Abrasive blasting of fine particles is used to remove flash, burrs and dust from a nozzles in a nozzle array plate formed by injection molding. The abrasive blasting is applied from the entry side of the nozzles to remove the flash and roughen the interior of the nozzles. A thin solid flash portion can be formed on the exit side of each nozzle to ensure uniform conditions of all the nozzles before the abrasive blasting is applied.

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a nozzle for an ink jet head.
Conventionally, in an ink jet head of the "drop-on-demand" type, the ink is discharged in droplet form from a nozzle by reducing the volume of an ink flow path using piezoelectric ceramics. The ink is replenished by increasing the volume of the ink flow path, and is introduced into the ink flow path via an ink introduction opening. Characters or images are formed on a recording sheet by discharging the ink droplet from a group of nozzles according to predetermined printing data.
The properties and quality of the nozzles greatly influence the ink discharge characteristics of the ink jet head, and the manufacturing procedure of the nozzles therefore affects the end printing quality.
Known methods for manufacturing nozzles for an ink jet head, for instance, are known from: U.S. Pat. No. 4,508,749, wherein ultraviolet (UV) rays are projected onto a polyimide body; and Japanese Patent Publication Hei 2-42354 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,728,392, 4,801,954, and 4,801,955) wherein photosensitive glass is etched. Further known is a method wherein nozzles are formed by injection molding, and deburring of flash and burrs formed around the nozzles is carried out using a laser. As the number of nozzle holes to be formed in a head may be as high as 32 or 64, the UV method is too time consuming and expensive for mass production. The etching procedure requires masking of both surfaces of the photosensitive glass to form a nozzle, and is also time-consuming and expensive. Lastly, laser deburring of injection molded nozzles is too slow when each nozzle is processed individually, and too expensive and the power consumption too high when several lasers are provided for parallel deburring of the nozzles.
Furthermore, conventionally, if the meniscus formed in each nozzle becomes withdrawn, the amount of ink expelled varies, and a stable ink discharge cannot be performed. To keep the ink discharge of the ink jet head uniform, maintaining a repeatable meniscus in each of the nozzles becomes very important.
Conventionally, an ink affinity processing step is separately applied to the inner wall of the nozzle plate, and the peripheral portions of the nozzles on the nozzle entry side. For example, a thin film having an ink affinity is applied to the nozzle entry side. However, since the ink affinity processing step is a separate process from the nozzle plate manufacturing step, the number of steps is high, special machinery is required and the conventional processing for ink affinity is therefore expensive, and less suitable for mass production.

Method for manufacture of ink jet nozzle


An exercise device includes a frame, and left and right force receiving members movably mounted on the frame. The force receiving members are selectively linked to one another to facilitate a first mode of exercise, wherein a person's hands or legs are repeatedly moved toward and away from one another. When so linked, the force receiving members may alternatively be biased toward one another or away from one another. The force receiving members may be decoupled to facilitate a second mode of exercise, wherein a person stretches and/or leans forward and then returns backward.

Various exercise devices have been developed to exercise various muscles of the human body. Also, many different types of devices are typically developed with respect to any particular exercise in order to accommodate different levels of consumer expectation. Despite many such efforts, a need remains for a relatively inexpensive exercise device that accommodates more than one type of exercise, and/or a relatively inexpensive exercise device that facilitates arm exercise along converging stpaths of motion.


A cable connector assembly includes a cable connector comprising an insulative housing and a plurality of conductive terminals mounted in the insulative housing, the conductive terminal having a connecting portion; a cable having a plurality of wires electrically connecting with the connecting portions, the wire comprising a core, an insulative layer enclosing the core, and a grounding layer enclosing the insulative layer, the core extending beyond the grounding layer; and a conductive element electrically connecting with the connecting portion of a selected conductive terminal. The conductive element electrically connects the grounding layers; and the cores of the wires electrically connect with the connecting portions of the remaining conductive terminals.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an cable connector assembly, and more particularly to structure of the cable connector connecting with the cable.
2. Description of Related Arts
U.S. Pat. No. 8,794,981, issued on Aug. 5, 2014, discloses a cable connector assembly. The cable connector assembly includes a PCB having a number of contacts, a cord coupled to the contacts on the PCB, and a ground bar coupled with some contact on the PCB. The ground bar may be made of a conductive material. The PCB has a ground node coupling to the ground bar via one or more wires inside the PCB. The ground bar provides grounding to the connector and a mating connector into which the connector is inserted. The cord includes a wire coupled to the ground node.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,534,143, issued on May 19, 2009, discloses a cable connector assembly. The cable connector assembly includes a cable connector and a cable connecting with the cable connector. The cable connector includes an insulative housing and a number of conductive terminals mounted on the insulative housing. The conductive terminal includes two pairs of differential contacts and a grounding contact located between the two pairs of differential contacts for preventing cross-talk. The cable includes first set of wires and second set of wires. The second set wires include a pair of differential pairs, a grounding conductor, and an outer jacket enclosing the differential pair and the grounding conductor. The grounding contact has a tail portion defining a pair of wire-receiving slots communicating with each other and forming an angle therebetween. The grounding conductors are angled out from the outer jackets and toward each other to be received and soldered in the wire-receiving slots of the tail portion of the grounding contact.
Hence, the existing cable connector only connect with a kind of cable. When needing another kind of cable, structures of the cable connectors need be redesigned.

Cable connector assembly having a conductive element for connecting grounding layers of the cable together


Method and apparatus for timing modeling is described. More particularly, sub-processes for obtaining timing information are described. Each of these sub-process is limited to a portion of a gasket module for coupling an embedded device to a host device, and each of these sub-process may be limited to a lithographic process dimension or adjusted accordingly. By dividing timing information gathering into sub-process, output from each of the sub-process may be combined with timing information provided with an embedded core to determine path delays.

Programmable logic devices exist as a well-known type of integrated circuit that may be programmed by a user to perform specified logic functions. There are different types of programmable logic devices, such as programmable logic arrays (PLAs) and complex programmable logic devices CPLDs). One type of programmable logic devices, called a field programmable gate array (FPGA), is very popular because of a superior combination of capacity, flexibility, time to market and cost.
An FPGA typically includes an array of configurable logic blocks (CLBs) surrounded by a ring of programmable input/output blocks (IOBs). The CLBs and IOBs are interconnected by a programmable interconnect structure. The CLBs, IOBs, and interconnect structure are typically programmed by loading a stream of configuration data (bitstream) into internal configuration memory cells that define how the CLBs, IOBs, and interconnect structure are configured. The configuration bitstream may be read from an external memory, conventionally an external integrated circuit memory EEPROM, EPROM, PROM, and the like, though other types of memory may be used. The collective states of the individual memory cells then determine the function of the FPGA.
The process for producing an integrated circuit comprises many steps. Conventionally, a logic design is followed by a circuit design, which is followed by a layout design. With respect to the circuit design and layout portion, once circuits for an integrated circuit have been designed, such designs are converted to a physical representation known as a "circuit layout" or "layout." Layout is exceptionally important to developing a working design as it affects many aspects, including, but not limited to, signal noise, signal time delay, resistance, cell area, and parasitic effect.
Once a circuit is designed and laid out, it is often simulated to ensure performance criteria are met, including, but not limited to, signal timing. This type of analysis is difficult at the outset, and is made more difficult by an embedded design. An embedded design or embedded circuit is conventionally designed separately from an integrated circuit in which it is embedded. Sometimes this embedded circuit is referred to an intellectual property (IP) core or embedded core. This is because the information to build and test such an embedded circuit is provided from one company to another.
An IP core may have a certain maximum timing performance for input and output. For example, a microprocessor will have certain maximum timing performance for input and output of data and other information. However, there is no de facto standard bus interface for an embedded device. Accordingly, glue or gasket logic and interconnects are used to couple an embedded device to a host device, such as a programmable logic device.
For an embedded core in an integrated circuit, such as an FPGA with an embedded microprocessor core, a portion of the integrated circuit is reserved for the embedded core and gasket/glue logic. In this reserved area, interconnects and gasket logic may be used to couple an embedded core to a host integrated circuit. Moreover, modules from a host integrated circuit may be used for this coupling. However, layout for an embedded device and a host device may be for different layout databases.
Accordingly, it would be desirable and useful to provide means to automate gathering of gasket timing information from dissimilar layouts databases, and more particularly to provide a self-contained timing model capable of accommodating different layout databases with different process technologies.


The present invention relates to systems and methods for identifying one or more queries related to a given query. The method of the present invention comprises receiving a query written according to one or more writing systems of a language with multiple writing systems. A candidate set of queries written according to one or more writing systems of the language with multiple writing systems is identified. A score is calculated for the one or more queries in the candidate set indicating the similarity of the one or more queries with respect to the query received.

