The present invention provides a hidden type split hinge. First and second curved tracks are provided on a curved seat body for respectively limiting a first and second curved blocks of first and second rotating members in a way of being relatively swung. First and second torsion units are symmetrical and adjacently provided to a first side of the curved seat body, and one end of the first and second torsion units is respectively provided with first and second pivoting holes, and the first and second pivoting holes are respectively in communication with first and second elongated opening holes, first and second tooth portions are respectively provided around peripheries of the first and second pivoting holes, and the first tooth portion is engaged with the second tooth portion, and the first and second pivoting hole are axially connected to the first and second shaft ends of a first lateral surface.

For conventional foldable electronic devices, for example, for displays and bases of notebooks, a single-axial hinge is used to connect the bases with a side of the display to form a pivoting connection, so that the notebooks can be folded or unfolded. In addition to the conventional notebooks, especially for the existing dual-touch screen computers, the current foldable design is mainly to improve the shortcoming of the dual-touch screen computers. The two screens of the existing dual-touch screen computers, the two screens can be moved to approach each other during the folding process, so as to reduce the gap between them and to avoid exposure of the internal structures of hinges or pivot points.
For example, the Chinese Utility Model Patent entitled with "Hinge device and electronic apparatus using the same" (No. CN207018340U; Patent 1) has disclosed that its foldable electronic apparatus mainly includes two bodies and a hinge. The hinge includes a base frame, a transmission assembly and two brackets. The base frame is provided with two guiding grooves, and the two guiding grooves are arranged in a direction reverse to the front-to-rear direction and spaced from each other. The transmission assembly is provided on the base frame and partially located in the two guiding grooves. The two brackets are arranged in a direction reverse to the front-to-rear direction, and each bracket includes a curved frame body that is slidably connected to the corresponding guiding groove and connected to the transmission assembly, and a bracket body provided on the curved frame body in a protruding way and located outside the base frame. The two brackets are rotatable relative to the base frame around a rotating axis and are rotatable in a reverse direction when being driven by the transmission assembly.
Moreover, the Chinese Utility Model Patent entitled with "Novel rotating combined structure" (No. CN205353861U; Patent 2) has disclosed that its structure includes a bending member, a first torsion mechanism, a second torsion mechanism, a first gear, a second gear, a first movable plate and a second movable plate, wherein the first gear and the second gear are fixed to the interior of the bent member, the first torsion mechanism and the second torsion mechanism are disposed on one side of the bending member; the first gear is connected to the second gear in a driving way; the first movable plate is connected to the first gear in a transmission way, the second gear is connected to the second movable plate in a transmission way; the first movable plate is connected to the first torsion mechanism in a transmission way, and the second movable plate is connected to the second torsion mechanism in a transmission way. By means of the above structures, the combined member of Patent 2 can be simplified, has smaller friction coefficient and can be easily rotatable, and its rotating axis would not be loosened after repeated rotation, so as to effectively improve the service life of the rotating axis.


An automatic ice making machine is provided that is capable of modifying an amount of feeding water depending on a temperature of makeup water. The automatic ice making machine is equipped with a deicing timer 42 to keep time of a deicing completion time period T1 in which deicing operation is completed. In addition, in a control means 24, a deicing water longest supply time period U1 is preset, which is a longest time period to supply deicing water in deicing operation. In a case where the deicing water is low in temperature, so that the deicing progresses slowly and thus the deicing completion time period T1 becomes equal to or greater than the deicing water longest supply time period U1, the control means 24 carries out water feeding in a feeding amount of water at low temperature at the time of water feeding. In contrast, in a case where deicing water is high in temperature, so that the deicing is promoted and thus the deicing completion time period T1 becomes shorter than the deicing water longest supply time period U1, the control means 24 carries out water feeding in a feeding amount of water at high temperature, which is more than the feeding amount of water at low temperature, at the time of water feeding.

As an automatic ice making machine automatically producing a large amount of ice blocks, a flow-down type automatic ice making machine is known, for example, in which a vertically installed ice making unit is provided with an evaporation tube that is led out of a refrigeration system, and ice making water is spray supplied to the ice making unit that is cooled by this evaporation tube to produce ice blocks, and in which, in deicing operation, ice blocks are separated from the ice making unit to fall down and release. This automatic ice making machine is equipped with an ice making water tank to store a required amount of ice making water and is configured to, in ice making operation, pump the ice making water in the ice making water tank with an ice making water pump to supply it to the ice making unit, and to collect ice making water failed to freeze into the ice making water tank and then send it again towards the ice making unit. As the ice making unit completes ice making to be shifted from ice making operation to deicing operation, deicing water is spray supplied to a back face of the ice making unit to promote melting a frozen face with ice blocks and also the deicing water is collected into the ice making water tank, and this is used as ice making water in ice making operation for the next time.
In general, by supplying water at normal temperature from an external water supply source during deicing operation as deicing water (ice making water), such an automatic ice making machine described above is designed to be shifted to ice making operation after storing ice making water to be used for ice making operation for one cycle in the ice making water tank. That is, the ice making water tank needs a capacity capable of storing at least an amount of ice making water for one cycle of ice making operation (hereinafter, referred to as a necessary amount of ice making water), which has been a factor causing upsizing of the ice making water tank. In addition, in deicing operation, a lot of ice making water is necessary to be supplied to the ice making water tank, so that it takes time to fill the ice making water tank with ice making water, which also has caused a problem of longer deicing operation time period.
With that, an automatic ice making machine is proposed in which an ice making water tank having a capacity less than the necessary amount of ice making water is employed and, in a case where ice making water in the ice making water tank is lacking during ice making operation, water at normal temperature is additionally supplied from an external water source to the ice making water tank via a water feeding means as makeup water. Specifically, a float switch is equipped in the ice making water tank, and when the float switch detects a lower limit water level of ice making water during ice making operation, supply of makeup water is started by the water feeding means. Then, when the float switch detects an upper limit water level of ice making water, the water feeding means is designed to stop the supply of makeup water. This avoids upsizing of the ice making water tank to allow the entire size of the ice making machine to be compact and also to reduce the deicing time period (refer to Patent Document 1).


A thin film circuit substrate comprising multilayer conductor layers formed via insulating layers, wherein a signal transmission path in at least one of the conductor layers is embedded in a low dielectric constant insulator, and the low dielectric constant insulator is embedded in an insulator layer with a good adhesiveness. The thin film circuit substrate attains a low dielectric constant, and thus an improved signal propagation velocity, without lowering the interlayer adhesiveness.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thin film circuit substrate and a process for the manufacture thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, the demand for an acceleration of the processing speed of electronic devices, including computers, has led to a requirement for an acceleration of a signal propagation velocity of a microstrip line on a circuit substrate.
As is widely known, the signal propagation velocity of a circuit line is decided by the dielectric constant of an insulator thereof, and thus various circuit substrates using an insulator with a low dielectric constant have been proposed.
As an insulating material used for a thin film circuit substrate for accelerating the signal propagation velocity thereof, there have been proposed fluorinated polyimides (dielectric constant=2.7), fluoropolymers such as PTFE (dielectric constant=2:1) or amorphous fluoropolymers such as Teflon AF (dielectric constant=2.0 or less), having a dielectric constant lower than those of the usual, widely-used polyimides (dielectric constant=3.3).
The above-described low dielectric constant materials, however, have a defect in that the adhesion thereof to a substrate is low, and further, these materials cannot be applied to a substrate in a large thickness. Furthermore, since Teflon AF materials are damaged by a fluorine organic solvent, these materials have a drawback in that serious arise when they are washed after having been soldered, or when a VPS (vapor phase soldering) is applied thereto.
To solve the above-described problem, a method as illustrated in FIG. 26 may be considered, in which a signal transmission path 1 is sandwiched between an insulator layer 3 made of a normal polyimide with a high adhesion and an insulating layer made of an insulator with a low dielectric constant, whereby an insulating layer is formed. Even by a constitution such as described above, however, a reduction of the dielectric constant can be obtained only to a degree such that the dielectric constant of the finally obtained insulator is reduced at most to about the average value of the dielectric constants of the insulator layer 3 and the insulator 2, and further, such a constitution has a defect of problems with the adhesion strength thereof. In FIG. 26, reference numeral 4 indicates a ground layer.

Thin film circuit substrate and process for the manufacture thereof


A system, a method, logic embodied in a computer-readable medium, and a computer-readable medium comprising instructions that when executed carry out a method. The method processes: (a) a plurality of input signals, e.g., signals from a plurality of spatially separated microphones; and, for echo suppression, (b) one or more reference signals, e.g., signals from or to be rendered by one or more loudspeakers and that can cause echoes. The method processes the input signals and one or more reference signals to carry out in an integrated manner simultaneous noise suppression and out-of-location signal suppression, and in some versions, echo suppression.

