A power amplification device includes: a first power-amplifier array including a plurality of first switching elements that constitute a class-D power amplifier for a higher bits; a second power-amplifier array including a plurality of second switching elements that constitute a class-D power amplifier for a lower bits; and a capacitor array including a plurality of capacitance elements. The second switching elements have a larger on-resistance than the first switching elements. The first power-amplifier array is arranged between the second power-amplifier array and the capacitor array.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a power amplification device and a transmitter that use a plurality of class-D power amplifiers to amplify transmission signals.
2. Description of the Related Art
Typically, power amplification devices provided in transmitters used for wireless communication amplify very weak amplitudes of input signals and output the resulting signals in order to obtain signal output strengths necessary for wireless systems. Since the very weak amplitudes of input signals are amplified to obtain signals with large output power, power consumed in wireless blocks in the power amplification devices is large. The power consumption has a large influence on, particularly, the drive times of battery-powered wireless devices, such as mobile phones. Accordingly, the power amplification devices require high power efficiencies.
One possible means for enhancing the power efficiencies is using class-D power amplifiers. Class-D power amplifiers utilize saturation operations of transistors, and ideally, electrical current flows only in a switching period, and no unwanted electrical current flows, thus making it possible to obtain high power efficiencies.
In recent years, an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (hereinafter "OFDM") system used for wireless local area networks (LANs) is used as a modulation system in order to enhance the spectral efficiency. The OFDM system is a system in which carrier waves having different frequencies are modulated and multiplexed, and the carrier waves are orthogonal to each other. The OFDM system has a high power peak relative to an average power at a timing when the phases of carrier waves overlap each other. The ratio of a peak power to an average power is represented by a peak-to-average power ratio (hereafter "PAPR") and may be about 10 dB in the OFDM system. In the OFDM system, the PAPR is large in principle, and a linear amplifier is required in order to suppress an influence of, for example, inter-symbol interference caused by distortion. When the peak power is set to the saturation power of a power amplifier, the average power takes a small value relative to the saturation power. In this case, since the power amplifier cannot be operated at an operating point at which the power efficiency is high, the power efficiency during output of the average power decreases. Herein, the difference between the maximum power and the average power is referred to as an "amount of back-off". The power amplifier operates at an operating point at which the power efficiency is lower, as the amount of back-off increases.
One possible means for overcoming such a problem is using a switched-capacitor power amplifier. In a switched-capacitor power amplifier, the number of, among a plurality of small-size amplifier cells, amplifier cells that are to operate is controlled using a digital code, thus making it possible to linearly control an output voltage of the switched-capacitor power amplifier. Such a switched-capacitor power amplifier is described in "A Switched-capacitor RF Power Amplifier Solid-State Circuits, IEEE Journal of Volume 46, Issue 12 pp. 2977-2987, December 2011". Switched-capacitor power amplifiers can be said to be radio-frequency digital-to-analog converters (RF-DACs) that output high-frequency signals having amplitudes controlled with digital codes, and have a problem in obtaining favorable linearity. In the following description, the digital codes with which the amplitudes are controlled are referred to as "AM codes".
One means for overcoming such a problem with the switched-capacitor power amplifiers is a digital-to-analog (D/A) conversion circuit disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2012-175440. The D/A conversion circuit disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2012-175440 ensures linearity by dynamically varying capacitance assignment to individual bits in input data.
In the switched-capacitor power amplifiers of the related art, however, even when the accuracy of capacitance values is adjusted, as in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2012-175440, there is a problem in that the linearity cannot be sufficiently improved, since the accuracy of resistance values is not adjusted. In particular, in circuits of switched-capacitor power amplifiers, it is necessary to pass large electrical current in order to output signals with large power. When large electrical current is passed through a wire that provides connection between elements, an influence of a voltage drop in the wire increases, which causes a problem of linearity deterioration due to the accuracy factor of a resistance value.

Power amplification device and transmitter


A sector address is obtained even when a playback signal is missed by incrementing the number of interpolations n when determined that error correction of read-out data is not possible, and incrementing and storing in a buffer "address" the contents of a work area B when the number of interpolations n is less than a preset value "Max". When the interpolation address calculation process has been repeated the prescribed number of times "Max" an emergency process is carried out.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an interpolation address generating method and interpolation address generating device for a recording medium recorded with addresses completing single frames.
2. Description of Related Art
Compact Disc (hereinafter referred to as "CD") data recording formats for, for example, Digital Audio Compact Discs (hereinafter referred to as "CD-DA") or video CD's etc. are constructed so that a single frame becomes the minimum unit, with 98 frames constituting a single block, as shown in FIG. 4.
One frame is constructed from 588 bits, with the leading 24 bits being provided for synchronization data, the following 14 bits being provided for a sub-code data area, and the subsequent bits being provided for data and parity.
With frames of this structure, a single block is constructed from 98 frames and sub-code data is gathered from the 98 frames to form the kind of single block sub-code data shown in FIG. 5(a).
The sub-codes taken for the leading first and second frames, i.e. frame 98n+1 and frame 98+2, of the 98 frames are taken to be the synchronization pattern. Each item of 96 bit channel data, i.e. the sub-codes for P, Q, R, S, T, U, V and W, is formed using the third frame through the 98th frame i.e. frame, 98n+3 through frame 98n+98.
Of these, the channels P and Q are used for controlling accesses. More specifically, channel P only indicates the pause portion between tracks, with finer control being carried out by the channel Q, i.e. Q1 to Q96. The 96 bits of Q channel data are structured in the way shown in FIG. 5(b).
First, the bits Q1 to Q4 are taken for control data and are used for audio data channel numbers, emphasis and CD-ROM identification etc.
The bits Q5 to Q8 are then taken as an address to be used as the sub-Q data control bits. If the value for these four bits is "0001", this indicates that the sub-Q data for the following bits Q9 to Q80 is audio Q data. A value of "0100" indicates that the sub-Q data for the following bits Q9 to Q80 is video Q data.
The bits Q9 to Q80 are regarded as 72 bit sub-Q data, with the remaining Q81 to Q96 being a Cyclic Redundancy Code (hereinafter referred to as CRC) which is used for determining the validity of the received Q-channel data so that only correct data is read-out.
In this format occurring in the aforementioned Q-channel frame structure, hours, minutes and seconds showing the address within the disc are discretely recorded within the sub-code so as to conclude the 98 frames. There is also a high degree of reliability with respect to errors such as burst errors because the channel Q recorded with the hours, minutes and seconds also has the 16 bit CRC attached.
Next, an example of a disc system with an address recorded within a single frame is shown. FIG. 6 is a schematic view of one sector. As shown in the drawing, one sector is constructed from n frames, with the leading bits being taken as the sector synchronization, followed by the sector header. The sector address is recorded at this sector header. The data area to be played back and the parity area are then recorded after this sector header.
The sector header is constructed from 32 bytes laid out, for example, in the manner shown in FIG. 7. i.e. the leading 16 bits are taken as the CRC, with the following 24 bits comprising an "address" field recorded with a serial address. The most significant bits (hereinafter referred to as MSB's) of the "address" field are taken to be "address" field 1 and the least significant bits (hereinafter referred to as LSB's) are taken to be "address" field 0.
This "address" field is coded in two's compliment, with the initial sector present in the program area being taken as address "0" and the final sector present in the read-in area being taken as address "1".
Following the address field, the 32 byte header sector is constructed from a "Reserved" field, a "layer" field, a "Copyright" field, a "Track Number" field, an "Index Number" field, a "Reserved" field, a "Timecode" field, an "application code" field and an "application data" field, etc.
In a CD playback system, each type of control is carried out using the address (in hours, minutes and seconds) as a reference. For example, when there is a pause in playback, control is exerted so as to jump one track in the direction of the inner periphery every time the same address is played back. With a CD-DA and video CD, a disc address, i.e. hour, minute and second, is recorded within the Q-channel sub-code concluding the 98 frames, and because 16 bits of CRC code are attached there is good resistance to burst errors.
However, in the kind of disc system shown in FIG. 6 where a sector address is recorded so as to conclude a single frame, a high degree of reliability with regards to errors such as burst errors cannot be obtained even if a CRC is attached.
If, for example, a sector address within the sector synchronization "Sync" or the sector header is missed when data is played back in the disc system shown in FIG. 6 where a sector address is recorded within a single frame, the data becomes corrupted. Corruption in a small portion of the played back data will have little effect if audio data is recorded in the data area because the audio is muted during a pause.
However, if video data is recorded in the data area, the image outputted as a result of the image signal disappears and picture omissions occur. These picture omissions are very noticeable on the screen and make viewing difficult.
In the above, an example has been given where the sector address of an image data signal has been corrupted but data corruption with regards to other kinds of data may also hinder normal operation.

Device and method for data playback using interpolation address signal


An electrical extension cord assembly including a cord having a male plug attached to one end and a female receptacle head attached to the other end of the cord. The receptacle head is configured so that it can removably engage a base plate that is attached to a stationary object.