The present invention generally provides methods and systems for identifying one or more queries related to a given search query written according to a language with multiple writing systems. More specifically, the present invention provides methods and systems for receiving a search query written according to combinations of one or more writings systems of a language with multiple writings systems and identifying one or more related queries from a candidate set of queries.
With the advent of the Internet and the multitude of web pages, media content, advertisements, etc., available to a user over the World Wide Web ("the web"), there has become a need to provide users with streamlined approaches to obtain relevant information from the web. Search systems and processes have been developed to meet the needs of users to obtain such information. Examples of such technologies can be accessed through Yahoo!, Google and other search provider web sites.
Currently, users may employ client devices (such as personal computers (PCs), PDA's, smartphones, etc.) with access to wide area networks, e.g., the Internet, to search for and retrieve content. Typically, a user inputs a query via a client device and a search process returns one or more items of content, such as links, documents, web pages, advertisements, etc., related to the query. The items of content returned in response to a given query may be closely related or entirely unrelated to the subject or topic that the user was actually seeking. The success of a given search, which may be measured based upon how closely related the items of content retrieved are to a given query, may depend significantly upon the proper interpretation of a search query.
A query is made up of one or more words and phrases. Queries entered by human users, however, often fail to adequately describe the content that a given user may be seeking. Moreover, users may have only a general or vague idea of the content they may be seeking. For example, a user may wish to conduct a search, using the Yahoo! search engine, for a product advertised on television. The user may not know the name of the product, the manufacturer, etc., and may only be able to generally describe the product. Therefore, the query formulated by the user may be too broad, resulting in the retrieval of content items entirely unrelated to the content sought by the user. Similarly, the query terms selected by the user may fail to adequately describe the product, resulting in the retrieval of few if any content items.
Current techniques are known for generating a candidate set of queries that may be related to a given query. For example, a user may enter the query "Apple® MP3 player" and be presented with one or more related queries, such as "IPOD®," "Itunes®," etc. Search providers, however, are presented with the challenge of identifying one or more queries from a candidate set of queries that are the most relevant or closely related in meaning to a given query. Moreover, certain languages such as Japanese have multiple writing systems, which further increases the complexity of identifying queries from a candidate set of queries that are the most relevant or similar in meaning to given query. For example, a single Japanese query submitted to a search engine may be written according to varying combinations of one or more Japanese writing systems, such as Kanji, Katakana, Hiragana, JASCII, ASCII, etc. A query written according to the Japanese Kanji writing system may look entirely different than a query written according to the Japanese Katakana and Hiragana writing systems, however, the two queries may have very similar or identical meanings.
Additionally, search providers, such as Yahoo!, MSN, or Google may utilize a bidding marketplace whereby advertisers may bid upon terms in order to have one or more advertisements displayed in response to a query. For example, one or more advertisers may wish to display one or more advertisements for laptop computers and accordingly may bid upon the terms "notebook computer." The terms "notebook computer," however, may be written according to one or more writing systems of a language with multiple writing systems, such as Japanese. For example, the terms "notebook computer" may be written according to the Japanese Hiragana writing system, the Japanese Katakana writing system, etc.
A user may submit a query comprising the terms "notebook computer" to a given search provider, such as Yahoo!, written according to the Japanese Katakana writing system. The one or more advertisements with associated bids for the Katakana terms "notebook computer" may be retrieved and displayed to the user. In a bidding marketplace, the advertisement associated with the advertiser that provided the greatest bid for the Katakana terms "notebook computer" may be displayed in the most prominent position of a web page, e.g., ranked first in a ranked list of advertisements, displayed at the top of a given search results page, etc.
If the user selects one or more of the advertisements displayed, the search provider may monetize the selection of the user, such as by charging the advertiser associated with the advertisement selected an amount of money based upon the advertiser's bid. Retrieving and displaying only the advertisements that have associated bids for one or more terms, however, may result in a significant loss of revenue to a given search provider. For example, if a user enters a query comprised of terms that have not been bid upon by one or more advertisers, the search provider may fail to return any advertisements to the user, resulting in a loss of revenue to the search provider as the user will be unable to select any results. With reference to the abovementioned example, if the query entered by the user did not comprise the Katakana terms "notebook computer," but instead comprised the Hiragana terms "laptop computer," the search provider may not display properly targeted advertisements despite the similarity in meaning of the Katakana query "laptop computer" and the Hiragana query "notebook computer."
While techniques exist for identifying one or more queries from a candidate set of queries that are identical or similar in meaning to a given query, existing techniques are limited to languages written according to a single writing system. Current techniques thus fail to provide for the identification of queries that are most relevant or closely related in meaning to an original query that is written according to one or more writing systems of a language with multiple writing systems. In order to overcome shortcomings associated with existing techniques, the present invention provides systems and methods for identifying one or more queries from a candidate set of related queries that are the most similar in meaning with respect to a given search query, written according to one or more writing systems of a language with multiple writing systems.

System and method for identifying related queries for languages with multiple writing systems


A method of manufacturing a display apparatus includes: forming a first lower lift-off layer, a first upper lift-off layer, and a first photoresist layer on a substrate on which a first pixel electrode is formed; forming a first masking layer including a first photoresist pattern, a first upper lift-off pattern, and a first lower lift-off pattern, which expose the first pixel electrode, by partially removing the first photoresist layer, the first upper lift-off layer, and the first lower lift-off layer; forming a first light emitting layer and a first counter electrode on the first pixel electrode by using the first masking layer; forming a first passivation layer on the first counter electrode; and removing the first masking layer.

Recently, as technology improves, display products having smaller sizes, lighter weights, and superior performance have been produced. Conventional cathode ray tube (CRT) televisions have been widely used for display apparatuses with many advantages in terms of performance and price. Recently, however, a display apparatus, for example, such as a plasma display apparatus, a liquid crystal display apparatus, and an organic light emitting diode display apparatus, that overcomes disadvantages of the CRT in terms of miniaturization or portability, and has various advantages, for example, such as miniaturization, light weight, and low power consumption, has been spotlighted.
The organic light emitting diode display apparatus is a display apparatus in which each pixels thereof includes an organic light emitting diode. The organic light emitting diode includes a pixel electrode, a counter electrode opposite to the pixel electrode, and a light emitting layer interposed between the pixel electrode and the counter electrode.
In a case of an organic light emitting diode display apparatus that implements full color, such that pixel areas thereof emit mutually different colored lights, a light emitting layer of each pixel and a counter electrode that is integrally formed over a plurality of pixels may be formed by using a deposition mask. As a resolution of the organic light emitting diode display apparatus is increased, a width of an open slit of a mask used in a deposition process is narrowed, and distribution of a plurality of open silts may be reduced.

Method of manufacturing a display apparatus


A clock and data recovery circuit that tracks the frequency and phase fluctuation of serial data includes a feedback controller for monitoring tracking speed of an extraction clock with respect to the frequency and phase fluctuation of the serial data and applying feedback control to an integrator adaptively and moment to moment, thereby raising the tracking speed of the recovered clock and improving the jitter tolerance characteristic.

