A panel assembly including two pairs of panels disposed in spaced parallel relationship lying in common planes with the coplanar panels of each pair having adjacent edges with similarly configured protrusions extending along their adjacent edges, and the protrusions on each of the panels of a pair extend towards each other. A connector is disposed between the pairs of panels and has a large recess in one face thereof which seats the protrusions on the panels disposed in one plane. The opposite face of the connector has a pair of spaced recesses therein which seat the protrusions on the panels disposed in the other plane.

This invention concerns the construction of buildings and other structures, particularly the sector that utilizes panels, ordinarily fabricated of synthetic resins like polycarbonate and other polymers of similar properties, connected to one another to form walls.
Specifically, the invention is directed to an assembly in which a joint component connects four panels to form a double wall with an air space therebetween.
According to the present state of the technology, such an assembly is made using a connector that has been shaped on the inside to accommodate two projecting parts complementary to it on the facing edges of two abutting panels which are co-planar.
On the sides of the rear part of that connector, there are two grooves into which are inserted complementary shaped extensions on the two other panels so as to anchor the same in a co-planar manner with the connector between them.
Such a connector is a single-walled extrusion, and it must necessarily be made of metal and with sufficient thickness to provide the necessary rigidity and resistance to flexure.
Moreover, when the assembly has been made as just described, in order to remove one of the two panels with the shaped extensions without risk of damaging them, it is generally necessary to disassemble the entire joint, taking apart a portion of the wall which has been assembled.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel assembly of four panels and a synthetic resin connector.
It is also an object to provide such an assembly where two of the panels extending in one plane can be easily disassembled from the connector.
Another object is to provide such an assembly which may be readily constructed and which provides a rigid connection between the adjacent panels.


A back-end-of-line thin ion beam deposited fuse (204) is deposited without etching to connect first and second last metal interconnect structures (110, 120) formed with last metal layers (LM) in a planar multi-layer interconnect stack to programmably connect separate first and second circuit connected to the first and second last metal interconnect structures.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed in general to field of semiconductor devices. In one aspect, the present invention relates to programmable fuse structures and associated programming operations.
2. Description of the Related Art
After forming circuitry on a semiconductor device, it is desirable to change the state or functional operation of some circuitry. One approach which allows for the dynamic real-time reprogramming circuitry is to include electrically programmable connection circuits or fuses for attaching different circuit components or areas together. When it is desired to change the connection state of the fuse connection structure, portions of the fuse are removed in order to create an opening or disconnect between the different circuit components or areas, such as by subjecting a portion of the fuse connection structure to energy from a laser. With some approaches, fuses are formed from thick metal lines which are deposited and then etched to define a fuse connection structure connecting two different circuit components or areas, where the fuse connection structure is surrounded by an interlayer dielectric (ILD) and/or covered by a passivation layer. As will be appreciated, the etch processing required to define the fuse connection structures can damage the underlying layers. In addition, fuse connection structures formed with thick metal fuses may be difficult to form on non-planar surfaces, and are difficult to laser program due to reflectivity, metal thickness, and damage to the surrounding ILD layer. In other approaches, fuses are formed by depositing and patterning one or more interconnect barrier layers over the last metal/interconnect features, but the fabrication of these fuses typically requires that a protective layer be formed over the last metal and bond pad layers to prevent metal corrosion (in the case of copper metal lines) during etching of the interconnect barrier layer(s). In addition, the overlap requirements for the interconnect barrier layer(s) to account for process variation can effectively increase the minimum pitch spacing between last metal features. In yet other approaches, fuses may be formed using the last metal layer to define the fuse connection structure, but the etch processes used to program or blow such coplanar last metal fuses typically require deposition of a uniform thin film followed by a patterned etch process that can cause metal corrosion.


A submerging air pressure projectile launching toy, suitable for use by children, includes a main device body, a launch structure connected to an upper end thereof to define an interior air chamber, and a projectile, all for use in water. The main device body has a hollow elongate member, defining a longitudinal axis, and a water intake, in fluid communication with the interior air chamber, at a lower end thereof, and the water intake opening is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. The projectile is temporarily mountable via to the launch structure to semi-seal the interior air chamber. When the lower end of the main device body is pushed into a body of water, air within the interior air chamber is compressed until a frictional or other coupling force between the projectile and the launch structure is overcome, causing the projectile to launch into the air.

1. Field of the Present Invention
The present invention relates generally to launching systems for toy rockets or the like, and, more specifically, it relates to a submerging air pressure projectile launching system for rockets or other projectiles to be launched and or fly when the launching system is plunged into a body of water.
2. Background
It can be appreciated that projectile launching systems such as toy rockets and the like have been in use for years. Typically, toy rocket launching systems have included solid fuel launching systems, hydrogen powered launching systems, pressurized water launching systems, pressurized air launching systems, and the like.
One main problem with conventional launching systems is that they require flammable fuel. Another problem with conventional launching systems is they are not designed to be operated in a water environment such as a pool. Another problem with conventional launching systems is that the required action, wherein the user pumps an air chamber or stomps on a bladder to pressurize air to launch an object, is problematic to perform in a pool.
Thus, while conventional devices may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they address, they are not as suitable for rockets or projectiles to be launched and or fly when the launching system is submerged in water.
In these respects, the submerging air pressure projectile launching system according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of rockets or projectiles to be launched and or fly when the launching system is submerged in water.

Submerging air pressure projectile launching system


Methods and apparatus are disclosed for a locked machine gun that includes a casing, a barrel, a locking breech mechanism, an abutment and a quick change attachment. The locking breech mechanism has at least one locking body. The abutment holds the locking body or locking bodies of the locked breech mechanism. The quick-change attachment is used to facilitate the removal of the barrel and insertion and attachment of a new barrel. A first part of the abutment remains on the casing when the barrel is being changed, and a second part of the abutment is firmly connected to the barrel. The quick-change attachment is equipped to bring about a separation between the first part of the abutment remaining with the casing and the barrel with the second part. Also, the second part of the abutment has a curved section which controls the engagement of the breech mechanism in the abutment when the breech mechanism closes.

A locked machine gun includes locking parts on a breech mechanism and an abutment. These locking parts engage one another before the machine gun fires a shot. As will be readily appreciated, the locking parts are activated by the closing breech mechanism and, therefore, are abruptly subjected to stress. Additionally, the locking parts experience significant wear of tear because a machine gun may fire an extremely high number of rounds (at least some 105 rounds) during its life.
To account for this wear and tear, a conventional machine gun, such as the MG 42, uses an abutment that is coupled to a detachable barrel. When the barrel is worn out, it is scrapped along with the abutment. The movable locking parts that work with the abutment are associated with and coupled to the breech mechanism. Accordingly, these movable parts can be changed together with the breech mechanism and then, if necessary, be individually replaced in the armory.
Thus, the MG 42 has an advantage in that it is possible to change those wearing parts that are subjected to the most stress. On the other hand, a disadvantage is that the abutments are expensive to manufacture and they have to be changed in cases when only the barrel is worn out. Accordingly, there may be many instances in which the abutment is not worn out, but it must be replaced because the barrel of which the abutment is part is worn out. Further, abutment wear is not typically even.
The MG 42 is a recoil-operated gun with a removable barrel. With gas-operated machine guns, a gas piston facilitates the unlocking and loading motions, and the barrel remains rigid during the firing of a round. For this reason, the abutment in gas-operated machine guns is usually designed to be rigid in the casing of the weapon. Consequently, when replacing a worn abutment, the casing parts are also replaced.
Recoil-operated machine guns are also advantageous because it is easy to replace parts during use. If, for example, during the use of the weapon a quartz pebble falls into the abutment during the firing of a round, it is possible that the entire lock will no longer function. In the case of the recoil-operated MG 42, it is sufficient to change the barrel and if necessary the breech in order to make the MG fit for use again. The marksman can perform these activities on site in less than a minute. On the other hand, if a similar quartz pebble falls into the breech of a gas-operated MG, the weapon casing must be completely replaced. This cannot be performed in the field because the marksman of course does not carry a second weapons casing with him.
It is possible to assign the abutment to the barrel with the gas-operated MG, but the above mentioned disadvantages would still exist.

