A container-mounted dispensing pump incorporates elastomeric duckbill valves for controlling the flow into and from the pump chamber. A mechanism within the pump employs hinged leaves which cooperate with the pump plunger to effect a pinching and closing one of the duckbill valves when the plunger is disposed in a depressed, shipping position. With the pump plunger held in the shipping position, the closed duckbill valve will preclude leakage of the container contents through the pump.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a manually operated dispensing pump and more particularly to a finger-operated pump adapted for mounting on a container of liquid to be dispensed.
2. Brief Description of Background Art
Container-mounted, finger-operated dispensing pumps are well known and are used for dispensing liquids having widely varying flow characteristics. The form of discharge from these pumps can vary from a fine spray to a slow moving flow.
Typically, container-mounted dispensing pumps employ fixed and movable pump members forming a variable volume pump chamber and one-way valves controlling the flow into and out of the pump chamber. Various types of one-way valves, including ball check valves and elastomeric valves, are employed in these dispensing pumps.
A dispensing pump disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,406,909 issued to Pfeiffer employs elastomeric one-way valves, known as "duckbill" valves, for controlling flow into and from the pump chamber. These valves operate reliably and are relatively inexpensive. Their one-piece construction simplifies the assembly of a dispensing pump in which they are employed.
Many dispensing pumps incorporate a feature which allows them to be placed in a "shipping" position to prevent leakage through the pump if they are upended. A common pump of this type employs a reciprocable plunger which can be locked in a depressed position to seal the pump against leakage. Applicants are not aware of dispensing pumps employing duckbill pump valves which can be placed in a shipping position to prevent leakage through the pump.


Techniques are disclosed for automatically constructing a human-friendly and meaningful URL based on the content, context, or both, of the resource. An alternate URL can be constructed by analyzing and extracting keywords or other portions of content from a webpage automatically. The content of the webpage or other resource is obtained and analyzed using keyword extraction filters to derive one or more keywords that uniquely represent the content of the resource. An alternate URL is constructed based on the keywords. The keywords can be extracted from any portion of the content or from dictionary definitions or similar meanings of the content. The alternate URL is constructed such that it is unique among existing URLs. The alternate URL meaningfully represents the content, permitting the user to use or share the alternate URL on social media and elsewhere.

A uniform resource locator (URL) is a widely recognized syntax for describing the location of an electronic resource, such as a webpage, data file, or service. A URL is similar to a postal address or telephone number in that it refers to a particular resource using a sequence of letters, digits, special characters, or any combination of these. For instance, using a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) scheme, the format of a URL includes either the physical IP address or domain name of a host computing system, and a path to a resource provisioned by the host, such as "http://www.example.com/home/index.html." The path generally follows a structured file naming convention used by the host (e.g., "/home/index.htm"). In some cases, descriptive attributes may be appended to the path (e.g., "/home/index.htm#summary"). It is possible for some URLs to become very long, complex, and aesthetically unpleasing. Such so-called long URLs can be difficult to read, remember, type out, and share with others. Further, some long URLs are not usable in services that have character limits, such as Twitter®.

Automatic uniform resource locator construction


This invention relates to a brushless motor driving system for driving an outdoor fan of an air conditioner. The driving system comprises a Hall probe for detecting a position of a rotor of a brushless motor, an inverter circuit consisting of a plurality of switching elements connected in bridge-connection, the inverter circuit supplying ON-OFF electric current to stator coils of the brushless motor, and a control means for switching the switching elements of the inverter circuit based on the output signal of the Hall probe. Before starting the motor, the control means controlls the switching elements to supply DC PWM-controlled current to the stator coils of the motor in synchronization with the output signal of the Hall probe, so that the rotor is braked, stopped and set to home position.

Recently, many brushless motors have been used to drive outdoor fans to be installed in the outdoor unit of air conditioners. Even if not driven by motor, the outdoor fan may be rotating by wind, at different rotational directions and speeds. When an outdoor fan happens to be rotating, first, the fan should be applied with brake, stopped and set to home position to start the motor, before the operation of the air conditioner is started.
Normally, the brushless motor necessitates a sensor to detect the present rotor position, that is, the position of the magnetic pole. When braking to stop and setting the outdoor fans to home position, actual rotational direction and speed of the fan are identified based on the output of the sensor, and current is supplied into the stator coil according to the detection data. With the driving systems according to the prior art, however, they used one unit of Hall probe for each phase, that is, three in total, as position sensor, thus causing a complicated control, resulting in high cost.
On the other hand, with the driving systems according to the prior art, when braking to stop and setting to home position, DC current is supplied into stator coil, thus resulting in a possibility of demagnetizing the permanent magnet forming the rotor, or of an excessive current being supplied to destroy the driving circuit for energizing stator coil.

Brushless motor driving system for driving outdoor fan of air conditioner


In a vehicle such as a pick-up truck having a camper top defining, with the load bed, a compartment including a ceiling and opposite side walls, a convertible bed is provided having a plurality of sections in hinged end-to-end relationship. A pair of track members are mounted on the side walls of the camper top and have channel configuration. Guide rollers are carried by the bed sections at their opposite sides for guiding movement of the sections along the track members. The pair of track members lie in parallel planes, each defining a track having a first reach proximate the ceiling of the camper top, a lower reach lowered from the ceiling and extending above the truck bed, and a further curvilinear reach joining the upper and lower reaches. The bed is selectively moveable along each track between a storage position proximate the ceiling and a use position lowered from the ceiling.

The present invention relates to a convertible bed and more particularly one which is suitable for installation in a pick-up truck camper top.
Pick-up trucks are sometimes provided with shelter units or so-called camper tops which provide, with the load bed of the truck, a compartment useful for carrying cargo as well as providing a sheltered place in which to sleep. Heretofore, to sleep in the compartment, it has been typical to remove or clear cargo, tools, and various materials which are stored in the camper top in order to have a place in which to stretch out for sleeping. Alternatively, a bed board can be assembled which covers some of the cargo stored in the bed. In either event, it is inconvenient to utilize the camper top compartment for both carrying of cargo and sleeping.
It would be more desirable if a convertible bed could be utilized which would be stored in an out-of-way position so that full access to the load bed of the truck could be had for carrying cargo and otherwise making conventional use of the truck, yet the bed could be quickly placed in use position.
An object of the present invention is the provision of an improved convertible bed for vehicle.
A further object of the invention is the provision of such a convertible bed which is particularly suited for installation and use in camper top-equipped pick-up trucks or other recreational vehicles, and which conveniently may be installed on the vehicle as added equipment after manufacture of the vehicle.
Another object of the invention is the provision of such a convertible bed which permits the bed to be stored in the vehicle in a completely out-of-way location to permit unencumbered access to cargo in the vehicle as well as routine hauling and load storage of items in the vehicle.
Yet another object of the invention is the provision of such a convertible bed which can be deployed from its stored position and ready for use in an extremely facile and quick manner, and which similarly may be rapidly and conveniently returned to its storage position.
A further object of the invention is the provision of such a convertible bed which, in the use position, does not interfere with or require removal of cargo which is carried within the vehicle, such as the load bed of a pick-up truck.
A still further object of the invention is the provision of such a convertible bed which, when occupying its stored position, presents a cushioned surface at the top of the camper top or other vehicle in which the bed is installed to protect persons, animals, or cargo which are carried in the vehicle.
An additional object of the invention is the provision of such a convertible bed which is very easily and quickly installed within the vehicle without requiring special tools or equipment, and which does not require the use of more than common, ordinary mechanical skills, being of a configuration permitting the owner or user of a vehicle to quickly and simply install the unit in a short time.
Among still further objects of the invention may be noted the provision of such a convertible bed which is constructed of relatively few, inexpensive and widely available hardware and materials; which is simple and foolproof in operation; which is low in initial cost; and which is rugged and durable in use.
Other objects will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinbelow.

Convertible bed for pick-up truck camper or the like


A stand for supporting a melon or the like in a field, and including a lower ring, an upper ring, a plurality of ribs between the upper and lower rings positioning the upper ring above the lower ring, and a support carried on the upper ring for supporting a product on the stand. The support includes a concave platform attached to the upper ring, with the rings, ribs and support formed as a single unit. Preferably the support includes a plurality of radial arms having inner and outer ends and joined together at the inner ends and joined to the upper ring at the outer ends, with a cruciform member fixed to the underside of selected ones of the arms, and a second upper ring positioned concentrically within the one upper ring and affixed to the radial arms.

