A broadcast receiver includes a smart antenna, a tuner which extracts a signal of predetermined channel from among airwaves received by the smart antenna, a signal processing unit which processes the signal extracted by the tuner, and a control unit, in a case the airwave has become unreceivable, to set a pointing direction of the antenna on that occasion as a reference direction, to shift the pointing direction a predetermined magnitude counterclockwise or clockwise, and to decide propriety of reception of the airwave. The control unit iterates counterclockwise and clockwise shifts alternately in a region near the reference direction, while the shift magnitude of the pointing direction is being increased in succession and so that the direction as to which the propriety of reception has been decided once may not be included in the directions of the shifts, until the reception of the airwave becomes possible.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a broadcast receiver which receives the airwaves of predetermined channels transmitted from a plurality of broadcast stations, by a directionality switching antenna.
2. Description of the Related Art
In Japan, in general, the airwaves of television broadcasts or the likes are transmitted from a base station in one place. Therefore, substantially all of the airwaves which a plurality of broadcast stations transmit can be received in such a way that an antenna for receiving the broadcasts is fixed to the roof, the veranda or the like of a house so as to look toward the base station, and that the antenna and a broadcast receiver are connected by a cable. In contrast, in, for example, U.S.A., airwaves are individually transmitted from a plurality of broadcast stations, respectively. Therefore, when an antenna is fixed looking toward one place, the airwave of the broadcast station located in a direction in which the antenna looks can be received, but the airwave of the broadcast station located in a direction in which the antenna does not look cannot be received.
Accordingly, the directionality of one antenna must be switched in a plurality of directions in order that the airwaves from the plurality of broadcast stations located in different bearings may be received by the antenna. Such an antenna capable of switching its directionality (hereinbelow, termed "directionality switching antenna") is stated in, for example, JP-A-7-226611 (paragraphs 0019-0025, FIGS. 1 and 3), JP-A-11-298226 (paragraphs 0008-0010, FIG. 5), and JP-A-62-69733 (lines 9-17, left upper column, page 3, and line 16, right lower column, page 3—line 14, right upper column, page 4, FIGS. 1 and 4) mentioned below. The directionality switching antenna includes a plurality of antenna elements, and phase shifters, etc. corresponding to the individual antenna elements. It adjusts the phases of signals received by the respective antenna elements, by the corresponding phase shifters, and then combines the resulting signals, thereby to electrically vary the directionality. Regarding a smart antenna which is one example of the directionality switching antenna, it is stipulated by standards to switch the directionality in 16 directions.
When such a directionality switching antenna is employed, the airwave from each broadcast station can be received in such a way that a control signal is transmitted from a broadcast receiver to the antenna so as to switch the directionality of this antenna to a predetermined direction. Thus, even when a user has fixedly mounted the directionality switching antenna on the roof or the like of a house, he/she can receive almost all airwaves transmitted from a plurality of dotted broadcast stations.
Methods of controlling the directionality switching antenna are disclosed in JP-A-7-226611, JP-A-11-298226, and JP-A-62-69733. In JP-A-7-226611, several appropriate parameters are stored in a storage circuit, whereby a pointing direction can be scanned at will in accordance with a pointing-direction control signal, and a directionality pattern can be simultaneously changed in accordance with the pointing direction by appropriately selecting the parameter. In JP-A-11-298226, each time a reception channel is altered, is the directionality of the antenna is scanned in all bearings, reception power levels on that occasion are measured, and the directionality of the antenna is set at the bearing affording the maximum reception power level, whereby the directionality of the antenna can be optimally set every channel. In JP-A-62-69733, when a reception state has become inferior, the beam direction of a combined pointing characteristic is swung around a beam direction on that occasion, while an angle is being gradually widened alternately counterclockwise and clockwise, and reception is continued in a direction in which the reception state has become favorable.
In a broadcast receiver which receives a airwave by a directionality switching antenna as stated above, when a frequency-locked state has missed, the state of unreceivability appears in which the airwave having been received till then fails to be normally received. In such a case, it is considered that, as shown in FIG. 8 by way of example, the pointing direction of the antenna is successively scanned from direction-0, which is the pointing direction in the case of the unreceivability, to direction-15, so as to detect a receivable direction. Since, however, this method examines the proprieties of reception in all directions, it is inferior in efficiency.
Besides, in JP-A-62-69733, in a case where unreceivability has occurred, a favorable reception state is searched for in such a way that the directionality of the antenna is switched around a pointing direction on that occasion, while an angle is being widened alternately counterclockwise and clockwise. More specifically, the directionality is switched 45° clockwise from an initial position (0°), and in a case where reception is inferior at the resulting position, the directionality is switched 45° counterclockwise from the initial position (0°). In a case where reception is inferior even at the resulting position, the directionality is switched 90° clockwise from the initial position (0°), and in a case where reception is inferior even at the resulting position, the directionality is switched 90° counterclockwise from the initial position (0°). Further, in a case where reception is inferior even at the resulting position, the directionality is switched 135° clockwise from the initial position (0°). In this manner, the directionality is switched up to 180° counterclockwise and clockwise, respectively, while the angle is being gradually widened. It is also stated in this document to randomize the switching direction of the directionality.
However, this document is premised on an antenna device which is disposed in a vehicle or the like mobile object. In such a device, the reception state frequently fluctuates depending upon the moving direction of the mobile object. In the antenna device for such a mobile object, accordingly, it is somewhat significant for quickly finding the receivable direction to switch the directionality in a wide range over the whole circumference or at random as in JP-A-62-69733. In contrast, in case of a broadcast receiver which is disposed indoors, an antenna device to be connected therewith is fixedly mounted on the roof or the like of a house, and hence, the reception state rarely fluctuates as frequently as in the case of the mobile object. Therefore, when the directionality of the antenna is switched by the method as in JP-A-62-69733 upon the occurrence of the unreceivability, a rather longer time is sometimes expended till the detection of the favorable reception direction. Any practicable means for solving such a problem is not indicated in JP-A-7-226611 and JP-A-11-298226, either.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a broadcast receiver which can efficiently detect a receivable direction when unreceivability has occurred in a directionality switching antenna.