Acoustic signal processing is applicable today to improve the quality of sound signals such as from microphones. As one example, many devices such as handsets operate in the presence of sources of echoes, e.g., loudspeakers. Furthermore, signals from microphones may occur in a noisy environment, e.g., in a car or in the presence of other noise. Furthermore, there may be sounds from interfering locations, e.g., out-of-location conversation by others, or out-of-location interference, wind, etc. Acoustic signal processing is therefore an important area for invention.
Much of the prior art around the problem of acoustical noise reduction and echo suppression is concerned with the numerical estimation of parameters and statistically optimal suppression rules using such statistical criteria as minimum mean squared error (MMSE). Such approaches neglect the complexities of auditory perception, and thus assume that the MMSE criterion is well matched to the preference of a human listener.
Known processing methods and systems for dealing with noise, echo and spatial selectivity often concatenate different suppression systems based on different features. Each suppression systems is in some way optimized for its task or suppression function and acts directly on the signal passing through it before that signal is passed to the subsequent suppression system. Whilst this may reduce the design complexity, it creates results that leave much to be desired in terms of performance. For example, a spatial suppression system is likely to cause some level of modulation of the unwanted noise signal due to spatial uncertainties. If such a spatial suppression system is cascaded with a noise reduction system, the fluctuations in noise will increase uncertainty in the noise estimate and thus lower than performance. In such a simplistic concatenation, the spatial information is not available to the noise suppression, and thus some noise-like signals from the desired spatial location may be needlessly attenuated. Similar problems arise should the noise suppression occur first. This sort of problem is particularly prevalent with any two-input (two-channel) spatial suppression system. With only two sensors, as soon as there is more than one spatially discrete source present at a similar level, the estimation of spatial location becomes very noisy.
When the requirement for echo control is added, further problems arise. A dynamic suppression element prior to echo control can destabilize echo estimation. The alternative of having echo control first adds computational complexity. It is desirable to create a system that can retain a stable operation and avoid unnatural sounding output in the presence of voice, noise and echo, especially when the power in the desired signal is becomes low or comparable to the undesired signals.
In practice, a substantial amount of the performance, robustness and perceived quality of an audio processing system comes from heuristics, interrelated components and tuning.

Combined suppression of noise, echo, and out-of-location signals

Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation


According to the present invention, a reduction printing apparatus includes: an n-line memory unit (1) for storing an object line "n" to be thinned-out in binary images extended on a bit map;. an n-1/n+1-line memory unit (2) for storing the first line "n-1" before the object line "n", or the first line "n+1" after the object line "n", an n-2/n+2-line memory unit (3) for storing the second line "n-21" before the object line "n" or the second line "n+2" after the object line "n"; an output means (1,2,4) for performing an OR logic process between the n-line memory unit (1) and the n-1/n+1-line memory unit (2), and outputting the result to an A-line memory (6); an output means (1,2,5) for performing an AND logic process between the n-line memory unit (1) and the n-1/n+1-line memory unit (2), and outputting the result to a B-line memory (7); and a 2-1-selector (8) selects either the A-line memory (6) or the B-line memory (7) in accordance with the content of the n-2/n+2-line memory unit (3), and outputs the result to a C-line memory (9); wherein when the content of the n=2/n+2-line memory unit (3) is the column for "0", the 2-1-selector (8) selects the content of the A-line memory (6), and when the content of the n-2/n+2-line memory unit (3) is the column for "1", the 2-1-selector (8) selects the content of the B-line memory (7), and the selected contents are output to the C-line memory (9) for printing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a reduction printing apparatus in a desk-publishing system using a personal computer, particularly, it relates to a reduction printing apparatus for binary images extended on a bit-map.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, a desk-top-publishing (DTP) system using a personal computer is widely utilized in the newspaper industry for editing and preparing publications using a personal computer. That is, on the display of the personal computer, an editor inputs characters, drafts drawings, edits pages, performs a layout for space, and finally prepares a block copy that is printable.
In such a high-speed DTP system, high-speed peripheral apparatuses are also required. Particularly, an output apparatus that prints the result of the edition is required. Recently, laser printers, which are widely utilized, satisfy the requirements of the DTP system from the view point of high speed and high quality.
For example, in the newspaper industry, to simultaneously publish a newspaper having the same content in central and local districts, one manuscript is simultaneously sent from the central district to the local districts. In this case, there are various output apparatuses each having different resolution in the local districts. For example, the manuscript is sent from the central district to output apparatuses of the local district, for example, laser printers having high resolution (for example, 400 dpi) or facsimile apparatuses having low resolution (for example, 200 dpi).
As a counter-measure for such various output apparatuses each having different resolution, reduced printing is performed by a thinned-out operation for an original image in accordance with the resolution of the output apparatus. In this case, it is important to avoid the deterioration of the quality of the image caused by the thinned-out operation.


An integral transverse flange for a duct includes a first upturned portion extending substantially perpendicularly from a duct wall of the duct. The flange further includes a second portion bent rearwardly from the first upturned portion, and a third return portion turned toward the duct wall and rounded back toward the first upturned portion from the second portion. A fourth L-shaped portion extends from the third return portion, the L-shaped portion having a first arm arranged adjacent to and in close relation with the second portion and a second arm arranged adjacent to and in close relation with the first upturned portion. A bead is formed in the first upturned portion.

Integral transverse flanges formed on the distal ends of rectangular ducts are well known in the art. These integral transverse flanges typically utilize angular corner connectors and related hardware to join with the opposing distal ends of matching rectangular ducts having similar integral transverse flanges.
Owing to the vital role played by the integral transverse flanges, the structural integrity, strength and sealing ability of the flanges is of significant consideration.
The prior art, particularly Heilman et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,466,641) and Fischer et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,579,375), the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference, disclose duct connecting systems using integral transverse flanges. These arrangements include a first portion extending perpendicularly outwardly from the duct wall and a second portion bent rearwardly from the outer end of the first portion thereby forming opposing channels. The side edges of an arm of a corner connector are adapted to be snapped and crimped into place in these channels for secure assembly. To hold the adjacent duct sections together, the adjacent sections are bolted to each other at their four corner connectors, thereby forming an assembled section of duct.
Apparatus to manufacture the Heilman et al. invention is manufactured and sold by The Lockformer Company of Lisle, Ill. and is referred to in the industry as the TDC ("Transverse Duct Connector") system. Apparatus to manufacture the Fischer et al. duct is manufactured and sold by Engel Industries, Inc., of St. Louis, Mo. and is referred to in the industry as the TDF ("Transverse Duct Flange") system. While both systems have provided the industry with a useful duct system, primarily the TDC system, there remains a need in the industry for improvements to the systems as discussed herein.
FIG. 1 illustrates in cross section the roll-formed shape of the end 10 of one duct, and the roll-formed shape of the end 12 of an adjacent duct as disclosed in Heilman et al. The frame includes a first upturned portion 14 extending perpendicularly outwardly from the duct wall 16 and a second portion 18 bent rearwardly into position opposite an end portion of the duct wall. The width of an arm of a corner connector 20 substantially corresponds to the distance between the rearwardly bent portion 18 and the end portion of the duct wall. The side edges of each such arm of a corner connector 20 are adapted to engage the respective surfaces of the rearwardly bent second portion 18 and duct wall end portion whereby the corner connector 20 is held in position relative to the frame by a retainer means defined by the rearwardly bent second portion 18.
The preferred embodiment of the Heilman et al. invention includes a third outwardly facing return portion 22 at the outward edge of the rearwardly bent second portion 18 thereby forming a bead 24. A first channel 26 is formed between the bead 24 and the outwardly extending upturned portion 14, and a second channel 28 is formed in the duct wall opposite the first channel 26. The side edges of an arm of a corner connector 20 are adapted to be snapped into place in these channels 26, 28 for secure assembly of the corner connectors relative to a frame. It has been found, however, that the corner connectors will b displaced during manufacture and transport of the duct. Therefore, the duct flanges must be crimped (not shown in FIG. 1) over the adjacent arms of a corner connector to secure the corner connector in place within a duct flange.
Pursuant to Heilman et al., when assembling one duct with another, the respective frames and associated corner connectors 20 are brought together, and a bolt 30 or other suitable fastener is employed for achieving the desired connection. Prior to completion of this connection, a gasket 32 may be located between the respective frame portions for conventional purposes.
In order to strengthen the resultant duct joint formed by the Heilman et al. invention, each of the arms of a corner connection 20 is provided with an offset ear which may be used for retaining a stiffener means, comprising a strip of spring steel or the like. Each stiffener means is held at its end beneath the offset ear and at its sides between channels 26 and 28. Furthermore, a clip 34 may also be engaged around the adjacent frame portions to provide a smooth exposed joint and to strengthen the joint.
The Fischer et al. duct flange, illustrated at FIG. 2, uses a modification of the Heilman et al. invention and discloses a duct connecting system having an outstanding web portion 36 extending at 90 degrees from the duct wall 38, with an outward-formed tracking ridge 40 spaced inwardly thereof and formed outwardly of the surface of the assembled duct wall 38. At the outer extremity of the web 36 is an outer flange 42 having a turned-under rounded edge 44, formed at an angle slightly in excess of 180 degrees and terminating in a spring margin 46 which extends back toward the web 36 and normally stands inwardly away from the outer flange 42. "Button lock" lances are said to be provided through the rounded-back edge 44 projecting aft. The spacing between the web 36 and the tracking ridge 40, which corresponds to the spacing from the web 36 of the somewhat bulbous rounded portion of the turned-under edge 44, is fixed to accommodate the side edges of an arm of a corner connector. The depth between the spring margin 46 and the outer surface of the duct wall 38 between the ridge 40 and the web 36, is such that the leg portions of a corner connector will snap into position and are said to be held by the spring margins 46 and the lanced projections, trapped by the tracking ridge 40. However, it has also been found that corner connectors will fall out of the Fischer et al. duct flange without crimping. Accordingly, the duct flange of the Fischer et al. duct, in practice, is crimped to hold a corner connector in place.
As with the Heilman et al. invention, the Fischer et al. duct can be readily joined with an adjacent duct end by means of bolts or fasteners. Furthermore, gasket material may also be located between adjacent frames without difficulty to decrease leakage.
In order to increase duct flange strength about the duct joint formed by the Fischer et al. invention, optional reinforcing bars may be utilized between the arms of adjacent corner pieces. Each bar may be snapped in position behind the outwardly formed ridge 40 and the rounded edge 44 of the outer flange 42, and retained by the lanced projections. If desired, and elongated clip can also be positioned around the joint formed by adjacent duct flanges to support the middle portion of the integral flanges. Incorporation of the clip and reinforcing bar with adjacent duct flanges helps to prevent bellowing and leakage caused by pressure exerted by materials flowing within the duct.
FIG. 3 illustrates yet another known integral transverse flange 52. As shown in FIG. 3, the integral transverse duct flange 52 generally comprises a duct having a duct wall 50, defining an inside surface 54 and an outside surface 56. The flange 52 has an inside surface that is continuous with the inside of the duct wall 50 and an outside surface that is continuous with the outside surface of the duct wall 50. The flange 52 includes an upturned portion 58 extending perpendicularly from the duct wall 50.
More specifically, the flange 52 comprises the upturned portion 58 which extends perpendicularly from duct wall 50 and a second rearwardly bent portion 60 extending opposite a portion of duct wall 50. The end of rearwardly bent portion 60 is turned away from duct wall 50 and rounded back toward the upturned portion 58, forming a return portion 62. Return portion 62 is extended to form a L-shaped double wall portion 64 having a first arm 66 arranged adjacent to and in close relation with the inside surface of rearwardly bent portion 60 and a second arm 68 arranged adjacent to and in close relation with the inside surface of upturned portion 58.
Second arm 68 extends toward duct wall 50 a distance substantially less than the length of upturned portion 58. As also shown in FIG. 3, the second arm 68 of L-shaped portion 64 extends a distance less than half the length of upturned portion 58.
Although the integral transverse flanges illustrated in FIGS. 1–3 are suitable for a wide range of applications, there exists a need in the art for structurally stronger integral transverse flanges having an increased sealing capability.
With the forgoing problems and concerns in mind, it is the general object of the present invention to provide integral transverse flanges for a duct connecting system that will evidence a strengthened first upturned portion, a smooth mating surface between opposing transverse flanges and a defined channel to accommodate a sealant or the like.