This invention relates to a new stand for use in growing melons and the like on farms. A growing melon rests on the ground and tends to develop mold and rot at the area of the melon in contact with the ground. The presence of mold, rot or discoloration of the melon significantly reduces the selling price of the product.
The melon most affected by moisture and rot is the cantaloupe due to its natural multiple growths of skin, cracking, and new growth of underskin. This skin configuration is called webbing. The rot particularly forms in the webbing.
This mold is a special problem in many modern day farms where the ground is covered with plastic sheeting to reduce the growth of weeds. Water has a tendency to collect on the plastic, creating an increased likelihood of development of mold and rot on the product. To prevent mold, rot and discoloration, water must be drained away from the melon and the lower melon surface should be ventilated.
In the past, some melon farmers have attempted to solve the problem by placing the melon on a leaf, a dirt clod, some wood shavings, or even on a piece of paper to keep the melon off of the plastic film. Sometimes, the melons are turned a 1/4 turn every week or so to present a different surface to the ground. This is very labor intensive. However, none of these methods are satisfactory and they seldom prevent the rot and mold because the melon molds and rots relatively quickly when it comes into direct contact with the plastic or the dirt in the field.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new product in the form of a melon stand which will maintain the growing melon out of contact with the earth and the plastic sheeting. Another object is to keep water from collecting around the melon skin and allow ventilation to the underside of the melon adjacent the earth or plastic film. It is a particular object of the invention to provide such a stand which is simple in design, easy to utilize in the field, and inexpensive, because the stands typically are thrown away with the plastic sheeting after harvesting the product.
Other objects, advantages, features and results will more fully appear in the course of the following description.


According to the present invention, provided is a card connector device in which supporting positions of the individual connection terminals with respect to a header are formed on a straight line without being shifted forward and backward and rigidity of the respective supporting portions of the individual connection terminals increases as the length to the contact portion increases, so that the contact pressure of the respective connection terminals is uniform and the miniaturization of the whole connector device can be accomplished. The card connector device comprises a header provided side by side with a plurality of connection terminals made of electrically conductive metal plate; and a frame, at one end of which the header is arranged and into which is fitted a card with a plurality of contacts capable of being connected to the connection terminals, wherein the connection terminals are provided with a supporting portion supported by the header and a contact portion elastically contacted with the corresponding contact of the card at a free end extended from the supporting portion, and wherein the connection terminals are formed so that the supporting portions are positioned side by side on a same straight line having a direction perpendicular to a card-inserting direction. The length from the supporting portions to the contact portions differs and, at the same time, as the length from the supporting portion to the contact portion increases, rigidity of the supporting portion increases.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a card connector device utilized with an Integrated Circuit (IC) card used, for example, as a memory medium in a personal computer or with a Multi Media Card (MMC) used in electronic equipment and the like such as a digital camera.
2. Description of the Related Art
IC card connector devices are generally used as a recording device additionally installed in personal computers and the like. The IC card has been widely used as the memory medium of an IC card connector device.
The IC card is fitted into the IC card connector device to carry out the writing and reading of necessary information. A plurality of contacts are provided in the IC card and a header in the IC card connector device is provided with connection terminals having a plurality of contact portions corresponding to arrangement positions of the plurality of contacts provided in the IC card. Also, in the header, a plurality of solder portions soldered to a circuit pattern portion of a circuit board to which the IC card connector device is adhered, are formed and projected, and the contact portions and the respective solder portions become electrically connected within the header.
Also, among IC cards, there are IC cards in which, in order to prevent the destruction of an internal IC circuit of the IC card due to an inrush current and the like when being connected to connection terminals, a connection sequence with the corresponding connection terminals is prescribed. In general, a method for prescribing the connection sequence is carried out by differing the positions where the contact portions of the connection terminals on the IC card connector device connect with the corresponding contacts on the IC card.
In order to differ the connecting positions of the contact portions of the connection terminals with the corresponding contacts on the IC card, respective positions of the connection terminals with respect to the header on the IC card connector are suitably shifted forward and backward in the IC card-inserting direction.
However, in the structure of the header of the conventional IC card connector device described above, there is a problem in that the length of the supporting portion of the connection terminal of the header increases due to this forward and backward shifting of the connection terminals in the IC card inserting direction. Thus, miniaturization of the whole connector device cannot be accomplished.
Also, in order to adjust the positions of the respective connection terminals without shifting forward and backward, there is a method of differing the lengths from the supporting portions of the connection terminals to the contact portions. But this method has a problem in that contact pressures on the contacts of the IC card can change according to the lengths from the supporting portions of the connection terminals.
Therefore, the present invention is made in order to solve the above problems, and thus an object of the present invention is to provide a card connector device in which supporting positions of the plurality of connection terminals with respect to the header are formed on the same straight line without being shifted forward and backward and in which the rigidity of the respective supporting portions increases as the length from the supporting portions of the connection terminals gets longer, so that the contact pressures of the connection terminals are uniform and miniaturization of the whole connector device can be accomplished.
In a first means for solving the above problems according to the present invention, a card connector device comprises: a header provided side by side with a plurality of connection terminals made of electrically conductive metal plate; and a frame in which the header is arranged at one end thereof and into which is fitted a card with a plurality of contacts capable of electrical connection to corresponding connection terminals. The connection terminals are provided with a supporting portion supported by the header and a contact portion elastically contacted with corresponding contacts of the card at a free end extended from the supporting portion, wherein the connection terminals are formed so that the supporting portions are positioned side by side on a straight line in the direction perpendicular to a card-inserting direction. The lengths from the supporting portions to the contact portions differ and, at the same time, as the length from the supporting portion to the contact portion increases, the rigidity of the supporting portion increases.
Also, in a second means according to the present invention, the connection terminals are formed so that the supporting portions are positioned side by side on a straight line in a direction perpendicular to a card-inserting direction. The lengths from said supporting portions to contact portions differ and at the same time, as the length from the supporting portion to the contact portion increases, the width of the supporting portion increases.
Also, in a third means according to the present invention, the header is arranged at a front end in the card-inserting direction of the frame and the connection terminals are provided with solder portions which are projected from the front side of the header to be soldered to a circuit board.
Also, in a fourth means according to the present invention, the connection terminals are integrally molded in the header through the supporting portions.

Connector device for card with a plurality of connection terminals different in length


A remote controlled self-propelled toy vehicle is disclosed which is capable of moving on a solid support surface and also on water. Two motors and a power source are mounted to the hull of the toy vehicle. Each motor drives, through a suitable transmission assembly, a drive wheel and a screw propeller. The drive wheels are disposed to come into contact with the solid support surface for operation as a land going vehicle, and the screw propellers are disposed for submersion in water when the toy vehicle is operated as a boat.. Steering of the vehicle is accomplished on the solid surface and also on water by varying the power output of the motors so that uneven power output of the two motors causes the vehicle to turn. A suitable, preferably radio signal emitting remote control system and associated circuitry is provided to allow a player to steer the vehicle from a remote location.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to an amphibious self-propelling toy, and particularly to an amphibious self-propelling toy which is steered both on a solid support surface and on water by variation of power outputs of motors driving individual wheels and propellers of the vehicle.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
The prior art is well aware of amphibious toy vehicles.
The prior art is also aware of remotely controlled toy automobiles and the like wherein two motors are provided and each motor respectively drives a drive wheel or a caterpillar tread of the vehicle. When the two motors provide equal outputs of power, the driven wheels rotate at an even speed and the vehicle advances forward in a straight line. The vehicle is turned by causing the drive wheels to rotate at a different speed relative to one another. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,080,602, 3,590,526 and West German Patent Application laid open to the public, Ser. No. 28 16 416 describe such prior art toy vehicles.
Signal transmitting and signal receiving systems which enable a player or operator to transmit steering and speed control command signals from a location remote from the vehicle, are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,080,602; 3,372,393, and in the aforementioned West German patent application Ser. No. 28 16 416.
The signal transmitting and signal receiving systems for remote control of a toy vehicle of the prior art have employed several modulation and demodulation techniques for transmitting the information corresponding to the player's or operator's command signals. U.S. Pat. No. 4,080,602 describes e.g. a system wherein a single channel frequency modulated high frequency signal is utilized. U.S. Pat. No. 3,372,393, on theother hand, describes a system wherein a pulse duration modulation method is used. West German patent application laid open to the public Ser. No. 28 16 416 describes a system wherein two pulse signals are transmitted, and the duration of each pulse signal respectively controls the power levels which are applied to the respective electric motors.
Although the prior art has provided several remote controlled toys of the above described nature, there is still a need in the continuously changing toy market for the amphibious remote controlled steerable toy of the present invention.

Remote controlled steerable amphibious toy


An apparatus is disclosed for purification and/or sterilization or disinfection of water which has a head with water inlet and outlet openings and a housing secured in water tight relation to said head in which there is a cylindrical filter, preferably of activated charcoal. Between the filter and the housing is an outer water channel communicating with the water inlet so that water entering the apparatus is purified by passing through the filter to an inner channel communicating with the water outlet. Water is sterilized or disinfected by an ultraviolet lamp inside the filter over which water that has passed through it flows to the water outlet. The apparatus may be used in multiples which are connected in series or parallel to obtain a greater degree of filtration and disinfection than obtainable in a single unit.

