A system for detecting a vehicle speed, includes: a pulse ring including a pulse ring rotation part rotating according to travel of a vehicle, and a plurality of pitch units provided in the pulse ring rotation part at a predetermined interval; a vehicle speed sensor adjacently provided to the pulse ring and configured to output a voltage signal generated according to a distance between the vehicle speed sensor and a pitch unit; an output unit configured to output a voltage pulse signal and a voltage pulse amplitude change signal of the vehicle speed sensor; a first vehicle speed detection unit configured to detect the vehicle speed based on the voltage pulse signal of the output unit; and a second vehicle speed detection unit configured to detect the vehicle speed based on the voltage pulse amplitude change signal of the output unit, in which at least one of the plurality of pitch units has an adjacent distance which is different from an adjacent distance between another of the pitch units and the vehicle speed sensor.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle speed detecting system, and a vehicle speed detecting method using the same, and more particularly, to a vehicle speed detecting system capable of accurately detecting a speed of a vehicle at a low speed and a high speed, and a vehicle speed detecting method using the same.
(b) Description of the Related Art
In a method of sensing a speed of a vehicle, a pulse ring is installed at an output side of a transmission, and a sensor is adjacently installed to the pulse ring, where the sensor senses a rotation speed by sensing a change in amplitude of a voltage generated by a hall effect.
A wheel speed sensor installed in each wheel for an ABS or a VDC senses a speed by the same principle. In particular, a change in a magnetic field due to a rotation of the pulse ring generates a voltage in a sensor coil, and the fine voltage drives a transistor again to transmit rotation information on the sensor to a processor. A size of the voltage generated at this time is determined by a distance between the sensor and a conductor.
FIGS. 8 and 9 (RELATED ART) are drawings illustrating a conventional vehicle speed detecting system and output waveforms thereof.
FIG. 8 (RELATED ART) illustrates a configuration in which a pulse ring rotation part 102 of a pulse ring 100 is provided with four conductors (pitch units) 104 (FIG. 8(a)), and output waveform graphs of the pulse ring at a low speed (FIG. 8(b)) and a high speed (FIG. 8(c)) according to the configuration, and a sensor 120 is adjacently provided to the pulse ring 100.
FIG. 9 (RELATED ART) illustrates a configuration in which a pulse ring rotation part 202 of a pulse ring 200 is provided with 12 conductors (pitch units) 204 (FIG. 9(a)), and output waveform graphs of the pulse ring at a low speed (FIG. 9(b)) and a high speed (FIG. 9(c)) according to the configuration, and a sensor 220 is adjacently provided to the pulse ring 200.
In a case where the four conductors (pitch units) 104 are provided, the appropriate number of output waveforms for detecting a vehicle speed is detected at the high speed as illustrated in FIG. 8(c), so that it is possible to accurately calculate the speed, but the number of output waveforms detected at the low speed is small as illustrated in FIG. 8(b), so that it is difficult to accurately calculate the speed.
In a case where the 12 conductors (pitch units) 204 are provided, the appropriate number of output waveforms for detecting a vehicle speed is detected at the low speed as illustrated in FIG. 9(b), so that it is possible to accurately calculate the speed, but the number of output waveforms detected at the high speed is excessive as illustrated in FIG. 9(c), so that a processor having excellent calculation performance is required in order to accurately calculate the speed.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

Vehicle speed detecting system and vehicle speed detecting method using the same


The present invention provides a composite material for use in making orthopedic elastic braces for supporting a body part by compression. One embodiment of the invention is a compression brace material (400) having an elastic outer layer (410), a first fabric layer (420), a spacer fabric layer (425), and a second fabric layer (430). The spacer fabric layer permits and promotes airflow laterally through the brace material. The outer layer may have a plurality of slits (550) therethrough to permit and promote airflow transversely through the composite material. The plurality of slits may be arcuate to further improve transverse airflow through the composite brace material.

Elastic compression braces are available in many forms. Commonly, such braces are composed of soft, elastic material so that when worn, they provide a certain amount of support for an injured joint. These types of braces, often purchased without a prescription or the need for skilled professional fitting, have been used for a number of years and have been commonly available as braces for the knee, ankle, thigh, wrist, elbow, chest, or lower back. These resilient, pliable compression braces can be worn for sprains and strains, arthritis, tendonitis, bursitis, inflammation, to reduce discomfort during post-operative use, or to treat post-trauma discomfort.
The elastic compression braces are often made from synthetic rubber (e.g., polychloroprene). This particular material is desirable because of its combination of favorable properties useful in elastic compression braces. Polychloroprene rubber has good elasticity and a relatively high density, thereby providing good compression support and resistance to shear forces.
Polychloroprene rubber is a closed cell material and therefore does not dissipate heat very well during use. Its closed cell characteristics can be useful in retaining heat during use by reflecting emitted heat back into the bones and joints of the affected area. This localized concentration of heat can aid venous flow, help reduce edema, and make the soft tissues less susceptible to injury.
Although use of polychloroprene rubber in elastic compression braces can concentrate heat, the natural tendency of the closed cell material to prevent heat dissipation may cause problems for the user. When worn, the polychloroprene material braces are stretched to impart a compression load around the affected body area. This compression fit, combined with the high density of the material and the lack of air circulation and dissipation through the material, can result in heat discomfort and perspiration, and may lead to heat rashes. Prolonged use of such braces can cause the user to perspire constantly, resulting in discomfort to such a ° that the user often stops wearing the brace prematurely. In effect, the material itself dictates the length of time that the orthopedic brace can be worn. It is not uncommon for users to stop wearing such braces after about one to two hours. In an effort to provide better breathability, certain prior polychloroprene rubber braces have been manufactured with perforations or holes punched through the entire depth of the material. However, these braces may not retain sufficient structural integrity to serve as an effective compression brace for the wearer because neoprene material is removed from these braces.
Thus, there is a need for an elastic compression brace having sufficient structural strength and integrity to offer a sufficient level of compression support, while also dissipating heat during use to reduce or avoid undue perspiration and heat discomfort, especially during prolonged use.

