A data card or display device has a display region of non-volatile, display medium, which is re-writable with humanly legible characters and an indexing track composed of a machine readable, coded pattern of indicia is marked along a datum edge thereof. A read-write terminal has a read head aligned with the indexing track and a write head which includes individual write elements extending laterally of a path of travel of the card or display device therethrough, thereby to erase and write pixels forming humanly legible characters at preselected longitudinal positions on the display region determined by indicia of the indexing track as detected by the read head. The pattern of indicia comprises two rows of identical, repeating indicia displaced by one quarter pitch.

The requirement to provide an alterable display of data or graphical representation in locations where no power is available, or is only intermittently available, has existed for some time. For example in cashless payment systems such as are used for vending and payphones, where magnetic or optical cards are used to store value, the credit remaining on the card can only be read during the time it remains inserted in a terminal device with display capability. At all other times the value and any other data on the card is invisible. Users of such cards would find it advantageous to be able to see at any time the remaining value of the card.
Developments of smart (integrated circuit) card technology for cashless payment and other applications requiring enhanced data storage capacity and security capability have highlighted the need to be able to display some of the variable data stored electronically on the types of card commonly used in such applications or data from an external source. Requirements include; the need to write data in alignment with fixed characters printed on the card, for example a currency symbol; writing multiple fields of data accurately in relation to descriptors printed on the card, for example `remaining credit`, `last transaction`, `appointment date`, `service due date`; to be able to modify the display to reflect changes in the value of the data recorded on the card and to provide the display function on thin cards similar to the common credit card which typically carry no energy source. Applications of smart cards are being developed to extend use from credit and debit to stored value functions and the electronic purse concept where the user may need to refer to the remaining value or values and other data on the card plus data from some other source in the absence of a terminal device with display capability. Other possible applications of non-volatile displays exist where costly permanent printing is periodically discarded and a new display installed. For example, product, price and bar code displays mounted on supermarket shelving units are from time to time required to be changed. Non-volatile re-writable display devices would offer a low cost, re-usable alternative.
There are known display materials which are responsive to magnetic fields or heat to reversibly produce contrasting light and dark areas such that with proper formatting any alpha or numeric character can be written or any graphical shape may be drawn with a suitable write mechanism. However, unlike electrically driven displays such as are typically found incorporated in battery operated calculators, remote controllers and similar devices, in which the display formatting framework is predetermined in manufacture, the magnetic field or heat sensitive display materials have no formatting framework and no integral means of self clearing and re-writing. A write mechanism must be provided, for convenience mounted in a card terminal or similar device, such that as the display is moved relative to the write mechanism, appropriate magnetic or heat stimuli are generated using electrical signals derived from stored data together with electrical power from the terminal device which may be either battery-or mains operated. The spatial formatting of characters to be written on the display is determined in a first dimension by the pitch of individual writing elements of the writing mechanism and in a second dimension by a measuring scale. Such scales may be part of the terminal device driven by frictional contact with the display material or display carrier. However such an arrangement has the disadvantage that card or carrier thickness variations cause variable frictional contact resulting in variable character formatting and positioning. A further disadvantage is that wear in the terminal devices will also cause variable formatting and positioning of characters. Yet a further disadvantage is the requirement for the terminal device to incorporate a large number of moving parts subject to wear and failure.
EP 0473403A2 published in 1992 discloses a card with an erasable re-writable medium used in apparatus which comprises an array of write heads and relies on drive rollers to position the card under the control of card positioning sensors which only detect the position of the card. There is no teaching of markings on the card to define the subsequent card location in the apparatus and the problems of writing to small or discrete write zones where precise positioning is necessary either to coincide with preprinted characters or to avoid destructive overlaps at edges of the fields. Evidently, reliance is placed on the provision of a relatively vast area of re-writable material covering the entire card face so the latter problem is not addressed.
WO 87/00945, published 1987, addresses the problem of transferring optical disk technology to a wallet size data card of 0.25 meg. capacity. The data is optically (re)written in minute, binary form by a 25 micron laser spot which cannot be confused with humanly legible characters. The references teaches reference position information on the recording strip, but only for guidance and definition of specific zones for different information, a well known disk formatting approach for defining data clusters, not to identify individually written humanly readable character locations.
GB 2161425A, published 1986, teaches a formatted data card which is not re-writable but only has provision for decrementing stored value sites so small (10.times.8 micron,) as to be effectively illegible. as the optical system follows a servo track and reads calibration marks. Reliance is placed on a grating system for interpolation between the calibration marks to adjust for card movement error in the environment of use showing that specific read/write sites are not sufficiently defined by markings on the card alone.
GB 2199684A, published 1988, teaches another system for writing and reading minute optical date on a formatted date card relating date records to control records which are placed on the card in an essentially arbitrary manner. The problem of accurately locating individual humanly legible characters is not addressed.
Although GB 2218041A, published 1989, is teaches provision of humanly visible markings aligned with a graticule, they are not erasable or re-writable with different values but are irreversibly changed to indicate that only fixed value has been used. They are in only linear array and the concept of forming a two dimensional graphical character is not addressed.
In so far as they may be relevant, the disclosures of the above are incorporated herein by reference.

Re-writable display device and system including a carrier having humanly legible characters and an indexing track


A carburetor for an internal combustion engine having a body that fastens at a first end to an air filter and at a second end to the intake port of a cylinder head. The body has an intake bore formed in the first end that receives air from the air filter, a throttle bore formed in the second end that provides a fuel/air mixture to the intake port, and a venturi formed between the intake bore and the throttle bore that receives air from the intake bore, provides fuel to form a fuel/air mixture, and provides the fuel/air mixture to the throttle bore. A bore is formed in the body from the venturi and receives a nozzle that communicates fuel to the venturi. A fuel enrichment system, which is responsive to the vibration of the engine, has a passage that communicates air from the intake bore, through the passage, to the nozzle. A valve seat is disposed within the passage and also has a passage to allow the flow of air therethrough. A ball is disposed within the passage of the fuel enrichment system that seats against the valve seat when the engine is below engine cranking speeds to prevent the passage of air through the valve seat. When the engine is above engine cranking speeds, the ball will resonate within the passage of the fuel enrichment system and unseat from the valve seat, thereby allowing the flow of air around the ball and through the valve seat.

Internal combustion engines require a higher proportion of fuel in the fuel/air mixture produced in the carburetor (enrichment) during engine start-up cranking speeds to provide easier starting of the engine. Currently, in standard internal combustion engines there are two primary methods of providing the correct fuel enrichment during start-up.
The first method is by the manual or electrical activation of a choke plate. The choke plate is located within the intake bore of the carburetor and can be opened or closed to allow the desired amount of air to flow into the intake bore. When opened, the choke plate completely opens the intake bore and allows the air to flow therethrough. When closed, the choke plate blocks the intake bore except for holes in the choke plate, which have sufficient area to allow a predetermined amount of air to flow into the intake bore to create proper enrichment for start-up.
One drawback to this method of fuel enrichment is that it requires operator interaction. If an engine is difficult to start, the operator must close the choke plate completely to properly enrich the engine for startup. If the choke plate is not completely closed there may not be enough fuel provided to the carburetor and the engine will continue to be difficult to start. In addition, once the engine is running, the operator must remember to open the choke plate or the engine will continue to run in the enriched condition which leads to rough running. A second drawback to this method of fuel enrichment is that it can also be prone to over enrichment, such as if the some or all of the holes in the choke plate become blocked, or under enrichment, such as if the choke plate is not completely closed. Over enrichment can cause hard starting and/or plug fouling.
The second method is by manual or electrical activation of a primer bulb. The primer bulb is typically integral to the carburetor body or remotely mounted to the engine assembly. When the primer bulb is pumped, air or fuel pressure is forced into the fuel circuit pushing the fuel into the carburetor throttle bore.
However, each of these methods have their own particular drawbacks. The first main drawback with the old methods of fuel enrichment is that operator interaction is required. When manually activated both of the above methods can result in not enough fuel being provided to the carburetor and therefore cause difficulty in start-up. The second main drawback is that both of the above methods are prone to over enrichment causing hard starting and/or plug fouling or under enrichment. Both of which prevent easy starting of the engine.
It would therefore be advantageous if a fuel enrichment system for a carburetor of an internal combustion engine could be designed that does not require operator interaction and avoids the problem of over or under enrichment.

Fuel enrichment system for carburetors for internal combustion engines


The present invention relates to a lock device for a door of the type with seating unit through the door shutter. The seating unit has a first seating body, a second seating body, a first cover and a second cover. There are provided connecting elements, generally self-tapping screws, that engage both the first cover to the first seating body and the second cover, closing the second seating body as a package thereinbetween. Among the other things, the lock device allows a wide rotation of the handle.

