Discharge electrode wires are arranged between parallel discharge tubes by attaching one end of the discharge electrode wire to an end clip within the frame of an electrostatic precipitator having rows of collecting electrode plates. The opposite end of the discharge electrode wire is detachably connected with an in-line spring at one end of the spring. The opposite end of the in-line spring is detachably connected with another end clip. The end clips are detachably engagable with the tubes of the frame and the discharge electrode wire is arranged between parallel tubes by attaching one end clip to one tube and extending the discharge electrode wire through use of the in-line spring in order to attach the second end clip to a parallel frame tube. This arrangement allows for easy access and removal of a damaged discharge electrode wire.

The present invention relates in general to electrostatic precipitators (ESPt's) and, in particular, to a new and useful discharge electrode arrangement which facilitates field replacement of discharge electrode wires used in electrostatic precipitators.
Since the late 1800's, electrostatic precipitators have been used to remove particulates from smoke and industrial emissions. Electrostatic precipitators are widely used as an important device for combating air pollution. Electrostatic precipitators have proved to be versatile particulate collection devices and are designed for collection of solid particulates, such as fly ash, fluid-bed catalyst fines, or cement kiln dust.
Electrostatic precipitators use a discharge electrode (emitter) which can be comprised of several different constructions. The most commonly used constructions are weighted wire, rigid frame and rigid discharge electrodes. Collecting plates are aligned between the discharge electrodes in rows to form a series of parallel gas flow channels. This invention pertains to the field replacement of broken or damaged wires in a electrostatic precipitator using the rigid frame construction. With the rigid discharge frame, wires are suspended between tubes that make a rectangular frame that hangs between the rows of collecting electrode plates. Voltage is applied to the discharge electrode wires suspended in the gas flow path.
The discharge electrode wires can be configured in various ways within the discharge frame. The high potential on the discharge electrode wires causes a corona discharge, from which electrons migrate out into the gas. These create gas ions, which attach themselves to the particulates in the gas and give the particulates a charge. The collecting electrodes or collector plates are grounded so that high potential difference between them and the discharge electrodes creates a powerful electric field through which the gas must flow. This field exerts a force on the charge particles in the field such that the force moves the particles perpendicular to the gas stream to the collecting electrodes. Typically, the force on a particle 0.5 micrometers in diameter is several thousand times the force of gravity on such a particle.
Because the collector plates are grounded, the particulates lose their charge. The particulates accumulate and can be washed off of the collector plates or dislodged by mechanical agitation of the plates.
Because the spacing is very close within the discharge frames and collector plates, typically varying between 4-1/2" and 8" center to center, it is very difficult to replace the electrode discharge wires. Normally, the discharge frame arrangement with wires is prefabricated or attached during manufacture. Currently, if any discharge electrode wires become loose or broken, they are typically just removed. If replacement is desired the roof casing of the precipitator must be dismantled in order to gain access to the damaged discharge wires. At present, there is no known discharge frame and discharge electrode wire arrangement that allows for the easy maintenance of damaged discharge electrode wires.

In place discharge electrode replacement on rigid frame ESP's


Blood processing systems and methods separate whole blood into red blood cells and a plasma constituent within a rotating centrifugal separation device. The systems and methods convey whole blood into the separation device through an inlet path including a pump operable at a prescribed rate. The systems and methods remove plasma constituent from the separation device through an outlet path including a pump operable at a prescribed rate. The systems and methods derive a value H.sub.b representing an apparent hematocrit of whole blood entering the separation device, where: ##EQU1##. and where H.sub.rbc is a value relating to hematocrit of red blood cells in the separation device. The systems and methods generate outputs and control commands based, at least in part, upon H.sub.b.

Today people routinely separate whole blood by centrifugation into its various therapeutic components, such as red blood cells, platelets, and plasma.
Certain therapies transfuse large volumes of blood components. For example, some patients undergoing chemotherapy require the transfusion of large numbers of platelets on a routine basis. Manual blood bag systems simply are not an efficient way to collect these large numbers of platelets from individual donors.
On line blood separation systems are today used to collect large numbers of platelets to meet this demand. On line systems perform the separation steps necessary to separate concentration of platelets from whole blood in a sequential process with the donor present. On line systems establish a flow of whole blood from the donor, separate out the desired platelets from the flow, and return the remaining red blood cells and plasma to the donor, all in a sequential flow loop.
Large volumes of whole blood (for example, 2.0 liters) can be processed using an on line system. Due to the large processing volumes, large yields of concentrated platelets (for example, 4.times.10.sup.11 platelets suspended in 200 ml of fluid) can be collected. Moreover, since the donor's red blood cells are returned, the donor can donate whole blood for on line processing much more frequently than donors for processing in multiple blood bag systems.
Nevertheless, a need still exists for further improved systems and methods for collecting cellular-rich concentrates from blood components in a way that lends itself to use in high volume, on line blood collection environments, where higher yields of critically needed cellular blood components like platelets can be realized.
As the operational and performance demands upon such fluid processing systems become more complex and sophisticated, the need exists for automated process controllers that can gather and generate more detailed information and control signals to aid the operator in maximizing processing and separation efficiencies.

Blood processing systems and methods using apparent hematocrit as a process control parameter


A natural gas line comprises a concentric pipe having an inner natural gas pipe and an outer carbon dioxide pipe surrounding the inner pipe. Carbon dioxide in the outer pipe comprises a shield which prevents or decreases natural gas leakage to the atmosphere. The carbon dioxide may be supplied from an exhaust of a fuel cell system, such as carbon dioxide separated from the fuel exhaust of a fuel cell system by a carbon dioxide separator. The natural gas may flow from a natural gas field to the fuel cell system via the inner pipe while the carbon dioxide may flow from the fuel cell system to the natural gas field via the outer pipe. The carbon dioxide may be sequestered in the empty space underground in natural gas field created by the extraction of the natural gas.

Natural gas lines carry natural gas from a natural gas extraction site (e.g., a natural gas field) to other locations where it may be stored, shipped, or consumed. For example, a natural gas line may carry natural gas to one or more fuel cell systems, which use the natural gas to generate electrical energy. One of the byproducts of a fuel cell system that uses natural gas as fuel is carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas. Thus, carbon dioxide should be sequestered rather than released into the atmosphere. In addition, natural gas lines may leak natural gas, which contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and other damaging effects to the environment.

Carbon dioxide shielded natural gas line and method of using thereof


An illuminating device incorporated in a copier for illuminating the entire image surface of a document laid on a glass platen by a plurality of flash lamps. The voltages to be applied to the flash lamps and, therefore, the quantities of light to issue from the lamps, are controlled to illuminate the image surface of a document in a uniform illuminance distribution. Even when use is made of a document having a fraction of another document adhered thereto, shadows ascribable to the edges of the fraction or patch do not appear.

The present invention relates to an illuminating device incorporated in a copier for illuminating the entire image surface of a document laid on a glass platen by a plurality of flash lamps.
An illuminating device for the above-described application usually has a single or a plurality of flash lamps. Documents usable with a copier include one having a fraction of another document, or patch, adhered thereto. This kind of document is thicker in the portion thereof where a patch exists than the other portion. Therefore, when a document with a patch is illuminated by a conventional illuminating device using flash lamps, the edges of the patch, i.e., the steps between the patch and the base of the document appear on a reproduction in a line pattern or a stripe pattern. In light of this, it has been customary to locate each flash lamp at a particular position for thereby eliminating the shadows ascribable to the edges of the patch. This implementation, however, increases the size of the illuminating device and, therefore, the overall size of the copier. Although a predetermined voltage is applied to the individual lamps so that they may emit light at the same time, it is difficult to set the quantities of light accurately. Moreover, since the degree of deterioration and the service life differs from one lamp to another, the quantities of light to issue from the lamps are brought out of balance due to aging, preventing a document from being uniformly illuminated.

Flash lamp type illuminating device for a copier with uniform distribution


While a substantially water-free hydrocarbon feed is being charged to a catalytic reformer reactor, an organic chloride is contacted with the reformer catalyst in an amount and for a time period that are effective to restore at least a portion of the activity of the reformer catalyst.

