A force measuring hub for a wheel supported on a carrier has a first annular component adapted for a coaxial attachment to the wheel and provided with a plurality of radial webs having elongation-sensing strips and a second annular component adapted for a coaxial attachment to the carrier and being operatively coupled to the first annular component such that the radial webs lie in a force path passing between the wheel and the carrier. The first annular component is a flat disc comprising an inner zone adapted to be secured to the wheel and an outer rim surrounding the inner zone. The radial webs are arranged in a single plane between the inner zone and the outer rim. The first annular component further has a plurality of extensions attached to the outer rim and oriented radially inwardly therefrom. The extensions are located in the above-noted single plane in respective spaces defined between adjoining radial webs. Each extension terminates at a clearance from the inner zone. The second annular component is also disc-shaped and includes mounting projections extending into respective clearances between the inner zone and the respective extension of the first annular component.

This invention relates to a force measuring hub to measure forces and/or torques exerted at least in the circumferential direction on a body such as a wheel, particularly a vehicle wheel. The force measuring hub has a first annular component which is adapted to be coaxially mounted on the wheel-like body and which has radial webs provided with elongation-sensing strips, forming part, for example, of a bridge circuit. The force measuring hub further has a second annular component which is adapted to be coaxially mounted on a carrier for the wheel-like body, such as a braking device and is connected with the first component such that the radial webs are situated in the force path passing between the wheel and the carrier.
A force measuring hub of the above-outlined type is known and is disclosed, for example, in German Laid-Open Application (Offenlegungsschrift) No. 2,302,540. In this known force measuring hub the two annular components are connected with one another and have angled cross-sectional shapes. The first annular component has a cylindrical portion situated within the hub and further has, at an end face, an outwardly oriented securing flange to be mounted on a vehicle wheel. The second annular component of the force measuring hub has an external cylindrical portion and, at an end thereof, an inwardly oriented securing flange which serves for mounting the force measuring hub on a brake drum. Between the two cylindrical portions there extend radial webs which are arranged in two planes and which are provided with elongation-sensing strips.
The above-outlined known force measuring hub has a substantial spatial requirement in the axial direction. For this reason, in order to compensate for the axial dimension of the force measuring hub with regard to the track width of the vehicle, the vehicle wheel proper has to be removed and replaced by a particularly dimensioned measuring wheel.


A photographic still camera includes a rewind lever which is movable to an operative position to engage a metering lever and an actuating lever of a film advance mechanism to prevent the engagement of the metering lever and the actuating lever with a film sprocket wheel, as well as to disengage an anti-backup pawl from a film advance wheel, to allow the sprocket wheel and the film advance wheel to rotate in a reverse direction to rewind a filmstrip.

It is known in the art relating to single use cameras to provide a simple shutter actuating film advance and metering mechanism. The mechanism utilizes a metering lever and an actuating lever which interact with cams on a film driven sprocket wheel to provide frame-to-frame film advance after tripping of the shutter, and resetting of the shutter actuating lever upon film advance to the next frame. A spring mounted in the camera case engages teeth on the film advance wheel to prevent reverse rotation. No provision is made for rewinding of the film with this mechanism as it is not required for single use cameras.


A water hammer-proof air valve that has a valve body and a bonnet, that are fixedly connected, a valve opening is provided on the valve body, and a high-speed intake and exhaust device is provided in an inner cavity of the valve body. A bonnet opening is provided on the bonnet, an output end of the high-speed intake and exhaust device penetrates the bonnet opening and is communicated with a high-speed exhaust throttling device for limiting an exhaust amount of gas of the high-speed intake and exhaust device, an output end of the high-speed exhaust throttling device is communicated with an outside air, and a trace exhaust device for discharging the gas separated out from the pipeline to the outside through the high-speed exhaust throttling device after the high-speed intake and exhaust device closes the valve is further provided in the high-speed intake and exhaust device.

In a long distance water pipeline, air accumulated in the pipeline will reduce filling efficiency of the pipeline, or even make filling of the pipeline impossible to be successfully completed. Therefore, a high-speed intake and exhaust valve (air valve) is required to remove air in the pipe while filling the pipeline with water.
And the current high-speed intake and exhaust valve (air valve) mainly uses:
(i) Direct motion type or floating ball operation type high-speed intake and exhaust valve (air valve), will automatically exhaust a large amount of air when filling the blank pipe with water or suction a large amount of air when emptying the pipeline system; and under a condition that the system is filled and pressure exists, it will keep a closed state and never open again. However, its closing member can be easily seized by high-speed airflow during a high-speed exhaust process, and then suddenly blocks the exhaust vent, which leads to a blowing-block phenomenon or an air-block phenomenon. Once blowing-block occurs (i.e. the exhaust valve (air valve) closes), it will stay in the closed state for a long time. Even if the pipe is filled with air that needs to be exhausted, the air valve will not open for exhaust again. It will also cause the generation of a valve-closing water hammer of the air valve when blowing-block occurs.
(ii) Combined exhaust valve (air valve), adds a trace exhaust valve (air valve) on the basis of the direct motion type or floating ball operation type high-speed intake and exhaust valve (air valve). The combined exhaust valve can exhaust a trace amount of air under the condition that the system is filled and pressure exists, but cannot exhaust completely, cannot exhaust whenever air presents, sprays water while exhausting air, and has loose sealing. It cannot inhibit a cavity-closing water hammer and the valve-closing water hammer.

Water hammer-proof air valve and water hammer-proof exhaust method for in-use pipeline


A packing box for a lashing rope winch includes a holding plate, an upper cover, and a lower cover. The holding plate has several containing recesses arranged side by side. The holding plate has several pairs of opposite securing protrusions for allowing tight insertion of a main body of a winch into between when the winch is held in one containing recess. The upper cover is pivoted to the lateral edges of the holding plate to cover an upper section of the containing recesses, while the lower cover is detachably joined to the lower portion of the holding plate. Thus, the winch can be easily taken out from the packing box to be tried and inspected by consumers.

The present invention relates to a packing box, more particularly a packing box, which is provided for containing a lashing rope winch therein, and which allows the winch to be easily taken out from it for trial by consumers without causing damage to any part thereof
Manufacturers usually accommodate lashing rope winches in packing boxes so that they are well protected from getting damaged. The packing boxes allow the products to be easily displayed. Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional packing box consists of a cardboard 10, and a transparent front holding member 30. The transparent holding member 30 is shaped to have a holding room for the product. The cardboard 10, and the transparent holding member 30 are firmly joined together by means of driving staples through the edges of both so that the product is well protected.
However, this conventional packing box has disadvantages as followings:
1. Staples used for such boxes are usually relatively big in size, and cannot be easily removed therefore it is not convenient for customers to take out the winch product from the packing box for trial or inspection.
2. It not feasible for the customers to take out the winch product for trial and inspection, and the customers only can try to know about the product from the appearance and brief written description. Consequently, the customers cannot easily make up their minds to buy. And, the product is more likely to turn out to be unsuitable after the customers buy it.
Therefore, it is a main object of the present invention to a packing box for a lashing rope winch, which allows the winch to be easily taken out from it for trial and inspection by consumers without possibility of damage being caused to any part thereof.
The present packing box for a lashing rope winch includes a holding plate, an upper cover, and a lower cover. The holding plate has several containing recesses arranged side by side. The holding plate has several pairs of opposite securing protrusions for allowing tight insertion of a main body of a winch into between when the winch is held in one containing recess. The upper cover is pivoted to upper ends of the lateral edges of the holding plate, while the lower cover is detachably joined to the lower portion of the holding plate.


Printing is conducted at the transparent conducting film unnecessary portion on a substrate 1 with a masking ink having a higher thermal decomposition temperature than that of the transparent conducting film forming composition, and the ink is dried and cured by heat or light to form a masking pattern 2. The portion where a transparent conducting film is to be formed is preferably subjected to ozone cleaning and then coated with a transparent conducting film forming composition comprising an indium compound and/or a tin compound and a solvent to form a transparent conducting film forming composition layer 3. The thus worked substrate is subjected to a heat treatment, causing thermal decomposition of the masking pattern 2 after formation of a transparent conducting film. Then the residues of the masking ink and the transparent conducting film are removed to finally obtain a desired patterned transparent conducting film 4.

