Process for producing phthalic anhydride by catalytic gaseous phase oxidation of o-xylene or naphthalene in the presence of catalyst, whereby the reaction is carried out in at least two separate reactors. The first reactor is a salt-cooled main reactor and the second reactor is a post-reactor without cooling means containing same or different catalyst as the first reactor, wherein the feed flow to the post reactor consists of only gaseous effluent from the first reactor and the gas flow in the second reactor takes place from up to down without saltbath cooling.

Phthalic anydride is manufactured industrially by gaseous oxidation of o-xylene by passing the o-xylene/air mixture through a tube reactor, where the tubes are filled with catalyst that contain vanadiumpentoxide and titanium oxide. In the partial oxidation of orthoxylene or naphtalene to phthalic anhydride it is very important to obtain highest possible hydrocarbon load, with still good quality coming out from the reactors.
In order to optimize the catalyst, it is very important to control the reaction in the way to achieve highest possible hydrocarbon load (g/Nm.sup.3) to be converted into best possible quality at highest possible yield. Depending on the type of catalyst (activity and selectivity) the possibilities will vary rather wide with existing catalysts on the market. All existing catalysts are based on vanadium pentoxide and different moderators are involved to make the different catalysts to operate differently concerning sensitivity, activity and selectivity.
To control the reaction and the activity of the catalyst, it is very important to keep the saltbath at the right temperature. The bath is flowing around the tubes in order to remove the heat created from the reaction inside the tubes, which are filled with catalyst. Normally the saltbath temperature will be in the range of 370-400.degree. C. over the life-time of the catalyst. To be able to produce a good quality the reaction inside the tubes must be held at a rather high temperature level (450-470.degree. C.) which means that a lot of byproducts will be created (specifically oxidation products like CO, CO.sub.2 and maleic anhydride) which are the biggest impurities in this reaction by weight. That fact will reduce the yield from hydrocarbon to phthalic anhydride and furthermore at these high temperature conditions it would be very difficult to hold the reaction "steady" and to optimize the reaction conditions.
During recent years the development has moved towards higher hydrocarbon load (g/Nm.sup.3) while the reactors today look very much the same as in the past. The producers of catalysts have tried to compensate these higher loads by changing the recipes.
New catalysts have been introduced which are splitted in the activity in the way that reaction (temperature profile) will be more spread out over the reaction tubes, but still the reaction will be very sensitive to variations and of course very much depending on the quality of the catalyst (activity, selectivity). This means that today it can be very difficult to operate the reactors with high load and good quality because the sensitivity of the oxidation has increased.
Another way to overcome the difficulties is the use of two or more reactors instead of one reactor. Such solution is disclosed in EP-patent application 0686633. According to this application two reactors are applied and the gas composition at the inlet of the first reactor is controlled in the range of the lower inflammability limit, while the gas composition at the inlet of the second reactor is controlled closer to the range of the upper limit of inflammability. Both reactors and more specifically the second reactor are preferably tubular reactors cooled by molten salt circulation. The tubes of the second reactor are substantially longer than the tubes of the first reactor. The reactors are applied so that feedstock is added also to the effluent of the first reactor and the gas mixture is then introduced into the second reactor. Providing two reactors which are both salt-cooled leads to high investment and operating costs and besides, in existing plants available space is often limited.
A reference is made also to European patent application 0453951, where the reactor is divided two or more reaction zones following each other and by using same or different catalyst in each zone. Also in Austrian patent application 9201926 a second reaction zone is disclosed. In this case the effect obtained by said construction is insufficient and requires specially manufactured honeycomb catalyst structures.


Embodiments of the present invention relate to a signal sending method, a signal receiving method, a base station, and user equipment. The method includes: determining, by a base station based on receiver capabilities of user equipments, that first user equipment is to be paired with N second user equipments on a first resource block, where N is a positive integer; and multiplexing, by the base station, a signal of the first user equipment and signals of the N second user equipments onto the first resource block, and sending the signals. It can be learned from the foregoing that according to the embodiments of the present invention, not only channel quality of weak-receiver-capability user equipment is ensured, but also channel quality of strong-receiver-capability user equipment is maintained by using an excellent interference suppression capability of the strong-receiver-capability user equipment.

A current wireless communication service has a growing demand for a network capacity and communication performance. Potential of conventional manners for improving spectral efficiency such as bandwidth increase, modulation mode optimization, and code division multiplexing is limited. Therefore, in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology, a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communications system is proposed, to improve utilization efficiency of bandwidth by using a spatial multiplexing technology. To further increase a cell capacity in a high-load scenario, a multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) communications system is further proposed, to multiplex data of a plurality of user equipments onto a same time-frequency resource for sending. The MU-MIMO system usually requires fine design of algorithms in various aspects such as downlink scheduling, user equipment pairing, weight design, modulation and coding scheme (MCS) adjustment, and user equipment interference suppression and cancellation.
In a serving cell, when a plurality of user equipments attempt to send data in a multi-user (MU) pairing mode, for each user equipment, a transmit power is less than that in a single user (SU) transmission mode because of a limitation of a transmit power of a base station. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of interference between user equipments in the MU pairing mode. If each user equipment continues using a single-user beamforming (SU-BF) vector weight that is used in the single user transmission mode, severe interference is generated between the user equipments. To avoid interference between paired user equipments, a downlink weight of each user equipment needs to be adjusted after MU pairing. Similarly, a user side also needs to use an appropriate reception weight design based on a receiver capability of the user equipment, to suppress a signal of another paired user equipment in a cell and interference outside the cell.
An existing MU-MIMO solution is usually as follows: A base station side first performs priority calculation based on SU performance of user equipments in a cell, to implement resource scheduling for first layer user equipment, that is, to implement first layer pairing; and attempts to pair second- or higher-layer user equipments at a granularity of a time-frequency resource block group (RBG) or a time-frequency resource block (RB). User equipments for which MU pairing can be successfully implemented have an equal status in an MU weight design process.
It can be learned from the foregoing that, in an existing MU-MIMO technology, all paired user equipments have the equal status in the MU weight design process; and as the user equipment is continuously updated, a quantity of receive antennas of the user equipment gradually increases, and a larger quantity of the receive antennas indicates a stronger interference suppression capability of a user equipment receiver. A serving cell has various types of user equipments with different receiver capabilities. When MU pairing is performed for user equipments with different receiver capabilities (that is, in a hybrid user MU pairing scenario), if the MU weight design solution in which user equipments have an equal status is still used, signal quality of weak-receiver-capability user equipment degrades, and an interference suppression capability of strong-receiver-capability user equipment is wasted.

Signal sending and receiving method to pair user equipment


Exemplary machine-to-machine (“M2M”) device client systems, methods, and interfaces are described herein. An exemplary M2M device includes an M2M device client configured to provide 1) a platform messaging interface through which the M2M device client communicates with an M2M platform and 2) an application interface that includes a set of application program interfaces (“APIs”) through which an application installed on the M2M device interfaces with the M2M device client. The set of APIs may include one or more of the exemplary APIs and/or API function calls described herein. Corresponding systems, methods, and interfaces are also described.

Machine-to-machine ("M2M") technology is a growing industry designed to communicatively connect machines to one another. An M2M solutions provider uses M2M technology to provide an M2M solution to a customer. For example, an M2M solutions provider may provide a customer such as a trucking company with an M2M solution that communicatively connects the trucking company's fleet of trucks to a company computing system (e.g., a personal or server computer operated by the trucking company). Company personnel may utilize the company computing system to monitor and/or control the fleet of trucks by way of the M2M solution.
An M2M solutions provider may provide an M2M solution over an M2M platform. Accordingly, the M2M solution may be said to be built on the M2M platform, with the M2M platform providing foundational functionality to support the M2M solution. For example, the M2M platform may provide underlying functionality that establishes communication paths and routes communications between a customer computing system and in-field customer assets as part of an M2M solution.
To this end, M2M device clients are typically deployed in the field together with in-field customer assets and configured to provide an interface between the customer assets and an M2M platform. For example, an M2M device client may be deployed on a truck included in a customer's fleet of trucks. The M2M device client may interface with the truck to receive and send data representative of operational parameters of the truck (e.g., truck location, speed, direction, fuel level, etc.) to the M2M platform. Additionally or alternatively, the M2M device client may receive and use communications provided by the M2M platform to configure the M2M device client and/or to control operations of the truck.
The configuration and/or functionality of an M2M device client dictates development of M2M devices that implement or will implement the M2M device client. For example, original equipment manufacturers ("OEMs") may manufacture M2M devices in accordance with the configuration and/or functionality of the M2M device client. As another example, computing code developers may develop M2M device applications (e.g., embedded code and/or software applications for M2M devices) in accordance with the configuration and/or functionality of the M2M device client. The configuration and/or functionality of an M2M device client may also affect M2M network usage and costs associated with the M2M network usage, which may in turn affect the costs of an M2M solution. For these and/or other reasons, an M2M device client is desired that provides robust functionality, flexible configurability, and/or efficient network usage. Moreover, an interface to the M2M device client that promotes flexible configurability and cost-effective development of M2M devices and computing code is desired.