The development of semiconductor technologies in recent years has been accompanied by serialization of data transmission between LSI devices. There are instances where the operating clock frequency of a transmit LSI device and that of a receive LSI device coincide and instances where they do not. One example of a method adopted in a case where these frequencies do not coincide is to reduce EMI (EletroMagnetic Interference) using a spread spectrum clock in which frequency modulation is applied in the transmit LSI device. A method of extracting a clock signal from frequency-modulated serial data in the receive LSI device relies upon a known clock and data recovery circuit of the kind shown in FIG. 13 (see "1.5 Gbps, 5150 ppm Spread Spectrum SerDes PHY with a 0.3 mW, 1.5 Gbps Level Detector for Serial ATA", Symposium on VLSI Circuits Digest of Technical Papers 5-3, FIG. 1, June/2002).
As shown in FIG. 13, the circuit includes a phase tracking loop constituted by a phase detector 201, an integrator 202 and a phase interpolator 206, and a frequency tracking loop constituted by an integrator 203, a charge pump 214, a loop filter 215, a VCO (voltage-controlled oscillator) 216 and the phase interpolator 206. Here a synchronizing clock signal is made to track data that has been frequency-modulated by a spread spectrum clock. Furthermore, in order to initialize the frequency of the VCO 216, the circuit includes a frequency initializing loop constituted by a phase frequency detector 211, the charge pump 212, loop filter 215 and VCO 216.
However, a clock and data recovery circuit having a construction that does not include the integrator 203, charge pump 214, loop filter 215 and VCO 216 constituting the frequency tracking loop in FIG. 13 finds difficulty in tracking the phase of serial data frequency-modulated by a spread spectrum clock. This will be explained below. In a case where the clock and data recovery circuit constructed by the phase detector 201, integrator 202 and phase interpolator 206 is such that the resolution of the phase interpolator 206 is 1/64 and the integrator 202 is constituted by an up-down counter that counts up and down to +4 and −4, tracking can be achieved only to a frequency difference of 1/(64×4)=0.39%. On the other hand, with a serial ATA system, tracking of frequency modulation on the order of, e.g., 0.5% is required.
A clock and data recovery circuit having the frequency tracking loop that includes the charge pump 214, loop filter 215 VCO 216 is capable of being constructed so as to track frequency modulation of 0.5% or greater. In a multichannel implementation, however, chip size and power consumption are great. Specifically, when a clock and data recovery circuit having a frequency tracking loop that includes a charge pump, loop filter and VCO has a multichannel configuration, the frequency tracking loop including the charge pump, loop filter and VCO is provided in all of the channels, resulting in a large chip size. Power consumption increases if a high-speed VCO is provided in all of the channels in a high-speed system of 1 Gbps or higher.
In an attempt to solve these problems, a clock and data recovery circuit of the kind shown for example in FIG. 10 has been proposed by the applicant in an earlier application (Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-166712; Japanese Patent Kokai Publication No. JP2005-005999A).
As shown in FIG. 10, the clock and data recovery circuit proposed in the earlier application (Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-166712; Japanese Patent Kokai Publication No. JP2005-005999A) includes a phase detector 101, integrators 102 and 103, a pattern generator 104, a mixer 105 and a phase interpolator 106. The circuit tracks frequency modulation by the action of a frequency tracking loop constructed by the integrator 102, pattern generator 104 and mixer 105, and tracks slight fluctuations in phase, which cannot be tracked by the frequency tracking loop, by the action of a phase tracking loop constructed by the integrator 103 and mixer 105. The mixer 105 is a circuit that mixes the results from the frequency and phase tracking loops. The mixer controls the phase of the phase interpolator 106, whereby a clock corresponding to serial data is extracted.
FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating another implementation proposed in the earlier application (Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-166712). In this case, the integrators 102 and 103 of FIG. 10 are replaced by a single shared interpolator 102.
The present inventor has discovered that the characteristics of the clock and data recovery circuit disclosed in the earlier application (Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-166712) can be improved further by improving the jitter tolerance characteristic of a certain frequency band.
The frequency tracking loop exhibits an excellent tracking characteristic with regard to low-frequency jitter but does not respond to high-frequency jitter. The speed of response of the frequency tracking loop is low and there are instances where the phase interpolator 106 is controlled in the wrong direction with regard to jitter in a frequency band approximately midway between the high and low frequencies. In such cases there may be a decline in the jitter tolerance characteristic in a certain frequency band.
FIG. 12 illustrates the results of a simulation of jitter tolerance characteristic in a case where both the frequency tracking loop and phase tracking loop are made to operate and in a case, which is for comparison purposes, where only the phase tracking loop is made to operate. The simulation indicates an excellent jitter tolerance characteristic with respect to low-frequency jitter owing to the action of the frequency tracking loop in a case where both the frequency tracking loop and phase tracking loop are made to operate. Results approximately match with respect to high-frequency jitter. However, with regard to jitter of a frequency that is mid-range between the high and low frequencies, the simulation indicates that the jitter tolerance characteristic is degraded in a case where both the frequency and phase tracking loops are made to operate.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


The principles of the present invention relate to using externally parameterizeable constraints in a font-hinting language to synthesize font variants. A computing system accesses a scaled font that has been scaled for rendering at a target size and a target resolution. The scaled font includes hints that constrain how glyphs of the scaled font are to be rendered at the target size and target resolution. The computing system accesses one or more external font parameters that alter how the glyphs of the scaled font are to be rendered. The computing system applies the one or more external font parameters to the scaled font to synthesize a font variant such that hints from the scaled font are preserved in the font variant. The computing system can render glyphs of the font variant that comply with the one or more external font parameters and the hints.

1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to manipulating data used to generate graphical objects. More specifically, the present invention relates to using externally parameterizeable constraints in a font-hinting language to synthesize font variants.
2. Background and Related Art
Computing technology has transformed the way we work and play. Computing systems now take a wide variety of forms including desktop computers, laptop computers, tablet PCs, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), and the like. Even household devices (such as refrigerators, ovens, sewing machines, security systems, and the like) have varying levels of processing capability and thus may be considered computing systems. As time moves forward, processing capability may be incorporated into a number of devices that traditionally did not have processing capability. Accordingly, the diversity of computing systems may likely increase.
Almost all computing systems that interface with human beings use a display to convey information. In many cases, the appeal of the display is considered an important attribute of the computing system. Display of textual information (e.g., Latin-based characters) typically includes processing glyphs that represent characters of a font. A glyph includes control points and instructions for connecting the control points such that an outline of a corresponding character can be generated in an arbitrary grid space (e.g., a pixel grid). Often, characters will be defined for display at a larger size and higher resolution and then mathematically scaled down (or otherwise manipulated) when the characters are to be rendered at smaller sizes and lower resolutions (or as bold, italic, etc.). Thus, a reduced number of descriptions, and potentially only one description, for a character (per font) need be stored.
To scale a character down the location of control points can be divided by a scaling factor. For example, to scale a character down by a scaling factor of 10, the coordinates of each control point defining the character (at the higher resolution) can be divided by 10. It may be that control points defining a character for display on a 100×100 grid are to be scaled down for display on a 10×10 grid. Thus, a control point at grid position (50, 30) can be scaled down to a control point at grid position (5, 3), a control point at grid position (70, 70) can be scaled down to a control point at grid position (7, 7), etc. Accordingly, a smaller outline representing the character may be calculated and there is a reduced need for storing a number of different sizes of bit-maps for the character.
The smaller outline can then be analyzed to identify grid locations that are to be turned on and to identify grid locations that are to be turned off (a process often referred to as "scan conversion"). One scan conversion algorithm determines if the center of a grid position is inside or outside the smaller outline. When the center of a grid position is inside the smaller outline the grid position is turned on. On the other hand, when the center of a grid position is outside the smaller outline the grid position is turned off.
However, at times, and especially at lower resolutions, the results of scan conversion produce an unacceptable representation of a character. Unacceptable character representations can result from rounding errors in the scaling down process. Further, rounding errors have a greater affect on character representation when a single grid location (e.g., a pixel) is on scale with the features of a character. For example, a rounding error that causes one grid location to be inappropriately turned on (or turned off) on a 50×50 grid may not even be detectable by the human eye. However, a rounding error that causes one grid location to be inappropriately turned on (or turned off) on a 4×4 grid may result in a character that is perceived as unacceptable to the human eye. At lower resolutions scan conversion can even fail to preserve the topology of the original outline of the character, resulting in disconnected grid locations.
To compensate for the sometimes inappropriate results of scan conversion, character outlines can be supplemented with constraints (often referred to as "hints") that assist in identifying whether grid locations are to be turned on or turned off when a character is rendered. The highest quality hinting is typically a manual process performed by a typographer. The typographer views a character at various sizes and supplements a higher resolution outline of the character with computer-executable instructions that indicate how to render the character at lower resolutions. When the character is to be rendered, a computing system processes the computer-executable instructions and renders the character in accordance with the hints implemented in the computer-executable instructions. For example, a hint can indicate that a number of characters of a font are to be rendered at the same height.
More formally, a hint can be expressed as an algorithm defining one or more dependent parameters in terms of one or more independent parameters. Hints for one control point can be expressed in terms of the location of other control points or locations on a grid (e.g., a capitalization line). For example, the position of a control point "P" can be expressed in terms of the position of a control point "Q" such that P is a fixed distance "c" from Q (e.g., in a vertical or horizontal direction). That is, P=Q+c. Thus, when Q is moved, a corresponding move of P may be required so that P conforms to the fixed distance c.
Similarly, the position of the control point P may be expressed in terms of the position of two other control points "Q1" and "Q2," along with a number "α" to indicate the degree of blending of the positions of the two control points "Q1" and "Q2." The position of the control point "P" is assigned the expression "(1−α)·Q1+α·Q2." That is, P=(1α)·Q1 +α·Q2. Thus, when Q1 or Q2 is moved, a corresponding move of P may be required so that P conforms to the constraint.
Due in part to the wide variety of different artistic and technical features in different fonts, hints can be tailored to an individual font. Often, constraints are expressed in terms of a font-hinting language (e.g., the TrueType® language) having a limited and highly specific vocabulary. The limited and highly specific vocabulary simplifies the translation of the mathematical concepts into the font-hinting language. However, the limited and highly specific vocabulary can also limit the types of the constraints that can be expressed.
Fonts are typically stored in font files at a computing system where the characters of the fonts will be rendered. Applications, such as, for example, word processors and electronic mail clients, provide an interface for selecting fonts from among those fonts available at a computing system. Many applications also provide an interface for selecting the size of a selected font (e.g., 12 point, 8 point, etc.) and selecting font variants for the selected font (e.g., bold, italicized, subscript, superscript, small caps, etc.). Based on the selected font size, selected font variant, and resolution of the output device, a scaling module and hint processor can interoperate to generate an appropriate outline for rendering characters of a font. For example, a scaling module and hint processor can interoperate to generate appropriate outlines of bold 10 point characters at 96 dots per inch ("dpi").
Due to the wide range of font variants, constraints for some font variants are not necessarily appropriate for other font variants. Accordingly, there may be a number of font files for a font, each font file corresponding to one or more font variants. For example, there may be separate font files for Arial normal and bold characters, Arial superscript characters, and Arial small caps characters.
Unfortunately, most applications that allow font variant selection do not necessarily check to determine that all appropriate font files are accessible. That is, an application may provide an interface for selecting a subscript font variant even when the application lacks access to a corresponding subscript font file. Further, users expect a number of font variants to be available irrespective of the availability of corresponding supplemental font files and are often not even aware that each font variant may require a supplemental font file. As a result, applications can have a default algorithm that selects a similar font file when a font variant is to be rendered. For example, when lacking access to an Arial subscript font file, an application may simply select an Arial normal font file. However, since the normal font file is not hinted for rendering subscript characters, pixelation or other visual deficiencies may result.
Some mechanisms attempt to compensate for visual deficiencies that can result from using a mismatched font file to render a font variant. However, these mechanisms typically result in characters that no longer comply with hints included in the font file. Since hints are an important part of high quality font rendering, it may be difficult to appropriately render font variants, especially at small type sizes and on low resolution. Therefore, what would be advantageous are mechanisms for generating a font variant that complies with hints of the font used to generate the font variant.