Methods and apparatus for use in a locked machine gun


An auxiliary support (1) for a road vehicle tire (2), which support (1) is defined by a tubular drum (3) fitted in a fluidtight manner with the interior of a finished tire (2) for mutually locking the bead portions (22) of the tire (2) in a fixed position when the tire is pressurized, and constituting a carriage whereby the pressurized tire (2) is transferred along a post-inflation route (8) subsequent to curing.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an auxiliary support for road vehicle tires.
2. Background Information
A standard practice in the tire industry is to transfer the tire on a conveyor from the curing mold to a post-inflation station, where it is fitted in a fluidtight manner to a support, inflated and maintained at close to working pressure until it cools to substantially room temperature.

Auxiliary support for road vehicle tires


An apparatus and a method are disclosed wherein a clock generator component converts a received clock signal into a plurality of internal clock signals which are skewed in time, a phase difference component computes phase differences at subsequent clock phases of a received phase signal, an intermediate averaging component receives each phase difference signals and outputs their average, a threshold detection component detects steady phase changes and activates a preamble detect signal which is used to clock an output filter that smoothes the output from the intermediate averaging component. The output is a frequency correction signal that is used by a wireless receiver to correct its reception process. The disclosed invention merges the frequency correction process more quickly and accurately, is less likely to trigger on noise and has a lower packet error rate than conventional systems.

Conventional methods and devices to build a wireless receiver are generally known. FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram of a conventional wireless receiver 10 that receives data packets. The received signal arrives at antenna 12 and is amplified by low noise amplifier 14 where the output is fed into a phase detector 16 that compares the phase of the received signal with the frequency correction signal 22. The difference is output as phase signal 26, which connects to the automatic frequency correction component 24. The negative feedback provided by the automatic frequency correction component 24 to the phase detector 16 allows the frequency correction process to merge until it matches the rate of the clock embedded in the received transmission. The demodulator 18, bit clock recovery 30, and preamble synch detector 32 play a supporting role in the frequency correction process and may generate additional signals, such as the clock signal 28, to be used by the automatic frequency correction component 24.
The received data packets may be preceded by the reception of noise. Referring to FIG. 2, which is a timing diagram illustrating an example of data packet reception, the received signal starts with purely noise 40, and then a data packet is received. The data packet may begin with a preamble 42 as shown in FIG. 2, which is typically followed by a synchronization field 44 and then the data payload 46. Note that the preamble 42 typically has an embedded clock signal, such as an alternating sequence of zeroes and ones. As part of the reception process, the wireless receiver must merge its clock with clocking information present in the received data packet.
Conventional automatic frequency control suffers from several difficulties. The noise received before a packet may sometimes falsely trigger the automatic frequency correction component 24, which often results in a greater degree of inaccuracy of frequency correction. This can, in turn, result in more error packets. Conventional automatic frequency correction suffers from slow merge times, resulting in more lost packets when the merge is not accomplished before the payload arrives. The wireless receiver must merge its clock with clocking information present in the received data packet quickly, ideally before the end of the reception of the preamble. It must not falsely trigger based on a noise input. A need exists for an improved method and apparatus for automatic frequency correction that addresses these issues.

Method and apparatus for high performance automatic frequency control in a wireless receiver


A computer-implemented method for reducing false positives when using event-correlation graphs to detect attacks on computing systems may include (1) detecting a suspicious event involving a first actor within a computing system, (2) constructing an event-correlation graph that includes a first node that represents the first actor, a second node that represents a second actor, and an edge that represents an additional suspicious event involving the first actor and the second actor, (3) comparing the event-correlation graph with at least one additional event-correlation graph that represents events on at least one additional computing system, (4) determining that a similarity of the event-correlation graph and the additional event-correlation graph exceeds a predetermined threshold, and (5) classifying the suspicious event as benign based on determining that the similarity of the event-correlation graph and the additional event-correlation graph exceeds the predetermined threshold. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

In recent years, malicious programmers have created a variety of sophisticated targeted attacks and advanced persistent threats aimed at high-profile or high-level entities, such as governments, corporations, political organizations, defense contractors, or the like. In many cases, the goal of such targeted attacks is to gain access to highly sensitive or confidential information, such as financial information, defense-related information, and/or intellectual property (e.g., source code), and/or to simply disrupt an entity's operations.
Many such attacks involve sending emails to a targeted entity that contain an attachment that has been carefully crafted to take advantage of an as-yet-undiscovered vulnerability of a particular application (commonly known as a "zero-day" exploit). Because many security software companies attempt to combat malware by creating and deploying malware signatures (e.g., hash functions) that uniquely identify known malware, this type of targeted attack (commonly known as a "spear phishing" attack) is often difficult for traditional security software to detect and/or neutralize since the exploits in question have yet to be publicly discovered.
Consumers and businesses face a growing tide of malicious software that threatens the stability and performance of their computers and the security of their data. Computer programmers with malicious motivations have created and continue to create viruses, Trojan horses, worms, and other programs (collectively known as "malware") in an attempt to compromise computer systems. In an attempt to evade detection, malicious programmers may inject malware into or among legitimate programs.
Many security software companies attempt to combat malware by creating and deploying malware signatures (e.g., hash functions that uniquely identify malware) to their customers on a regular basis. However, a significant amount of malware has not yet been identified and therefore cannot be detected using traditional signature-based malware-detection mechanisms, particularly since malware authors may regularly modify their malware in an attempt to circumvent commonly employed signature-based malware-detection mechanisms. Furthermore, signature-based malware detection may fail to provide zero-day protection against new malware.
In addition to or as an alternative to a signature-based approach, security software companies may apply a variety heuristics to classify programs (e.g., as malware or as safe). Unfortunately, heuristic classification methods may result in false negatives, allowing malware to continue to execute. Some heuristic classification methods may use more expansive techniques to reduce false negatives, only to result in false positives, potentially interfering with legitimate software applications.
Accordingly, the instant disclosure identifies and addresses a need for additional and improved systems and methods for reducing false positives when using event-correlation graphs to detect attacks on computing systems.

Systems and methods for reducing false positives when using event-correlation graphs to detect attacks on computing systems


A cartridge suitable for containing a sealant material and a matching caulking gun. The cartridge comprises an elongate hollow body defined by a peripheral wall. A coupling flange extends outwardly from at least a portion of the peripheral wall and has an abutment surface configured to enable engagement with a corresponding abutment surface of a caulking gun, to thereby connect the cartridge to the caulking gun. The abutment surface of the coupling flange faces upwardly towards the top end of the cartridge body and is disposed at an obtuse angle with respect to the peripheral wall so as to enable a downward force to be applied to the flange by a corresponding downwardly facing abutment surface of a caulking gun.

Caulking guns have traditionally included a long barrel-shaped body or open frame for holding a sealant cartridge. The barrel-shaped body or frame is connected to a gun body containing a longitudinally extending piston rod with a push-plate mounted on its end and a trigger for inducing extension of the piston rod in the direction of the barrel body for dispensing sealant material from a sealant cartridge.
Sealant cartridges on the other hand have conventionally been formed with a long cylindrical body for containing sealant material, with a piston inserted in an opening at a bottom end of the cylindrical body for driving sealant material through the body, and an outlet at the top end of the body for dispensing material once opened.
By squeezing a trigger of a caulking gun loaded with a sealant cartridge, the user activates the piston rod, which then extends into the barrel-shaped body of the caulking gun. The push-plate mounted on the end of the piston rod then serves to drive the piston at the bottom end of the cartridge and push sealant material out of the cartridge body through the outlet.
Throughout this specification, references to orientation of a sealant cartridge and/or caulking gun are for convenience only, and assume that the cartridge is standing vertically on a horizontal surface with the outlet at the top. Thus, the terms 'top' and 'bottom' are not absolute terms but are relative, assuming the cartridge body is standing vertically as indicated. Similarly, references to 'up' and 'down' and similar terms are to be interpreted in the same way and are not intended to indicate any particular required orientation of the cartridge body or caulking gun.
Also throughout this specification, the phrase 'sealant material' is used to refer not only to typical flexible sealers of the type used to seal gaps left between abutting components in building construction, but also to encompass similar substances such as construction adhesives, wood preservative gels, and any other viscous material which is capable of being stored within a cartridge and then dispensed by a piston being forced along the length of the cartridge body. Thus, the phrase 'sealant material' is used more generally to refer to a range of materials having this property.
In one respect, the overall length of the barrel-shaped body of a conventional caulking gun, and the standard sized sealant cartridge (215 mm in length, or 320 mm in length including a typical dispensing nozzle), together with the combined weight, make the conventional caulking gun a rather cumbersome tool. This makes it difficult for the user to access and maneuver the tool in small or tight areas for dispensing sealant material. Such areas may include: behind walls or inside roofs, inside cabinets and underneath sinks.
In a similar vein, storage may prove to be problematic for the user who may find they need to find an equally lengthy storage area for putting away the tool.
Furthermore, when using a traditionally caulking gun and standard cartridge to perform smaller tasks, the user often does not require all of the sealant material contained in the standard sized sealant cartridge. This can lead to surplus, disposal of a partially used sealant cartridge and wastage, which also is not good for the environment.
The conventional caulking gun also relies on the piston rod within the gun body to be firmly connected to the piston in the cartridge, failing which it is possible for the cartridge to fall out of the gun. This can become dangerous for use at or above head height around other people and in certain settings such as construction sites.
The present invention aims to address one or more of these problems and drawbacks associated with conventional sealant cartridges and caulking guns.

