The present invention provides an odorless toilet comprising an adapter ring compressed between a toilet horn and a sewer pipe flange and having a hollow core, an adapter inlet and an exhaust vent; a seat having at least one intake port, a gas cavity and a gas cavity exhaust port; a fan having a fan inlet and a fan exhaust, the fan inlet connected to the gas cavity exhaust port and the fan exhaust connected to the adapter inlet, wherein when the fan is operating, a negative pressure develops in the seat gas cavity, and the odor is pulled into the seat gas cavity through at least one intake port and exhausted from the gas cavity exhaust port to the adapter inlet and then channeled into a sewer pipe through the exhaust vent, wherein the exhaust vent of the adapter ring extends below the sewer pipe flange, wherein the adapter ring has an opening through the center to allow unobstructed passage of waste matter from the toilet horn to a sewer pipe when the toilet is flushed.

Numerous approaches have been taken to address the embarrassing and unpleasant problem of toilet order. To date, the most prevalent approach has been to employ a ceiling fan to evacuate odor. Ceiling fans are an inefficient solution because they not only remove odor from a toilet bowl but also the surrounding air in the bathroom at large.
This may cause a stark cooling of the bathroom in winter due to the evacuation of warm air. In addition, the ceiling fan may cause the unintended heating of bathroom in summer due to the evacuation of cooled air. Furthermore, ceiling fans invariably require time to clear the air from a room because they imprecisely draw air up several feet from the toilet bowl up to the ceiling, thereby unnecessarily filtering the ambient air of the bathroom.
The prior art also discloses several configurations for removing odors from a toilet employing a ventilated seat to draw odors from the vicinity of the toilet bowl. Several of these patents disclose a system for evacuating odor through an exhaust vent to a remote location such as unused attic space or outdoors.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,355,536 discloses a bathroom exhaust system that includes a ventilated toilet seat assembly, one or more exhaust lines connected to the ventilated toilet seat through a mounting block attached to the toilet bowl behind the toilet seat and an exhaust fan located in or adjacent to the ceiling of the bathroom. The exhaust fan is vented to the outside atmosphere and is controlled by an electrical switch mounted on the wall of the bathroom. The ventilated toilet seat assembly includes a toilet seat that has a hollow interior and a plurality of vent apertures permitting communication with the interior of the toilet bowl. An exhaust line is provided at the rear of the toilet seat and cooperates with an exhaust passageway in a mounting block attached to the top of the toilet bowl just in front of the water tank and behind the toilet seat. The mounting block also includes the hinges for pivoting the toilet seat. One or more exhaust couplings extend from the end of the mounting block and a flexible exhaust hosing is attached to the exhaust couplings and extends to the exhaust fan located in an exhaust fan housing in the ceiling of the bathroom.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,103,925 B2 discloses an odor eliminating system utilizing an air pump to remove odors from a bowl of a toilet to a trap of the toilet. By moving the odors to the trap, the odors cannot escape back to the bowl and can only proceed out of the toilet to the sewer. The system can be adapted to existing toilets by drilling a channel to the trap or the system can be incorporated into new toilets. To retrofit an existing toilet, a channel is drilled in the porcelain unified body of the toilet to a spot above the water level in the inverted-U-section of the trap. To prevent water that is flushed from the toilet from escaping through the channel, the channel should be sloped downward (preferably vertically) into the trap. For example, the channel can be formed by drilling a channel from the top of the toilet, near the seat into the trap. The outlet tube is then connected to the channel. To prevent the odors from escaping and to prevent sewer gases from escaping the trap, the outlet tube must fit in an airtight manner.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,117,548 B1 discloses a toilet ventilation system for use with a typical toilet. The system comprises a seat of an oval shape matching the toilet. A pair of seat swivel mounts at a rear of the seat are attached to a toilet bowl top. A plurality of vacuum intake holes are disposed on a lower side of the seat. A vacuum canal is enclosed within the seat and communicates with the vacuum intake holes. The vacuum canal terminates in a flexible vacuum outlet proximal to one swivel mount. A vacuum hose is connected to the flexible vacuum outlet. A conical vacuum pump is connected to the vacuum hose. An electric vacuum motor is integrally connected within the vacuum pump, and a check valve is integrally disposed within a top of the conical vacuum pump, whereby exhausted gasses are prevented from returning through the check valve. An exhaust is connected to the check valve such that the conical vacuum pump, integral vacuum motor, integral check valve, and exhaust are fitted within a bowl cavity of the toilet. A sewer hose is connected to the exhaust and exits the bowl cavity and connects to a sewer pipe below the toilet, such that the sewer hose is concealed within the bowl cavity, a floor, and the sewer pipe below the toilet.
These approaches do not present an optimal system for removing odors because they require extensive physical alterations to bathroom plumbing and ventilation systems. An approach requiring the drilling of a hole in the floor or sewer line is difficult and labor intensive. Moreover, many toilets located on the ground floor would require the formidable task drilling of a hole through concrete in order to reach the sewer pipe.
Retrofitting of existing toilets may also create problems under the approaches set forth in the prior art. Drilling a channel through layers of toilet porcelain can be a difficult task for the average homeowner. Building codes in certain jurisdictions may preclude the drilling of holes in ventilating cast iron pipes. Lastly, potential users could be deterred from invasive systems that require the drilling of holes into expensive marble or granite.
In light of the shortcomings in the prior art, a system for odor removal is desired that employs a ventilated seat to evacuate odor into a sewer pipe without requiring the drilling of holes into walls, flooring or the sewer pipe. The ideal system will require the minimal amount of alternations to the existing toilet infrastructure, have a low-cost, and will be widely applicable to any toilet without requiring major modifications to conventional toilets currently on the market. The present invention solves these problems.


For obtaining a natural-looking hair without excessive volume compared with traditional hair extensions, there are provided a hair extension and manufacturing & attaching method of the same, comprising a linearly extending base member (200); a plurality of hair extension strands (300) to be provided longitudinally along the base member (200), each of the plurality of hair extension strands (300) including a knot part (310) being a knot formed on the base member (200) and a hair part (330) extending from the knot part (310); and a fixing part (400) to be fixed to a portion of the hair part (330) so as to be adjacent to the base member (200) for connecting the plurality of the hair extension strands (300) to the hair of a subject.

Wigs are formed by hand sewing strands of hair onto a cap made of a thin net and artificial skin and are worn over bald spots or on the entire head to improve a wearer's hairstyle.
Hair extensions may be used to change the length of the wearer's hair or to create unique hairstyles, Hair extensions are numerous strands of natural or artificial hair cut into predetermined lengths and formed into a bundle.
Generally, there are tape-in type hair extensions, ring type hair extensions and knot type hair extensions, and hair extensions in which a plurality of strands of hair is tied to a string-like base part have also been proposed. (See, for example, Patent Literature 1).
Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2006-70376

Hair extension and manufacturing and attaching method of the same


The valve unit includes: a body having a charging passage; a supply-side joint that connects a supply pipe; and a check valve that is disposed in the gas passage, and that inhibits gas from being discharged from the gas tank to the outside of the body. The check valve includes a check valve seat, a check valve element that comes into contact with or moves away from the check valve seat, and a positioning member that fixes the position of the check valve seat in the charging passage. The body has a fitting hole which is communicated with the charging passage and in which the supply-side joint and the positioning member are fitted. The positioning member is fitted in a second fitting hole so as to fix the position of the check valve seat even when the supply-side joint has not been fitted in a first fitting hole.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a valve unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a gas tank mounted in, for example, a fuel cell vehicle is provided with a valve unit used to control the supply and discharge of high-pressure hydrogen gas reserved in the gas tank. The valve unit includes a body in which a gas passage that provides communication between the inside and the outside of the gas tank is formed, and a valve mechanism used to control the flow of the hydrogen gas flowing through the gas passage. As described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-29161 (JP 2013-29161 A), the gas passage is coupled to a pipe extending from external equipment such as a hydrogen gas supply source, via a joint fitted to the body.
Specifically, a body 121 of a valve unit described in JP 2013-29161 A has an fitting hole 123 in which a joint 122 is fitted, as illustrated in FIG. 6. A charging passage 124, which serves as a gas passage through which hydrogen gas is charged into a gas tank, is formed in the body 121. The charging passage 124 opens at the bottom face of the fitting hole 123. The pipe 125 is coupled to the joint 122 to connect the pipe 125 to the charging passage 124.
A check valve 132 that inhibits the hydrogen gas from being discharged externally from the fitting hole 123 is disposed in the charging passage 124. The fitting hole 123-side end portion of the charging passage 124 has a diameter-increased portion 133 that opens at the bottom face of the fitting hole 123, and a valve accommodation portion 134 located adjacent to the diameter-increased portion 133. The valve accommodation portion 134 has an inner diameter that is smaller than that of the diameter-increased portion 133 but larger than that of the other portion of the charging passage 124. The check valve 132 includes: a valve seat 136 having a valve port 135 formed at the center of the valve seat 136; a valve element 137 that moves away from or comes into contact with the valve element 137 to open or close the valve port 135 and the charging passage 124; and an urging member 138 that urges the valve element 137 toward the valve seat 136. When the hydrogen gas is not charged into the gas tank, in the check valve 132, the valve element 137 is urged toward the valve seat 136 by the pressure of the hydrogen gas and the urging force of the urging member 138 to be seated in the valve seat 136. Thus, the valve port 135 of the valve seat 136 is closed. As a result, it is possible to inhibit the hydrogen gas from being discharged from the charging passage 124.
The valve seat 136 is fitted in the diameter-increased portion 133, and is pressed, by a plug 142 disposed in a through-hole 141 of the joint 122, against a step face 143 located between the diameter-increased portion 133 and the valve accommodation portion 134. Thus, the position of the valve seat 136 in the charging passage 124 is fixed (restricted). Therefore, if a worker attempts to remove the joint 122 from the fitting hole 123 by mistake after the hydrogen gas is charged into the gas tank, the position of the valve seat 136 may be offset from the proper position. This raises a possibility that the valve element 137 will fail to firmly close the valve port 135 of the valve seat 136 and the function of the check valve 132 will not be sufficiently fulfilled. Thus, improvement of the reliability of the check valve 132 has been demanded.

