Methods for rapidly obtaining a nanoscale apolipoprotein bound phospholipid bilayer (NABB) associated with at least one membrane protein are provided. Also disclosed are methods for rapidly obtaining a NABB not associated with membrane proteins. Immunogenic compositions comprising NABBs with native conformational epitopes are also provided along with their methods of use.

Lipids as a class of molecules display a wide diversity in both structure and biological function. The propensity of hydrophobic lipid tails to self-associate and the tendency of the hydrophilic moieties to interact with aqueous environments and with each other, is the physical basis of the spontaneous formation of the lipid bilayer membrane. The membrane is the supporting matrix for a wide spectrum of proteins involved in many cellular processes. Lipids also allow particular proteins in membranes to aggregate, and others to disperse. Approximately 20-35% of all proteins are integral membrane proteins, and probably half of the remaining proteins function at or near a membrane surface. Lipids can also act as first and second messengers in signal transduction and molecular recognition processes.
Discoidal lipid particles are hypothesized to be intermediates in a micelle-to-vesicle transition reaction of lipids upon detergent removal, as deduced from static and dynamic light scattering experiments (Leng et al. Biophys. J. 85, 1624-1646 (2003)). When a detergent is removed from a mixed-micellar state of lipids and detergents, disc-like intermediate micelles rapidly form. These disc-like micelles grow by coalescence. Large discs then become unstable due to incomplete coverage of their perimeter by detergent which increases the energy per unit length of boundary (line tension) of the disc, leading to closure of the large lipid disc to form a lipid vesicle.
Apolipoproteins are uniquely flexible proteins characterized by a series of proline-punctuated amphipathic, α-helical domains capable of associating with lipid acyl chains. Apolipoproteins have been classified as "protein detergents" capable of isolating membrane proteins in a soluble and planar lipid environment. The formation of discoidal structures of lipids surrounded by human apolipoprotein A-I (apo A-I) was first demonstrated in 1980 (Jonas and Drengler J. Biol. Chem. 255, 2190-2194 (1980)), after similar structures were implicated in transport of cholesterol by High Density Lipoproteins (HDL) in the serum (Jonas et al. Federation Proceedings 36, 829-829 (1977)). An engineered N-terminal truncated form of human apo A-I was used in a similar manner to incorporate peripheral and integral membrane proteins into such bilayer nano discs (Bayburt et al. Nano Lett. 2, 853-856 (2002); Bayburt and Sligar Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 99, 6725-6730 (2002); Bayburt and Sligar Protein Sci. 12, 2476-2481 (2003)). The presence of apo A-I at a certain concentration possibly replaces the surfactant stabilizing the edge of the bilayer due to lipid-binding properties of its amino acids to provide kinetic stability to the disc-like micelle formed.
Incorporation of peripheral and integral membrane proteins into nanoscale discoidal lipoproteins or nanoscale apolipoprotein bound phospholipid bilayers (NABB) have several advantages over incorporation of those proteins into lipid vesicles. The discrete nanoscale lipid discs prevent aggregation phenomena as seen with detergent micelles and light-scattering of lipid vesicles, thus providing a system that can be isolated in a monodisperse form suitable for multi-well assays.
Another problem is that vesicles form closed structures and the chemical composition of the lumen is difficult to alter. Lipid vesicles are also prone to light scattering artifacts in optical spectroscopy and a precise control of the number of receptors per vesicle, and heterogeneity of vesicle sizes, are difficulties. A further complication, when membrane proteins such as a GPCR are reconstituted in a vesicle, arises from the 'sidedness' of the membrane protein interactions with ligands and G proteins respectively.
Chemokine receptors are members of family A GPCRs and of significant clinical importance. Chemokines (chemotactic cytokines) constitute a superfamily of structurally related small proteins, less than 100 residues in length that are implicated in the control of a large variety of biological processes including inflammation, immunosurveillance, viral infection and cancer (Gerard and Rollins Nat. Immunology 2, 108-115 (2001)). CCR5 is an important co-receptor that is exploited for entry of HIV-1 (Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1) and is critical for the transmission of this virus in the body (Berger et al. Ann. Rev. Immunol. 17, 657-700 (1999)). No adverse health effects have been linked to the non-functional CCR5 in these individuals, which makes CCR5 a very attractive target for pharmaceutical intervention for the prevention of HIV/AIDS (O'Brien and Moore Immunol. Reviews 177, 99-111 (2000)).
A CCR5 to CXCR4 switch has also been reported to accompany the onset of AIDS (Berger et al. Ann. Rev. Immunol. 17, 657-700 (1999)). SDF-1 (Stromal cell-Derived Factor-1) is a CXC-chemokine and is expressed as two functionally identical, alternative splice variants: SDF-1α and SDF-1β (Rossi and Zlotnik Ann. Rev. Immunol. 18, 217-243 (2000)), and binds to CXCR4. CXCR4 is expressed in hematopoietic cell-lines (Zou et al. Nature 393, 595-599 (1998)) and is thought to be involved in signaling responsible in part for stem-cell maturation, naive T-cell migration to spleen for antigen presentation and other developmental signaling (Proudfoot Nat. Rev. Immunology 2, 106-115 (2002)). The SDF-1/CXCR4 system has been implicated in breast and ovarian cancers (Muller Biochem. Pharmacol. 72, 739-748 (2001); Scotton et al. Cancer Res. 62, 5930-5938 (2002)) and brain tumors (Rubin et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 100, 13513-13518 (2003)).
Chemokine receptors thus provide targets for generating effective antibody responses. Ideally, intact receptors or variants must be presented in a correctly folded, homogeneous, and soluble form at a high concentration capable of eliciting an immune response. Moreover, vaccine candidates must conform to certain levels of purity and defined composition.
Various methods of generating nanoscale apolipoprotein bound phospholipid bilayer (NABB) with associated membrane proteins have been described. Kudlicki et al., disclose in vitro protein synthesis systems where the membrane protein is synthesized in the presence of the NABB (US Patent Application Publication 2007/0117179). However, it is not evident that the in vitro synthesis system can provide for homogeneous populations of NABB with defined lipid and associated protein content or that the associated protein will retain it's native conformation and/or activity. Sligar et al., disclose an in vitro assembly method where the NABBs associated with membrane proteins are obtained after a lengthy dialysis step that provides for removal of solubilizing detergents and subsequent self-assembly of the NABB with associated membrane proteins (U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,083,958 and 7,048,949; US Patent Application Publication US 2005/0182243). However, the lengthy dialysis step used in this in vitro assembly method is inconvenient and may disrupt the native conformation and/or activity of the associated membrane protein.
Accordingly, a need exists for new methods of forming nanoscale apolipoprotein bound phospholipid bilayers (NABBs) that provide for homogenous populations of NABBs with defined lipid and protein compositions. New methods for associating membrane proteins into NABB that provide for increased activity and/or native conformations of the integrated proteins are also needed, as are the resultant NABB compositions comprising integrated membrane proteins with increased activity and/or native protein conformations.

Nanoscale bound bilayers, methods of use and production


In a head protection mechanism (50) for protecting a magnetic head (31) so that a coupled portion of a reader tape (71) is not in contact with the magnetic head, a protection arm (51) is rotatably mounted on a main surface of a chassis (12) close to an actuator assembly (20). The protection arm has a tape passing groove (51a) and an arm portion (514). Rotatably mounted on a back surface of the chassis, a protection lever (54) has one end (541) which is close to a ring cam (62) and which is engageably disposed to a cam face (621). The protection lever has another end (542) which is coupled to a tip (514a) of the arm portion in the protection arm via a hole (12c) bored in the chassis. A spring (53) always urges the protection arm nearer to the actuator assembly.