Using externally parameterizeable constraints in a font-hinting language to synthesize font variants


A software download service on a mobile network provides users with personalized catalog presentations identifying software products available for downloading. Customer-specific preferences are established, for example, by input by the customer using a web-interface on a personal computer or on their mobile station, or by processing of user data such as demographics and usage history. The resulting user preferences are stored in a database. When each customer operates a mobile station to access the download service, the listing(s) of available software products are filtered and/or prioritized using the customer's individual preference(s). As a result, the service provides a ‘catalog’ of available software products that has been tailored to the particular user based on that user's preference(s). Consequently, customers can easily find applications that appeal to their interest, which improves both the sales take rate and the customer experience.

In recent years, cellular or personal communication service type mobile devices have emerged as a must-have appliance among mobile professionals and consumers alike, growing in popularity every year since they were first introduced. The public has come to accept that mobile communication service enhances business and personal communications and may contribute to personal security. Consequently, mobile communication is becoming increasingly popular. Although originally designed and deployed to offer voice-grade telephone services, more recently the mobile stations and the networks that provide service through them have offered an expanding array of data communication services and other related services.
Manufacturers have developed wireless devices, such as cellular telephones, with increasing processing power, fast approaching the computing capabilities of devices such as personal computers and personal digital assistants ("PDAs"). Because of this increased processing power, mobile stations actually can be programmed to perform a wide range of application functions, for example related to tools for productivity enchantment, gaming, entertainment and the like. However, due to their small size, the program storage capacity of the mobile station typically is quite limited.
A number of different vendors have developed competing approaches to downloading application software into the mobile stations. Generally, the mobile station has embedded software, including an operating system and an application program interface (API). Although the station hardware and/or the operating system may be unique and even proprietary, the API is a published standard. As a result, virtually any software developer can write application programming to the API, and the application program will run properly on all mobile stations implementing the API. Qualcomm products, for example, utilize the binary runtime environment for wireless ("BREW") as the API. Java 2 Platform, Micro Edition (J2ME™) is another runtime environment targeted to a wide range of consumer products, which some cellular telephone developers are utilizing for the standardized API.
Based on these APIs, a number of the carriers, vendors and third parties are now offering application downloading as an additional pay service, through the wireless networks. Mobile station users can customize their wireless telephones through the selective downloading of applications of interest, such as games, printed media, stock updates, news, or any other type of information or application that is available for download through the wireless network. The user pays for the downloaded software as well as any airtime used for the download. Many of the applications, such as games and calendar programs, are run on the station off-line, without ongoing communications through the wireless network. Some of the downloaded applications, however, stock or news update routines for example, use the communication capabilities of the mobile station and the network to implement at least some ongoing application functionality.
To offer product software downloading as a commercial service, the carrier or a third party vendor operates an application download server (ADS) on a packet-switched data network, which is accessible by a data call from a compatible mobile station. In general, a user having a mobile station with an API and having subscribed to the download service initiates a data call through the network to the ADS. After log-in, the station receives and displays one or a series of menus listing available applications. The user views the list of available applications and makes a selection, which the mobile station communicates through the network to the ADS server. The server then transmits the selected application through the network to the mobile station, and the mobile station stores the new program in memory. Subsequently, the processor of the mobile station calls-up and executes the downloaded application program, for example, allowing the user to play a new game on the mobile station.
Such download services are gaining in availability and popularity; and software developers are rapidly providing a wealth of new applications. To date, software sold on such platforms is presented as an identical list or menu tree for all users with the same type of mobile station (client). Every user must look through a long list of all applications to find each individual item that may be interesting to her or him. As the number of applications and/or downloadable content available on a given service increases, so to does the length of the menu, and this menu for software-product selection becomes less and less effective.
Hence, a need exists for a more convenient way to offer available software to mobile station users for selection and downloading.

Self-subscription to catalogs of mobile application software


A holder for materials for use in a measuring instrument includes a three-piece housing consisting of an upper housing member, an intermediate housing member and a lower housing member, the three-piece housing defining a first closed cavity and a second closed cavity. A first winding assembly is disposed within the first closed cavity, and a second winding assembly is disposed within the second closed cavity.