Integral transverse flanges for a duct connecting system


Provided are multiply-insulated articles, comprising at least first and second containers disposed together such that the interior volume of the first container is sealed against the environment exterior to the article.

In many fields, there is a need to protect sensitive components (e.g., data recorders, energy storage devices, and the like) from environmental conditions, such as extreme temperatures. Existing insulator components, however, do not provide sufficient insulation to protect their contents from such environmental conditions for sufficiently long periods of time. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for improved insulator components.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


There are disclosed an apparatus adapted to generate musical information of a synthetic sound in accordance with the MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) standard to carry out PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) recording of a natural effect sound including natural sound and/or a human voice such as back chorus to mix them to generate musical accompaniment, thus to mix a voice of singing sung with the musical accompaniment, and a recording medium used for such an apparatus.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for reproducing musical accompaniment information and for recording musical accompaniment information, and more particularly to a musical accompaniment playing apparatus and a musical accompaniment recording medium to which a MIDI(Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is applied.
Hitherto, as the musical accompaniment playing apparatus, there are known the playing apparatus in the form of a laser video disk and the playing apparatus in the form of a compact disk.
The apparatus for reproducing musical accompaniment information in the form of a laser video disk (LVD) comprises a LVD automatic changer for accommodating therein a plurality of laser video disks serving as the musical accompaniment information recording medium and reproducing them, a commander for controlling the LVD automatic changer to allow it to select a desired laser video disk in the LVD automatic changer by a request inputted from a control unit, an amplifier and a speaker for outputting a reproduced audio signal as a sound, an image display unit for displaying a reproduced image signal as an image, and a microphone for changing a voice sung to an audio sound to output it to the amplifier. The amplifier mixes the audio signal from the LVD automatic changer and the audio signal of the voice sung from the microphone to output a mixed signal to the speaker.
On the other hand, the apparatus for reproducing musical accompaniment information in the form of a compact disk (CD) comprises a CD automatic changer for accommodating therein a plurality of CDs and reproducing them, a commander for controlling the CD automatic changer to allow it to select a desired CD in the CD automatic changer by a request inputted from a control unit, an amplifier and a speaker for outputting a reproduced audio signal as a sound, a graphic decoder for converting graphic data reproduced from subcode data in the CD to an image signal, a graphic display unit for displaying the image signal as an image, and a microphone for changing a voice sung to an audio signal to output it to the amplifier. The amplifier mixes the audio signal from the CD automatic changer and the audio signal of the voice sung from the microphone to output a mixed signal to the speaker.
By employing such configurations, a user can sing a song by the musical accompaniment and also appreciate an image at the same time.
However, in the media for recording musical accompaniment information and the apparatuses for reproducing musical accompaniment information in these conventional forms, in the case where a new music is delivered to the apparatus, it is required to deliver the laser video disks or CDs by human labor. Accordingly, there was the problem that it takes much time for delivery of a new music at a remote place, etc.
Further in the automatic changer, a large space was required for the purpose of accommodating a large number of disks.
Furthermore, in the case of singing a song, when an attempt is made to allow the key of the musical accompaniment to be in correspondence with a singing ability of a singer, a key controller was separately installed.
In addition, in the conventional recording media and apparatuses, once a musical performance begins, it was impossible to play a music with an intermediate portion of a music being skipped. For example, suppose the case where a music is composed of three parts. At this time, in the case of attempting to jump from the second part immediately to the ending with the third part being skipped, even if the function for performing the search operation is given, time lag is produced by a time required for the search operation, there results disagreement with the stream of music. Further, if the search operation is caused to be stopped on the way, the ending would not be played, resulting in dull musical accompaniment performance. Thus, development of a music as expected cannot be provided.
On the other hand, recording media such as disks or tapes, etc. on which a music for accompaniment is recorded are apt to be copied. As a result, there were instances where a trouble at the time of the collection of the charge by deliverer of delivery of software and/or that in relation to the copyright thereof occur.

Apparatus for reproducing musical accompaniment information


A boat includes an outboard motor having an internal combustion engine enclosed within a cowling. The cowling has a rear inlet port for allowing outside air to be drawn into the cowling. A closure member selectively closes the inlet port depending upon a certain engine operating parameters. In another embodiment, the cowling also includes a front air inlet port, and a front closure device for selectively opening and closing the front inlet port.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is in the field of powered boats and outboard motors. More specifically, the present invention relates to an air intake system for an outboard motor.
2. Description of the Related Art
Small power boats often include one or more outboard motors to provide propulsion for the boat. The outboard motor includes an internal combustion engine enclosed within a cowling. An air inlet port is formed through the cowling and provides air to the internal combustion engine. Preferably, the air inlet port includes a structure for preventing water, waves, splashes, or the like from intruding into the cowling. Commonly, air inlet ports are formed through a rear portion of the cowling in order to better avoid intrusion of water splashes, spray and the like through the inlet port while the boat is being driven forwardly.
Positioning of the inlet port in the rear portion of the outboard motor is not advantageous in all situations. For example, when the boat is proceeding in reverse, the rear inlet port is especially exposed to water splashing. Similarly, upon sudden deceleration, the rear inlet port is exposed to water splashes.

Boat and outboard motor having air intake system


A shock absorber for a motor vehicle has a single-tube construction with an adjustable damping force. The shock absorber includes a cylinder tube and a piston rod guide inside which a piston rod with a piston is located so that the piston can move axially. The piston divides the cylinder tube into two work chambers. A container tube encloses the cylinder tube, at least in segments. Between the cylinder tube and the container tube at least one hydraulic connection, extending from one of the work chambers via an overflow orifice to a damping force adjustment valve located outside the container tube, is formed. A cylinder tube guide centers the cylinder tube with respect to the container tube. The damping force adjustment valve has two connection openings, one of which openings is separated from the other by a wall. The damping force adjustment valve is connected to the hydraulic connection, so that the container tube extends over the entire length of the hydraulic connection to the piston rod guide. The seal of the container tube is realized on the piston rod guide.