Machine-to-machine (“M2M”) device client systems, methods, and interfaces


A method for communicating in a wireless environment is provided that includes obtaining, with an access point of a first network in the wireless environment, responsiveness data from at least one electronic device. The method also includes communicating with the at least one electronic device to determine availability of a second network in the wireless environment to the electronic device, and determining communication responsiveness through the first network based on the responsiveness data. The method also includes obtaining use data from the at least one electronic device related to the second network, determining communication responsiveness through the second network based on the use data, and disconnecting, with the access point, the at least one electronic device based on the communication responsiveness through the second network.

Network access points are devices utilized to form a wireless local area network (WLAN). A WLAN can be provided for wireless coupling to a network, including for an office building, apartment building, shopping center, or the like. The network access points are coupled to a wired router via a cable such as an Ethernet cable, and project a Wi-Fi signal to a local environment for communication through the network. Then through the network, local electronic devices may access the Internet, communicate with remote electronic devices, or the like.
The network access points can function to monitor communication traffic of each of the electronic devices coupled to the access point. The more devices being used, the less bandwidth there is available compared to requests for communication. In particular, as electronic devices such a smart phones, smart watches, Fitbits, etc. are being utilized by individuals, such access points become saturated. In particular, access points that were initially set up to support a designated number of electronic devices in a given office area, must also support the smart phones, smart watches, etc. of individuals within such an area. Such excess communication requests can result in a slowing of communications through individual access points.
One manner in which communication responsiveness can be increased for an electronic device user that is utilizing a WLAN is to have the electronic device monitor and determine if an alternative faster communication path is available. For example, a local cellular connection may result in faster communication responsiveness and access than the WLAN. So, when an electronic device detects that an alternative faster communication pathway is available, the electronic device can automatically change the communication pathway, or alert a user that an alternative faster communication pathway is available.
Though some electronic devices are able to provide such monitoring of communication responsiveness of communication paths, decreasing load on the access point, many electronic devices simply do not have such functionality. Instead, users are simply left with dealing with slow connection responsiveness, unbeknownst to them alternative faster communication pathways are available. Meanwhile, the access point remains overloaded when the potential of another communication path for an electronic device exists that could be used to reduce the load.

Managing electronic communication with an access point


A multi-level power converter system includes a multi-level power converter configured to synthesize at least three direct current (DC) voltages into an alternating current (AC) output voltage, and includes a plurality of transistors. A controller generates pulse-width modulation (PWM) signals used to control a state of the plurality of transistors of the multi-level converter by comparing first and second carrier signals to a reference signals, wherein a period of the first and second carrier signals is randomly varied from a nominal period.

The present invention relates to electromagnetic interference (EMI) noise mitigation for multi-level power converters.
Switching power converters are often used to convert an alternating current (AC) voltage into a direct current (DC) voltage, or to convert a DC voltage into an AC voltage. Specifically DC to AC converters are commonly used to provide variable frequency and voltage AC power to loads such as AC motors, and AC to DC converters can be used to provide a regulated DC voltage to DC loads. One example of such a power converter is a two-level (2L) converter, which is able to synthesize two node voltages ("levels") at a phase terminal. These converters typically use pulse-width modulation (PWM) at a fixed switching frequency in order to approximate a desired continuous waveform. PWM is known to cause distortions in the output waveform, which are typically undesirable.
The use of multi-level converter topologies, which synthesize three or more voltages ("levels"), is becoming more prevalent, as these converters are able to produce less distorted waveforms than two-level converters. One multi-level converter topology that synthesizes three node voltages ("levels") at the phase output is a neutral point clamped three-level converter. This converter uses carrier-based PWM signals with a fixed switching frequency to turn on and off the transistors in each converter phase leg. Although this three-level converter has less distortion than a two-level converter, the use of PWM still causes some distortion in the output waveform.

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) reduction in multi-level power converter


An apparatus having a magnetic head assembly including a plurality of arms each arm having a magnetic head fixed to a nose portion thereof and a magnetic disk unit having a plurality of magnetic disks mounted on a rotating shaft. The spacing between adjacent magnetic disks being set at a value corresponding to the thicknesses of the magnetic heads fixed to two of the arms, plus the thickness of the two arms, plus a rotating gap of the magnetic heads, plus a space of 0.1 mm or less. Further included is a disk height measuring device and a head measuring device for measuring the heights of the disks and the magnetic heads. An expansion device expands the spacing between the adjacent arms. The spacing between the adjacent arms being expanded an appropriate amount to provide optimal operation of the magnetic disk apparatus.

The present invention relates to a magnetic disk apparatus as well as an assembling method and apparatus for inserting magnetic heads of the magnetic head apparatus each between adjacent magnetic disks.
Magnetic disk apparatuses are widely used as storage systems in computers and word processors, while with an increase in storage capacity, there is an increasing demand for the reduction in size of the apparatus.
Such magnetic disk apparatuses are each constituted roughly by magnetic disks and a magnetic head assembly. To meet the above demand, however, it is necessary to not only reduce the size of the magnetic disk apparatus but also increase the number of information recording magnetic disks, so that the spacing between adjacent magnetic disks becomes smaller.
Usually six to eight magnetic disks are used in a magnetic disk apparatus. In assembling the apparatus, magnetic heads are each inserted between adjacent ones of six to eight magnetic disks and are then brought into contact slowly with the disk faces. If each magnetic head is contacted with the associated magnetic disk face during this inserting operation, there will occur such inconvenience as a flaw or damage.
In view of this problem there has been proposed a method wherein each arm of a magnetic head assembly is restricted from the outside or from the inside by means of a jig to provide a certain spacing and is then inserted between adjacent magnetic disks, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid Open Nos. 57-109125 and 63-167489.
There has also been adopted a method wherein each arm is expanded from the inside by using a stacked electrostatic actuator, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid Open No. 3-97173.
In inserting a magnetic head in between adjacent magnetic disks, as mentioned above, there is performed a preparatory work of inserting a jig between adjacent arms with magnetic heads in a magnetic head assembly fixed thereto to provide a certain spacing. For this work is required a high accuracy which permits insertion of a jig into a slight arm-to-arm gap in a magnetic head assembly, and thus the work in question is troublesome.
Further, as the spacing between adjacent magnetic disks becomes still narrower, a dimensional error of the constituent parts and their assembling error exert a greater influence when the assembly accuracy of magnetic disks and magnetic head assembly is taken into account; as a result, with such a jig of providing a certain spacing as mentioned above, it becomes more likely that magnetic disks and magnetic heads will contact each other at the time of insertion of the heads, causing a flaw or damage.

Magnetic disk apparatus and method and apparatus for assembling magnetic disk apparatus


Disclosed is a drying device for a hollow fiber membrane, including: a tubular drying member that is formed with an opening portion through which a hollow fiber membrane is input and output at at least one end thereof in a length direction, the hollow fiber membrane passing inside the tubular drying member while forming a gap between the hollow fiber membrane and an inner circumferential surface of the tubular drying member; and a gas supply unit that is formed on a side surface of the tubular drying member and supplies a drying gas into the tubular drying member. Thus, it is possible to dry the hollow fiber membrane in a short time at a low cost without the necessity of large equipment.

In the fields of the food industry, medicine, electronics industry and the like, for concentration and recovery of useful components, removal of useless components, fresh water generation or the like, a hollow porous fiber membrane that is made of cellulose acetate, polyacrylonitrile, polysulfone, fluorine-based resin or the like using wet or dry-wet spinning, for example, has been widely used in a precision filtration membrane, an ultra filtration membrane, a reverse osmosis filtration membrane, or the like.
In a case where the hollow fiber membrane is manufactured by wet or dry-wet spinning, a membrane forming dope including a hydrophobic polymer and a hydrophilic polymer is firstly prepared. Then, the hollow fiber membrane is formed by a coagulation process of discharging the membrane forming dope in an annular shape and coagulating the membrane forming dope in a coagulating liquid. Here, the membrane forming dope may be introduced into the coagulating liquid through an idle running unit that is in contact with air (dry-wet spinning method), or may be directly introduced into the coagulating liquid (wet spinning method).
Since the hydrophilic polymer normally remains in porous portions of such a hollow fiber membrane in a solution state, the hydrophilic polymer is normally removed by washing or the like, and then, the hollow fiber membrane is dried.
In this regard, in drying the hollow fiber membrane, a hot air circulation drying device, as disclosed in paragraph 0049 of PTL 1, for example, is widely used. Specifically, a method of causing the hollow fiber membrane to continuously run in a drying device in which hot air is circulated at a wind speed of about several meters per second and supplying the hot air to the outer circumferential side of the hollow fiber membrane to dry the hollow fiber membrane is used.

Drying device and drying method for hollow fiber membranes


A nanospike hybrid carbon black product includes a plurality of carbon black aggregates. Each of the carbon black aggregates has a surface with a plurality of carbon nanospike formed thereon. The carbon nanospikes may each have a length between about 5 nm and 100 nm, and a width between about 5 nm and about 50 nm. A method for manufacturing the nanospike hybrid carbon black product includes the steps of injecting a primary carbon feedstock into a carbon black reactor, and combusting the carbon feedstock under a predetermined high temperature in the carbon black reactor to form carbon black aggregates. A catalyst is then deposited on surfaces of the carbon black aggregates. A secondary carbon feedstock is injected into the carbon black reactor, and reacted with the catalyst to grow carbon nanospikes on the surfaces of the carbon black aggregates.

