A bracket assembly rests upon a pier set adjacent to a foundation and a secondary component elevates the bracket assembly. The bracket provides adjustable engagement to limit rotation of the bracket with respect to an installed pier. The bracket assembly has an housing, a bearing member, load transfer plates, reinforcing means, and an adjusting bolt beneath the bearing member. The housing is either two parallel plates or a tube. In the plates embodiment, two slots receive either a pin, a gate alone, or a gate with a moveable plate. In the tube embodiment, the pier fits snugly within the tube. Further, the bracket permits locating tools over the piers to reduce induced bending moment at the junction of the pier and the bracket. The bracket assembly stabilizes and lifts piers.

The bracket assembly for lifting and supporting a foundation relates to L shaped foundation brackets in general and more specifically to improvements in the connections of the bracket to a pier for supporting a foundation. A unique aspect of the present bracket assembly is a removable gate and adjustable bolt that position the bracket assembly upon a pier to resist moment, translation, and rotation of a bracket.
The bracket assembly transfers the weight, or load, supported by a foundation, or footing, to a pier, pile or deeper foundation. The bracket assembly commonly cradles a footing, or foundation wall, of a structure, or building, then transfers the load to a pile or pier that bears on bedrock or other load bearing strata beneath the existing foundation. The main concept of this invention is to support a settling foundation Prior art designs have previously supported failed or shallow footings.
Piers made of concrete, reinforced concrete, timber, steel pipe, steel tubing, and solid steel bar bent into a helix have seen use at many sites to remedy failing foundations with varying success. The adequate transfer of the load from the foundation to the pier concerns contractors, engineers, and owners alike. Commonly, contractors place piers below a foundation by jack-hammering through a foundation, often through a basement floor. Piers directly below a foundation become impractical because of overhead height constraints and damage to an existing structure. To minimize risk, contractors excavate wider access holes lest, piers become too short. Short piers have proven cumbersome and time consuming for contractors and result in a pier of questionable flexural rigidity.
The present art overcomes the limitations of the prior art where a need exists for a bracket to adequately transfer the foundation load to a pier located adjacent to a foundation. That is, the art of the present invention, a bracket assembly for lifting and supporting a foundation, fixes a bracket to a pier with minimal moment and rotation of the bracket when under load. As a key feature, the bracket assembly reduces the distance between the pier and the foundation to minimize the moment induced into the top of a pier by an eccentric load from the foundation. The moment imparts bending upon the pier where the pier has the lowest lateral support from adjacent soil and tends to rotate a bracket away from the corner of the foundation. The rotation educes the effective bearing area between the bracket and the foundation. The gap exposed by a rotated bracket gives the appearance of a weak connection.
The difficulty in providing a bracket assembly is shown by prior art bracket designs that transferred a foundation load to a particular style of pier. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,120,163 to Holdeman et al., U.S. Pat. No. to 5,171,107 to Hamilton et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,246,311 to West et al. each describe a bracket for a specific style or size of a pier. Some prior bracket designs state a feature to accommodate different sizes and styles of piers but, only provide for partial front to rear engagement between the installed pier and a bracket. Typically, an installed pier has a clearance between the lower portions of the bracket and the front edge of a pier toward the foundation.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,079,905 to Ruiz et al. for example, the adjustable brackets only engage the upper portion of the bracket and the back edge of an installed pier farthest from the foundation. The prior art brackets provide little means of contact between the lower portion of the bracket and the front edge of a pier towards a foundation. Under typical loads without contact at both the lower front and the upper rear edges of the pier, the prior art brackets rotate about an axis perpendicular to the length of a pier. Rotation causes the foundation support portion of a bracket to disengage from a foundation opening a gap, thus reducing the effective load capacity of a bracket. Contractors and owners alike desire a bracket assembly adaptable for various shapes and sizes of piers and adjustable to prevent rotation and moment between a bracket and a pier. Thus, the present invention has the ability to fully support the foundation upon the bracket, to maintain such, and to prevent slippage between the bracket and the supported foundation.

Bracket assembly for lifting and supporting a foundation


The present invention relates to a laser marking article having two or more layers of thin films on the surface thereof, wherein one of the layers other than the outermost layer is a thin film made of a laser marking ground composition containing a laser beam-absorbing whitish inorganic compound powder and a binder as essential ingredients, and to a laser marking method comprising irradiating said laser marking article with a laser beam.. According to the present invention, a vivid white-colored mark can be formed on the surface of an article even in case of low-energy laser irradiation or even in case of high-speed marking.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to articles to be marked by laser marking and method for laser marking.
2. Prior Art
In the recent years, laser marking method is employed in various fields including electronic parts such as IC, resistors, condensers, inductors and the like, electric parts such as relays, switches, connectors, printed circuit boards and the like, housings of electric appliances, automobile parts, mechanical parts, cables, sheets, packaging sheets, cards, containers of foodstuffs and medical drugs, caps and labels of containers, etc. in order to mark letters or symbols denoting the name of maker, the name of article, the date of manufacture, the lot number, etc. on the surface of the articles on real time, because laser marking method enables a high-speed fine marking. As the procedure of laser marking, there is known a method of irradiating a laser onto the coating film formed on a substrate surface, eliminating the coating film of the irradiate region, and thereby forming a contrast between the laser-irradiated region and laser-unirradiated region of the substrate.
The prior method, however, is disadvantageous in that, if a high energy laser (for example, a laser of 3 J/cm.sup.2) is irradiated with the aim of forming a vivid mark, a long period of time is necessary for attaining such a high energy and the equipment therefor is expensive. Further, in case of low-strength articles such as paper, the substrate is destroyed in the laser-irradiated region and thereby the commercial value is deteriorated. The pulse type lasers is disadvantageous in that the irradiated area becomes smaller, as it is necessary to enhance an energy density in the irradiated region, owing to the low output. Although such a problem may be overcome by using a low-energy laser (for example, a laser of 1.5 J/cm.sup.2 or less), vividness of the mark is lost under such a condition. The object of the present invention consists in developing a laser marking article on which a vivid white-colored mark can be formed even in case of low-energy laser irradiation or even in case of high-speed marking.

Laser marking article and laser marking method


Self-cooling compositions and systems adapted to rapidly chill a substance in a compact container are provided. In some implementations, the composition comprises an aqueous solution and solid chemical reactants, wherein at least one solid chemical reactant is selected independently from the group consisting of NH4NO3, urea, and mixtures thereof; and a second solid chemical reactant is selected independently from the group consisting of NH4Cl, calcium sulfate, borax, phosphates, MgCl2, carrageenan, and mixtures thereof. The self-cooling compositions and systems can have a wide range of applications such as cooling comestibles or medical assay kits.

Field of the Invention
The present inventions generally relate to self-cooling compositions, systems and methods such as self-cooling containers for rapidly chilling a substance contained therein.
Description of the Related Art
There is increasing demand in both the consumer market and the medical arena for a convenient and effective container which may be used by individuals to cool either consumable products, such as coffee, tea, milk, soup, and many other types of beverage or food products, at any time and any location, or to cool testing assays, such as drug identification tests, viruses and many other similar applications without having access to any conventional cooling means, such as a refrigerator, a freezer or ice. The self-cooling technology is generally based on endothermic reactions between different reagents. Under such self-cooling technology, two or more reagents are initially separated by a breakable partition, and when there is a need for cooling to occur, the partition is broken to allow the mixing of the reagents, thereby creating an endothermic reaction for heat absorption to occur. Typically, the reagents employed for cooling include at least a solid material, such as ammonium nitrate, and a liquid material, such as water.
The currently available self-cooling systems, however, have several shortcomings. First, the rate of heat absorption is often inadequate to cool the desired amount of beverage in a short period of time. Second, the amount of solid chemicals required to produce an adequate amount of heat absorption may be too large to be incorporated into a conveniently sized container for either consumers or for fieldwork. Third, an adequate amount of cooling may not be produced for a sufficient length of time to allow heat to be continuously drawn from the substance and to keep the substance at the desired temperature for a selected time period.

Self-cooling compositions, systems and methods


A monitoring device for an electrical machining tool, in particular for temperature monitoring with an accumulator-driven machine, includes a switch element (12) for separating an electrical consumer (14) from a current supply device (10). For detection of a first operating parameter (TMOTOR) of the consumer (14) and/or the current supply device (10), a first sensor (16) is provided, whereby the first sensor (16) is connected with a display unit and/or with the control input of the switch element, in order to control the switching process as a function of the first operating parameter (TMOTOR). Furthermore, the present invention relates to an electrical machining tool as well as a current supply device with the inventive monitoring device and a corresponding method of operation.

The present invention relates to monitoring device for an electrical machining tool, an electrical machining tool or a current supply device with the inventive monitoring device, as well as a corresponding method of operation.
With today's electrical machining tools, such as, for example, hand drills and accumulator worms, the operating temperature is not monitored, which is problematic in two different views.
For one, exceeding of an apparatus-specific maximum temperature can lead to damage of the electrical machining tool or of the accumulator that serves to supply the current, which must be observed by the respective user, in particular, with a heavy mechanical load of the electrical machining tool.
For another, the longevity of an accumulator is reduced substantially, when the accumulator is discharged at very low temperatures. In particular, after a long storage period of an electrical machining tool in cold spaces, the accumulator, then, possibility should be warmed up to the operating temperature first before the electrical machining tool is used.