Not Applicable
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to electrical extension cords, and more particularly to an extension cord apparatus that can be reversibly mounted in multiple positions to mounting plates in a variety of locations.
2. Description of the Background Art
Electrical extension cords are commonplace in home and commercial settings. Conventional extension cords normally include two or three wires within a insulating jacket that are connected at one end to a male plug and at the other end to a head that contains one or more female receptacles. Extension cord heads fall into two general classes; namely, those that can be permanently mounted on a surface, and those that are non-mountable.
Mountable extension cords are advantageous in commercial applications such as construction sites where loose extension cords can be extremely dangerous. Typically, extension cord heads known in the art are mounted in one of two ways.
First, the head can include an eyelet through which a fastener, e.g., a screw or nail, can be installed to hold the head to a stationary object such as a wall. The durability of the head is limited by the strength of the eyelet that may tear if the extension cord is pulled.
The second type of mounting system has a head with a keyhole slot in the back of the head. The keyhole slot allows the head to slide over the head of a screw that has been partially screwed into a surface. This type of mounting also lacks durability and the attachment to the surface is not very secure.
In the first configuration described above, the head is securely fastened to the stationary object, but it cannot be easily detached. In contrast, the second configuration described above provides a means by which the head can be detached, but does not provide a very secure connection between the head and the stationary object.
Accordingly, there is a need for an extension cord assembly that can be securely attached to a stationary object during use and be detached relatively easily from the object and transferred to another location.
An extension cord assembly according to the present invention includes an electrical cord that defines a first end and a second end. A male plug is attached to the first end of the electrical cord and a female receptacle head is attached to the second end of the electrical cord. The receptacle head preferably includes a plurality of female electrical receptacles. The female receptacle can be formed in a flat surface of the head or in a beveled surface formed by the head. The extension cord assembly further includes a base plate that can be attached to a stationary object. In turn, the receptacle head can be removably attached to the base plate.
Preferably, the receptacle head is formed with a dovetail-shaped groove and the base plate is formed with a correspondingly dimensioned dovetail-shaped tongue. The tongue of the base plate slidably engages the groove of the receptacle head to secure the receptacle head to the base plate. Conversely, in one embodiment, the groove is formed within the base plate and the tongue is present on the receptacle head. Or, in lieu of a tongue-and-groove configuration, the receptacle head can include two tabs that engage two correspondingly sized and shaped slots formed by the base plate in order to snap the receptacle head to the base plate.
In a preferred embodiment, the cord assembly includes a locking mechanism that engages the receptacle head to lock the receptacle head to the base plate. Preferably, the locking mechanism includes two tabs that engage two notches formed by the receptacle head. The tabs are movable between a locked position wherein the receptacle head cannot be removed from the base plate and an unlocked position wherein the receptacle head can be slidably removed from the base plate. In a preferred embodiment, the locking mechanism also includes a button for moving the tabs into the unlocked position.
In another aspect of the present invention, the extension cord assembly includes an electrical cord that defines a first end and a second end. A male plug is attached to the first end of the electrical cord and a female receptacle head is attached to the second end of the electrical cord. The receptacle head includes a female receptacle. This aspect of the present invention further includes a base plate and means for attaching the base plate to a stationary object. Moreover, this aspect includes means for removably attaching the receptacle head to the base plate.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, a female receptacle head for an extension cord includes means for removably engaging the female receptacle head with a base plate.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be brought out in the following portions of the specification, wherein the detailed description is for the purpose of fully disclosing preferred embodiments of the invention without placing limitations thereon.

Electrical extension cord with capability for multi-positional fixed mounting


A response map descriptively modeling the textual format of a test response of a system verification test is created without a priori understanding of the format of the given response. Such response map is applied to the test response or other similar test responses that share the same format. More specifically, a method of identifying and extracting one or more formats of textual data included in test responses from system verification testing of a system under test is provided, by receiving a first test response including first textual data in one or more formats, generating a response map descriptively modeling the first test response without a priori information of the one or more formats, and applying the response map to a second test response to identify and extract second textual data from the second test response. The second textual data is also in the one or more formats.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to automation of system verification test (SVT) and, more specifically, to extracting information from unstructured textual data obtained from SVT on a System Under Test (SUT).
2. Description of the Related Art
Most systems, whether it is a hardware system or a software system, requires quality assurance (QA) and system verification tests (SVT) before it is released for actual use by the public. It is preferable to automate SVT, so that the SVT process can be carried out efficiently and accurately. Software test automation in many cases requires that a testing program emulate a human interacting with a command-line interface (CLI) via protocols such as telnet, SSH (Secure Shell), or via a serial port. The test program sends a command to a System Under Test (SUT) to perform a configuration step in the test or to extract information from the SUT.
The responses received from the SUT are typically text, formatted in a way intended for human operators to digest. But unlike formats intended for processing by computers (like extensible markup language, XML), these human-readable texts can be complicated for a computer such as a SVT server to "understand" and process. In other words, when a test program on a SVT server needs to use information exposed in the textual responses from the SUT, there is considerable work involved to extract that information, which can be labor-intensive and error-prone. For example, in order to extract such data from text format responses from the SUT, conventional SVT programs use so-called "parsing algorithms" that deconstruct the textual response. Each command of the SVT typically produces a different response format and therefore requires that new parsing software is written to deconstruct or parse that new type of response. Writing such parsing software is labor-intensive and error-prone.
In some conventional cases, "template" approaches have been used to extract data from SVT responses. One can describe a template for a given response structure (perhaps using a general software tool for this purpose) and a more general piece of parsing code uses the template to extract certain data. FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional method of parsing SVT responses from the SUT. The SVT testing system (server) receives 102 an unstructured response. Upon receipt of the unstructured response, a parser appropriate for the type of structured response is selected 104 with a priori knowledge of the format of the unstructured response. A priori knowledge may come, for example, from the fact that the recipient of the response knows the command that was issued to the SUT. The selected parser is used to parse 106 the response and generate test values from the SVT response.
However, such conventional parsing method of FIG. 1 requires a priori knowledge of the format of the unstructured response, which may not always be available. If the format of the response changes from response to response, the existing parsers may not be able to accommodate such changes and parse the response with the changed format. Thus, a new parser will have to be programmed to accommodate such changed format of the SVT response, which is labor-intensive and error-prone.

Automatic test map generation for system verification test


A technique for film marking includes coding a print identifier into a binary-coded serial number; identifying particular frames (bit frames) that will be used to convey the bits (binary digits) of the binary-coded serial number and marking these bit frames in accordance with the particular bit values of the binary-coded serial number. The presence of a predefined mark on a bit frame is representative of a binary digit having a value of one, while the absence of the predefined mark on a bit frame is representative of a binary digit having a value of zero.

The present invention generally relates to apparatus and methods for combating piracy and, more particularly, to content identification.
The ability to securely distribute content and control access thereto, be it a movie, a song, a picture, the written word, etc., is of paramount importance to those who have a vested interest in the content such as the copyright holders, creators, licensees, etc. As such, with respect to film (e.g., a movie) it is known to "fingerprint" film copies such that the possible source of any subsequent copies—legal or illegal—can be identified. In this regard, a big problem with film distribution is found in the final shipping of, what amounts to, thousands of copies ("release prints") to the theaters that will show a single title. In particular, when a company is contracted to mass-produce these thousands of release prints, the company is provided with a master print in film form, from which duplicates are made through contact printing. Unfortunately, building a unique fingerprint on each release print during the contact printing stage is a problem of both mechanics and cost.


According to one embodiment, a security grate for limiting access to a coin bin is disclosed. The security grate comprises a plurality of generally parallel upper slats and a plurality of generally parallel slats disposed below the upper slats. The plurality of first slats receives coins and directs coins moving under the force of gravity in a first direction. The plurality of lower slats receive coins from the upper slats and direct the coins moving under the force of gravity in a second direction.

Coin processing devices such as coin redemption machines allow users to exchange bulk coins deposits for another form of currency such as currency bills, a receipt that can be applied toward future purchases, or credited to an account. Typically, coin redemption machines are disposed in public locations such as in a retail store or bank. As such, there exists a need to house coins processed by the coin processing machines in a secure environment.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Coin bin having security feature for use with a coin processing device