Broadcast receiver with smart antenna beam scanning


An ink jet print head is provided with high integration in which a substrate formed with a wiring pattern of a driver circuit is adhered to an actuator plate to provide a joined body, which is formed with a number of channels serving as ink chambers. An actuator is formed between the channels, and conductive films serving as driving electrodes are formed over the substrate and the actuator plate at a part of side walls of the channels by electrically connecting to a wiring pattern by an oblique vapor deposition method and an electrolytic plating method. Accordingly, voltage can be directly applied to the driving electrodes from the driver circuit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink jet print head for expelling ink from a number of nozzles to a print sheet for printing and a method for producing the same. More specifically, this invention relates to an ink jet print head in which a driving electrode of an actuator corresponding to each of nozzles is directly connected to wiring of a driver circuit formed on a substrate, and a method for producing the same.
2. Description of Related Art
Commonly, in ink jet print heads of an on-demand system used for an ink jet printer, the print head is a piezo system in which a piezoelectric element is used for the actuator. This print head has advantages in that the type of ink used is less limited since heat is not generated and its durability is excellent, as compared with a bubble jet print head in which a heat generating element is used for the actuator. The integration and miniaturization, which have been considered to be a weak point in the conventional piezo type, are improved by making use of a modification of a shear mode of the piezoelectric element, as disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,016,028 (JP-A-2-150355). In recently designed ink jet print heads, considerable integration and miniaturization have been achieved.
The schematic construction of the conventional ink jet print head of this kind will be explained with reference to the drawings while referring also to a method for the production thereof. As shown in FIG. 10, which is an exploded perspective view, the print head comprises a ceramic plate 102 formed from a piezoelectric element, a cover plate 103 for covering the top thereof, a nozzle plate 131 formed with nozzles 132 from which ink is expelled, and a substrate 141 adhered to the lower surface of the ceramic plate 102.
The ceramic plate 102 is a plate made of ferroelectric ceramic material such as lead zirconate titanate (PZT) formed with a number of parallel channels 108. Each channel 108 is provided with a deep channel portion 117 and a shallow channel portion 116, between which is disposed an curved transition R portion 119. This channel 108 is preferably formed by a diamond cutter blade. The ceramic plate 102 is applied with polarization processing in a direction of the arrow P. Thereby, a side wall 111 between the channels 108 is polarized in that direction. Each channel 108 is formed at a depthwise upper half of the side thereof with an electrode 113, which is preferably a metal vapor-deposition film. The electrode 113 also covers the bottom surface of the shallow channel portion 116. The electrode 113 is formed by inclining the ceramic plate 102 at a suitable angle relative to a vapor deposition source and applying the vapor deposition twice from both sides.
For the cover plate 103, a ceramic or resin material is used, which is formed with an ink inlet 121 and a manifold 122. These are formed by grinding or cutting processing. The cover plate 103 is assembled by bonding the surface formed with the manifold 122 to the surface formed with the channel 108 of the ceramic plate 102 with an adhesive.
The nozzle plate 131 is a preferably plastic plate assembled by adhering the ends of the ceramic plate 102 and the cover plate 103. A nozzle 132 is provided at a position corresponding to each of the channels 108. The substrate 141 is formed with conductive pattern 142 at positions corresponding to each of the channels 108, with each conductive pattern 142 being connected to an electrode 113 of a channel 108 (the bottom portion of the shallow channel portion 116) by a conductor 143. This connection is done by wire bonding. Alternatively, this connection is sometimes made using a flexible substrate (FPC substrate) in place of the wire bonding. In this case, the electrode 113 is drawn to the plane portion from the shallow channel portion 116, with which an electrode pattern of the FPC substrate is registered, and they are joined by solder.
In the assembled print head, as shown in FIG. 11 which is a sectional view, the upper surfaces of the channels 108 are closed by the cover plate 103 to form a plurality of ink chambers 112. Ink is supplied to and filled in the ink chambers 112 via the ink inlet 121 and the manifold 122 of the cover plate 103.
In the thus configured print head, a positive driving voltage is applied to an electrode 113B of a specific ink chamber 112B by a driver circuit provided externally. When electrodes 113A and 113C of ink chambers 112A and 112C are grounded, electric fields reversed to each other are generated in side walls 111A and 111B to deform the ink chamber 112B so as to reduce the volume thereof, as shown in FIG. 12. Thus, ink is jetted out of the nozzles 132 in communication with the ink chamber 112B of the nozzle plate 131 for printing. When the application of the driving voltage stops, the side walls 111A and 111B return to the FIG. 11 state, and the ink chamber 112B is replenished with ink via the ink inlet 121 and the manifold 122.
However, the conventional ink jet print head and method for producing the same as described above have the problem described below. That is, since the contact between the electrodes 113 of the channels 108 and the driver circuit is made by the wire bonding through the conductive pattern 142 of the substrate 141, the same number of bonding elements as that of the channels 108 is necessary. Further, the channel 108 must have a complicated shape including the shallow channel portion 116 because ink cannot be allowed to pass through the conductor 143, which must be sealed. Accordingly, not only the fabrication step for the wire bonding and the processing step for formation of channels are complicated, but also the cost required therefor greatly increases as the high integration progresses.
Further, since the control of the electrodes 113 must be done via each conductor 143 subjected to the wire bonding, a driver circuit formed into a matrix cannot be used. Because of this, a number of individual diodes are used to assemble the driver circuit, which requires very many parts, thus impeding the provision of a high integration.
Even in the case where the FPC substrate is used in place of the wire bonding, it is necessary to make the pitch of the electrode pattern of the FPC substrate narrow to correspond to the channels 108 of the ceramic plate 102, similarly posing a problem of cost. Even in the case where wire bonding and FPC substrate are used, the cost for high integration increases, thus impeding the improvement in resolution of the print head.

L-shaped inkjet print head in which driving voltage is directly applied to driving electrodes


A slat (30) extending along an inboard portion of a wind turbine main blade element (22). The slat may have an end vortex modification appendage, such as winglet (34), endplate (64), raked wingtip (70), or down turned wingtip (72), and may be located behind a line defined perpendicular to a mean camber line of the main blade element at a leading edge of the main blade element. At least the leading edge (42S) of the slat may be disposed within a zone (48) of airflow that generally parallels the suction side (40) of the main blade element. The slat may have a flatback trailing edge (44F). Vortex generators (60) may be attached to the slat. Slats may be retrofitted to a wind turbine rotor (20) by attaching them to the spar caps (56) of the blades or to the hub (26) of the rotor.

The inboard portion of a wind turbine blade is made thick to support thrust and lift loads that are cantilevered onto the blade root by the outboard blade regions. Herein "inboard" means radially inward toward the blade root, which is the portion of the blade connected to the hub. "Outboard" means radially outward, or toward the blade tip. The inboard portion of each blade becomes progressively thicker perpendicular to the airfoil chord toward the hub for strength, and typically becomes cylindrical adjacent to the hub to facilitate mounting and interface with a blade pitch adjustment mechanism. The relative air inflow angle changes with distance from the rotation center due to the increasing blade speed relative to the incoming wind. For manufacturing reasons, the chord angle or twist angle of the blade cannot change fast enough along its radial length to provide an optimal orientation of the blade airfoil section to the relative air inflow direction, resulting in an increasingly excessive angle of attack proximate the root. These inboard portions experience high variations of angle of attack due to the coning angle, wind speed variations, and low speed of the blade. The thick profiles and non-optimal airfoil shapes necessitated by structural reasons can not produce enough lift over the wide range of angles of attack and can even stall. Due to the blade thickness, structural limitation in airfoil shape, and high angle of attack, the inboard portion of the blade is aerodynamically inefficient and may even be permanently stalled, reducing the wind energy conversion efficiency. Herein "angle of attack" means the angle between the airfoil chord line and the relative wind vector, taking the blade rotation into account. A stalled condition occurs when the angle of attack is too high and the air passing over the suction side of the airfoil detaches from the surface of the blade, creating a separated flow region. Thus, the inboard region of the blades produces low lift and consequently low torque, and it therefore contributes little to the power of the wind turbine. Flow altering devices including slats and flaps have been added to wind turbine blades to improve their local and overall aerodynamic performance.

Slat with tip vortex modification appendage for wind turbine


The present invention relates to a portable electric drill having a rotatable magazine containing multiple tool bits from which a single bit may be selected for use. The magazine is in the form of an approximate 120-degree segment of a cylinder with a plurality of open grooves for holding the various bits. The drill includes a Jacobs-type chuck assembly with a bore into which the selected bit is inserted for use. The magazine may be rotated to position any one of the magazine grooves into axial alignment with the bore of the chuck, so that the user may index the magazine to position a selected bit for expulsion from a particular magazine groove into the chuck. The chuck may then be tightened around the selected bit and the electric motor actuated to drive the bit. A cable assembly within the drill housing is operable with an exterior button to be movable between a stored position and a forward position to push a selected bit from a groove on the magazine into the chuck assembly. A magnet on an end of the cable assembly is attracted to the shank of a selected bit, permitting the cable assembly also to be used to retract the selected bit from the chuck assembly. The magnet may remain against the shank of the selected bit while the bit is in use, both as a bearing surface and to assist in holding the bit within the chuck, particularly when the chuck is disengaged from the bit. An aperture is provided in the wall the drill housing, and the magazine may be rotated to align any one of the grooves with the aperture to expose in the aperture the groove and any bit it contains, permitting ready identification and cleaning of the bit.

The invention relates to the field of hand tools and more particularly to the field of power drills, and even more particularly to hand-held power drills that can store multiple drill bits or other rotary tool bits internally in a rotatable magazine for selective use.
The conventional hand-held power drill has been a simple and generally effective tool for occasional use. The portable drill typically known to the art has a three jaw chuck assembly, with or without a chuck key, in which a selected tool bit is loaded for use from a remote storage container. After completion of a drilling or driving task, the tool bit is removed and returned to the storage container. The drilling task is then repeated using another, different, tool bit if required.
A compelling need for more efficiency in construction and assembly contexts has forced a re-evaluation of the time wasted in the selection, loading, unloading and general handling of tool bits. Some drill users employing conventional devices have resorted to the use of dedicated drill bit units to save time. Dedicating a drill to one tool bit is more efficient than repeatedly changing bits, but requires the higher capital investment of purchasing multiple drills where one will do. Dedicated drills also increase workplace clutter, and involve the time to put one unit down to search for and employ another unit.
Previous attempts have been made to solve the aforementioned problems. For example, as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,065,498 to McKenzie, it has been proposed to use a hook in the drill unit which engages an annular groove of a bit element holder upon manual manipulation of a bolt assembly with a cylindrical magazine to load/unload a bit element. The McKenzie device, however, requires specially machined bit element holders for every size of bit element, which increases the cost of the drill, and limits the variety of bit elements that can be used. Furthermore, a lack of visual reference of individual tool bit elements frequently requires a user to load and unload bit elements to find the desired bit. Because the bit-carrying bores of the McKenzie device are closed, dirty bits stored therein can not be cleaned without unloading the magazine. The inability easily to clean bits eventually will cause the drill to malfunction due to debris falling from the uncleaned bits into the motor and switch.
Another example of previous effort in the field is U.S. Pat. No. 5,346,453 to River-Bottzeck. The River-Bottzeck device uses a cylindrical tool bit magazine which has a very limited view port near the shank portion of the bit elements. Viewing only portions of bit shanks, however, makes positive identification of each bit almost impossible, and again an unload/load search may be required to find the correct bit element. Additionally, the tool bit bores of the Rivers-Bottzeck device can not be cleaned after a dirty bit element is re-inserted therein. The resulting inability to access and clean a bit immediately after use causes the drill to malfunction over time, due to debris eventually falling from the magazine into the drill motor and switch.
Also, most known multiple bit drill devices do not provide for a torque control device to prevent damage to the drill drive system. Some known non-multiple bit or "non-magazine" drills control torque range through the use of a multiple-step electronic control to shut off the motor when the voltage drop across the motor exceeds a preselected limit. To our knowledge, this type of solution has only been adopted in non-magazine drills. Because of the unique power train requirements of magazine type drills, however, selective torque control is not available in known devices. The device disclosed in the '498 patent to McKenzie does not provide any method for torque control, and the device of the '453 patent to Rivers-Bottzeck provides torque protection for the chucking mechanism only. The '498 patent to McKenzie and the '453 patent to Rivers-Bottzeck are believed fairly to represent the state of the art of multiple-bit portable drills, and the entire disclosure of each of those patents respectively is incorporated herein by reference.