AUSTRALIAN BRUSHWARE CORPORATION PTY LTD


A user apparatus is disclosed herein that includes a receiver configured to receive a plurality of synchronization signals and a transmitter configured to transmit a sounding reference signal associated with a specific synchronization signal of the plurality of synchronization signals. The transmitter also maps the sounding reference signal to consecutive OFDM symbols in one slot.

In LTE/LTE-Advanced, MIMO techniques are adopted for enhancing system capacity, cell-edge user throughput and the like. Also, a heterogeneous network technique is adopted for realizing high quality communication by reducing inter-cell interference while different types of base stations (macro cell, small cell and the like) coexist.
Especially, in a small cell of the heterogeneous network, it is assumed to use a high frequency band. Here, since propagation loss increases in the high frequency band, in order to compensate for it, it is considered to apply massive MIMO that performs narrow beamforming in which the beam width is narrow.
The massive MIMO is a large-scale MIMO having many antennas (example: 100 elements), by which inter-user interference can be made small since the strength of the electric field can be concentrated on a small area.
Also, in the heterogeneous network, in order to compensate for propagation loss in the high frequency band, it is considered to perform beamforming using a plurality of antennas not only for downlink but also for uplink.

User apparatus and signal transmission method for mapping sounding reference signals


A foam distribution jacket (10) for containing an insulating expandable liquid foam mixture (44) prior to expansion into a space (17) between a hot water tank (22) and an outer casing (29) secured thereabout. The jacket (10) comprises a pair of sheets (11-12) which are superimposed to define a bottom trough section (13) having a straight bottom edge (15) and opposed end edges (16). A seal (17) is formed along the straight bottom edge and the opposed end edges to form the trough (13) and to interconnect the sheets (11-12). The pair of sheets (11-12) converge to a crest portion (19) at a top end section (14) thereof. An attachment hole (20) is provided in the crest of an inner one of the pair of sheets (11-12) and is adapted to attach the jacket (10) in a depending manner from a nipple (21) in a top wall (48) of a hot water tank (22). The method of insulating a surrounding space (27) formed between the hot water tank (22) and the outer casing (29) using the foam distribution jacket (10) is also described.

There are several advantages in using rigid foam insulation in water heater construction and many of these are described in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,861,968 issued on Aug. 29, 1989. It is also advantageous to use expanding foam material that can flow freely within the circumferential space provided within the hot water tank and the outer casing thereof. Foam material, when in its liquid state, is introduced into this space, usually in an envelope or a bag whereby to prevent the foam from attaching itself to the hot water tank, the various controls and pipes therein and the outer wall of the inner casing or the hot water heater. A disadvantage of using bags and envelopes is that it makes it difficult for the foam material to penetrate into small areas and around nipples, controls, and other types of fittings.
In the above-referenced patent there is described an envelope which is formed of opposed sheets of plastic material which is wrapped around the hot water tank surface and wherein predetermined sealed holes are provided in the envelope with the seal formed thereabout whereby to receive therethrough the various components which are secured to the hot water tank and which need to be maintained uncovered or protected from the foam material. Such envelope is therefore time-consuming to install, particularly if the holes are not accurately positioned within the envelope due to an installation error where the top of the envelope may be inverted. Furthermore, with this type of envelope it is difficult to maintain it in position about the hot water tank, as the outer casing is brought down over the outer flexible sheet of the envelope due to the size of the outer sheet which is held loose over the hot water tank. It then becomes time-consuming to readjust the envelope from the open top end of the outer casing and bring the outer sheet over a major section of the outer casing to clamp it with the cover. A still further disadvantage is that these envelopes have to be adapted to specific ones of different types of water heaters where fittings and controls are positioned at different locations and where the inner tank is of different size.
There also exists a need to provide a jacket to contain a liquid foam prior to expansion and distribute the foam in a predetermined controlled manner and wherein the jacket may be adapted to a variety of hot water heaters regardless of the position of couplings, controls or other devices. There is also a need to provide a method of assembly of the jacket on the hot water tank which is simple, efficient and wherein there are no apertures in the jacket to fit around existing controls or other components secured to the hot water tank. There is also a need to provide an insulated hot water heater which is easy to recycle after its useful life.
The majority of water heaters/storage tanks, are currently insulated with foams that use chlorofluorocarbons, normally referred to as CFC's, as blowing agents, for instance, CFC-11 (trichlorofluoromethane) and CFC-12 (dichlorodifluoromethane). These blowing agents have been implicated in the deterioration of the stratospheric ozone layer. A replacement blowing agent known as HCFC's (hydrochlorofluorocarbon's) is currently being used and this agent has been linked to an increase in the global greenhouse effect.
The present invention provides an environmental-friendly water heater which uses `Green Foam` (trade name of Giant Factories) which uses a non-chlorofluorocarbon blowing agent, in this instance, water as a blowing agent. In particular, the intended foam to be used is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,407,967 assigned to the Stepan Company. This foam is dispensed into an EMB PU-0 machine, and into the water heaters/storage tank circumferential cavities, using a Hi-Tech Mix-head of a straight or L design, (the L head is used when reduced velocity is required). The advantage of using `Green Foam` over the types previously mentioned, is that when the time comes to dispose of the unit at the end of its useful life, the current methods are to dispose of them in an intact condition into overburdened dump sites, or the units are shredded to recycle the raw materials. These procedures create serious problems, as both methods cause the CFC's to be released to the atmosphere, the first gradually, the second instantly. `Green Foam` does not create any of these problems, as any gas released is in the form of carbon dioxide which is what we breath out every time we exhale. It is the intention of the foam insulated water heater of the present invention to allow full re-cycling of all the components used in the manufacturing process.

Foam distribution jacket and method of insulating a hot water heater with expandable foam material