In a multi-wire saw, each wire guide has a cylindrical exterior configuration, and is composed of sectorial portions which are circumferentially separated and integrally formed in the axial direction thereof. Each sectorial portion provided in the wire guide has wire guiding grooves extending circumferentially on the peripheral surface thereof in parallel along the axial direction of the wire guide, and one group of sectorial portions which are located alternately to another group, is projected further out than the other group of sectorial portions, to form an envelope of a cylindrical shape as an exterior form.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multi-wire saw used for cutting a workpiece into slices or wafers, in particular relating to a wire-guide structure used in a multi-wire saw.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
A multi-wire saw is one of the cutting machines used for cutting a workpiece such as a silicon ingot, crystal, quartz, etc., having a cylindrical or block shape, into wafers, and is known to cut a workpiece being abutted against the lines of the wire which are arranged in parallel bearing abrasive grain thereon and are traveling at a high speed, into a multiple number of wafers. The multi-wire saw of this type has a configuration as schematically shown in FIG.1, and comprises feeding and collecting spools 22 and 23 for feeding and taking up wire 21, three wire guides 24 which have a cylindrical exterior configuration and are arranged in parallel to each other, and feeder and collector pulleys 25 and 26 disposed between spools 22, 23 and the wire guide 24 in the upper portion. In FIG.1, three wire guides 24 are used, but there are multi-wire saws which have two or four wire guides, as is well known.
Each wire guide 24 used in the multi-wire saw has a peripheral surface having a multiple number of circumferentially extending wire guiding grooves 27 formed thereon in parallel to each other at regular intervals along the axial direction of wire guide 24. Wire 21 fed from feeding spool 22 by way of feeder pulley 25 is tensioned across wire guides 24 whilst the wire is wound around each of the wire guiding grooves of wire guides 24 in turn, and is taken up by way of collector pulley 26 by collecting spool 23. The peripheral surface of each wire guide 24 is covered with a coating material 28 of urethane.
Lines of wire 21 arranged in parallel which are tensioned between a pair of wire guides 24 located in the lower portion of the multi-wire saw and are traveling at a high speed, are supplied drop-wise with an abrasive grain liquid from an abrasive grain liquid supplying nozzle 29. A workpiece 30 is pressed against the lines of wire 21 bearing the abrasive grain thereon. Therefore, workpiece 30 which is being pressed against the lines of wire 21 will be sliced into a multiple number of wafers having a thicknesses corresponding to respective spacing distances between successive lines of wire 21. The spacing interval between these lines of wire 21, or the spacing pitch between wire guiding grooves 27 on each wire guide 24 may be previously adjusted so that a multiple number of sliced pieces of workpiece 30 having a prescribed thickness can be obtained.
The conventional multi-wire saws thus configurated have suffered from the following drawbacks. First, a wire guide 24 which itself weighs about 60 Kg needs to be formed, on its peripheral surface, i.e., coating surface 28 with a multiple number of parallel wire guiding grooves 27. The job of machining the grooves needs much time and labor so is costly.
Further, since wire 21 runs at a high speed within wire guiding grooves 27 formed on the peripheral surface of wire guides 24, this unavoidably wears out wire guiding grooves 27 or damages them. With such damage, the spacing distance between the neighboring wire guiding grooves 27 changes, resulting in difficulty in maintaining cutting accuracy of workpiece 30. Moreover, when the cutting precision of workpiece 30 lowers, wire guides 24, which are heavy, should be replaced. This replacing task also needs much time and labor increasing the cost.


A method of nanolithography includes transporting a patterning compound from a nanoscopic tip to a substrate to form a pattern on the substrate. The patterning compound has a first electrostatic charge and the substrate has a second electrostatic charge which is opposite to the first electrostatic charge. The patterning compound can be an electrically conductive polymer having a charged polymer backbone. The patterns can be dots and lines having lateral dimensions of less than one micron. No electrical bias from an external voltage source between the tip and the substrate is needed.

Considerable interest has arisen in the development of nanotechnological methods for the miniaturization, printing, and fabrication of nanoscale electronic and optical devices (see, for example, references 1–3, at the end of the specification). One proprietary, commercial method is DIP PEN NANOLITHOGRAPHY™ printing (DPN™ printing) (see, for example, referenced 4–6; DIP PEN NANOLITHOGRAPHY™ and DPN™ are proprietary trademarks of NanoInk, Inc., Chicago, Ill. and are used accordingly in this specification). Several embodiments exist for this promising new nanofabrication tool, which allows one to pattern molecules and other patterning inks on a variety of surfaces using nanoscopic tips including scanning probe microscopic (SPM) tips. In one embodiment, patterning is carried out with a coated atomic force microscope (AFM) tip in a controlled fashion on the sub-100 nm to many micrometer length scale (see, for example, references 5–6). In a typical printing experiment, a commercially available AFM cantilever can be coated with ink molecules by thermal evaporation or by dip-coating procedures (see, for example, references 4 and 10). The ink molecules can be transported to a substrate, often via capillary action, by bringing the tip into contact with the surface. Chemisorption of the ink to the underlying substrate can be used as a driving force for moving the molecules from the tip to the substrate. Significant work thus far has been done, for example, with the thiol-gold combination.
Despite the advances in the field, a commercial need exists to expand the scope of nanolithographic printing, including the mechanisms which can be used to bind the patterning compound with the substrate to impart technologically useful properties, particularly electrical and optical properties for use in nanoelectronic and nanooptical devices. With improved knowledge, for example, less experimentation may be needed to solve a particular technical challenge and additional tools are available to solve particular technical challenges. For example, printing of synthetic polymeric compounds is important, as is the printing of conducting materials and conducting organic materials. These include electronically conducting and light emitting conducting polymers to form nanowires, nanoscale light emitting diodes, and nanocircuitry. Printing with use of additional interactions to drive the printing besides chemisorption, covalent bonding, or physisorption is desired. Printing on semi-conductor and insulating, dielectric substrates is desired. Better surface modification processes are desired.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,270,946 (Miller, listed assignee: Luna Innovations) discloses nonlithographic use of ionic interactions among difunctional molecules to build layers of multi-layer films. No working examples, however, are provided.


In a selectively called radio receiver operable with battery saving and including a memory (21) for predetermined bit rates and predetermined formats (synchronizing signals, each accompanied by at least one identification code specific to the receiver) in correspondence to the bit rates a received radio signal of a good received state is demodulated into a demodulated signal including at least one selective call signal and having an input bit rate, which is judged as an adjudged bit rate if identical with one of the predetermined bit rates with an error allowed. Provided that the demodulated signal has at least one of the predetermined formats that corresponds to the adjudged bit rate and provided that the selective call signal includes the identification code according to the at least one of predetermined formats, a message signal is produced from the demodulated signal. Preferably, the receiver includes a control unit (17) comprising an information processing unit (19) controlling a bit rate judging circuit (23), a synchronizing signal detector (25), an identification code detector (27), and a message memory (29), all supplied with the demodulated signal.

This invention relates to selective reception of a radio signal with battery saving by a cellular mobile radio receiver movable in a plurality of cells assigned with radio signals of a plurality of signal formats. More particularly, this invention relates to a selective call radio receiving method and to a selectively called radio receiver of a received radio signal with automatic selection of one of the signal formats and in response to a selective call signal indicative of the radio receiver as a destination among a plurality of similar radio receivers which may present alive in the cells.
Such cellular selectively called radio receivers are widely used at present as mobile communication terminals, portable telephone handsets, and the like. For use by a great number of users, more and more higher bit rates have come into use. Moreover, various signal formats are in use.
A typical example of the signal formats is known as the POCSAG standard, which is specified in Autumn 1980 by the Post Office Code Standardisation Advisory Group (POCSAG) of London, the United Kingdom, as "Standard Message Formats for Digital Radio Paging". In connection with the POCSAG standard, a selectively called ratio receiver was invented by Motoki IDE, assignor to the present assignee, and was issued as U.S. Pat. No. 5,487,090. The specification of this Ide patent will be incorporated herein by reference.
A conventional selectively called ratio receiver is for operation in one signal format alone. In addition, the selectively called ratio receiver is operable at only one predetermined bit rate. It has consequently been impossible to use the conventional selectively called ratio receiver in a plurality of cells assigned with various signal formats and various bit rates even when the received radio signal of either another of the various signal formats or another of the various bit rates may have in one of the cells a good received state, such as no topographic disturbance, while the received radio signal of ones of the various signal formats and bit rates have an objectionable received state.
An improved selectively called radio receiver is disclosed in Japanese Patent Prepublication (A) No. 93,221 of 1989. This improved radio receiver is operable while carried across a plurality of cells in which radio signals of different radio frequencies are used with the radio signal of each radio frequency given a selected one alone of the various signal formats and a selected one alone of the various bit rates. The improved radio receiver comprises a state judging device for judging whether or not the received state is good in connection with a particular one of the radio frequencies that is used in one of the cells where a user has been attending to the radio receiver. It is possible to evaluate the received state by watching an electric field intensity, a bit error rate, and a state of synchronism between the radio signal and operation of the radio receiver.
If the received state is objectionable, the user might have moved from a first cell of the cells for the radio signal of a first radio frequency with a first signal format and a first bit rate to a second cell where the radio signal is given a second radio frequency with a second signal format and a second bit rate. In this event, the user manually deals with a switch of the improved selectively called ratio receiver to change the first radio frequency to the second radio frequency and thus from the first signal format and the first bit rate to the second signal format and bit rate. Alternatively, the improved selectively called radio receiver is automatically put into operation of searching among the different radio frequencies for the second radio frequency that gives a favorite received state of the received radio signal. The first signal format and the first bit rate are thereby switched to the second ones.
This radio receiver is excellently operable under the circumstances. The radio receiver is, however, insufficient for use in cells where radio signals of various radio frequencies are in use with the radio signal of each radio frequency used with a plurality of signal formats and a plurality of bit rates. That is, such a selectively called radio receiver is incapable of receiving in each cell a radio signal with a better received state than a radio signal which is currently received with a certain signal format and a certain bit rate.

Selective reception of a radio signal in a cell assigned with one of bit rates and one of signal formats


This invention relates to the preparation of silica-containing rubber compositions which contain precipitated silica reinforcement and use of an oligomeric organomercaptosilane coupling agent containing a plurality of mercapto and silane moieties, and a minimal content, if any, of ethoxy groups and is thus substantially free of ethoxy groups. The interaction of the plurality of mercapto moieties, or groups, of such oligomeric organomercaptosilane with the diene-based elastomer can promote a significant viscosity build up of the uncured rubber composition in a preliminary non-productive mixing stage and therefore present significant rubber processing difficulties during the mixing of the rubber composition. A challenge is therefore presented for reducing such viscosity buildup for such uncured silica-containing rubber composition.