This invention relates to a tape drive such as a linear tape storage system represented by DLT (digital liner tape) or LTO (linear tape open) and, in particular, to a head protection mechanism for protecting a magnetic head in the tape drive.
Linear tape storage systems of the type described are developed as xe2x80x9cback-upxe2x80x9d systems for hard disks of computer systems and various types of the linear tape storage systems have been proposed in prior art. For example, a digital linear tape drive serving as the DLT is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,862,014 to Nute, entitled: xe2x80x9cMulti-Channel Magnetic Tape Head Module Including Flex Circuitxe2x80x9d or the like.
The digital linear tape drive (which may be merely called xe2x80x9cdriving apparatusxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9ctape drivexe2x80x9d, or xe2x80x9cdrivexe2x80x9d) is for receiving a tape cartridge (which may be merely called xe2x80x9ccartridgexe2x80x9d) having a single reel (a supply reel) and contains a take-up reel therein. When the tape cartridge is installed in the driving apparatus, a magnetic tape is pulled out of the tape cartridge and then is wound by the take-up reel through a head guide assembly (HGA). The head guide assembly is for guiding the magnetic tape (which may be merely called xe2x80x9ctapexe2x80x9d) pulled out of the tape cartridge in a magnetic head. The magnetic head exchanges information between the tape and the magnetic head. The head guide assembly generally comprises a boomerang-shaped aluminum plate and six large guide rollers each using a bearing.
In addition, the head guide assembly is also called a tape guide assembly which is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,414,585 to Saliba, entitled: xe2x80x9cRotating Tape Edge Guide.xe2x80x9d In addition, an example of the guide roller is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Tokkai No. 2000-100025 (JP 2000-100025 A).
The tape drive is generally comprised of a rectangular housing that has a common base as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,793,574, entitled: xe2x80x9cTape Head Actuator Assembly Having A Shock Suppression Sleevexe2x80x9d to Cranson et al. The base has two spindle motors (reel motors). The first spindle motor has a spool (or a take-up reel) permanently mounted on the base and the spool is dimensioned to accept a relatively high speed streaming magnetic tape. The second spindle motor (reel motor) is adapted to accept a removable tape cartridge. The removable tape cartridge is manually or automatically inserted into the drive via a slot formed on the drive""s housing. Upon insertion of the tape cartridge into the slot, the cartridge engages the second spindle motor (reel motor). Prior to rotation of the first and the second spindle motors, the tape cartridge is connected to the permanently mounted spool (the take-up reel) by means of a mechanical buckling mechanism. A number of rollers (guide rollers) positioned intermediate the tape cartridge and the permanent spool guide the magnetic tape as it traverses at relatively high speeds back and forth between the tape cartridge and the permanently mounted spool.
In the digital linear tape drive having such a structure, an apparatus for pulling the tape from the supply reel to the take-up reel is required. Such as a pulling apparatus is disclosed, for example, in International Publication Number WO 86/07471. According to WO 86/07471, take up leader means (a first tape leader) is coupled to the take-up reel while supply tape leader means (a second tape leader) is connected to the tape on the supply reel. The first tape leader has one end formed into a mushroom like tab. The second tape leader has a locking aperture. The tab is engaged into the locking aperture.
Furthermore, a mechanism for joining the first tape leader with the second tape leader is required. Such a joining mechanism is disclosed, for example, in International Publication number WO 86/07295.
In addition, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Tokkai No. 2000-100116 (JP 2000-100116 A) discloses a structure of leader tape engaging part which can engage an end part of a leader tape (the second tape leader) to a tape end hooking part in a tape cartridge without requiring a tab projected in the side of the leader tape.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,857,634, entitled: xe2x80x9cTake-up Reel Lockxe2x80x9d to Hertrich discloses a locking system for preventing a take-up reel of a tape drive from rotating when a tape cartridge is not inserted to the drive.
On the other hand, an example of the tape cartridge installed in the digital linear tape drive is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Tokkai No. 2000-149491 (JP 2000-149491 A).
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 6,241,171, entitled: xe2x80x9cLeaderless Tape Drivexe2x80x9d to Gaboury discloses a tape drive wherein a tape leader from a tape cartridge is urged through a tape path, into a take-up reel, and secured therein without the use of a bucking mechanism or a take-up leader.
In addition, the tape drive further comprises a tape head actuator assembly which is located between a take-up spool and a tape cartridge on a tape path defined by a plurality of rollers. During operation, a magnetic tape flows forward and backward between the take-up spool and the tape cartridge and is closely adjacent to the tape head actuator assembly while the magnetic tape flows on the defined tape path. An example of such as a tape head actuator assembly is disclosed in the above-mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,793,574.
Now, as is disclosed in the above-mentioned WO 86/07471, the first tape leader is coupled to the take-up reel while the second tape leader is connected to the tape on the supply reel contained in the tape cartridge. In addition, the tape leader is also called a xe2x80x9cleader tape.xe2x80x9d After the tape cartridge is inserted in the slot of the tape drive and then the tape cartridge (the supply reel) is engaged with the supply reel motor, the first reader tape and the second reader tape are coupled to each other by using the joining mechanism as disclosed in the above-mentioned WO 86/07295. As illustrated in the drawing of the above-mentioned WO 86/07471, a coupled or joined portion between the first leader tape and the second leader tape has a shape projecting from a surface of the leader tapes up and down. Thereafter, a xe2x80x9ctape-loadingxe2x80x9d for pulling the magnetic tape out of the tape cartridge (the supply reel) into the tape-up reel is carried out. In addition, after information exchange between the magnetic tape and the magnetic head in the magnetic head actuator assembly is completed, a xe2x80x9ctape unloadingxe2x80x9d for rewinding the magnetic tape from the take-up reel in the tape cartridge (the supply reel) is carried out.
As described above, inasmuch as the above-mentioned coupled portion has the shape projecting from the surface of the tapes up and down, on tape loading and on tape unloading, it is necessary to protect the magnetic head so that the above-mentioned coupled portion is not in contact with the magnetic head in the magnetic head actuator assembly. Such a protection mechanism is called a xe2x80x9chead protection mechanism.xe2x80x9d That is, by driving the protection mechanism except for a recording/reproducing mode in the tape drive, it is necessary to protect the magnetic head so that the above-mentioned coupled portion is not in contact with the magnetic head. On the other hand, on the recording/reproducing mode in the tape drive, by releasing the driving of the head protection mechanism, the tape drive operates so as to allow the magnetic tape to be in contact with the magnetic head. In other words, when the leader tapes (both of the first leader tape and the second leader tape) pass in the vicinity of the magnetic head actuator assembly, it is necessary to protect the magnetic head by driving the head protection mechanism so that the above-mentioned coupled portion is not in contact with the magnetic head.
In the manner which will later be described in conjunction with FIGS. 1 through 7, in a conventional head protection mechanism, it is necessary to lower the magnetic head from a normal used recording/reproducing position. As a result, an excessive space is required below the magnetic head. This prevents the tape drive from thinning. In addition, inasmuch as a driving force (a driving source) for the head protection mechanism is obtained by a stepping motor, the conventional head protection mechanism cannot have a sufficient axle ratio and is disadvantageous in that it is difficult to withstand a heavy lead.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a head protection mechanism which is capable of thinning a tape drive.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a head protection mechanism of the type described, which is capable of withstanding a heavy lead.
On describing the gist of an aspect of this invention, it is possible to be understood that a head protection mechanism is for use in a tape drive. The tape drive comprises a chassis, a take-up reel rotatably mounted on a main surface of the chassis, a take-up reel motor mounted on a back surface of the chassis for rotatably driving the take-up reel, a slot disposed on the main surface of the chassis for inserting a tape cartridge containing a supply reel, a supply reel motor mounted on the back surface of the chassis at a position opposed to said slot for rotatably driving the supply reel in the tape cartridge, and a loading mechanism for engaging the supply reel with the supply reel motor after the tape cartridge is inserted in the slot. The loading mechanism includes a loading motor disposed on the back surface of the chassis and a ring cam operatively driven by the loading motor. The ring cam has a cam face. The ring cam is coaxial to a rotation axis of the supply reel motor. The ring cam is disposed between the back surface of the chassis and the supply reel motor. The tape drive further comprises an actuator assembly liftably mounted on the main surface of the chassis. The actuator assembly includes a magnetic head for carrying out information exchange between the magnetic head and a magnetic tape pulled from the supply reel to the take-up reel. The head protection mechanism is for protecting the magnetic head so that a coupled portion between a first reader tape of the take-up reel and a second reader tape of the supply reel is not in contact with the magnetic head on tape loading and on tape unloading. The head protection mechanism comprises a protection arm rotatably mounted on the main surface of the chassis close to the actuator assembly so as to cover the magnetic head. The protection arm has a tape passing groove through which the magnetic tape, the first and the second reader tapes pass. The protection arm includes an arm portion. Rotatably mounted on the back surface of the chassis, a protection lever has one end which is close to the ring cam and which is engageably disposed to the cam face. The protection lever has another end coupled to a tip of the arm portion in the protection arm via a hole bored in the chassis. Urging means always urges the protection arm nearer to the actuator assembly. When the tape drive is put into a recording/reproducing mode, the head protection mechanism acts to project the magnetic head into the tape passing groove so as to be in contact with the magnetic tape by positioning the one end of the protection lever at a position where the one end of the protection lever is not engaged with the cam face of the ring cam and by putting the protection arm close to the actuator assembly due to an urging force of the urging means. When the tape drive is not put into the recording/reproducing mode, the head protection mechanism acts to put back the magnetic head from the tape passing groove by engaging the one end of the protection lever with the cam face of the ring cam caused by rotatably driving of the ring cam using said loading motor and by separating the protection arm from the actuator assembly caused by rotatably moving of the protection lever in opposition to the urging force of the urging means. The urging means may comprise a spring has an end connected to the protection lever and another end connected to the chassis.