Field of the Invention
Generally, the present invention relates to a shock absorber or vibration damper which has a single-tube construction with an adjustable damping force, comprising a cylinder tube, a piston rod guide inside which a piston rod with a piston is located so that the piston can move axially and divide the cylinder tube into two work chambers, a container tube which encloses the cylinder tube at least in segments, whereby between the cylinder tube and the container tube at least one hydraulic connection running from one of the work chambers by means of an overflow orifice to a damping force adjustment valve located outside the container tube is formed, a cylinder tube guide which centers the cylinder tube with respect to the container tube, whereby the damping force adjustment valve has two connection openings, one of which openings is separated from the other by a wall and is connected to the hydraulic connection.


An antenna mounting system configured to be attached to the structure of a communications tower and to connect with additional mounting systems located adjacent on the tower. The system is secured to the tower structure via a multi piece clamp configured to attach to tower elements of varying sizes and shapes and which may be joined together with one or more adjacent mounting systems. Single piece side frames with X shaped central bracing are attached to the mounting clamp and further attached to multiple face members. The face members are used to attach members which serve as the ultimate mounting points for antenna equipment as well as members to brace the mounting system to the tower structure or an adjacent mounting system. The system further incorporates a dedicated anchor point for fall arrest equipment used by tower technicians.

Wireless data and voice communications services have become ubiquitous in modern society. In order to transmit the signals necessary to facilitate these services, there is a need for antennas to both transmit and receive the wireless signals. These antennas must be situated high above the ground and properly positioned in order to optimize signal transmission. Additionally, because of the increasing utilization of wireless communications, the number of antennas used per tower is increasing, as are the size of the antennas being mounted.
With the increasing number of antennas being used, the efficient configuration of them has become more important. Further, the increasing size and weight of the antennas being attached places a greater importance on the integrity and stability of the mounting system for purposes of both safety and signal quality.
Additionally, there is an inherent risk in the installation and maintenance of the antennas and mounts as they are typically located on towers high above the ground. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a mount system which both minimizes a worker's time on the tower as well as one which provides dedicated locations for the attachment of safety lines and harnesses.


A cooking facilitator which is preferably portable and well suited for use as both a timer and cooking process facilitator having particular usefulness with cooking objects which have a characteristic associated with establishing a cooking time such as the weight of a turkey in the case of deep frying a turkey or the thickness of a steak in deep frying the same. A gas flow timer for shutting off an overheated or unattended cooking system is also featured.

There exists countdown timers that are intended for indoor kitchen use while the user is cooking or baking. For example, "egg timers" are well known with the earlier versions often having a mounted hour glass design which was turned to initiate the timing of the egg boiling. There is also known mechanical countdown timers such as that available from Lux Products Corporation of Mt. Laurel, N.J., under the registered trademark MINUTE MINDER.®. FIG. 11 of the present application illustrates a convention mechanical timer, labeled "PRIOR ART". It is similar to the above noted timer available under the registered trademark MINUTE MINDER.®. Timer 100 is a mechanical timer that operates based on mechanical coupling between a main spring and a gear train (not shown). Tick marks 102 and numerals 104 are positioned around the perimeter of a centrally mounted knob 106 to indicate a countdown time. Clockwise rotation of knob 106 increases the set countdown time and counter-clockwise rotation reduces the set countdown time. In operation, the user of timer 100 would turn knob 106 clockwise until a desired countdown time is aligned with a marker 108 on the timer's face. Upon release, the main spring and gears turn knob 106 in the counter-clockwise direction until "0" reaches the mark 108 and a bell rings. During such operation, the user could rotate knob 106 to increase or decrease the remaining time, if desired. An additional example of a spring biased "egg timer" can be seen in DE 19904968. A further example of a mechanical countdown timer can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,783,074 which is used in association with an action toy game. The timer mechanism is a conventional timer device which is manually settable for various time periods through use of a control lever that it is rotatable around, a sleeve with the outer portion of the lever traveling in the slot. The control lever is integrally formed with a downwardly extending finger and a fan gear, and it is attached to a drive spring which is operative for resiliently returning the control lever to an unwound or unset position.
There has also been introduced cooking timers that feature added electronics in place of at least some of the mechanical components such as the above described MINUTE MINDER® timer. An example is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,933,391 which is incorporated herein by reference. U.S. Pat. No. 5,933,391 features an LCD display, piezo buzzer and an electric contact/logic control circuitry with microprocessor.
In the toy field there is found examples of sound emitting means which include integrated circuit chips connected to a speaker as shown in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,886. Prior art sound emitting means include means which play back a stored sound pattern, such as a melody or a voice; the stored sound pattern being stored on magnetic tape, on an optical or magnetic disk, or electronically in a circuit.
There also exists a variety of cookware, both indoor and outdoor. These include cookware for deep frying, steaming and boiling food items. Deep frying large poultry items such as whole turkey with an outdoor cooking apparatus has gained in popularity as a way of cooking which is both quicker than baking and less susceptible to drying out the food. Outdoor cooking apparatuses often include a stock pot which is received on a gas (e.g., propane) cooker stand. In deep frying a whole turkey, a pot that is sufficiently sized to receive a whole turkey is utilized in conjunction with a sufficient level of cooking oil. To avoid exposure to the oil (e.g. splashing or actual contact), turkey securement arrangements have been developed, such as those shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,896,810 and 5,813,321. A further example of a cooking system well suited for use in deep frying a turkey can be seen in the "TURF N' SURF" cooking system of Masterbuilt Manufacturing Inc. of Columbus, Ga., and reference is made to U.S. Ser. No. 10/005,311 filed Dec. 7, 2001 which is incorporated by reference herein and illustrates a cooking apparatus of Masterbuilt Manufacturing Inc.


The present invention provides methods for attenuating gene expression in a cell using gene-targeted double stranded RNA (dsRNA). The dsRNA contains a nucleotide sequence that hybridizes under physiologic conditions of the cell to the nucleotide sequence of at least a portion of the gene to be inhibited (the “target” gene).

"RNA interference", "post-transcriptional gene silencing", "quelling" these different names describe similar effects that result from the overexpression or misexpression of transgenes, or from the deliberate introduction of double-stranded RNA into cells (reviewed in Fire A (1999) Trends Genet 15:358-363; Sharp P A (1999) Genes Dev 13:139-141; Hunter C (1999) Curr Biol 9:R440-R442; Baulcombe D C (1999) Curr Biol 9:R599-R601; Vaucheret et al. (1998) Plant J 16:651-659). The injection of double-stranded RNA into the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, for example, acts systemically to cause the post-transcriptional depletion of the homologous endogenous RNA (Fire et al. (1998) Nature 391: 806-811; and Montgomery et al. (1998) PNAS 95:15502-15507). RNA interference, commonly referred to as RNAi, offers a way of specifically and potently inactivating a cloned gene, and is proving a powerful tool for investigating gene function. But the phenomenon is interesting in its own right; the mechanism has been rather mysterious, but recent research—the latest reported by Smardon et al. (2000) Curr Biol 10:169-178— is beginning to shed light on the nature and evolution of the biological processes that underlie RNAi.
RNAi was discovered when researchers attempting to use the antisense RNA approach to inactivate a C. elegans gene found that injection of sense-strand RNA was actually as effective as the antisense RNA at inhibiting gene function. Guo et al. (1995) Cell 81:611-620. Further investigation revealed that the active agent was modest amounts of double-stranded RNA that contaminate in vitro RNA preparations. Researchers quickly determined the 'rules' and effects of RNAi. Exon sequences are required, whereas introns and promoter sequences, while ineffective, do not appear to compromise RNAi (though there may be gene-specific exceptions to this rule). RNAi acts systemically—injection into one tissue inhibits gene function in cells throughout the animal. The results of a variety of experiments, in C. elegans and other organisms, indicate that RNAi acts to destabilize cellular RNA after RNA processing.
The potency of RNAi inspired Timmons and Fire (1998 Nature 395: 854) to do a simple experiment that produced an astonishing result. They fed to nematodes bacteria that had been engineered to express double-stranded RNA corresponding to the C. elegans unc-22 gene. Amazingly, these nematodes developed a phenotype similar to that of unc-22 mutants that was dependent on their food source. The ability to conditionally expose large numbers of nematodes to gene-specific double-stranded RNA formed the basis for a very powerful screen to select for RNAi-defective C. elegans mutants and then to identify the corresponding genes.
Double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) can provoke gene silencing in numerous in vivo contexts including Drosophila, Caenorhabditis elegans, planaria, hydra, trypanosomes, fungi and plants. However, the ability to recapitulate this phenomenon in higher eukaryotes, particularly mammalian cells, has not be accomplished in the art. Nor has the prior art demonstrated that this phenomena can be observe in cultured eukaryotes cells.