Carbon black is one of the darkest and most finely divided materials known. Chemically, carbon black is a colloidal form of elemental carbon consisting of 95 to 99 percent carbon. Made in specially designed reactors operating at internal temperatures in the range of 1425° C. to 2000° C., different grades of carbon black can be produced with varying aggregate size and structure.
In making tires and other rubber products, it is desirable to mix carbon black with an elastomer or rubber to improve certain properties of the elastomer. Most of the carbon black used in the tire industry is produced using the furnace process. In the furnace process, the feedstock is incompletely combusted in a reaction to form a very finely divided material composed of aggregates that are the carbon black monounits. These aggregates are typically submicron in size and of very complex structure. The surface of the aggregates may be covered with turbostratic graphitic crystallites and areas of disorganized amorphous carbon.
In order to produce different grades of carbon black, different reactor technology is sometimes employed. In addition to specific reactor design, the number and position of oil spraying nozzles, the ratio of air to feedstock and natural gas, as well as the position of the quench water sprays also plays a critical role in setting the carbon black properties (size, surface area, and structure). When carbon black is formed in the reactor, which takes only a few milliseconds, it is in the form of a thick smoke with apparent density of about 10−2 g/cm3. The remaining production time, which could be up to two hours, is conveying and handling the product in order to prepare the carbon black to be shipped and further processed.
There is a continuing need for a carbon black product with surface modification that facilitates dispersion in rubber formulations, and which provides superior compression set characteristics in cured rubber products. Desirably, the surface modification of the carbon black product may be performed in situ in a carbon black reactor during the manufacturing of the carbon black product.


Disclosed systems and methods generate a sequence of images using a data reader having an imager exposed to multiple fields of view that are alternately illuminated to coincide with exposure periods forming an image capture rate. In one configuration, a first illumination source illuminates a first field of view of the data reader with a first series of illumination pulses at a first pulse repetition rate. The imager captures in an alternating manner a first set of images of the first field of view and a second set of images of a second field of view. The first pulse repetition rate and the image capture rate are set such that the imager captures the first set of images at approximately the same time as the first illumination source illuminates the first field of view with an illumination pulse.

The field of the present disclosure relates generally to data readers and, in particular, to systems and methods for generating image data from multiple views of a data reader.
Optical codes have widespread applications. For example, optical codes can be used to identify a class of objects (e.g., merchandise) or unique items (e.g., patents). As a result, optical codes are found on a wide variety of objects, such as retail goods, company assets, and documents, and help track production at manufacturing facilities and inventory at stores (by scanning items as they arrive and as they are sold). In addition, optical codes may appear on a display of a portable electronic device, such as a mobile telephone, personal digital assistant, tablet computer, laptop computer, or other device having an electronic display. For example, a customer, such as a shopper, airline passenger, or person attending a sporting event or theater event, may cause an optical code to be displayed on their portable electronic device so that an employee (e.g., merchant-employee) can read the optical code via a data reader to allow the customer to redeem a coupon or to verify that the customer has purchased a ticket for the event.
An optical code, such as a barcode, is essentially a machine-readable representation of information in a visual format. Some optical codes use a dark ink on a white substrate to create high and low reflectance upon scanning. Based on the symbology being used (e.g., UPC, Code 39, Code 128, and PDF417), an optical code may comprise data characters (or codewords in the case of, e.g., PDF417) and/or overhead characters represented by a particular sequence of bars and spaces (which may have varying widths).
Optical code readers or data readers are used to capture optical codes or other symbols or information appearing on various surfaces in order to read the information encoded in the optical code or symbol. One commonly used data reader is an imager-based reader. Imager-based readers typically include solid state image circuitry, such as charge coupled devices (CCDs) or complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) devices, and may be implemented using a one-dimensional or two-dimensional imaging array of photosensors (or pixels) to capture an image of the optical code. One-dimensional CCD readers capture a linear cross-section of the optical code, producing an analog waveform whose amplitude represents the relative darkness and lightness of the optical code. Two-dimensional CCD or CMOS readers may capture an entire two-dimensional image. The image is then processed to find and decode an optical code. For example, virtual scan line techniques are known techniques for digitally processing an image containing an optical code by looking across an image along a plurality of lines, typically spaced apart and at various angles, somewhat like a scan pattern of a laser beam in a laser-based scanner.
Imager-based readers typically form images from one perspective, usually that of a normal vector directed from the face of the imager. Such imager-based readers therefore provide only a single point of view. It may be desirable in certain applications to take images from multiple perspectives. A few imager-based readers that generate multiple perspectives are known. One such reader is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,899,272, which discloses one embodiment that utilizes two independent cameras pointed in different orthogonal directions to collect image data from different sides of a package. Imager-based readers that employ multiple cameras require multiple circuit boards, mounting hardware, and space for the associated optical components, which can increase the expense of the reader, complicate the physical design, and increase the size of the reader. Another embodiment according to the '272 patent utilizes a single camera pointed at a moveable mirror that moves between two positions (i.e., positions A and B) to select one of two different imaging directions. The single camera has even fields (i.e., lines 2, 4, 6, etc.) and odd fields (i.e., lines 1, 3, 5, etc.). When the mirror is in position A, the even field of the imager is exposed and when the mirror is in the position B, the odd field of the imager is exposed. With a sufficiently responsive imager, e.g., at least 60 frames per second (fps), and a synchronized moveable mirror, one frame of the scanner may be captured that includes two views of different sides of a package. Accurate synchronization of the moveable mirror with the imager exposure typically involves expensive mechanical parts and control systems capable of moving the mirror within a period of approximately several milliseconds (ms). Moreover, the use of the moveable mirror adds additional cost and may reduce the reliability of the reader.


A contact center work assignment engine communication system hosts a multi-functional contact advocate to manage communications and history for customers, including the ability to report issues, provide updates, identify and solve problems, store history, interface with contact center components, including agents and experts, creating a proactive automatic assistant for contact center customers.

In typical contact centers today, there exists a universal identifier (ID) for each customer. The ID joins data which may come into the contact center system from multiple sources. The sources might include on-line order information, system information, contact information, or other personal information, email, texts, interaction logs, etc. Contact centers employ agents to manage all ID information and history, handle orders, and resolve issues. Often servicing a contact requires looking through the contact's ID information and history of interactions with the company. Aggregating or correlating the ID and other data can be done automatically or by agents.
In current models, a system component and/or an agent reactively works to solve issues, concerns, or queries for a contact that comes into the contact center. Interactive Voice Response systems (IVRs) are typically used to preserve some agent resources by handling some contact needs through automated servicing. Some slightly more sophisticated systems also provide supplemental and/or related information to contacts (e.g., a company provides a weather report when the contact is traveling). Most companies live with reactive models of customer service that don't find and solve problems without agent intervention. Reactive models are inefficient since agents must review ID data and history and may not be aware of other activities in the contact center.


A drilling tool (10) includes a pilot bit (14) and a plurality of mills (16) encircling the pilot bit. The pilot bit and the plurality of mills are each driven by a separate, hydraulically powered turbine or positive displacement motor. (20) The drilling tool does not include a transmission for transmitting power from the turbine or motor to any of the plurality of mills or the pilot bit.