This invention relates to an improved catalytic reforming process. In another aspect, this invention relates to a method for reactivating a partially deactivated reformer catalyst.
Catalytic reforming is a well established refining process employed by the petroleum industry for upgrading low-octane hydrocarbons to higher-octane hydrocarbons. Typically, catalytic reforming involves the contacting of a naphtha hydrocarbon feed with a reformer catalyst under elevated temperatures and pressures.
Reformer catalysts typically comprise a metal hydrogen transfer component or components, a halogen component, and a porous inorganic oxide support. A reformer catalyst which has been employed widely throughout the petroleum industry comprises platinum as the metal hydrogen transfer component, chlorine as the halogen component, and alumina as the support. Also, additional metallic promoter components, such as rhenium, iridium, ruthenium, tin, palladium, germanium and the like, have been added to the basic platinum-chlorine-alumina catalyst to create a bimetallic catalyst with improved activity, selectivity, or both.
In a conventional reforming process, a series of two to five reformer reactors constitute the heart of the reforming unit. Each reformer reactor is generally provided with a fixed bed or beds of catalyst which receive upflow or downflow feed. Each reactor is provided with a heater because the reactions which take place therein are predominantly endothermic. In a typical commercial reformer, a naphtha feed with a diluent of hydrogen or hydrogen recycled gas is passed through a preheat furnace, then downward through a reformer reactor, and then in sequence through subsequent interstage heaters and reactors connected in series. The product of the last reactor is separated into a liquid fraction and vaporous effluent. The vaporous effluent, a gas rich in hydrogen, may then be used as hydrogen recycled gas in the reforming process.
During operation of a conventional catalytic reforming unit, the activity of the reformer catalyst gradually declines over time. There are believed to be several causes of reformer catalyst deactivation, including, (1) formation of coke within the pores, as well as on the surface, of the catalyst, (2) agglomeration of the catalyst metal component or components, and (3) loss of the halogen component. Deactivation of a reformer catalyst can have the following negative impacts on the reforming process: (1) lower product octane number; (2) higher required reaction temperature; (3) higher required reaction pressure; (4) decreased time between required catalyst regeneration (cycle time); (5) increased requirement for hydrogen; and (6) decreased selectivity.
It has been previously recognized that the deactivation of a reformer catalyst can be inhibited by contacting the reformer catalyst with a chlorine-containing compound during reforming. This xe2x80x9cchloridingxe2x80x9d of the reformer catalyst is thought to inhibit catalyst deactivation by (1) counteracting the formation of coke on the catalyst, (2) redispersing the metal component or components of the catalyst in a more uniform manner, and (3) replacing the halogen component which has been stripped from the catalyst during reforming.
Chloriding of a reformer catalyst is generally achieved by injecting a chlorine-containing additive into the hydrocarbon feed charged to the reformer reactor. The chlorine-containing compound is then carried by the hydrocarbon feed into the reformer reactor where it is contacted with the reformer catalyst in a reaction zone.
Past chloriding methods required that the amount of water present in the reaction zone be controlled during the chloriding of a reformer catalyst. The presence of water in the reformer reaction zone during chloriding is thought to be necessary in order to counteract the excessive hydrocracking which occurs during chloriding. Thus, prior to the discovery of the invention taught here, chloriding of a reformer catalyst in a substantially water-free reaction zone was thought to cause catalyst deactivation.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved reforming process employing a novel method which reactivates a partially deactivated reformer catalyst.
Further, objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from consideration of the specification and appended claims.
Accordingly, one embodiment of the invention is a reforming process comprising the steps of (a) charging a substantially water-free hydrocarbon feed to a reformer reactor containing a reformer catalyst and operating under conditions sufficient to produce a reformer product having a higher octane number than the substantially water-free hydrocarbon feed, and (b), simultaneously with step (a), contacting the reformer catalyst with an organic chloride compound, without adding water to the substantially water-free hydrocarbon feed, for a chloriding period that is effective to enhance the performance of the reformer catalyst.
Another embodiment of the invention is a reforming process that comprises charging a substantially water-free hydrocarbon feed comprising a reformable hydrocarbon to a reformer reactor operated under reforming conditions for a time period such that the activity of the reformer catalyst decreases to an unacceptable activity. When the activity of the reformer catalyst has declined to an unacceptable activity, perchloroethylene is introduced, without the simultaneous introduction of water, into the substantially water-free hydrocarbon feed in an amount and for a time period that are effective to restore at least a portion of the decrease in the activity of the reformer catalyst.


A GPS receiver having a rapid acquisition of a GPS satellite signal when a normal operational mode is entered after a low power standby mode. The GPS receiver includes an RF section for receiving the GPS satellite signal and providing an GPS IF signal, a correlator section for providing a correlation signal for the correlation between the GPS IF signal and a GPS replica signal, and a microprocessor section for receiving the correlation signal and calculating a geographical location of the GPS receiver. The GPS replica signal is based upon a reference frequency from a reference oscillator and a reference time from a timer. In the standby mode, the operation of the RF section, correlator section, and microprocessor section is inhibited while the reference oscillator and time continue to operate. In order to increase acquisition speed upon entering the normal mode, the microprocessor section provides the correlator section with an initial frequency adjustment to correct for drift in the reference frequency during the standby mode. The microprocessor section provides the initial frequency adjustment based upon a learned frequency correction that is based upon the frequency adjustment that results in acquisition of the GPS satellite signal after alternating one or more times between the standby mode and the normal mode. Alternately, the initial frequency adjustment is calculated from a stored frequency/temperature relationship and a temperature for the reference oscillator measured by a temperature sensor.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to Global Positioning System receivers and more particularly to a Global Positioning System receiver having a rapid acquisition of GPS satellite signals.
2. Background of the Invention
A Global Positioning System (GPS) now provides a worldwide, 24 hour, location service. The system includes multiple GPS satellites to broadcast location signals, control stations to monitor and control the satellites, and GPS receivers to receive the signals. Commercial Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers now are used to provide accurate location information in many navigation, tracking, and timing applications. A GPS antenna that is a part of a GPS receiver must have a line of sight to a GPS satellite to receive the GPS signal from that satellite.
GPS location is based on one-way ranging from the GPS satellites to the GPS antenna. Ranges are measured to four satellites simultaneously in view by matching (correlating) the frequency and the time of arrival (TOA) of the incoming GPS signal to a receiver-generated replica signal. With four ranges, the receiver can determine four unknowns, typically latitude, longitude, altitude, and an adjustment to the replica. The ranges are called "pseudoranges" because the actual distances to the GPS satellite are not known until the internal replica has been adjusted. Time of day is computed from the adjustment to the TOA of the replica.
Each GPS satellite broadcasts its position in a signal having a carrier frequency at approximately 1.575 GHz. The signal is modulated by a PRN code sequence of 1023 chips, repeating (arriving) at a 1 millisecond time interval, where each satellite uses a different PRN code sequence. The use of the different PRN sequences enables a GPS receiver to distinguish the GPS signals from different GPS satellites. The frequency of the signal received from each GPS satellite will have a Doppler shift due to the relative velocity between the GPS satellite and a GPS antenna. A velocity for the GPS antenna may be determined from the rate of change of the location or from the rate of change of the pseudoranges after accounting for the Doppler shift due to the motion of the satellite.
Power consumption is an important figure of merit for a GPS receiver. A low power consumption is good for a GPS receiver that depends upon a battery for a power source. To achieve low power, some GPS receivers have a low power standby mode, where power consumption is reduced but the GPS signals are not tracked. Some GPS receivers have a system to alternate between a normal mode to obtain a location fix and the low power standby mode.
Another important figure of merit for a GPS receiver is the time required to obtain a location fix or the "acquisition time." A fast acquisition is good because a user does not need to wait as long for a new location fix. In GPS receivers that automatically cycle to power off or to the standby mode between location fixes, a fast acquisition time is good because less time is used in the normal mode to acquire the GPS signal, resulting in a lower average power consumption.
Three acquisition times are often quoted. A "time to first fix," sometimes called a "cold start" acquisition, refers to the time to acquire the GPS satellite signal and obtain a location fix when the GPS receiver has not had a location fix within the previous few hours. A "signal interruption" acquisition time refers to the time to reacquire the GPS satellite signal and to obtain a location fix after the line of sight to the GPS satellite signal has been blocked and then unblocked. A "time to subsequent acquisition," sometimes called a "warm start" acquisition, refers to the time to reacquire the GPS satellite signal and obtain a location fix, when the GPS receiver has had a location fix within the previous few hours.
The subsequent acquisition is fast when the initial replica frequency is within 500 Hertz (0.3 parts per million) of the GPS frequency and the initial replica TOA is within 500 .mu.s of the GPS TOA. Typically, the greater the differences between the initial replica frequency and the GPS frequency and between the initial replica TOA and the GPS TOA, the greater the time required to acquire the GPS signal.
Some GPS receivers reduce the difference between the initial replica frequency and the GPS frequency by synchronizing the replica frequency to a reference oscillator that continues to operate during a standby time duration. However, a change in temperature inside the receiver, because less heat is being generated during the standby mode or/and because the outside temperature changes, will probably cause the reference oscillator frequency to drift, thereby causing the replica frequency to drift. An inexpensive XO reference oscillator, using a crystal as a resonator, provides a frequency stability of approximately 5 to 50 parts per million (ppm) within a temperature range of -40.degree. C. to +85.degree. C. A problem with an XO is that a change in temperature of 1.degree. C. or less typically causes a change in frequency of more than 0.3 ppm. A temperature compensated crystal oscillator (TCXO) may be used to improve the stability to approximately 0.5 to 5 ppm within -40.degree. C. to +85.degree. C. but still may not be stable enough to provide 0.3 ppm during a typical standby time duration. A further problem with a TCXO is that the incremental cost of a TCXO over an XO is a significant part of the cost of an entire GPS receiver. A temperature stabilized oven, enclosing the reference oscillator, further improves the frequency stability but the oven would have to remain on, requiting a large power consumption during the standby mode in order to provide the improvement. A further problem is that an oven stabilized oscillator may cost as much or more than an entire GPS receiver.
What is needed is a GPS receiver having a rapid acquisition of GPS satellite signals, after a time duration in a low power standby mode, using a reference oscillator having a frequency variation of up to 50 ppm over the range of -40.degree. C. to +85.degree. C.


