The multiple-impact adapter for a hammer tool includes a shroud for removably mounting on the hammer tool. A bore is formed through the shroud between the ends. The shroud has front portion and a rear portion for removably receiving a portion of the hammer device. A drive punch is positioned in the bore for being impacted by the hammer tool and a forward end for impacting an object to be driven. A guide bushing extends forwardly from the shroud. A channel extends through the bushing for receiving a portion of the object to be driven. The guide bushing is slidably mounted on the front portion of the shroud such that the guide bushing is movable between an extended position and a retracted position.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to hammer tool adapters and more particularly pertains to a new multiple-impact adapter for a hammer tool for permitting the hammer tool to be used to drive an object through multiple impacts on the object with the object being positioned directly under the driver of the hammer tool.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of power tools using a single-impact to drive an object (such as, for example, a nail) has become popular as a time and effort reducing measure. Specialized tools have been developed for this purpose, but because of the single-impact action, and the need to keep the tool light enough to carry for long periods of time, these tools have generally been limited in the size of the fastener that can be driven thereby and the positioning of the object to be driven.
Specialized multiple-impact tools have been devised for driving fasteners, although some are known to be limited in driving power. Some of the specialized fastener drivers employ a palm-held design that is relatively small and light, but this diminishes the driving power of the device. Also, the typical broadness of the width of the palm-held devices make them difficult to maneuver into small spaces for driving fasteners or positioning items into structures, such as, for example, joist hangers. The reaction force of the impacts is directly applied to the palm of the hand of the user, which is considered to be undesireable for the comfort and safety of the user.
Air-powered hammer tools have been devised for multiple-impact chiseling operations, and multiple impact adapters for mounting on the hammer tools are known in the prior art. Such adapter devices tend to be relatively bulky structures in both the length of the adapter and the width of the adapter. When mounted on a nose section of a hammer tool, these known devices tend to restrict the ability of the adapter and hammer tool combination to be used in confined spaces. One reason for the overall bulkiness of the known devices is the relative large number of parts employed in such devices.
Further, known devices tend to be noisy to use due to the multiple impacts with the fastener being driven by the adapter, and this is especially a problem when the user needs to hold the hammer tool and adapter above or close to his or her head.
Still further, the structure of known devices tend to have a "one-size-fits-all" design that limits the user's ability to adapt the device to the particular object being driven, especially with respect to length of the object and the diameter of the object.
The multiple-impact adapter for a hammer tool according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of permitting the hammer tool to be used to drive a fastener or positioning item with multiple impacts.

Multiple-impact adapter for a hammer tool


The device pertains to providing a vertically compliant rear truck for a skateboard. This truck provides a truck axle which allows only a single vertical compliance and a single rotational compliance. This provides stability a high speeds and compliance for steering and “pumping” the skateboard.

This application relates to the skateboard industry and specifically to skateboarding as a form of transportation, exercise, and high speed downhill skateboarding. During higher speeds, the skateboard operator typically travels longer distances and in a relatively straight line. Additionally, this skateboard provides a means of pumping to propel oneself, with quick turns, while remaining stable at higher speeds.
Some of the preferred embodiments include a skateboard with a truck similar to the cited prior art for steering, this truck will be referred to as a steering truck and another truck which is constrained to two degrees of freedom. The steering truck has offset axes which allow the skateboard to turn, and in some cases, provide propulsion. This propulsion is explained in prior art U.S. Pat. No. 8,454,038 O'Rourke column 6 lines 44 thru 54. The latter truck restricts the axle compliance to vertical displacement of each wheel independent of each other and rotationally about an axis perpendicular to this vertical displacement. The combination of this truck with the steering truck mentioned above, uniquely allows for propulsion and stability at higher speeds.
Current solutions exist addressing the instability. One solution is referred to as a zero angle truck and is specifically designed with a pivot angle of zero degrees. However, this solution relies on the skateboard platform to provide all structural support. By providing both structure and the compliance needed for performance, this invention eliminates weight, complexity and cost from the skateboard system.
Also noteworthy is that the bushings that provide spring back in this traditional truck type of design are mechanically disadvantaged as the pivot angle goes to zero and is prone to wear more quickly when the deck is tilted repeatedly for turning.
It has been found that at higher speeds the axle in the steering truck can start to oscillate about a vertical axis causing the steering truck to turn back and forth in an uncontrollable manner. One can understand that if all trucks on the skateboard are allowed to react in this fashion the operator would tend to lose control. Therefore, understanding this undesired problem the inventor has provided a truck which allows a steering truck to operate as required for control but reduces steering within its own mechanics, thus providing a more stable experience especially at higher speeds.
An embodiment includes a rear axle which is compliant in two degrees of freedom. This compliance is characterized with flex and spring in the degrees of freedom. One embodiment includes an axle support that has vertical compliance and rotational compliance about an axis parallel to the direction of travel. The approximate location and orientation of these degrees of freedom will be discussed in more detail below. Additionally, the rotational degrees of freedom are described as having directions in the form of vector components this will be explained in more detail with reference to FIG. 7 in the detailed description.
The prior art cited in U.S. Pat. No. 8,454,038 O'Rourke teaches a bidirectional propulsion caster assembly which enables a rider to generate bi-directional motion from a ride-on device (page 1 abstract). This patent teaches the benefits of an angularly offset wheel axis as stated in column 4 line 41 thru 43 of the detailed description. This patent goes on to tout the ability of the offset axis to create an obtuse or acute angle of the caster shaft, see column 5 line 3 thru 13 of the detailed description. It is understood that this device also has an undesirable axle oscillation effect at higher speeds.
Other prior art is cited which includes U.S. Pat. No. 7,341,260 Hosoda. This patent teaches a single offset axis arrangement and the use of a torsion spring. This torsion spring is situated such that it prevents jamming of the offset axis during steering of the skateboard. As stated in the detailed description, the rotational axis of the wheels and the offset axis connected to the base of the skate board are not perpendicular to the plane of the base, see column 2 lines 45 thru 54. This truck device is understood to have stability issues at higher speed, caused again, by axle oscillation.
FIGS. 23, 24, 25 and 26 shows a zero degree truck 100. The zero degree truck 100, allows the axle 104 to pivot about an axis 101. FIG. 24 shows the axle 104 which is supported by the axle housing 105. Each end of the axle 104 has two bearings 103A, 103B, 103C and 103D; these bearings support the wheels 102A and 102B in the usual manner.
FIG. 25 shows a vertical pin 107 which is supported by compliant bushings 106A and 106B and also is rotationally attached to the axle housing 105. The axle housing 105 supports the axle 104. By twisting the base 110, the compliant bushings 106A and 106B are loaded against the pin 107, the axle housing 105 and the washer 109. The axle housing 105 includes a pivot support feature 105A which allows the axle housing 105 to pivot inside a wear bushing 108. In this embodiment the spring back function resisting the twisting is provided by twisting the compliant bushings 106A and 106B. This device however does not reduce cost, decrease the weight and does not provide for strong spring back characteristics. For instance as the compliant bushings 106A and 106B wear the spring back function is adversely effected causing for a less enjoyable experience.
Other prior art exists which includes the use of a skateboard truck that is modified to prevent the wheels from turning as the base is twisted. No actual documentation is available; however, this type of truck is very similar to the truck of U.S. Pat. No. 7,341,260.
Many of the above cited prior art includes skateboard trucks that include two pivoting axes that require additional hardware. This additional hardware has some undesirable consequences such as increased cost and weight and tended to increase the height of the skateboard base. The increased height of the base has been determined to cause a less comfortable experience for the user.
Another problem with the cited prior art is the response of the skateboard to "spring back" to the untwisted or horizontal orientation. This spring back is addressed in cited prior art of U.S. Pat. No. 7,341,260 to Hosoda. This patent teaches the inclusion of a spring (labeled item 22) which provides spring back into a horizontal position of the skateboard base.
The instant invention addresses the stability, spring back, cost and weight issues of the above prior art. Many of the embodiments combine spring back and compliance into the structure of the skateboard base. This is accomplished by structural members instead of additional pivoting mechanisms. The use of these compliant structural members increases the overall higher speed skateboarding experience. Additionally, the trailing wheels are positioned away from the trailing end of the skateboard base such that the wheels do not contact the base even during maximum compliance. This interference is typically referred to as "wheel bite".
Some of the preferred embodiments address the issue of stability at higher speeds of a skateboard that allows steering and propulsion. Additionally, each and every issue in the prior art is not addressed by each embodiment. In fact, some embodiments may not address any of the prior art issues mentioned above.