A mailbox sheet discharge designation environment which flexibly deals with various requests from each user and inhibits a user's load is provided. In this environment, a host computer registers plural discrimination names including a user name and names of plural groups to which a user corresponding to the user name belongs for each of plural holding units of an image recording apparatus, and then transmits a printing job including sheet discharge address designation by the plural registered discrimination names to the image recording apparatus. The image recording apparatus registers in a memory the plural discrimination names transmitted from the host computer to each of the holding units, and then discharges the printing job to the holding unit to which the discrimination name same as the discrimination name designated to the printing job has been registered.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a data processing apparatus which can transmit a printing job to an image recording apparatus having plural holding units for holding sheets (or paper) on which images are formed or to an image recording apparatus to which an option apparatus having plural holding units can be connected, and an image recording apparatus, a method for controlling a data processing apparatus, a method for controlling an image recording apparatus, and a storage medium.
2. Related Background Art
In recent years, computers are connected to each other by a LAN (local area network), and LAN connection is possible not only for printers but also for various peripheral apparatuses such as a multifunctional image processing apparatus and the like equipped with copying and facsimile functions.
In a conventional image recording apparatus, various sheet discharge methods such as mailbox sheet discharge, job separate sheet discharge, sort sheet discharge and stack sheet discharge are being proposed in a network environment connected to a LAN, an environment to which a sheet discharge option unit having plural holding units is connected, or a case where the body of the image recording apparatus has plural holding units.
The mailbox sheet discharge and the job separate sheet discharge are the sort methods in which a peculiar name is set for each of the holding units provided in the image recording apparatus, and the holding unit is distinguished and a sheet discharge address (or a sheet discharge destination) is determined on the basis of such the set name.
The difference between the mailbox sheet discharge and the job separate sheet discharge is as follows. Namely, in the mailbox sheet discharge, the distinguished name previously registered for each holding unit of the image recording apparatus is designated as the sheet discharge address when printing is performed, whereby it is possible to designated the sheet discharge address with a name easily distinguishable by a user. On the other hand, in the job separate sheet discharge, a user name being a printing designation origin is automatically registered to a holding unit on which any sheet is not stacked yet while printing is being performed, and the holding unit registered in the first-time printing is retrieved if the printing designation is again issued by the same user, and the sheet is discharged to the retrieved holding unit. Thus, even if the apparent sheet discharge address is not designated by the user in the printing, it is possible to appropriately sort a printing job for each user.
Further, the sort sheet discharge is the sheet discharge method in which copies of a printing job are sorted to holding units whose number corresponds to the designated copies, by using the plural continuous holding units. The stack sheet discharge is the sheet discharge method in which copies of a printing job keep being discharged to an identical holding unit until this holding unit becomes full of the sheets, and when this holding unit is full of the sheets the holding unit is changed to a next-priority holding unit and similar sheet discharge is performed to this changed holding unit.
Hereinafter, a mailbox sheet discharge mode in such various sheet discharge modes as above will be especially explained with reference to FIGS. 33, 34 and 35.
FIG. 33 is a diagram for explaining the concept of the sort of the printing job in the mailbox sheet discharge mode.
In FIG. 33, the image recording apparatus is connected to a network shared by plural users and used in the mailbox sheet discharge mode.
When a user A is the manager who manages the setting and the like for the image recording apparatus, this user A registers, as mailbox addresses, names easily recognizable by the user such as "first personnel department", "second personnel department", "third personnel department", "first secretary department", "second secretary department", "third secretary department" and "administration department" respectively for the holding units (bins 1 to 7), on a user interface (UI) shown in later-described FIG. 34.
When each holding unit of the image recording apparatus is registered with a post name, one bin acts as the mailbox shared by the plural users belonging to the post registered for this bin. Thus, in order to be able to distribute an identical text in the number corresponding to the number of belonging users, the number of group members (i.e., belonging users) can be registered for each holding unit.
By previously registering the number of group members, when the printing is performed, the copies in the number of group members can be distributed to the registration-target bin on the basis of the name of the distribution address.
In the state that the image recording apparatus is used in the mailbox sheet discharge mode, for example, when a data output address (or a data output destination) is designated on a screen as shown in later-described FIG. 35 and the printing is then performed, the printing (i.e., the copy) designated by the user A is discharged to the "bin 7" registered with the name "administration department" as shown in FIG. 33.
As described above, in the mailbox sheet discharge mode, for the printing job in which the sheet discharge address is designated based on the holding unit name, the holding unit whose name coincident with the designated holding unit name has been previously registered is retrieved and the sheet discharge is then performed through the retrieved holding unit. Thus, it is thought to exclusively control the holding units for the plural users who share the network.
FIG. 34 is a diagram schematically showing an example of a holding unit name registration screen for the image recording apparatus. FIG. 34 is corresponding to an UI screen on which a driver on a host computer registers a name for each holding unit of the image recording apparatus so as to use the image recording apparatus in the mailbox sheet discharge mode.
In FIG. 34, numeral 501 denotes fixed holding unit display area. For example, in this area, the fixed holding units such as "bin 1", "bin 2", "bin 3", . . . , and "bin 7" previously registered in the memory of the image recording apparatus and captured by the host computer of the user A are displayed.
Numeral 502 denotes a holding unit name registration area. The holding unit names (a user name, a group name, a post name, and the like: discrimination information representing an owner using the holding unit) such as "first personnel department", "second personnel department", "third personnel department", "first secretary department", "second secretary department", "third secretary department" and "administration department" respectively corresponding to the fixed holding units ("bin 1", "bin 2", "bin 3", and "bin 7") of the image recording apparatus displayed in the fixed holding unit display area 501 and easily recognizable by the user as mailbox addresses (or mailbox destinations) can be input by using a not-shown keyboard of the host computer or selected from among the plural holding unit names previously stored in a not-shown ROM or another recording medium, and the obtained holding unit names can be then registered in the holding unit name registration area 502.
Further, as shown in FIG. 34, when the holding unit of the printer is registered based on the post name, one bin acts as the mailbox shared by the plural users belonging to the post registered for this bin. Thus, in order to be able to distribute an identical text in the number corresponding to the number of belonging users, the number of group members (i.e., belonging users) can be registered for each holding unit.
Numeral 503 denotes a group member number registration area. The number of members (users) belonging to the group registered in the holding unit name registration area 502 can be input by the keyboard (not-shown) of the host computer, and the obtained number of members can be then registered in the group member number registration area 503.
As described above, in the printing, since the number of members belonging to the group is previously registered, the copies the number of which corresponds to the number of the belonging members of this group can be automatically distributed to the registered corresponding bin by only designating the name of the distribution address.
Numeral 504 denotes an OK key. By indicating the OK key 504 with a not-shown pointing device of the host computer, actual registration of the content on the holding unit name registration screen is validated, and this screen ends. Numeral 505 denotes a cancel key. By indicating the cancel key 505 with a not-shown pointing device of the host computer, the registration of the content on the holding unit name registration screen is invalidated, and this screen ends.
As the name registered in the mailbox sheet discharge as the holding unit name, i.e., as the name registered in the holding unit name registration area 502, in addition to such the post names as shown in FIG. 34, discrimination information representing owners (e.g., user names, group names or the like) who use the holding units is efficient.
Hereinafter, the UI of a printer driver for designating the mailbox sheet discharge will be explained with reference to FIG. 35.
FIG. 35 is a diagram schematically showing an example of a distribution address designation screen for designating the distribution of the mailbox sheet discharge. The distribution address designation screen is displayed on a display unit of the host computer by the printer driver on the host computer.
In FIG. 35, numeral 602 denotes a distribution address display area in which all the distribution addresses are displayed by the holding unit names registered on the holding unit name registration screen shown in FIG. 34. Numeral 601 denotes distribution designation check boxes. By pointing the check box with the not-shown pointing device of the host computer, it is possible to designate whether there is a distribution or not can be indicated to each distribution address displayed in the distribution address display area 602.
Numeral 603 denotes a number of distribution copies input area. By inputting the number in this input area with a not-shown keyboard of the host computer, the input number of texts (or documents) can be distributed to the distribution addresses to which distribution is instructed by the distribution designation check box 601. Numeral 604 denotes a distribution for all members designation check box. By pointing this check box with the not-shown pointing device of the host computer, the number of texts for the number of group members of each distribution address (the number of group members registered in the number of group members registering area 503 shown in FIG. 34) can be distributed to the distribution addresses to which the distribution is instructed in the distribution designation check box 601.
Further, when the distribution for all members designation check box 604 is checked, the designation in the number of distribution input area 603 is invalidated.
Numeral 605 denotes an OK key. By pointing this key with the not-shown pointing device of the host computer, the designation of the mailbox sheet discharge designation screen is validated, and this screen ends. Numeral 606 denotes a cancel key. By pointing this key with the not-shown pointing device of the host computer, the designation of the mailbox sheet discharge designation screen is invalidated, and this screen ends.
However, in the abovementioned mailbox sheet discharge mode, there is a possibility that the following problems occur.
For example, when the holding unit names are registered as the post names such as "first personnel department", "second personnel department", and "third personnel department" as shown in FIG. 34 and used as shown in FIG. 33, it is assumed that a user B has the request that it wants to distribute the printing job to one specific user X of "first personnel department".
At this time, the user B designates the distribution address to be "first personnel department" and the number of copy to be "1" in such the designation manner as shown in FIG. 35, and then performs the printing. In order to surely pass the copy (printing job) to the user X, it is thought that the user B needs work of reporting to the user X the distribution of the copy to the holding unit of "first personnel department" after the printing process such that other users in "first personnel department" do not remove the distributed and discharged copy.
However, when the copy is often distributed only to the specific user, it is inconvenient for the user B to contact the specific user at each printing. Thus, there is some fear that the operation in the mailbox sheet discharge mode becomes inconvenient oppositely.
On the other hand, when the user name is used as the name to be registered as the holding unit name in the mailbox sheet discharge mode, it is assumed that a user C has the request that it wants to distribute the printing job to all the users of "first personnel department".
At this time, the user C must designate the names of all the users of "first personnel department" as the distribution addresses, whereby it is inconvenient for the user C if it is necessary to frequently perform such a designation operation. Thus, there is some fear that the operation in the mailbox sheet discharge mode becomes inconvenient oppositely.
As described above, in the form of merely allocating the owner to the bin beforehand and then, at the printing, designating the owner's name of the usable bin to discharge the copy to the designated bin, it is impossible to flexibly deal with the various requests from each user. Thus, in order to fill the request, it depends on the operation by the operator who issued the request, whereby there is a possibility that the load inconveniently rests upon the user.
Further, if the holding unit name which has been registered for the corresponding holding unit according to user's favor can be changed by everyone, there is some fear that the exclusive control of the holding unit which is the essential purpose of the mailbox is stultified.