Various rubber compositions for components for various products, such as for example tires, contain particulate reinforcement comprised of a combination of precipitated silica and rubber reinforcing carbon black together with a coupling agent for the silica. Such rubber compositions also conventionally contain a combination of zinc oxide and stearic acid additives.
Various coupling agents have been proposed for coupling the precipitated silica to the diene-based elastomer for such rubber compositions.
Historically, coupling agents have heretofore been proposed which contain one moiety reactive with a precipitated silica (e.g. silanol groups on the silica) and another different moiety interactive with an unsaturated conjugated diene-based elastomer. Such coupling agents may be for example, a bis(3-triethoxysilylpropyl) polysulfide which contains an average of from about 2 to about 4 connecting sulfur atoms in their polysulfidic bridge and, for example, alkoxyorganomercaptosilanes in which at least a portion of its alkoxy moiety is comprised of ethoxy groups.
The alkoxyorganomercaptosilane silica coupling agent may have its mercapto moiety chemically capped, or blocked, to retard promoting an increased viscosity buildup in the preliminary, non-productive, mixing of the rubber composition. The rubber composition conventionally contains an unblocking agent to unblock the chemically blocked mercapto moiety subsequent to the aforesaid non-productive mixing stage to enable the coupling agent to interact with a diene-based elastomer in the rubber composition. Such unblocking agent may be, for example, an amine-containing sulfur cure accelerator added in a non-productive or productive mixing stage.
Such coupling agents typically contain an ethoxy moiety to react with the hydroxyl groups on the precipitated silica and release ethanol as a by-product.
Such coupling agents and their use in precipitated silica reinforcement-containing rubber compositions are well known to those having skill in such art.
In one aspect, such organomercaptosilane based coupling agent may be an oligomeric organomercaptosilane (organomercaptosilane oligomer) comprised of plurality of mercapto and silane moieties which contains only a minimal alkoxy group content, if any, particularly only a minimal, if any, alkoxy groups in a form of an ethoxy group, therefore being substantially free of ethoxy groups (and thereby does not release an ethanol by-product to any significant extent upon reaction with hydroxyl groups, for example, silanol groups, of a precipitated silica).
In another aspect, such organomercaptosilane oligomer may also, if desired, have only a portion, of any, of its plurality of mercapto moieties chemically blocked as earlier described in a sense that the unblocked mercapto moieties may interact with diene-based elastomers in the associated rubber composition in a preliminary, non-productive, rubber mixing stage in an internal rubber mixer to thereby increase the mixing viscosity (Mooney viscosity) and cause the processing (e.g. mixing) of the rubber composition to be significantly more energy demanding and difficult.
A challenge is seen herein to utilize such organomercaptosilane oligomer with its plurality of mercapto groups as a coupling agent in a manner which does not excessively increase the mixing viscosity of the rubber composition. A further challenge is to utilize the oligomeric organomercaptosilane in such manner which can also yield a resultant rubber composition with suitable physical properties.
As hereinbefore indicated, diene-based elastomer compositions typically contain a combination of zinc oxide and long chain carboxylic (fatty) acid such as, for example, stearic acid. The combination of zinc oxide and fatty acid (e.g. stearic acid) eventually forms a zinc fatty acid salt (e.g. zinc stearate) in situ within the rubber composition, although it is envisioned herein that a significant portion of the fatty acid (e.g. stearic acid) remains in its fatty acid (e.g. stearic acid) form during a significant portion of the aforesaid non-productive mixing step.
For this invention it has been found unexpectedly, that by a combination of adding the zinc oxide in a non-productive rubber mixing stage, or step, instead of a subsequent productive rubber mixing stage, together with an addition of a greater amount of the fatty acid (e.g. stearic acid) in a sense of equal or greater than equal weight amount of the fatty acid (e.g. stearic acid) relative to the zinc oxide in the non-productive mixing stage of the silica-containing rubber mixing process which contains an inclusion of an oligomeric organomercaptosilane coupling agent with a significant portion, particularly at least 30 percent, alternatively at least 50 percent, of its mercapto groups being unblocked, a significant viscosity buildup of the rubber composition is inhibited, or retarded, and a suitable viscosity (e.g. Mooney viscosity) of the unvulcanized rubber composition can be obtained.
A further challenge is presented in a sense that the presence of the sulfur contained in the unblocked mercapto groups for the oligomeric organomercaptosilane coupling agent adds to the presence of the sulfur curative in the rubber composition in a manner that a reduction in the addition of sulfur curative (free sulfur) is, and would be expected to be, necessary to provide suitable crosslink density for the sulfur cured rubber composition as may be evidenced, for example, by its ultimate elongation at break, as well as other desired physical properties.
Although the mechanism is not fully understood, it is envisioned herein that the aforesaid addition of a greater amount of fatty acid (e.g. stearic acid), (equal to or greater than the weight of the zinc oxide) added in the non-productive mixing stage (together with the zinc oxide in a non-productive stage) interacts with the organomercaptosilane oligomer, particularly its unblocked mercapto moieties, to retard the subsequent sulfur curing of the resultant rubber composition and/or coupling of the silica to the diene-based elastomer(s) and thereby negatively affecting various resultant physical properties for the sulfur cured rubber composition, including the sulfur crosslink density of the cured rubber composition as indicated by its ultimate elongation (elongation at break), a well known physical property to those having experience in such art.
Accordingly, it has further been discovered that while such aforesaid controlled zinc oxide and fatty acid, particularly stearic acid addition in the non-productive mixing step(s) can enable a preparation of a precipitated silica reinforced rubber composition having a Mooney viscosity which is suitably processable in its uncured condition, it has further been discovered that such phenomenon, when combined with an increase, rather than a decrease, in addition of sulfur curative (e.g. by not reducing the addition of sulfur curative) can enable a production of a precipitated silica reinforced rubber composition which is both suitably processable (e.g. having a suitable Mooney viscosity) in its uncured condition but also has an improved crosslink density and various suitable physical properties in its subsequently sulfur cured condition.
Accordingly, it is considered herein that this aspect of the invention does not rely upon simply adding sulfur to obtain an increased crosslink density for the sulfur cured rubber composition in a vacuum, but, instead, relies upon first recognizing the aforesaid problem caused by the additional fatty acid, particularly stearic acid, additive interacting with the plurality of mercapto groups of the oligomeric organomercaptosilane in the non-productive mixing stage to cause a reduction in crosslink density combined with solving the problem by the addition of a greater than expected amount of sulfur curative.
From an historical perspective, a long chain carboxylic (fatty) acid for use in preparation of rubber compositions is typically stearic acid which, in practice, is typically comprised of at least about 90 weight percent stearic acid and minor amounts (less than 10 weight percent) of other long chain carboxylic fatty acids typically including palmitic acid and oleic acid. For this invention, such fatty acid is referred to as being "stearic acid" even though it is considered herein as typically being somewhat impure and being comprised of at least 90 weight percent stearic acid and less than 10 percent of other long chain fatty acids such as for example, primarily palmitic and oleic acids.
Alternatively, a long chain carboxylic acid (fatty acid) may be comprised of, for example, at least one of fatty acid derivatives comprised of fatty acid polyol, fatty acid ester, fatty acid glyceride, fatty acid amide, fatty acid amino acid, and zinc fatty acid soap, and their combinations.
In practice, sulfur vulcanized elastomer products are typically prepared by thermomechanically mixing rubber and various ingredients in a sequentially step-wise manner followed by shaping and curing the compounded rubber to form a vulcanized product.
First, for the aforesaid mixing of the rubber and various ingredients, typically exclusive of sulfur and sulfur vulcanization accelerators, the elastomer(s) and various rubber compounding ingredients are typically blended in one or more thermomechanical mixing stage(s) in suitable mixers, in the absence of sulfur and sulfur vulcanization accelerator(s), which is generally referred to as "non-productive mixing steps". Such non-productive mixing is usually conducted at elevated temperatures within a range of about 140° C. to 190° C. and often within a range of about 150° C. to 180° C.
Following and subsequent to such non-productive mixing stage, or stages, the rubber composition is mixed in a final mixing stage, sometimes referred to as a "productive mix stage", where sulfur and sulfur vulcanization accelerators (curatives), and sometimes optionally one or more additional ingredients, are mixed with the rubber composition, typically at a significantly lower temperature in a range within about 100° C. to about 120° C., which is a lower temperature than the temperatures utilized in the non-productive mix stages in order to prevent or retard premature curing of the sulfur curable rubber, which is sometimes referred to as scorching, of the rubber composition.
The rubber mixture, or composition, is typically allowed to cool, sometimes before or after intermediate mill mixing of the rubber composition, between the aforesaid various mixing steps, for example, to a temperature below 50° C.
Such sequential non-productive mixing steps, including the intermediary mill mixing steps and the concluding final productive mixing step are well known to those having skill in the rubber mixing art.
By thermomechanical mixing, it is meant that the rubber compound, or composition of rubber and rubber compounding ingredients, is mixed in a rubber mixture under high shear conditions where the mixture autogeneously heats up, with an accompanying temperature rise, as a result of the mixing primarily due to shear and associated friction within the rubber mixture in the rubber mixer.
One and often two or more of such aforesaid sequential non-productive (NP) mixing stages, or steps, usually in an internal rubber mixer, at elevated temperatures are used, followed by an aforesaid productive (PR) mixing stage at a lower temperature.
This invention is focused on the use of an oligomeric organomercaptosilane based coupling agent for a silica (e.g. precipitated silica)-containing diene-based elastomer rubber composition in combination with the use of an aforesaid specified addition of a combination of zinc oxide and fatty acid comprised of stearic acid.
It is considered herein that a significant aspect of this invention is the use of an oligomeric organomercaptosilane (which contains a plurality of mercapto and silane moieties, with a portion of the mercapto moieties being optionally chemically blocked) in combination with specific amounts and controlled introduction of zinc oxide and stearic acid in a non-productive mixing stage(s) in silica-containing (e.g. precipitated silica) diene-based elastomer rubber compositions. A further aspect is the use of an adjusted sulfur addition in the subsequent productive mixing stage.
It is considered herein that such aspect of this invention involves use of abnormal amounts of the stearic acid in conjunction with more normal amounts of zinc oxide wherein both the zinc oxide and stearic acid are added to the rubber composition in at least one non-productive mixing stage, coincidentally with, or preferably prior to the addition of the oligomeric organomercaptosilane and, also, preferably coincidentally with or prior to the addition of the precipitated silica.
It is considered herein that such aspect of the invention is therefore a significant departure from use of more conventional preparation of silica-containing rubber composition.
The term "phr" as used herein, and according to conventional practice, refers to "parts of a respective material per 100 parts by weight of rubber, or elastomer".
In the description of this invention, the terms "rubber" and "elastomer" if used herein, may be used interchangeably, unless otherwise prescribed. The terms such as "rubber composition", "compounded rubber" and "rubber compound", if used herein, are used interchangeably to refer to rubber which has been blended or mixed with various ingredients and materials and "rubber compounding" or "compounding" may be used to refer to the mixing of such materials. Such terms are well known to those having skill in the rubber mixing or rubber compounding art.