It has long been known (1) that impurities which are suspended as particles in the water can be removed by mechanical filtration unless they are of such small size as to pass through the filtering material and (2) that ultraviolet rays can be utilized to sterilize water. Apparatus used initially to apply this knowledge to the purification of water was cumbersome, expensive and inefficient.
More recently Ultra Dynamics Corporation has offered an ultraviolet water purifier to the public comprising a head removably secured to a housing which contains a filter of annular cross section and an ultraviolet lamp within the central passage in the filter having its one end on which the lamp harness is located passing through the head. The lamp harness makes connection to a conductor from a power box mounted at the side of and adjacent to the head. While it is intended to purify and sterilize water, it is inefficient, difficult to assemble and service, and not satisfactory.


An improved system for shutting down a fuel cell that cools the reformer catalyst bed by continuing to supply unreformed fuel to the catalyst bed after the supply of heat to the evaporator is discontinued for cooling the catalyst bed more rapidly through an endothermic reaction.

This invention relates to a shut down method for a fuel cell system and a fuel cell system itself.
As is well known, a fuel cell operates to react an enriched fuel such as hydrogen with air so as to generate electrical energy through the stack of a fuel cell. The hydrogen fuel is obtained by reforming a methanol/water mixture in a reformer that is comprised of a catalyst and a heater for vaporizing the unreformed fuel. Fuel cells are generally employed as stationary power units wherein they are operated for long periods of time. There are, however, applications wherein it would be desirable to employ a fuel cell as a source of electrical power during intermittent operation, such as in the operation of a small electrically powered vehicle. As such, the fuel cell must be not only compact but must be capable of being turned on and off more frequently than stationary power supplies. Therefore, the shutdown for the fuel cell is particularly important and the shutdown of the reformer can be a significant part of this operation.
Specifically, when the reformer is shut off, the temperature of the reformer and specifically the catalyst bed reduces only gradually. Because of this slow cool down of the reformer and specifically its catalyst bed, methanol and water vapor in the reformer can be condensed so as to create a negative pressure within the reformer. Although valves are normally employed for closing off the reformer from the atmosphere when the system is shut down, air can easily leak back into the reformer under such negative pressure conditions and cause oxidation and deterioration of the catalyst material.
In order to prevent such deterioration of the catalyst bed, systems have been proposed wherein the reformer is purged with an inactive gas such as nitrogen until the catalyst temperature becomes sufficiently low that condensation and deterioration are not a problem. However, such systems require a source of the inactive or inert gas and the necessary valving and pressure regulations for them. Therefore, this type of system becomes quite complicated and bulky.
Another method of protecting the catalyst bed has been to fill it with fuel once the system is shut down. However, the surrounding of the catalyst with fuel when the system is shut down can give cause to problems, particularly on subsequent start ups. The subsequent start up of the catalyst that has been filled with fuel can cause significant expansion on restart which can interfere with the catalyst bed either by deteriorating it or by altering its state of packing, thus making it less efficient.
It is, therefore, a principal object of this invention to provide an improved fuel cell system and reformer arrangement for such a system.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved method for shutting down the reformer of a fuel cell system.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an arrangement for more rapidly lowering the temperature of the catalyst bed of a reformer for a fuel cell during shutdown so as to avoid deterioration or damage to the catalyst material and bed.


A transparent multilayer stretched product is produced through a process including: providing a resin laminate including at least on layer of polyglycolic acid resin, heat-forming and cooling the resin laminate, reheating the resin laminate until the polyglycolic acid resin is crystallized to be opaque and then stretching the reheated resin laminate. The thus-obtained multilayer stretched product is excellent in gas-barrier property in addition to the transparency and is suitable as a packaging material or container.

Polyester-type polymers, particularly polyethylene terephthalate (i.e., terephthalic acid-ethylene glycol polycondensation product) generally called a "PET resin" is widely used for providing a packaging material for beverages having a shape of typically a bottle, that is so-called "PET bottle", because of its transparency, rigidity, easiness of forming, etc.
The scope of applied uses is being enlarged year by year, and some application requires the minimization of oxygen or carbon dioxide transmission therethrough depending on the content materials, so that it is desired to improve the gas-barrier property of PET resin.
As a means for improving the gas-barrier property of PET resin, a multilayer product of PET and polyglycolic acid resin has been disclosed (U.S. Pat. No. 4,424,242 to Barbee), but in the Examples thereof, the films of these resins were pressed together at 210° C., so that because of poor adhesion therebetween, these films are presumed to be liable to peel from each other and be accompanied with difficulty, such as poor appearance and difficulty in maintenance of the performances.
For providing PET bottles, PET is frequently formed by the so-called hot parison scheme wherein PET is stretched and blown within a period prior to crystallization of PET, or the so-called cold parison scheme wherein after being injection-molded, PET is quenched to form an amorphous product (called a preform), which is reheated to above Tg, stretched and blown.
Recently, there has been studied a trial of forming a multilayer product of polyglycolic acid resin and such a PET resin and stretch-blowing it to form a multilayer bottle. However, as polyglycolic acid resin has high crystallinity, it causes whitening due to crystallization before stretch-blowing either according to the hot parison scheme or according to the cold parison scheme. When such a crystallized polyglycolic acid resin is forcibly stretched, it is liable to cause puncture or breakable, or stretching irregularity. For these difficulties, it has been believed impossible at all to form a multilayer stretched product, such as gas-barrier bottle, including polyglycolic acid resin.

Method for producing multilayer stretch-molded article


An optical material, comprising a resin composed of a polymer constituted of 10 of 95 mol %, based on the polymer, of a first structural unit represented by the formula (I) and 90 to 5 mol %, based on the polymer, of a second structural unit represented by the formula (II), and having a weight-average molecular weight of from 1.times.10.sup.3 to 5.times.10.sup.6 in polystyrene equivalent: ##STR1## The optical material has a Tg value not less than 120.degree. C., a light transmittance value not less than 85%, and a pencil hardness not lower than H.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical material which comprises an N-(cyclic) alkyl-substituted maleimide-olefin copolymer, and which is superior in transparency, heat resistance, and surface hardness.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, optical materials are generally made of glass. Recently, transparent polymer materials have come to be used for optical materials in view of their productivity, light-weight, cost and so forth.
Such polymer materials includes, in particular, polymethyl methacrylate (hereinafter referred to as "PMMA") and polycarbonate (hereinafter referred to as "PC").
PMMA, however, is limited in its use because of its insufficient heat-resistance resulting from its low glass transition temperature (Tg) of about 100.degree. C., although it has superior optical characteristics.
PC, which has a Tg of about 150.degree. C. and has relatively high heat resistance, involves the disadvantage of low surface hardness causing susceptibility to scratching, so that further improvement was desired.
On the other hand, maleimide type copolymers are being studied comprehensively because of its high heat resistance. For example, copolymerization of the aforementioned methyl methacrylate with N-aromatic-substituted maleimide is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. Sho 43-9753, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Applications Nos. Sho 61-141715, Sho 61-171708, and Sho 62-109811; and copolymerization of styrene resins with N-aromatic-substituted maleimide is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Applications Nos. Sho 47-6891, Sho 61-76512, and Sho 61-276807. The resins produced by these methods are improved more in heat resistance with the higher content of N-aromatic-substituted maleimide, but thereby causing problems of brittleness, low moldability, discoloration, and so forth, thus being limited in use for optical materials.
After comprehensive study regarding the above problems, it was found that an optical material comprising an N-(cyclic) alkyl-substituted maleimide-olefin type copolymer solves the problems, and the present invention has been accomplished.


A plug is suitable for use in preformed blind holes in rigid and soft material and also holes in sheetform material.. The plug comprises a head portion (2) joined to a tail portion (10) by four legs (12), all having flexing points (20, 22, 24) towards their ends and in a central portion.. The tail portion has a thread formation (16, 18) formed by a moulding process.

