A catalytic converter for an internal combustion engine exhaust system comprises a single-piece, seamless metal housing having tubulated gas inlet and outlet ports and a tubulated intermediate section with a plurality of cascaded catalytic element therein. The intermediate section is connected to the inlet port by an inlet transition section and to the outlet port by an outlet transition section. The inlet and outlet ports and the inlet and outlet transition sections are formed by swaging the ends of a seamless tube used to form the housing. Exhaust gas produced by operation of the engine passes into the converter and through the catalytic element. Noxious substances in the exhaust, including CO, NOx, and incompletely combusted hydrocarbons are converted to more benign substances through the action of the catalytic element, which is preferably a frangible ceramic honeycomb structure having a plurality of internal passages coated with a catalytically active substance. A swaging process is used to form tubulated ends on the converter. The tabulated ends minimize production of turbulence in the gas flow and allow the converter to be connected to the rest of the exhaust system by clamped, welded, or flanged joints. The one-piece, seamless construction of the converter is economical to produce and eliminates welding of housing components that tend to fail when subjected to corrosive exhaust gasses over a prolonged period of time.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of automotive exhaust components; and more particularly, to a muffler, catalytic converter or the like, that is formed and housed within a seamless enclosure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is widely recognized that the exhaust emissions of internal combustion engines constitute a major source of air pollution throughout the world. The combustion process in these engines inevitably results in the production of certain substances that pass into the exhaust stream and are detrimental to the health and well being of humans and other animal and plant species. The emissions of concern include particulates (soot) along with gases such as CO, SO2, NOx, and imperfectly burned hydrocarbons (HC). These substances are produced in the combustion process, along with the CO2 and H2O that are the products of the complete oxidation of the hydrocarbons comprised in fuel.
The combination of market forces and governmental environmental regulations has spurred research and development of ways to mitigate or eliminate the production of the harmful constituents in engine exhaust. Automakers and suppliers have been challenged to control and reduce vehicle tailpipe emissions by the U.S. Clean Air Act of 1965 and subsequent legislation in the U.S. and other countries. In response to this legislation, virtually every system in the engine has been improved. As a result, modern engines more efficiently convert the latent chemical energy in fuels to useful mechanical work, so that their emissions are markedly reduced.
To date significant efforts have been directed toward the four-stroke Otto engine in passenger automobiles, owing to consumer preferences and government action. Despite progress in emission reduction for these automobile engines, increasingly stringent limits are being imposed. Emission regulations have also extended to other on-road vehicles, such as busses, and trucks, many of which employ diesel engines; to off-road vehicles; and to non-propulsion engines, many of which are two-stroke.
Much of the reduction in noxious emissions is attributable to use of catalytic converters through which exhaust gas streams are directed. The passage of the exhaust across a surface comprising a suitable catalyst promotes further chemical reaction that removes a substantial fraction of the noxious CO, NOx, and HC substances, converting them instead into more benign substances such as CO2, O2, N2, and H2O. Moreover, use of catalytic converters in combination with computer-driven, adaptive control of timing and fuel-air mixture gives an engine designer significant flexibility when optimizing engine-operating parameters to achieve reduced emissions.
Notwithstanding the market pull coming from the significant advantages realized by interposition of catalytic converters in the exhaust stream, there remain substantial impediments to their manufacture. It would be desirable if converters could be manufactured using reliable, efficient and inexpensive construction processes; and maintained durability and functionality over a prolonged service life. However, conventional converters fail to afford these desirable characteristics.
Converter constructions must produce a gas-tight enclosure so that exhaust enters solely at an inlet port and exists exclusively through an outlet port. Failure to achieve a hermetic sealing deleteriously allows leakage of exhaust gas, circumventing the beneficial effect of the catalyst and producing unacceptable noise. In some cases, leakage of exhaust containing combustible gases can lead to engine backfiring and damage to other portions of the engine system. Leakage can also expose vehicle occupants to unhealthy or dangerous levels of CO and other emissions. In addition, leaks have been known to trigger catastrophic vehicle fires.