This invention relates to an information processing apparatus comprising: recording means for recording a moving picture; and display controlling means for controlling an operation to display information on said moving picture stored in said recording means as a first picture represented by an icon, a second picture represented by a string of characters or a third picture represented by an icon or a predetermined still picture in one of display areas each corresponding to a recording date or a recording plan date of a moving picture wherein said display areas are obtained as a result of division of a display screen.

The present invention relates to an apparatus, a method and a medium for information processing. More particularly, the invention relates to an apparatus and a method for information processing involving the recording of pictures, as well as to a medium for accommodating that method.
Coming progressively into general use today are techniques for having video and audio signals from a TV broadcasting station received by a tuner-equipped personal computer and for converting the received video and audio signals into suitable digital data which are recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk and reproduced as needed.
However, the personal computer capable of recording such pictures has a problem that it takes labor and time to recognize the content of a recorded picture.
It is thus an object of the present invention addressing the problem described above to allow the user to know the content of a recorded picture in short time and with a high degree of reliability.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information processing apparatus comprising: recording means for recording a moving picture; and display controlling means for controlling an operation to display information on said moving picture stored in said recording means as a first picture represented by an icon, a second picture represented by a string of characters or a third picture represented by an icon or a predetermined still picture in one of display areas each corresponding to a recording date or a recording plan date of a moving picture wherein said display areas are obtained as a result of division of a display screen.
In a preferred structure according to the invention, the display controlling means is capable of controlling a display operation so as to display information on said moving pictures recorded in said recording means in a display format of said second picture which is represented by a string of characters.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information processing method comprising the steps of: recording a moving picture; controlling an operation to display information on said moving picture stored at said recording step as a first picture represented by an icon, a second picture represented by a string of characters or a third picture represented by an icon or a predetermined still picture in one of display areas each corresponding to a recording date or a recording plan date of a moving picture wherein said areas are obtained as a result of division of a display screen.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a medium for causing an information processing apparatus to execute a program comprising the steps of: recording a moving picture; controlling an operation to display information on said moving picture stored at said recording step as a first picture represented by an icon, a second picture represented by a string of characters or a third picture represented by an icon or a predetermined still picture in one of display areas each corresponding to a recording date or a recording plan date of a moving picture wherein said areas are obtained as a result of division of a display screen.
According to the information processing apparatus, the information processing method and the medium according to the present invention, a moving picture is recorded and control is executed to display information on the moving picture as a first picture represented by an icon, a second picture represented by a string of characters or a third picture represented by an icon or a predetermined still picture in one of display areas each corresponding to a recording date or a recording plan date of a moving picture wherein the display areas are obtained as a result of division of a display screen. As a result, the content of a recorded picture can be known speedily and reliably.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like parts or elements denoted by like reference symbols.

Apparatus, method, and medium for displaying a moving picture in alternative display picture formats


A lower-side spring receiving member is adapted to receive a compression spring provided with an effective part, end turn parts which do not elastically deform, and rising parts located between the effective part and the end turn parts, at a lower side of the compression spring. The lower-side spring receiving member is provided with a contact part which is formed to protrude outward from an end at one side in the extending direction thereof, and which is in contact with the rising part so as not to form a gap between the contact part and the rising part. The contact part is in contact with the rising part of the compression spring by an elastic force caused by elastic deformation, regardless of a load on the compression spring.

In conventional art, in relation to upper/lower-side spring receiving members adapted to receive a suspension spring at upper and lower sides of the suspension spring, Patent Literature 1 discloses the following configuration.
As shown in FIG. 10 in Patent Literature 1, a spring seat rubber 20 is interposed between an upper end of a coil spring and a fitting convex part 14 of an upper body-side member 10. Moreover, a spring seat rubber 22 is interposed between a lower end of the coil spring and a fitting convex part 16 of a lower arm member 12.


A static mixer apparatus for mixing viscous fluids is constructed from an inner housing (2) which has an inlet for material to be mixed (7) and an outlet for material to be mixed (8) and which comprises two or more layers of undulating or zigzag bars (1; 2) which are parallel to each other and which are disposed one above another rotated by an angle .alpha., preferably of 90.degree., to each other in an alternating manner and which are joined to each other at their upper or lower vertices. The bars (3, 1; 4, 14) are provided in particular with channels (6, 16; 5, 15) for the passage of a heat transfer fluid so that the mixer can also be employed as a heat exchanger.

This invention relates to a static mixer apparatus for mixing viscous fluids which is constructed from an inner housing which has an inlet for material to be mixed and an outlet for material to be mixed and which comprises two or more layers of undulating or zigzag bars which are parallel to each other and which are disposed one above another rotated by an angle .alpha., preferably of 90.degree., to each other in an alternating manner and which are joined to each other at their upper or lower vertices. The bars are provided in particular with channels for the passage of a heat transfer fluid so that the mixer can also be employed as a heat exchanger.
Static mixers are often employed as built-in components for the mixing of liquids in pipelines. A pump pushes the liquids to be mixed through a pipe which is provided with built-in components such as these.
The two following apparatuses can be cited as examples of static mixers.
In what are termed Kenics mixers (see "Mischen beim Herstellen und Verarbeiten von Kunststoffen", published by: VDI-Ges. Kunststofftechnik. VDI-Verlag Dusseldorf, 1986, pages 238-241) the flow of fluid is divided by a separator plate installed in the pipe. This plate is twisted about the pipe axis. A swirling flow occurs in each of the two partial flows of liquid, and results in the redistribution of the liquid over the cross-section thereof. In practice, there is a plurality of mixing elements such as this disposed in series in order to divide the liquid again and again and to achieve a good mixing effect. The stability under pressure of these mixers when employed for highly viscous fluids is comparatively low.
What are termed SMX mixers (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,062,524) consist of two mutually perpendicular grids of parallel sheet metal strips which are welded to each other at their points of intersection. On account of the many weld joints, the production cost of these mixers is relatively high.
The exchange of heat from or to highly viscous liquids during their passage through known heat exchangers typically occurs at a very low Reynolds number. If plain tubes are used for the exchange of heat, for example, the rate of exchange of heat is low at a Reynolds number which tends to zero, and on the heat exchanger side depends substantially only on the length of tube used. It is possible to achieve a significant improvement in the exchange of heat by combining a tubular heat exchanger with a static mixer device.
This combination is known in two embodiments. Firstly, static mixer elements can be inserted in the tubes of a tube bundle heat exchanger. The aforementioned Kenics mixer elements are used in particular here. Secondly, the tubes can be employed as elements of a static mixer. This is described in German Patent Specification DE 28 39 564 C2, for example.
The use of a tube bundle heat exchanger through which a product flows has to be rejected for many chemical processes, however. For example, if a polymerisation reaction has to be cooled, a higher degree of polymerisation is obtained in a tube through which slow flow occurs, due to the increased dwell time of the reactants. The liquid in the tube thereby possibly becomes more viscous than that in adjacent tubes. As a consequence, the velocity of flow of the material to be mixed is further reduced. For a given set of process parameters, the tube can therefore become blocked by polymer.
In processes such as these, a static mixer is preferred which is formed from heat exchanger tubes, such as that described in DE 28 39 564 C2. However, the production cost of these mixers is so high that this solution is frequently rejected as being uneconomic.

Heatable static mixing device with undulating or zigzag bars


A housing for a dispensing tube of a metering dispenser comprises a mounting half and a strike half carried by the mounting half. A channel for a dispensing tube is defined in the mounting half, and a plunger aperture is defined through the channel. The strike half pivots, relative to the mounting half, between a first pivotal position at least partially covering the channel and a second pivotal position exposing the channel and also slides relative to the mounting half, at least when the strike half is in the first pivotal position, between a first slide position obstructing pivotal movement of the strike half out of the first pivotal position and a second slide position permitting such movement. When the strike half is in the first pivotal position and the first slide position, a plunger strike surface on the strike half is in registration with and facing the plunger aperture.