A shelf-stable mousse comprising (i) an aerated fat-free composition of a protein whipping agent, water and a sugar syrup, which composition is in admixture with (ii) at least one of a fat-containing substance; wherein the mousse has a water activity of less than 0.75, a hardness of less than 0.8N (measured as the force required to insert a probe to a depth of 7 mm into the mousse), and a loss factor tan δ value of greater than 0.95.

A wide variety of mousses are known in the art. In a domestic kitchen, a mousse may be prepared by aerating a protein containing substance, in particular egg white, to form a solid foam, and then admixing the foam with other ingredients of the mousse including flavourings, sugar and water. However, such processes are not amenable to scaling up to manufacturing proportions. Furthermore, mousses produced in this manner do not have the handling and storage properties that would allow them to be used in large-scale manufacturing processes or shelf-stable confectionery products.
Generally, in the food manufacturing industry, mousses such as those that may be used in products such as confectionery or desserts, are obtained by emulsifying and aerating a mixture of the requisite ingredients including protein, fat, sugars and water. Storage of such products may still be an issue however, and many are kept in a frozen or refrigerated condition. Such products may have a desirable 'mouthfeel' when cold, but become too soft or sticky if allowed to warm to room temperature. They are also usually microbiologically unstable due to their high water activity and/or require aseptic packing.
In order to obtain mousses which can be used in products which are kept at ambient temperature, such as confectionery items like chocolate bars, significant quantities of sugars and/or other preservatives or stabilizers may be required to be added. These can unduly harden or dry the mousses, giving them a less than optimum texture, taste and mouthfeel.
Alternatively, mousse-like textures are obtained by using an aerated fat based "crème" filling. Examples of such fillings can be found in products such as Aero® Mousse block, Lindt® mousse block and Cadbury's® Egg'n'Spoon. These products may have a high fat content, which makes them very energy dense. They may also feel 'greasy' in the mouth, which may not be to all tastes.
Shelf-stable mousses are described for example, in WO2008090203. The mousses in this case are produced using an oil-in-water emulsion, where the oil phase is generally a fat or fat blend, which are then aerated. This results in an aerated emulsion. When examined using for example confocal scanning microscopy, the applicants have found that such aerated emulsions comprise small discrete homogenized oil droplets, which stabilize air bubbles suspended in the continuous phase. The mouthfeel of the mousse is said to be similar to that of a traditional mousse au chocolat, and it is stated that the mousse is shelf-stable, even without the need for preservative. The fat content of such mousses are however quite high, at least 25% and typically from 30-50% w/w.
An alternative shelf stable mousse is described in WO2013/083697. This is a dairy mousse, also in the form of an aerated oil-in-water emulsion. It is stabilized by means of a hydrocolloid-based stabilizer system which is mixed with the ingredients of the mousse before whipping or aeration. However, the water activity of these products is reported to be quite high, of the order of 0.98. This would suggest that the product would have to be packaged aseptically to give it microbiological stability, which may be costly and time consuming.
Applicant has formulated a new shelf-stable mousse which has unique viscoelastic properties for shelf-stable mousse, and which has the specific characteristics of a refrigerated mousse. It may have a relatively low fat and/or dairy content. It may not require aseptic packing.


Systems and methods for continuously circulating fluid, e.g., drilling mud, through a wellbore tubular string, the systems in certain aspects including a sub positionable in fluid communication with the tubular string, the sub with a body, a plug releasably closing off a side opening of the body, and a closure apparatus for selectively closing off flow from the top of the sub into and through the body, while flow is permitted below the closure apparatus through the side opening down through the body into the tubular string; and, in certain aspects, such systems and methods including tubular manipulation apparatus, e.g. an iron roughneck and working with wellbore tubulars with the tubular manipulation apparatus.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to wellbore operations with strings of tubulars and, in certain particular aspects, to tubular subs and related systems useful for maintaining continuous circulation during joint make-up and break-out.
2. Description of Related Art
There are a variety of known continuous circulation systems; for example, and not by way of limitation, the following U.S. Patents and application present exemplary systems and components thereof: U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,350,587; 7,107,875; 6,412,554; 6,315,051; 6,591,916; 3,298,385; 1,491,986; and U.S. application Ser. No. 11/449,662 filed Jun. 9, 2006.
These are a variety of known wellbore, subs, continuous circulation systems, and related components, including, for example, the disclosures of U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,102,555; 2,158,356; 4,310,050; 4,448,267; 4,646,844; 6,253,861; 6,688,394; 6,739,397; 7,028,787; 7,134,489; and 7,281,582; and U.S. Applications Publication Nos. 2002/0157838 published Oct. 31, 2002; and 2006/0254822 published Nov. 16, 2006—all said patents and said applications incorporated fully herein for all purposes.
In the drilling industry, e.g. in the field of drilling for oil, natural gas and other hydrocarbons, drill strings are used that include a large number of tubular sections, referred to as "tubulars", which are connected by male threads on the pin ends and female threads on the box ends. In many operations such tubulars are added to the drill string, one-by-one, or in "stands" of two or three connected tubulars, as the string carrying a drill bit drills into the ground. Often it is necessary to withdraw the drill string, in whole or in part. Again, each tubular or stand is unscrewed, one-by-one, as the drill string is brought up to the extent required.
With some prior systems, each time that a tubular is added or removed, the drilling process is stopped and the circulation of drilling fluid ceases. Resulting delays in the overall drilling operation are expensive. The circulation of drilling fluids can be extremely critical to maintaining a steady down hole pressure and a steady and near constant equivalent circulating density. Often when tripping a drill string into or out of a well, the lack of continuous circulation of a drilling fluid can cause pressure changes in the well which increase the probability of undesirable "kicks". The connection of sections of casing in a wellbore present similar problems with circulating fluids.
Various prior systems have a variety of disadvantages and problems associated with their use; for example, in some prior systems valves internal to a sub are sent down a well where they are susceptible to wear and failure. Many items (e.g. fishing tool, logging equipment, downhole tools, etc.) to be located in a wellbore beneath a sub are limited in diameter to a diameter which will pass through the sub. In certain aspects, a valve seat portion of a sub will have a relatively small diameter which limits the size of items which can be inserted through the sub.
"Iron roughnecks," combine a torque wrench and a spinning wrench to connect and disconnect tubulars, e.g. drilling components, e.g. drill pipe, in running a string of tubulars into or out of a well. Prior art iron roughnecks are shown. e.g., in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,023,449; 4,348,920; 4,765,401; 6,776,070; 7,062,991; 7,188,547; and 7,313,986, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Certain prior art iron roughnecks have a spinning wrench and a torque wrench mounted together on a carriage. For making or breaking threaded connections between two tubulars, e.g. joints of drill pipe, certain iron roughnecks have a torque wrench with two jaw levels. An upper jaw of the torque wrench is used to clamp onto a portion of an upper tubular, and a lower jaw clamps onto a portion of a lower tubular, e.g. upper and lower threadedly connected pieces of drill pipe. After clamping onto a tubular, the upper and lower jaws are turned relative to each other to break or make a connection between the upper and lower tubulars. A spinning wrench, mounted on the carriage above the torque wrench, engages the upper tubular and spins it until it is disconnected from the lower tubular (or in a connection operation, spins two tubulars together prior to final make-up by the torque wrench).
Certain iron roughnecks are mounted for movement from a wellbore center to a retracted position which does not interfere with or block performance of other operations relative to the well and rotating or driving apparatuses. Such a prior art system can be used for making and breaking joints in a main string or for connecting to or disconnecting from a tubular section located apart from a wellbore center, e.g. in a mousehole (or rathole) at a side of a well.
Certain prior art iron roughneck systems include a carriage for rolling on the surface of the rig floor along a predetermined path. In certain prior art systems a spinner and torque wrench are mounted for upward and downward movement relative to a carriage, for proper engagement with tubulars, and for tilting movement between a position in which their axis extends directly vertically for engagement with a vertical well pipe and a position in which the axis of the spinner and torque wrench is disposed at a slight angle to true vertical to engage and act against a pipe in an inclined mousehole. In certain prior art systems, a spinner is movable vertically with respect to a torque wrench.
There are a variety of known torque wrenches and tongs for use in wellbore operations, e.g., but not limited to, as disclosed in and referred to in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,892,140; 4,221,269; 4,425,827; 4,446,761; 6,684,737; 6,971,283; 5,161,438; 5,159,860; 5,842,390; 5,245,877; 5,259,275; 5,390,568; 4,346,629; 5,044,232; 5,081,888; 5,167,173; 5,207,128; 5,409,280; 5,868,045; 6,966,385; 6,138,529; 4,082,017; 6,082,224; 6,213,216; 6,330,911; 6,668,684; 6,752,044; 6,318,214; and 6,142,041; 6,253,845; and 7,000,502.

