A modular filtered electrical connector more particularly intended for the protection of electronic equipment against excess voltage, including a metal housing 1 with at least one cavity 3 destined to receive an insert 12 consisting of an insulating body equipped with contacts and filtration elements, including a peripheral frame 15 of dimensions larger than the internal peripheral dimensions of cavity 3 and provided with fixing holes 16 and a clamping device 17.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a modular filtered electrical connector, more particularly intended for the protection of electronic equipment against excess voltages generated by electromagnetic interference or electrostatic discharges.
2. Brief Description of Related Developments
Protection against these phenomena has formed the subject of numerous studies about the use of filters integrated into the connectors, which are employed both in industrial sites and in instruments carried on board aircraft or of space vehicles.
All solutions studied have nevertheless in common the observance of international standards on the level of complementing a male or female connector, belonging to the same series, a function called the ability to intermarry and that of being able to be interchanged with standard connectors belonging to the same series.
In order to satisfy these two criteria, it has been proposed to use an adapter to convert existing items of equipment, without modifying them.
It is in this way that U.S. Pat. No. 3,961,294 describes the adaptation of a conventional connector by means of a ferrule connected to the back portion of the connector. This electrically conducting ferrule comprises a dividing plate linked to the internal wall of the ferrule and is provided with holes which receive contacts fitted or otherwise with filtration elements. The filtration element housings are soldered to the dividing plate. The ferrule comprises a shoulder, which rests on the flange of the housing, a flange to which it is soldered, thus providing electrical continuity for receiving the ground of the filtration elements. It is evident that such an arrangement necessitates a large amount of space inside the cabinet or the rack, where the connector housing is fixed and makes impossible any replacement of such an adapter as the result of the soldered link.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,729,743 describes a filtered connector, which satisfies the criteria of the ability to be interchanged, whilst providing the functions of filtration and suppression of transients. The components are grouped in a single insert introduced into the central cavity of the connector housing and a ground contact is connected to the housing by soldering or using a conducting epoxy resin. The insert is finally held in place with an insulating potting between sealing discs.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,236,376 describes an insert, which provides electronic protection to a connector against transients. The insert consists of an assembly of printed circuits carrying the filtration elements and the contacts. The insert is connected to the connector housing, in order to provide electrical continuity between these elements and is held in place, according to one embodiment, by insulators placed in front and behind the insert.
These solutions are not however satisfactory, because they do not make possible either the disassembly or the replacement of the inserts and they moreover tolerate only with great difficulty constraints necessitated by the observance of maximum dimensions imposed by users.
The use of rectangular or circular inserts, which after being inserted into the cavities of a housing or a receptacle connector, are fixed into the cavities by a flange held in place by screws working in conjunction with threaded holes made in the back face of the bottom of the housing or the receptacle connector, is moreover known in the prior art.
Lastly, the current technology of filtered connectors proposes elements fixed in the housing, which compels the user of cabinets or racks to modify his equipment extensively, when he wishes either to improve by increasing the number of functions, or to carry out a retrofit ting of the said equipment, or simply when a maintenance operation necessitates the replacement of a part of the connector.
There is therefore a need to provide housings or standard receptacle connectors thanks to which a user can at the design stage choose a connector, which will make possible the modularity or filtration inserts, which can be replaced or installed during the life of operation of equipment incorporating such a connector.

Modular filtered electrical connector having removable insert


This invention is a lift kit for conventional trailers which include a foldable tailgate or trailer ramps mounted for pivotal movement about a gate or ramp axis from a transport position wherein the gate or ramps are elevated for transport to an unload position wherein the gate is lowered to permit removal of objects carried on the trailer, which incorporates a heavy duty helical elongated spring having a plurality of coils with one end fixedly mounted at the trailer end, and at the other end of the spring an adjustment which resists the force of gravity as the gate or ramps move from its upper travel position to its lower unload position which is fixedly mounted to the trailer gate or trailer ramp.

This invention is a trailer-gate and trailer-ramp lift kit relates to spring assist apparatus for assisting manual repositioning of trailer gates or trailer ramps which consists of 3 eyelets with shanks, 2 used for spring support anchors, 1 used for an adjustment for spring tension, a helical elongated coil spring and a flexible cable.
These gates and ramps are used on conventional, commercial, parks and recreational trailers used by cities, counties and states for use in hauling landscape equipment such as walk-behind mowers, aerators, riding lawn mowers, pipe pulling equipment for underground sprinkler systems, sidewalk-wheeled sweepers and the like. In construction such as backhoes, bob-cats, crawling well-drilling equipment and the like. These trailer gates or trailer ramps in order to support these loads are usually constructed of steel and have considerable weight are generally relatively long to permit a relatively shallow incline. They are usually pivoted adjacent the bottom edge of the gate or ramp and the entire weight of the gate or ramp is supported above the pivotal point.
This helical elongated coil spring tension from the anchored spring support on the trailer to the anchored spring support on the trailer gate or trailer ramp effectively reduces the weight of the trailer gate or trailer ramp, making it easier to let down or lift up thereby reducing risk or injury to the back or arm of the operator, especially operators of walk-behind mowersxe2x80x94as the result of fatigue from cutting and maintaining grass in a regular workday, also from letting down and lifting the trailer gate up a multitude of times in a regular workday.
When the trailer gate or trailer ramp is in vertical position and the safety attachment or latch is released to lower the trailer gate or trailer ramp, the trailer gate or trailer ramp can be eased down without having the full load on the operator because of the tension on the helical elongated coil spring.
The problems attendant trailer ramps are known and various solutions have been proposed U.S. Pat. No. 3,843,565 is directed to a hydraulic system for providing a source of power to raise and lower a trailer ramp. Such a system is usable only if a source of hydraulic fluid under pressure is available from the trailer itself or from a draft vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,065,824 illustrates a coil spring for exerting a force to articulate a lip pivotally attached to a bridge plate upon pivotal movement of the bridge plate.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,657,233 which incorporates bearing to reduce the friction attendant pivotal movement of the ramps. A housing protective of a spring located at the pivoting junction.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,183,031 the provision of a counter-balance formed in a kit of pulleys, coiled spring and cable being mounted directly on the horizontal toprail of the trailer support frame with a counter-balance, with a cable attached to the trailer gate.
Therefore, a primary object of the present invention is the provision of an improved spring assist apparatus for trailer gate or trailer ramp and a method for using the same.
A further object of this present invention is the provision of an apparatus which may be formed as a kit capable of being mounted upon conventional and commercial trailers.
A further object of the present invention is to provide apparatus for relieving the hazards to an operator attendant unloading and loading trailer transported wheeled vehicles.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of an improved apparatus for trailer gates and trailer ramps which may be added to conventional trailers and which provide less hardware, easier maintenance, easier access for malfunctions, broken parts and easier access for replacement for broken parts.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of minimum interference with the load bearing capabilities of the trailer.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a kit for trailer gates and trailer ramps with conventional and commercial trailers more economical to manufacture.
A further object of the present invention is the provision to have more room on the top horizontal top-rail in order to add needed accessories to the trailer with the apparatus to the rear of the trailer anchored thereof.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of an improved kit for trailer gates or trailer ramps which is improved, durable in use and efficient in operation.
A further object of the present invention is this can be fixedly mounted on square tubing trailer frames, angle iron trailer frames, solid steel trailer frames, wood frames with ramps or trailer gates.
A further object of this present invention is the eyelet shanks that are threaded that are attached to the helical coil spring can be fixedly mounted in either direction, horizontally or vertically, for any attachment to any trailer with a trailer gate or ramps.
A further object of the present invention when mounted at the proper height from the trailer bed, it will reduce the gate weight lowering and lifting.
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art as the description thereof proceeds.

Trailer gate-ramp lift spring assist apparatus


A network system for interconnecting an operational technology (OT) network and an information technology (IT) network in a building. The network system includes an OT network, an IT network, and a network tool. The network tool is configured to obtain a current network configuration of a plurality of OT network switches in an OT network. The current network configuration includes at least one of the network addresses of the plurality of OT network switches and a routing table associated with the plurality of OT network switches. The network tool is further configured to update the routing table to route network traffic between the OT network and an IT network. The network tool is further configured to update the network addresses of the plurality of OT network switches to have network addresses within at least one subnet of the IT network.

The present disclosure relates generally to a building automation system (BAS). More particularly, the present disclosure relates to interconnecting operational technology (OT) networks and information technology (IT) networks in a BAS.
A BAS is, in general, a system of devices configured to control, monitor, and manage equipment in or around a building or building area. A BAS can include a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, a security system, a lighting system, a fire alerting system, another system that is capable of managing building functions or devices, or any combination thereof. BAS devices can be installed in any environment (e.g., an indoor area or an outdoor area) and the environment can include any number of buildings, spaces, zones, rooms, or areas. A BAS can include a variety of devices (e.g., HVAC devices, controllers, chillers, fans, sensors, music, lighting, etc.) configured to facilitate monitoring and controlling the building space.
In some existing systems, an OT network is installed before an IT network. For example, an OT network for an HVAC controls system may be installed before the IT network because the IT equipment needs the cooled air and filtrating. Once the IT network is installed, changes to the OT network may be required. Changes to the OT network may take a lot of time and effort. Thus, it would be desirable to automate the process and provide an interface to allow reconfiguration of an existing OT network to connect to an IT network.