Monitoring device, electrical machine tool, current supply device, and associated method of operation


An expandable and contractible safety barrier for a boat includes a first barrier portion and a second barrier portion. The first barrier portion includes a first outside hinge portion. The second barrier portion includes a second outside hinge portion. The first barrier portion is pivotally connected to the second barrier portion by a middle hinge. The middle hinge is locate on an end of the first barrier portion opposite the first outside hinge portion and on an end of the second barrier portion opposite the second outside hinge portion. A latching device that removably attaches the first barrier portion to a fixed barrier includes a pin about which the first outside hinge portion pivots.

The present invention relates to a system for boat expansion and contraction.
Getting a boat out of the water can be difficult, even with a suitable boat trailer. The boat must then be carried between the water and a storage location, typically on a trailer. For people who want to protect their boat from the elements and/or who do not have a large amount of storage space, or who want to store their boat at home in the off-season, a boat such as a pontoon boat or party-type boat variant may inconveniently occupy a significant amount of floor space.
Boats such as pontoon boats may have an average length between 16 and 24 feet, with a width between 6 and 10 feet, making them impossible to store in a standard one car garage, or even a two car garage (22×22 feet).
As an alternative to offsite storage, and for users with occasional to sparse use, boats which may be reduced in size and volume may be attractive. To reduce a boat's footprint in storage, other than fully inflatable boats, kit boats currently exist. However, an inconvenience of kit boats is their use of parts and materials which result in a weaker structure, with associated safety concerns and reduced comfort for users.
Due to their nature, kit boats may also inconveniently involve small parts, which are required for assembly but can be lost easily. In addition, poor clearances may lead to an inadequate assembly in a large number of instances.

Boat expanding and contracting apparatus


A method for retrieving a voicemail message from a client/server communication network using a mobile device includes: sending a voicemail retrieval request from the mobile device to the client/server communication network, generating an RSS feed at the client/server communication network, generating an audio file that corresponds to the voicemail message at the client/server communication network and downloading the RSS feed and the audio file to the mobile device.

In today's working environment, professionals often spend a great deal of time away from their desks or out of the office entirely, which makes it difficult to maintain regular contact with colleagues, suppliers and/or customers. Most professionals who are away from the office dial in to a voicemail system in order to retrieve voice mail messages. Dialing in typically involves telephoning a main number and then navigating through a series of menus. The dialing in process is time consuming and must be performed often in order to ensure that important voice mail messages are retrieved in a timely manner.
For voicemail systems that include unified messaging functionalities, voicemail messages can be saved manually to a user's hard drive, converted to a file format that is supported by their mobile device and then uploaded to the mobile device. This process requires audio conversion software, which is often expensive, as well as some level of technical knowledge. Further, the process is inefficient because the time required to upload the messages often exceeds time required to listen to the messages. In addition, although this process allows the user to upload voicemail messages to a mobile device, it does not provide a solution for retrieving voicemail remotely since the user must be present in the office to perform the upload.
It is therefore desirable to provide an improved solution for retrieving voice mail messages remotely and in a timely manner.

Method and apparatus for retrieving voicemail messages from a client/server network using a mobile device


An apparatus for controlling the temperature of a core of a transformer is provided that includes a core, a shield surrounding the core, a cast formed between the core and the shield, and tubing positioned on the shield. The cast directs heat from the core to the shield and cooling fluid is directed through the tubing to cool the shield.

In electrical power distribution, transformers are utilized in the transmission of electricity. Relatively low voltage high current electricity from a power plant generator is converted by a transformer to a high voltage low current supply for transmission over long distances. The high voltage supply is then converted by a second transformer back to a low voltage higher current supply for local distribution to customers. The process of transforming the supply to a high voltage is necessary to reduce losses in the supply during transmission.
In transforming the electrical supply from one voltage level to another voltage level, heat is generated in the core of the transformer. Mechanisms have been developed to remove this heat to improve performance of the transformers. Conventional transformers for use in power transmission are either oil-filled or dry-type transformers. In oil-filled transformers, the oil is circulated around the core and through a radiator. Heat from the core is transferred to the oil and then dissipated to the air surrounding the transformer through the radiator. In dry-type/air transformers, the air is cooled by natural or forced circulation of air or gas through and/or around the transformer.
Core heat is particularly undesirable in super-conducting transformers because the core heat can raise the temperature of the coils of the transformer that need to be maintained within an operative temperature range. Thus, rather than simply degrading performance, core heat can result in the inoperability of a super-conducting transformer. Therefore a mechanism is needed to cool the temperature of the core to avoid overheating the super-conducting coils.

Apparatus and method for controlling the temperature of the core of a super-conducting transformer


Methods and systems for specifying the state of an application interface during configuration of the business system are provided. A state controller can manage communication between application interfaces and interface proxies. Each interface proxy replicates the services exposed by an application interface associated with backend applications in a business system. The state controller allows each application to operate in a stateful mode, a stateless mode, or a combined mode. The mode for an application can be specified during configuration/installation of the business system, removing the need to specify communication modes for applications during design and development of the applications and business system. The use of an interface proxy allows user interface (frontend) application to be developed and/or configured individually, and without regard to the communication mode used by the backend applications.

Modern firms use complex business systems to define and perform the business processes used by the firms. The business system typically includes a variety of backend applications to perform related tasks and define related processes, such as inventory management, employee management, customer relations, etc. Each application makes use of a variety of business objects, which contain data and business logic to manipulate the data.
Typically, the user interface used to access these backend applications does not include any business or functional logic itself. Rather, the backend applications provide functions and services to the user interface, which provides communication between a user and the applications using the services provided by the applications. Thus, the functionality presented by the user interface is limited by the services exposed by the backend applications.
An application user interface (UI) is typically coupled to the backend applications using a request-response model. That is, the UI sends a request to the backend and waits for a resulting response. Communication between the UI and the backend applications can use a stateless connection or a stateful connection. In a stateless connection, each request is independent of each other request. That is, a later request does not use or rely on information from an earlier request. In a stateful connection, operations may be linked or related to earlier requests. For example, a later request may rely on the result of an operation resulting from an earlier request. Stateless connections generally allocate memory and network resources for each request/response cycle separately, but can result in higher response times if more data must be transported with each request or if the application has high initialization costs. Stateful connections typically have faster response times, but may impose higher memory and network connections on the back end since connections are kept open while the application is running.
It is normally necessary to specify whether an application and the corresponding UI will use a stateful connection or a stateless connection during development of the application, i.e., before it is customized and installed for a specific customer. This decision results in different design structures at various layers of the application, such as when a model/view/controller approach is used, and therefore cannot later be adjusted for a specific business system.
However, each customer may want to adjust various applications to perform in different modes than are selected when the applications are developed. For example, it may be desirable to specify some applications in a business system as stateful, and others as stateless, depending on the resources available to the system and the expected frequency and character of the use for each application. Since these factors may vary by customer and business system, it is difficult to select a communication mode that will be useful across a wide range of business systems.
One approach is to create two versions of each application and associated services, with one version designed as a stateless application, and the other as a stateful application. However, this can cause unnecessary complexity when developing the business system, since a change made to the application will have to be made in each version separately. It can also result in a system that makes inefficient use of resources. Since most businesses will only require one version of each application (stateful or stateless, depending on the specific environment), the business system may require a good deal more storage and/or processing resources than would be required if each application had a single version.
Thus there is a need in the art for systems and methods to allow for flexibility in connection mode selection for applications in a business system, where the connection and processing mode of each application can be selected during configuration or customization of the business system.

System and method for switching between stateful and stateless communication modes


The present invention relates to a capacitive-coupled plasma processing apparatus, wherein an electric field regulating element, i.e., an “electric field lens”, is arranged in the reaction chamber to generate a regenerated electric field in a direction opposite to that of the original radio frequency electric field in the reaction chamber, so that the non-uniformity of etching rate on the surface of the substrate of the plasma incurred by the original radio frequency electric field is decreased; and the electric field regulating element, i.e., the “electric field lens”, further decreases the equivalent quality factor Q value of the reaction chamber, expands the radio frequency band, and prevents high-voltage electric arcing. The present invention further provides a method for processing the substrate using the processing apparatus.