The invention relates generally to a tool for forming bores through relatively hard material, and in particular to a rotary drill bit for use in oil and gas exploration and mining.
Bits for drilling through rock are typically outfitted with hard, durable cutters. Cutters with contact surfaces made from polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) typically wear better and last longer. PDC is an extremely hard and wear resistant material.
PDC cutters are known to have one of the lowest rates of wear when operated at cooler temperatures. Wear rates are low when operational temperatures are maintained below about 700 degrees Celsius. At approximately 700 degrees Celsius, thermal damage to the diamond layer of the cutter begins, lowering wear resistance. Above this critical temperature, the rate of wear of the cutter can be as much as fifty times greater than the rate of wear at cooler temperatures. Consequently, PDC cutters become more susceptible to abrasive wear and breakage from impact when operating at higher temperatures.
Greater tangential cutter velocity causes more friction, thus generating more heat. Cutters moving at higher tangential velocities will thus tend to operate at higher temperatures. At some velocity, frictional heat reaches a level sufficient to cause cutter wear rates to accelerate, reducing the life of the cutters. In conventional PDC drag bits, the tangential velocity of a cutter, when measured relative to the material being cut, depends on the distance of the cutter from the center of rotation of the drill bit. For each rate of rotation of a drill bit of a particular diameter, further displacement of a cutter from the drill bit's axis of rotation proportionately increases the cutter's tangential velocity. Thus, increasing the diameter of a drill bit causes cutters located toward the periphery of the bit to rotate with greater tangential velocity.
Increased application of force also generates more heat. Cutters require more force to penetrate harder rock. Cutters dragging through harder rock have higher wear rates due to the increased application of force. Therefore, the critical point at which the wear rate begins to accelerate is also a function of hardness of rock in addition to the rotational velocity of the drill bit to which the cutter is attached. In softer rocks, accelerated wear rates do not occur until higher rotational speeds are used; in harder rocks, acceleration of the wear rate occurs at much lower rotational speeds.
A number of additional factors also shorten the life of PDC cutters. A cutter's abrupt contact with rock formations also increases the rate of wear of PDC cutters. Drilling with conventional PDC drag bits request application of weight and torque to a drill string to turn the drilling tool face and drive the face into the formation. Torque rotates the bit, dragging its PDC cutters through the formation being cut by the cutters. Dragging generates chips, which are removed by drilling fluids, thereby forming a bore or drilled hole. The drilling action causes a reverse, corresponding torque in the drill string. Because of the length of the drill string, the torque winds the drill string like a torsion spring. If a bit releases from consistent contact with the formation being drilled, the drill string will unwind and rotate backward. Changing the tension in the drill string causes the drill bit to come into irregular, abrupt contact either with the sides of the bore or the exposed formation surface being cut. These irregular contacts can cause impact damage to the cutters. Drill strings will vibrate, sometimes severely, under typical drilling conditions, a drill string rotates at 90 to 150 rpm. These vibrations can also damage a drill bit, including the cutters, as well as the drill pipe, MWD equipment, and other components in the drilling system. "Bit whirl" also contributes to impact loads on PDC cutters. This complex motion of the drill bit is thought to occur due to a combination of causes, including lateral forces on the drill bit due to vibration of the drill string vibration, heterogeneous rock formations, bit design, and other factors in combination with the radial cutting ability of PDC bits. Whirl of a drill bit in a bore subjects PDC cutters on the bit to large impact loads as the bit bounces against rock or other material in the bore. Cutters on these drill bits will lose large chips of PDC from impact, rather than from gradual abrasion of the cutter, thereby shortening the effective life of the cutters and the drill bit.
A drilling tool disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,488,103 of Dennis et al., which is incorporated herein by reference, addresses one or more the problem of adverse thermal and impact effects on cutters and attempts to extend the life of PDC cutters without affecting drilling performance. The tool employs a plurality of satellite mills surrounding a central pilot bit. This arrangement reduces the tangential velocity at which cutters towards the periphery on the drilling tool face collide with material being cut by the drilling tool. A mud or turbine motor rotates the pilot and supplies power to drive shafts on which the satellite mills are mounted through a transmission. In order to avoid having to use seals to protect the bearings and gears from the down hole environment and to retain cooling lubricant, abrasion-resistant bearings and gear surfaces having PDC contact surfaces are used in the transmission. The drilling fluid lubricates and cools the transmission. The PDC surfaces enable the gears and the bearings to withstand the abrasion of the drilling fluids, cuttings and other debris present at the bottom of the hole.


A sun hat having a bendable and shapeable brim is described. The bendable brim is characterized by a wire cable assembly secured in the brim of the hat along its perimeter. The wire cable assembly can comprise a loop of multi-strand metal cable enclosed in a slightly oversized flexible plastic sheath that is hermetically sealed at joining ends. The cable can be comprised of an annealed metal that permits it to be bent thousands of times without breaking.

Sun hats with wide brims are known. The brims shade all or part of the wearer's face, head and neck minimizing exposure to the rays of the Sun. Sun hats can come in many forms and styles but are most typically comprised of a lightweight crushable crown and a partially stiffened brim that can often be folded or stuffed into a bag for transport when not being worn. Sun hats often also include a chin/neck strap that can be used in windy weather to secure the hat in place on the wear's head. Most typical sun hats emphasize functionality over style and are usually worn at less formal outdoor activities, such as hiking, backpacking, playing outdoor sports, and hanging out at the beach.
The brims on sun hats, even if stiffened, tend to be relatively floppy and often misshapen. They often don't hold their shape when exposed to wind. Further, the wide brims can prove troublesome with back side of the brim interfering with a backpack while hiking or when the front side of the brim interfering when the wearer is trying to take a photo. The weight of rain on the topside of the brim can cause it to collapse sending a wave of water onto the wearer. Washing a typical sun hat and/or crushing it to carry it in a bag or pack also causes the shape and structural integrity of the brim to degrade.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A noise reducing headset has one or more of the following features: (a) pair of earcups each seated in a yoke assembly mechanically coupled by a headband enclosing a flat spring formed with a slot that runs the length of the spring accommodating electrical wires electrically interconnecting electrical elements in the earcups, (b) each earcup having active noise reducing circuitry, (c) each earcup including a loudspeaker driver located off center in the earcup to allow an internal cavity inside each earcup to accommodate a loudspeaker driver, a microphone and an electronic printed circuit board and one of a battery and plug assembly, (d) one of the earcups accommodating a detachably secured plug assembly having a sensitivity switch covered by the earcup when the plug assembly is fully seated in the earcup, (e) the other earcup having a battery door that may be opened to allow insertion and removal of the battery and covered by a yoke assembly when the headset is worn by a user with the battery fully seated in the earcup.

For background, reference is made to U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,597,792, 5,305,387, 5,208,868, 5,181,252, 4,989,271, 4,922,542, 4,644,581 and 4,455,675. Reference is also made to the commercially available Bose QUIET COMFORT headset and the commercially available QUIET COMFORT 2 headphones. The QUIET COMFORT 2 headphones embody the invention disclosed herein and is incorporated by reference herein.


A server for network media program restart receives a request from a client device to restart a media program that is configured as being enabled for network media program restart subject to a set of one or more restrictions. Responsive to determining that a currently airing restriction is configured that allows the media program to be played by the client device only when that media program is currently airing in a locale of the client device and will become unavailable for viewing after a predefined amount of time has elapsed after the currently airing media program ends, the server transmits the media program to the client device for playback only responsive to a determination that at the time of the request the media program is currently airing in the locale of the client device and only when the predefined amount of time has not elapsed.

Television (TV) viewing has traditionally been one-dimensional; either live TV viewing or viewing at the present. With the introduction of the Digital Video Recorder (DVR), users are able to pause Live TV or schedule recordings for later viewing. DVR technology has limitations including that each household needs to have a physical hard disk on the set-top box to pause/fast-forward/rewind Live TV or schedule recordings, the user needs to remember to schedule the recording if the user wants to view it later, parallel recordings are limited to the hardware or software of the device, and the number of shows that can be stored is limited by the storage on the device.
Trick modes (e.g., fast-forward, rewind, and pause) are a common feature of digital video systems that simulate the visual feedback of traditional fast-forward, rewind, and pause operations performed in analog video systems. Trick modes may be implemented by either including in the video stream only a subset of frames or having a separate stream for each different speed supported (e.g., a stream that supports normal speed playback, another stream that supports 2× normal speed playback for fast-forwarding, etc.).
Restart TV is a service to allow the user to timeshift within channels to restart in-progress programs that the user has just tuned to and are not in a local buffer of the user's client device. Thus, restart TV allows users to view previously aired programming without requiring local storage of that video. Restart TV is distinct from video on demand (VoD) service. The programs available for viewing in restart TV are those that aired in a relatively short amount of time in the past (e.g., the last 72 hours) whereas the programs available for viewing in a VoD service are programs that may have aired many weeks, months, or years ago. In addition, the programs available for viewing in restart TV are typically only available for a relatively short period of time (e.g., 72 hours) whereas programs available for viewing in VoD are typically available for a relatively longer period of time (e.g., weeks, months, or years).
The channels that support restart TV service are typically indicated in a program guide to allow the user to navigate to view past programs. Restart TV eliminates the limitation of parallel recordings, pre-scheduling recordings, and storage constraints. There may be limitations on the Restart TV service such as not allowing trick modes.


Machine supports are provided for a spinning preparation machine. A machine casing is arranged along the sides of the machine and includes casing elements attached to the supports. The casing elements are arranged to open up or close off openings in the machine casing so that free access is given to at least one side region and one end region of the machine.

The invention relates to a arrangement on a spinning preparation machine, in particular a card, provided with a machine casing arranged along the sides of the machine that consists of casing elements attached to support elements, wherein the casing elements can free and close off openings in the machine casing.
In practical operations, cards are enclosed with a casing made of sheet metal or other materials. This enclosure serves to protect the machine, to encapsulate it against spinning dust, to enhance the optical appearance and to safeguard against accidents.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,104 describes a housing frame of a known arrangement on a card with machine casing provided with wall elements that form a closed casing and include wall elements on the sides, as well as on the front and rear and a cover element. The housing frame includes four horizontal ground supports, four horizontal top supports and four vertical supports, which can consist of steel pipe. The known machine casing consists of supports and crossbeams, doors and flaps. The doors and flaps must be opened and dismantled for performing servicing and adjustment operations at the working members, wherein the dismantling involves unscrewing operations that frequently are very involved. The supports and crossbeams cannot be dismantled for static reasons, but considerably restrict the clearance space for performing the servicing operations. The possibility of access only separately and through the side areas and the output region of the machine is a particular disadvantage.