Data processing apparatus and image recording apparatus, method for controlling data processing apparatus and method for controlling image recording apparatus, and storage medium


The present invention relates to a method and a device for correction of the movements of a suspension device and positioning thereof in a fluid. The suspension device is provided with a first and a second end, and the first end is suspended from a point (S). A correction device is arranged at the second end of the suspension device and adapted to generate a force which provides an acceleration in the fluid so that the position of the second end of the suspension device is corrected.

During transport in a fluid, for example water or air, of a load suspended at a point of, for example, a crane, the load may be set in motion in an undesired way, for example during a start-up, a shutdown, a change of course, or an emergency shutdown of the crane. To avoid such unwanted movements, it is common to arrange rigid connections between the load and the crane. Another way of avoiding such unwanted movements is to work with slow acceleration and slow decelerations only. A trained and skilled crane operator may cancel an oscillating movement of the suspended load by achieving an oppositely directed movement with the aid of the crane. However, a mistake may lead to an amplification of the outward swing instead of its weakening thereof, which may cause a fatal result.
Transports of loads suspended from cranes, travelling cranes or the like, occur in many contexts; for example in connection with construction work, harbor work, or mining.
Another problem when working with suspended loads is when positioning them, especially when the load, which is suspended from, for example, a crane, is arranged at a large distance from the point of suspension. During positioning of such a load, it is normal, after the rough positioning, to finely adjust by controlling the crane with small movements to successively transfer the load to the correct position. This fine adjustment requires much experience and high professional skill of the crane operator to achieve the correct position in a relatively short time. If the crane operator lacks this experience and skill, the fine adjustment may be a very time-consuming work.
One specific application where a load is transported suspended with the aid of, for example, a travelling crane is in the shutdown of a nuclear power plant. A shutdown takes place, for example, when service needs to be carried out in the reactor vessel of the nuclear power plant. For this purpose, the reactor vessel is then emptied completely, or partially, of fuel assemblies and/or control rods which are normally arranged therein. The fuel assemblies and/or control rods are then transported between the reactor vessel and a so-called fuel pool where they are to be temporarily stored during the service. A gripping member is then usually arranged so as to be suspended from the travelling crane via a stiff telescopic arm. The gripping member is arranged with the aid of the travelling crane, and the telescopic arm, in position above a fuel assembly or a control rod, whereupon the gripping member is caused to grip the load in question, that is, the fuel assembly or the control rod. The telescopic arm is caused to be retracted whereby the load is then lifted up from the reactor vessel. The load is then transported, raised in this position, to a predetermined position in the fuel pool where, after the correct position has been found, it is lowered down into a so-called fuel rack on the bottom of the fuel pool and is detached from the gripping member.
In this application it is very important that the load is not set in motion in a fuel assembly, which, in the worst case, may result in fissionable material entering the reactor hall of the nuclear power plant.
This handling of fuel assemblies, and/or control rods is a separate operation which takes a relatively large proportion of the total shutdown time. Another time-wasting work operation is the positioning of the gripping member in a position within very close tolerances in order to be able to lift up a fuel assembly or a control rod from the reactor vessel. A corresponding positioning takes place when the load is to be positioned correctly to be able to be moved down into the fuel rack. This fine adjustment is usually done manually by transferring the travelling crane for positioning the gripping member which is arranged at a distance of approximately 10-20 meters from its suspension via the telescopic arm in the travelling crane.
The object of the present invention is to provide a method and a device which allow an accelerated and directionally stable transport with continuous correction of unwanted movements and simplified fine-positioning of suspended loads.

Method and a device for movement correction and positioning


In an audio amplification apparatus connected to a microphone and a speaker, an audio amplification circuit amplifies an audio signal and inputs the amplified audio signal to the speaker. A howling canceller has an adaptive filter which is set with a filter coefficient based on the audio signal input to the speaker and a residual signal so as to simulate a feedback transmission path from the speaker to the microphone such that the adaptive filter processes the audio signal to produce a simulation signal. The residual signal is obtained by subtracting the simulation signal from an input audio signal inputted from the microphone and fed to the audio amplification circuit. An internal sound source generates the audio signal and inputs the audio signal to the speaker. A sound source determination portion determines whether or not the input audio signal contains an external audio signal provided from an external sound source other than the audio signal fed back from the speaker to the microphone, and controls update of the filter coefficient in accordance with a result of the determination.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an audio amplification apparatus provided with a howling canceller to prevent howling.
2. Related Art
An audio amplification apparatus amplifies an audio signal supplied from a microphone and inputs the amplified signal to a speaker. The audio amplification apparatus forms a closed loop from the speaker to the microphone. It is well known that the audio signal output from the speaker is fed back to the microphone, and repeatedly amplified to cause howling.
To prevent such howling, it has long been proposed that an adaptive filter is used to generate a simulation signal for simulating a feedback audio signal and that a howling canceller is used for the audio amplification apparatus to subtract the simulation signal from an input signal supplied from a microphone (see non-patent document 1). The howling canceller has a delay portion for delaying an audio signal to be input to the speaker. The delay portion provides a delay time to the audio signal corresponding to a traveling time of the audio signal fed back from the speaker to the microphone. The adaptive filter generates a simulation signal by performing a convolution of the delayed signal with an adaptive filter coefficient. An adder portion subtracts the simulation signal from the input signal supplied from the microphone to leave a residual signal that is then supplied to an amplifier portion. The residual signal is amplified by the amplifier portion and is input to the speaker that generates a sound. The adaptive filter is supplied with the residual signal as a reference signal. A known adaptive algorithm (e.g., LMS (Least Mean Square) algorithm) is used to calculate and update the adaptive filter coefficient so as to minimize the residual signal. In this manner, the simulation signal is approximated to the feedback audio signal to prevent the howling.
A known karaoke machine is a kind of the audio amplification apparatus and performs a correlation operation between an audio signal from a sound source such as CD and an input signal from the microphone to find a correlation function for a feedback transmission path from the speaker to the microphone. The karaoke machine uses this correlation function to monitor the degree of risk of howling occurrence. When the risk of howling occurrence is higher than or equal to a specified level, the karaoke machine notifies a user of the risk or decreases the gain of a particular frequency that highly possibly causes the howling.
[Non Patent Document 1] Inazumi, Imai, and Konishi, "Prevention of howling in the audio amplification system using the LMS algorithm," lecture thesis collection pp. 417-418, The Acoustical Society of Japan, March, 1991.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 8-33091
As mentioned above, the conventional howling canceller employing the adaptive filter uses the residual signal to calculate an adaptive filter coefficient so as to minimize a difference between the simulation signal and the feedback audio signal. In this manner, the simulation signal approximates to the feedback audio signal. However, a narrator's audio signal is included in the audio signal supplied from the microphone. The residual signal as a reference supplied to the adaptive filter contains not only a difference between the feedback audio signal and the simulation signal, but also the external audio signal. When such residual signal is used as the reference, it has been difficult to improve the calculation accuracy for calculating the simulation signal approximate to the feedback audio signal. There have been cases of insufficiently preventing the howling.
On the other hand, the conventional karaoke machine for monitoring the risk of howling is configured only to notify the risk of howling and is incapable of preventing the howling. Further, when the configuration aims at decreasing the gain for a frequency that highly possibly causes the howling, there may be a possibility of degrading the quality of reproduction sound generated from the speaker.

