The present invention includes a composition having a co-continuous interconnecting channel morphology. These co-continuous interconnecting channels are predominately occupied with a polymer and particles that control the percolation through the composition. The particles are composed of a material such as an absorbing agent, releasing agent and/or activation agent. The polymer composition may be used to form a desired shaped article such as plug type inserts and liners for closed containers, or it may be formed into a film, sheet, bead or pellet.

This invention generally relates to a composition having co-continuous interconnecting channel morphology comprising three componentsxe2x80x94two polymers (i.e. components A and B) and a particle (i.e. component C) wherein the channels consist mainly of component B and the majority of component C resides in the channels. Components A and B are generally immiscible within each other. In addition, one criteria for selecting component C and components A and B may be based on component C preferential affinity for component B over component A. Another criteria for selecting component C may be based on the capacity of component C to absorb and/or release a desired substance. For example, component C may be an absorbing material such as desiccant. In one embodiment, the composition of the present invention is useful in the manufacture of shaped articles such as containers and packaging for items requiring controlled environments.
There are many items that are preferably stored, shipped and/or utilized in an environment that must be controlled and/or regulated. For example, in the moisture control area, containers and/or packages having the ability to absorb excess moisture trapped therein have been recognized as desirable. One application in which moisture absorbing containers are desired is for the shipment and storage of medications whose efficacy is compromised by moisture. The initial placement of medicines into a sealed moisture free container is usually controllable. Furthermore, the container for the medicine is selected so that is has a low permeability to moisture. Therefore, the medication will normally be protected from moisture until it reaches the end user. Once the medicine is received by the customer, however, the container must be repeatedly opened and closed to access the medication. Each time the container is opened and unsealed, moisture bearing air will most likely be introduced into the container and sealed therein upon closure. Unless this moisture is otherwise removed from the atmosphere or head space of the container, it may be detrimentally absorbed by the medication. For this reason, it is a well known practice to include a desiccating unit together with the medication in the container.
Other items, electronic components may require reduced moisture conditions for optimal performance. These components may be sealed in containers, but excess moisture that is initially trapped therein must be removed. Furthermore, the housings may not be completely moisture tight, and moisture may be allowed to seep into the container. This moisture must also be retained away from the working components. For these reasons, it is important to include a desiccating agent within the housing for absorbing and retaining excess moisture. Because of the delicacy of many of the components that are to be protected from the moisture, it is important that the desiccant used not be of a xe2x80x9cdustingxe2x80x9d nature that may contaminate and compromise the performance of the components. Therefore, it has been recognized as advantageous to expose a desiccating agent to the interior space of such containers, while at the same time shielding the working components from actual contact with the desiccating material, including desiccant dust that may be produced therefrom.
In other instances, moisture may be released from items that have been placed in containers or sealed in packaging wrap for shipping and/or storage. Prime examples of such items are food stuffs-that release moisture during shipping and storage. In the instance of containers that are sealed and substantially impermeable to moisture, the released moisture will remain within the container. If not removed, this released moisture may have ill effects on the very item that released the moisture. It has been found that a substantial amount of moisture is released from certain food products within the first forty-eight (48) hours after manufacture and packaging. This released moisture will remain until removed. If the moisture is not removed shortly after its release, it may cause the food to degrade into a condition that is not saleable. In these cases, desiccants may be included together with the contained items to continually absorb the released moisture until the product is unpacked. In this way, a relatively dry environment is maintained about the stored item.
The present invention discloses a composition having co-continuous interconnecting channel morphology. In one embodiment, these co-continuous interconnecting channels communicate the particle, which is predominately residing in the channels, to the appropriate areas of the exterior of the composition in a manner that permits the desired property (e.g., gases and vapors) to migrate from either outside the composition to interior locations where the particle is positioned or from the interior locations where the particle is positioned to the environment. Furthermore, these co-continuous interconnecting channels through which the desired property is permitted to travel are occupied by a polymer (e.g., hydrophilic agents) that control the percolation through the composition. This polymer is drawn out into interconnected channels that contain a percolation path.

Co-continuous interconnecting channel morphology composition


A back pack support which doubles as a seat is provided including a rigid frame including a vertically oriented plate and a horizontally oriented plate. The horizontally oriented plate has an inboard edge integrally coupled to a bottom edge of the vertically oriented plate and extended therefrom in perpendicular relationship therewith. Mounted on a front face of the vertically oriented plate is a pair of shoulder straps for allowing the frame to be worn on a back of a user.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to back packs and more particularly pertains to a new shoulder mounted seat and cargo support for supporting cargo on a back of a user with a device that also serves as a seat.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of back packs is known in the prior art. More specifically, back packs heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art back packs include U.S. Pat. No. 5,209,381; U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,291; U.S. Pat. No. 4,392,598; U.S. Pat. No. 2,973,888; U.S. Pat. No. 2,843,185; and Foreign Patents WO 93/18688 & WO 97/01299.
In these respects, the shoulder mounted seat and cargo support according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of supporting cargo on a back of a user with a device that also serves as a seat.


To improve the positioning accuracy which has been limited so far due to a vibration mode of an actuator for positioning a head and increase the capacity of an apparatus by raising the density of tracks for recording or reproducing information.

The present invention relates to a recording/reproducing apparatus, and method for recording or reproducing information in or from a recordable and reproducible medium by a head, particularly to a disk drive for recording or reproducing information in or from a magnetic recording/reproducing layer or an optical recording/reproducing layer formed on the surface of a discoid substrate made of aluminum, glass, or plastic by a recording/reproducing head such as a magnetic head or an optical pickup.
Disk drives including optical disk drives and magnetic disk units have been frequently used as external memories because personal computers have been spread and advanced in recent years. Therefore, it is requested that these disk drives serving as external memories have a large capacity because computer software has been swollen and the capacity of data to be handled has been increased.
Moreover, a disk drive making the most use of high speed and large capacity is being used not only for computers but also for digital AV units for recording or reproducing images and sounds by employing digital techniques and therefore, a large-capacity disk drive is desired in order to record and reproduce digital AV information including a lot of data. Particularly, a request for increasing the capacity of a high-speed magnetic disk unit has been enhanced more and more because the disk drive is widely applied and positioned as a core.
A conventional magnetic disk unit will be described below.
FIG. 16 is a schematic illustration showing the conventional magnetic disk unit. In FIG. 16, symbol 1 denotes a magnetic disk, 2 denotes a magnetic head for recording or reproducing information in or from the magnetic disk 1, 3 denotes an actuator for having the magnetic head 2 at its front end to perform positioning at an optional radius position of the magnetic disk 1, 5 denotes a head amplifier for detecting and amplifying a reproduced signal of the magnetic head 2, 4 denotes a controller for outputting a control signal for detecting a relative position of the magnetic head 2 to the magnetic disk 1 in accordance with an output of the head amplifier 5 and setting the actuator 3 to a predetermined position on the magnetic disk 1, and 6 denotes a driver for supplying the current corresponding to the control signal to the actuator 3. Moreover, though not illustrated, the following are provided: a spindle motor for rotating the magnetic disk 1, an interface section for transferring digital information to and from a host computer, a buffer and its control section for storing the digital information and efficiently recording or reproducing the information in or from the magnetic disk 1, and a information recording/reproducing circuit.
Then, operations of the conventional magnetic disk unit will be described below. When the magnetic disk 1 records and reproduces information, it is rotated by a not-illustrated spindle motor at a constant speed. In this case, the magnetic head 2 is positioned onto the magnetic disk 1 and held by the actuator 3 while levitated at a position where the pressure of a suspension 3b provided for the front end of the actuator 3 and the working force of the air flow between a slider integrated with a not-illustrated magnetic head 2 and the magnetic disk 1 are balanced. Positional information for detecting the deviation from each of concentric tracks (one track is shown as symbol a by a broken line in FIG. 16), that is, servo information (shown by symbol b in FIG. 16) is previously recorded on each track of the magnetic disk 1. The servo information b is recorded on tracks every certain interval and thereby, the magnetic head 2 reproduces the servo information every certain time in accordance with the rotation of the magnetic disk 1. A region in which the servo information is recorded is referred to as servo region. Thus, information is recorded or reproduced in or from regions other than the servo region and the regions are referred to as data regions.
A reproduced signal of the magnetic head 2 is detected and amplified by the head amplifier 5 and thereby inputted to the controller 4. The controller 4 discriminates servo information in accordance with the inputted signal, computes a positional error to the target track a of the magnetic head 2, moreover computes a controlled variable necessary for driving the actuator 3 so as to reduce the positional error, and outputs a control signal. In this case, a control system for phase compensation or the like is used. The driver 6 supplies a necessary current to a driving coil 3c of the actuator 3 in accordance with an inputted control signal. Thereby a driving force is generated by the driving coil 3c and a permanent magnet 3d set so as to face the coil 3c and the actuator rotates centering around a point c to always position the magnetic head 2 on the target track a. Under the above state, information is recorded or reproduced in or from the data region by the magnetic head 2. Therefore, a positioning control system of a closed loop for positioning a magnetic head on a target track is adopted to record or reproduce information.
However, the above configuration causes the following problems.
That is, to increase the capacity of a magnetic disk unit, it is necessary to increase the information volume which can be recorded in one track, that is, to improve the track recording density or to form tracks in one magnetic disk as many as possible, that is, to improve the track density. In this case, when the track density is improved, in other words, when the distance between adjacent tracks (that is, decreasing the track pitch) is decreased, it is impossible to correctly record or reproduce information unless pieces of the information in adjacent tracks are prevented from interfering each other when recording or reproducing the information. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the positioning accuracy of the target track of a magnetic head and to expand the control bandwidthwidth of the positioning control system.
In case of the conventional method, expansion of a control bandwidthwidth, that is, expansion of the cutoff frequency of an open-loop transfer function is restricted due to the vibration mode resonant frequency of bend or twist of the arm section 3a, suspension 3b, or driving coil 3c of an actuator. FIG. 17(a) shows the frequency-response characteristic of the actuator and FIG. 17(b) shows an open-loop transfer function when applying phase compensation to the controller 4. As shown in FIG. 17(b), because a phase delay occurs due to resonance nearby 2 kHz of the actuator, a control bandwidthwidth is up to 400 Hz. Actually, it was possible to increase the control bandwidthwidth only up to ⅕ to {fraction (1/15)} with respect to the resonant frequency of the vibration mode of the actuator because the control bandwidthwidth must be set to a value lower than 400 Hz by considering dispersion and fluctuation. Therefore, improvement of the positioning accuracy of a magnetic head was limited and resultantly, it was difficult to increase the capacity of a disk drive.
The present invention is made to solve the above problems and its object is to provide an information recording/reproducing apparatus, and method including a magnetic desk unit, which makes it possible to increase the capacity of a disk drive by improving the positioning accuracy of a magnetic head.
An apparatus, and method of the present invention comprises an information recording/reproducing medium, a head for recording or reproducing information while moving relatively to the information recording/reproducing medium, an actuator for supporting the head and movable in accordance with a command, and a control section for controlling movement by supplying a command to the actuator in accordance with a signal reproduced by the head, in which the actuator has at least one vibration mode in addition to the movement mode as a rigid body, the control section is configured by an internal model including at least one vibration mode of the actuator, and a state estimating section for estimating the quantities of states of vibration mode and rigid-body mode of the actuator in accordance with a reproduced signal of the head and a controlled variable corresponding to a movement command to the actuator and a controlled-variable generating section for generating a controlled variable in accordance with each estimated quantity of state estimated by the state estimating section are included.

