve apparatus using micro bead and method for controlling the same", and Korean Patent Application No. 10-2005-0038765 entitled "Digital bio disc (DBD), DBD driver apparatus and assay method using the same". The disclosures of the above previous applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
The invention disclosed in the prior application provide a nucleic acid hybridization assay method and device using a cleavage technique responsive to a complementary double strand or single strand of-nucleic acids are applicable to diverse quantitative or qualitative assay devices. In addition, the micro valve is an essential element to control the flow of fluid in a lab-on-a-chip. In addition, the invention also provides a bio disc where the assay method and device are integrated in a disc and a bio driver apparatus including a bio optical pickup module device for driving and controlling the bio disc.
In addition, the invention disclosed in the prior application provide a nucleic acid assay device comprising a detector including an optical device, an electrochemical device, or a capacitance and impedance measurement device to detect or cleaved signal elements. The detected results can be digitized as computer executable software and provided through an established communications network, such as the Internet, to a patient or a doctor. In this manner, a remote diagnostic system ensuring convenience to both patient and doctor can be implemented based on the nucleic acid assay device. A capacitance and impedance measurement for the detector may include inter-digitated array electrodes with cleavable signal elements, as disclosed in the previous application.
Recently, various methods for analyzing bio samples including blood in medical fields have been proposed. Among them, a bio sensor using an enzyme analyzing method can be simply applied and obtain a rapid result with a good detection sensitivity, so that the bio sensor has been most widely used in hospitals and clinic assay laboratories. The enzyme analyzing method is mainly classified into a coloring method as a spectroscopic method and an electrode method as an electrochemical method. A bio sensor using the coloring method is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,509,859, entitled "Apparatus for optoelectronic evaluation of test strips" (Apr. 9, 1985). A bio sensor using the electrode method is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,655,880, entitled "Apparatus and method for sensing species, substances and substrates using oxidase" (Apr. 7, 1987).
As an example, there is a bio sensor for measuring blood sugar. In a blood sugar measuring technique using the coloring method, a blood measuring apparatus is designed to sense a change in color of a coloring matter due to glucose. A strip having a porous polymer membrane into which a reagent can easily permeate is used. As a currently representative test strip for the coloring method, SureStep of Lifescan Company and Glucotrend of Roche Company are commercially provided.
In the electrode method, instead of the coloring matter, an electric medium is used to measure electrons generated when an oxidizing enzyme of the glucose reacts with the electrode. In the method, since color is not measured, interference of red corpuscle does not occur. As a current representative electro-chemical bio sensor, GlucoDr of All Medicus Company, Glucocard of Arkray Company, Accutrend Sensor of Roche Company, Precision QID of Abbott Company, and others are commercially provided.
Since the bio sensor using the coloring method can be easily implemented, the bio sensors for various bio samples have been developed. However, the bio sensor using the coloring method has a long measuring time in comparison with the bio sensor using the electrode method, and there is a measuring error caused from turbidity of the bio samples. Therefore, the bio sensor using the coloring method has difficulty in analyzing important bio samples.
The bio sensor using the electrode method has a short measuring time in comparison with the bio sensor using the coloring method, so that it can be easily used with high measurement accuracy. However, the bio sensors for various bio samples are not developed in comparison with the bio sensors using the coloring method, so that it can be used for only a few types of bio samples.
When the test strip for measuring bio sample and blood sugar is used, the measuring result can be obtained within a few second. In addition, the test strip can be easily purchased in the open market. In general, the test strip is manufactured in a disposable type and very inexpensive in comparison with a bio disc.
However, bio sample and blood sugar measuring apparatuses using a test strip has three shortcomings as follows. The shortcomings of the exemplified blood sugar measuring apparatus are described.