Methods and compositions for RNA interference using recombinant Dicer and Argonaut


A computer program product is provided as a business rating system to rank business that are relevant to a given Internet search topic. Business ratings are stored in a ranking repository that can be optionally searched by the user along with a user-defined search engine query. The business ratings are compiled from off-line surveys provided for example by independent agencies and/or other off-line surveys obtained through web based rating services. The business ratings can optionally be compiled from on-line questionnaires attached to the search engine results. The business ratings assess the quality of the businesses in terms of “interactive” criteria such as customer satisfaction, professionalism, and cost and ease of use of the businesses' products or services. The business rating system is comprised of an indexing engine, a query transformer, a search results transformer, a ranking based result sorter, an off-line ranking system, a metadata repository, and a ranking repository. The business rating system integrates the ratings with the search results, and ranks the search results based on such business ratings. In this manner, the user of a search engine receives feedback from other users about businesses of interest. Eventually, businesses with higher ratings will be ranked at the top of the search list, while business with lower ratings will be ranked lower.

The World Wide Web (WWW) is comprised of an expansive network of interconnected computers upon which businesses, governments, groups, and individuals throughout the world maintain inter-linked computer files known as web pages. Users navigate these pages by means of computer software programs commonly known as Internet browsers. Due to the vast number of WWW sites, many web pages have a redundancy of information or share a strong likeness in either function or title. The vastness of the unstructured WWW causes users to rely primarily on Internet search engines to retrieve information or to locate businesses. These search engines use various means to determine the relevance of a user-defined search to the information retrieved.
The authors of web pages provide information known as metadata, within the body of the hypertext markup language (HTML) document that defines the web pages. A computer software product known as a web crawler systematically accesses web pages, by sequentially following hypertext links from page to page. The crawler indexes the pages for use by the search engines using information about a web page as provided by its address or Universal Resource Locator (URL), metadata, context, and other criteria found within the page. The crawler is run periodically to update previously stored data and to append information about newly created web pages. The information compiled by the crawler is stored in a metadata repository or database. The search engines search this repository to identify matches for the user-defined search rather than attempt to find matches in real time.
Current search engines use a variety of criteria to order matches to the user query and to rank the search results with higher quality pages listed at the top of the search list. Assessing quality involves both accurately matching the user query and identifying a useful, current web page. For instance, search engines may order the matches based on what is referred to herein as "static criteria". Exemplary static criteria are the highest popularity, most recently updated, most visited, most queried, or most interconnected. It is common for users to limit the review of their search to only the first few matches of the search list.
For consumers searching the WWW for businesses, the search methods employed by current search engines provide incomplete information for the users to assess the quality of the businesses. The information provided by authors about their web sites, and the number of visits or queries received by a business site, typically reflect the quality of the web pages, but do not provide information about the quality of the business.
There is currently no adequate mechanism by which searches of business sites can be ordered based upon interactive criteria about the businesses themselves, correlating higher quality search matches to higher business satisfaction ratings. For example, popularity, is a commonly used static criterion which is determined by the number of visits or queries of business sites, and which may depend on advertising, strategic business alliances, or creative naming of a site, and is therefore independent of customers satisfaction with the ranked businesses. Therefore, there is still an unsatisfied need for a system and method that integrate user provided interactive criteria, such as customers and on-line users' satisfaction, with search engine results.

System and method for integrating off-line ratings of businesses with search engines

International Business Machines Corporation


A stenotic dilitation device includes a plurality of elongated atherotomes with cutters embedded in a substrate mounted on the outer surface of a flexible balloon along predetermined crease lines. The atherotomes are aligned along the longitudinal axis of the catheter. The ends of the balloon are attached to a hollow catheter tube over fluid ports in the catheter which establish fluid communication between the catheter and the internal chamber of the balloon. Fluid flow into and out of the chamber will inflate and deflate the balloon. When the balloon is deflated, retraction of the atherotomes toward the longitudinal axis of the catheter causes the creases and lines to form flaps of the balloon membrane material between adjacent atherotomes. In such deflated configuration, the flaps, rather than the cutters of the atherotomes, contact the vessel wall as the device is manipulated into position adjacent a stenotic site. On inflation of the balloon at the stenotic site, the atherotomes are urged against the stenosis to incise the stenosis. The incisions relieve pressure in the wall of the vessel and thus enhance dilation of the vessel by the balloon. After dilation, the balloon is deflated and the device is removed.

Blockage of human arteries is a widespread malady and, as such, represents a significant health concern. Blockages reducing blood flow through the coronary arteries to the heart can cause heart attacks, while blockages reducing blood flow through the arteries to the brain can cause strokes. Similarly, arterial blockages reducing blood flow through arteries to other parts of the body can produce grave consequences in an affected organ or limb.
The build-up of atherosclerotic plaque is a chief cause of blockages, termed stenoses, which reduce blood flow through the arteries. Consequently, several methods have been introduced to alleviate the effects of plaque build-up restricting the artery. One such method is a procedure termed angioplasty, which uses an inflatable device positioned at the stenosis to dilate the artery. A typical angioplasty device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,896,669 to Bhate et al. The device of Bhate et al is typical and, like other angioplasty devices, includes an inflatable balloon which is attached to the distal end of a hollow catheter. The proximal end of the catheter is attached to a fluid source. To treat an arterial stenosis, the balloon is introduced into the artery in a deflated state and guided through the artery over a guide wire to a position adjacent the stenosis. Fluid from the fluid source is then infused into the balloon via the catheter to inflate the balloon. As the balloon expands, it presses against the arterial wall in the region of the stenosis, dilating the artery at the stenosis and restoring it to a sufficient size for adequate blood flow. The balloon is then deflated and removed from the artery, thereby completing the treatment.
While effective for dilating blood vessels, angioplasty devices simultaneously traumatize the tissue of the vessel wall. The dilatation procedure can sometimes excessively stress the tissue of the wall, even to the point of tearing it. Dire consequences to the patient such as an acute occlusion or a thrombosis can result. To address this shortcoming, angioplasty devices have been developed which employ a cutting element in cooperation with the balloon to reduce stress on the tissue of the vessel wall.
One particular disadvantage of an angioplasty device which employs a cutting element, however, is that the cutting element can be exposed to surrounding healthy tissue during placement of the device in the blood vessel of a patient, even when the balloon is deflated. As a result, the sharpened cutting element can inadvertently damage healthy tissue with which it comes in contact. Accordingly, the present invention recognizes a need to provide an angioplasty device which effectively employs a cutting element in cooperation with a balloon during a procedure for dilatation of a stenosis, yet protects healthy tissue from damage during placement of the device in a blood vessel to be treated.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an angioplasty device that can dilate a vessel while minimizing trauma to the tissue of the vessel wall by forming stress-relieving incisions therein. Another object of the present invention is to provide an angioplasty device having a sharp cutting element which can be guided into an artery where the stenosis occurs without significantly damaging healthy tissue along its path. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an angioplasty device that is relatively easy to use and cost-effective to manufacture.

Balloon catheter with seated cutting edges


A rear wheel suspension including first and second suspension devices carrying a right and left, respectively, rear wheel rotating in a wheel plane forming a toe angle with respect to a longitudinal axis and a camber angle with respect to a vertical axis. A transversal beam connects the first and the second suspension device. Each suspension device includes a wheel spindle housing, defining a wheel center, and a leading link and a trailing link connected to the vehicle body. The transversal beam permits bending for vertical loads to provide the suspension devices a deflection to adjust the toe and camber angles such that the changes of the camber angles when the wheel planes converge towards an upper point above the wheel center connect to a controlled adjustment of the toe angles such that the wheel planes converge directionally towards a rear point located rearwards of the wheel center.

The rear wheel suspension for a motor vehicle connects the architecture of the sprung vehicle mass to the architecture of the non-sprung and rotating rear wheels and associated tires, the rear tire-wheel assemblies. Furthermore, the rear wheel suspension controls the motion pattern of the rear tire-wheel assemblies with respect to the external impact from the road as well as to the internal impact from the propelling, braking and steering as initiated by the driver through the engine-transmission system, the braking system, the steering system and the rear and forward wheel suspensions.
The overall controllability in terms of steering, propelling and braking of the vehicle is closely related to the motion pattern of the four tire-wheel assemblies. The motions of the front tire-wheel assemblies are normally controlled by two independent front wheel suspensions while for the rear tire-wheel assemblies the rear wheel suspension as defined above controls the two rear tire-wheel assemblies by a multi-link beam suspension where the two suspension devices, one for each tire-wheel assembly, connect to each other through a transversal beam with special characteristics, where four longitudinal links, two on each side, connect the left and the right suspension devices to the vehicle body.
The front wheel suspensions and the rear wheel suspension together with the four tire-wheel assemblies constitute the un-sprung masses connected to the vehicle's sprung mass to which the driver is connected. During the vehicle's motion of combined forward running (surge), bounce, sway/veer, roll, pitch and yaw, these motion patterns and their time derivatives in all directions are guided such that a normal driver's capability of control enables the entire synthesized motion pattern of the vehicle to be fully controlled in a secure manner from the capability of the suspension to transform the superimposed useful control signals and disturbing noise, where the objectively measurable disturbing noise frequently overpowers the useful control signal, such that the noise signal is transformed into well defined perceived control signals in order to amplify useful control signals.
Vehicles are complex systems with human beings in the control loop. Although the dynamic behavior of vehicles in response to drivers' input may be simulated or measured, this understanding does not determine the issue of 'good handling' unless complemented with the understanding of how human beings work as control systems and how a driver's brain works in vehicle control.
It is therefore important to provide a system mechanization with a synthesized operation of the communication loop defined as "fail operate, fail operate, fail safe" normally used in safety critical systems such as Control Configured Vehicles (CCV). This requires a communication loop of quadruple redundancy and a dissimilar back up system, where the command media in our case is the entire vehicle-suspension architecture. The redundancy in the command media is here to be seen as flows of information of superimposed layers of power spectra where the driver's sensory system has capability to sense concurrently ongoing motion patterns in a similar way as our eye concurrently can perceive several colors or our ears concurrently can perceive several tones in music. The spectra as characterized by different frequencies should be in harmony with each other, i.e. redundant signals should be coherent.