Audio amplification apparatus with howling canceler


A crossed-field amplifier is provided having a cathode structure with an emitting surface which emits secondary electrons upon impingement of priming electrons, an anode vane structure surrounding the cathode and a signal input port located adjacent the anode vanes. A secondary emission material is disposed in an area proximate the signal input port for providing priming electrons in the interaction region of the amplifier. The RF input signal causes the secondary emission material to emit priming electrons for use by the cathode structure. The creation of priming electrons in the interaction area reduces irregular start-up or "jitter" typically experienced with the amplifier at low pulse repetition frequencies.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a crossed-field amplifier and, more particularly, to an electron-emitting material used within a crossed-field amplifier to reduce amplifier jitter caused by stopping and restarting the amplifier.
2. Background
Crossed-field amplifiers ("CFA's") have been used for several years in electronic systems that require high RF power, such as radar systems. A CFA operates by passing an RF signal through a high voltage electric field formed between a cathode and an anode. The cathode emits electrons which interact with an RF wave as it travels through a slow-wave path provided in the anode structure surrounding the cathode. The RF wave is guided by a magnetic field, which crosses the electric field perpendicularly. Crossed-field amplifiers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,700,109, issued Oct. 13, 1987 to MacPhail, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,814,720, issued Mar. 21, 1989, to MacPhail et al., both assigned to the common assignee, and which are incorporated herein by reference.
In some applications, it is desirable to operate the CFA in a pulsed mode in which the CFA is repeatedly turned on and off. If used in a radar system, accuracy of the pulse timing is critical to obtaining accurate return information. To start a CFA, there must exist a small number of electrons in the interaction region in order to prime the operation of the cathode. These priming electrons come from natural sources, such as residual radioactivity, electron storage from preceding pulses, cosmic rays, etc. The priming electrons impact the cathode structure causing secondary emissions of electrons from the cathode surface, further resulting in a cascade of electrons flowing in a beam through the interaction region. At relatively high pulse repetition frequencies, a large number of electrons remain in the interaction region after the CFA has been turned off. These remaining electrons prime the CFA to rapidly restart the secondary emission process. However, at low pulse repetition frequencies the electrons in the interaction region dissipate into the anode structure, leaving an absence of electrons to prime the CFA upon restart. Although the natural source electrons will eventually start the CFA, the startup time cannot be determined with certainty. Thus, the restart of the CFA at low pulse repetition frequencies is highly irregular, and is a phenomenon known as "jitter."
Several solutions to the jitter problem have been proposed. One solution involves the use of a bias circuit which holds a supply of electrons in the interaction region between the cathode and the anode when the CFA is turned off. The bias circuit is disclosed in U.S. Pat No. 4,895,586, issued Jan. 16, 1990, to Crager et al., which is assigned to the common assignee. The bias circuit supplies a negative DC voltage to the cathode which holds the electrons within the interaction region. A significant drawback of this method is that a power supply and transformer are required to supply and regulate the DC voltage. The addition of the power supply increases the complexity of the CFA, and the DC voltage must be insulated from the cathode pulse voltage, which is typically more than 10,000 volts.
Other solutions involve the use of a thermionic emitting filament disposed in a space provided between the anode vanes of the CFA. The filament thermionically emits a number of electrons in response to the application of an external low voltage. The voltage differential created by the RF wave accelerates the electrons emitted by the filament. The active filament, however, requires an external power source. Moreover, the filament's life is finite. Both of these characteristics tend to decrease the stability of the CFA.
Current solutions involve the encouragement of multipactor electron discharge in the CFA. Data suggests that such discharge occurs in the CFA due to the RF field provided by the RF input drive signal. The discharge occurs on copper surfaces of the CFA that have been lightly oxidized. Oxidization is encouraged by maintaining high oxygen levels in the CFA. Unfortunately, maintaining artificially high pressures of oxygen increases the tendency of the CFA to arc.
Accordingly, there is a need for a solution to the jitter problem that does not rely on external power sources.
Further, there is a need for a jitter solution that does not decrease the stability of the CFA.
Further, there is a need for a jitter solution that does not require artificially high partial pressures of oxygen within the CFA.

Passive jitter reduction in crossed-field amplifier with secondary emission material on anode vanes


A fastener with a flange having two pairs of parallel sides and arcuate corners. Extending upwardly from the top surface of the flange is an elongated shaft having one region adjacent the flange having relatively thicker threaded walls and another distal from the flange having thinner unthreaded walls. Two prongs are formed by making cuts in opposing straight sides adjacent to the diagonally opposing arcuate corners, and then bending peripheral portions of the flange including the arcuate corners adjacent to the cuts in a direction upwardly by substantially 90°. The depth of the cuts is such that when bends are made, the perpendicular distance between front surfaces of the two prongs is less than an outer diameter of the shaft. When the fastener is inserted in a piece of material, the prongs dig into the surface of the material to prevent the fastener from rotating when a threaded fastener is screwed into the shaft.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fastener. When the fastener is inserted in a piece of material, at least one prong digs into the surface of the material to prevent the fastener from rotating when a threaded fastener is screwed into the fastener.
2. Description of Background Art
Fasteners including a flange with a shaft extending therefrom are well known. It is also well known to provide the shaft with an end remote from the flange having a reduced wall thickness to facilitate riveting that end over the surface of a piece of material through which the shaft has been inserted to hold the fastener against axial movement once riveted. Rivets may also prevent rotation of the fastener, particularly rivets which have alternating flaired and non-flaired portions.
However, riveting fasteners, which would be desirable to prevent rotation of the fasteners, is difficult in several situations, including the following:
1. Tapered holes. In the manufacture of office seating, the curved plywood pieces that make up the backs of the seats are sometimes punched out of a formed blank with a knife edge die. For forms with a simple curvature, this is faster than using a router to cut out the piece, and in addition the holes for the fasteners can be punched at the same time, saving the time and cost of the secondary drilling operation. However, punched holes are tapered. When using conventional riveting methods, it is difficult to ensure that there is sufficient penetration into the sides of the hole to prevent rotation when the hole is opening up.
2. Varying material thickness. Components made from plywood have a consistent thickness throughout. However components that are molded from plastic or a wood sawdust/resin mixture generally are thinner in some areas and thicker in others. This leads to different depths of holes into which the fasteners are inserted. It is very difficult to ensure consistently good riveting into different depth holes with a single set-up.
In view of the problems described above, a need has developed for a fastener that may be 1) guided within the track by the sides of the fastener; 2) more firmly secured to the surface of the material to prevent the fastener from rotating, particularly for fasteners that are not riveted; and 3) prevented from shingling solely by the thickness of the straight sides of the fastener. Furthermore, a need has developed for a fastener wherein the fastener blank is formed in a forging operation with the fastener blank being subsequently tapped. It is with these needs in mind that the present invention was developed.


A feeding bowl assembly for a pet. The feeding bowl assembly has a housing, wherein an internal bowl structure is formed within the housing. The internal bowl structure has an open rim along its top. A lid is provided that is sized to cover the internal bowl structure over the open rim. A storage compartment is disposed within the housing. The storage compartment is located above the bottom of the housing and below the internal bowl structure. The storage compartment is accessible through an access opening in the housing. Both the storage compartment and the access opening are sized to receive the lid. The lid can therefore be stored within the bowl assembly when the lid is not in use. While being stored, the lid is protected from the contents of the bowl and anything that might spill out of the bowl.