Firstly, prior to blood sugar measuring, an operator using blood sugar measuring apparatus should input a correction code number written in a strip container to blood sugar measuring apparatus by setting the button of blood sugar measuring apparatus or set a correction code to blood sugar measuring apparatus by using check strip (or test strip for correction). It is inconvenient for us to repeat this code setting operation again whenever one purchases strip newly.
Secondly, as a test sample for test strip, when requiring not whole blood, but serum or plasma, it is inconvenient to drive a centrifugal separator for obtaining these from whole blood and a separation process for extracting serum or plasma floated in the upside after the centrifugal separation. In addition, for the purpose of this, a separate centrifugal separator is required.
Thirdly, when analyzing various bio samples by using one measuring apparatus, it is usually inconvenient for us notify to the measuring apparatus of information about assayed material for analyzing by means of the button. For example, for blood sugar measuring apparatus, since main users of it are the old, even a very simple button operation is inconvenient for them. A code chip is developed to overcome such shortcomings. The manner using the code chip has a merit that it includes the information about assayed material to notify the measuring apparatus of much information about the test strip, but it has a shortcoming that a inconvenient process such as inserting the code chip into the measuring apparatus is required and a manufacturing cost of the code chip itself is high.
Fourthly, it has inconvenience that the measuring apparatus for coloring-method strip and the measuring apparatus for electrode-method strip are required separately.
To solve such problems, by arranging a perception electrode and a resistor on the strip, a patent that classify automatically whether the test strip in use is an electrode-method test strip or a coloring-method test strip to protocol accordingly by the measuring apparatus thereby to display an analyzing result in a liquid crystal display part is disclosed in Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2004-0004739 entitled "An apparatus for analyzing a bio sample quantitatively" and Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2001-0049234 entitled "An electrochemical bio chip having a perception electrode and an apparatus using the same". Such a perception electrode is arranged on the strip, and is read by the socket part of the measuring apparatus. When the strip is inserted into the socket part, the measuring apparatus perceives the types of the correction code and the analyzing material automatically by checking the state of the electrically contacted strip by the perception electrode.
However, for the contact type using the perception electrode, it is difficult to avoid a loss and an error due to mechanical wear of the socket part according to a frequent use of the strip. In addition, to classify various types of strips, the large number of the perception electrodes is required accordingly, and there is a problem that the perception electrode is complex and the design is limited accordingly.
However, since it is easy for us to separate serum and plasma from a bio disc by centrifugal force according to rotation, it is more efficient to use the bio disc than the strip in the diagnosis and assay requiring serum and plasma. However, since the bio disc includes various chemical processes, it takes a long time to obtain a analyzing and a measuring result, and the price of it is high compared to that of the strip.
In addition, for the assay site of the bio disc, the various types of the capture probes may be fixed to the assay site, and the number of the fixed array may be varied. Therefore, there may be the various types of the bio disc model or version. Therefore, to read the assay site accurately, a bio driver apparatus for controlling the bio disc should know exactly the model of the bio disc and the positional information and the array information for the assay site according to this.
Therefore, to manage diabetes effectively, since the blood sugar should be measured frequently, it is more efficient to use the strip than to use the bio disc in order to measure the blood sugar frequently within a short time. However, it is more efficient to use the bio chip in the analysis requiring serum or plasma as a test sample.
Therefore, a bio driver apparatus capable of driving both of the bio disc and the test strip is needed. In addition, strip IDs (identification) and product ID for identifying types of test strips and models and versions of bio discs are needed.