Wellbore continuous circulation systems and method


A vehicle wheel having a shallow drain slot milled into the inboard surface of the hub and extending from the wheel pilot hole to the edge of the hub.

This invention relates in general to vehicle wheels and particular to cast vehicle wheels having a pilot hole communicating with a milled drain slot.
In the past, vehicle wheels typically have been formed entirely from steel. However, wheels formed from light weight metals, such as aluminum, magnesium and titanium, or alloys thereof, have become increasingly popular. In addition to weighing less than conventional all-steel wheels, such light weight wheels can be manufactured having a pleasing esthetic shape. Weight savings also can be achieved by attaching a wheel disc formed from a light weight metal alloy to a steel wheel rim.
Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a typical one piece vehicle wheel 10. The vehicle wheel 10 can be cast or forged from an aluminum alloy to produce a wheel casting or forging having physical dimensions that are close to the desired final wheel dimensions. The casting is then machined to the desired final dimensions. The vehicle wheel 10 includes an annular wheel rim 12 and a circular wheel disc 14. The wheel disc 14 can be formed across the outboard end of the wheel rim 12, as shown in FIG. 1, or recessed within the wheel rim.
The wheel rim 12 is adapted to carry a pneumatically inflated tire and has outboard and inboard tire retaining flanges 16 and 18, respectively, formed on the ends thereof that extend in an outward radial direction to retain the tire upon the wheel. Outboard and inboard tire bead seats 20 and 22, respectively, are formed on the outer surface of the wheel rim 12 adjacent to the corresponding tire retaining flange to support the tire wall beads (not shown) and form an air-tight seal therewith. The wheel rim 12 also includes a reduced diameter deep well 24 between the tire bead seats 20 and 22 to facilitate mounting the tire upon the wheel.
The wheel disc 14 includes a central wheel hub 30 for mounting the wheel 10 upon a vehicle. The inboard face 32 of the wheel disc hub is typically machined to form a flat surface to assure good contact between the wheel disc and a vehicle axle hub. A pilot hole 34 and a plurality of wheel stud holes 36 extend through the wheel hub 30. The pilot hole 34 is centered upon the hub 30 while the wheel stud holes 36 are spaced equally about a bolt hole circle that is concentric with the pilot hole 34. The pilot hole 34 can receive the end of an axle while the wheel stud holes 36 receive wheel studs (not shown) for attaching the wheel 10 to the vehicle. As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of lightener pockets 38 extend axially into the inboard face 32 of the wheel hub 30. The lightener pockets 38 further reduce the weight of wheel and are spaced between the wheel stud holes 36. The wheel disc 14 also typically includes a plurality of wheel spokes 40 which extend radially from the wheel hub 30 to the wheel rim 14 and support the hub within the rim.
A pilot hole cover 42 extends over the outboard end of the wheel hub 30. As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of tabs 44 (two shown) extend into the pilot hole 34. A barb 46 formed upon the end of each tab 46 cooperates with a flange 47 formed upon the pilot hole wall to frictionally secure the cover 42 to the wheel hub 30. Such covers 42 are typically formed from plastic and provide a pleasing esthetic appearance for the wheel hub center. While the cover 42 shown in the figures is recessed into the outboard end of the pilot hole 34, covers may also rest against the outboard surface of the wheel hub 30 (not shown). While either type of cover appears to be fit closely with the wheel hub and pilot hole 34, the covers do not actually form a seal with the wheel hub surface. Accordingly, water has been known to seep between the cover 42 and the wheel hub surface and enter the pilot hole 34 when the vehicle is driven through a car wash or puddles. When the water contacts a steel grease cap that extends from the axle hub into the pilot hole, galvanic action may result. If the galvanic action occurs over a period of time, the resulting corrosion may make removal of the wheel from the vehicle difficult. Additionally, during cornering maneuvers of the vehicle, rusty water may be forced from the pilot hole, staining the outboard wheel face.
As best seen in FIG. 2, it is known to form a radially extending drain slot 48 in the inboard surface of the wheel hub 32 of the wheel hub 30. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the drain slot 48 includes a inner drain slot 50, which is typically about 16 mm deep, extending from the pilot hole 34 to the lightener pocket 38, and an outer drain slot 52 extending from the lightener pocket 38 to the edge of the wheel hub 30. As the vehicle is driven, centrifugal forces urge any water present within the pilot hole 34 through the drain slot 48 and out of the center of the wheel hub 30.
It is known to form pilot hole drain slots 48 by casting or machining. With the casting method, the wheel mold is modified to include a pair of drain slot cores to form the inner and outer drain slots 50 and 52, respectively. However, the provision of a drain slot core for forming the inner drain slot 50 requires a reduction in diameter of the mold riser positioned over the center of the wheel hub, which, in turn, reduces the amount of molten metal available to compensate for shrinkage as the wheel casting cools. The inventors have found that the wheel reject rate increases to an unacceptable level when the inner drain slot 50 is cast into the wheel disc hub. Alternately, the inner drain slot 50 may be milled into the inboard surface of the wheel hub. However, milling requires a substantial amount of machining time, especially if multiple drain slots are provided. The additional machining time and the associated wear on the milling cutters increases manufacturing costs. Accordingly, a different drain slot that would reduce reject rates and/or manufacturing costs would be desirable.

Vehicle wheel having a milled drain slot


A vehicular mounted rail system may provide a rail, base(s), and rail adapter that are configured to be assembled and mounted to a structural member (e.g., dashboard) of a vehicle so as to enable a user to support an electronic device by the structural member.

With the wide adoption of mobile electronic devices, such as smartphones and tablets, the use of the mobile electronic devices in everyday life has become pervasive. Mobile apps, such as mapping apps for driving directions, has become commonly used by drivers and vehicles, both for consumer and commercial uses.
One challenge for users of the mobile devices in vehicles is safety in using the mobile devices when driving because holding the device leaves only one hand to control the steering wheel, and placing the electronic device on a lap, seat, or center console pulls a driver's attention away from the road. To help with safety for drivers when using mobile devices, aftermarket electronic device mounting systems that are mounted onto a dashboard have been developed. Existing mounting systems, however, are often not easily connected to dashboards as a result of vehicular dashboards often having complex and/or compound shapes (e.g., surfaces that are not linear), and, thus, problematic for the mounting systems to be adapted to the dashboard and be sufficiently stable to support the mobile devices. As such, there is a need for a vehicular mobile device mounting system that offers ease of installation and stability in supporting mobile electronic devices.