Information recording/reproducing apparatus and method

Abstract: There are provided an information recording/reproducing medium, a head for recording or reproducing information while moving relatively to the information recording/reproducing medium, an actuator for supporting the head and movable in accordance with a command, and a control section for supplying a command to the actuator in accordance with a signal reproduced by the head to control the movement of the actuator,

Abstract: the actuator has at least one vibration mode in addition to a movement mode as a rigid body, and

Abstract: the control section is configured by an internal model including at least one vibration mode of the actuator and has a state estimating section for estimating quantities of states of the vibration mode and rigid-body mode of the actuator in accordance with a controlled variable corresponding to a movement command to the actuator and a controlled-variable generating section for generating a controlled variable in accordance with each estimated quantity of state estimated by the state estimating section.


A singulator has been realized which comprises a diverger module extending between an inlet station and an outlet station; the diverger module is configured to receive articles at the inlet station and convey them towards the outlet station along a main advancement direction. The diverger module has: a first zone extending from the inlet station to the outlet station and configured to impart to the articles resting thereon an advancement motion along the main advancement direction, a second zone flanking the first zone along the advancement direction and extending between the inlet station and the outlet station. The second zone is configured to impart to the articles resting thereon an advancement motion along the main direction and a lateral movement away from the first zone. The first zone of the diverger module projects, at least for a length, away from a prevalent average plane of extension of the second zone in the direction of the articles to be supported so as to define an ascent zone of the diverger module.

As is known, many commercial and industrial activities require a fixed number of articles that are generally fed randomly and are loosely ordered and then automatically sorted so that they can thereafter be handled more easily in an automatic or semi-automatic way.
The machines designed for this operation are known as "singulators".
The areas of use of singulators are varied, and include, by way of non-limiting example, the field of sorting and delivering mail, the dispatching and parcel distribution sector, etc.
There are several devices on the market today suitable for the performance of the above-mentioned task.
A first type of these machines comprises, in the main structure thereof intended for singulating operations, the use of a first converger station consisting of a central high-friction conveyor belt flanked on both sides by two respective roller conveyors having axes that are inclined relative to the direction of advancement of the articles.
The roller conveyors impart, to the articles resting thereon, an advancement motion and lateral translation towards the high-friction central belt, carrying the majority of articles onto the central belt itself.
Located after the converger station there is a diverger station, which is also a high-friction central belt which follows on from the central belt of the converger station and is designed to receive the articles that have been brought to the central zone of the device.
Flanking the central belt there are two roller conveyors which have rollers with inclined axes and are designed to impart to the articles entirely resting thereon an advancement motion and a corresponding lateral movement conveying them away from the high-friction central belt.
In particular, an article that might be at least partially resting on the central belt would be conveyed thereby and would not be affected by the lateral thrust of the corresponding roller conveyor; in contrast, a product resting exclusively on the roller conveyor will be conveyed away from the central belt. Appropriate conveyor belts or recirculating belts are present at the sides of the diverger station, which belts are destined to receive the products that have been conveyed away from the diverger roller conveyors and return them to the inlet of the machine and in particular to the inlet of the converger station so that they can be newly processed.
In contrast, the singulated products that are on the high-friction central belt proceed towards the further processing stations.
In this way, the products are singulated at the central zone of the machine, while all the articles which, in particular due to being superimposed in a direction that is transversal to the conveyance direction, should they not reach the central zone, are advantageously recirculated via the diverger station, and via the recirculating belts they are returned to the machine inlet and then re-processed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,701,989 describes, with particular reference to FIG. 13, a device similar to the one described above and used in commerce.
The main difference is linked to the absence of a conveyor belt in the convergence zone (in other words there are only two roller conveyors converging towards the central advancement axis) and to the presence of a diverger station consisting of a plurality of additional conveyor belts with the aim of removing articles that are not singulated in such a way as to return them into the singulating cycle.
A second type of known devices suitable for singulating products is constituted by a complex apparatus in which all articles entering the device are suitably scanned by, for example, suitable cameras which can provide the read information to a control unit that reconstructs the distribution of the articles along the advancement pathway thereof.
In particular, a movement surface is present, consisting of an array of individual conveyor belts, all independently movable. In other words, the movement surface consists of a fixed number of rows and columns defined by a plurality of individual conveyor belts which are driven by the control unit via respective motors. As the control unit has the position of the single articles in its memory, and is monitoring the movements, it drives the conveyor belts at differentiated speeds, so as to be able to suitably orientate the articles by rotating them, and also to be able to space them apart in the longitudinal direction by differentiating the advancement speeds of the belts on which the articles are resting.
When leaving the deck, the various articles will be orientated in an orderly manner and will be sufficiently spaced along their respective advancement lines.
In this way, it will be possible to operate downstream of the surface along which the articles move, as they are already pre-ordered, and perform thereon a final singulation.
The above-mentioned machine is at least partially described in some patent publications, for example, in patents EP 1556297 and U.S. 2003/141165.
The singulators briefly described above, while admirably fulfilling the tasks they are designed for, are not free from limitations and/or operational problems.
For example, the singulators described above are not able to assure the correct singulation of articles in the event that two or more of said articles are superimposed on one another. Moreover, as regards the singulator having the converger station, the diverger station and the recirculating belt, the latter is extremely large, both longitudinally and transversally. In fact, the operating principle requires that all the products be carried on the central singulating conveyor belt, and implies the need to have predetermined lengths in the conveyance direction so as to ensure adequate filling of the high-friction central belt.
Furthermore, the need to be able to recirculate products that have not been singulated requires the presence of two further recirculating belts positioned at the sides of the machine, which obviously increases the dimensions thereof in that direction. What is described above generally implies the need to have large volumes/dimensions in order to install the singulators in question, resulting in increases in the costs of both constructing the device and managing the machine itself.
On the other hand, as the device has a multiplicity of conveyor belts that are independently movable, it is much more compact, but at the same time, extremely complex in terms of the construction and management of the operation thereof.
Indeed, it is necessary to set up a control unit and cameras to monitor the movement of the articles, as well as a control algorithm that can enable efficient and individual operation in a controlled manner on each of the conveyor belts.
Furthermore, each of the conveyor belts is equipped with a respective drive and a respective motor, which clearly increase the costs of construction and maintenance, while at the same time reducing the reliability of the singulator (considering the high number of electrical and mechanical parts that make it up).