The present invention particularly relates to a material holder used in a differential scanning calorimeter of the type disclosed and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,732,722 ("the '722 patent") for a "Material Holder" issued May 15, 1973 to Norem et al. and assigned to The Perkin-Elmer Corporation of Norwalk, Conn. The entirety of the '722 patent is incorporated by reference herein.
A differential scanning calorimeter is a thermal analytical instrument which operates on the principle that thermal energy is absorbed or evolved during physical or chemical changes in a material which is being analyzed. The differential scanning calorimeter measures the differential energy changes that occur in a sample material as compared to a reference material, during such physical or chemical changes. The sample material and a thermally inert reference material are placed in separate material holders in the same thermal environment and their temperatures are measured during the analysis process.
The material holder, as disclosed in the '722 patent, includes a cylindrical cup having three bottom partitions forming two cavities within the bottom portion of the cup, one of the cavities containing a heating winding, and the other cavity containing a heat-sensing winding. A supporting center post is attached to the bottom of the lowermost partition as a support for the material holder.
In order to produce the material holder, a series of substantially identical discs are punched from sheet stock with a punch and die set to form the three partitions. These discs are successively press fitted into a cylindrical housing and electron beam welded at the disc edges to the cylindrical housing. The heater and sensing windings are sandwiched between the successive disc partitions.
Serious problems have been encountered in the above-described assembly and fabrication method in that it has been found to be extremely difficult to maintain tolerances on the disc diameters and the inside diameters of the cylindrical housings with sufficient precision to avoid very high rejection rates in the assembled material cups. The success of the instrument resides in maintaining extreme precision. The precision in measurement is so important that a noble metal such as platinum, paladium, gold, and their alloys are preferably used as the material of the material holder. Preferably, the metal of which the holder is formed is an alloy of 80% platinum and 20% iridium. The noble metals avoid the problems of oxide formation.
The high precision also requires extremely narrow tolerances in the assembled dimensions of the material holders. Thus, in a material holder which is on the order of one-third of an inch in diameter (actually 0.360 inches in one preferred embodiment), the various partitions must be perfectly parallel with one another with a variation out of parallelism not to exceed 0.001 inch. Also, the various partitions must not be distorted in shape, the compartments containing the windings must be absolutely consistent and uniform in size, within the tolerance of plus or minus seven ten thousandths of an inch, and there must be very good conductivity between the edges of the partition discs and the cylindrical housing. In order to accomplish these purposes, the partitions must be press fitted into position within the cylindrical housing with a tight enough fit to precisely maintain the position of each disc during handling after assembly and before electron beam welding. Furthermore, the press fit must be sufficiently tight to promote the production of a good sound electron beam weld between the disc partition and the cylindrical housing in order to provide a consistently high thermal conductivity through the joint formed thereby. On the other hand, the disc must not be press fitted with so much of an interference fit that it results in distortion of the disc.
One of the biggest problems in achieving the satisfactory press fit of the disc partitions into the cylindrical housing apparently arises because of variations in the diameters of the discs produced by the punch and die set. For a particular batch run of approximately 900 discs between sharpenings of the punch and die set, it has been discovered that the disc diameters may vary in a typical range of about 3/10,000ths of an inch, or more. These variations in disc diameter are believed to be associated with the wear pattern of the punch and die, and also, possibly, these variations may be related to variations in the toughness and thickness of the sheet metal from which the discs are punched.
Another problem in providing the correct press fit arises particularly in connection with the bottommost disc partition to which the support post is welded. It has been discovered that the support post welding causes the disc to which it is welded to shrink somewhat in diameter, that shrinkage being in the order of 4 to 5 ten thousandths of an inch.
Another major problem in producing a satisfactory press fit of the disc partitions has been found to result from the fact that the electron beam welding of the first (uppermost) partition into the cylindrical housing causes the diameter of that housing to shrink slightly, so as to increase the tightness of the cylinder around the edges of subsequently assembled disc partitions. Similarly, the electron beam welding of the second disc partition causes still a further shrinking of the cylindrical housing for the assembly of the third disc partition.
These problems were substantially obviated by U.S. Pat. No. 4,330,933 ("the '933 patent") for a "Fabrication Method For Instrument Material Holder" issued May 25, 1982 to Bullinger et al. and assigned to The Perkin-Elmer Corporation of Norwalk, Conn. The entirety of the '933 patent is incorporated by reference herein.
The '933 patent teaches an improved fabricating method which compensates for at least part of the fluctuations in disc diameters, and which compensates for the shrinkage of the cylindrical housing during electron beam welding of the first disc which includes the steps of sorting the discs according to diameter into at least two sets including a first set and another set having diameters smaller than the discs of the first set. Cylindrical housings are then machined with an inside diameter somewhat smaller than the outside diameters of the discs of the first set to provide a press fit of the discs of the first set within the housings. After press fitting and electron beam welding of a disc from the first set within each cylinder housing, one of the discs from the smaller diameter set is press fitted into the housing, the smaller diameter of the disc compensating for the shrinkage of the cylinder caused by the welding of the first disc.
In another aspect of the invention disclosed in the '933 patent, an improved fabrication method may be provided in which the discs are divided into at least two sets, including a first set and another set of discs which are larger in diameter than the discs of the first set. A batch of cylindrical housings are then machined with an inside diameter to provide a desired press fit of the discs of the first set within the housings. After a disc from the first set is press fitted into a cylindrical housing and welded therein, one of the larger diameter discs, to which a supporting center post has already been welded, is press fitted into the end of the cylindrical housing. The reduction in the diameter of the last mentioned disc caused by the welding of the center post compensates for the larger initial diameter of the disc and the reduction in the diameter of the cylindrical housing caused by the welding of the earlier disc into the housing.
The above mentioned fabrication processes may be combined into a single process in which the initial run of discs is sorted by diameter into a first set, another set of discs having a diameter smaller than the discs of the first set, and still another set of discs having a diameter larger than the discs of the first set, the discs of the first set being used as the first disc partition to be positioned and welded into each cylindrical housing, the inside diameter of which has been machined to provide the appropriate press fit, the smaller diameter discs being used as the second partition to be press fitted and welded into each housing, and the larger diameter discs being the ones to which supporting posts are attached prior to press fitting and welding into the cylindrical housing to provide the third partition.
While the improved fabrication processes disclosed in the '933 patent obviate many of the problems with the processes disclosed in the '722 patent in that the fabrication processes disclosed in the '933 patent avoid the problems arising from variations in the disc diameters as produced by the punch and die, avoid the problem associated with the shrinkage in the diameter of the bottommost disc partition occasioned by the welding of the support post thereto, and avoid the consequences of the problem of the shrinkage of the cylindrical housing resulting from the electron beam welding of earlier assembled disc partitions in order to improve the press fit of subsequently assembled disc partitions, the fabrication processes disclosed in the '933 patent suffer from disadvantages of their own.
More specifically, the processes disclosed in the '933 patent are very labor intensive to ensure proper spacing, requiring the use of precision tooling fixtures and pins. Even when the operator is extremely careful, it difficult to accurately control the spacing of the heater and the sensor, and it is difficult to achieve reproducibility and consistent performance characteristics between material holders. Moreover, the material holders disclosed in the '933 patent are comprised of a relatively high number of parts, and result in a high rate of scrap material (on the order of 40% to 50%) due to the fact that the heater and sensor assemblies are assembled to the center section from each end. Furthermore, using the processes disclosed in the '933 patent, it is difficult to accurately know where to place the weld with the electron beam welder, which can result in spluttered platinum in the open cavities.
What is desired, therefore, is a holder for materials used in measuring instruments and a fabrication method therefor which requires less labor intensive processes than are currently employed, which ensures proper spacing without requiring the use of precision tooling fixtures and pins, which allows for the spacing of the heater and the sensor to be accurately controlled, which facilitates reproducibility and consistent performance characteristics between material holders, which has a reduced number of parts, which has a reduced scrap rate, and which facilitates the accurate placement of the electron beam weld so as to inhibit spluttered platinum in the open cavities.

Instrument material holder and method of fabrication thereof


An apparatus for the collection of fuel spillings that originate from fuel dispensing apparatus, including gasoline and diesel fuel service station pumps which incorporates a filtering system for preventing solids from accumulating in the bottom of the spill collection pan and allowing fill material to be placed between the collection reservoir of the spill collecting pan and the fuel pumps which contributes to the fire prevention features of this apparatus.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to and is directed to an apparatus for the collection of fuel spillings from fuel supply devices and, more particularly, an apparatus which collects said spillings underground after they have passed through a filtering system which prevents any large solid materials from collecting in the reservoir area of the apparatus, and also allows for the addition of certain fill material between the surface and the filter system to enhance the fire safety features of this device.
Gasoline spill collectors in various embodiments have previously been available to the general public. The general idea behind prior art devices as well as related underground leak protection apparatus has been to in some way collect the material, normally fuel, which has leaked or spilled in one place. Some of these devices also allow for the material collected to be directed into the vapor recovery system. Vapor recovery systems normally found in use today include those systems disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,756,291 and 3,815,327. Other systems have also been developed to detect and prevent leaks from underground storage tanks and their associated lines to prevent possible ground water contamination such as the one disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,161,957.
Generally it is considered desirable to place fuel spill collection apparatus immediately below the fuel dispensing islands normally found in gasoline stations and truck stops. Relatively recently a significant amount of concern has been directed to ground water contamination which can occur due to spills or leaks of fuel supplies from fuel supply sources into the ground and continuing to underground water systems which are eventually tapped as sources for water utilized in human consumption. Spillage can occur when gasoline tanks are filled to overflow levels, as well as when maintenance or service is conducted on the fuel supply pumps. Under such circumstances a significant amount of gasoline over a period of time can leak into the ground below the islands.
The prior art generally has disclosed devices which merely hold and accumulate fuel spillings underground until removed by some means or by virtue of connection to a vapor recovery system, holding tank or the like. This can cause a significant fire hazard. Excess fuel leaked onto the ground is fire hazard enough however, when a significant amount of fuel has been accumulated in a central location an even greater hazard has been developed. Further, without some type of filtration system between the source of fuel and collection point it is possible for solid particles such as rock, sand or even flammable solids to fall into the containment system, thereby contaminating the fuel or obstructing the operation of mechanisms located within the device.
The prior art devices also allow the possibility of flammable objects, or even worse, items which have already begun to burn to fall into the fuel containment reservoir of the fluid collection apparatus. This can cause what is known as a "hot fire" within the containment box itself.
2. Prior Art
Therefore, there exists a need for an improved under-dispenser containment device which not only prevents the accumulation of solid objects in the containment reservoir, but also prevents a hot fire within the containment box.
U.S Pat. No. 4,960,346 issued to Tamayo discloses a double-walled cylindrical bucket style unit having a floor which accepts and corresponds to the fill pipe. The inner-wall of the unit is of the bellows type to prevent vertical expansion and retraction for changing temperatures and the floor of the unit is equipped with a removable inspection plug which permits access to the soil underneath for sampling and the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,387 issued to L. J. LaBlanc, et al. discloses a overfill spillage protection device utilized to capture fuel spilled from tanks at the fill pipe. This unit surrounds the fill pipe as well as providing a cover therefore. The unit contains a single-walled portion immediately below the cover and a double-walled portion with an internal bellows type wall and an external straight wall. The internal bellows wall allows for expansion and contraction of the unit due to changes in temperature and the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,807,675 issued to Sharp discloses an overfill assembly with a removable lid. This patent discloses a device to be used with storage tanks, more specifically underground gasoline storage tanks. The assembly comprises a dump tank with a fill pipe mounted therein. The fill pipe extends through the dump tank's bottom and is in communication with the storage tank. A removable central point compression sealing lid member allows for ready access to the fill pipe. A valve mechanism in the dump tank allows for controlled emptying of any spilled liquid accumulated in the dump tank to the storage tank.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,842,163 issued to Bravo discloses a gasoline collector pit box and submersible unit box. This invention is directed to an apparatus which incorporates an open collecting pit to be placed underneath gasoline fuel dispensers, a means for providing a signal when a predetermined amount of gasoline has accumulated in the collection pit, means to selectively drain accumulated gasoline, and a means to amplify the effect of the gasoline accumulated. This invention does not incorporate a means for filtering the collected gasoline fuel for accumulation in the collection pit. Instead, Bravo discloses a completely open containment pit which is susceptible to "hot fires" and can allow for the contamination of fuel accumulated therein. Bravo further discloses the use of a drain at the bottom of the collection pan which can be hooked into the vapor recovery system. Bravo discloses the use of a ball valve to allow for the opening and closing of the drain as well as a filter on the drain to prevent any contaminants from filtering into the drainage system. Bravo still further discloses a preferred embodiment which can be utilized in connection with a submersible pump. Disclosed as part of this embodiment is an aperture in the bottom of the containment pan to allow for the extension of a horizontal tube through the floor of the collector to accommodate the conduit of the pump that extends down to the underground storage tank. Neither of these embodiments discloses the use of any type of filter means or more specifically any type of filler material through which any spillings must pass before accumulation in the containment reservoir. Without such filtering means, the propensity for hot fires and other types of contamination of the accumulated spillings are enhanced.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,926,899 issued to T. Argandona discloses a transition conduit system for fuel pumps which incorporates a conduit piping arranged between a fuel storage tank and an aboveground fuel pumping unit. This device is essentially a hollow conduit which avoids earth contamination problems due to its leak-proof nature.