This invention is concerned with plugs for use in securing a screw in a previously formed hole in a work piece.
Plastics plugs, which are inserted into a hole in a work piece, to receive a conventional screw to secure the screw to the work piece are well known.
It is usual to use different plastics plugs for different work pieces; in particular, for securing screws into a blind hole in a hard work piece, such as brick or concrete; into a blind hole in a soft friable work piece, such as blown concrete; or, into a hole extending right through a sheetform work piece.
Attempts have been made to provide a plug which is suitable for use in all these three situations, but the requirements for a fastener to work satisfactorily in all three conflict with one another.
For a plug which is to secure a screw in a hole in a rigid work piece, the plug is conventionally of uniform outside diameter so that it may readily be inserted in the hole. A central bore, to receive the screw is usually provided with ridges so that on the screw being driven into the plug the screw engages the plug firmly, and a small amount of expansion of the plug takes place to grip the hole firmly. Use of such a plug in a friable material will usually not provide a firm fixture as the expansion of the plug is inadequate to hold the plug securely in the material.
For a plug which is to secure a screw in a hole through a sheetform material, the plug usually comprises a tail portion connected to a head portion of the plug by a series of legs, and the screw is intended to pass freely through the bore of the plug until it reaches the tail portion, and then to draw the tail portion towards the head portion to force the legs to bend outwardly to secure the plug to the work piece. It will be realized that the provision of ridges in the bore of the plug (to enable the plug to be used, as above, in rigid material) will prevent easy passage of the screw from the head portion to the tail portion.
Moreover, where the plug is constructed from plastics material it is difficult and generally not cost effective to form a thread in the bore of the tail portion which would assist passage of the screw. Thus, in plastics plugs, the screw normally cuts its own thread and of course this offers considerable resistance to the turning of the screw. The screw can therefore impose a severe torque on the tail portion while it is being driven. This torque can be sufficient to twist the legs and indeed this is the intended result in some plugs presently available, so that the legs twist around the screw and, as the screw draws the tail portion towards the head portion the legs are squeezed into a ball formation. However, this places very localised pressures around the edge of the hole in the sheetform material so that where the latter is plaster board or the like the edge may crumble and prevent a secure fixing being made.
In WO/9008265, there is disclosed a plug where this tendency of the legs to twist is countered. This plug comprises a head portion having an enlarged flange adapted to engage the work piece and a generally cylindrical portion, tapering outwards slightly from the flange, a cylindrical tail portion of substantially the same diameter as the smallest part of the head portion and four legs interconnecting the tail portion and the head portion.
These legs are in two pairs, one pair of opposed legs of approximately a semicircular cross section, and another pair of opposed legs of somewhat smaller cross section. The larger legs are arranged such that twisting of them is substantially prevented, and only folding at defined weakened positions is essentially possible.
This plug will operate successfully in a hole in rigid material, and will also operate in a hole in sheetform material of appropriate thickness, where the legs will fold outwards near their middles so that the halves of the legs connected to the head portion are levered flat against the back of the sheetform work piece as the tail portion is drawn towards the head portion on driving of the screw into the tail portion. A secure fixing, even in friable material such as plasterboard, is therefore possible because the pressures on the board are spread by the legs being flat against the board, and are not concentrated on the edge of the hole.
Even so, the screw having to cut its own thread in the tail portion (despite the provision of ridges in the tail portion to reduce the requisite torque required) nevertheless makes the plug difficult to set and offers considerable resistance to driving of the screw. Indeed, although the aforementioned ridges do reduce the torque required, this reduction is at the expense of the security of the fixing; it is quite possible to overdrive the screw without appreciating that in so doing the threads painstakingly cut in the tail portion have now been stripped.
However, it is in soft friable material where the plug will not generally operate satisfactorily: the plug will not expand adequately into the friable material simply on insertion of a screw into the plug, and if the screw is driven further, the rigidity of the larger pair of the legs is such that only a small amount of lateral expansion, in a manner comparable to that taking place when used with sheet material, will take place, and a secure fastening cannot be ensured. In this context, the aforementioned twisting of the legs into a ball is desirable as it expands into the friable material.
A solution to this problem is to make the legs essentially the same so that twisting is possible, but provide threads in the tail portion so that less torque is required to drive the screw into the tail portion (but without reducing the strength of the connection between the screw and tail portion) so that the undesirable ball formation does not occur, or is not so likely to occur, when the plug is used in the sheetform work piece situation.
However, while there is little problem in forming threads in plugs of this type, it is a different matter to do so in a cost effective manner.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,547,108 discloses a trim cover clip which has a thread grip moulded on an internal flexible tongue formed in a bore of the clip. Here a core mould passes through a window of the clip. However, the thread so-formed is only single sided and in order to grip a screw must be biassed towards the screw and accordingly offers significant resistance to entry of the screw.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a plug of plastics material having moulded thread formations, and a method of moulding same which does not suffer the aforementioned disadvantages, or at least mitigates their effects.


An improved needle (1) to attach a filter bag (2) containing a product for infusion to a pick-up tag (3) using a thread (4) knotted at least at one of its end sections (5; 6) comprises two eyes (7, 8) located at different distances from the point (9) of the needle (1). The first eye (7) is designed to hook the thread (4), stretched and retained at the end sections (5, 6) and to make a loop (10) in the thread when the needle (1) is pulled in the direction of its axis (1a). The second eye (8), on the other hand, is located closer to the point (9) and is oriented at right angles to the first eye (7) so that it can be surrounded by the loop (10) and can guide an end section (5; 6) of the thread (4) across the loop (10) to make a knot. The needle (1) also comprises two lengthways grooves (11) that connect the first eye (7) to the second eye (8) and that are especially shaped to accommodate the loop (10) and to keep it in position while the knot is being formed.

At the present time, the thread is attached to the filter bag and to the pick-up tag by knotting when high quality filter bags are required, differing from similar kinds of bags in; that all the parts of them that come into contact with the infusion cannot have even the least harmful effects on health and (also very important from the commercial viewpoint) cannot alter the taste of the infusion. For example, bad effects on health and taste may be produced when the filter paper forming the bag is sealed using hot-melt glue or when the top of the bag is closed using metal staples which are also used to attach the thread to the bag.
The present invention relates in particular to an improved needle of the type comprising two eyes located at different distances from the needle point, the first eye being designed to hook the thread, stretched and retained at the end sections and to make a loop in the thread when the needle is pulled in the direction of its axis; and the second eye being located closer to the point and oriented at right angles to the first eye so that it can be surrounded by the loop and can guide an end section of the thread across the loop to make a knot. A needle of this type is disclosed in Italian patent application No. BO95 A000J48.
In an improved machine forming the subject matter of another application filed at the same time by the same Applicant, the loop, before being crossed by the section of thread that will make the knot, is also twisted by turning the needle about its axis one or more times, which reduces the size of the loop and gradually tightens it around the lateral surface of the needle.
In both these solutions, apart from the constraints posed by the way the thread is hooked to the eye and the extent of the pulling force exerted by the needle itself, the loop adapts to the surface of the needle quite freely. When the thread is pulled by the needle, the loop assumes a flat configuration. As the loop is twisted, the plane in which it originally lay is gradually distorted and the more the loop is twisted, the more its plane is distorted.
Under certain working conditions, the distortion of the loop against the lateral surface of the needle in this way can result in a not entirely correct position of the loop relative to the second eye of the needle which, as is well known, acts as a guide for special threading elements used to insert an end section of the thread into the loop.
Although this problem can be avoided by accurate setting up and frequent adjustment, there is room to improve machines of this kind so that they maintain the correct setup for a longer time without requiring frequent adjustments.

Needle for attaching a tag to an infusion bag using an intermediate knotted thread

I.M.A. Industria Macchine Automatiche S.p.A.


An improved sand pan and flushing jet apparatus is provided along with a process to separate solids from a fluid stream. The sand pan has openings along the side which increase in flow area with increasing distance from a slurry blowdown. Flushing jets are provided within the sand pan to remove slurry drawn into the sand pan by blowdown flow.

In many types of processes, undesirable solids are present in fluid streams. Production of sand with crude oil, waste water treatment and fermentation processes are examples of such processes. These solids can separate from the fluid when the fluids pass through containment devices which have low fluid velocities. When fluid streams which contain solids enter a low velocity flow regime, solids will settle at a rate according to, for example, Stokes law. This usually occurs in a holding tank or vessel. Accumulation of solids in such tanks and vessels may eventually require equipment shutdowns to physically remove accumulated solids. Additionally, accumulated solids decrease the volume available for fluid residence time.
Apparatuses are available which provide means to remove settled solids from fluid containment devices. These apparatuses typically comprise an inverted pan, called sand pans, centrally located over the lower surface of the fluid containment devices. Teeth are typically cut in the sides of the inverted pan to provide communication into the volume inside the pan from along the bottom of the vessel. A slurry blowdown removes slurry from the volume within the sand pan. Nozzles capable of directing a flushing fluid flow along the bottom of the vessel toward the pan are also generally provided. Flushing fluid is jetted from the nozzles along the bottom surfaces of the vessel to fluidize settled solids, and then fluids are removed via the slurry blowdown from inside the sand pan. These facilities are used intermittently to remove solids from the vessel in the form of a slurry. This arrangement is useful in removing settled solids from fluid containing devices, but eventually, fluid flowpaths will plug and the fluid containment device will require removal from service for cleaning. Existing sand pans are rectangular with uniform teeth along the sides of the pans. Thus blowdown flow draws fluid into the pan, but widely varying velocities exist and most of the blowdown is drawn from the teeth closest to the blowdown nozzle. The low velocity points will plug much faster than higher velocity points. Partially plugged sand pans are ineffective in removing solids in the regions beyond the plugged sections. Eventually the blow down flow will only flush small portions of the lower surface of the vessel near the blowdown nozzle.
Further, after the known flushing sequence, slurry remains within the sand pan. Solids settle from this slurry resulting in eventual plugging inside the sand pan.
It is desirable to have a sand pan and jet arrangement which is less prone to plugging than the prior art sand pans. This would permit longer runs between shutdowns for cleaning and/or less frequently blowing down the accumulated slurry.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a sand pan which is less prone to plugging than prior art sand pans. In another aspect, it is an object to provide a process to remove settled solids from a fluid containment device that results in improved removal of solids.