Valve unit comprising a check valve device


An antimicrobial ceramic glazing composition comprising zinc borate for imparting antimicrobial characteristics to numerous ceramic products. A method for producing the antimicrobial glazing composition and ceramic products incorporating the antimicrobial glazing composition.

The field of providing products with built-in antimicrobial protection has grown tremendously over the past several years. What once started out as a premium or novel option for high-end consumer products and medical devices has now grown into a mainstream characteristic found in many consumer products. Consumers can go to any home improvement center and see dozens if not hundreds of products that claim some degree of resistance to microbiological growth or contamination. Some major retailers have specific sections devoted to such antimicrobial products.
Antibacterial products have been introduced into plastics, textiles, liquids, metal coatings, and an array of other types of materials. However, there remain several areas of consumer and commercial products in which development of commercially viable antimicrobial products has proven difficult. One such area is ceramic coatings.
Ceramic coatings are commonly used in products that store, treat, or transport water and liquid waste. Ceramic toilets, urinals, bidets, bathroom basins, flooring tiles and other bathroom fixtures are probably the most common example of such products.
Ceramic products used to collect and transport water are often stained by scum and films of biologic origin (e.g., bacteria, fungus, mold, mildew). To date, the primary method of removing biological scum and film from these ceramic products has been to abrade the ceramic surface in the presence of topical cleaning agent. This process is time consuming and provides little or no protection against future growth. Some cleaning agents can damage the surface of the ceramic product. Therefore there is great interest in the development of ceramic coatings that have built-in protection against the growth and proliferation of microbes.
A few such built-in antimicrobial coatings are described in the ceramic literature but they have not seen commercial success. Existing technologies are somewhat limited. For example, the high temperatures used in ceramic firing processes typically preclude the use of organic antimicrobial agents. Inorganic silver-based antibacterials are too expensive. Zinc oxide is known as having antimicrobial characteristics and has been used in the preparation of ceramic glazing compositions. However, known ceramic glazing compositions that rely solely upon zinc oxide as an antimicrobial agent have not shown antimicrobial efficacy sufficient for control of microbial growth and proliferation on ceramic surfaces. Accordingly, there is a need for a low-cost ceramic coating that has built-in antimicrobial protection.
Thus, one object of the present invention is to provide a new and useful antimicrobial ceramic coating that can impart antimicrobial characteristics in a wide range of products.
A still further object of the invention is to provide this ceramic coating at a cost that is acceptable to the marketplace. Furthermore, this antimicrobial ceramic coating should be safe to humans, exhibit commercially acceptable antimicrobial properties, and most importantly, be compatible with existing ceramic production processes.
These and other objects are achieved by the claimed invention, which in one embodiment is an antimicrobial ceramic glazing composition comprising a quantity of zinc borate sufficient to achieve a commercially acceptable level of antimicrobial efficacy. In preferred embodiments this ceramic glazing composition also comprises a quantity of zinc oxide.
In a further embodiment, the invention is a ceramic article that exhibits antimicrobial properties. The ceramic article according to the invention has at least one surface and a glaze on a portion of that surface. The glaze comprises a quantity of zinc borate sufficient to achieve a commercially acceptable level of antimicrobial efficacy. In preferred embodiments this ceramic glazing composition also comprises a quantity of zinc oxide.
In yet another embodiment, the invention is a method of making an antimicrobial ceramic glaze and a method of making a ceramic article comprising the antimicrobial ceramic glaze.


In a method for characterizing a road surface beneath a moving vehicle whose powertrain includes a torque converter coupling the engine to a driven wheel, a set of successive values for the torque converter's slip error rate is generated using filtered values for engine speed and torque converter turbine speed. The road surface characteristic is identified based on the set of slip error rate values, as through a comparison of the set with a plurality of case statements, wherein each case statement corresponds with a different road characteristic and/or general surface type. Weighted average values are calculated based on subsets of the values within the set, for use in identifying transitions from one type of surface to another, or one surface characteristic to another. Indicated slip error rates generated in response to changes in an engine torque demand request are also identified to avoid a false indication.

It is often desirable to be able to ascertain a characteristic of a road surface that is beneath a moving vehicle, for example, whether the road surface is smooth or rough, pavement or gravel/sand, and hard-packed or loose-packed, and whether the vehicle is encountering a surface irregularity such as a pothole, broken pavement, or a railroad crossing, in order to modify certain vehicle operating parameters including, by way of example only, a target vehicle acceleration rate, a preferred automatic transmission gear selection and shift timing, and a projected/target braking (vehicle deceleration) rates.
Typically, a plurality of wheel speed sensors, often associated with the vehicle's antilock braking system (ABS), are employed to detect wheel slip at a driven wheel in response to the application of a braking torque to that wheel, as when actuating the wheel's associated brakes in either a vehicle braking mode or a traction control (controlled vehicle-accelerating applied wheel torque with simultaneous wheel braking) mode, and comparing the resulting change in detected wheel speed to the detected speed of other of the vehicle's wheels. However, in addition to likely requiring additional hardware in the form of wheel speed sensors at all four corners of the vehicle, such methods are necessarily limited to obtaining road surface characteristics during braking and traction-control events and, hence, do not provide any road surface information at any other time, as when the vehicle is otherwise operating at a relatively-steady speed or accelerating without engaging the traction control mode.

Method and code for determining characteristic of road surface beneath moving vehicle


A method and a system for interrogating an optical fiber includes a probe signal that has a first frequency comb at a first repetition rate (Δf) injected into the optical fiber. A backscattering signal that includes the probe signal convolved with an impulse response of the optical fiber in reflection which is sensitive to at least one parameter being measured from the optical fiber is gathered. The backscattering signal is beaten with a local oscillator signal to generate a beating signal, the local oscillator signal including a second frequency comb at a second repetition rate that is offset from the first repetition rate (Δf+δf) and being mutually coherent with the first frequency comb. The resulting beating signal is analysed to thereby determine the at least one parameter being measured from the optical fiber.

In distributed fiber optic sensing, fiber optic waveguides are generally used as sensors. In the last few years, distributed sensors based on backscattering processes have become a prominent sensing tool for a wide number of applications, such as the monitoring of perimeters for safety purposes, the detection of events like earthquakes or ocean gravity waves, or the monitoring of structural health in different infrastructures, among many others. These systems based on distributed fiber optic sensors can replace configurations based on arrays of hundreds or thousands of point sensors, reducing the complexity and the installation and maintenance cost of the systems, since the sensing and the data transmission are carried out on a single optical fiber cable.
In such systems, it is desirable to spatially divide the fiber optic waveguide, which may range from a few meters to many kilometres long, into discrete sensing regions so that the optical fiber is transformed into a dense array of sensors. These sensors are not placed in or attached to the fiber, but instead are created by the way the optical fiber is interrogated. Ideally, the dense array of sensors will have spacing between the sensors down to the level of a few meters, a few centimetres or even less, so as to achieve a very fine spatial resolution.
There are many ways to interrogate a distributed fiber optic sensor, but all of these interrogation methods require sending optical energy into the optical fiber to produce a backscattered light signal which is analysed to extract spatially-resolved measurements of physical or chemical properties in proximity to the fiber, such as, temperature, vibration, static or dynamic strain, chemical concentration or pressure, among others. The backscatter signal generated may include one or a combination of Rayleigh, Brillouin, or Raman backscatterings.
In order to be able to use the backscatter signal as an array of sensors spaced closely along the optical fiber, a method of multiplexing, or dividing up the backscatter response generated in the optical fiber can be used. To do so, the interrogation of the optical fiber can be performed either in frequency or in time domain, by application of Frequency-Domain (OFDR, Optical Frequency Domain Reflectometry) or Time-Domain (OTDR, Optical Time Domain Reflectometry) techniques. These two techniques allow interrogating optical fibers of different lengths with a range of spatial resolutions, i.e., from hundreds of meters with millimetre resolution (using OFDR technique) to >100 km with resolutions of meters or tens of meters (using OTDR technique).
Phase-sensitive OTDR ((φ)OTDR) is a coherent time-domain sensing technique that is normally used for performing distributed strain and temperature sensing. In (φ)OTDR, the propagation of a short probe pulse along an optical Fiber-Under-Test (FUT) generates a backscatter signal, which provides information about each position along the fiber through Time-of-Flight (ToF) measurements. The spatial resolution of the (φ)OTDR technique scales with the employed pulse width, being typically 1 meter per 10 ns of pulse duration.
Thus, for attaining high-resolution measurements, the use of short pulse interrogation signals with high bandwidths is compulsory, and accordingly, high-frequency electronics in photo-detection (hundreds of MHz or GHz) are required. As the resolution is increased, the bandwidth required is increased in the same amount and the noise performance of the receivers is degraded, thereby adversely affecting the integrity of the sensed parameters. Moreover, this also implies significant challenges in the data acquisition, storage and processing requirements of the developed systems, and also significant costs in the developed solutions. These are all clear drawbacks of typical phase-sensitive OTDR systems.
Therefore, there is still a need in the state of the art of (φ)OTDR-based methods and systems for interrogating optical fibers which are able to overcome, or to at least significantly mitigate, the above cited drawbacks.