A control device for making safe a fast vehicle comprises a servomechanism that, in response to a reference variable relating to the longitudinal speed of the vehicle, adapts in real time an actuator variable of a motor element of the vehicle until an actuator variable of a steering element corresponds to a reference variable relating to the transverse displacement of the vehicle, which makes it possible to make safe the longitudinal and transverse displacements of the vehicle, even at high longitudinal speed.

The invention relates to making safe a fast land vehicle.
It has a particular non-limitative application in the guiding of a fast land vehicle by an operator on board the vehicle or otherwise.
Devices for controlling a land vehicle are already known which are capable of working out in real time, according to an appropriate servomechanism, actuator variables for controlling the motor and steering elements of the land vehicle.
The Applicants have set themselves the object of providing a servomechanism capable of making safe, even at high longitudinal speed, the longitudinal and transverse displacements of the vehicle.

Control device for making safe a fast vehicle, in particular guided by an operator on board the vehicle or otherwise


A railroad car hatch cover including a high strength and highly rigid laminate panel having an inner aluminum member, an outer aluminum member, and a solid plastic core. A cross-section of the laminate panel includes a center section with two generally parallel and generally vertical sides. Each generally vertical side of the panel is joined to center section of the panel along a longitudinally elongated curved corner having a radius of less than 1.5 inches. Moreover, compressible gasket structure is secured to an underside of the center section of the laminate panel in the vicinity of each corner for engaging and pressing against a top rim of railcar coaming to seal the hatch cover whereby inhibiting contaminants from passing between the closed clover and the coaming on the railcar. Additionally, the laminate panel is provided with longitudinally spaced structure, arranged inwardly from the opposed ends of and secured across the laminate panel, for adding further strength and rigidity to the hatch cover.

Railroad hopper cars have been used for years to transport particulate and granular material such as grain and the like. Covered railroad hopper cars have been constructed and arranged with a roof for protecting the railcar contents from contaminants and weather related elements. Access to an interior of the railcar from above is through a hatch opening in the roof of the railcar. One type of railcar in wide spread use presents a hatch opening typically extending the length of the railcar. In some railcar designs, the hatch opening can be configured with arcuate end portions. Cowled coaming, upstanding from the roof, typically extends circumferentially or peripherally about the hatch opening.
The hatch opening in the roof of the railcar is closed during transport by a series of individual hatch covers typically arranged in end-to-end relationship relative to each other. The hatch covers are usually pivotally connected to the roof along one side thereof and can be swung to an open position. In one form, each hatch cover can measure in length from eight to thirteen feet and weigh approximately 100 pounds. Suffice it to say, the hatch covers are sized to extend across and over a top rim of the coaming to cover the hatch opening. Typically, the hatch covers are secured in a closed position during transport by a series of batten bars and hold downs.
Known hatch covers used to close hatch openings in covered hopper cars suffer from numerous problems. One form of known hatch cover is formed of fiberglass or other suitable moldable material. Fiberglass hatch covers, however, are susceptible to deteriorating ultraviolet rays as well as weather related deterioration factors. Fiberglass hatch covers must be designed and manufactured with reinforced profiles for accommodating mounting of several hinge structures along the length thereof to allow pivotal movement of the hatch cover between open and closed positions. As will be appreciated, the need for reinforced profiles adds to the complexity of the hatch cover design. Moreover, the need for high temperatures and pressures in the hatch cover molding process leads to relatively high cost and other obvious problems. Additionally, the molding compound does not readily flow into deep ribs, bosses and related reinforcement areas of the hatch cover. Accordingly, reduced reinforcement and a decreased stiffening effect often results from imperfect formation of the hatch cover.
Although specifically directed not to walk across or stand on such railcar hatch covers, it is inevitable workers tend to stand or walk across the closed hatch covers as commodity is added or loaded into the railcar. Accordingly, hatch covers have typically been structurally designed with a "hat" section profile as an attempt to add strength and stiffness to the hatch cover. As will be appreciated, requiring such a profile adds to the complexity of the hatch cover design along with manufacturing process and, again, adds to the overall cost of the hatch cover. Moreover, the need for such a profile to accomplish rigidity and stiffness increases the weight of the hatch cover whereby detracting from the overall carrying capacity of the railcar.
Additionally, known railcar hatch covers typically include generally vertical sidewall structure arranged on opposite lateral sides of the longitudinal centerline of the hatch cover and which depend from a center section of the hatch cover. Each depending sidewall is joined to the center section of the hatch cover. Since each depending sidewall terminates below the top rim of the coaming, the sidewalls of the hatch cover advantageously inhibit dirt and related debris from passing between the hatch cover and the top rim of the coaming.
A problem has developed in known hatch cover designs. Cracks have been known to form in the material used to form the hatch cover. In some designs, such cracks have occurred and radiated in a corner region where the generally vertical depending sides of the hatch cover are joined to the center section of the hatch cover. It appears the cracks may be formed by the concentration of stress at the corner regions of the hatch cover. Such cracks allow water, and related contaminants to leak through the hatch cover thereby damaging the contents of the railroad hopper car. This is simply unacceptable.
Moreover, the Association of American Railroads ("AAR") has developed and established standards which set forth specific and requirements for the design and development for railcar hatch covers. One such standard established by the AAR defines specific criteria for maintaining the hatch cover in a predetermined sealing relationship with the top rim of the coaming when the hatch cover closed. Hatch covers must be sufficiently rigid to qualify under this and related AAR standards. In those hatch cover designs wherein the length of the hatch cover can measure up to thirteen feet between opposite ends thereof, this standard presents difficult design challenges.
Thus, there is a continuing need and a desire for a railcar hatch cover which has a simplistic lightweight design, and offers enhanced strength and stiffness over comparable known railcar hatch covers.