The lock devices of the above type comprise a handle, a square pin, handle return means, an engagement unit and seating unit, placed through the door shutter thickness.
The seating unit is inserted through the door shutter, in an especially made hole. The square pin is inserted through the unit, at the end thereof there are mounted the handles; the return means are seated in the unit and are engaged with the square pin; the square pin is also engaged with the engagement unit, comprising an engagement element, in the jargon called "bolt", suitable for engaging the door shutter to the jamb thereof, for keeping the door closed.
The seating unit must meet several requirements, to make a durable lock device functional to the requirements of user and installer.
In particular, the seating unit must make a suitable support for the handles, often heavy, and must reliably absorb the actions relieved thereon for the repeated actuations of the handles.
For installation requirements, the seating unit comprises two bodies slidingly associable to one another, for adapting the unit to different dimensions of the door shutter thickness.
To make a unit sufficiently resistant to the above actions it is therefore necessary that the two component bodies thereof are strongly engaged to each other.
In known embodiments, such requirement is partly met through screws that engage the two unit bodies.
The bodies seat the elastic return means, so there are provided covers for covering the return means seating rooms. Also the covers must be strongly engaged with the bodies.
In known embodiments, such requirement is met through three screws that engage the covers to the bodies.
The above requirements create a set of structural hindrances inside the seating unit that strongly limit the available angle of rotation for the handle rotation.


This invention relates to the field of producing bioplastics. Specifically, it relates to a method of producing all key ingredients of bioplastic making from pumpkins and making of bioplastic with these ingredients. More specifically, glycerin and other chemicals are extracted from pumpkin seed oil and mixed with starches that in the pumpkin flesh and then reinforced with pumpkin fibers to make bioplastic. The bioplastic produced with the method as disclosed in this invention possess superior properties in tensile strength and biodegradability compared to bioplastic made with petroleum derived glycerin.

Plastic and Plastic Waste
Plastic is a carbon-rich raw material consisting of any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic compounds that are malleable and so can be molded into any forms. Most of the plastics produced in the world is made from petrochemicals. In the process of producing plastics, crude oil is first refined into ethane, propane and other intermediates, from which ethylene and propylene are transformed under a high temperatures. In the process, plastic polymers will be formed from these monomers with the presence of catalysts. Because of the natural degradation of plastics takes a very long time, as a result, plastic waste is ubiquitous in every corner of the environment. Moreover, petroleum is a non-renewable commodity. The environmental concern long drove the need for producing biodegradable plastic from a renewable source.
Bioplastics and Biopolymers
In the current art, multiple methods exist to produce bioplastics from renewable biomass such as carbohydrate, protein or polyesters.
Carbohydrate Based Bioplastics
Starch and cellulose are common starting carbohydrates for bioplastics. Starch, when adding with additives, can be processed thermo-plastically. The addition of other biodegradable polyesters can improve its malleability. Starch based bioplastics account approximately half of the bioplastics in the market. Despite its abundance and versatility, significant challenge still exists to increase the physical properties of starch-based composites. Moreover, many starch based plastic shows less favored biodegradability. Cellulose, a structural component in plant cell wall, is a polysaccharide consisting of a linear chain of several hundred to many thousands of (C6H10O5)n units. Cellulose film or paper had a long history of application in various industries. The hydroxyl groups of cellulose can partially or fully react with various reagents to produce cellulose esters which can then be produced into bioplastic. The main disadvantage of cellulose based bioplastic its hydrophilic nature. Very often, the plastic made from cellulose possess low water vapor barrier and have poor process ability. It also has high brittleness, limited long-term stability and poor mechanical properties.
Polyester Polylactic Acid (PLA) Based Bioplastic
Another commonly used plant based raw material is PLA. PLA derived from lactic acid which is a fermented byproduct from dextrose which is in turn derived from many plants, mainly corn. It is a thermoplastic, biodegradable aliphatic polyester having potential for packaging applications. The lactic acid monomers are either directly poly-condensed or undergo ring-opening polymerization of lactide to form PLA pellets. PLA is the first bio-based polymer commercialized on a large scale and replaced high-density polyethylene, low-density polyethylene (LDPE), and polyethylene terephthalate (PETP) as packaging material in certain degree. However, it exhibits inferior impact strength, thermal robustness, and barrier properties.
Problem of the Existing Methods
Despite multiple methods of producing bioplastic, significant hurdles exist in achieving the goal of replacing petroleum-based plastic. First, not all starting organic materials in current methods come from plant sources. The currently available bioplastic still carries heavy carbon footprint. Second, Existing methods produce bioplastics from maize, sugarcane, wheat and other crops. It had been reported that bioplastics had contributed to the global food crisis by taking over large areas of land previously used to grow crops for human consumption. In summary, there is an urgent need for a cost effective method to synthetize biodegradable bioplastic from entire plant source.
Pumpkins as a Source for Bioplastic
Pumpkin is constantly wasted each year, making it an inexpensive feedstock for bioplastics. On average, the U.S. produces 1.9 billion pounds of pumpkin each year, with approximately 80 percent ended up in the landfill, causing greenhouse gas emissions. A reverse logistic solution is possible to collect otherwise wasted pumpkins to a centralized location and offer a commercially viable alternative to petroleum-based plastics. In addition, pumpkins have a composition of carbohydrate and polyester that is favorable to bioplastic production. Last but not least, pumpkin stems contain a great amount of plant fibers that can provide strength reinforcement for bioplastic production.

Method of producing plant biomass-based bioplastic


A drive circuit for energizing an engine fuel injector coil from a power source which has energy storage means responsive to a first control signal for selectively storing energy from the power source, and means responsive to a second control signal for selectively discharging energy stored in the energy storage means into said injector coil. The stored energy is discharged into the injector coil in addition to energy from the power source, to more rapidly open the fuel injector. In a preferred embodiment, the circuit has an inductor in circuit with the fuel injector, an inductor driver switch to control the flow of current through the inductor and an injector driver switch to control the flow of current through the fuel injector. When the inductor is energized by its associated switch, it stores significant electromagnetic energy therein, which is transferred to the injector when it is desired to open the injector to deliver an increased current to the injector to more quickly open it and reduce the start delay time for the injection event.

It is well known to use electronic fuel injectors to supply the fuel demands of an automotive engine. Typical automotive engines use one of two types of injectors, commonly referred to as "saturation" and "peak and hold" injectors. The performance of these fuel injectors is generally sufficient for an automotive, four-stroke engine or for crankcase scavenged two-stroke engines where both the air and fuel delivered to the engine are passed through the crankcase. With those types of engines, the duration of the injection event is longer than that of a directly injected two-stroke engine.
In a directly injected two-stroke engine, the fuel injector is typically placed in communication with the combustion chamber through either a cylinder wall or the cylinder head. Thus, fuel is supplied directly from the fuel injector to the combustion chamber which greatly limits the time available to complete the injection event. The injection event is further limited in a two-stroke engine as compared to a four-stroke engine because of the high revolutions per minute (RPM) at which a two-stroke engine may operate, with a typical maximum RPM of a two-stroke engine at about 12,000 RPM'S. Still further, in a two-stroke engine the injection event occurs with every revolution of the crankshaft as compared to every other revolution in a four-stroke engine. These limitations provide a total available injection time of about 3 milliseconds or less at high engine speeds. The current electrical circuits used to drive the fuel injectors have a relatively long start delay which is the time required to open the fuel injector after the electrical signal has been sent to the injector to open it. With the limited available injection time, it is desirable if not necessary to minimize the start delay time to insure that adequate fuel can be delivered to the engine at high engine speeds and loads wherein the engine demands a high quantity of fuel. While peak and hold type injectors have reduced the start delay time as compared to saturation injectors, a relatively long start delay time remains and the high voltage power supply required by some peak and hold circuitry is expensive.


Linear and cyclic peptides of the E1 and C protein of the rubella virus are disclosed. These peptides and analogues, are useful in detecting and quantifying antibodies raised against the rubella virus. They are also useful in raising antibodies to the rubella virus for use in the diagnosis of and protection against rubella viral infections.