An inflatable cushioning device, and a process for making it, having a fluid-tight, enclosed area that is bordered by a first generally flat surface, a second generally flat surface and at least one bellowed surface, such that the bellowed surface will collapse when a force is applied. The cushioning device may include an inflation mechanism for selectively introducing air into the enclosed area. The cushioning device can be used in an athletic shoe.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to cushioning devices for use in footwear, and to an article of footwear having a bellowed cushioning area.
2. Background Art
Athletic footwear must provide stable and comfortable support for the body while subject to various types of stress that occur during the various foot movements associated with athletic activity.
One of the problems associated with shoes has always been striking a balance between support and cushioning. Throughout the course of an average day, the feet and legs of an individual are subjected to substantial impact forces. Running, jumping, walking and even standing exert forces upon the feet and legs of an individual which can lead to soreness, fatigue, and injury.
Although the human foot possesses natural cushioning and rebounding characteristics, the foot alone is incapable of effectively overcoming many of the forces encountered during athletic activity. Unless an individual is wearing shoes which provide proper cushioning and support, the soreness and fatigue associated with athletic activity is more acute, and its onset accelerated. This results in discomfort for the wearer which diminishes the incentive for further athletic activity. Equally important, inadequately cushioned footwear can lead to injuries such as blisters, muscle, tendon and ligament damage, and bone stress fractures. Improper footwear can also lead to other ailments, including back pain. Thus, it is essential to have cushioning footwear when engaging in athletic activity. Further, any cushioning system added to athletic shoes must be inexpensive and simple to use.
Proper footwear should complement the natural functionality of the foot, in part by incorporating a sole which absorbs shocks and returns energy to the foot. However, different levels of cushioning may be desired depending on the type of activity. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a shoe which can provide a varying level of support and cushioning in the sole of the foot.


A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes forming a thin film on a substrate by performing a cycle a predetermined number of times. The cycle includes supplying a source gas to the substrate, and supplying excited species from each of a plurality of excitation units provided at a side of the substrate to the substrate. Each of the plurality of excitation units generates the excited species by plasma-exciting a reaction gas. In supplying the excited species from each of the plurality of excitation units, an in-plane distribution of the excited species supplied from at least one of the plurality of excitation units in the substrate differs from an in-plane distribution of the excited species supplied from another excitation unit, other than the at least one excitation unit, among the plurality of excitation units, in the substrate.

A process of manufacturing a semiconductor device such as a large scale integrated (LSI) circuit, a static random access memory (SRAM), or a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) may include performing a substrate processing process that forms a thin film, for example, an oxide film, a nitride film, or the like, on a substrate.

Method of manufacturing semiconductor device, method of processing substrate, substrate processing apparatus, and recording medium


A coated article includes a substrate and a superhydrophobic coating on the substrate. The superhydrophobic coating is a composite of a silicone polymer and particles that are inherently hydrophobic or surface-functionalized with a hydrophobic agent.

This disclosure relates to anti-icing or icephobic coatings for reducing ice and water formation or accumulation on a surface.
Surfaces of aircraft, power generation (e.g. wind turbines and land-based gas turbines), and architectural components may collect moisture that can freeze and debit the performance of the component. The component may include an anti-icing or icephobic coating to reduce ice accumulation by reducing adhesion between the ice and the coating. In operation of the component, sheer loads from drag, wind, or other forces exceed the adhesive strength and shed the accumulated ice.


A machine readable medium and a method are disclosed that determine whether a pattern of manufactured or simulated features violates a feature relating tolerance and determines acceptability of the pattern. Allowable tolerance may include feature relating tolerances and material conditions. Manufactured centers are drawn relative to a one true position. A circle drawn through or outside the manufactured centers is used to determine if there is feature relating tolerance violation. Material condition may also be used.

The present invention generally relates to the production of articles of manufacture in a computer simulation or in the real world, and more particularly, to a method for accurately evaluating pattern compliance for a simulated or manufactured article.
American, Canadian, German, and International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards define methods for specifying multiple levels of pattern and feature related tolerances often referred to as composite positional tolerances. Composite positional tolerances include a pattern locating tolerance and a feature relating tolerance. A pattern locating tolerance is a tolerance that relates a collection of manufactured features on an object relative individually to the specified datums of the designed pattern. A feature relating tolerance can include a tolerance relating to the size of a feature, the positions of a set of features relative to each other, and the rotation of a pattern of features relative to a specified origin.
Another specification may include maximum material condition (MMC) and least material condition (LMC). MMC may be defined as the condition in which a feature of size contains the maximum amount of material within the stated limits of size, for example, minimum hole diameter or maximum shaft diameter. LMC may be defined as the condition in which a feature of size contains the least amount of material within the stated limits of size, for example, maximum hole diameter, or minimum shaft diameter. An allowable tolerance may be specified as the combination of the pattern-locating and feature related tolerances and a material condition.
Presently, the manufacturing industry does not have an efficient or effective way of determining whether or not the feature relating requirements are achieved. Inspection of manufactured articles and analyzing the resulting data are not currently evaluated in an automated and correct manner to determine whether or not combined manufactured features such as hole size and location are acceptable to the applied feature relating tolerances. For example, evaluating manufactured hole size, form, orientation, and location are all completed separately, and confidence in the accuracy of each evaluation is low.
Referring to FIG. 1, one method for documenting inspection data consists of paper gaging, where information is recorded on paper. Measurements are taken, and hole positions 92 are plotted on a grid 94 at an enlarged scale using a true position 96 as the origin. Concentric circles 90 representing tolerance zone diameters are then overlain to determine compliance with the pattern locating tolerance. This method does not consider variation in feature size easily, and does nothing to examine compliance with the feature relating tolerance.
As can be seen, there is a need for accurately determining inspection data. Also, there is a need for determining inspection data in a timely manner, with perhaps, using only a single iteration. Moreover, there is a need for quickly analyzing inspection data in a step of the manufacturing process so that the results of the analysis can be used in subsequent processes.
Variation effects within a pattern of features may also be determined when performing a variation analysis of a design prior to manufacturing that design. The variation analysis software performs hundreds or thousands of simulated build cycles, and in each cycle, varies all of the parameters randomly. Assembly variation analysis that utilizes feature patterns, such as holes, for assembly is currently reliant on approximations and iterations for the assembly of parts. Such a process may introduce error, is inefficient, and requires advanced software skills for completion.
In addition to the need for assessing produced parts, there is a need to accurately determine the variation effects on patterns of features during variation analysis.

Machine readable medium and method for determining feature-relating tolerance consumed


Dried foods infused with inulin are provided, especially whole fruit pieces. Such products are characterized as food pieces having a water activity ranging from about 0.15 to 0.5. The foods can comprise about 1% to 30% inulin. The inulin has a D.P ranging from about 2–9. The products are shelf stable and provide high levels of fiber. The inulin bearing dried products can be added to other foods such as Ready-to-eat cereals base to provide high fiber blended products without need to altering the characteristics of the cereal base or its method of manufacture. Methods of preparing dried inulin infused fruit products are described comprising the steps of providing a quantity of un-comminuted food pieces having a moisture content ranging from about 40% to about 95%; infusing the food pieces with an inulin wherein the inulin has a degree of polymerization ranging from about 2–9 to form an at least partially inulin infused food piece; and drying the inulin infused food piece to a finish water activity ranging from about 0.4 to 0.55.