Compression brace material with spacer fabric inner layer


An exhaust-gas temperature raising system for a spark-ignition, in-cylinder injection type internal combustion engine includes an electronic control unit. In case that the engine is in an operating condition where the exhaust-gas temperature is required to rise, on an occasion of a main-fuel injection in a compression stroke, the electronic control unit controls engine control parameters such as ignition timing and air-fuel ratio to cause a cool-flame-reaction product, which remains in a combustion chamber in a middle stage or a subsequent stage of an expansion stroke, to have a concentration close to an inflammable concentration limit, and then causes an additional fuel to be injected into the combustion chamber from the fuel injection valve in the middle stage or the subsequent stage of the expansion stroke. The cool-flame reaction of the additional fuel quickly occurs, and the concentration of the cool-flame-reaction product exceeds the inflammable concentration limit, so that the additional fuel is enflamed by self-inflammation. The energy produced by the combustion of the additional fuel is effectively utilized for raising in the exhaust-gas temperature.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an in-cylinder injection type internal combustion engine adapted to inject fuel directly into a combustion chamber and to cause the injected fuel to be spark-ignited for stratified combustion. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a system for raising the temperature of exhaust gas when an exhaust-gas purification device of an internal combustion engine is in an inactivated state, e.g., at the time of engine operation in a cold state, or when the exhaust-gas purification device may fail to maintain its activated temperature, e.g., at the time of engine operation with a lean air-fuel ratio for stratified combustion.
2. Description of the Related Art
For spark-ignition type automotive internal combustion engines, various in-cylinder injection type gasoline engines, which directly inject fuel into a combustion chamber, unlike conventional intake-manifold injection type engines have been proposed. A typical in-cylinder injection type engine is arranged to inject fuel from a fuel injection valve into a cavity formed in the top of a piston of the engine, to thereby enable a lean air-fuel mixture to be burnt, reduce the emission of harmful exhaust-gas components, and improve the fuel consumption. However, if the engine performs such a lean-combustion operation through out the entire engine operating region, a deficient engine output may occur in some engine operating region. To obviate this, the in-cylinder injection type engine is arranged to switch the injection mode between a compression-stroke injection mode and an intake-stroke injection mode according to engine operating conditions such as engine load.
When the engine is in a low-load operating region, the compression-stroke injection mode is selected, in which fuel is injected mainly during compression stroke. In that injection mode, most of the fuel, injected toward the cavity formed at the top of the piston during compression stroke, stays in the cavity because of the action of a tumble flow, circling in the cavity, of intake air sucked into the combustion chamber during intake stroke. Therefore, even if such a small amount of fuel that makes the air-fuel ratio as large as, e.g., 40, as for the whole cylinder, is injected (compression-lean mode), an air-fuel mixture having an air-fuel ratio close to the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio is formed in the cavity around electrodes of a spark plug at ignition timing at which the piston approaches the spark plug. Hence, the inflammation of the air-fuel mixture by a spark may become possible. This permits a large amount of intake air to be supplied, together with exhaust gas recirculated in a large amount in term of exhaust-gas recirculation, into the cylinder in the compression-stroke injection mode, so that pumping loss is decreased and fuel consumption is greatly improved.
On the other hand, when the engine is in a medium- or high-load operating area, fuel is injected mainly during intake stroke, so that an air-fuel mixture with a uniform air-fuel ratio is formed in the combustion chamber. In the case where a uniform air-fuel mixture is formed in this manner, a large amount of fuel can be burnt without causing any misfire due to a local overrich around the spark plug, whereby the engine output required at the time of acceleration or during high speed running of a vehicle can be ensured.
At the time of cold start of engine, or during a low-load engine operation at a low ambient air temperature, an in-cylinder injection type internal combustion engine may take much time to activate a catalyst of an exhaust-gas purification device disposed in the exhaust passage of the engine. When the engine is operated in the compression-lean mode where a large amount of intake air is supplied into a cylinder, the flow rate of exhaust gas is high, and hence the exhaust-gas temperature tends to become low. Accordingly, the exhaust-gas purification catalyst may fail to maintain its activated temperature, if the engine is operated in the compression-lean mode even after the catalyst has once reached the activation temperature. To eliminate these problems, various methods are proposed for raising the exhaust-gas temperature to effect a rapid activation of catalyst.
For example, an in-cylinder injection type internal combustion engine proposed in JP-A-4-183922 operates a fuel injection valve during compression stroke of the engine to inject a main fuel into a combustion chamber, and actuates a spark plug to ignite the main fuel. Then, the fuel injection valve is operated again during expansion stroke or during an early stage of exhaust stroke in which the intake valve is kept closed, to thereby inject an additional fuel into the combustion chamber, and the spark plug is actuated again to ignite the additional fuel.
However, the proposed system is disadvantageous in that it requires a complicated ignition-control logic and that sufficient energy for the second ignition cannot be ensured because of the following reasons: Ordinarily, the main fuel injected during compression stroke is almost completely burnt during expansion stroke. Therefore, at the time of additional fuel injection, an amount of reactive chemical species which promote combustion of air-fuel mixture becomes small in the cylinder. On the other hand, great energy (such as heat, pressure, temperature energy) is required for combustion of fuel, e.g., gasoline, which is low in self-inflammation ability. By simply re-actuating the spark plug immediately after the injection of the additional fuel, as in the case of the above proposal, it is sometimes impossible to supply the ignition energy required for igniting the additional fuel. In this case, the additional fuel cannot sufficiently be burnt so that the exhaust-gas temperature cannot surely be raised, and hence the catalyst cannot be activated rapidly.
In order to obtain sufficient ignition energy to eliminate the just-mentioned problem, an igniter with a large capacity must be used, for instance. In this case, the igniter becomes larger in size and higher in cost.
The above-mentioned JP-A-4-183922 also discloses a technique for heating the catalyst to quickly raise the catalyst temperature up to the activation temperature by mixing an additional fuel with exhaust gas and actuating a spark plug disposed in the exhaust-gas passage. However, such an arrangement is disadvantageous in that it requires an increased number of component parts and is thus high-priced.
In this regard, JP-A-8-100638 proposes a method for permitting an additional fuel to be burnt without utilizing spark ignition. In the proposed method, a main fuel is injected during compression stroke of an engine, a spark plug is actuated to ignite the main fuel, and an additional fuel is injected during expansion stroke. A flame produced by the inflammation of the main fuel initiated upon spark-operation of the spark plug propagates to the additional fuel and causes the same to be burnt. By this method, the additional fuel can be burnt without the need of re-actuating the spark plug, and the combustion of the additional fuel causes the exhaust-gas temperature to be raised, to thereby shorten a time required for activation of the catalyst.
However, according to the proposed method, the additional fuel must be injected during that time period in which the additional fuel can surely be enflamed by the flame which propagates during the main combustion. Actually, in the proposed method, the injection timing of the additional fuel is set to a value falling within the range from, e.g., 10.degree. to 80.degree. ATDC in terms of crank angle. However, if the additional fuel is injected during an early stage of expansion stroke like this, part of the thermal energy produced at the time of combustion of the additional fuel is wasted for the work of expansion, so that an intended rise of the exhaust-gas temperature may not sufficiently be achieved. Furthermore, an amount of additional fuel must be increased in order to sufficiently raise the exhaust-gas temperature. This causes a drawback that the fuel consumption is further increased.

Exhaust-gas temperature raising system for an in-cylinder injection type internal combustion engine

Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha


Among other things, embodiments of the present disclosure can help monitor activity of customers using web portals to access services. Examples of such activity include log-ins to a web portal, views of account statements through the web portal, transactions made on the account, and the like. Embodiments of the present disclosure can generate a model relating customer characteristics to expected account activity. The system can apply the model to individual customers and compares actual account activity to expected account activity. If a mismatch is detected, the system may generate an alert message directed to a administrator or other type of user who can contact the customer to troubleshoot the identified issues.

Increasingly, users access a variety of goods and services over the Internet via web portals. For example, customer web portals implemented by financial services institutions provide customers with the ability to conduct routine financial transactions automatically over the Internet. Transactions that would have previously required telephone or even face-to-face contact between the customer and a teller, broker, or even financial advisor can now be conducted from the convenience of the customer's home or remotely via the customer's mobile computing device. While reducing direct contact between customers and bank personnel can be convenient for customers in some cases, usage of such Internet-centric systems also make it difficult for a service provider to provide personalized customer service. Customer problems and needs that likely would have become apparent in direct conversations with the customer may thus go unnoticed. Embodiments of the present disclosure address these and other issues.


A slipform paver includes a chassis 2 able to be adjusted in the heightwise direction and having a mounting unit 10 arranged on the chassis for fastening on an arrangement 8 for molding flowable material. The slipform paver is characterised in that the mounting unit 10 for fastening on the concrete mold 8 is mounted on the chassis 2 of the paver to be pivotable on an axis 14 extending in the direction of operation of the slipform paver. To produce parts of a structure whose orientation varies along their length, the concrete mold fastened 8 to the mounting unit is pivoted on the axis of pivot 14 by means of a pivoter unit 15 whereas the chassis of the paver maintains its orientation.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a slipform paver having a chassis able to be adjusted in the heightwise direction and having a mounting unit arranged on the chassis for fastening on an arrangement for molding flowable material. As well as this, the invention also relates to a slipform paver having an arrangement for molding flowable material.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With known slipform pavers, parts of a structure can be produced continuously from a flowable material and in particular from concrete. The known slipform pavers have an arrangement in which the flowable material is formed to the desired shape. An arrangement of this kind for molding the flowable material is also referred to as a concrete mold. For parts of structures of different cross-sections to be produced, the concrete molds have to be changed over. The known slipform pavers therefore have a mounting unit to which concrete molds of different types can be fastened.
The chassis of the known slipform pavers is connected to track-laying running gear units via lifting columns. The chassis of the paver can be adjusted in the heightwise direction by withdrawing and extending the lifting columns. When this is done, the chassis of the paver can be raised or lowered on the side which is on the right or left in the direction of operation or can be raised or lowered at the end which is at the front or rear in the direction of operation. Because the concrete mold is solidly connected to the chassis of the paver, the orientation of the chassis of the paver also determines the orientation of the concrete mold.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,825 describes a slipform paver having a concrete mold, whose chassis can be adjusted in the heightwise direction on lifting columns.
Known slipform pavers allow parts of a structure whose orientation varies continuously along their length to be produced. The outline or cross-section of the parts of a structure also varies continuously along their length if it is assumed that the ground on which the part of a structure is to be laid is level. With known slipform pavers, it is for example possible to produce road gutters which have amongst other things an inner face adjacent the surface of the road and whose inclination varies continuously along the road. In the region of the drainage outlets, the inner face lies in the plane of the road whereas between the drainage outlets the face is inclined inwards relative to the road. The face may be at its greatest inclination halfway between the drainage outlets.
To produce road gutters whose orientation varies continuously, it is necessary for the orientation of the chassis of the slipform paver to be varied continuously while the paver is advancing. While the slipform paver is moving along a reference, such for example as along a string line, the lifting columns on the left and right in the direction of operation are continuously extended or withdrawn to tilt the concrete mold to the desired position. It is a disadvantage that, due to the relatively long distance from the lifting columns, even relatively small inclinations of the concrete mold call for relatively large tilting movement of the chassis of the paver. The continuous tilting of the chassis of the paver while being used in operation not only makes the conditions under which the driver of the paver is working more difficult but also results in unnecessary wear on the lifting columns as they perform the relatively large lifting movements. What is more, the tilting movements of the chassis of the paver result in an unwanted sloping position for the conveyor belt of the feeding arrangement of the slipform paver for charging the concrete mold with concrete.