Apparatus (58), and an associated method, for facilitating delivery of network-specific dialing codes to a mobile node (12). When a mobile node (12) is registered to a network part (18) of the network infrastructure of a radio communication system (10), a request (62) is generated by the mobile node (12), requesting download thereto of the dialing codes used in the network part (18) to call service centers (42) associated therewith. The requested dialing codes are downloaded to the mobile node (12). And, the downloaded dialing codes are indexed (68) together with the dialing codes normally used by the mobile node (12) to call the corresponding service centers (42). Subsequently, when a call is placed to a service center, the dialing codes are transposed (74), if necessary, to permit the call to a designated service center (42) to be completed.

The use of modern communication systems through which to communicate is a necessary aspect of modern society. Communication of data is required to effectuate many varied functions and services. The data that is to be communicated pursuant to such functions and services must sometimes be communicated, quickly and accurately, between widely dispersed locations.
Communication stations are positioned at the locations between which data is to be communicated. And, the communication stations are connected theretogether by a communication channel. Large numbers of users are able to effectuate many different types of communication services through use of many varied types of communication systems. And, as technological advancements permit, new types of communication systems have been developed and deployed. Some of the new types of communication systems permit existing communication services to be carried out more efficiently and some have made new types of communication services available. Technological advancements continue. And, new types of communication systems in which such technological advancements are deployed shall correspondingly be made available.
Technological advancements have, for instance, permitted the widespread deployment of communication systems that utilize digital communication techniques. Several advantages are provided by the use of digital communication techniques. Improved communication efficiencies are possible as a result of the use of digital communication technique. When digital communication techniques are utilized, data that is to be communicated is digitized into digitial form. Communication redundancies can be relatively easily removed from the data once the data is digitized.
By removing such redundancies, redundant data need not be communicated. And, as a result, the communication capacity of a communication system that utilizes digital communication techniques can be substantially increased relative to the communication capacity permitted in a corresponding communication system that utilizes only analog communication techniques.
A radio communication system is an exemplary type of communication system. A radio communication system is referred to as such because the communication channel that interconnects the communication stations in such a system is formed, at least in part, upon a radio link. That is to say, a radio link forms at least a portion of a communication path extending between the communication stations of the radio communication system. And, the data that is communicated between the communication stations is communicated upon the communication channel, referred to as a radio channel, defined upon the radio link
Use of a radio communication system by which to communicate provides various advantages. For instance, a radio communication system is generally more economically deployed than a wireline counterpart. The costs associated with the installation of the network infrastructure of a radio communication system is generally less than the costs associated with installation of the network infrastructure of a wireline counterpart. So, for reasons associated with initial-installation costs, deployment of a radio communication system is sometimes preferred over deployment of a wireline counterpart. Also, a radio communication system is implementable as a mobile communication system. And, mobility of communications is provided in a mobile communication system. Communications in a mobile communication system are possible, from and between, locations at which communications utilizing a conventional wireline communication system would be impractical. And, communications with a communication station as it is moving are sometimes also possible.
A cellular communication system is a type of radio communication system. Multiple access by significant numbers of users is permitted in a cellular communication system, and cellular communication systems have achieved high levels of usage, i.e., penetration, in many areas. The network infrastructures of cellular communication systems have been deployed throughout significant geographical portions of populated areas of the world. Successive generations of cellular communication systems have been developed and deployed using various communication technologies. And, successor-generation systems, intended to supplement and, eventually, to replace existing systems, also utilizing various communication technologies, are undergoing deployment or are under development.
Systems that were first-installed are referred to as being first-generation (1G) cellular communication systems. First-generation systems generally utilize conventional analog communication techniques and use frequency-division, multiple-access communication schemes. First-generation systems generally provide for circuit-switched, voice communications. Second-generation (2G) cellular communication systems, introduced subsequent to first-generation systems, generally utilize digital communication techniques and provide for some data services. 2.5G (second-and-a-half generation) and 3G (third-generation) systems are currently undergoing deployment. These systems, generally, provide for more extensive data services, e.g., such as services at higher data rates as well as services effectuable at multiple data rates. Successor-generation systems are under development. These systems are intended to provide opportunities for yet-further expanded communication services.
The GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) cellular communication system is an exemplary second-generation cellular communication service. An operational specification, promulgated by the ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute), sets forth the operating protocols, and operational standards relating to operation of devices in such a system. The GSM system utilizes a combination of a frequency division multiple access (FDMA) and time-division multiple access (TDMA) communication schemes. Networks constructed to be operable pursuant to the GSM operating specification have been installed throughout many of the developed countries of the world. And, many millions of users subscribe to service in a GSM system to communicate telephonically therethrough. Other cellular communication systems, operable pursuant to other operating specifications have analogously been constructed.
Users communicate through the use of mobile nodes. The mobile nodes are regularly of physical dimensions permitting their hand-carriage by users of the mobile nodes. And, many mobile nodes are constructed to mimic operation of conventional telephonic stations. That is to say, many mobile nodes are operable both to originate and to terminate telephonic calls in manners that appear to the user to correspond to the manners by which a conventional, telephonic station is utilized to originate and to terminate such calls.
When a call is originated elsewhere for termination at the mobile node, signaling is generated with the mobile node during a call set-up procedure to cause an alert, such as a ringing tone, to be generated at the mobile node. The alert alerts the user of the mobile node of the call placement thereto. And, the user of the mobile node is able to accept the call in a manner analogous to the manner by which the user of a conventional wireline station takes the wireline station off-hook.
When a call is originated at the mobile node, the user enters the dialing digits that identify the station, i.e., the called party, at which the call is intended to be terminated, again in manners analogous to the manners by which the dialing digits associated with the called party are entered at a conventional wireline station. Call signaling procedures, generally transparent to the user, permit effectuation of the call with the called party.
Shortened dialing codes, herein sometimes referred to as short numbers or short dialing codes, are used to identify certain designated service centers in some areas. For instance, in the United States, some areas have 9-1-1, emergency service centers. The 9-1-1 code is sometimes referred to as an emergency number. In areas that have 9-1-1 service centers, when the 9-1-1 code is entered at a telephonic station, a call is routed to an appropriate 9-1-1 service center, thereby to facilitate emergency assistance responsive to the call. In other areas, such as the United Kingdom, an emergency services center is accessed telephonically from a telephonic station through the entry of a 9-9-9 code.
Other service centers are also designated by short numbers. For instance, directory service centers are accessed telephonically in some areas by entry of a 4-1-1 code at a telephonic station. And, in some other areas, a directory service center is accessed telephonically by entry of a 1-9-2 code. Also, operator assistance is accessed telephonically in some areas by entry of the digit '0' and, in some other areas, by entry of the short code 1-0-0.
When the telephonic station at which the short code is entered is a mobile node, the mobile node might sometimes be positioned in an area at which a short code that designates a particular service center-type be of a first set, or sequence, of digits, and the mobile node might sometimes be positioned in an area at which the short code that designates the particular service center-type be of a different set, or sequence, of digits. For instance, the mobile node might initially be positioned in an area at which the short code associated with an emergency services center comprise the 9-1-1 digits and later positioned in an area at which the short code associated with the emergency service center comprise the 9-9-9 sequence of digits.
The home network associated with the mobile node, generally the network with which the user of the mobile node is familiar, therefore, might well use short codes that differ with the short codes that are used by the home network associated with the mobile node, i.e., the short codes with which the user is familiar or those that are stored, such as for speed-dialing purposes, at the mobile node.
If the short code associated with a service center that the user of the mobile node intends to call is entered at a location that utilizes a different short code to access the service center, the intended service center is not accessed.
A manner is needed, therefore, by which better to provide for placement of a call from a mobile node to a service center using a short code. That is to say, a manner is needed by which to take into account the mobility inherent of a mobile node so that a service center that is accessed by entry of a short code by a user of the mobile node remains accessible irrespective of the position of the mobile node when a call is placed to the service center.
It is in light of this background information related to communications in a radio communication system that the significant improvements of the present invention have evolved.