Systems and methods for interconnecting OT and IT networks within a building automation system


A Si-doped gallium arsenide single crystal substrate has a carrier concentration of 0.1×1018 to 5.0×1018/cm3. The substrate is made by Vertical Bridgeman (VB) method or Vertical Gradient Freeze (VGF) method, and a minimum value and a maximum value of the carrier concentration in substrate plane are within a dispersion of 10% or less of an average carrier concentration in substrate plane.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a Si-doped gallium arsenide (GaAs) single crystal substrate made by using Vertical Bridgeman (VB) or Vertical Gradient Freeze (VGF), and more particularly to the Si-doped gallium arsenide (GaAs) single crystal substrate that is used as a substrate in fabricating an LED (Light Emitting Diode) or LD (Laser Diode).
2. Description of the Related Art
A compound semiconductor single crystal such as gallium arsenide (GaAs) used as a substrate is conventionally made by various industrial methods such as Horizontal Bridgeman (HB), Liquid Encapsulated Czochralski (LEC), Vertical Bridgeman (VB) and Vertical Gradient Freeze (VGF). For example, Japanese patent application laid-open No. 5-70276 discloses an apparatus for making a group III–V or II–VI compound semiconductor single crystal by using the methods.
Among the above methods, VB and VGF are promising methods for making a good crystal with a lower dislocation density at a lower cost than the other methods. The method of making GaAs single crystal by VB or VGF is conducted such that a seed crystal is disposed at the bottom of a crucible and a solid raw material is disposed over the seed crystal, then the upper part of the seed crystal is melt while melting all the solid raw material, then the raw-material melt is cooled such that it is gradually solidified from the vicinity of seed crystal to the upper side, thereby growing the single crystal.


A method is provided for applying a thermal process to a lower zone underlying an overlying hydrocarbon zone with thermal energy from the thermal process mobilizing oil in the overlying zone. The lower zone itself could be a hydrocarbon zone undergoing thermal EOR. Further, one can economically apply a thermal EOR process to an oil formation of low mobility and having an underlying zone such as a basal water zone. Introduction gas and steam, the gas having a higher density than the steam, into the underlying zone displaces the basal water and creates an insulating layer of gas between the steam and the basal water maximizing heat transfer upwardly and mobilizing viscous oil greatly reducing the heat loss to the basal water, economically enhancing production from thin oil bearing zones with underlying basal water which are not otherwise economic by other known EOR processes.

It is known to conduct enhanced oil recovery (EOR) of hydrocarbons from subterranean hydrocarbon-bearing formations after primary recovery processes are no longer feasible. Viscous, heavy oil, including bituminous deposits, can be too deep for surface recovery and in-situ methodologies are employed.
Thermal methods include such as in-situ combustion and steam flood, which use various arrangements of stimulation or injection wells and production wells. In some techniques the injection and production wells may serve both duties. Other techniques include cyclic steam stimulation (CSS), in-situ combustion and steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD). SAGD uses closely coupled generally parallel wells, a horizontally-extending steam injection well forming a steam chamber for mobilizing heavy oil for recovery at a substantially parallel and horizontally-extending production well. Thermal in-situ approaches are typically applied for oilsands which are heavy and viscous, having a gravity of 8-10° API and viscosities ranging from 10,000 to 300,000 cp. Non-thermal approaches include Cold Heavy Oil Production with Sand (CHOPS) in which sand is co-produced with the heavy oil, the oil typically having viscosities in the range of 500 to 15000 cp. In Alberta, the Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB) has deemed or classified heavy oils by gravity as an ERCB Crude Oil Density (See directive 17 http://www.ercb.ca/docs/documents/directives/Directive017.pdf, as of October 2009, "crude bitumen wells and heavy oil wells density of 920 kilograms per cubic meter [kg/m3] or greater at 15° C."). This specific gravity of about 0.92 is equivalent to about 22.3 API or heavier, while bitumen having a specific gravity of about 1.0 has an API gravity of about 10.
Where a heavy oil formation overlies a water zone, where the water forms a base of the formation, typically known as a basal water zone, in-situ techniques become more limited, in part due to the huge thermal heat sink of the water zone. One recovery approach which incorporated the water zone in the recovery was implemented by Shell Canada Limited and the Alberta Oilsands Technology and Research Authority (AOSTRA) in the late 1970's and 1980's in the Peace River leases of Alberta Canada. The approach was termed the pressure-cycle steam drive (PCSD). The PCSD utilized steam injection to heat the basal water zone underlying the oilsand. Once communication was established between wells, continuous steam injection was begun, with the injection and production rates controlled to alternately pressure up and blow down the reservoir (see Alberta Oil Sands Technology and Research Authority, AOSTRA Technical Handbook on Oil Sands, Bitumens and Heavy Oils. Edmonton, 1989). Shell Canada Limited set forth a historical review of resource recovery alternatives in their 2009 application to the Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB) of Alberta, CANADA, Carmon Creek Project. Reviewing their own PCSD concept, Shell stated: "steam is injected into the bottom water zone (the lowest 4 m to 6 m of the 25 m-thick reservoir) at high injection rates and pressures. Production rates at producers would vary between periods of low and high rates. This caused cycles of high reservoir pressure during low production rates and low reservoir pressure during high production rates. Expectations were that steam would be forced into the upper parts of the reservoir, and bitumen would be produced by gravity drainage. These expectations were not met during the large-scale development stage, and recovery was found to be uneconomic."
Applicant understands that CSS techniques were subsequently employed to continue exploitation of this resource. CSS in this circumstance is still associated with difficulties. Typically, an upper injection well, for injecting steam and forming a steam chamber for mobilizing oil, and a lower producer well would have been provided for collecting heated, mobilized oil. The producer well is located about 5 m above the base of the oilsand formation and the injector well another about 5 m above the producer well. The location of the producer well, being about 5 m above the base, is known to be an arrangement to avoid or delay breakthrough from a thief zone or basal water zone. This also results in lost potential to exploit this lower 5 m of what might only be a 15 to 25 m thick zone. This and other thin payzones are still greatly underexploited.
Applicant believes the expense of surface steam production, only to be lost to the large heat sink of the water zone, contributed to the discontinuance of this methodology.
Another well known issue with underlying water zones is the tendency for water coning. The water, being more mobile, preferentially migrates to the production well to the exclusion of the oil resource.
Further, in thermal EOR, heat transfer to overburden has conventionally been an unfortunate energy loss.
Applicant believes that in-situ processes to date have not successfully accommodated due to energy losses and compromised as a result of underlying water. Further, some formations have had stimulation limited to cold production, such as heavy oil in unconsolidated sand, which can be situated in payzones too narrow for SAGD.
Improved techniques are required which recover more of the resource and with favourable economics.

Thermal mobilization of heavy hydrocarbon deposits


A variety of methods and devices for controlling the operation of the intake and exhaust valves in an internal combustion engine during skip fire operation are described. In various embodiments, an exhaust valve monitor or other suitable mechanism is used to detect exhaust valve actuation faults. When an exhaust valve actuation fault is detected for a particular cylinder, the corresponding intake valve is deactivated (or not activated) in circumstances when it would otherwise be activated in order to prevent the intake valve from opening into a cylinder that contains high pressure combustion gases. The described approach is particularly beneficial when skip fire operation is combined with cylinder deactivation so that air is not pumped through the cylinders during the skipped working cycles.

Fuel efficiency of internal combustion engines can be substantially improved by varying the displacement of the engine. This allows for the full torque to be available when required, yet can significantly reduce pumping losses and improve thermal efficiency by using a smaller displacement when full torque is not required. The most common method today of implementing a variable displacement engine is to deactivate a group of cylinders substantially simultaneously. In this approach the intake and exhaust valves associated with the deactivated cylinders are kept closed and no fuel is injected when it is desired to skip a combustion event. For example, an 8 cylinder variable displacement engine may deactivate half of the cylinders (i.e. 4 cylinders) so that it is operating using only the remaining 4 cylinders. Commercially available variable displacement engines available today typically support only two or at most three displacements.
Another engine control approach that varies the effective displacement of an engine is referred to as "skip fire" engine control. In general, skip fire engine control contemplates selectively skipping the firing of certain cylinders during selected firing opportunities. Thus, a particular cylinder may be fired during one engine cycle and then may be skipped during the next engine cycle and then selectively skipped or fired during the next. In this manner, even finer control of the effective engine displacement is possible. For example, firing every third cylinder in a 4 cylinder engine would provide an effective displacement of ⅓rd of the full engine displacement, which is a fractional displacement that is not obtainable by simply deactivating a set of cylinders. U.S. Pat. No. 8,131,445 (which was filed by the assignee of the present application and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes) teaches a variety of skip fire engine control implementations.