The present invention relates to food products and to methods of their preparation. More particularly, the present invention relates to dried foods infused with inulin especially fruit and to their methods of preparation.
The present invention provides further improvements into dried infused foods especially fruits.
Drying wet foods such as fruits vegetables and meats for preservation has been practiced from ancient times. In modern technical terms, such products are dried to water activity values ("Aw") such s below 0.5 in order to provide dried fruits that are shelf stable at room temperatures. Dried fruits are commonly added to dry packaged food products such as dry mixes for layer cakes, muffins or pancakes, to trail mixes comprising mixtures of nuts, cereal pieces, to granola or cereal bars, and especially to Ready-To-Eat ("RTE") cereal products such as corn or wheat flakes. Bran flakes with raisins are well known.
However, such packaged food products are typically dry products having very low water activity values. RTE cereals, for example, often have water activity values of 0.2 or lower. It is a well known problem that moisture equilibration over time in dry packaged food products with added dried fruits dried to only a 0.5 water activity level can involve moisture transfer from the less dry fruit to the more dry food products. This moisture migration tends to further dry and thereby toughen the fruit, even those that are sugar infused. Also, the moisture increase in the packaged food can lead to its loss of freshness or crispness. In severe case, mold or other decay can occur.
To overcome such moisture migration problems, dried fruits can be dried more to equivalent moisture activity values. However, drying fruits to very low water levels indicated by low water activity values, e.g., below 0.3, to avoid moisture equilibration with dried cereal generally result in such dried fruits being extremely tough and leathery and thus difficult to consume.
In another approach to drying to low water activity values and/or to moderate the problems of fruit moisture loss and food product moisture gain, dried fruits have been infused with sugars and to provide sugar infused dried fruits.
Of coarse, infusing sugars such as honey into fruits, e.g., dates, prior to drying has been practiced from ancient times to lower the water activity while providing dried fruit products that are softer in texture. More recently, refined sugars such as sucrose, fructose and dextrose or corn syrups have been used to infuse dried fruits. (See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,542,033 "Sugar and Acid Infused Fruit Products and Processes Therefor" issued Sep. 17, 1985 to Agarwala)
In variations dried infused fruit products has often involved fortifying the infusion solution with a humectant such as a polyhydric alcohol, usually glycerol, to improve the texture properties of such infused dried fruits.
While sugar and/or glycerin infused dried fruit products are well known and commonly added to dried food products such as RTE cereals, such products are not without longstanding problems. For example, some consumers find such sugar infused fruits excessively sweet. Also, many consumers are sensitive to the taste of glycerol and complain of bitterness at higher glycerin levels.
Infusion methods generally involve steeping the fruit in concentrated infusion solutions over time often at elevated or boiling conditions and thereafter drying the infused fruits. Much effort has been directed at decreasing the infusion or drying times, minimizing the waste or degradation of the spent infusion solution, the overall complexity and cost of drying and infusion operations as well as improving the texture or eating qualities of the infused fruit.
While fresh and dried fruit products provide high levels of nutrition and consumers are often recommended to increase their consumption of fresh fruit, neither fresh fruits nor dried fruits are excellent sources of fiber.
Thus, there is a continuing need for new and improved infused dried food products especially fruit that can be dried to water activity levels compatible with dry packaged food items that are not excessively tough, sweet nor burdened with the taste of conventional humectants as well as their methods of preparation.
Thus, there is a continuing need for new and improved products that provide high levels of nutritionally desirable fiber and that provide desirable eating qualities.
Surprisingly, the present invention provides improvements in the provision of infused dried food products such as fruits by selecting inulin of a particular molecular weight, an oligosacharide, for infusion into fruits and drying to desired moisture levels. More surprisingly, such inulin infused dried food products are characterized by increased levels of fiber of a remarkable palatability. Such inulin infused dried fruits find particular suitability for use for addition to low water activity dry packaged food products such as RTE cereals. Also, methods for preparing such inulin infused dried fruit products are commercially practical and can employ commonly available apparatus and techniques.
More surprisingly, combining inulin infused dry fruit provides a convenient technique for increasing the fiber level of common food products that consumers expect to comprise dried fruits especially Ready-to-eat cereals.
Formulating ready to eat cereal products with inulin as well as topical application of inulin to a cereal coating is know (See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,149,965 "Cereal Products With Inulin And Methods Of Preparation" issued Nov. 21, 2000 to Larson). However, such fortification is not without difficulties. Addition of inulin to a cooked cereal dough from which dried ready-to-eat cereal products are fabricated can result in a cereal dough that is sticky and difficult to process in commercial cereal product manufacturing. Topical addition of inulin to RTE cereal products can result is a coated cereal that is hygroscopic. Surprisingly, providing inulin infused dried fruit provides a convenient technique for providing high levels of fiber in an RTE cereal that minimizes the dough handling and hygroscopic problems of inulin addition to RTE cereals. The properties of the non or limited inulin bearing cereal base can remain unchanged. Also, by adding the inulin as part of a blended component to cereal base rather than in the cereal base, the manufacturing problems associated with handling a high inulin level cooked cereal dough can be minimized.

Inulin infused fruit and method of preparation


A recording apparatus includes a transportation section of a recording medium; a winding section of the recording medium; and a control section that controls transportation of the recording medium by controlling the transportation section and the winding section. The control section switches a threshold of a torque limit of the winding section when winding the recording medium at the winding section by synchronizing with an operation of the transportation section. According to the recording apparatus having such a configuration, an occurrence of defects is suppressed when winding the recording medium.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus and a winding method.
2. Related Art
In the related art, a recording apparatus including a winding section that winds a recording medium on which recording is performed by a recording section is used. For example, a recording apparatus that includes a movable tension roller which applies tension to the recorded recording medium and can correct a winding speed depending on a position of the tension roller is disclosed in JP-A-2006-151651.
In some cases, when winding the recording medium, it is possible to suppress occurrence of defects when winding the recording medium by applying tension to the recording medium and winding the recording medium.
However, when using the movable tension roller disclosed in JP-A-2006-151651, in some cases, it is difficult to apply a desired tension to the recording medium (it is difficult to maintain a state in which a desired tension is applied) by moving the tension roller. If a desired tension is not applied to the recording medium, wrinkles, winding deviation, or sagging occurs in the wound recording medium, or banding (band irregularities) and the like may occur in a recorded image. Thus, it is preferable that the tension be applied to the recording medium without using the movable tension roller, the recording medium be wound, and an occurrence of defects be suppressed by applying a desired tension to the recording medium when winding the recording medium.


Telematics-based device troubleshooting, self-repair, and optimization are provided. A system, method, and computer readable storage device collect telemetry data associated with the health of networked CPE devices, service provider data, and service and repair data associated with CPE devices, analyze the collected information, and detect and predict issues that can affect the functioning and operation of CPE devices. Analysis of collected data can be based on self-check rules. In some implementations, troubleshooting steps or rules can be executed by a server device or communicated to a CPE device for enabling self-troubleshooting and self-correction of an issue. Self-check and troubleshooting rules can be configured according to insights derived from machine learning techniques applied to collected data (e.g., telemetry data, service provider data, and service and repair data (troubleshooting and repair feedback data collected in association with customer calls, field technician visits, and self-healing checks and actions performed on/by CPE devices)).

Users of customer premises equipment (CPE) devices (e.g., cable or satellite television set-top box (STB), digital subscriber line (DSL) or other broadband Internet router, voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) base station, telephone handset, streaming media player, or other customized hardware used by a particular telecommunications or media service provider) expect their devices to operate reliably. However, users may experience problem issues with their CPE devices due to a wide variety of reasons from hardware or software issues to loose connections. When a CPE device experiences an issue and is not functioning properly, the CPE device can operate inefficiently, can experience downtime, and/or services provided via the CPE device can be interrupted or otherwise negatively affected. As can be appreciated, this can not only negatively impact resource productivity, but can also negatively affect quality of service and customer satisfaction.
Further, typically when a user experiences a problem issue with a CPE device, the user may contact or "call" the provider of the CPE device to resolve the issue. In some cases, a customer service agent, technical support person, or on-call "expert" may take the "call," obtain information from the user about the issue the user is experiencing with the CPE device, and may suggest various troubleshooting instructions to the user. In some cases, when an issue is detected or when a CPE device fails, a dispatch or "truck roll" is required to attempt to repair the device or to replace the device and restore service to the user. Not only can this be frustrating to the user, but the cost of truck rolls and the cost of replacing failed devices be significant expenses for the provider.