Arrangement on a spinning preparation machine, in particular a card, with a machine casing


A charge transfer device comprises an array of photodiodes, vertical registers having channels for receiving charge packets from the photodiodes and vertical electrodes for shifting the charge packets along the channels of the vertical registers. A horizontal register has channels for receiving the charge packets from the vertical registers and horizontal electrodes for successively shifting the charge packets across the channels of the horizontal register. An overflow barrier region extends across and is embedded below the channels of the horizontal register for establishing a barrier potential. An overflow drain region is connected to the channels of the horizontal register for discharging charge packets which exceed the barrier potential.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to two-dimensional CCD (charge-coupled device) imaging device, and more specifically to such a CCD device capable of efficiently discharging undesired charge packets. The present invention is particularly suitable for CCD image sensors where large amounts of non-usable charge packets must be quickly discharged.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Specification Sho 62-154881 discloses a two-dimensional charge transfer device comprising a plurality of vertical registers for receiving electrons, or "charge packets" from a two-dimensional array of photodiodes and shifting them down to a horizontal register. The horizontal register includes overflow barrier regions and an overflow drain region. When excessive charge packets are produced, they overflow the barrier regions and are discharged through the drain region to the outside, while useful charge packets are diverted to a utilization circuit. The overflow barrier regions of this prior art device are formed into the shape of narrow channels to take advantage of what is known as the narrow channel effect of a semiconductor junction on a threshold voltage, i.e., when the channel width is reduced, the threshold voltage of the junction increases. Due to the narrow channel effect, the overflow channel regions are at such a potential that only surplus electrons are discharged to the outside.
However, the narrow channel structure produces a throttling effect on charge packets. Therefore, the speed at which undesirable excess charge packets are discharged is not satisfactory for most applications.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Specification Sho 63-254767 discloses a single-layer diffused overflow barrier region extending between the overflow drain region and the edges of horizontal-register channels remote from the vertical registers. However, the disadvantage of the prior art is that the forming of this barrier region requires an additional photoresist process.

CCD image sensor with overflow barrier for discharging excess electrons at high speed


A gas bag module has a gas bag whose wall, in a first state of the gas bag, has at least one pleat that is formed in that opposite sections of the wall lie against each other. The gas bag module further has a holder that holds the opposite sections together and affixes the pleat. The holder can be actively released in response to a signal, as a result of which the gas bag reaches a second state in which the pleat is opened.

Normally speaking, in a gas bag module of a vehicle occupant restraint system, the gas bag is supposed to be inflated as quickly as possible with the gas generated by a gas generator. In certain cases, for example, in response to a collision at a relatively low speed or depending on the height, weight or position of the vehicle occupant to be protected, it is desirable to have a softer gas bag. For this purpose, for example, discharge openings can be provided in the module housing through which some of the available gas volume can escape. This solution, however, has the drawback that installation space has to be provided in the module housing for the discharge opening itself as well as possibly for an opening mechanism.
Another approach that has been known for a long time for achieving a reduced internal gas bag pressure is to provide a pleat in the wall of the non-inflated gas bag in that opposite wall sections lie against each other, the pleat being affixed by a rupture seam. If the internal gas bag pressure exceeds a predetermined value after the activation of the gas bag module, the rupture seam tears open, as a result of which the volume of the gas bag is increased and the internal gas bag pressure is reduced. It is also a known procedure to provide a discharge opening in the area of the pleat that is at first closed by the pleat and then exposed after the rupture seam tears, thus achieving a further reduction of the internal gas bag pressure.
A drawback of this known embodiment is that it does not allow the internal gas bag pressure to be adapted as a function of the situation. The rupture seam will definitely tear exactly when the internal gas bag pressure predetermined by the properties of the rupture seam has been reached.
In contrast, the invention provides a gas bag module that allows a rapid reduction of the internal gas bag pressure as a function of the momentary accident or vehicle (occupant) situation and that is nevertheless distinguished by the fact that it requires little space and is easy to manufacture.


An optical method continuously monitors the dimensions of a body having a parallelogram cross-section and supported on a moving conveyor. A first angular measurement of a first dimension of a first face of the body in a first direction is first performed, the first angular measurement being made with respect to a first reference angle at an apex of a first triangular plane having the first dimension as one side thereof. Substantially simultaneously with the step of determining the first angular measurement, a second angular measurement of a second dimension of a second face of the body in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction is determined, the second face intersecting the first face and the second angular measurement being made with respect to a second reference angle at an apex of a second triangular plane coplanar with the first triangular plane and having a second dimension as one side thereof. The first and second dimensions thus have a common point at a line of intersection of the first and second faces. The position of the common point with respect to one of the first and second directions is then estimated and an iterative process is used to determine the position of the common point. The iterative process is continued until the position of the common point is determined to within a required accuracy in both of the first and second directions.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is concerned with techniques for measuring dimensions and possibly velocity of moving objects, particularly parallelepiped objects passing on a conveyor of a production line.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally speaking, industry is tending more and more towards automating the manufacture of mass-produced articles. This automation, which makes it possible to achieve highly sustained rates of output, requires the provision of an increasingly accurate monitoring means, particularly for monitoring dimensions of articles during the course of production in order both to decide whether they are to be accepted or rejected and in order to keep an eye on progress on the line.
This monitoring requirement is encountered in the case of the manufacture of insulating panels obtained from mineral wool. After production of the material of which the final panel is constituted, the material passes in the form of a continuous layer on a conveyor while undergoing various processes which include a number of cuts, both longitudinal and transverse, in relation to its axis of travel, so that the end product is panels of usually parallelepiped form, prepared to the desired dimensions. Generally, the order of magnitude of the dimensions is between 1 and 4 meters for the finished length, between 1 and 40 cm for the finished thickness, after compression, and between 0.3 and 2.5 meters for the finished width.
Hitherto, in this field, dimensional measurements were carried out manually and intermittently at the end of the line.
It would be useful to be able to monitor the dimensions and even the velocity at one or a plurality of stages in the cutting program. First of all, this would guarantee that the end products are constant in quality by detecting those which depart from the standards, and by preserving the production "history" of each of the products for a posteriori inspection. In addition, this would make it possible, on a basis of this data, to envisage regulating production such as for example controlling a cutting operation.
Therefore, it is necessary to have continuous measurements without contact in order not to disturb the geometry of the object being measured, and to know the results in real time so that they can be stored and processed.
A visual monitoring device widely used hitherto is the linear camera, referred to as the CCD camera (Charge Coupled Device) comprising a lens and a sensor provided with a bar of juxtaposed photosensitive elements, i.e., pixels. Each pixel receives a quantity of luminous energy and converts it to an electrical charge directly proportional to the intensity of the light received and the exposure time. The desired measurement is obtained in analog form at a given image frequency as a function of the number of pixels "exposed" and the distance separating the camera from the object, which can be digitized for data processing.
As it happens, the aforementioned insulating panels, before or after any one of the cutting operations, follow a path on the conveyor which is normally constituted by at least one rectilinear segment, and which is confined by the conveyor itself. But these panels do not have any predetermined position which is absolutely fixed in relation to the conveyor insofar as they may be variably centered thereon and may be of different sizes. Therefore, these panels do not a fortiori have any predetermined position in relation to any fixed detection device installed in the proximity of the conveyor. Therefore, a conventional CCD camera cannot be used because in order to evaluate the dimensions of an object the position of the camera relative to the object must be exactly known.

Method of measuring the dimensions of moving objects


In one embodiment, an image display apparatus includes: a projecting portion which projects in a second direction orthogonal to a first direction a first beam having a disparity image component which forms an image having a disparity in the first direction; a first deflecting portion which deflects the first beam in the second direction in a first plane having an axis in the first direction and an axis in the second direction, and obtains a second beam; and a second deflecting portion which further deflects in the first plane the second beam in a same direction as the second direction in which the first deflecting portion deflects the first beam, obtains a third beam and projects the third beam.

Although a technique of generating an image of multiple disparities (for example, a stereoscopic image) using lenticular lenses is widely known, it is difficult to expand a viewing zone angle which indicates a range in which an image can be normally observed. When a viewing zone angle is expanded by increasing refraction angles of beams which form an image using lenticular lenses, the aberration increases and the beams produce crosstalk between disparities. For this reason, the beams are deflected in unintended directions.


An automated name searching system incorporates an automatic name classifier and a multi-path architecture in which different algorithms are applied based on cultural identity of the query name. The name classifier operates with a preemptive list, analysis of morphological elements, length, and linguistic rules. A name regularizer produces a character based computational representation of the name. A pronunciation equivalent representation such as an IPA language representation, and language specific rules to generate name searching keys, are used in a first pass to eliminate database entries which are obviously not matches for the query name. The methods can also be implemented as a callable set of library routines including an intelligent preprocessor and a name evaluator that produces a score comparing a query name and database name, based on a variety of user-adjustable parameters. The user-controlled parameters permit tuning of the search methodologies for specific custom applications.