Understandably, automobile manufacturers are impelled by several factors to minimize or eliminate these catalytic converter failures. The reputation of a manufacturer as a supplier of a high-quality product is degraded by reported failures. In addition, both market forces and current U.S. environmental regulations compel an auto manufacturer to warranty the integrity and efficacy of all aspects of an auto's pollution control system. More specifically, the regulations require that the system function to maintain the auto's emissions within established standards for an extended period of time and mileage. Any failures expose the manufacturer to costly warranty repairs and to the ire of an inconvenienced consumer.
Heretofore, the metal housings used for catalytic converters have mostly fallen into three broad categories of construction: a "pancake" or "clamshell" form, a wrapped form, and a multipiece form, each of which encloses a catalytic substrate bearing catalytically active material.
Typically, the "pancake" or "clamshell" form comprises stamped upper and lower shells, which are substantially identical to each other, and which have mating, peripheral, side flanges that are welded together to lie in a plane containing the longitudinal axis of the housing. They are shaped to form an internal chamber in which the catalytic substrate is mounted by "L-shaped" or other known brackets or pre-formed features provided integrally in the housing component shells.
The wrapped-form housing is made with material that initially is sheet-like and formed so as to generally encircle the catalytic substrate. This form is also known as a "tourniquet wrap," reflecting its construction. The edges of the housing must be joined at a welded seam that runs essentially the full axial length of the converter. The inlet and outlet ports in this construction may either be formed as part of the wrapping operation or, more commonly, may comprise separate components welded to the ends of the housing subsequent to the formation of the sheet material.
Several multipiece housing constructions are known. One form disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,118,476 comprises a tubular middle section in which the catalytic substrate is placed and end bushings attached to each end of the middle section. U.S. Pat. No. 6,001,314 discloses a two-piece housing. Each of the pieces is shaped by deep drawing to provide an open end and a conical outer end tapered to an opening appointed for connection to associated exhaust system pipes. The two pieces are welded together with the catalytic substrate contained within.
Each of these multi-piece constructions must be sealed by welding, either to close a seam in a sheet-like material or to affix appropriate end caps. The welding is needed both to provide the required hermetic sealing of the housing and to secure the catalytic substrate. However, each of these welds is a likely failure mode. Moreover, the OBD2 (on-board diagnostics) standard mandated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for passenger vehicles after 1996 imposes a further need for hermetic integrity in the engine exhaust system. This standard mandates measurement of O2 content before and after the catalytic converter as a required input for the computerized engine control system. Even a pinhole leak in the system between the sensors compromises the accuracy of the comparison in O2 levels which is used for a mass balance determination. The emissions control system fails, negating the ability of the engine control system to adaptively optimize timing and fuel/air mixture to minimize emissions. Such failure of the emissions control system must be corrected under warrantee by the vehicle manufacturer at considerable expense and inconvenience to the consumer.
The environment of a catalytic converter is harsh for a multiplicity of reasons, each of which can potentially cause penetrating corrosion and ultimate failure of the converter housing. For example, a converter used in an on-road vehicle, especially in cold climates, is exposed externally to a spray of road salt and internally to acidic exhaust gases. It is well known in the art that chemical and stress effects combine to make weldments especially likely loci of corrosive attack. Accordingly, a catalytic converter housing that could be formed efficiently and economically into a single piece without welding has long been sought in the automotive art. Such a one-piece catalytic converter housing would overcome serious shortcomings involving the reliability of extant multi-piece and welded housing forms.
The only known technique for producing single-piece housings is spinning. In this process, a catalytic element is placed within a tube and the combined workpieces are rapidly spun about the tube's cylindrical axis while suitable tools are brought into contact with the tube at each of its ends. Sufficient deformation is thus accomplished to form tubular ports of reduced diameter at each end of the tube. Depending on the required reduction, the spinning may be carried out either cold or hot. While the spinning approach does produce a single-piece housing, it also carries substantial drawbacks. The production forming is expensive and energy-intensive to conduct. Moreover, it results in formation of circumferential ridges on both the inside and outside surfaces of the housing in the deformed region. These ridges are both unattractive and present significant disruption of the gas flow inside the muffler, causing turbulence and undesirable back pressure that reduce the engine power available for a given cylinder displacement. The magnitude of diameter reduction achievable by spinning is limited. In addition, substantial work hardening is produced in the metal in the reduced section. As a result, the ductility of the tube in the reduced section, including the port tubulation, is too low to allow the converter to be attached to adjoining exhaust sections by ordinary clamps. Welded or flanged joints must be used instead. The need for welding joints is particularly inconvenient for aftermarket and repair use.