System and method for safe valve activation in a dynamic skip firing engine


The invention features a fiber optic coupler package including a rigid substrate and at least two side-by-side optical fibers joined in a coupler region. The substrate has a coefficient of thermal expansion substantially matched to that of the fibers. Each fiber extends axially to opposite sides of the coupler region to a primary and secondary regions of fixation, at each side of the coupler region. In the primary region of fixation, each fiber is separately bonded in close proximity to a rigid mounting surface of the substrate using a small amount of adhesive contiguously disposed on opposite sides of the line of tangency formed by the fiber and the mounting surface. The adhesive is distributed to form a pair of substantially identical masses with mirror symmetry relative to a plane defined by the central fiber axis and the line of tangency. In the secondary region of fixation, extended outward from the coupling region beyond the primary regions of fixation, each fiber has a buffer coating and the fiber is bonded through the buffer coating to the substrate. The coupling region may be formed by the biconically tapered laterally fused process or by bonding the fibers together. The fibers of the coupler may be PM fibers, single mode fibers, multimode fibers, or their combination.

Fiber optic couplers created for the purpose of splitting (or coupling) the optical power to more than one optical fiber have been widely used. Depending on a desired operation or the coupling function (i.e., coupling ratio, wavelength band of interest, polarization of the transmitted and coupled mode), wide band couplers, wave length independent couplers, single mode couplers, polarization maintaining (PM) couplers, PM hybrid couplers and other couplers have been used. When incorporated in optical systems, the couplers frequently operate at varying temperatures and stress.
Optical systems such as optical communication systems, optical gyroscopes, interferometric sensors require propagation and coupling of light with predetermined polarization mode. Different PM couplers have been described in the literature. FIGS. 1 and FIG. 1A show a polarization maintaining coupler that is similar to a coupler described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,906,068 and other publications. The coupler is embedded in a channel 16 of a rectangular substrate 8, but a circular substrate can also be used. Fibers 10 are embedded in an adhesive 18 that fills the space defined by channel 16 and a cover 20. In seeking to achieve undisturbed propagation of a polarized mode in PM fibers 10 it has been sought to position the fibers on the channel axis in order to create a relatively uniform cross-section of adhesive 18 in which the coated optical fibers 10 (or fibers with exposed cladding 12) are centrally embedded. Cover 20 located on top of channel 16 protects coupling region 14 and, in the ideal situation, helps to maintain axial symmetry of the forces on the fibers that are completely surrounded by the adhesive.
There are several problems with manufacturing and operation of this type of a coupler due to the external forces acting on the optical fibers and thereby disturbing the maintenance of polarization (i.e., creating "cross-talk" or energy transfer between the fast and slow eigenmodes of the polarization maintaining fibers). It is difficult to place the fibers symmetrically within the channel, so that uncontrollable asymmetries occur. To maintain a zero net external force on the fibers, it would be desirable to match the thermal coefficients of expansion of the fibers and the adhesive. However, this is a very difficult if not impossible to achieve, and thus, due to differences in thermal expansion and contraction, thermal changes produce polarization-disturbing forces on the fibers. Another major problem arises upon curing adhesive 18 that shrinks and, if the adhesive non-uniformly surrounds the fiber cover it exerts non-uniform force on the fiber. It is also believed that this method of fabrication enhances any small imperfection in the fibers created in the manufacturing process; the imperfections enhance the cross-talk. In some couplers, the epoxy region beneath cover 20 extends from the polymer covered (buffered) portion of the fibers to the bare cladding exposed portion of the fibers. This type of bonding further disturbs the polarized mode propagating in the fiber.
Furthermore, when the PM coupler is used in a cold environment the adhesive contracts further applying additional stress on the fiber. The stress causes asymmetrical forces which induce cross-talk between the polarized modes in the fiber.
In general, the couplers described by the prior art exhibit a significantly higher cross-talk than 1%, particularly when the coupler is used at low temperatures.
There is a need to create polarization maintaining couplers that can achieve a cross-talk substantially less than 1% between the desired and undesired polarization mode at low temperatures.
Even in contexts not dependent upon maintenance of polarization, there is also a need to have a bonding process that results in a more dependable and uniform mounting of couplers in protective packages.

Environmentally stable fiber optic polarization maintaining couplers


A modem is equipped with both a conventional telephone line interface for attaching to a wired telephone jack and a special interface for connecting to a cellular telephone. The modem interacts with the cellular telephone in accordance with a special protocol, wherein signals of the protocol are derived directly from the conventional modem signals used to interact with the wired telephone jack. No high voltage signals need pass between the modem and cellular telephone. Substitution of the cellular telephone for the wired telephone jack is transparent to the software used to operate the modem. Aside from a connection cable, no special hardware is required between the cellular telephone and modem.

The invention relates to interfaces between cellular telephones and modems of the kind used in conjunction with personal computers, particularly portable or "laptop" computers.
With the widespread availability of portable personal computers, low-cost modems, and cellular telephones, the infrastructure necessary for convenient mobile data communication would seem to be in place. The primary obstacle is the difficulty of integrating these components. Modems of the kind typically used with personal computers are intended to physically and electrically interface with the land-based telephone network, not cellular telephones. Cellular telephones, primarily intended for voice communication, often lack data input and output.
Partial solutions for this integration problem exist. One known solution is to eliminate the need to interface with a cellular telephone by providing a wireless modem with an integrated cellular transceiver. This solution is undesirable from a cost standpoint since the hardware necessary for cellular communication is relatively expensive and a user may end up purchasing both a cellular modem and a cellular telephone at great expense and furthermore pay duplicate monthly cellular service fees.
Another known solution is to provide a cellular telephone with a customized data interface intended to interoperate with a special modem installed within the portable computer. One problem with this approach is that the special modem designed for use with the cellular telephone cannot be used over conventional telephone lines, necessitating ownership of at least two modems. Another problem is that special software is required to operate the special cellular-compatible modems. Widely available communication software as well as software intended to run on-line services cannot be used.
Yet another known solution is to provide a hardware interface in a separate physical package which simulates a landline RJ-11 telephone jack to a conventional modem and connects to the data input/output of a cellular telephone. The user, already burdened with carrying a computer and telephone, must then carry this interface also. The interface or the cellular telephone must be able to generate a high-voltage ring signal for input to the modem. Furthermore, modem signals may degrade within this interface, potentially resulting in a loss of data before the cellular network is even reached.
What is needed is simple hardware for integrating cellular telephones and portable personal computers to provide a low-cost and reliable wireless data communication capability. The hardware should support widely-available communications software and should also permit data communication via the conventional telephone network.

Cellular telephone-modem interface for data communication


In a first aspect of the invention, a pneumatic tire is provided, the tire comprising two spaced apart bead portions, a tread portion, a pair of sidewalls extending radially inward from axially outer edges of the tread portion to join the respective bead portions, the axially outer edges of the tread portion defining a tread width, a carcass, an innerliner covering the carcass and defining a tire cavity, and a metal coated foam material attached to the innerliner within the tire cavity.

Tires generate noise when driving. It is known in the art that at least a part of that noise may be dampened by including foam material within the tire cavity so as to dampen tire cavity noise. An example of such a noise dampening material is given in United States Patent Publication No. 20120125507 A1 in which a single layer of rubber foam is applied to the innerliner of a tire. However, relatively thick layers result in internal strains in the foam material due to flexing and bending, thereby resulting in limited durability as fatigue cracks may occur. Another drawback consists in the heat isolating effect of the foam material which may result in heat buildup, in particular in areas radially below the tread or belt. In other examples, such as in United States Patent Publication No. 20110030865 A1, tires are almost completely filled with foam. Filling essentially the whole tire cavity with foam is expensive and may also negatively affect cooling properties as well as driving performance of the tire. An example to avoid heat buildup caused by foam in the tire consists in providing a plurality of circumferentially spaced patches of foam material on the innerliner. However, this has the disadvantage of limiting noise dampening properties due to a reduced amount of foam and is also difficult to apply during manufacturing of the tire. Noise dampening has recently become of even more importance in view of the growing number of electric vehicles which generate very little engine noise and accordingly which do not appreciably mask tire noise. Since tire noise is more noticeable in the operation of electric vehicles, they should optimally be equipped with tires that generate very little noise so that tire noise is not as evident and so that an extremely quiet running vehicle is attained. In the world today, there continues to be a long felt need for tires that generate lower levels of noise during operation and there the demand for advanced noise cancellation technologies for pneumatic tires is higher than ever. However, significant room for improvement in this field of tire technology remains.