A child resistant device, incorporated with a disposable lighter, includes a pair of shelter wheels, each having a U-shaped cross section, supported on two sides of two driving wheels respectively and partially covering circumferential teeth surfaces of the two driving wheels respectively to define an actuating edge at an uncovered portion of the circumferential teeth surface of each of the driving wheels. Therefore, the disposable lighter only allows an adult""s thumb to press on the shelter wheels until the surface skin of the adult""s thumb contact with the actuating edges to rotate the driving wheels so as to ignite the disposable lighter.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a disposable lighter, and more particularly to a disposable lighter employed with a child resistant device for preventing under age children from igniting the disposable lighter.
2. Description of Related Arts
Commercially available disposable lighters are dangerous if users are handle carelessly, especially by young children. The inadvertent ignition of such disposable lighters may result in fires causing property damage and injury to people. Therefore, there is a need for a safety device that prevents inadvertent ignition of the disposable lighter or makes the lighters difficult for children to operate.
In response to the demands for a disposable lighter which is improved in safety in such a manner that inadvertent and unintentional ignition by those who are unfamiliar with the proper use of the lighter can surely be prevented. Childproof disposable lighters having different types of child resistant device have already been known.
There are two common kinds of a child resistant device. One kind of the child resistant device comprises a pair of driving caps coaxially and rotatably mounted at two outer sides of a striker wheel in an idle manner, such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,655,902; 5,096,414; 6,074,198; 5,997,281; and 5,846,069. In order to prevent the ignition of the lighter, clearance is provided between an outer circumferential surface of the striker wheel and the respective driving cap such that an adult user must apply a relative large force to press his or her thumb downwards until his or her thumb is in contact with and rub against the outer circumferential surface of the striker wheel. However, due to the idling design of the driving caps, the driving caps may easily to slip sideward, so as to misalign with the striker wheel. Therefore, the user""s thumb may merely get cut by the shape edge of the driving cap while igniting the lighter. Moreover, when an external matter, such as sand or tiny stone, enters to the clearance between the driving cap and the striker wheel, the driving cap is stunk with the striker wheel, which may loss the ordinary safety feature of the driving cap. In other words, the design of such driving cap cannot provide 100% safety feature for the disposable lighter.
Another kind of the child resistant device comprises a pair of protection discs coaxially mounted at two outer sides of a striker wheel, such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,769,625; 5,897,307; and 5,882,186, wherein each of the protection discs has an outer glossy circumferential surface for reducing a friction thereof, such that the child""s thumb will easily slip off on the protection discs, so as to prevent the lighter from being ignited by the child. However, such protection discs are somewhat difficult in operation for an adult user. The adult user must apply a relative large force to press his or her thumb downwards until his or her thumb is in contact with and rub against the outer circumferential surface of the striker wheel. Thus, the residue on the striker wheel may stick the user"" thumb after every ignition of the lighter. Therefore, the user""s thumb may feel painful and dirty his or her thumb as well.
Besides, a common drawback of the two kinds of child resistant device as mentioned above is that the lighter must be required to alter the structure of the ignition wheel assembly in order to fittedly mount the driving caps or the protective caps to the striker wheel. Due to the different safety standards between the United States and other foreign countries, the manufacturer of the lighter must change the design of the child resistant device in order to meet the safety requirement of each country. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the disposable lighter will be highly increased, which will loss the ordinary inexpensive feature of the disposable lighter.
A main object of the present invention is to provide a disposable lighter employed with a child resistant device does not require to alter the original structure of the disposable lighter.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a disposable lighter employed with a child resistant device for preventing under age children from igniting the disposable lighter.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a disposable lighter employed with a child resistant device, wherein the ignition of the disposable lighter of the present invention requires a simple single-action operation by an adult""s thumb.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a disposable lighter employed with a child resistant device which is adapted to be easily installed to all kinds of disposable lighter having a striker wheel.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a disposable lighter employed with a child resistant device, wherein no expensive or complicate structure is required to employ in the present invention in order to achieve the above mentioned objects. Therefore, the present invention successfully provides an economic and efficient solution for preventing the ignition of the disposable lighter accidentally and unintentionally by the children.
Accordingly, in order to accomplish the above objects, the present invention provides a disposable lighter, comprising:
a lighter body for receiving a liquefied fuel therein;
a mounting frame, which is sealedly affixed on top of the lighter body, comprising a first and a second supporting walls integrally, parallelly and longitudinally extended from two sides of the mounting frame, the mounting frame further having a vertical spring chamber between the first and second supporting walls;
a spring being received in the spring chamber;
a gas lever being pivotally mounted between the first and second supporting walls and having a central cutout to allow the spring penetrating therethrough to insert into the spring chamber, the gas lever further integrally providing a thumb pusher at one end thereof;
a gas valve with a gas nozzle extending upwards above the mounting frame being installed inside the mounting frame, the gas nozzle being engaged with another end of the gas lever, so that when the thumb pusher is pushed downwardly, the another end of the gas lever lifts the gas nozzle to release gas from an interior of the lighter body via the gas valve;
an ignition device, which comprises a flint having a bottom portion inserting into the spring chamber and being supported by the spring, a striker wheel having a circumferential coarse striking surface positioned right above the flint being rotatably mounted between the first and second supporting walls by means of a wheel axle, and two driving wheels coaxially attached at two sides of the striker wheel respectively, wherein each of the driving wheels has a circumferential teeth surface and a diameter larger than a diameter of the striker wheel; and
a child resistant device which comprises a pair of shelter wheels each including a protection disc connected integrally with a shelter ring extending perpendicularly from a circular edge of the protection disc so as to define a U-shaped cross section for each of the shelter wheels, each of the protection discs having a center hole for the wheel axle passing through so as to supportively position the two protection discs at two sides of the two driving wheels respectively, wherein an inner diameter of the shelter ring is larger than an outer diameter of the driving wheels so as to define safety gap between an inner circumferential surface of the shelter ring and the circumferential teeth surface of each of the driving wheels, wherein the two shelter rings are substantially extended to partially cover the circumferential teeth surfaces of the two driving wheels respectively, each of the two shelter rings having a width shorter than a thickness of each of the driving wheels, so as to define an actuating edge at an uncovered portion of the circumferential teeth surface of each of the driving wheels.
In order to ignite the disposable lighter, an adult""s thumb must be intentionally press on the shelter wheels downward until his or her thumb""s surface skin is in contact with the actuating edges of the driving wheels through the safety gaps. Meanwhile, by rotating the driving wheels, the striker wheel is driven to be rotated to ignite the disposable lighter.

Disposable lighter with child resistant device


An electronic tagged box comprises a box body; a buffer layer mounted inside the box body; an absorber mounted on one side of the buffer layer; and a RFID tag mounted outside the box body corresponding to the buffer layer, whereby receiving distance and range of the RFID tag can be increased.

In the conventional logistics, container transportation or commodities has mostly utilized bar codes for identification, wherein the bar codes are usually placed on the outmost layer of the commodities so it is hardly free of filth or damage. Once the bar codes get dirty, the bar-code reader cannot recognize them anymore so the identification of the bar codes becomes difficult. Besides, the bar codes make the whole procedure complicated and inefficient since the attaching and detaching steps of bar codes, which are respectively performed before and after identification, decrease progress rate of the whole procedure. As a result, better efficiency can be provided and significant time and cost can be saved by adoption of another identification method for omitting these attaching and detaching steps.
RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) system has been developed to fulfill these requirements. RFID system is a kind of identification system that utilizes radio waves to exchange desired information by wireless communication between readers and RFID tags (e.g. cards) that are attached to human body or objects, wherein each tag includes a memory IC, an antenna and a covering layer. The information stored in the tag of the RFID system is rewritable because of its digital format. As a result, the tags can be reused through recycling. For the passive RFID tags, there is no need to maintain or preserve them since they equip with no battery. The RFID tags can normally perform communication when they are covered with papers, wood or plastics. However, when covered with metal, no communication can be obtained.
In view of the aforementioned conventional deficiency, there is a need to increase receiving distance and range of RFID tag. As a result, the present inventor makes diligent studies to provide consumers with an electronic tagged box that capable of increasing receiving distance and range of RFID tag according to the motive of the present invention,


Device for susceptibility testing of bacterial pathogens and vaccine strains in poultry with a microtiter plate comprising a plurality of wells and at least one well with a coating containing an antibiotic of a marker of a vaccine strain for the vaccination of poultry.