Rear wheel suspension, and a motor vehicle

Swedish Advanced Automotive Business Machines AB


An oil-water separator system and method to separate contaminated oil and water into clean water and free coalesced oil for collection and removal. The system includes a process tank for the oil and water, a pump to pump the oil and water through first and second stage oil-coalescing filters and through a full depth, fibrous filter under back pressure to provide filtered clean water of selected purity; typically, less than 20 ppm. The coalesced and filtered oil-water is returned and recycled to the process tank wherein a free coalescing oil layer forms on the surface, which free coalesced oil is removed by a belt skimmer for collection and removal.

Oil-contaminated water represents a significant hazardous waste problem in the industry. Oil-contaminated water is typically, but not exclusively, derived from air compressor condensants and transmission fluids; and such oil-contaminated water includes particulate material, emulsified, dissolved and free oils and metal ions which represent hazardous waste. These contaminants must be removed before the clean water may be discharged into the environment. The level of contamination permitted by government regulation varies; but typically, clean water should have less than twenty-five parts per million of oil and preferably, ten to five parts per million or lower. Metal contaminated water contains mainly petroleum, mineral, and hydrocarbon oils from a variety of industrial sources as well as chemical-type additives, such as: polyalfaolefins, diesters, glycols, polyglycols and the like, which also need to be removed prior to discharge of clean water.
Oil-water separating systems are the preferred and least costly method of treating oil-contaminated water and provide for a clean water discharge of less than twenty parts per million. Oil-water separation may be accomplished on-site; for example, by gravity carbon absorption technology, which is not wholly effective, or ultrafiltration technology, which is more effective in removing diesters, polyglycols, ETF and PAO contaminants.
One prior art commercially sold oil-water separator system which is quite effective in providing an on-site, oil-water separating system with clean water discharge, usually below twenty parts per million, comprises a system applying a combination of filters and hollow fiber membranes.
One oil-water separating system, a nanofiltration, separating, coalescing system, comprises a Balston.RTM. oil-water separator as described in Whatman Inc.'s, "Balston.RTM. Oil Water Separators"; Bulletin PK-56A, hereby incorporated by reference.
This nanofiltration system picks up free oil by a skimmer and removes continuously, the free oil from a process tank. The compressor condensate, the oil-water contaminate, is pumped into a prefiltered process tank and flows through a nanofiltration membrane module, which permits the permeation of only the water molecules to penetrate the membrane. The permeate water, virtually free of oil, is then discharged; while the unprocessed oil and water continues to flow though the hollow fiber membrane modules into a coalescing filter which transforms the emulsified and soluble oils into larger, free droplets of oils, which are then deposited into the processing tank. These larger oil droplets are then picked up by the oil skimmer which discharges the concentrated oil product from the processing tank for disposal.
While the automated, nanofiltration membrane, oil-water system is quite effective in removing a variety of contaminates, as well as particulates from contaminated oil-water, the employment of thin membrane modules are susceptible, from time to time, to oil plugging of the membrane surface; and further, the sheet or hollow fiber membrane is often very fragile, as well as being subject to oil flow blockage.
It is therefore desirable to provide for a new and improved oil-water separator automated system to provide for the continuous discharge of clean water from oil-contaminated water.

Oil-water separator system with oleophobic fibrous filter


Battery formation protocols are used to perform initial charging of batteries with lithium rich high capacity positive electrode to result a more stable battery structure. The formation protocol generally comprises three steps, an initial charge step, a rest period under an open circuit and a subsequent charge step to a selected partial activation voltage. The subsequent or second charge voltage is selected to provide for a desired degree of partial activation of the positive electrode active material to achieve a desired specific capacity while providing for excellent stability with cycling. The formation protocol is particularly effective to stabilize cycling for compositions with moderate lithium enrichment.

Rechargeable lithium ion batteries, also known as secondary lithium ion batteries are desirable as power sources for a wide range of applications. Their desirability stems from their relative high energy density. The capacities of secondary lithium ion batteries have been greatly improved with the development of high capacity lithium rich metal oxides for use as positive electrode active materials. With cycling, however, secondary lithium ion batteries generally have decreased performance with increased cycle number. For some important applications, such as vehicle application, it is desired that secondary lithium ion batteries be able to charge and recharge for many cycles without a great loss of performance.

High capacity lithium ion battery formation protocol and corresponding batteries


There is provided a method for continuous production of a functional membrane whereby a functional membrane in which a functional polymer is filled into the micropores of a porous resin sheet can be obtained both continuously and efficiently.

Functional membranes in which a polymer obtained by polymerizing monomers having an ion exchange group or various other functional polymer is filled into a porous membrane are used in many applications. For example, there is a fuel cell that is a type of electrochemical device based on an electrolyte membrane in which a polymer electrolyte is filled into a porous membrane. The performance of this fuel cell has been significantly enhanced in recent years by modifications and other improvements in the electrolyte membrane and catalyst technique, and development of such cells for use in low-emission vehicles and the like is progressing. This type of functional membrane is manufactured by impregnating a porous membrane with a functional monomer or the like, and then polymerizing the functional monomer. Methods are known whereby both sides of the porous membrane are covered with a polyester film as a release material during polymerization, and the membrane is heated under pressure in a nitrogen atmosphere (see Patent Document 1, for example).
Patent Document 1: JP-A-11-335473

Method for continuous production of a functional film

Abstract: The method for continuous production of a functional membrane of the present invention comprises a step for impregnating and depositing a polymer precursor having a functional group on a continuously conveyed porous resin sheet; a polymerization step for continuously feeding and bringing into contact first and second resin films to one side and the other side, respectively, of the precursor-impregnated/deposited sheet comprising the porous resin sheet into which the polymer precursor is impregnated and deposited, and polymerizing the polymer precursor in a state in which the sheet is sandwiched between the two resin films; a film peeling step; and a polymer removal step.


A variable spectral filter apparatus has a filter support rotatable about a single axis of rotation and has at least first and second transmissive spectral filters, each spectral filter having a filter width defined by its first and second edges, wherein the filter width is orthogonal to the axis. The first edges of the filters are equidistant from the axis of rotation when the filter support is rotated to any angle. The plane of each of the spectral filters is parallel to the axis. Rotational positions of the filter support about the axis of rotation, over a first 60 degree range of angles, define, between the first and second edges of at least the first spectral filter, an undeviated filtered light path of at least half the filter width that extends orthogonally with respect to the axis. A rotational actuator is energizable to rotate the filter support about the axis.