A tube and shell heat exchanger is formed by a shell enclosing an internal sidewall which in turn receives an internally located flow controller outer and inner heat exchange cavities are formed between the outer shell and the internal shell and the internal shell and the flow controller, respectively. Helical convolutions of the conduit are provided in each of the heat exchange cavities for counter concurrent flow of fluid medium from one cavity to another. A bottom wall closes off the outer shell.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a heat exchanger for thermal conditioning of one fluid medium by heat transfer with a second fluid medium in a heat transfer tube and, more particularly, to a heat exchanger construction to provide inner and outer flow spaces for a two stage heat transfer with a fluid medium also passed consecutively along the flow spaces.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Evaporator and condenser functions provided by a heat exchanger are commonly used for diverse applications and while not so limited, the present invention is particularly useful in one common field of used where heat transfer with one medium consists of a flow of water for a swimming pool or spa. Swimming pool water is heated or cooled depending on the climate affecting the temperature of the pool water. The present invention is particularly applicable to a heat exchanger using a tube-in-shell construction. It is known to heat a flow of water for a swimming pool in an elongated tank having an internal chamber in which an electrically resistive heating element, frequently as a coil, is housed. Water is directed in a lengthwise path through the tank chamber containing the heating element for transfer of heat from the heating element to the water. In such a device, no control over the flow of water is provided within the internal chamber of the tank and because the heat exchanger incorporates an electrically resistive heating element as opposed to a fluid heat transfer medium, the application of such a heat exchanger is limited to use as a heater for water.
It is well known in the art to provide a heat exchanger to condition a flow of water in which a fluid is used as a heat transfer medium. In a type of construction known as xe2x80x9cshell-and-tubexe2x80x9d design, the heat transfer fluid is carried within a tube and the flow of water to be treated is directed past the tube, or tubes, within a shell housing. In the simplest arrangement, the heat exchanger consists of a tube within a tube and the fluids move either in the same direction, known as a xe2x80x9cparallel flowxe2x80x9d heat exchanger, or in opposite direction, known as a xe2x80x9ccounter flowxe2x80x9d heat exchanger. In a tube within a tube construction, the outer shell provides the outer boundary to the water passageway along the shell which is the only control over the flow of water once it has entered the shell. The heat exchange coils spaced inwardly from the sidewall of the shell enhances turbulence, thus also assisting in the desired heat transfer. Typical designs allow a large percentage of water entering the shell to pass through without coming in contact with the heat exchange coils. Also the tube in shell design typically uses plastic for the shell material and glued to construction prevents easy of disassembly for servicing of the heat exchanger. Such a construction, although embodying a simple arrangement of parts, is costly as to fabrication. These disadvantages are also present in other shell-and-tube heat exchanges having a shell to house multiple tubes or a coiled tube.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,293,335, there is disclosed a tube and shell heat exchanger having a transversely oriented inlet port and a spirally coiled heat transfer tube contained within an arcuate chamber created by an internal baffle in which the water to be conditioned travels along a helical pathway in which the flow has minimized water depth and high turbulence. This water flow management design imposed a large water pressure drop along the path of travel along the arcuate chamber containing the heat transfer tube. Compared to our earlier submission, already patented, which had a high-pressure drop on the waterside. The tube and shell heat exchanger maximizes heat transfer capability in a relatively easy to assemble design to make feasible the use of a higher cost material for the tubing such as titanium in a wide range of applications. The heat transfer tube is commonly formed from a metal such as copper or copper-nickel alloy to take advantage of favorable heat transfer properties and low cost of the metal material. Because of the favorable heat transfer properties with metals as copper and copper-nickel alloy, when heating an increased water flow is necessary the requirement is met by increasing the length of copper tubing in the coiled section thereby providing a greater residence time for the water flow in the heat exchanger. Where higher BTU heat transfer is needed for a given flow of water through the shell, providing a greater length of tubing to achieve the desired BTU heat transfer is conventional and cost effective rather than direct or otherwise manage the water flow to maximize heat transfer. Increasing the size of the heat exchanger to achieve the desired BTU heat transfer imposes a penalty of a disproportionate heat loss from the increase surface area of the housing needed to accommodate the additional length of tubing.
There are disadvantages associated with a copper heat transfer tube in a heat exchanger for water. One example of such disadvantages is in the thermal conditioning of salt water for applications such as holding tanks and aquariums for marine life. The marine life is susceptible to a toxic reaction to chemically produce products of corrosive reaction between the salt water and the copper metal of the heat transfer tube. The toxic reacting product can be eliminated by selecting a more chemically inert metal or alloy such as titanium to form the heat transfer tube in the heat exchanger. The use of titanium for the heat transfer tube of the heat exchanger offers the benefits of strength, durability and a prolonged service life as compared with copper for the heat transfer tube of a heat exchanger. However, to be economically competitive the high cost of titanium metals as compared with the cost of copper or copper-nickel alloy poses a need to maximize the heat transfer in a minimized heat transfer space and minimize thermal losses to the atmosphere.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a heat exchanger for conditioning a flow of a fluid medium within a shell along inner and outer heat exchange cavities each containing a helical conduct convolutions to maximize heat transfer between a fluid medium and heat transfer conduct.
It is another object of the present invention to provide complete control to the path of water flow through a coil in a tube in shell type heat exchanger to insure that all water flowing through the shell comes in contact or into such close proximity with the coil for enhanced heat transfer in the path of the water flow.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a heat exchanger for conditioning a flow of a fluid medium in which the flow of the fluid medium within a shell is reversed for between consecutive annular passageways one contained within the other and inner connected for continuous flow within a heat exchanger housing to minimize thermal losses to the atmosphere and to maximize heat transfer efficiency.
According to the present invention there is provided a heat exchanger to thermally condition a fluid medium, the heat exchanger including the combination of a shell having an outer shell sidewall spaced from an internal shell sidewall both closed in a fluid tight manner by a first end wall for defining an outer heat exchange cavity and an inner heat exchange cavity, a second end wall joined with the outer shell sidewall in a fluid tight manner and spaced from the internal shell sidewall to form a fluid pervious flow space interconnecting the outer heat exchange cavity and the inner heat exchange cavity, shell conduits forming an inlet port and an outlet port for conducting a flow of a first fluid medium along each of the outer heat exchange cavity and the inner heat exchange cavity, an elongated tubular conduit permeating the shell in a fluid tight manner and having a tubular conduit portion traversing the internal shell sidewall between outer helical conduit convolutions resident in the outer heat exchange cavity and inner helical conduit convolutions resident the inner heat exchange cavity for conducting a second fluid medium in a heat transfer relation with the first fluid medium, and a flow controller supported by the second end wall and having a media dispersing wall forming an inner boundary to the inner heat exchange cavity for directing a flow of the first fluid medium along the inner heat exchange cavity.

Heat exchanger with two-stage heat transfer


A brush cutter work head (20) has a protective shroud (36) with a vertical side opening (40) to expose a portion of a circular cutting blade (42) to enable the blade (42) to cut brush. A spray nozzle (82) is mounted on a sliding member (74) that slides within a tubular housing (58) incorporated into the work head housing (28). The sliding member (74) has a retracted position in which the nozzle (82) is positioned above a portion of the housing (28), and a projecting use position in which the nozzle (82) is aligned with the opening (40) above and outward of the blade (42). A gripping thumb (44) is pivotally mounted on the work head housing (28) and is operated by an actuator (52) within the housing (28) to pivot between a flush nonuse position and a gripping position in which it opposes a jaw (38) formed by a lower portion of the shroud (36).

Brush cutting operations have a variety of purposes. Some major purposes are clearing utility rights-of-way and road sides of obstructing vegetation and thinning trees for land management. In such situations, it is of course desirable to retard the regrowth of cut vegetation and maximize the period of time before the clearing or thinning operation needs to be repeated. One method of retarding regrowth is to spray the cut areas with suitable chemicals. Since cut vegetation, such as tree stumps, tends to heal over most immediately, it is important that any spraying operation be conducted as soon as possible after the cutting. For this reason, it is not unusual for a cutting contractor to be required to spray within ten minutes of cutting.
The need for prompt spraying of cut areas is difficult to meet because of the lack of availability of brush cutting equipment both suitable for clearing rights-of-way and/or tree thinning, and capable of spraying operations. Currently, the most common method of carrying out the spraying is to have a worker on foot with a back-carried chemical tank and a hand-held sprayer following the brush cutting machine. This procedure is very tedious and labor intensive and, therefore, quite costly. In addition, the procedure submits the worker to undesirable working conditions. Since the worker must maintain a safe distance from the brush cutting machine, the procedure also involves an unavoidable delay in the spraying following the cutting of the brush. Moreover, because of the relative remoteness of the cutting operation and the unavoidable covering over of cut areas with cut brush and debris, it is very difficult for the worker to accurately identify the areas that require spraying. Even when the areas are recognized, the nature of hand spraying generally leads to uneven coverage. The result tends to be overspraying and/or uneven spraying with areas of inadequate spraying.
Another problem associated with known brush cutting equipment is that elements mounted on the work head can obstruct cutting operations and are subject to contamination caused by contact with mud and debris and to damage caused by their becoming snagged on vegetation and other objects. This makes it difficult to mount gripping apparatus and actuators therefor on or near the work head without increasing repair and maintenance costs.
Spraying attachments for lawn mowers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,737,340, granted Mar. 6, 1956, to R. A. Bonini; No. 2,908,444, granted Oct. 13, 1959, to A. R. Mullin; No. 3,017,121, granted Jan. 16, 1962, to V. W. Carlson; No. 3,100,371, granted Aug. 13, 1963, to P. C. Redmon; and No. 3,857,515, granted Dec. 31, 1974, to M. M. Zennie. The Bonini attachment is mounted on a platform of a lawn mower along with a motor, and is operable simultaneously or independently of the cutter and traction mechanisms to spray liquid. The location of the sprayer, which is connected to a platform-mounted compressor by a hose, is unclear. Mullin discloses a spraying attachment for a lawn mower having a rotating cutting bar similar to a fan blade. The spraying attachment is mounted on the drive shaft above the cutting bar. Centrifugal force carries liquid through circumferential slots, and the liquid is deflected downwardly so that it is dispensed only beneath the mower. Carlson and Zennie each disclose an attachment for a power lawn mower that has a perforated manifold mounted in a fixed position laterally offset from the mower. The Carlson attachment is powered by the exhaust of the mower. The Zennie attachment is operated by a blower powered by the mower engine. Redmon discloses an attachment for a lawn mower having a hopper mounted on the mower housing that dispenses liquid onto the blade or in the blade's path only when the mower is moving.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,982,697, granted Sep. 28, 1976, to H. E. Maples, discloses a spraying attachment for a type of mower used on golf course greens. The liquid is received from a remote source through an intake mounted above the mower and is dispensed behind the mower. The attachment has valves to control the dispensing of the liquid. U.S. Pat. No. 4,551,968, granted Nov. 12, 1985, to B. A. Samuelsson, discloses a sprayer mounted on a self-propelled harvester. The sprayer includes a tubular liquid applicator with a plurality of nozzles. The applicator is positioned behind a front cutting device. The applicator sprays weed killer following the cutting of a crop but before the crop residue is deposited.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,331,373, granted Oct. 12, 1943, to F. A. Campbell, discloses a liquid discharge appliance for fire fighting, horticulture, or spraying buildings. The appliance resembles a rigid hose and has tubes that are extended telescopically relative to each other by a fluid flowing into the appliance. Mower attachments having a housing with a blade-exposing opening are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,241,302, granted Mar. 22, 1966, to R. O. Barry; No. 4,509,315, granted Apr. 9, 1985, to N. Giguere; and No. 4,802,327, granted Feb. 7, 1989, to C. A. Roberts.
Gripping mechanisms are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,269,241, granted May 26, 1981, to L. Hickman; No. 4,376,340, granted Mar. 15, 1983, to M. Ramun et al.; No. 4,446,897, granted May 8, 1984, to J. Kurelek; and No. 4,491,163, granted Jan. 1, 1985, to J. Kurelek. The Ramun et al. device is an attachment for a backhoe in which the gripping jaws have inner edges with a scissor-like action. The other three patents disclose tree felling apparatus in which the tree is gripped during the cutting.