Head protection mechanism for use in a tape drive that is driven by a ring cam


A conveyor system for feeding containers along a path includes a pair of plenums located on opposite sides of the path. Each plenum has an inner wall which has apertures along the center thereof, with flanges extending from each wall to define chambers or guide channels that receive opposite ends of the container. The system further consists of rigid pneumatic conduits for delivering pressurized fluid from a centrifugal blower to the plenums. The pressurized fluid is introduced into the plenums and flows through the apertures to substantially suspend the containers in the chamber. The pneumatic conduits and the centrifugal blower are integrally associated with the dual plenums, thereby structurally enhancing the entire conveyor system.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a dual plenum air-power conveyor system wherein the cans or articles are moved along the conveyor system through the use of air-powered jets, and more particularly, to an air powered conveyor system wherein the entire air delivery system is of the "hard-pipe" variety and is integrally associated with the dual plenum system, thereby structurally enhancing the entire conveyor system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Historically, most conveyor systems have relied on belts or chains to move the articles along their way in a conventional conveyor system.
However, belts and chains are subject to breaking or stretching, and/or jamming of the articles being conveyed is commonplace. In recent years, air power systems have been developed whereby air pressure is utilized to move the articles along the conveyor system from one station to another. For example, mass movement of a plurality of containers along a conveyor system may be improved by utilizing pressurized air for raising the containers above the surface of the table to minimize friction. However, the pressurized air is typically delivered to these conveyor systems by a flex hose system connected to an external blower. The flex hose systems of the prior art present many maintenance problems, such as the hoses splitting or breaking due to harmonic vibrations and fatigue, causing a leakage of air in the conveyor system, which necessitates a shutdown of the entire system, resulting in an expensive delay in terms of lost production. Furthermore, as the articles move along the conveyor system, a point is reached wherein the article is required to be changed from a vertical orientation to a horizontal orientation or vice versa. The use of a gravity spiral has been attempted; however, it cannot maintain the speed of the remainder of the system and as a result, frequent jamming occurs. As one would expect, the jamming of a conveyor system requires that the entire line be shut down until the jam is cleared. This can be an expensive delay in terms of lost production in manhours required to clear the jam. Additionally, the frequency of the jam compounds the problem and likewise increases the overall cost.


A tape printer automatically expands an input character string up to the length of a desired printing range. Operating a fixed length key after input of printing data causes an indication, for example, "PRINTING LENGTH: 10" to appear. The "PRINTING LENGTH" indication is varied by, for example, rotating a character selecting dial. When a printing key is operated, an actually printable dot column count is determined from the selected printing length. The dot column count minus the total character width (dot column count required to print all desired characters) provides a margin space YS. If the margin space is equal to or greater than the total character spacing (i.e., the number of inter-character positions), a new margin space YS is determined, and the character spacing value is incremented by one dot column. The characters are then printed on the printing tape using the spacing value thus obtained.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tape printer, and more particularly, to a tape printer that evenly spaces a plurality of input characters and prints the evenly spaced characters within the length of a predetermined printing range.
2. Description of Related Art
Heretofore, a number of proposals have been made regarding improvements in small-size tape printers that print desired character strings along a printing tape about 10 mm wide. A tape printer proposed by the applicant of the present application, and disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent No. 1-152070 is capable of printing full size and double size characters, and of selectively printing full size characters either in center printing mode or in lower-side printing mode. In center printing mode, the tape printer prints full size characters at the center of the tape (across its width); in lower-side printing mode, the tape printer prints the characters on the lower-side of the tape (across its width).
The dot pattern of characters printed by tape printers is generally 24 dots (high) by 24 dots (across) for full size characters, or 48 dots (high) by 48 dot (across) for double size characters. Dot pattern data are stored beforehand in a nonvolatile memory (e.g., ROM). The size of characters to be printed is selected from among a plurality of character size options. Once a character size is selected, the corresponding character spacing (i.e., the amount of spacing between adjacent characters) is automatically determined to have some predefined value.
In many instances, for example, the tape printer is used to print a title or information regarding the contents of a given file onto a printing tape, the printed tape being adhered (pasted) onto an appropriate position of a casing of the file. In such instances, it is often desired to expand the character string representing the file title or contents up to the entire length of the pasting position, the characters remaining evenly spaced when printed within that length.
However, as mentioned above, in existing tape printers, the spacing between characters to be printed is predefined depending on the selected character size. That is, the characters may not be spaced evenly for printing over a given length.
One conventional solution to the above problem is to insert one or more spaces after each character as they are input by an operator. One disadvantage of this solution is that the printed character string is simply extended by the number of added spaces; it is still difficult to equalize the printing position of the character string with the length of the pasting range. It is also difficult for an operator to insert spaces which will result in all characters being equally spaced within a given label length.


A low-density parity check (LDPC) decoder is provided for decoding low-density parity check (LDPC) encoded data wherein the processing order of the layers of the LDPC parity check matrix are rearranged during the decode process in an attempt to avoid error mechanisms brought about by the iterative nature of the LDPC belief propagation decoding process, such as stopping sets and trapping sets.

A solid state drive (SSD) is a data storage device that utilizes solid-state memory to retain data in nonvolatile memory chips. NAND-based flash memories are widely used as the solid-state memory storage in SSDs due to their compactness, low power consumption, low cost, high data throughput and reliability. SSDs commonly employ several NAND-based flash memory chips and a flash controller to manage the flash memory and to transfer data between the flash memory and a host computer.
While NAND-based flash memories are reliable, they are not inherently error-free and often rely on error correction coding (ECC) to correct raw bit errors in the stored data. One commonly employed error correction code employed in nonvolatile memory storage modules, such as SSDs, are low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes. An LDPC code is a linear error correcting code having a parity check matrix with a small number of nonzero elements in each row and column.
Various methods for decoding data encoded with LDPC error correction codes are known in the art, including the sum-product algorithm (SPA) and the min-sum algorithm (MSA). While the sum-product algorithm (SPA) is known to achieve the best decoding performance, it is computationally complex. The min-sum algorithm (MSA) was introduced to reduce the computationally complexity inherent in the sum-product algorithm. Additionally, one commonly employed decoding method for LDPC coding, comprising a further hardware simplification, is the layered min-sum algorithm (MSA). The layered min-sum algorithm is iterative by layer of the parity check matrix.
While the layered min-sum algorithm performs very well utilizing layered iterative decoding based on belief propagation, the combination of the structure of the parity check matrix used for the encoding of the data and the decoding process itself may result in the undesirable creation of error mechanisms, such as trapping sets and stopping sets during the iterative decoding process. These undesirable error mechanisms may force the decoder to converge to an incorrect result, leading to undesired retransmission of the frame or undesired noise at the receiver.
Accordingly, what is needed in the art is an improved system and method for reducing the effect of error mechanisms, such as trapping sets and stopping sets, on a belief propagation algorithm for decoding LDPC encoded data.

System and method for avoiding error mechanisms in layered iterative decoding


A system and method for monitoring the performance of a computer system by dynamically interposing an instrumented trap table. A base address of a trap table, which may be contained in a trap base address register, may be changed to indicate an instrumented trap table. An instrumented trap table may gather a variety of statistics, including the type of trap and an entry timestamp. An instrumented trap table may then call a non-instrumented trap table to process the trap. A non-instrumented trap table may pass control back to the instrumented trap table to collect further statistics, for example an exit timestamp. An instrumented trap table may then return process flow to the calling routing. In this manner, useful performance statistics may be gathered while trap events are processed by regular, optimized software.

In the computing arts, a trap is an event which may be generated entirely by hardware, for example external interrupts, or may be generated by software, for example calls for operating system services. In general, a trap causes system hardware to make an exception to or change the flow of software. The software flow generally may be redirected to a series of software routines, which are designed to handle the particular event that caused the trap. These software routines are commonly referred to as "traps", "trap handlers" or "trap tables", the latter also referring to a collection of individual routines.
Trap events, and processing trap events, are common occurrences on most modern computer systems. As mention previously, traps may be caused by interrupts and operating system requests. Another very common cause of traps is a virtual memory system.
In general, in a virtual memory system, the operating system manages memory as a resource, providing a virtual or idealized view of memory to the non-system level software (for example a user program). In this manner, the user programmer may be isolated from the myriad physical details of the actual memory implementation.
Consequently, when a user program accesses "memory," the operating system must translate the request from a virtual address to a physical address. Generally, this is performed by processing a trap which looks up the physical address from a given virtual address and typically loads the virtual to physical translation into a Translation Lookaside Buffer, or TLB. This process generates large numbers of traps.
Additionally, in many virtual memory systems, all virtual memory addresses may not directly translate to physical memory. The operating system may present a virtual image of memory that is larger than physical memory. The operating system typically will divide memory, both real and virtual, into pages. Through a process known as paging, the operating system may move virtual pages in and out of real memory, generally storing pages taken out of memory on a storage device, for example a rotating magnetic disk. Consequently, the virtual memory system takes on the complexity of managing virtually unlimited amount of memory, simplifying and enabling user software to use large amounts of memory when necessary.
As a result, a TLB trap may request a page of virtual memory that is not currently in real memory. This is generally referred to as a "page fault." The response to a TLB miss is typically to suspend the calling process while the operating system pages the virtual page into real memory, and resume the calling process when the virtual page is available in real memory.
As a consequence of all of these traps, trap behavior and performance is critical to overall system performance. It is not unusual for a computer system to generate and process millions of traps per second. Because of the critical nature of trap processing, a great deal of effort has gone in to optimizing the software involved in such processing.
Despite being a fundamental indicator of system behavior, there has historically been very little insight provided into the frequency and cost of machine-specific traps because they pose monitoring difficulties. The lack of insight has been especially acute on microprocessors that handle TLB misses as software traps. The frequency and duration of traps plays a decisive role in the performance of the memory system.
Conventional performance monitoring techniques generally rely on conditional execution. If an indicator is enabled, performance statistics will be gathered, at the cost of some processing overhead. If disabled, the statistics will not be gathered, thereby introducing very little overhead. Because of the critical nature of trap processing and the large number of traps, however, even the minimal overhead of accessing the indicator and making the decision has introduced an unacceptable delay. Consequently, in the conventional art there has not been an acceptable technique to monitor this critical aspect of system performance.