At present, in fabricating a semiconductor device, a capacitive-coupled plasma processing apparatus is often adopted to generate plasma of reaction gas for performing processes such as etching and depositing on the substrate.
FIG. 1 shows an existing capacitive-coupled plasma generator, in which at least one pair of planar electrodes, i.e., a first electrode 210 and a second electrode 220, is arranged in parallel in a vacuum reaction chamber 100 of the plasma generator, and a substrate 300 to be etched is placed on a supporting holder 120 where the second electrode 220 is provided; optionally, radio frequency power is applied on the second electrode 220 and the first electrode 210 is grounded to generate a radio frequency electric field for ionizing the reaction gas that is introduced into the reaction chamber 100 and generating plasma to be used for etching.
However, the uniformity of the electric field distribution in the reaction chamber of the prior art is far from ideal. The difference in the actual structures of the two electrodes and the grounded sidewall will lead to bend of the electric field lines, causing the whole radio frequency electric field in the reaction chamber 100 to be non-uniform.
As shown in FIG. 1, the electric field lines 230b located at the middle positions above the second electrode 220 are distributed uniformly; however, the closer to the side positions above the second electrode 220, the radio frequency electric field lines 230a are bent, and the greater the deflection angle of the electrode field lines 230a are and the more sparsely the electrode field lines 230a are distributed. Referring to the dashed lines in FIG. 1, they indicate the density distribution of the plasma at different positions above the second electrode 220. It can be seen that the density of the plasma of the reaction gas generated at the side position of the second electrode 220 is less than that at the middle position of the second electrode 220; and because the speed of etching or other processes on the substrate 300 is in positive relation to the density of the plasma, the non-uniformity of the etching or other processes on the substrate 300 would happen finally. For example, the etching or the other processes are done quickly in the center portion of the substrate 300 while slowly at the edge portion of the substrate 300. This has great influence on both the process control and the final quality of semiconductor device fabrication.

Capacitive-coupled plasma processing apparatus and method for processing substrate

ADVANCED MICRO-FABRICATION EQUIPMENT INC, SHANGHAI


Toys and methods for safely and reproducibly launching ring airfoils in a flying orientation. The toys generally comprise a member, a ring airfoil support mounted on the member, and a propelling element configured to move the ring airfoil support along the member from a first to a second position. Contact between the ring airfoil and the ring airfoil support causes the ring airfoil to move with the ring airfoil support as the ring airfoil support moves; this contact is overcome as the ring airfoil support decelerates at the second position, causing the ring airfoil to be launched with forward or both forward and spinning motion. The toys further may comprise a housing to protect the toy and user, a return element to place the toy in an engaged, launch-ready configuration, and a trigger to hold the toy in the engaged configuration until launching. As an additional aspect of the invention, components of the device may be chosen so that the characteristics of the ring airfoil at launch are within certain safety limitations.

Flying toys are popular amusement devices that include boomerangs, flying discs, kites, model airplanes, and ring airfoils. The popularity of flying toys arises in part because flying toys generate lift as they move through the air, giving them interesting and engaging flight characteristics.
Ring airfoils are relatively obscure flying toys that generally resemble hollow cylinders having open ends. The walls of these cylinders may have an airfoil shape. Ring airfoils "fly" when they generate lift by moving through the air in a flying orientation. In a preferred flying orientation, one end of the ring airfoil points generally forward, in the direction of motion, and the other end points generally backward. Lift generated in this and other flying orientations, combined with low aerodynamic drag, causes ring airfoils to follow nearly level trajectories. In contrast, nonflying toys, such as balls, follow parabolic ballistic trajectories. Nearly level trajectories ensure greater flight times than ballistic trajectories, enhancing the fun of playing with ring airfoils.
Ring airfoils also may spin during flight about a central axis or axis of symmetry connecting their two ends. Such spinning may gyro-stabilize the flying orientation of ring airfoils, helping them to maintain lift.
Although ring airfoils have been known for many years, they have failed to achieve the popularity of other flying toys. This failure may be due in part to difficulties inherent in inducing ring airfoils to move through the air in a flying orientation, and in part to safety concerns inherent in past patterns of use.
Launching by hand is the generally known method of launching ring airfoils, where launching generally comprises inducing a ring airfoil to move through the air. Most known ring airfoils were designed to be launched by hand, including those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,264,776, 4,151,674, 4,246,721, 4,390,148, 4,790,788, and 5,397,261. Yet, launching ring airfoils by hand has numerous shortcomings. First, launching by hand effectively may place the use of ring airfoils outside the ability of casual players, or of children in general, because considerable skill and/or strength may be necessary to provide both the forward and spinning motions needed to maintain ring airfoils in a flying orientation. Second, launching by hand raises safety concerns, because ring airfoils may be launched along errant paths or with too much energy, increasing the likelihood of damaging impacts. Third, launching by hand necessitates the use of rigid, rather than flexible, ring airfoils. Yet, flexible ring airfoils pose a lesser impact hazard than rigid ring airfoils. Moreover, flexible ring airfoils may better maintain their airfoil properties in use because they are less likely to be damaged by impacts and more likely to be aerodynamically self-stabilizing when spun.
Toys for mechanically launching projectiles having apertures also are known, including launchers disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,232,285, 4,291,663, and 5,438,972. However, none of these toy launchers is designed for use with ring airfoils, and especially with flexible ring airfoils. Instead, these launchers are designed for use with rings ('285), balls ('663), and discs ('972).
These launchers generally engage and contact projectiles having apertures along the entire surface of such apertures. This contact creates frictional forces that must be overcome at launching, reducing the velocity with which projectiles leave the launchers and necessitating the use of more powerful launchers. Moreover, one launcher ('972) additionally engages projectiles with magnetic forces that also must be overcome at launching.
These launchers have other shortcomings. One ('972) has no mechanism to secure the launcher in a launch-ready, engaged configuration. Two ('285, '972) have no mechanism to spin a projectile. Yet, spinning the projectile is a desirable feature with ring airfoils, because spinning gyro-stabilizes flight. At least two ('285, '663) have exposed parts that may cause injury or be damaged during use. All three have no mechanism to place the launcher in an engaged configuration, except by pulling the projectile itself or the moving parts of the launcher. Yet, pulling the projectile itself requires that the projectile be rigid, and pulling the moving parts of the launcher requires that the moving parts be exposed, raising the safety concerns discussed above.


The invention constitutes an arrangement for cooling a vehicle component, for example a transmission, disposed adjacent to an engine, which arrangement includes a cooling circuit designed to feed a coolant through the transmission and including a line for coolant to the transmission and a line for coolant to the transmission. According to the invention, the cooling circuit is also designed to cool the engine and includes a further line for feeding the coolant to the engine, and the cooling circuit includes a flow control valve for controlling the coolant in the cooling circuit such that the flow of coolant to the vehicle component is lower than the flow to the engine. As a result of the invention, an improved arrangement is obtained for cooling, for example, a transmission, for example in heavy goods vehicles.

The present application is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/SE2004/001458, filed Oct. 12, 2004, which claims priority to SE 0302740-6, filed Oct. 15, 2003, both of which are incorporated by reference.
The present invention relates to an arrangement for cooling a vehicle component disposed adjacent to an engine, which arrangement comprises a cooling circuit designed to feed a coolant through the vehicle component and comprising a line for coolant to the vehicle component and a line for coolant from the vehicle component.
The invention is particularly intended for cooling transmissions of the type employed in motor vehicles.
In connection with motor vehicles, there is a need for certain components, for example the engine and transmission of the vehicle, and other components mounted on or close to the engine, such as EGR valve (EGR=Exhaust Gas Recirculation), compressor, turbo, steering gear, etc., to be cooled. Not least, this requirement is great in heavy goods vehicles. Both an engine and a transmission contain oil, which is used in a known manner to lubricate and cool integral parts, for example in the form of the pistons of the engine and the gearwheels of the transmission. In addition, cooling circuits containing a coolant, for example water, are used to cool the engine and the transmission.
The need to cool the engine and the transmission stems from the fact that there is a risk of overheating of the engine oil and transmission oil respectively, especially under certain running conditions of the vehicle in question. This can result, in turn, in impaired lubricating properties for the oil, which, in turn, can lead to impaired functioning and reduced working life of the engine and the transmission.
In order to cool an internal combustion engine, it is known to use a coolant, expediently water, which, by means of a pump, is conducted in an external cooling circuit past a radiator and onward to the engine. In this way, the coolant will circulate in the engine and will subsequently be returned to the radiator by means of the pump. A corresponding cooling circuit can also be used to cool a transmission.
This solution, in which the coolant of the engine also cools the transmission oil, can work satisfactorily in certain situations. On modern engines, in which the cooling system often has a higher pressure and hence a higher temperature than corresponding older cooling systems, the solution does not work particularly well. The temperature of the cooling system is in this case higher than the recommended maximum permitted temperature of the transmission oil, the result of which is that the transmission oil is aged too quickly and the lubricating properties are poor. For instance, a cooling system can be 110° C. warm, but the recommended oil temperature of the transmission is 90° C.
An arrangement for cooling an engine is previously known through patent document US 2002/0112679, which arrangement comprises a first heat exchanger for cooling the engine oil by means of a coolant. The arrangement also comprises a second heat exchanger cooling the oil via heat exchange with an ambient air flow. The oil flow to the engine is normally directed via the first heat exchanger (and onward to the engine and its lubricating system), but a certain part of the oil flow to the engine can be directed by means of a restrictor to the second heat exchanger, in dependence on the engine temperature. The second heat exchanger is disposed parallel with the first heat exchanger.
US 2002/0112679 shows therefore that lubricating oil for an engine can be fed via a first radiator and a second radiator, but discloses nothing to solve the abovementioned problem concerning an increased cooling requirement of a transmission.
It is desirable to provide an improved arrangement for cooling, for example, a transmission, in which the above problem is solved.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, in an arrangement for cooling a vehicle component disposed adjacent to an engine, which arrangement comprises a cooling circuit designed to feed a coolant through the vehicle component and comprising a line for coolant to the vehicle component and a line for coolant from the vehicle component, the cooling circuit is also designed to cool the engine and comprises a further line for feeding the coolant to the engine, and the cooling circuit comprises a flow control valve for controlling the coolant in the cooling circuit such that the flow of coolant to the vehicle component is lower than the flow to the engine.
By virtue of an aspect of the invention, certain substantial benefits can be obtained. It may first of all be noted that aspects of the invention produce an effective cooling of a vehicle component, such as, for example, a transmission, with a cooling temperature that is lower than the corresponding temperature of the coolant that is fed to the engine. In addition, aspects of the invention create an arrangement for cooling a vehicle component that does not require, for example, a special coolant pump and special pipes for the transmission coolant. Instead, according to the invention, a common coolant pump is used to feed coolant both to the engine and to the transmission.
Preferably, according to an aspect of the invention, a cooling circuit is used, which, in turn, comprises two separate lines with two different temperatures. More precisely, these lines are in this case designed such that a lower flow is obtained in the line used to feed a coolant through the transmission compared with the line used to feed coolant through the engine. This results in an increased cooling capacity and hence a lower temperature for cooling the transmission than what was previously offered. This leads to benefits in terms of operation and service life of the transmission.