Silica reinforced rubber composition and use in tires


A strap-supported article such as a back pack having a messaging device is disclosed. The messaging device is located in an easily accessible position on the strap of the article. The user can access the device for operation conveniently without removal of the article. The device is affixed to the strap by clipping into a slit or pocket, or by disposing within a pocket in the article. The pocket preferably includes a clear outer wall, and a user interface such as a touch plate is accessible through the clear wall. Alternatively, the device may be embedded within the strap. Operation of the device is accomplished via a record button and a recording switch for selecting between modes. Prerecorded messages are accessed by touching the touch plate, and successive touches are utilized in order to access successive prerecorded messages. Alternatively, voice activation circuitry is included to access playback of messages. The device utilizes either analog or digital recording circuitry.

The present invention relates to a strap-supported article with a messaging device, and more specifically to a backpack having a message recording and playing device on the strap portion of the backpack.
Various messaging devices are known and utilized for numerous purposes. For example, telephone answering machines allow the recording and playback of a plurality of messages. Such devices allow for the recording and playback of audio messages for multiple purposes. Many of these devices are intended to be stationary, and allow the listener to play back messages which were prerecorded at the same location, or which were recorded by remote access.
In general, most messaging devices of this sort are not designed to be carried in a manner conveniently accessible to the user. Devices have been combined with various toys and other items. In one arrangement, disclose in U.S. Pat. No. 6,000,987, issued to Belin et al., a recording device is combined with a doll or toy animal. In this arrangement, a voice activated feature allows a child""s voice to be recorded. The device allows for prerecording audio recordings for a child to play back. Such an arrangement is designed mostly for amusement, and does not allow for convenience in accessing messages when away from home in an easily accessible and rememberable manner.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,648,999, issued to Easterling et al. discloses a recording device which may be embedded within a child""s toy. This arrangement allows for the receipt of telephone messages at a remote device. Again, such a device is not well suited for convenience in accessibility to receive prerecorded messages. Furthermore, it is not always desirable to require that a message be recorded from a remote telephone line.
U.S. Pat No. 5,897,042, issued to Sims, discloses a back pack for a child which contains a recording device mounted to its back panel. The device is designed for amusement in that the user interface is designed to look like a simulated face. While the device allows for playback of prerecorded messages, the backpack must be removed from the user""s body in order to access the recording device, and is not conveniently located so that the user could access messages while wearing the article.
It would be desirable to provide an article which is regularly worn by particular users which has a messaging device which is easily accessible to the user without removing the article, and a convenient means for receiving multiple messages.
In view of the insufficiencies discussed above, it is an object of the present invention to provide an article regularly worn by particular users to allow for prerecorded messages to be easily accessible to the user through minimal effort without removing the article from the user""s body.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a strap-supported article having a messaging device affixed to an easily accessible portion of the strap.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a strap-supported article having a messaging device which is affixed to a portion of the strap which extends over a portion of the chest of the user in which the user can access the messages through the touch of a panel.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a strap-supported article having a messaging device in which multiple messages can be easily accessed through successive touches of a conveniently positioned touch panel.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a strap-supported article having a messaging device which is conveniently located in such a manner that messages can be accessed or functions can be activated using voice activation technology.
In accordance with the above objectives, a strap-supported article is provided with a messaging device affixed to the strap of the article.
The strap-supported article is of the type worn regularly by an individual. In a preferred embodiment, the article is a back pack worn by a child, such as to school. The back pack is supported on the back of the user, and is supported by straps extending across the chest of the child. On one of the straps, the messaging device is positioned in such a way that the user can easily access the device with the hand opposite the strap.
The messaging device is affixed to the strap in a convenient manner. In one preferred embodiment, the device is clipped onto the strap into a slit or pocket on the strap. In another embodiment, the device is placed inside a pocket in the strap and is accessible to the used via a clear panel. The user can access a touch panel to activate the device through the clear panel. In another embodiment, the device is embedded within the strap, and accessible to the user on the outer side of the strap via openings or a clear panel. The device may be removable via an opening on the back of the strap, such as via a slit or zipper opening.
The device itself may be analog or digital, and preferably is capable of recording a plurality of messages. The recording modes may be selected via a switch such as a slide switch on the device. The listener is provided with a convenient touch panel such that a single touch will activate playback of the first recorded message, and successive touches activate playback of successive messages. A final touch may end the playback session.
The strap-supported article with messaging device is particularly suitable for use in a manner such as a parent prerecording a message or messages on the device for the child to hear later in the day, such as while on the way to school, on the way home from school, or during school. Thus, the parent might record a reminder regarding a homework assignment, lunch, an errand, etc. It is easy for the child to remember to listen to the messages due to the convenient location and accessibility of the device. The child is more likely to listen to the messages over other devices since the messages can be accessed without the need for removing the back pack from the child""s back. The device is conveniently accessible for the child to record his or her own messages related to homework assignments, etc., or for a teacher to record a message for the child to bring home to a parent.

Strap-supported article with messaging device


A portable electronic device includes a first housing, a second housing detachably latched to the first housing through a latching tab, and a releasing mechanism. The releasing mechanism includes a button, an elastic member, and a shaft. The button surrounds the shaft and is rotatably assembled to the first housing by the shaft. The elastic member is coiled around the shaft and elastically resists the button to apply an elastic force to enable the button resisting the first housing. When the button rotates about the shaft under a pressure overcoming the elastic force, the latching tab is pushed to release the latching tab and the second housing.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to releasing mechanisms, and particularly to a releasing mechanism for releasing a latch between a first housing and a second housing of portable electronic devices.
2. Description of Related Art
Portable electronic devices such as mobile phones, laptops and personal digital assistants (PDAs) incorporate housings, such as battery covers and antenna caps. These housings may be assembled to each other by snap fasteners. However, engagement between these housings can be too firm to be easily undone.
Therefore, there is room for improvement within the art.

Releasing mechanism for housing of portable electronic device


A system, method, and apparatus for reducing ringing effects associated with a transducer comprises a transducer body, a transducer cap, a piezoelectric element formed in the cap, and a damping material formed around the piezoelectric element wherein the damping material suppresses a ringing effect associated with the transducer, while an O-ring is used together with damping material to support high pressure applications up to 230 bars.

Ultrasonic flow meters (USM) have become increasingly popular for fiscal flow metering worldwide. Ultrasonic meters are desirable because they can measure a wide range of flow rates with excellent accuracy, they have less impact on pressure drops, they have no moving parts, and require significantly less maintenance.
A key hardware element in a USM is the transducer that uses piezoelectric ceramics to transmit and receive ultrasounds through an encapsulated enclosure to and from substances flowing in a pipe.
It remains a challenge to produce adequate transducer signal quality. For example, in the oil and gas industry, industrial regulations impose specific application requirements including safety requirements for hazardous and flammable zones and high pressure applications. The International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML) has standards for measuring ranges under disturbances, which require certain signal-to-noise ratios and sensitivity when measuring low flow rate with disturbances.
Furthermore, ultrasonic signal quality generated by the transducer can be affected by the operational modes of the piezoelectric element, the surrounding enclosure, and filling materials. Without proper measures, transducers produce ultrasonic frequency clutters, which can create strong and long-lasting ringing effects. Ringing effects negatively affect sensor detectability of a target echo. Such ringing effects also undermine system sensitivity. Weak signals cannot be detected and strong unwanted signals saturate the receiver's low-noise amplifier (LNA), which is meant to amplify weak signals and enhance Rx sensitivity. Additionally, ringing effects that last a long time increase the minimum measuring range (blind zone), which is disadvantageous to short range measurements.
Accordingly, there is a need for methods and systems that improve ultrasonic transducers so that they safely suppress ringing effects, as disclosed herein.