Dynamic trap table interposition for efficient collection of trap statistics


Power transmission device for linear movement, comprising a principal member (2), which is movable along a displacement path, and a housing (1) which presents bearing means (10) for the movement of the member along the displacement path. A guide member (3) is arranged to guide the principal member in its displacement path, and a power member (4) is arranged to be able to be activated to apply a force to the principal member so that it moves while being guided by the guide member. A portion of the principal member is arranged to drive a connected device. The principal member (2) and the housing (1) and suitably also the power member (4) are each formed from longitudinally extending sections or profiles with essentially constant cross-sections along their lengths. In this manner the power transmission device can be produced in various lengths from a basic embodiment by cutting said profiles from raw material profiles having the cross-section referred to.

Power transmission devices of the type to which the present invention relates are characterized by the fact that they present a power input end and a power output end. Some type of power means, for example for activation by means of a pressure medium or an electric current, is arranged at the power input end. The power which the power means exerts on the power transmission device is transmitted by the device to the power output end for driving, for example, a machine tool, a displacement device or other arrangement which requires a displacement force for its operation. The purpose of the power transmission device is thereby to transmit the power from the power member to the driven device by converting the movement to another relationship between power and displacement than that which the power member can produce and/or controlling the movement or distributing it.
The present case relates to a power transmission device for a preferably linear movement and a reciprocal movement, that is to say not principally a rotating movement. The movement is thus restricted to a certain stroke length or displacement path in a to and fro movement. The term linear is not necessarily to be understood as a movement along a straight line; the movement can also follow a curved line and can even comprise a restricted to and fro rotational movement.
Devices of this type are previously known from many applications. By way of example, such applications include shears for plate and other material, edge-pressing machines, rods for parallel transfer or scraping, and members in automated assembly machines, etc. The knives in cutting machines or the press tool in edge pressing machines can typically be held in a carriage or on arms for parallel oscillatory movement and thereby driven by compressed air or hydraulic cylinders or electromagnets. The latter means accordingly form the power member and the power transmitting device is formed by the carriage or arm system which guides and distributes the force along the entire length of said tool. In certain cases a gear reduction takes place to achieve a greater force at the output device than the power member is capable of developing or, alternatively, an increasing of the movement path with a loss of force exertion.

Power transmission device for linear movements


A drawer bracket including a drawer front member defining at least one opening for receiving a fastening device. A drawer side member is adjacent the drawer front member. The side member is perpendicular to the front member. The side member has a front surface and a back surface. An attachment device is adjacent the back surface of the side member for attaching the side member to a drawer side.

The present invention relates to a drawer bracket. More specifically, the invention is directed to a drawer bracket that joins the front of a drawer to the side of a drawer.
It has been found that there is a need for a drawer bracket that easily, quickly and efficiently joins the front of the drawer to the side of a drawer. In the past, the drawer front and the drawer side were attached by a plurality of screws. In this prior art assembly, the drawer front, drawer sides and drawer back were brought together to form a box in which the corners of the box were held together by screws. A front facing was then attached to the drawer front by additional screws. In the prior art assembly, the attachment of the drawer front to the drawer side was a time consuming and often inefficient process. Therefore, there is a need for a drawer bracket that eliminates the need for a plurality of screws in order to make the process of joining a drawer front to a drawer side easy and efficient.
The present invention satisfies the above-identified need. The present invention is directed to a unique drawer bracket that joins the drawer front to the drawer side by a single screw.


A shock test apparatus for evaluating the shock performance of individual disc drive components includes a base portion and a top cover connected to the base portion to define an interior volume. First and second disc drive components are secured within the interior volume of the apparatus to engage one another in the absence of a shock event. A shock pulse generator includes an actuator for imparting a shock pulse to one of the disc drive components. A second shock pulse generator can be used to impart a shock pulse to the second disc drive component. Measurements are made of both the shock imparted to the disc drive components and the interaction between the first and second disc drive components during the shock event.

The present invention relates generally to improving the ability of disc drives to withstand shock events. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system for analyzing the shock performance of individual disc drive components such as a suspension or a read/write head.
The current breed of disc drives spin much faster and are more densely packed with data than prior drives. These speed and size increases require that the read/write heads fly very close to the surface of the disc platters (on the order of a micron). In light of these very low fly heights, the shock performance of a disc drive has taken on paramount importance. Specifically, disc drives must be able to survive large non-operating shocks which are likely to cause an impact between the head and the disc media.
Current disc drive xe2x80x9cshock testsxe2x80x9d utilize a drop test where an entire drive is dropped from a predetermined height at different predetermined angles. The drop test attempts to simulate the types of shocks that will be experienced by disc drives under real world conditions. However, the drop test provides only limited information about the shock performance of a disc drive. Indeed, drop tests are more of a xe2x80x9csurvivabilityxe2x80x9d test where the disc drive is analyzed to see if it can still pass a battery of read/write and seek commands following the drop test.
It is possible to combine disc drive drop tests with real-time analysis of the disc by modifying portions of the disc drive. For example, a top cover of the disc drive may be modified to include an evacuation line for applying a suction to the interior of the drive. In this manner, the modified disc drive could be connected to a particle counter during the drop test to measure the amount of particles generated during the test. However, even such limited whole-drive shock testing is subject to a number of drawbacks.
Specifically, whole-drive shock testing is extremely inefficient due to the requirement that an entire disc drive must be constructed before any testing can be done. There is always pressure to reduce the time-to-market for new disc drives, and thus it is imperative to begin testing the new technology as soon as possible. Long delays may be encountered if shock-related problems are discovered only after production begins on a new disc drive line. Thus, it would be desirable to be able to perform shock tests on individual disc drive components, as opposed to waiting until the components are integrated within a fully functional disc drive.
A further drawback to whole-drive shock testing is that it is difficult to isolate the performance of a single component when the entire drive is subjected to shock testing. That is, due to the large number of interrelated components within a disc drive, it is difficult to measure the shock performance of a single component (e.g., a read/write head or a suspension) since a disc drive may experience a failure for reasons that are not related to the tested components.
Additionally, it is difficult to obtain accurate comparative testing using whole-drive shock testing. Comparative testing comprises, for example, installing two different suspensions or read/write heads within a disc drive and then performing drop tests on the drive to determine which suspension performed better under the shock load. However, it is not a simple matter to build two complete disc drives with different components in order to test the components. Furthermore, as noted above, it is difficult to isolate the performance of a single component when drop testing an entire drive, and this further complicates the effort to perform comparative testing.
In addition to the inefficiencies associated with whole-drive shock testing, prior art drop tests also provide limited value since the test results are not highly repeatable. Specifically, due to the nature of the drop test, it is possible for random events to impact the test results and thereby impair the ability to obtain consistent test results. Furthermore, due to drive yield issues, minor variations between different disc drives also limits the repeatability of shock test results for the above noted reasons (i.e., the same interrelation between the drive components which makes it difficult to isolate the performance of a single component also makes it difficult to obtain highly repeatable test results when two different drives are not identical). Thus, two different disc drives may fail a drop test for two different reasons.
In sum, prior art whole-drive testing is not efficient since it can not be performed until after the disc drive design has been finalized and manufacture of the drives has begun. It would be desirable to perform shock tests on individual drive components earlier in the design effort before time and money is expended to build an entire disc drive. Additionally, current whole drive drop tests do not provide an opportunity to accurately study the shock performance of individual disc drive components. Specifically, current drop tests do not allow researchers to accurately compare two different components (e.g., the mechanical dynamics and particle-shedding nature of two different suspension designs) to determine the better design with respect to shock performance.
The present invention provides a solution to these and other problems, and offers other advantages over the prior art.
In accordance with one preferred embodiment of the present invention, a shock test apparatus is provided for evaluating the shock performance of individual disc drive components. The apparatus includes a base portion and a top cover connected to the base portion to define an interior volume. First and second disc drive components are detachably secured within the interior volume of the apparatus so that the first disc drive component engages the second disc drive component in the absence of a shock event. In this manner, the apparatus simulates a relevant portion of a disc drive when the drive is at rest. A shock pulse generator includes an actuator extending into the interior volume of the apparatus for imparting a shock pulse to the first disc drive component, thereby creating a dynamic interaction or impact between the first and second disc drive components. A second shock pulse generator may also be connected to impart a shock pulse to the second disc drive component to aid in simulating a variety of real world shocks experienced by a disc drive. In one preferred embodiment, the first disc drive component is a head suspension assembly, while the second disc drive component is a media disc (to simulate a Contact Start/Stop disc drive) or a ramp fixture (to simulate a Load/Unload disc drive).
The present invention further includes a system for evaluating the shock performance of individual disc drive components without having to first build a disc drive. The system includes an enclosure having a base portion and a top cover connected to define an interior volume. First and second disc drive components are detachably secured within the interior volume of the enclosure so that the first disc drive component engages the second disc drive component in the absence of a shock event. The system includes a shock pulse generator having an actuator extending into the interior volume of the enclosure to impart a shock pulse to the first disc drive component, thereby creating a dynamic interaction or impact between the first and second disc drive components. The system further includes means for measuring the shock pulse imparted to the first disc drive component, as well as means for measuring the dynamic interaction between the first and second disc drive components. In one embodiment, the system includes a second shock pulse generator having an actuator extending into the interior volume of the enclosure to impart a shock pulse to the second disc drive component as well as means for measuring the shock pulse imparted to the second disc drive component. In a further embodiment, the means for measuring the shock pulses include accelerometers attached to the first and second disc drive components or the actuators used to shock those components, while the means for measuring the dynamic interaction of the two disc drive components includes one of a laser Doppler vibrometer, a particle counter, a particle trap, a sample collection disc, and an acoustical emission sensor.
These and various other features as well as advantages which characterize the present invention will be apparent from a reading of the following detailed description and a review of the associated drawings.