An embodiment provides a distributed transcoding method using a plurality of servers. The method includes receiving a request for a first video file from a first terminal. The method also includes segmenting the video file based on a play time of at least portion of the video file and a performance rate of a plurality of second servers. The method also includes transmitting the segmented video file to the plurality of second servers, which includes transmitting the segmented video file of a greater size to the second server having a higher performance among the plurality of second servers and transmitting the segmented video file having a smaller size to the server having a lower performance among the plurality of second servers. The method also includes receiving a transcoded video file from the plurality of second servers. The method also includes transmitting the transcoded video files to the first terminal.

As network technologies advance, clients can send and store various types of content to a server, and receive and display the content stored to the server at his/her discretion. However, to transmit the content from the server to the client, the content stored on the server should be the same as a format as that used by the client. That is, when the stored content is different from the format of the client who requests the content, the server needs to transcode the content to a format used by the client. Accordingly, when the server is requested by a plurality of clients to transmit its stored content during one transcoding operation, the server often needs to perform a plurality of transcoding operations.
However, since most servers mostly use low-end processors, it may be hard to exhibit proper performance for the plurality of the transcoding operations. That is, it may be difficult to successfully transmit particular types of content requested by the multiple clients. Thus, what is needed is a method for performing the plurality of the transcoding operations in servers that may use a low-level processor.

Distributed transcoding apparatus and method using multiple servers

Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation Yonsei University


An imaging device according to the present disclosure includes an imaging unit, a connector, and a converter. The imaging unit includes a first signal line, a first pixel, a second signal line, and a second pixel. The first pixel outputs a first pixel voltage to the first signal line. The first pixel voltage corresponds to an amount of received light. The second pixel outputs a second pixel voltage to the second signal line. The second pixel voltage corresponds to the amount of received light. The connector includes a connection line, a first connection switch, a first control circuit, a second connection switch, and a second control circuit. The converter is coupled to the first signal line and the second signal line. The converter performs AD conversion on the basis of each of the first pixel voltage and the second pixel voltage.

In an imaging device, for example, a plurality of pixels is coupled to an AD (Analog to Digital) converter via one signal line. For example, PTL 1 discloses an imaging device including a plurality of signal lines. The plurality of these signal lines is short-circuited to increase the image quality of captured images.

SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION


Disclosed are compounds, compositions and methods for treating of diseases, syndromes, conditions, and disorders that are affected by the modulation of MALT1. Such compounds are represented by Formula (I) as follows:

MALT1 (mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma translocation 1) is a key mediator of the classical NFKB signaling pathway. MALT1 is the only human paracaspase and transduces signals from the B cell receptor (BCR) and T cell receptor (TCR). MALT1 is the active subunit of the CBM complex which is formed upon receptor activation. The CBM complex consists of multiple subunits of three proteins: CARD11 (caspase recruitment domain family member 11), BCL10 (B-cell CLL/Lymphoma 10) and MALT1. MALT1 affects NFKB signaling by two mechanisms: firstly, MALT1 functions as a scaffolding protein and recruits NFKB signaling proteins such as TRAF6, TAB-TAK1 or NEMO-IKKα/β; and secondly, MALT1, as a cysteine protease, cleaves and thereby deactivates negative regulators of NFKB signaling, such as RelB, A20 or CYLD. The ultimate endpoint of MALT1 activity is the nuclear translocation of the NFKB transcription factor complex and activation of NFKB signaling (Jaworski et al., Cell Mol Life Science 2016. 73, 459-473).
Constitutive activation of NFKB signaling is the hallmark of ABC-DLBCL (Diffuse Large B cell Lymphoma of the Activated B Cell-like subtype), the more aggressive form of DLBCL. DLBCL is the most common form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), accounting for approximately 25% of lymphoma cases while ABC-DLBCL comprises approximately 40% of DLBCL. NFKB pathway activation is driven by mutations of signaling components, such as CD79A/B, CARD11, MYD88 or A20, in ABC-DLBCL patients (Staudt, Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol 2010, 2; Lim et al, Immunol Rev 2012, 246, 359-378).
The use of BTK inhibitors, for example Ibrutinib, provides clinical proof-of-concept that inhibiting NFKB signaling in ABC-DLBCL is efficacious. MALT1 is downstream of BTK in the NFKB signaling pathway and a MALT1 inhibitor could target ABC-DLBCL patients not responding to Ibrutinib, mainly patients with CARD11 mutations, as well as treat patients that acquired resistance to Ibrutinib.
Small molecule tool compound inhibitors of MALT1 protease have demonstrated efficacy in preclinical models of ABC-DLBCL (Fontan et al., Cancer Cell 2012, 22, 812-824; Nagel et al., Cancer Cell 2012, 22, 825-837). Interestingly, covalent catalytic site and allosteric inhibitors of MALT1 protease function have been described, suggesting that inhibitors of this protease may be useful as pharmaceutical agents (Demeyer et al., Trends Mol Med 2016, 22, 135-150).
The chromosomal translocation creating the API2-MALT1 fusion oncoprotein is the most common mutation identified in MALT (mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue) lymphoma. API2-MALT1 is a potent activator of the NFKB pathway (Rosebeck et al., World J Biol Chem 2016, 7, 128-137). API2-MALT1 mimics ligand-bound TNF receptor, promotes TRAF2-dependent ubiquitination of RIP1 which acts as a scaffold for activating canonical NFKB signaling. Furthermore, API2-MALT1 has been shown to cleave and generate a stable, constitutively active fragment of NFKB-inducing kinase (NIK) thereby activating the non-canonical NFKB pathway (Rosebeck et al., Science, 2011, 331, 468-472).
In addition to lymphomas, MALT1 has been shown to play a critical role in innate and adaptive immunity (Jaworski M, et al., Cell Mol Life Sci. 2016). MALT1 protease inhibitor can attenuate disease onset and progression of mouse experimental allergic encephalomyelitis, a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (Mc Guire et al., J. Neuroinflammation 2014, 11, 124). Mice expressing catalytically inactive MALT1 mutant showed loss of marginal zone B cells and B1 B cells and general immune deficiency characterized as decreased T and B cell activation and proliferation. However, those mice also developed spontaneous multi-organ autoimmune inflammation at the age of 9 to 10 weeks. It is still poorly understood why MALT1 protease dead knock-in mice show a break of tolerance while conventional MALT1 KO mice do not. One hypothesis suggests the unbalanced immune homeostasis in MALT1 protease dead knock-in mice may be caused by incomplete deficiency in T and B cell but severe deficiency of immunoregulatory cells (Jaworski et al., EMBO J. 2014; Gewies et al., Cell Reports 2014; Bornancin et al., J. Immunology 2015; Yu et al., PLOS One 2015). Similarly, MALT deficiency in humans has been associated with combined immunodeficiency disorder (McKinnon et al., J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. 2014, 133, 1458-1462; Jabara et al., J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. 2013, 132, 151-158; Punwani et al., J. Clin. Immunol. 2015, 35, 135-146). Given the difference between genetic mutation and pharmacological inhibition, a phenotype of MALT1 protease dead knock-in mice might not resemble that of patients treated with MALT1 protease inhibitors. A reduction of immunosuppressive T cells by MALT1 protease inhibition may be beneficial to cancer patients by potentially increasing antitumor immunity.
Thus, MALT1 inhibitors of the present invention may provide a therapeutic benefit to patients suffering from cancer and/or immunological diseases.