Telematics-based network device troubleshooting and repair


Disclosed is a method for customizable schema-guided conversion of plain-text documents, rich-text documents and textual data records to an XML-compatible structured form. The method makes substantial use of element content model definitions from a chosen target XML schema/DTD to optimize, closely guide, and disambiguate element pattern matching and recognition. Highly granular structure can be inferred, in best possible conformance with the schema. One embodiment operates based on a finite state machine derived via recursive aggregation of the schema element content models. Additionally disclosed is a method for automated document structuring within the environment of an XML-enabled wordprocessor application. The method entails using the host's API to perform element pattern search and matching and to apply markup to the document in accordance with the inferred XML structure. A GUI framework integrated in the wordprocessor workspace can be provided for developing and executing document conversion/structuring definitions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present inventions relate to software applications that aim to automate the generation of extensible markup language (XML) structure from plain-text documents, rich-text documents and textual data records, in which software provides for implementing the automated inference of XML structure and application of corresponding XML markup to target documents and textual data records, and for automated conversion of unstructured textual documents to XML.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many businesses migrating to XML-based IT solutions will face the problem of converting large volumes of legacy documents existing in various storage formats to XML. The conversion problem also arises in scenarios where XML is needed by back-end and workflow systems, but document authors are unwilling or unable to use a specialized XML authoring tool and typically prefer to work instead in a generic wordprocessor such as Microsoft Word. Transformation of unstructured content into XML is one of the most challenging tasks in many XML-oriented initiatives. In many multi-channel publishing environments, content conversion to XML is often a requirement. For such environments, there is a need for highly effective, fully customizable conversion of unstructured textual content to XML, without disrupting communication with authors and content contributors who are using ordinary wordprocessor documents.
There are currently a number of converter software packages available, most of them classifiable as RTF-to-XML converters. The basis for this generic classification is the common assumption that various textual document formats, such as Microsoft Word and Corel WordPerfect, can be easily converted to RTF first, with minimal or no loss of fidelity, and then a single, uniform method can be used for parsing the RTF data, analyzing text content and formatting, and producing XML output conforming to some predefined XML schema/DTD. Similarly, some solutions use HTML or a proprietary intermediate format. Known software converter packages include XDocs from CambridgeDocs (Charlestown, Mass.), VorteXML from Datawatch Corporation (Lowell, Mass.), ContentMaster from Itemfield (Israel), Logictran RTF Converter (Minnetonka, Minn.), X-ICE by Turnkey Systems (Sydney, Australia), upCast by Infinity Loop (Germany), YAWC (Ireland) and Omnimark from Stilo (Bristol, United Kingdom). Typically the basis for conversion in prior art systems is mapping styles and custom formatting to XML elements, sometimes using text patterns as well. Some converters provide integration with a standard scripting language or define one of their own so that custom conversion rules and conditions can be expressed, e.g., Omnimark from Stilo (Bristol, United Kingdom). It is worth noting that in most cases mapping of patterns to schema elements is done ad hoc, without relying on some schema-guided conversion model that takes into account the element nesting and validity constraints defined in the target schema. More esoteric or special-purpose conversion applications are known that employ statistical analysis (Bayesian probability), vector machines, or neural networks as a basis for more "intelligent" structure inference.
Conversion quality largely depends on the structural consistency of input documents, the availability and consistency of formatting, the sophistication of the conversion tool and the extent to which it is properly configured and optimized for processing of specific document types. The performance of prior solutions rarely has been satisfactory in practice. After the initial 'batch' processing, an operator or a content specialist usually needs to review the resulting XML document(s), manually fix structure inference errors and create any missing desired structure. Doing this typically involves using a specialized XML editing tool, which is independent from and not conveniently integrated with the conversion tool used in the first place. If it is found that poor conversion results are due to inconsistent or unexpected formatting or order of elements in the source unstructured document, either the document has to be modified to match the conversion rules and patterns or the latter have to be modified to account for the variability, and eventually the whole conversion-review-correction process has to be repeated. Even in a fully automated conversion process, human intervention is often unavoidable if semantically and structurally valid documents are the objective.
A need exists for the provision of quality support for conversion of unstructured documents to an XML-compatible structured form. To this end, it would be desirable to facilitate the entire conversion process (document analysis, definition of conversion rules and patterns, invocation of automatic parsing and markup generation, and subsequent review, correction and completion of results) within the GUI workspace of an XML-enabled generic wordprocessor such as Microsoft Word, which can be more efficient and convenient than the use of traditional RTF-to-XML converters in combination with standalone RTF viewers and XML editors. Further it would be desirable to provide an integrated set of GUI tools for streamlined review of the conversion results and automatic identification of omissions and potential 'trouble spots' in the document. Another significant advantage of having document conversion functionality built within an XML-enabled wordprocessor over other conversion frameworks would be that all the original formatting and layout of the source document could be preserved, eliminating the need for manual re-formatting after XML markup is applied.
Two related additional problems associated with traditional converters are that 1) they ignore and subsequently lose significant formatting information and structural clues from the source document that are not explicitly recognized and/or somehow incorporated into the output XML data and 2) they separate (branch) the resultant XML document from the source unstructured document. These deficiencies are a consequence of the basic fact that existing conversion solutions build or convert to a new XML document from scratch and create element markup for source content ranges of only recognized formatting, while pure XML has no provisions for expressing formatting information. Therefore, ranges with unrecognized formatting get reduced to plain text in the output.
In a variety of initiatives involving streamlining of document-centric enterprise business processes, conversion to XML is not an end in itself. Rather, it should be viewed only a means to enable automated processing of documents and execution of business logic based on the data contained in them, while humans continue to consume and update the content of their documents, desirably just the way they did this before introduction of XML in the process. The recent availability of XML-enabled generic wordprocessor applications (Microsoft Word 2003+, HyperVision's WorX for Word plug-in in conjunction with Word 2000+, Corel WordPerfect) creates the novel possibility for automatic application of XML-compatible markup to textual documents while maintaining the documents' rich-text content intact and avoiding versioning and content synchronization problems by essentially keeping the generated XML markup with the source data (and not having any other copies of the data at all). XML-aware domain-specific business applications could be built to operate on thus structured documents involved in a continuous business process, without burdening users with the complexity of a specialized XML authoring tool. Preservation of the original layout (e.g., white space, pagination, line numbering and the like) is often desirable and advantageous as a crucial requirement for many document types, especially the legal documents. Such applications may also need the ability to have XML structure/markup applied to select document ranges only, not to the entire document at once. For example, blocks of unstructured data, such as customer addresses or standard contract clauses, may need to be imported from outside and then automatically structured in accordance with the XML schema associated with the document. In summary, providing all such automated XML structuring capabilities and benefits in the context of XML-enabled wordprocessor applications is among the objects of the present invention.

Method and system for automated structuring of textual documents


A method and a gateway system for enabling adaptive power management. The gateway system is powered by a rechargeable battery that is coupled with a solar power source. A location reading indicating a location of the gateway system is transmitted at a first time. A solar profile is received from a management server. The solar profile indicates a measure of power expected to be generated at the location during an interval of time that occurs after the first time by the solar power source. The gateway system determines based on a current battery level of the rechargeable battery and the solar profile an optimal power usage plan for the gateway system and operates according to the optimal power usage plan during the interval of time.

Battery-powered systems must commonly trade off system performance and battery power management. Most systems alternate operation between a low-battery mode or a regular-battery mode. A battery power level threshold is predetermined and if the battery level of the system is measured to be below the predetermined threshold, the system enters a low-power state, in which performance is sacrificed to maintain sufficient battery levels. Alternatively, when the battery level of the system is measured to be above the predetermined threshold, then the system operates in a performant manner. The predetermined threshold is typically set statically and in a conservative manner particularly when it is uncertain when battery power of the system may be replenished by an external power source.
Solar panels can be used to extend the operating life of battery-powered systems by replenishing the charge of the battery. Several power management techniques change the performance characteristics of a system depending on which energy source (specifically, battery vs. solar) is primarily used, exist.
Even though solar panels are currently used to extend the operating time of existing battery-powered systems, such systems still rely on a double power mode of operations that is dependent on the type of power source that is used to power the system (i.e., low power mode when the only source of power is the solar power source, and a normal/performant power mode when there is a different power source).

Adaptive power management in a battery powered system based on expected solar energy levels


An approach for assigning definitions to media network channels is described. A demand for program content of a media network channel associated with a first definition relating to resolution of the program content is determined. A second definition is assigned to the media network channel for the program content in response to the demand, wherein the second definition relates to the resolution of the program content and is higher in resolution than the first definition.

Service providers are continually challenged to deliver value and convenience to consumers by providing compelling network services and advancing the underlying technologies. One area of interest has been the development of services and technologies relating to presentation of media content. For example, in recent years, high-definition (HD) devices (e.g., HD televisions (HDTV), HD radio receivers, etc.) have enabled presentation of higher quality media content (e.g., HD media content), as compared with standard-definition (SD) devices. To meet consumer demands for higher quality content, service providers must allocate enough bandwidth for each media network channel designated to offer HD content to users. However, because HD channels require substantially more bandwidth than SD channels, a service provider that provides HD content must typically sacrifice several SD channels for every HD channel offered. As such, due to limited bandwidth and consumer demand for an abundance of media channels, service providers generally only provide a limited number of channels with HD content.
Therefore, there is a need for an effective approach for assigning definitions to media network channels.

Method and system for assigning definitions to media network channels


Described herein is an aircraft. The aircraft comprises a body. The aircraft also comprises a wing coupled to and extending from the body. The wing comprises a wing inboard end portion, a wing outboard end portion, opposite the wing inboard end portion, and an intermediate portion between the wing inboard end portion and the wing outboard end portion. The aircraft further comprises a strut. The strut comprises a strut inboard end portion coupled to and extending from the body and a strut outboard end portion coupled to and extending from the intermediate portion of the wing. The aircraft additionally comprises at least one aerodynamic control surface movably coupled to the strut.

Some aircraft employ struts or trusses to brace and stiffen wings. Such struts create a channel between the struts and the wings. Under certain operating conditions, shockwaves can form within the channel between the struts and wings. At transonic speeds, shockwaves generally cause an increase in the interference drag acting on the wings and struts. Higher interference drag can lead to a lower flight efficiency of an aircraft. Additionally, shockwaves within the channel between the struts and wings may cause buffeting of the wings and/or struts. Reducing interference drag and buffeting conditions, by reducing the occurrence and/or intensity of shockwaves within the channel between the struts and wings can be difficult.


A latch for removably securing one of a plurality of different accessories to an automobile is described. The latch includes a mounting structure which is permanently installed on the vehicle in a manner which assures that the static and dynamic loading expected by reason of the differing accessories are supported by the vehicle. The latch also provides electrical feed-through for accessories that might need the same, and remote and/or locking securance.