This invention relates to a transparent conducting film formed on a substrate such as glass, ceramic, etc., which film is used as a heating element for preventing surface clouding (moisture collecting) or frosting of the electrodes of display devices such as liquid crystal displays (LCD), electroluminescent displays (EL), etc., and the windowpanes of automobiles, aircraft, buildings, etc. Especially, the invention relates to a method for forming said type of patterned transparent conducting film.
Hitherto, electrode materials having high visible light transmittance have been used for the heat-generating resistance element for preventing surface clouding or frosting of the electrodes of display devices such as LCD, EL, etc., and the windowpanes of automobiles, aircraft, buildings, etc.
Tin oxide/antimony oxide system (ATO), indium oxide/tin oxide system (ITO), etc., are known as typical examples of the transparent conductive materials usable for forming said transparent conducting film. These metal oxides are capable of easily forming a coating film on a glass or ceramic substrate to provide a transparent conducting film.
The following techniques are known for forming a transparent conducting film:
(1) vacuum deposition; PA1 (2) sputtering PA1 (3) CVD; PA1 (4) printing; PA1 (5) coating (dip coating, spin coating and roll coating).
However, methods (1), (2) and (3) mentioned above, in which usually a pattern is formed by photolithography, have problems such an extra number of steps for pattern formation and generation of waste liquid in the course of etching. For solving these problems, it has been contrived to perform patterning by a lift-off method. Nevertheless, because of the structural complexity and high cost of the film forming apparatus, there has not yet been reached any satisfactory solution to the essential problems of production cost and productivity. On the other hand, methods (4) and (5), although having the possibility to resolve said problems in methods (1) to (3), had a problem in that it is difficult with these methods to form a film which can well stand practical use.
For example, concerning method (4), when screen printing is performed with a paste-like composition containing light-curing tin and indium salts of the organic acids having a functional group or a composition made of an inorganic indium salt, an inorganic tin salt, a non-aqueous silica sol and an organic solution of a cellulose compound, or when offset printing is conducted with a composition comprising an indium compound, a tin compound, a gum type resinous rosin and a terpene type high-boiling solvent, there arise typically the following two problems.
The first problem is that the film thickness at the `solid` portion tends to vary greatly while the film thickness at the pattern end becomes small, both of which are destined to occur in screen printing and offset printing. Another problem is that the cellulose compound and the resin such as gum type natural resinous rosin contained in the composition for obtaining good printability tend to remain in the form of free carbon in the film after thermal decomposition, making unavoidable the deterioration of the electrical, optical and mechanical properties of the film.
In the case of method (5), since no high-molecular weight compound able to produce free carbons is contained in the transparent conducting film forming composition, printing of a low-viscosity composition is hardly possible. Further, with spin or dip coating, it is difficult to perform direct pattern formation in the film forming process, and pinholes tend to form in the film due to insufficient cleaning or the presence of oil films.

Method for forming patterned transparent conducting film

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A system for anchoring a catheter to the body of an individual is disclosed, which includes a device-grasping mechanism and an anchoring mechanism. The device-grasping mechanism a housing in which a catheter or other medical device can be securely and rapidly attached or detached from the anchoring mechanism. The anchoring mechanism includes one or more arcuate needles attached to each other by means of a shaft. The arcuate needles are rotatably supported on the housing, and are locked into position when in the engaged and unengaged positions. The anchoring mechanism further includes portions in which the sharpened tips of the arcuate needles reside when in the engaged and unengaged positions in order to prevent injury to medical or other personnel.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to medical devices, and more particularly to medical devices for securing surgical catheters and the like to a patient""s skin or tissue to prevent dislodgment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A variety of apparatus used in human and veterinary medicine must be securely attached to a patient, either internally or to the skin. The methods employed for this vary, but excessive time-consumption, unreliability, expense, and risk of injury mar each of them. An apparatus commonly requiring a secure attachment is a catheter. Catheters (tubes, usually composed of plastic) are commonly inserted into blood vessels to administer fluids, medications, or nutrients, to withdraw blood, to measure pressures within the blood vessel or to allow the passage of various instruments through the vessel (such as a pacemaker wire). Catheters may be inserted into a variety of body cavities as well, such as the chest or abdomen. When a simple catheter is inserted into a small peripheral vein (an ordinary intravenous or xe2x80x9cI.V.xe2x80x9d), it is generally secured with adhesive tape to the patient""s skin adjacent the point of insertion. But most other surgical catheters (i.e. those inserted into arteries, major veins, or body cavities, such as the chest or abdomen) must be more reliably secured. Accidental migration to an undesired location or dislodgment of such a catheter can cause bleeding, infection, collapse of a lung, heart rhythm abnormalities, and other potentially fatal complications. Even if no such complication ensues, such accidental migration or dislodgment requires repositioning or replacing the catheter which wastes time and materials and subjects the patient to further risks and additional trauma and punctures.
Several methods have been used to attempt to secure surgical catheters more reliably. Most commonly, a pair of plastic wings, each having an eyelet, are incorporated into the hub of the catheter. The catheter is inserted into the patient, up to the hub. The operator then passes a needle and thread through one of the eyelets, then through the patient""s skin, then ties a knot, cuts the thread and repeats the process on the opposite eyelet.
In some cases the catheter is not designed to be inserted all the way to the hub. Instead it must be inserted to a particular depth determined by the anatomy of a particular patient. In these instances (or in the case of catheters, such as chest tubes, which have no hub) the thread must be cinched tightly around the catheter and sewn through the skin. Alternatively, a catheter-grasping device may be attached anywhere along the length of the catheter. Currently a popular catheter-grasping device consists of two concentric plastic collars, each with a pair of protruding wings, each of which has an eyelet. The inner collar is of pliable plastic and the outer collar is of rigid plastic. After inserting the catheter to the desired depth, the operator slips the inner collar over the protruding portion of the catheter, adjacent the skin. The operator then snaps the outer collar over the inner collar, and then sews the entire assembly in place as described above.
This sewing technique is not entirely reliable-sutures often break, especially if tension must be applied to cinch the catheter. The pressure exerted on the skin both by the sutures and by the apparatus it is securing are highly variable and operator dependent. Too little pressure may result in a loose, floppy attachment which allows the catheter to slide in and out of its insertion site, with the dangerous consequence of introducing germs from the patient""s skin into the bloodstream. Too much pressure may cause skin necrosis and breakdown, which may cause a persistent ulcer, infections, and/or the dislodgment of the catheter.
Moreover, sewing is also tedious and time-consuming, particularly when a catheter grasping device is applied. Many small loose parts must be fumbled with (the needle and thread, and the two parts of the catheter-grasping device), multiplying the chances that one of these parts will be dropped off the sterile field and contaminated. Straight needles are generally provided for this purpose because they eliminate the cost of a curved needle and the instrument to hold it (a needle driver), but as a result the skin must be awkwardly pinched, and the suturing process itself is more traumatic. There is also a risk of penetrating too deeply with the needle, and puncturing a vital structure, or even the catheter itself. These problems occur when attempting to attach this type of catheter-grasping device to a patient who is motionless. When the patient is unable or unwilling to remain motionless long enough for the catheter-grasping device to be attached, this procedure becomes even more difficult and prone to error.
After a catheter has been secured, its position is verified with an x-ray (radiograph). If, as often happens, the catheter is found to be in the wrong position, the time wasted is multiplied, as it is then necessary to undo all the above steps and repeat them. Because catheters of this type are often inserted in emergency situations, time is of the essence. An operator wasting time securing a catheter cannot attend to other pressing matters, and may physically interfere with the access of other health-care personnel to the patient.
But the greatest drawback of sewing a catheter in place is the risk of inadvertent needle-stick injury, a risk which is magnified by the degree to which the operator is rushing to complete an emergency procedure. This risk is also magnified by the straight needle provided by almost every kit manufacturer to save the additional cost of a curved needle and needle-driver. Straight needles require more handling by the operator, and they force the operator to place his/her non-dominant hand in harm""s way because the operator must pinch up the skin to pass the needle through it. Moreover, every needle used in a medical procedure jeopardizes many people besides the operator-nurses, technicians, custodians, and whoever might come into contact with the needle. In recognition of the risk of lethal, incurable blood-borne diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis C, the recently approved federal Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act mandates the use of safer alternatives to conventional needles wherever possible.
Adhesive-backed platforms (for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,855,591 and 5,833,667 to Bierman) have also been proposed as catheter securing devices, but, for lack of reliability, have not found wide acceptance. The manufacturer""s warning with one such device reads as follows: xe2x80x9cCatheter should be sutured to the skin in situations where loss of adherence may occur such as: confused patient, unattended central vascular device, extreme diaphoresis or denuded skin.xe2x80x9d These conditions are very common. For example, even the sickest patients must occasionally be left unattended for short periods. Thus adhesives are unacceptable, even by the standards of their manufacturer, for catheters in which a high degree of security is required. But even if the reliability of adhesives were not in doubt, they suffer from other serious drawbacks. They cannot be used on patients who are very sweaty or have very thin, fragile skin. Yet patients who require a catheter in a major vessel are generally the most ill-a disproportionately large number of them will be very sweaty. Patients who are elderly and/or have chronic illnesses are also among those most likely to need such a catheter. Yet they often have paper-thin skin which will be torn off when the time comes to remove an adhesive. Various solvents are recommended to help remove the adhesive, but these are harsh materials that may themselves damage fragile skin, even if a nurse is patient enough to carry out the tedious and lengthy process of applying them with a cotton-tipped applicator beneath the leading edge of the platform as it is peeled back bit by bit from the skin.
Various straps have been proposed to secure a catheter to a limb, generally involving the use of hook-and-loop closures. None of these has found wide use, even for peripheral venous catheters which do not require a high degree of security. They have no application for central venous catheters which do require a high degree of security, and which, moreover, must generally be affixed to portions of the body which are not conveniently encircled by a strap.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,730,758 to Allgeyer describes a staple and staple applicator for use in skin fixation of catheters, designed to replace the suture placed through the eyelets of existing catheter-grasping devices or hubs. This device requires cumbersome additional equipment (the staple applicator and a staple remover), which is unnecessarily complex because it requires the use of a deforming staple. To allow the use of a stapler without an anvil, the operator must manually pinch the skin so that a fold of skin protrudes up between the opposing points of the staple. The fold of skin so pinched must be precisely located at the proper distance from the eyelet, and neither too wide to fit between the opposing points of the staple, nor too narrow to give adequate purchase for the staple. (Alternatively, to avoid the need for pinching the skin, a still more complex stapler with an anvil would be needed, which Allgeyer does not teach.) The operator must simultaneously carefully align the staple points with the eyelets and the fold of skin. The depth of the staple bite achieved is unpredictable, so that a tenuous attachment may result. If a radiograph subsequently determines that the catheter position must be adjusted, the staples must be removed and discarded, and the patient""s skin must be pierced again with new staples after the adjustment has been made. As with the suturing method discussed above, when the patient is unable or unwilling to remain motionless, the device taught by Allgeyer is even more difficult to use.
Nearly all surgical staples require either that the staple be deformed to apply it, or that a retaining piece be used to receive and hold the barbed end of the staple point. U.S. Pat. No. 5,810,882 to Bolduc et al. reveals a surgical helical fastener which requires neither a means to deform the staple, nor a retaining piece. However, Bolduc teaches the use of the device only within a patient""s body; and more particularly for the purpose of repairing a hernia. Moreover, Bolduc does not teach the use of the device as an integral part of an apparatus-securing device.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,540,648 to Yoon discloses an instrument stabilizer with anchoring system for use during endoscopic procedures, in which a number of individual needles are mounted in guides protruding up from the surface of a platform intended for application to an external surface of an anatomical cavity. However, Yoon teaches the use of this stabilizer only during endoscopic procedures, which are brief (a few hours at most), and take place in controlled conditions under anesthesia. The multiple individual needles must be deployed one at a time, which is unsuitably time consuming for application of vascular catheters and many other surgical catheters in which time is of the essence. Furthermore, no mechanism is disclosed for retaining the needles in a deployed position to prevent subsequent dislodgment. Likewise, the Yoon device is unsuitable for use with the many surgical catheters which must remain in place for days or weeks. Yoon further fails to disclose a mechanism to prevent the inadvertent redeployment of a needle after it has been withdrawn, thus creating the risk of contaminated needlestick injury. Yoon also teaches the attachment of an apparatus or cylindrical structure perpendicularly to the surface of the device, in contrast to the need for parallel attachment for most surgical catheters which need to remain in place for a significant length of time, and/or which enter a blood vessel. More importantly, the design of the two types of needles disclosed by Yoon (curved and helical) requires in each case a guide of some sort protruding up from the surface of the stabilizer. While this is suitable for endoscopic procedures in which other equipment will in any case be mounted perpendicular to the surface of the stabilizer, it is highly undesirable for the fixation of surgical apparatus such as vascular catheters, in which a low profile attachment is needed, both for patient comfort and to prevent inadvertent dislodgment of the apparatus.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,164,943 to Hill describes a catheter anchor that employs a number of helical needles protruding from its base. The device is rotated against the skin to screw these needles into the skin. Hill teaches no means for protecting the operator or other personnel from contaminated needlestick injury after the device is withdrawn. Hill further fails to provide a mechanism for preventing the device from rotating in a reverse direction and thus being dislodged inadvertently. If the helical needles employed attack the skin at a low angle, they are likely to lacerate rather than cleanly puncture the skin. Alternatively, if the needles attack at a very high angle, they will need to penetrate to a dangerous depth in order to achieve a secure attachment. The Hill catheter grasping mechanism is bulky, needlessly complex, and it protrudes from the skin to a degree that is undesirable for reasons noted above. It also results in the catheter being secured some height above the skin, whereas the ideal attachment occurs along the shaft of the catheter as close as possible to the point at which it penetrates the skin.
Andersson, et al, disclose in U.S. Pat. No. 4,798,595, an injection device designed to deliver medications to the subcutaneous tissues. Accordingly, Andersson does not involve the use of an anchoring device, and the single needle with which it is fitted does not produce a secure attachment. While Andersson does provide a low profile device after it is fully deployed, it does so only by means of an elaborate and bulky mechanism which must then be removed and discarded. Even if Andersson were to suggest the use of the disclosed device for anchoring functions, and it is submitted that there is no such suggestion, the device would be needlessly expensive and cumbersome. Moreover, no protection against needlestick injury would be provided.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a device for attaching an apparatus to the body which:
(a) can be secured without the use of a needle and with a vastly reduced risk of transmission of blood-borne diseases;
(b) can be secured instantly;
(c) is reliable and secure, with a predictable and optimal degree of pressure against the skin or tissue;
(d) is self-contained and does not require any additional equipment for application or removal;
(e) can be detached from the body instantly and without damage to the skin or tissue;
(f) can be detached from the skin or tissue and reattached in a new position without the use of new equipment;
(g) can be used on any patient regardless of their skin condition, mental state or need for constant monitoring;
(h) reliably and securely grasps a catheter;
(i) can be made to release the catheter for adjustment and then to grasp it again, without being detached from the skin or tissue;
(j) has no loose parts, thus minimizing the chance of dropping a part and thereby contaminating it; and
(k) has a low profile and does not interfere with patient care or patient mobility, or cause undue discomfort to the patient.
It is also desirable to provide a device which is inexpensive to produce, which will work with a wide variety of catheters, and which can easily be employed to anchor other medical apparatus, besides catheters, to a patient""s body.
The present invention is a method and device for securing an apparatus to the body which operates quickly, reliably, and without risk of needle-stick injuries by use of an arcuate anchor, the point of which is pushed out of the device, through the skin or tissue, and back into the device, thus grasping a bite of tissue between the shaft of the anchor and the device.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like parts in each of the several figures are identified by the same reference numbers.