The spinning process is further limited by the size and shape of product that it can produce. Very long shapes are unwieldy to secure and spin at the required rate in available lathes and similar machine tools. Moreover devices produced by spinning must be rotationally symmetric about a cylindrical axis, or the resulting imbalance makes it impossible to spin the device and accomplish the needed forming of the desired shape. In many cases the circuitous path available for the exhaust system would make it highly desirable to have non-symmetric components available, such as a catalytic converter in which the inlet and outlet ports need not be coaxially aligned, but angulated or offset relative to one another. Such configurations cannot be formed by known spinning methods. Furthermore, areas of the housing formed by spinning are work-hardened to an extent that renders subsequent bending and like operations virtually impossible.
As a result of these deficiencies, spinning is not widely used in the manufacture of exhaust components, notwithstanding the eagerness of the market for a viable single-piece, seamless device which spinning might be thought capable of producing.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Automotive exhaust component and method of manufacture


A computer program product and method for calibrating and characterizing a color display perform calibrating and characterizing steps. A light source is operated in order to emit light from one or more light emitters on the light source. A color capture device, e.g., a digital camera, is calibrated and characterized based on the emitted light. Then, color images are displayed on the color display and captured on the color capture device. The color display is calibrated and characterized based on the captured color images. Computer program instructions are recorded on the computer readable medium, and are executable by a processor, for performing the calibrating and characterizing steps. A method for generating a controlled light source includes displaying light source selections to a user and receiving a user light source selection. Selected light emitters produce a light output matching the user light source selection.

Desktop imaging solutions are being increasingly used for both personal photography and to obtain image content for low-budget printed documents in small businesses. The typical desktop imaging environment consists of a digital camera, a computer, a color display device (CRT monitor or flat panel LCD) and image editing and organization software. Image and document editing tasks are often undertaken using the available monitor or display with little regard for its color accuracy or state of calibration. Unforeseen or unsatisfactory results can be obtained if the color monitor or display is poorly calibrated. Unfortunately, such failures are not noticed until the document is viewed on a different monitor or printed, by which time considerable editing effort may have been wasted. Calibrating and characterizing the color display can remedy these problems. The cost for hardware and software for such calibration is a significant expenditure for personal use or in a small business. Furthermore, the calibration system is a poor value proposition for many persons and organizations because it has no use beyond display calibration. Color display characterization is a process of deriving the relationship between digital input RGB values driving the display and the resulting colors emanating from the display as perceived by the human visual system. The latter is typically measured using instruments such as a calorimeter or spectroradiometer. Such instruments can be expensive, and require a certain level of skill on the part of the user.
An alternative is to replace costly color measurement instrumentation with an inexpensive consumer camera to measure displayed colors. However, since most digital cameras do not produce calorimetric data by default, they must themselves first be characterized. The standard camera characterization process once again requires color measurement instrumentation, and therefore does not reduce the cost or burden to the user.
Thus, there exists a need for a relatively low-cost, multipurpose system for calibration and characterization of both color displays and digital cameras.

Method, system and apparatus for jointly calibrating color digital cameras and monitors


Computer-based system adapted to create a representation of mechanical and flow-mechanical function of a δV-pump. A mathematical modeling algorithm is used based upon a transforming element adapted to connect different physical domains via a transforming value. The system comprises an upper transforming element (TF1) and a lower transforming element (TF2) each having a flow domain (fd1, fd2) and a mechanical domain (md1, md2), the upper transforming element is provided with a transforming value A1 and the lower transforming element is provided with a transforming value A1+A2, wherein A1 and A2>0. The upper and lower transforming elements are interconnected such that their mechanical domains are connected, said mechanical domains are provided with a control value representing a directional measure (F) arranged to intermittently and simultaneously activate said mechanical domains of the transforming elements. By interconnecting two δV-pump representations the pumping action of a heart may be simulated.