Method and system for interrogating optical fibers


Access points for supporting wireless communications, a packet transmission device, and terminals for handing-over between service areas are provided. An existing terminal is provided with respect to this access point for performing a Quality of Source (QoS) guarantee. Accordingly, when a new terminal is handed over to be engaged in wireless communications with this access point, the priority of the packet associated with the existing terminal and/or new terminal is changed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wireless communications system provided with a hand-over (automatic change-over of an access point with respect to a terminal) for engaging in wireless communications with an access point. Then, the present invention relates to a technology for guaranteeing QoS (quality of service) in this kind of wireless communications system.
2. Description of the Related Art
This kind of wireless communications system allows a terminal to move between service areas of an access point.
Then, when the terminal moves from a service area of the access point to a service area of the next access point, the connection of the terminal is automatically changed over (handed over) to the next access point.
That is, in this kind of wireless communications system, the terminal has a hand-over function.
Furthermore, as seen from the next access point, this terminal which has moved to its own service area is a new terminal. Here, when no existing terminal which is already connected to this access point is present, no malfunction is caused even when the new terminal is connected to this access point.
However, when there is an existing terminal which is already connected to the next access point, some malfunctions may be caused in the wireless communications in a competition between the existing terminal and new terminal.
Hereinafter, this point will be explained by citing an example. FIG. 8 is a schematic view of a conventional wireless communications system.
In the wireless communications system shown in FIG. 8, there are two terminals; a terminal 1 and a terminal 2.
At present, terminal 1 exists in the service area of access point 3 to be connected therewith. Furthermore, terminal 2 exists in the service area of access point 4 to be connected therewith.
An access point 3 and terminal 1, and access point 4 and terminal 2 are connected by a link having a transmission bandwidth of 10 Mbps. To terminal 1 and terminal 2, packets 6 and 7 of the image data (MPEG 2: 6 Mbps) with the same priority (here, the priority is "medium") are transmitted.
Furthermore, packet transmission device 5 has an access point 3 and an access point 4 under the control of the device. Packet transmission device 5 and access point 3, and packet transmission device 5 and access point 4 are connected by a communications line of 100 Mbps. Furthermore, for guaranteeing QoS, either or all of packet transmission device 5, access point 3, and access point 4 are provided with QoS guarantee means which is configured of a scheduler, a shaper, and a queue. With the QoS guarantee means, the priority of the packet which flows through the wireless communications system shown in FIG. 8 is controlled.
Furthermore, the "packet transmission device 5" described here has various forms such as a gateway (including a home gateway), a router, a switch or a board which serves as a major function. However, any form will do.
Then, in the condition shown in FIG. 8, only communications less than the transmission bandwidth is provided with respect to any of the terminals. Consequently, both terminal 1 and terminal 2 can receive communications without any malfunction at all.

Wireless communications system, packet transmission device used in the system, and access point

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


Disclosed herein is an aluminum alloy clad sheet for a heat exchanger including a core layer, a sacrificial layer formed on one surface of the core layer, and a filler layer including an Al—Si based alloy formed on the other surface of the core layer. The core layer includes a predetermined amount of Si, Cu, Mn, Ti, and Mg, the remainder including Al and inevitable impurities, and the sacrificial layer includes a predetermined amount of Si, Mn, and Zn, the remainder including Al and inevitable impurities. The core layer has a crystal grain size after the brazing heat treatment at 595° C. for 3 minutes of at least 50 μm and less than 300 μm. The filler layer and the sacrificial layer are defined for their thickness, and the number of intermetallic compounds in the core layer is also defined to a predetermined range. By such constitution, the aluminum alloy clad sheet has improved fatigue life and post-braze strength, high corrosion resistance, and excellent erosion resistance and brazeability.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an aluminum alloy clad sheet used for an automobile heat exchanger. This invention also relates to its production method.
2. Description of the Related Art
In producing a tube for an automobile heat exchanger such as evaporator or condenser, an aluminum alloy brazing sheet (hereinafter also referred to as a clad sheet) is generally used for the production.
Various aluminum alloy clad sheets have been disclosed for such application, and an exemplary such clad sheet is an aluminum alloy clad sheet including a core layer including an aluminum alloy, a filler layer including an Al—Si-based alloy formed on one surface of the core layer, and a sacrificial anode material layer including an Al—Zn-based alloy formed on the other surface of the core layer. In this clad sheet, fatigue life (fatigue strength), corrosion resistance, erosion resistance, brazeability, and the like have been improved by limiting the composition of the core layer, the filler layer, and the sacrificial anode material (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. H8-60280, H9-95749, and 2004-17116).
Conventional clad sheet, however, suffered from the problems as described below.
The clad sheets described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Nos. H8-60280 and H 9-95749 had the problem that their use was difficult for a brazing tube in which the surface of the filler layer would be joined with the surface of the sacrificial layer since the sacrificial layer had magnesium added thereto. The clad sheet of Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2004-17116 suffers from the risk of the loss of post-braze strength and the loss of fatigue life (fatigue strength) since average crystal grain size of the core layer after the brazing heat treatment is at least 300 μm.
In the automobile heat exchanger, attempts have been made to reduce the thickness of the clad sheet. However, further reduction in the thickness is strongly requested for reducing the weight, size, and cost of the heat exchanger. In order to reduce the thickness, the clad sheet should have an improved fatigue life and post-braze strength as well as high corrosion resistance and good erosion resistance, and brazeability.
While the level of the fatigue life, post-braze strength, corrosion resistance, erosion resistance, and brazeability has been improved in the conventional clad sheets, there is a demand for the development of a clad sheet having an even more improved fatigue life and post-braze strength and higher corrosion resistance as well as excellent erosion resistance and brazeability in order to realize the reduced thickness of the clad sheet.

Aluminum alloy clad sheet for a heat exchanger and its production method


A heat exchange conduit includes a conduit body extending along a longitudinal axis between an inlet at one end thereof and an outlet at an opposed end. The conduit body has at least one conduit wall. At least one of said conduit walls is a heat-exchange wall shaped to be in heat exchange relationship with an object or fluid in contact therewith. An elongated turbulence strip is disposed within the conduit body and extends along a length thereof. The turbulence strip has longitudinally spaced-apart flow impact walls. Each flow impact wall has a peripheral rim and is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. A flow gap for fluid flow is defined between at least a portion of the peripheral rim of each flow impact wall and an adjacent inner surface of the at least one conduit wall.

Heated water is often rejected to the surrounding environment while still warm and thus becomes waste water. The heat in the waste water often has economic value, as it can be used to heat another fluid and save on heating costs.
A number of heat exchangers are known, but typically suffer from limited effectiveness with respect to heat transfer, relatively high cost and/or relatively large volume. Furthermore, some heat exchangers reduce the pressure of the fluid flowing through them.

Heat exchange conduit and heat exchanger


A time-to-breakdown for a dielectric layer in a semiconductor device is determined based upon a sudden change in capacitance. An alternating voltage, greater in magnitude than an operating voltage of the device, is applied to the semiconductor device, capacitance is measured across the dielectric layer during the application of the voltage until a sudden change in capacitance occurs, thereby indicating a breakdown in the dielectric layer, and the breakdown time is scaled to the operating voltage.

There is a constant drive within the semiconductor industry to increase the quality, reliability, performance, and throughput and to reduce the cost of integrated circuit devices, e.g., microprocessors, memory devices, and the like. This drive has resulted in improvement in the manufacture of semiconductor devices, e.g., transistors, as well as in the manufacture of integrated circuit devices incorporating such transistors. Reduction in defects in the manufacture of the components of a typical transistor lowers the overall cost per transistor as well as the cost of integrated circuit devices incorporating such transistors.
Improved performance capability of integrated circuit devices has been obtained by increasing the operating speed of transistors. Greater operating speed is related to decreasing the gate length of the transistors. However, decreases in gate length require scaling down of the entire device, thereby reducing the thicknesses of the gate dielectric (Gox) and the inter-layer dielectric (ILD).
To insure the reliability of the Gox and ILD layers, semiconductor manufacturers typically conduct several tests. One such test evaluates the qualities and capabilities of the dielectric layers by determining the time-dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB) of the layers. The Gox or ILD is subjected to a constant (DC) voltage stress over time and its "time to fail" is determined. The time at which the Gox or ILD breaks down is measured by detecting when a sudden leakage current short occurs, as evidenced by an abrupt increase in leakage current.
However, integrated transistors and interconnection wires are typically operated by rapid activation and deactivation of components (on/off mode), in contrast to application of a constant DC voltage bias. A much greater component lifetime should be expected than would be indicated by the above described TDDB test because less stress is imposed on the transistor with alternating on/off application of voltage. Thus conventional test setups that determine leakage short detection by application of a DC voltage present disadvantages.
A current solution is illustrated in FIG. 1. A mechanical switch is used to connect, alternately, between two different voltage levels, V1 and V2. For example, a V2 level of +20V may be applied to the circuit between alternate applications of ground (V1). During rapid switching between V1 and V2, AC oscillation occurs and leakage current cannot be measured. The test requires a period 101 in which constant DC voltage is applied, illustrated at the V2 level, inserted between periods 103 and 105 of rapid voltage switching. During the time period 101, which is typically in the order of about ten seconds, leakage current is sensed.
This method has several disadvantages. The manual voltage switching severely limits the AC frequency to a maximum of about 100 kilohertz (kHz), which is significantly lower than the typical operating frequency of about one gigahertz (GHz) for the semiconductor elements. Also, the manual voltage switching creates a detectable level of voltage overshoot. Moreover, any Gox or ILD breakdown that may occur during the AC stress periods 103 and 105 would not be detected at the time of breakdown, as sensing occurs during the application of constant DC voltage, period 101. The time to fail becomes subjective, since it depends on the duration set for the unsensed AC stress. If the AC stress period is set too long, the periodicity of leakage sense becomes very low, which affects the time resolution of the measurement and risks missing an important breakdown event during period 103 or period 105. If the AC stress is set too short, the 10 second DC sense duration becomes dominant and the AC component becomes less significant and, thereby, meaningless.
As leakage current is not measured while AC voltage bias is being applied, the degree of improvement of this method, compared with the constant DC TDDB method is speculative. With aggressive semiconductor scaling in terms of rapidly reducing the Gox and ILD layers, TDDB lifetime is currently one of the most critical limiting factors in pushing the operating limits of semiconductor chip products.
A need therefore exists for a method for more accurately determining the TDDB of Gox and ILD layers under conditions that mimic operating conditions, including application of AC voltage at a relatively high frequency.