The invention concerns a device for application of dope on male threads, comprising a swivel motor (3), the swivel motor operating a rotatable top (6), on said top at least one dope application nozzle (7) being arranged. The dope application nozzle (7) is arranged at a distance from the rotational axis of the top (6), said distance being larger than the radius of a thread section to be doped.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a device for application of dope on male threads, comprising a swivel motor, the swivel motor operating a rotatable top, on said top at least one dope application nozzle being arranged.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known to provide a series of devices for doping of threads, that is devices for application of grease on the threads at the ends of drill pipes, to facilitate the joining and disengagement of pipes in a drill string.
This work used to be performed completely by manual labour by a worker applying the grease with a brush. Due to the heavy work schedule, there is seldom time enough to clean the threads before applying the grease. The work was also high-risk because of the heavy pipes being transported over the drill floor. The drill floor is in general a dangerous working place, and a demand for reduced personnel on the drill floor exists.
There have been machines developed to facilitate the application of the dope, but the majority of these machines still require one worker to be present to operate the machine.
A device, which can be remotely operated is shown in NO 173.893, which shows a device in which the thread grease is applied on male threads, or pin end, by a brush roller. The end of the pipe is according to this device lowered onto a centering means, where after the roller shaped brush is rotated around the pipe end.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,642,034 shows a hand operated device for spraying thread grease on the female end, or the box end, of the pipe. In this case a mouthpiece with one or more nozzle is fed into the pipe end and may optionally rotate in this position.
NL 8800247 shows a hand operated device for applying thread grease on a female end.
DE 2620526 shows devices for applying thread grease on female or male ends, which also are hand operated.
DE 3537633 shows a similar device to the above, which is also hand operated.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,043,295 shows a device for application of dope on female threads. It comprises a head having a nozzle for spraying dope. The dope is bent sideways by an air jet emitted sideways from an air nozzle. The air nozzle is rotatable around the longitudinal axis of the head. The device can be hand held or remotely operated.
NO 179.920 also shows a device for application of dope on female threads. It comprises a sideways directed nozzle which is rotatable around its longitudinal axis. This device must be inserted into and removed from the female end by hand.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,653,819 shows a device for cleaning of male or female threads. The threads to be cleaned are inserted into a chamber and rotationally mounted spray nozzles inside this chamber perform a cleaning action. No application of dope is described.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,895,205 shows a device for cleaning and chemical treatment of sections of pipe. The pipe is fed through a tunnel, and non-rotational spray nozzles perform treatment of the outside of the tube. No application of dope is described.
Most of the above prior art devices are hand held devices, which require one or more persons to be present near the pipe end.
Such manual labour is both high-risk and physically heavy, and there is therefor a desire to eliminate the need for a person to be present by the pipe end to apply the thread grease.
The device according to NO 173.893 functions fairly well, but it has certain disadvantages. It has inter alia no possibility for efficient cleaning of the threads before the thread grease is applied. When a pipe end is brought into a position over the device, the pipe end must be centered quite accurately over the centering means, where after the pipe tube is lowered onto the centering means or the centering means is lifted up to the pipe end. This consumes a relatively long time, and a risk exists that the pipe end does not hit the centering means.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,043,295 and NO 179.920 can only be used for doping female threads and cannot be used for male threads.
The object of the present invention is to provide a dope application device, which functions with increased efficiency and which has a simple construction and can be used for application of dope on the male threads.
The above features are achieved by arranging the dope application nozzle at a distance from the rotational axis of the top, said distance being larger than the radius of a thread section to be doped.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a dope application device, which cleans the threads before the application of the grease.
The dope application according to the present invention can in an easy way be placed between the pipe racks on a rig of the RamRig(copyright) type. In this way the dope can be applied just before the pipe is placed in the ramp which transports it up to the drill floor. The device can also be placed on the drill floor on a separate arm or on the so called rouchneck.

Device for application of dope on male threads


Efficient methods are disclosed for fabricating spring structures in which a passive, conductive coating is deposited onto the spring structure after release. A release layer is deposited on a substrate and then a spring metal layer is formed thereon. A first mask is then used to etch the spring metal layer to form a spring metal finger. A second (release) mask is then deposited that defines a release window used to remove a portion of the release layer and release a free end of the spring metal finger. The second mask is also used as a mask during the subsequent directional deposition of a conductive coating material on the cantilevered tip of the finger. The second mask is then stripped, and the residual coating deposited thereon is lifted off. The resulting spring structure includes conductive coating on the upper surface and front edge of the finger tip.

This invention generally relates to stress-engineered metal films, and more particularly to photo lithographically patterned micro-spring structures formed from stress-engineered metal films.
Photo lithographically patterned spring structures (sometimes referred to as xe2x80x9cmicrospringsxe2x80x9d) have been developed, for example, to produce low cost probe cards, and to provide electrical connections between integrated circuits. A typical microspring includes a spring metal finger having an anchor portion secured to a substrate, and a free (cantilevered) portion extending from the anchored portion over the substrate. The spring metal finger is formed from a stress-engineered metal film (i.e., a metal film fabricated such that its lower portions have a higher internal compressive stress than its upper portions) that is at least partially formed on a release material layer. The free portion of the spring metal finger bends away from the substrate when the release material located under the free portion is etched away. The internal stress gradient is produced in the spring metal by layering different metals having the desired stress characteristics, or using a single metal by altering the fabrication parameters. Such spring metal structures may be used in probe cards, for electrically bonding integrated circuits, circuit boards, and electrode arrays, and for producing other devices such as inductors, variable capacitors, and actuated mirrors. For example, when utilized in a probe card application, the tip of the free portion is brought into contact with a contact pad formed on an integrated circuit, and signals are passed between the integrated circuit and test equipment via the probe card (i.e., using the spring metal structure as a conductor). Other examples of such spring structures are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,842,189 (Southgate) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,613,861 (Smith).
The present inventors have observed that conventional spring structures develop contact resistances that are detrimental to signal transmissions when the spring structures are used as conductors. The spring metal (e.g., Mo, MoCr, NiZr) is typically chosen for its ability to retain large amounts of internal stress. These materials typically oxidize in air, a phenomenon that can interfere with their ability to make electrical contact, for example, with the contact pad of an integrated circuit when used in a probe card. The spring metal materials can also gall to the contact pad, which is typically aluminum. Once the galled aluminum oxidizes, the contact resistance between the contact pad and the spring metal structure increases. One proposed approach to reducing contact resistance is to passivate the spring metal before etching and release. However, the passivating material tends to resist bending of the spring metal finger after release, and provides minimal coverage along the front edge at the tip, thereby allowing direct contact with the spring metal that can result in increased contact resistance.
What is needed is a spring metal structure that resists increased contact resistance by avoiding oxidation of the spring metal and/or galling of a contact pad against which the spring metal structure is pressed.
The present invention is directed to efficient methods for fabricating microspring structures in which a conductive coating is deposited on the tip of the free (i.e., cantilevered) portion of the spring metal finger using a directional deposition process after release from an underlying substrate. By directing the spring coating deposition on the spring metal finger tip after release (i.e. after the finger is allowed to bend upward from the substrate due to internal stress), the conductive coating is reliably formed on the front edge and upper surface of the spring metal finger tip without impeding the bending process, thereby producing a low-cost spring structure with reduced contact resistance when compared to non-coated spring structures, or to spring structures coated before release.
In accordance with the disclosed method, a conductive release layer is deposited on a substrate, and then a stress-engineered (spring) metal film is formed on the release material layer. A first mask is then used to etch an elongated spring metal island from the metal film, but etching is stopped before the release layer is entirely removed to prevent undercutting that can cause premature release of the spring metal island. A release (second) mask is then deposited that defines a release window exposing a portion of the spring metal island and the release material layer surrounding this exposed portion. In accordance with an aspect of the invention, the release window is formed with an overhang that helps prevent overlapping of coating material, thereby facilitating lift-off of the residual coating formed on the release mask. Subsequent removal of the release material exposed by the release mask causes the exposed portion of the spring metal island to bend away from the substrate due to its internal stress, thereby becoming the free portion of a spring metal finger (an anchored portion of the spring metal finger remains covered by the release mask). The release mask is then used as a mask during the deposition of the conductive coating (e.g., a refractory noble metal such as Rhodium (Rh), Iridium (Ir), Rhenium (Re), Platinum (Pt), and Palladium (Pd)) on the tip and other exposed portions of the spring metal finger. The overhanging release mask structure prevents overlapping of the coating material to facilitate lift-off of residual coating portions during the subsequent removal of the release mask.
In another embodiment, the release mask, which is also used during the deposition process, is provided with a channel extending over the anchored (i.e., non-released) portion of the spring metal finger, thereby facilitating the formation of conductive coating portions on the anchor portion of the spring metal finger to improve conductivity.