A method for laying elongated winding material, such as for example wire, insulated or non-insulated strands, glass fibers, and the like, in which the strand-type material is wound in layers onto rotationally symmetrically shaped winding spools, the winding material being guided to a winding spool via a deflecting roller for the laying, and for the distribution on the winding spool the deflecting roller is moved essentially parallel to the axial direction, a sensor unit acquiring the position of the spool flange as well as the winding diameter of the winding material, and control signals for the movement of the deflecting roller being derived from the measurement values of the sensor unit.

The present invention relates to a method for laying elongated winding material, such as for example wire, insulated or non-insulated strands, glass fibers, and the like, as well as a device for executing the method.
In known winding methods, a strand-type material is for example attached to a rotating spool and is thus wound onto the core of the spool. In order to achieve a layered winding, i.e. to lay the wire windings next one another on the spool, a deflection roller that guides the winding material to the spool moves essentially parallel to the axial direction of the rotating spool. It is also known to situate the spool in stationary fashion and to cause a flyer that also moves axially to move around the spool, said flyer laying the winding material around the spool in layers.
In order to obtain a particular type of winding (layer on layer), it is also known to cause the axially displaceable laying unit on which the deflecting roller is situated to trail the normal pitch direction by a certain amount. In this way, between the material being wound on and the winding already in place there arises a lateral pressure that lays the winding material in the desired manner up to the last winding of the relevant layer.
If the laying unit does not reverse its direction of motion at the correct time, the winding material reaches the flange of the spool. It climbs onto the last winding of the completely wound layer and, if the change of direction still does not take place, forms what is called a "hill" in the winding directly on the flange.
Here, when the change of direction of the laying unit takes place too late, there results an axial pressure on the spool flange, which deforms elastically as a result, in particular in the case of plastic spools. On the one hand, this has a disadvantageous effect on the durability of the plastic spools, and on the other hand the elastic reset forces of the flange cause problems in the later unwinding of the elongated winding material from the spool.
Immediately after the change of direction of the laying unit in the winding process, the counter-pressure of a previous winding is not present. For this reason, the winding material at this location has the tendency to wind on with larger spacings at the beginning, i.e. with a larger pitch, dependent on the size of the feeding angle. In this way, at the beginning of each winding layer there arise intermediate spaces, called "valleys," into which the windings of the layer situated thereabove are wound, which can cause difficulties in the later unwinding of the winding material.
However, if the change of direction of the laying unit takes place too late, as mentioned above a plurality of windings overlap at the relevant spool flange. Such piles of winding layers are called hills. As a result of these phenomena, non-uniform layers are formed, especially in the edge areas of the winding.
The formation of hills and valleys is also caused by an improper setting of the laying width of the winding material, or, as mentioned, by a deformation of the spool flange.
In addition to the non-uniform and therefore unsatisfactory use of the winding space caused by the formation of hills and valleys, the winding material is also excessively stressed, and can thus be damaged.
Therefore, for the most optimal use of the winding space, as well as in order to avoid an elastic deformation of spool flanges, it should be sought to avoid the formation of hills and valleys during the layered laying of the winding material.
For the purpose of speed synchronization, control devices, known as "dancers," are known that influence either the running speed of the spool or the running speed of the flyer circulating around the spool. In order to detect hills and valleys, for example the speed of the winding material is determined via the dancer signal or by an analog tachometer. These methods supply relatively imprecise signals on the basis of which no conclusion can be drawn concerning the amplitudes of the hills and valleys.
From DE 196 45 992 A1, a control device is known that has a rotational speed sensor for determining the rotational speed of a flyer or of a winder, and has a control unit for picking up signals of the rotational speed sensor, and has a laying unit for applying the elongated winding material onto the spool. For the controlling of the laying unit, the control unit can control the laying unit corresponding to a determined laying speed target value, and carry out a laying width adjustment. An automatic laying width adjustment can also be realized. Here, for example the tolerances of the spool are taken into account, or also the change in spool dimensions that can result from an elastic deformation of the flange during winding. In addition, the control unit can carry out an automatic reverse point correction. At slow rotational speeds, the laying width deviation is determined by modifying the rotational speed in relation to a reference rotational speed that is measured at the center of the spool. At higher rotational speeds, a dancer signal is used that controls the winder.
For the digital detection of hills and valleys, other known systems use as a parameter the wire feed length, relative to a particular number of spool rotations. Here, an average diameter on the spool is determined, and this is compared with the diameters at the reverse points.
A disadvantage of both these systems is the indirect detection of the winding quality on the basis of parameters such as rotational speed, wire feed length, or laying speed. A laying width adjustment cannot be carried out until deviations of these parameters occur or the spool flange is already deformed, i.e., until a "significantly" non-uniform winding pattern has already occurred.
In DE 200 084 05 U1, it is proposed that a laser distance sensor be attached in such a way that its laser beam forms a line that is aligned with the wire that is to be spooled. This laser distance sensor acquires the distance to a winding material wound onto a spool body, and outputs the value to an SPS control unit. This control unit compares the value with stored data, calculates and evaluates modifications, and sends control signals to a laying unit, which as a result changes its speed so that a uniform winding on the spool results. Here, the laser distance sensor also recognizes the flange of the spool body. This large distance change is evaluated in the control unit as a turning signal, and results in an automatic reversal of the direction of movement of the laying unit.
A disadvantage of this system is that the laser distance sensor acquires only the distance from the deflecting roller to the winding material. The diameter of the winding is not determined, and is not taken into account. It is true that in this way a signal can be derived for accelerating or retarding the shifting unit, but an exact calculation of the speed of the laying device required for the compensation of the non-uniform surface is not possible in the manner described.
Due to the situation of the laser distance sensor, which is aligned with the winding material that is to be spooled, the spool flange is not recognized until the laying unit with the winding material is positioned at the height of the spool flange. The optimum time for reversing the direction of travel of the laying unit is then already past. This results in an elastic deformation of the spool flange and the formation of a hill leaning on the flange.
The use of the known method for improving the winding pattern in the laying of winding material is also made more difficult if the supply of energy and the exchange of signals, such as in the case of stranding machines, is possible only via rotating components.
The present invention is based on the object of making available a method for laying elongated winding material that produces the best possible winding pattern on arbitrary spools, without hills and valleys. In addition, the method should be as user-friendly as possible, and should be capable of being used with all spool systems. In addition, a device is to be indicated for the execution of this method that enables the supply of energy and the exchange of signals via rotating components.

Method and device for laying of elongated winding material


An A-D converter includes a first amplifier circuit, an A-D converter circuit, a D-A converter circuit, a subtraction circuit, a second amplifier circuit, a timing control circuit, a type control unit, an output unit. The type control unit sets the type of the A-D converter circuit at the time of conversion to the higher 4 bits, to a type in which either one of an analog signal or a reference voltage is inputted selectively to a comparator via a capacitor. The type control unit performs a control so that the type of the A-D converter circuit at the time of conversion to values of the higher 5th to 7th bits and the higher 8th to 10th bits from the most significant bit, to a type in which an analog signal and a reference voltage are inputted fixedly to a comparator without involving a capacitor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to analog-to-digital converters and it particularly relates to an analog-to-digital converter in which analog signals are converted to digital signals in such a manner that the analog signal is converted a plurality of times.
2. Description of the Related Art
As an example of a circuit for converting the inputted analog signals into the digital signals, there is available a pipeline-type A-D converter. A pipeline-type A-D converter is configured such that sub-A-D converters of low bits are connected in a plurality of stages. The inputted analog signal is A-D converted in stages through the respective sub-A-D converters. Each sub-A-D converter is provided with a plurality of comparators, and each comparator compares the inputted analog signal with the reference voltage so as to convert the analog signal into the digital signals.
In the analog-to-digital converter, the enhancement of the conversion accuracy and the reduction of the power consumption are both desired. However, the enhancement of the conversion accuracy and the reduction of the power consumption are generally in a trade-off relation to each other. In the light of this trade-off relation, a structure that realizes the both has been a major issue.


A pest preventer for placement between the ground and an electrical device mounted above ground in such a way that crawling insects or pests are prevented from entering the electrical device. A combination of -tactic, ultraviolet light and other barriers are positioned with respect to the path of travel of the insect from ground to the electrical devices.