A restroom partition mounting bracket that allows vertical load to be transferred to a wall or other surface without creating tension loads on the wall fasteners from prying, thus eliminating the most common failure mode of typical restroom partition installations. The bracket will accept attachments to the wall and partition using hole locations from a previously installed, typical, bracket of varying dimension. The two-eared U-bracket has a plurality of slots that accepts fasteners at locations of existing holes. An additional connection is added to the partition to mitigate bracket rotation due to load eccentricity. The mounting bracket is used to replace previously installed, typical, attachment brackets, or it may be used to secure a partition in a new installation.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to mounting brackets and, more particularly, to restroom hardware mounting brackets of the type that may be fastened to a wall or other surface to support dividers, partitions, or panels in public restrooms.
2. Prior Art
Privacy enclosures for use in restrooms are well known in the art. Public bathroom privacy panels have been in existence since 1917. See U.S. Pat. No. 1,311,229 (Hughes) U.S. Pat. No. 1,221,205 (Moore), and U.S. Pat. No. 1,259,358 (Carpenter). The modern restroom partition system was developed in about 1957 by Hult. See U.S. Pat. No. 2,776,029 (Hult). This system utilized metal panels that attached to the walls using specialized brackets. Most partition systems today are based this design and use similar brackets.
Partitions are commonly fastened to the wall by U-shaped mounting brackets containing a single or double flange, commonly referred to as ears, extending from the bottom of the U, outwardly, in one or both directions. Each flange has a center hole that provides a means to screw, bolt, or otherwise fasten the bracket to the wall. The two flanges making up the U-shape, each, commonly contain a single hole to provide means to screw, bolt, or otherwise fasten the bracket to the partition or divider.
Typical installations of restroom privacy stalls enclose each toilet using partitions or dividers, a door and pilasters. Each partition or divider is commonly attached to the wall using the U-shape brackets with ears. The other side of the partition is commonly attached to a pilaster using different style brackets. Loads from the partition's weight or from abuse are distributed to each bracket on both ends of the partition. The magnitude of the vertical load on the brackets attaching the partition to the wall will vary, depending on whether the pilaster is laterally constrained to the floor or ceiling. In a perfectly idealized installation, using the typical or common wall attachment brackets, the pilaster carries all weight and vertical abuse loads to the floor. The partition, in essence, is leaned against the wall and the wall brackets act as links, carrying little vertical load. However, common brackets regularly have failed wall connections because of loose pilaster attachments to the floor or ceiling. The vertical load applied from the partition causes prying loads that exceed the wall fastener's installed tension strength. Failure generally causes the fasteners or anchors to pull out of the wall, allowing the bracket to rotate. It is very common for brackets to be unsecured from the wall and rotated in a position no longer perpendicular to the wall, as originally installed.
Applicant's assignee manufactures replacement restroom partition mounting brackets from extruded aluminum that allows vertical load to be transferred to the wall without creating tension loads on the wall fasteners from prying, thus eliminating the most common failure mode of typical restroom partition installations.


Disclosed are methods and compositions for efficiently expressing antibody fusion proteins. Antibody fusion proteins of the invention include a hybrid antibody moiety containing sequences from more than one type of antibody and/or mutant antibody sequences. Hybrid antibody fusion proteins of the invention may be produced at high levels and may combine functional properties characteristic of different antibody types in addition to functional properties of a non-antibody moiety.

The efficiency of protein expression from genetically engineered cells is an important commercial concern. Some commercially important proteins are best made from eukaryotic cells, such as mammalian cells, plant cells, or yeast cells, in order to ensure correct folding and glycosylation. However, the cost of maintaining large cultures of eukaryotic cells means that proteins produced in this way are expensive to make. Therefore, there is a need in the art to maximize the expression levels of proteins from eukaryotic cells.
A related issue is that therapeutic proteins produced from eukaryotic cells must be expressed in the correct conformational state. Normally, mechanisms of transcription and translation ensure that a genetically engineered cell will produce a protein whose sequence is determined by the nucleic acid encoding the protein. However, after transcription and translation, the protein may fail to fold properly and may be degraded. Alternatively, a protein may be produced in an aggregated state, such that activity is reduced. Even if an aggregated protein is active, it may be pharmacologically unacceptable due to increased immunogenicity compared to a non-aggregated protein. Thus, a pharmacologically acceptable protein preparation should generally be substantially free of aggregated proteins.
The amount of a protein that is expressed from a genetically engineered eukaryotic cell is a function of the rate of transcription of the encoding gene, the efficiency of mRNA splicing and of export from the nucleus, and the efficiency of translation. The role that these events play in protein expression is sufficiently well understood that one skilled in the art of genetic engineering and protein expression can generally incorporate appropriate nucleic acid sequences into the design of an expression construct with efficient transcription, splicing, mRNA export, and translation.
However, the amount of a correctly folded, non-aggregated protein that is produced from a eukaryotic cell is also a function of the amino acid sequence of the protein, as well as the nucleic acid sequences that determine transcription, splicing, mRNA export, translation, and post-translational modification. For example, it is thought that a significant fraction of proteins synthesized in a cell is degraded. The features in a protein that determine whether or not it should be degraded are currently subject to intensive study, but presently it is not possible to predict the efficiency of protein folding, degradation, or aggregation by simply examining the sequence of a protein. Some naturally occurring proteins fold efficiently, are resistant to proteolysis, and do not aggregate. In contrast, other proteins fold inefficiently, are rapidly degraded, and aggregate.
Antibodies and artificial proteins containing a portion of an antibody, termed antibody fusion proteins or Ig fusion proteins herein, are useful for a variety of purposes relating to the targeting capability of antibody variable domains as well as the ability of the constant regions to bind to various other proteins. Antibody and antibody fusion protein preparations are particularly useful when they are correctly folded and non-aggregated. Therefore there is a need in the art for methods and compositions for the production of antibody and antibody fusion protein preparations with reduced aggregation.
Additionally, antibodies and antibody fusion proteins are useful since their ability to bind to various other proteins enables them, for example, to elicit specific effector functions. In some instances specific effector functions are desirable but often the loss of effector functions is preferable. The antibody component of a fusion protein may be altered to reduce or eliminate effector functions by utilizing a modified antibody. Antibody and antibody fusion protein preparations are also useful when they are modified to alter functionality. Therefore there is a need in the art for methods and compositions for the production of modified antibodies and antibody fusion proteins with altered effector functions.
Protein drugs can be degraded by proteases, such that their delivery and pharmacokinetic properties are suboptimal. There is a need in the art for improvement of protein drugs that have the useful properties of certain proteins, but that have greater protease resistance.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A motor car tire having a tread includes a central portion situated on either side of an equatorial plane and two shoulder portions. The central portion is separated from the shoulder portions of the tread by two circumferential grooves and has at least one circumferential rib situated between a first and a second circumferential groove. The tread has a solid/void ratio of less than 0.28. The circumferential rib includes transverse grooves which extend over at least 50% of its width. The transverse grooves include at least one curvilinear section, have a width less than that of the circumferential grooves and at least one of the circumferential grooves including the circumferential rib has at least one side wall defining an undulating profile.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a motor car tyre, in particular a tyre intended for motor cars with a low-to-middle engine capacity, for example 1000-1400 cm3.
This type of motor car is used for short trips around town as well as short journeys out-of-town.
2. Description of the Related Art
Usually, the tyres for this class of motor vehicle, in addition to having good traction and braking properties on dry and wet road surfaces, must be able to ensure soft handling along urban routes, high mileage, reduced petrol consumption, and acoustic and plastic comfort.
Motor vehicle tyres with a tread which has blocks delimited by circumferential grooves, extending in a substantially longitudinal direction, and transverse grooves, extending in a substantially axial direction, are known. The blocks resulting from the intersection of these grooves have suitably designed varying forms and are arranged in adjacent circumferential rows, each of which is situated between two successive circumferential grooves.
The circumferential grooves may influence the steering and travel stability characteristics of the tyre in connection with the lateral (drift) thrusts directed parallel to the axis of rotation of the tyre.
The transverse grooves, in turn, may influence the tractional properties of the tyre, namely its capacity to transmit to the road surface the tangential thrusts parallel to the direction of travel, during acceleration and braking of the motor vehicle.
The circumferential and transverse grooves may also influence the water drainage in the area of contact with the road surface (contact area) during travel on a wet road surface.
JP 10-278512 describes a tyre for high-performance vehicles, provided with a circumferential central rib, circumferential central grooves, rows of central blocks and rows of blocks on both the side portions. The rows of central blocks are formed with blocks which have a circumferential dimension equal to 2 to 4% of the total circumferential length of the tyre, and the rows of blocks on both the side portions are formed with blocks which have a circumferential dimension equal to 1 to 2% of the circumferential length.
The rows of blocks on both the side portions are provided with grooves which are inclined with respect to the circumferential direction. The inclined grooves form obtuse angles with the circumferential grooves on both sides of the blocks.
JP 2004-155416 proposes a motor vehicle tyre and in particular a tyre for a passenger motor vehicle which has different tread pattern portions: in particular, an inner half tread band directed towards the inside of the vehicle and a half tread band directed towards the outside of the vehicle when the tyre is mounted on the vehicle. The total area of the recessed portion of the inner half tread band is designed to be greater than that of the recessed portion of the outer half tread band. The inner half tread band is provided with at least one circumferential groove which extends in a substantially circumferential direction. The outer tread band half is provided with two circumferential grooves which extend in a substantially circumferential direction.


The heat sink includes a fastener and a heat pipe. The fastener has a receiving space, an upper claw and a lower claw. The upper claw and the lower claw are formed in the receiving space. The heat pipe has a first end and a second end. The first end is received in the receiving space and clipped between the upper claw and the second claw, and the upper claw or the lower claw is partially embedded in the heat pipe to be flush with each other.