A method and apparatus for identifying a condition of assembly. A model for an aircraft is identified. A state from states of assembly for the aircraft is identified. Parts present in the aircraft for the state selected for the aircraft are identified. Sections of the aircraft with the parts present in the aircraft are displayed for the state selected in a graphical user interface on a display device.

1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to manufacturing and, in particular, to manufacturing vehicles. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for assembling vehicles in a manufacturing environment.
2. Background
The assembly of an aircraft is an extremely complex process. Hundreds of thousands of parts may be assembled for an aircraft.
The assembly of an aircraft may involve manufacturing different parts of aircraft in geographically diverse locations. These different parts may then be finally assembled in a single location. For example, different portions of a fuselage of the composite aircraft may be assembled in different locations and flown to a central location where the final assembly line is located. Additionally, other parts such as engines, auxiliary power units, seats, computer systems, line replaceable units, or other components in aircraft may be shipped to this final location for assembly to form the assembled aircraft.
The assembly of the different parts involves assigning tasks to different operators. The assignment of these tasks may take the form of shop order instances. Each shop order instance may include instructions and an identification of parts for a particular assembly in the aircraft.
Shop floor operators may have a need to identify locations of parts on the aircraft in order to follow assembly instructions described in shop order instances. These locations are ones relative to the particular aircraft being assembled. Currently, operators assigned a task to assemble a part for the aircraft may look at paper copies of the parts of aircraft to determine where to perform tasks to install or assemble parts for the aircraft. These paper copies may provide some guidance to an operator, but often times they may be difficult to understand and may not include sufficient information.
In some cases, the operator may view a computer-aided design model of the aircraft using a computer-aided design software system. These types of systems, however, require training and experience to maneuver through the model of the aircraft.
For example, an operator of the computer-aided design software system often uses aircraft coordinates to identify locations in the aircraft. Aircraft coordinates have an origin relative to some location in the aircraft. Further, when traversing through the model, locations are identified using aircraft coordinates. These aircraft coordinates, however, are not helpful to an operator that is assigned a task in a shop order instance. The aircraft coordinates may need to be translated into action locations for the operator. Additionally, the model does not provide the operator an idea of what parts may or may not be already installed in the aircraft for performing a particular task.
As a result, operators may take more time than needed, may need additional training, or both to view locations in the aircraft where tasks in a shop order instance are to be performed. This additional time or training may increase the time or expense needed to assemble an aircraft.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a method and apparatus that takes into account at least some of the issues discussed above, as well as other possible issues.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Condition of assembly visualization system


The invention is predicated in an experimental finding that by setting the temperature in a wafer case, which is made of polypropyrene or like organic resin and in which wafers are stored, to -50.degree. to 15.degree. C., preferably to -50.degree. to 10.degree. C., it is possible to make the increase of organic materials attached during the storage of the wafers substantially to zero. The invention also concerns a method of determining the amount of organic materials attached to wafers, which comprises the steps of allowing a predetermined amount of water drop to be formed on the surface of a wafer, then measuring the angle .alpha. between the wafer and a line drawn from the contact point of 3 phases consisting of the water drop 10, the wafer 1 and gas on the wafer surface to the top of the water drop 10, and thereby obtaining the contact angle .theta. as .theta.=2.alpha., and then determining the amount of organic materials from the contact angle .theta..

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method of storing and/or transporting wafers and a method of determining the amount of organic materials attached to stored wafers, and more particularly, to a method of storing and/or transporting wafers in case when non-patterned wafers are stored in a container made of polypropyrene or like organic resins and a method of determining the amount of organic materials attached to stored wafers.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the prior art, it has been a practice that semiconductor wafers, i.e., mirror finished wafers obtained by slicing wafers from an ingot and then polishing, grinding and cleaning the sliced wafers, are transported to an integrated circuit manufacturer for carrying out predetermined patterning processes such as photo-lithography, etching and heat treatment and thin film formation, etc.
The semiconductor wafer manufacturer thus has to supply non-patterned wafers to the integrated circuit manufacturer. The non-patterned wafers obtained after the mirror finishing or after eptaxial growth, have to be accommodated in a wafer case for storage or transport.
FIG. 4 shows a wafer case 50 to this end, which is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Registration No. 1-129836. As shown, the wafer case 50 comprises a wafer basket 53, which has wafer support grooves 55 for supporting a plurarity of wafers 1 in parallel, a wafer case body 50 for accommodating the wafer basket 53, a wafer case cover top 52 for closing a top opening of the wafer case body 50, and a wafer retainer 54 for retaining the wafers 1 supported in the wafer basket 53.
The wafer case 50 is usually made of polypropyrene, polycarbonate or like organic resins, and it is inevitable that organic materials are dispersed (by volatile emission) from the components of a wafer case. The dispersed organic materials may be attached or adsorbed to the wafers in the wafer case to cause various troubles.
The applicant has earlier proposed, in connection with an SOI structure wafer comprising two mirror finished wafers bonded together via an oxide film formed by thermally oxidizing one of the wafers, a method of storing wafers, in which mirror finished and cleaned wafers are stored in a clean atmosphere free from organic materials until the bonding thereof to prevent the organic materials noted above from being attached or adsorbed to the wafer surfaces and forming numerous non-bonding micro points voids thereon (as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 4-84431).
With a wafer case made of polypropyrene or like organic resins, however, it is impossible to store wafers in a clean atmosphere free from organic materials, and various attempts have been made to solve this problem.

Method of storing and transporting wafers and method of determining the amount of organic materials attached to stored wafers


Detection of an increase in a mismatch of an antenna of a radio frequency (RF) device and/or a change in a capacitance value of the antenna indicates proximity of a body to the antenna. Upon detection of proximity of a body to the antenna, reduction of transmit power of the RF device may be done to meet Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) level regulations.

Wi-Fi is a flexible, short-range data communications technology used to connect devices as diverse as notebooks, tablets, handsets, consumer electronics, smart utility meters and much more. Wi-Fi technology is widely used to provide wireless internet access in public places like airports, hotels and shopping centers, and is also used in the home and office to allow a wide range of devices to access the internet and network with each other without the need for special cables. Wi-Fi devices use low-power radio waves in the 2.4 and 5 GHz range to transmit and receive data over the air. Wherein the greater the Wi-Fi transmit power, the long the range of the Wi-Fi enabled device. However, Wi-Fi devices operate at frequencies that may be potentially harmful to humans when enough radio frequency (RF) power output is produced from the Wi-Fi device. The FCC and other federal governmental agencies around the world require that any wireless device be evaluated to meet RF exposure limits set forth in governmental regulations, e.g., Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) levels.
Therefore a SAR test is necessary in determining maximum allowable RF power output when the Wi-Fi enabled device is in close proximity to a user. The Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) is the unit of measurement for the amount of radio frequency (RF) absorbed by the body when using a wireless device. The SAR value is expressed in terms of watts per kilogram (W/kg) or milliwatts per gram (mW/g). The RF exposure limits used are expressed in the terms of SAR, which is a measure of the electric and magnetic field strengths and power density for transmitters operating at frequencies from 300 kHz to 100 GHz. The most generally accepted method for measuring SAR values is the direct method SAR test. This method utilizes a model called a "SAM phantom" to simulate the human head and a "flat phantom" to simulate the human body. With this method, wireless devices are tested at the highest certified power level in laboratory conditions utilizing a SAR test system with a robot.
There is a potential risk that RF-emissions may cause long term health issues. For this reason it is important to detect the presence of an absorbing body. Several recent medical studies point to the potential cancer causing effects of absorbed RF radiation from the antenna of common portable devices such as Cell Phones, E-Readers and Tablet Computers. Therefore, with Wi-Fi enabled devices, it may not be safe for a user of the device if the Wi-Fi feature of the device is in operation at its maximum RF power output when in close proximity to the user's body. New FCC test guidelines require the measurement of RF radiation at a distance of about 10 millimeters from each device surface during operation.

Proximity detection using an antenna and directional coupler switch


A vehicle system storing an aqueous solution includes: a first compartment; a second compartment; a module that includes a feed pump unit connected for pumping aqueous solution from the first compartment to a feed outlet; and a jet pump having a suction inlet, a pressure inlet and an outlet. The feed pump unit is further connected for pumping aqueous solution along a flow path from the first compartment through the feed pump unit, through the pressure inlet of the jet pump to the outlet of the jet pump. A heater heats the flow path. The suction inlet is connected to a suction line that receives the aqueous solution from the second compartment. The outlet of the jet pump returns aqueous solution from the suction inlet and from the pressure inlet to the first compartment.

It is known to inject water into an air intake upstream of a combustion chamber or directly in the combustion chamber, when the load of the engine of a vehicle is high. By injecting water in the air stream, the air is cooled down, resulting in a higher density and hence more air per volume unit, enhancing the combustion. In that manner more power is obtained, i.e. the performance is boosted. The water for injection needs to be stored on-board the vehicle and needs to be available when the vehicle is in operation.