The invention relates to electrical, electromagnetic, and/or electronic devices mounted above ground via support structures including poles, guy wires, pads, etc. and more particularly relates to a method and apparatus for preventing crawling insects or pests from entering such electrical devices.
Electrical devices, including electronic and electromagnetic devices, are typically mounted above ground by support structures such as poles, pads, utility stations, etc. On occasion, facilitating structures such as guy wires, grounding wires, conduits, and electrical cabling are connected to such support structures.
Presently, highly toxic poisons are positioned across the pathway leading to such electrical devices to prevent crawling insects from reaching critical areas of the devices in which an insect intrusion could cause service outages, signal distortions, or problems to people servicing the equipment. Such toxic substances must be periodically replaced if they are to preclude crawling insects. In some cases, the toxic substances attract, rather than repel, the insects. The most effective toxic substance, chlordane, has recently been banned by the Environmental Protection Agency.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for use in such an environment for preventing crawling insects from reaching electrical, including electromagnetic and electronic, devices.
It is another object of the present invention to preclude crawling insects from infesting poles mounted in the ground.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide unobtrusive devices that are relatively inexpensive, easy to install, easy to replace, quick to maintain, and environmentally safe, while preventing crawling insects from reaching electrical devices mounted above ground.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a mechanical prevention device which may be utilized either as a retrofit on existing structures, or as an integral portion of the manufacturing process of the devices to be protected or the structure supporting or surrounding them.
It is a further object of the invention to utilize a bonding agent to provide an impervious bond between a mechanical prevention device and the support and/or facilitating structures. The purpose of the bonding agent is to seal off any spaces, between the prevention device and the support and/or facilitating structure, which would permit the crawling insect to bypass the device and thereby gain access to the electrical, electromagnetic and/or electronic device mounted above ground. The bonding agent is also utilized to seal the device to poles mounted in the ground where they may be infested by crawling insects.

Electrical support structure and method and apparatus for preventing crawling insects or other crawling pests from entering electrical devices mounted on support structures above ground


An organ preservative solution containing a low molecular weight dextran in a pharmacologically acceptable storage solution is suitable for storage and preservative of organs for transplantation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a preservative solution suitable for preserving organs. More specifically, the invention is directed to an organ preservative solution containing a dextran having a molecular weight of 10,000 daltons or less which provides superior preservation properties.
2. Discussion of the Background
Organ transplantation has become a routine means of treating certain diseases of the organs. Transplantation requires a ready source of organs, such as kidney, pancreas, liver, heart, etc., from living persons or cadavers. Currently, most vital organs which are used for transplantation are obtained from heart beating cadavers and preserved for variable periods of time prior to their transplantation.
The two principal methods of preserving organs for transplantation are continuous pulsatile perfusion and simple hypothermic storage in a preservation solution. In pulsatile perfusion, the organ is subjected to pulsatile flow of a perfusate under hypothermic conditions such that the organ membranes receive sufficient oxygenation. Typically, the perfusate contains albumin and lipids.
With simple hypothermic storage, organs are removed from a cadaver donor and rapidly cooled. Rapid cooling is achieved by external cooling and by perfusion with a preservative solution to lower the internal temperature of the organ. The organ is then stored immersed in the preservative solution at temperatures of about 0.degree.-4.degree. C.
Significant medical advantages are achieved if organs for transplantation can be stored and preserved for 2-3 days and longer. Longer storage times provide additional time for histocapability testing of the donor and recipient, organ viability testing and provides additional time for preoperative decisions and preparations.
Numerous preservative solutions have been developed and used to preserve major organs while they are in cold storage prior to their transplantation. These preservative solutions contain a variety of compounds which act as osmotic agents to prevent cell swelling and thereby protect the organs from swelling associated cellular necrosis during storage. The degree of necrosis occurring in a stored organ can be observed by using conventional light microscopy with fixed tissue samples. More recently, the use of tandem scanning confocal microscopy (TSCM) has provided a noninvasive real time microscopic imaging technique for determining the degree of necrosis in organs (P. M. Andrews et al, Am. J. Anat., 1991, 191:95-102). Specific cell damage which can be observed includes extensive swelling and rupturing of cells and accumulation of cytoplasmic debris.
Two widely used preservative flush solutions which are commercially available are the Collins (G. M. Collins, The Lancet, 1969, 1219-1222) and the Euro-Collins (J. P. Squifflet et al, Transplant. Proc., 1981, 13:693-696) solutions. These solutions resemble intracellular fluid and contain glucose as an osmotic agent. Despite their widespread use, the Collins and Euro-Collins preservative solutions do not provide adequate preservation for storage times greater than about 48 hours. For example, kidneys stored in Collins solution for 24 hours exhibited considerable damage to the nephrons. This damage included degradation of cells lining the proximal tubules, extensive swelling and rupturing of cells lining the ascending distal tubules, degeneration of glomerular epithelial and endothelial cells and accumulation of flocculent cytoplasmic debris in the capsular spaces of Bowman. (P. M. Andrews et al, Lab. Invest., 1982, 46:100-120).
In addition to glucose, high osmolality preservative solutions have been prepared using raffinose and lactobionate as in the UW preservative solution (R. J. Ploeg et al, Transplant. Proc., 1988, 20 (suppl 1) 1:935-938), mannitol in the Sacks solution (S. A. Sacks, The Lancet, 1973, 1:1024-1028), sucrose in the phosphate buffered sucrose (PBS) preservative solution (F. T. Lam et al, Transplantation, 1989, 47:767-771) and the histidine buffered HTK solution of Bretschneider (N. M. Kallerhoff et al, Transplantation, 1985, 39:485-489). Hypertonic citrate preservative solutions are also known (H. Ross et al, Transplantation, 1976, 21:498-501). The effectiveness of these solutions as preservative solutions for organs appears to be related to the specific osmotic agent which is used (A. K. Coffey and P. M. Andrews, Transplantation, 1983, 35:136-143).
Preservative solutions are also known which contain synthetic hydroxyethyl starch (HES) as an osmotic colloid. The HES has an average molecular weight of about 150,000 to about 350,000 daltons and a degree of substitution of from about 0.4 to about 0.7. (See U.S. Pat. No. 4,879,283 and U.S. Pat. No. 15 4,798,824). U.S. Pat. No. 5,082,831 discloses a total body washout perfusion solution containing high molecular weight (500,000 daltons) hydroxyethyl starch. The HES washout solution produces substantially less edema than conventional washout solutions containing DEXTRAN 40 as a colloid. Solutions containing DEXTRAN 40 produce edema, particularly in the pancreas and lungs.
Preservative solutions are also known for preserving corneas for transplantation. Corneal preservative solutions are designed to prevent endothelial cell damage. Corneal preservative solutions containing glucose or dextran are known (H. E. Kaufman et al, Arch. Ophthalmol., 1991, 109:864-868; B. E. McCarey and H. E. Kaufman, 1974, Invest. Ophthalmol., 1974, 13:859; B. E. McCarey and H. E. Kaufman, Invest. Ophthamol., 1974, 13:165). The corneal preservative solutions known as OPTISOL, DEXSOL and MK contain DEXTRAN 40 (average molecular weight=40,000 daltons) as an osmotic agent at a concentration of 1-5 wt %. The compositions of these known solutions are shown in Table 1 below.
TABLE 1 ______________________________________ Constituents of Three Corneal Storage Media* Constituent OPTISOL DEXSOL MK K-SOL ______________________________________ Base medium Hybrid of MEM TC-199 TC-199 TC-199 and MEM Chondroitin sulfate, % 2.5 1.35 0 2.5 Dextran (molecular 1 1 5 0 weight = 40,000 d, DEXTRAN T-4O), % HEPES buffer Yes Yes Yes Yes Gentamicin sulfate Yes Yes Yes Yes Nonessential amino 0.1 0.1 0 0 acids, mmol/L Sodium bicarbonate Yes Yes Yes Yes Sodium pyruvate, 1 1 0 0 mmol/L Additional Yes Yes No No antioxidants ______________________________________ *Mem indicates minimal essential medium; TC199, tissue culture medium 199 OPTISOL and DEXSOL are manufactured by Chiron Ophthalmics, Inc., Irvine, Calif. KSOL was manufactured by Cilco Inc., Huntington, Va. but is no longer commercially available. Proprietary information, Chiron Ophthalmics.
Although many organ preservative solutions are known, these known solutions do not provide adequate preserving properties, particularly at longer storage times. Accordingly, a need continues to exist for improved organ preservative solutions capable of preserving organs for longer periods of time, thereby facilitating transplantation of these organs.


A portable vise is disclosed including a beam along which a hydraulic cylinder assembly is positionable to adapt the vise to a wide range of work pieces. The hydraulic cylinder assembly includes a carrier slidably engaged with a beam flange and which is lockably engageable to the beam during a clamping operation. A lock or stop includes a pair of leg members insertable within a selected pair of beam defined apertures. The cylinder assembly includes a lever operated pump with a self-contained fluid reservoir. The beam is supported on a turntable in turn carried by a pedestal having a wheel equipped base. For clamping articles with curved surfaces, a pair of supplemental jaw plates are provided, each having an irregular clamping surface to assure positive engagement with a clamped article.

The present invention pertains generally to industrial vises used in the temporary clamping of articles of widely varying widths.
In the processing of various sized articles, during which it is necessary to secure each of the articles for one or more operations, considerable time is spent in clamping of the work piece within vises of known construction. Prior art vises include both hydraulic and air actuated cylinders of considerable length to accommodate a wide range of work pieces. As the range of piston rod movement is necessarily substantial in such vises, a remote source of air or fluid pressure is normally utilized. A problem exists in providing a vise capable of handling a wide range of work piece sizes in those locations where such a source of hydraulic or air pressure is not available. For example, in the processing of salvaging or disassembling used equipment, it is highly desirable to have a vise readily positionable for use at several work sites not served by pressure supply conduits.