Apparatus and method for delivery of network-specific codes to a mobile node


A resource allocation request and a resource release request of a PC card modem sent to a communication driver via a modem driver are hooked by a power saving driver. When the power saving driver detects that the resource allocation request is issued, the power saving driver first begins to supply power to the PC card modem by using a card service. Thereafter, the power saving driver transmits the hooked resource allocation request to the communication driver. Further, when the power saving driver detects that the resource release request is issued, the power saving driver transmits the hooked resource allocation request to the communication driver and stops the supply of power to the PC card modem by using the card service.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a power saving method of a computer system and particularly relates to a power saving method applied to a computer system in which resource allocation and release requests of a communication device are issued every start and termination of communication processing using the communication device, and a computer system in which a device driver corresponding to a PC card is loaded and unloaded respectively in response to mounting of the PC card and designation of stoppage of use of this PC card.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, various kinds of portable computers such as a portable computer, a PDA of a note book type or a subnote type, etc. have been developed. The computers of this kind are used under a mobile computing environment at many opportunities. Therefore, various kinds of power managing functions for reducing power consumption of the computers are set.
However, no sufficient power saving mechanism is arranged with respect to a communication device such as a modem and a peripheral device such as a PC card. Accordingly, there is a problem of uselessly consuming power.
In the following description, a case of use of a PC card modem is illustrated as an example and conventional power management with respect to this PC card modem will be explained.
As shown in FIG. 1, when it is detected (in step S101) that the PC card modem is inserted into a PC card socket of a portable computer, a power source with respect to the PC card modem is turned on so that an electric current flows into the PC card modem through the PC card socket. Next, loading and configuration setting processings (for example, memory locations, the I/O port address and the IREQ number that the PC card uses are set in the registers of the PCMCIA controller) of a device driver corresponding to this PC card modem are performed (in steps S102, S103) and the PC card modem is set to a usable state.
Thereafter, when a resource allocation of the modem is required via a communication control driver from an application program, etc., open processing (a method of resource management such as informing an OS of an application which the PC card is to be used) for allocating the PC card modem to a request source is performed (step S104). Thus, a resource of the PC card modem is acquired by the application program and communication processing using the PC card modem can be executed.
When the communication processing is terminated, a resource release request of the modem is issued via the communication control driver from the application program. Thus, close processing (a processing of returning a handler to the OS) for returning the PC card modem to a computer system is performed (step S105) and the communication processing using the PC card modem is terminated. Thereafter, when the resource allocation of the modem is again required via the communication control driver from the application program, etc., the above-mentioned open processing is performed (step S106). When the communication processing is then terminated, the above-mentioned close processing is performed (step S107).
When it is detected (in step S108) that the PC card modem is detached from the PC card socket, the power source with respect to the PC card modem is turned off.
Thus, the power source of the PC card modem is conventionally turned on continuously during a period from mounting of the PC card modem to the PC card socket to detachment of the PC card modem irrespective of execution of the communication processing using the PC card modem. Accordingly, a useless electric current also flows through the PC card modem for a period in which no PC card modem is used, thereby increasing power consumption.
Power can be saved if a user inserts the card into the card socket only when the user himself uses the PC card modem, and the user pulls the card out of the card socket immediately when the use of the PC card is terminated. However, in reality, it is difficult for the user to compulsorily insert and pull such a card.
Recently, a system for saving a memory has been also developed. In a construction of this system, when the user explicitly designates stoppage of the use of the PC card (for example, the cease of the use of the PC card is selected by clicking an icon indicating the PC card), a device driver corresponding to this PC card is unloaded from the memory.
However, in such a system, a power source of the PC card is also continuously turned on during a period from the mounting of the PC card to the PC card socket to the detachment of the PC card.
Namely, as shown in FIG. 2, when it is detected (in step S201) that the PC card is inserted into the PC card socket of a portable computer, the power source with respect to the PC card is turned on so that an electric current flows into the PC card through the PC card socket. Next, a device driver corresponding to this PC card is loaded and configuration setting processing of the device driver is performed (in steps S202, S203) so that the PC card is set to a usable state. Thereafter, the card is accessed in accordance with an access request from an application program, etc. (step S204). When it is detected that a user explicitly designates stoppage of the use of the PC card, a device driver corresponding to this PC card is unloaded (in steps S205, S206). Then, when it is detected (in step S207) that the PC card is detached from the PC card socket, the power source with respect to this PC card is turned off.
Thus, power is continuously supplied to the PC card as long as the PC card is mounted to the PC card socket. Accordingly, after the use of the PC card is stopped, power is uselessly consumed continuously.
As mentioned above, there is conventionally a problem of uselessly consuming power since no sufficient power saving mechanism is arranged with respect to a communication device such as a modem, etc., and a peripheral device such as a PC card.

Method and system for saving power in a computer system having a communication device


Content stored in a plurality of electronic files that belong to a course of learning resources is read. An object-oriented representation of structures of the content is generated, where the representation includes objects that represent portions of the content, and a semantic content model of the content is generated based on the object-oriented representation of the content. Instructions to modify the content are received and the object-oriented representation of the structures of the content is modified in response to the instructions from the user. In response to the modified object-oriented representation of structures of the content the content is modified.

On-line learning tools, courses, and methods have been developed from computer-based delivery (CBT) systems, in which learning resources were depicted as being as atoms or Lego® blocks of content that could be put together or organized to create semantic content. Standards bodies have refined the concept of learning resources into a rigorous form and have provided specifications on how to sequence and organize these bits of content into courses and how to package them for delivery as though they were books, training manuals, or other sources of instructional content.
Electronic instructional content (or "e-learning") for educational, training, infomercial, or entertainment purposes can be delivered to a user through many media (e.g., the Internet, television, playable storage media, such as videotapes, DVDs, CDs, intelligent tutoring systems, and CBT). The instructional content can be delivered to a user in many different forms (e.g., tests, training programs, and interactive media) and is generally referred to herein as a "course." In general, e-learning courses are suites of electronic learning resources (i.e., pieces of data that are used in an e-learning course) and can be composed of modules and lessons, supported with quizzes, tests and discussions, and can be integrated into educational institution's student information system, into a business's employee training system, or any other system in which learning occurs. The learning resources of an e-learning course can be composed of numerous files of many different formats (e.g., text files, PDF files, multimedia files, including jpeg, mpeg, wave, and MP3 files, HTML, and XML files). The number and complexity of the different learning resources in a course can be high and the relations and interfaces between the different learning resources also can be complex.
After a course is developed, it is often desired to modify the course and to reuse existing learning resources for a new purpose, rather than building a new course for the new purpose from scratch. However, current e-learning resources often do not integrate well into the new context in many cases. Therefore, changes have to be made to the learning resources prior to re-use of the content of the learning resources. For example, to alter the content or layout of a course for use in the modified course it can be necessary to modify a learning resource, to segment a learning resource into smaller parts, or to aggregate parts from different learning resources into a new learning resource.
The task of modifying the electronic content in an e-learning course must cope with the format-dependency of the learning resources, the fact that content generally is stored in multiple discrete files (or documents), the potential loss of information, during the modification process, and explicit semantic relations (e.g., relations or equal values in metadata) and explicit semantic relations (e.g., content relating to similar topics or having didactic dependencies) between different learning resources.
Thus, format-dependency may require a developer to implement the same modification process anew for each document format that is supported in the course, and the process must be adjusted to the features and limitations of the particular format. Furthermore, if content is spread over several related documents, the modification process should handle the multiple documents logically as one single learning resource. When content is spread over several documents in different formats it is difficult to handle the modification process in a generic manner without resorting to re-building the content in each dedicated set of formats.

Lossless format-dependent analysis and modification of multi-document e-learning resources


Disclosed herein are methods for the treatment or prevention of rosacea in a patient, including administering a compound that inhibits one or more components of the bradykinin activation pathway in an amount sufficient to reduce or prevent one or more symptoms of rosacea.