Pyrazole derivatives as MALT1 inhibitors

Abstract: wherein R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R5, G1, and G2 are defined herein.


An apparatus for retrieving an implanted device from a body vessel includes a distal hub with an elongated, bendable distal tip and with a first marker visible through body tissue with at least one imaging method; a proximal hub with a central longitudinal channel therethrough, arranged proximal from the distal hub, and bearing a second marker. A stylet wire extends from the distal hub through the central longitudinal channel of the proximal hub to a proximal stylet wire end. A flexible, radially expandable interlocking arrangement extends from the distal hub to the proximal hub. An elongated positioning device extending proximally from the proximal hub to a proximal device end. The positioning device and the stylet wire may be configured to perform a longitudinal relative movement between proximal hub and the distal hub, and the interlocking arrangement expands radially when the proximal and distal hubs approach each other.

Filtering devices that are percutaneously placed in a vena cava have been available for many years. A need for filtering devices arises in trauma patients, orthopedic surgery patients, neurosurgery patients, or in patients having medical conditions requiring bed rest or non-movement. During such medical conditions, the need for filtering devices arises due to the likelihood of thrombosis in the peripheral vasculature of patients wherein thrombi break away from the vessel wall, risking downstream embolism or embolization. For example, depending on the size, such thrombi pose a serious risk of pulmonary embolism wherein blood dots migrate from the peripheral vasculature through the heart and into the lungs.
A filtering device can be deployed in the vena cava of a patient when, for example, anticoagulant therapy is contraindicated or has failed. Filters have been used or considered in preoperative patients and in patients predisposed to thrombosis which places the patient at risk for pulmonary embolism.
In certain situation, it is desirable to remove a vena cava filter from the patient body. After deployment of a filter in a patient, however, proliferating intimal cells begin to accumulate around the filter struts which contact the wall of the vessel. Additionally, filters may become off-centered or tilted with respect to the hub of the filter and the longitudinal axis of the vessel in which it has been inserted. As a result, the filter including the hub and the retrieval hook may engage the vessel wall along their lengths and potentially become endothelialized therein. Under such conditions, it is very difficult if not impossible to engage the retrieval hook in a known manner with a snare.

Apparatus and method for retrieving an implanted device from a body vessel


A ladder securing device for securing an extension ladder to a structure. The device includes: a first U-shaped clamping member; a second U-shaped clamping member slidably coupled to the first clamping member; a first plate member fixedly coupled to the first U-shaped clamping member; a second plate member fixedly coupled to the second U-shaped clamping member; a first gripping portion pivotally coupled to the first clamping member; a second gripping portion having an adjustable screw therein, and pivotally coupled to the second clamping portion; a first flexible securing member and flexible second securing coupled to the first clamping member, wherein each are configured to extend outward from the first clamping member and be wrapped around an extension ladder; a first fastening mechanism coupled to the first flexible securing member; and a second fastening mechanism coupled to the second securing member, and removably coupleable to the first fastening mechanism.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to ladder securing devices, specifically ladder securing devices for securing extension ladders to a structure.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the related art, it has been known to use devices to ensure the safe and secure use of a ladder to thereby prevent personal injury and property damage. Many people use ladders to access locations of varying elevation. Ladders are used to access elevated locations as well as to support a person while they perform an activity at some elevation. The greater the elevation to be accessed the greater the risk of injury posed to users and/or third persons proximate to the ladder. Injury caused by the ladder becoming unstable and falling from the structure to the ground. Therefore there is a need for a ladder security device that affordably, effectively, and efficiently enables a user to safely and securely use a ladder. Some improvements have been made in the field. Examples include but are not limited to the references described below, which references are incorporated by reference herein:
U.S. Pat. No. 6,354,401, issued to Murray, discloses a U-shaped channel member fitted horizontally over a gutter, with each protruding channel member engaging the fascia board to which the gutter is attached. Ladder legs rest against the channel member between brackets. A strap attached to the channel member is adapted to engage a ladder rung with the gutter, thereby holding the ladder in engagement with the channel member and further preventing the ladder from sliding laterally or diagonal movement.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,549,261, issued to Hardin, discloses a brace for a gutter including a support which is sized and shaped to fit within a gutter, at least two ferrules and at least one fastener for each ferrule. The at least two ferrules being of a larger inner diameter than an outer diameter of said at least one fastener. The support contains at least two sets of holes, each set of holes being defined in said support. One hole is of a first size such that a fastener can pass through it but a ferrule cannot and the other hole is of a second size that both a fastener and a ferrule can pass through. The holes are parallel to each other and the centers of the holes are opposite each other. The ferrule is inserted into said hole of first size allowing the ferrule to pass through it. The fastener is inserted into the hole of second size and passes through the support into the hole of first size and through the ferrule.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,215,163, issued to Kent, Sr. et al., discloses a ladder support for mounting on the fascia board of a structure and securing the top end of a ladder to facilitate access to the roof of a structure. In a preferred embodiment the ladder support includes a pair of spaced legs extending outwardly and upwardly in spaced relationship from fixed attachment to the fascia board and a crossbar connecting the extending legs intermediate the ends of the legs. The angle of extension of the legs facilitates clearance of any gutter which might also be mounted on the fascia board of the structure and allows placement of the top segment of the ladder against the crossbar to support the ladder at a safe angle with respect to the supporting surface. In another preferred embodiment a sliding bracket is mounted on the crossbar and is fitted with a thumb screw for locking the bracket against one leg of the ladder and further securing the ladder on the crossbar.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,078,231, issued to Davis, discloses a base plate includes a plurality of plate members, each formed with abutting flanges that are in turn orthogonally oriented relative to one another to provide a continuous abutment surface for a plurality of ladder legs of an associated ladder. The structure includes pins directed through each corner of the free ends of the base plates, and may further be provided with tether lines, with a plurality of the tether lines utilizing adjusting means for fixedly anchoring the ladder to the plate structure. Further refinement of the organization includes the flanges in hingedly intercommunicating relationship relative to one another to permit interfolding of the structure for ease of transport and storage.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,805,221, issued to Lee, discloses a ladder has side rails with rungs and lower eye-bolts extending from the side rails. A bracket is coupleable to a building to be painted or maintained with upper eye-bolts. A pair of turnbuckles have central sections, upper end sections and lower end sections. A pair of J-shaped hooks have lower ends. The lower ends are coupled to the upper ends of the turnbuckle. An upper hook-shaped end is removably coupled to an upper eye-bolt. A pair of short chains has upper ends threadedly coupled to the lower end of the turnbuckle. A lower hook-shaped end is removably coupled to a lower eye-bolt.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,509,500, issued to Delagera, discloses a gutter guard protector and anti-slip ladder device for a roof on a building comprising an assembly that is insertable into the gutter, for preventing the top portions of the side rails of the ladder from crushing the front segment of the gutter when placed against it. A structure on the assembly is for preventing the top portion of the side rails of the ladder from sliding off when placed thereagainst.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,924,971, issued to Rice, discloses a ladder safety apparatus for use with a straight ladder having vertical side rails, and having horizontally aligned openings in the side rails, is disclosed. An example is a hollow-rung metal or aluminum ladder. The safety apparatus includes a flexible metal cable of a length somewhat greater than the rail-to-rail dimension of the ladder, the cable extending through the openings in the side rails. An elongated metal bolt or tube is non-removably attached to each end of the metal cable, to thereby form a linear extension of the metal cable. First and second building attachment means are provided, each such means having a metallic cable-attachment portion with an opening therein whereby the building attachment means is slidably and loosely mounted on the bolt or tube. An adjustment nut or collet is mounted on the bolt or tube, and in a position to adjustably trap the cable-attachment portion on an end of the metal cable. The metal cable includes a protective plastic covering.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,427,803, issued to Moore, discloses a ladder safety system for secures the upper end of an extension ladder to the roof, eave, or wall of a building. For each ladder rail there is a rail-mountable bracket member that removably mounts onto the rail, a rigid plate member that removably attaches onto the building, and an adjustable strut or arm. Each of the bracket member and the plate member has an eye or ring affixed onto it, and the strut joins the eye member of the bracket member to the eye member of the plate member. The plate member articulates on the strut to permit it to be oriented to attach to any convenient horizontal, vertical or sloping surface.
U.S. Design Pat. No.: 406,652, issued to Marchand, discloses the ornamental design for an adjustable ladder stabilizer.
The inventions heretofore known suffer from a number of disadvantages which include expensive, limited in application, limited in versatility, cumbersome, difficult to use/assemble, inconvenient and/or otherwise fails to provide an easily adaptable, durable and/or cost effective means to secure a ladder to a structure for safe use.
What is needed is a ladder securing device that solves one or more of the problems described herein and/or one or more problems that may come to the attention of one skilled in the art upon becoming familiar with this specification.