Rubella was first described in Germany in the 18th century and is, therefore, often referred to as German measles. It is a highly contagious disease characterized by a general rash and a mild fever. Its clinical aspects were, for a long time, confused with other infections, including measles. The major risk associated with rubella infection occurs during pregnancy when severe damage to the fetus can result in deafness, cataracts, cardiac abnormalities and microencephaly.
The rubella virus, the etiologic agent of rubella, belongs to the Togaviridae family. It is a roughly spherical enveloped virus about 60 nm in diameter. Its genome consists of a single positive stranded RNA (10 Kb). The envelope contains lipoproteins derived from host infected cells, a non-glycosylated nucleocapsid protein--C(33K)--and two glycoproteins-E1(58K) and E2(42-47K). The latter, responsible for the hemagglutination activity of the rubella virus, are acylated and linked by disulfide bonds.
Three strains of rubella virus (Therien, Judith, M33) have been described and portions of their genomes have been sequenced (Frey et al., 1986, Virology 154, 228-232; Terry et al., 1988, Arch. Virol. 98, 189-197; Clarke et al., 1987, Nucl. Acids Res. 15, 3041-3057).
Although rubella can be diagnosed by inoculating infected materials (usually nasopharyngeal secretions) into susceptible cell cultures, the most widely used diagnostic tests are based on the hemagglutinating properties of its glycoproteins. In those assays ("HAI"), the presence in a serum sample of antibodies to a hemagglutinin prevents the virus from binding to red blood cells (usually from chicken blood) thus inhibiting hemagglutination (Peetermans and Huygelen, 1967, Presse Med. 75, 2177-2178 and Lennette and Schmidt, 1979, in "Diagnostic Procedures for viral, rickettsial and chlamydial infections", 5th Ed., American Public Health Association Inc., Washington). In such assays an increase in HAI antibody titers reflects a recent infection.
Since the introduction or enzyme-labeled antibodies (Avrameas, 1969, Immunochemistry 6, 43-52), enzyme-linked-immunosorbent assays (ELISA) have been used for the diagnosis of a large variety of viral and bacterial infections, including rubella infections. Serodiagnosis of rubella infections using ELISA techniques, for example, was first described by Voller and Bidwell (1975, Br. J. Exp. Pathol. 56, 338-339).
In ELISA, viral extracts are typically coated onto the surface of plastic wells and antibodies (if any) in a serum sample or analyte are bound to the adsorbed proteins from the viral extracts. After appropriate washing, the presence of antibodies bound to the proteins in the well is detected using antibodies to human immunoglobulins conjugated to a signal, such as a horseradish peroxidase. After washing off unbound signal, the levels of enzymatic activity in each well are measured. Other forms and variations of ELISA are also well known and often used.
The introduction of ELISA for the specific determination of rubella IgM and IgG has been responsible for the rapid decline (i.e., from 45% in 1978-1980 to 19% in 1982) of HAI diagnostic assays for rubella viral infections (Steece et al., 1985, J. Clin. Microbiol. 21 (1), 140-142). Compared to HAI tests, ELISA requires no pre treatment of the sera and only one or two dilutions per serum sample . The amount of antigenic material used in ELISA is also smaller than what was required in the former HAI assays.
There are unfortunately several problems with presently used ELISA diagnostic tests for rubella infection. Specifically, internal variations between wells and between different batches of rubella antigens used to coat the wells are often observed. These variations are likely a consequence of various difficulties encountered in reproducibly isolating the rubella virus from host cell cultures.
The production of the rubella virus in tissue cultures is technically difficult. The virus grows to low titers, is difficult to separate from cellular membrane debris and is highly labile (Ho-Terry et al. 1986, Arch Virol. 87, 219-228; Chagnon and LaFlamme, 1964, Can. J. Microbiol. 10, 501-03). This makes it difficult to isolate the virus from cellular debris originating from host cells. In an attempt to overcome this problem, most ELISA techniques for detecting rubella infection employ a series of wells coated with extracts prepared with uninfected cells and another series of wells coated with extracts prepared from rubella-infected cells. Each serum sample is then tested on both series of wells and the net response is calculated by subtraction of the signal measured on the wells coated with extracts prepared with uninfected cells from the one measured on the wells coated with extracts prepared with rubella-infected cells.
Terry et al. (1988, Arch. Virol. 98, 189-197) and Ho-Terry et al. (1986, Arch. Virol. 90, 145-152 and European Patent Application No. 88306191.3) refer to the reactivity of three non-competing monoclonal antibodies directed against the rubella E1 glycoprotein. The epitopes bound by each of these monoclonal antibodies have been identified and are designated EP1, EP2 and EP3. Monoclonal antibodies directed to EP1 and EP2 exhibit both hemagglutination inhibition and neutralizing activity. Monoclonal antibodies to EP3 exhibit only neutralizing activity. The exact location of these three epitopes in the viral genome is shown in FIG. 1. None of these documents describes synthetic peptides corresponding to the EP1, EP2 or EP3 epitopes. It is thus not known how useful synthetic peptides corresponding to such epitopes might be in the development of a diagnostic test for rubella antibody detection.
The rubella pandemic of 1963-1965 prompted the development of a vaccine against rubella. (Parkman et al., 1966, N. Engl. J. Med. 275, 569-574). It was comprised of live attenuated viruses and is immunogenic in at least 95% of the recipients. While neutralizing antibodies appear later than following a natural infection and at levels as much as ten-fold lower, the vaccine-stimulated antibodies nonetheless effectively protect recipients from the disease. The present rubella vaccines, however, have some drawbacks. For example, a significant proportion of vaccinees suffer occasional arthritis (mainly seen in adult women), mild rash, fever and lymphadenopathy. Protection conferred by the vaccine also lasts for only 5-10 years, rather than the longer-lasting immunity that follows natural infection. Most importantly, small amounts of infectious virus typically appear in the nasopharynx 2-3 weeks after immunization, making vaccination very dangerous for pregnant women coming in close contact with a recently vaccinated person or even worse having herself been vaccinated while not knowing she was pregnant.
Vaccines based on synthetic or recombinant peptides would not present this hazard because the antigenic material would be totally innocuous. However, such vaccines are not now available and the immunogenicity and neutralizing properties of peptide-based vaccines are unknown. Furthermore, not all peptides are expected to be useful in vaccines. For example, high antibody titers in HAI tests do not correlate well with protection against rubella infection (Partridge et al., 1981, Br. Med. J. 282, 187-188). This may be due to the fact that epitopes involved in hemagglutination and neutralization are different (Trudel et al, 1982, J. Virol. Methods 5, 191-197). Diagnosis based on the detection of neutralizing antibodies, on the other hand, should have a high predictive value for immune status and prevention of rubella infection.
These differences are important, not only in evaluating peptide-based vaccines against rubella but in assaying the immune status of patients with respect to rubella infectivity. For example, the "purified" rubella antigens now available are potentially infective and carry both the hemagglutinating and neutralizing epitopes. Thus, specific tests for immune status using these antigens are questionable, and the antigens used in those vaccines may be infectious.
Considering these problems, we have selected certain peptide sequences on the E1 and C proteins of the rubella virus and prepared peptides defined by them. Our peptides selected for their ability to bind high levels of antibodies, as measured by an ELISA, are useful in diagnostic tests for rubella infection. Peptides of this invention recognized by neutralizing antibodies are also useful as the active ingredient of a totally innocuous rubella vaccine.

Peptides and analogues and mixtures thereof for detecting and eliciting antibodies to rubella virus


The hearing device is adapted to automatically requesting an establishment of a communication connection to at least one hearing device support provider. The hearing device support provider may comprise a person knowledgeable in hearing devices, at the hearing device seller and/or at the hearing device manufacturer, and it may comprise a computer with a suitable software. Said automatically requesting said establishment of said communication connection will usually happen, when at least one change in internal status of the hearing device occurs, like a failure or a memory overflow or the upcome of a repeatedly occurring event. The hearing device may by itself decide upon the type of change in internal status, which hearing device support provider to connect to. Typically, at least one long-range communication connection is involved.

Hearing devices, e.g., hearing aids, need, like other devices, some maintenance. When, e.g., a problem occurs in the hearing device, and the user of the hearing device realizes this, said user will usually contact the hearing device seller, his audiologist, or his hearing device fitter in order to get the problem solved. This requires that said user figures out that his hearing device has a problem, and that said user walks by his support person or calls his support person via telephone or the like.
From WO 01/54458 A2 hearing systems and corresponding methods are known, which involve mobile communication devices in fitting, programming or upgrading said hearing systems.
From EP 1 256 260 B1 a fitting system is known, which involves a mobile phone in a fitting process of a hearing system.

Hearing system, hearing device and method of operating and method of maintaining a hearing device