The invention described herein relates to methods for treating rosacea.
Rosacea is a chronic skin condition characterized by recurrent episodes of flushing, erythema, vasodilation, telangiectasia, edema, papules, pustules, hyperplasia, fibroplasia, itching, burning, pain, and skin tightness. Symptoms of rosacea are exacerbated by sun exposure, hot weather, immersion in hot water, high humidity, sweating, exercise, emotional stress, and spicy food. The skin condition usually begins between the ages of 30 to 50 and occurs more frequently in women than men.
The etiology of rosacea is not well understood, but it has been presumed to be caused by an as yet unidentified infectious agent. Unfortunately, antibiotic administration yields only marginal improvement (see, e.g., Dahl et al., Archives of Dermatology 134: 679–683, 1998; Bamford et al., Archives of Dermatology 135: 659–663, 1999). Therefore, there is a clear need for the identification of new targets in the pathology of rosacea, and the development of drugs that affect these new targets.
Bradykinins are autocoids, that is, they are hormones that are synthesized locally and act locally. This local effect is due to the short half-life (less than 30 seconds) of bradykinins and their almost complete destruction in the first pass through the pulmonary circulation (Ferreira and Vane, Chemotherap. 30: 317, 1967).
The major effects induced by bradykinins are vasodilation, increased vascular permeability, and inflammation. The inflammatory process involves the infiltration of neutrophils, macrophages, lymphocytes, mast cells, and other lamina proprira cells, including fibroblasts, to the site of inflammation. These inflammatory cells then function to synthesize and release several arachidonic acid-related mediators of inflammation, such as prostaglandins, leukotrienes, and thromboxanes. Bradykinins also lower blood pressure, participate in blood clotting and complement reactions, and cause pain.
The group of bradykinins, which includes Lys-bradykinin (kallidin) and Met-Lys bradykinin, as well as bradykinin, are produced by kallikrein cleavage of kininogen. Kininogen is a hepatic-derived protein which circulates in the blood in a low molecular weight form and a high molecular weight form. Kallikreins can be divided into two groups of serine proteases: tissue kallikreins (EC number 184.108.40.206) and plasma kallikrein (EC number 18.104.22.168). Tissue kallikreins are relatively specific for cleavage of the low molecular weight form of kininogen; plasma kallikrein has greater specificity for the high molecular weight form.
Plasma kallikrein has a molecular weight of about 100 kD, circulates in the blood in a precursor form called prekallikrein, and is principally involved in the activation of the blood clotting and compliment enzyme cascades. Tissue kallikreins, otherwise known as glandular or organ kallikreins, are glycoproteins with a molecular weight ranging from 27–40 kD. They have been isolated from various tissues and body fluids including saliva, intestine, lung, brain, plasma, and the sweat glands of the skin. Their substrates include procollagenase, kininogen, proinsulin, prorenin, BAM 22P atrial natriuretic factor, low density lipoprotein, atriopeptigen, and tissue plasminogen activator.
Angiotensin II is an important factor in blood pressure regulation and in the pathophysiology of renovascular hypertension. Its precursor, angiotensin I, is produced and released into the circulation in response to renin. Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) converts angiotensin I into angiotensin II, which mediates vasoconstriction via stimulation of the AT1 receptor and the production of bradykinin via stimulation of the AT2 receptor (Siragy and Carey, Hypertension 33: 1214–1217, 1999; Gohlke and Unger, Hypertension 31: 349–355, 1998).


Disclosed is a method for high-speed vacuum unitary packaging of portion-cut meats, wherein a vacuum four-side sealed object containing a plurality of portion-cut meats obtained by dividing a livestock meat, such as beef, pork, chicken, or the like, or a large-size fish into many portions, is divided into four-side sealed objects with vacuum being maintained at high speed using an impulse sealer for vacuum unitary packaging. At least two portion-cut meats are loaded on a conveyor with a prescribed spacing being given between portion-cut meats; a vacuum four-side sealed object is formed by using upper and lower wrapping films having gas-barrier properties and inner surface thermal fusion bonding properties to integrally vacuum package the portion-cut meats; a flat part between portion-cut meats in the vacuum four-side sealed object is fusion bonded by using a heat impulse sealer for heating film layers from both above and below to form at least two seal lines; and the films between the at least two seal lines are secondary cut, with a second energization of lower heater wires and secondary cutting being simultaneously performed after a first energization of upper heater wires has been completed, or with a second energization of upper heater wires and secondary cutting being simultaneously performed after a first energization of lower heater wires has been completed.

Conventionally, a dressed carcass of one head of cattle has been divided into twenty-six portions, such as loin, short plate, fillet, and the like, and these twenty-six portion-cut meats have been vacuum packaged, cooled after a film having been shrunk by heating or without the film being shrunk, and then stored and delivered at around 0 deg C. to be supplied as so-called chilled beef.
In order to further divide these portion-cut meats and supply them to end consumers, skilled technicians have been required. Recently, supermarkets and the like have had a demand for portion-cut meats, such as beef, pork, large-size fishes, chicken, and the like, which have been divided into smaller parts such that even unskilled people can process them.
In patent literature 1, the present inventor et al. disclosed a method, wherein a rolled lower film, which has gas-barrier properties and thermal fusion bonding properties, is unrolled; at least two portion-cut meats are loaded on the lower film with a spacing being given between portion-cut meats and a front end of the lower film having been fusion bonded to a front end of an upper film; rolled upper film is unrolled to cover the portion-cut meats on the lower film, and the upper and lower films are fusion bonded to each other; at a middle of a fusion bonded area, the films are cut to obtain a tubular sealed object holding portion-cut meats between the upper and lower films; this tubular sealed object is evacuated from both openings thereof; the openings are sealed for vacuum sealing to obtain a vacuum four-side sealed object containing at least two portion-cut meats; then, in a flat part between portion-cut meats contained in this vacuum packaged object, at least two seal lines are produced by using an impulse sealer, with which timings for starting heating of upper and lower heater wires differ by 0.3 to 4 sec, and then between the seal lines the films are secondary-cut.
As films for packaging of these portion-cut meats, various films, such as those as disclosed in patent literature 2 and patent literature 3, are available.
In recent years, an increasing number of mass merchandisers who want to simplify their tray packaging work, and consumers have requested that, for beef, for example, one head of cattle be divided into seventy-four portions or one hundred-eighty portions, and these be delivered, being individually vacuum packaged as separate products.
Patent literature 1: Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. 2004-161291
Patent literature 2: Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. 10-34800/1998
Patent literature 3: Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. 11-207886/1999
As a result of performing the art of the patent literature 1, for example, when smaller portion-cut meats of a pig were vacuum unitary packaged using upper and lower films having a width of 850 mm, a dividing step by using the impulse sealer took approximately 7 sec on average. Because placing a plurality of portion-cut meats in one packaging container for vacuum packaging them has been improved for a higher speed, a dividing time period of approximately 7 sec is becoming an obstacle in improvement of work efficiency. A cause for the dividing time period having been as long as approximately 7 sec was that, unless a cooling time, even if momentary, were provided after energizing and heating one of the upper and lower heater wires and before energizing the other, it would be difficult to reliably fusion bond the films, one of which has a thickness two or three times larger or smaller than that of the other.
If a period of time for energization of the upper and lower heater wires is shortened, there arises a problem in that a seal strength of a sealed part is reduced, and thus vacuum leakage may occur at a stage of distribution. On the other hand, if a sufficient period of time for cooling is not provided, there occurs a problem in that a seal line area is stretched during cutting and a vacuum leak may be produced at a seal line, resulting in damage being caused to form as a commercial product.
In addition, because of a demand for cost reduction, there is a trend for thinner films being used. With thin films, tolerances for the period of time for energization and a difference in timing for starting energization of the upper and lower heaters have been narrowed in order to provide reliable sealing by the impulse sealer while eliminating a possibility of seal breakage, and it is becoming difficult to adjust a timing of activating functions of the impulse sealer.

Method for high-speed vacuum unitary packaging of portion-cut meats


A bath or basin waste having a plug in which the upper face of the cap is substantially below the upper face of the bottom of the bath or basin to which it is fitted when in the closed position and substantially flush with the upper face of the bottom of the bath or basin when in the open position.

(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to fittings for bathroom facilities and in particular fittings commonly known as bath or basin outlets or wastes.
(2) Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
One well known basic type of bath and basin waste has an externally threaded tube defining a flow passage therethrough from its upper end to its lower end and which is adapted to fit into the drain opening provided in a bathtub or basin. A flange extends outwardly from the tube at its upper end and is arranged to engage the upper face of the bath or basin bottom about the drain opening. Typically, a flat rubber washer is fitted about the tube between the flange and the basin and a nut is screwed onto the tube so as to engage the lower face of the basin bottom and tighten the flange against the washer so that it forms a watertight seal therebetween. A trap or pipe is then connected to the lower end of the tube and in turn connected to a waste water drainage pipe which eventually is connected to the sewerage system. A grate is usually fitted in the tube adjacent the flange and is often cast therewith to prevent passage of cakes of soap, cloth and the like. Sometimes the grate is formed separately and is secured in the tube by a screw which is screwed into the centre of intersecting a diametral cross bars which are cast in the tube (commonly known as a "spider"). The upper end portion adjacent the flange is usually tapered inwards away from the upper end to accommodate a removable tapered plug therein for closing the flow passage.
A more recent type of basin outlet commonly referred to as a "pop-up" waste or outlet has become popular because it does not require a separate plug. Such basin outlets typically have a tube and flange similar to the basic bath and basin outlet described above but instead of a removable plug being used to close the flow passage, a cap is mounted in the flow passage adjacent the flange for up and down movement between an open position and a closed position so as to close the passage when it is down and open the passage when it is up.
In such known pop-up type outlets the cap seals against the flange or the inner face of the tubular portion immediately adjacent the upper end when down to close the passage and is spaced above the flange when up thereby opening the passage at its upper end. Movement of the cap is controlled by an actuation device to which the cap is connected such that closing of the passage is achieved by pushing the cap down against a spring loaded catch and released by pushing the cap further down to release the catch so that it rises to the open position under the force of a spring. In such pop-up type basin wastes, the upper face of the cap is normally flush with the flange (and the upper face of the basin bottom) when the cap is down in the closed position but protrudes significantly above the flange (and the basin bottom) when in the open position.
It will be appreciated that a large number of persons who use a wash basin to quickly wash their faces and hands or clean their teeth prefer to do so with running water direct from the basin faucet while the basin outlet is open and water can flow directly out of the basin. Unfortunately, the protruding cap of the presently available basin wastes can be a nuisance in such cases. Furthermore, the basin waste is typically more aesthetically pleasing when in the closed position than the open position but is rarely in the closed position and many people prefer to leave the basin waste open when not in use so that any drips drain away rather than overflow the basin.