In many types of optical instruments and systems, it is necessary to isolate light spectrally, that is, according to its wavelength or wavelength band. In fluorescence microscopy, for example, different fluorophores absorb and emit light at different wavelengths and some type of wavelength-selection mechanism is needed in order to select the wavelength of the excitation light or to detect how much light energy there is at specific emission wavelengths.
Conventional optical components for obtaining accurate wavelength selection include various types of diffraction gratings and interference filters. Diffraction gratings permit any wavelength within a range to be selected, and can accommodate a change of wavelength relatively quickly, since only rotation of the grating is required. Thus, gratings have been widely used in many scanning spectral measurement systems. However, gratings do not offer very good spectral discrimination. For example, spectral edges are conventionally not highly sloped and out-of-band blocking is conventionally poor. Moreover, gratings have limited transmission, exhibit polarization dependencies, and are not suitable for two-dimensional imaging applications, since one spatial dimension carries the spectral information thus leaving only one dimension to carry spatial information.
Optical thin-film interference filters offer improvement over diffraction gratings in many ways, are better suited for imaging, and exhibit exceptionally high transmission with steep spectral edges for improved spectral discrimination. In operation, thin-film interference filters are wavelength-selective as a result of interference effects that take place between incident and reflected waves at boundaries between thin layers of materials having different refractive indices. Interference filters conventionally include a dielectric stack composed of multiple alternating layers of two or more dielectric materials having different refractive indices. In a conventional thin-film interference filter, each of the respective layers of the filter stack is very thin, e.g., having an optical thickness (physical thickness times the refractive index of the layer) on the order of a quarter wavelength of light. These layers may be deposited on one or more substrates (e.g., a glass substrate) and in various configurations, to provide one or more band-pass, or band-rejection filter characteristics.
Thin-film filters have been conventionally regarded as "fixed" filters, in that each thin-film filter has a certain spectral function that is conventionally usable over a limited wavelength band at a particular angle of incidence. Where it is necessary to handle light over a different wavelength band, a filter swapping mechanism such as a filter wheel is used to index each filter into position.
Tunable thin-film filters represent a considerable improvement in thin-film filter design. Tuned performance of thin-film filters relates to the phenomenon of spectral shift with incident angle. As the tunable filter rotates and the angle of incidence of a light beam on the filter changes, the wavelength response of the tunable filter changes within its usable range. In general, as the angle of incidence (AOI) deviates further from normal (0 degree angle of incidence), the filter spectrum shifts toward shorter wavelengths. For example, commercially available VersaChrome™ Tunable Filters from Semrock, Inc., Rochester, N.Y. offer a tuning range of greater than 12% of the wavelength at normal incidence as angular orientations relative to incident light vary from 0 to 60 degrees. With this design, only five interference filters are needed to cover the full visible spectrum. An exemplary set of commercially available interference filters of this type have the following ranges, each tunable from 0 to 60 degrees AOI:
Filter 1: 390-440 nm
Filter 2: 440-490 nm
Filter 3: 490-550 nm
Filter 4: 550-620 nm
Filter 5: 620-700 nm
Given this tunability feature, for example, a single filter (such as Filter 4) could be positioned in the light beam and tuned by rotation to sample light over a 30 nm range (such as 575-605 nm).
In many optical applications, it is beneficial to sample light at particular wavelengths over a larger range of wavelengths. Using the exemplary list above, this may mean wavelengths in the ranges of multiple filters, such as extending over the range covered by Filters 2, 3, and 4, or in some other wavelength range. Where this is the case, some method must be provided both for switching or indexing from one filter to the next and, with the selected filter in place, for changing the angular orientation of the selected filter.
There have been a number of methods used for filter swapping or indexing and for changing device angular orientation with respect to an incident light beam. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,084,909 entitled "Drum Monochromator" to Mathisen and U.S. Pat. No. 4,082,464 entitled "Optical Analysis System Having Rotating Filters" to Johnson both describe a rotating drum with a selection of interference filters arrayed about the circumference. U.S. Pat. No. 5,591,981 entitled "Tunable Excitation and/or Tunable Emission Fluorescence Imaging" to Heffelfinger et al. describes a tuned emission source with a filter wheel that is itself rotated on a second axis for wavelength tuning. U.S. Pat. No. 4,176,916 entitled "Cam Filter Wheel" to Carpenter describes a filter wheel in which each individual filter is tilted as the wheel rotates by the action of a cam as it passes in front of the light beam. U.S. Pat. No. 3,861,788 entitled "Optical Analyzer for Agricultural Products" to Webster describes a paddle-wheel type filter array in which a set of different interference filters rotate on an axis to present a single filter at a time to a beam of incident light. U.S. Pat. No. 3,390,604 entitled "Apparatus for Interchanging Diffraction Gratings in a Grating Spectroscope" to Makabe describes a set of different diffraction gratings mounted on a slide table that can be successively disposed for reflecting a beam of light as part of a monochromator and are rotated on an axis for variable wavelength response.
Although conventional solutions such as these provide some techniques for positioning and orienting each of a set of spectral selection components, none of them meets all of the following design goals for a variable spectral filter apparatus:                (i) Variable angular orientation of the filter over the full range from 0 to up to 60 degrees. Many of the conventional solutions offer only a limited range of angular orientations for the filter that lies in the light beam path.        (ii) Short optical path length.        (iii) Insertion into a light beam without beam redirection. The input and output light should be in the same plane and in the same direction, so that the apparatus used for spectral discrimination can be used as a retrofit in an existing instrument or other optical system.        (iv) Fast access time when indexing between filters.        (v) Small filter size. Preferably each filter should be no larger than the size required to fully encompass the light beam when the filter is tilted at the maximum angle of incidence.        (vi) Small footprint, reduced weight, and reduced moment of inertia.
(vii) Both switching and tuning of the filters using a single mechanical axis. Preferably, a single actuator should serve for both filter switching and changing angular orientation.                (viii) Capable of switching between two, three, or more than three filters.
Shortcomings of the type of approach shown in the Mathison '909 and Johnson '464 disclosures, for example, relate to requirements (i), (ii), (iii), (v), and (vi). Shortcomings of the approach taught by the Heffelfinger et al. '981 disclosure relate to requirements (iv), (vi), and (vii). Shortcomings of the approach described in the Carpenter '916 disclosure relate to the requirements (i), (iv), and (vi). Shortcomings of the approach described in the Webster '788 patent relate to requirements (i), (ii), (v), and (viii). Note that for this case there is a trade-off between requirement (i) and requirements (ii) and (v). It is possible to achieve tuning up to 30 degrees and maintain a short optical path length and small filter size. However, to achieve tuning beyond 30 degrees requires a substantial increase of both the optical path length and the filter size. Shortcomings of the type of device taught in the Makabe '604 patent relate to requirements (iv), (v), (vi), (vii), and (viii). In addition, concerns with high cost and mechanical complexity make a number of these conventional solutions impractical for retrofit into existing designs of fluorescence microscopes and other devices.
Thus, it can be seen that there is a need for a variable spectral filter apparatus for positioning and orienting each of a set of spectral filters in the path of a light beam.


The present invention provides a digital optical switch apparatus and process for manufacturing the apparatus. The apparatus includes a mirror assembly coupled to a top cap and to a bottom cap. The top and bottom caps each include one or more electrodes that, when energized with electrical energy, move a mirrored surface to one of a plurality of discrete positions. Mirror assemblies can be cascaded to create a packaged assembly having any multiple of discrete positions. The process includes planar micro-machining techniques to create isolated islands for electrical feed through. The process enables mechanical bonding of multiple tiers via a single bond region and through a bond-pad window.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to three-dimensional micro-machined devices and more particularly to a micro-machined mirror apparatus having multiple axes of rotation and discrete positioning.
2. Description of the Related Art
Micro-machined devices have gained widespread use in a variety of applications in recent years. One such application is the use of such devices in optical applications in which a micro-machined mirror structure is used as an optical switch to deflect an incident light beam to redirect the light beam in a plurality of directions.
The typical MEMS mirror used as an optical switch includes a micro-machined mirror structures that can be deflected by applying electrical energy to one or more electrodes. The energized electrodes provide a force on the mirror thereby inducing an angular change in the surface plane of the mirror.
It is desirable to have a mirror surface with two axes of angular (i.e. rotational) freedom in these optical switches. Some typical devices provide such freedom by providing a gimbaled coupling between the mirror and a mirror support structure, then providing a gimbaled coupling between the mirror support structure and a second support structure. Other known devices include a pedestal-type mirror structure.
While these typical devices provide the desired degrees of freedom, they suffer from several disadvantages. These devices provide only analog movement. This movement is a continuous sweeping movement from one angular position to another angular position. As such, any induced mechanical shock during operation may move the mirror thereby disrupting the operation. Moreover, accurate positioning using electrical energy is very difficult. Thus it is desirable to provide a planar mirror surface with multiple axes of rotation, and providing digital positioning. Digital positioning as used herein is defined as one or more discrete planar positions including known angular relationships to a beginning or reference planar angle.
Another problem with the typical optical switch is that they are relatively difficult to manufacture. MEMS devices are three-dimensional structures. MEMS optical switches typically require at least two stacked layers having electrodes and electrode contacts passing from one layer to the next. The conventional process includes non-planar etching and dicing techniques that increase manufacturing time and reduce the reliability of the final product. Thus, it is desirable to provide a product manufactured using planar processes for etching, bonding and electrode traversal of multiple tiered devices.

Digital optical switch apparatus and process for manufacturing same


A transceiver module, such as a copper transceiver module, that utilizes an example connector structure for receiving the plug of a communication cable. The example connector structure is configured to house a plurality of electronic components in such a way as to efficiently utilize the space within the connector structure itself. In one example embodiment, a connector structure for use in a copper transceiver module includes a body, a first plurality of conductive elements attached to the body, and first and second cavities defined in the body. The first plurality of conductive elements is configured to electrically connect with a corresponding second plurality of electrical elements on a plug of a communications cable. A first plurality of electrical cores and a printed circuit board are positioned in the first cavity. A second plurality of electrical cores is positioned in the second cavity.