A dual connecting interface memory card directed to a flash memory card, one edge of which is configured with MMC standard connecting terminals, and another edge is configured with a 4-pin USB standard connecting terminal. A detachable cutaway piece is disposed at a side of the edge having the USB standard connecting terminals. After detaching the cutaway piece, it is embedded onto a bottom portion of the edge having the USB standard connecting terminals, thereby forming an end compliant with USB connector port specifications for plugging therein. Hence, the dual connecting interface memory card achieves integrating MMC and USB standards into one memory card.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a dual connecting interface memory card, and more particularly to a flash memory card that integrates a 4-pin USB (Universal Serial Bus) connecting terminal structure into an existing MMC (Multi Media Card) standard flash memory card, thereby providing two standard connecting interfaces to access data stored in the memory card.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
The characteristics of flash memory include being able to retain the data stored therein when the power supply to the flash memory is disconnected, and the non-requirement for a motor to actuate it. Such characteristics have made flash memory find favor with related electrical appliance industries. However, in order to accommodate the demand for portability of stored data, many operators have developed information and electrical appliances with a flash memory card embedded inside, including such products as: mobile phones, PDAs (personal digital assistant), digital cameras, MP3 music players, and so on. Thus, the extensive and rapid rise in use of flash memory embedded in information products can be seen in order to meet the growing demand for data access.
However, competition and division of interests in related industries have resulted in manufacturers one after another developing their own flash memory card each conforming to different standards, including a Compact-Flash Card, abbreviated to CF card, a Secure-Digital Card, abbreviated to SD card, a Memory-Stick Card abbreviated to MS card, a Smart-Media Card, abbreviated to SM card, a XD Picture Card abbreviated to XD card, a Multi Media Card abbreviated to MMC card, and a Smart Media Card, abbreviated to SM card. The aforementioned memory card standards are those currently found on the market.
External form, thickness, width, length and the connecting terminals are used to distinguish the different memory card standards. However, it can also be said that the number of connecting terminal pins of the aforementioned existing memory cards is somewhat convoluted. Moreover, the different memory cards are not mutually compatible, for instance, the CF card has 50 pins, the SD card has 9 pins, the MS card has 10 pins, the MMC card has 7 pins, the SM card has 22 pins, and so on. Furthermore, each memory card standard requires a specific card reader device to read the data stored therein. Although currently there are multi-card readers able to read memory cards conforming to different standards, however, the multi-card reader device must accurately calculate the position of the connecting terminal pins of various different memory card standards in order to differentiate the different memory cards. Hence, the more connecting terminal pins there are, the greater the impact on manufacturing costs and restraint on research and development.
Accordingly, the inventor of the present invention has integrated the common and widespread USB standard connecting interface into an existing MMC standard memory card with the objective to provide a flash memory card having two connecting interfaces.


A method of determining diagnostic limits for a vane position sensing system installed in a variable nozzle turbocharger (VNT). The method includes defining mechanical input probability distribution functions (PDFs) of the VNT, describing the vane position sensing system in terms of component models and defining component parameter PDFs for parameters associated with the component models. Vane position signal PDFs based are generated on the mechanical input PDFs, the component models and the component parameter PDFs, and diagnostic limits are set for the vane position sensing system based on the vane position signal PDFs.

Turbocharged engines commonly include an exhaust driven turbocharger that increases engine output by increasing airflow to the cylinders. As a result, turbocharged engines provide increased horsepower over equivalently sized naturally aspirated engines.
One turbocharger design includes a variable nozzle turbocharger (VNT). VNT's include variable position vanes that regulate the amount of air delivered through the VNT. The vane position ranges from a fully-open position to a fully-closed position. In the fully-closed position, the VNT delivers a maximum amount of airflow to the engine. In the fully-open position, the VNT delivers a minimum amount of airflow to the engine. The vanes can be positioned between the fully-open and fully-closed positions to provide an intermediate amount of airflow to the engine. A vane actuator adjusts the vane position based on a control signal and a vane position sensor generates a signal indicating the actual vane position for feedback control.
Diagnostics are performed to ensure proper operation of the VNT and the vane position sensor. Traditionally, diagnostic limits are established for the fully-open and fully-closed positions. These diagnostic limits are initially established based on VNT specifications and physical system level measurements using test and development of systems/components. The diagnostic limits may be adjusted through trial and error test methods. As a result, the diagnostic limits typically do not properly account for VNT aging effects, interacting effects of the position sensor with a controller or for manufacturing variation. Further, traditional diagnostics do not include diagnostic limits for the range or span between the fully-open and fully-closed positions.

Model-based statistical process to determine diagnostic limits in a sensor position system for a turbocharger


A boring and facing head, rotatively driven by the mandrel of a machine tool, with a turning tool mounted on a mounting slide, which may be controllably driven transversely of the axis (X) of the head body by a threaded shaft (12) operatively connected to a cylinder body (11), integral with a mandrel (4) and rotatably housing a ring gear (17), operatively connected to a gear wheel (19), driven by a controllable motor (8) and wherein the ring gear (17) comprises a circumferential tooth arrangement engaging with a gear wheel (52), integral with the driving shaft (12).

The present invention relates to a boring and facing head.
As is known, such a head can be used in a machine tool and can be made by a numeric controlled system.
The boring and facing head being coupled, either manually or automatically, to a mandrel of a machine tool, such as a central working unit or a special machine, to perform many freely selectable turning, facing or boring operations, the workpiece being machined being held locally stationary.
In operation said head performs its chip removal operations by a turning tool, mounted on a mounting slide controllably driven transversely of an axis X of the machine tool mandrel.
Boring and facing heads are well known in the prior art thereby they do not require a further detailed disclosure.
However, since said heads comprise a comparatively complex epicycloidal mechanism for operatively driving the machining tool, the driving speed of the turning tool supporting slide is very low, even if modern machine tools would allow the machining tool supporting slide to be driven with a very high driving speed to drastically reduce the machine tool dead time and undesirable excessive heat generation, negatively affecting said head and its working accuracy.


A tool bit has an axially extending shank section (1) to be inserted into a chuck in a manually-operated tool. The tool bit has an axially extending working section extending from the shank section. In the end region of the shank section remote from the working section there are first faces (2) acting in the axial direction and second faces (3) acting in the circumferential direction. In addition, the shank section (1) has entrainment faces (4a) spaced axially from the first and second faces toward the working section. The entrainment faces (4a) are located radially outwardly from the first and second faces (2, 3). The entrainment faces (4a) are part of grooves formed by a profiled section of the shank section and the grooves are open in the axial direction toward the first and second faces. The entrainment faces (4a) are radially spaced outwardly from the outer surface of the part of the shank section containing the first and second faces, so that they are able to transmit larger torques.

The present invention is directed to a tool bit to be inserted into a chuck in a manually operated tool used for chisel-cutting and/or percussion drilling. The tool bit has a shank section and a working section with the end region in the shank section remote from the working section containing first and second faces effective in the axial and circumferential directions. In addition, the shank section has radially extending entrainment faces located in a part of the shank section projecting radially outwardly from the outer surface of the shank section containing the first and second faces. The entrainment faces are spaced, relative to the first and second faces, toward the working section of the tool bit.
Known tools of the above type usually have faces acting in circumferential direction for transmitting torque and other faces acting in the axial direction for the axial retention of the tool bit in the chuck of a hand-held or manually operated tool. It is common to locate the faces acting in the circumferential direction in the driving or entrainment grooves which are open towards the free end of the shank section.
The tool bit chuck for the above-mentioned tool bits has a receiving region usually containing entrainment strips forming counterfaces for the faces acting in the circumferential direction. It is conventional for axial retention to provide grooves closed at the ends extending transversely of the axial direction and located in the shank section of the tool bit with radially displaceable locking elements in the chuck for engagement in the closed ended grooves. Accordingly, it is necessary to disengage or shift the locking elements from the grooves in the shank section to remove the tool bit from the chuck. Tool bits as well as a tool bit chuck of this type are known, such as disclosed in DE-PS 25 51 125.
While the faces of the tool bit acting in the axial direction do not have to meet any special requirements, since they are necessary only for retaining the tool bit in the chuck, the faces acting in the circumferential direction have to meet very considerable requirements, because the torque which they transmit may be very high. As a result of the torque to be transmitted, the faces acting in circumferential direction require appropriate generous dimensions. Since the size of the shank section is limited, the dimensions of the faces acting in the circumferential direction are also limited, especially since such dimensions involve a cross-sectional weakening of the shank section. All of these limiting values regarding the dimension of the faces acting in the circumferential direction entail, in view of the torque to be transmitted especially with tool bits having larger diameter in the working region, excessive wear of the faces leading to premature failure of the tool bits.
To afford additional faces effective in the circumferential direction, a tool bit with projections is known from DE-OS 38 43465, with the projections located closer to the working section of the tool bit than the other faces. These projections protruding beyond the diameter of the shank section form entrainment faces cooperating with matching counterfaces on the tool bit chuck known from the above patent publication. These entrainment faces, however, cannot meet the requirements for sufficiently reducing the load acting on the faces effective in the circumferential direction at the occurring high torques. The reason for this is, on one hand, that the entrainment faces protrude directly from the diameter of the shank section, so that the moment to be carried is too small and, on the other hand, that the radial dimension is too small and leads to entrainment faces which are also too small.

Tool bit and tool bit chuck for manually operated tools


To provide a vehicle which can move independently as an own independent vehicle and can run integrally in linkage with another vehicle. A plurality of single-seat vehicles which can move independently are combined and they move integrally while a predetermined formation is maintained through linkage among respective vehicles. One of all the vehicles moving in linkage serves as a host vehicle and an occupant in the host vehicle becomes a driver in the linkage moving. A host vehicle 1 runs with speed/direction according to running operation conducted by an occupant. Simultaneously therewith, the host vehicle 1 instructs following vehicles 2 to 4 to synchronize (follow) the host vehicle. The host vehicle 1 transmits a speed, a direction, and a relative position to the host vehicle to the following vehicles 2 to 4 as moving information in order to synchronize the following vehicles with the host vehicle (maintain linkage relationship). The following vehicles 2 to 4 move based upon a follow-up instruction and feed status information including speeds and directions of the following vehicles, and their own positions back to the host vehicle 1 as own vehicle information.