A tumbling mill includes an inlet area, an outlet area, and a tumbling area between the inlet and outlet areas. The mill is formed as a tri-cyclical member having an outer cylinder extending along the tumbling and outlet areas, and an inner cylinder concentric with the outer cylinder and extending through the inlet, outlet and tumbling areas. The inner and outer cylinders define a space therebetween. The inner cylinder is perforated to allow sand to fall into the space between the inner and outer cylinders. The inner cylinder includes an inner helical vane to urge sand, media, and castings toward the outlet area, and an outer helical vane to urge sand and media toward the inlet area. A reclassifying screen is provided in the inlet area to classify sand. Sand particles that are sufficiently small passes through the screen and out a chute. Sand particles that are not small enough are recirculated through the tumbling mill to be further broken down. A shell is positioned in the inlet area between the inner cylinder and the screen to hold the segments which form the inner cylinder together under heavy tumbling. The shell includes a plurality of relatively large openings to allow any sand that falls enters the shell to fall through to the screen. A third helical vane is positioned between the shell and the screen. Preferably, the edges of the third helical vane are aligned with the openings in the shell. The shell is sufficiently thick (preferably between 3/8" to 1") to prevent said segments from separating under pressure of extensive tumbling.

This invention relates generally to a tumbling mill for new castings, and in particular to a tumbling mill with improved sand reclaiming abilities.
Various types of tumbling devices or mill for removing mold sand from casting, or for separating other particles or fragments from castings or other metal parts have long been available in the art. For example, my prior patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,674,691, which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a tumbler including a sand reclaimer which will return sand and media from the outlet area of the tumbler to the inlet area, where the media can be reintroduced into the tumbler. In my prior patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,267,603, which is also incorporated herein by reference, I disclose another tumbler, which also includes a media and sand return system. This tumbler, however, is provided with a screen classifier which will allow small particles of sand to fall through a screen. The screen is provided at the inlet area of the tumbler and is housed in a casing. The sand which passes through the screen exits the tumbler through a chute in the housing. The screen surrounds the segmented inner liner and thus performs two functions: (1) it screens the sand so that small particles of sand will fall through and so that media and larger particles of sand will be reintroduced into the tumbler; and (2) it holds the segmented liner together in the intake area of the tumbler.
The segments are interlocked with each other, as described in my application Ser. No. 08/323,010, which is incorporated herein by reference. However, when a large number of heavy castings, such as engine block castings, are introduced into the tumbler, the tumbling of the castings within the unit may cause the segments to separate, either radially or horizontally. This can lead distorting of the screen. Eventually, the screen will have to be replaced, so that the intake section will be able to be held together.


A pneumatic percussion rock drill includes a muffler casing surrounding the drill cylinder part and sealingly engaged with the drill housing so that exhaust air from the percussion motor flows forward through ports in a forward housing member into a chamber containing the drill chuck, the chuck rotation gearing, and the drill stem shank. Exhaust air is used to cool and lubricate the chuck parts before exiting from the drill onto the feed mechanism located below the drill housing.

The present invention pertains to pneumatic percussion drills of the type in which a drill stem has an impact receiving member which is disposed in blow-receiving relationship with the percussion hammer and the drill includes mechanism for rotating the impact receiving member.
In the art of percussion rock drills and the like the impact receiving member, commonly known as the shank, is supported in a rotatable chuck in a position to be struck by repeated blows of an impact piston hammer. The chuck is mounted in the forward part of the drill housing and is subjected to mechanical and thermal stresses imposed thereon due to the high frequency blows transmitted from the piston hammer through the shank and due to the high thrust forces caused by the forward feeding force transmitted through the chuck to the drill stem.
Not only are the chuck parts and the shank subjected to high stresses but the location of the chuck in the forward part of the drill housing exposes the chuck parts to the drill cuttings being ejected from the drill hole particularly when the drill is in close proximity to the workface or when drilling is being carried out in an upward direction. It is particularly difficult to effectively seal the chuck end from entry of drill cuttings because the shank extends through the end of the housing and undergoes continuous rotary and oscillatory movement during operation of the drill.
It has been proposed to provide lubrication and cooling of the chuck housing and parts by introducing pressure air from the drill motor supply source. Pressurizing the chuck housing with motive air at supply pressure also substantially prevents entry of drill cuttings into the chuck housing. However, this method of treating the chuck end of the drill is somewhat inefficient since high pressure motive air is used directly only for cooling, lubrication, and sealing purposes.

Pneumatic percussion drill with exhaust cooling and lubrication of chuck end


An emulation system (10) provides a plurality of circuits (20,28) which each emulate operation of a predetermined component of a target microprocessor (24). Each of the plurality of circuits (20,28) imitates a corresponding component of the target microprocessor (24). A power supply (12) provides power to both the target microprocessor and the plurality of circuits. A first voltage value is provided to a plurality of bus drivers (22, 26, 30). A second voltage value is provided to an internal circuit of each of target microprocessor (24) and the plurality of circuits (20, 28). A current measured between the power supply and each of the circuits accurately reflects a current drawn by the circuits. By designing the target microprocessor and the plurality of circuits such that the power supplied to each is separated from the power supplied to the bus drivers of each of the devices, the operating current of the internal circuitry is accurately measured in real time.

As laptop computers and other portable data processing systems have entered the consumer marketplace, the need for low power data processors has increased dramatically. Low power data processors enable laptop computers and other portable systems to use a battery as a power supply for a longer period of time before replacement or recharging. Generally, circuitry within low power data processors is designed such that overall power consumption is reduced. While the circuit design of a low power data processor reduces power consumption, the software developed by a user must also be optimized to obtain maximum power efficiency. Use of different instructions and even different data in a software program results in widely varying power requirements in any data processor.
Optimizing the power consumption of software in a data processor is presently a difficult problem for most users. A particularly difficult problem is accurately measuring a current drawn by a data processor during execution of a software program. In one method for measuring power consumption of software, the software code is written and programmed into a read-only memory on the data processor integrated circuit before the actual power consumption is known. The power consumed by the processor is then determined by measuring the current after the integrated circuit is manufactured. This method is both slow and expensive. A user must wait until after a part is manufactured to determine if his or her code is optimized for maximum power efficiency. Then, if the code is not optimal and needs to be modified, the user must make corrections and re-program the memory of the data processor. Subsequently, the user must wait while the new version of the data processor is again manufactured to determine if the new code is optimal.
Additionally, a characterization program must typically be developed to measure the operating current and, therefore, the power consumption of the data processor. The characterization program generally measures the total operating current of the data processor and is not able to measure the current of each of the components of the data processor separately. For example, a data processor may include a central processing unit and several peripheral devices such as a timer and input/output circuits. In characterization programs, all of the components are evaluated jointly to determine power consumption and may not be evaluated separately. This prevents the user from adequately considering trade-offs involved in the choice of particular peripherals to perform a desired function.
In a second method for determining power consumption of a data processor, operation of the data processor is simulated using a software program. Theoretically, simulation allows a user to predict power consumption of a data processor before the data processor is actually manufactured. However, such power consumption estimates are typically inaccurate. Parasitic capacitance and other factors which are normal by-products of implementing a data processor as an integrated circuit are rarely approximated with a high degree of accuracy. Additionally, because of the complexity of a data processor, most simulation methods are able to evaluate only a small portion of the circuitry included in a data processor. As well, ranges of operation temperatures and voltages may not be simulated without consuming a large amount of time. Therefore, while the simulation method may be slightly less expensive than the method previously described, it is still expensive and requires an excessive amount of time.
Sometimes a manufacturer implements a third method of measuring power consumption in a data processor. In the third method, an ultra-violet erasable programmable memory (EPROM) is implemented to allow a user to program and re-program a data processor until power consumption is optimized. Although this method allows the user to optimize a software routine in a data processor, implementation costs are often prohibitive to the manufacturer. Effectively, when using the third method, two data processors must be designed. A first design, as described herein, has an ultra-violet erasable programmable memory and a second design has a mask programmable memory which is loaded with the optimized software program for production purposes. In addition to doubling the design effort, the third method is not completely accurate. The ultra-violet erasable programmable memory typically uses more power than the mask programmable memory. Therefore, the third method is both inaccurate and prohibitively expensive for most applications. Additionally, power consumption of all of the separate components may not be measured individually, but jointly.
In a fourth method for determining power consumption of a software program, operation of a target data processor is evaluated using an emulation system. The emulation system uses the target data processor and a plurality of peripheral circuits to emulate operation of the data processor and to provide for connections to portions of the system normally inaccessible to the user due to the integrated circuit implementation of the target data processor. Each of the plurality of peripheral circuits emulate operation of a particular circuit in the data processor. However, in an emulation system, the current drawn by the target data processor and each of the plurality of peripheral circuits is overshadowed by the current drawn by the bus drivers required by the data processor and the plurality of peripheral circuits. While an emulation system allows the current of each of the internal circuits of a data processor to be approximated, the current measurement does not accurately reflect the current drawn only by the internal circuit. Therefore, emulation systems are rarely used to evaluate the current drawn by the target data processor during execution of a software program.
Therefore, a need exists for a system or method for measuring power consumption of each of the components of a data processor separately. The system or method should also be executed quickly and inexpensively.