Microspring with conductive coating deposited on tip after release


A separation mechanism of a fixing device includes a separation member extending in a direction orthogonal to the paper convey direction and arranged opposite the fixing member in a state apart from the fixing member by a predetermined gap, a support shaft member extending in a direction orthogonal to the paper convey direction and rotatably supporting the separation member, a first gap adjustment unit capable of rotating the separation member around the support shaft member to adjust the predetermined gap in the rotation direction, and a second gap adjustment unit capable of moving the separation member in a direction in which an imaginary surface from the support shaft member towards the fixing member extends, to adjust the predetermined gap in the surface direction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fixing device that causes a toner image on a paper to be fixed to that paper at a nip area formed between a fixing member and a pressing member, and to an image forming apparatus comprising the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
A fixing device of -an image forming apparatus generally includes a fixing roller, or a fixing belt (fixing member) wound onto the fixing roller, and a pressing roller (pressing member) that contacts the fixing member to form a nip area between itself and the fixing member. A toner image on a paper that is conveyed in is thermally fixed onto the paper in the nip area. With the fixing device, there are cases where a paper that has undergone the fixing process is discharged from the nip area while being stuck to the fixing member, and in these cases problems are caused such as paper jam.
To eliminate such problems, in a first technology for example, the fixing device is provided with a separation mechanism, which is configured so as to be capable of stripping from the fixing member the paper that has stuck to the fixing member after the fixing process. The separation mechanism has a single separation claw (separation member) that extends along the longitudinal direction of the fixing roller and that is arranged facing the fixing roller. A gap between the separation claw and the fixing roller is set to a predetermined magnitude and due to this the separation claw touches the paper that has stuck to the fixing roller and is able to strip the paper from the fixing roller.
In the first technology, a spacer that is installed near a leading edge of the separation claw is used a means for setting the gap to a predetermined magnitude. The spacer is set in position so as to abut the core of the fixing roller, and therefore a gap of the predetermined magnitude is formed between the leading edge of the separation claw and the peripheral surface of the fixing roller.
However, only a single separation claw is used in the separation mechanism of the first technology, and therefore due to unevenness in the dimensional precision of the separation claw itself, it is difficult to set the gap to the predetermined magnitude. As a result, it is difficult to strip away the paper that has stuck to the fixing roller and there is a risk that paper jam will occur.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus comprising the same


A support column for underground mining has a hollow lower column component and a hollow upper column component. The upper column component is slidingly mounted in the lower column component. The bottom of the upper column component is a plate member. The circumferential outer surface of the plate member and the inner surface of the lower column component form an annular gap through which air and water can penetrate, while a non-hardening filler introduced into the interior space of the lower column component through a filling unit cannot penetrate through the gap. The filler accumulating in the interior space of the lower column component causes the upper column component to be moved relative to the lower column component and the support column is clamped between the abutments. The support column can be removed by discharging filler through an outlet opening in the lower column component.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a support column for underground longwalls, roads, galleries or tunnels. The support column includes two telescoping hollow column components which are guided against each other. The lower of the column components can be filled with a non-hardening filler and is provided with a closable outlet opening.
2. Description of the Related Art
Support columns which can be filled with a hardening filler are known in the art. Prior to filling, these support columns are clamped or propped against the hanging wall and the foot wall or against the roof and the floor. In this connection, it is known from DE 28 47 906 to provide an auxiliary stay which remains in the column until the filler has hardened. DE 29 41 663 proposes the use of a clamping securing means in the form of a section ring with a cutting edge. In accordance with DE 39 15 837, the support column is clamped by means of a winding mechanism which is arranged in the support column. DE 41 15 209, which corresponds to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/934,660, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,273,378, describes a ring-shaped spring element as a clamping means.
All the above-described clamping means have in common that the support column is first clamped and the filler is filled in subsequently. After the filler has been filled into the support columns, the auxiliary means used for clamping lose their function. In addition, the above-described support columns have in common that they cannot be removed after clamping or placing. Accordingly, an economical utilization of material is possible only to a limited extent when such support columns are used.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,765,200 discloses a support column which includes two telescoping hollow column components which are guided against each other, wherein a non-hardening filler can be filled into the lower column component and the lower column component is provided with a closable outlet opening. The filler may be stone dust, sand or another suitable granulated material having a small grain size. The filler can be introduced into the column component by removing a base plate of the lower column component. The filler may also be introduced through a suitable opening in the base plate or in the wall of the lower column component. This opening is closed by a suitable closing member. Alternatively, the filler can also be introduced into the lower column component by removing the upper column component.
The bottom of the upper column component has a cutout which may have various configurations. Above the cutout, the interior space of the lower column component is in permanent connection with the interior space of the upper column component. The fact that the two interior spaces are connected results in the disadvantage that the support column cannot be clamped with a certain setting load. In addition, this support column has a resilient behavior because, when forces act in longitudinal direction of the support column, the filler can penetrate from the interior space of the lower column component through the cutout in the bottom of the upper column component into the interior space of the upper column component. Moreover, excess filler can be discharged out of the interior space of the upper column component through an opening in a cover plate of the upper column component.

MBK-Hydraulik Meuwsen & Brockhausen GmbH


An improved article of the type comprising a plurality of flexible fibrous layers at least two of which are secured together by a securing means, said improvements comprising a securing means which comprises at least two adjacent paths wherein the distance between said paths is less than about 1/8 in.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to articles having improved penetration resistance. More particularly, this invention relates to such articles which are fiber based and which are especially suitable for fabrication into penetration resistant articles such as body armor, as for example, bulletproof vests.
2. Prior Art
Ballistic articles such as bulletproof vests, helmets, structural members of helicopters and other military equipment, vehicle panels, briefcases, raincoats and umbrellas containing high strength fibers are known. Fibers conventionally used include aramid fibers such as poly (phenylenediamine terephthalamide), graphite fibers, nylon fibers, ceramic fibers, glass fibers and the like. For many applications, such as vests or parts of vests, the fibers are used in a woven or knitted fabric. For many of the applications, the fibers are encapsulated or embedded in a matrix material.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,971,072 and 3,988,780 relate to light weight armor and method of fabrication of same. Reinforced body armor and the like is fabricated by securing a thin ballistic metal outer shell to a plurality of layers of flexible material having qualities resistant to ballistic penetration. The layers of material are sewn together along paths spaced within a selected predetermined range, so as to restrict movement of the fabric layers in lateral and longitudinal directions and to compact the layers in an elastic mass thereby to provide improved resistance to penetration of the material by a ballistic missile and to reduce back target distortion.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,183,097 relates to a contoured, all-fabric, lightweight, body armor garment for the protection of the torso of a woman against small arms missiles and spall which comprises a contoured front protective armor panel composed of a plurality of superposed layers of ballistically protective plies of fabric made of aramid polymer yarns, the front protective armor panel being contoured by providing overlapping seams joining two side sections to a central section of the panel so as to cause the front protective armor panel to be contoured to the curvature of the bust of a female wearer of the body armor garment to impart good ballistic protection and comfort to the wearer.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,855,632 relates to an undershirt type garment made of soft, absorbent, cotton-like material, stitched thereto and covering the chest and abdomen areas and the back area of the wearer's torso. Inserted between each of the panels and the portions of the shirt which they cover is a pad formed of a number of sheets of closely woven, heavy gage nylon thread. The sheets are stitched together and to the shirt generally along their outer edges so that the major portions of the sheets are generally free of positive securement to each other and thus may flex and move to some extent relative to each other. Thus, the garment, in the padded areas, is substantially bullet-proof and yet is lightweight, flexible, non-bulky and perspiration absorbent.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,522,871 relates to an improved ballistic material comprising a multiplicity of plies of ballistic cloth woven with an aramid, e.g., Kevlar.RTM., thread, one or more of which plies are treated with resorcinol formaldehyde latex to coat the aramid threads and fill the interstices between the threads of a treated ply.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,510,200 relates to material useful in bulletproof clothing formed from a number of laminates arranged one on top of another. The laminates are preferably formed of a substrate coated with a crushed thermosettable foam that, in turn, covered with a surface film, which may be an acrylic polymer. The films should form the outermost layers of the composite material which together with the foam layer, prevent degradation of the substrate, which is typically formed of fabric woven from Kevlar.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,331,091 describes three-dimensional thick fabrics made from a laminate of fabric plies held together by yarns looped through holes in the structure. U.S. Pat. No. 4,584,228 layers of textile fabric or foil superimposed on a shock absorber, in which the shock absorber is a three dimensional fabric with waffle-like surface.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,623,574; 4,748,064; 4,916,000; 4,403,012; 4,457,985; 4,650,710; 4,681,792; 4,737,401; 4,543,286; 4,563,392; and 4,501,856 describe ballistic resistant articles which comprise a fibrous network such as a fabric or 0.degree./90.degree. uniaxial pregreg in a matrix.