System for storing an aqueous solution on-board a vehicle

Plastic Omnium Advanced Innovation and Research


A control system may include a thermostat device and boiler control device. The thermostat device may be configured to receive electrical power from second wiring terminals and provide control signals to boiler control device using a second radio when wires are not present in first wiring terminals. The thermostat device may also be configured to receive electrical power from the first wiring terminals and provide the coded control signals to the boiler control device through the first wiring terminals when wires are present in the first wiring terminals. The boiler control device may be configured to receive the control signals from the thermostat device using a third radio and selectively couple the third wiring terminals to fifth wiring terminals to selectively control activation of the boiler-based heating system when wires are not present in fourth wiring terminals.

In European countries, thermostats generally use a bimetallic strip to sense temperature and respond to temperature changes in the room. The movement of the bimetallic strip is used to directly open and close an electrical circuit. Power is delivered to an electromechanical actuator, usually relay or contactor in the boiler equipment whenever the contact was closed to provide heating and/or cooling to the controlled space. Since these thermostats do not require electrical power to operate, the wiring connections were very simple. A two-wire connection typically runs between the thermostat and the boiler system.

Environmental control system retrofittable with multiple types of boiler-based heating systems


A two-way CATV network having a radio return path. A cable headend controller is used to control downstream as well as upstream communications over the two-way CATV network. Downstream signals are sent to subscribers' cable modems through conventional coaxial cables. On the upstream side, a signal generated at a first frequency by an interactive cable modem. This signal is then sent to a transmitter applique, which converts the signal to a second frequency. The signal is then transmitted through a wireless segment at this second frequency to a receiver applique. The receiver applique converts the transmitted signal into a third frequency. In some cases, the first frequency is the same as the third frequency. Eventually, the upstream signal is sent to the headend controller. Throughout the entire upstream transmission process, the same signal is maintained; only its frequency is changed. In the various embodiments, the first, second, and third frequencies are the same; the first frequency is the same as the third frequency but not the second frequency; and the first channel can be the same as the third channel but is not the same as the second channel.

Currently, conventional coaxial cable TV systems can deliver tens of megabits per second data transmissions downstream (i.e., from the headend unit to various subscribers). Also presently feasible is the use of diplexing amplifiers and reverse amplifiers to transmit information upstream (i.e., from one or more subscribers back to the headend unit) on the common coaxial cable as well. However, to activate this reverse channel entails a major fixed cost of adding amplifiers and filters and balancing the upstream gain. If there are many customers for the new two-way services, then the cable operator's investment in activating the two way capability can be justified. However, if there are but relatively few scattered upstream services customers, then the cable operator faces a significant fixed cost to activate the two way capability that cannot be fully amortized over the few customers. This is a "chicken and egg" type problem. On the one hand, the desired solution requires access before the market can be proven, but the access comes at the expense of an often unacceptable front end cost.
In an effort to mitigate cost, various systems have been proposed in which distinct, separate paths were established for downstream versus upstream communications. The use of a separate telephone line return for the upstream cable subscriber signals is well known and is used in a number of different cable modems. The idea of heterodyned frequency translation per se is also old art. And the use of frequency translation in cable systems is probably best developed in the RAD concept used to transmit PCS signals over a cable system. The RAD concept includes the use of inexpensive antennas and frequency shifters as a two way delivery mechanism to remote PCS devices. Over-the-air, two-way signals from cordless Personal Communications Service telephones, say at 1800 MHz from a number of remote antenna sites are frequency shifted and carried to and from one or more central sites.
Although these alternative prior art systems offer some degree of flexibility and enhanced functionalities, they nonetheless suffer from several disadvantages. Today, only 10-15% of the cable plants have been converted to two-way operation. Where telephone lines are used for upstream transmission, the upstream paths are seriously bandwidth limited. And with such approaches, a different protocol is needed in the upstream which requires implementation of different additional hardware at both the cable TV headend and at the subscriber's premises. Scalability and upgradeability were also potential problems with some prior art systems. In addition, there might be serious compatibility issues to be overcome.
Alternative prior art in wireless telephony does include treatment of multiple receiver antennas but used only in a two-way wireless telephony where synchronous transmission is required over the wireless links such that time synchronization and signal formats are compatible with traditional telephony time-slot interchange trunk systems. These systems do not predict the use of a one-way transparent wireless paths in cable television upstream distribution systems for the support of asynchronous packet transmission, nor do they predict the transparent behavior of this invention in that cable modems located on both wired and wireless paths may be simultaneously received on the same upstream channel by a headend cable modem controller.
Alternative prior art in asymmetric cable modem systems universally have restricted the upstream wireless link to a single cable modem channel. These systems suffer both from scaling issues and from restricting deployment in geographic locations to situations where RF signal propagation is only favorable to a few solutions thereby restricting broad deployment needed for a successful cable modem business. These systems do not predict the need for multiple receiver antenna sites and subsequent selection and packet duplication avoidance issues required to meet low cost, nor do they predict the transparent behavior of this invention in that cable modems located on both wired and wireless paths may be simultaneously received on the same upstream channel by a headend cable modem controller, nor do they predict the need for simultaneous carriage of multiple cable modem upstream channels needed to scale to deployment size needed for viable business.
In light of these limitations of the prior art, there exists a need in the cable industry for an efficient, transparent, and cost-effective approach for converting standard one-way cable systems into two-way systems. The present invention provides a solution whereby a transparent radio return path is used for providing upstream communications, which allows cable operators to be able to selectively upgrade their systems on an as-needed basis. Costs are minimized by leveraging the same frequency, scheduling, and modulation schemes to keep the conversion from the radio path signal to the signal on the cable as simple and straightforward as possible.

CATV network and cable modem system having a wireless return path


An improved semiconductor memory structure and methods for its fabrication are disclosed. The memory structure includes a semiconductor substrate having a dielectric region formed over a channel region. A doped region is formed between a top portion and a bottom portion of the dielectric region. This doped region includes a suitable electron affinity material. A gate electrode is connected with the top of the dielectric region. In some embodiments, suitable electron affinity materials are introduced into the doped region using implantation techniques. In another embodiment, the electron affinity material is introduced into the doped region using plasma treatment of the dielectric region and the redeposition of additional dielectric material on top of the dielectric region and doped region.

One type of semiconductor memory device uses two different dielectric materials forming layers in the channel region of the device to form a charge storage center. The interface between the two different dielectric materials forms an electron trapping region that creates the charge storage center. Such devices are often referred to as MIOS (metal insulator oxide semiconductor) devices. Where the insulator material is silicon nitride such devices are commonly referred to as MNOS devices. Such devices and their properties are well known in the art (e.g., see S. M. Sze, Physics of Semiconductor Devices (John Wiley & Sons, New York, 2nd Ed., 1981) Section 8.6.2).
One example of a conventional prior art MIOS memory device is described hereinbelow. In FIG. 1 a portion of typical MIOS memory cell 10 is depicted. A semiconductor substrate 100 (e.g., a p-doped silicon wafer) includes a "channel" region 101 positioned between a source 102 and a drain 103 (e.g., n-doped regions). A first dielectric layer 104 (e.g., silicon dioxide) is formed on the substrate surface. Commonly polysilicon electrodes 105, 106 are formed on the first dielectric layer 104. A second layer of dielectric material 107 is formed over the first dielectric layer 104 and portions of the polysilicon electrodes 105, 106 in the channel region 101. A gate electrode 108 is formed over the second dielectric layer 107. In the interests of simplifying the discussion, the remaining portions of the memory cell 10 are not depicted.
In MIOS memory cells, the first dielectric layer 104 is formed of a different material than the second dielectric layer 107. For example, the first dielectric layer 104 can be formed of silicon dioxide and the second dielectric layer 107 can be formed of another dielectric material, for example, silicon oxynitride. The interfacial region between the first dielectric layer 104 and the second dielectric layer 107 creates an interfacial charge storage layer 109 which can, among other things, be used to alter the amount of voltage required to change the memory state of the cell. Such devices are relatively small, resistant to ionizing radiation, and can alter the write and erase times (and voltages).
However, such memory structures also suffer from some drawbacks. One drawback is that the interfacial charge storage layer 109 between the first dielectric layer 104 and the second dielectric layer 107 is difficult to form reproducibly and reliably. Additionally, interfacial charge storage layers 109 formed in this manner suffer from unpredictable electron bonding strength, further adding to their unpredictability and reliability problems. This inability to reliably and reproducibly fabricate interfacial charge storage layers leads to unpredictable and inconsistent behavior in such memory structures. Additionally, it is difficult to vary the amount of charge stored by the interfacial charge storage layer 109 or to alter the strength of an electron trapping environment. Thus, such devices are not particularly flexible in their application. Moreover, as feature sizes decrease these problems become aggravated and also more difficult to solve. These problems become particularly intractable as feature sizes decrease below the 0.1 micron (μ) level.
Although suitable for many purposes, conventional MIOS and MNOS memory structures suffer from many difficulties. The principles of the present invention are directed toward improved memory structures and improved methodologies for constructing such memory structures.