1. Technical Field
The invention relates to heat sinks, particularly to heat sinks with heat pipes.
2. Related Art
With the progressiveness of technologies, semiconductor components in electronic devices generate more and more heat. As a result, heat sinks become absolutely necessary.
FIGS. 1 and 2 show a conventional heat sink, which includes a heat pipe 10, a seat 20 and two elastic plates 30. The seat 20 is formed with a trough 201 for receiving the heat pipe 10. The elastic plates 30 are fastened beside the seat 20 by screws 40. Thus, the heat pipe 10 can abut against an electronic device for heat dissipation.
In such a heat sink, however, the heat pipe and the trough 201 must be soldered up to form a tight connection. The soldering will increase a certain height and decrease efficiency of heat dissipation, so it is disadvantageous to lightening and thinning design. Furthermore, the soldering process will also increase manufacturing cost.

Thin heat pipe having recesses for fastener


A litter box having a sifter insert member that is used to remove solids and clumped matter from the litter material without removing or transferring the litter material. The sifter insert has a foraminous bottom wall, two opposed side walls, one rear end wall, and a transverse front edge extending across the front end of the foraminous bottom wall. The lower portion of the sifter insert is slidably nested in the litter box with its foraminous bottom wall resting on the bottom wall of the litter box. Litter material is sifted by lifting the sifter insert upwardly to capture a substantial portion of solid and clumped material. The sifter insert is reinserted beneath the litter material by holding it in a generally vertical position inwardly adjacent one end wall of the litter box and pushing its front edge downwardly to engage the bottom wall of the litter box and lowering the sifter insert while pushing its front edge along the bottom wall toward the opposed end wall of the litter box until the sifter insert is again nested in the litter box, and thereafter manipulating the litter box to evenly distribute the litter on the sifter insert foraminous bottom wall. The sifter insert may also be used to remove remaining solid and clumped materials by holding it at an angle, inserting its front edge into the litter material and pushing it through the litter material beneath the remaining solid and clumped materials and lifting them out of the litter material.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to litter boxes for pets, and more particularly to a litter box having a sifter insert with a foraminous bottom wall which is used to manually remove solids and clumped matter from the litter material without removing or transferring the litter material.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Litter boxes which provide a relief station for cats and other small animals are well known in the art. The conventional litter box consists of a square or rectangular box having an open top end which is typically filled to a depth of one inch or more with granular material simulating fine gravel commonly referred to as "kitty litter". The kitty litter material is discarded and replaced as it becomes soiled. A "clumpable" kitty litter material has become widely accepted because it facilitates cleaning and reusing the litter material. When the "clumpable" litter material becomes soiled with urine or feces, the moisture is absorbed and forms clumps of soiled material which can be removed by lifting them out. However, when the urine or feces is near the bottom or side walls of the box, the clumpable type of material has a tendency to adhere the clumps to the bottom and side wall surfaces.
Others have proposed screen or tray sifting devices through which the litter material is passed or which fit into the litter box and are used to separate solid waste and clumps of soiled material from the litter material.
Vander Wall, U.S. Pat. No. 3,332,397 discloses an ordorless cat toilet comprising an open ended box receptacle having an upper and lower compartment separated by a grill-like wire partition. The litter is disposed in the upper compartment and a deodorizing substance is disposed in the lower compartment. The upper compartment receives the solid fecal matter and liquids and retains the solids and absorbs the bulk of the liquids allowing the excess liquids to drain into the lower compartment. A U-shaped wire guide rod is supported on the grill-like center partition and a wire frame sieve is passed through the litter in the upper compartment to remove the solids. The bottom of the sieve is supported on the U-shaped guide rod to assist in passing the sieve over the grill-like center partition.
Pallesi, U.S. Pat. No. 3,752,120 discloses a cat litter box consisting of three nesting containers, the uppermost having a screen bottom. The uppermost container is filled with sand after being nested over the other two containers. The solid matter is screened by lifting the uppermost container and permitting the sand to fall through the screen into the next lower container. After the refuse laying on the screen has been disposed of, the screen bottom container is nested onto the remaining empty container and the sand is poured into it from the storage container, which when empty is nested under the other containers to become the bottom container.
Larter, U.S. Pat. No. 4,325,325 discloses an arrangement utilizing two containers and a sifter or separator element wherein the first container, the separator, and the second container are stacked one on the other and the assembly is inverted to transfer the litter material from one container into the other while trapping the solids with the separator.
Burniski et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,616,598 discloses a pet litter box wherein pet litter with accumulated dry solid waste material is held in a tray with a perforated bottom. A flat sheet with identical perforations is slidably engaged with the bottom of the preforated tray. By moving the perforated flat sheet to selectively block off all throughflow (closed mode) to complete congruence of the apertures permitting maximum throughflow (open mode), the user segregates waste matter from reusable litter within the litter box. Waste matter is then discarded and the tray put back into the closed mode and the litter box is turned over to resume operation.
Wilson, U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,442 discloses a cat litter screening device which includes two planar bottom panels of a mesh material that are pivoted together along a central axis and have mesh side panels and handles on each side. To clean the litter material the handle are pulled upwardly which causes the panels to move upwardly through the litter material while folding together to trap fecal matter which is then carried by the device for disposal.
Prince, U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,560 discloses a litter box with a basket-like sifter element that has a foraminous grid formed of intersecting bars of triangular cross section with the apex of the triangle pointing downwardly. The basket-like sifter element is forced downwardly through the litter material and, when it is desirable to remove the solids, the sifter element is lifted upwardly out of the litter box allowing the litter granules to fall back into the litter box while the solids are captured by the basket-like sifter element. This type of sifter construction requires pressing it downwardly and lifting it upwardly through the litter material which does not effectively remove clumps of soiled material that may be adhered to the bottom or side walls of the litter box. Pressing the sifter downwardly also has a tendency to mash the solids which may be beneath the sifter onto the bottom surface of the litter box.
The present invention is distinguished over the prior art in general, and these patents in particular, by a litter box having a sifter insert member that is used to remove solids and clumped matter from the litter material without removing or transferring the litter material. The sifter insert has a foraminous bottom wall, two opposed side walls, one rear end wall, and a transverse front edge extending across the front end of the foraminous bottom wall. The lower portion of the sifter insert is slidably nested in the litter box with its foraminous bottom wall resting on the bottom wall of the litter box. Litter material is sifted by lifting the sifter insert upwardly to capture a substantial portion of solid and clumped material. The sifter insert is reinserted beneath the litter material by holding it in a generally vertical position inwardly adjacent one end wall of the litter box and pushing its front edge downwardly to engage the bottom wall of the litter box and lowering the sifter insert while pushing its front edge along the bottom wall toward the opposed end wall of the litter box until the sifter insert is again nested in the litter box, and thereafter manipulating the litter box to evenly distribute the litter on the sifter insert foraminous bottom wall. The sifter insert may also be used to remove remaining solid and clumped materials by holding it at an angle, inserting its front edge into the litter material and pushing it through the litter material beneath the remaining solid and clumped materials and lifting them out of the litter material.


A spirit level comprising a body having a level face for setting a surface, at least one bubble vial mounted in the body, the bubble vial having a longitudinal axis generally perpendicular to the level face, and an optical transfer element fixed to the body which transfers an image of the bubble vial to a viewing plane generally parallel to the level face.

Spirit levels, also called bubble levels, are well known instruments used for setting horizontal or vertical surfaces. The level includes a sealed vial containing an air bubble floating in a liquid. The particular surface is considered horizontal or vertical when the air bubble rests between predetermined graduated marks in the vial.
When setting, also called plumbing, a vertical surface with a typical spirit level, the bubble vial is generally perpendicular to the surface being set, with the result that the air bubble must be viewed from a position which does not directly face the surface being set. Unfortunately, it is sometimes awkward or strenuous to view the air bubble from such a position. Adverse lighting conditions can also exacerbate difficulty in reading the bubble from such a position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,103,430 to Schrader describes a viewing device for a spirit level including a luminescent panel and a pivotable mirror arranged to provide an illuminated image of the air bubble which may be viewed without having to look directly at the air bubble vial. However, the air bubble must still be viewed from a position which does not directly face the surface being set.