In a conventional vehicle such as an automobile, its size cannot be changed regardless of the number of occupants. Therefore, even when a vehicle moves together with only one occupant, the vehicle must move accompanying an empty seat and a space unneeded, so that it includes much wasteful weight and space and an efficiency of fuel consumption relative to the number of occupants deteriorates.
Further, a driver's seat is fixed, and a driver and an occupant must once get out of a vehicle to change seats with each other at such a time as change of driving. Furthermore, since a size of the vehicle is fixed, a place where the vehicle can move is limited.
On the other hand, regarding vehicle moving, there is a proposal about a vehicle conducting auto cruising while following a preceding vehicle.
For example, in Patent Literature 1, a vehicle provided with an inter-vehicular distance control type constant speed moving apparatus for performing constant speed moving while following a preceding vehicle with keeping a preset following inter-vehicular distance setting value has been proposed.
Further, in Patent Literature 2, a vehicle provided with a an inter-vehicular distance control type constant speed moving apparatus for recognizing a preceding vehicle by a laser radar and a CCD camera to control a moving speed of an own vehicle such that an inter-vehicle time between a preceding vehicle (=an inter-vehicular distance/a moving speed) falls in about two seconds has been proposed.
However, each of the vehicles realizing the auto cruises is provided with an apparatus for moving while a following vehicle is following a preceding vehicle, where, since each vehicle is not configured such that it receives moving information about the preceding vehicle from the preceding vehicle to move, it cannot move integrally with another vehicle while being linked therewith.
Furthermore, each vehicle moves following a preceding vehicle and it cannot move while being lateral to another vehicle.
Patent Literature 1: JP-A-10-67254
Patent Literature 2: JP-A-07-65297


A cylinder lockset (30) includes a chassis assembly (72) with sleeves (80) and (81). A pair of liners (36) and (48) are mounted on sleeves (80) and (81), respectively, and facilitate attachment of chassis assembly (72) with a door (260). A pair of spring cassettes (38) are mounted on sleeves (80) and (82). A pair of levers (42) and (54) are mounted on the sleeves (80) and (82), respectively, and operate cassettes (38) directly for spring return of the levers upon release thereof. A pair of posts (388) and (390) are mounted on liner 48 and are formed with score locator lines (412), (414) and (416) to locate the liner relative to a housing (74) of assembly (72). Liner (36) is formed with four mounting holes (356), (358), (360) and (362) which facilitate use of the liner with either a lefthand or right-hand door mode.

This invention relates to a cylindrical lockset and particularly relates to a cylindrical lockset which includes a spring cassette actuated directly by an operator, such as a lever, associated with the lockset.
In some cylindrical locksets in use today, a spring cassette is used to return the lockset operator, such as a lever, to its home or non-operated position when it is released. Typically, the cassette is approximately the size of the rose of the lockset and a torsion spring contained within the cassette is only slightly smaller. The spring is formed with an inner free end from which overlapping convolutions of successively larger diameters is formed. The spring is further formed with an outer free end at the terminus of the outer most convolution thereof.
The cassette includes a dish-like receptor for the spring and a cover for containing the spring. An arbor is located centrally within the cassette for rotation independently thereof and is keyed to a rollback sleeve for rotation therewith. The inner end of the spring is attached to the arbor and the outer end of the spring is attached to the receptor which is fixedly mounted. An operator, such as a lever, is attached to the rollback sleeve and, when operated, rotates the sleeve. Through the keying structure of the sleeve, the arbor is rotated to tension the spring which provides the force to return the operator to its home position upon release thereof.
Spring cassettes of this type operate exceptionally well and are of sufficient bulk to respond to heavy duty demands. Even so, such cassettes and related facilities are relatively large and require specialized manufacturing and handling of several components which is directly related to cost. Further, the application of the tensioning force as applied to the spring by operation of the lever must be coupled through several components including the sleeve, the keying structure and the arbor.
Thus, there is a need for a lighter duty spring cassette with a more direct facility for tensioning the spring by operation of the lever.
Also, a door, on which a currently available cylindrical lockset is to be mounted, is prepared for assembly of the lockset therewith by forming various through-holes. For example, a central hole is formed through the door for receipt of the chassis. A pair of smaller holes are formed through the door adjacent the central hole for receipt of screws therethrough which are passed through holes in an inside liner and into internally threaded posts in an outside liner to pull together and hold the liners with the door. Typically, the pair of holes are formed in a diagonal pattern with an imaginary line passing diametrically across the central hole and through the pair of holes. When the hand of the door is to be changed, the door is prepared with the holes located adjacent the opposite side edge of the door with the outside of the door remaining as the outside. However, the pair of smaller holes in the new preparation are shifted by ninety degrees from the location of the previous pair of smaller holes. The inside liner which was used with the first above-described arrangement of holes has two holes formed therethrough to facilitate alignment of the liner holes with the first pair of smaller holes. Thus, this inside liner does not have holes which will align with the second pair of smaller holes and, therefore, is not functional or useful with the second set of holes which were prepared for a change of hand of the door. In this instance, the inside liner is dedicated for use with the first set of prepared door holes and another inside liner must be made which is dedicated for use with the second set of prepared holes.
Thus, there is a need for facility to allow for the use of a single inside liner regardless of the hand orientation of the door.
Typically, cylindrical locksets are assembled with doors of different thicknesses. For example, the thickness dimensions of three selected doors are one and three-eighths inches, one and three-quarters inches and two inches. Other thicknesses may be used.
In any event, an outside liner must be spaced from an associated inside liner on opposite sides of a chassis to define the door thickness. With current arrangements, the outside liner is mounted in assembly with the chassis and can be adjusted by an installer who uses a measuring scale to locate the outside liner with respect to a housing of the chassis. While this technique accomplishes the desired end result, it requires tedious manipulation of the inside liner by the installer while holding the measuring scale.
Thus, there is a need for facility to allow accurate location of the outside liner with respect to the chassis housing, preferably at the factory but also with allowance for on-site adjustment by the installer.


The present application discloses systems, methods, and articles of manufacture for controlling one or more functions of a device utilizing one or more tags. In one example, a method for controlling one or more functions of a medical device includes scanning a data interface of the medical device for signals induced wirelessly by one or more gestures made with one or more tags associated with a recipient of the medical device and controlling one or more functions of the medical device based on the wirelessly induced signals.

Various types of hearing prostheses may provide persons with different types of hearing loss with the ability to perceive sound. Hearing loss may be conductive, sensorineural, or some combination of both conductive and sensorineural. Conductive hearing loss typically results from a dysfunction in any of the mechanisms that ordinarily conduct sound waves through the outer ear, the eardrum, or the bones of the middle ear. Sensorineural hearing loss typically results from a dysfunction in the inner ear, including the cochlea where sound vibrations are converted into neural signals, or any other part of the ear, auditory nerve, or brain that may process the neural signals.
Persons with some forms of conductive hearing loss may benefit from hearing prostheses, such as acoustic hearing aids or vibration-based hearing devices. An acoustic hearing aid typically includes a small microphone to detect sound, an amplifier to amplify certain portions of the detected sound, and a small speaker to transmit the amplified sounds into the person's ear. Vibration-based hearing devices typically include a small microphone to detect sound and a vibration mechanism to apply vibrations corresponding to the detected sound to a person's bone, thereby causing vibrations in the person's inner ear and bypassing the person's auditory canal and middle ear. Vibration-based hearing devices may include bone anchored devices, direct acoustic cochlear stimulation devices, or other vibration-based devices. A bone anchored device typically utilizes a surgically-implanted mechanism to transmit vibrations corresponding to sound via the skull. A direct acoustic cochlear stimulation device also typically utilizes a surgically-implanted mechanism to transmit vibrations corresponding to sound, but bypasses the skull and more directly stimulates the inner ear. Other non-surgical vibration-based hearing devices may use similar vibration mechanisms to transmit sound via direct vibration of teeth or other cranial or facial bones.
Persons with certain forms of sensorineural hearing loss may benefit from prostheses, such as cochlear implants and/or auditory brainstem implants. For example, cochlear implants may provide a person having sensorineural hearing loss with the ability to perceive sound by stimulating the person's auditory nerve via an array of electrodes implanted in the person's cochlea. A component of the cochlear implant detects sound waves, which are converted into a series of electrical stimulation signals delivered to the implant recipient's cochlea via the array of electrodes. Auditory brainstem implants may use technology similar to cochlear implants, but instead of applying electrical stimulation to a person's cochlea, auditory brainstem implants apply electrical stimulation directly to a person's brain stem, bypassing the cochlea altogether. Electrically stimulating auditory nerves in a cochlea with a cochlear implant or electrically stimulating a brainstem may enable persons with sensorineural hearing loss to perceive sound.
Such prostheses typically include a user interface to control various functions thereof. For example, the user interface may include physical buttons, switches, dials, and the like that are disposed on a prosthesis and used to turn the prosthesis on and off, to adjust the volume, change settings or operating modes, adjust other audio processing parameters, such as gain, sensitivity, frequency filtering, etc. In another example, the user interface may include a separate remote control that communicates with the prosthesis in any known wired or wireless manner, such as through a radio frequency, infrared light, laser light, and/or visible light signal.