Method and apparatus for forming a memory structure having an electron affinity region


The invention relates to a blank holder for a dental milling machine. The blank holder has a clamping frame with a receptacle for a blank. The clamping frame includes a first frame part and a second frame part which are pivotable relative to one another to open the receptacle. A first clamping face is formed on the first frame part and a second clamping face is formed on the second frame part. The clamping faces engage an outer periphery of the blank with the clamping frame closed. To configure a blank holder so that the blank is fixed in the clamping frame in a play-free manner, provision is made to form one of the clamping faces on an annular clamping ring. The clamping ring is held on a frame part and is displaceable counter to a force in the axial direction.

So-called blanks are disk-like slugs made of different materials for producing dentures, such as crowns, bridges or the like, for example. To this end, the required control data are provided to a dental milling machine by means of software, such that the denture can be milled out of the blank without any further intervention on the part of a user.
In order to hold a blank in the dental milling machine, blank holders which are intended to be used in particular in a tool-free manner are provided, into which a blank to be machined is intended to be introduced and fixed.
US 2011/0291343 A1 discloses a blank holder which allows a blank to be clamped in a tool-free manner. The clamping frame consists of a first frame part and a second frame part which are pivotable relative to one another in order to open the receptacle for the blank. To this end, the first frame part is connected to the second frame part in a pivotable manner in the region of a side edge of the clamping frame. In order to close the clamping frame, a U-shaped clamping lever is provided, which is held on the first frame part in an axially rotatable manner at its two side arms. The side arms have a guide slot for a pin which is held on the second frame part. As the clamping lever is pivoted about its bearing axis, the second frame part is moved, as a cover plate, onto the first frame part and fixed.
Because the closure device is formed from a pin guided in the guide slot of the clamping lever, increasing wear occurs, which results in an associated increasing level of play for the blank to move in the clamping frame. A possible movement of the blank in the blank holder can have a negative effect on the milling result. Also, in such a closure device, an only limited opening angle between the two frame parts is possible, with the result that the insertion of a disk-like blank into the blank holder is impeded.

Blank holder for a dental milling machine


The present invention is directed to CNS pharmaceutical compositions and methods of use. The pharmaceutical compositions comprise a CNS active agent and preferably at least two vagal neuromodulators, one of which is a mechanoreceptor stimulator. The vagal neuromodulators are preferably in an amount sufficient to reduce a somnolence side-effect of the CNS active agent without changing its therapeutic efficacy/activity. The invention further encompasses a method of reducing CNS active agent side-effects. The method typically comprises oral administration of at least one CNS active agent to a patient at the conventionally accepted dose; and administration of at least two vagal neuromodulators to the patient so that at least one neuromodulator is administered or released from dosage form after the CNS active agent is administered and/or released.

Various pharmaceuticals, such as CNS active agents cause severe side-effects that generally worsen with increasing doses. Some classes of CNS active agents that require increasing doses include pain reducing drugs, selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, antidepressants, anti-convulsants, hypnotics, anesthetics, sedative agents, angiolytics, NSAIDs, xanthines, antipsychotics, appetite suppressants, sleep agents, antibiotics, antivirals, insulin resistance drugs, antihypertensives, and anti-asthma drugs. At high doses, many CNS active agents rapidly lose their effectiveness, induce pharmacologic tolerance, and cause increasingly severe side-effects. Lowering the dose of the CNS active agent, however, does not address the problem because reducing the dose to prior levels results in significantly lower therapeutic efficacy.
Combinations of centrally active agents have been used in an effort to overcome the current disadvantages of single agent use. In local anesthetic formulations, locally acting adrenergic agonists, such as epinephrine, are known to enhance the local activity of analgesic drugs and improve therapeutic efficacy. For example, it has been demonstrated that a higher dosage of epinephrine potentiated the effects of local anesthesia. (Morganroth et al. 2009). Furthermore, several selective β2 agonist drugs have been used in anesthesia, either alone or in combination, with various opiate or inhalational anesthetics, and have been found to reduce the dose requirement for opiates, halothane, or ketamine (Verstegen 1989; Nevalainen et al. 1989; Moens and Fargetton 1990). Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,605,911 discloses the use of an β2 agonist to block the neurotoxic effects, such as hallucinations and neuronal damage, of an NMDA antagonist. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,562,855 teaches that co-administration of an NMDA receptor antagonist and an β2 adrenergic agonist both potentiates the effects of anesthesia and diminishes the side effects compared to administration of anesthesia alone.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,833,377 teaches that the activity of systemically administered CNS drugs may be significantly potentiated by the co-administration of a compound which affects peripheral chemoreceptors (i.e. pseudoephedrine (PSE)) and a stimulator of osmoreceptors (osmoactive polymers or sorbitol). This potentiation results in a reduction of the minimal effective dose of a variety of CNS active agents, which in turn reduces the associated side effects.
Such combinations, however, are not without their problems. Thus, there still exists a need for novel combinations of CNS active agents and neuromodulators to potentiate the pharmacological effect of the CNS active agent, reduce dose-dependent side-effects, avoid tolerance/tachyphylaxis problems, and overcome the resistance and noncompliance issues.
More specifically, there is a clinical need to develop "non-sedating" GABA agonists for therapeutic activities where sedation-related side effect damages the quality of life and cognitive functioning of the patient, causing the patient to live most of the day in a daze and making it dangerous to drive vehicles and operate machinery. However, attempts to develop these "non-sedative" benzodiazepines have failed as the prior art teaches that sedation effects of benzodiazepine treatment are linked to the GABA-inhibiting therapeutic activity. In addition, attempts have been made to develop non-sedating anxiolytic drugs by chemical modification of the active agent, but no benzodiazepine receptor partial agonist has emerged as a viable alternative.
The optimal anxiolytic drug product will be capable of producing a robust anxiolytic action by having a more rapid onset of action than current therapies while potentially reducing the number of side effects. This drug would be comparable to benzodiazepines, but lacking their limiting side effects at therapeutic doses. This new drug would represent an important advancement in the treatment of anxiety disorders. Even if it is possible that a new, chemically-modified non-sedative GABA agonist may be finally developed, there is an advantage in the utilization of a drug product combination from known, approved, and available pharmaceutical ingredients. Such an approach reduces the risk of potential unknown toxicity, and the long term development investment required of new pharmaceutical ingredients.
In light of the prior art, the inventors surprisingly discovered that (1) the reduction of sedation-associated side effects of CNS active agents is possible using the conventional dosage of the CNS drug; (2) chemoreceptor stimulators (i.e. pseudoephedrine (PSE) and other andrenergic receptor agonists) optimally reduce the side effects associated with a CNS agent when a mechanoreceptor stimulator (i.e. guaifenesin (GUA)) is administered approximately 15 minutes after administration of the CNS agent and PSE; and (3) administration of GUA eliminates the need to use a very high dose of osmoactive polymers (or other osmoactive agents) which can complicate formulation preparation and disturb the subject's physiological osmotic balance.


The present invention provides a lateral draft tube for a water control valve core, which is defined by a through-type groove and upper and lower openings. The through-type groove is sleeved around the shell of the water control valve core. The upper and lower portions have different diameters on the external wall of the draft tube. A ring flange is formed on the upper portion, and a guide ring surface is formed on the lower portion. The ring flange is provided with a sealing ring, and a drainage portion is arranged at the lower end of the draft tube to connect the through-type groove and guide ring surface. The draft tube can be located higher than the water control valve core, such that upward flow of the guide ring surface is not limited by the water control valve core. Thus, the upward flow of the water control valve core improves.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an accessory of a water control valve core of a faucet, and more particularly to an innovative valve core with a lateral draft tube assembled externally onto the water control valve core.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98
There are currently a variety of water control valve cores, which are comprised of a bottom inlet/outlet and bottom inlet/lateral outlet. As for water control valve core with a bottom inlet/outlet, the inlet/outlet guide channels of the faucet's valve groove are located at the bottom. So, the channels will be interleaved to connect the lateral outflow pipe, leading to bigger problems in fabrication and higher costs. For this reason, a raised water control valve core is developed in such a manner that both the inlet and outlet are arranged at the bottom, but the inlet is formed independently by a protruding tube to create a raised space at the bottom of the water control valve core, making it possible to discharge water laterally. However, the discharged water flows from the bottom of the water control valve core, namely, at the lower position of the faucet's valve groove, affecting and confining the height of the outflow pipe of the faucet. When the outflow pipe of the faucet is positioned higher than the outlet position of the water control valve core, a laterally recessed vertical guide space must be formed within the valve groove of the faucet to guide the water from water control valve core to the outflow pipe. Alternatively, a recessed upward guide surface is formed externally on the water control valve core; however, if a vertical guide space is formed within the faucet's valve groove, the recessed space will make it difficult for casting. On the other hand, if a guide surface is formed externally on the water control valve core, a sealing ring must be assembled at the top of the guide surface, so the maximum height of the guide surface will be obviously confined, leading to limited extension of the guide surface and limited height arrangement of faucet's outflow pipe.
Thus, to overcome the aforementioned problems of the prior art, it would be an advancement in the art to provide an improved structure that can significantly improve efficacy.
Therefore, the inventor has provided the present invention of practicability after deliberate design and evaluation based on years of experience in the production, development and design of related products.