Emulation system and method for development of a low power data processor


In the production of a dried acrylamide polymer by polymerizing, in an aqueous medium, acrylamide alone or a monomer mixture comprising 50 mole % or more of acrylamide and at least one monomer copolymerizable therewith with a radical initiator, and then drying the resulting hydrous acrylamide polymer, the allowing of at least one of the following compounds [I], [II] and [III] to be present in the drying step or a step prior thereto enables the dried acrylamide polymer having a high molecular weight and a good dissolvability in water to be obtained:. [I] a non-polymerizable compound having in its molecule at least one group represented by the formula, ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1 is H or an alkyl group having up to 4 carbon atoms, [II] a compound represented by the formula, R.sub.2 --S--C.sub.n H.sub.2n X wherein n is an integer of 1 to 8, R.sub.2 is an alkyl group, an aryl group or --C.sub.n H.sub.2n X, in which X is --OH, --COOH (or its salt), --CN or --CONH.sub.2, and PA0 [III] a compound represented by the formula, ##STR2## wherein R.sub.3, R.sub.4 and R.sub.5 are H, alkali metals or alkyl or aryl groups.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a process for producing an acrylamide polymer having a high molecular weight containing only in a small amount the water-insoluble matters formed in the process of producing the polymer, particularly in the step of drying the polymer. More particularly, it relates to a process for obtaining a dried product of said polymer, which has a high molecular weight and is good in dissolvability in water, by polymerizing acrylamide alone or a monomer mixture comprising acrylamide and at least one monomer copolymerizable therewith in an aqueous medium and then drying the resulting hydrous polymer, characterized by allowing a specific phenol, thioether or phosphite to be present in the system in said polymerization step or in said drying step.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recent years, water-soluble acrylamide polymers have come to be used in large amount in many fields, for example, as paper-strengthening agents, thickeners for paper-making, reagents for recovering petroleum, flocculants, and the like. Among these uses, thickeners for paper-making, flocculants and the like, in particular, require that the polymer has a very high molecular weight, and those having an average molecular weight of ten million or more are recently not rare.
Some methods for obtaining such an acrylamide polymer having a high molecular weight have been proposed, however, industrially, the polymerization is often effected with a free radical initiator in an aqueous medium. In this case, the hydrous polymer obtained usually contains 60-80% of water and is in the form of an aqueous solution, but it is a rubber-like substance which has substantially no fluidity or a viscous liquid difficult to flow because the molecular weight of the polymer is very high. Accordingly, the hydrous polymer as such is difficult to handle and uneconomical in transportation, and also it has the disadvantage that the rate of dissolution of the polymer in water when using the hydrous polymer is very low. Therefore, the aforesaid hydrous polymer is usually formed into a dried powder by removing water therefrom by some methods, and one of the methods of removing water is a method of heat-drying the hydrous polymer as obtained with hot air, or the like. This method is often industrially used because it is simple in principle and has many advantages even in respect of production. However, acrylamide polymers tend to be crosslinked between their molecules upon heating, and when this is caused between very high molecular weight molecules, even though a very slight amount of crosslinkage is formed, the dissolvability of the polymer in water is decreased.
When the decrease in dissolvability is slight, it can be compensated for by such a means as to prolong the dissolving time when the dried polymer is used. However, when the decrease is great, the polymer is only swollen even when stirred in water for a long time, and gives a solution containing many insoluble particles. Therefore, when said solution is used for treating waste water or the like as a flocculant only a low flocculating ability is shown, and when it is used as a thickener for paper-making, fish eyes are formed on the web formed. Accordingly, when such a high molecular weight hydrous polymer is dried, there is adopted, for example, a method of drying under reduced pressure or blowing air at a relatively low temperature of 60.degree. C. or less.
However, it is desirable that the polymer is dried rapid at a temperature as high as possible, in respect of productivity, and, for this purpose, there have been proposed many agents for preventing insolubilization upon drying. However, it has been a common opinion that the formation of insoluble acrylamide polymers results from the formation of imide linkages between the polymer chains. Among the above proposals, it can be said that there is no case in which any insolubilization preventing measure is taken in addition to the prevention of the imide linkages from being formed.

Method for preparing acrylamide polymers


In order to grind a tire 2 mounted on a vehicle, an abrasive belt 5 is us which is stretched over rollers 51, 52, 53, 54 and 46 which are mounted on a frame 4. By the action of a jack 7, the tire 2 is released of all load. A counterweight 45 urges the frame 4 towards the tire 2. The force with which the abrasive belt 5 rests on the tire 2 can be adjusted to a very low value.

The present invention relates to the grinding of tires. The invention proposes a method of grinding new or used tires and proposes a machine for the grinding on the vehicle of a tire which has previously been installed on the vehicle.
Tire grinding operations are well known and are described, for instance, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,943,806 and 4,936,054. The purpose of the grinding operation, as known in the state of the art, is to improve or restore a certain perfection of the shape of the tire so as to improve its uniformity; it is therefore done to decrease radial variation or imbalance.
The object of the present invention is to avoid the exponential increase of the rate of wear when signs of abnormal wear appear, or to decrease the rate of wear when the tire has molding defects. For this purpose, the invention proposes grinding the tire while respecting the basic harmonics of the out-of-roundness thereof (up to about harmonic 2).
Starting from the discovery that the rate of wear of a tire is not always linear, it has been observed that certain types of irregular wear can result in rapid acceleration of the rate of wear. The purpose of the invention is therefore to carry out a maintenance operation on the tire which consists of doing away with the incipient signs of irregular wear as soon as they are detected, or else a finishing operation which makes it possible to improve the geometrical character.

Compagnie Generale des Etablissements Michelin-Michelin & Cie


A power combiner/divider having a waveguide, a plurality of amplifiers disposed on a supporting structure, a plurality of probes, each one having a first end electrically coupled to an output of a corresponding one of the plurality of amplifiers and a second end projecting outwardly from the supporting structure and into the waveguide. The probes are disposed in a common region of the waveguide. The region has a common electric field maximum within the waveguide. A first portion of the probes proximate the sidewalls have lengths different from a second portion of the probes disposed in a region distal from the sidewalls of the waveguide. The waveguide is supported by the support structure. The power combiner is a monolithic microwave integrated circuit structure.

As is known in the art, many applications require the combination or reciprocally, division (i.e., distribution), of radio frequency (rf) energy from or to many sources. These power combiner/dividers may take many forms in many transmission line media; such as waveguide, microstrip and strip transmission line.
For example, power combiners using waveguide transmission are described in papers entitled "A Ka-Band Power Amplifier Based on the Travelling-Wave Power-Dividing/Combining Slotted-Waveguide Circuit", by Jiang et al, IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, Vol. 52, No, 2. February 2004 and "A Ka-Band Power Amplifier Based on a Low-Profile Slotted-Waveguide Power-Combining/Dividing Circuit", by Jiang et al. IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, Vol. 51, No. 1, January 2004, "A Monopole-Probe-Based Quasi-Optical Amplifier Array", by Kolias et al; IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, Vol. 45, No. 8, pages 1204-1207. January 1997; "A Microstrip-Based Unit Cell for Quasi-Optical Arrays", by Kolias, et al., IEEE Microwave and Guided Wave Letters, Vol. 3 No. 9, pages 330-33, September 1993; and, "40-W CW Broad-Band Spatial Power Combiner Using Dense Finline Arrays", Nai-Shoo et al., IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques Vol. 47, No. 7, pages 1070-1076, July 1999.
One application where power combining is desirable is in combining power from a plurality of power transistors formed in a monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC). Here, because of the small geometries involved, a relatively small power combiner is required. More particularly, traditionally, milli-meter (mm)-wave monolithic microwave integrated circuits have been designed in two-dimensions (i.e., planar) that has limited power-combining approaches to planar, corporate combiners. While the papers referred to above describe a 3D approach to power combining, the arrangements described therein do not readily or practically lend themselves to MMICs because of their large size.

Multiple E-probe waveguide power combiner/divider


A system is provided for logging digital messages and forwarding them outside a proprietary telecommunications network. The system includes a service logic program ("SLP") which determines whether the message is to be forwarded outside the proprietary system. If the message is to be forwarded outside the system, the SLP sends it to the main relay, which logs the message to a log file, and forwards it to a discriminator. The discriminator forwards the message to a sub-relay, which is connected to a vendor application. The sub-relay forwards the message outside the proprietary telecommunications system, to the vendor application.