A novel educational toy is provided which comprises, in combination, an elongated support rod and a plurality of separated magnetic members slideably received on the rod. Each member has a pair of opposed faces, the faces having an opposite polarity to each other, and the members are arranged on the rod so members of separate groups are magnetically attracted to one another, while each group repels adjacent groups, so that groups are effectively spaced along the rod. Each magnetic member bears identifying indicia, the members of each group also collectively providing separate distinct group indicia. The member indicia may be symbols, numbers, letters, or the like. Alternatively, they may be configurations for the members which resemble solid objects.. A handle may be provided for moving the entire toy. The members can be easily aligned with each other by means of for example, matching detents on adjoining faces, and/or tabs to facilitate handling thereof. The rod may be in a hoop configuration, or in a square or a straight length, and a plurality of rods can be employed to form a ladder or abacus configuration or the like. The toy is simple, inexpensive, and durable, and is capable of teaching physical dexterity, letter combinations, etc., to form words, simple mathematical computations and other relationships, while amusing the child user.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to toys and more particularly to novel educational magnetic toys.
2. Prior Art
Various types of magnetic toys have been provided for children. Some are devices upon which to play games of chance. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,707,106. Others are designed to provide for other forms of competition between two or more players. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,102,038, and 3,134,595. Still others depend on manipulation and/or visual effects and/or sound effects to provide amusement. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,074,206; 2,961,796, and 2,994,984. Most such devices, including those illustrated in the above-enumerated patents, are complicated and expensive to make. Moreover, they have little or no educational value.
It would be desirable to provide a magnetic toy of an improved type, capable of educating as well as amusing a child, which toy could be made inexpensively and operated in a simple manner.


A base has a plurality of projections or recesses. Each of the projections or recesses corresponds to one channel of vibration elements. Each of the vibration elements has a plurality of MUT elements. Each of the MUT elements transmits and receives ultrasonic waves. A plurality of MUT elements are arranged in each of the projections or recesses. Consequently, each of the vibration elements can transmit and receive ultrasonic waves having radiation surfaces curved along the surfaces of the projections or recesses.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ultrasonic probe and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus using a micromachining ultrasound transducer (MUT).
2. Description of the Related Art
An ultrasonic probe drives a plurality of vibration elements to radiate ultrasonic waves therefrom. The ultrasonic waves reflected by a subject or the like are received by the plurality of vibration elements.
Phase-controlled ultrasonic waves are superposed for delay control of the plurality of vibration elements to form an ultrasonic beam. At this point, the width of the vibration elements is designed to be about half of the wavelength of a center frequency to prevent a reduction in the directivity of the vibration elements.
For example, when the ultrasonic beam is inclined 30 degrees with respect to the center, its sound pressure decreases by about 3 to 6 dB as compared with sound pressure in a 0-degree direction. One reason for this is that the ultrasonic waves are not equally radiated in all directions from the vibration elements. Ultrasonic waves of higher frequencies are more sharply radiated forward and are not uniformly radiated over a wide range. Therefore, in the case of, for example, a harmonic imaging method using a high frequency band, the width of the elements has to be reduced to suit the frequency used. However, a reduced width of the elements decreases production yield or decreases power per element.
In this connection, the vibration element includes an element made mainly of piezoelectric ceramics or a capacitive micromachining ultrasound transducer (cMUT). cMUT is manufactured by processing a semiconductor substrate using a micromachining technique. The element made with piezoelectric ceramics is in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, while the cMUT is formed flat. Thus, the ultrasonic radiation surfaces of both types of vibration elements are flat.
Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2005-210710 describes a technique whereby an array of MUTs formed by flatly arranging a plurality of MUT elements is curved in order to curve the whole ultrasonic radiation surface of the MUT array. The vibration element (MUT element) described in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2005-210710 is a flat vibration element.