Solenoid-driven metering systems are well known in the food service arts, and are used for metered dispensing of liquids such as cream and milk, and granular solids such as sugar, for beverages such as coffee and tea. Such systems are sold under the trademark SureShot Dispensing Systems® by A.C. Dispensing Equipment Inc., having an address at 100 Dispensing Way, Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia, Canada B4C 4H2.
FIGS. 1 to 2B show an exemplary prior art solenoid-driven metering system 10. The metering system 10 comprises a flexible dispensing tube 12, a plastic housing 14 surrounding a portion of the dispensing tube 12, and a solenoid plunger 16. Other components of the solenoid-driven metering system, such as the solenoid itself, related control systems, the support structure and other elements have been omitted for clarity of illustration; these elements and their placement will be apparent to one skilled in the art.
Referring specifically to FIG. 1, an upper end 12A of the dispensing tube 12 communicates with a reservoir of the material to be metered (not shown) and a lower end 12B communicates with an outlet (not shown), which may simply be an open end of the dispensing tube 12. In a typical example, the reservoir is a flexible plastic bag containing milk or cream which is sealed except that it opens into an attached dispensing tube 12 to allow the milk or cream to be dispensed. The dispensing tube 12 is arranged generally vertically, with the upper end 12A above the lower end 12B, so that material will flow downwardly through the tube from the upper end 12A to the lower end 12B under the influence of gravity, unless the dispensing tube 12 is constricted.
The housing 14 comprises two opposed halves 14A, 14B removably hingedly secured to one another in a clamshell arrangement by a hinge 18 and securable around the dispensing tube 12 in a closed configuration. Two opposed channels 20A, 20B defined in the tube-receiving faces of the two opposed halves 14A, 14B cooperate to define a vertical passageway 20 through the housing 14 for the dispensing tube 12. The half 14A of the housing 14 facing the solenoid plunger 16 has a plunger aperture 22 which exposes the dispensing tube 12. The housing 14 is maintained in the closed configuration by a thumbscrew 19 that is rotatably journalled in a bore (not shown) through the half 14B of the housing 14 that does not face the solenoid plunger 16 and is threadedly received in a correspondingly positioned threaded aperture 21 (FIG. 1) in the half 14A facing the solenoid plunger 16. The threaded aperture 21 is formed in a metal insert 23 which is in turn secured in a larger aperture in the half 14A facing the solenoid plunger 16, so as to provide improved strength relative to the plastic from which the housing 14 is formed.
Typically, a temperature sensor insert 17 formed from aluminum is installed in the channel 20A in the half 14A facing the solenoid plunger 16. The insert 17 carries a temperature sensor such as a thermistor (not shown) and engages the dispensing tube 12 so that the insert 17 will assume the approximate temperature of the material in the dispensing tube 12 and allow this temperature to be detected by the temperature sensor.
The solenoid plunger 16 comprises a solenoid-actuable armature shaft 24 and a plunger head 26 secured to one end of the armature shaft 24. The plunger head 26 is formed from plastic and comprises a base 28 secured to the armature shaft 24, four support members 30, a disc-shaped portion 32 and a closure member 34. The support members 30 are ogee-shaped and arranged in cruciform relation to one another, and extend outwardly from the base 28 to support the disc-shaped portion 30, which in turn supports the closure member 34.
When assembled, the plunger aperture 22 in the half 14A of the housing 14 facing the solenoid plunger 16 is in registration with the closure member 34 on the plunger head 26.
In operation, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the solenoid plunger 16 is arranged for reciprocal motion toward and away from the housing 14 under the control of the solenoid (not shown).
The "resting" or "closed" position of the solenoid plunger 16 is shown in FIG. 2A; in this position the closure member 34 on the plunger head 26 has been received in the plunger aperture 22 in the half 14A of the housing 14 facing the solenoid plunger 16, and the plunger 16 may be maintained in this position by, for example, a suitable biasing member such as a spring (not shown). In this position, the closure member 34 compresses the dispensing tube 12 and pinches it against the back wall 36 of the passageway 20 defined by the channels 20A, 20B (FIG. 1) in the two halves 14A, 14B of the housing 14. This pinching of the dispensing tube 12 substantially completely obstructs the dispensing tube 12, inhibiting material flow past the closure member 34. Typically, the half 14B opposite the half 14A having the plunger aperture 22 includes a strike plate (not shown) for the plunger, typically formed from aluminum, that is integrated into the back wall 36 of the passageway to be in registration with the plunger aperture 22.
When it is desired to dispense material, the solenoid (not shown) is actuated to move the solenoid plunger 16 into the "active" or "open" position, as shown in FIG. 2B, for a fixed period of time before disengaging the solenoid and allowing the solenoid plunger 16 to return to the "rest" or "closed" position shown in FIG. 2A. During the period of time that the solenoid plunger 16 is in the "active" or "open" position (FIG. 2B), the dispensing tube 12 is unobstructed and a predetermined volume of liquid or granular material is able to move past the position of the solenoid plunger 16 before the dispensing tube 12 is again obstructed as the solenoid plunger 16 returns to the "rest" or "closed" position (FIG. 2A).
The plunger head 26 is secured to the armature shaft 24 by way of a tab 38 extending from the base 28 of the plunger head 26 and which is received in a corresponding slot 40 at the end of the armature shaft 24 and held in place by a rivet 42.
When a reservoir of the material being metered, such as a bag of cream or milk, is empty and must be replaced, a user will unscrew the thumbscrew 19 and then separate the two opposed halves 14A, 14B by pivoting the half 14B having the thumbscrew 19 away from the other half 14A, which is mounted to the dispenser, so as to expose the dispensing tube 12. This enables the user to remove the empty bag and its associated dispensing tube 12 and install a new, full bag and insert the associated new dispensing tube 12 into the channel 20A. The user then pivots the half 14B having the thumbscrew 19 back toward the other half 14A, trapping the new dispensing tube 12 in the vertical passageway 20, and then screws the thumbscrew 19 back into the threaded aperture 21. This procedure is time consuming, especially in the context of a quick-service restaurant, where seconds count and customers expect to be served in less than a minute. Moreover, with repeated use, the thumbscrew 19 may develop a tendency to bind in the threaded aperture 21, making it more difficult to screw and unscrew and thereby increasing both the difficulty of changing the reservoir as well as the time required to do so.
In addition, the barrel portions 18B of the plastic hinge 18 joining the two halves 14A, 14B are prone to breakage, as shown by the arrow "B" in FIG. 2. Such breakage requires that the entire housing 14 be replaced, necessitating a costly maintenance call and also requiring that the metering dispenser be taken out of service.

Clamshell housing for dispensing tube of metering dispenser


A resin composition includes a thermoplastic resin, a carbon fiber, a resin containing at least one of an amide bond and an imide bond and having such a melting temperature that a difference in melting temperature between the resin containing at least one of an amide bond and an imide bond and the thermoplastic resin is 90° C. or lower, and a compatibilizer.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a resin composition and a resin molded article.
2. Related Art
In the related art, various resin compositions are provided and are used for various applications.
In particular, resin compositions containing a thermoplastic resin are used in various components and housings of home electronics and automobiles or are used in various components such as housings of business machines and electric and electronic apparatuses.

Resin composition and resin molded article


A pallet dismantling tool having a body member, a handle, and lever extensions. The handle is mounted on the body member in angular relation to the lever extensions for forming leveraged functioning of the latter to pry off pallet deck boards when the handle is operated to rotate the body member. In one embodiment, a plurality of jaw members comprise the lever extensions and have forwardly opening slots that receive a deck board of a pallet edgewise. The jaw members are selectively arranged in number and position corresponding to that of the pallet spacers when engaging a deck board whereby to remove a deck board simultaneously from all the spacers. The jaw members are adjustable to accommodate different structures and sizes of pallets.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in tools for manually dismantling pallets.
Wooden pallets are extensively used for stacking products to be transported or stored. These pallets use spacers, such as longitudinal stringers or longitudinally spaced blocks secured by nails to top and bottom deck boards, for spacing and connecting the deck boards to the stringers or blocks. Spacing of the deck boards allows access into the pallet by the forks of a lift truck. Power devices have been used that efficiently dismantle pallets in order that they can be repaired, compacted for discarding them, or the lumber reused. A power device for dismantling pallets is shown in applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 5,211,094. Some pallet handlers manually dismantle the pallets, however, and various tools have been used for this purpose. In some cases the deck boards are merely pried off by crowbars, etc. In most cases of manual dismantling, breaking and splintering of the deck boards occurs which means that the deck boards cannot be reused.


In accordance with an embodiment, a cascode connected semiconductor component and a method for manufacturing the cascode connected semiconductor component are provided. The cascode connected semiconductor component has a pair of silicon based transistors, each having a body region, a gate region over the body region, a source region and a drain. The source regions of a first and second silicon based transistor are electrically connected together and the drain regions of the first and second silicon based transistors are electrically connected together. The gate region of the second silicon based transistor is connected to the drain regions of the first and second silicon based transistors. The body region of the second silicon based transistor has a dopant concentration that is greater than the dopant concentration of the first silicon based transistor. A gallium nitride based transistor has a source region coupled to the first and second silicon based transistor.