Arrangement for cooling a vehicle component


A storable cover for covering the cabin portion of a variety of vehicles, such as sedans, vans, and hatchbacks, carries storage means secured thereto to be disposed in a suitable compartment of the vehicle. The trailing edge of the cover is anchored inside the vehicle when the cover is disposed onto the vehicle. The storage means is affixed firmly inside the trunk or other rear compartment of the various vehicles, such as for example, sedans, hatchbacks, and vans so as to locate part of the over assembly within a locked compartment. The cover is deployed by being taken out of the storage means and fed from the trunk through the opening which is created between the raised closure member for the compartment and the body of the vehicle.

This invention pertains to an improved vehicle cover and more particularly to such a cover including storage means which also serve to anchor an end of the cover to the vehicle and which are useful with a variety of vehicles and in various locations within the vehicles.
It is known that sunlight damages the exposed surfaces of the interior of a vehicle. It is also known that when parked under direct sunlight, the vehicle's interior temperature rises due to the familiar greenhouse effect. This rise in temperature further damages the vehicle's interior. Furthermore, the hot air and the hot surfaces of the interior can prove uncomfortable for a person staying in or returning to the vehicle. Some articles in the vehicle such as magnetic media and electronic equipment can sometimes suffer from the elevated temperature as well.
In addition, when a vehicle is left to stand outside all night exposed to the elements, the finish on the vehicle will be dulled.
The general object of this invention is to provide sun protection for the interior of a vehicle by means of a highly effective, low cost, durable, easy to use, theft resistant and reflective sun protection cover to be deployed over the cabin of the vehicle.
The cover, its storage bag or pouch, and its attachment means for securing an end of the cover to an end of the vehicle are designed as a single integrated unit which significantly reduces the cost of the unit. It further makes the unit easier to use.
As shown herein the pouch is held firmly inside the trunk of the vehicle by plastic dipped hooks which engage openings in the trunk lid. The cover is deployed by being taken out of the trunk through the opening which is created between the trunk lid and the rear windshield or body of the vehicle when the trunk lid is opened. Accordingly, the deployment and storage of the cover can readily be handled by a single person requiring no special tools or the like. Since the cover is anchored or remains anchored securely at the trunk end thereof, it remains stable during deployment as well as during storage.
According to another feature of the invention, the cover uses the vehicle's own body parts to hold it in place when pulled over the cabin. At least one door of the vehicle is used to hold the cover in place by being closed onto it whereby the cover will fit underneath the upper portion of the door containing the window frame. The leading portion of the cover can be held in place by being tucked under the windshield wipers of the vehicle.
According to a further embodiment, the cover employs elastic strings disposed to be wrapped about the side view mirrors of the vehicle.
The foregoing design of the cover makes it substantially theft proof without requiring any specific tie-down or locks or alarms or the like. In the deployed position, the cover is firmly anchored to the interior of the trunk. With the trunk lid closed and locked it would be extremely difficult if not impossible to tamper or remove the cover from the vehicle. When the cover is stowed, the cover is safely locked within the trunk, concealed and out of sight.


MCBI (7-methoxy-1,2,9a-tetra-hydrocyclopropa[c]benz[e]indol-4-one) is employable as a DNA alkylating agent and can be incorporated into analogs of CC-1065 and the duocarmycins for constructing regioselective DNA alkylating agents.

(+)-CC-1065 (1) and the duocarmycins represent the initial members of a class of exceptionally potent antitumor antibiotics that derive their biological effects through the reversible, stereoelectronically-controlled sequences alkylation of DNA (Boger et al. J. Org. Chem. 1990, 55, 4499; Boger et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1990, 112, 8961; Boger et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1991, 113, 6645; Boger et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1993, 115, 9872; Boger et al. Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett. 1992, 2, 759). Subsequent to their initial disclosure, extensive efforts have been devoted to establish their DNA alkylation selectivity and its structural origin. Efforts have also been devoted to establish the link between DNA alkylation and the ensuing biological properties, i.e., to define the fundamental principles underlying the relationships between structure, chemical reactivity, and biological properties (FIG. 1; 1-3).
CBI (1,2,9,9a-tetrahydrocyclopropa[c]benz[e]indol-4-one) has been identified as an alkylation subunit which corresponds to the alkylation subunit of CC-1065 and the duocarmycins. (Boger et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1989, 111, 6461; Boger D. L.; Ishizaki et al. J. Org. Chem. 1990, 55, 5823). Agents which include the CBI-based analogs have proven especially useful as DNA alkylating agents. This was significant since preceding studies had attributed such unique characteristics to the naturally occurring alkylation subunits that they left the perception that even small structural perturbations, let alone deep-seated structural changes, would have detrimental effects on the properties. (Hurley et al. Science 1984, 226, 843; Reynolds et al. Biochemistry 1985, 24, 6228; Hurley et al. Biochemistry 1988, 27, 3886; Hurley et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1990, 112, 4633; Warpehoski et al. Biochemistry 1992, 31, 2502.) Not only has this proven inaccurate, but the natural enantiomers of the CBI-based analogs of (+)-CC-1065 have proven chemically more stable (4.times.), biological more potent and considerably more synthetically accessible than the corresponding agents incorporating the natural CPI alkylation subunit of CC-1065. (Boger et al. J. Org. Chem. 1990, 55, 5823; Boger et al. J. Org. Chem. 1992, 57, 2873; Boger et al. J. Org. Chem. 1995, 60, 1271.) Moreover, selected agents within the series of CBI analogs not only exhibited potent cytotoxic activity but also potent and efficacious in vivo antitumor activity. (Boger et al. Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett. 1991, 1, 115).
The natural enantiomers of the CBI-based analogs have been shown to alkylate DNA with an unaltered sequence selectivity at an enhanced rate and with a greater efficiency than the corresponding CPI analog. (Boger et al. Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett. 1991, 1, 115; Boger et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1991, 113, 2779; Boger et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1992, 114, 5487.) This indicates that the simplified CBI alkylation subunit offers important advantages over the natural alkylation subunit of CC-1065. In recent studies, models of the DNA alkylation reactions of CC-1065 and the duocarmycins have been developed. (Boger et al. J. Org. Chem. 1990, 55, 4499; Boger et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1990, 112, 8961; Boger et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1991, 113, 6645; Boger et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1993, 115, 9872; Boger et al. Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett. 1992, 2, 759; Boger et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1994, 116, 1635. ) These models accomodate the reversed and offset AT-rich adenine N.sub.3 DNA alkylation selectivity of the enantiomeric agents and their structural analogs. The diastereomeric adducts derived from the unnatural enantiomers have been found to suffer a significant destabilizing steric interaction between the CPI C7 center (CH.sub.3) or the CBI C8 center with the base adjacent to the alkylated adenine which is not present with the natural enantiomer adducts. Consistent with this observation, the distinguishing features between the natural and unnatural enantiomers diminish or disappear as the inherent steric bulk surrounding this center is reduced or removed. (Boger et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1994, 116, 7996.) Because of the unnatural enantiomer sensitivity to destabilizing steric interactions surrounding the CPI C7 or CBI C8 center, the unnatural enantiomers of the CBI-based analogs are more effective than the corresponding CPI analog displaying an even more enhanced relative rate and efficiency of DNA alkylation.
There is a direct relationship between functional stability and cytotoxic potency. (Boger et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1994, 116, 6461; Boger et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1994, 116, 11335; Mohamadi et al. J. Med. Chem. 1994, 37, 232; Boger et al. J. Org. Chem. 1994, 59, 4943; Boger et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1989, 111, 6461; Boger et al. J. Org. Chem. 1990, 55, 5823). In an ongoing series of studies conducted with agents containing deep-seated modifications in the alkylation subunit which to date include 4-9 (FIG. 2), the agents possessing the greatest solvolysis stability have been found to exhibit the most potent cytotoxic activity. Moreover, this direct relationship between functional stability and biological potency has been observed with both simple and advanced analogs of the natural products. A subsequent validation of this relationship was observed with a series of simple N.sup.2 substituted CBI derivatives. (Boger et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1994, 116, 5523.) Predictable linear relationships between solvolysis stability (-log k), cytotoxic potency (log 1/IC.sub.50, L1210) and the electron-withdrawing properties of the N.sup.2 substituent (Hammett .sigma..sub.p constant) were observed (FIG 2; 4-9).
What is needed is an alternative alkylating agent having an altered reactivity as compared to CBI which may be incorporated into analogs of CC-10665 and the duocarjycins.

MCBI analogs of CC-1065 and the duocarmycins


Systems, methods, and computer program products are described herein for managing computer system resources. A plurality of modules (e.g., virtual machines or other applications) may be allocated across multiple computer system resources (e.g., processors, servers, etc.). Each module is assigned a priority level. Furthermore, a designated utilization level is assigned to each resource of the computer system. Each resource supports one or more of the modules, and prioritizes operation of the supported modules according to the corresponding assigned priority levels. Furthermore, each resource maintains operation of the supported modules at the designated utilization level.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to management of a system load level.
2. Background
Computer systems, such as corporate datacenters, often include a plurality of servers that have applications executing thereon. The servers commonly operate at a relatively low efficiency. For example, some servers may have loads of 10-30%. Virtualization may be used to improve the efficiency by allocating virtual machines to the servers, but each server may still have a load of 10-30% if the allocated virtual machine(s) is not busy. Moreover, the demands of the applications vary over time, causing fluctuations in the loads of the servers.
Although it is often desirable to operate a server at a relatively high efficiency, it may be beneficial to run the server at relatively lower efficiency to accommodate potential increases in demand by the applications. If the efficiency of a server is set too high, the server may not be capable of accommodating an increased demand of the applications. For instance, a failure to accommodate for the increased demand may cause the server to become non-responsive to some requests made by the applications. On the other hand, if the efficiency of the server is set too low, the server may operate less inefficiently than necessary to accommodate the increased demand of the applications.
One proposed technique for managing the load level of a server is to transfer an application's demand to another server to reduce the load of the server from which the demand is transferred. However, this proposed technique may require substantial time and effort. For instance, a search may be necessary to find a server having sufficient resources available to accommodate the demand of the application. Once such a server is found, processes may be employed to transfer the demand, and so on.

Priority-based management of system load level


Apparatus and methods are utilized to form turbulators. The apparatus includes a first mechanism for accepting a ribbon of material along an axis, a second mechanism for rotating an end of the ribbon of material, and a third mechanism for moving the second mechanism substantially parallel to the axis. The third mechanism is configured to operate independently from the operation of the second mechanism.

This invention relates generally to methods and apparatus for forming ribbons of material into helixes, and more particularly to methods and apparatus for fabricating multifaceted ribbons of material having a helical configuration.
Heat exchangers sometimes include turbulators to improve heat transfer efficiency. Typically, these turbulators are formed from sheets, or ribbons, of material. The material is cut to a specific length and rotated to form a helical shape. In addition, the twisted ribbon may include facets or bumps to provide better performance. The inclusion of facets onto the turbulators is difficult to automate due to metal working characteristics of the ribbons. In addition, the formation of consistent, symmetrical facets on the ribbons is even more difficult in an automated production due to operation characteristics of the machinery.

Method and apparatus for fabricating helically shaped ribbons of material


A converter circuit for converting an alternating signal representing continuous rotary position into a further signal representing discrete rotary position samples the polarity of an envelope of the alternating signal and develops a state change in the further signal when the envelope changes polarity.

In many rotary machine applications, it is necessary to detect rotor position. For example, where a brushless DC motor is to be operated, motor shaft position must be detected so that a power semiconductor switching network in the form of an inverter can be properly controlled to commutate the currents in the motor windings. In most simple motor controls, position information is only required every 60 electrical degrees. Many commercial and industrial brushless DC drives employ signals from Hall-effect devices, which detect the magnetic field of the motor permanent magnets. There are applications, however, where Hall-effect devices cannot meet performance requirements, for example, in the aerospace industry where severe environments are encountered. In these applications, synchros are used to sense motor shaft position. These devices are basically rotary transformers with three-phase sine wave voltage outputs having a trigonometric relationship to motor position and which provide infinite resolution of shaft angle.
It would be desirable to use the rugged synchro position sensor with a low cost six step motor drive. In this case, a logic conversion circuit must be provided to adapt the output of the synchro to the motor drive. However, the only devices currently available to perform this function are cost prohibitive, since they cost as much or more than synchro-to-digital converters, which are typically used in applications requiring a high degree of controllability beyond that required in the aerospace industry. Present conversion devices also exhibit significant power dissipation, primarily from the circuits used to excite the primary winding of this synchro. Also, present devices develop false logic transitions and error, particularly at low and high motor speed extremes. These problems can cause errant communication and/or higher switching losses in the inverter.
The need exists for a low cost synchro-to-logic converter which does not require pure sine wave excitation, and which exhibits positive logic transitions and accurate position sensing over a wide range of motor speeds.

Converter circuit for rotary transformer sensing devices


A highly compact loudspeaker system having a spherical housing produces time and phase coherent sound waves in an omnipresent manner throughout a spatial listening environment. Within is a relatively low frequency sound driver and a relatively high frequency sound driver. The spherical housing has upper and lower hemispherical halves. The upper half is hollow and has holes through its surface over most of its surface. The lower half forms a sound compression propagation vacuum chamber for the low frequency driver. Mounted within the lower half is a crossover network conventionally connected to the sound drivers. Acoustic foam lines the interior wall surface of the lower half. The low frequency sound driver is mounted inverted, into the open end of the lower half, and then sealed air tight, at a lowered atmospheric pressure, while the high frequency sound driver is mounted upwardly, affixed to the backside of the low frequency driver.

Conventional loudspeakers systems currently typically employ two or more speakers for sound reproduction, more particularly, in musical reproduction. Standard loudspeakers are usually arranged in such a manner so that the drivers must face the listening audience. These loudspeakers, are generally constructed to include sound drivers to reproduce a relatively high, medium, and low frequency sound range. This manner of speaker arrangement results in the reproduction of sound waves in a highly directed conic wedge, thereby setting off standing waves, wave cancellation, and wave pileup. This results in an area where two speakers of this design can create true stereo reproduction. Typical loudspeaker systems of this design and arrangement also tend to block the sound created by another such system, and there is only a small area, if any, where coherent sound is produced. The directional problems of such systems, as well as the placement problems presented by the speakers, create large areas of non-coherent sound with non-adequate stereo resolution, producing an undesirable, unrealistic sound reproduction.
The prior art herein disclosed has proposed speaker arrangements for achieving omnidirectional sound propagation. Examples can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 3,326,321 issued to Valuch on Jun. 20, 1967; U.S. Pat. No. 3,483,945 issued to Stanley Michael on Dec. 16, 1969; U.S. Pat. No. 3,816,672 issued to Gefvert et al. on Jun. 11, 1974; U.S. Pat. No. 3,961,684 issued to Michael et al. on Jun. 8, 1976; U.S. Pat. No. 4,336,861 issued to Peter on Jun. 29, 1982; U.S. Pat No. 4,420,061 issued to Levy on Dec. 13, 1983; U.S. Pat. No. 4,440,259 issued to Strohbeen on Apr. 3, 1984; U.S. Pat No. 4,580,654 issued to Hale on Apr. 8, 1986; U.S. Pat. No. 5,086,871 issued to Barbe on Feb. 11, 1992; U.S. Pat. No. 5,115,882 issued to Woody on May 26, 1992; U.S. Pat No. 5,227,591 issued to Tarkkonen on Jul. 13, 1993; U.S. Pat. No. 5,436,976 issued to Dougherty on Jul. 25, 1995; U.S. Pat. No. 5,451,726 issued to Haugum on Sep. 19, 1995; U.S. Pat No. 5,847,331 issued to Vollmer, et al. on Dec. 8, 1998; U.S. Pat No. 6,186,269 issued to Vollmer, et al. on Feb. 13, 2001; and U.S. Pat No. 6,431,308 issued to Vollmer, et al. on Aug. 13, 2002. The subject, speaker in each case lacks the precise arrangement of drivers ,and sound compression vacuum propagation chambers, contained within the spherical housing as seen in the present invention. None of the above inventions and patents taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant and novel invention in whole or in part as claimed.

Spherical loudspeaker for omnipresent sound reproduction


An elastic coupling device for elastically connecting a damping mass like a gas generator to a motor vehicle part exposed to oscillations and/or vibrations, in particular an airbag module, in one embodiment comprising a rigid support ring facing the vehicle, at least one fixation piece like a rivet head, the fixation piece facing the damping mass and being made of a rigid material, and a spring body coupling the support ring and the fixation piece. The support ring and/or the fixation piece, respectively made of a plastic material, as well as the spring body, which may be made of an elastomer material, may be produced in a single manufacturing step by means of a two-component process, in particular by two-component injection molding.