An adhesiveless fiber optic connector includes a collet mechanism having cable gripping fingers for initially gripping a fiber buffer upon movement of the collet into a body of the connector, and which is subsequently secured within the connector by crimping, includes keying tabs which cooperate with slots in the main body of the connector for retaining the collet within the connector prior to termination, and for preventing rotation of the collet during termination, the keying tabs being pushed out of the slots during termination to adhere to the main body of the connector following crimping. An apparatus for facilitating termination of a fiber optic cable to such an adhesiveless connector includes a transport mechanism to which the fiber buffer is clipped, and a guiding mechanism in the form of separable jaws for the exposed fiber, as well as a crimp mechanism and fiber cutting and polishing apparatus. The apparatus can be used to carry out a method involving the steps of preparing the fiber cable for termination, capturing a bare fiber in a guiding mechanism, securing the fiber buffer to a transporting mechanism, and transporting the cable so that the cable is guided by the guiding mechanism into the collet, after which the transporting mechanism is used to push the collet into the connector and force keys of the collet out of their slots and grip the fiber buffer.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of fiber optics, and in particular to an adhesiveless fiber optic connector, an apparatus for facilitating termination of a fiber optic cable to an adhesiveless fiber optic connector, and a method of terminating a fiber optic cable to an adhesiveless fiber optic connector.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Light energy generated by a broadband source and modulated to carry information is commonly transmitted by fiber optic systems using fiber optic cables and connectors. Typically, a fiber optic system begins with a source such as a laser which generates a light energy signal and injects it into an optical fiber. The signal travels through the system via a series of optical fibers which are connected in end-to-end fashion by connection assemblies. Each connection assembly is made up of a fiber optic connector attached to or terminated to the end of an optical fiber, and an adapter which receives the ends of the connectors and precisely aligns the optical fibers in the connectors in abutting, end-to-end relationship.
In order to minimize attenuation of the signal as it passes from the optical fiber in one connector to an optical fiber in the adjoining connector, it is imperative that the optical fibers in the connectors be positioned so that they are precisely aligned when the connectors are connected to one another via the adapter. In view of external forces and environmental stresses which are applied to the connectors it is necessary to securely fix the optical fiber within the connector so as to avoid drift or displacement which results in misalignment of the optical fiber when connected in a connection assembly.
A variety of techniques have been proposed to secure an optical fiber of a fiber optic cable within an optical fiber connector. One common method is to inject an adhesive, such as an epoxy, into the connector to fill the space between the optical fiber and the inner surface of the connector. When the adhesive is cured, the optical fiber is held securely in position within the connector.
While adhesives provide good retention of the optical fiber within the connector, they suffer from the disadvantages of being difficult to apply with precision and of requiring time to cure before the optical fiber is held securely. These disadvantages are especially serious for applications where the cable cannot be removed from an installation and in situ termination of the cable to a new connector is necessary.
To avoid the use of adhesives, U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,804, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference, describes an optical fiber connector which utilizes a deformable, elastomeric material placed within the connector to surround the optical fiber. When the connector is assembled with an optical fiber, the elastomeric material is compressed inwardly around the optical fiber to secure it in position.
Alternatively, U.S. Pat. No. 4,812,006, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference, discloses an adhesiveless retention mechanism for an optical fiber cable connector which utilizes a compressible collet which, when fully inserted in the connector, is compressed inwardly and clamps against the outside of the fiber optic cable.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 5,140,662, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference, discloses an adhesiveless retention arrangement in which the main body of the connector is crimped directly to the cable, eliminating any sort of collet or separate retention arrangement.
While effectively eliminating the need for adhesives, the elastomeric retention and collet retention techniques of the type described in the above-cited patents, as well as other known techniques for securing optical fiber within connectors without the need for adhesives, have a number of disadvantages. These disadvantages generally include decreased stability relative to adhesive-based arrangements, and/or relative complexity. Even where adequate resistance to drift is achieved, the problem of aligning the relatively small optical fibers with openings in the connector, while at the same time manipulating the termination arrangements, requires at least a high level of skill or training, and makes field installation difficult.

Adhesiveless fiber optic connector, and an apparatus and method for terminating a fiber optic cable to an adhesiveless fiber optic connector


An apparatus includes an elongated peg and box tube, the peg and box tube are coaxially aligned along a longitudinal axis of the respective peg and are concentric, first and second apertures extending through the peg and box tube, first and second respective arms within the peg each with a plurality of teeth from an exterior wall towards a second, opposing side of the peg directly adjacent one of the first and second apertures and a strap extending from each of the peg and box tube and from opposing longitudinal ends, wherein each of the straps has a plurality of notches extending perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the strap, where each of the plurality of teeth of the respective arms engages one of the plurality of notches of a respective strap inserted through a corresponding one of the first and second apertures.

Handcuffs are well known. Such devices are typically used by police and military to at least partially restrain people being held in custody.
A pair of handcuffs are constructed of first and second handcuffs connected by a chain. Each handcuff typically includes a bow and frame. The bow is curved to fit around the wrist of a prisoner. One end of the bow is attached to and pivots on the frame. The other end of the bow has a series of sloped teeth that engage a spring-loaded pawl within the frame. A key engages a lock within the frame in order to release the handcuffs from the wrists of a prisoner.
Because of the nature of use, handcuffs must be particularly robust. As such, at least the bow, the frame and most parts of the lock are constructed of metal.
Also because of the nature of use, handcuffs must be difficult to defeat. This is typically accomplished via close tolerances in the construction of the lock and between the bow and frame to resist release of the handcuff via insertion of a metal strip between the spring-loaded pawl and bow. Because of the materials needed for robustness and the tolerances need to defeat tampering, most handcuffs are expensive to produce.
Plastic restraint devices have been proposed as an alternative to handcuffs. However, the plastic locking mechanism of such devices has been found to be subject to damage when used with particularly strong prisoners. Accordingly, a need exists for better methods of producing such devices.


Methods of detecting D. gatoi or D. cati, are disclosed. A sample suspected of containing a nucleic acid of D. gatoi or D. cati is screened for the presence or absence of that nucleic acid. The presence of the D. gatoi or D. cati nucleic acid indicates the presence of D. gatoi or D. cati. Determining whether the D. gatoi or D. cati nucleic acid is present in the sample can be accomplished by detecting hybridization between a D. gatoi or D. cati probe. Probes and primers for the detection of D. gatoi or D. cati are also disclosed. Disclosed are isolated nucleic acids that encode a D. gatoi or D. cati rRNA gene sequence. Kits and arrays that contain the disclosed probes and/or primers also are disclosed.

Feline demodicosis is a parasitic condition affecting the skin of cats. To date two species of mites have been described, Demodex cati and Demodex gatoi. A third unnamed species that differs morphologically from the others has also been observed. Demodex cati are considered normal fauna and are rarely associated with disease in cats with compromised immunity. Unlike D. cati, D. gatoi is believed to be a contagious parasite that can be transmitted among cats and possibly other species. Infestation with D. gatoi causes an extremely itchy (pruritic) skin disease in otherwise healthy cats. Diagnosis of D. gatoi requires the detection of mites, currently performed using a skin scraping technique. Because few mites may be needed for the development of clinical signs, this technique is insensitive and a negative result is uninterpretable. Therefore, a diagnosis may only be reached when cats' pruritus responds to treatment. This is problematic since the only effective treatment for D. gatoi infestation in cats is weekly dips with lime sulfur for a minimum of six weeks. It is recommended that all cats in a household be treated when D. gatoi is suspected. Because of the difficulty in diagnosing this disease with current technology and the difficulty and inconvenience of multiple cat dips, especially when diagnosis may be uncertain, a more sensitive and accurate test is highly desirable. Molecular methods of diagnosis, such as the polymerase chain reaction, have greatly improved diagnosis of infections. Molecular diagnostic approaches have not been possible for D. gatoi because no DNA sequence information has been available for feline mites.
Thus additional methods are need for the diagnosis of discrimination between Demodex cati and Demodex gatoi. This disclosure meets those needs.

Detection and differentiation of demodex mites

UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE RESEARCH FOUNDATION


Disclosed is a controlled release formulation comprising valproic acid, pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, amide thereof, or derivative thereof.

Valproic acid, salts thereof, amides thereof, and derivatives thereof are available for treating epilepsy. For example, sodium valproate is useful for treating epileptic phenomena. This drug is effective for its intended therapy, however, there are shortcomings associated with this drug. For instance, sodium valproate is hygroscopic and liquifies very rapidly. Additionally, the drug exhibits a short-half life that can lead to fluctuations in blood antiepileptic drug levels. These properties can interfere with the manufacture and release of the drug from a dosage form, and are drawbacks in the management of epilepsies and other disorders which may be treated with sodium valproate.
A relationship has been reported between epilepsy, affective illness and migraine. Although the three disorders are distinct, they all are paroxysmal dysregulations of the nervous system that partially overlap in their pharmacology. Valproic acid and its pharmaceutically acceptable salts have been found to be effective in treating all three syndromes, suggesting the presence of shared underlying pathophysiology.
Although valproic acid and its pharmaceutically acceptable salts have been shown to be effective in both the treatment and prevention of migraine, its mechanism of anti-migraine action is unclear. It is, however, believed that valproic acid increases brain gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) levels and in doing so may activate the GABA receptor and suppresses migraine-related events.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that controlled or sustained release compositions employing a valproic acid, pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, amide thereof, or derivative thereof would be particularly useful in the treatment and prevention of migraine or for the treatment of those in clinical need of antiepileptic therapy.

Controlled release sodium valproate formulation