Ultrasonic probe and ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus


A mount for a disc-type switch having a body that is centered upon a mounting flange. The mount includes a substrate having a central opening that permits the switch and mounting flange to be inserted into the opening. The substrate has a depression formed therein on one side of the opening that complements the shape of the flange and has a size that will accept about one half of the flange therein when the switch is passed into the opening and the flange rotated. At this time the other half of the flange is brought into contact with the top surface of the substrate. A threaded fastener secures the flange to the substrate so that at least one half of the flange is supported by the substrate to resist the downwardly directed forces acting upon the switch and the other half of the flange is supported in the housing to resist upwardly directed forces upon the switch.

This invention relates generally to a mount for a disc-type switch and, specifically, to a mount for a flame rollout switch of the type used in a gas fired furnace to shut down the furnace in the event an over-temperature condition is sensed.
In many gas fired furnaces, a temperature sensitive disc-type flame rollout switch is employed to detect when the furnace flue system or combustion air supply becomes clogged to a point wherein a flame rollout could pose a dangerous situation. The flame rollout switch is mounted upon the furnace in a location where flames might occur in the event that the flue system or the combustion air supply becomes blocked. This, in turn, causes a rise in the switch temperature which opens the switch thereby shutting down the furnace.
Disc type switches are generally supplied by the various manufacturers with a mounting flange that surrounds the body of the switch. In order to minimize the costs, the switch flange is usually fabricated of a thin metal plate that can be easily deformed or bent. A hole is generally provided in the substrate upon which the switch is located so that the body of the switch can pass into or through the substrate thus placing the mounting flange in seating contact against the top surface of the substrate. In some applications, screws are used to secure the flange to the substrate. In other applications, the toe end of the flange is captured in a pocket and the opposite end of the flange is secured to the substrate using a single screw.
Lead connectors are used to couple the electrical lead to the switch terminals. To ensure the reliability of the connection, the connectors must meet certain industry standards involving the amount of force required to unplug the connector from the terminal. This pull-out force is high enough to damage the mounting flange and thus require replacement of the switch.
It is a primary object of the present invention to improve apparatus for mounting disc-type switches upon a flat substrate.
It is a further object of the present invention to protect a disc-type switch from damage during periods of maintenance or the like requiring the removal of the lead connectors from the switch terminals.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an improved mounting arrangement for a disc-type switch.
Another object of the present invention is to more securely support the mounting flange of a disc-type switch in assembly.
These and other objects of the present invention are attained by apparatus for securing a disc-type switch to a substrate. Typically, the switch has a body that is centered in a flange having a first half section that is symmetrical with a second half section. The switch body extends upwardly from the top surface of the flange and downwardly from the bottom surface of the flange. The substrate contains a hole for receiving the body of the switch and a slot that is aligned along a reference line that passes through the center of the hole and which extends to either side of the hole a sufficient distance to permit the flange to be passed through the substrate. A depression is formed in the substrate on one side of the reference line that is capable of housing one half section of the flange. In assembly, the switch body and the flange are passed through the substrate and turned to bring the one half section into the depression and the other half section into seating contact against the top surface of the substrate. A fastener is used to secure the other half section to the substrate thus locking the switch to the substrate.


A digital-to-analog optical recorder incorporating both CCD and integrated optics technologies which is fabricated as a single integral unit including an electro-optical layer portion and a semiconductor layer portion. Sampling circuits and digital-to-analog converters are implemented on the semiconductor layer portion using CCD technology, and a plurality of optical channel waveguides and electro-optical modulators are implemented on the electro-optical layer portion. Each digital signal is converted into two complementary light spots at the output of the recorder.

Various types of optical recorders are known in the prior art which are associated with digital data. These include computer output microfilm (COM) systems, laser printers, and electro-optical memories. In all of these prior art configurations, a digital signal is converted into an analog signal which controls the amplitude of a light beam. The light beam is directed at a radiation sensitive medium which records the signal applied thereto, thereby storing the information contained therein.
One closely related prior art electro-optical modulator array and recorder is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,841,733, which discloses an optical waveguide system for producing a line of modulated radiation data for recording on a color film. U.S. Pat. No. 4,003,632 describes a similar structure which incorporates a floating gate as a charge storage structure. Such a floating gate is however associated in that patent with a semiconductor memory element, and information written into or read from such memory element by the light or propagating in the waveguide exciting or discharging the stored electronic charges. U.S. Pat. No. 4,094,606 describes a plurality of optical waveguides positioned between a common electrode and individual electrodes arrayed along a charged coupled device useful in a xerographic reproduction system.
Such prior art digital-to-analog optical recorders are not simple devices but rather are generally complex systems operating at relatively low speeds. Prior to the present invention there has not been a simple, high-speed and compact digital-to-analog data recorder which can be used in a wide variety of applications.


A method for correlating a video stream at a first speed and an animation sequence at a second speed that includes decoding the video stream to obtain a video frame, rendering the animation sequence to obtain an animation frame, wherein the first speed and the second speed are not equal, and correlating the animation frame with the video frame to obtain a correlated animation frame according to a frame index of the animation frame and a frame index of the video frame.

In environments where a video stream and an animation sequence are combined to be presented at the same time, accurately synchronizing the frames in the video stream with the frames in the animation sequence so that each individual video frame may be displayed together with a corresponding animation frame is required. In addition, video frames are usually composited with the corresponding animation frame to obtain a composite frame, which is then displayed.
Rendering an animation sequence using a computer often requires tremendous processing power. If the animation rendering task is given a high priority, it may take too much of the computer's processing power away from the other tasks that are being performed at the same time. For example, if a user inputs a command, the task that is responsible for handling user input may not be able to process the command and produce an appropriate response in a timely manner, because the computer processor is busy rendering the animation sequence. Accordingly, delays may result. On the other hand, if the animation rendering task is given a low priority, other processor-intensive tasks may use up too much of the computer's processing power such that the animation sequence cannot be rendered fast enough. The result is an impact on the smoothness of the animation. Ideally, the animation rendering task should be given a priority that is lower than the priority given to a very important or critical task, such as the handling of user input, but at the same time higher than the priority given to a standard yet processor-intensive task. The animation priority may also depend on how important the animation rendering is to the user.
When an animation sequence is rendered by a software program, the speed that the software program may render the individual frames forming the animation sequence depends on many variables, including but not limited to the speed and the number of the processors in the computer system, the size of the available memory, and the programming language used to program the software program. When the animation sequence is rendered in real time and is combined with a video stream so that each individual frame in the video stream is presented with a corresponding frame in the animation sequence, it is necessary to correlate the video frame and its corresponding animation frame accurately.
Often for performance reasons, the video stream is processed in parallel with the rendering of the animation sequence. For example, the software program may decode the video stream in one thread and render the animation sequence in another thread. Alternatively, a hardware video decoder may decode the video stream while a software program renders the animation sequence. It is often desirable that the software program is able to control the priority of the two threads. Most often, the video frames are decoded at a speed different from the speed at which the animation frames are rendered. Sometimes, delays in various parts of the computer system exist. For example, application programs may be unresponsive or experience pauses due to garbage collection (GC). One possible method for synchronizing the video frames and the animation frames is to pre-render the entire animation sequence ahead of time and store the individual animation frames in memory to be used at a later time. However, this does not address the situation where the animation sequence must be rendered in real time.

Method for correlating animation and video in a computer system


Insect control agents comprising a. This invention was made with funding from the National Institutes of Health (Grant No. AI-23719) and with Hatch Act funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (Grant No. GE000918). The U.S. government may have certain rights in this invention.