A processor includes an alias unit having high-speed memory storage locations allocated at compile time for variable-sized data objects. The storage locations are accessed through a table of alias entries that consist of a base address in the processor memory to which the alias entry is aliased, the number of bytes in the alias entry, and a base address that points to the first byte of alias buffer memory representing the value of the alias entry. Each alias entry is given a unique name from a small name space that is encoded into relevant machine opcodes. The names are used to reference the data objects. The processor can optionally include a data cache and can be used in either single processor or multi-tasking environments. Reference to a memory location address associated with an alias register entry would be redirected to the intermediate storage.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to computer processors and, more particularly, to computer processors with buffer storage between the processor core and main memory.
2. Description of the Related Art
Computer processors execute machine instructions specified by operation codes, generally referred to as "opcodes", and operands to carry out programming steps specified by a compiler or assembler. Frequently, the machine instruction references one or more data values that are used as the operand in an arithmetic operation, a memory transfer operation, a branch instruction to another machine instruction, and the like. Typically, the referenced data value can be found in either memory (perhaps buffered by intermediate storage such as a cache) or in addressable registers. Each type of data storage has benefits and drawbacks.
Memory locations are accessed by specifying a memory location address where a data value is stored. Memory locations are useful for storing large blocks of data and numerically large data values and are compatible with a variety of addressing schemes. Memory locations arc especially useful for accommodating variable data record storage requirements. That is processors often must access data records that comprise collections of objects of varying length. With memory locations, data objects of varying length are simply referenced by the corresponding memory addresses.
Although memory locations provide great flexibility, the access times for memory locations are among the slowest within the memory hierarchy and are not particularly stable from access operation to access operation. The variation in access time is due primarily to the way in which spatial and temporal locality within the address reference sequence (trace) interacts with any caching, interconnect, and memory banking organizations present within the processor. Finally, a relatively large number of bits can be required to encode memory location references because the memory location addresses can be quite lengthy. For example, the result of an effective address computation is thirty-two bits or more for most modern processors, compared with three to five bits typically used to designate a register.
Registers access data much faster as compared to memory locations. This is due in part to the hardware design of the logic gates that implement registers. The fast access time also is due in part to the simplified addressing scheme of registers. Typically, registers are referenced by a short register name. In this way, the entire contents of a thirty-two bit register might be accessed using only the bits required for the opcode and a four-bit name character.
Unfortunately, registers are more expensive to provide in a processor than are memory locations, again because of the hardware design and logic circuitry. Therefore, most processors have a limited number of registers. In addition, the number of registers is limited by the register addressing scheme, which is restricted but highly efficient. Finally, some values cannot be kept in registers because of what is known as the ambiguous reference problem. The ambiguous reference problem occurs when a variable, such as a cell in an array or a pointer, can be known by more than one name. For example, if a sequence of machine instructions refers to two names called x and y, and if one of them is a data value and the other is a pointer, or if both are cells in an array, then both x and y might refer to the same data object, although they appear to reference two different objects. Thus, one name is really an alias for the other.
At compile time, if a compiler can distinguish between the two names, then the data objects x and y can be kept in two different registers. On the other hand, if the compiler can determine that the two names always refer to the same data object, then both names can be mapped to the same register. If the compiler cannot determine if the two names either always or never refer to the same object, then x and y are said to be ambiguously referenced, or related, to each other. If two names are ambiguously referenced to each other, then generally they cannot be kept in registers for any length of time.
A data cache is a small, relatively high-speed memory containing copies of values addressed associatively by main memory addresses. If an instruction references a memory location, the data cache can be checked to determine if the referenced memory location is mapped into the data cache. If it is, then the referenced value is contained in the data cache and there is no need to go to the memory to obtain the value.
Recently, cache-registers (generally called "C-registers" or "C-regs") have been proposed that can be addressed in register-like fashion with short names. Thus, an opcode might specify a C-reg store into "0", which would result in a store operation into the cache register numbered zero. As with conventional registers, such a reference is much more efficient than specifying an entire memory address location. Unlike conventional registers, however, C-regs can be used even if two data object names are ambiguously aliased to each other. Each C-reg holds both an address and a data value. When a C-reg is referenced, an associative search is made by appropriate processor blocks to find neighboring C-regs that have the same address in their address field. Any C-regs found in this way are alternative names for the directly named C-reg, and the C-reg hardware simply maintains coherence of such entries. Unfortunately, C-regs provide only fixed length storage, like conventional registers, and therefore are not as compatible with varying data record storage requirements as memory locations.
From the discussion above, it should be apparent that there is a need for a processor that permits addressing data records with greater efficiency than memory locations and with more deterministic access times, eliminates the ambiguous reference problem, and provides greater storage flexibility than the fixed length storage of conventional hardware registers and cache registers. The present invention satisfies this need.

Processor with compiler-allocated, variable length intermediate storage

International Business Machines Corporation


A computer program and computer-implemented method for assisting a use in selecting versions of a document to be compared and reviewed. The method may include storing a plurality of documents in a database and creating comparison documents that each depicts differences between different pairs of the documents. The method may also include selecting one of the documents to be a current document, then displaying comparison data for assisting the user in selecting one of the documents as a base document. The comparison data may include keyword search results and marked differences between user-selected sections of the documents as extracted from the comparison documents. Based on the comparison data, the user may select one of the documents in the database to be the base document. Finally, the method may include opening and displaying a specific one of the comparison documents associated with the current document and the base documents.

Electronic documents can be created based on user input using a computer software application (such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, etc.). Electronic documents may be reviewed on a computer monitor and/or may be printed for review and may be transmitted electronically to other users via email or using an on-line document collaboration system.
Document comparison (often called "redlining") software applications are widely used to compare two electronic documents. Specifically, the redlining applications compare electronic documents and display differences between them, streamlining their review. An output document showing the differences between the two compared documents is referred to as a "redline" or "redline document." The two documents compared are typically an older base version or base document and a newer current version or current document.
In a complex transaction in which dozens of versions of a document have been exchanged, selecting a correct base document for comparison is often difficult, particularly if the most useful base document is not the immediately prior version. Different reviewers may have studied different prior versions, and therefore each would prefer seeing a different comparison. Moreover, sometimes weeks may pass between the exchange of draft versions, and the process may continue for months with multiple drafts exchanged. A project participant may have reviewed some of the versions, but not necessarily all of them, and may not recall which versions they have and have not reviewed. Upon receiving a new draft, the user is faced with identifying changes, comparing those changes with what was last studied by the user—recognizing that the last studied draft might or might not be the most recent prior draft.
Specifically, if multiple parties are exchanging drafts, a user may be confused as to what two versions of a document to compare via the redlining application. For example, a user may want to see changes between the current document and a previous version of the document last reviewed by the user. However, if an interim version of the document submitted between the current version and the previous version is accidentally selected for comparison instead, the user may inadvertently overlook critical changes because they are not flagged as changes in the comparison document or redline, since these changes also appeared in the interim document.

Method and computer-readable media for comparing electronic documents


A stowage bin is provided. The stowage bin includes a bucket, a support assembly, and at least one translating pivot mechanism rotatably coupling the support assembly to the bucket, the at least one translating pivot mechanism including a first component integrally formed with the bucket and comprising a first pin and a first slot, and a second component integrally formed with the support assembly and including a second pin and a second slot, wherein the first and second components engage one another such that the first pin is received in the second slot and the second pin is received in the first slot. The first pin is static with respect to the bucket, and the second pin is static with respect to the support assembly.

The field of the disclosure relates generally to stowage bins, and, more particularly, to aircraft stowage bins and methods of assembling the same.
Vehicles, such as commercial aircraft, generally include stowage bins for storing the luggage of passengers and crew members. As demand for stowage space increases, increasingly larger stowage bins have been designed. Although larger stowage bins are capable of storing more luggage, at least some known larger stowage bins require a greater force to open or close the bins due to their increased size and thus may be difficult for passengers to use.
Further, in a closed position, to facilitate maximizing cabin space, it is desirable that a stowage bin be positioned as high within the cabin as possible. In contrast, in an open position, it is desirable that the stowage bin be positioned as low as possible to enable individuals to insert luggage into the bin and remove luggage from the bin.

Translating stowage bin and method of assembly


Methods and system for allowing a user, through a computer in telecommunication link with a system having access to financial and market data, to predict the performance of a financial vehicle and thereby provide training for trading options or evaluating predictions are provided. One method includes providing a user interface, via the computer, which allows the user to specify a financial vehicle; displaying, via the user interface, historical performance data for the financial vehicle specified by the user; displaying, via the user interface, projected performance data for the financial vehicle; receiving from the user, via the user interface, performance prediction for the financial vehicle for a time period; receiving from the user, via the user interface, amount of money to leverage relating to the performance prediction for the financial vehicle for the time period; storing the performance prediction for the financial vehicle and the amount of money leveraged; calculating payoff amount based on the performance prediction for the financial vehicle and the amount of money leveraged; and displaying, via the user interface, the calculated payoff amount.