Water control valve core with a segmented locking fuction


A system and method for logging state data from a power system control device on a computer system is disclosed. The computer system includes a power system supplying power to the computer system. The power system has a power-up sequence having a plurality of stages. The power system control device is coupled to the power system. The power system control device includes a finite state machine circuit having states corresponding to the stages of the power-up sequence. The control device also has a write controller, a storage buffer, and a communication interface. The write controller writes the state of the finite state machine circuit in the storage buffer. An external controller is coupled to the communication interface and is operable to read the stored state data.

A typical computer system such as a server generally includes hardware components such as processors, memory devices, network interface cards, power supplies, and other specialized hardware on a main board. Computer systems have a basic input/output system (BIOS). The BIOS is used to test basic inputs and outputs from the hardware components before booting up the computer system.
Server architecture is typically centered around a central processing unit (CPU). Complex computer systems, such as servers, use a baseboard management controller (BMC) to manage basic system operations such as power management, hardware error checking, etc. Typically, power systems such as a power supply unit (PSU) for a server are managed by a dedicated power system control circuit such as a complex programmable logic device (CPLD). The CPLD is programmed to manage the power-up and power-down sequences for the power system.
In a typical server architecture, a Finite State Machine (FSM) executed by the CPLD manages the power-up routine for the power system. The FSM is designed based on the power-up sequence for the power system service described on a Platform Design Guide (PDG) from the vendor of the CPU. Thus, the FSM includes states that correspond with the steps in the power-up sequence. The states of the FSM are used to control a voltage regulator on the main board of the power supply unit to complete the power-up and power-down sequence of the computer system.
In the development or maintenance phase of a start-up sequence for a computer system such as a server, an unexpected short circuit failure or abnormal operating behavior will cause the FSM executed by the CPLD to stall at a state corresponding to a step of the power-up sequence, before reaching the final state. This results in a failure of the start-up routine since the FSM will not reach the final state to complete the power-up of the power system. However, there is presently no way to determine what stage in the power-up sequence caused the failure. The debug process to resolve this type of malfunction is always time-consuming because of the complex process of examining the entire server system to determine the error.
Thus, there is a need for a routine to store state data from a power system controller in a buffer for a computer system that allows efficient troubleshooting when a power-on sequence fails. There is a further need for a routine that allows the storage of states of a finite state machine for retrieval by an external controller. There is also a need for different storage routines for storage of the finite state data.

Systems and methods for storing FSM state data for a power control system


In addition to functioning as a conventional printer, a printer system responds to triggering strings of characters within incoming pages of data by calling upon a meta-command interpreter to execute meta-commands such as xe2x80x9c#if . . . #endif,xe2x80x9d xe2x80x9c#for . . . #next,xe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9c#mid . . . xe2x80x9d embedded within templates containing data and print commands which describe families of documents or reports. The incoming pages can be stripped of their printer control codes and can be then used as rectangular arrays of characters which control the customization and reduction of the templates into one or more customized documents or reports containing data extracted from the incoming pages inserted at points marked by the xe2x80x9c#midxe2x80x9d meta-command and similar meta-commands. A first template, with a xe2x80x9c#startformxe2x80x9d command, can cause the meta-command interpreter to process subsequent incoming pages against a designated template without the need for further triggering. The system provides global search and replace functions for all incoming pages as well as optional double-byte to single-byte conversion.

The present invention relates to programmable report generators, and more particularly to a printer that, in addition to serving as a conventional printer, may also be programmed to analyze incoming data, to extract significant data from the incoming data, and to generate documents and/or reports presenting that data in an attractive and useful manner, varying the type and number of reports generated in accordance with the nature of the data. The present invention is particularly useful in a networked environment where modern desktop publishing systems may be on the same network with mini- and mainframe computers programmed with xe2x80x9clegacyxe2x80x9d or purchased software that generates unattractive, character-oriented reports. The invention is also useful in environments where only such mini- and mainframe computers are present.
Just a few years ago, most printers were inflexible devices that could only print letters, numbers, punctuation, and a limited number of symbols of a fixed size, or at best a very limited number of sizes and fonts. At the low end, dot matrix printers and spinning wheel printers predominated. Line printers were used to print reports from mini- and mainframe computers.
The introduction of the laser printer in the late 1980s was followed shortly thereafter by the development and introduction of highly flexible printer software engines that could print not only any type and size of character font but also graphic images as well as arbitrarily sized, rotated, and positioned lines, circles, and other geometric shapes. Adobe introduced Postscript and then Postscript II. Hewlett Packard introduced several generations of PCL. Prescribe was also developed for Kyocera printers.
Printers equipped with these printer control languages could produce reports of arbitrary complexity, and some printers were designed to accept several different printer control languages. However, no matter how sophisticated the printer languages became, these printers were still merely unintelligent servants of the computers that fed them data. They had to be fully instructed, with the instructions couched in the proper printer control language, on all aspects of how to go about creating any particular report or document. In the emerging field of personal computers, the emergence of Desktop Publishing software and third generation word processing software and office suites enabled individuals creating reports, brochures, and the like to take full advantage of the flexibility and power of these new printers and their control languages.
But in the field of business management, where mini- and mainframe computers predominated, it remained impractical to utilize the full power of these new printers. Much of the legacy software and leased or purchased software. found on these machines was designed to generate simple, text-oriented reports without fancy fonts and graphics on an earlier generation of printers. There is no cost-effective way in which much of this legacy and leased software could be upgraded to take advantage of the new printer capabilities, and accordingly most reports such as invoices, financial reports, and the like continue to be prepared with the traditional character-oriented formats that seem so unattractive and difficult to comprehend in this day of desktop publishing.
Some systems are known which can be set up to contain simple blank form documents, and to extract data segments from data flowing into a printer and move that data into blank spaces in the form documents. However, these systems are again performing rigidly-defined, simple tasks of form document completion and do not prepare highly customized reports after analyzing the data in an intelligent manner.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to produce a printer that has the ability to analyze incoming data, extracting meaningful data and discarding the rest, and determining from the data what types and sizes of and numbers of documents and reports to generate.
It is a further object of the present invention to produce such a printer that, having analyzed the incoming data and extracted meaningful data therefrom, can then generate the specifications for a report of arbitrary complexity, tailored in accordance with the nature of the extracted data, and provide that specification to the printer""s printing engine formatted in the printer""s printer control language.
It is yet another object to achieve the above objects without in any way detracting from or interfering with the printer""s ability to function in the normal manner when called upon by personal computers operating under the control of desktop publishing and word processing software and sharing the same network and printing facilities with mini- and mainframe computers programmed with legacy software or prepackaged, inflexible software and requiring the services of the printer""s data analyzer, data extractor, and report generator.
Another object is to achieve such a printer in which the data analysis and report generation aspects of the printer can be quickly and simply reprogrammed to change the nature of the reports generated.
Yet another object is the envelopment of a meta-language for defining data analysis and extraction and report generation steps that are compatible with many different printers and printer control languages such that the meta-language may be intermixed with printer control commands to form report and document templates that can govern a printer""s data extraction and document and report generation steps and that may be incorporated into different types of printers having different printer control languages.
Briefly summarized, these and other objects and advantages of the present invention are achieved in a printer having integrated within its mechanisms an incoming data analyzer, a data extractor, and a report generator which coexist compatibly with a conventional printer engine and printer or command language interpreter. The analyzer, extractor, and generator process meta-language commands that are embedded within document templates containing the meta-language commands intermixed with printer control commands and data. In the resultant integrated machine, the printer responds normally to incoming document definitions drafted in the printer control language of the printer engine, but the data analyzer continuously monitors the incoming information. When the data analyzer detects, within the incoming information, new document templates containing data analysis, extraction, and report generation meta-commands, the analyzer captures and stores these templates in the printer system""s template memory for future use. At a later time, when the data analyzer detects incoming data that corresponds to and triggers the execution of one of the stored document templates, the data analyzer retrieves the corresponding document template and executes the meta-language commands that it contains, thereby transforming the generalized document template into highly customized documents or reports containing printer control commands intermixed with data extracted from the incoming data. The documents or reports actually generated are thus selected, arranged, and modified in accordance with and under the control of the extracted incoming data such that completely customized reports and documents are achieved without the need to have the computer from which the data flows generate the report specifications. In this manner, the entire burden of report generation and customization is shifted away from the computer and placed upon the printer.
These and other objects of the present invention are apparent in the drawings and in the detailed description which follows. The points of novelty that characterize the present invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.