Interest in the biological control of insect pests has arisen as a result of the problems associated with the use of conventional chemical pesticides. Chemical pesticides generally affect beneficial as well as non-beneficial species. Pest insects tend to acquire resistance to such chemicals so that new pest insect populations can rapidly develop that are resistant to these pesticides. Furthermore, chemical residues pose environmental hazards and possible health concerns. The biological control of insect pests presents an alternative means of pest control which can play a role in integrated pest management and reduce dependence on chemical pesticides.
The primary strategies for biological control include the deployment of naturally occurring organisms which are pathogenic to insects (entomopathogens), and the development of crops that are more resistant to insect pests. In recent times, much attention has been focused on the development of insect-resistant crop species by genetic engineering techniques. There is considerable potential for the improvement of biological control strategies through a variety of approaches. These include the identification and characterization of insect genes or gene products which may serve as suitable targets for insect control agents, the identification and exploitation of previously unused microorganisms (including the modification of naturally occurring non-pathogenic microorganisms to render them pathogenic to insects), the modification and refinement of currently used entomopathogens, and the further development of genetically engineered crops which display greater resistance to insect pests.
Viruses that cause natural epizootic diseases within insect populations are among the entomopathogens which have been developed as biological pesticides. Baculoviruses are a large group of viruses which are infectious only in arthropods (L. K. Miller, Virus Vector for Genetic Engineering in Invertebrates, in "Genetic Engineering in the Plant Sciences", N. Panopoulous, Ed., Praeger Publ., N.Y., pp. 203-224, 1981; Carstens, "Baculoviruses--Friend of Man, Foe of Insects?," Trends and Biochemical Science, 52:107-110, 1980; Harrap and Payne, "The Structural Properties and Identification of Insect Viruses" in Advances in Virus Research, M. A. Lawfer, F. B. Bang, K. Maramorosh and K. M. Smith, Eds., Vol. 25, pp. 273-355, Academic Press, New York, 1979). Many baculoviruses infect insects which are pests of commercially important agricultural and forestry crops. Such baculoviruses are therefore potentially valuable as biological control agents. In fact, four different baculoviruses have been registered for use as insecticides by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Among the advantages of baculoviruses as biological pesticides is their host specificity. Not only are baculoviruses as a group found solely in arthropods, individual baculovirus strains are usually restricted in their replication to one or a few species of insects. Thus, they pose no risk to man or the environment and can be used without detriment to beneficial insect species.
Baculovirus subgroups include nuclear polyhedrosis viruses (NPV), granulosis viruses (GV), and nonoccluded baculoviruses. In occluded forms of baculoviruses (NPV and GV subgroups), the virions (enveloped nucleocapsids) are embedded in a crystalline protein matrix. This structure, referred to as an inclusion or occlusion body, is the form found extraorganismally in nature and is responsible for spreading the infection between organisms. The characteristic feature of viruses of the subgroup NPV is that many virions are embedded in each occlusion body. The occlusion bodies are quite large (up to 5 micrometers). Occlusion bodies of viruses of the GV subgroup are smaller and contain a single virion each. The crystalline protein matrix of the occlusion bodies of both forms is primarily composed of a single 25,000 to 33,000 dalton polypeptide which is known as polyhedrin or granulin. Baculoviruses of the nonoccluded subgroup do not produce a polyhedrin of granulin protein and do not form occlusion bodies.
In nature, infection is initiated when an insect ingests food contaminated with baculovirus particles, typically in the form of occlusion bodies. The occlusion bodies dissociate under the alkaline conditions of the insect midgut, releasing individual virus particles which invade epithelial cells lining the gut. Within the cell, the baculovirus migrates to the nucleus where replication takes place. Initially, certain specific viral proteins are produced within the infected cell via the transcription and translation of so-called "early genes". Among other functions, these proteins are required to allow replication of the viral DNA, which begins 4 to 6 hours after the virus enters the cell. Extensive viral DNA replication proceeds up to about 12 hours post-infection (pi). From about 8 to 10 hours pi, the infected cell begins to produce large amounts of "late viral gene products". These include components of the nucleocapsid which surround the viral DNA during the formation of progeny virus particles. Production of the progeny virus particles begins around 12 hours pi. Initially, progeny virus migrate to the cell membrane where they acquire an envelope as they bud out from the surface of the cell. This nonoccluded virus can then infect other cells within the insect. Polyhedrin synthesis begins from 12 to 18 hours after infection and increases to very high levels by 24 hours pi. At that time, there is a decrease in the number of virus particles budding from the cell and progeny virus begin to become embedded in occlusion bodies. Occlusion body formation continues until the cell ultimately dies or lyses. Some baculoviruses infect virtually every tissue in the host insect so that at the end of the infection process, the entire insect is liquified, releasing extremely large numbers of occlusion bodies which are then responsible for spreading the infection to other insects. (Reviewed in: "The Biology of Baculoviruses," R. G. Granados and B. A. Federici, Eds., Vol. I and II, CRC Press, Boca Raton, Fla., 1986.)
One of the significant disadvantages to using baculoviruses as pesticides is the length of time which elapses between ingestion of the virus and the time the insect finally dies. During this time, the pest insect will continue to feed and damage the crop. Because the grower is unlikely to apply the pesticide until after an infestation becomes apparent, it is critical that the extent of feeding during this lag period be kept to a minimum.
What is needed is a biological pesticide which reduces the the adverse effects of the pesticide. A biological pesticide is preferred because it creates less of an environmental hazard than a chemical pesticide. A pesticide that causes insect death more rapidly is additionally needed. What is also needed is the identification and isolation of a gene that codes for a protein which will control insect development. Such a gene or its protein product could then be incorporated into various organisms for the improved biological control of insect pests.

Biological insect control agents and methods of use

University of Georgia Research Foundation, Inc.


There is provided a technique for DWI measurement, in which MPG application is performed in many directions, that enables detection of presence or absence of body motion during imaging without prolongation of imaging time. A plurality of image groups each comprising 6 or more diffusion-weighted images selected from a plurality of diffusion-weighted images are created so the groups differ from one anther in one or more diffusion-weighted images included in each of the groups. Value of a predetermined diffusion index representing a characteristic amount of diffusion-weighted image is calculated for each image group from the diffusion-weighted images included in each image group. Value of a predetermined body motion index relating to body motion information is calculated from the value of the diffusion index for each image group. Presence or absence of body motion is determined for each image group on the basis of the value of the body motion index.

Magnetic resonance imaging (henceforth abbreviated as MRI) apparatuses are diagnostic imaging apparatuses for medical use, which utilize nuclear magnetic resonance phenomenon of, mainly, protons. MRI apparatuses enable non-invasive imaging of an arbitrary section, and enable acquisition of morphological information and information on biological functions such as blood flow and metabolic functions. In general, on a test subject placed in a static magnetic field, a slice gradient magnetic field and a radio frequency magnetic field of a specific frequency are simultaneously applied to excite nuclear magnetization in a section desired to be imaged. A phase encoding gradient magnetic field and a read-out gradient magnetic field are applied on the excited nuclear magnetization to impart two-dimensional positional information, and magnetic resonance signals (echoes) generated by the nuclear magnetization are measured. The measurement of the magnetic resonance signals is repeated until the measurement space called k-space is filled. The signals filled in the k-space are subjected to inverse Fourier transform, and thereby converted into an image.
Pulses for generating echoes and gradient magnetic fields are applied according to a pulse sequence set beforehand. As this pulse sequence, various pulse sequences for various purposes are known.
One of the important diagnostic images obtainable by MRI is diffusion-weighted image (DWI). DWI is an image in which self-diffusion of water molecules contained in a biological tissue is emphasized. A lesion of cerebral infarction at an acute stage immediately after onset can be imaged as DWI, and it is known that it shows contrast different from those of T1-weighted image and T2-weighted image. DWI is obtained by applying MPG (motion probing gradient), which induces reduction of signal intensity by dephasing, on nuclear spins in random motions of a subject, and then measuring echoes to obtain signals corresponding to diffusion rate of the nuclear spin. Since the reduction of signal intensity due to dephasing is caused by nuclear spin diffusing in the direction of the application of MPG, diffusion information for an arbitrary direction can be obtained by controlling the application direction of MPG. Further, diffusion weighting degree can be adjusted by varying the diffusion factor (b value), which is a parameter relating to application intensity and time of MPG, and an image of a higher diffusion weighting degree can be obtained with a higher b value.
As a technique for measuring spatial diffusion distribution of water molecules, there is DTI (diffusion tensor imaging). DTI is based on assumption of a normally distributed three-dimensional elliptic diffusion model, and is widely used as a technique for analyzing degeneration of tissues or structure of nerve tract of white matter by calculating mean diffusivity (MD), and diffusion fractional anisotropy (FA). The pulse sequence for DTI is constituted so that pulse sequence of DWI is repeated with changing the application direction of MPG. Since this pulse sequence requires calculation of components of diffusion tensor, the measurement is performed by successively applying MPG for 6 or more non-parallel independent directions.
Diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI), which is based on assumption of a non-normally distributed diffusion model, has also been proposed in recent years as a technique for emphasizing degree of diffusion movement restriction caused by cell membranes, intracellular organelles, and so forth. This technique is expected as a technique for capturing change of microstructures accompanying tissue degeneration or cell proliferation in contrast to DTI in which a normally distributed diffusion model is assumed. The pulse sequence of DKI is constituted so that the pulse sequence of DTI is repeated with changing the b value. Since components of the diffusion tensor and kurtosis tensor are calculated in this technique, it is necessary to perform the measurement by applying MPG in 15 or more non-parallel independent directions with three or more of different b values.
In the measurement of DTI and DKI, body motion of a patient under imaging generally causes a computational error in an image reconstructed after the measurement, for example, computational errors of MD (mean diffusivity) and FA (diffusion fractional anisotropy). Although an image not influenced by body motion is desired, it may be difficult to distinguish computational error caused by body motion from signal change caused by pathological change, and it is difficult to determine presence or absence of body motion during imaging only from a calculated image. Further, in DWI, contrast of image changes with change of the application direction of MPG, and therefore it is difficult to detect presence or absence of body motion and correct it only from simple comparison of DWIs obtained with different MPG application directions.
Concerning this problem, for example, Non-patent document 1 proposes a method for performing correction for body motion in DTI by adding pulses for measuring data for the correction for body motion to the pulse sequence of DWI. Non-patent document 2 proposes a method of detecting body motion of a patient under imaging with an optical camera attached to a receiver coil and correcting it by using a checkerboard attached to the patient, which serves as a target.
Patent document 1 discloses a technique for detecting changes of position and direction of a patient (body motion) by obtaining three diffusion-weighted images as one group with three MPG application directions perpendicular to one another, obtaining a mean diffusivity image (trace-weighted MR result image) from the three diffusion-weighted images by calculation, and comparing it with a previously obtained mean diffusivity image. In this technique, while diffusion-weighted images are obtained for a plurality of groups of different combinations of the three application directions of MPG, mean diffusivity images are calculated, and body motion is temporally detected. It also discloses correction of diffusion-weighted images according to detected body motion (position and direction).