The invention relates to a device for susceptibility testing of bacterial pathogens and vaccine strains in poultry, in particular chickens, turkeys and ducks.
Two methods are available to the microbiological laboratory for in-vitro susceptibility testing of bacterial pathogens: the diffusion method and the dilution method. The most frequently used diffusion method is the disc agar diffusion method. The resistance test is carried out on a solid medium and the inhibition zone diameter (IZD) is evaluated for a constant concentration of the active substance absorbed in the disc. The inhibition zone diameter breakpoints can be associated with the categories 'susceptible', 'intermediate' and 'resistant'.
Also based on the diffusion method, the E-test combines the use of a solid medium with a gradient of the active substance on a paper strip. The formation of an elliptical zone of inhibition allows the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) to be determined.
In the dilution method the growth of test bacteria in a liquid medium is tested in the series dilution test in the presence of different concentrations of the active substance. The susceptibility of the pathogen relative to the different concentrations of active substance is analysed by determining the MIC (primary method). For human medicine diagnosis the series dilution test has been established as the standard method of investigation for a high sample throughput. In diagnostic veterinary medicine this is preferably used for bacterial pathogens isolated from pigs and cattle, in order to establish the current resistance situation of bacterial pathogens in livestock. The quantitive method also assists the vet in the choice of active substance and therefore the success of the treatment.
Methods which can be standardised and automated are thus available for susceptibility testing of bacterial pathogens in poultry. There are however no corresponding methods for discriminating and determining field strains and vaccine strains in poultry. Moreover, this is not in combination with an antibiogram.
From this, the object of the invention is to provide a device for susceptibility testing of bacterial pathogens and vaccine strains in poultry which can be standardised and automated.
The device according to the invention for the susceptibility testing of bacterial pathogens and vaccine strains in poultry has a microtiter plate comprising a plurality of wells with at least one well with a coating containing an antibiotic of a marker of a vaccine strain for the vaccination of poultry.
The coating present in at least one well of the microtiter plate allows discrimination between a pathogenic field strain of a bacterial pathogen and the vaccine strain cultivated for vaccination which can be discriminated from the field strain. The discrimination is based on the fact that the vaccine strain comprises a marker which is accompanied by increased resistance or increased susceptibility of the vaccine strain towards an antibiotic. The coating is in the solid state and is applied in a manner known to the person skilled in the art. If a bacterial pure culture in suspension in a suitable nutritive solution is dispensed into a well comprising a coating containing the antibiotic, the antibiotics are thus rehydrated and regain their full effectiveness. After incubation (for example at 35 to 37° C. for 18 to 24 hours) the growth of the bacteria can be measured. Using the growth of the bacteria it can be determined whether it is a pathogen or a vaccine strain. The growth of resistant vaccine strains is not affected by the coating, namely in comparison with field strains. The growth of susceptible vaccine strains, however, is affected by the coating compared to that of field strains. Bacterial growth is indicated by increasing turbidity of the suspension. This can be measured visually or objectively by means of a photometer with no room for interpretation by the user. This allows the uptake of vaccines by poultry to be monitored and field strains to be combatted by a standardised test. The device can also be used for automatic processing.
According to an embodiment at least one well comprises a coating containing an antibiotic of a marker of a salmonella vaccine strain. It refers for example to antibiotics which are markers of salmonella metabolic drift mutants or vaccine strains. Furthermore, it refers, for example, to specific antibiotics which have increased susceptibility to the salmonella vaccine strain due to an envelope marker. Similar salmonella vaccine strains are revealed in the European Patent EP 0 263 528 B1 (in particular in the claims and in the tables in lines 26 to 49 of page 5) and in the European Patent EP 0 642 796 B1 (in particular in the claims and the tables on page 6, lines 30 to 46). The publication of the two European Patents relating to salmonella metabolic drift mutants and salmonella envelope mutants is included in the present Application. Corresponding live marker vaccines for poultry are marketed by the Applicant under the trademark Salmonella VAC® T and Salmonella VAC® E.
According to an embodiment of the invention at least one well has a coating containing an antibiotic selected from the antibiotics Streptomycin (STRE), Rifampicin (RAM), Erythromycin (ERYD). Streptomycin and Rifampicin are metabolic drift markers of vaccine strains which are cited in EP 0 263 528 B1 and EP 0 642 796 B1. The vaccine strains cited in EP 0 642 796 B1 have an envelope marker which gives it an increased susceptibility relative to Erythromycin. Salmonella VAC® T and VAC® E have been developed on the basis of vaccine strains from the two Patents.
According to an embodiment at least one well contains a coating comprising a therapeutically relevant antibiotic for poultry. This makes it possible to check the effectiveness of a therapeutically relevant antibiotic for poultry against a bacterial culture isolated from poultry. In this test an isolated bacterial culture in suspension in a suitable nutritive solution is also dispensed into the well and incubated. Finally, the growth of the bacterial culture is verified with reference to the turbidity. Changes in the susceptibility and the resistance of bacterial isolates towards antibiotics are visible therefrom. This information can be used for determining the state of health of poultry, monitoring resistance and for therapeutic treatment by the vet.
The coating contains an antibiotic which is a therapeutically relevant antibiotic and which is of particular significance or frequently used for the treatment of infectious diseases of poultry. Preferably a plurality of wells with different coatings are provided with a plurality of therapeutically relevant antibiotics. The therapeutic relevance of antibiotics can change over time. New therapeutically relevant antibiotics can appear. The invention includes all antibiotics which at the time and in the future are important for the therapeutic treatment of poultry.
One embodiment comprises at least one well with a coating comprising an antibiotic selected from the antibiotics Ampicillin (AMP), Ceftiofur (CET), Colistin (CST), Enrofloxacin (ENRO), Erythromycin (ERY), Gentamicin (GEN), Lincomycin (LIN), Neomycin (NEO), Oxacillin (OXA), Penicillin G (PEN), Spectinomycin (SPEC), Streptomycin (STRE), Tetracycline (TET), Tiamulin (TIA), Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (T/S). It also refers to antibiotics which have been determined by the Applicant to be currently of high therapeutic relevance for poultry. Ceftiofur is not allowed for the treatment of poultry. Determining the use of Ceftiofur is however interesting for the diagnosis. A plate with a plurality of wells with coatings comprising different antibiotics allows an antibiogram to be established for a bacterial culture isolated from poultry.
If the antibiotic has a predetermined concentration in the coating, a quantitive report on the effectiveness of the antibiotic against the pathogen or the vaccine strain is possible. The test is preferably carried out in accordance with the documentation of the standard procedure criteria, which have been issued by the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS), Wayne, Pa., USA. These are to be found in: National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (2002); Performance Standards for Antimicrobial Disk and Dilution Susceptibility Tests for Bacteria Isolated from Animals; Approved Standard—Second Edition, Document M31-A2, Vol. 22, No. 6, NCCLS, Wayne, Pa., USA.
According to a further embodiment, the coatings of different receivers contain the same antibiotics in different concentrations. This allows quantitive information taken on the MIC as to the effectiveness of an antibiotic against a bacterial culture isolated from poultry. The effectiveness of the antibiotic in-vitro against a specific pathogen can be determined using MIC breakpoints. These are shown corresponding to the clinical categories as susceptible, intermediate and resistant.
Moreover, according to an embodiment, coatings of different receivers contain the antibiotic in a concentration corresponding to the lower breakpoint and the upper breakpoint. The lower breakpoint corresponds to an MIC value which completely prevents sufficient and visible bacterial growth, ie the bacterial isolate is susceptible to the antibiotic. The upper breakpoint corresponds to an MIC value which only partially prevents sufficient and visible bacterial growth and indicates intermediate effectiveness of the antibiotic. Therefore the measurement of MIC values over the upper breakpoint indicates the resistance of the bacterial isolate toward a specific antibiotic. The lower breakpoint and upper breakpoints are respectively taken from the current documentation.
For the embodiment of the invention references are provided in the section of the description devoted to carrying out the test. The wells are coated with the active substance or the antibiotic, such that the desired concentration of active substance is reached by introducing a defined sample amount in the sample.
According to a further embodiment a plurality of wells have the same coating. This allows comparative measurements which increase the reliability of the susceptibility test.
One embodiment comprises at least one well without a coating. This allows a comparative measurement on a bacterial culture, of which the growth is not affected.
One embodiment comprises a plurality of groups of wells, the wells in the groups comprising different coatings and the wells of different groups the same coatings. As a result further comparative measurements are possible.
According to a further embodiment the microtiter plate has 96 wells. This format facilitates working with manual pipettes, in particular. The invention however relates to microtiter plates with a different number of wells, for example 384 or 1536 wells which are in particular suited for processing by robots.
According to an embodiment the microtiter plate is packed in an airtight pouch and as a result the effectiveness of the coatings is guaranteed over a lengthy storage time at room temperature (15-25° C.). According to a further embodiment the pouch also contains a dessicant.


A cutter head comprising a plurality of coaxially disposed transmission shafts including a central transmission shaft and at least two tubular transmission shafts with each shaft having a cutting member, the shafts being driven independently with one another and any two radially adjacent shafts being driven to rotate in opposite directions, wherein diameters of the shafts are determined in such a manner that a sum of cutting areas covered by the cutting members of the shafts rotating in one direction is substantially equal to a sum of the cutting areas covered by cutting members of the shafts rotating in the opposite direction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cutter head, and particularly to a cutter head for a civil construction machine, such as a shield machine, a tunnel boring machine, a pipe-jacking drive shield machine, a casing drill and a roadheader, for excavating a tunnel, a pile hole, a caisson hole and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a nowadays boring machine used in a civil construction for excavating a deep hole or a tunnel having a circular cross section or the like, the cutter head of the machine is usually driven by a motor through a transmission shaft in order to carry out a single-direction rotary cutting on the soil over the entire cross section of the cutter head. However, such an arrangement involves several problems.
First, the machine body must be capable of resisting the reaction transmitted thereto from the soil through the cutting head during the cutting operation in order to prevent the machine body from rotating, bouncing or even being spoiled. In addition, since the cutter head rotates in a single direction about its axis of rotation, for example, in the clockwise direction as viewed toward the advancing direction of the cutter head, the excavated tunnel or hole inevitably gradually deviates from the predetermined route toward the right.
The solutions to the aforementioned problems have been none other than to increase the size and/or the weight of the machine in order to sustain the reaction produced during the cutting operation and to reduce the normal pressure exerted on the soil by the cutter head and/or decrease the rotating speed of the cutter head in order to minimize the deviation of the excavated tunnel or hole from the predetermined route.
However, while by taking the above measures it may be possible to solve the aforementioned prior art problems to a certain degree, the cost is increased due to the larger size and heavier weight of the machine and the cutting efficiency is lowered due to the smaller normal pressure exerted by the cutter head and the smaller rotating speed of the cutter head.
Moreover, with a conventional cutter head, since a single-direction rotary cutting over the entire cross section of the cutter head is performed on the soil, when the cutter head encounters a large single stone or the like, it is more often than not that the large single stone is inlaid onto and hence carried by the cutting head for rotation. Consequently, the cutter head stops advancing for excavating and the large stone carried by and rotating with the cutter head severely damages the soil surface previously cut.

Cutter head with cutting members that rotate relative to each other