In the past, the semiconductor industry used various different device structures and methods to form semiconductor devices such as, for example, diodes, Schottky diodes, Field Effect Transistors (FETs), High Electron Mobility Transistors (HEMTs), etc. Devices such as diodes, Schottky diodes, and FETs were typically manufactured from a silicon substrate. Drawbacks with semiconductor devices manufactured from a silicon substrate include low breakdown voltages, excessive reverse leakage current, high drain to source resistance (Rds(on)), unsuitably poor switching characteristics, low power densities, and high costs of manufacture. To overcome these drawbacks, semiconductor manufacturers have turned to manufacturing semiconductor devices from compound semiconductor substrates such as, for example, III-N semiconductor substrates, III-V semiconductor substrates, II-VI semiconductor substrates, etc. Although these substrates have improved device performance, they are fragile and add to manufacturing costs. Thus, the semiconductor industry has begun using compound semiconductor substrates that are a combination of silicon and III-N materials to address the issues of cost, manufacturability, and fragility. A III-N compound semiconductor material formed on a silicon substrate or other semiconductor substrate has been described in U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2011/0133251 A1 by Zhi He and published on Jun. 9, 2011, and in U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2013/0069208 A1 by Michael A. Briere and published on Mar. 21, 2013.
Semiconductor manufacturers have used a combination of silicon semiconductor materials and III-N semiconductor materials to manufacture devices, such as a normally-on III-N depletion mode HEMT cascoded with a silicon device. Using this combination of materials helps achieve a normally-off state using a III-N depletion mode device that is normally-on. In cascoded devices configured as switches, the silicon device often operates in avalanche mode due to high leakage currents of the III-N device operating under a high drain bias. In the avalanche operating mode, the gate of the III-N device is under a large stress because the avalanche breakdown voltage of the silicon device may exceed the breakdown voltage of the gate dielectric of the III-N device. Hard stress conditions such as operating the silicon device in the avalanche mode degrades device reliability, lowers the breakdown voltage, and increases leakage currents. Also, operating the silicon device in the avalanche mode might degrade the reliability of the silicon device. Cascoded semiconductor devices have been described in U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2013/0088280 A1 by Rakesh K. Lai et al. and published on Apr. 11, 2013.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to have a cascoded semiconductor device structure and a method for manufacturing the cascoded semiconductor device that would decrease the probability of the silicon device from entering avalanche breakdown. It would be of further advantage for the structure and method to be cost efficient to implement.
For simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements in the figures are not necessarily to scale, and the same reference characters in different figures denote the same elements. Additionally, descriptions and details of well-known steps and elements are omitted for simplicity of the description. As used herein current carrying electrode means an element of a device that carries current through the device such as a source or a drain of an MOS transistor or an emitter or a collector of a bipolar transistor or a cathode or anode of a diode, and a control electrode means an element of the device that controls current flow through the device such as a gate of an MOS transistor or a base of a bipolar transistor. Although the devices are explained herein as certain N-channel or P-channel devices, or certain N-type or P-type doped regions, a person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that complementary devices are also possible in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the words during, while, and when as used herein are not exact terms that mean an action takes place instantly upon an initiating action but that there may be some small but reasonable delay, such as a propagation delay, between the reaction that is initiated by the initial action. The use of the words approximately, about, or substantially means that a value of an element has a parameter that is expected to be very close to a stated value or position. However, as is well known in the art there are always minor variances that prevent the values or positions from being exactly as stated. It is well established in the art that variances of up to about ten percent (10%) (and up to twenty percent (20%) for semiconductor doping concentrations) are regarded as reasonable variances from the ideal goal of being exactly as described.

Cascode configured semiconductor component

SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS INDUSTRIES, LLC


A method and system, the method may include generating a change notification in response to a change of at least one attribute associated with at least one node of a host business object (BO); and updating, based on the generated change notification, an analytic enablement object (AEO) class of business object having derived attributes based on the at least one attribute of the host BO and representing transformations of the at least one attribute.

A business object (BO) is a software entity representing real-world items used during the transaction of business. BOs are model-based data structures and may include any suitable data structure. For example, a business object may represent a business process or a business document such as a sales order, a purchase order, or an invoice. A BO may also represent items such as a product, a business partner, or a piece of equipment. A BO may capture a business process that extends across multiple business entities, departments, and organizations. The structure of a BO may be determined based on the requirements of a business scenario in which the business object is to be deployed.
Business analytics based on gathered and stored business related data may provide insights into the business processes and operations of the business. The data, or portions of the data, may be represented by BOs. Analytics may include transforming the gathered and stored data regarding a business in order to gain insights to the business processes related to the data. Business analytics may be used by a business to generate meaningful and timely insights into business processes.
Conventionally, transformations related to generating business analytics may be performed when the underlying data is searched, queried, and/or retrieved in fulfillment of the generating the desired business analytics. However, certain transformations may be repeated numerous times in generating, for example, certain business analytic reports that are repeatedly generated. Also, as the complexity and breadth of business data related to a business or enterprise expands, so too does the time and resources required to perform the transformations related to generating business analytics.
Accordingly, an efficient mechanism for representing and implementing transformations related to business objects, is addressed by some embodiments herein.


A new catalytic composition and its method of preparation are presented. The catalytic composition comprises a crystalline borosilicate and a porous refractory inorganic oxide, said borosilicate and said inorganic oxide having been intimately admixed with one another, said borosilicate comprising a molecular sieve material having the following composition in terms of mole ratios of oxides: EQU 0.9.+-.0.2 M.sub.2/n O:B.sub.2 O.sub.3 :YSiO.sub.2 :ZH.sub.2 O,. wherein M is at least one cation having a valence of n, Y is between 4 and about 600, and Z is between 0 and about 160.. The catalytic composition can be used for the conversion of hydrocarbon streams, e.g., the isomerization of xylene feedstocks.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to novel crystalline borosilicates, catalysts containing such borosilicates, and a method for preparing such catalysts. More particularly, this invention relates to hydrocarbon-conversion catalysts that contain the crystalline borosilicates, a method for preparing such catalysts, and various hydrocarbon conversion processes using such crystalline borosilicates. Patent art that is relevant to such borosilicates can be found in U.S. Patent Classes 423-326, 252-458, and 260-668.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Zeolitic materials, both natural and synthetic, have been demonstrated in the past to have catalytic capabilities for many hydrocarbon processes. Zeolitic materials, often referred to as molecular sieves, are ordered porous crystalline aluminosilicates having a definite structure with large and small cavities interconnected by channels. The cavities and channels throughout the crystalline material are generally uniform in size allowing selective separation of hydrocarbons. Consequently, these materials in many instances have come to be classified in the art as molecular sieves and are utilized, in addition to the selective adsorptive processes, for certain catalytic properties. The catalytic properties of these materials are also affected, to some extent, by the size of the molecules which are allowed selectively to penetrate the crystal structure, presumably to be contacted with active catalytic sites within the ordered structure of these materials.
Generally, the term "molecular sieve" includes a wide variety of positive-ion-containing crystalline materials of both natural and synthetic varieties. They are generally characterized as crystalline aluminosilicates, although other crystalline materials are included in the broad definition. The crystalline aluminosilicates are made up of networks of tetrahedra of SiO.sub.4 and AlO.sub.4 moieties in which the silicon and aluminum atoms are cross-linked by the sharing of oxygen atoms. The electrovalence of the aluminum atom is balanced by the use of positive ions, for example, alkali-metal or alkaline-earth-metal cations.
Prior art developments have resulted in the formation of many synthetic crystalline materials. Crystalline aluminosilicates are the most prevalent and, as described in the patent literature and in the published journals, are designated by letters or other convenient symbols. Exemplary of these materials are Zeolite A (Milton, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,882,243), Zeolite X (Milton, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,882,244), Zeolite Y (Breck, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,130,007), Zeolite ZSM-5 (Argauer, et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 3,702,886), Zeolite ZSM-11 (Chu, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,709,979), Zeolite ZSM-12 (Rosinski, et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 3,832,449), and others.
Relevant art is the above U.S. Pat. No. 3,702,886, in which Argauer, et al., disclose the crystalline aluminosilicate Zeolite ZSM-5 and the method for making the same. This patent teaches the production of a zeolite wherein aluminum or gallium oxides are present in the crystalline structure, along with silicon or germanium oxides. A specific ratio of the latter to the former is reacted to produce a class of zeolites designated ZSM-5, which is limited to crystalline alumino- or gallo-silicates or germanates and which has a specified X-ray diffraction pattern. The above ZSM-11 and ZSM-12 patents are similarly limited to crystalline alumino- or gallo-silicates or germanates, also having specified X-ray diffraction patterns.
As shown by Haag, et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 3,856,871, by Morrison, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,856,872, by Burress, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,856,873, and by Hayward, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,856,874, such ZSM-type aluminosilicates are used suitably for the isomerization of xylenes.
Manufacture of the ZSM-type materials utilizes a mixed base system in which sodium aluminate and a silicon-containing material are mixed together with sodium hydroxide and an organic base, such as tetrapropylammonium hydroxide or tetrapropylammonium bromide, under specified reaction conditions, to form the desired crystalline aluminosilicate.
Dwyer, et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 3,941,871, claim and teach an organosilicate having very little aluminum in its crystalline structure and possessing an X-ray diffraction pattern similar to the ZSM-5 composition. This patent is considered relevant art.
Another relevant patent is U.S. Pat. No. 3,328,119, wherein Robson considers a synthetic crystalline aluminosilicate containing a minor amount of boria as an integral part of its crystal framework. This reference has been cited by the Examiner during the prosecution of the above-mentioned applications U.S. Ser. No. 819,974 and U.S. Ser. No. 836,403.
Additional relevant art comprises U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,329,480; 3,329,481; 4,029,716; and 4,078,009. Young, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,329,480 and 3,329,481, discloses "zircono-silicates" and "titano-silicates", respectively. Kaeding, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,029,716 and 4,078,009, discloses a crystalline aluminosilicate zeolite having a silica-to-alumina ratio of at least about 12 and a constraint index within the approximate range of 1 to 12, and having combined therewith boron in an amount of at least about 0.2 weight percent as a result of reaction of the zeolite with a boron-containing compound.
Unland, et al., in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,115,424 and 4,140,726 disclose an improved alkylation catalyst that comprises a crystalline aluminosilicate exemplified by a type X- or Y-zeolite, which catalyst includes potassium, rubidium, and/or cesium cations and contains boron and/or phosphorus. The aluminosilicates are modified to have the potassium, rubidium, and/or cesium cations and the boron and/or phosphorus present. The boron or phosphorus components can be incorporated by inclusion in an ion exchange solution, or by subsequently utilizing a solution of such component as a slurrying medium for catalyst particles or as an impregnating medium to be absorbed in the catalyst.
Plank, et al., in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,140,249; 3,140,251; and 3,140,253, disclose the suspension of a molecular sieve material in a matrix of a refractory inorganic oxide and its distribution throughout said matrix. The preparation and use of cation-exchanged molecular sieves are considered.
The present invention is directed to catalysts that comprise crystalline borosilicates and that can be used for the conversion of hydrocarbon streams, e.g., the isomerization of xylene feedstocks, and to the preparation of such catalysts.