A compact test range system for testing an article located within a test zone comprises a reflector defining a surface and a focus, a feed horn configured to emit radio waves, one or more processors, and a memory coupled to the processor. The radio wave includes an infinite number of rays, where the rays of the radio wave include an uppermost ray, a middle ray, and a lowermost ray directed towards the surface of the reflector. The memory stores data comprising a database and program code that, when executed by processors, causes the compact range test system to receive as input a plurality of field tilt angles. In response to receiving the field tilt angles, the system determines three points of intersection between the uppermost radio wave, the middle radio wave, and the lowermost radio wave that correspond to a first test position.

Various techniques currently exist for testing antennas or determining a radar cross section (RCS) of an object such as, for example, a small-scale aircraft. Far-field range testing involves placing a test article at a relatively long distance away from instrumentation. Since far-field range testing requires a large amount of space due to the long distances between the test article and the instrumentation, outdoor facilities are typically used. Compact ranges are an alternative to traditional far-field ranges. Any test that is capable of being accomplished on a far-field range may also be done using a compact test range. A compact range allows an operator to test indoors, thereby avoiding issues such as unfavorable weather conditions that are often encountered when testing outdoors.
In compact range testing, a horn antenna conveys radio waves towards a parabolic reflector. The horn antenna is often referred to as a feed horn. The feed horn is placed at the focus of the parabolic reflector. The reflector may be a portion of the parabola that is offset from the axis of the parabolic reflector. A radio wave originating at the feed horn may include an infinite number of rays that are reflected off of a surface of the reflector. The rays of the radio wave are reflected from the surface of the reflector are then directed towards the test article. The rays of the radio wave are reflected off of the surface of the reflector are each parallel to one another, and are aligned with a horizontal axis. Moreover, the rays of the radio wave define a path from the feed horn to the axis of the paraboloid, where each path of each ray is equal in length to the other remaining rays of the radio wave. Since the rays of the radio wave are horizontal, parallel, and equal in length with respect to one another, a flat phase front is created within the testing zone. The flat phase front is representative of far-field conditions. Therefore, although the testing zone is positioned at a near-field distance from the reflector, the compact range testing arrangement is capable of producing the flat phase front created in far-field testing.
Although compact range testing provides numerous advantages and benefits, there are still challenges that exist. Specifically, the test article is rotated during compact range testing to create a matrix of measurements. However, the test article needs to be re-positioned each time a measurement is collected. Therefore, compact range testing may be cumbersome and may also take a relatively long time to complete.

Compact test range system with adjustable feed horn locations


One piece hollow members 6, 7 supported at the wall of the vacuum chamber 1 are provided parallel to the plane of the cathode 12 and in the area between the cathode 12 and the anode 4, 5. These members have axis-parallel conduits 6a, 6b, 6d, 7a, 7b, 7d passed through by both the temperature-regulating medium and the process gas. The hollow members 6, 7 have openings 6e, 6e', . . . , 7e, 7e', . . . which run transversely to the longitudinal axis of the conduits for the process gas to emerge into the vacuum chamber 1.

The invention relates to a device for applying thin layers onto a substrate by means of cathode sputtering in a vacuum chamber. The substrate to be coated can be moved across this chamber in which a diaphragm is disposed between the cathode to be sputtered and the anode. Hollow members having conduits are provided parallel to the cathode plane and in the area between the cathode and the anode and held by the wall of the vacuum chamber. They are passed through by a temperature-regulating medium and by a process gas. The conduits are provided with openings for the process gas which run transversely to the longitudinal axis of this conduit and permit the process to emerge into the vacuum chamber.
A device is known for applying thin layers onto a substrate by means of cathode sputtering (EP 0 205 028, to which U.S. Pat. No. 4,946,576 correspond). Here, a mechanical diaphragm is provided between the cathode to sputtered and the anode separating the space between the cathode and the substrate to be sputtered. This device has several separate cooling pipes and gas pipes for the supply of temperature-regulating medium and process gas.
It is a disadvantage of this known device that separate, multi-piece pipe lines must be used for the feeding and return of temperature-regulating medium as well as for the supply of process gas. The device is thus susceptible to failures and its manufacture and maintenance involves a great amount of labor and cost. The pipe lines exhibit bends, windings, screwed connections and soldering joints which, under operating conditions of the device, are inside a vacuum. This leads to hair cracks and leaks in the pipe lines caused by the additional effect of process heat. These leaks negatively affect the layer quality, for example, the adhesiveness of the layer to be applied onto the substrate during the sputtering and the consequence is a subsequent total failure of the entire system which always involves a significant amount of labor and immense costs.

Device for applying thin layers onto a substrate


An electrical junction box for supplying electrical power to a multiplexer or other device used in an underfloor cable distribution system is mounted remotely from a trench used to feed electrical cables to the system in order to increase trench capacity.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to an underfloor cable distribution system for a building and, more particularly, to increasing the capacity of a trench employed to feed electrical cables to the system.
2. Description of Related Art
A variety of underfloor cable distribution systems have been proposed in the art. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,721,051; 3,426,802 and 3,453,791. Also, see my own U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,558,546; 4,559,749; 4,580,379 and 4,625,480.
As described in my previous patents, it is known for the construction of an "electrified floor" to lay a plurality of longitudinally-extending, corrugated, metal flooring units side by side with a plurality of longitudinally-extending, metal, cable distribution ducts. The flooring units and the distribution ducts are supported by structural floor beams. A plurality of trenches rest on top of, and are connected to, the flooring units and the distribution ducts. Each trench extends transversely from an electrical power/communications closet to each duct. After the assembly has been completed, concrete is poured over the flooring units and the distribution ducts so as to be level with the tops of the trenches. Removable covers are kept on the trenches during the pouring of the concrete to prevent the concrete from entering the trenches.
Each trench has a power cell in which electrical cables are laid, as well as one or more additional non-power cells in which communication cables (e.g. telephone, analog signals) or data cables (e.g. computer, facsimile machines, digital signals) are laid. The power cells are physically separated and electrically insulated from the non-power cells. Similarly, each trench has separate power cells and non-power cells.
At each intersection of a trench with a duct, the power cells are in open communication with each other so that electrical power cables can be routed from the closet along the trench to and along a distribution duct. The non-power cells are also in open communication with each other so that the communication cables and/or the data cables can be routed from the closet along the trench to and along a distribution duct. The distribution ducts are typically spaced apart about 4 ft. center-to-center. Access to any one or all of the cables at any particular location along a distribution duct is typically obtained by drilling a single hole through the concrete floor into the duct, and by pulling the power/and or the communication and/or the data cables through the hole to a service fitting that is either elevated above the floor or mounted flush with the floor.
With the advent of the electronic office having more and more workstations per square foot of floor space, including computers, telephones, facsimile machines and analogous electronic equipment, the trenches have literally become clogged with cables. To help alleviate the congestion inside the trenches, local area network (LAN) support devices, also known as multiplexers, have been installed inside the distribution duct at strategically selected intersections with the trenches. This helps reduce the number of long, individual cable runs to the closet.
Many such multiplexers require a source of electrical power and, to that end, an electrical junction box is provided at each such strategic location where a multiplexer is to be installed. The junction box is tapped off the power cell in the distribution duct at the intersection, and extends physically into the trench.
With the ever-increasing demand for more and faster workstations, the multiplexers have increased in the number of their outputs and in size. The ever-physically-larger growing multiplexer in the distribution duct at a strategic intersection is beginning to encroach the trench. The junction box already in the trench, together with the multiplexer encroaching the trench, has decreased the capacity of the trench to carry more and more cables--a drawback which the present invention is intended to overcome.