A process in which a leach liquor of Al.sub.2 (SO.sub.4).sub.3 +K.sub.2 SO.sub.4 +Fe.sub.2 SO.sub.4 and other sulphates is introduced to a surface-cooled crystallizer that drops the Al.sub.2 (SO.sub.4).sub.3 +18H.sub.2 O. The leach liquor is pumped through a heat exchanger that keeps a temperature of 160.degree. F. and the surface temperature of the surface-cooled crystallizer is maintained at 60.degree. F. The temperature gradient within the leach liquor promotes crystal formation. These crystals are then supplied to mixture which includes K.sub.2 SO.sub.4 in a simple crystallization and evaporation step that uses a vacuum of twenty inches of mercury and heat to drop Al.sub.2 (SO.sub.4).sub.3 +K.sub.2 SO.sub.4 +24H.sub.2 O. A pressure of 250 PSI and a temperature of 200.degree. C. are then applied in a discrete continuous process that yield a basic sodium or potassium aluminum sulphate and excess sodium sulphate or potassium. The excess sodium sulphate or potassium sulphate is returned to the simple crystallization and evaporation step. The basic sodium aluminum sulphate comprises particles that are at least forty percent below two micron. This is then applied to a delaminator that converts eighty-five percent of the particles to under two micron. The BKAS and/or BNaAS is used as a filler in the making of paper.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to the production of basic sodium and/or potassium aluminum sulphate from leach liquors of aluminum and sodium/potassium sulphates and to methods for producing newsprint with fillers and coatings of such aluminum and sodium/potassium sulphates.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Those who have handled, while reading, a magazine are likely aware of the amount of clay fillers and coating as well as the variation in the type and amount of such clay that was used in producing the magazine. Ash content can vary significantly from lightly coated (eight to twelve percent) publications to high quality, heavily coated (twenty-five to thirty percent) publications. The type and quality of coatings can also vary between cheaper magazines and high quality magazines such as The National Review, Scientific American, Playboy and the Smithsonian. Colored financial grades, such as typical checks and business forms, and the many different types of stationery and writing papers in use, generally contain around ten percent ash. This includes filler clay added to produce a smoother, higher opacity sheet, and such ash particles included are usually fairly small. Another waste grade is coated art books displayed often on coffee tables, which can easily contain twenty to thirty percent ash, mostly in the form of clay for coatings as well as pigments such as titanium dioxide.
Paper can be made with bleached or unbleached chemical pulps, mechanical pulps, chemi-mechanical pulps, or recycled pulps. It can include conventional additives such as sizing agents, fillers such as titanium dioxide, calcium carbonate, kaolin clay, or talc, and polymeric additives such as wet strength resins, polyamines or polyamide-amines, or polyacrylamide polymers or copolymers of acrylamide.
Non-cellulose coatings, filler clay and other products are added during paper manufacture or deposited on paper surfaces during processing or applied to paper in converting or printing operations to enhance a number of different characteristics, e.g., smoothness, printability, gloss, durability and paper protection. The range of formulation of the various materials varies greatly depending on the intended function of the paper. These can range from simple filler clay particles to tenacious chemicals and pigments. The amount of this material can vary from one percent to as high as fifty percent of the overall dry weight.
Basic paper pulp includes ground wood pulp, thermo-mechanical pulp, semi-chemical pulp, recycled mechanical pulps produced by de-inking of newspaper or magazines containing these pulps, etc. Such pulps are used singly or are mixed into a variety of well-known combinations. Within certain limits, a small amount of chemical pulp can be added to adjust the optical properties without adversely affecting the physical properties of the mechanical pulps.
Various pigments are commonly used for a filler, e.g., clay, talc, titanium dioxide, white carbon, calcium carbonates and urea resin fine particles, e.g., one-half to ten percent, by weight, that are added to the whole. Less than one-half percent usually causes poor opacity or oil absorption problems, and more than ten percent reduces the tensile strength or tear strength of the final paper product. Titanium dioxide is a relatively expensive material, and so is used sparingly.
Needle-shaped pigments are often used in coating layer pigments and include satin white, needle-form precipitated calcium carbonate, and Hong Kong kaolin. These pigments are mixed with binders and applied on the base paper as the coating color. Binders, for example, styrene butadiene latex, starch and starch derivatives, polyvinyl alcohol and cellulose derivatives are commonly used. However, the invention is not so, and several binders which are used as binders for paper making can be used, alone or in mixed form. The kinds and formulation ratios of binders affect the surface strength and absorptiveness of the pigments.
Conventional pigments include various kinds of silicon dioxide, activated clay, calcined clay, fine magnesium carbonate, various kinds of silicate, diatomaceous earth, urea resin powder, kaolin, talc, various kinds of calcium carbonate, titanium dioxide, and zinc white. Pigments with low oil absorption properties are used in mixtures with other pigments that have high oil absorption characteristics. Low oil absorptiveness pigments allow the coating color to be controlled better.
Kaolin clay, the crystal form of which is rhombohexagonal (hexagonal plate), is usually used as a major pigment for the coating layer of common coated paper. Because of the crystal form of kaolin clay, kaolin particles have a tendency to be in the parallel orientation under the smoothing treatment, and to give a highly glossy surface.
Paper and paper board are typically made from "thin stock", a dilute aqueous suspension of cellulose fibers. Alternatively, the thin stock is passed through one or more shear stages, such as cleaning, mixing and pumping stages, and the resultant suspension is drained through a wire to form a sheet, which is then dried. The thin stock is generally made by dilution of a thick stock that is formed earlier in the process. The drainage to form the sheet may be downwards under gravity or may be upwards, and the screen through which drainage occurs may be flat or curved, e.g., cylindrical.
It is common to include various inorganic materials, such as bentonite and alum, and/or organic materials, such as various natural or modified natural or synthetic polymers, in the thin stock for the purpose of improving the process. Such materials can be added for diverse purposes such as pitch control, de-coloration of the drainage water or for facilitating release from drying rolls. Starch is often included to improve strength.
Process improvement is particularly desired in retention, drainage and drying, or de-watering, and in the formation, or structure, properties of the final paper sheet. Some of these parameters are in conflict with each other. For instance if the fibers are flocculated effectively into relatively large conventional flocs, this may trap the fiber fines and filler very successfully, so as to give good retention and a porous structure so as to give good drainage. However, the porosity and large floc size may result in rather poor formation, and the large fiber flocs may tend to hold water during later drying stages such that the drying properties are poor. This will require excessive amounts of thermal energy to dry the final sheet. If the fibers are flocculated into smaller and tighter flocs, drainage will be less satisfactory and retention may be less satisfactory, but drying and formation will be improved.
Conventional practice therefore has resulted in the paper maker selecting additives according to the parameters he judges to be the most important. If, for example, increased filler retention is more important to the papermaker than increased production, a polyacrylamide or other very high molecular weight flocculant may be used. If increased production is more important than increased retention then a coagulant, such as aluminum sulphate, may be chosen. Impurities in the stock create additional problems and necessitate the use of particular additives.
It is conventional to include in the stock an inorganic additive and an organic polymeric material, e.g., for improving retention, drainage, drying and/or formation. The prior art adds one to ten percent bentonite and/or one-half to three percent aluminum sulphate to the stock, followed by two-hundredths to two-tenths percent of a cationic polymer, e.g., polyethylene imine, to improve de-watering in the presence of impurities in the stock. Other prior art processes add bentonite to the stock which may be followed by aluminum sulphate or other acidifying substance. Also, attapulgite can be added and alum and/or auxiliary filler retention material can be incorporated. Sometimes a stock containing alum and pigmentary clay is formed and cationic polymer is added.
There can be a significant variation in the type and amount of clays and other materials used in paper. These non-ink components, after ignition of the paper, are commonly referred to as ash content. For example, in some types of newsprint, ash content is less than one percent, and there is no intentional addition of clays to enhance desired properties. In some paper types a small amount of talc may be used in production to help control pitch deposits. Titanium dioxide may be added to improve gloss and color. In better quality newsprint addition of five percent clay and other materials by overall weight is common and in some cases much more.
The market for pigmented coated papers is growing extremely fast, currently about ten to fifteen percent per year, and it may be predicted that even the lower grades such as newsprint will be coated one way or another in the near future.
It will be evident to those skilled in the applications in this area of pigments and fillers that many more industries will have a use for this invention. To name some, the paint, ink, plastics and laminates industries use such pigments and fillers in significant quantities.