A pulse width modulated DC to DC voltage converter for producing selectable differential output voltages. A feedback voltage and a selectable error voltage are fed back to the controller to control the pulse width by the difference between them. First and second power switches are respectively operable in response to first and second square wave signals output from the controller. The converter includes a center-tapped transformer having first and second output terminals. The outputs from the first and second output terminals are filtered and rectified into respective nominally positive and negative DC output voltages. A first selector switch for selectively connecting the nominally negative voltage output terminal to either a grounded bus or a negative bus is mechanically ganged to a second selector switch having a plurality of positions for selecting one of a plurality of predetermined error voltages. Movement of the selector switches changes the values of the positive and negative DC voltages at the respective output terminals.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to DC to DC electrical power voltage conversion, and in particular to a DC to DC converter employing a pulse width modulation controller.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Portable electronic devices, such as portable radios, cassette recorders/players, CD players and the like have become increasingly popular. It is frequently desirable to operate such devices in an automobile, however, the life of the batteries contained in the portable devices is limited. Accordingly, on long trips it would be desirable to make use of the automobile's battery power. However, very few portable electronic devices use the twelve volt DC power commonly available in automobiles and require any one of a number of different voltages, including 3 volts, 4.5 volts, 6 volts, 7.5 volts, 9 volts or 12 volts. In view of this, the ability of a single voltage converter to operate a number of electronic devices from a voltage source available in an automobile, such as through a cigarette lighter, has been limited.


A process for producing liquid hydrocarbons from hydrocarbon materials is disclosed. The hydrocarbon materials are heated to a temperature above 400.degree. C. thereby producing a gas stream. A gaseous plasma is generated. The gas stream is passed through the gaseous plasma thereby producing a heated gas stream. The heated gas stream is saturated with a hydroxide ion to produce a saturated gas stream. The saturated gas stream is cooled to standard temperature and pressure and is condensed to produce liquid hydrocarbons and waste gases.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates a process for converting carbon materials to liquid hydrocarbons. The process is particularly useful for converting used tires into liquid hydrocarbons.
2. History of the Related Art
The destruction of waste has been an every increasing problem in developed and developing countries. The traditional methods of dealing with organic waste has been to dump it in landfill sites or to incinerate it. Clearly each method of dealing with waste has very serious consequences.
Specifically, incineration produces high volumes of air emissions which are not only toxic but, in some cases, carcinogenic. Typically the air emissions contain both carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide along with nitrous oxides, dioxins and furans. Therefore, incineration causes a number of dilatory effects through the production of carbon monoxide, which is a toxic substance; carbon dioxide, which is considered a greenhouse gas; and nitrous oxides, which are significant contributors to acid rain.
Incineration requires substantial amounts of air under ideal conditions to produce complete combustion. Where complete combustion occurs the gases which are produced are carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide; these gases which are toxic, contribute to greenhouse effect and contribute to acid rain. However, typically complete combustion does not occur and when incomplete combustion occurs in addition to carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide, gaseous hydrocarbons are also produced. Many of these gaseous hydrocarbons are considered to be carcinogenic. Therefore when combustion is used as a method of waste destruction, typically incomplete combustion occurs and toxic and carcinogenic gases are typically released into the atmosphere causing a significant impact on the environment.
More recently the trend in waste disposal is developing methods wherein there is as close to zero impart on the environment as possible. The current trend is to reuse and recycle materials as much as practicable. In addition, the world community is currently taking a more a aggressive stance on the disposal of waste and in particular air emissions.
Some processes have been suggested to alleviate the problems associated with incineration. For example gas emissions are often passed through a "scrubber" wherein the gas stream is passed through or sprayed with an aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide. The objective of "scrubbing" the gas stream is to remove hydrochloric gases, which are known to be carcinogenic, from the gas stream. In "scrubbing" the gas stream the hydrochloric gases are removed from the gas stream and after "scrubbing" the substances which are left, including such gases as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, hydrogen, and methane. In addition, water discharges containing chloride salt, are released into the atmosphere. These sorts of solutions were suggested in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,138,959 and 5,010,829 both issued to Kulkami and U.S. Pat. No. 4,934,286 issued to Fowler. These inventions are directed to methods of improving the quality of the gas emissions. There is nothing in these inventions directed to changing the nature of the final products. That is there is nothing in these inventions directed to producing liquids rather than gases.
The inventors have co-pending applications, the first of which is directed to a process for the conversion of solid waste to liquid hydrocarbons and the second of which is directed to a process for the conversion of gaseous hydrocarbons to liquid hydrocarbons. The first application discloses a process wherein energy is applied to material to dissociate the material into a gaseous byproduct and to break the bonds in long carbon chains. The gaseous byproduct is then partially cooled but the gaseous byproduct is maintained in its unstable form so that the gases which form the gaseous byproducts do not recombine so as to form stable gases. The partially cooled unstable gaseous byproducts are then reacted and condensed in a catalytic condenser containing preferably sodium hydroxide to form a reacted solution comprising liquid hydrocarbons. The liquid hydrocarbons are then separated from the reacted solution.
The second application is directed to a process for converting gaseous hydrocarbons, having in combination at least one carbon atom and hydrogen group, into liquid hydrocarbons. The process includes the steps of dissociating the gaseous hydrocarbons in the absence of oxygen and breaking at least some of the bonds in the hydrocarbon to produce unstable gaseous byproducts. Then the unstable gaseous byproducts are reacted with a solution chosen from the group consisting of hydroxide bases and carbonate bases to produce a reacted solution comprising at least some liquid hydrocarbons. Typically sodium hydroxide is used. This process is ideally suited for the conversion of Butane to butanol wherein in the above process hydrogen ion is reacted with the unstable gaseous byproducts to form the neutral butanyl radical.
The present invention is an improvement over the co-pending applications so that commercially viable results are achievable. The process is improved by including in the process, among other steps, the step of passing the unstable gaseous byproducts through a gaseous plasma.

Process for producing liquid hydrocarbons

Lawrence Plasma Research Laboratory Inc.


A shower jet generating device for a shower head, illustratively for a sanitary shower head, including a shower jet disk delimiting a fluid chamber on an outlet side and including at least one jet outlet opening leading out of the fluid chamber and at least one overpressure valve opening, and comprising at least one overpressure valve disposed on the overpressure valve opening. The overpressure valve illustratively includes an overpressure outlet opening leading out of the fluid chamber, an immobile valve seat and a valve body capable of movement controlled by a fluid pressure in the fluid chamber and interacting with the valve seat, which valve body, in a normal pressure position, rests against the valve seat, thereby closing the overpressure outlet opening, and, in an overpressure position, is lifted off the valve seat, thereby exposing the overpressure outlet opening.