Information about individuals is often stored in a computer. Access to that information is most readily gained by using the name of the individual involved. The nature of names, however, their behavior and permutations, pose significant challenges to information retrieval. Names vary during one's life (e.g., through marriage or professional preparation); they take on different forms, depending on the formality of the situation (WILLIAM CARVER/BILLY CARVER); they may be spelled differently if recorded by someone other than the individual (PRICE PRIES). To amplify the difficulties even more, naming conventions vary across cultures. It may not be appropriate to assume that the typical American name structure of single given name (first name), single middle name or initial followed by a surname (last name) applies in a database that contains names from all over the world, a situation that is usual in today's world of global technology and communication. Names from other cultures may have compound surnames or may be composed of only one name. Names written in writing systems other than Roman may be transcribed in a variety ways into the Roman alphabet because there is no single way to represent sounds that occur in another language but do not occur in English, causing significant differences in the spelling (KIM/GHIM).
Adequate information retrieval that is based on the name must anticipate the range and kinds of variation that can occur in names, both generally and in specific cultures. Other name search or information retrieval systems are generally unable to recognize or address the full range of variation in names. Some systems assume that names are static and search only for an exact match on the name. These systems cannot accommodate even the slightest spelling variations, initials or abbreviations (JOS. Z. BROWN/JOSEPH ZACHARY BROWNE). Other systems may use techniques or keys (such as Soundex or Soundex-like keys) that permit some minor spelling differences between names (DORSHER/DOERSHER) but these techniques generally fail to cope with significant variation (DOERSHER/DOESHER) or problems posed by names from non-Anglo cultures (ABDEL RAHMAN/ABDURRAMAN). If cultural differences are recognized, it is typically through use of equivalency lists or tables. Some of the more common variants can be accommodated in this way, but retrieval is then limited to those items on the list and cannot accommodate new representations or random variation or keying errors (GOMEZ/BOMEZ).
For a system to reach a level of adequacy for automatic name searching, it must therefore address a diverse set of issues related to name variation. Although spelling variations can often be addressed through character-matching techniques (e.g., SMITH/SMYTH), false-positive matches can result from traditional string or character comparisons when common morphological endings, such as OVICH, occur at the end of otherwise dissimilar names (e.g., ZELENOVICH/JOVANOVICH). Transcription from foreign writing systems to the Roman writing system poses additional spelling concerns. Different character sets, dialectal variations and sounds that are not represented in Roman alphabetic form at all contribute to the possibility of multiple, and often inconsistent, representations of the same name. A single Chinese character (ideogram) can be transcribed to produce numerous roman forms that have little or no resemblance to one another due to dialectal variations. For example, the character CHANG, JANG and ZHANG are different roman representations of the exact same Chinese name, as are the names WU, MHO and ENG. Similarly, a single Arabic name can result in transcriptions as diverse as KHADHAFI, CODOFFI, QATHAFI.
Character-based systems may also be confronted with significant retrieval problems caused by names with the same pronunciation but with divergent spellings. WOOSTER, WORCHESTER, and WUSTER may all share at least one identical pronunciation and yet show very different spellings. When name data are shared orally, the speaker's pronunciation, the listener's hearing (or mishearing) of the name and the speaker's expectations about the spelling of the name will impact the final written representation of a name. For example, a telephone reservationist may record a caller's name with a variety of phonetically correct spellings, which may not correspond (and may therefore not be matched to) an existing database record for that caller.
Another common cause of name variation, which creates retrieval difficulty for name search systems, is the inclusion or exclusion of name data. Depending on the data source, names may be formal such as THOMAS EDWARD WINTHROP III, or informal such as TOM WINTHROP. An ideal name search system would be capable of correlating these two names, even though only a portion of the full name is available. To predict the relationship among variant formats of names, the system must also be able to recognize what rules govern which elements can be deleted or included or changed in different cultures. MARIA DEL CARMEN BUSTOS SAENZ will become MARIA DEL CARMEN BUSTOS DE LOPEZ, if she marries JUAN ANTONIO LOPEZ GARCIA. Predicting the relationship between these names is fundamental to retrieval success.
In many name search applications, it is important to identify variant forms of a name that are considered legitimate and to link and preserve the variations; in others, it may be appropriate to establish one form of a name and to treat all other forms as errors. Even if the data base is cleaned by linking variant forms and eliminating identifiable errors, users may search for names under yet more variations.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,040,218 to Vitale et al. discloses a voice synthesis system which attempts to identify the origin of a name to enhance pronunciation. The system first searches a dictionary for a name, and if the name is not found, uses grapheme and n-gram analysis to identify the name's likely origin. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,062,143 to Schmitt shows a system that identifies name origin using n-gram analysis.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,724,481 to Garberg et al. shows a method of matching proper names in a database using a phonemic representation.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,314 to McKenna shows an international database processing system. However, this system uses Soundex algorithms to process Unicode input for all cases, rather than providing a name searching system with culture-specific algorithms.
Design Pat. D359,480 shows an IPA-based computer keyboard, but does not disclose any use of IPA for identifying data records.
The article "Identifying Source Languages: the Case of Proper Names" by Valencia and Yvon (1997) discloses statistical models for name searching based on n-gram comparisons. The article also discloses determination of the source language and the use of different statistical models for comparisons, based on the source language.
John Hermansen, a named inventor, authored a doctoral dissertation, "Automatic Name Searching in Large Data Bases of International Names" (1985) which explores the concept of cultural differences in names. The document suggests searching using different culturally specific algorithms, but discloses only a simple n-gram based algorithm.
The assignee has developed a software program known as PC-NAS. An early version of this program was incorporated into a government computer system more than one year before the priority date of this application. This early version performed name searching using a combination of n-gram distribution and positional properties, and included a limited name regularization algorithm as part of an Arabic processing algorithm. Its architecture included sets of algorithms applicable to different cultures, but no automatic classification of the cultural origin of a name.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,485,373 to Davis et al. discloses a text searching system which relies on a Unicode representation (not a phonetic alphabet). The Davis system may vary algorithms based on the language being searched, but has no name classifier. This system is not designed to search for proper names; comparisons are performed based on a Unicode representation, which is not a phonetic alphabet.
Other patents relating generally to computerized language analysis and processing include: U.S. Pat. No. 5,323,316 to Kadashevich et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,337,232 to Sakai et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,369,726 to Kroeker et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,369,727 to Nomura et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,371,676 to Heemels et al.; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,375,176 and 5,425,110 to Spitz; U.S. Pat. No. 5,377,280 to Nakayama; U.S. Pat. No. 5,432,948 to Davis et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,434,777 to Luciw; U.S. Pat. No. 5,440,663 to Moese et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,457,770 to Miyazawa; U.S. Pat. No. 5,490,061 to Tolin et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,515,475 to Gupta et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,526,463 to Gillick et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,548,507 to Martino et al.
None of these earlier systems provide a satisfactory system and method for multicultural name searching. Thus, the inventors believe there is a need for an improved system and method for searching name-based records and for determining the degree of similarity between two name representations.

System for adaptive multi-cultural searching and matching of personal names

International Business Machines Corporation


A food slicer comprises a fan-cooled electrically powered motor driving a slicer blade. The motor is mounted within an enclosure which comprises at least one air intake port and at least one exhaust port on opposite sides of one nominally air-tight first partitioning wall within the enclosure to confine the flow of cooling air from the air intake port through the enclosure, then into intimate contact with the electrical windings and components within the frame of the motor. The motor frame is sealed into a closely conforming contacting aperture in the first partitioning wall. The fan is mounted immediately adjacent to a non-contacting aperture in a second partitioning wall within the enclosure juxtaposed the exhaust port.

The quantity of food that an electric food slicer can process in a given period of time is limited by the inherent power of its motor and the cooling system for that motor. Conventionally, electric motors in food slicers are cooled by air circulated around the exterior of the motor frame of a fan mounted on the motor shaft. The conventional means of circulating air over the motor frame within the limited enclosure around the motor and its drive train is to mount the motor vertically with air circulated upwardly by the fan. The air heated by the motor is largely recirculated within the enclosure by the fan and partially by convective forces. Only a small portion of the circulated heated air is exhausted out a vent near the top of the slicer.
The ability of low cost electric food slicers to cut foods for an extended time has for these reasons been universally limited by overheating of the electric windings in the motor. The problem is so severe that many manufacturers commonly rate their slicers according to the allowable "continuous operating time", or they provide power switches with only a "momentary ON" position, thus prohibiting continuous operation.


Provided is a vehicular pedal device, wherein a master cylinder, which is connected to a clutch pedal via a piston, and which generates hydraulic pressure via a movement of the clutch pedal, is positioned further toward a passenger compartment side of a dash panel which separates a drive source mounting chamber from the passenger compartment, said vehicular pedal device comprising a pedal support bracket which supports the clutch pedal upon the dash panel. The pedal support bracket configures a cylinder part which houses operating oil of the master cylinder.

As a clutch pedal device having a master cylinder, for a clutch pedal, disposed on the vehicle compartment side, there is proposed a pedal device in which a master cylinder is disposed such as to be located between a pair of side plates as a pedal bracket (for example, see Patent Literature 1).


System and methods for waterproofing a below-grade wall of a structure. The system comprises a waterproof membrane mounted directly or indirectly to an excavation wall within which the wall of the structure is to be constructed. A plurality of elongate waterstops are affixed to the waterproof membrane and arranged to form a plurality of compartments. A plurality of distribution tubes having apertures are affixed to the waterproof membrane to allow an injectable sealing grout to be injected through the distribution tubes and out of the apertures into a corresponding compartment. A plurality of supply tubes are installed in fluid communication with the plurality of distribution tubes with each of the supply tubes extending to a location on the interior of the wall to be constructed.