Bio drive apparatus, and assay method using the same


An apparatus for supporting the step chain of an escalator having a frame with a first and a second landing, an inclined section attached therebetween, and roller tracks fixed thereto, is provided and includes a pair of arcuated ramps for supporting the step chain in a transition area between either of the landings and the inclined section, inboard of the roller tracks, each of the ramps is made of a first bushing, a second bushing, and an elastomeric center section attached to the bushings.

1. Technical Field
This invention pertains to escalators in general, and to escalators driven by step chains in particular.
2. Background Art
Escalators are a known method for conveying people from a first elevation to a second elevation. Typically, an escalator includes a frame, a drive, a step chain and a pair of balustrade assemblies. The frame comprises a truss section on both the left and right hand sides of the frame. Each truss section has two end sections forming landings, connected by an inclined midsection. Matching pairs of roller tracks are attached on the inside of each truss section, i.e. the side of the truss section facing the other truss section. The upper landing usually houses the escalator drive between the trusses. The drive powers a pair of step chain sprockets, which in turn impart motion to the step chain. The step chain travels a closed loop, running from one elevation to the other elevation, and back.
Step chains typically consist of a pair of chain strands connected by a plurality of axles, each axle having a pair of rollers which contact the roller tracks. The chain strands are attached to the axle inside of the rollers. Each strand is formed from a plurality of chain links. Each link has a pair of side plates spaced apart from one another, pivotly attached to the side plates of the adjacent links of the strand. This link arrangement is repeated as many times as is necessary to arrive at the length strand, and therefore the length chain desired. The axles connect every "n.sup.th " link in one of the strands to the aligned link in the other strand. Connecting the strands with the axles ties the two independent strands into a single step chain.
The load on each step chain axle may be described as having two main components: the load on the attached treadplate and the load transferred through the attached chain strands. The load attributable to the attached treadplate is simply the weight of the treadplate and whatever load is on that treadplate. The axle receives this load where the treadplate is attached to the axle, inboard of the rollers. The load attributable to the attached chain strands, on the other hand, is a function of the step chain sprockets pulling the chain, and therefore includes a percentage of all of the individually loaded treadplates, along the inclined midsection. Both of these loads on the step chain axle are transferred to the rollers attached to the axles, outboard of the chain strands. Each axle, therefore, can be viewed as a beam simply supported at each end by a roller. The chain strands and the attached steps, both inboard of the rollers, can be viewed as loads on the beam. If the loads are great enough, the beam will deflect due to the position of the loads on the beam.
A person of skill in the art will recognize that while a step chain may be constantly loaded, the load on each step axle will vary depending on the position of the axle along the circuitous path taken by the step chain. Specifically, it is known that a particular step chain axle will experience a greater load in the transition area between the inclined section and the upper landing when the exposed side of the step chain loop is traveling up the incline, than it will in any other section of the step chain travel path. As a result, the step axles deflect a greater amount in this area, thereby causing increased wear on the axles and bearings supporting the rollers.
The undesirable axle deflection can be eliminated by using larger axles, or by using axles fabricated from stronger materials. These solutions, however, increase the cost of the step chain significantly. Moreover, in many cases these solutions are not practical for existing escalators. What is needed, therefore, is an apparatus for supporting the step chain of an escalator.