Underfloor cable distribution system with increased trench capacity


A split sparse directory for a distributed shared memory multiprocessor system with multiple nodes, each node including a plurality of processors, each processor having an associated cache. The split sparse directory is in a memory subsystem which includes a coherence controller, a temporary state buffer and an external directory. The split sparse directory stores information concerning the cache lines in the node, with the temporary state buffer holding state information about transient cache lines and the external directory holding state information about non-transient cache lines.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to multiprocessor data processing systems, and more particularly to cache coherence for a plurality of multiprocessors with a multi-bus shared memory system.
2. Discussion of the Background Art
Some computer systems are built with multiple processors that can work in parallel on a program to speed up its execution. The architectures of such multiprocessor systems are classified according to the mechanisms used to communicate between the multiple processors. In shared-memory architectures, all processors access a single large memory and communicate with one another by writing to and reading from this shared memory.
A computer system node may be divided into a processor subsystem and a memory subsystem. The memory subsystem includes the main Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) and provides data from memory in response to requests from any number of connected processors. Normally, the amount of time spent to access data in the memory subsystem is quite long relative to a processor""s speed and therefore processors are often built with caches to improve their performance. A cache is a small memory connected between a processor and main memory that stores recently-used data from locations of main memory. The smallest unit of data that can be transferred into and out of a cache is called a xe2x80x9cline.xe2x80x9d
The processor subsystem includes the processors and one or more caches. A cache has a much faster access time than the main memory subsystem, but is usually much smaller. Since a smaller cache cannot hold all of the data that is in the main memory, it must store both the address (called the tag) and the value for any data it currently holds. When a processor requests a particular line, it first attempts to match the address against each of the tags currently in the cache to see whether the line is in the cache. If there is no match, the memory subsystem passes the request to the main memory.
All caching schemes divide main memory into physically consecutive segments. A cache is usually organized as a series of lines totaling the same size as a segment. The tag is used to identify which segment is currently occupying the cache. If the line with a requested address is contained in the cache then the data in that line is delivered to the processor. If the line is not in the cache, then the segment of the main memory containing the line is fetched into the cache and the line is delivered to the processor.
In a direct-mapped cache memory, segments are put into cache lines whose line numbers can easily be calculated from the main memory address.
An associative cache differs from a direct-mapped cache in that a line from any segment may be loaded into any cache line. The cache line needs to store the segment number in addition to the data itself. In order to allow searching the cache, an associative cache includes circuitry to simultaneously check the segment number address against the segment number in every line of the cache. This additional circuitry makes associative caches more expensive.
Set-associative mapping combines architectures of both direct-mapping and associative caches. A set-associative cache is organized as a number of sets, each containing a number of lines. With set-associative mapping, the cache set is determined by the address segment number, but the line within the set is not determined by the address segment number. Typically, set-associative caches are two way, meaning that there are two sets in the cache, which significantly improves the cache hit rate over a direct-mapped cache in providing the requested memory lines.
FIG. 1 shows a flowchart of a typical prior art cache memory access algorithm 100 starting in step 102 with a new request for data in memory. In step 104 the requested data address is compared to the cache tags. Step 106 determines whether the requested data is in a cache. In step 106, if no valid copy of the data is in a cache, then in step 108 the memory subsystem fetches the requested data from main memory into cache memory. Once the requested data is in a cache, in step 110 the memory subsystem delivers the data to the processor that requested it. After the data is delivered to the processor, the memory access algorithm returns to step 102 to await a next memory request.
In a shared-memory multiprocessor system, each processor typically has its own cache, so the system has multiple caches. Since each cache can hold a copy of a given data item, it is important to keep the states of all the caches consistent and up-to-date with the latest copy written by one of the processors. It is the responsibility of the memory subsystem to return from the caches or main memory the correct value as prescribed by the processor""s memory model, which is a set of rules governing the operation of the memory subsystem. This is achieved through the use of a cache coherence protocol.
Therefore, in addition to the main memory, the memory subsystem includes a cache coherence directory which contains control information used by the cache coherence protocol to maintain cache coherence in the system. A conventional directory has an entry for each main memory location with state information indicating whether the memory location data may also exist in a cache somewhere in the system. The node where the main memory line resides is called the home node of that line. The node where the directory resides is called the local node and other nodes are called remote nodes. The coherence protocol keeps track of the state of each cache line and guarantees that the most recent copy of data is given to the processor. The protocol also specifies all transitions and transactions to be taken in response to a request. Any action taken on a cache line is reflected in the state stored in the directory. A common scheme uses three permanent states to accomplish this. The xe2x80x9cInvalidxe2x80x9d state exists when a line is not cached anywhere and main memory has the only copy. The xe2x80x9cSharedxe2x80x9d state exists when a remote node (group of processors) has a valid copy of the line. This is not to be confused with a xe2x80x9cglobal shared state,xe2x80x9d i.e., a global cache coherence state which exists when any cache in the local node or at least one remote cache has a valid copy of the line. These valid lines are read-only and are identical to the copy in main memory. The xe2x80x9cDirtyxe2x80x9d state exists when a line is valid in one cache only at a remote node. The copy may be modified by that processor and the main memory may contain old data.
FIG. 2 shows a flowchart of a memory access algorithm 200 using a cache coherence directory. A new request for data in memory starts the algorithm in step 202. In step 204 the algorithm compares the requested data address to the directory tags in the cache coherence directory.
In step 206 the algorithm determines the state of the requested data from the cache coherence directory. If in step 206 the state is xe2x80x9cInvalidxe2x80x9d (i.e., there is no valid copy of the data in a cache), then in step 208 the algorithm fetches the requested data from main memory or local cache into cache memory. If in step 206 the state is xe2x80x9cSharedxe2x80x9d (i.e., the requested data is in a cache in a remote node), then in step 212 the algorithm fetches the data from memory and if the request is a xe2x80x9cstore,xe2x80x9d invalidates the cached copies. If in step 206 the state is xe2x80x9cDirtyxe2x80x9d (i.e., the most recent version of the data is valid in only one cache), then in step 210 the algorithm fetches the requested data from the cache.
Once a valid copy of the data has been fetched, in step 214 the algorithm delivers the data to the processor that requested it. After the data is delivered to the processor, the memory access algorithm returns to step 202 to await a next memory request.
The coherence protocol may use other transient states to indicate that a line is in transition. Given enough time, these transient states revert to one of the three permanent states.
A cache coherence protocol is typically implemented by a finite state machine in which the states determine where the most recent value of the data resides. A state value must be explicitly or implicitly associated with every line in memory. Typically, explicit association is done by adding some state information to the cache tags in each cache. For lines that are not cached, the state value is implicit in there being no tag match anywhere in the system and thus it is known that the most recent value is in the main memory.
On every processor request, the memory subsystem must look at all cache tags in all caches in the system. There are two methods of doing this: In the first method, sometimes called a xe2x80x9csnoopy protocol,xe2x80x9d each cache can xe2x80x9csnoopxe2x80x9d every request and then signal to the memory subsystem if it has the most recent copy of the data. In the second method, sometimes called a xe2x80x9cdirectory based cache-coherence protocol,xe2x80x9d the memory subsystem can keep a copy of each cache""s tags to find the location of the most recent copy.
In cache coherent non-uniform memory architecture (cc-NUMA) machines, several memory subsystems are linked together, using a cache coherence protocol to enforce the correct memory model between memory subsystems, to form a single shared memory system. As such a machine is enlarged by the addition of memory subsystems, the bandwidth of the communication paths to memory scales up. Similarly, the cache coherence protocol can be made scalable by making it directory-based. As more memory subsystems are added, so grows the number of directories. The directories may be distributed among the nodes in the system. Each directory tracks the states of all cache lines. The directory size is therefore proportional to the total size of caches and the directory may be organized as a set associative cache of directory entries.
Direct mapping always puts segments in the same place, and thereby avoids the question of which line to replace when the cache is full. However, fully associative and set-associative cache mapping schemes require a replacement protocol to determine which segment in the cache will be replaced by a newly requested segment. The most popular protocol is the xe2x80x9cLeast Recently Usedxe2x80x9d (LRU) protocol, which replaces the segment which has not been used for the longest time.
FIG. 3 shows a prior art system 300 including multiple CPUs 302, 304, 306, and 308 having respective local caches 310, 312, 314, and 316 connected by a bus 318 to a memory controller 320 for main DRAM memory 322. In this example of a non-sparse directory, main memory 322 has, for each memory line location, space reserved for a directory 324 entry. This wastes memory space because the total number of cached lines, which determines the number of valid directory entries, is usually much smaller than the total number of lines in main memory. This also wastes memory bandwidth because the same memory 322 is used for directory 324 to hold all coherence states, and there is no faster, smaller memory available for a directory dedicated to lines in short-term transient states.
The prior art cache coherence protocols are deficient in that the directory structure does not distinguish between transient and non-transient line states. Normally, there is only a single transition between transient and non-transient states, but there may be multiple transitions between transient states. Thus, multiple state changes occurring when a line is transient requires additional directory bandwidth.
What is needed, therefore, is a cache coherence protocol that provides an optimized directory architecture which can take advantage of the different directory requirements of different coherence states of lines in cache to improve memory subsystem performance.
The present invention includes multiple multiprocessor nodes each having at least one processor connected to a cache storing multiple cache line entries, a coherence controller, and a directory for keeping track of the cache line states in the caches. The directory includes a first part that holds temporary state information about a first subset of lines for the caches, and the second part that holds non-temporary state information about a second subset of lines for the caches.
The invention reduces the amount of external storage required to hold cache coherence states. Because the amount of time that a line is in a transient state is very short and only a small number of lines will be transient at any given time, the invention also reduces the size of a temporary state buffer. Additionally, the invention, through multiple transient states, eliminates accesses to the external directory for transitions and increases the overall throughput of the coherence protocol.