Along with the surging popularity of the Internet, there has been a corresponding surge in the usage of the Internet by individuals for online investment education, research and transactions. As noted in the popular media, millions of individuals, via the Internet, conduct online investment transactions, most of which involve buying and selling of stocks. According to the Wall Street Journal, for example, 3.7 million U.S. households conducted at least one online investment transaction for the six months ended February, 2001, which was actually an 18% decrease from the 4.5 million U.S. households which conducted at least one online investment transaction for the six months ended August, 2000. "Online Traders Disappear, But Perhaps Not For Good", The Wall Street Journal, Mar. 28, 2001.
While online stock trading has proliferated, online options transactions have only increased incrementally. The primary reason for this appears to be a lack of understanding among investors about what options are and how they can become a meaningful part of one's investment strategy.
In broad terms, options allow an investor with a hunch about the direction of a security's price to try to profit from that hunch without having to lay out the full amount it would cost to purchase the security. For example, a call option gives its holder the right but not the obligation to purchase a security (e.g., stock) at a preselected price (i.e., the "strike price") by a preselected date. An investor typically buys a call option if he believes that the value of the security will increase by the preselected date. By contrast, a put option gives its holder the right but not the obligation to sell a security at a preselected price by a preselected date. An investor typically buys a put option if he believes that the value of the security will decrease by the preselected date.
A call option is "in the money" when the strike price is below the price of the security. For example, a call option with a strike price of $50 per share for XYZ Company's stock is in the money when XYZ Company's stock price is trading at $58 per share. A put option is "in the money" when the strike price is above the price of the security. For example, a put option with a strike price of $56 per share for XYZ Company's stock is in the money when XYZ Company's stock price is trading at $49 per share.
Generally, a binary option, also known as all-or-nothing option, bet option, digital option or lottery option, is a European option with a fixed, predetermined payoff if the underlying instrument or index is at or beyond the strike price at expiration. The value of the payoff is not affected by the magnitude of the difference between the underlying instrument or index and the strike price. The strike price is the price at which the options contract stipulates the underlying instrument or index will be bought or sold. A European style option is one which can only be exercised on its expiration date. By contrast, an American style option is an option which the holder may exercise any time up to and including the option's expiration date.
There are two types of binary options, a cash-or-nothing and asset-or-nothing options. A holder of a cash-or-nothing binary option receives a fixed payoff if the option expires in the money or nothing if the option expires out of the money. A holder of an asset-or-nothing binary option receives the underlying asset if the option expires in the money or nothing if the option expires out of the money.
A range accumulation option or warrant is a series of binary options with each option covering a short period. The payoff of the range accumulation option is the sum of the payoffs of the component binary options. The component options, in turn, payoff when the underlying price or rate falls within a designated range. Range accumulation options may be stand-alone instruments, but they are frequently embedded in notes to create Index Range Notes or LIBOR Range Notes.
An Index Range Note is a note with a coupon determined largely or entirely by an embedded range accumulation option. Equity indexes, currency exchange rates and interest rates are among the underlying indexes, prices or rates that can determine the payoff. LIBOR (i.e., London Inter-Bank Offered Rate) Range Notes are the most common variety of Index Range Notes.
As the above descriptions relating to options demonstrates, especially the descriptions relating to binary options and range accumulation options, educating an investor about options is no easy task. This difficulty is also faced by financial institutions, such as the assignee of the present patent application, as they try to educate their employees concerning options and to determine who, among their employees, may have the skills necessary to make good options transactions.
What is desired, therefore, is an interactive technological system and method that facilitates learning about and trading options by allowing a user to predict performance of a financial vehicle and that also helps a financial institution to objectively determine which employees may have the skills necessary to make good options transactions.

User-interactive financial vehicle performance prediction, trading and training system and methods


A system and method for enforcing rights expressions, include specifying a repository rights expression indicating a manner of use of an item at a repository; and associating the repository rights expression with the repository. In a further embodiment, the system includes one or more repositories having associated therewith rights expressions further indicating a condition of use of the item at the repository. In a further embodiment, a repository for use in the system, includes a processor module configured to process the rights expression associated with the repository; and a determination module configured to determine based on the rights expression associated with the repository what action the repository is to take when the repository processes or receives a request for the item. The manner of use or condition of use indicates what action the repository is to take when the repository processes or receives a request for the item.

1. Field of the Invention
The exemplary embodiments of the present invention generally relate to systems and methods for Digital Rights Management, and more particularly to a system and method for supplying and managing rights expressions.
2. Description of Related Art
One of the most important needs to enable the development of widespread distribution of digital works, for example, documents or other content in forms readable by computers, and management of the use of digital works via electronic means, and the Internet in particular, is the ability to designate and enforce the intellectual property rights and other rights of content owners, consumers and other stakeholders during the distribution and use of digital works. Efforts to meet this need have been termed Intellectual Property Rights Management (IPRM), Digital Property Rights Management (DPRM), Intellectual Property Management (IPM), Rights Management (RM), and Electronic Copyright Management (ECM), collectively referred to as Digital Rights Management (DRM) herein. There are a number of issues to be considered in effecting a DRM System. For example, authentication, authorization, accounting, payment and financial clearing, rights specification, rights verification, rights enforcement, and document protection issues should be addressed. Commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,530,235, 5,629,980, 5,634,012, 5,638,443, 5,715,403, 6,233,684, and 6,236,971, the entire disclosures of all of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein, disclose DRM systems addressing these and other issues.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,634,012 discloses a system for controlling the distribution of digital documents. Each rendering device has a repository associated therewith. A predetermined set of usage transaction steps define a protocol used by the repositories for enforcing usage rights associated with a document. Usage rights persist with the document content. The usage rights can permit various manners of use of the content, such as viewing only, use once, distribution, and the like. Usage rights can be contingent on payment or satisfaction of other conditions and variables. Conceptually, a repository can include a set of functional specifications defining core functionality. A repository can include a trusted system in that the repository can maintain physical integrity, communications integrity and behavioral integrity. A repository can be removable or stationary, can be big or small or portable, can be in any suitable shape, such as a card or smart card, or can have other functionalities, such as a microprocessor.
The use and distribution of digital content, for example, documents or other information that can be rendered by a computer or other device, can be controlled using usage rights and conditions. This permits digital content to be distributed in a flexible manner while protecting the rights of the content owner and permitting the content owner, and others adding value to transactions, to produce a revenue stream from the distribution. However, tangible items, such as goods and services, typically cannot be distributed in such a flexible manner.
Auctions, reverse auctions, aggregation mechanisms, and other distribution models can be used to distribute goods and services in a more flexible manner. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,897,620 discloses a system for matching a destination and unspecified-time with an airline flight to permit airlines to fill otherwise empty seats. However, the disclosed system merely matches a traveler with an airline ticket and typically does not permit the flexible distribution of various services and goods.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,041,308 discloses a system for encouraging buyers to submit Conditional Purchase Offers (CPOs) to a CPO management system for a desired product. The CPO management system processes each received CPO to determine whether one or more sellers are willing to accept a given CPO. While this system can be applied to more diverse goods and services, the disclosed system also is merely a mechanism for matching buyers to sellers.
Notwithstanding new business models and approaches to selling various goods and services, such as those discussed above, the sale and exchange of goods and services typically still relies on legal theories and relationships for enforcing behavior. For example, the parties to each transaction ultimately have to agree, either directly or indirectly, on the parameters for delivering the goods and services, such as price, quantities, and the item identity. Accordingly, trade of goods and services can be restrained by legal and relationship issues. Additionally, there is a need for business models and information technology systems to recognize that there are stakeholders in addition to content owners and consumers.

System and method for supplying and managing usage rights associated with an item repository


A computing device (e.g., a mobile device) can execute a root process of an application to an initial point according to patterns of prior executions of the application. The root process can be one of many respective customized root processes of individual applications in the computing device. The device can receive a request to start the application from a user of the device. And, the device can start the application upon receiving the request to start the application and by using the root process of the application. At least one of the executing, receiving, or starting can be performed by an operating system in the device. The device can also fork the root process of the application into multiple processes, and can start upon receiving the request to start the application and by using at least one of the multiple processes according to the request to start the application.

The innerworkings of the ANDROID operating system include a zygote that acts as a parent or root process of all ANDROID application processes. In UNIX and operating systems similar to UNIX (such as LINUX and ANDROID), any non-initial process (or any non-zero process) can be at least partially derived from the initial or zero process of the operating system (OS). Thus, the use of the term "zygote" by the ANDROID OS to reference its root process or process 0.
ANDROID is a mobile OS for mobile devices developed by GOOGLE. It is based on a modified version of the LINUX kernel and other open source software, and is designed primarily for mobile devices (e.g., smartphones, tablets, etc.). GOOGLE has also developed versions of ANDROID for the Internet of Things (IoTs). And, versions of ANDROID have been developed for televisions and other household appliances, in-vehicle information systems, wearable smart devices, game consoles, digital cameras, and other types of electronics including PCs.
The creation of a non-zero process by ANDROID, UNIX, or another OS similar to UNIX, occurs when another process executes the system call represented by "fork( )", which causes forking of a process into multiple processes. The process that invoked the forking is the parent process and a newly created process is a child process. In UNIX or operating systems similar to UNIX, the kernel can identify each process by its process identifier, e.g., "0" for the initial or zero process. In UNIX and similar operating systems, the zero process (i.e., process 0) is a root process generated when the OS boots. A first child process (e.g., process 1), known as "init", can at least be partially derived from the zero process and can become the ancestor of every other process in the OS.

Customized root processes for individual applications