The field of the invention generally relates to below-grade waterproofing of building foundations and basements, which are typically installed prior to the construction, pouring or installation of the wall structure being waterproofed.
It is known in structures having below-grade (i.e. sub-grade or underground) structures, such as large buildings with subterranean foundations, basements, mines and tunnels, to provide waterproofing to the underground structure to prevent groundwater from entering the structure. To this end, waterproofing systems have been developed, such as waterproof membranes lining the below-grade walls, and drainage systems to drain water away from the walls. The waterproof membranes may be affixed directly to the structure walls or to the excavation walls, or to other layers of material used in the waterproofing system such as permeable or non-permeable geotextiles, drain boards used to drain the water, and/or other structures.

System and method for waterproofing below-grade wall structures


A method for in-advance obtaining properties of objects of a computerized system, the method comprising receiving a request for properties of a first object, and responsively providing the requested properties along with properties of an at least one another object that are similar to the properties of the first object, wherein the properties of the at least one another object are similar to the properties of the first object by having at least one element of properties that are common therebetween, and wherein the method is carried out by an at least one apparatus component of the computerized system, and an apparatus for performing the same.

The present disclosure generally relates to objects of a computerized system, and more specifically to data of or about the objects.
Storing and maintaining, such as in an index or a database, data of or about objects of a computerized system, such as of or about files, is generally known in the art.


An integrated circuit is provided having a core circuit for performing a plurality of functions, a first pad for receiving an emulator output signal, a pulldown device connected to said first pad, a first logic circuit having an input connected to said first pad and an output signal for enabling emulator signals, a first plurality of second pads for receiving emulator signals, and a first plurality of second logic circuits with each circuit having a first input individually connected to one of said second pads, having a second input connected to said output signal from said first logic circuit, and having an output connected to a portion of said core circuit.

System emulators are commonly used to assist programmers in the development of software for various microprocessor and microcontroller based systems. Microcontrollers typically do not provide the degree of visibility or accessibility to the internal workings of its system that a microprocessor does. For example, a microcontroller may not present the data and addresses found on internal buses to the external pins of the device. However, such signals are important to a person designing software for such a system.
Further, even microprocessors may have some signals that are important to the software designer that are not provided to external pins. A good system emulator needs to provide the necessary signals to the designer. Typically, this is accomplished by using the actual microcontroller or microprocessor with additional on-chip circuitry or logic for performing the necessary emulation functions.
This on-chip emulation circuitry or logic assists with the integration of the circuitry on a chip into new systems by providing special emulation features that give powerful capabilities to the system designer for debugging application programs. However, these features are used only in a special test environment by the system designer. End users of the system do not normally require these features. Because of the cost penalties associated with the extra silicon area required to implement this emulation logic, any such emulation logic is normally not included in production chips.
Typically, emulation circuitry or logic works together with the production chip's control and/or signal logic or circuitry to produce the special debug features. The physical implementation of the emulation logic must be such that it can be removed without having a major impact on the mask geometries of the production chip logic; that is, physically removing the emulation logic must be accomplished in a manner that minimizes any redesign of the basic functional logic or circuitry. Typically the emulation logic is placed or contained in a self-contained module on a chip and wired to the rest of the chip. However, this still requires modification to the production chip logic wherever there are inputs from the emulation logic.
Since emulation signals don't exist when the emulation logic or circuitry is not present and/or connected, these signals must be tied off, or eliminated with new circuitry modifications in most design environments. However, when the production core is "touched" in any way, time consuming verification procedures must be implemented to re-verify the "modified" design.
Thus, there are still unmet needs for circuitry capable of automatically detecting the presence or absence of emulator circuitry and responding appropriately without modifying the design of a production core.

Method for configuring an integrated circuit for emulation with optional on-chip emulation circuitry