1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to transceiver modules. More particularly, embodiments of the invention relate to a connector structure for containing various electronic components in a copper transceiver module.
2. The Related Technology
Small Form-factor Pluggable (SFP) transceiver modules are relatively small, hot-swappable devices that can be plugged into a variety of host networking equipment. The portions of fiber-optic SFP transceiver modules and copper SFP transceiver modules that are configured to be received inside a host port (the "host port portions") both conform to the SFP Transceiver Multi-Source Agreement (MSA), which specifies, among other things, package dimensions for the host port portions of such transceiver modules. Specifically, the Appendix A.A1 of the SFP Transceiver MSA, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, specifies package dimensions for the SFP transceiver modules described therein. The conformity of the host port portions of the copper and optical SFP transceiver modules with respect to package dimensions and host interface configurations allows an optical SFP transceiver module to be replaced by a copper SFP transceiver module without the host networking equipment becoming aware of any change in the type of replacement. This interchangeability between copper and optical SFP transceiver modules allows for flexibility in a communications network that includes both copper and optical cabling.
The dimensional conformity required by the SFP Transceiver MSA creates some limitations, however, for copper SFP transceiver module design. Specifically, dimensional conformity of the host port portion required by the SFP Transceiver MSA defines a finite volume within which components of the SFP transceiver module can be located. Among the components included in the host port portion of a typical copper SFP transceiver module are one or more printed circuit boards and multiple electrical cores. The printed circuit boards generally include various electronic circuitry and components that provide functionality to the copper SFP transceiver module. To the extent that relatively more space can be made available on the printed circuit boards, relatively more electronic circuitry and components and functionality can be included within the copper SFP transceiver module.
In addition, copper SFP transceiver module designs are continually being modified to enable transceiver operation within ever-larger temperature ranges. In response, the electrical cores employed within the copper SFP transceiver modules have correspondingly increased in size. For example, the relative size of electrical cores in a copper SFP transceiver designed to operate within a −40° C. to 85° C. case temperature range is larger than those included in a transceiver designed to operate with a range from 0° C. to 70° C. Consequently, where more of the available space within a copper SFP transceiver module is being utilized by larger electrical cores, less space remains available for the inclusion of desirable electronic components on the printed circuit boards.
In light of the above discussion, a need currently exists for a transceiver module that efficiently utilizes the available space within the transceiver module. In particular, there is a need for a transceiver module that efficiently positions electrical cores within the transceiver module so as to preserve space for the inclusion of desirable electronic components on the printed circuit board(s) within the transceiver module.

Connector structure for a transceiver module


Normally hydrophobic foams, such as polyurethane foams and polymerized water-in-oil emulsion foams, are rendered hydrophilic by means of treatment with sorbitan monolaurate. Thus, a polymeric foam can be prepared or treated with sorbitan monolaurate and thereafter dried to leave a substantially uniformly distributed residue of sorbitan monolaurate on the internal foam surfaces. The resulting treated foams are rendered hydrophilic and are thus suitable for use in absorbent devices, including diapers, sanitary napkins, bandages, and the like.

A wide variety of foam materials, or common "sponges", which effectively absorb moisture are well-known in commercial practice. Typically, such foams are open-cell structures and comprise various cellulosic or polymeric materials. For example, various polyurethanes and like materials have long been used to prepare synthetic foams. As is known in the art, foam materials function most efficiently as absorbents for aqueous liquids when their surfaces are substantially hydrophilic. However, many synthetic foams are prepared by the polymerization of organic monomers which yield polymeric foams which are substantially hydrophobic in nature. Accordingly, considerable attention has been given to finding means whereby otherwise hydrophobic synthetic foams can be rendered hydrophilic.
For example, it is known that some types of foams have been prepared using certain selected monomers which, themselves, impart at least some degree of hydrophilic character to the resulting polymerized foam. Such monomers are then incorporated into the basic structure of the foam network during the polymerization process. Unfortunately, the hydrophilic substituents present in the monomers can undesirably modify the basic characteristics of the resulting foam. Thus, while the resulting foam may have the desired hydrophilic character, it may lose some of its other desirable structural features or performance qualities. Moreover, such specialized, hydrophilic monomers can be expensive relative to standard monomers used to prepare foams, and thus their use can increase the overall cost of the foam.
In other processes, some foams have been treated to provide anionic substituent groups such as carboxylate or sulfonate moieties on their polymeric structures. Such anionic substituents can be effective in hydrophilizing the surface of the foams, but, unfortunately, their utilization can result in foams that are rather stiff and lack resilience. Such foams are not optimally comfortable when used in close contact with human skin, as, for example, in diapers and sanitary articles.
In some instances, synthetic hydrophobic foams can be rendered hydrophilic by incorporating small quantities of surfactants into the foam matrix. While this can render a foam hydrophilic and quite useful for some purposes, surfactant-containing foams are not always suitable for use in prolonged contact with skin, since the surfactant can cause skin irritation. In addition, some surfactants, e.g., water-soluble ones, can desorb from the foam and dissolve into the fluid being absorbed by the foam. This can significantly change the surface tension of the fluid and dramatically affect the strength with which it is held by the foam.
The manufacture of hydrophilic foams for use as fluid absorbents in sanitary articles, especially disposable diapers and sanitary napkins, requires that the foams not only have superior fluid-handling properties, but also be comfortable to the wearer and safe when used in close proximity to human skin over prolonged periods of wear. Moreover, it is important to the performance of foams designed for use in diapers and catamenials that the fluidity properties of body fluids such as urine and menses not be substantially affected by the hydrophilizing agent, such as could happen when some surfactants, e.g., water-soluble ones, are used to hydrophilize absorbent foams. Accordingly, safe, effective, economical means for hydrophilizing absorbent foams is of substantial interest to the manufacturer of such items. The present invention provides a safe and effective foam hydrophilization method which meets the foregoing requirements.

Method for hydrophilizing absorbent foam materials using sorbitan monolaurate


A Web portal page at a Web display station having a plurality of portlet sections, each portlet including text and at least one active hyperlink to another Web page. An implementation enabling a user to enter one of the displayed portlet sections, enlarging the area of the entered one portlet section, and reducing the areas of a plurality of the other portlet sections so that at least one hyperlink in each of the other portlet sections of reduced area remains active.

The past generation has been marked by a technological revolution driven by the convergence of the data processing industry with the consumer electronics industry. The effect has, in turn, driven technologies that have been known and available but relatively quiescent over the years. A major one of these technologies is the Internet related distribution of documents, media and programs. The convergence of the electronic entertainment and consumer industries with data processing exponentially accelerated the demand for wide ranging communications distribution channels and the Web or Internet, which had quietly existed for over a generation as a loose academic and government data distribution facility, reached "critical mass" and commenced a period of phenomenal expansion. With this expansion, businesses and consumers have direct access to all matter of documents, media and computer programs.
In addition, Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), which had been the documentation language of the Internet or Web for years, offered direct links between pages and other documentation on the Web and a variety of related data sources that were, at first, text and then evolved into media, i.e. "hypermedia". This even further exploded the use of the Internet or Web. It was now possible for the Web browser or wanderer to spend literally hours going through document after document and accompanying media events in often less than productive excursions through the Web. These excursions strained the user's time and resources. A significant source of this drain is in the Web page, the basic document page of the Web. Although many Web pages are professionally designed and, thus, relatively efficient to use, there are still a great many Web pages that are very cumbersome to access and to use.
Among the attempts by Internet or Web (used interchangeably) industries to solve these problems have been the development of Web portals. These are Web sites that provide specialized capabilities to their users. During the recent era when Netscape Web browsers were prominent on the Web, the Web portals were often starting or launching points for the browser onto the Web. Also, Yahoo! provided some of the early Web portals. Governments and governmental agencies used Web portals. Web portals for industries and marketplaces have become very widely used. A generalized description of Web portals may be found in the text, Internet: The Complete Reference, Millennium Edition, Young et al. published 1999, Osbourne/McGraw-Hill, Berkeley, Calif., at pp. 394-395. It is not uncommon for Internet Service Providers to provide the user with their entry page as a Web Portal page. By their nature, Portal Web pages are likely to give the interactive user a cluttered or chaotic effect, particularly since they often rely on advertising for a portion of their revenue. Thus, it has been a Web industry goal to preserve the wide variety of links to other Web pages provided by Web Portal pages while making the portlets on such pages easier to access and more user friendly. The present invention offers an implementation toward this end.

Web portal page interactive user interfaces with maximum accessibility to user selected portlets


The invention concerns a method of managing energy consumed by a group of energy consuming devices (31 to 39) and energy consuming devices (31 to 36) for executing this method. Energy consuming devices (31 to 36) of the group of energy consuming devices exchange messages according to an energy management control protocol via a communication media (4). The energy management control protocol comprises an energy booking message type for announcing future energy consumption, an energy reduction indication message type for announcing possible reduction of energy consumption and a granting message type for granting an energy booking message and/or an energy reduction indication. The energy consuming devices (31 to 36) negotiate their energy consumption by means of the messages exchanged according to the energy management control protocol and control their energy consumption according to the result of this negotiation.

In a traditional model for electric power utilities, an electric power utility serves energy users or customers with its own facilities which includes a generator, a transmission network and a distribution network. A transformer station is connected between the transmission network and the distribution network. Consequently, the customer cannot choose between alternative sources of energy and must buy energy from the power utility that operates in its geographic region.
Further, power grids may be organized into control areas which are electrical systems bounded by interconnection metering and telemetry. The load between adjacent control areas is in such case balanced according to a predetermined schedule. If excess demand for electricity is generated in one control area it will receive electricity from adjacent control areas and the control area that is providing the excess electricity then bills the other control area for expenses caused by the deviation.
To avoid such additional expenses caused by deviation, it is known that the operators of the control area perform sophisticated efforts to predict the energy that will be consumed by the customers in the next week, on the next day, and in the next hour.