Dielectric breakdown lifetime enhancement using alternating current (AC) capacitance


A set of four brake assemblies are arranged to grasp a guide railing in a pneumatic vacuum elevator cylinder. The brake assemblies are each attached to a seal of the cabin or vehicular compartment traveling within the cylinder and to a structural support member within the vehicle. Additionally, each set has a pair of brakes utilizing a spring actuated shaft indirectly connected to the cabin seal through a lever attached to the brake back plate. This lever acts on a rod device directly connected to the cabin seal in order to take advantage of a pressure differential for the opening and closing of the individual brakes.

(1) Field of the Invention
Relating to improvements in controls utilized to move a pneumatic type elevator. More specifically, relating to improvements in a vacuum brake controlling the movement of a pneumatic elevator cabin inside of its cylinder.
When there is a loss of differential pressure it is very important to be able to brake a pneumatic elevator so as to ensure the safety of any occupants and of the cabin itself. Current technologies employ a set of teeth or brail-like protrusions on the surface of the brake; these are specifically designed to retard the descent of the cabin or vehicle as needed. Even though there are other brakes in the market all of these require electrical power, a slot to anchor the brake to, a tensioned cable from the controls, and or an electrical sensor to activate. Thus, it would be advantageous to make a brake that does not suffer from any of the aforementioned deficiencies.


Apparatus and methodology are disclosed for providing effective transmission of data to and/or from an electricity meter by providing embedded radio frequency components. An antenna and stripline or microline filter arrangement are provided as embedded components in association with a transmitter or transceiver portion of the electricity meter's metrology circuitry so as to provide control of out of band harmonic radiation and to provide enhanced signal transmission to and/or from the electricity meter, to accomplish automated meter reading communications or similar. The antenna element is configured and mounted such that, once the electricity meter is fully assembled, the meter case itself can be used as part of a radiating element. An overall resulting integrated design can achieve greater economy utilizing printed circuit board approaches with no additional parts, and with less uncontrolled surface radiation because of the otherwise buried or embedded structure.

The present subject matter concerns both apparatus and methodology in such areas, including the use of embedded components in relation to printed circuit board components, for forming a transmitter or transceiver associated with an electricity meter.
A general object of metrology is to monitor a physical phenomenon to permit a record of the monitored event(s). If the ability to communicate recorded measurements or monitored data is impeded, then the basic purpose of the metering device and/or effort fails. Such basic function and purpose of metering devices can be applied to a number of contexts. One broad area of measurement relates, for example, to utility meters. These may include the monitoring of consumption of a variety of forms of energy or other commodities, such as electricity, water, gas, and oil, to name a few.
Historically, a mechanical form of register was used for utility meters. Such an approach provided a relatively dependable field device with certain inherent functional advantages. For example, if the flow of the consumable commodity being measured was interrupted, the mechanical form of gauge simply stopped in its place, automatically reflecting the previous accumulation without other arrangements being required, and without any loss of such accumulated data. After resumption of the flow of the commodity, the mechanical register could then simply begin to add additional flow values to the previous accumulation, so that accurate data was reflected at all times regardless of intermittent commodity flow interruptions.
Also, in many instances, the gauge or register required no separate power supply since it was operated directly by the commodity flow. In the case of electricity meters, the mechanical register could be electrically powered. Hence, when power was lost, the measurement function was temporarily moot so no measurement functionality was lost even though the gauge itself would be temporarily without power.
As the technology of metering devices progressed, mechanical registers began to be replaced with more electrical-based devices and electronic forms of registers. In addition, data transmission devices have been introduced that permit remote reading and/or control of utility meters, thus relieving utility companies of the need to visually inspect meters to obtain periodic reading, or of the need to visit a meter to undertake certain communications (for example, such as instructions) directed to the meter.
For example, in the case of an electricity meter, electric power is already flowing to and through the metering or measuring device. Such fact makes for a convenient supply of electricity, without having to attempt to rely on battery operation or some other source of electrical power. Thus, there is a ready source available to provide power for onboard transmitters and/or transceivers that may be used to transmit collected data to a remote location and/or to receive various command and/or control signals designed to modify or control the operation of the utility meter.
Regardless of such uses for communications, an inherent problem exists due in part to the fact that, when a relatively large number of such devices are in use, interference with other such devices or with other devices operating on similar frequencies, can create errors in the reception of transmitted data or control signals to or from the utility meter. Prior attempts have been made to address such technical problem.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,737,985 to Garrard et al. for Remote Metering, issued May 18, 2004, discloses an electricity meter including, among other features, an antenna system 120.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,078,785 to Bush for Demand Reporting of Electricity Consumption by Radio in Relays to a Base Station, and Demand Relays Wattmeters So Reporting Over a Wide Area, issued Jun. 20, 2000, discloses an electricity meter including an antenna that may correspond to a loop integral to a non conductive portion of the case.
A 2000 article entitled "Current Affairs—Advances in AMR technology" briefly discusses the use of PCS wireless modems with automated electricity meter reading systems using proprietary antenna fully contained within the meter chassis.

Embedded antenna and filter apparatus and methodology


A cassette-lid opening device opens a lid of a cassette as the cassette moves downward from a raised position to a lowered position. The cassette has a front end at which the lid is located and a rear end. The device has an opening member arranged to be movable relative to the cassette and to open the cassette lid as the cassette moves downward. An urging member urges the opening member toward the cassette and a restricting element restricts the position of the opening member so as to cause the opening member to be located further away from the cassette rear end when the cassette is in the raised position than when the cassette is in the lowered position. The restricting element may be part of a holder for the cassette or a part of a cassette holder lowering/raising mechanism.

1. Field of the Invention
this invention relates to a cassette-lid opening mechanism for turning the lid of a cassette in the direction of opening the lid as the cassette moves downward from a raised position in a video cassette recorder (hereinafter referred to as VCR) or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is well known that, after a cassette is inserted into a holder provided in a VCR, the cassette is moved down along with the holder as the holder descends to a lowered position (a loading position) from a raised position (an inserting position). The cassette lid which is disposed to be swingable on the front side of the cassette is opened as the cassette moves down, so that a tape contained in the cassette can be pulled out.
A cassette-lid opening member is secured to the upper-side of the chassis of the VCR body. The cassette lid comes to about on the opening member during the descent of the cassette. The opening member then pushes the cassette lid by its relative motion to swing the lid in the direction of opening the lid. As a result, the cassette lid is kept open when the cassette is in the lowered position.
According to the conventional arrangement, the cassette-lid opening member is fixed to the chassis. The opening angle of the cassette lid, therefore, tends to be caused to vary by the dimensional tolerance of parts of the opening member itself and the assembled position of the opening member. In some case, a part of the tape pulled out from inside of the cassette touches the lid of the cassette due to an insufficient opening angle of the lid. Then, an attempt to completely open the cassette lid might cause the lid to be damaged by an excessive force applied to the lid. The conventional arrangement, therefore, has necessitated a severe degree of precision for the parts and assembly work thereon.

Recording and/or reproducing apparatus having a cassette-lid opening mechanism


A method for rendering application user interfaces on a television screen executes at a computer system coupled with the television screen. The computer system includes one or more processors and memory storing a plurality of applications configured for execution by the one or more processors. The method provides a user interface of a first application of the plurality of applications for display on the television screen. The method receives from a personal user device a user interface of a second application. The personal user device is distinct from the computer system and the user interface of the second application is provided by one or more programs executing on the personal user device. The method concurrently displays on the television screen the user interface of the first application and the user interface of the second application.

Television devices (e.g., televisions and receivers coupled to televisions) have been traditionally used to access various television programs. Some television devices are capable of displaying two television programs simultaneously.
Increasingly, television devices are used to access other multimedia contents and information from websites and to execute and display programs. However, traditional methods for displaying television programs are not well suited for simultaneously displaying a television program and a user interface of a non-television program, or user interfaces of multiple non-television programs. Thus, simultaneously displaying user interfaces of non-television programs on television screens requires considerations different from displaying television programs on television screens.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Systems and methods for rendering multiple applications on television screens


The present invention relates to the field of enhanced electrical power receptacles and associated plugs. Specifically it relates to power receptacles that are easy to identify and use. It achieves these features with a receptacle that has the individual prong-holes identified and differentiated with light source or markings in a scheme that allows the user to quickly locate and identify the proper prong-holes. The associated plug can be labeled with markings for orientation. The receptacle lighting or pattern scheme will help the user easily locate the receptacle and orient the associated plug for accurate and rapid insertion.