A method for the decontamination and solidification of dredged material is described. The method includes, in the following order, (a) adding a lime-based binder to dredged material to form a mixture; (b) letting the mixture cool to about ambient temperature; and (c) adding to the mixture a chelating agent. The order of the steps may not be reversed without affecting the effectiveness of the treatment of the dredged material. A method for producing filler containing decontaminated and solidified dredged material is also described. The method includes treating dredged material with a lime-based binder and a chelating agent and adding the resulting mixture to concrete.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to a method for the treatment of dredged material. More particularly, this invention is directed to a method to decontaminate and solidify dredged material so as to render it suitable for beneficial use.
2. Background Information
Harbors and waterways require shipping lanes to be dredged on a regular maintenance basis in order to prevent the shipping lanes from silting up. Material that is dredged out of port or harbor locations typically contains a wide range of toxic contaminants, from heavy metals to oils and pesticides. Three alternatives may be considered for management of dredged material: confined disposal, open-water disposal, and beneficial use.
Confined disposal is problematic since confined facilities must have all potential escape routes of the contaminants eliminated, including effluents during placement, surface runoff, leachates, direct uptake by plants and animals and volatilization to air. Open-water disposal is limited by the fact that the dumping of contaminated sediments in waters is not permitted under various legislative measures, including, for example, the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act. Accordingly, treatment of the contaminated dredged material for rendering it suitable for beneficial use is a most desirable alternative.
Several examples of beneficial use are available. For example, the dredged material may be used as beach nourishment, which may be necessary if natural replacement of material moved along the shoreline by littoral transport is not available. However, only the gravel and sand portion of dredged material is suitable for beach nourishment, making separation and decontamination obligatory. As a second example, dredged material may be used as manufactured topsoil; however, only fine particles are suitable for such use, so that separation and decontamination of clay and silt is required. In addition, when used for agricultural purposes, the material has to be suitably clean and must not contain excessive amounts of salts, which can make the material unusable for growth of most plants. A more promising beneficial use for dredged material is as a filler for composite materials. However, such use requires not only effective decontamination but also solidification of the dredged material.
One solution to the problem of treatment of contaminated dredged material is the use of chemical substances capable of neutralizing heavy metals and other toxins, such as the chelating agents described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,714,085 (herein incorporated by reference). For example, the chelating agents of U.S. Pat. No. 5,714,085 remove heavy metals and certain organic contaminants such as polychlorinated biphenyls. These chelating agents are advantageous when compared to microorganisms, which can remove organic contaminants but cannot remove heavy metals and other inorganic contaminants. However, the chelating agents of U.S. Pat. No. 5,714,085 were developed only for decontamination, and not for solidification as well. Solidification of the dredged material is necessary to make it suitable as a filler for composite materials such as concrete.
None of the prior art, including U.S. Pat. No. 5,714,085, provides a commercially viable method that results both in decontamination and in solidification of the dredged material that renders the material suitable as a filler for composite materials.

Method of treatment of dredged material for beneficial use

The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York


A lubricant pump for supplying lubricant to an internal combustion engine, the pump comprising a housing defining a pump chamber, an inlet which is adapted to communicate with a source of lubricant and which communicates with the pump chamber, and an outlet which is adapted to communicate with the internal combustion engine and which communicates with the pump chamber, the housing also at least partially defining a fluid chamber, a source of fluid under pressure, a solenoid for selectively and alternatively affording and preventing communication of the fluid chamber with the fluid source, and a pumping member for drawing lubricant into the pump chamber in response to communication of the fluid chamber with the fluid source and for forcing lubricant out of the pump chamber in the absence of communication between the fluid chamber and the fluid source.

The invention relates to oil pumps for internal combustion engines.
A known oil pump includes a plurality of pumping pistons, each of which pumps oil to a different engine location. The pistons are all fixed to a common plate or member for movement therewith. A solenoid plunger is connected to the plate and causes movement of the plate.


A flip-flop circuit includes first and second latches. The first latch comprises a first inverting logic element and a second inverting logic element. The first inverting logic element has a first logic threshold voltage. The second inverting logic element is connected in antiparallel to the first inverting logic element and has a second logic threshold voltage. The first and second logic threshold voltages are set with respect to one half of a power supply voltage. The second latch comprises a third inverting logic element and a fourth inverting logic element. The third inverting logic element is connected to the first latch and has a third logic threshold voltage. The fourth inverting logic element is connected in antiparallel to the third inverting logic element and has a fourth logic threshold voltage. The third and fourth logic threshold voltages are set with respect to one half of the power supply voltage.

A synchronous flip-flop (F/F) circuit is used in an asynchronous signal receiving circuit as a measure to address a metastable state. When the metastable time becomes longer, a multi-stage F/F circuit needs to be used, and thus, an F/F with a shorter metastable time is desirable.
If a channel length L and a gate width W of a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) increase, local variations in channel dopant (impurity ion) concentrations are averaged over greater volumes, and it is known that the variation in a MOSFET is generally proportional to 1/√(LW).