Constructions having improved penetration resistance


This pre-chamber type engine is provided with pre-chambers formed in the cavities in piston bodies, and head plates consisting of a material of a high thermal resistance the thermal expansion coefficient of which is substantially equal to that of the piston bodies and fixed to the piston bodies. The fuel injection nozzles project into the insert bores made in the head plates when the pistons are in positions in the vicinity of the top dead centers. The communication ports formed in the head plates extend in the portions thereof which are around the insert bores diagonally with respect to the axes of cylinders, and are spaced from one another in the circumferential direction thereof. The communication ports are formed so that the axes thereof are inclined in the direction opposite to the direction in which the swirl currents in the main chambers flow with the direction in which the gaseous mixture is ejected from the pre-chambers into the main chambers in agreement with that in which the swirl currents in the main chambers flow. Accordingly, the ejection currents from the pre-chambers into the main chambers enable the mixing thereof with fresh air to be promoted by utilizing the swirl currents in the cylinders.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a pre-chamber type engine having main chambers, pre-chambers and fuel injection nozzles the injection ports of which are opened in the pre-chambers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A swirl chamber type engine having swirl chambers has heretofore been developed for the purpose of improving the combustion in the engine. Such a swirl chamber type engine has swirl chambers formed in a cylinder head, communication ports via which the swirl chambers and main chambers formed in cylinders communicate with each other, and fuel injection nozzles provided in the swirl chambers, and the swirl currents flowing into the swirl chambers via the communication ports and a fuel injected into the swirl chambers form a gaseous mixture.
The swirl chamber type engines of this kind include as an example thereof a pre-chamber type structure disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 12613/1990. In this pre-chamber type structure, the pre-chamber walls defining pre-chambers communicating with main combustion chambers formed in the cylinders via injection ports are formed out of an insulating material, and film members consisting of a ceramic material are provided on the inner surfaces of the pre-chamber walls. In this pre-chamber type structure, metal protective cylinders are fitted firmly over the outer circumferential surfaces of the pre-chamber walls. The injection ports allowing the main chambers to communicate with the pre-chambers are formed in a cylinder head incliningly with respect to the pre-chambers so as to promote the formation of swirl currents.
In general, the combustion temperature in a pre-chamber is high, so that it is effective to burn a gaseous mixture at a low air-fuel ratio for the purpose of reducing the generation of NOx. In order to burn a gaseous mixture at a low air-fuel ratio when the combustion temperature is high, an engine of a pre-chamber type structure is effectively used. In order to increase the combustion speed in a pre-chamber type combustion chamber in a pre-chamber type combustion chamber-carrying engine to a level substantially equal to that of the combustion speed in a direct injection type combustion chamber, it is necessary that the cross-sectional area of a communication port via which a pre-chamber and a main chamber communicate with each other be increased. However, when the cross-sectional area of the communication port is increased, the injection speed of a fuel from the pre-chamber into the main chamber decreases, and the combustion in the main chamber is not carried out satisfactorily.
In a conventional swirl chamber type engine, the rate of generation of NOx and smoke increases unless the direction in which a swirl current formed in a swirl chamber flows, the direction in which an atomized fuel is ejected from a fuel injection nozzle and the timing at which the fuel is thus ejected from the same nozzle all match. In a swirl chamber type engine, a communication port via which the pre-chamber and main chamber communicate with each other is small, so that a throttle loss due to the communication port occurs, which causes an engine output to decrease. In general, a communication port via which a main chamber and pre-chamber communicate with each other is provided in either the central portion of a cylinder or one spot of the outer circumferential portion thereof. This causes the distance over which an ejection current travels to increase, the sufficient mixing of the ejection current with the air in the main chamber to be prevented, HC and smoke to occur, the combustion time to be prolonged and the performance of the engine to lower. Since the communication port is restricted, the suction air entering the main chamber via the suction port and flowing into the pre-chamber through the communication port causes a strong swirl current to occur therein, and, due to this air flow, the heat transfer rate of the inner surface of the pre-chamber increases to cause an increase in the radiation rate.
In a direct injection engine having a combustion chamber in a piston, the volume ratio of the piston combustion chamber, i.e. a ratio of the volume of the piston combustion chamber to that of the whole combustion chamber at the end of a compression stroke is generally 65-80%, and the volume of a space not included in this percentage is called useless volume, attempts having been made to reduce the useless volume to the lowest possible level.

Izusu Ceramics Research Institute Co., Ltd.


The outer shell fabric according to the invention is made of a textile material which is a double-weave woven fabric or a warp-knit knitted fabric constructed in such a manner that preferably a majority of one yarn type is placed on the face of the fabric and the majority of a different yarn type is placed on the back surface. One of the yarns may consist of multi-filamentary meta-aramid fiber (e.g. Nomex), the other of either a multi-filamentary or a spun (staple) para-aramid fiber (e.g. Kevlar). The textile material can be visualized as two separate fabrics being interlaced together by the sharing of yarns between them. When used as part of a firefighter or work garment for protection against heat and flame, the outer shell fabric has superior tear resistance, abrasion resistance, UV resistance, and thermal protective performance when compared to other outer shell fabrics used for the same application. In addition, the textile material is more elastic than traditional woven fabrics of the same yarns, and when used in conjunction with a firefighter garment, increases comfort and mobility.

(a) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to textile material for use as the outer shell fabric of a firefighter garment. More particularly, the invention is concerned with a lightweight outer shell fabric that is constructed of two different homogeneous yarn types in such a way as to increase resistance to mechanical and UV degradation while increasing thermal protective performance. In addition, the textile material can stretch, thereby increasing comfort and mobility.
(b) Description of Prior Art
All fabrics used in the manufacture of protective clothing for firefighters must satisfy minimum performance requirements for flame, heat and tear resistance as prescribed by the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA).
A firefighter garment is normally made of a composite layer of materials including an outer shell fabric. All fabrics currently used for the outer shell fabric of firefighter garments are woven. The warps and wefts of the outer shell fabric usually comprise spun yarns that are either made up of homogeneous fibers or intimate blends of different fibers. The purpose of using intimate blends of fibers in yarns is to combine the individual strengths of each of the constituent fibers. However, since each fiber has its own weaknesses as well as strengths, the resulting intimate blend yarn must necessarily have some performance compromises as well.
Many of the fibers used in the yarns used in outer shell fabric fabrics of firefighter garments have drawbacks: difficulty in absorbing dye stuffs, poor color retention, UV degradation, fibrillation, poor abrasion resistance.
The fabric may be constructed as a plain, ripstop, twill, herringbone or other traditional weave construction; it will however, appear as a continuous single sheet of yarns. And although there may be a face and a back surface to the weave construction, the face and back surfaces will consist of the identical yarns.
An alternative to spun yarns is multi-filamentary yarns. The latter have a much higher strength-to-weight and strength-to-denier ratios than the spun yarns of similar fibers. They are also more abrasion resistant and less water absorbing than spun yarns of the same fiber.
The principal disadvantages to multi-filamentary yarns are that the resulting fabrics are susceptible to yarn slippage.
The woven fabrics currently used as the outer shell fabric of fire protective garments, whether constituted of spun yarns, multi-filamentary or both, fray and ravel after being torn, cut or punctured. Fraying and raveling not only degrade the appearance of the garment, they make repairs more difficult, and they may increase the risk of injury to the firefighter wearing the garment.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,299,602 discloses an outer shell fabric wherein the textile material comprises warps of alternating multi-filamentary aramid yarns and wefts of alternating spun aramid and multi-filamentary aramid yarns in a twill weave. The object of the invention disclosed in that Patent was to increase firefighter comfort and mobility without reducing mechanical resistance. However, this fabric is still more vulnerable to yarn and seam slippage than fabrics made with 100% spun yarns. Also as a consequence of the high percentage of multi-filamentary yarns, the fabric ravels and frays when cut or torn. Furthermore, the fabric has a preponderance of KEVLAR® (aramid resin by DuPont) yarns on the face surface of the fabric and KEVLAR® is more subject to mechanical and ultraviolet (UV) degradation than either spun or multi-filamentary NOMEX® (yarns or threads of synthetic fibers by DuPont.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,527,597 discloses a woven firefighter fabric that incorporates a core-spun yarn (a LYCRA® (yarns or threads of synthetic fibers by DuPont) core protected by a polybenzimidazole/aramid wrap) to impart a degree of elasticity to the fabric. Although the Patent claims that the fabric maintains its elasticity after five minutes at 500° F., the literature reveals that LYCRA® is not thermally stable in firefighting environments: if stretched at temperatures above 370–390° F., LYCRA® will lose its elasticity; above 415° F., LYCRA® begins to char and lose its properties. Therefore, this stretchable fabric would suffer irreversible degradation in a firefighting environment.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a stretchable fabric wherein the yarns such as aramid yarns would maintain their integrity at temperatures in excess of 600° F.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a textile material for the outer shell fabric of a firefighter garment that is lightweight yet has increased abrasion, tear, and UV resistance.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a textile material for the outer shell fabric of a firefighter garment that has a higher thermal protective performance rating than conventional fabrics of the same weight and fiber type.
It is another object of the present invention to achieve elasticity through the inherent stretchiness of a warp knit construction and not through the introduction of thermally unstable elastomers.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a warp knit textile material that can be used to produce a firefighter outer shell fabric that is more resistant to fraying and raveling than the currently used woven fabrics.