Process for making basic sodium and/or potassium aluminum sulphates and for making paper with such


A method for processing data from an antenna array including a plurality of elements distributed on opposite sides of a central point is disclosed. The method includes determining an adjustment for a first signal associated with a beam and a first element of the plurality of elements. The first element is located on a first side of the central point of the antenna array. The method includes applying the determined adjustment to the first signal, and applying the determined adjustment to a second signal. The second signal is associated with the beam and a second element of the plurality of elements. The second element is located on a second side of the central point of the antenna array substantially a same distance away from the central point as the first element.

The present disclosure relates generally to analog beamforming, and more particularly to systems and methods analog beamforming for direct radiating phased array antennas.
Communications systems, such as satellites, sometimes use multi-beam antennas, such as phased array antennas. Phase array antennas typically include multiple radiating elements, element and signal control circuits, a signal distribution network, a power supply, and a mechanical support structure. Integration of these components can be time-consuming, can be weight-intensive (heavy), and can occupy excessive space.
Some known multi-beam phased array antenna systems include multiple RF inputs, which are referred to as elements. Each element has a single input antenna to capture or radiate RF energy followed by an amplifier. The received input signal is divided into N signals that correspond to an N number of resulting beams after amplification. After division, a beamformer applies amplitude and phase weighting to each channel of each element. For an array of M elements and N beams, there are M times N beamforming paths. The signal energy from each beam and each element is combined in a power combiner, which has an N number of layers. For M elements and N beams, a quantity of N, M-to-one combiners are required.
The large number of phase shifters, summers, multipliers and related components used in some known systems results in a significantly heavy and large communication system. Moreover, the complexity of such systems often results in complex assembly and interconnection requirements.

Systems and methods of analog beamforming for direct radiating phased array antennas


The invention relates to a spacer for a rotary peening apparatus having a hub and a plurality of peening flaps that are spaced about and retained by the generally cylindrical peripheral surface of the hub. Each peening flap includes several peening rivets attached to a distal end of the peening flap. The spacer of the present invention positions the peening flaps at at least two locations inward of one of the hub ends of the hub, which enables the rotary peening apparatus to impart a uniform surface finish to a surface.

Conventional shot peening or blasting is often used to treat concrete or metal surfaces by blowing or mechanically impelling spherical particles of steel or iron against the surface. For example, new concrete surfaces often must cure for approximately thirty days, after which the top layer of concrete is removed to eliminate latents, residuals, and other undesirable characteristics of the top layer of the concrete. When the top layer is removed, a uniform surface is provided, which allows for more effective application of coatings and the like. Similarly, it is often desirable to remove existing surface coatings, such as paint, prior to the application of a new coating. Shot peening may be used for either of these purposes, because the impact of the individual particles tends to loosen and dislodge particles of concrete and coating.
For metal surfaces, the individual particles produce shallow, rounded overlapping dimples in the surface, stretching the surface radially from each point of impact and causing cold working of the material. The resultant compressive stresses tend to counteract tensile stresses imparted to the workpiece by other processing steps, such as rolling, bending, or abrading. Such blasting or peening operations thus have wide applicability in the field of surface treatment.
Conventional shot peening, although useful for some purposes, has certain disadvantages that tend to limit its usefulness. For example, large and expensive equipment is typically required for collecting, screening, and recirculating the shot particles and impelling them against the surface of the workpiece. Such blasting equipment typically is not portable, and thus may only be used with those workpieces that can be brought to the blasting equipment. Shot peening a workpiece while it is attached to a piece of equipment is very difficult because the particles cannot be easily collected. Shot peening a surface such as a concrete highway is also quite difficult, because the blasting equipment is not highly mobile, and the particles are not easily collected for recirculation.
An alternative to shot peening processes described above is the use of rotary peening devices such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,648,498 (Voss et al.), 3,834,200 (Winter), and 3,857,750 (Winter et al.). Rotary peening devices have been used in processes such as the removal of residual stresses in metals, removal of scale and coatings on metal surfaces, removal of coatings on concrete surfaces, and surface preparation of concrete for new coatings. In such rotary peening tools, the peening action is provided by peening rivets attached to peening flaps that are retained by and extend from the perimeter of a hub. As each successive support flap is rotated in proximity to the surface, the peening rivets contact the surface and simulate the peening action of the individual spherical particles of conventional blasting. The rotary peening apparatus is portable, and the peening rivets eliminate the need for collecting and recirculating individual particles.
A rotary peening apparatus 10 according to the prior art is shown in FIG. 1. Apparatus 10 includes a cylindrical hub 12 including hub ends 14 and 16 and opposed hub mounting flanges 18 and 20, only one of which is shown. The hub is adapted for mounting on a shaft or arbor (not shown) for rotation therewith about central axis A--A. Hub 12 includes a plurality of guides 22 that are spaced about the perimeter of hub 12 to provide flap slots 24, which extend parallel to axis A--A and are adapted to receive retaining end 26 of peening flaps 30. Disposed within retaining end 26 is a keeper pin 17, which assists in retaining peening flap 30 within flap slot 24. Several flaps are typically retained in side-by-side relationship within each flap slot, although only one such flap is shown in FIG. 1 for simplicity. Retaining ends 26 of peening flaps 30 are adapted for sliding engagement with flap slots 24, such that the peening flaps may be removed and replaced as desired. For example, a peening flap may become worn or broken, or a different type of peening flap may be required for a particular application, at which time one or more peening flaps may be removed by sliding the peening flaps out of the flap slots 24.
Peening flaps 30 also include a peening end 32, as shown in FIG. 2, which holds one or more peening rivets 34, 36, 38, and 40. Each peening rivet includes a plurality of peening particles 42 protruding therefrom, which particles impact the surface 50 when apparatus 10 is rotated in sufficient proximity to surface 50, as shown in FIG. 1. The peening rivets simulate the individual particles of the blasting processes of the prior art, and may be constructed of, for example tungsten carbide shot. The shot is brazed to a hardened rivet, which is fastened to a flexible flap material to form peening flap 30.
One potential disadvantage of such a rotary peening apparatus occurs if each peening rivet is circumferentially aligned with each successive peening rivet. Because the peening rivets are spaced across the face of the peening flaps, the area of the surface 50 that is between adjacent peening rivets would not be contacted by a peening rivet, and therefore may not be appropriately treated. Such an arrangement can result in a surface having a plurality of ridges and troughs, known as a grooved surface. A grooved surface finish may have certain advantages, such as slip-resistance and water drainage, but for other applications it is more desirable to produce a relatively uniform surface finish. For example, it may be advantageous to provide a uniform surface for receiving paint or other coatings.
In a previous attempt to form a relatively uniform surface, the peening flaps of the rotary peening apparatus have been offset with respect to the peening flaps in adjacent flap slots by one-half of the distance between peening rivets. For example, a hub may include twenty flap slots, and five peening flaps within each flap slot. A spacer ring 60 such as that shown in FIG. 3 includes pin members 62 having a length equal to one-half of the distance between adjacent peening rivets. The pin members 62 are located so as to slide into alternate flap slots 24 around the circumference of hub 12, thereby offsetting alternate rows of flaps with respect to the hub end. Because the length of the pin members is equal to one-half of the distance between peening rivets, each row is offset with respect to each adjacent row of peening flaps. By offsetting alternate rows of peening flaps, the surface finish produced by the rotary peening apparatus is more uniform than would be produced by an apparatus where each peening rivet was circumferentially aligned with each succeeding peening rivet.
Peening apparatuses having alternate rows offset, although an improvement over peening apparatuses wherein each peening rivet is circumferentially aligned with the peening rivet on each adjacent flap, tend to produce a surface having small grooves or streaks in the surface finish. The effect is similar to the case where no spacer is present, because each peening rivet is circumferentially aligned with the corresponding peening rivet on alternate peening flaps around the periphery of the apparatus. Thus, although a spacer for offsetting alternate peening flaps may improve surface finish by ensuring that not all peening rivets are circumferentially aligned, a streaked surface may still result. Such a surface can be undesirable because multiple passes of the peening apparatus may be required to peen the surface adequately. It is therefore desirable to provide a rotary peening device that will produce a relatively uniform surface finish compared to the rotary peening apparatuses of the prior art.

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company


In the process for the ozone treatment of hot water in the hot water supply system of a building for the purpose of disinfection of the water, the hot water is led into a treatment tank (3). Here the pressure is reduced to a level below that in the pipes of the hot water supply system, an ozone-containing gas being continually introduced into the water, which gas passes through the water in the form of bubbles, the ozone being given up to the water. The remaining gas subsequently undergoes transition to a gaseous state in the upper part of the tank, from which the gas is drawn off. The treated water is then fed into the hot water supply system of the building, the pressure being restored by means of at least one pump to the level of the operating pressure within the hot water supply system. The method can be used to remove harmful micro-organisms such as legionella pneumophila from hot water systems without raising the temperature to around 70.degree. C.