It is asserted in Lundbäck S., "Cardiac Pumping and Function of the Ventricular Septum", Stockholm, 1986, that the pumping and regulation of the human heart take place in a manner which is at variance with the prevalent view. According to the cited publication, the healthy heart performs its pumping action without substantially changing its outer shape and volume. More particularly, during ventricular systole (the active, expulsive phase of the heart cycle) the so-called valve plane, that is, the plane containing the atrioventricular heart valves and the connections of aorta and pulmonary artery, is drawn towards the heart apex and forces the blood contained in the ventricles into the pulmonic and systemic circulation, and at the same time blood is drawn into the atria as a consequence of the movement of the valve plane. During ventricular diastole, the phase of the heart cycle in which the heart muscle is relaxed, the valve plane is returned to the initial position under the influence of the momentum which is imparted to the inflowing blood as a consequence of the downward movement of the valve plane during ventricular systole.
As is also asserted in the publication (on the basis of the finding that the outer volume and shape of the heart are substantially constant over the heart cycle), the ability of the heart to change the relative volumetric capacities of the right and left ventricles is attributable mainly to the common ventricular wall, the ventricular septum, namely by virtue of its flexibility in the relaxed state of the heart. During ventricular systole the ventricular septum together with the rest of the left ventricular musculature always assumes an essentially cross circular cross-sectional configuration and takes a distinct position independently of its shape and position during diastole. This is so, because during ventricular systole the pressure in the left ventricle is always higher than the pressure in the right ventricle. If the configuration and position of the ventricular septum during diastole, the relaxed state, are different from the configuration and position during systole, The active state, the ventricular septum, acting like a diaphragm pump, therefore provides an increased stroke volume for one ventricle and a correspondingly reduced stroke volume for the other ventricle, In this way, the ventricular septum accomplishes a double-acting regulation to maintain the balance between the two branches of the circulatory system (the pulmonary circulation and the systemic circulation).
As a result of the theory presented in above-mentioned publication regarding the heart's pumping and regulating function a new class of pumps has emerged, a so called dynamic displacement pump or delta (Δ) volume pump (abbreviated as ΔV-pump).
The principles of a ΔV-pump will now be described with references to FIGS. 1a and 1b.
The pump comprises an upper cylinder 2 with diameter d1 and a lower cylinder 4 with diameter d2, where d2>d1. These two cylinders are connected to each other via a third cylinder 6 that is freely movably arranged between the upper and lower cylinders. The movable cylinder 6 is provided with a valve 8 at its lowest part that corresponds e.g. to the mitralis valve in the heart. The volume above this valve is defined as the atrial volume (Va) and the volume below the valve is defined as the ventricular volume (Vv). The lower cylinder is provided with an outflow valve 10 at its lowest part that corresponds e.g. to the aortic valve in the heart. As can be seen from FIG. 1b is a ring-shaped cylindrical volume gradually obtained between the movable cylinder and the inner wall of the lower cylinder when the movable cylinder is moved down, ΔV in the figure. This results in that the volume Va+Vv decreases with the volume ΔV when the movable cylinder moves between its upper position and its lower position. A source of energy (not shown in the figures) is adapted to move the movable cylinder from its upper position to its lower position, which defines the length L of a stroke for the pump. When the movable cylinder moves down to its lowest position the outflow valve is forced to open and a part of volume Vv is expelled. The movable cylinder is then released from the source of energy and can return to its upper position. If Av and Aa designates the cross-sectional areas of the upper and lower cylinder, respectively, ΔV equals L(Av−Aa).
A short description of the behavior of the ΔV-pump when pumping with a lower frequency and with a higher frequency will here follow, with references to FIGS. 2 and 3 respectively.
In FIGS. 2a-2d different stages of the pumping process with a low frequency are disclosed. In FIG. 2a the external force starts moving the movable cylinder down, when the pressure inside the lower cylinder exceeds the pressure below the outflow valve 10 it opens (FIG. 2b). The outflow valve closes when the pressure below the valve exceeds the pressure above. When the movable cylinder is in the lowest position the force activation ends and the fluid in the upper cylinder, which has gained kinetic energy downwards, force the valve 8 to open (FIG. 2c). The inflow in the lower cylinder creates an internal redistribution of the fluid, indicated by the arrows, that firstly forces the freely movable cylinder back to the upper position and secondly creates the necessary pressure to close the valve 8 (FIG. 2d). The reason to this is the different diameters of the upper and lower cylinders resulting in that the movable cylinder has a greater area towards volume Vv than towards volume Va. When these areas are exposed to the same pressure the force towards the upper position will be greater due to the greater area. This in turn results in that the inflow continues even when the outflow has stopped.