The present invention relates to cellular radio and telephone networks. These networks generally consist of mobile communications units (e.g., cellular telephones) which users employ to send radio signals carrying voice data over the air to other users. A mobile unit sends a signal which is received by a base station for the area or "cell" in which the mobile unit is located. The base station forwards the signal to a mobile services switching center, which routes the signal to its destination. This destination may be a ground-based telephone network or another base station which will re-broadcast the signal to another mobile unit. In either case, the signal is routed through a cellular telecommunications network before being either re-broadcast to another mobile unit or forwarded to the ground-based telephone network.
The cellular telecommunications network referenced above includes base stations strategically located in a geographical service area (each including an antenna, a base station controller, and a transceiver). Each base station is connected to a mobile switching center, with each mobile switching center serving several base stations. The mobile switching center is, generally, a small facility located between the base stations it serves and a centralized facility for the network. A home location register (HLR) is located at the centralized network facility, and serves all the mobile switching centers for the network. The HLR stores and provides access to network subscriber data. The HLR stores, for example, data describing a network subscriber's home network, type or level of service, and other subscription information. Each mobile switching center contains a visitors' location register ("VLR"), which registers users who access the network, but who are not listed in the network HLR because they are geographically located outside their home network when they access the cellular communications system. The VLR communicates with HLRs across the system to obtain user data about the users who access the network.
In addition to sending voice data signals carrying voice data, mobile units send digital messages to a telecommunications network. These messages can be used to, for example, change a subscriber's level of service, change a subscriber's service options, or change a subscriber's registered number to which incoming calls to the subscriber are to be forwarded. Like voice data signals, messages are also received by base stations and forwarded to mobile services switching centers. However, messages are then processed by the network, rather than forwarded to, or linked in communication with, another user. The messages may be processed and implemented by the HLR or another component of the network designed to act on the information specified in the message. The messages can operate as commands with regard to these components. These components of communications networks generally comprise standard micro-computers which are programmed to receive digital messages from mobile units forwarded via a base station. The computers, based on the messages, perform operations such as changing a subscriber's service options, or changing a number to which a subscriber's calls should be forwarded.
Current telecommunications systems have the capability of remote feature control, allowing a subscriber to, for example, establish an account, change a password, change a level of service, or change other service features such as call forwarding options. The current remote feature control systems receive messages through an HLR. All these functions are performed within the telecommunications network without the need for forwarding messages to outside, often incompatible, systems operated by outside vendors.
In current systems, messages are received by an HLR and either processed within the HLR or processed by another component of the network developed to perform the function specified by the message. The component processes the message according to the message contents and initiates the feature requested by the message. For example, a message requesting an updating of a call forwarding number contains a certain code signaling the network that it is a call forwarding number update request. A network component reads this code and determines that the message is not to be terminated within that component, but should be forwarded to a component within the network specifically designed to handle call forwarding. The component in which the message is to be terminated then initiates the call forwarding number updating sequence.
Current systems provide only for forwarding of messages within a network. New applications for the use of over-the-air digital messages require the forwarding of messages outside the network. Beyond changing user and service options, digital messages transmitted by mobile units can be used, for example, to provide information from remote locations to centralized databases (e.g. gas, water, or electric meter readings provided directly into a company database), or to transmit a specific geographical location of a user, or to provide commands to remotely-located devices (e.g. a power on/power off command).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,577,102 describes a system for processing short messages in a cellular telephone network. The system is designed to be a simple method for transmitting short messages from one subscriber on a cellular network to another subscriber. A message is received by a mobile switching center, which then checks the message address, stores the message, communicates with an HLR to obtain routing information, and transmits the message to the intended subscriber. This system receives, processes, and forwards digital messages within a cellular telecommunications network. It does not forward messages outside the network.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,428,665 describes a method for managing supplementary service procedures in a global system for mobile communications. Mobile stations send messages which are to be processed either in a mobile services switching center/visitor location register (MSC/VLR), or in a home location register (HLR). The MSC/VLR forwards messages destined for the HLR to the HLR, without seeing their contents or processing them in any other way. Messages to be terminated within the MSC/VLR are kept by the MSC/VLR and processed internally.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,594,740 describes a method and apparatus for using the control channels of an existing cellular telephone network to transmit and receive two-way wireless data messages. The system includes manipulation, translation, and encryption of control channel data bits, and provides for application-specific messaging on the control channels of an existing telecommunications network. This system does not provide for forwarding of application-specific messages outside a telecommunications network.

System for forwarding and logging a digital message from a telecommunications device


An information processing device including a connection control unit that, in a case where information regarding a situation of a user is detected, controls connection to another information processing device by using identification information corresponding to the situation of the user, an output control unit configured to control output of acquisition information acquired from the other information processing device, while the information processing device is connected to the other information processing device, and a transmission control unit configured to control transmission of input information input by the user, to the other information processing device, while the information processing device is connected to the other information processing device. In a case where a predetermined condition is satisfied, the connection control unit invalidates the identification information.

In recent years, various systems are known as systems for changing a situation of a user. For example, there is disclosed a technology in which an intermediary that mediates between a user and an answerer provides a question of the user to a plurality of answerers, selects an appropriate answer proposal from among answer proposals obtained from the plurality of respective answerers, and makes an answer to the user on the basis of the selected answer proposal (e.g. refer to Patent Literature 1).
In addition, there is disclosed a technology in which an intermediate center searches answers pre-registered in a database, on the basis of a question of a user, and generates an answerer list on the basis of the question of the user in a case where an answer is not obtained from the database (e.g. refer to Patent Literature 2). In this technology, an answerer with a higher degree of matching to the question of the user is positioned at a higher place in the answerer list, and answerers receive the question of the user in order from the answerer positioned at the higher place in the answerer list.

Information processing device and information processing method


A power line communication (PLC) system includes a source node, a plurality of intermediate nodes and a destination node. Each of the source node, the plurality of intermediate nodes and the destination node comprise a PLC interface including a medium access control (MAC) module and a physical layer (PHY) module. A transformer is located between the source node and the destination node. Routing modules of the source node, one or more of the intermediate nodes, and the destination node establish a route from the source node to the destination node via one or more selected ones of the plurality of intermediate nodes. The route is selected using a route cost that is calculated based on link costs of a plurality of hops in the route from the source node to the destination node. The link costs are based on forward link costs and reverse link costs.

The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent the work is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
Power line communications (PLC) systems transmit and receive signals from a utility to homes over existing power lines in the homes. PLC systems have been used to provide connectivity between a utility and power meters, appliances and other devices located in the homes of consumers. Some of the challenges to the implementation of PLC systems include the relatively noisy environment of the power lines, implementation costs, and transmitting and receiving signals across a transformer.

Routing for power line communication systems


The useful life and stability of fixer used in the processing of film through developer, fixer and wash stages is significantly improved by withdrawing used fixer, electrolytically removing silver therefrom, stabilizing the withdrawn fixer by adjusting its pH to a substantially constant value and recirculating thus-treated used fixer for further film processing.

Fulweiler (U.S. Pat. No. 3,583,897) refers to the use of a rotating cylindrical cathode and indicates that it is desirable to keep the voltage as low as possible and to maintain a current density of from about 8 to 10 amperes per square foot of cathode surface. Cave (U.S. Pat. No. 3,925,184) recognized that the production of sulfide ions is a problem which must be controlled through control of plating current. DeSante (U.S. Pat. No. 3,183,177) considered the reversal of current in order to strip material from a plate on which it had been deposited. Duisenberg (U.S. Pat. No. 2,791,555) indicated that silver ions can be extracted from used photographic or "hypo" solutions via a plurality of disc-shaped cathodes which are negatively biased relative to a plurality of anode elements. Adams (U.S. Pat. No. 3,342,718) rotated the cathode and regulated the power supply. Tolle (U.S. Pat. No. 4,049,512) also suggested a motor-rotated cathode. Crellin (U.S. Pat. No. 3,642,594) recovered silver and regenerated used photographic fixing solutions electrochemically using high-current densities; he refers to electroplating silver from a used fixing solution containing 300 parts of hypo, 10 parts of "acedic acid", approximately 4 parts of silver and 1,000 parts of water.
Anderson (U.S. Pat. No. 3,715,299) recognized that continuous disturbance of the boundary layer surrounding the cathode structure significantly improves the electroplating process, while discouraging the formation of deleterious by-products. He indicates that his continuous circulation virtually eliminates any tendency towards sulfiding even with materailly-higher current densities. Geyken (U.S. Pat. No. 4,081,816) neutralizes excess quantities of developer by adding simple neutralizing agents, e.g., acetic acid, apparently to obtain chemical neutrality. Although Cooper (U.S. Pat. No. 3,663,416) employs a low voltage, it appears that he actually does obtain sulfiding.
Willier (U.S. Pat. No. 2,615,839) and Mandroian (U.S. Pat. No. 3,072,557) refer to voltages of from 1 to 1.2 volts. Snow (U.S. Pat. No. 3,477,926) refers to preventing the local drop in silver-ion concentration by agitation.
Lindau (U.S. Pat. No. 3,510,413) refers to treating the bath within a plating tank with about 6.4 ounces of glacial acetic acid. Graham (U.S. Pat. No. 3,577,334) prefers to operate at a constant voltage and indicates that the optimum is ordinarily in the range of from 0.5 to 1 volt.
Scheidegger (U.S. Pat. No. 4,139,431) refers to controlling pH, but does not disclose the specific voltage employed; he adds exhausted developer before or during electrolysis to control pH.

Electroplating from a thiosulfate-containing medium without sulfiding


A system and method for determining a remaining useful life of a portion of a wet clutch system is provided. The system comprises a first clutch assembly, a proportional valve, a sensor, and a controller. The proportional valve regulates a pressure applied to the first clutch assembly. The sensor measures a response of the first clutch assembly during one of engaging and disengaging a first portion of the first clutch assembly with a second portion of the first clutch assembly. The controller controls the proportional valve, calculates a mean coefficient of friction of the first clutch assembly based on the sensed response of the first clutch assembly, and determines a remaining useful life of a portion of the wet clutch system based on the mean coefficient of friction of the first clutch assembly.

Wet clutches are well-known and used products. Wet clutches are utilized in many applications, including by way of example, wet-plate transmissions for off-highway vehicles and axle brakes. Typically, wet clutches are used to engage a portion of a driveline with a vehicle output or portions of a transmission to engage a specific gear ratio.
Friction separator discs, or plates, are a critical part of wet clutch shifting. During wet clutch shifting, the friction plates gradually degrade as their friction layer is worn off from physical and chemical processes. When the friction plates degrade, a torque transmission capability and a reaction of the wet clutch can be significantly reduced.
Currently, a remaining useful life of a clutch may be calculated in a static manner based on a number of shifts performed and/or a total time the clutch is used. As a result, the friction plates may be changed either too early, which results in unnecessary servicing of the wet clutch, or too late, which results in damage to the wet clutch.
At least one system is commercially available that is used for monitoring and prognostics of automatic transmission fluids for on-highway vehicles, known as Allison prognostics, supplied by Allison Transmission, Inc. While the details of the operation of Allison prognostics are not fully known, such a system does not appear to provide any information on a mean coefficient of friction for a clutch monitored by the system.
Therefore, the development of a monitoring and prognostics system for the friction plates is of paramount importance to achieve an optimal maintenance strategy for vehicles equipped with shifting wet clutch systems.
It would be advantageous to develop a monitoring and prognostics system used with a wet clutch system having friction plates that implements an optimal maintenance strategy based on information available from existing sensors used with the wet clutch system.

System and method to predict the remaining useful life of a clutch by coefficient of friction estimation


A exhaust valve for use in a cryogenic gas expansion system which uses a non-metallic valve seat and a metallic valve disk assembly which is moved into and out of contact with the valve seat to close and open the valve, respectively. The valve disk assembly has a valve disk element, a number of spring elements, and a ring element, all of which are integrally formed from a single metallic sheet. The valve disk element moves with a non-linear, snap action movement which movement is controlled by a cryogenic solenoid. When the disk element is moved out of seated contact with the valve seat and reaches a position just past the point at which the snap action has commenced, the movement is limited by a stop element so that the force, and hence the solenoid current, required to hold the valve open at that position is minimized.

Gas expansion systems have long been known and have found use for many years in cryogenic applications to achieve very low temperatures in spatial regions at or near the expansion volumes thereof. A particularly effective system for such purpose has been described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,862,694 issued to Crunkleton et al.
Exhaust valves in such cryogenic systems must operate at very low temperatures, e.g., at temperatures in a range from about 5.degree. K. to about 3.degree. K. At such cryogenic temperatures conventional valve structures often tend to provide unsatisfactory and unreliable operation over time. In addition, conventional cryogenic valve structures require complex mechanical operating means that provide heat leak paths to the low temperature region. For example, at such low temperatures, valves requiring metal-to-metal contact between valve elements tend to produce relatively rapid wear and galling of the metal parts thereof. It is desirable to provide an improved exhaust valve structure which operates more reliably at the low temperatures generated at the expansion volumes of a gas expansion system and which is compatible with a low loss cryogenic solenoid operator.

Exhaust valve for a gas expansion system


Methods and apparatus may provide for multiple input voltage regulation in which a current supplied to an output node divides among voltage regulators according to their respective input voltages when the difference in input voltages falls within a voltage range. When the difference in input voltages falls outside of the voltage range, then the current to the output node is supplied substantially through the voltage regulator with the highest input voltage. In some implementations, the voltage range may be determined, at least in part, by a transistor gate-to-source threshold voltage characteristic. In one example, a dual input voltage regulator system in a combination smart card supplies current from contact and/or contactless (e.g., inductively coupled) power sources based on a relative voltage between the respective input voltages.

Electronic systems that may use digital and/or analog circuits, such as microprocessors, for example, generally operate when supplied with a supply voltage. Many electronic systems are designed to operate from supply voltages that are regulated to provide a voltage that is within a range of voltage suitable for the circuitry.
Voltage regulators may generally include devices that have an input coupled to a power source and an output coupled to a load. In operation, a voltage regulator may draw energy from the power source and deliver energy to the load at a regulated voltage. Generally, the voltages of the power source and the load may be substantially independent of each other, an the voltage may be substantially different. In normal operation, the voltage regulator operates to supply current to the load at a voltage within an operating range of a nominal voltage. Some voltage regulators may be specified to regulate the voltage supplied to the load to within a tolerance of, for example, 1%, 5%, or 10% of the nominal voltage.
The nominal voltage that the regulator supplies to the load may depend on the type of load being supplied. In some digital systems, a voltage regulator may supply a nominal voltage of, for example, 3.3 Volts or 5 Volts. In some analog systems, a voltage regulator may supply a nominal voltage of, for example, −5 Volts, 2.5 Volts, 5 Volts, or 12 Volts. Many other tolerances and/or nominal voltages are possible.
Voltage regulators may be of various designs. For example, some switched mode dc-to-dc converters may produce a regulated output voltage by rapidly storing and releasing energy into and out of an energy storage element (e.g., inductor, capacitor). Examples of some switched-mode voltage regulator topologies include charge pumps, boost, buck, buck-boost, flyback, SEPIC, Cuk, and forward converters. Another type of voltage regulator is a linear regulator. Examples of linear regulators may include series pass and shunt regulators.


A transfer assembly (22) for moving a work-piece (26) between stations of a hydroforming and/or hydrotrimming assembly. The transfer assembly (22) includes left and right posts (40, 42) spaced from and parallel to each other and extending vertically. A left top arm (56) and a left bottom arm (58) and a right top arm (62) and a right bottom arm (64) extend in spaced and parallel relationship with each other transversely to the posts (40, 42) to distal ends (60, 84). An upper rail (80) extends between the distal ends (60) of the top arms (56, 62) and a lower rail (82) extends between the distal ends (60) of the bottom arms (58, 64). The rails (80, 82) each include a plurality of part grabbers (86, 88) for engaging the work-piece (26). A transfer module interconnects each arm with the associated post for moving the arms (56, 58, 62, 64) vertically up and down and for moving the arms (56, 58, 62, 64) in and out. A rail transfer module (74) interconnects each arm with the associated rail for moving the rails (80, 82) side-to-side.

1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention relates to a high speed vertical part transfer assembly for moving parts in a hydroforming assembly or a part trimming assembly.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Hydroforming generally is the use of fluid pressure to expand a blank, or a work-piece, to comply with the shape of the cavity of a die. Hydrotrimming is the process of cutting and trimming parts through the use of a hydraulic fluid. Hydroforming or hydrotrimming machines generally include a die having a cavity defining a negative mold of a final part. A work-piece is placed in the cavity of the die, and a high pressure hydraulic fluid is injected into the work-piece to cause the work-piece to conform to the shape of the negative mold.
The dies of the hydroforming and hydrotrimming assemblies of the prior art are laid horizontally with two halves moveable relative to each other parallel to a vertical-axis. A common problem with such hydroforming assemblies is that fluid and other residue is left in the final part following the hydroforming process. Similarly, the scrap material cut away from the work-piece during a hydrotrimming process must manually be removed from the die and away from the work-piece.
Other manufacturing processes, e.g. stamping, often sequentially shape a work-piece through a series of stations to form a part having a complex shape. A part transfer assembly is then required to bring the work-piece to the first station, transfer the work-piece between the stations, and remove the work-piece from the final station. An example of such a transfer assembly is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,017,383, issued on Mar. 28, 2006 to Luciano Trindade de Sousa Monteiro (hereinafter referred to as "Trindade '383"). The Trindade '383 patent discloses a transfer system including a pair of rails extending in spaced and parallel relationship with each other and parallel to a horizontal-axis. A plurality of horizontally spaced part grabbers is disposed on each of the rails for engaging a work-piece. A plurality of transfer modules engages each of the rails for moving the rails side-to-side parallel to the horizontal-axis for moving the rails vertically up and down parallel to a vertical-axis.