This invention relates generally to mounting accessories on the exterior of road and off-road terrain vehicles, such as automobiles, and specifically to an accessory latching arrangement and method of latching that utilizes an accessory mounting structure which is permanently secured to a road or off-road terrain vehicle. (The term "road" vehicle as used hereinafter is meant to include off-road terrain vehicles, but not aircraft or water vessels.)
It is common to mount exterior accessories to an automobile or other road vehicle. There are several problems that are associated with such mounting. For one there often is a requirement that there be an electrical pass-through from the vehicle to the accessory. Accessories such as exteriorly mounted driving lights, emergency lighting systems, antennas and vehicle telecommunication or transponder systems typically do require such pass-through.
Another problem is that the static and dynamic loading expected by reason of a road vehicle accessory will be transmitted to the vehicle for support. This extra loading will be due to the weight and expected interaction of the accessory itself with air at the speed of operation, and the same factors with respect to the load. The accessory must be so mounted to the road vehicle that the necessary vehicular support will be provided for both it and its expected load.
By reason of these and other problems those in the art typically have focused on providing the necessary securance and feed-through with the particular requirements of a specific accessory in mind. For example, roof racks for skis, bicycles, luggage cases or other loads to be secured on a road vehicle are often designed to be secured to aspects of the vehicle, such as rain gutters, openable doors, trunk lids, etc., which will provide the necessary structural support and rigidity. While some roof racks are only secured to a vehicle exterior body panel or "skin", racks of this nature often are limited in capacity or are only decorative.
The permanent securance of an accessory to the exterior of a road vehicle often has undesirable consequences. For example, many emergency vehicles, e.g., law enforcement vehicles, are sold for general use after it is believed their useful life as emergency vehicles is finished. In general, however, an emergency vehicle of this type requires one or more externally mounted accessories, such as warning lights, etc. Various steps have been taken to permit these accessories to be removed from the emergency vehicle without visible damage, to enable the same to be converted to general usage. For example, reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 4,934,752 which describes an emergency vehicle accessory mounting arrangement relying on piercing a vehicular roof in a manner that a sun roof can be used to replace the warning equipment accessory when the vehicle is converted to general use. One other consequence is that when a permanently mounted emergency vehicle warning accessory is provided, the entire vehicle must be taken out of service when the warning accessory needs to be repaired. U.S. Pat. No. 3,863,999 discusses this problem and teaches as a solution, the provision of a warning device which is removable from the vehicle for repair and/or replacement.

Mechanical and/or electro-mechanical interconnect system for vehicle load carrying components/accessories


The invention provides a process of removing or preventing biofouling, particularly on surfaces of industrial and agricultural equipment in contact with aqueous liquids. The process employs an antifouling composition of stabilized active halogen having a low pH.

Elemental chlorine and bromine are effective biocides. However, their low solubility (less than 1 and 4 wt %, respectively), and increasing safety requirements as well, limit their use as a biocide in industrial applications. Aqueous solutions of active chlorine are widely used in bleaching processes, treatment of swimming pool water and as disinfectant. It is well known that upon addition to water, active oxidizer species of halogen comprise HOX, and XO− (where X stands for Cl or Br). The aqueous halogen solutions are susceptible to decomposition during storage and prior to use, losing their beneficial properties. An aqueous halogen solution is unstable and emits very pungent fumes. Mixtures of aqueous halogen solutions with stabilizers have been used, usually strongly alkaline, the stabilizers usually comprising sulfamate. EP 0570044 describes a stable solution of elemental bromine and urea in water for disinfection, bleaching, and etching.
Biofouling is an undesired accumulation of organisms or their products, or products of their decomposition in liquid volumes or on wet surfaces; particularly, biofouling comprises microorganisms, such as bacteria, fungi, algae, etc. Biofouling is found in almost all circumstances where water based liquids are in contact with other materials. Biofouling is controlled by a variety of methods, including coating the endangered surfaces, or applying biocides in their vicinity. It is an object of this invention to provide a simple, cheap, antifouling method.
It is another object of this invention to provide an antifouling method without using caustic alkali materials.
It is another object of this invention to provide an antifouling method utilizing concentrated compositions which can be easily and safely manipulated and diluted for use, and which are stable on prolonged storage.
It is still another object of this invention to provide an antifouling method utilizing active halogen compositions which are stable on prolonged storage and efficient when used as biocide.
It is a still other object of the invention to provide an efficient biocide for the treatment of water with high TOC content.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an efficient biocide for reducing or preventing bio-contaminations in aqueous liquids or on surfaces in contact with aqueous liquids, utilizing stable aqueous solutions comprising a mixture of active halogen and urea or its derivatives.
Other objects and advantages of present invention will appear as description proceeds.

Stabilized and activated bromine solutions as a biocide and as an antifouling agent


A roof assembly includes a frame having primary beams, secondary beams mounted transversely on the primary beams, and a ceiling grid suspended from the secondary beams. A method of assembling the roof assembly includes assembling the primary beams over the ceiling grid and connecting the secondary beams to the primary beams. The assembly is assembled on the ground and lifted to a fully installed position using a transportable lift.

The present invention relates to roof assemblies and a method of installing a roof assembly to form the roof of a building such as a factory or commercial building.
Normally a building is constructed by installing the foundations and floors, constructing a framework for the walls and roof, and then installing the elements which make up the walls, ceiling and roofing, The plumbing and wiring are usually installed once the shell of the building has been constructed.
Typically, the roof of a building in particular is constructed in situ, that is, above the ground. Constructing anything above ground level adds to the cost of construction.
Where buildings have been required in locations having high construction costs, they have been fabricated in modules that have been transported to the site and assembled in situ thereby considerably reducing the cost of labour required at the site. However, to be transportable such modular buildings have lacked aesthetic appeal and when the high cost of transport is taken into account, have not been competitive in situations where construction labour is readily available.
Because the roof of a building is largely assembled above the ground it usually represents a disproportionately high component of the total cost of construction. There is therefore a considerable economic advantage to be obtained by assembling a roof on the ground and lifting it into position as a unitary structure.
Patent application Ser. No. 22914/77 describes a prefabricated roof structure having an underlying peripheral support to provide rigidity so that the structure can be raised as a unit. The prefabricated structure described includes roof trusses, fasica, guttering and rafters. The structure is supported at a level slightly above the ground while tiling or roof sheeting is applied to the frame. The structure is then raised so that the ceiling and soffits can be readily fitted from ground level. The roof structure may be raised by hydraulic or mechanical jacks or cranes according to circumstances.
The proposal described in patent application Ser. No. 22914/77 suffers from a number of disadvantages. Firstly the roof is so designed that it is necessary to add a peripheral support to provide rigidity. The additional materials and time required to construct the support add to the cost of the structure. Secondly the multi-lift assembly of the structure, adds to the cost and increases the risk of accidents arising especially while the ceiling is being installed. An objective of the present invention is therefore to reduce the cost of constructing and installing building roofs and overcome the problems associated with previous proposals.