Hydrocarbon-conversion catalyst and its method of preparation


Disclosed are techniques for ranking domain names for presentation to a user. The techniques include obtaining, over a computer network, domain name data including, for each of a plurality of training domain names, respective user information; generating, by at least one electronic processor, a model relating at least features of each of the plurality of training domain names to respective user features derived from the respective user information; obtaining novel user information for a novel user; obtaining a plurality of domain names; ranking the plurality of domain names, using the model and novel input data including novel user features derived from the novel user information, according to predicted domain name suitability for the novel user; and providing a ranked list of the plurality of domain names.

The Domain Name System ("DNS") is a hierarchical distributed naming system for resources provided by computer servers that are connected to the internet. It associates domain names to numeric internet protocol ("IP") addresses of internet resources, including resources managed by web hosting providers, which provide the web server computers that serve the web pages associated with domain names. The DNS thus allows computers and humans to access networked resources including web pages using names.
A DNS "registry" is an authoritative, master database of all domain names registered in a top-level domain or other domain in which domain names can be registered. A registry includes many hardware computer servers operably coupled to the internet. A registry keeps the master database and also generates a "zone file" comprising DNS resource records for the top-level domain, which allows computers to look up DNS records in the top-level domain from anywhere in the world. Internet users generally interact with the registry via intermediaries. For ease of discussion, a registry is identified with its hardware computer servers unless otherwise specified or clear from context.
Domain names can be registered by internet users known as "registrants" through many different companies known as "registrars". Registrars compete with one another to register domain names for registrants. That is, an internet user interacts with a registrar to obtain a domain name, thereby becoming a registrant for the domain. Registrars typically employ domain name suggestion processes, which accept as input one or more domain query strings (which may be registered domain names) and output corresponding or alternate domain names, which the user may subsequently register. The registrar chosen by the registrant asks the registrant to provide various contact and technical information, and the registrant provides payment to the registrar. The registrar then keeps a record of the contact information and submits the technical information to the registry. Registrars typically include many hardware computer servers. For ease of discussion, a registrar is identified with its hardware computer servers unless otherwise specified or clear from context. Further, an internet user has a hardware client computer. For ease of discussion, a registrant is identified with its hardware client computer unless otherwise specified or clear from context.

System for and method of ranking domain names based on user properties


New and improved methods and systems are provided for producing, managing, delivering, retrieving, and/or tracking permission communications that alleviate several of the existing problems commonly associated with existing permission communications. According to the invention, computer users can request to receive direct communications from one or more senders. When a new communication is detected, an alert is provided to the recipients, who can use the alert to view the communication in their Web browser. Similar alerts may also be provided to one or more recipients when particular Web pages are updated. Various alternative embodiments are also disclosed.

The advent of computers and electronic communications networks has enabled individuals and organizations (e.g., corporations) to disseminate information in a more efficient and rapid manner than was previously possible using conventional (ground) mail alone. For example, in a typical Internet-based electronic mail (email) system, a computer user sends and receives emails using a Web browser that accesses an Internet-based email application program, such as HOTMAIL by Microsoft Corp. A computer user may alternatively employ a desktop-based email application program, such as OUTLOOK by Microsoft Corp., to send and receive emails. In both of these scenarios, emails are delivered through one or more email networks (using one or more email protocols, such as the Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP), the Post Office Protocol 3 (POP3), and the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP)) to a recipient using the recipient's unique email address, which generally includes a combination of the recipient's domain name and user name.
Due to technological improvements in the past decade, which have made sending emails easier and more affordable, email campaigns have become an important part of many business models and, for example, communication efforts by non-commercial organizations. At the same time, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of unwanted emails received by users throughout the world (in particular, with regard to unsolicited commercial emails, or "SPAM"). An estimated 50% of all email traffic is SPAM, causing excessive congestion in the email network, and causing Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and organizations to spend resources processing and managing unwanted traffic. As a result, various laws, guidelines, and technological safeguards (e.g., black lists, content based SPAM filters, etc.) have been implemented in the past few years in an attempt to reduce the number of unsolicited emails received by computer users. While these safeguards, such as SPAM filters, may reduce the number of unwanted email messages in a recipient's inbox, the email network and/or ISPs and organizations must still process and manage the traffic. Moreover, while blocking or diverting at least some of such unsolicited emails from reaching the intended computer users, these actions have had a great adverse effect on senders of legitimate permission communications (e.g., organizations that send electronic communications, such as emails, only to recipients who have either requested or otherwise given the organization their "permission" to receive such emails). Below is a brief explanation of various examples of the problems currently faced by senders of legitimate permission communications (also referred to herein as "legitimate senders").
One significant problem that legitimate senders now face relates to SPAM and inbox clutter affecting many (if not most) current email recipients. In particular, due to the large number of unsolicited emails that may occupy a recipient's inbox at any given time, it is not uncommon for such recipients to overlook and delete legitimate emails, and/or harbor adverse consumer sentiment with regard to all commercial senders (whether legitimate or not).
Another common problem faced by legitimate senders stems from the practice of blocking and blacklisting. ISPs often block incoming mail from certain Internet addresses (e.g., IP addresses) that they have determined to be a likely source of SPAM. For example, when a large number of emails originating from a particular IP address is detected by an ISP, the ISP may unilaterally decide that the emails are all unsolicited (and perhaps the result of a malicious Internet virus). Similarly, ISPs often subscribe to blacklists created by one or more of the currently existing hundreds of independent anti-SPAM organizations. The blacklists compiled by these anti-SPAM organizations contain those IP addresses that are suspected SPAM sources based on, for example, proprietary algorithms, research, SPAM reports, and other "secret ingredients." When an ISP receives an email from a listed IP address, it will generally automatically block the email from reaching the intended recipient or deliver the email into a "junk folder" of the recipient.
While blocking and blacklists do prevent a lot of SPAM and other unsolicited emails from reaching their intended recipients, because blocking and blacklists are at least partially based on speculation, delivery of permission emails by legitimate senders are also very frequently prevented from reaching their intended recipients. By some estimates, as much as one-third of all sent emails (many of which are legitimate emails) fail to reach the recipients' inboxes, often with many of the recipients not being aware that their email is being diverted, blocked, destroyed, or otherwise tampered with.
Legitimate senders of traditional emails also find themselves subject to creative limitations for more multiple reasons. For example, because many SPAM filters are triggered by certain common and effective marketing phrases, senders of permission emails often feel compelled to forgo such phrases. Additionally, legitimate senders may choose to avoid many capital letters or images, blue color font, and various other creative elements that have been known to also trigger SPAM filters. Even when emails are not deleted or diverted by a SPAM filter or other mechanism based on content, many organizations (e.g., ISPs and corporations) choose to strip out all images and links from incoming email in an attempt to thwart computer users from being exposed to offensive images and dangerous links. In fact, some organizations go as far as to reduce all HTML messages to plain text. In either of these two cases, recipients receive at least somewhat censored versions of many incoming emails, including those originating from legitimate senders that pose no risk to the recipients.
Moreover, even when legitimate emails reach their destinations, and are not modified by a third party prior to their receipt, it is not always the case that the recipients are able to view the emails as intended by the senders. This is due in part to the existence of a vast array of email readers to choose from in the current market. Each of these readers has its own characteristics and displays email messages differently, making it nearly impossible for senders of email to craft a consistent presentation for its entire recipient base. Moreover, although rich media (e.g., online video and animation) is among the fastest growing and most effective marketing tools available in the online world today, and despite the proliferation of broadband and relatively cheap bandwidth and the availability of rich media friendly computer systems, many (if not all) of email readers in widespread use today fail to adequately leverage the effectiveness of rich media that is received with emails. In many cases, due to the limitations of certain email readers, rich media can not be viewed at all by a recipient of an email.
Moreover, while necessary for organizations and other senders to measure the performance of their campaigns, the process of tracking and reporting of emails has been and continues to be extremely problematic. In particular, accurate tracking and reporting of deliveries, bounces, opens, and clicks associated with emails has been difficult or impossible to achieve. For example, because it is not possible to determine if an email message actually reaches the intended inbox, deliveries must be calculated in these systems by subtracting bounced messages from the total number of messages sent. However, the tracking of bounced messages (i.e., messages that are not accepted for delivery by the target server) is itself problematic. For example, while the recipient's mail server generally returns a bounce report to the sending server explaining the reasons for an email being not deliverable (e.g., incorrect email address, full inbox, server problems, etc.), the accuracy of such a bounce report is often less than desired. Additionally, the little pixels used to track opens in HTML messages are often stripped or otherwise blocked, and text message opens can not be tracked. Tracking clicks by a recipient has been similarly problematic.
Individuals and organizations, particularly those sending large numbers of emails, are also hurt by various delays from start to finish. Mail servers have varying degrees of throughput and maximum output, and organizations using shared mail server farms often wait in queue or fight for processing power when a campaign is launched. Once emails are sent, each one must travel across the frequently congested Internet and make its way to the recipient's ISP, which in turn must process and then deliver the email. These and other factors often cause emails in a large campaign to take hours to fully deliver. Delivery times are also adversely affected when bounce reports are returned with insufficient explanation, at times requiring a sender to resend bounced emails several times.
A legitimate sender's requirement to defend against false reports of SPAM is also a significant obstacle that must be faced when dealing with convention email. More often than not, despite the existence of permission agreements, a sender (including a legitimate sender) is immediately and sometimes without notice blocked and blacklisted in response to one or more complaints by recipients. As a result, legitimate senders must often expend significant resources, including time and money, defending themselves from false SPAM reports and keeping their IP addresses off of blacklists. Larger amounts of resources will also likely be required to comply with new and constantly changing anti-spam regulations and the growing bureaucracy associated therewith.
These and other issues have all contributed to lost opportunities by senders of legitimate permission communications, who are estimated to have spent up to $2 billion dollars last year on email communication campaigns. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide new and improved methods and systems for producing, managing, delivering, retrieving, and/or tracking electronic communications (e.g., permission based electronic communications) that alleviate at least some of the above (and potentially other) problems commonly associated with existing electronic communications.