In FIGS. 3a-3d different stages of the pumping process with a high frequency are disclosed. FIG. 3a illustrates only the starting position whereas the pumping process with a high frequency is illustrated by FIGS. 3b-3d. The differences from the pumping process with a low frequency are illustrated in FIGS. 3c and 3d. The downward kinetic energy is in this case so large that both valves are opened when the movable cylinder reaches the lower position. The valves are then closed due to the same reasons as when pumping with low frequency.
Many different requirements must generally be met when implementing a mathematical model. It should preferably be module based in order to be easy to modify, to monitor, to error detect and to control. It is also important that different physical systems, such as mechanical, electrical, thermal and hydraulic systems easily can be connected together and it must be possible to control and to monitor any part of the model when at work.
In order to describe graphically a system with different physical domains the so called bond graphs has proven to be a powerful tool. Bond graphs was introduced by H. Paynter at the MIT and is e.g. described in Karnopp, Margolis, Rosenberg, "System Dynamics: A Unified Approach" (second edition) and in Thoma, Jean U. "Simulation by Bond graphs, introduction to a Graphical Method"; Springer-Verlag.
The basics for a systematic modeling using bond graphs are essentially to follow the energy flow through the system(s).
One object of the invention is to be able to simulate the function of a ΔV-pump.
One further object of the invention is to be able to simulate the functions of a heart by using a mathematical model of the functions of the heart based upon the above-described principles of the ΔV-pump in order to make it possible to enhance the methods of analyses, diagnosis and therapy of the heart.

Computer based system adapted to create a representation of the pumping action of a heart


A sweeper chain support system for allowing efficient removal of debris between a sweeper chain and a digger chain. The sweeper chain support system includes a rear roller supporting a rear portion of a sweeper chain, a pair of rear arms attached to the rear roller in a pivoting manner, a front roller supporting a front portion of the sweeper chain, a pair of front arms attached to the front roller in a pivoting manner, and a link member connected between the front arms and the rear arms. When the front arms are lifted, the rear arms are simultaneously lifted causing the front roller and the rear roller to lift upwardly thereby removing the weight of the lower run of the sweeper chain to allow for the removal of lodge debris (e.g. rock).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to sweeper chains for land surface cleaning equipment and more specifically it relates to a sweeper chain support system for allowing efficient removal of debris between a sweeper chain and a digger chain.
2. Description of the Related Art
Any discussion of the prior art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such prior art is widely known or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.
Ground surface cleaning machines have been in use for years for cleaning debris (e.g. rocks, sticks, bottles, cans, paper, etc.) from various types of ground surfaces (e.g. sand, dirt). Such ground surface cleaning machines are typically self-powered and relatively expensive. However, there have been proposed ground surface cleaning machines that are attached to an existing tractor to receive their operational power. Examples of such ground surface cleaning machines are illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,094,847 to Gallenberg (Beach Cleaning Apparatus and Method), U.S. Pat. No. 1,578,600 to Greatrix (Combined Stone and Root Gatherer), U.S. Pat. No. 6,805,204 to Bauer (Vehicle, Especially for Beach Cleaning), U.S. Pat. No. 6,540,030 to Ohzeki (Method for Recovering Waste in Sandy Beach), U.S. Pat. No. 6,640,906 to Ohzeki (Beach Cleaner) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,634,434 to Ohzeki (Beach Cleaner) which are all incorporated by reference into this application for the purpose of disclosing a ground surface cleaning machine.
Conventional ground surface cleaning machines have a frame typically having a pair of opposing side portions with a plurality of cross members extending between the side portions. Conventional ground surface cleaning machines further typically include one or more chains supported upon rollers that provide for the movement and cleaning of the ground surface. Control systems (e.g. hydraulic motors, valve blocks, electronics, etc.) are attached to the frame and are therefore susceptible to damage from moving debris (e.g. rocks) created via the cleaning action of the machine.
While conventional ground surface cleaning machines are suitable for the particular purpose to which they address, they are not as suitable for allowing efficient removal of debris between a sweeper chain and a digger chain. The main problem with conventional ground surface cleaning machines is that they do not allow for the convenient removal of debris from between a sweeper chain and a digger chain.