A hot beverage machine, in particular a coffee maker, having a filter holder provided with a first pouring device having an outlet orifice, and a second pouring device having at least two outlet orifices. The second pouring device is capable of occupying either an active position in which it is located beneath the orifice of the first pouring device, or a retracted position. The second pouring device also includes an actuating mechanism for moving it between the two positions by manual operation performed at a location remote from the first pouring device.

The present invention relates to the field of hot beverage machines, of the coffee maker type, permitting a user to collect a hot beverage either in a coffeepot, or carafe, or directly in at least one and preferably two cups preliminarily disposed in the machine by the user.
The present invention concerns more particularly a coffee maker of the mixed type comprising a housing with a filter holder provided with at least one outlet for liquid, and a retractable pouring means having at least two orifices, the position of this pouring means being selected by the user in a manner to be adapted to the type of receptacle or receptacles being utilized.
It has already been proposed, particularly as disclosed in German Utility Model Publication DE-U-9115639, to provide a filter coffee maker which permits the user to choose the type of receptacle into which it is desired to pour the hot coffee. In this device, the coffee maker comprises in a conventional manner a heating support for a coffeepot, or carafe, as well as a filter holder provided with drip-prevention means capable of being actuated by the carafe when this latter is placed on the support. In this position, the carafe displaces the drip-prevention means and permits the flow of coffee through an outlet orifice arranged in the filter holder. The coffee machine comprises in addition a filter holder on which is mounted in a movable manner a flow distributor intended to be moved pivotably into a work position by the user himself when it is desired to deliver the coffee directly into two cups and not into a carafe. The flow distributor is present in the form of a deflection plate provided with two orifices, the plate coming to activate the drip-prevention means in its working position in order to permit the flow of the coffee onto the plate and through the two outlet orifices.
Such a device could obviously permit the user to choose freely the receptacle into which he wishes the coffee to be delivered from the filter holder. However, this device adjacent to the filter holder is situated in its work position under the filter holder orifice. The user must directly manipulate a part in which hot coffee is circulating. In order to have the advantage of a better lever effect, he is led to manipulate the device preferably in its lower part, in which the hot coffee, in effect, circulates. The user thus is in danger of being burned or having his clothing soiled if coffee remains in the device.
In addition, the drip-prevention means which comes to bear on the central part of the device when the latter is in its working position requires that the user exert an effort in order to free the drip-prevention device. This effort leads to giving the movement an abrupt character, which mechanically urges in a significant manner the axis of rotation of the device. In order to better control the movement of the device, the user is led, in a preferential manner, to maneuver it with both hands. If he maneuvers the device by holding it in its central part, there is a risk that the user's fingers will strike the drip-prevention device which is coming into its closed position once the device is freed. It is thus seen that this device is not easy to use and that the user encounters risks of being burned or having his clothing stained with the coffee when maneuvering the device.
In addition, this device makes use of a mechanical assembly which is complicated and fragile. It requires in effect that the distribution device be supported by axes which are fragile and destined to be acted on frequently. Moreover, good operation of the device implies a good dimensional adjustment between the flow distribution device and the drip-prevention means which must be moved axially in order to free the evacuation orifice of the filter holder. Such an adjustment of the relative movements is not easy to obtain on an industrial scale on the one hand and is capable after several uses of becoming misadjusted, or even of experiencing deterioration.
In the European Patent Document EP-0622040 there is described a coffee maker comprising a drip-prevention means provided with two closing valves for two distinct liquid outlets, the drip-prevention means comprising a first control means capable of being activated automatically by the coffeepot when the latter is put in place, as well as a second control means capable of being activated preferably manually through the intermediary of a toothed wheel, in order to lead the drip-prevention means into a stable position for clearing the two liquid outlets. This device thus permits the user to recover the beverage in a coffeepot or in two receptacles such as cups. It presents, however, an annoyance to the user because it is not ergonomic. In effect, the action of the toothed wheel on the drip-prevention means provokes only a small displacement of the piece including the two liquid outlets. The user does not spontaneously detect the configuration in which the coffee maker has been placed and can have annoying experiences such as the flow of coffee upon premature withdrawal of the coffeepot, if the drip-prevention means has not been activated, or an apparent nonfunctioning if the drip-prevention means has been activated and the user wants to recover the coffee in one or two cups.

Coffee maker operating with different types of receptacles


Material handling systems that enable enhanced data consistency, and methods thereof, are disclosed. Behavior and life cycle of a semiconductor product for a material handling system are modeled in a set of finite states and trigger paths. A trigger event corresponding to a second finite state is generated when a transfer state of the product changes from a first finite state to a second finite state along trigger paths. Next, it is determined whether the trigger event complies with a predetermined control rule. Transport data between manufacturing execution and material handling systems is synchronized by message exchange.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to data synchronization, and, particularly, to material handling using queue time (Q-time) finite state confirmation to perform data synchronization.
2. Description of the Related Art
Manufacturing execution systems (MESs) assist production management staff in gathering field data and controlling field manufacturing procedures to provide enterprises with solutions for improved processes and productive benefit. MES is an information system integrating procedures of orders, suppliers, product management, production, equipment maintenance and quality control. Output data, either equipment settings or engineering data collection, from MES in wafer manufacturing is rather complex. In addition, data for synchronously updating production management systems or material management systems must typically be precise. It is important for MES to have an instantaneous and dependable data transmission environment.
Automated material handling systems (AMHS) transfer wafer lots between tools in wafer fabrication. Conventionally, material transfer in wafer fabrication is performed by wheel-based systems, increasing costs as wafer size increases from six inches to twelve inches. Furthermore, to optimize yield rate and purity, automated material handling has become standard in wafer fabrication.
MESs handle and locate lot positions of wafers based on messages from monitoring applications through the semiconductor equipment communication standard (SECS) protocol, especially for event-driven material handling systems (MHSs). Automated material handling must cooperate with MES real-time transfers. If transfer event reports from AMHS are lost or delayed, transport data from the MES will be inconsistent with real wafer process. However, delayed or missing messages are difficult to detect and recover in an event-driven MHS.
Furthermore, wafer lot movement is difficult to predict because of unbalanced loading and varied patterns of communication between host and tools, such that some critical transfer messages are delayed. Disconnection between the manufacturing execution and AMHSs can lose transfer messages such that the AMHS misses errors. Regular inventory of goods can solve this issue, but it is time consuming and less efficient. In addition, lost data may be caused by software bugs in the AMHS, creating additional costs to repair the program.
In view of this, what is called for is a system to reduce product search time and detect lost messages to enhance data consistency between manufacturing execution and AMHSs, and stabilize system software and hardware, thereby lowering manufacturing costs.

Material handling system enabling enhanced data consistency and method thereof

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.


Absorbent articles such as diapers, incontinent briefs, training pants, diaper holders and liners, feminine hygiene garments, and the like designed to provide sustained dynamic fit about the wearer during use as well as to improve the containment of body exudates and wearer comfort/mobility. Such an absorbent article has an absorbent core preferably designed to fit within the low motion zone of the wearer so that dynamic forces imparted by movements of the wearer on the absorbent core are minimized. the absorbent article is also provided with a closure system for anchoring the absorbent article on the wearer to sustain the dynamic fit of the absorbent article throughout wearing. The closure system is designed so that a plane of tension is formed at least about the front waist portion of the article to preclude rollover of the front waist portion. the absorbent article also features a terraced core including multiple layers of absorbent material, thus allowing exudates to be absorbed at both the top layer and along the exposed edges of the core. Preferred containment assembly designs are also provided.