Systems and methods for producing, managing, delivering, retrieving, and/or tracking permission based communications


A suspendable includes a housing including a light reflective material. The housing defines an aperture proximate the center of the housing configured to receive a light source. The housing further defines at least two pairs of through holes; a first channel extending between the a first pair of the at least two pairs of through holes and a second channel extending between the second pair of the at least two pairs of through holes, the first channel and the second channel collectively defining a pathway entirely through the housing; the first and second channels each being curvilinear; an at least two substantially arcuate grooves.

Current suspended light sources, such as holiday and pendant lights, do not provide for independent movement of each light source and do not conceal part of the light source. Thus, current suspended light sources do not provide for independent positioning of each light with respect to each other light along the wire that the lights are attached and also do not provide ways of reflecting and or diffusing the lights to provide for different lighting effects.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A battery pack disclosed in the present description includes an outer case including a display portion and an opening portion, wherein the display portion includes one or more display windows; a battery cell housed in the outer case; a substrate housed in the outer case, wherein one or more light emitting elements corresponding to the one or more display windows are mounted on the substrate; and a light shielding wall housed in the outer case, wherein the light shielding wall is arranged to block the opening portion and the one or more light emitting elements from each other.

Patent Literature 1 describes a battery pack. This battery pack includes an outer case including a display portion provided with a plurality of display windows and an opening portion, a battery cell housed in the outer case, and a substrate housed in the outer case and on which a plurality of light emitting elements corresponding to the plurality of display windows is mounted.


The inventive disclosures are directed to a factory-controlled process for making improved, risk-optimized commercial-building waterproofing systems. The improved waterproofing-panel systems also include improved intrinsic leak-detection capabilities.

The inventive disclosures contained herein pertain to the protection of building surfaces, especially subterranean walls and floor under slabs, from water penetration.
Prefabricated waterproofing panels or sheets using natural water absorbing materials such as bentonite clay have been disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,186,896, 3,445,322, and 4,467,015 and used for structural waterproofing. Water activates the clay material's characteristics. The clay material is not stable over time and will eventually wash away.
Water drainage is another component of a waterproofing system. Water drainage is used sometimes in combination with the waterproofing mechanism. Separate drainage devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,888,087 and 4,490,072. To inhibit clogging of the drainage passages by soil infiltration, a filter layer is sometimes bonded to prefabricated drain panels, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,654,765; 4,574,541; 4,730,953; and 4,840,515. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,704,048, Ahlgrimm discloses the use of a filter material with enough strength to resist deformation into the drainage channels by back-fill loading.
Currently, commercial waterproofing membranes are dominated by rubberized-asphalt materials, while commercial drainage products are dominated by (a) a prefabricated, geocomposite panel having a polystyrene dimpled core, which is (b) covered on one side with a polypropylene non-woven filter fabric(s). The above-identified commercial drainage products are applied over the above-identified waterproofing membrane using an applied liquid adhesive, which represents a three-step installation process—the first step applies the waterproofing membrane; the second step applies the adhesive; and the third step applies the drainage products, in that order.
Waterproofing membranes using this application method are susceptible to imperfections from variation in the field installation of the membrane under uncontrolled or less-than-ideal conditions; these imperfections typically appear in the form of wrinkles and voids that are termed "fish-mouths" by those of ordinary skill in the art. These imperfections have the potential to degrade the waterproofing integrity of the installation, which will reduce functional reliability and therefore negatively impact structural warranties.
Furthermore, rubberized-asphalt waterproofing membranes are sensitive to the ultraviolet (UV) spectrum of light and will chemically degrade with exposure to the sun's rays, necessitating a maximum allowed time of 30 days before geocomposite drain panels must be installed. (See, e.g., 650 Membrane Technical Data Sheet, Ultraviolet Protection section, Polyguard® Products Inc.) Hence, it would be advantageous to apply such rubberized-asphalt waterproofing membranes in a controlled environment away from UV light (as well as any other potentially damaging environmental factors that are typically encountered at a construction site) so that such time constraints on the installation of geocomposite panels can be eliminated.
Still further, despite the rugged polypropylene non-woven filter fabric material, the earthen backfill must be applied with care to prevent damage to the filter material from rocks or other discrete material that can puncture or even rip the filter fabric, thereby introducing a latent defect into the installed drainage panel. Commercial horizontal drainage panels for under slab applications use void-maintaining woven laminates and sometimes woven fabrics bonded to the crush-resistant geocomposite panels; however, these are susceptible to de-bonding which would allow infiltration of poured non-hardened concrete or earth into the drainage channels.
In U.S. Pat. No. 8,039,081, Ianniello discloses a method for improving the bonding of filter material to the geocomposite panel. That disclosure, however, does not improve the protection of said filter material.
An improved drainage system structure able to resist crush and impact damage is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,263,792. In that patent, Davis teaches the limitations of filter fabric with respect to keeping the drainage channels free from clogging and other impediments; however, again, the filter material of this configuration would still be susceptible to damage from the application of earthen back-fill.
A combined waterproofing and drainage filter panel system is revealed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,943,185. In that patent, McGuckin discloses that using a captured bentonite-clay waterproofing material in conjunction with a structure for drainage and filtering. That system has structural and functional limitations, including the stability of the waterproofing material, the mass and inflexibility of the panels, the inability to ship and store the system in rolls, and the need to secure the system to the wall that is being protected using mechanical means such as nails or tacks. Those limitations conform to the current commercial waterproofing standard configuration.
After a waterproofing system has been applied, there is no real way to verify the quality of the installation, and furthermore, functional failures can only be detected after leakage has already occurred, usually through evidence of moisture or water within the protected structure itself. Still further, location of the actual leakage point is often difficult because water that has infiltrated a building may travel a good distance along a wall, behind the defeated waterproofing membrane, before actually entering the wall (aka, structure). Even further, the problem can be compounded by water damage to the foundation of the structure and to materials or items within the below-ground levels of a building. This may explain why standard warranties on existing commercial waterproofing systems are typically offered for only one year after installation and, under special conditions, for only five years after installation. These issues have created the need for improved reliability of the waterproofing installation, as well as the necessity for leakage detection before water can damage the protected structure.
For commercial structures, electrical leak-detection methods have been developed that map the electric-field potential across a conductive surface to measure the current flow to the grounded building structure along the leakage path (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,331,778, and 8,566,051). To enhance leak detection, other techniques introduce a current-carrying channel external to the waterproofing barrier undergoing test, such as using an electrically conductive primer coating (see, e.g., U.S. Patent-Application Publication No. US 2014/0361796). While these methods are useful for above-ground horizontal waterproofing installations such as roofing, they do not address solving the below-ground leak detection problem. Moreover, while electrically-based methods for the detection of leaks have been developed to monitor for waste or chemical leakage from industrial containment facilities (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,404,516; 4,725,785; 5,288,168; and 6,331,778), these techniques are not suited for below-grade structural waterproofing systems.
To sense the presence of water, an electrical-moisture-detection mechanism using inductive coupling between a sensor and reader, or alternatively, an electrically connected sensor and reader using direct current (DC) is revealed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,463,377, while other devices make use of tape-based or film-based sensors to detect the presence and/or location of moisture (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 7,292,155 and U.S. Patent-Application Publication No. US 2012/0074967). These methods require the placement of a plurality of sensor and reader pairs in close proximity to each other, or a plurality of electrically-connected sensors switched or linked to a single reader. Furthermore, because the sensors are discrete from the monitored structure, their use requires installation after standard waterproofing materials are applied and/or to accommodate sensor placement before or during the installation of waterproofing materials, which reflects nonstandard modifications to the underlying structure itself. Commercially available hand-held moisture-sensing instruments are available such as those from Tramex Ltd.; however, both the discrete sensing mechanisms and the hand-held instrumentation, cannot be used with existing commercial below-grade structural waterproofing systems.
In the construction industry, a below-grade commercial waterproofing system installation represents situation where the costs of failure can be very high, and as such, methodologies to address and mitigate the risks are needed. For the aerospace, medical devices, automotive, and other failure-adverse fields, the FMEA (Failure Modes and Effects Analysis) method has been in use for decades as a necessary engineering tool to enhance the reliability of systems through identification of potential failure modes and then mitigating the associated risks. Many companies—in what would be considered non-critical industries such as consumer electronics—have also adopted FMEA as part of their normal design and process development cycles, because total costs are reduced by identifying potential failure modes and mitigating the risks.
Similarly, a below-grade commercial waterproofing system installation is an application where the costs of failure are often high. Unlike above-grade waterproofing applications such as roofing and decks, a latent defect within a below-grade system may not be readily detected until considerable progression of the leakage has already occurred, and the below-grade nature of the installation makes locating and correcting the problem an expensive proposition. If a building's contents such as computer infrastructure, vital, records or laboratory facilities (to name but a few) are damaged or destroyed by the water infiltration, the costs increase even more. If people become ill from the formation of toxic mold, and a structure becomes unusable to the occupants, the liability and costs can become catastrophic. With this perspective, it is surprising that risk-control methodologies such as FMEA are not used routinely in the below-grade waterproofing field despite the fact that FMEA processes are relatively simple to implement, and the benefits of FMEA have been demonstrated by over half a century of use in critical applications where failure is literally not an option.
The process FMEA, as applied to an existing current-art below-grade waterproofing system—installed on existing vertical concrete foundation walls for new-construction structures—identifies 15 potential failure modes, which will result in water infiltration into the structure. The associated risks are shown to be unacceptably high. What is needed is an alternative waterproofing system (including fabrication methodologies) that mitigates the risk down to an acceptable level.