Plugging electrified objects into receptacles is an everyday occurrence. Polarized plugs and the small size of plugs, often makes locating the receptacle and orienting the plug difficult. This is particularly true for people with low vision and the vast majority of the middle-aged and elderly people with presbyopia. Additionally, people who are blind have difficulty locating receptacles and orienting plugs. Low vision is defined as vision that is impaired and cannot be corrected by way of surgery, glasses, or contacts. Presbyopia is a visual condition that develops in most middle-aged people in which loss of elasticity of the lens of the eye causes inability to focus sharply on near objects (often corrected by reading glasses that may not be readily available during the process of plug insertion). The process of locating a receptacle and orienting and inserting the plug can be frustrating especially for people with impaired vision. Impaired vision includes people with presbyopia, myopia, hyperopia, and low vision such as caused by amblyopia, and scotoma, and who are blind. The Illuminated Power Receptacle is designed to decrease the frustration of this task especially for impaired vision users.
To aid in proper plug insertion, we disclose differentiating the prong-holes on the receptacle with lighting or markings. The lighting or markings can be color coded. Additionally the plug prongs can be identified with markings, to match
the prong-holes on the receptacle. One embodiment is for the receptacle to have the hot prong-hole illuminated with red light and the neutral prong-hole illuminated with yellow light. Correspondingly the plug has a red mark on the hot prong side of the plug housing and a yellow mark on the neutral prong side. These features should help a human orient and properly insert a plug accurately and rapidly.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,078,113 issued to True, et al. on Jun. 20, 2000 discloses a power socket with illuminated interior areas of each plug blade slot (prong-holes) using colored diodes with a first color for illuminating the neutral plug blade slot and a second color for the hot plug blade slot. Illumination of the prong-holes from the interior is distinct from illuminating or otherwise marking the prong-holes from the exterior or face of a receptacle. Interior prong-hole lighting may not project well through the prong-holes, especially when the receptacle is viewed from an angle as is commonly done and thus may not provide the user with adequate information to efficiently orient the plug. Additionally, this invention does not disclose labeling the associated plug. The current invention, claimed within this document, specifies that the receptacle prong-holes be distinguished, either by local lighting or specific patterns or colors on the surface to assist with rapid orientation of the plug. The type of lighting disclosed in the current invention should be visible from most viewing angles and is distinct from internal prong-hole lighting with color diodes.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,089,893 issued to Yu, et al. on Jul. 18, 2000 discloses an illuminated electrical receptacle employing an electroluminescent light to illuminate the entire face of the receptacle. It is designed to light the entire receptacle, but without regard to further distinguishing the different receptacle holes, except as achievable by conventional ambient lighting. U.S. Pat. No. 6,547,411 issued to Dombusch on Apr. 15, 2003 discloses an illuminated outlet that illuminates a surrounding area to allow visibility at night. This invention relates to night lights. Neither of these inventions discloses using different colored lights, marks, or patterns, or of labeling the associated plug, indicating that plug orientation was not the object of these inventions. The current invention, claimed within this document, specifies that the receptacle prong-holes be distinguished, either by local lighting or specific patterns or colors to assist with rapid orientation of the plug.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,760 issued to Salatrik, et al. on Aug. 29, 2000 discloses an illuminated power outlet assembly for a motor vehicle using a light emitting diode positioned within a power outlet, specifically between the casing and the insulator, such that when the illumination device illuminates, the light passes through the insulator to light the power outlet. This invention is specific to a single outlet hole and makes no disclosure relevant to assisting with plug orientation.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,183,101 issued to Chien on Feb. 6, 2001 describes a cover incorporating electroluminescent lighting elements to serve as a night light or for decorative purposes. This invention specifies that the cover is a wall plate, a switch cover, an electrical outlet cover, a cable outlet cover, a dimmer switch cover, a timer cover, and a keyboard fascia plate. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,683,166 issued to Lutzker on Nov. 4, 1997 discloses an electroluminescent wall plate. In the current invention, the lighting is integrated into the receptacle. Furthermore, the purpose of the lighting in the current invention is to aid in locating the receptacle and to guide the orientation for proper plug insertion not as a night light or decoration. In addition, the current receptacle system discloses use of the lighting in color or pattern combinations associated with the prong-holes in the receptacle and plug to guide the user in proper plug insertion.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,662,408 issued to Marischen on Sep. 2, 1997 discloses a night light having conductors for connecting to an electrical supply. This invention is a plug in device.
Thus there is a need in the art for a receptacle with visual or tactile components to assist in locating the receptacle and assist with orientation to aid users.


A head massager including a bundle of malleable rods having a top member within which the top end of the bundle of rods is fixed and the rods are free at the bottom end of the bundle, a handle including a recess detachably receiving the top member therein.

1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to a head massager and a package therefor.
2. Prior Art
Head massagers are known in the art, but their construction and operation is flimsy and unstable. There still exists a need in the art for a head massager that will perform to a high standard and yet be available at a reasonable price.


A detection system and method having at least one detection unit, and a control center unit.

Since the terrorist events of Sep. 11, 2001, the likelihood of future terrorist attacks is acknowledged to be higher than in the past. As a result, the public has greater expectations for security, prevention, interdiction and incident site management. Radiological and other agents have a particularly high potential for psycho-social impacts on political and economic systems. The malicious dispersal or the clandestine placement of radiological materials or other agents could be used to attack private, public and economic targets.
Radiological, nuclear, biological or chemical agents could be acquired by terrorists through clandestine theft or low level military operations and moved, possibly undetected, to urban population areas or to targets of high symbolic value.
The applicants have accordingly recognized a need for improved systems and methods of detecting and tracking nuclear, radiological, biological or chemical threats.

Abstract: The detection unit includes at least one sensor configured to generate sensor data correlated to sensed conditions, a locator for actively determining location data corresponding to the location of the detection unit, and a communicator configured to communicate the sensor data and location data.

Abstract: The control center includes a receiver for receiving the sensor data and the location data, together with a control processor which is configured to determine a threat level correlated to the sensor data.


In a conventional Sn—Zn based lead-free solder, Zn crystallized to a large size of several tens of micrometers, and it was difficult to suppress the formation of coarse crystallizates and to increase the bonding strength without changing the soldering temperature. There were alloys which improved strength by the addition of a minute amount of a Group 1B metal, but the alloys had an increased melting temperature so that reflow could not be performed with the same temperature profile as for Sn—Pb, so the alloys had advantages and disadvantages.