Infants and other incontinent individuals wear absorbent articles such as diapers to absorb and contain urine and other body exudates. Absorbent articles function both to contain the discharged materials and to isolate these materials from the body of the wearer and from the wearer's garments and bed clothing. Disposable absorbent articles having many different basic designs are known in the art. For example, U.S. Patent Re. 26,152, entitled "Disposable Diaper" issued to Duncan et al., on Jan. 31, 1967, describes a disposable diaper which has achieved wide acceptance and commercial success, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,860,003, entitled "Contractable Side Portions for Disposable Diaper," issued to Buell on Jan. 14, 1975, describes an elastic leg cuff disposable diaper which has achieved wide acceptance and commercial success, both patents being hereby incorporated by reference.
Many of the known absorbent articles, however, have a tendency to sag or gap away from and to slide/slip down on the body of the wearer during use. This sagging/gapping and sliding/slipping is caused by the relative motions of the wearer as the wearer breathes, moves and changes position, by the downward forces generated when the absorbent article is loaded with body exudates, and by the deformation of the materials of the absorbent article itself when subjected to such wearer's motions. This sagging/gapping and sliding/slipping of the absorbent article can lead to premature leakage and poor fit of the absorbent article about the wearer.
Conventional disposable diapers are typically designed to fit high on the abdomen of the wearer and down on the thighs such that the diaper fits in the zones of the wearer that are subject to dynamic motion (and thus dynamic forces) during use. These dynamic motions and forces, especially by the abdomen bulging and contracting, tend to deform the materials making up the diaper and tend to push the diaper away from the body. Thus, the diaper tends to sag/gap away from the body. The closure system of the diaper is also typically designed to form a defined dimension of the waist and leg openings and a line of tension (imparts a tensile force along a line) about the wearer to secure the diaper of the wearer. However, this defined waist dimension created by the closure system cannot accommodate the changes in body dimension caused by wearer movement such that the diaper tends to slide/slip down on the wearer when the dimension of the abdomen of the wearer becomes smaller than the defined dimension formed by the closure. Further, when the abdominal dimension becomes larger than the defined dimension formed by the closure system, the diaper tends to move to a different position on the wearer (i.e. to the area of minimum circumference) or the diaper tends to be so tight on the abdomen that the diaper can mark the skin or be uncomfortable to wear. The absorbent core and other stiff nonelastic members of the diaper typically fit in the zones of the abdomen or legs that undergo such dynamic forces that the absorbent core bunches and is pushed downward or inward by the dynamic forces resulting in further gapping/sliding of the product on the wearer.
In order to more snugly fit absorbent articles about the wearer, certain commercially available absorbent articles have been provided with elastic features about the waist, hips, or legs. An example of a disposable diaper with an elastic waist feature which has achieved wide acceptance and commercial success is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,515,595 which issued to Kievit et al., on May 7, 1985, and is incorporated by reference. An example of a disposable diaper with an elastic leg cuff is disclosed in the previously mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 3,860,003. A further example of a disposable diaper with elastic side panels that fit over the hips of the wearer is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,857,067 which issued to Wood et al., on Aug. 15, 1989, which is also incorporated by reference. The elastic features are designed to expand and contract with the wearer's motions and to maintain the fit of the absorbent article about the wearer during use (i.e., provide sustained dynamic fit). However, it has been found that absorbent articles having elastic features also have a tendency to sag/gap and slide/slip during use.
In addition to addressing problems with the fit and sustained fit of absorbent articles, much attention has been focused on improving the absorbent core structures that function to absorb exudates discharged from the body of the wearer. Commonly, these cores include a conventional absorbent gelling material (referred to herein as an "AGM" material) or a conventional superabsorbent material dispersed in a batt of cellulose fibers. While such core structures typically exhibit good absorbency characteristics, they tend to be limited in their ability to return substantially to their original configuration after being deformed under normal wear situations.
Recent developments in the absorbent article industry have included improved stretchable articles. However, the ability to fully utilize suitable articles is often limited by the lack of integrity and shape retention offered by existing core elements. Thus to improve the overall usefulness of these absorbent articles made with the improved stretchable features, there has arisen a need for core elements which are not greatly limited by a failure to allow for movement of the wearer.
A stretchable absorbent article, namely a sanitary napkin, is disclosed in co-pending commonly assigned PCT application No. W 93/01785, entitled "Stretchable Absorbent Articles." An absorbent elastomeric wound dressing is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,957,795 (Riedel).
Additional background literature that may be of interest include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,856,013 (Dulle); 4,229,548 (Sattlegger et al.); 4,341,214 (Fries et al.); 4,554,297 (Dabi); 4,584,324 (Bauman et al.); 3,916,900 (Breyer et al.); 4,394,930 (Korpman); 4,664,662 (Webster); 5,149,720 (DesMarais et al); 4,834,735 (Alemany); 4,610,678 (Weisman et al); 4,673,402 (Weisman et al.); U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/085,537; entitled "Elastomeric Adhesive Foam;" filed Jun. 30, 1993 in the names of Litchholt and Lodge; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/085,237; entitled "Method of Making an Elastomeric Adhesive Foam and of Elasticizing Garments;" filed Jun. 30, 1993 in the names of Litchholt and Lodge, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Attention has thus continued to be focused on developing flexible highly absorbent cores which are useful in association with stretchable articles. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,268,224, which issued Dec. 7, 1993, to DesMarais, et al., entitled "Absorbent Foam Materials for Aqueous Body Fluids and Absorbent Articles Containing Such Materials" which is incorporated by reference herein, relates to absorbent foam materials suitable for use as or in the absorbent cores of absorbent articles. Such foamed materials typically comprise hydrophilic, flexible open-celled structures which are preferably prepared by polymerizing high internal phase water-in-oil emulsions having pore volumes of from about 12 to 100 ml/g, and a capillary action specific surface area of from about 0.5 to 5.0 m.sup.2 /g.
With the advent of more flexible, highly absorbent cores and core materials, attention has turned to utilizing such materials in the most efficient and effective manner possible. Thus, it would be advantageous to provide an absorbent article that provides better fit, reduced leakage, and wearer comfort. It would further be advantageous to provide an absorbent article which has reduced sagging and gapping as well as reduced overall sliding/slipping of the absorbent article and/or the absorbent core on the wearer during use.
It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide absorbent articles having improved dynamic fit and sustained fit by utilizing uniquely shaped absorbent cores made from a resilient absorbent material in association with a uniquely designed chassis.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an absorbent article providing increased comfort for the wearer by providing freedom of motion for the wearer and minimizing the effects of forces caused by wearer's movements on the product's stability.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide an absorbent article including a specifically shaped absorbent core designed to fit within the low motion zone of the wearer, therefore, minimizing the effects of wearer movement on the overall fit of the article.
It is a further object of the present invention to anchor the absorbent article about the perimeter of the low motion zone (otherwise referred to herein as the area of minimum circumference) to achieve sustained dynamic fit.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a closure system and containment assembly (chassis) design that anchors the absorbent core in the low motion zone of the wearer to enhance the sustained dynamic fit.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a containment assembly (chassis) design, closure system and an absorbent core shape cooperating to reduce sagging and gapping as well as overall sliding/slipping of the absorbent article during use.
Yet, another object of the present invention is to improve the geometric location of the fastening tabs and the diaper fastening system to enhance the sustained fit of the absorbent article.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a containment assembly (chassis) design which results in the absorbent article having improved aesthetic characteristics.
These and other advantages of the present invention will be more readily apparent when considered in reference to the following description and when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Fit and sustained fit of a diaper via chassis and core modifications


A pivot assembly for use in a hard disk drive, in which ball bearings are placed at both ends of a shaft, and a spacer is disposed between outer rings of the ball bearings. The spacer is fixed to the outer rings by laser welding.

The invention relates to a pivot assembly used as the bearing of a swing arm type actuator in a hard disk drive. More particularly, the invention relates to an improvement of the fixing means of a spacer which accomplishes spacing of ball bearings.
Conventional pivot assemblies include ball bearings fixed at both ends of a shaft. A spacing between outer rings of the ball bearings is accomplished by a ring shaped spacer.
A convex line is formed at an inner circumferential side edge of an end face of the spacer. The convex line protrudes in an axial direction of the spacer. Additionally, a concave part is formed at an inner circumference side edge of an end face of the outer ring. Convex lines of the spacer and the concave part of each outer ring are configured to be joined together such that the spacer is held between the outer rings. This pivot assembly is then bonded to a base of a swing arm having a magnetic head at its tip.
In the above-mentioned conventional pivot assembly, the spacer is held by joining a convex line of the spacer with a concave part of each outer ring. In such arrangement it is likely that the precision of the assembly becomes insufficient due to convex stripe machining errors. Particularly, the degree of parallelization of the spacer is typically insufficient. Additionally, the area of contact between an outer ring and the spacer is small, resulting in a reduced holding strength.
In the process of manufacturing the described conventional pivot bearing assembly, the convex line has to be machined to accomplished its precise shape and size. Therefore, the manufacturing process of such bearing assembly is complicated, resulting in higher manufacturing costs.
The above mentioned bonding of the swing arm and the pivot assembly must be performed in the conventional assembly because holding of the spacer is unstable. Therefore, if a defect occurs in one of the constituent parts the entire unit must be discarded, which is obviously uneconomical. Additionally, outgassing from the bonding agent brings about a harmful effect on the surface of the hard disk and magnetic head.
In conventional designs of the pivot assembly, it is common for the outer ring to have an abbreviated circular arc-shaped chamfer at the peripheral edge of its outer circumferential surface at its end face. When the outer diameter of the spacer is the same as that of the outer ring, a concave part is formed between them. In this case, the concave part the gap becomes smaller towards the inner part of the connection. If laser welding was to be used with this conventional assembly, a laser beam must correctly hit the line of contact between the spacer and outer ring positioned in the innermost part of the formed connection. Moreover, the laser beam must irradiate so as to follow the common tangent of the chamfer and the end face of the spacer. When these points are taken into consideration, in the event the laser beam is of a small diameter as mentioned above, where the position of the spacer fluctuates even slightly, the laser beam cannot irradiate the necessary place making laser welding, practically, impossible.