Flip-flop circuit and asynchronous receiving circuit


A method and a mold die are provided for forming a spiral bevel gear from metal powders. The method includes the steps of: (a) providing a mold die having a die cavity that includes a middle segment corresponding to a contour of a spiral bevel gear, an upper segment corresponding to a contour of a first spiral gear and disposed immediately above the middle segment to form a first juncture, and a lower segment corresponding to a contour of a second spiral gear and disposed immediately beneath the middle segment to form a second juncture; (b) closing the lower segment by screwing the second spiral gear in the lower segment; (c) filling the die cavity with metal powders; (d) closing the cavity by screwing the first spiral gear into the upper segment; (e) pressing the metal powders by continuing the screwing actions of the first and second spiral gears until the second spiral gear reaches the second juncture and the first spiral gear stops short of the first juncture to form a green compact which acquires a shape of a combination of the bevel spiral gear and a residual portion; (f) screwing the first spiral gear out of the first segment; and (g) gradually screwing the second spiral gear towards the middle segment such that the residual portion is rotated along the upper segment in order to eject the green compact out of the middle and upper segments.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for forming a spiral bevel gear, more particularly to a method and mold die for forming a spiral bevel gear from metal powders.
2. Description of the Related Art
To form a spiral gear, referring to FIG. 1, a conventional mold die 10 has a die cavity 111 that corresponds to a contour of the spiral gear. The die cavity 111 has a plurality of spiral threads 112 to correspond to the spiral teeth of the spiral gear. Upper and lower spiral gears 12,13 have spiral teeth 121,131 which conform to the spiral teeth of the spiral gear. After filling the die cavity 111 with metal powders, the upper and lower spiral gears 12, 13 are screwed from the top and bottom of the die cavity 111 so as to form a green compact 14.
Therefore, after the upper spiral gear 12 is screwed out of the die cavity 111, the lower spiral gear 13 is screwed gradually upward so as to eject the green compact 14 out of the die cavity 111 by the threaded rotation of the green compact 14 in view of the threaded engagement between its spiral teeth and the spiral threads 112 of the die cavity 111.
However, the method described above and the mold die 11 are not suitable for forming a spiral bevel gear because the spiral bevel gear has different diameters and is difficult to be removed from the die cavity of such mold die. An additional machining process, such as a thread milling process, is required to form the spiral teeth of the spiral bevel gear, thereby resulting in inconvenience during manufacturing and adversely affecting the quality of products.

Method and mold die for forming a spiral bevel gear from metal powders


A method for replacing a damaged or corroded casing with a solid plastic is described herein. After removing the corroded or damaged casing from the wellbore, the borehole is underreamed to a desired diameter. Thereafter, a resin/curing agent mixture sufficient to form a hardened plastic or resin able to withstand downhole stresses, is placed into the wellbore so as to bind with the undamaged casing and close off any thief zone. Subsequently, the resin/curing agent mixture forms a hardened solid. The hardened solid is milled out so as to form a resinous casing the size of the original casing. Later, the hardened resinous casing is perforated to communicate with a targeted zone. Perforation is not required when isolating a zone.

During the course of well drilling operations, a wall of a wellbore being drilled is generally sealed and stabilized by means of a protective steel casing which is lowered through a wellbore. Afterwards, the casing is cemented in place after retrieval of the drilling assembly. Setting a steel casing in a well is a time consuming and expensive procedure. Since the wellbore is essential to removing desired fluids from a subterranean formation, it is necessary that the wellbore's casing remain intact to make for a more efficient operation and avoid the loss of wellbore fluids into the formation.
Often during the production of hydrocarbonaceous fluids or other desired fluids from a formation via a wellbore, the wellbore becomes damaged or corroded. The damage may be caused by excessive pressure within the wellbore which will cause a section of wellbore casing to fail thereby interfering with its integrity. Also, wellbores which are located at levels in excess of about 5,000 ft. will often have an environment where high temperatures, high pressures, and corrosive chemicals are encountered. When these chemicals, pressures and temperatures combine, casing corrosion often occurs thereby necessitating the repair of a section of the casing so as to maintain its integrity thereby avoiding a loss of desired fluids into the formation.
Depending upon the composition of the casing which is used in the wellbore, the expense of replacing the wellbore's casing can vary. When stainless steel casings are used for example, replacement costs can be substantial. For these reasons, it is desirable to have a method for repairing the casing in the wellbore so as to maintain the efficiency of operations for removing desired fluids from the formation while at the same time minimizing the downtime and repair costs. Heretofore, it has been necessary to remove the entire wellbore casing and replace it with new casing. This of course is a time consuming and expensive operation.
Therefore, what is needed is a simple and inexpensive method of repairing a wellbore casing in situ so as to avoid loss of operational time, the production of desired fluids from the formation, or diversion of injection fluids to the oil-bearing formation.


A job management device that determines an order in which a plurality of jobs are processed. The job management device includes a storage device that stores therein issued jobs in order and a controller. The controller selects, when the job execution rate of the job is higher than the acceptable rate of the job as a result of the comparison therebetween, a next job, calculates a job execution rate of the next job, and compares an acceptable rate of the next job with an obtained job execution rate; and performs, when the job execution rate of at least one job stored in the storage device is lower than or equal to an acceptable rate of at least one job as a result of the comparison therebetween performed on each job stored in the storage device, control so that the job whose job execution rate is lower than or equal to the acceptable rate of the job is executed.

1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to a job management device that can perform job management, a job management program, and an image forming apparatus including the job management device and program.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, a job management device, such as a print server, puts jobs (such as print commands) which are received from terminal devices into a queue. The job management device also manages the jobs placed in the queue so that the jobs are serially executed (for example, printing operations of the jobs are serially instructed to a printer). There is provided a service that charges already-executed jobs to users of the terminal devices that have issued the executed jobs.
In the job management device that offers the above service, when several jobs, which are issued by terminal devices, are put into the queue at almost the same time, it is not reasonable to charge the issuer of the last-executed job the same amount as the issuer of the first-executed job because it takes a long time before the last job is executed. Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 9-128645 discloses reasonable job management, wherein a job management device calculates a load on the job management device. That is, when a load of a job on the job management device is light, a charge to an issuer for the job is low. When a load of a job on the job management device is heavy, a charge to an issuer for the job is high.

Job management device, job management method, and image forming apparatus including the job management device and method


A system for determining a position of a vehicle and/or in a trailer. The at least one container is loaded and unloaded into the vehicle and/or trailer by a crane. The crane includes a container spreader for gripping the containers and a positioning system for the crane and container spreader. The vehicle and trailer have locking pins that lock into pin holes in the corners of the container. A laser scanner determines the position of the locking pins in the vehicle and/or the trailer and the position of the container depending on the position of the locking pins. The laser scanner is arranged to determine positions in relation to the ground of the locking pins. The position information is relayed to the crane. Based on the position information, the positioning system calculates the position of the locking pins in relation to the crane.

The loading and unloading of road trailer lorries transporting containers is an important part of the operations in almost all container freight terminals. As an operation, the unloading of trailer lorries hardly differs at all from a situation in which the container is picked up in a container depot area, because in both cases the empty container spreader is lowered on to the top of the container, whereupon the container is locked to the spreader with the aid of locking pins.
In automatic container crane systems the container can be lifted automatically from the lorry, for example, with the aid of measuring systems based on laser scanners. However, in most terminals the unloading of containers is a manual operation due to safety provisions.
The loading of trailer lorries is a much more challenging task than unloading. In the trailer of road lorries transporting containers there are usually locking pins making sure that the container will remain in its position during the transportation. Lowering the container with sufficient accuracy, so that the pin holes of the lowered container will come together with the locking pins with sufficient accuracy, is an operation demanding precision. The crane operator's range of visibility is restricted by the container hanging from the container spreader and preventing the operator from seeing the locking pins in the lorry in the late stage of lowering.
Various systems are used to make handling of trailers easier. For example, there are systems where with the aid of a measuring system based on a laser scanner the lorry driver is helped to stop in relation to the crane, so that there is no need to run the primary motions of the crane. Primary motions are those moving the entire portal or lift bogie.
Of prior art solutions representing the laser scanner technology the CN201161875Y printed patent specification is taken as an example, which presents a system for determination of the positions in relation to the crane of the container crane's container spreader and of the trailer lorry to be loaded or unloaded and especially of the locking pins on its platform (or of the container's locking holes). From the information produced by the laser scanners used in the system the type of the lorry to be loaded and/or the type of the container to be lifted off the lorry is also concluded.
A second example of solutions using laser scanner technology is presented in the CN1884034A printed patent specification, which concerns a system for determination of the positions in relation to the crane of a trailer lorry to be loaded or unloaded by a container crane and of containers located on its platform. From the information produced by the laser scanners used in the system the type of the lorry to be loaded and/or the type of the container to be lifted off the lorry is also concluded.
As a third example of solutions representing this technology the JP2005239343A printed patent specification is presented, which concerns a system for determination of the positions of trailer lorries to be loaded or unloaded in relation to the crane handling the containers. The system uses laser scanners located in the crane body.
The container can be lifted automatically from the trailer lorry, for example, with the aid of measuring systems based on laser scanners.
There are also systems based on cameras, which with the aid of computer vision aim at identifying the place of the container determined by locking pins in the trailer. One such solution is presented in the DE3606363A1 printed patent specification, which concerns a system for determination of the position of a trailer lorry to be loaded or unloaded in relation to a crane handling the containers. The system uses cameras located in the crane body at the level of the trailer lorry's platform. The problem with camera-based computer vision systems is their modest reliability due to environmental conditions. Changing lighting, in particular, will cause wrong interpretations. Reliability is very important when controlling the crane's container spreader on the basis of information from the measuring system. Material damages can be caused by false measuring information.
As one more example of the state of the art reference is made to the EP1337454A1 printed patent specification, which presents a system for determination of the position of a trailer lorry to be loaded or unloaded in relation to a crane handling the containers. The system uses sensors located in the crane body at the level of the trailer lorry's platform.

System for determination of a container's position in a vehicle and/or its trailer to be loaded with containers


A refrigeration cycle that is formed by connecting a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator and that performs cooling operation; an evaporator heating device that heats the evaporator; a drain pan that receives drain-water from the evaporator and drains the drain-water; a drain-pan heating device that heats the drain pan; a frost detecting device including a light-emitting element that emits light to the evaporator and a light-receiving element that receives reflected light from the evaporator and outputs a voltage according to the reflected light; and a control device that controls on-off operation of the evaporator heating device and the drain-pan heating device. The control device determines a frosting condition on the evaporator from an output of the frost detecting device and individually controls the evaporator heating device and the drain-pan heating device in accordance with the determination result.

In the related art, a refrigerating and air-conditioning apparatus has a refrigeration cycle including a compressor, a condenser, expansion means, and an evaporator, and the refrigeration cycle is filled with a refrigerant. The refrigerant compressed by the compressor becomes a high-temperature high-pressure gas refrigerant and is sent to the condenser. The refrigerant flowing into the condenser is liquefied by releasing heat to the air. The liquefied refrigerant is decompressed to a two-phase gas-liquid state by the expansion means, and is gasified in the evaporator by absorbing heat from ambient air. The gasified refrigerant then returns to the compressor.
A refrigerated warehouse needs to be controlled such that the temperature range therein is lower than 10° C. Because the evaporating temperature of the refrigerant in this case is lower than 0° C., frost is formed on the surfaces of fins of the evaporator as time elapses. When frost is formed, the cooling capacity is lowered due to reduced airflow and increased thermal resistance, thus requiring regular defrosting operations for removing the frost.
When the defrosting operation is performed, the frost adhered to the surface of the evaporator melts and drips down. Therefore, a drain pan for receiving the so-called drain-water, that is, the dripping water, is disposed in the refrigerating and air-conditioning apparatus. The drain-water dropping onto the drain pan is drained from a drain outlet provided in the drain pan. In a case where the outside temperature is low, for example, the drain-water may freeze, making it difficult to drain the drain-water. Hence, the drain-water is prevented from freezing by attaching a heater to the drain pan.
Defrosting the evaporator and heating the drain pan more than necessary may lead to waste of power consumption as well as temperature increase in the refrigerated warehouse. Therefore, it is necessary to accurately determine the frosting condition so as to appropriately perform the defrosting and the heating at optimal timings. In the related art, there is a refrigerating apparatus in which a heat transfer member is provided in contact with both the evaporator and the drain pan, and a temperature sensor is attached to this heat transfer member. The temperature of the heat transfer member detected by the temperature sensor is detected as the temperature of both the evaporator and the drain pan. By determining the frosting condition from the detected temperature, control is performed to defrost the evaporator and to turn the drain-pan heater on and off (for example, see Patent Literature 1).
Furthermore, in the related art, there is also a refrigerating apparatus that starts defrosting operation in accordance with a predetermined defrosting cycle regardless of the frosting condition.