In these respects, the sweeper chain support system 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 allowing efficient removal of debris between a sweeper chain and a digger chain.


Silver tarnishing is inhibited when using ether stabilized, n-propyl bromide based cleaning compositions by including a small amount of an acetylenic compound in the compositions.

n-Propyl bromide is recognized as being an environmentally friendly solvent for cold and vapor degreasing processes. Because n-propyl bromide may be reactive to metals and its hydrolysis products may be corrosive towards metals, especially when used in vapor degreasing processes, n-propyl bromide-based cleaning solvent compositions usually include one or more stabilizers such as nitroalkanes, ethers, amines, and/or epoxides (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,616,549) and also may contain an assistant stabilizer such as an acetylene alcohol (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,492,645). One application for such cleaning compositions is the removal of residues from precision metal and electronic parts. The parts are generally cleaned using a vapor degreaser apparatus in which the part is placed in a vapor layer above the boiling solvent, such that the solvent condenses on the part and rinses away the residues. This may or may not be followed by immersion in the boiling solvent or in a sump filled with the solvent and equipped to provide ultrasonic agitation. Although n-propyl bromide has a very low tendency to tarnish silver and silver plate when used by itself, it has been found that when an ether is added to the n-propyl bromide to prevent corrosion of the metals in the parts, severe tarnishing of silver surfaces occurs in a very short time at the boiling temperature of the solvent. Cyclic ethers, such as 1,3 dioxolane, are especially prone to promoting such tarnishing. This makes the otherwise effective and environmentally friendly, stabilized, n-propyl bromide-based cleaning solvent compositions unsuitable for use for cleaning parts which are manufactured using silver-based solder or which are silver plated to enhance their performance in end-use applications. It has now been found that such tarnish formation can be effectively inhibited by the presence of small amounts of certain acetylenic compounds in the ether containing n-propyl bromide-based cleaning solvent compositions. According to Japanese patent JP 61019700 A2 860128, Toa Gosei Chemical Industry Co. Ltd., acetylene alcohols have been used to avoid discoloration of silver-plated lead frames when vapor cleaning them with a chlorinated solvent, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, by itself, caused discoloration.

Method for inhibiting tarnish formation when cleaning silver with ether stabilized, N-propyl bromide-based solvent systems


A skimming apparatus which skims a two-component liquid from the surface of a liquid mixture in a tank includes a pump which pumps the skimmed liquid to a coalescer for separating and collecting a lower density liquid component from the mixture and returning the rest of the liquid to the tank. The skimming apparatus further includes a skimmer which is designed to float on the surface of the liquid mixture in the tank. Arms extend between the skimmer and a mounting assembly so that as the level of the liquid mixture in the tank changes the skimmer will continue to skim from the surface of the liquid mixture. A self-adjusting tube assembly extends between the skimmer and the mounting assembly.

This invention relates generally to removing a nonsoluble oil from an aqueous solution used as a coolant in a machining environment. More particularly, this invention relates to a skimmer which removes a quantity of liquid mixture from the surface of the liquid mixture inside a tank containing the mixture and pumps the mixture to a coalescer which separates the tramp oil from the aqueous solution and returns the aqueous solution to the tank so that the useful life of the aqueous solution may be prolonged.
In many machining operations, an aqueous coolant is sprayed or flowed at the location where a cutting tool engages the workpiece, for lubrication and cooling purposes. The coolant is then collected in a tank located below the machine and recycled for continuous use for as long as possible.
Aqueous coolants of this type are fairly expensive, so it is advantageous to maintain such aqueous coolants in usable condition for as long as possible. Typical machining operations also include lubricating oil for lubricating movable parts. Eventually, this oil drips or flows into the aqueous coolant tank, where it floats upon the surface of the aqueous coolant due to its lighter weight and lower density. This oil, referred to as xe2x80x9ctramp oil,xe2x80x9d will eventually also contribute to bacterial growth within the aqueous coolant, resulting in a foul odor and reducing the useful life of the aqueous coolant.
Due to environmental concerns, the oil-contaminated aqueous coolant must be treated as hazardous waste, and therefore represents an environmental and economic concern. Thus, tramp oil represents a serious environmental and economic problem with respect to maintaining proper and cost effective aqueous coolant use during machining operations.