Pivot assembly preloaded by laser welding for hard disk drive use


The invention provides a loudspeaker system having a housing made of a plastic casing and a foam positioned against the interior walls of the casing through a reaction between the foam and the interior wall. The foam increases the stiffness of the walls as well as provides sound damping. Additionally, the foam may create a foam rib between a stud and the casing to support the stud and transfer the stiffness of the stud to a wall of the casing.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to housings for loudspeaker systems having foam particularly affixed to interior walls of the housing to increase wall stiffness and provide sound damping.
2. Related Art
A loudspeaker typically is a device that converts electrical energy into audible sound. The loudspeaker usually consists of a thin flexible sheet called a diaphragm that moves in response to an electric signal from an amplifier. The diaphragm, the amplifier, and other driver components of the loudspeaker typically are housed in some sort of speaker enclosure. One of the more common types of enclosure is a sealed enclosure, also known as an acoustic suspension cabinet. Acoustic suspension cabinets generally are designed to be completely sealed, so that no air may escape.
In operation, electric signals from the amplifier vibrate the diaphragm. The vibrations create sound waves in the air around the loudspeaker. For example, forward sound waves travel outward into free airspace, while backward sound waves travel into an enclosure. Quality speaker systems typically have sound damping features that prevent noise inside the enclosure from passing outside.
For acoustic suspension cabinets, the internal air pressure of the cabinet is constantly changing during the operation of the loudspeaker. When the diaphragm moves in, the internal air pressure typically is increased and when the diaphragm moves out, the internal air pressure typically is decreased. In other words, the movement of the diaphragm may alternately increase and decrease the pressure level within the cabinet. An efficient speaker system is able to account for the change in pressure in the sealed enclosure to maintain the sound power level.
Some conventional loudspeaker enclosures are designed utilizing wood cabinets that provide stiff, sound damping walls. However, wood typically is prohibitively expensive to manipulate into structural shapes that house certain speaker configurations or ornamental shapes that are pleasing to a consumer-driven market. In addition, in many applications, wood cabinets take too long to produce and cannot be utilized in high volume production.
By way of comparison, plastic provides cabinet designers with the freedom to house a multitude of speaker configurations as well as create consumer-driven ornamental shapes. In addition, manufacturers may rapidly produce plastic cabinets, making them ideal for high volume production runs. Thus, many modern speaker cabinets are made of plastic.
Although the utilization of plastic for speaker cabinets typically is superior in industrial design over wood, the utilization of plastic for speaker cabinets gives rise to wall flex and sound damping problems. For example, certain speaker configurations require plastic cabinet walls having multiple inches. However, molding cycle time and process yield problems require that the thickness of these plastic walls not exceed 0.187 to 0.250 inches. The result is a long, thin expanse of plastic.
A long, thin expanse of plastic potentially creates a large, weak surface that may flex in and out in,along with the diaphragm. As the cabinet walls flex in and out, they alter the interior volume of the sealed cabinet away and result in differing pressures within the interior. The driver typically will draw more current and work harder to counter the harmonic energy of the wall movements to maintain the desired sound power level. However, as the wall becomes stiffer, the driver requires less current to compensate for wall movement to make the overall system more efficient. Thus, it is desirable to minimize the movement of the plastic walls. Here, increasing the flexural rigidity of the plastic walls decreases their ability to move.
Injected molded plastic ribs have been utilized in the past to make plastic cabinet walls more rigid. Unfortunately, larger plastic walls require large, thick ribs. If the plastic ribs are too thick, then the thick ribs create undesirable sink marks on the exterior of the cabinet. Additionally, ribs alone will not provide the sound damping needed in a quality speaker system. Therefore, there is a need to stiffen the walls of a loudspeaker plastic enclosure while damping sounds internally generated within the plastic enclosure.

Harman International Industries, Incorporated


The present invention involves an exercise device having an elongated base member with a linear track on a topside of the elongated base member. A slidable body moves within the one or more linear tracks. The slidable body is attached to a pole to be gripped while exercising.

The present invention relates to exercise equipment. In particular, the present invention relates to portable exercise equipment having user-defined variable resistance and substantially momentum free workout via one or more resistance poles or ropes attached tangentially to an elongated base member.
The popularity of personal exercise equipment has grown in the past decade at a feverish pace. As individuals' lives have become busier and more demanding, there is less time to spend going to the gym and completing a full, recommended exercise regiment. As such, more individuals are looking for exercise equipment that is efficient, effective, safe, and easy to store in their homes.
Numerous types of personal exercise equipment have been put forth, ranging from elaborate universal workout apparatuses to simple step boxes and dumbbells. Several of these personal exercise devices are portable, and others are stationary. The vast majority, however, are designed for a limited number of effective exercises.
Those known personal exercise devices designed for more effective body strength training, flexibility, cardiovascular health, or a combination thereof, typically involve various mechanical moving parts that may require regular maintenance and costly repairs if damaged. See, for example, Pilates' "Reformer."
Further, typical personal exercise equipment relating to strength training, flexibility, cardiovascular health, or combinations thereof, include a resistance based on weights or tension cords. Resistance based on weights obviously dramatically increases the heaviness of the overall equipment, thereby limiting movement and storage. Tension cords may stretch beyond effective use over time, thereby altering the actual exercise to be performed, and eventually require costly replacement of tension cords.
Thus, what is desired is a cost effective, portable exercise apparatus that efficiently and effectively provides strength, flexibility and cardiovascular training without weight or tension cord resistance.


According to the invention, a system and method are provided for notifying a user of an awaiting message. The awaiting message is located in a user mailbox (24). User (10) is first provided with notification. This notification is different for different types of messages. The notification to user (10) is repeated if user (10) fails to respond to it. The repeating occurs until user (10) responds to the notification, and the repeating takes place after a predetermined period of time. User (10) is then informed of the awaiting message located in user mailbox (24).

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to providing a multimedia messaging system and related method for notifying users of messages located in their message mailboxes.
2. Description of the Related Art
Current voice mail systems and related switches provide a variety of features. For example, the camp-on and the automated redial features are common. These features are utilized when a called line is busy. Usually a switch (e.g., private branch exchange) monitors the busy line. Usually, a caller activates the camp-on feature when the caller hears a busy signal or when a caller is automatically forwarded to a voice mail system. When the called party's line becomes available, the switch rings the caller's telephone with a distinctive ring indicating a camp-on is in progress. When the caller then picks up the receiver on the telephone, the switch places another call to the called party. Usually, the line is no longer busy and the caller is transferred to the called party. If the line is busy again, the caller hears the busy signal or is automatically transferred to a voice mail system, and the user can camp-on again. A voice mail system can be used to initiate this feature. For example, if the caller is automatically transferred to the called party's voice mail system (this may be an automatic result when the line is busy), the caller may be able to enter a code (e.g., #1) to initiate a camp-on. In this arrangement, the voice mail system sends a message to the switch such that the switch performs the camp-on. Software located in the switch is used to provide this camp-on feature.
Similarly, the automated redial feature can be utilized when a busy line is detected. The automated redial feature is usually used in place of the camp on feature when the caller and the called line (1) have different and separate switches or (2) have switches which are connected via a dumb connection. If a smart connection is available between the switches (e.g., via an ISDN line), the regular camp-on feature can be used. In a first example of automated redial, the caller's switch continually calls the called line until a ring signal is obtained. The caller's switch then (1) rings the caller and transfers the caller to the called line or (2) automatically transfers the caller to the called line. In a second example of automated redial, the caller's switch continually calls the called line until the called party answers the called telephone. The called party then receives an automated message (e.g., "please hold for Mr. Smith") and then is transferred to the caller. Automated redial is provided by software located in, for example, a fax machine.
In addition to camp-on and automated redial, the outcalling feature is becoming popular. With outcalling, a user is notified of awaiting messages via a pager. For example, a user can program their message mailbox such that when an urgent message is received, the user's pager is dialed. Depending on the type of page, a numeric or alphanumeric description of the message can also be sent to the user. Thus, the user is immediately contacted regarding the urgent message with relevant details.
Message waiting lights and stutter dial tones are currently the prevalent means for message notification in the voice mail environment. Private branch exchanges (PBX) with message waiting lights on their analog or digital telephones are able to display message notification to a user by illuminating the message waiting lights. Most voice mail manufacturers offer proprietary and standard protocols for providing this notification from the PBX to their digital telephones. For example, standard digital telephones (e.g., ISDN telephones) are notified to turn on their message waiting lights using standard protocols. Similarly, proprietary digital telephones (e.g., RolmPhones.TM. digital telephones, commercially available from Siemens Business Communications, Inc.) use propriety protocols (e.g., the RolmLink.TM. protocol).
In a public central office, the ability to send message waiting signals to analog telephones is limited. Thus, most systems use a stutter dial tone to notify a user of an awaiting message. This requires the user to pick up the telephone receiver and listen to the dial tone to determine if any awaiting messages are present. Both message waiting lights and stutter dial tones require the user to proactively check for messages. Moreover, these notification methods do not distinguish between new and skipped messages.
When a PBX is utilized, the user must check the message waiting light. If the user has been on the telephone, the user may hang up after finishing a telephone call without noticing the message waiting light. In addition, new messages can arrive on top of a mailbox's skipped messages with no additional notification. In the public central office situation, a user arriving at, for example, their home or business is given no visual indication of an awaiting message. This user must remember to pick up the telephone receiver and listen to the dial tone. Also, if a public central office user is on the telephone, the user may hang up the telephone after finishing a call without remembering to pick up the telephone receiver again to check for messages.
It is desirable to have an inexpensive, reliable system and related method for notifying users of awaiting messages which supplements or eliminates the need for message waiting lights and stutter dial tones.

System and method for message notification in a multimedia messaging system

Siemens Information and Communication Networks, Inc.