Aspects of the present invention relate to an elastic coupling device or piece for elastically connecting a damping mass like a gas generator to a motor vehicle part exposed to oscillations and/or vibrations, in particular an airbag module, a steering wheel structure or a body part fixed to the steering wheel structure.
During driving of a motor vehicle highly dynamic vibrations and/or oscillations act upon the vehicle body and thus also upon the steering wheel that is to be operated by the driver of the motor vehicle. It is common knowledge to dampen these vibrations and oscillations by elastically and oscillatingly suspending in the range of the natural frequency of the steering wheel a damping mass for example at the steering wheel. In the area of the steering wheel the damping mass is often formed by the gas generator of an airbag module that is to be fixed to the steering wheel of the motor vehicle.
An important aspect of the damping is determined by the design of the elastic connection system that is defined by the elastic coupling piece. From DE 10 2004 051 942 B4 an elastic coupling piece is known that comprises a support element fixed towards the vehicle body, for example to the steering wheel structure, rigidly via screw connections. The support element consists of a plastic material like PA66 with a proportion of fibre glass of 30 to 40%. DE 10 2004 051 942 B4 teaches to arrange a solid spring body made of elastomer material between the gas generator and the motor vehicle body such that a damping counter-oscillation is possible. Openings are provided in the support element that are lined and overmoulded with elastomer material in order to realise a force-transmitting positive connection between the support element and the spring body. In this way a structural fixation is created between the support element and the spring body with which even large loading tensions can safely be transmitted from the support element into the spring body and back. A structural engagement of the spring body with the support element and vice versa is realised by the lining of the openings. This fixation based on a positive connection proved to be sufficiently firm but requires a larger space due to the openings or anchor holes and creates challenges concerning manufacturing leading to an increased financial burden for the manufacturer.
However, for the known overmoulding of the support element no bonding agent is required for the elastomer material for forming undercuts and engagement structures in order to provide a force-transmitting transition between the elastomer material and the plastic material of the support element.

Elastic coupling device, damping arrangement and method for manufacturing the elastic coupling piece


A securement system for restricting rolling of a rollable cart residing on a ground surface includes a first mechanism including a first mechanism base defining a first cavity structured to receive a rolling element of the rollable cart therein while the rolling element is in direct contact with the ground surface. The first mechanism may also include a first mechanism blocking member operably coupled to the first mechanism base so as to be adjustably positionable to a closing position in which the first mechanism blocking member blocks a path of the rolling element out of the first cavity, and also to an opening position in which the first mechanism blocking member does not block the path of the rolling element out of the first cavity.

Rollable carts may be used in a manufacturing environment to transport items such as components and sub-assemblies between workstations. During loading and unloading of a cart, the cart may undesirably shift position, possibly causing elements to fall from the cart, or possibly causing injury to a user standing on the cart or on a floor surface close to the cart. The wheels of some carts do not have brakes for immobilizing the wheels, and even if brakes are installed on the wheels, the brakes may become worn or damaged and fail.

Positional securement system for a rollable cart

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.


A mudguard for a wheel of an agricultural vehicle comprises two or more radially stacked parts and that are movable relative to one another in the axial direction of the wheel and lockable in different relative axial positions to form a mudguard of adjustable width.

The present invention relates to a mudguard for a wheel of an agricultural vehicle.
It is desirable for the width of a mudguard of an agricultural vehicle, such as a tractor, to be adjustable. One reason for this is that it is possible to use the same tractor with wheels of different widths and the mudguard is needs to be adapted to the width of the wheel. Also during transportation, or to pass through narrow gates, it may be desirable to reduce the width of the mudguards.
It has hitherto been proposed to provide mudguard extensions that can be attached to the edge of a mudguard or removed therefrom to allow the mudguard width to be increased and decreased. GB-1,477,628 shows an example of a mudguard having such extensions. In the latter patent, the mudguard is for a lorry and it is formed with extensions to allow only part of a mudguard to be replaced in the event of it being damaged. Despite these differences, the latter patent does demonstrate the principle that has been used in the past to extend the width of mudguards.
The use of extensions that attach to one another edge to edge has several disadvantages. Aside from the cost implications of manufacturing parts that interlock with one another, a problem is posed by the length of time that it takes to attach and separate the extensions. Also, carrying and aligning the extensions as they are being mounted is a difficult and cumbersome task which often cannot be carried out single handed. A still further problem is presented by the need to be able to store extensions when they are not in use.
The present invention seeks therefore to provide a mudguard that mitigates these disadvantages and enables the width of the mudguard to be adjusted simply to suit the prevailing requirements.

Mudguard for a wheel of an agricultural vehicle


A high-heeled dancer's shoe providing the structural integrity to prevent bowing and to execute energetic character dancing steps and simultaneously maintaining the flexibility necessary to execute jazz steps. The shoe comprises a hard plastic high heel, a partial metal shank extending from a back of the shoe and extending forward over the arch in a middle portion of the shoe, and an open shoe body including a flexible shoe upper shaped for receiving the dancer's foot, including left and right sides that have a flexible insert in an area of an arch, and a continuous layer of leather outer sole spanning a length and width of the shoe including a thinner middle section. In certain embodiments there is a front sole support originating from the front sole area and providing cushioning and support for the toe box.

The present invention relates to footwear designed to have the versatility to be used in diverse dance styles, in particular in jazz dancing and character dancing.
Jazz dancing is a flexible free form of dancing that requires soft, pliable manipulation of the feet and toes including the dancer pointing the foot for aesthetic effect. Ballet, while it is a rigidly stylized dance form, also involves soft, pliable manipulation of the foot for aesthetic effect.
Character dancing or folk dancing, in contrast to jazz dancing and ballet, involves energetic steps, including brushing, gliding, jumping and turning as well as stomping, kicking, scuffing, slamming and clicking. One can imagine such steps as part of energetic movements in typical well known Broadway musical plays such as Chorus Line or West Side Story. Tap dancing, which involves tapping steps by dance shoes containing taps, may be thought of as a kind of American folk dancing.
As a result of these differences in dance styles, there are corresponding differences in the footwear needed by dancers that are dancing in these styles. For example, the dance shoes needed for jazz dancing have soft soles and soft shoe uppers in order to provide sufficient flexibility to the dancer's foot. Ballet dance slippers, worn by male or female dancers to go three quarters on pointe (called "three quarter releve"), are soft as well while ballet point dance shoes are worn by female dancers to go fully on pointe (called "on toe") and have a stiff shoe support box at the front of the shoe to allow the dancer to go on pointe but the remainder of the shoe is very soft and flexible. There are also jazz dancing sneakers that have reinforced toe sections that permit the dancer to stand on pointe.
In contrast to the footwear used by jazz dancers, the existing dance shoes used for character dancing have hard leather soles, hard leather heels and firm, strong shoe uppers so that the dance shoe can provide the support and strength needed to perform energetic dance steps used in character dancing like stomping, kicking, scuffing, slamming and clicking. Dance shoes used by character dancers are designed to give support to the dancer; however they do not provide flexibility. Also, they do not allow the dancer to comfortably stand on pointe or even three quarters on pointe and in fact if a dancer wearing such shoes did stand on pointe or three quarters on pointe that dancer would probably be placing a great strain on the dancer's foot. The result would be awkward and possibly harmful over the long run. It would also be awkward and difficult for a dancer wearing dance shoes used in character dancing to dance jazz dancing steps, which requires pliable manipulation of the feet and toes.
The problem inherent is a desire to perform in various dance styles in a single set of shoes has become exacerbated in recent years by the growing sophistication of Broadway sets. More sophisticated sets mean heavier sets, and heavier sets mean thicker stage floors to support them, and thicker stage floors mean less resilient stage floors which are less forgiving to dancers. This has resulted in an increase in the incidence of bruised feet from using shoes which were not exactly adapted to the job. It is known that certain character dance shoes have been used by dancers performing specifically in musical theater and dance concerts for both character dancing and jazz dancing, although such shoes are really not suitable for both styles.
Over the past thirty years, the American Musical has evolved from singular styled presentations, e.g. "The King and I", "Hello Dolly" and South Pacific", often set in one time period and locked into that form of costume and shoes, into diverse spectaculars incorporating all styles and periods in one show, namely ballet, jazz, character and tap. Some examples are "Fosse", "Contact" and Jerome Robbins' Broadway.
The sets have become high-tech, the costumes made of newer and stronger fabrics, the lights are computerized, and the stages have become reinforced for flying chandeliers, helicopters and barricades. However, up to now, the dance shoes have not evolved along with everything else.
The design of the present invention developed as a result of the demand put on the dancer to dance various styles not only in the same show, but also in the same number. The design of the present invention was necessitated by the requirement to be able to perform jumps, leaps, brushes, and glides, to point the feet and straighten the leg to show ballet lines, and then kick, turn or stomp the very next count of music in a fashionable, esthetic high heel, which is pleasing to the line.
A significant advance in this field was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,996,251 to LaDuca (the '251 patent). A combination jazz dancing and character/tap dancing shoe was disclosed which combined the flexibility of a jazz dancing shoe and the support strength of a shoe used for character/tap dancing. This was achieved by use of a semi-flexible arch made of rubber of specified material properties extending between a hard leather heel and hard rubber fore sole or front sole in combination with an upper including flexible inserts on the sides above the arch.
This shoe combines the support necessary to perform energetic character dancing steps including stomping, kicking, scuffing, slamming and clicking, while maintaining sufficient flexibility to allow the dancer to go either three-quarters en pointe ("flexing") or fully en pointe ("pointing"). Wearable by either male or female dancers the shoe has the overall appearance of a sophisticated street shoe with a heel of between 1″ and 1½″ in height. This would not normally be described as a "high heel" shoe, and hence there is a need for a high-heeled dance shoe which shared some of the same advantages.
Flat or lower heeled shoes keep the dancer grounded and balanced. However, this look does not coincide with the new musical theatre/chorus girl look of high heels of 2 to 4 inches in height. With the choreography becoming more demanding, dancers still need a strong supportive shoe found in character shoes and at the same time must perform supple and lyrical dance steps associated with pliable shoes for jazz ballet.
Danseuses in particular might wish to perform in a shoe which had the appearance of a feminine high-heel shoe, and particular one which would allow them to perform flexing and pointing and other movements encountered in jazz dancing. They would also like to have such a shoe which provided the support required to perform at least some character dancing steps.
The requirement of the high-heeled look and the fact of the dance shoe being high-heeled makes it that much harder to achieve the combination of a strong supportive shoe for character dancing and one that is pliable enough to perform supple and lyrical dance steps associated with pliable shoes for jazz ballet.
Prior art high-heel dancing shoes have a full length metal shank which is completely inflexible, and thus would be unusable for movements including flexing or pointing, or other supple and pliable motions of the foot, although the shank does provide support. On the other hand, in order to increase the flexibility of high-heel dance shoes the design of the '251 patent cannot simply be extended without modification to high-heels, because higher heel shoes require additional structural support of a shank to prevent "bowing", which is the unwelcome severe bending of the middle part of the shoe, sometimes to the point of collapse. The use of a shank militates against maintaining the flexibility for a jazz dancing shoe. Therefore there is a need for a women's high heel dancing shoe which is structurally stable enough for performing character dancing steps, yet flexible enough for pointing and flexing; seemingly contradictory structural requirements for which there is no obvious solution. In particular there is a need for such a shoe that one can use without taps to perform such steps as brushing, gliding, jumping and turning.
In addition, the '251 patent is for a dance shoe that has closed sides. Many high-heeled dance shoes have open sides, meaning the shoe upper of the shoe is in two parts, the toe box and the heel cup (later referred to herein as the "upper toe box" and the "upper heel cup") with a space separating them. Consequently, the '251 patent cannot easily be adapted to a high-heeled shoe that is open sided.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