1. Field of the Invention
In general, the present invention relates to bowls having lids. More particularly, the present invention relates to the structure of pet bowls of the type used to supply food and drink to pets.
2. Prior Art Description
The prior art is replete with different types of bowls and other containers that can be used to feed a pet dog or another animal that eats at floor level. As most any dog owner would testify, dogs do not exhibit many manners when they eat. Often when a dog eats food from a bowl placed on the floor, the dog's snout displaces food around the bowl. When a dog drinks water from a bowl, the dog's snout is submersed in the water and becomes wet. As the dog lifts its head out of the bowl, the water from the wet snout drips onto the floor. Furthermore, when a dog is either drinking or eating from a bowl, it is not uncommon for the dog to move the bowl along the floor with its snout and tip the bowl, thereby spilling the contents of the bowl onto the floor.
In the prior art, there are many different types of specialized bowls and containers that are designed to reduce the amount of spillage that occurs from a dog bowl. One common type of prior art bowl is the weighted feeding bowl. Weighted feeding bowls are bowls that have heavy bases that are wider than the tops of the bowls. Such bowls typically have sloped external walls that taper upwardly from the wide base to the smaller open top. The bowls are therefore larger at the bottom than they are at the top. By increasing the size and weight of the base of the bowl, the center of gravity for the bowl is lowered. Therefore, the bowl is very stable and it becomes harder for a dog to accidentally tip the bowl.
Many dogs do not eat all the food that is left in their bowl at one time. Rather, some dogs eat from their feeding bowls over a prolonged period of time. Consequently, food is left standing in the feeding bowl. Since pet feeding bowls are typically set on the floor and have sloped exterior walls, the food left in a pet feeding bowl is easily accessed by insects and other animals, such as mice. This is especially true if the pet feeding bowl is left outdoors for any period of time. In addition to contamination by insects and vermin, uneaten pet food can also be ruined by rain, dew, and blowing dirt. If the pet food does become contaminated in any such manner, the pet being fed will often refuse to eat the contaminated food. The contaminated food is therefore wasted and must be replaced.
In order to keep the food or water in a pet feeding bowl fresh over prolonged periods of time, it is desirable to cover the feeding bowl. By covering a feeding bowl, the contents of the feeding bowl are isolated within the bowl. The contents of the bowl, therefore, cannot be accessed by insects, vermin, rain or other contaminants. Dry food or water can therefore be kept in a covered bowl for an indefinite period of time.
In the prior art, pet feeding bowls have been invented that contain lids. For instance, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,209,184 to Sharkan, entitled Pet Travel Bowl, a feeding bowl is shown that has a lid attached to the bowl with a hinge. The problem with such prior art bowls is that the cover of the bowl is exposed to the feeding pet. The cover therefore often becomes contaminated with food and slobber, thereby harboring contamination rather than preventing contamination.
Even if the lid of a bowl were attached to the bottom of the feeding bowl, that lid would quickly become contaminated. As a pet eats and drinks, food, water and slobber splash onto the floor around the feeding bowl. Simultaneously, as the pet eats, the bowl is often moved through this contamination. Consequently, a lid stored at the bottom of the bowl is very quickly soiled.
Of course there are a great many bowls that have removable lids. The lids can be stored far away from the bowl to prevent contamination of the lid. However, with a pet feeding bowl, it is practical to have the lid at the location of the bowl. Especially, if the pet feeding bowl is kept in a garage or outside. Many people do not like to mix their pet bowls and lids with their everyday cooking ware. By storing the lid of a feeding bowl at the location of the feeding bowl, the lid is readily accessible and does not have to be retrieved from some remote location.
A need therefore exists for a pet feeding bowl that harbors a protective lid, yet prevents the protective lid from contamination when it is not in use. This need is met by the present invention as described and claimed below.

Pet bowl assembly with lid storage chamber


A method for the purification of pharmaceutical grade 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (HFC-134a) and polymer grade chlorodifluoromethane (HCFC-22) by contacting a mixture containing 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane or chlorodifluoromethane and methyl chloride with a zeolite such as a molecular sieve, and recovering from said contacted mixture substantially purified 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane or chlorodifluoromethane.

The present invention relates to a process for the purification of pharmaceutical grade 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (HFC-134a) and for the purification of chlorodifluoromethane (HCFC-22) by the removal of impurities including methyl chloride.
Delivery of drugs to the lung by way of inhalation is an important means of treating a variety of conditions, including such common local conditions as cystic fibrosis, pneumonia, bronchial asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and some systemic conditions including pain management, immune deficiency, hormonal therapy, erythropoiesis, diabetes, etc. Such drugs are commonly administered to the lung as an aerosol of respirable size particles (less than about 10 μm in diameter). In order to assure proper particle size in the aerosol, particles can be prepared in respirable size and then incorporated into a colloidal dispersion containing a propellant, as a pressurized metered dose inhaler (MDI). Solutions of formulations must be dispensed in a manner that produces particles or droplets of respirable size. For MDI applications, a prepared aerosol formulation is filled into an aerosol canister equipped with a metered dose valve. The formulation is dispensed via an actuator adapted to direct the dose from the valve to the patient. Metered dose aerosol canisters deliver the medicine to be inhaled into the mouth, nasal areas or respiratory airways. Examples of metered dose inhalers are set forth in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,544,647; 5,622,163 and 6,581,590.
HFC-134a is an environmentally acceptable potential replacement for chlorofluorocarbon refrigerants, blowing agents, aerosol propellants and sterilants that are being viewed with concern in connection with the destruction of stratospheric ozone. HFC-134a has been known as a propellant for a metered dose inhaler for pharmaceutical compositions. Pharmaceutical compositions comprising a pharmaceutically active agent in 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (HFC-134a) as a propellant, for delivery in aerosol form, and to a device for delivering such a composition as an aerosol are known from U.S. Pat. No. 6,413,496. The use of HFC-134a in such pharmaceutical applications requires that it be of extremely high purity, i.e. significantly more pure than that which would be more typically used in refrigeration. In meeting the specifications for pharmaceutical use, a key impurity to be removed is methyl chloride. The manufacture of pharmaceutical grade HFC-134a has been a problem since the desired pharmaceutical use makes purification by traditional distillation techniques difficult due to the presence of close boiling point methyl chloride impurities. This is because HFC-134a and methyl chloride differ in normal boiling point by only 3° C. This small difference in boiling point requires high reflux ratios in order to achieve separation. This process is extremely energy intensive and reduces the throughput capability of the manufacturing system. An improvement over the known methods to ensure a cost effective process would be desired.
HCFC-22 is a refrigerant which is useful for the production of tetrafluoroethylene monomer which is a precursor for the production of polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon).
The inventive improvement provides a technique for removing methyl chloride from HFC-134a or HCFC-22 by contacting a mixture of methyl chloride and HFC-134a or HCFC-22 with a molecular sieve. This technique may also be used to remove methyl chloride and other impurities from a variety of halocarbons where separation by distillation or other means is impractical or inefficient. The use of molecular sieve for this separation substantially reduces energy requirements and does not show a reduction in throughput for the purification process. This results in a more cost effective alternative to conventional distillation techniques.

Process for the purification of pharmaceutical grade HFC-134a and polymer grade HCFC-22


The digital message display for vehicles detects a tailgater and automatically flashes a warning message, directed to the tailgater, on a message display that is located in the rear window of the vehicle in view of following traffic. In addition to the warning message directed to the tailgater, a distance display is located in view of the vehicle driver to indicate the distance of the tailgater. An audible alarm alerts the driver to the presence of the tailgater. Additionally, a wireless remote control device allows the driver to manually select and display one of a number of pre-defined safety and courtesy messages. Multiple distance sensors provide multiple functional ranges to accommodate varying driving or traffic conditions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a digital message display for vehicles, and particularly to a digital message display for vehicles having a sensing means to detect when a trailing vehicle is following too closely for the purpose of automatically displaying a message to the trailing vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Digital message displays are well known, and have been employed in advertising signs, message boards or displays often seen in bars and restaurants, and a wide variety of commercial settings. Such displays are frequently used to promote sales, upcoming special events, and the like.
Digital message displays have also been used on vehicles. Used on vehicles, these displays often show commercial messages. Also, digital message displays have been used to offer greeting and safety messages to the drivers and passengers of other vehicles. U.S. Pat. No. 5,825,281, issued on Oct. 20, 1998 to R. McCreary, describes a method of displaying advertising messages. A digital message display shows one of a number of pre-defined messages. Each time the brake pedal is depressed, the message display is changed. The display, mounted on the top or the rear of a vehicle, conveys advertising messages to other vehicles, pedestrians, and others who happen to see the vehicle.
Another system that employs a vehicle-mounted digital display for commercial and advertising purposes is detailed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,060,993, issued on May 9, 2000 to E. Cohen. This system uses a wireless communication system, along with a GPS system, to display messages on command form a base station or based on geographic relevance as the vehicle moves between different locations.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,500,638, issued on Mar. 19, 1996 to I. George, discloses a vehicular goodwill message system that is intended to issue a message on command from the operator of a vehicle. The system allows for the display of four pre-defined messages including courtesy messages such as "SORRY!" or "THANK YOU!" that may be signaled to a trailing driver, and distress messages such as "PLEASE HELP" or "PLEASE CALL 911". A control box includes a pushbutton for each message.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,905,434, issued on May 18, 1999 to P. Steffan, shows a vehicle communication device that is another example of a message display that allows the driver of a vehicle to select from a number of preset and pre-programmed messages to be displayed on a display device mounted on the exterior of the vehicle.
In addition to the commercial benefit of advertising signs, and the entertainment and courtesy value of messages that a driver might signal to a following vehicle, it is desired to use a vehicle mounted digital display to improve vehicular safety. Rear-end accidents while driving account for a significant number of all vehicle accidents. These may be caused, among numerous factors, by a driver following another vehicle too closely, or by the driver of a following vehicle simply being inattentive to the actions of the vehicle in front.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,300,870, issued on Oct. 9, 2001 to W. Nelson, discusses safety aspects in an automotive digital rear window display. The primary safety feature discussed, however, is merely that the message display may capture the attention of a following driver more quickly than conventional means such as the vehicle brake lights or the turn signals.
While the display may indeed capture the attention of the following driver, it is not helpful if the leading driver is unaware of, and therefore cannot display a message in response to, a hazardous situation such as a tailgater.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus, a digital message display for vehicles solving the aforementioned problems is desired.