Split sparse directory for a distributed shared memory multiprocessor system


A perfect layer coil winding apparatus capable of automatically forming a perfect layer coil from the initial stage of winding operation without being affected by non-uniformity in diameter of a wire and width of a bobbin for winding the wire thereon is disclosed which performs the following operation: the width of the bobbin is calculated from the position of each of two flanges which is detected by each of two electric micrometer, the number of turns per layer is calculated from the width of bobbin and the diameter of wire, the winding width of the bobbin required to conduct the perfect layer coil winding from the number of turns per layer to adjust the winding width of the bobbin, the supply position of wire is adjusted on the basis of the position of first flange, the diameter of wire and the standby position of a pair of rollers, the bobbin is rotated with the wire pushed against the first flange by a push plate to start the winding operation, and when the degree of rotation of the bobbin reaches a predetermined degree, the push plate is spaced apart from the bobbin and the supply position moves in synchronism with the rotation of the bobbin while following a position on the bobbin at which the wire is wound round the wire, with the delay of a predetermined amount.

The present invention relates to perfect layer coil winding apparatuses for making perfect layer coils in which a wire is wound round a bobbin so as to form a large number of parallel turns.
The term "perfect layer coil" used here and hereinafter is defined to mean a coil that is formed in such a manner that, placing in close contact with the turn already wound on a coil bobbin, the next turn is wound one after another successively along the axial direction of the bobbin.
As a winding apparatus for forming the perfect layer coils there has been hitherto proposed a winding machine in which a pair of rollers for holding a wire therebetween and for defining a supply position of the wire are forced to move in such a manner that the supply position of the wire follows a wire winding position on a bobbin with the delay of a predetermined amount to supply the wire to the bobbin with a predetermined angle of lag and to wind the wire along a coil formed by this time on the bobbin so that a desired coil is continuously formed.
In such a winding machine, a pair of rollers for defining the supply position of wire are moved usually by feed means (formed by a combination of screw and nut) in synchronism with the rotation of the bobbin, and are instantaneously displaced by a desired amount and reversed in their moving direction with a solenoid or the like at the end of each layer of the coil to conduct the winding operation for the next layer. The proposed winding machine has a drawback that, when the number of turns per layer is varied due to the non-uniformity in the width of bobbin or the diameter of wire, the position of wire which is wound round the bobbin falls into disorder. Further, since the wire has to be wound closely along a flange of the bobbin at the initial stage of the winding operation in order to form a perfect layer coil, it is required to manually form first one or two turns prior to an automatic winding operation, and thus the winding machine is very low in operation efficiency.


A display control method includes: based on information acquired from an information processing terminal that accesses content provided by an information processing device, computing a degree of interest and a degree of perplexity, with respect to the content, of a user using the information processing terminal; and, based on the computed degree of interest and the computed degree of perplexity, displaying a symbol corresponding to the information processing terminal at a corresponding position in a region that has degree of interest and degree of perplexity as axes.

Hitherto, a system has been proposed for ascertaining a state of a customer in advance and making contact in accordance with the customer state. In this system, the state of mind of the customer is estimated, from plural predetermined states of mind, based on customer behavior information obtained from customer behavior. Further, for each of plural states of mind, the system stores approach information that includes information indicating how to make contact with a customer. Then, the system detects a customer having an estimated state of mind that differs from a previous state of mind, reads approach information corresponding to the detected state of mind of the customer, and presents the read approach information.
Further, a system has been proposed for providing support for service-related inquiries from customers. The system presents FAQ content, related to services provided to customers, on a customer terminal operated by the customer and gathers FAQ browsing history information related to the history of browsing of the FAQ content by customers. The system then stores the FAQ browsing history information in association with the customer, and the system displays the FAQ browsing history information associated with the customer at an operator terminal operated by an operator when there has been a service-related inquiry from the customer.


An information storage management device and method are proposed in which the utility and the facility can be remarkably improved. A control device and method are proposed which are capable of improving remarkably the utility and the facility of the information storage management device for storing and managing information. The information storage management device and method are capable of dividing the first storage area into the second plural storage areas in response to the first request from the exterior, and capable of writing information in each of the second storage areas. The controlling device and method are for controlling the writing component so as to cause it to divide the first storage area into the second plural storage areas in response to the first request from the exterior, and to write information in each of the second storage areas.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an information storage management device and method as well as a control device and method, and more particularly, is suitably applied to, for instance, a hierarchical storage management (HSM) system for storing and managing data hierarchically.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, a hierarchical storage management system is constructed so as to store and retain data by means of a first storage media such as a hard disk which has a quick access time and a second storage media such as a magnet optical (MO) disk and a compact disk-recordable (CD-R) which have slower access time, hierarchically, in accordance with the frequency of their usage.
By the way, it has considered that if multiplexing of data (storing and retaining data doubly or triply) and/or backing up data was performed easily when necessary in such a hierarchical storage management system, the utility and the facility of the hierarchical storage management system would be improved.
In view of the foregoing, an object of this invention is to provide an information storage management device and method by which the utility and the facility can be remarkably improved, as well as a control device and method which remarkably enhance the utility and the facility of the information storage management device for storing and managing information.
The foregoing object and other objects of this invention have been achieved by the provision of an information storage management device comprising: controlling component for dividing the first storage area into the second plural storage areas in response to the first request from the exterior; and for controlling the first writing component so as to write information in each of the second storage areas. As a result of this, in this information storage management device, multiplexing of information can be performed easily at the time when it is needed.
Further, the present invention provides an information storage management method comprising the steps of: dividing the first storage area into the second plural storage areas in response to the first request from the exterior; writing information in each of the second storage areas. As a result of this, in this information storage management method, multiplexing of information can be performed easily at the time when it is needed.
Furthermore, the present invention provides a control device comprising controlling component for dividing the first storage area into the second plural storage areas in response to the first request from the exterior, and for controlling the writing component so as to write information in each of the second storage areas. As a result of this, according to this control device, multiplexing of information can be performed easily at the time when it is needed.
Moreover, the present invention provides a control method comprising the steps of dividing the first storage area into the second plural storage areas in response to the first request from the exterior; controlling the writing component so as to write information in each of the second storage areas. As a result of this, according to this control method, multiplexing of information can be performed easily at the time when it is needed.
The nature, principle and utility of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like parts are designated by like reference numerals or characters.

Information storage management device and method, control device and method


Apparatus and methods for sensing current carried by one or more planar conductors is described. A plurality of sensing coils may be fabricated adjacent to one or more planar, current-carrying conductors. The sensing coils may detect a magnetic field generated by time-varying current flowing through the one or more planar conductors. The sensing coils may be arranged to cancel uniform and linear-gradient magnetic fields.

1. Technical Field
The apparatus and techniques described herein relate generally to sensing current carried by one or more planar conductors.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Wireless Power Transfer Systems (WPTS) are gaining increasing popularity as a convenient way to deliver power without wires or connectors. WPTS currently under development in the industry can be separated in two major classes: magnetic induction (MI) systems and magnetic resonance (MR) systems. Both types of systems include a transmitting unit, sometimes referred to as a power transmitting unit (PTU), and a receiving unit, sometimes referred to as a power receiving unit (PRU). Typically, the PTU is used to wirelessly charge mobile devices such as smartphones, portable music players, tablets, and laptops, among other devices and applications. The mobile devices may include a PRU.
Inductive WPTS typically operate in an allocated frequency range of about one hundred to several hundred kilohertz using frequency variation as a power flow control mechanism. MI WPTS operate over short ranges (typically limited to about the diameter of a power transmit coil). In a MI WPTS, the magnetic fields decay exponentially from the power transmit coil, and are not radiated from the coil.
Resonant WPTS typically operate on a single resonant frequency using a tuned receiving antenna network and input voltage regulation to regulate output power. In typical applications, MR WPTS operate at a frequency of 6.78 MHz. Because a tuned receiving antenna is used, appreciable power transfer can occur over distances larger than the diameter of the power transmit coil.
With the introduction of WPTS into commercial products, different methodologies for power transfer using MR and MI systems evolved. Several industry committees such as the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) and the AirFuel Alliance (AFA) are working on developing international standards for consumer products based on wireless power transfer. The standards may include, for example, specifications on an amount of rectified current, voltage, and/or power generated at a PRU via the device's receiving coil and power rectification circuitry. Some standards may also place constraints on the uniformity of rectified current at a wireless receiver or on the uniformity of power transmitted by a wireless power transmitter.

Planar differential current pickup for wireless power transmission