A number of skimming devices have been developed over the years to remove tramp oil from the surface of aqueous coolant in a coolant tank for a machine. Disk skimmers include a disk which extends into the aqueous coolant and into contact with the tramp oil. Rotation of the disk near the surface results in removal of some oil from the surface, whereupon it is scraped by a blade and removed. Belt type skimmers involve an endless belt which removes tramp oil from the surface of the aqueous coolant, whereupon it is also scraped therefrom for removal. Disk and belt skimmers of this type are relatively inefficient and have space limitations for proper mounting and operation.
Floating tube skimmers and weir-type skimmers adapt to liquid level fluctuations, and they generally include a pump for pumping the skimmed liquid to a separation device. Such skimmers have proved to be acceptable in relatively large bodies such as lakes, ponds, rivers or even oceans. However, their size typically prevents their use in machining applications. In machining operations, most coolant tanks are as shallow as five or six inches, or as deep as several feet. Also, some machining coolant tanks are located in relatively inaccessible places without much spare space located adjacent thereto.
In summary, in machining operations it is necessary to skim primarily tramp oil from the surface of the aqueous coolant in the tank (though the skimmed liquid will also include some coolant), to deliver the tramp oil coolant mixture to a separation unit, to separate the tramp oil from the aqueous coolant for collection, and to return the aqueous coolant to the tank for reuse.
Applicant""s U.S. Pat. No. 5,601,705 discloses a two-part system including a skimmer located inside a tank containing a liquid mixture and a coalescer located outside the tank. The skimmer skims the liquid mixture from the surface of the liquid mixture inside the tank. The coalescer includes a pump which pumps the skimmed fluid through a hose from the skimmer to the coalescer. The coalescer separates tramp oil from the mixture and returns xe2x80x9ccleanedxe2x80x9d coolant to the tank. Although U.S. Pat. No. 5,601,705 discloses one configuration or design of coalescer, the coalescer may take numerous configurations such as the one disclosed in applicant""s U.S. Pat. No. 6,056,128.
Although the skimmer disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,601,705 functions effectively, it has numerous parts which must be assembled in a certain manner, which is very time-consuming. Therefore, some may consider it too expensive to manufacture and too difficult to maintain in the event one or more parts fails.
Therefore, It is an object of this invention to reduce the number of parts of an aqueous coolant skimmer, specifically the number of moving parts and to simplify the manufacture of such a skimmer.
It is another object of this invention to improve access to the parts of an aqueous coolant skimmer, to make it easier maintain, without sacrificing the primary functional features of applicant""s prior devices.
It is another object of this invention to enable the purchaser of an aqueous coolant skimmer to repair the skimmer including replacing the pump without sending the skimmer back to the manufacturer for repair.
It is still another object of the invention to achieve the above-noted objects for a variety of differently sized and shaped tanks for collecting and holding aqueous coolant.
The present invention achieves the above-stated objects by utilizing a floatable skimmer which floatably adjusts to the level of the liquid mixture in the tank while at the same time skimming liquid from adjacent the surface, a bracket located at a fixed vertical level in the tank and operatively connected to a vacuum source, and an outlet tube which conveys skimmed liquid from the skimmer to the pump due to the application of vacuum from the vacuum source, the outlet tube adapted to accommodate relative vertical movement between the floatable skimmer and the bracket.
Another aspect of the invention further contemplates a pair of spaced arms or connectors, each being pivotably connected at both ends, to the bracket and to the skimmer. These connectors assure stable relative vertical movement between the floatable skimmer and the bracket as the liquid level in the tank fluctuates up and down. These connectors also maintain a desired distance between the skimmer and the bracket.
The invention also contemplates, as the vacuum source, the use of a submersible pump located along an outflow line or conduit. The pump preferably mounts to the bracket and the outflow conduit resides in fluid communication with one end of the outlet tube. Thus, the apparatus pumps skimmed liquid from the supply container, through the outlet tube, along the outflow conduit and eventually to a coalescer.
The skimmer includes an open-top supply container with a variably sized inlet which adjusts in response to level liquid within the supply container, the supply container further having an outlet adjacent a bottom thereof, which is in fluid communication with one end of the flexible outlet tube. An adjuster residing within the open-top supply container floatably adjusts the size of the inlet in response to the level of the liquid within the supply container, so that the variation of the flow rate of the pump produces a corresponding change in the size of the cross sectional area of the inlet to the supply container. More specifically, an increase in the flow rate of the pump causes the adjuster to correspondingly increase the size of the inlet, while a decrease in the flow rate of the pump causes a corresponding decrease in the size of the inlet.