An electrostatic discharge (ESD) clamp includes a first power source configured to provide a first power supply voltage, a power supply node coupled to the first power source and receiving the power supply voltage; and a first NMOS transistor and a second NMOS transistor coupled in series and between the power supply node and a VSS node. The first NMOS transistor and the second NMOS transistor are low nominal VDD devices with maximum endurable voltages lower than the power supply voltage. The ESD claim further includes an ESD detection circuit including a capacitor coupled between the power supply node and a gate of the second NMOS transistor, and a resistor coupled between the gate of the second NMOS transistor and the VSS node.

Electrostatic discharge (ESD) is a known problem in the manufacturing and using of integrated circuits. Typically, integrated transistors have thin oxides and insulating layers that can be damaged by the electrostatic discharge, and special care is required to protect the integrated circuits from the damage caused by ESD.
As device sizes continue to shrink, the damage occurring to transistors and caused by ESD pulses becomes increasingly more severe. The integrated circuits coupled between VDD and VSS nodes cannot handle the relatively large current in short time and the integrated circuits may be damaged. FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary circuit including a pad for input or output, a VDD node, a VSS node, and a power clamp coupled between the VDD node and the VSS node. The power clamp includes NMOS transistors N1 and N2 that are cascaded between the VDD node and the VSS node. NMOS transistors N1 and N2 may be low nominal VDD devices, which means that the maximum allowable gate-to-source or the maximum gate-to-drain voltage for each of NMOS transistors N1 and N2 is lower than voltage VDD. If the gate-to-source or the gate-to-drain voltages are greater than voltage VDD, NMOS transistors N1 and N2 will be damaged. The parasitic bipolar transistor BP, which is formed between the drain of NMOS transistor N1, the source of NMOS transistor N2, and the substrate of the respective chip, acts as the ESD device that becomes conductive to conduct ESD currents.
The power clamp in FIG. 1 has a high ESD trigger voltage equal to or higher than about 8.5V. However, the circuit that is to be protected by the power clamp, such as the schematically illustrated inverter INV, also has a parasitic bipolar transistor (not shown) that will be turned on to conduct the ESD current at a trigger voltage equal to about 7.1V. This means that the protected circuit may be turned on before the activation of the power clamp. Since the protected circuit is not designed to handle the relatively high ESD current, it may be damaged, and the power clamp fails to protect the circuit that it is designed to protect.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.


An opening and closing apparatus for an opening and closing body of a vehicle. The opening and closing apparatus includes a reciprocating member connected at its connecting portion to a motor so as to be moved to reciprocate along a plane perpendicular to a hinge shaft, the reciprocating member having a side surface parallel with the plane perpendicular to the hinge shaft. A connecting member is provided having a first end section pivotally attached to an end portion of the reciprocating member, and a second end section fixed to the opening and closing body. A deflection-suppressing device is provided to a stationary body connected to the vehicle body. A part of the side surface of the reciprocating member is slidably contacted with the deflection-suppressing device and is located between the connecting portion of the reciprocating member and the connecting member.

This invention relates to improvements in an opening and closing apparatus for an opening and closing body of a vehicle which apparatus is so arranged that the opening and closing body such as a rear gate of an automotive vehicle is moved to open and close with driving force of a motor.
A conventional opening and closing apparatus is disclosed in Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 2003-276441, in which a rack is connected to a motor disposed inside a roof of a vehicle body so as to be reciprocated in a fore-and-aft direction. A rear gate is pivotally attached to a rear part of a vehicle body so as to be movable to open and close. The rack is connected to the rear gate through a connecting member (hinge arm) to be reciprocated when the motor is operated to make rotations in normal and reverse directions, thereby to move the rear gate to open and close automatically.

Opening and closing apparatus for opening and closing body of vehicle


A game or puzzle including a plurality of polyomino assembly pieces and a support base. The support base aids the user in visualizing the shape of the puzzle to be assembled and provides support to the assembly pieces during puzzle assembly.

The present invention relates to the field of games and puzzles. More particularly, the invention relates to puzzles composed of multiple pieces that are to be assembled to form predefined shapes.
There are many puzzles available that require a particular order of assembly to achieve completion of the puzzle. Some require an arrangement of pre-connected pieces in a particular order. Colors or pictures may be interposed on certain surfaces of the puzzles. Many puzzles have been available for years and solutions are well known. The entertainment and education provided by these puzzles diminishes as they are solved by an individual on multiple occasions. Memorization of solutions leads to a diminishing of the puzzle challenge. Dedicated puzzle solvers require new challenges to their intellectual prowess. Therefore there is a need for an inventive puzzle that provides new challenges and entertainment for the puzzle solving public.
Pentomino and polyomino puzzles are known. A pentomino puzzle comprising a rectangular board or holder and flat pieces disclosed in both the 1959 U.S. Pat. No. 2,900,190 to Pestieau and the 1988 U.S. Pat. No. D298,149 to Hermans, et al. The 1999 U.S. Pat. No. 5,868,388 to Wood, et al describes an eight by eight square puzzle frame for holding colored cubic pentomino and tetromino pieces in a chess or checkerboard type array. The 1976 U.S. Pat. No. 3,964,749 to Wadsworth describes a board containing four rectangular playing areas, with each area comprising ninety square units, to be used with eighteen flat pentominos. A puzzle comprising a base and a mixture of flat tri, tetra, hexa, and hepta-polyomino pieces is described in the 2003 U.S. Pat. No. 6,666,453. Cheng describes a puzzle in the 2001 U.S. Pat. No. 6,220,919, where the puzzle comprises a base with round indentations and mono, tri, tetra, penta, and hexa-omino puzzle pieces made from spheres instead of cubes. Another patent to Cheng, the 2004 U.S. Pat. No. 6,702,285, describes using a frame to hold polyomino puzzle pieces in a vertical configuration, one cube in thickness.
The puzzles in the patents cited above are assembled to form simple, flat square or flat rectangular shapes. Polyominos may be constructed of cubes instead of flat squares and cubic polyomino puzzles may be assembled into both two dimensional as well as three dimensional puzzles. Three dimensional polyomino puzzles possess added complexity and challenge for the user. Polyomino puzzles assembled to form simple three dimensional cubic and rectangular parallelepiped shapes are described in the 1962 U.S. Pat. No. 3,085,970 to Besley, the 1989 U.S. Pat. No. 4,844,466 to Johnson, et al, the 1998 U.S. Pat. No. 5,823,533 to Edwards, the 1999 U.S. Pat. No. 5,868,388 to Wood et al, the 2001 U.S. Pat. No. 6,220,919 to Cheng, and the 2004 U.S. Pat. No. 6,702,285 to Cheng.
In addition to flat square and rectangular shapes and three-dimensional cubic and rectangular parallelepiped shapes, polyominos can be assembled into a variety of interesting three dimensional symmetrical figures. While many unique figures can be formed, assembly of the figures is problematic. Puzzle users may have difficulty visualizing the complex figure to be formed and there is also tendency for the blocks to fall during assembly A combination of polyomino blocks and a three-dimensional support base, which aids in visualization and provides support to the blocks during assembly, eliminates the problems thereby increasing the users' enjoyment of the puzzle.

Cubic assembly puzzle and support structure