High-heeled jazz dancing and character dancing shoe


A method and an apparatus for connecting a portable terminal to a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) are provided. The method includes when a WLAN connection event occurs, performing a WLAN connection procedure by keeping a WLAN module in an awake state, and when the WLAN connection is complete, operating the WLAN module according to a Power Save Mechanism (PSM).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a method and an apparatus for connecting a portable terminal to a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN). More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for enhancing WLAN connection performance by turning on and off a Power Save Mechanism (PSM) function.
2. Description of the Related Art
Portable terminals are being researched and developed that have a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) function. More particularly, work is being done under the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard on techniques for reliable data transmission in the WLAN. For example, a method for guaranteeing reliability by using Request to Send/Confirm to Send (RTS/CTS) frames, as illustrated in FIG. 1, is suggested.
FIG. 1 illustrates a RTS/CTS scheme according to the related art.
Referring to FIG. 1, a source terminal (SRC) 111 having data 105 to transmit sends an RTS 101 to a destination terminal (DEST) 113. When the destination terminal 113 is capable of receiving data, the destination terminal 113 responds with a CTS 103. Another terminal (OTHER) 115 receiving the RTS/CTS is blocked from using the WLAN during times NAV(RTS) 121 and 123 required for the data transmission 105 by the source terminal 111, thereby guaranteeing reliable transmission.
Meanwhile, to reduce the power consumed by a WLAN module, the portable terminal adopts a Power Save Mechanism (PSM). An example of the PSM will be discussed below with reference to FIG. 2.
FIG. 2 illustrates a PSM according to the related art.
Referring to FIG. 2, when the portable terminal is compliant with the PSM, the portable terminal iteratively keeps the WLAN module in an awake state 203 based on a beacon interval 201 and switches the WLAN module to a sleep state 205. When there are packets to transmit and receive, the portable terminal stays in the awake state 203 by exchanging Traffic Indication Map (TIM)/ACKnowledgement (ACK) packets during the awake state 203 without transitioning into the sleep state 205. For example, when the portable terminal A 211 has a packet to send to the portable terminal B 213, the portable terminal A 211 transmits a TIM packet in the awake state 203. The portable terminal B 213, after receiving the TIM packet, sends an ACK to the portable terminal B 213 in the awake state 203 and then communicates data by exchanging packets without entering the sleep state 205. In contrast, the portable terminal C 215, which does not have any packets to transmit and receive, changes from the awake state 203 to the sleep state 205. Herein, each individual portable terminal using the PSM periodically stays in the awake state in order to receive multicast and broadcast packets, as described below with reference to FIG. 3.
FIG. 3 illustrates a relation between beacon and DTIM according to the related art.
Referring to FIG. 3, a beacon interval 301 and a Delivery Traffic Indication Map (DTIM) interval 303 are shown. The DTIM interval 303 is periodic. During the DTIM interval 303, each individual portable terminal using the PSM stays in the awake state in order to receive multicast and broadcast packets.
As for the multicast and broadcast frames, which are sent to an undefined number of the portable terminals, RTS/CTS may not be used and thus reliable transmission may not be achieved. Since the portable terminals using the PSM stay in the awake state to receive the multicast and broadcast packets only in the defined periodic interval, the portable terminals may not receive the multicast and broadcast frames. More specifically, in the WLAN connection procedure, the portable terminals may not receive the multicast and broadcast packets, such as Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) and Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP). Accordingly, a probability of a failure of the WLAN connection is high. Portable terminals compliant with the IEEE 802.11 standard have the PSM function enabled and thus the multicast and broadcast packets may not be received. As a result, the probability of the WLAN connection failure rises.

Method and apparatus for connecting portable terminal to WLAN


An endcap for a cylinder for use in a customization system for tubular articles. The endcap has a minimized geometry to maximize the surface area of the tubular article available for printing. The endcap may be limited in size so that the endcap is limited to an endface of the cylinder. The endcap may also have a shape that limits the amount of material in the endcap, such as an X-shape. The endcap may include a fast connection system such as a plurality of magnets for rapid loading and unloading of the articles on the cylinder.

The present invention relates generally to articles of clothing and in particular to a customization system for printing onto tubular articles.
Systems for printing onto three dimensional articles may utilize a structure such as a cylinder as part of the customization system for holding the three dimensional articles, such as in U.S. Patent Application Publication 2014/0299009.

Printing system including a minimalist endcap for a cylinder


A zoom lens substantially consists of a positive first lens group, a negative second lens group which moves from the object side to the image side while changing magnification from the wide angle end to the telephoto end, a negative third lens group, and a positive fourth lens group having an aperture stop St, wherein the first lens group includes a negative meniscus lens on the most-object side; the second lens group is composed of a negative second-a lens group having at least one aspheric surface and a positive second-b lens group, and the distance therebetween changes while changing magnification; a third lens group moves such that the distance between the third lens group and a fourth lens group at the telephoto end becomes narrower than at the wide angle end; and conditional expression (1) below is satisfied:1.89<N1a1  (1).

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a zoom lens suited for electronic cameras such as a digital camera, a video camera, a broadcasting camera, a movie camera, a surveillance camera, and the like, and to an imaging apparatus including the zoom lens.
2. Description of the Related Art
As broadcasting cameras and movie cameras are easily affected by changes in angle of view by focusing, a zoom lens of a four-group configuration, which corresponds to such cameras, usually applies a focus system in which a first lens group is composed of a first-a lens group having negative refractive power, a first-b lens group having positive refractive power, and a first-c lens group having positive refractive power; and only the first-b lens group is moved. Examples of such zoom lenses include those disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9 (1997)-015501, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10 (1998)-062686, and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2009-042346, for example.
In such zoom lenses having a first lens group composed of three groups as described above, a zoom lens of a five-group configuration which achieves a higher zoom ratio is proposed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10 (1998)-031157.
Furthermore, cinema cameras in particular require the same or higher performance compared with an imaging lens for a HDTV (high definition television). An example of a zoom lens which meets such a requirement is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-309761, for example.