Methods of soldering electronic parts include the soldering iron method, the flow soldering method, the reflow soldering method, and the like.
The reflow soldering method is a method in which a solder paste comprising a solder powder and a flux is applied by printing or dispensing only to necessary locations of a printed circuit board, on which electronic parts are then placed, and the solder paste is melted by a heating apparatus such as a reflow furnace to solder the electronic parts to the printed circuit board. The reflow soldering method can perform soldering with excellent productivity and reliability in that not only can a large number of locations be soldered in a single operation but also in that there is no occurrence of bridge formation even in an electronic part having a narrow pitch and solder does not adhere to unneeded locations.
Solder paste conventionally employed in the reflow method uses a Pb—Sn alloy to form a solder powder. The Pb—Sn alloy is advantageous in that its melting point is 183° C. for a eutectic composition (Pb-63Sn), so it has little thermal effect on electronic parts which have poor resistance to heat, and in that it has excellent solderability, so there is little occurrence of soldering defects such as unsoldered portions or dewetting. When electronic equipment which is soldered with a solder paste using this Pb—Sn alloy becomes old or malfunctions, instead of being upgraded or repaired, it has been discarded. When printed circuit boards are discarded, they have been disposed of by burial rather than incineration. This is because solder is metallically adhered to copper foil conductor of printed circuit boards and the copper foil and the solder cannot be separated for reuse. When acid rain contacts printed circuit boards which have been disposed of by burial, Pb in the solder leaches out and pollutes underground water. If underground water containing Pb is drunk for long periods by humans or livestock, there is a concern of the occurrence of Pb poisoning. Therefore, there has come to be a strong demand in the electronics equipment industry for so-called "lead-free solder" which does not contain Pb.
Lead-free solders have Sn as a main constituent element. Presently-used lead-free solders are binary alloys such as Sn-3.5Ag (melting point: 221° C.), Sn-0.7Cu (melting point: 227° C.), Sn-9Zn (melting point: 199° C.), and Sn-58Bi (melting point: 139° C.), as well as these solders to which an additional element such as Ag, Cu, Zn, Bi, In, Sb, Ni, Cr, Co, Fe, Mn, P, Ge, or Ga is suitably added. In the present invention, "based alloy" means to include the alloy itself as well as alloys in which at least one additional element is added to the binary alloy. For example, an Sn—Zn based alloy includes an Sn—Zn alloy and alloys in which at least one additional element is added to Sn—Zn, and an Sn—Ag based alloy includes an Sn—Ag alloy as well as alloys in which at least one additional element is added to Sn—Ag.
The Sn—Ag based, Sn—Cu based, and Sn—Ag—Cu based lead-free solders which are mainly used at present have a melting point of at least 220° C. Therefore, when they are formed into a solder paste and used in the reflow method, the peak temperature at the time of reflow ends up being at least 250° C., and they had the problem that electronic parts or printed circuit boards underwent thermal damage during reflow heating.
An Sn—Zn based lead-free solder has a melting point close to that of a conventional Pb—Sn eutectic solder. For example, an Sn-9Zn eutectic lead-free solder has a melting point of 199° C. Therefore, this type of solder makes it possible to use the reflow profile for a conventional Pb—Sn eutectic solder as it is. As a result, the thermal effect on electronic parts or printed circuit boards is minimized. However, an Sn-9Zn eutectic solder paste has poor wettability, so an Sn-8Zn-3Bi lead-free solder which contains Bi added to an Sn—Zn alloy having a nearly eutectic composition is frequently used. Sn—Zn based lead-free solders have superior properties compared to other lead-free solders in that they have a melting point close to that of conventional Sn—Pb solders. In addition, Zn contained therein is an essential elements for humans, so compared to other lead-free solders, they are not harmful to the human body, and there are large reserves of Zn compared to In, Ag, Bi, and the like, so its unit cost is low. Accordingly, in spite of the fact that their solderability is not so good, Sn—Zn based lead-free solders are used as solders for solder paste, and in particular, they are used for printed circuit boards for which Sn—Ag based lead-free solder cannot be used because the parts do not have sufficient heat resistance.
However, Sn—Zn based lead-free solders have the problem that after soldering of a printed circuit board having Cu lands such as commonly used FR-4 printed circuit boards, the strength of the resulting soldered joint decreases if the printed circuit board is left at a high temperature. This is because reactivity between Zn and Cu is high. Therefore, when an Sn—Zn based lead-free solder is used for soldering of a printed circuit board with Cu lands, if a high temperature state continues for a long period, the Zn in the solder migrates through the solder alloy layer and enters into the Cu lands, and a large number of voids called Kirkendall voids develop between the resulting intermetallic compounds and the solder. These voids decrease the bonding is strength of solder and worsen the reliability of soldering. Therefore, Au plating is necessary when using an Sn—Zn based lead-free solder, resulting in the problem of an increase in the manufacturing costs of electronic equipment.
One parameter causing a decrease in bonding strength when soldering Cu lands of a printed circuit board using an Sn—Zn based lead-free solder is humidity. If humidity is high, Zn is readily oxidized into Zn2+ ions, thus causing Zn in an Sn—Zn based lead-free solder to readily migrate through the solder alloy layer and enter into Cu and leading to the formation of a large number of voids. This phenomenon becomes marked when the humidity is at least 80% even when the temperature is 100° C. or below. Voids also easily develop in conditions where moisture condensation occurs, thereby causing a decrease in the bonding strength of solder.
Means which have been disclosed for increasing the bonding strength of these Sn—Zn based lead-free solders include a solder paste comprising an Sn—Zn based lead-free solder mixed with a flux in which a metal powder containing a Group 1B metal as a constituent element is dispersed (JP 2002-224880 A1) and a lead-free solder alloy having Ag added to an Sn—Zn based lead-free solder (JP H09-253882 A1).
Solder alloys containing nanoparticles have been proposed in the art. Nanoparticles are powder having a particle diameter on the nanometer order. They can enter the spaces between particles of usual solder powder having a particle diameter on the micrometer order and exhibit various properties. Examples of technology using nanoparticles which have been disclosed include a solder having increased resistance to fracture by disposing Ni nanoparticles on the surface of spherical particles of solder (JP 2003-062687 A1) and a solder alloy of an Sn—Zn based lead-free solder in the form of a self-organized nanoparticles (JP 2004-268065 A1).
Patent Document 1: JP 2002-224880 A1
Patent Document 2: JP H09-253882 A1
Patent Document 3: JP 2003-062687 A1
Patent Document 4: JP 2004-268065 A1

Abstract: By using a solder paste formed by mixing an ethanol solution containing nanoparticles having a particle diameter of 5-300 nm and containing at least one of Ag, Au, and Cu with a flux and solder powder for an Sn—Zn based lead-free solder paste, the formation of an alloy of Au, Au, or Cu with Zn occurs during soldering, thereby forming fine clusters in the resulting liquid phase of molten solder, and a fine solder structure is obtained following melting.


Disclosed is a capacitance sensor including: a capacitance-voltage/current converter which converts a capacitance value of a sense capacitor into a voltage signal or a current signal by using an input signal; a multiplier which applies a weight to an output signal of the capacitance-voltage/current converter and outputs the weighted output signal; and an accumulator which accumulates continuously the output signal of the multiplier.

At present, various display devices with a touch screen are being widely used and are continuously being developed. The touch screen detects that an object touches a panel, converts the touch into an electrical signal and determines whether or not there is a user's input.
The touch screen has various types such as a resistive touch screen, a pressure sensitive touch screen, a surface capacitive touch screen. The resistive touch screen senses an input by measuring a resistance value change when an object touches the screen. The pressure sensitive touch screen senses an input by measuring a surface pressure variation when an object touches the screen. The surface capacitive touch screen senses an input by measuring a surface capacitance change when an object touches the screen.
Here, in the surface capacitive touch screen, it is important to accurately sense a capacitance change caused by the input from a user. For example, when a signal which should be detected as a user's input has a specific frequency, it is possible to accurately measure the capacitance change only when signals having different frequencies from the specific frequency are appropriately filtered.

Capacitance sensor with improved noise filtering characteristics, method for noise filtering of capacitance sensor and computer-readable recording medium


Systems, methods, devices, and non-transitory media of the various embodiments may include for traversing hierarchical level of detail (HLOD) content for rendering on a display of a client computing device. Various embodiments employ structured HLOD data structures for HLOD content, using the uniform dimensional aspects of the structured trees to generate object space representation of the HLOD content and a sampling construct for the HLOD content. The same sampling construct may be applied to an object space representation of the HLOD content for any level of the structured tree. In various embodiments, sampling using the sampling construct for an object space representation of the HLOD content may be based on a camera position relative to the object space representation of the HLOD content. Various embodiments include transforming camera frustrum planes to object space representation of the HLOD content and testing visibility of the HLOD content from the object space representation.

Computer graphics processing, and especially three-dimensional (3D) visualization, is computationally complex and resource intensive. Hierarchical level of detail (HLOD) data structures for image content are employed in complex computer graphics rendering, such as in 3D computer graphics applications, for which data of different hierarchical levels of the HLOD data structures may be used for rendering computer graphics with varying levels of detail. HLOD data structures can be employed to reduce a total amount of data that needs to be rendered at any given time as well as to reduce aliasing compared with non-hierarchical computer graphics data,
HLOD data structures are typically configured as a tree of nodes. When bounding boxes of the nodes are unpredictable, visibility must be explicitly checked every time against a camera's frustum planes as well as other 3D operations like distance checks between the camera and bounding box to pull in the right level of detail. With explicit subdivision trees, data for each node is specified explicitly since the data cannot be derived.

Systems and methods for traversing implied subdivision hierarchical level of detail content


Shock-absorbing trailer hitches each include a mounting member mountable on a towing vehicle; a hitch member which includes a coupler and which is mountable on a towed vehicle and pivotally mounted on the mounting member; and a shock absorbing mechanism for reacting pivotal movement of the hitch member. The shock absorbing mechanism preferably includes one or more non-pressurized hollow elastomeric springs. One of the hitches is a compact receiver hitch wherein the mounting member is insertable into a hollow receiving member mounted on the towing vehicle and wherein the shock absorbing mechanism includes a housing mounted below the receiving member. Another of the hitches is configured as a fifth wheel or a gooseneck hitch and is adjustable for use with towed vehicles of varying weights.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to trailer hitches and more particularly to shock absorbing trailer hitches. More particularly, the present invention relates to a trailer hitch that minimizes the transmission of shock forces between a towing vehicle and a towed vehicle. Specifically, the invention relates to such a shock absorbing trailer hitch in which pivotal movement of the trailer hitch is absorbed by a shock absorbing mechanism.
2. Background Information
Various types of hitches and towing configurations are known in the art. Three typical trailer hitch configurations are generally known as receiver hitches, gooseneck hitches, and fifth wheel hitches. A receiver hitch typically extends beyond the rear bumper of the towing vehicle while gooseneck and fifth wheel hitches are disposed in the bed of the towing vehicle in front of the rear bumper. A problem common to all of these hitches is the transmission forces from the tow vehicle to the towing vehicle. Shock absorbing trailer hitches are generally known in the art for reducing the transfer of these forces. Several examples of such a shock absorbing hitch is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,683,094 granted to Gullickson. Gullickson discloses several embodiments each of which is configured to absorb forces in all directions. Each of these embodiments is configured with a socket mountable on a hitch ball which is rigidly mounted on the towing vehicle. One of the embodiments includes a larger diameter cylindrical shaft which is rigidly mounted on the socket and extends vertically upwardly therefrom with a smaller diameter cylindrical shaft mounted atop the larger diameter shaft. The smaller diameter shaft extends through an upper energy absorbing pad which mounts the cylindrical shafts to the towed vehicle in a manner which allows the shafts and socket to move vertically and to pivot about the upper elastomeric energy absorbent pad in all directions with respect to the towed vehicle. A cylindrical housing is rigidly mounted to the towed vehicle with an annular elastomeric energy absorbing pad disposed within the housing with the larger diameter cylindrical shaft extending through the central hole of the pad. Pivotal movement of the larger shaft is absorbed by the annular pad.
This embodiment of Gullickson is configured specifically for a gooseneck hitch and is not suitable for a receiver hitch where the socket of a trailer tongue is mounted directly to a hitch ball. In addition, the pivotal connection between the smaller diameter shaft and the towed vehicle via the upper elastomeric pad presents a concern over undue wear of the upper elastomeric pad over time.
In addition, a shock absorbing trailer hitch manufactured by TrailerSaver of Davison, Mich. utilizes pneumatic shock absorbers. More particularly, TrailerSaver makes shock absorbing hitches adapted for use with a fifth wheel or goose neck connection. The primary drawback of the TrailerSaver hitches is the use of a pneumatic system, which requires associated apparatus in order to pressurize the pneumatic shock absorbers. For example, such pneumatic shock absorbers require pneumatic conduits and valves which may either be connected with a pneumatic system of a vehicle or to a compressor which is additionally provided for vehicles not having such a pneumatic system. The pneumatic shock absorbers and the associated equipment is susceptible to damage requiring the replacement thereof. In addition, the assembly of the pneumatic trailer hitches with a vehicle's pneumatic system requires additional assembly time.
Thus, there is room for improvement with regard to a shock absorbing trailer hitch wherein the hitch provides pivotal movement between the towing vehicle and the towed vehicle.