Refrigerating and air-conditioning apparatus


According to one embodiment, a magnetoresistive element includes a recording layer having magnetic anisotropy perpendicular to a film surface and having a variable magnetization direction, a reference layer having magnetic anisotropy perpendicular to a film surface and having an invariable magnetization direction, an intermediate layer provided between the recording layer and the reference layer, and a underlayer containing AlTiN and provided on an opposite side of a surface of the recording layer on which the intermediate layer is provided.

A spin transfer torque MRAM (Magnetic Random Access Memory) using a perpendicular magnetization film for a recording layer is advantageous in order to decrease a write current and increase the capacity. A stacked film consisting of cobalt (Co) and platinum (Pt) each having a dense atomic plane has high crystal magnetic anisotropy of 107 erg/cm2, and can achieve a high magnetoresistive ratio (MR ratio) with low resistivity. Such stacked film is, therefore, receiving attention as a technique for achieving large scale integrated MRAM.
On the other hand, in terms of crystal structure, ruthenium (Ru) is used as an underlayer made of a CoPt alloy. The Ru underlayer increases the damping constant of a recording layer. This undesirably increases a write current. In a spin transfer torque MRAM using a perpendicular magnetization film, a write current increases in proportion with the damping constant, in inverse proportion with the spin polarizability, and in proportion with the area. A technique of decreasing the damping constant, increasing the spin polarizability, and reducing the area is necessary for decreasing the write current.

Magnetoresistive element using specific underlayer material


A method of detecting a phase associated with a sinusoidal signal over a period associated with the sinusoidal signal, the method comprising the steps of: sampling the sinusoidal signal at a prescribed sampling frequency every period thereby generating a plurality of sampling values; converting the plurality of sampling values to a plurality of digital values; respectively evaluating said plurality of digital values within a first period and a latter period associated with the period of the sinusoidal signal, the evaluation of each period generating respective resulting digital values; and determining the phase associated with the sinusoidal signal according to the resulting digital values of the first period and the latter period.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to phase detecting methods, and more particularly to phase detecting methods for detecting BPSK (binary phase shift keying) modulated data by analog-to-digital conversion.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, it is known that various types of data signals may be superimposed on a television broadcasting signal prior to the television broadcasting signal being transmitted. Such information signals may include analog television signals as well as a variety of digital data signals, for example, teletext, time code, caption data, etc. In the case of digital data, there are a variety of methods for superimposing the data signal on the broadcasting signal. Such modulation techniques may include, for example, FSK (frequency shift keying), BPSK (binary phase shift keying), NRZ (nonreturn to zero) or PSK (phase shift keying). The digitally modulated broadcasting signal is then transmitted as an analog signal. A receiver receives this analog signal and demodulates the received analog signal in order to extract the corresponding digital data. In the demodulating process, it is important that the data be accurately extracted.

Phase detecting method by analog-to-digital conversion