A water-soluble composition of matter free of an added buffering agent, for electrolytically depositing a chromium oxide coating on a metal substrate is disclosed comprising a mixture of a complexing agent for a buffering agent such as a boron oxide complexing agent that might be introduced into the composition, a trivalent chromium compound, a weak chelating agent, an optional conductivity enhancing cation, an optional depolarizer, and an optional surfactant. A process is also described as well as a product obtained by the process.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention comprises a soluble composition of matter and process for electrolytically depositing a chromium oxide coating on a metal substrate from a bath containing a trivalent chromium compound.
2. Description of the Related Art
The majority of tin mills produce Electrolytic Chromium Coated Steel (ECCS) from chromium plating baths based on hexavalent chromium. Although the chromium layer provides protection for the steel or tin layer or zinc layer on the steel, the surface of the chromium is not especially suitable for applying other coatings since it is difficult to get other materials to adhere to it. Accordingly, the chromium metal is converted into a chromium oxide to promote adhesion. Strong oxidizing solutions such as hexavalent chromium solutions make a thin oxide on chromium automatically. A second step may be used for better control.
One of the difficulties with employing hexavalent chromium compounds in electrolytic coating baths for this process is that it is considered carcinogenic, teratogenic and toxic. As a result, use of these baths present occupational and environmental problems. Employing safe equipment such as ventilating and recovery systems to prevent atmospheric and water pollution as well as safe operating procedures that require highly trained and skilled operators minimize or avoid these problems.
Trivalent chromium compounds substantially eliminate or minimize occupational and environmental problems associated with hexavalent chromium. Trivalent chromium solutions, however, do not form oxide while plating the metal using prior art processes.
The prior art in one instance, teaches that the electrolytic deposition of chrome oxides from trivalent chromium baths proceeds in two steps, the first of which involves electrolytic deposition of chromium metal from a trivalent chromium bath, the second, a conversion of the chromium metal coating to a chromium oxide compound.
Specifically in this regard, Lavezzari, U.S. Pat. No. 4,520,077 describes both a two-step and a so-called "one-step" process for depositing chromium metal and chromium oxide from a trivalent chromium bath. The reaction deposits chromium metal and afterwards trivalent chromium in the bath also reacts to form a chromium hydroxide on the deposited chromium metal. A subsequent dehydration or oxidation process converts the chromium hydroxide to a chromium oxide. The patentee specifies that the electrolytically deposited trivalent chromium film transforms chemically into chromium hydroxide by an optimal combination of at least the electrolytic bath composition, temperature, types of anodes, and cathodic current density.
The one-step process of Lavezzari is directed to the formation of a two layer coating of chromium metal with a chromium hydroxide top coat in a single bath. The two-stage process deposits a chromium metal first coat in one bath and a chromium hydroxide coating in a second bath utilizing the same chemistry. In both the one-stage and two-stage processes, a boron oxide such as boric acid is added to the coating bath.
Shahin, U.S. Pat. No. 5,294,326 describes a composition for applying chromium metal from a trivalent chromium electrolytic coating bath which requires boric acid anywhere from about 50 grams per liter of the bath up to its solubility limit in the bath.
McMullen et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,450,052 also describe conventional trivalent chromium plating baths for the deposition of chromium metal which also contain boric acid. Lashmore et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,804,446; Lashmore, U.S. Pat. No. 4,461,680 and Huba et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,706,641 all describe electrodeposition of chromium metal from a trivalent chromium metal electrolyte which also employ boric acid as a component in the bath.
Benaben et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,612,091 describe a chromium electroplating bath based on trivalent chromium which is not chelated whereas, Tardy et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,460,438 describe a composition and a process for the electrolytic deposit of chromium from a trivalent chromium bath obtained by the reduction of chromic acid in a sulfuric medium by means of an excess of a reducing alcohol such as methanol.
The high speed electrolytic coating of steel, or other metals used on an industrial scale, requires high current densities. Industry presently uses current densities somewhere in the range of about 800 amps per square foot (ASF) and seeks the advantage of a composition and a process for forming chromium oxide coatings on steel or other metals at this or higher current densities. Higher current densities would increase production rates or line speeds if bath compositions were available that would allow plating at these conditions.
Industry also seeks the advantage of directly obtaining chromium oxide coatings from trivalent chromium compositions which have high surface area and may chemically bond to the coating so that other coatings such as organic coatings e.g., epoxy coatings, phenolic coatings and buff-vinyl coatings would adequately adhere to the chromium oxide substrate.
Manufacturers also want to obtain the advantage of a composition and a method for electrolytically depositing chromium coatings from trivalent chromium compositions at plating efficiencies of from about 30 to about 40 percent or greater, and at current densities from about 500 to about 1000 ASF.
The coating industry also wants the advantage of a composition and a process for depositing chromium oxide coatings in an amount up to or greater than about 2 mg/ft.sup.2 and especially coating weights greater than about 0.4 mg/ft.sup.2 that will provide excellent adhesion of coatings such as organic coatings e.g., epoxy coatings, phenolic coatings and buff-vinyl coatings and other coatings known in the art.
Jones and Shahin in application Ser. No. 08/469,020 filed Jun. 6, 1995, now abandoned, describe a process for obtaining chromium oxide coatings from a trivalent chromium compound. It was discovered in this process that boric acid and similar boron oxide compounds act as buffering agents to stabilize the pH of the chrome plating bath composition during the electroplating operation. Stabilizing the pH of the bath at somewhere around 2.5 promotes the deposition of chrome metal in the electrolytic coating process. The buffering agents substantially minimize or eliminate any increases in pH that occur in the cathode film of the cell. Jones and Shahin, however, eliminated added buffers or boron oxide compounds from the trivalent chromium oxide composition in order to make the pH increase faster in the cathode film. This faster increase in pH allows for the direct formation of chrome oxides on the cathode. It was found that the trivalent chromium at higher pH's formed oligomers unlike hexavalent chromium compounds, and readily plated on most metallic surfaces directly to form a chromium oxide during the plating process.
Electrolytic chromium coated steel (ECCS) sometimes referred to as tin free steel or TFS, as described by Shahin in U.S. Pat. No. 5,294,326 applied from trivalent chromium baths avoid the problems associated with hexavalent chromium. The trivalent chromium baths, however, contain boric acid or boron oxide compounds or other similar buffering agents.
Employing a chromium metal-chromium oxide two bath high speed production line, in which the first bath contains TFS trivalent chromium and a boron oxide buffering agent as described by Shahin, and the second trivalent chromium free of boron oxide buffers to promote chromium oxide production, as described by Shahin and Jones, encounters a problem because of the high line speeds employed in the TFS manufacturing process. There is considerable drag-out from the vessel containing the first plating bath into the vessel containing second plating bath used to deposit an oxide film. Running the production line for some time, drags or introduces boric acid or other boron oxide compounds or buffering agents into the second plating vessel which must be free of these compounds in order to deposit a chrome oxide film. As a result chromium deposition on the substrate increases and protective chromium oxide film production decreases or is substantially terminated.
It would be an advantage, therefore, to provide a process and a composition that eliminates or minimizes the buildup of boric acid, other boron oxide compounds or other buffering agents in the second plating vessel as a result of this drag-out.
These and other advantages are obtained according to the present invention which comprises a composition, process and product obtained by the process which substantially obviates one or more of the limitations and disadvantages of the described prior compositions, processes and products.
The present invention comprises a water soluble composition and a process for electrolytically depositing chromium oxide coatings directly from trivalent chromium as well as a product produced by the process in which the foregoing and other disadvantages are overcome.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the composition, process and product obtained by the process, particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof.

Deposition of chromium oxides from a trivalent chromium solution containing a complexing agent for a buffer


A semiconductor structure having a body capacitance plate, which is formed with a process that assures that the body capacitance plate is self-aligned to both the source line (SL) diffusion and the bitline diffusion is provided. Thus the amount of overlap between the SL and the bitline diffusions and the body capacitance plate is precisely controlled. More specifically, the present invention forms the structure of a 1T-capacitorless SOI body charge storage cell having sidewall capacitor plates using a process that assures that there is 1) minimal overlap between plate and source/drain diffusions, and 2) that the minimal overlap obtained in the present invention is precisely controlled and is not subject to alignment tolerances. The inventive cell results in larger signal margin, improved performance, smaller chip size, and reduced dynamic power dissipation relative to the prior art.

Several one transistor (1T)-capacitorless cells that store charge in the body of a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) are known in the art. Both the Fazan cell (See, for example, IEEE Electron Device Letters, Vol. 23, No. 2, February 2002) and the Toshiba cell (See, for example, IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, Vol. 37, No. 11, November 2002) are examples of such cells.
The Toshiba cell improves upon the Fazan cell by enhancing the body capacitance with a conducting plate coupled to the sidewall of the SOI layer through a dielectric. The plate is connected to the substrate through the buried oxide-(BOX) of the SOI. Although the Toshiba cell results in enhanced body charge, and improves the distinction between a "0" (minimum quantity of body majority carriers) and a "1" (maximum accumulation of majority carriers), due to alignment tolerances the amount of overlap between the plate-bitline diffusion and plate-source diffusion varies randomly from cell to cell, and across the chip. This random variation in overlap adds a parasitic capacitance that increases the average bitline capacitance. This increased bitline capacitance results in a combination of slower performance, increased chip area (because larger drivers are required to compensate for the larger parasitic capacitance), and increased dynamic power dissipation.
In view of the above drawbacks with prior art 1T-capacitorless cells, there is a need to provide such as cell that avoids excessive overlap of the body capacitor plate with the bitline diffusion.

Body capacitor for SOI memory description

International Business Machines Corporation