A modular grill cooker that is easily installed in a multipurpose cooking apparatus, including an outer casing and an inner casing set in the outer casing. A heating unit is mounted to a heat reflecting plate fastened to the inner casing. A grilling unit is seated on a frame provided along upper edges of the inner and outer casings. An elastic piece is fitted over a projection on a back surface of the heating unit to mount the heating unit to the heat reflecting plate. A grease collecting unit is set in the inner casing to collect grease therein and reflect heat onto the grilling unit. First and second contact terminals are respectively provided on the outer casing and on the multipurpose cooking apparatus to supply electricity to the heating unit when the grill cooker is installed in the multipurpose cooking apparatus.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to a module-type grill cooker and a multipurpose cooking apparatus having the module-type grill cooker and, more particularly, to a module-type grill cooker that prevents smoke from being produced during cooking of food and that is easily assembled, and to a multipurpose cooking apparatus in which the module-type grill cooker is removably installed.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, meat, such as beef and pork, and processed meat, such as sausages, are best when cooked by a grilling, wherein heat is directly applied to the meat or processed meat placed on a grill. Thus, grilling is a popular way of cooking meat.
A conventional grill cooker to cook food by grilling includes a heating unit and a grilling unit. The heating unit is set in a cabinet of the grill cooker to directly apply heat to the food. The food is seated on the grilling unit to be cooked by the heating unit. Thus, heat generated from the heating unit is transmitted to the food placed on the grilling unit to cook the food.
When a user desires to grill meat, such as beef, pork and mutton, the meat is cut into small pieces. The meat pieces are seasoned with sauces of several different flavors. Thereafter, the seasoned meat pieces are placed on the grilling unit to be grilled. When the seasoned meat pieces are grilled, grease runs from the seasoned meat pieces. The grease is mixed with the sauces, and then is burned by heat transmitted from the heating unit to the grilling unit, resulting in partially scorching the meat pieces. Further, the meat pieces may stick to the grilling unit.
The scorched food is harmful to health. When the food sticks to the grilling unit, it is difficult to remove the food from the grilling unit. Thus, the grilling unit must be frequently replaced with a new grilling unit, causing inconvenience to a user. Further, it is very difficult to clean the grilling unit after use.
When the food, grease and sauces dripping from the food burn, smoke is produced. Thus, an exhaust device, such as an exhaust fan and an exhaust duct, is required to provide a pleasant cooking environment.
The grill cooker may be independently used to grill the food. Alternatively, the grill cooker may be installed in a multipurpose cooking apparatus, which have multiple cookers, to be used along with the other cookers.
However, a conventional grill cooker does not have a modular structure. Thus, to install the grill cooker in the multipurpose cooking apparatus, first, the cabinet of the grill cooker must be mounted to the multipurpose cooking apparatus. Next, a contact terminal of a heating unit must be connected to a corresponding contact terminal of the multipurpose cooking apparatus to mount the heating unit to the cabinet of the grill cooker.
Further, when it is required to remove the conventional grill cooker from the multipurpose cooking apparatus, first, the contact terminal of the heating unit is disconnected from the contact terminal of the multipurpose cooking apparatus to remove the heating unit from the cabinet of the grill cooker. Thereafter, the cabinet of the grill cooker is removed from the multipurpose cooking apparatus. Thus, it is complicated to install and remove the grill cooker in and from the multipurpose cooking apparatus.
The conventional grill cooker has another problem, as described above, in that smoke is produced during grilling of the food, thus an exhaust device to draw out the smoke is required in the multipurpose cooking apparatus in which the grill cooker is installed, resulting in complication in construction of the multipurpose cooking apparatus.

Modular grill cooker and multipurpose cooking apparatus having the same


The present invention is a compound action complex pivotal multi-planar cutting device. It is pivotal between four distinct pivot points and it includes a handle portion and a jaw portion which are attached to one another. The jaw portion may be curved or may be bent and terminates in a pair of opposed cutting blades. Thus, when a user holds the handle portion, the blades are displaced a pre-determined number of degrees with respect to the relative curvature or bending of the jaw portion. The handle portion and jaw portion are engaged to one another and are pivotal about two pivot points. The handle portion is preferably a pair of handles that are joined at a third pivot point by a first post member and the jaw portion is preferably a pair of jaw members joined at a fourth pivot point by another post member which is oblique with respect to the first post member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pivotal-based cutting device, and more particularly to complex action compound pivot cutting device having a multi-planar pre-molded semi-curved construction.
2. Information Disclosure Statement
The following patents represent several variations on pivotal cutting devices which exemplify the art.
U.S. Pat. No. 756,056 to Ernest Roraback teaches cutting-nippers having a pair of jaws of oblate form in the plane of their meeting surfaces, the plane being obliquely inclined relative to the shank portion when the jaws are closed. The jaws each have a cutting edge located substantially in the plane of the sides and end of the jaws.
U.S. Pat. No. 762,725 to Ernst Kaufmann describes a device for trimming the finger-nails; and it has for its object to provide a construction in which the shanks operating the cutter-blades are extensible. In the closed position the outer portions of said shanks surround the inner portions as well as the blades, and in the position for use said outer portions form a continuation of the inner portions leading directly to the jaws, whereby greater leverage is provided, while the device being readily capable of being folded up can be conveniently carried in the vest-pocket.
U.S. Pat. No. 837,473 to Luther Geo. Ihrig teaches an implement for deadening tobacco plants, comprising members pivotally connected together at an intermediate point in their length and having forward jaws, the inner edges of which are blunt and concave in the direction of their length and also having rear arms, and hand-levers pivotally connected together at their forward ends and pivotally connected at points in rear of their forward ends to the rear ends of the arms of the members. Each of the pivot points are disclosed as extending along axes being parallel to one another.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,057,113 to William A. Bernard describes pliers, nippers or similar tools, which has jaws movable toward and away from each other by means of pivoted handles, and the invention refers particularly to the form of the jaws and the relation of the same to the handles and to the other parts of the tool.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,163,733 to William A. Bernard teaches a clipper having jaws which are gently curved substantially throughout their length, and handle members which are similarly curved to form a continuation of the jaw curve. Each of the pivot points, however, are substantially parallel to one another.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,300,330 to William A. Bernard teaches a pair of lever handles that are preferably constructed of sheet metal, and that have forked forward portions which cross each other, and are pivoted together by means of a pivot pin. The pivot is located intermediate the ends of the crossed handle members, each of which is provided in advance of the parallel portions respectively forming the sides or branches of the forks. Between the parallel portions, a jaw is secured by means of a fastening pin. The pins respectively are both located in advance of the main pivot pin, and are preferably arranged at the forward extremities of the respective handle members, beyond which extremities the jaws extend forward. The cutters are so shaped as to form a sort of bowl so that the stem of an orange or the like can be so cut off as to leave no projection.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,363,164 to Otto H. Oesterwitz, describes certain improvements in finger nail trimmers, and more particularly to the construction of the jaws by which the ends of the nails may be severed. The main object is to provide the jaws with simple and efficient means for cutting the free edges of the nails uniform distances from their junction with the cuticle of the fingers, and at the same time to reduce to a minimum the possibility of cutting into the more sensitive portions of the flesh.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,411,785 to Albert Hoiland teaches a bolt clipper, including operating jaws positioned in the same plane and having a fulcrum point formed on the jaws. It further includes lever ends on the jaws extending from the fulcrum point and cutting ends on the jaws formed out of alinement with the lever ends extending from a point adjacent said fulcrum point.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,028,558 to John A. Nietzel describes a side cutting implement of the double lever box type and especially to an instrument for cutting cuticle and nails.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,844,032 to Jack Siegal describes a double-edged cutting tool which has a spring biased handle and blades forming at least one pair of opposed cutting edges which can be used to perform a cutting operation on an object in a forward or reverse direction without changing the orientation of the handles with respect to the object.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,198,749 to Fred W. Nordin teaches a compound pivot plier-type clipper wherein a pair of handles is pivotally mounted on and between a pair of plates which form a recess for the reception of a selected pair of jaws which are mounted therein by removable means so that a kit can be furnished with a pair of handles and mounting plates and several of the same or different types of pairs of jaws which may be easily substituted, one for the other in the recess between the plates for operation by the handles. The parts are relatively thin so that they may be largely formed by mechanical or hydraulic press stamping operations with resulting low labor costs. A curved jaw is disclosed, but the pivot point for the jaw is parallel to all other pivot points.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,819,673 to Thomas J. McMullen, Jr. teaches a nail clipper which includes a one piece, U-shaped, plastic body having a pair of longitudinal handles with blades on one or both of the longitudinal handles of the device. An integral central arc portion bends when the longitudinal handles are compressed. The blades are aligned to provide a scissors-like interference cut. A receptacle for the nail clippings may also be provided, either between the two handles or, within the lower handle itself, or directly beneath the lower blade. The receptacle may be provided with a pivoting or removable cover. A file surface may also be affixed to the nail clipper.
Notwithstanding the prior art in this field, it is believed that the present invention, which comprises a compound pivot complex action cutting device, as described herein, is neither taught nor rendered obvious.