Outer shell fabric for fire protective garments for firefighters and for workers exposed to risk of flash fire or electric arc


A fail safe, segmented drive shaft system includes a segment support assembly (16) comprising a ball bearing (26), for primary rotation, disposed within a journal bearing (28), for secondary rotation, which is disposed within an elastomeric damper (30) that has a vibration probe (34) placed in it for failure detection, and a coupling assembly (18) comprising a flexible diaphragm (66, 67) for primary, flexible coupling between segments and gear teeth (72, 73) which engage for secondary coupling upon failure of the diaphragm (66, 67). The teeth are not concentric with the rotational axis, so vibration indicates failure of the primary flexible coupling.

The power required to drive a helicopter tail rotor is typically delivered through a long, segmented drive shaft. The drive shaft is segmented to permit operation below critical vibration modes associated with rotary winged flight. Each segment must be rotatively supported by the aircraft airframe, and must be coupled to the next segment by means of an alignment-forgiving coupling to accommodate airframe deflections. In addition, the drive shaft must be lightweight, reliable and fail safe.
Typically, a tail rotor drive shaft assembly, which receives input from a main rotor gearbox and drives an intermediate gearbox located along the aft portion of and supported by the tail boom of the aircraft, comprises a plurality of shaft segments supported by rolling element bearing assemblies and coupled via alignment-forgiving torque drive assemblies. The rolling element bearing assemblies typically comprise a conventional ball bearing within a rubber bladder filled with viscous silicon fluid interposed between and isolating the outer race of the ball bearing from the airframe structure. The alignment-forgiving torque drive couplings typically comprise a series of thin disc members stacked together and bolted at three angular positions along a face surface of an end flange of one shaft segment and at three interspaced positions of another shaft segment. Field problems include cracking of the couplings, loss of the viscous damping fluid and seizure of the bearing assemblies. Bearing seizure is associated with friction contact of the ball bearing outer race with the airframe structure which results in an extreme overtemperature condition, having the potential for developing an inertia weld and loss of drive in the tail system. In addition, the bearing support and coupling assemblies require frequent and painstaking inspection associated with preventive maintenance. To complicate matters, the location of the drive shaft is not favorable for maintenance. All of these characteristics have been compounded by the fact that helicopters are operating at higher rotor RPM than ever before.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,560,364 there is disclosed a flexible shaft coupling in which the primary, alignment-forgiving coupling comprises two spaced apart thin metal disks which are bonded together at their outer periphery. A backup coupling, which engages automatically only if the primary coupling fails, consists of a loose plug and socket arrangement. The male portion is significantly smaller than the female portion within which it will engage. Should the primary coupling fail, the unsupported shaft will have a degree of looseness, after torque to the rotor has been removed, that provides the ground crew observers a clue that the primary coupling has failed. However, this requires gaining access to the shaft for visual observation, and requires constant post-flight observation to detect when the primary coupling has failed.


Disclosed is a system for preventing or mitigating elevated temperatures within a landfill. The system comprises at least one water tight heat exchange unit with a lower edge and an upper edge, wherein the placement of the heat exchange unit is at least one of (1) within the waste mass proximate the area of elevated temperature, or (2) within the area of elevated temperature, the at least one heat exchange unit fabricated to resist differential settlement forces within the landfill as well as the elevated temperatures. The system further includes piping configured to discharge a cooling fluid within the heat exchange unit and a heat exchanger for ejecting heat from the cooling fluid and at least one temperature probe configured to measure the temperature of the waste mass. The system utilizes a pump adapted to circulate the cooling fluid within the piping system and to the heat exchange unit.

In a typical landfill a portion of the biodegradable material decomposes and eventually is transformed into solid residuals, landfill gas, and/or leachate. Aerobic bacteria initially decompose the waste until the available oxygen is consumed. This stage usually lasts for a short time and is followed by the anaerobic acid state, in which carboxylic acids accumulate, the pH decreases, and some cellulose and hemicellulose decomposition occurs. Finally, during the methanogenic state, bacteria further decompose the biodegradable material into methane and carbon dioxide. These are the typical biological processes by which the waste mass of a landfill decomposes over time. Each of these biological processes generates heat. If a landfill overheats a self-sustaining exothermic reaction may be initiated.
In addition to the biological processes described above, other processes generate heat in the landfill, such reactions include 1) aerobic consumption of waste wherein the cause is often associated with an operational issue such as disposal of hot material and/or the over application of vacuum on a gas extraction well (a typical landfill subsurface "fire"), 2) exothermic chemical reactions such as when water is combined with certain wastes, such as aluminum production wastes, lime, steel mill waste, and other metal wastes, and, 3) anaerobic, pyrolytic reactions which cause thermal decomposition of the waste and may release heat under certain conditions.
Reactions such as those described immediately above are problematic in that they generally produce adverse impacts. These adverse impacts can include odors, smoke, fugitive emissions, liner or cap damage, gas and leachate management structural damage, excessive settlement, slope failure, ground water and/or surface water impacts; and disruption of landfill operations. In addition, subsurface reactions tend to increase leachate generation, sometimes by an order of magnitude, which may result in outbreaks, where excessive leachate exits the waste mass at locations that can create an environmental hazard. As such, controlling the spread of these subsurface reactions is critical to reducing potential landfill air emissions as well as potential adverse impacts to ground and surface waters.
Typical landfill fires (described as stemming from an operational issue above) are extinguished using well-accepted industry standard operating practices which eliminate the oxygen that is needed to sustain the fire. However, the reactions described above as exothermic chemical reactions and pyrolytic reactions occur in the absence of oxygen (anaerobic), so the standard practices for fires do not apply.
There are no easy short term fixes to landfill subsurface pyrolytic reactions and the attendant adverse impacts of those reactions. For example, excavation of the hot waste can result in the threat of fire from the introduction of oxygen and in most cases excavation of the hot waste may not be a feasible option if the subsurface reaction is very deep, extensive or rapidly propagating. Opening a landfill to address the reaction also results in exposing the waste mass to vectors such as birds and rodents that can create a broad set of undesirable ecological impacts. Measures taken to decrease temperatures have been shown to work more rapidly to suppress the subsurface reaction than measures taken to exclude oxygen. Further discussion on this control strategy will be detailed in the Summary section below.
Subsurface reactions can be self-sustaining high-temperature reactions that consume waste underground, producing rapid "settlement" of the landfill's surface. Deep-seated subsurface reactions do not "burn," instead these events are believed to be a form of thermal decomposition known as pyrolysis, under which the thermal reaction takes place in an oxygen starved environment and the reacting material is consumed slowly and at relatively low temperatures. Subsurface reactions are generally defined as the sustained pyrolysis of carbon based material at elevated temperatures accompanied by the evolution of heated gaseous products.
A significant impact of a subsurface reaction is that substantial settlement of the waste mass can occur over a short period of time. This settlement occurs due to the reduction in the volume of the waste mass from pyrolysis of the waste mass resulting in greater than normal settlement over and adjacent to the reacting waste mass. In addition, substantial settlement can occur due to the generation of and dissipation of pressure within the waste mass resulting from the phase change of liquid entrained in the waste mass to vapor phase.
A subsurface reaction can also result in direct impact on engineered components, thermal damage to the engineered components and as discussed above, differential settlement of the engineered components. If the reduction in the waste volume due to the pyrolysis is significant, it can lead to the settlement of the overlying waste materials. Consolidation and settlement of the waste materials can lead to subsidence and differential settlement of the engineered landfill cover. Differential settlement of the engineered landfill cover can result in damage to the cover system which can negatively affect the performance of the landfill cover through desiccation, creation of cracks, or in the extreme complete disruption resulting in offsets in the cover system layers.
Preventing the occurrence, or limiting the advancement of the subsurface reaction is a mechanism for reducing the environmental impacts of the reaction and to reduce the adverse impacts of differential settlement. To limit the movement of the subsurface reaction, heat must be removed from the waste mass thereby retarding or stopping the advance of the heat front, the leading edge of the subsurface reaction as it expands, by stalling or eliminating the exposure to new waste mass to higher temperatures. It is well known in the industry that to accomplish heat removal from a landfill that a piping loop can be installed within the waste mass that circulates temperature treated water or water based solutions. Exemplary of this technique are the disclosures of U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,672,586 and 9,255,727 by Yesiller. In the Yesiller references, the circulation fluid extracts heat as the fluid circulates through the closed-loop, returning the warmer circulation fluid to a heat exchanger for cooling and recirculation. The system and methods disclosed therein are inadequate to address the significant and aggressive differential settlement that occurs within landfills afflicted with a subsurface reaction.

System and method of heat extraction for preventing or mitigating a landfill subsurface reaction