The present invention provides a protonically conductive membrane for use in a direct methanol fuel cell wherein a portion of said protonically conductive membrane conducts protons from the anode face of the membrane to the cathode face of the protonically conductive membrane, and a portion of which evolves gas from the anode side of the membrane to the cathode side of the protonically conductive membrane where it is vented to the environment. The present invention also includes a membrane electrode assembly, fuel cell and fuel cell system which are comprised of the protonically conductive membrane and which evolve gas from the anode side of the protonically conductive membrane to the cathode side of the protonically conductive membrane, where it is vented to the ambient environment.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention provides a direct feed fuel cell for producing electrical energy by electrochemical oxidation/reduction of an organic fuel, and in particular to a direct feed methanol fuel cell with integrated gas separation.
2. The Prior Art
Fuel cell technologies are well known in the art and present opportunities for the commercial development of long-lasting power sources for portable power and electronics applications. With the trend toward greater portability of a wide array of consumer electronics, fuel cell technologies offer promising alternative power sources to meet the increased demand for portable power. Fuel cells can potentially replace or favorably compete with the various types of high density batteries presently used in consumer electronics, such as nickel metal-hydride and lithium ion battery systems, as well as relatively inexpensive alkaline batteries. These types of batteries are less than satisfactory power sources for such consumer electronics as laptop computers and cellular phones either due to their low power density, short cycle life, rechargability or cost. In addition, all these types of batteries present environmental safety concerns and costs for proper disposal.
Fuel cell systems are electricity-generating devices that convert energy produced from a simple electrochemical reaction involving a fuel reactant (methanol or hydrogen) and an oxidizing agent (air or oxygen) into useable electrical energy. "Direct" type of fuel cells, wherein the fuel reactant is directly fed into the fuel cell without prior modification or oxidation, are constructed of an anode electrode, a cathode electrode, and an electrolyte, such as an ion conducting membrane, that separates the electrodes. Fuel reactant is introduced into the fuel cell anode and a catalytic layer intimately in contact with the proton conducting membrane. The catalytic layer acts as an anode electrocatalyst that splits the fuel reactant into protons and electrons as a result of oxidation, releasing hydrogen ions from the reactant molecule. Protons generated at the anode selectively pass through the ion conducting membrane to the fuel cell cathode. A second catalytic layer intimately in contact with the ion conducting membrane acts as a cathode electrocatalyst that reduces hydrogen ions with oxygen molecules provided by circulating air or oxygen to form water. Electrons generated by anodic oxidation of fuel reactant molecules cannot pass through the ion conducting membrane and must flow around the membrane toward the cathode electrode. The flow of electrons is collected by current collection plates on outer sides of the fuel cell and directed into an electrical circuit thereby creating electricity.
Thus, the flow of protons (hydrogen ions) through the ion conducting membrane and the movement of electrons toward the cathode, generate electrical energy in the fuel cell. As long as constant supplies of fuel reactant and an oxidizing agent are maintained, the fuel cell can generate electrical energy continuously and maintain a specific power output. In addition, the fuel cell runs cleanly producing water and carbon dioxide as by-products of the oxidation/reduction of the fuel reactant. Hence, fuel cells can potentially run laptop computers and cellular phones for several days rather than several hours, while reducing or eliminating the hazards and disposal costs associated with high density and alkaline batteries. The challenge is to develop fuel cell technology and to engineer direct fuel cells to meet the form and operation requirements of small-scale or "micro" fuel cells for consumer electronics applications.
Direct fuel cells that demonstrate performance and reliability as potential power systems for portable electronics applications include direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) systems that employ methanol as the fuel reactant and incorporate an ion conducting membrane electrolyte. Membrane electrolytes are non-liquid, non-corrosive electrolytes capability of operating at low temperatures, which makes such electrolytes commercially attractive for stationary and portable electronics applications. In addition, membrane electrolytes possess excellent electrochemical and mechanical stability, as well as high ionic conductivity that allow them to function as both an electrolyte and a separator.
Prior art direct methanol fuel cells, such as the fuel systems disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,992,008, 5,945,231, 5,773,162, 5,599,638, 5,573,866 and 4,420,544, typically employ proton conducting, cation-exchange polymer membranes constructed of a perfluorocarbon sulfonic acid (PFSA) ionomer, such as NAFION® commercially available from E.I. duPont de Nemours and Co. Commercially available NAFION® membranes that act as membrane electrolytes for DMFC systems generally have a thickness of 25 to 175 μm. Composite membranes are also commercially available and can act as membrane electrolytes. Composite membranes are significantly thinner than homogeneous ionomeric membranes and generally have a thickness of 10 to 25 μm. Such composite membranes include, for instance, a polytetrafluorotheylene (PTFE) micromesh material with PFSA-filled pores available from W.L. Gore, Inc. of Newark, Del.
The membrane electrolytes are typically sandwiched between the anode and the cathode electrodes, which are comprised of catalytic layers in intimate contact with surfaces of the membrane electrolyte. The catalytic layers are electrocatalysts that catalyze the electrochemical oxidation/reduction of the fuel reactant, wherein an anode electrocatalyst disassociates hydrogen protons from the fuel reactant and a cathode electrocatalyst effects reduction of hydrogen ions with oxygen to form water. High surface area particles, such as platinum and ruthenium alloy particles, are commonly used as anode electrocatalysts, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,523,177. Platinum/ruthenium (Pt/Ru) alloy particles are loaded in a predetermined ratio onto a gas diffusion layer in intimate contact with a surface of the membrane electrolyte to form an anode catalyst layer 42 that acts as the site of electrochemical oxidation. A common cathode electrocatalyst is platinum-black (Pt-black) which is similarly loaded onto a gas diffusion layer in intimate contact with an opposing surface of the membrane electrolyte to form anode catalyst layer 42 that acts as the site of electrochemical reduction. The electrochemical processes in a prior art DMFC system using a Pt/Ru anode electrocatalyst and a Pt-black cathode electrocatalyst are:
Anode:CH3OH + H2O = CO2 + 6H+ + 6eCathode:O2 + 4e + 4H+ = 2H2ONet process:CH3OH + 3/2 O2 = CO2 + 2H2O
The electrocatalysts are typically bonded with or mounted to the gas diffusion layer. The gas diffusion layer is typically constructed of uncatalyzed porous carbon paper or carbon cloth that acts as a gas diffuser and separator. The gas diffusion layer of the anode electrode provides an effective water supply for anodic oxidation of methanol. The gas diffusion layer of the cathode electrode provides an effective supply of oxidizing agent, air or oxygen, while removing water or water vapor from the membrane electrolyte formed from electrochemical reduction of hydrogen ions. The by-products of the electrochemical processes are removed from the fuel cell by an anode vent, exhausting carbon dioxide from the anode electrode, and a cathode vent, removing water and exhausting air from the cathode electrode.
Current collector plates on outer sides of the fuel cell complete the fuel cell unit and conduct and collect electrons generated by the electrochemical oxidation of methanol. Current collector plates are typically constructed of carbon composites or metals, such as stainless steel and titanium, and should exhibit high electronic conductivity. Collector plates should also be impermeable to reactants. Current collector plates may be configured as bipolar plates or include flow fields having a range of flow channel geometries that provide effective supplies of reactant fuel and oxidizing agent, as well as effective removal of air, carbon dioxide and water from the respective electrodes.
DMFC systems are often multi-cell "stacks" comprising a number of single fuel cells joined to form a cell stack to obtain sufficient power densities to meet specific electrical power requirements. The feasibility of using DMFC systems as alternative power sources for portable electronics applications will depend upon the reduction in overall system size, while providing the necessary power densities for electrical power requirements. In addition, DMFC systems for consumer electronics applications will require development and design engineering that will enable methanol fuel cells to self-regulate and generate electrical power under benign operating conditions, including ambient air pressure without active humidification or cooling. Such operating conditions will require the reduction or elimination of auxiliary equipment and external moving parts typically associated with present DMFC systems, such as external fins for heat dissipation, fans for cooling and external flow pumps for supplying pressurized gas reactants and water for sufficient membrane humidification. In addition, peripheral mechanisms or systems, such as pumps and reservoirs used to store and supply methanol fuel and gas separators used to remove gases from liquid fuel cell effluents, will need to be reduced or eliminated in DMFC systems for portable power and consumer electronics applications.
At present, prior art DMFC systems typically operate in two basic configurations, a flow-through configuration and a recirculation configuration, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,992,008, 5,945,231, 5,795,496, 5,773,162, 5,599,638, 5,573,866 and 4,420,544. The flow-through configuration directly feeds methanol as a vapor or an aqueous stream of either neat methanol or a solution of methanol and water into the anode electrode of the fuel cell. Anodic oxidation by-products, specifically carbon dioxide, as well as fuel impurities and small amounts of unused methanol are removed from the fuel cell through an anode vent. The flow-through configuration has the disadvantages of wasting unused methanol fuel and rendering the fuel supply susceptible to rapid and/or frequent changes in power demands placed on the fuel cell. In addition, the flow-through configuration presents problems with respect to handling the anode effluent discharged from the fuel cell. Peripheral mechanisms or systems are required with the flow-through configuration of DMFC systems to remove and dispose of the anode effluent discharged from the fuel cell. Such mechanism or systems would render flow-through DMFC systems impractical for use in portable electronics applications.
The recirculation configuration of DMFC systems, however, has the advantages of recirculating the anode effluent back into the anode electrode, which conserves unused methanol fuel and contains the anode effluent generated by the electrochemical oxidation/reduction processes at the cost of the power required to circulate the fuel mixture. Referring to FIG. 1, a prior art DMFC system that operates in a recirculation configuration generally includes an external fuel source 2 and a delivery mechanism 3 to supply the anode electrode 5 of the fuel cell 4 with methanol, typically as a methanol and water solution, and an external air source to supply the cathode electrode 6 with air, as an oxidizing agent. The anode effluent contains by-products of the anodic oxidation of methanol, including carbon dioxide and unreacted methanol, while the cathode effluent contains by-products of the cathodic reduction of hydrogen ions and oxygen, including water vapor and air. Gas separators 7, 8 incorporated in effluent return lines are used to remove gases from effluent fluids. The gas separator 7 incorporated in an anode effluent return line effectively separates carbon dioxide from the unused methanol solution and exhausts carbon dioxide from the DMFC system. Similarly, the gas separator 8 incorporated in the cathode effluent return line separates air from water vapor and exhausts carbon dioxide from the DMFC system, allowing water to be returned to the fuel delivery mechanism 3.
Prior art DMFC systems with recirculation configurations overcome the problems of handling anode effluent, conserving unused methanol fuel and rendering the fuel supply impervious to rapid changes in power demands of the fuel cell. Such features are highly advantageous for use of DMFC systems in portable power supplies and portable consumer electronics. However, recirculation configurations of prior art DMFC systems must incorporate auxiliary or external peripheral equipment in the recirculation loops, specifically gas separators, that render recirculating DMFC systems less feasible for portable power and electronics applications.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a recirculating direct feed methanol fuel cell system, wherein external gas separators are eliminated from the recirculation loops and by-product gases are removed from liquid streams within the fuel cell system.

Fuel cell membrane and fuel cell system with integrated gas separation


A material for blocking crosstalk, an optical assembly, and a method for preparing the material are provided. The optical assembly includes an optical receive assembly, where a periphery of the optical receive assembly includes a transparent region and a non-transparent region; the transparent region is made of the material, where a first layer of film is located on a side opposite to an optical receiving direction, and a second layer of film is located on a side opposite to the optical receive assembly; and the non-transparent region is of an electrical-signal shielding structure.

In a passive optical network (Passive Optical Network, PON for short), a bidirectional optical sub-assembly (Bi-direction Optic Sub-Assembly, BOSA for short) is a common optical assembly. Referring to FIG. 1, FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a conventional transistor outline (Transistor Outline, TO for short) BOSA. The BOSA mainly includes an optical transmitter component (Transmitter, Tx for short), an optical receiver component (Receiver, Rx for short), a BOSA box (BOX for short) for fastening the Tx and the Tx, a wavelength division multiplexing filter (Wavelength Division Multiplexer, WDM for short), a spherical lens, and the like. The Tx and the Rx each have a cover for protecting an internal component, and a light through-hole is provided on each cover, for optical path transmission. Receiving and transmitting optical paths are converged together by using the WDM, and are coupled into the BOX through the spherical lens.
A single-TO bidirectional optical sub-assembly (Single-TO BOSA) is a technical solution that features lower costs compared to a conventional double-TO BOSA. The single-TO BOSA is different from the double-TO BOSA mainly in that all internal parts of a Tx and an Rx are integrated on a base and share a cover, a WDM filter is also disposed inside the cover, and a spherical lens is disposed inside the cover or on the cover. For the single-TO bidirectional optical sub-assembly, because the internal parts of both the Tx and the Rx are located in one cover, a laser diode (Laser Diode, LD for short) and a modulation circuit inside the Tx causes problems such as optical crosstalk and electrical crosstalk to a photonic diode (Photonic Diode, PD for short) inside the Rx.
To address this problem, currently, a solution is already provided by using a single-TO bidirectional optical sub-assembly. In terms of electrical crosstalk resistance, a metal completely-enclosed structure is used to enclose the PD outside, to resist electromagnetic crosstalk, and only a light through-hole is provided to receive inlet light. In addition, gold wires of the LD and the PD are laid out in reverse directions, to avoid electrical signal interference. In terms of optical crosstalk resistance, the metal completely-enclosed structure can keep out most scattering light of the LD. As for a small amount of scattering light transmitted through the light through-hole, a skewed slot is excavated on the base, and the PD is designed to be disposed on the skewed slot. An inclined surface of the skewed slot is in a direction reverse to a transmission direction of the LD, so that an angle exists between a light sensitive surface of the PD and scattering light of the LD, thereby reducing optical crosstalk.
However, in the foregoing technology, a light through-hole is provided on the metal completely-enclosed structure; therefore, electrical crosstalk still exists, resulting in deteriorated receiving sensitivity. In addition, in the PD with a reverse skewed slot, although scattering light crosstalk from the LD is reduced, an effective light sensitive surface for receiving light is also reduced, resulting in reduced receive power.

Material for blocking crosstalk, optical assembly, and method for preparing material