Professional Prototypes, Salem Industrial Park, Bldg. #4, Rte. 22, P.O. Box 505


Display layers and touch sensor layers may be overlapped by enclosure walls in an electronic device. The electronic device may have a front wall and opposing rear wall and curved sidewalls. The front wall and the curved sidewalls may be formed from a glass layer or other transparent member. A touch sensor layer and display layer may extend under the glass layer with curved sidewalls. A touch sensor layer may also extend under the opposing rear wall. A foldable electronic device may have a flexible transparent wall portion that joins planar transparent walls. Components may be interposed between the transparent planar walls and opaque walls. Display and touch layers may be overlapped by the transparent walls and the transparent flexible wall portion. Touch sensor structures may also be overlapped by the opaque walls.

This relates generally to electronic devices, and, more particularly, to electronic devices with touch sensors and displays.
Electronic devices such as cellular telephones, tablet computers, watches, laptop computers, and other devices often contain displays. Touch sensors may be used to provide displays with the ability to capture touch input from a user.
It can be challenging to gather touch input from a user and to display images for a user efficiently. For example, when a user supplies touch input to a touch screen display, the user's hand may block images that are being displayed on the display. Buttons and other input devices may be used to gather input from a user, but this type of input device may not be as convenient and versatile as a touch sensor. Displays are sometimes not visible from certain directions and may be smaller than desired.
It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide electronic devices with enhanced touch sensor and display structures.

Electronic devices with display and touch sensor structures


Apparatus and associated methods for carrying and manipulation of bottles are presented herein. The apparatus may include a closure that may be sealably secured to a bottle. The apparatus may further include a movable handle attached to the closure with portions of the movable handle received in a recess defined by the bottle. The movable handle may be locatable between at least a first position and a second position. The methods may include providing a closure and a movable handle, attaching the movable handle to the closure, and locating the movable handle in at least the first position and the second position.

1. Field of the Invention
The present inventions relate to apparatus that allow for sealing, carrying, and manipulation of the bottle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Users frequently carry bottles of various beverages including sports drink, waters, and soft drinks about, for example, while engaging in various athletic and outdoor activities. The user may carry the bottle by hand, which may interfere with the activity because the user must set the bottle down in order to engage in certain activities and must keep track of the bottle. In addition, bottles can be unwieldy. Some beverage bottles may contain around two liters of liquid, and it may be difficult to manipulate the bottle, for example, to withdraw the liquid from the bottle by pouring. It may be desirable to carry bottles having a variety of other contents about, as well. These bottles may also be unwieldy making the bottles difficult to manipulate. Therefore, a need exists for apparatus and methods that may assist a user in carrying and manipulating bottles.

Apparatus and methods for carrying a bottle


Methods of providing silicon oxide on a substrate in a single process step by simultaneously introducing both a silicon source gas and an etch gas into a CVD chamber. As a result, the method will typically involve simultaneous deposition and etching of the silicon oxide. The method is particularly useful for providing silicon oxide spacers with faceted surfaces.

Silicon oxide is a useful isolation material used in many semiconductor processes. In one use, silicon oxide can be used as a spacer to provide sloped sidewalls on semiconductor structures with generally vertical sidewalls, such as transistors, trace lines, etc. Because the silicon oxide material has a low dielectric constant, it can also be used to electrically isolate the structures.
Known processes of providing silicon oxide spacers involve a first step of depositing doped or undoped silicon oxide on the semiconductor structures. The silicon oxide can be deposited by a variety of methods including chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). Source gases for the silicon oxide layers include silane and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS). Silicon oxide deposited employing PECVD with a TEOS source gas is particularly useful in some instances because the processing temperatures needed for deposition are lower than standard chemical vapor deposition temperatures, i.e., typically about 375° C. Another advantage of PECVD with a TEOS source gas is that it can be used to deposit silicon oxide in between adjacent sidewalls having larger aspect ratios than PECVD or CVD methods using silane as a source gas.
After the layer of silicon oxide is deposited, sloped sidewalls are provided by etching the silicon oxide and/or by reflowing the silicon oxide layer at high temperatures (where those temperatures will not adversely affect any other layers or structures already on the semiconductor wafer). These additional steps of etching and/or reflowing the silicon oxide are performed separately from the step of depositing the silicon oxide, i.e., after the silicon oxide layer has been deposited. As a result, additional time is required for processing—thereby increasing the cost of manufacturing the semiconductor devices on the wafer. In addition, in many instances, the temperatures needed for reflow are not safe to use with the semiconductor wafer.
One particular application in which silicon oxide is used is in the manufacture of stacked capacitor DRAM cells. FIG. 1 is an idealized representation of a stacked capacitor DRAM cell depicting the transistor with a layer of silicon oxide 10 deposited on the top surface 16 and sidewalls 12 in the transistor. This view is idealized in that the actual DRAM cell will not usually have orthogonal features. The initial deposition step in which the silicon oxide 10 is deposited results in a generally uniform layer of oxide over the sidewalls 12, the bottom surface 14 between the sidewalls, and the top surfaces 16 over the electrodes in the transistor. The silicon oxide layer 10 can then be etched using any suitable method to form facets 18 (see FIG. 2) proximate the intersection between the sidewalls 12 and top surfaces 16.
Typically, a number of layers of silicon oxide 10 are deposited and etched until the desired facets 18 are obtained. As a result, the wafer may be subjected to a number of discrete, sequential deposition and etching process steps to obtain the desired faceted or sloped sidewalls needed to ensure complete coverage of the bottom surfaces 14 between sidewalls 12 by both the silicon oxide and later-deposited layers. Those multiple deposition and etching steps add to the cost of the wafers and reduce throughput of the process.

Silicon oxide co-deposition/etching process


A component includes a filter having a first structure and a second structure. The component also includes a substrate on which the first and second structures are arranged. The first structure has an approximately uniform layer thickness and an approximately uniform composition. The second structure has an approximately uniform layer thickness and an approximately uniform composition. At least one of the layer thickness or composition of the first structure differs from the layer thickness or composition of the second structure.

Surface acoustic wave filters to be employed in front end circuits of wireless telecommunications systems must have a particularly low insertion loss in their transmission band (passband).
To achieve the required relatively large bandwidth, the surface acoustic wave filters are formed on piezoelectric substrates such as LiTaO3 with leaky wave properties. In such substrates, leaky wave losses occur, which can be reduced under certain conditions relevant to the propagation of the surface wave.
It is known from the publication DE 19641662 that a low insertion loss in the passband of the filter is achievable at a defined angle of intersection φ of the piezoelectric substrate and at a defined layer thickness h of the electrodes. The parameters φ and h at which the optimal insertion loss occurs are dependent on the material of the metallization.
Achieving a low insertion loss by the adjustment of a defined metallization ratio η of the substrate surface is known from the publication US 2003/0117240.
Forming the electrodes from several layers, for instance, a sequence of Al and Cu layers, is known. For reasons of process technology, however, a uniform layer structure with a uniform layer thickness and a uniform metallization ratio is generally selected for the metallization of the electrodes.
Forming some electrode fingers in an electroacoustic transducer with a higher layer thickness than the other electrode fingers is known from the publication U.S. Pat. No. 5,073,763. Thereby a directed acoustic reflection or the unidirectional emission of the wave can be achieved.
It may be possible to maintain the required insertion loss at certain critical points within the filter's passband, especially at the passband edges of a filter, only with great difficulty.


A frame apparatus for displaying an article. The frame apparatus includes a support structure having a frame and a backer panel. A plurality of slots are formed into the backer panel that include a first slot that is elongated along a first axis that is parallel to top and bottom edges of the support structure and a second slot that is elongated along a second axis that is parallel to lateral edges of the support structure. The frame apparatus also includes a hanging element for hanging the support structure from a support surface such as a wall. The hanging element is configured to be slidably coupled to the support structure such that the hanging element can slide back and forth within one of the slots while remaining coupled to the support structure. This structure enables the frame apparatus to be moved side-to-side along the support surface while hanging therefrom.

People often commemorate their achievements or memorialize particular life events by placing an article within a frame for display. Specifically, individuals may frame a diploma for hanging on a wall in their office space. Individuals may also frame various photographs for display throughout their home and offices spaces by either hanging such frames on the wall or allowing such frames to stand upright on a horizontal surface such as a desk or table. Furthermore, people often hang mirrors from a wall and there is a noted difficulty in hanging mirrors and frames from a wall in a level manner. Furthermore, once a frame is hung on a wall, it's location on the wall cannot be changed without relocating the hardware from which the frame is hanging, which results in an additional hole being put into the wall. Thus, a need exists for a frame apparatus having features that enable movement of the frame along the wall as well as helping consumers to hang the frame in a level manner.