The invention relates to a shower jet generating device for a shower head, illustratively for a sanitary shower head, including a shower jet disk delimiting a fluid chamber on an outlet side and including at least one jet outlet opening leading out of the fluid chamber and at least one overpressure valve opening, and including at least one overpressure valve disposed on the overpressure valve opening. The overpressure valve illustratively includes an overpressure outlet opening leading out of the fluid chamber, an immobile valve seat and a valve body capable of movement controlled by a fluid pressure in the fluid chamber and interacting with the valve seat, which valve body, in a normal pressure position, rests against the valve seat, thereby closing the overpressure outlet opening, and, in an overpressure position, is lifted off the valve seat, thereby exposing the overpressure outlet opening.
Shower jet generating devices of this kind are used, for example, in sanitary shower heads, such as hand-held showers, overhead showers and lateral jet showers in shower installations. In the present case, normal pressure means a pressure range of the fluid pressure in the fluid chamber, often also referred to as the internal pressure of an associated shower or of an associated shower head, when the shower jet generating device is in normal, fault-free operation while being used as intended. This normal pressure should not exceed a suitably preset limiting pressure, it being possible, for example, to set the limiting pressure to a value of about 0.9 bar or higher, e.g. to about 1 bar or about 3 bar or about 5 bar, depending on the area of use and purpose of use of the shower jet generating device.
One known problem of these devices is that, when operated with hard water or contaminated water, one or, generally, several jet outlet openings may be partially or completely blocked by lime scale deposits or dirt particles and, as a result, the pressure in the fluid chamber may rise in an unwanted manner. Shower jet generating devices, the jet outlet openings of which have a relatively small diameter, e.g. for generating a "fine needle jet", are also particularly prone to this problem. Such a pressure rise can lead to an overpressure in the fluid chamber, which may cause damage to components exposed to this overpressure. Moreover, the shower jet characteristic may change in an unwanted manner as a result. In the present case, overpressure accordingly means a pressure in the fluid chamber which is higher than the normal pressure, in particular a fluid pressure which is above the limiting pressure. The setting of the limiting pressure is expediently chosen in such a way that a rise in the internal pressure of the shower jet generating device, which can reach critically high values in the case of scale-encrusted or clogged/blocked jet outlet openings even at only about 1 bar of flow pressure of the fluid upstream of the shower head concerned, does not have any unwanted effects as long as the internal pressure does not exceed the limiting pressure.
As long as there is no overpressure, the movable valve body rests against the valve seat, thereby closing the overpressure outlet opening. In active operation of the shower jet generating device, the fluid can enter the one or more jet outlet openings via the fluid chamber and emerge from this opening or these openings to form the corresponding shower jet. When overpressure occurs, the valve body rises from the valve seat, thereby exposing the overpressure outlet opening. Via the exposed overpressure outlet opening, fluid can then emerge from the fluid chamber, thereby enabling the overpressure in the fluid chamber to be dissipated.
Chinese Laid-Open Publication CN 104971834 A and Utility Model Publication CN 202527296 U disclose shower jet generating devices of the type stated at the outset in which the overpressure valve comprises a hollow cylindrical valve housing, which is disposed in the overpressure valve opening of the shower jet disk and on a front region of which the valve seat and the overpressure outlet opening in the form of an opening extending through the valve seat are provided. The valve body is designed as an axially movable valve pin, a head region of which closes the overpressure outlet opening when it rests against the valve seat and which is held in such a way as to be preloaded in the closed position on the valve housing under the preload of a helical spring.
Patent Publication AT 252826 discloses a shower head with overpressure safeguard, in which an annular gap is left between the shower jet disk and a surrounding shower head housing, in which there is a seal ring fitted into a circumferential annular groove on the shower jet disk. Overpressure outlet openings are provided on the bottom of the annular groove, these being closed by the seal ring at normal pressure and exposed by the seal ring in the case of overpressure, with the seal ring being expanded elastically by the overpressure.
German Patent Application 10 2016 219 551 describes a shower jet generating device with protection against dripping in which a movable fluid outlet element is disposed on one or more jet outlet openings of a jet disk, the element comprising a movable valve body having a fluid outlet opening that leads out of a fluid chamber upstream of the shower jet disk. The movable valve body interacts with an immobile valve seat, which, depending on a fluid pressure in the fluid chamber, exposes the fluid outlet opening in an open position of the fluid outlet element and shuts off the fluid outlet element in a shut-off position. The normal fluid operating pressure in the fluid chamber ensures that the fluid outlet element is in the open position. When there is no fluid pressure in the fluid chamber or this pressure is at any rate not yet higher than a preset limiting pressure or minimum pressure lower than normal pressure of, for example, 0.2 bar to 0.35 bar, the fluid outlet element is in its shut-off position and prevents dripping.
German Patent Application 10 2016 213 491 describes a shower jet generating device of the type stated at the outset in which the overpressure outlet opening is formed by the overpressure valve opening of the jet disk or by a jet outlet nipple extending through the latter, and in which a deformable valve element, which can be moved in a controlled manner by deformation between a normal pressure position and an overpressure position by the pressure prevailing in the fluid chamber, acts as a movable valve body. The deformable valve element can be, for example, a sealing flap, a deformable sealing membrane or a deformable disk element which delimits the fluid chamber on a side facing away from the shower jet disk.
German Patent Application 10 2016 225 987 describes a shower jet generating device which is advantageously suitable for generating a fine needle jet as a shower jet, for which purpose a jet outlet element disposed in a respective jet disk opening is of pot-shaped design with a bottom on the outlet side, a side wall and a hollow chamber delimited by the bottom and the side wall, wherein the bottom is disposed in such a way as to face in the jet outlet direction and has a plurality of fine jet openings. The fine jet openings can have a very small outlet cross-section of, for example, no more than 0.2 mm2 or 0.1 mm2. The bottom and the side wall are illustratively formed from an elastic material in such a way that the jet outlet element can be convexly deformed in normal shower operation by the prevailing normal pressure of the shower fluid.
It is an object of the invention to provide a shower jet generating device of the type stated at the outset which can be produced with relatively little outlay and is advantageous particularly as regards its overpressure valve implementation.
The invention achieves this and other objects by providing a shower jet generating device comprising a shower jet disk delimiting a fluid chamber on an outlet side and including at least one jet outlet opening leading out of the fluid chamber and at least one overpressure valve opening. At least one overpressure valve is disposed on the overpressure valve opening, which overpressure valve includes an overpressure outlet opening leading out of the fluid chamber, an immobile valve seat and a valve body capable of movement controlled by a fluid pressure in the fluid chamber and interacting with the valve seat, which valve body, in a normal pressure position, rests against the valve seat, thereby closing the overpressure outlet opening, and, in an overpressure position, is lifted off the valve seat, thereby exposing the overpressure outlet opening.
In this shower jet generating device, the valve body is formed as a valve membrane body made of an elastic material. The valve membrane body comprises a cylindrical central portion extending into the overpressure valve opening and a boundary portion surrounding the central portion, the boundary portion being deformably flap-movable. The valve membrane body moves with its central portion within the overpressure valve opening between the normal pressure position and the overpressure position by the deforming flap movement of its boundary portion, with a main directional component perpendicular to the shower jet disk. Here, the term main directional component should be understood in its usual sense that the direction of movement of the central portion has a larger directional component perpendicularly to a disk plane of the shower jet disk than parallel to the disk plane.
This represents an advantageous implementation of the overpressure valve and, in particular, of the valve body thereof in terms of production engineering and functioning. By means of its flap-movable boundary portion, the valve membrane body can be designed in such a way that it is moved into its overpressure position from its normal pressure position only when the fluid pressure in the fluid chamber has risen to a predeterminable overpressure value which is above a normal pressure or normal pressure range of the fluid pressure in the fluid chamber when the shower jet generating device is operating in a normal, trouble-free manner. As long as the fluid pressure in the fluid chamber remains below the relevant overpressure value, the valve membrane body remains in its normal pressure position. The overpressure valve opening in the jet disk can be exploited for the mobility of the cylindrical central portion of the valve membrane body, and the central portion can be viewed from outside by the user when required via the outside of the jet disk. In an illustrative embodiment, the user can see from the position of the central portion in the overpressure valve opening whether the valve membrane body is in its normal pressure position or its overpressure position. When required, the central portion, situated in the overpressure valve opening, of the valve membrane body can furthermore correspond in shape and/or appearance to the jet outlet opening or openings of the jet disk or to a jet outlet element provided in the respective jet outlet opening. This can be desired with a view to a visually uniform appearance of the shower jet generating device on the outside of the jet disk or with a view to other design aspects. Moreover, this can be functionally advantageous in the sense that, in corresponding embodiments, the fluid emerges from the overpressure valve in a similar manner in the case of overpressure as it does in normal operation from the jet outlet opening or openings of the jet disk.
In a development of the invention, the fluid chamber, on its side facing away from the shower jet disk, is delimited by a chamber bottom plate including the valve seat. Thus, the chamber bottom plate can advantageously serve both to delimit the fluid chamber on the rear side and to provide the valve seat for the overpressure valve.
In a development of the invention, the central portion of the valve membrane body is hollow cylindrical and comprises the overpressure outlet opening, wherein the overpressure outlet opening leads out of the valve membrane body on its side facing away from the valve seat. In this case, the central portion advantageously serves to provide the overpressure outlet opening, and the overpressure outlet opening can emerge on the outside of the shower jet disk, like the at least one jet outlet opening. Fluid that is discharged from the fluid chamber via the overpressure valve in the case of overpressure can thus emerge from the shower jet disk on the same side and, when required, with a similar fluid outlet characteristic as does the fluid from the jet outlet opening or openings in normal operation.
In a development of the invention, the central portion of the valve membrane body is hollow cylindrical and comprises the overpressure outlet opening, and the overpressure outlet opening leads into the valve membrane body on its side facing towards the valve seat. As a result, in the normal pressure position, in which the valve membrane body is situated as long as there is no case of overpressure, i.e. when there is no fluid pressure or a normal fluid operating pressure in the fluid chamber, the overpressure outlet opening can thereby be held closed in a very simple manner by virtue of the fact that the valve membrane body with the inlet of the overpressure outlet opening in its central portion rests against the valve seat.
In one embodiment of the invention, the valve seat comprises a shut-off contour, which engages in an input region of the overpressure outlet opening in the valve membrane body, in the normal pressure position of the valve membrane body. This is advantageous for reliable fluid-tight closure of the overpressure outlet opening and can be achieved with a relatively low outlay.
In another embodiment of the invention, the shut-off contour is formed by a conical or spherical shut-off projection, this being advantageous in respect of the sealing behavior and production outlay.
In addition, or as an alternative to the shut-off contour, in one embodiment of the invention an input region of the overpressure outlet opening in the valve membrane body comprises a frustoconical outer contour, in the normal pressure position of the valve membrane body, and the valve seat has a corresponding frustoconical inner contour. This too once again represents an advantageous, simple way of achieving fluid-tight closure of the overpressure outlet opening in the normal pressure position of the valve membrane body.
In a development of the invention, the valve seat comprises the overpressure outlet opening, and the overpressure outlet opening leads into the valve seat on its side facing towards the valve membrane body. In this case, the valve membrane body acts as a movable closing body, which closes the overpressure outlet opening in the valve seat in the normal pressure position and exposes it in the overpressure position. The closing and exposure of the overpressure outlet opening in the valve seat can advantageously be performed by the cylindrical central portion of the valve membrane body.
In a development of the invention, the at least one jet outlet opening comprises a jet outlet nipple which is formed from the elastic material integrally with the valve membrane body. In a manner which is advantageous in terms of production technology, this allows joint manufacture of the jet outlet nipple, which acts as a fluid outlet element for the normal shower jet, and of the valve membrane body of the overpressure valve. In a corresponding embodiment, the jet outlet nipple and the valve membrane body can be joint components of a jet mat manufactured from the elastic material, which is situated on the inside of the shower jet disk, over substantially the entire area thereof, and on which both the one or more jet outlet nipples and the valve membrane body or bodies are formed. In an alternative embodiment, the jet outlet nipple and the valve membrane body are formed as respectively independent components made of the elastic material.
In a development of the invention, the at least one jet outlet opening is formed by a jet outlet nipple made of an elastic material, which nipple has a hollow cylindrical central portion extending into a nipple outlet opening of the jet disk and a deformably flap-movable boundary portion surrounding the central portion, wherein the jet outlet nipple moves with its central portion within the nipple outlet opening between a zero pressure position and a normal pressure position by the deforming flap movement of its boundary portion, with a main directional component perpendicular to the shower jet disk. Here, zero pressure position means a position which the jet outlet nipple adopts when there is no fluid pressure in the fluid chamber, and normal pressure position means the position which it adopts when the normal fluid pressure is present during the operation of the shower jet generating device. In its construction and its motion characteristic, the jet outlet nipple therefore corresponds largely to the valve membrane body and, accordingly, can be produced in a similar way with a relatively low outlay. There is the difference that the jet outlet nipple changes its position as soon as the fluid pressure in the fluid chamber rises to the normal pressure level during operation, whereas the valve membrane body changes its position only when the fluid pressure in the fluid chamber rises to an overpressure value above the normal pressure level owing to a case of overpressure. In particular, the jet outlet nipple can be a movable fluid outlet element of the kind described in the above mentioned German Patent Application 10 2016 219 551, the contents of which are herewith incorporated by reference into the present application and to which reference can be made for further details in relation to a fluid outlet element of this kind.
In a development of the invention, the shower jet disk comprises at least two overpressure valve openings, on each of which an overpressure valve is arranged, wherein the overpressure valves respond to different overpressure values of the fluid pressure in the fluid chamber. This implements an at least two-level remedial measure for overpressure. When the fluid pressure in the fluid chamber rises more and more, the overpressure valve which is designed for a lower overpressure value responds first and, if the fluid pressure rises further, the additional overpressure valve, which is designed for a higher overpressure value, also responds.
In a development of the invention, the at least one overpressure valve is capable of multilevel response to at least two different overpressure values of the fluid pressure in the fluid chamber, wherein the valve membrane body moves, at a first overpressure value, to a first overpressure position partially exposing the overpressure outlet opening with a first opening cross-section and, at a second overpressure value that is greater than the first overpressure value, to a second overpressure position exposing the overpressure outlet opening with a second opening cross-section that is greater than the first one. This implements an at least two-level remedial measure for overpressure on one and the same overpressure valve.
Additional features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of the illustrative embodiments best exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived.