A head section includes: a light projecting part for projecting incident light as structured illumination of a predetermined projection pattern; the image capturing part for acquiring reflected light that is projected by the light projecting part and reflected on an inspection target, to capture a plurality of pattern projected images; a distance image generating part capable of generating a distance image based on the plurality of pattern projected images captured in the image capturing part; a head-side storage part for holding the distance image generated in the distance image generating part; and a head-side communication part for transmitting the distance image held in the storage part to the controller section. The controller section includes: a controller-side communication part for communicating with the head-side communication part; and an inspection executing part for executing predetermined inspection processing on the distance image received in the controller-side communication part.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a three-dimensional image processing apparatus, a three-dimensional image processing method, a three-dimensional image processing program, a computer-readable recording medium, and a recording device.
2. Description of Related Art
In a large number of production sites such as factories, there have been introduced image processing apparatuses that realize automatic and fast performance of inspections, which have relied on viewing of humans. The image processing apparatus captures an image of a workpiece that comes flowing through a production line such as a belt conveyor by use of a camera, and executes measurement processing such as edge detection and area calculation for a predetermined region by use of the obtained image data. Then, based on a processing result of the measurement processing, the apparatus performs inspections such as detection of a crack on the workpiece and positional detection of alignment marks, and outputs determination signals for determining the presence or absence of a crack on the workpiece and positional displacement. In such a manner, the image processing apparatus may be used as one of FA (Factory Automation) sensors.
An image which is taken as a measurement processing target by the image processing apparatus that is used as the FA sensor is principally a brightness image not including height information. For this reason, speaking of the foregoing detection of a crack on the workpiece, the apparatus is good at stably detecting a two-dimensional shape of a cracked portion, but having difficulties in stably detecting a three-dimensional shape of, for example, a depression of a flaw which is not apt to appear in a brightness image. For example, it is thought that a type or a direction of illumination that illuminates the workpiece during the inspection is devised and a shade caused by a depression of a flaw is detected to indirectly detect a three-dimensional shape, but a clear shade is not necessarily always detected in the brightness image. In order to prevent an erroneous determination which is to erroneously detect a defective product as a non-defective product at the time of an unclear shade being detected, for example, if a determination threshold is biased to the safe side, the apparatus might determine a large number of non-defective products as defective products, to cause deterioration in production yield.
Accordingly, there is considered a visual inspection which uses not only a brightness image that takes, as a pixel value, a shade value in accordance with a light reception amount of the camera but also a distance image that takes, as a pixel value, a shade value in accordance with a distance from the camera to the workpiece to two-dimensionally express a height (e.g. see Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 2012-21909).
An example of the three-dimensional image processing apparatus is shown in a schematic view of FIG. 160. This three-dimensional image processing apparatus is configured of a head section provided with an image capturing part such as a light reception element, and a controller section which is connected to the head section and is sent image data captured in the head section, to generate a distance image from the acquired image data.
Here, the principle of triangulation will be described based on FIG. 160. In the head section, an angle α between an optical axis of incident light emitted from a light projecting section 110 and an optical axis of reflected light that is incident on a light receiving section 120 (optical axis of the light receiving section 120) is previously set. Here, when the workpiece is not mounted on a workpiece mounting place, incident light emitted from the light projecting section 110 is reflected by a point O on the workpiece mounting surface and is incident on the light receiving section 120. On the other hand, when the workpiece is mounted on the workpiece mounting place, the incident light emitted from the light projecting section 110 is reflected by a point A on the surface of the workpiece and is incident as reflected light on the light receiving section 120. Then, a distance d in an X-direction between the point O and the point A is measured, and based on this distance d, a height h of the point A on the surface of the workpiece is calculated.
Heights of all points on the surface of the workpiece are calculated applying the foregoing the measurement principle of triangulation, thereby to measure a three-dimensional shape of the workpiece. In a pattern projecting method, in order that all the points on the surface of the workpiece are irradiated with incident light, the incident light is emitted from the light projecting section 110 in accordance with a predetermined structured pattern, reflected light as the light reflected on the surface of the workpiece is received, and based on a plurality of received pattern images, the three-dimensional shape of the workpiece is efficiently measured.
As such a pattern projecting method, there are known a phase shift method, a spatial coding method, a multi-slit method and the like. By the three-dimensional measurement processing performed using the pattern projecting method, a projection pattern is changed to repeat image-capturing a plurality of times in the head section, and the images are transmitted to the controller section. In the controller section, computing is performed based on the pattern projected images transmitted from the head section, and a distance image having height information of the workpiece can be obtained.
Generating such a distance image requires a plurality of pattern projected images. Hence it is necessary that, after capturing of a large number of pattern projected images in the head section, these images be once transferred to the controller section side, and computational processing be performed using the plurality of pattern projected images on the controller section side. However, when a large number of image data are transmitted from the head section to the controller section side, a load of data communication increases. Particularly, improving the accuracy requires high-resolution pattern projected image data and also leads to an increase in number of pieces of pattern projected image data. Moreover, in the case of combining a plurality of methods such as the phase shift method and the spatial coding method for the purpose of improving the accuracy in height information, the number of captured images further increases and an amount of data to be transmitted from the head section to the controller section also increases. This makes the time required for data transfer longer and thus makes real-time processing difficult to perform. Besides, high-speed communication is necessary for making communication of a large amount of data performed in a short period of time, thus causing a problem of severe specification requirements in terms of hardware and cost increase.

Three-dimensional image processing apparatus, three-dimensional image processing method, three-dimensional image processing program, computer-readable recording medium, and recording device


A method and apparatus of interfacing a Hall sensor to a commutation circuit comprises receiving output signals from the Hall sensor; detecting when the Hall sensor output signals are within a predetermined range; generating commutation output signals when the Hall sensor output signals are in a predetermined state for a predetermined period of time; and locking out a change in the commutation output signals for a second predetermined period of time.

It is common to utilize Hall sensors to determine motor rotor position. Unbuffered Hall sensors generate low amplitude signals that are directly proportional to the motor magnetic field. These signals are sinusoidal and typically in a range of 100 millivolts peak-to-peak. The Hall sensors are typically disposed within the motor housing, increasing the likelihood that the output signal will have electrical noise superimposed thereon.
The effect of noise on the smaller signals produced by Hall sensors can result in drive circuitry producing unwanted multiple drive pulses as the sensor output voltage approaches and crosses zero. One result of multiple pulses as the sensor voltage goes through zero is rattling of the motor stator and output switch overstress as the outputs repetitively switch back and forth between phases during commutation.

Motor controller with enhanced noise immunity unbuffered hall sensors


Disclosed is an injection unit having a rotatable device for preventing reverse flow. To connect first flow channels formed in a spacer and second flow channels formed in a screw head when the metering is performed, and prevent reverse flow of resin by cutting off the first flow channels and the second flow channels when the resin is injected, the injection unit has a torsion spring as spring means between a shaft of the screw head and a screw, thereby rapidly preventing movement of the melted resin by restoring force of the spring when the metering of the resin is finished.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an injection unit for injecting resin into a mold, which is manufactured in accordance with the shape of a product to be molded, and more particularly, to an injection unit having a rotatable device for preventing reverse flow, which can open flow channels for passing resin therethrough when the resin is metered and accumulated and cut off the flow channels when the resin is injected into the mold after the accumulation of the resin.
2. Background of the Related Art
In general, an injection unit is intended to inject resin into a mold manufactured in accordance with the shape of a product to be molded. More particularly, the injection unit includes the steps of melting resin pellets of a solid state by mechanical energy obtained by rotation of a screw mounted inside a barrel and thermal energy obtained by a heater mounted on the outer surface of the barrel, injecting melted resin into the mold manufactured in accordance with the shape of the product to be molded, and cooling the injected resin for obtaining the product of a desired shape.
At this time, the screw mounted inside the barrel includes a screw part for transferring and melting the resin pellets of the solid state, and a screw head for preventing a reverse flow of the resin when the melted resin is injected into the mold.
The resin pellets provided through a hopper are feeded into the barrel having the heater therein, and the resin pellets are melted by shearing heat, which is generated while an injection screw connected to a hydraulic motor or an electric motor is rotated, and heat of the heater. After that, the melted resin passes through the screw head of the injection screw and is accumulated on the front end portion of the screw head.
At this time, if the pressure of the melted resin accumulated on the front end portion of the screw head is larger than the back pressure of the screw set previously, the screw is retreated in a hopper direction to which the resin is provided along an axial direction by the pressure of the melted resin, and continuously, the resin is accumulated on the front end portion of the screw head. When the accumulated resin is metered to a fixed amount at the front end portion of the screw head, the screw stops the rotation, advances in the axial direction with pressure and speed complying with molding conditions, and then, pushes the melted resin into the mold.
At this time, when the pushed resin flows backwardly in the hopper direction, as the amount of the pushed resin is shorter than the determined amount, a deviation in the amount of the resin is generated. To solve the above problem, lots of injection units having melted resin reverse flow prevention devices have been disclosed.
FIGS. 1 and 2 show a melted resin reverse flow prevention device of a conventional plastic injection unit.
FIG. 1 is a view of a conventional injection unit having a check ring for preventing reverse flow of melted resin.
In FIG. 1, when an injection screw 3 rotates, the melted resin provided into a barrel 2 moves in a direction of a screw head 7 along a screw thread of the injection screw 3. Therefore, the melted resin flows into a space between a spacer 6 and a check ring 5, and continuously, moves along a path between the check ring 5 and the screw head 7. The melted resin passed between the check ring 5 and the screw head 7 is gradually accumulated onto the front end portion of the barrel 2, and thereby, a pressure is formed by the accumulated resin. By the pressure, the screw 3 fills the front end portion of the barrel 2 with the melted resin of the fixed amount while being retreated, and then, stops. To inject the melted resin, the injection screw 3 advances again to push the melted resin into the mold. At this time, the check ring 5 contacts with the spacer 6 to cut off the flow channel of the melted resin, so that the melted resin is prevented from reverse flow.
However, the check ring 5 has a section where the melted resin moves in the axial direction when the flow channels of the melted resin are cut off, and as a result, it cannot be prevented that the melted resin as much as the volume obtained by multiplying the movement section by the sectional area of the flow channel is flown backwardly. Furthermore, a deviation may be generated in amount of the melted resin as the timing, in which the check ring 5 is interrupted, can be varied by viscosity or temperature of the melted resin.
In FIG. 2, when the conventional injection screw 3 rotates, the melted resin provided into the barrel 2 is gradually accumulated in the front end portion of the barrel 2 after passing a ball valve 8 disposed on a flow channel side of the screw head 7. The injection screw 3 pushes the melted resin of the fixed amount into the mold after retreating to a predetermined distance by the pressure of the accumulated resin.
However, in this case, the melted resin as much as the volume obtained by multiplying the retreated section by the path is flown backwardly, and thereby, a deviation is generated in supply of the melted resin of the fixed amount. Moreover, a deviation may be generated in amount of the melted resin as the timing, in which the flow channel of the melted resin is interrupted by the ball valve 8, can be varied by viscosity or temperature of the melted resin.
Meanwhile, U.S. Pat. No. 5,164,207 discloses a plastic extruder with automatic shut-off valve, in which melted resin flow channels are opened by applying power greater than elastic force of a spring to a poppet during metering, and closed by the poppet retreating in an axial direction by restoring force of the spring when the metering is finished.
However, U.S. Pat. No. 5,164,207 has a problem in that it is difficult to inject resin of a fixed amount as the melted resin filling a path where the poppet and the flow channel are joined with each other is moved.
That is, the above prior arts have the same problem in that it is difficult to inject resin of a desired amount as the melted resin pushed out from the injection screw directly before the injection of the melted resin after the metering is flown backwardly according to the axial movement of the valve.
In addition, the prior arts have another problem in that a deviation is generated in quantity of the resin, which must be provided in the fixed amount, as the timing for cutting off the flow channel is varied by the movement of the valve according to the viscosity or temperature of the melted resin, acceleration of the screw during the injection, and so on.
Due to the deviation in quantity of the melted resin, the product manufactured by the prior art cannot be manufactured in a desired weight, and may be manufactured in uneven volume.
Furthermore, the prior arts have a further problem in that additional expenses are required, and in case of need, the screw has to be replaced with a new one as a mixing nozzle or a mixing screw is used additionally when additional agent or coloring agent is mixed with the resin.