Integrated waterproofing and drainage system with intrinsic leak detection for building structures and methods of use


A fuel injection apparatus having a high-pressure fuel pump and a fuel injection valve for each cylinder. An electrically actuated control valve controls a connection of the pump working chamber to a discharge region. A first injection valve element controls at least one first injection opening and a second injection valve element guided inside the first injection valve element controls at least one second injection opening. Pressure in a control chamber acts on the second injection valve element at least indirectly in the closing direction. By means of a connection controlled by a valve, the control pressure chamber is connected to a pressure region in which a respective pressure increase and decrease are delayed in relation to pressure in the pump working chamber when the control valve respectively closes and opens. The valve is acted on in the opening direction by the pressure prevailing in the pressure region and the closing direction by the pressure prevailing in the pump working chamber.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to an improved fuel injection apparatus for an internal combustion engine, including a high-pressure fuel pump and a fuel injection valve connected to the fuel pump for each cylinder of the engine.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A fuel injection apparatus of the type with which this invention is concerned is known from DE 198 35 494 A1. This fuel injection apparatus has a high-pressure fuel pump and a fuel injection valve connected to it for each cylinder of the internal combustion engine. The high-pressure fuel pump has a pump piston that is driven into a stroke motion by the engine and delimits a pump working chamber connected to a pressure chamber of the fuel injection valve. The fuel injection valve has an injection valve element that controls at least one injection opening and, acted on by the pressure prevailing in the pressure chamber, can be moved in an opening direction counter to a closing force in order to open the at least one injection opening. An electrically actuated control valve at least indirectly controls a connection of the pump working chamber to a discharge region in order to control the fuel injection. When the pressure in the pump working chamber and therefore in the pressure chamber of the fuel injection valve reaches the opening pressure, then the injection valve element moves in the opening direction and opens the at least one injection opening. The injection cross section that is controlled by the injection valve element is always the same size. This does not permit an optimal fuel injection in all operating conditions of the internal combustion engine.

Fuel injection device for an internal combustion engine


A method of preparing a positive electrode active composition for use in an alkaline manganese cell comprising a negative electrode, a negative electrode active material, a positive electrode and a positive electrode composition inclusive of manganese dioxide as a positive electrode active material, an electrically conductive filler and low molecular weight polytetrafluoroethylene, wherein an amount of the low molecular weight polytetrafluoroethylene powder ranges from 0.1% to 0.3% by weight based on the total weight of manganese dioxide and the electrically conductive filler, which cell has small internal resistance and good discharge performance.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates an alkaline manganese cell. More particularly, the present invention relates to an improvement of a binder to be contained in a positive electrode composition of an alkaline manganese cell.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hitherto, to improve the ease of weighing and moldability, a positive electrode composition of an alkaline manganese cell is prepared by wet mixing positive electrode components including manganese dioxide as a positive electrode active material and graphite powder or carbon black as an electrically conductive filler, extruding a resulting mixture with an extruder having a die with extrusion nozzles of 0.5 to 1.0 mm in diameter to produce granules, and sieving the granules to adjust a granule size distribution. In the above process, a water-soluble binder having gluing properties such as polysodium acrylate or carboxymethylcellulose is added to the mixture of positive electrode components to bind the components (cf, for example, Japanese Patent Kokai Publication No. 2266/1986).
However, since the water-soluble binder absorbs an electrolytic liquid, the molded positive electrode composition absorbs the electrolytic liquid, swells and softens. Therefore, adhesion of the positive electrode composition to a positive electrode can decreases, electron conductivity through the electrically conductive filler in the positive electrode composition decreases so that internal resistance increases, or the electrolytic liquid is absorbed by the positive electrode composition and migrates towards the positive electrode side so that an amount of the electrolytic liquid near a zinc negative electrode active material decreases, whereby a discharge reaction does not proceed sufficiently and a discharge time of the cell is shortened. Due to the above phenomena, discharge performance of the alkali manganese cell is deteriorated. Since the wet strength of swelled molded positive electrode composition decreases as time passes, the cell performance remarkably decreases, in particular, during storage.
It has been proposed to use low molecular weight polytetrafluoroethylene powder as a binder for the positive electrode composition in an amount of 0.3 to 3% by weight based on the total weight of manganese dioxide and the electrically conductive filler to suppress an increase of the internal resistance due to the absorbance of the electrolytic liquid with the positive electrode composition and decrease of discharge performance due to migration of the electrolytic liquid towards the positive electrode composition (cf. Japanese Patent Kokai Publication No. 220373/1989).
That is, the manganese dioxide powder, which is the positive electrode active material, the electrically conductive filler, such as graphite or carbon black, and the low molecular weight polytetrafluoroethylene powder are mixed with a small amount of an aqueous solution of potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide which is used to neutralize acidity due to manganese dioxide and prevent the corrosion of metals with strong oxidation by manganese dioxide, and water. Then, the resulting mixture is extruded with an extruder to form granulates and dried to adjust a water content in a range in which good moldability and easy weighing are achieved. The granules are charged in a mold and molded in a suitable form such as a ring. The formed positive electrode composition is placed in a positive electrode can to assemble the alkali manganese cell. The low molecular weight polytetrafluoroethylene powder absorbs a smaller amount of the electrolytic liquid than the conventional binder, such as polysodium acrylate or carboxymethylcellulose. Accordingly, deterioration of adhesion of the positive electrode composition to the positive electrode can be caused by excessive absorption of the electrolytic liquid by the positive electrode composition, and the decrease of electron conductivity in the positive electrode composition can be prevented. Since the electrolytic liquid on the negative electrode side is not excessively absorbed by the positive electrode composition, a sufficient amount of the electrolytic liquid is kept near the zinc negative electrode active material and the discharge reaction proceed sufficiently. Therefore, the discharge performance is not deteriorated.
By the use of low molecular weight polytetrafluoroethylene powder as the binder of the positive electrode composition, the components of the positive electrode composition are well bound, and powdering of the granules and disintegration of the molded positive electrode composition in the cell are prevented. However, since the low molecular weight polytetrafluoroethylene powder does not contribute to the discharge reaction, its addition reduces the amount of the positive electrode active material to be contained in the positive electrode composition, whereby the discharge capacity of the cell decreases. In addition, since the polytetrafluoroethylene powder has no conductivity, the electron conductivity in the positive electrode composition is decreased.


A layered superconductor device includes multiple layers of a single crystal superconducting material having intermittent layers of superconducting material dispersed in a pattern with a second material such that each layer of the multiple layers a single crystal superconducting material are interconnected via superconducting material, allowing for a continuous current path, and a thickness of the superconducting material never exceeds a first predetermined thickness.

Since their discovery, high-temperature superconductors have found a variety of uses in industry. Unfortunately, some high-temperature superconducting materials suffer a number of shortfalls including a limited maximum current capacity, super-conductivity must be limited to a particular direction relative to the crystalline structure of the superconducting material and such crystalline structures tend to lose orientation when grown beyond a thickness Δc.
A possible approach to realigning crystal orientation of bulk superconducting devices has been to disperse thin layers of a substrate between layers of the superconducting material in a manner that looks like a layer cake. In such formations, each layer of superconducting material may act as an independent device.

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy