An operating device for use with a fireplace damper having a depending actuating lever within the firebox area. The operating mechanism extends through the front wall of the fireplace and operatively engaging the damper lever. The mechanism comprises a three section actuating rod which extends through the fireplace wall. A bracket on one end of the rod operatively engages the damper lever. A decorative handle or knob is mounted on the other end of the rod for gripping and for moving said rod inwardly to close the damper and pulling said rod outwardly to open the damper.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fireplace dampers and more particularly to an operating mechanism or device for fireplace dampers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Fireplace dampers conventionally include an operating lever or arm which depends from the damper within the firebox area of the fireplace. The damper is conventionally closed by moving the arm towards the rear or back firewall of the fireplace, and opened by pulling the damper arm forward towards the fireplace access opening. The damper arms are ordinarily positioned in the upper portion of the fireplace and to one side, and in many installations access to the arm is difficult, requiring the user to bend down and reach into and upwardly in the fireplace. This results in an attendant problem of soot and debris falling on the user, and the possibility that the user will brush a sooty area with his arm or clothing.

Operating mechanism for fireplace damper


A flow-through particulate incineration system is coupled to an aerodynamically regenerated diesel engine exhaust gas particulate (soot, condensed polynuclear aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons, and ash) trap. An incineration chamber is provided downstream of the particulates dislodged from the particulate trap during regeneration thereof by a pulse of compressed air. During regeneration, a valve between the particulate trap and the incineration chamber opens to allows the air and entrained particles to pass into the incineration chamber. A secondary filter is mounted within the incineration chamber to allow passage of the regeneration air therethrough, but prevent passage of the particulates, whereby the particulates are retained in the incineration chamber. A heater in the incineration chamber is periodically activated to burn the particulates collected in the trap. The oxidation products may be exhausted to ambient or may be returned to the engine intake in an exhaust gas recirculation system.

The pollution produced by the exhaust from internal combustion engines is increasingly of concern. These pollutants include hydrocarbon, carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxide (NO.sub.x), and particulate emissions. The type and amount of emissions depend, among other things, on the type of engine and fuel system and on operating conditions. For example, diesel engines produce relatively low amounts of CO, but produce significant amounts of particulate matter in the form of soot, that is comprised of carbon, ash, that is comprised of inorganics, and polynuclear aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), that are condensed about the carbon nuclei of the soot. 1994 U.S. particulate emissions standards require that diesel engines emit particulates of no more than 0.1 g/BHP/hr. NO.sub.x emissions are also a significant problem for diesel engines.
Porous ceramic and other filters have been used to capture unwanted particulate matter in the form of soot, ash, and PAHs condensed about the carbon nuclei of the soot, which are entrained in the emission stream of diesel engines. The soot is "sticky" and adheres quite readily to the walls defining the pores of the ceramic and other filters. However, after prolonged filtration, the soot so accumulates in the filters as to obstruct the pores. An obstructed filter induces a back pressure in the exhaust line which can affect engine operation and reduce the effective throughput of the filters, necessitating the cleaning or replacement of the filters.
Thermal regeneration to remove the accumulated soot from the filters is known, such as by embedding resistive filaments in the ceramic matrix that oxidize the accumulated soot when energized. However, because hot spots tend to be formed thereby that cause thermal failures in the ceramic, not only is care required to prevent degradation of the filter matrix in the locale of the hot spots, but also degraded filters must be periodically monitored to ensure that they comply with the clean air emission standards. Fine ceramic particles can also be eroded and travel downstream, where they can cause damage to the exhaust system piping or to the engine. Further, the PAHs entrained in the diesel exhaust condense at and around 200.degree. to 400.degree. C. Filters which employ thermal regeneration techniques are generally located at the diesel exhaust manifold close to the engine and typically operate at temperatures well above the boiling point of the PAHs, which makes them generally unsuited to unburned PAH emission control or use in a recirculation line. Moreover, thermally regenerated filters are prone to failure by melting and cracking of the ceramic matrix during the high-temperature regeneration periods.
An alternative to thermal regeneration of the soot filters is aerodynamic regeneration using pulses of compressed air flowing through the trap in a direction opposite to the exhaust. In the aerodynamically regenerated traps, the filter encounters relatively low temperatures, in the range of 200.degree. C. to 300.degree. C., since these traps can be placed at any location in the exhaust pipe, even far from the engine. Moreover, the intermittent pulsing of the regeneration compressed air further cools the filter. An example of an aerodynamically regenerated trap is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,335, entitled "Apparatus and Method for Treating an Exhaust Gas From a Diesel Engine." In U.S. Pat. No. 5,013,340, entitled "Rotating Diesel Particulate Trap", incorporated herein by reference, particulates are continuously removed by rotating a particulate trap such that, while one sector thereof is exposed to diesel exhaust flowing in one direction, another sector thereof is exposed to a counter flowing stream of high-velocity (high-mass) air provided either by a fan or a compressed air tank.
Early aerodynamically regenerated traps channeled the regeneration air to baghouses, where the soot was retained in fiber bags. The bags were cleaned or replaced as needed. The traps functioned effectively in this configuration, since the large filtration area of the fiber bags offered minimal resistance or back pressure to the flow of the regeneration air through the ceramic filter. However, periodically, the bags must be collected and removed, creating a disposal problem. Thus, particulate trap systems were developed incorporating incinerator sections which burned the particulates in a separate chamber, away from the ceramic filter. By burning the particulates away from the ceramic filter, the filter does not experience elevated temperatures and thermal failures are avoided.
A known incineration system uses a dead-flow cylinder positioned directly below the ceramic filter. A heating element is located at the bottom of the cylinder. If the volume of the dead-flow cylinder is sufficiently large, the momentum of the regeneration air is dissipated in the cylinder and the soot eventually settles on the heater. If the volume of the dead-flow cylinder is small, however, the effectiveness of this system is reduced. The performance of this system is satisfactory if regeneration is performed off line, i.e., while the engine is stopped and no exhaust is flowing through the filter. If regeneration occurs on-line, the cleaning effectiveness of the filter deteriorates with time, probably caused by the re-entrainment of soot in the engine-exhaust stream and re-entry into the ceramic filter. Blocking the exit of the incineration chamber with a fibrous filter has not been found to improve this system, since the filter creates large back pressures, impedes the flow of the regeneration air, and quickly becomes plugged.
Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) is another known pollution control technique which has been successfully used to reduce NO.sub.x emissions in the exhaust stream from a diesel engine. With EGR, a portion of the exhaust is recirculated back into the engine. The exhaust gas replaces a portion of the combustion air in the engine, resulting in less oxygen available to enter into the reactions, and lowers the temperature at which combustion occurs. A lower concentration of NO.sub.x emissions in the exhaust gas stream results.

Flow-through particulate incineration system coupled to an aerodynamically regenerated particulate trap for diesel engine exhaust gas


A vehicle brake control device generates rear wheel braking torque by an electric motor by pressing a friction member against a rotating member rotating together with the rear wheel, reduces rear wheel braking torque by controlling the electric motor based on a target energization amount calculated from a slip state quantity of the rear wheel, and rapidly stops electric motor rotation motion based on an adjusted target energization amount calculated from the target energization amount and a slip state quantity of a front wheel.

In Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. Hei 09-254764, it is disclosed that, in anti-skid control (hereinafter also referred to as "ABS control") for individually adjusting braking hydraulic pressures of wheels laterally opposite to each other, for the purpose of preventing both the right and left wheels from simultaneously falling into a deeply locked state, "an ABS control threshold value is set for each of the wheels laterally opposite to each other, and when the ABS control is started on only one of the right and left wheels, a target slip ratio of the other wheel is reduced". As an effect thereof, it is disclosed that "when control of the braking hydraulic pressure is started on one of the wheels, the control of the braking hydraulic pressure is started on the other wheel before a locking tendency set in advance as a control start condition is determined. In accordance with the start of the ABS control, one of the wheels may fall into a relatively deeply locked state, but both the wheels are prevented from simultaneously falling into a deeply locked state, which ensures traveling stability of the vehicle".
Further, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2002-225690, it is disclosed that, depending on a pedaled state of a brake pedal, an energization amount supplied to an actuator (electric motor) for generating a braking force is changed, and in a braking device for the vehicle for electrically conducting a braking operation, "an indicator current corresponding to a pedaled state of a brake pedal is calculated, a compensation current having a plus sign is added to the indicator current when the indicator current rises, a compensation current having a minus sign is added to the indicator current during a period from a time when the indicator current drops to a time when the indicator current shifts to a steady state, and the actuator for driving a brake is driven based on the indicator current to which the compensation current is added". As an effect thereof, it is disclosed that "It is possible to eliminate a delay in time of a braking torque ascribable to an inertia moment, an attenuation loss, and a friction loss of the actuator for driving the brake, and it is also possible to reduce an overshoot ascribable thereto".


A smoking inhibitor ring for placement on a cigarette to limit the length of available cigarette to smoke has concentric aluminum cylindrical, uniformly spaced apart inner and outer walls joined at each end by closures, the insulation space between the inner and outer walls being unfilled and the inner wall having an inner diameter substantially the same as a cigarette. A method of using the inhibitor ring includes placing one and then increasing numbers of the rings on a cigarette to gradually decrease the length of cigarette available to smoke.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention is concerned with an apparatus and method to assist people to effectively quit smoking. By using this method of the ring, it is a "step by step" method. The ring will be made of aluminum or available heat resistant material, i.e.; kevlar. The ring has two (2) lines, the distance between them is 1/2 or 1 millimeter. This space will be airless for reducing the heat from the cigarette to the surface sheath. This invention provides a means for gradually cutting down the amount of cigarette(s) available for the smoker to use at any one time, as well as weaning the smoker off of the addicting nicotine without inducing the usually encountered withdrawal symptoms such as restlessness, amnesia, lethargy, impaired concentration and judgement, diminished pulse rate, coughing, constipation, tiredness, nervousness, disorientation, irritability, anxiety, sleeplessness, and the craving to smoke as well. It is undisputed that nicotine is addictive, some studies indicate that 85% of those who smoke even one cigarette, are hooked on the habit of smoking. It is also beyond dispute that smoking is damaging to the health as well as being fatal in the long term for most smokers.
The gases and particles in smokers which enter the mouth at up to around 880 centigrade, comprise a concentrated aerosol with billions of tiny particles all less than 2 microns in diameter, with tar as well as nicotine. These gases include formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, acrolein, methanol, acetone, ketone, methyllethyl, ammonia, nitrogendioxide, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen sulfide. These are irritants to lung tissue, a cigarette consists of more than 4,000 chemical substances of which 43 of those are known to cause or promote cancer. Those who smoke have their lives cut shorter significantly by coronary heart disease and lung cancer, as compared to those who don't smoke. Damage to the body depends on the number of cigarettes smoked, number of inhalations in volume, duration and depth of inhalation puff interval, mechanical correlates of smoking such as butt weight and length of the cigarette. The most harmful substances are tar and nicotine, which are highly toxic. It increases the number of cancers of the larynx, pancreas, bladder, kidney, and cervix and also causes coronary heart disease. It increases still birth, neonatal death, prematurity, low birth weight, and fetal death.
Hospital admissions for bronchitis and pneumonia are twice as high for children whose parents smoke. They also have an increased risk of cancer later in life. Cigarette smoking and breast feeding are not compatible. Cigarette smoking may reduce milk production, decrease vitamin "C" content of the milk, and increase colicky pain and diarrhea in the baby.
Smoking is responsible for one death in four in the United States--about 400,000 lives per year, mostly from lung cancer and coronary heart disease. The cost in lives, money and suffering are enormous. Yet logically, smoking is the most preventable cause of death in our society, one must only stop smoking.
If a smoker stops smoking after 10 to 15 years, the risk of lung cancer approaches that of those who never smoked, but the risk of coronary heart disease decreases after one year.
2. Prior Art
Since the 16th century, humans knew that smoking has had ill effects. But not until 1859, was the first scientific proof presented. In 1936, people became more aware of the health hazards of smoking, the use of filters expanded in attempts to remove some of the tar and other pollutants. Studies showed, however that filtered cigarettes could actually be more harmful to a smoker's health than non filters.
The research showed that filter tipped cigarettes have a higher rate of heart stroke than nonfiltered cigarettes. Most significantly various filters and holders don't solve the problem of the smoking and the addiction to nicotine. Studies show that in 1991, children, especially girls are starting to smoke at an early age, more than 3,000 teenagers become regular smokers each day in the United States. The present invention as will be seen, weans the addicted smoker from smoking by mechanically and progressively eliminating the useful amount of each smoking unit, i.e. cigarettes or cigars available for use by the addicted victim. There are no known similar approaches to eliminating the use of smoking tobacco. There are many methods for quitting cigarettes, such as psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, hypnotism, acupuncture, cigarette holders, oral local anesthetics, nicotine gum. All have been used, all with varying degrees of success. The most popular kind is nicorette gum (nicotine gum). It also has it's problems, such as it can only be obtained with a physician's prescription. Each box of Nicorette has 96 chewing pieces, smokers have to take between 10-30 pieces a day for one to three months.
During the course of treatment, smokers have to visit their doctor several times. It is very expensive system to quit this way, also it's not convenient. The nicotine gum also has an unpleasant taste. This therapy shouldn't be used in patients who have active ulcers, temporomindibuler joint disease, cardiac arrhythmias, angina, or by pregnant or lactating women. The most common problem, is the continuation of smoking while using this type of treatment. Each tablet has 2 mg. of nicotine, which 90% of nicotine releases in 2 minutes after using. The nicotine goes to the brain within seven seconds and the gum doesn't reduce the desire for nicotine. Nicotine at first stimulates the brain, then it paralyzes the skeletal muscles as well as the central nervous system. The nicotine may cause: insomnia, excess salivation, dizziness, headache, irritability, eructation, indigestion, nausea, vomiting, and hiccups.
A popular product is called "Habitrol" transdermal patch. The Habitrol patch is the same as Nicorette, but contains more nicotine and supplies the nicotine to the blood stream continuously. This product requires a doctor's prescription to obtain. The side effect of Habitrol is the same as Nicorette, plus local application site reactions, more than 35% erythema, pruritus, and burning. It is a very expensive and lengthy method.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,455,101, a mechanical clock operated cigarette container which permits the removal of a cigarette at predetermined time intervals is disclosed as a means of eliminating smoking. A problem that exists in this type of invention is that a smoker doesn't have time regulation. For example, a smoker might not smoke for hours or sometimes it's possible that they could smoke more cigarettes per hour than what is permitted. Many variables can determine or affect a smoker's desire to smoke, such as: personal mood, place, the time of day, food or drink, and also the addiction to nicotine which a smoker usually can't or has difficulty resisting. These variables all make time interval control difficult.

Method and apparatus for elimination of smoking


In one aspect of the disclosure, an intramedullary (IM) apparatus for treating a fractured bone of an animal includes an IM nail elongated along a longitudinal axis and having at least three locking holes equally distantly defined thereon along the longitudinal axis, and a positional reference member having a longitudinal vernier scale thereon. The IM nail is configured to be inserted to a medullary cavity of a bone fragment, such that the IM nail is fixable to the bone fragment by a locking member correspondingly inserted into one of the locking holes through the bone fragment. The positional reference member is configured to be detachably mounted to the IM nail by two positioning members inserted into two of the locking holes such that the longitudinal vernier scale is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the IM nail, and each of the locking holes is locatable by the longitudinal vernier scale.

An intramedullary (IM) nail, also known as an IM rod or inter-locking nail, is a long rigid rod used to treat fractures of bones of the body. When bone fracture occurs, an IM nail may be inserted (in some occasions forced) into the medullary cavity of the fractured bone to fix and maintain relative positional stability of the fractured bone parts. IM nails are particularly useful in treating fractures of long bones of the body.
A long bone has two joint ends connected to the joints. In a typical simple bone fracture case where a long bone is fractured into two bone fragments, each bone fragment would have a fractured end corresponding to each other, and at least one of the bone fragment is deviated from its original position due to the fracture in most cases. Thus, an IM nail may be inserted into the medullary cavity of the fractured long bone to fix the two bone fragments. Specifically, to place the IM nail into the medullary cavity of the fractured bone, the IM nail is inserted to the medullary cavity of one bone fragment from the fractured end. Then, the bone fragment can be forced back to its original position corresponding to the other bone fragment, and the IM nail can be pushed toward the medullary cavity of the other bone fragment such that the IM nail is located to be disposed between the fractured ends of the two bone fragments. Thus, the bone fragments can be fixed to the IM nail by a plurality of locking members, such as screws or pins. In a typical comminuted bone fracture case where a long bone is fractured into many (generally three or more) bone fragments, the IM nail may be fixed to the two bone fragments at the end of the comminuted long bone, and then the other bone fragments between these two bone fragments at the end may be disposed and fixed on the IM nail.
Generally, the IM nail may have a plurality of locking holes, such as screw holes and pin holes, such that the locking member (for example, a screw or a pin) may be used to lock the bone fragment to the IM nail. Fixing of the bone fragment to the IM nail may be done by drilling a hole on the bone fragment corresponding to the position of one of the locking holes of the IM nail such that the locking member may be inserted to the locking hole through the hole on the bone fragment. However, the fixing is generally difficult because the locking holes of the IM nail are hidden in the medullary cavity of the bone fragment and are difficult to locate.
Further, the length of the IM nail must be longer than the length of the bone fragment such that there will be an exposed part of the IM nail for the doctor to hold and locate the position of the IM nail within the medullary cavity of the bone fragment. Thus, to enable the bone fragment to be forced back to its original position, the IM nail must be forced to pass through the joint end of the bone fragment such that, when the bone fragment to be forced back to its original position corresponding to the other bone fragment, the doctor may push the exposed IM nail part from the joint end toward the medullary cavity of the other bone fragment. In this way, the pass-through of the IM nail may be destructive to the joint.
Therefore, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the art to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.

Intramedullary apparatus and methods of treating bone fracture using the same


A process for preparing high strength, high modulus aromatic polyamide filaments by extruding an acid solution containing at least 30 g. per 100 acid of an aromatic polyamide having an inherent viscosity of at least 4 and chain extending bonds which are either coaxial or parallel and oppositely directed through a layer of inert noncoagulating fluid into a coagulating bath and then through a spin tube along with overflowing coagulating liquid is improved by jetting additional coagulating liquid symmetrically about the filaments in a downward direction forming an angle .theta. or 0.degree. to 85.degree. with respect to the filaments within 2.0 milliseconds from the time the filaments enter the spin tube, the flow rates of both the jetted and overflowing coagulating liquid being maintained at a constant rate such that their momentum ratio .phi. is from 0.5 to 6.0 and the mass flow rate of total coagulating liquid is from 70 to 200 times the mass flow rate of the filaments.

A process for preparing high strength, high modulus aromatic polyamide filaments is known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,767,756 whereby highly anisotropic acid solutions of aromatic polyamides whose chain extending bonds are either coaxial or parallel and oppositely directed are extruded through a spinneret into a layer of inert noncoagulating fluid into a coagulating bath and then along with overflowing coagulant through a vertical spin tube aligned with the spinneret. Improved results are obtained if the entrance of the spin tube is provided with a deflecting ring as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,078,034.
This process provides high strength, high modulus filaments of aromatic polyamides such as poly(p-phenylene terephthalamide) which are useful in the construction of vehicle tires, industrial belts, ropes, cables, ballistic vests, protective clothing and other uses.
Efforts to increase spinning speeds beyond about 500 yards per minute cause a reduction in fiber strength, particularly when the denier of the yarn spun is of the order of 1500 denier or more.
This invention provides an improvement over the spinning processes of U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,767,756 and 4,078,034 whereby the tenacity of the resulting filaments and yarn is increased, usually by a desirably significant amount of at least 1 g./denier (0.88 dN/tex) at a given spinning speed greater than 250 m/min. The yarns produced also have an incremently improved retention of tenacity both when aged at high temperature and when converted to plied cords. In general, the magnitude of the improvements increases with the speed at which the extruded yarn is withdrawn from the spin tube.


The present disclosure provides a semiconductor structure and a method for manufacturing the semiconductor structure. The semiconductor structure includes a semiconductor substrate, a dielectric layer, a barrier layer, and a conductive layer. The semiconductor substrate has a plurality of mesas. The dielectric layer is disposed over the semiconductor substrate and has a plurality of blocks disposed over the mesas, respectively. The barrier layer is formed over a first lateral surface of the mesa, a second lateral surface of the block, an upper surface of the semiconductor substrate adjacent to the first lateral surface, and a front surface of the dielectric layer adjacent to the second lateral surface. The conductive layer has a base and a plurality of protrusions extending from the base and in contact with the barrier layer disposed over the upper surface, the first lateral surface, and the second lateral surface. A grain size of the base and the protrusions is consistent.

Dynamic random access memory (DRAM) circuits are used extensively in the electronics industry for storing data. Each memory cell consists of a single capacitor and a field effect transistor as a charge transfer transistor.
Currently, the contact plug of the DRAM is formed by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) followed by physical vapor deposition (PVD). Such a two-step process is necessary because severe surface roughness on the upper surface of a conductive surface formed by CVD is difficult to directly pattern using photolithography and etching processes.
However, the two-step process for forming the conductive layer is complicated and expensive, and the grain sizes of the conductive layers formed by PVD and the CVD are different. As a result, the interface between the conductive layers formed by CVD and PVD can easily incur a necking connection and cause high resistance or pattern toppling in the subsequent processes, such as lithography and etching processes.
This Discussion of the Background section is provided for background information only. The statements in this Discussion of the Background are not an admission that the subject matter disclosed in this section constitutes prior art to the present disclosure, and no part of this Discussion of the Background section may be used as an admission that any part of this application, including this Discussion of the Background section, constitutes prior art to the present disclosure.

Semiconductor structure and manufacturing method thereof


A skin antiseptic and hand disinfectant composition is disclosed. The composition comprises a glycerol monoalkyl ether is a glycerol 1-C.sub.5 -C.sub.12 alkyl ether and an aliphatic C.sub.1 -C.sub.6 alkyl alcohol.

Parts of the skin and mucous membranes have long been treated antiseptically prior to surgical intervention, injections or punctures and prior to examinations of body cavities accessible from the outside. Moreover, it is necessary also for those persons who carry out the above treatments and examinations to disinfect their hands before the treatment or examination commences.
For such purposes known compositions with antiseptic action are highly volatile alcohols. However, high alcohol concentrations must be present for effectiveness within a very short contact time (within seconds to a few minutes). The alcohol content is generally more than 50, mostly about 60 to 80% by wt. The alcohols are frequently aliphatic alcohols such as ethanol, 1-propanol and 2-propanol.
In addition to alcohols, hand disinfectants frequently contain other substances such as long-acting active cationic compounds with an antimicrobial action, and skin care components in order to prevent severe drying of the skin. In the case of skin antiseptics containing lipid restorers, the alcohol content must often be higher than in preparations without lipid restoring agents, since said compounds often impair the antiseptic effectiveness of the alcohols or other microbial active ingredients present.
In spite of the lipid restoring skin care components, and given the necessarily frequent use of said preparations, irritation of the skin treated therewith occurs to an increased extent at colder times of the year.
Apart from alcoholic skin antiseptics and hand disinfectants, antimicrobial and disinfectant aqueous emulsions are also known which contain a glycerol monoalkyl ether., e.g. 3-alkoxypropan-1,2-diol (known for example from U.S. Pat. No. DE 649 206). The antimicrobial effectiveness of glycerol ethers (e.g. also known from JP 76-76424) when used alone has proved to be relatively poor in practice, however, so that their use as an active ingredient in skin antiseptics containing substantial quantities of water is completely inadequate without other additives also having an antimicrobial action.
It is an object of the invention to provide a particularly skin-compatible skin antiseptic and hand disinfectant that 1) has a lasting lipid-restoring effect and hence cares for the skin; 2) and yet is a quick-acting antiseptic which capacity and ease of application is not impaired by skin care components and 3) gives a pleasant feel to the skin.


A shutter apparatus and method of assembling same. The apparatus comprises a pair of elongated, outer support members and a plurality of center component sections which slidably engage channel portions of each of the outer support members. One or more spacer panels are included as well as one or more end members. The shutter apparatus is assembled by ultrasonically welding portions of the outer support members to side portions of each of the center components and the spacer panel, and to securing portions of the end members. By ultrasonically welding the various components of the shutter apparatus together rather than assembling same though the conventional use of staples and other like external fastening elements, the cost of assembly is reduced and the ability to re-use scrap component parts is made significantly easier and less costly.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates to decorative shutters for buildings such as commercial and residential dwellings, and more particularly to a component shutter apparatus which is secured together by ultrasonic welding techniques.
2. Discussion
Decorative shutters are used in a wide-variety of applications to provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance to buildings such as commercial and residential dwellings. Such shutters are typically placed on both sides of a window or a group of windows. Until recently, such shutters were typically made from wood, which necessitated periodic scrapping, priming and painting to maintain the attractive appearance of such shutters.
More recently, such shutters have been formed from a combination of injection molded component parts molded from high-strength plastics. Such component shutters have usually incorporated a pair of elongated side members and one or more louvers, spacers, and/or solid panels positioned between the side members. The various louvers, spacer panels, and/or solid panels have typically been secured to the side members via staples or some other form of mechanical, external fastening element. As will be appreciated, the use of external fastening elements to secure the various component parts of a component shutter assembly rigidly together introduces added costs due to the external fastening elements themselves, as well as frequently increasing the overall cost of manufacturing. Furthermore, if during assembly of the component shutter a mistake is made, the component parts involved cannot simply be discarded into a scrap bin for re-use due to the presence of the staples or other like metal fastening elements. Such elements must be removed from the scrap pieces before the scrap pieces may be re-used and molded into new component parts. This step alone introduces significant added manual labor to make sure that the staples or other like fastening members are removed from scrap materials before the scrap materials are further re-processed through typical molding techniques into new component shutter pieces.
It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide a component shutter apparatus which may be assembled quickly and easily without the use of external fastening elements such as staples, threaded screws or the like. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a component shutter apparatus and method of assembling same in which the individual component parts of the shutter apparatus are secured together solely by ultrasonic welding. In this manner, the need for any external fastening elements such as staples, threaded screws or the like is eliminated. Such a component shutter apparatus would also significantly ease the manner in which scrap individual component parts may be re-used since the manual step of removing the staples or other like external fastening elements prior to reusing the scrap component parts would be eliminated.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a component shutter apparatus and method of assembling same in which the various component parts may be quickly and easily assembled by the use of a conventional ultrasonic welder to allow the assembly operation to be carried out by relatively unskilled workers.


An electrolytic process for producing lead and tin sulfonates which comprises applying a DC voltage to an anode and a plurality of cathodes in an electrolytic cell and thereby dissolving lead or tin in an electrolytic solution. The electrolytic cell is partitioned by cation- and anion-exchange membranes into anode and cathode chambers. The electrolytic solution is a solution of an organic sulfonic acid, and the anode is lead or tin. The process reduces contents of radioisotopes such as uranium and thorium to a level of less than 50 ppb, and therefore the coatings formed by solder plating using the lead and tin salts in accordance with the invention show radioactive .alpha. particle counts of less than 0.1 CPH/cm.sup.2.

This invention relates to an electrolytic process for producing lead and tin sulfonates for use in solder plating to form coatings with smaller counts of radioactive .alpha. particles than heretofore; plating baths containing those lead and tin salts having a reduced content of radioactive isotope impurities such as uranium and thorium; and electrodeposits formed by solder plating whose radioactive .alpha. particle counts are less than 0.1 CPH/cm.sup.2.
A new aspect of the highly developed electronic industry today is the use of tinning or solder plating in precoating electronic components to enhance their solderability. Formerly borofluoride baths were used for solder plating. They have largely been supplanted by less toxic baths of organic sulfonates as an antipollution measure. Fluorine, one of the elements constituting borofluoric acid for the former baths, is highly toxic and involves difficulties in the wastewater disposal. Many reports have thus far been made on the plating techniques using those organic sulfonates and also about the additives for them.
The organic lead and tin sulfonates to be employed in solder plating solutions are usually prepared by heating and dissolving the oxide, hydroxide, or carbonate of such a metal in an organic sulfonic acid. The oxides, hydroxides, and carbonates of those metals contain much uranium (U) and thorium (Th), both of which are alpha-ray sources. Thus the greatest disadvantage of the ordinary chemical dissolving process stems from the contamination of the lead and tin sulfonates with the impurities; the electrodeposits formed by solder plating with those salts produce .alpha. rays abundantly enough to invite soft errors of memory devices.
We have already filed a patent application (Kokoku No. 4624/1991) for an electrolytic process for producing organic lead and tin sulfonates, etc. using anion-exchange membranes, with 99.99%-pure metallic lead and tin as anodes. Metallic lead and tin as such contain uranium and thorium, both .alpha.-ray sources. Therefore, although the patent process gives solder plating electrodeposits of somewhat smaller counts of radio-active .alpha. particles than the conventional chemical dissolving method, a further improvement in the process is required for greater reliability of memory devices.
In view of these, the present invention aims at providing an electrolytic process for producing organic lead and tin sulfonates with reduced counts of radioactive .alpha. particles through removal of the radioactive isotopes, such as uranium and thorium, inevitably contained as impurities in lead and tin that are chief components of the coatings formed by solder plating, in order to realize solder plating with fewer occurrences of semiconductor memory errors than heretofore.

Electrolytic process for producing lead sulfonate and tin sulfonate for solder plating use


This disclosure describes a clamp system comprised of: (i) a first jaw having two matching notched edges and a first cylindrical opening; (ii) a second jaw having two matching curved edges and a second cylindrical opening, wherein the second jaw and the first jaw are not the same length or width; (iii) at least one pivot pin; (iv) a long fastening element, preferably a long socket cap screw; (v) a plurality of short fastening elements, preferably short socket cap screws; (vi) a primary affixing element, preferably a threaded stud; (vii) optionally, a secondary affixing element, preferably a flanged nut; (viii) a plurality of washers and/or (ix) a plurality of retaining rings, (x) optionally, a rubber coating or covering on the first jaw and the second jaw; and, in one embodiment, both (xi) a compound swivel; and, (xii) a compound knuckle.

Vehicles with roll bars frequently require the attachment of accessories, objects, or removable components for safe or convenient operation. "Roll bar" means a bar or bars extending around a vehicle in any direction. Roll bars can be part of a roll cage and are often found in motor sport vehicles for the purpose of strengthening the vehicle's frame, and protecting occupants from injury during collision or vehicle overturn. "Vehicle" means any instrument or means of travel or transportation, including but not limited to: helicopters, drones, remotely operated vehicles, automobiles, all-terrain vehicles (ATV), neighborhood electric vehicles (NEV), tractors, motorboats, boats, naval vehicles, motorcycles, golf carts, Go Karts, buggies, carriages, trailers, dollys, bicycles, and the like.
Accessories which attach to vehicles can include lamps or light fixtures, weapons or firearms, cameras, surveying equipment, mirrors, signs, flags, or other similar objects. Examples of the attachment of such accessories are illustrated in the following patents or published applications:
Sacknoff U.S. Pat. No. 4,818,088 (system for mounting a side mirror onto a vehicle), Morford U.S. Pat. No. 5,350,094 (system for mounting firearms onto a vehicle), McHugh U.S. Pat. No. 5,450,296 (system for mounting lamps onto a rotatable rod), Walker U.S. Pat. No. 6,179,180 (system for carrying cylindrical articles on a recreational vehicle), Woods United States Patent Application No. 20120180643 (system for mounting weapons onto a vehicle), Miller U.S. Pat. No. 8,905,282 (system for mounting a weapon onto a vehicle), Jordan U.S. Pat. No. 9,050,936 (system for mounting accessories onto a boat tower or tow pylon), Jaramillo World Intellectual Property Organization Patent No. 2015033188 (system for mounting a high caliber firearm onto an air, naval, or land vehicle), and Rauschert U.S. Pat. No. 9,475,432 (system for mounting accessories onto a vehicle door hinge).
The average person wishing to attach an accessory to their vehicle may struggle to identify compatible hardware for attachment, or may struggle to successfully, safely, and appropriately attach their accessory. Certain accessories require specific skills, knowledge, or equipment for attachment or subsequent removal. Hiring a third-party for attachment or removal can be prohibitively expensive and outweigh the value of the accessory. When attached correctly, some accessory mount assemblies are inherently unstable and are prone to vibrate, break, detach, or otherwise fail during vehicle operation. Stability and durability are especially essential for the attachment of accessories to vehicles which travel over uneven terrain or through unimproved environments.
It is also desirable to attach objects or accessories to structural or engineered frameworks such as trusses, canopies, and the like. "Frameworks" means any supporting structure on a building, vehicle, furniture, or object. Consider individuals utilizing space at concerts, festivals, convention centers, flea markets, or church gatherings, who desire to attach signs, light fixtures, flags, merchandise, electrical equipment, lawncare equipment, fire extinguishers, first aid kits, speakers, radios, cup holders, or other objects to their tables, chairs, tents, cables, fencing, decorative or supportive architectural building detail, and the like. Rods, posts, poles, beams, rails, and struts are made of varying materials and exist in varying sizes and shapes; although, generally in cylindrical or rectangular designs. It can be difficult for the average person to identify the most suitable device, material, or assembly to affix objects to any of the aforementioned structures; this is especially true when the object exceeds one pound or may be subject to inclement weather conditions, abrasive chemicals, or extreme temperatures.
Accordingly, there is a need for an industrial-strength clamp system that is sturdy, durable, inexpensive, convenient to attach and to remove, adjustable, and designed to accommodate vehicle roll bars, frameworks, structures, accessories, and other objects of varying materials, sizes, and shapes.


When an output unit is capable of operation at a frame rate F and a resolution of x×y pixels, an imaging unit or an image input unit converts an image into an imaged frame in an internal data format having the frame rate F and a resolution of ix×jy pixels. An image converter converts the resolution of the imaged frame supplied from the imaging unit or the image input unit into a resolution that can be represented by the output unit, generating an output frame having x×y pixels. At this time, the image converter carries out predetermined resolution conversion based on a moving velocity of the image by blocks each having a predetermined size. Thus, such visual effect that an observer of the image of the output frame perceives the image at a resolution exceeding the actual resolution of the output frame is achieved.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to image processing methods and apparatuses and to programs. More specifically, the present invention relates to an image processing method and apparatus and a program with which the resolution of an image is converted in each block of a predetermined size based on an amount of movement before the image is output.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, digital video cameras often include imaging devices having a resolution higher than a resolution for recording moving images, mainly for the purpose of capturing high-definition still images. In such digital video cameras, when recording moving images, conversion from an imaging resolution to a recording resolution, i.e., reduction in resolution, is needed.
As methods for reducing resolution in solid-state imaging devices such as charge coupled device (CCD) imaging devices or complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) imaging devices, for example, a method of decimating imaging pixels for reading by controlling a driving method, and a method of summing signals of a plurality of pixels for reading, as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 11-331706 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-78919, are known.
It is known that CCD imaging devices or CMOS imaging devices allow imaging at a high frame rate when the devices are driven at a high speed.
As methods for allowing an observer of an image displayed on a display to perceive the image at a resolution exceeding an actual resolution of the image, according to a first method disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 6-18836, a plurality of liquid crystal display elements is used, and images are combined while optically shifting positions using half mirrors or the like. According to a second method disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 6-324320, what is called wobbling is performed, i.e., the optical axis of light coming from liquid crystal display elements is optically vibrated to shift pixel positions. Perception of an image by an observer at a resolution exceeding an actual resolution of the image displayed will hereinafter be referred to as a super-resolution effect.
However, conversion of resolution by decimation causes decrease in sampling rate and therefore causes aliasing, causing degradation in the quality of moving images. Furthermore, conversion of resolution by summing pixel signals limits resolution by output resolution.
As for the first method mentioned earlier, in order to achieve high resolution, a plurality of display elements, and optical elements for combining lights output from the plurality of display elements, are needed. Thus, cost of the apparatus is high, the structure is complex, and compact design is inhibited.
As for the second method mentioned earlier, in order to achieve high resolution, optical elements for optically shifting an optical axis is needed. This leads to increased cost due to the optical elements for wobbling, and requires a complex driving method.

Image processing method and apparatus setting spatial decimation to movement within image regions


An exercise frame for use by individuals with limited lower body muscle control utilizing a support frame having fore and aft ends a support member for receiving an extensible means attached to said fore end three upright support members attached to either side of said frame a seat frame work pivotally attached to said upright members, leg, hip, and chest pads attached to said fore end extensible means.

This invention relates to an exercising frame for use by paraplegics as a stable support to both raise the user to an upright standing position and to support the user while exercising in the standing position. The frame utilizes a high strength base supporting a manually operated hydraulic one piece seating platform, and manually adjustable leg, hip and chest pads.
Paraplegics and other individuals having limited lower trunk or leg control functions experience progressive atrophy to the lower body muscle groups. These individuals also suffer from bone decalcification, urinary calculi, decreased muscle tone, decreased range of motion, decreased bladder pressure, decreased orthostatic circulatory maintenance, depression and other psychological and physiological complications. It is known that standing has substantial physiological and psychological benefits for these individuals. These individuals have also benefited greatly from exercising while standing.
Standing frames and walkers have been developed which allow the user to both stand and conduct various activities while standing. HOUSTON, U.S. Pat. No. 4,809,804 discloses a combination wheelchair and walker apparatus, HOUSTON, U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,542 discloses a powered walker and THOLKES, U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,852 discloses a utility station with controlled seating. These devises, although useful for raising the user to the standing position are not suitable for the user who also exercises while standing. These devices experience frame flex between the seating platform and the front leg pads when the user conducts front to back bending. Additionally, these devices suffer stability problems when the user conducts side trunk bending. Individuals suffering from sever atrophy of the abdominal and back muscles must rely exclusively upon the structural integrity of the standing frame for support while exercising. Seating supports and front leg, hip, and chest supports must provide sufficient support to enable the user to confidently conduct trunk movements in all directions. Accordingly, there remains a need for an exercise frame which stands the user while also providing a frame with sufficient strength having minimal flex when the user conducts torso bending exercises and further remains stable while the user conducts these exercises.


A transmission apparatus for four-wheel drive includes a transfer mechanism for adjusting for the difference between rotating forces applied to front and rear wheels of a vehicle. A differential gear is coupled with a transmission, and the transfer mechanism is coupled with the differential gear. An annular oil sealing portion is provided on a shaft of the transfer mechanism to partition and separate the transfer mechanism from the differential gear.

A transfer mechanism is connected to a transmission of a vehicle and the difference between the rotating forces applied to the front and rear wheels is adjusted by the transfer mechanism.
For instance, a rear differential gear is connected to a rotational shaft of the transfer mechanism through a propeller shaft. The rotating force is transferred to the rear wheels by the rotational shaft.
The transfer mechanism has a transfer shaft having a gear on one end. Lubricating oil which is lifted up by the gear is supplied to a bearing portion of the rotational shaft. On the other hand, a final deceleration gear of the differential gear mechanism is in engagement with the other end of the transfer shaft, thereby transferring the driving force from the transmission to the transfer shaft.
A known transmission for 4-wheel drive is disclosed in JP-B-63-39450. According to a power unit for a vehicle disclosed in the above document, a subtransmission mechanism comprises: a subshaft whose both end portions are rotatably supported between a side wall of a clutch casing and a transmission casing and which is arranged in parallel with input and out shafts; an intermediate shaft whose both end portions are fitted and supported; a subinput gear which is rotatably fitted to the intermediate shaft; a suboutput gear which is fixed to the subshaft; a deceleration input gear which is integratedly formed on one side of the subinput gear; a deceleration output gear; and a synchronizing mechanism, wherein a subtransmission mechanism which can obtain a large deceleration ratio without changing the existing transmission and a vehicle body structure is additionally provided and assembling the subtransmission mechanism is easy.
Another known apparatus is disclosed in JP-B-1-16687. According to the 4-wheel driving apparatus disclosed in the above document, in a driving apparatus which realizes a common use of the parts for 4-wheel driving and 2-wheel driving by fixing a transfer casing to a clutch housing by bolts in at least a part of the transfer casing so as to face the edge surface which extends in the front and rear directions of the vehicle body in the side portion of the engine side of an enclosing portion of a front differential gear of the clutch housing, a large enough degree of freedom for a motive power transfer system is assured with respect to an arrangement of a mechanism to extract an output for driving the rear wheels while avoiding an interference with the engine.
In a conventional transmission for 4-wheel drive, as shown in FIG. 5, a transmission 102 has: a front side differential gear 104; a transfer mechanism 106; a transmission side input shaft 108 serving as an input shaft of a gear transfer system for inputting a driving force from an internal combustion engine (not shown); and a counter shaft (not shown) serving as an intermediate shaft for transferring the rotating force of the transmission side input shaft 108 to the differential gear 104.
The transmission 102 is coupled with the differential gear 104 for rotating the front wheels (not shown) via a drive shaft.
The transfer mechanism 106 which is coupled with the differential gear 104 has therein a transfer shaft 110. A bevel gear 112 is provided on one end of the transfer shaft 110 and a driven gear 114 is provided on the other end. Thus, the transfer mechanism 106 distributes the driving force of the internal combustion engine, which driving force is transferred from the transmission 102 through the driven gear 114 as engaged with a final deceleration gear 116 on the front side differential gear 104, and ultimately to a rotational shaft 118 through the bevel gear 112. The driving force which is output from the rotational shaft 1 18 is transferred to the rear wheels (not shown) via a propeller shaft (not shown) connected through a coupler 120, a rear side differential gear, and the like.
As will be obvious from FIG. 5, when a transmission casing 122, a clutch housing 124, and a transfer casing 126 are coupled together, an internal space portion of the transmission 102 is also coupled, thereby forming one internal space. Lubricating oil is supplied into this one internal space, thereby accomplishing lubrication in each portion.
However, when the transfer mechanism is lubricated by using an ATF (automatic transmission fluid or oil) of low viscosity, there are inconveniences such that the required quantity of the ATF is large, the quantity of the ATF changes remarkably, the temperature of the ATF easily rises, and an absence of lubricating oil occurs at the engaging portion of each gear such as a bevel gear or the like and in the bearing portion, so that a defective lubricating state is caused.
On the other hand, in a manual operating type transmission, when a lubricating oil of high viscosity is used, there are inconveniences in that the lubricating oil is attracted by the differential gear which is rotated in association with the rotation of the transmission, the lubrication of the transfer mechanism is not sufficiently executed, and the synchronizing mechanism of the transmission is lubricated by the high viscosity lubricating oil, so that the shift feeling is increasingly influenced such that it deteriorates.
To eliminate the above inconveniences, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a transmission for 4-wheel drive in which a final deceleration differential gear is coupled with the 4-wheel drive transmission, a transfer mechanism is coupled with the differential gear, and an oil sealing portion is formed on a shaft of the transfer mechanism to partition and separate the transfer mechanism from the differential gear. The inside of the transmission can thus be separately partitioned into two separate portions, so that lubricating oils of different viscosities are respectively supplied to those separate portions, and lubrication can be efficiently performed.
According to the invention, in a transmission for 4-wheel drive having a transfer mechanism for adjusting the difference between rotating forces applied to the front and rear vehicle wheels, a final deceleration differential gear is coupled with the transmission; a transfer mechanism is coupled with the differential gear; and an oil sealing portion is formed on a shaft of the transfer mechanism to partition and separate the transfer mechanism from the differential gear.


The invention relates to substantially surfactant free gel compositions comprising hydrophobic and hydrophilic benefit agents. Unexpectedly, the applicants have found these agents deposit with greater substantivity from such liquid gel compositions relative to surfactant-containing lotion.

Stable, surfactant-free liquid compositions are disclosed in, for example, U.S. application Ser. No. 11/748,943 to Patel et al. As indicated in that disclosure, use of structurants in the aqueous phase of these compositions allows preparation of stable compositions (emulsion will not separate when kept in storage at 400 for at least 2 weeks, preferably at least 50° for 3 months) without surfactant and requiring only modest levels (<14%, preferably 0.1-12%, preferably ≦10% by wt.) of hydrophobic oil/emollient (typically, higher oil levels help stabilization).
The absence of surfactant means there is no interaction between surfactant and hydrophobic phase, and permits preparation of relatively clear or transparent aqueous gels such as those disclosed in U.S. Ser. No. 11/748,943 to Patel.
Unexpectedly applicants have now found that use of the substantially surfactant free gel compositions also creates enhanced deposition of benefit agents when such agents are added to the gels.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Substantially surfactant free in-shower gel compositions comprising hydrophilic and hydrophobic benefit agents


A method, computer program product, and computing system for receiving a reservation for a LUN from Host A, wherein the LUN is defined within a data array. A lock for the LUN is defined as Host A. A write request is received for the LUN from Host B. The lock for the LUN is defined as Transitioning A to B. The write request is delayed for a defined period of time.

Storing and safeguarding electronic content is of paramount importance in modern business. Accordingly, various systems may be employed to protect such electronic content.
The use of high-availability data arrays is increasing in popularity, wherein each data array may be configured to serve a plurality of hosts (e.g., servers). Typically, data arrays are apportioned into a plurality of LUNs (i.e., logical drives) that are accessed by and/or assigned to hosts. Additionally, hosts may be configured in an active or a passive fashion, wherein a passive host is on standby mode ready to be called into duty in the event that the active host fails. Unfortunately, issues may arise concerning what host (the active host or the passive host) controls a particular LUN.

System and method for LUN control management


The present invention provides for an access door construction that is used with hot water tank assemblies that include an access opening in the inner tank and an access opening in the outer tank. The access door construction includes a first clamp that is interiorly located in the inner tank and is used to cover the first opening and a second clamp that is exteriorly located on the outer tank and is used to cover the second opening. A threaded rod is located between the first and second clamps to provide for the first and second clamps to be connect and to be a one piece structure. Centrally located on the first clamp is a circular groove while centrally located in the second clamp is a threaded through hole. The rod includes a handle at one end and a ball at its opposite end to provide for the ball to be located in the groove and for the opposite end extend through the hole. This design and configuration will permit for the ball end of the rod to rotate freely about groove and will enable the handle to move the second clamp towards or away from the outer tank. Once in place, the access door will provide for the first clamp to be securely fastened interiorly within the inner tank and the second clamp will be exteriorly secured to the outer tank.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention provides for an access door construction for a hot water tank assembly and more particularly to an access door construction that can be used with a hot water tank assembly having dual openings.
2. Description of Background Art
Through out the United States, efforts are being taken for those who wish to save money on the hot water bill. One simple solution is to periodically remove the sediment within a hot water tank assembly, thereby preventing an accumulation within the inner tank and a buildup on the heating elements located within the inner tank. Accordingly, efforts have been made to provide for a hot water heater assembly to have an access opening on the outer tank and an access opening on the inner tank to permit for an individual to remove sediment from inner tank.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,043,467 issued to Schwebel discloses a hot water tank assembly including a first opening within the inner tank with a first closure clamp that is attached by screws and a second opening within the outer tank with a second closure clamp that is attached by screws. This type of closure system requires an individual to remove or replace each screw independently when it is desired to remove or replace the closure clamp. This type of a closure system is very time consuming. Additionally, since several elements are unassembled (screws), there is a possibility and chance that the elements can be lost or rolled under the tank itself. Thereby rendering the door assembly to be useless. Further, Schwebel's closure clamp can still be opened even if water is located within the inner tank, which can prove to be extremely dangerous and harmful.
None of these previous efforts, however, provide the benefits intended with the present invention. Additionally, prior techniques do not suggest the present inventive combination of component elements as disclosed and claimed herein. The present invention achieves its intended purposes, objectives and advantages over the prior art device through a new, useful and unobvious combination of component elements, which is simple to use, with the utilization of a minimum number of functioning parts, at a reasonable cost to manufacture, assemble, test and by employing only readily available material.

Access door construction for a hot water tank assembly


A disk storage unit includes an electro-magnetic slider which has a contact detecting function. The unit includes a rotating recording disk, a slider body having a head for reading and writing information with respect to the recording disk, a suspension for supporting the slider body in such a manner that the slider body is opposed to the recording medium and flies above recording medium with a small gap therebetween owing to an air flow generated by a rotation of the recording disk. The suspension, on which the slider is mounted, has an electric resistance pattern formed on the suspension for detecting a strain generated on the resistance pattern when the slider body comes into contact with the disk recording medium.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a structure of a head used for a disk storage unit such as a magnetic disk storage unit, magneto-optical disk storage unit and optical disk storage unit. More particularly, the present invention relates to a head slider and a disk storage unit having a function of detecting that a head comes into contact with a disk recording medium, in which the head flies above a surface of a rotating disk recording medium with a minute distance so that information can be read from the disk recording medium and also information can be written to the disk recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
Magnetic disk storage units have been used as external storage units for information processors. Recently, there has been a demand for an increase in the recording density of the magnetic disk storage unit in accordance with an increase in the quantity of information to be recorded. When information is recorded in a magnetic disk storage unit at high density, it is indispensable to operate the magnetic disk storage unit in such a manner that a magnetic recording head rises a minute distance above a recording medium. Further, it is necessary that the magnetic recording head is made to slide on the recording medium under the condition that a very light load is given to the recording medium by the magnetic recording head.
In a magnetic recording head structure, as a load given to the recording medium by the magnetic recording head is very small and the size of the structure is reduced, there has been proposed a micro-contact type thin film magnetic recording head which is a thin film magnetic recording head assembling body in which a thin film magnetic recording head is combined with an elastic supporting member. In this micro-contact type thin film magnetic recording head, there are provided an electro-magnetic transducer having a medium contact surface formed by the thin film forming technique, and a long slender plate-shaped flexible supporting body having a signal lead pattern and supporting the electro-magnetic conversion element section.
This micro-contact type thin film magnetic recording head is very small, and it is difficult to make the medium contact surface of the electro-magnetic transducer come into contact with the recording medium surface in a good contacting and sliding condition. Accordingly, there is a tendency that the recording and regenerating characteristic of the thin film magnetic recording head is deteriorated. For the above reasons, there is a necessity for a micro-contact type thin film magnetic recording head which can be easily controlled in such a manner that the medium contact surface of the electro-magnetic transducer contacts with the recording medium surface in a good contacting and sliding condition.
A support mechanism for the conventional magnetic recording head includes: a slider on which the magnetic recording head is mounted; a suspension for holding the slider; a load beam for holding the suspension; and a spacer for holding the load beam. The load beam is composed of a rigid portion and an elastic portion. The elastic portion of the load beam is subjected to machining referred to as "R-bending" so that a load can be generated by the elastic portion in order to urge the slider against the recording medium. Due to the above arrangement, the slider can be urged against the recording medium with a predetermined force. When the recording medium (magnetic storage disk) is rotated in the recording and regenerating mode, the load given to the slider is counter-balanced by a rising force generated by an air flow on the slider surface. Therefore, the slider can rise above the recording medium while a minute or small gap is maintained between the slider and the recording medium.
When the recording density is increased in the conventional magnetic recording head structure described above, it is necessary to reduce the distance from the disk recording medium to the magnetic recording head slider to as small as possible. On the other hand, although the surface of the disk recording medium is smoothed by machining such as mirror surface machining, there are minute protrusions and irregularities. When the heights of these protrusions and irregularities exceed an allowable range, the magnetic recording head slider collides with the recording medium surface of the disk in the seeking operation.
In order to solve the above problems, the conventional magnetic recording head slider is provided with a detecting means for detecting contact between the magnetic recording head slider and the disk recording medium. For example, a piezo-electric element is attached onto a side of the magnetic recording head slider, and a shock caused in the contact of the magnetic recording head slider with the disk recording medium is detected by the piezo-electric element, so that the shock can be picked up in the form of an electric signal. When the contact of the magnetic recording head slider with the disk recording medium is detected in this way, an intense collision of the magnetic recording head with the disk recording medium can be avoided, and data recorded on the recording medium can be safely stored.
However, in accordance with the progress of the magnetic disk storage unit, the recording density of which is highly increased, the size of the magnetic recording head slider is reduced. Therefore, it becomes difficult to ensure a sufficiently large space to attach the piezo-electric element used for detecting contact between the magnetic recording head and the recording medium.
Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 6-80577 discloses the following technique. An AE (acoustic emission) sensor is attached to the magnetic recording head. When an elastic wave of strain energy generated in the contact of the magnetic recording head with the disk recording medium surface is emitted in the form of a sound (ultrasonic wave), the acoustic emission sensor detects this sound. However, the following problem may be encountered in this technique. The sensitivity of the acoustic emission sensor is very high and, therefore, a sound emitted in a case other than the collision of the magnetic recording head with the recording medium surface is detected in some cases. In other words, unlike a strain sensor, it is difficult to detect only a physical shock by this acoustic emission sensor.

Head slider and disk unit having contact detection means


The invention disclosed herein relates to an explosive capable of enhanced combustion efficiently capable of sustaining a high pressure over a period of time in a confined environment, such as an air tight room or a cave, where oxygen may be in limited supply. An embodiment of the present invention is a metal composite that combines a binder, a reactive metal and an oxidizer. In another embodiment, a plasticizer and a catalyst may be added. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a solid fuel-air explosive (SFAE) having an annular design is used. In a typical annular design, a cylindrical shell of SFAE surrounds the cylindrically shaped high explosive. The SFAE may be selected from the group consisting of reactive metal and metal composite. In addition, the metal composite is formed from at least one reactive metal, at least one binder and an oxidizer.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention disclosed herein relates to explosive formulations with improved combustion efficiency. More particularly, the explosive formulations of the invention are capable of maintaining a relatively high blast pressure in an oxygen poor environment, such as a tunnel or other confined spaces.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is a long history of studying blast explosives, reactive metals and associated metal combustion technologies. The success of the development of Solid Fuel-Air-Explosive (SFAE) has been demonstrated providing 30–40% increased internal blast over a conventional explosive. SFAE is a singular event with combined mixing and initiation of the reaction. In confined spaces, transition to full detonation is not required for enhanced blast, if the solid fuel is ignited early in the dispersion process. A series of reflective shock waves generated by the detonation mixes the hot detonation gases with metal particles and compresses the metal particles at the same time. These actions provide the chemical kinetic support to maintain a hot environment, causing more metal to ignite and burn. This late time metal combustion process produces a significant pressure rise over a longer time duration (10–50 msec). This is a phase generally referred to as after burning or late-time impulse which can occur outside of where the detonation occurred, resulting in more widespread damage.
Aluminum has been used as the metal of choice, due to high heat of combustion, cost and availability. Billets of SFAE made with Al, provide savings in volume with increased fuel mass for blast performance. However, combustion efficiency has been an issue, especially in the event that the fuel content (35–60 wt %) is high with respect to the total weight of explosive composition. Poor combustion efficiency is often observed in many of the thermobaric warhead tests, which causes the severe ineffectiveness of the weapon. This is due to the high ignition temperature, 2200 K, typically required for proper combustion of AL. During the burning of Al, heat is produced and aluminum oxide is formed. However, the burning of all the metal to completion requires maintaining the hot environment. This environment can be best maintained if it is supported chemically by the combustion of other oxidizer species (i.e. AP or nitrate ester liquid, IPN (isopropyl nitrate)) that are much easier to ignite (AP has an ignition temperature of 250 C and IPN has a low flash point of 22 C). The combustion of these additives produce the hot gases to support the burning of metal, thus 100% combustion efficiency can be obtained. Metal composites, metal and oxidizer combined granules, produced from coating of particles with a binder, can be made easily with techniques well known in the art.
Another combined approach to further improve the metal combustion efficiency is to use a more reactive metal as part of or as the entire metal fuel component. New reactive metal materials such as nano-sized aluminum to increase the reactivity, titanium and boron alloy to increase the thermal output, and magnesium/aluminum alloy to lower the ignition temperature are among the most promising approaches to increase the metal combustion efficiency. More powerful explosives such as CL-20 that are capable of raising the detonation pressure and temperature are also extremely beneficial.
There exists a need in the art for new explosive formulations with new reactive metal and metal composites to have 50–100% higher blast energy than those by the baseline composition such as Tritonal or PBX N109. Further, the new formulations coupled with new warhead designs will have the potential to form one of the most powerful thermobaric warheads, when compared to the weapon systems that currently exist.

Castable thermobaric explosive formulations

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


A vinyl chloride resin composition made lightweight and delustered and having a superior abrasion resistance and a good microballoon-retainability, and molded products such as steering wheel using the same are provided, which composition comprises 100 parts by weight (hereinafter "by weight" omitted) of a vinyl chloride copolymer consisting of 97.0.about.99.95% of vinyl chloride and 3.0 to 0.05% of a polyethylene glycol di(meth)acrylate having a specified number of ethylene glycol polymerization units and a specified average polymerization degree, 5 to 100 parts of microballoons having a specified s.g., particle diameter and compressive strength, 1 to 20 parts of polyvinyl acetate having a specified average polymerization degree and 30 to 150 parts of a plasticizer.

This invention relates to a vinyl chloride resin composition made both low in density and delustered and having a superior abrasion resistance and a good microballoon-retainability, and molded products using the same such as steering wheel.
Vinyl chloride resins have superior physical and chemical properties and molding processability and are relatively cheap, and hence have been broadly used for various applications. However, vinyl cloride resins have specific gravities as high as 1.41 and even soft vinyl chloride resins obtained by blending a plasticizer therewith usually have specific gravities of 1.2.about.1.4. Thus the resins have a serious drawback that they are much heavier than general-purpose synthetic resins, for example, heavier by 30.about.60% than polypropylene and by 200.about.250% than foamed polyurethane. Further, vinyl chloride resins have other drawbacks in that molded products of vinyl chloride resins have an intense surface luster so that they cause a cheap feeling, and their hand feeling is bad (a sticky feeling).
As to the process for making vinyl chloride resins lightweight, foaming processes have been employed, but they have associated therewith various problems such as the molding cycle is long, the product yield is inferior, their reuse is impossible, etc.; hence they have not yet been fully satisfactory.
As to making low density and low luster vinyl chloride resins, the present inventors found that a composition having microballoons and a plasticizer blended with a copolymer of vinyl chloride with polyethylene glycol diacrylate or polyethylene glycol dimethacrylate has superior properties, and applied for patent (Japanese Patent Application No. Sho 58-74500/1983). However, as the amount of microballons blended in the above composition increased, there occurred a phenomenon that microballoons exposed on the surface of molded products slipped off due to abrasion to reduce the commodity value of the molded products. Particularly when such a low density composition was used as a covering layer on steering wheels of autocars, etc., a problem of slipping off of the microballoons due to abrasion was raised, and further vinyl chloride resins having a large amount of such a filler blended therein are liable to have reduced mechanical strength, and also peeling off of the covering layer from the metal core of steering wheels as well as collapse of the covering layer are liable to occur. Thus these drawbacks have constituted a most serious obstacle to the attempt of making vinyl chloride resins lightweight by increasing the amount of microballoons blended.
The present inventors have made extensive research in order to overcome the above problems of vinyl chloride resin compositions using microballoons. As a result we have found that the aimed object can be achieved by blending polyvinyl acetate with the vinyl chloride resin composition.

Vinyl chloride resin composition and molded products using same


Aniline derivatives such as those represented by the formula shown, for example, have good solubility with respect to organic solvents, and are able to provide an organic electroluminescent element having excellent luminance characteristics when a thin film containing said aniline derivatives is used as a charge transporting substance in a hole injection layer.

In organic electroluminescence (hereinafter referred to as organic EL) elements, a charge transporting thin film including an organic compound is used as a light emitting layer or a charge injection layer. Particularly, a hole injection layer serves for transfer of electric charges between an anode and a hole transport layer or a light emitting layer, thereby fulfilling an important function for achieving low-voltage driving and high luminance in the organic EL element.
Methods for forming a hole injection layer are generally classified into dry process represented by the vapor deposition method and wet process represented by the spin coating method. When these processes are compared, the wet process permits more efficient production of thin films with high flatness over a wider area. Under the present trend toward organic EL displays of larger areas, therefore, there is a demand for a hole injection layer that can be formed by a wet process.
In consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, the present inventors have developed charge transporting materials which are applicable to various wet processes and which give thin films capable of realizing excellent EL element characteristics when applied to the hole injection layer in organic EL elements, and compounds which are to be used for the charge transporting materials and show good solubility in organic solvents (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 4).

Abstract: (In the formula, DPA represents a diphenylamino group.)


A buffer and method useful for the analysis of glycoproteins by capillary zone electrophoresis. The buffer comprises water, a sugar complexing compound, a base compound for adjusting the pH, and a zwitterionic compound. An embodiment of the buffer comprises sodium borate as the complexing compound, sodium hydroxide as the base, and 3-cyclohexylamino-1-propanesulfonic acid as the zwitterionic compound. In the method, a selected glycoprotein is subjected to capillary zone electrophoresis. The proportion or the amount of the glycoprotein is determined by quantitative analysis of the resulting electropherogram.

The present application is directed to reagents and methods of capillary electrophoresis, which are suitable for measuring nonenzymatically glycosylated proteins in clinical specimens. These materials and methods are particularly useful for monitoring glycemic control in diabetics.
Assays for glycated hemoglobin have been performed in clinical laboratories for well over a decade. Analysis of normal hemoglobin, Hb A, has shown that it contains a number of minor hemoglobin species. These minor species, which have been designated Hb A1a, Hb A1b, and Hb A1c, are referred to as glycated hemoglobins or glycohemoglobins. They are formed by condensation of an amino group of hemoglobin with an aldehyde group of a reducing sugar. For Hb A1c, glycated hemoglobin is formed by the condensation of the N-terminal valine of the hemoglobin beta chain with glucose to form an unstable Schiff base or aldimine (also known as pre-A1c), which then undergoes an Amadori rearrangement to form a stable ketoamine.
The formation of glycated hemoglobin is nonenzymatic. It occurs over the lifespan of the red blood cell, which is about 120 days under normal conditions. The amount of glycated hemoglobin formed is also proportional to the concentration of glucose in the blood. Consequently, the concentration of Hb A1c in the blood is related to the time-averaged glucose concentration over the two or three month period prior to measurement. This value provides a way of measuring control of diabetes, where the results are not affected by short-term fluctuations in plasma glucose levels. Therefore, measurement of glycohemoglobins can complement other more traditional methods of assessing control of diabetes. For example, measurement of glycohemoglobins can be used to verify patient compliance, where self administered urine or blood glucose records may be falsified or blood glucose levels vary markedly throughout the day or from day to day. Other applications include new patients with known or suspected diabetes in whom there is no previous record of blood glucose concentration or during pregnancy when close control of diabetes is especially important.
Currently available methods for the determination of glycohemoglobin can be divided into two different categories. The first category includes methods, such as colorimetry, affinity chromatography, and immunoassay, that separate minor hemoglobin components based on the structural characteristics of sugar moieties on hemoglobin. The second category, which includes ion exchange chromatography, high-performance liquid chromatography, electrophoresis, and isoelectric focusing, separates hemoglobin components based on charge differences between glycosylated and nonglycosylated proteins. A comparison of these methods has been reported (Ralph E. Bernstein, "Nonenzymatically Glycosylated Proteins," Advances in Clinical Chemistry, Vol. 26, 1-78 (1987)).
A colorimetric method has been devised based on the observation that Hb A1c, when subject to mild acid hydrolysis, releases 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF). This test has proven difficult to standardize because the yield of 5-HMF from Hb A1c is only about 30%. In order to provide reliable results, reaction conditions must be carefully controlled for inter alia temperature, pressure, and time. A further drawback is the use of oxalic acid and thiobarbituric acids, which are potentially toxic chemicals. Therefore, this method is unsuitable for routine clinical analysis, particularly when rapid results are needed.
Separation of nonglycated hemoglobin from glycated hemoglobin by affinity chromatography capitalizes on the ability of boronates to form complexes with sugars. A suitable affinity column is prepared from a gel containing immobilized m-aminophenylboronic acid on cross-linked, beaded agarose. The boronic acid reacts with the cis-diol groups of glucose bound to hemoglobin to form a reversible 5-membered ring complex, thus selectively binding the glycated hemoglobin to the affinity column. The nonglycated hemoglobin passes through the column. The glycated hemoglobin is then dissociated from the complex by sorbitol. Although this method is less susceptible to variations in temperature or ionic conditions than other methods, such as colorimetry and ion-exchange chromatography, the affinity columns must be protected from sunlight and can only be reused a limited number of times before they must be discarded.
Antibody against Hb A1c can be prepared and used as the basis for a radioimmunoassay. However, such a radioimmunoassay, like radioimmunoassays in general, brings with it the problems of the disposal of reagents and the short shelf life of reagents due to degradation caused by radioactive labeling, with consequent loss of specific reactivity. Thus radioimmunoassay, though capable of accuracy, cannot generally be used for routine determinations of Hb A1c.
Ion exchange chromatography can be carried out using resins containing weakly acidic cation exchange or negatively charged carboxymethylcellulose resin. This procedure is time consuming and requires rigid control of temperatures of the reagents and the columns as well as the pH and the ionic strength. In practice, this means that the methods are usable only by highly skilled personnel and are not well suited to routine clinical determinations.
High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is a highly instrumental technique that is more costly initially, but is rapid, requires small samples, and can be automated. HPLC usually has great sensitivity and excellent reproducibility for the isolation of glycated hemoglobins. However, the accurate quantitation of Hb A1c by HPLC can be hampered when fetal hemoglobin, HbF, is present in elevated amounts.
Electrophoretic assays for Hb A1c or other glycoslyated proteins have given mixed results. Although Hb A1c is more negatively charged than Hb A.sub.0, their isoelectric points differ by only 0.01 pH units. Consequently, modified methods like "mobile affinity electrophoresis", have been developed to magnify minor charge differences. Mobile affinity electrophoresis adds dextran sulfate to the buffers. This results in binding of sulfate groups to the nonglycated hemoglobins and acceleration of their electrophoretic mobilities. In another modified electrophoretic method, the fixed negative charge of the agar gel matrix can result in differential interaction with Hb A.sub.o and Hb A1c causing the separation of hemoglobins due to electroendoosmotic effects. Compared to mobile affinity electrophoresis, the agar gel method has given adequate, though less reproducible, results. A third electrophoretic method, Isoelectric focusing (IEF), provides definitive separation of glycated hemoglobins, unmatched by other charge dependent methods. However, the stability and reproducibility of the pH gradients required for this technique are tenuous at best. All electrophoretic methods developed to date require the skillful execution of numerous time consuming steps.
Each of these methods present problems of safety, accuracy, reproducibility, or efficiency. What is needed to overcome these problems is an assay that accurately and precisely distinguishes interaction with Hb A.sub.o and Hb A.sub.1c causing the separation of hemoglobins due to electroendoosmotic effects. Ideally, the assay is also rapid, efficient, uses inexpensive nontoxic reagents, has reusable equipment, and is amenable to automation for autosampling, on-line detection, and data acquisition.

Capillary electrophoresis of glycosylated proteins


A biaxially textured crystalline layer formed on a substrate using ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD) is provided. The biaxially textured crystalline layer includes an oriented CaF2 crystalline layer having crystalline grains oriented in both in-plane and out-of-plane directions, where the out-of-plane orientation is a (111) out-of-plane orientation. The oriented CaF2 crystalline layer is disposed for growth of a subsequent epitaxial layer and the CaF2 crystalline layer is an IBAD CaF2 layer. The biaxially textured CaF2 layer can be used in a photovoltaic cell, an electronic or optoelectronic device, an integrated circuit, an optical sensor, or a magnetic device.

Solar cell efficiency is a strong function of minority carrier lifetime, since photo-generated carriers that recombine before reaching the p-n junction do not contribute to photocurrent. Grain boundaries in polycrystalline silicon films provide electron traps that act as recombination centers that reduce minority carrier lifetimes. This recombination is a function of the grain boundary structure. In particular, the high dislocation density of high-angle grain boundaries result in a higher recombination rate than low angle grain boundaries. It is known that the effective carrier lifetime increases as the dislocation density decreases, and it has been shown that recombination is a strong function of grain boundary defect density.
Grain boundaries can be described as having both out-of-plane and in-plane misorientation known as tilt and twist, respectively. Both types of misorientation result in defect densities that lead to recombination. The degree of tilt and twist in a thin film grain boundary population reflects the crystallographic texture of the film. Biaxial texture, which has a preferred crystallographic direction for both out-of-plane and in-plane directions, can decrease both twist and tilt misorientation between grains. One way to develop biaxial texture is by application of an ion beam during the initial stages of nucleation of a thin film. This ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD) process uses a low energy (<1 keV), typically inert (Ar+) ion beam to develop in-plane texture in a growing thin film during concurrent physical vapor deposition of the desired source material. The ion beam is aligned along a particular crystallographic direction at an oblique angle relative to the desired out-of-plane growth direction. The ion beam sputters away unfavorably orientated crystallites and allows favorably orientated crystallites to survive and grow. If the correct channeling angle is selected then biaxial texture can develop.
The IBAD process has been used to form MgO template layers for seeding crystallographic texture in the high temperature superconductor YBa2Cy3O7, (YBCO), as its superconducting properties are dependent upon the amount of in-plane alignment. Typically, IBAD MgO can be deposited with an in-plane texture of 5-6° phi-scan FWHM and out-of-plane omega-scan FWHM of about 1°, which is very near single crystal quality.
An IBAD MgO template layer has been used, optimized for high-temperature superconductor coated conductors, as a template layer for the deposition of polycrystalline silicon. Silicon films deposited on this template layer have reduced grain boundary misorientation and increased carrier mobility. It has been shown that germanium films deposited on the MgO template layer with a CeO2 buffer layer exhibits strong biaxial texture.
Crystal silicon (c-Si) is a nearly ideal photovoltaic (PV) material: it can be highly efficient, is naturally abundant and is environmentally benign. However, silicon wafer fabrication is expensive and energy intensive, limiting potential silicon PV cost reductions. This has motivated research into 'film crystal silicon' PV, where c-Si is deposited directly from SiH4 onto an inexpensive substrate, thereby bypassing costly wafer fabrication steps. Such inexpensive substrates (e.g. display glass) are generally amorphous or polycrystalline and cannot sustain high temperatures for long periods; therefore, it is difficult to grow high quality c-Si on them. The key to film c-Si PV is achieving an adequate minority carrier diffusion length (LD), despite the temperature limitation. Specifically, LD must exceed three times the film thickness. Most proposed routes to film c-Si on glass result in polycrystalline films; for example, the c-Si formed by annealing amorphous silicon (a-Si) yields micron-size, randomly-oriented grains. The grain boundaries (GBs) in crystallized a-Si films have high recombination activity, reducing both LD and the solar cell open circuit voltage (VOC). Furthermore, grain boundaries parallel to the surface may impede hydrogen diffusion into the film, reducing the efficacy of post-growth hydrogenation treatments. Thus, the requirement for LD will likely require films with large columnar grains to reduce the number of GBs or well-oriented columnar grains with low-angle GBs that may be less recombination active.
To improve the crystalline order in the deposited c-Si film, researchers are investigating various 'seed and epitaxy' techniques. In these approaches, a seed layer with desirable grain structure is fabricated first and then the active silicon layer is grown epitaxially on that seed. For example, solar cells were demonstrated using large grained silicon seed layers formed by aluminum-induced crystallization of amorphous silicon. There has also been progress using cube-textured foil substrates as the seed, where biaxially textured Ge layers were fabricated and a proof-of-concept 1% efficient biaxially textured Si solar cell has been reported.
Although solar cells made from silicon wafers dominate the existing photovoltaic (PV) market, the wafer fabrication process is energy-intensive and expensive, comprising about half of the typical module price. Despite their high cost, silicon wafers are employed because they have excellent crystal quality and few impurities.
What is needed is a method and device with PV-quality film of crystal silicon (c-Si) on a low-cost substrate, where such "film crystal silicon" can retain the proven qualities of crystal silicon PV such as high solar conversion efficiency, safe and abundant raw materials, and high-yield manufacturing, but at a much lower cost.

Depositing calcium fluoride template layers for solar cells

The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University


A ratcheting hand tool (or “Hickey bar”) for bending rebar comprising a ratchet mechanism, a handle attached to the ratchet mechanism, and a Hickey bar tool head attached to the ratchet mechanism, which tool head may be a detachable.

Rebar (short for reinforcing bar) is a steel bar used to reinforce concrete and masonry structures. Rebar's surface is often patterned to form a better bond with the concrete. Straight lengths of rebar must often be bent into desired shapes at a shop or project site.
A hand tool known as a "Hickey bar" or "Hickey" is commonly used by construction tradesmen to manually bend rebar. Hickeys have a tool head for engaging the rebar and a long handle for applying force necessary to make the bend. The tool head and handle are typically rigidly connected. The handle is long to provide a long lever arm so that greater bending moments (or torque) can be achieved with manual strength.
"Bending moment" and "torque" may be used interchangeably herein to indicate static or dynamic rotational forces at the tool head created by manually applied forces on the Hickey handle. The term "axis" with respect to bending moment or torque refers generally to the torque axis, whether it is static or dynamic. The axis of rotation of a Hickey bar or tool head is considered herein to be coincident with the torque axis for purposes of describing the invention. The bend of the rebar will generally be in a plane that is perpendicular to the torque axis. The term "bend axis" may be used to characterize the axis of a bend radius, which bend axis is considered herein to be parallel to the torque axis.
A typical pin type of Hickey is shown FIGS. 5a and 5b, the tool head of which typically has three pins. The straight rebar is placed in the space between the pins, with one pin on one side of the rebar and two pins on the other side. A three-pin Hickey provides three placement options, so that the Hickey handle may be oriented in one of three orientations relative to the rebar.
Another popular type of Hickey is shown in FIGS. 6a and 6b, which has a U-shaped tool head for engaging the rebar and which provides only one possible orientation of the handle to the rebar.
There is a need for a Hickey that provides a greater range of possible handle orientations so that tradesmen can position the Hickey handle in more advantageous orientations, so as to provide improved ergonomics, better leverage, less injury, and improved access to and maneuverability in tight spaces. There is a need for a Hickey that allows adjustment of the handle orientation without disengagement of the tool head from the rebar, so that a bend can be made in increments and the handle can be optimally positioned for each increment according to the preferences of the tradesman or according to other parameters such as workspace restrictions.
The present invention fills those and other needs.