Injection unit having rotatable device for preventing reverse flow


Vehicle brake device comprises a master cylinder including a master chamber connected to a wheel cylinder, a drive pressure chamber in which a drive pressure is generated for driving a master piston and a fluid pressure chamber in which a fluid pressure is generated in response to a stroke position of the master piston and an operating characteristics setting device for setting operating characteristics of an electromagnetic valve. The operating characteristics include a relationship of the pressure differential in the fluid conduit between the master cylinder side and the wheel cylinder side with respect to the electromagnetic valve based on the supply amount of the electric power detected by the supplied electric power detecting device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle brake device for controlling braking force applied to a vehicle in response to an amount of a brake depression operated by an operator of the vehicle.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
It has been known that a vehicle brake device that is provided with a master cylinder which supplies wheel brake cylinders with brake fluid, a conduit hydraulically connecting the wheel brake cylinders and the master cylinder and an electromagnetic valve disposed in the conduit for generating a predetermined hydraulic pressure differential between the wheel brake cylinders and the master cylinder. In such conventional vehicle brake device, the electromagnetic valve controls the flow of the brake fluid in response to an electric power supplied thereto. Further, a method for obtaining an operating characteristic (such as, for example, a relationship between the minimum valve opening electric current and the hydraulic pressure differential) of an electromagnetic valve constituting a vehicle brake device is disclosed in, for example, JP2004-237982 A (Patent Document 1). According to this disclosed method, the pressure in the conduit in which an electromagnetic valve is disposed, is detected and measured and the operating characteristics are determined based on the measured value of the pressure.
However, according to the structure of the conventional vehicle brake device, the pressure change in the conduit, in which the electromagnetic valve is disposed, tends to be fluctuated or deviated among the individual valves, at the time the electromagnetic valve is opened. Particularly, the pressure in the conduit at wheel brake cylinder side, relative to the electromagnetic valve, tends to be more deviated than the deviation occurred at the other side, the master cylinder side, due to some wheel cylinder structural reasons. Accordingly, when the operating characteristics of the electromagnetic valve disposed in the conduit between the master cylinder and the wheel cylinders are obtained according to a method disclosed in the above Patent Document 1, the setting of the operating characteristics may be affected by such pressure deviation or deviation and it is not easy to accurately determine the operating characteristics.


A method of distributing messages from a server system to a plurality of client systems comprises defining a quality of service (QoS) level for messages provided by the messaging system to the client system, defining a message processing capacity provided by a client to the messaging system, and degrading the QoS level of messages in the event that the client system does not provide the defined message processing capacity to the messaging system.

The present invention relates generally to client/server messaging systems and more, particularly to the responsibilities of clients in such messaging systems.
Asynchronous transfer of messages between application programs running on different data processing systems within a network is well known in the art, and is implemented by a number of commercially available messaging systems. These systems include IBM® WebSphere® MQ family of messaging products, which use asynchronous messaging via queues (IBM and WebSphere are registered trademarks of IBM Corporation within the United States, other countries or both). A sender application program issues a command to send (put) a message to a target queue, and a Websphere MQ queue manager handles the complexities of transferring the message from the sender to the target queue, which may be remotely located across a heterogeneous computer network. The target queue is a local input queue for another application program, which retrieves (gets) the message from this input queue by issuing a command asynchronously from the send operation. The receiver application program then performs it processing on the message, and may generate further messages.
Messaging products such as Websphere MQ provide for assured once and once-only delivery of persistent messages even in the event of system or communications failures. This is achieved by not finally deleting a message from storage on a sender system until it is confirmed as safely stored by a receiver system, and by the use of sophisticated recovery facilities.
Publish/subscribe (pub/sub) data processing systems have become popular in recent years as a way of distributing data messages. Publishers are typically not concerned with the mechanics of the message distribution, and client subscribers are typically not interested in where the messages they receive have come from. Instead, a message broker typically assures the integrity of the message source, and manages the distribution of the message according to the valid subscriptions registered in the broker.
Publishers and clients may also interact with a network of brokers, each one of which propagates subscriptions and forwards publications to other brokers within the network.
One such pub/sub broker is the IBM WebSphere Business Integration Message Broker. In operation the broker connects to a number of publishers each of which publishes messages to the broker on particular topics (e.g. news, weather, sport). Subscribers connected to the broker register their interest in such topics via subscription requests sent to the broker. The subscribers may be systems that are semi-permanently connected to the broker (e.g. via the Internet) or may be devices that connect less frequently to retrieve messages. Examples of the latter type of the device include PDAs (which may connect using IBM WebSphere Everyplace) or mobile phones. For example, one subscriber may request to receive any information published on the weather, whilst another subscriber may desire information on news and sport.
When the broker receives a message on a particular topic from a publisher, the broker determines from its list of subscriptions to whom that message should be sent; and places the message on a queue associated with each listed client subscriber. The messages are kept by the broker until such time as the subscriber connects to the broker. The messages are then transmitted to the subscriber.
The storage provided by the broker for the message queues will have finite capacity and therefore the broker relies on the subscribers to regularly connect to the broker to receive messages. Subscribers that are delinquent in allowing a build up of messages at the broker can cause a degradation in broker performance for well behaved subscribers. It would be desirable to provide a messaging system that addresses the problem of delinquent client systems.

Client responsibilities in messaging systems

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


A computer implemented method for updating and distributing data objects among multiple client applications is described. The method includes receiving object data for an object from a first application instance of an application engine, wherein the object data reflects a change to a state of the object based on action of the first application instance, updating a data structure for the object in a based on the received object data, determining whether a transformation policy is applicable to the object and, if so, modifying data associated with the object according to the transformation policy, identifying application instances that should receive updated object data for the object based on stored information identifying clients that have agreed to share updated object data and based on stored information identifying types of updates that clients are to receive, and communicating updated object data to the application instances that should receive updated object data according to stored preferences associated with each of the application instances.

In a computer data center, e.g., a cloud service, a suite of business applications may be provided for functions such as accounting, sales management and customer management. These applications may employ common information, such as customer names, which may be required to be entered into each application via a repetitive process. In conventional systems, when information is changed in one application, it is not seamlessly updated in other applications. Traditional enterprise ecosystems attempt to address this problem by enabling point-to-point integration and sharing of events between business applications via an archiving application and through specially developed connections between the archiving application and the business applications. The present inventors have observed that such approaches can be inefficient and can lead to inconsistencies in the data over time.

Systems and methods for event driven object management and distribution among multiple client applications


The present disclosure relates to a thermosetting resin composition for a semiconductor package including a modified phenylene ether oligomer or a modified poly(phenylene ether) having ethylenically unsaturated groups at both ends thereof; a thermosetting resin; a predetermined elastic (co)polymer; and an inorganic filler, and a prepreg and a metal clad laminate including the same.

Recently, the signal band of an electronic part such as a semiconductor substrate, a printed circuit board, and an epoxy molding compound (EMC) and an information and communication device tends to increase. The transmission loss of electric signals is proportional to dielectric dissipation factor and frequency. Accordingly, a higher frequency increases the transmission loss and brings about attenuation of signals, thereby leading to a reduction in the reliability of signal transmission. Further, the transmission loss is converted into heat, and thus, a problem of heat generation may also be caused. For that reason, there is growing a need for an insulation material having a very low dielectric dissipation factor in a high frequency region.
In addition, as the demand for high integration, high refinement, high performance, and the like in the semiconductor device and PCB fields is currently increased, the condition is gradually changed into a situation in which the integration of semiconductor devices, the high density of printed circuit boards, and the simplicity of wiring interval are simultaneously required. In order to satisfy these characteristics, it is preferred to use a material having a low dielectric constant which allows a transmission rate to be increased and a low dielectric loss characteristics for reducing a transmission loss.
Conventionally, insulating materials have been developed based on polyphenylene ether (PPE) resins, which are thermosetting resins with excellent dielectric properties, but there were problems such as high melt viscosity, difficulty in handling, moldability of prepreg, and low adhesion to metal foil. In addition, a filler such as a porous filler, which is advantageous for low dielectric properties, has been introduced into the polyphenylene ether resin, but the dispersibility of the filler was low, which caused problems in terms of processability and heat resistance, and it was difficult to apply the filler with a high content.