1. Field of the Invention
The subject matter of the present invention is a process for disinfecting hot tap water in hot water supply systems of buildings. The process serves in particular to kill heat-stable bacteria which develop in water at temperatures between 40.degree. and 60.degree. C. The process is especially useful for disinfection of hot water pipes in hospitals.
2. Related Art
Since the first appearance of the so-called legionnaires' disease in 1976, it is known that the pathogen which causes this disease, legionella pneumophila, is not uncommon and is very widespread in nature. It has been shown that temperatures of up to 45.degree. C. are favorable for the development of this pathogen. Since temperatures of around 50.degree. C. in hot water supply systems do not suffice to kill these microorganisms, water in hot water supply systems is heated, as a rule, to higher temperatures. This fact entails energy costs for hospitals which are not insignificant, and moreover promotes deposits in piping.
The internally transmissible legionnaire's pneumonia has become a serious problem in hospitals. While legionella are unable to cause illness in most healthy human beings, they lead to the outbreak of disease in the sick and the infirm. Since this problem is well known, various methods have been proposed to kill these bacteria in the hot water distribution systems in hospitals. Proposed as methods have been hyperchlorination, thermal treatment, ozonization, UV treatment and the addition of metal ions such as copper and silver ions. The simplest method so far has been thermal treatment of the water. This has the disadvantage, however, that energy costs for water conditioning are higher and that water comes out of the taps at very high temperatures. Hyperchlorination has the main disadvantage that the pipes are thereby corroded and that carcinogenic by-products may be produced. With UV treatment, problems arise if calcareous deposits are formed on the UV source, diminishing the efficiency of the treatment. Contact with water can also damage the lamps. In the case of treatment with metal ions, the main disadvantage is that the water has to be mixed with chemical substances which then remain in the water. This can lead to undesired reactions in the user and to the accumulation of heavy metal ions in waste water.
Ozone treatment has the advantage that only a short contact with the bacteria or the virus is necessary in order to kill it. It can be learned from scientific literature that a dose of 1 to 2 mg/liter of ozone is expedient for the treatment of tap water. Since ozone decomposes relatively quickly, and since, on the other hand, ozone has undesirable characteristics when in high concentrations, it is necessary that the dose of ozone be adapted precisely to the water distribution system. On the one hand, the ozone concentration must lie below that which could have a harmful effect on the water user. On the other hand, the ozone concentration must be sufficient to kill the harmful organisms in the water. Owing to the characteristics of ozone, its use for the disinfection of hot water supply systems until now has entailed problems which have limited its application.

Process for disinfecting hot water supply systems


The invention relates to a high-temperature sensor, which can be used at temperatures of at least 600° C. and comprises a metallic protective tube and a measuring resistance that is surrounded by a ceramic powder. The measuring resistance is connected to the electric cable by means of stress-relieved measuring resistance connecting wires and internal conductors. The latter are provided with a solid and/or flexible insulation consisting of a ceramic material. The measuring resistance and the internal conductors are arranged in a metallic protective tube, which narrows in the vicinity of the measuring resistance. The ceramic powder contains admixtures of oxygen-giving oxide compounds.

The invention relates to a high-temperature sensor with a metallic protective tube and a measuring resistance which is surrounded by a ceramic powder.
Metallic protective tube denotes a metallic casing enclosing the temperature sensor's components, whereby a part of the protective tube enclosing the measurement element protrudes into the medium and an outer part of the protective tube holds the connecting cables leading outside.
Process adapter means the mechanical interface, e.g. a pipeline, between the temperature sensor and the recipient containing the medium whose temperature shall be acquired.
The electrical adapter is the interface between the inner cables running inside the casing and the outer connecting cables.
The preferred field of application is in temperature measuring points with heavy mechanical and thermal duty, e.g. in exhaust ducts of combustion engines.
In order to improve the engine management system of combustion and gas engines temperature sensors are needed, whose working temperature is in the range from 600° C. to 900° C. The measuring points for the temperature sensors are mostly in a part of the exhaust duct close to the engine. The chemical-corrosive, mechanical and thermal operational conditions present when measuring exhaust gas temperatures make very high demands on the temperature sensor's components and require elaborate means regarding the materials to be employed and sophisticated measures for holding the components steady and designing the components connections.
A multitude of arrangements for solving particular problems out of the aforementioned ones is known as prior art.
For instance, DE 199 34 738 A1 and DE 100 62 041 A1 are known, which claim to achieve an improved technology in design and connections between the sensor and the inner cables by encapsulating the temperature sensor's connection-sided part with a temperature-proof, electrically non-conductive material or by forming it with an overlapping connection of the thermistor contacts and the inner signal cables and a tight fit.
Technical measures for saving the measuring element are given in DE 30 12 787 A1 and DE 199 22928 A1.
Different measures regarding protection against sensor harming ambiences are given in DE 298 23 459 U1 and EP 0774 650 A1.
EP 0774 650 A1 suggests to arrange a mechanically stable and liquid-tight connection in the connective area of a tube-shaped casing for allowing the influx of atmospheric oxygen from the environment via a connective cable into the casing. Furthermore it is known from DE 298 23 459 U1 to permit the oxygen influx via a special neck pipe opening. However besides the complicated design the necessity to apply openings to the sensor mounts is a disadvantage.
Solutions for improving metrological heat dissipation and radiation errors are given in DE 199 39 493 A1 and DE 298 23 379 U1.
Arrangements for improving the protection of the mechanical armature components, which achieve an adaption to specifications for strength and production by different diameter geometry are given in DE 100 34 265 A1 and DE 199 41 188 A1.
Disadvantages in the described arrangements besides the elaborate and expensive production are that in each case only particular ones out of the aformentioned problems are faced, thus the causes for metrological, electrical or mechanical malfunctions are not eliminated generally.
Furthermore for thermocouples arranged inside ceramic protective tubes it is known from DE 42 07 317 C2, DE 16 48 261 A and U.S. Pat. No. 5,209,571 A to use powders inside the protective tubes which oxygen-reducing components are added to in order to protect the thermo wires applied in these arrangements against oxidation and thus extend their life cycle. However these measures are not applicable for arrangements with platinum resistive sensors because reductive conditions would reduce the life cycle of the platinum resistor.
It is the object of the invention to specify a high temperature sensor of the aforementioned kind which can be applied at a temperature of at least 600° C., which resists to high mechanical and chemical stress, which can be made technologically convenient and which improves reliability and life cycle compared to known temperature sensors.


A digital system includes a processor core and a cache control unit. The processor core can be coupled to a first memory containing data and a second memory with a faster speed than the first memory, and is configured to execute a segment of instructions having at least one instruction accessing the data from the second memory using a base register. The cache control unit is configured to be coupled to the first memory, the second memory, and the processor core to fill the data from the first memory to the second memory before the processor core executes the instruction accessing the data, and is further configured to examine the segment of instructions to extract instruction information containing at least data access instruction information and last register updating instruction information and to create a track corresponding to the segment of instructions based on the extracted instruction information.

In general, cache is used to duplicate a certain part of main memory, so that the duplicated part in the cache can be accessed by a processor core or central processing unit (CPU) core in a short amount of time and thus to ensure continued pipeline operation of the processor core.
Currently, cache addressing is based on the following ways. First, an index part of an address is used to read out a tag from a tag memory. At the same time, the index and an offset part of the address are used to read out contents from the cache. Further, the tag from the tag memory is compared with a tag part of the address. If the tag from the tag memory is the same as the tag part of the address, called a cache hit, the contents read out from the cache are valid. Otherwise, if the tag from the tag memory is not the same as the tag part of the address, called a cache miss, the contents read out from the cache are invalid. For multi-way set associative cache, the above operation is performed in parallel on each set to detect which way has a cache hit. Contents read out from the set with the cache hit are valid. If all sets experience cache misses, contents read out from any set are invalid. After a cache miss, cache control logic fills the cache with contents from lower level storage medium.
Cache miss can be divided into three types: compulsory miss, conflict miss, and capacity miss. Under existing cache structures, except a small amount of pre-fetched contents, compulsory miss is inevitable. But, the current pre-fetching operation carries a not-so-small penalty. Further, while multi-way set associative cache may help reduce conflict misses, the number of way set associative cannot exceed a certain number due to power and speed limitations (e.g., the set-associative cache structure requires that contents and tags from all cache sets addressed by the same index are read out and compared at the same time). Further, with the goal for cache memories to match the speed of the CPU core, it is difficult to increase cache capacity. Thus, multiple layers of cache are created, with a lower layer cache having a larger capacity but a slower speed than a higher layer cache.
Thus, current modern cache systems normally comprise multiple layers of cache in a multi-way set associative configuration. New cache structures such as victim cache, trace cache, and pre-fetching (putting the next cache block into a cache buffer while fetching a cache block or under a pre-fetch instruction) have been used to address certain shortcomings. However, with the widening gap between the speed of the processor and the speed of the memory, the existing cache architectures, especially with the various cache miss possibilities, are still a bottleneck in increasing the performance of modern processors or computing systems. In addition, current cache systems often do not consider data cache together with the instruction cache.
The disclosed methods and systems are directed to solve one or more problems set forth above and other problems.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

High-performance cache system and method

SHANGHAI XIN HAO MICRO ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.