Shower jet generating device having an overpressure valve


A steering wheel with an air bag unit having a center located behind the boss of the steering wheel. A weight member is buried within a front portion of the steering wheel core for reducing displacement of the center of gravity of the steering wheel caused by the air bag unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a steering wheel provided with an air bag unit.
2. Description of the Related
Among known steering wheels, there is one having an air bag unit, the center of which is located behind the boss of the steering wheel so that visibility is improved and the field of vision is secured (Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 62 (1987)-234781).
However, this type of steering wheel has a problem in that when the steering wheel is turned about 180.degree. from the steering neutral position, steering is liable to become unstable since the air bag unit is relatively heavy, for example, about 4 kg.

Steering wheel with an air bag unit and method of manufacture


Jack for raising and lowering a working implement such as hydraulically driven snow blades or other utilitarian accessories. Actuation of the jack allows for proper vertical alignment of the lift assembly for engagement to a vehicle chassis. Once engaged, the jack can be actuated into an inoperative position until the lift assembly is to be removed from the chassis.

Conventional snow blade mounts for four wheel drive vehicles such as pick-up trucks and ATV's can weigh several hundred pounds, and generally include a chassis frame that can be permanently fixed to the vehicle chassis, usually behind the vehicle front bumper. A lift frame is then removably coupled to the chassis frame, and the snow blade is then coupled to the front end of the assembly via an A-frame and trip frame assembly. The A-frame with the snow blade attached is typically removable from the vehicle. Conventionally, the lift frame has been permanently mounted to the chassis frame (and therefore not readily removable from the vehicle), and the hydraulic pump used to operate the snow blade was located under the vehicle hood, and were driven using a belt drive driven by the vehicle engine. However, safety considerations now often dictate that the lift frame be removed when the plow is not in use.
One drawback of conventional snow blade mounts is the difficulty in readily attaching and removing the lift frame assemblies from the vehicle chassis, especially in view of their weight. To that end, U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,174 discloses a removable snowplow including a removable lift frame and A-frame combination. However, the lift frame assembly is permanently mounted to the A-frame, thus requiring removal of both simultaneously, as a unit. U.S. Pat. No. 5,353,530 is of a similar vein.
Conventional mounting systems utilize a pin arrangement, whereby the vehicle and mount assembly must be properly aligned prior to coupling the mount to the chassis with a pair of pins. This mounting and dismounting is difficult and tedious.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a snow blade hitch mount that includes a jack for lifting the assembly for proper vertical alignment with the vehicle chassis mount receiving unit.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a jack assembly for raising and lowering a working implement.


A reusuable mass propulsion system comprising; means to change the force created by a linear accelerating mass into rotating kinetic energy, the kinetic energy being in a different plane and dimension which, in the process, gives at least 4 distinct thrusts to its vehicle host. The apparatus uses no magnetic forces, gases or particle discharges and requires only a power source such as solar energy for its activation.

Propulsion of an object is generally only obtained by movement of air or other gases in opposite direction to the movement of the object under the effect of jet or propeller systems. In the absence of a suitable atmosphere, for example in space, propulsion is generally obtained by rocket systems or by other systems which involve the projection of particles at high velocity from the object. Such systems of course require the consumption of fuel since the fuel must form the particles to be projected.
Attempts have been made for many years to develop a propulsion system which generates linear movement from a rotational drive. Examples of this type of arrangement are shown in a book entitled "THE DEATH OF ROCKETRY" published in 1980 by Joel Dickenson and Robert Cook.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,631,971 proposes a propulsion system that provides two symmetrical wheels mounted in the same plane for rotation about parallel axes at right angles to the plane and driven synchronously in the opposite direction. This device requires electromagnetic restraint to provide whip-like action inducing a resultant force in a direction at right angles to the plane containing the axes of the wheels. This requires the use of a magnetic field which may be affected by any other magnetic field disturbance which can cause interruption of the cycle resulting in mis-direction of the force.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,132,067 proposes the use of sound waves through a medium such as water or air with control means to allow particles of the medium to pass through the barrier when moving in one direction under the influence of the oscillatory field, but prevents the particle from passing back through the barrier when moving in the opposite of oscillation under the influence of the field to produce a net force imparted to the object, however, the medium used is subject to other forces if used in outer space such as heat, "flash-points" and loss due to leakage.
There is a need, therefore, for apparatus and a method to provide a net force in one direction which may be effected by adverse forces of random magnetism, heat, cold, expansion or contraction of gases, etc., but relies on the controlled movement of a reusable mass resulting in such a net force.