Thermosetting resin composition for semiconductor package, prepreg and metal clad laminate using the same


A hydrogel matrix is provided for a multipupose medical electrode having an electrically conductive backing. The matrix comprises a dispersion of a natural or a synthetic hydrophilic polymer, e.g., polyacrylamide, polyacrylic acid, modified starch, or gum karaya, gum acacia, locust bean gum or the like, water, and a humectant such as triethylene glycol or glycerol. The matrix is a flexible sheet having a tacky lower surface for establishing a bond to provide electrical contact with the skin of a patient. The matrix has a resistivity greater than the resistivity of the electrical conductive backing and includes a gelation inhibitor such as a salt of a weak acid, e.g., Mg(OAc).sub.2 uniformly distributed within the matrix in an amount sufficient to retard gelation of the matrix prior to forming the matrix into a flexible sheet.

External cardiac pacing utilizes relatively high and therefore potentially painful DC current (10-100 mA). This is required to achieve effective stimulation of cardiac muscle located deep within the chest. To deal with these and other problems, various external stimulating electrodes have been previously proposed for medical purposes. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,349,030 describes an electrode used for external cardiac pacing which includes as a skin contacting electrically conducting member a porous sponge formed from cellulose in which is absorbed an electrically conductive fluid. Electrical conductivity of the fluid provides a uniform current density to reduce stimulation of local sensory nerves. For example, a 1/4 inch thick cellulose sponge or a piece of gauze is dampened prior to use with tap water or a weak electrolyte. A fluid-like gel can also be used to saturate the sponge or gauze. In order to be absorbed into the fibrous material the gel must have fluid consistency. The sponge is connected to an electrically conductive metal backing having an insulated wire permanently attached to it. In commercial equipment utilizing the patented structure, a male plug is connected to the free end of the insulated wire. During use, the male plug connects to a female receptor located in the external cardiac pacing device or power supply. Other commercially available external cardiac pacing electrodes used in conjunction with specified external cardiac electrical pacing devices are also manufactured with permanent wiring having a wire for supplying current with a unique male plug at its free end that is adapted to connect to a complementary female receptor located in the external pacing equipment.
These prior electrodes suffer from several important shortcomings. First, they can only be used with specific electrical pacing equipment because the male plugs wired in place permanently will only fit a specific piece of equipment. Second, the construction of the electrode makes it relatively expensive because of its size and bulk. Moreover, the electrolyte applied to the sponge must necessarily be in a fluid state to flow into the pores of the sponge or gauze supporting it. Its fluidity however allows the electrolyte to smear, run or leave residue on the patient's body, as well as drying out on the shelf.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,274,420 describes a monitoring and stimulation electrode. The broad statement is made that the resistivity can be anything less than 10,000 ohms-meter (i.e. less than 1,000,000 ohms-centimeter), but the preferred resistivity is less than 1,000 ohms-meter or 100,000 ohms-centimeter. While the patent does disclose a broad range for the purpose of showing that the resistivity is not unduly restrictive, it does not instruct or direct one to a useful level of resistivity employed in accordance with the present invention. Throughout the patent, it is emphasized that there is an advantage in using low AC resistivity in electrodes, e.g. column 3, lines 20-26; column 4, lines 31-32; and example 20, lines 15-20. This is consistent with teachings elsewhere in the patent which suggest the use of relatively large quantities of strongly ionized electrolytes such as sodium chloride. Thus, although the suggestion is made that the electrode can be used for stimulation purposes, there is no disclosure of how one can achieve a painless heart stimulation using constant current, i.e. DC current.
Other stimulating electrodes used for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) and neuromuscular stimulation (NMS) utilize a conductive adhesive and a conductive rubber backing. TENS typically employs AC electricity at about 10 mAmp current levels. Because of the alternating nature of this current it generally is considered less painful and irritating than comparable DC levels. One design application of these electrodes, NMS, typically employs DC electricity at about 10 mAmp current levels. This is more similar to cardiac pacing than TENS yet operates at much lower current levels and therefore has much less potential for pain generation than cardiac pacing. Ordinary electrodes, however, do not provide optimal results for painless cardiac stimulation, in part because the electrically conductive matrix will allow current to concentrate in areas of lower impedance occurring in the skin surface. This can occur progressively as the patient is stimulated, causing a runaway condition in which the skin of the patient may even break down electrically, allowing a substantial surge of current to flow through a localized area, causing extreme pain to the patient. Moreover, although conventional TENS and NMS electrodes may provide comfortable stimulation in their designed purpose, both of these electrodes are single purpose electrodes unsuited for cardiac pacing applications due to their relatively high conductivity.
______________________________________ Typical Applied Current Levels for Various Stimulation Applications ______________________________________ Transcutaneous Nerve Stimulation 1-10 mA (AC) External Cardiac Pacing 10-60 mA (DC) Neuro-Muscular Stimulation (NMS) 1-40 mA (DC) ______________________________________
In view of these and other deficiencies of the prior art, it is a general object of the invention to provide a multipurpose medical electrode suited for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation, neuromuscular stimulation and for cardiac pacing with a provision for reliably preventing current build-up in localized areas and a runaway condition in which a surge of current passes through a localized area of the skin where electrical resistance is broken down under certain applied current loads. A further object is to provide an electrode wherein the electrically conductive skin-contacting matrix is a stable, semi-solid gel that will not run, smear, migrate or flow out onto the patient's body, requires no porous cellulose structure for support, is substantially homogeneous throughout, has a tacky surface adapted to make excellent electrical contact with the skin and to conform to surface irregularities and to flex with the movement of the body and can be applied as a coating layer onto sheet material.
These and other more detailed and specific objects of the invention will become apparent in view of the following specification and drawings which illustrate by way of example but a few of the various ways in which the present invention can be accomplished within the scope of the appended claims.


A call registering and indicating device located at an elevator entryway issues a ticket to assist an inattentive or diverted passenger on a floor who overlooks the optical indication of the allocated elevator or forgets the noted indication prior to the arrival of an elevator. A printer and a ticket-issuing device are connected by a control circuit with the elevator group control. After the call entry and upon the call allocation, the printer and the ticket-issuing device are actuated and a ticket is issued the imprint of which indicates the selected destination floor and the allocated elevator.

The invention concerns elevator systems in general and, in particular, hall call registering and indicating apparatus located at elevator entryways.
A hall call registering and indicating apparatus having an indicating field with several indicating elements is shown in the European patent document EP-A 0 320 583. A first indicating element signals the selected destination floor in the form of a one-digit or two-digit decimal number and a second indicating element signals the allocated elevator in the shape of a capital letter. Further indicating elements signal a faulty call entry in the shape of a double question mark and the position of the allocated elevator relative to the actuated apparatus in the form of arrows directed to the left or to the right. The indicating elements are activated upon the call entry and call allocation by means of control circuits which are connected with a decade keyboard and with call storage devices connected to the decade keyboard and to a group control circuit. The indicating elements are formed of luminescent diodes which light up upon their activation and extinguish again after approximately two seconds.
Call registering and indicating apparatus of the kind described above are designed for group control equipment for elevators for which no call buttons are provided in the elevator cars. In such a group control circuit, which is shown in the European patent document EP-A 0 356 731, a call identifying the input floor and a call identifying the destination floor are stored for each elevator of the group upon the call entry at the input floor. Each elevator control includes a computer in the form of a microprocessor and a comparison device. Immediately after the registration of a call, the computer computes a sum, also called operating costs, corresponding to the mean waiting time of all passengers from data specific to the elevator. During an immediately following comparison of the operating costs of all elevators, the elevator with the lowest operating costs is ascertained, to which the call concerned is then allocated. As already described above, the allocated elevator is signaled optically for a short time in the indicating field of the actuated call registering and indicating apparatus. Inattentive waiting passengers or waiting passengers, for example, conducting a conversation can in that case overlook the indication or, when the indication was perceived only fleetingly, forget it again. If a different elevator traveling in the same direction is now used by mistake by the passenger, the probability is great that the desired destination floor is not reached. Since the indication must be present for a longer time to reduce the probability of such errors, for example one to two seconds, the performance capability of the call registering and indicating apparatus can be reduced greatly when used by a large number of passengers.

Apparatus for registering and indicating hall calls at an elevator entryway with a ticket dispenser