Programmable data extractor, data analyzer, and printer report generator


An x-ray source produces a well-defined electron beam, without an undesirable halo. The x-ray source includes a housing, a cathode disposed within the housing, an anode spaced apart from the cathode for accelerating electrons emitted from the cathode and an x-ray emitter target disposed within the housing and spaced apart from the cathode for impact by the accelerated electrons. The cathode includes a passivation layer over only a portion of the area of the cathode, leaving an emission portion of the cathode that is not passivated. The passivation layer reduces or prevents emissions from the passivated portion of the cathode, thereby preventing a halo, which would otherwise be produced by lower-level emissions from the portion of the cathode that surrounds the emission portion of the cathode.

A typical miniature x-ray tube includes an evacuated ceramic tube with a cathode structure at one end of the tube and an anode structure at or near an opposite end of the tube. Traditionally, the cathode is heated to facilitate releasing electrons, and a high-voltage electric field is established between the cathode and the anode to accelerate the released electrons toward, and possibly beyond, the anode. There may be a short focusing element within the tube. If present, the focusing element includes electrically conducting material for creating an electric field. The focusing element is formed such that the electric field tends to concentrate the flow of electrons into a compact stream. The effectiveness of any focusing depends to a significant degree on the size of the area on the cathode from which the electrons are emitted. The smaller the area, the easier it is to develop a well defined small spot on the target.
The electron beam strikes a target at the far end of the ceramic tube, resulting in the production of x-rays. The target may be the anode or another structure. The target usually includes a thin, heavy metal coating, such as gold (Au) or tungsten (W), on the surface of a material that allows the x-rays to pass through with little attenuation. In some cases, the x-ray beam may be taken off of a more conventional solid, x-ray opaque target at an angle as scattered x-rays. In either case, the x-rays are produced from a spot on the target where the electron beam strikes the target.
To improve electron emissions from cathodes, most cathodes are now made from thoriated tungsten using a process described by Langmuir. In that process, about 2% thorium oxide is mixed with tungsten. Cathodes made of this material are then "activated" by heating them to about 2800 degrees Kelvin (K), which reduces any thorium oxide to a mono layer of metallic thorium on the surface of the tungsten. Carbon is added to the surface to carbonize some of the tungsten to tungsten carbide, which limits the rate of evaporation of the thorium from the surface. The result is a cathode that has several orders of magnitude more emission than pure tungsten. Other details regarding construction of prior-art miniature x-ray tubes are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,236,568.
In many applications, it is important that the area or a dimension of the spot on the target is as small as possible. However, it has been found that a conventional x-ray tube produces a spot of x-ray emissions surrounded by an undesirable "halo" of x-ray emissions, as a result of heat spreading in the cathode, as described in the following paragraphs.
Traditionally, the cathode is either a directly heated filamentary cathode or a planar cathode. U.S. Pat. No. 6,320,932 discloses heating a cathode by a laser light source. The use of a laser heat source makes planar cathodes easier to implement. In addition, heating a small area in the center of a thin metal cathode gives a more intense emission from the heated area than from unheated areas. An electron beam spot on the order of a few hundred microns in diameter is achievable using a laser-heated planar cathode.
However, heat is conducted from the central, directly heated area of the cathode to adjacent portions of the cathode, which causes the cooler portion of the cathode to emit electrons, albeit at a much lower rate, such as about 1/20 to about 1/100 that of the central, directly heated part of the activated cathode area. This results in a "halo" around the x-ray spot on the target. In a miniature x-ray tube, an exemplary cathode is on the order of 2-3 mm in diameter, and the central electron beam is about 0.2 mm in diameter. Thus, the area of the halo may be approximately 100 times the area of the central spot. Such a halo forms an undesirable background in a measurement.

X-ray tube with enhanced small spot cathode and methods for manufacture thereof


A polymerizable composition comprising: (A) a non-acrylic binder polymer having an ethylenically unsaturated bond on a side chain; (B) a neutrally charged compound capable of generating a radical under light or heat; and (C) a compound having an ethylenically unsaturated bond, and a polymerizable composition comprising: (A′) a polyurethane resin having an ethylenically unsaturated bond on a side chain, which is a reaction product of an isocyanate compound and a diol compound including a diol compound represented by the formula (G) defiend herein; (B) a neutrally charged compound capable of generating a radical under light or heat; (C) a compound having an ethylenically unsaturated bond; (D′) a 1,4-benzoquinone derivative; and (E′) a dye having a maximum absorption wavelength in a region of from 350 to 450 nm.

Lasers are recently making a remarkable progress. Particularly, as for the solid laser, semiconductor laser and gas laser of emitting ultraviolet light, visible light or infrared light at a wavelength of 300 to 1,200 nm, high-output compact lasers are easily available and these lasers are very useful as a recording light source in lithographic printing of directly producing a printing plate based on digital data of a computer or the like. Various studies are being made on the recording material sensitive to these various laser rays and, for example, a positive recording material for use with an infrared laser having a sensitive wavelength of 760 nm or more (see, U.S. Pat. No. 4,708,925) and an acid catalyst crosslinking-type negative recording material (see, JP-A-8-276558 (the term "JP-A" as used herein means an "unexamined published Japanese patent application")) are known. Also, radical polymerization-type negative recording materials for use with an ultraviolet or visible laser at 300 to 700 nm are known (see, U.S. Pat. No. 2,850,445 and JP-B44-20189 (the term "JP-B" as used herein means an "examined Japanese patent publication")).
Such a negative image recording material usually contains a compound capable of generating a radical under light or heat (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a "radical initiator") and a compound having an ethylenically unsaturated bond (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a "polymerizable compound"), and utilizes a recording system of bringing about a polymerization reaction of the polymerizable compound by using a radical generated under light or heat as the initiator. Particularly, a lithographic printing plate precursor comprising a hydrophilic support having provided thereon a photopolymerization-type recording layer having excellent photosensitization speed and containing a radical initiator, a polymerizable compound and a binder polymer soluble in an alkali developer has advantageous features such as excellent productivity, simple and easy development processing, high resolution and good inking property and therefore, can give a printing plate having desired printing performances.
With respect to the binder polymer soluble in an alkali developer, for example, an acrylic binder polymer such as acrylic acid copolymer and methacrylic acid copolymer is generally used, but use of various binder polymers is being studied for the purpose of more enhancing the performance.


A TV viewer is presented various offers for products and services displayed on his TV screen. Pre-obtained unique product and service codes are generated by the TV program during the offers. The viewer has a remote control device for indicating his acceptance of an offer. An audio beep corresponding to the unique code is transmitted by the program along with the offer. This beep is picked up by a microphone and is transmitted, along with the remote control acceptance indication, by a transmitter located at the viewer's location to a nearby repeater station. The transmitted signal is data including an identification of the viewer's location as well as the accepted offer code. This data is relayed to a nearby repeater station and then to a central data collection station where the acceptance is processed. A universal IR remote control device is employed that can communicate a viewer's selections from TV offer's, or can alternately read bar codes from printed media offers at the viewer's location for transmission through the system to the central data collection station.

The prior art includes many systems for achieving interactive communication between a central station and geographically disbursed TV users. For example, in my previous patent U.S. Pat. No. 5,257,099, issued Oct. 26, 1993, a typical satellite communication system employing intermediate repeater stations is disclosed.
In my earlier system, a network of local audience response systems, where TV watchers are located, is coupled together with a central audience response processing station via a satellite communication link. The system required the embedding of questions, destined for the TV audience, in the TV picture program transmission. This real time system required that each local area repeater station and each end user response unit be identified and verified by allocation of specific time slots for responses from a TV watcher synchronized to a TV picture program transmission carrying the audience questions to be answered. Response units in the audience generate answers in the form of "beep" signals that are communicated back to a central station, via a repeater station, and the answer is synchronized with the question destined for a particular response unit so that positive identification of the particular response unit may be made in real time.
Several significant shortcomings existed in my prior patents. For example, the central station usually required a studio for generating a TV program with questions that were embedded in the video signal during specific time slots of the synchronization interval of each horizontal line in the video signal, which also contained the normal TV program.
In utilizing my previous system, a TV viewer would watch a program transmitted from the central station and when prompted to answer a question, the viewer would do so with an infrared remote device. His response is synchronized with the transmission of the question to his particular TV so that the central station could identify the answer from a particular response unit. This previous system is quite limiting in that the viewer can only interact with the system for a particular transmitted TV program, in real time. The prior system is also quite expensive in that it incorporates two-way communication over an independent channel from a central location to local area repeaters and then to viewers at response units.

Interactive TV system for mass media distribution