Overall, compared to applicant""s prior skimmer, the present invention significantly reduces the number of parts. This reduction in the number of components also simplifies the overall construction. Moreover, because of its inventive structure, the parts are simpler in construction, and the parts are more accessible for an operator, and thereby easier to maintain and/or replace.
If the pump is mounted directly to the bracket, the pump resides immediately adjacent the skimming apparatus and within the tank. This arrangement helps to further simplify the overall construction of the coalescer, which is typically mounted to a nearby wall. Nevertheless, while a preferred embodiment the present invention contemplates a submersible pump connected directly to the bracket located in the coolant tank, it is to be understood that the pump could be located anywhere along the fluid connection between the outlet tube and the coalescer, so long as sufficient fluid pressure is maintained in the fluid line connection therebetween.
In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the skimming apparatus is not secured to a tank wall. Rather, the skimming apparatus is secured to a support float which rises and lowers with the level of fluid inside the tank. This embodiment is preferably used inside deep tanks but may be used in any size of tank.
These and other features of the invention will be more readily understood in view of the following detailed description and the drawings.


A mobile device may implement an idle mode process in order to selectively scan for legacy radio coverage using a timer-based scanning process. A mobile device may operate in idle mode and may establish a long term evolution (LTE) radio link with a nearby cell site. The idle mode process implemented by the mobile device may include evaluating one or more criteria that are indicative of whether the mobile device is capable of providing sufficient voice service capabilities using voice over LTE (VoLTE). Based on the criteria evaluation, a timer-based scanning process may be initiated. When the timer-based scanning process is initiated, the mobile device may scan for legacy radio coverage periodically. If no legacy radio coverage is available, the mobile device may indicate that voice services are unavailable.

Cellular networks are constantly evolving. For example, fourth generation (4G) Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks have evolved from third generation (3G), and second generation (2G) radio access technology (RAT) systems. The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) LTE standard, in its various releases, is an all-Internet Protocol (all-IP) data transport technology that uses packet-switching for both data and voice communications. By contrast, legacy RAT systems (e.g., 3G/2G) employ circuit-switching for voice communications. Because the evolution of these technologies takes time, cellular networks employ a mixture of newer (e.g., 4G) and legacy (e.g., 3G/2G) RAT systems. Such networks can be thought of as "heterogeneous" cellular networks due to the mixture of legacy and non-legacy technologies.
Mobile devices that are 4G LTE-compliant are configured to communicate within these heterogeneous cellular networks by employing radios that can communicate through the legacy RATs. Generally, 4G LTE-compliant mobile devices are configured to prefer attachment to 4G LTE networks, which offer relatively high data-rate throughput as compared to the legacy radio access networks (RANs). In most mobile devices, a choice of which protocol to employ depends primarily on what RATs are available to the mobile device at its present geographic location. Furthermore, in instances where the preferred 4G LTE RAT is unavailable or unusable, legacy RATs, if available, may be used as a fallback protocol, such as by using a circuit-switch fallback (CSFB) mechanism.
However, with the availability of additional spectrum (e.g., the 700 megahertz (MHz) Band), LTE-based RATs are able to attain better link budget and coverage as compared to legacy RATs due to improved propagation characteristics in the new spectrum. For example, given a single cell site (cell tower), a 700 MHz LTE footprint (i.e., LTE radio coverage area) tends to be larger than the legacy 3G/2G footprint for the same cell site. Without a commensurate enlargement of the legacy 3G/2G footprint, this creates "LTE-only" radio coverage areas (sometimes called "LTE-only areas") where the only available RAT available to the mobile device is the 4G LTE RAT.
When a mobile device is within an LTE-only area, the only way to deliver voice is through a packet-based protocol, such as the voice over LTE (VoLTE) protocol. Accordingly, an LTE-compliant mobile device within an LTE-only area generally indicates that voice service is available on the assumption that VoLTE can be used for voice communications. However, VoLTE may not always be available or usable in LTE-only areas. Consider an example where a mobile device attempts to establish a call over VoLTE in an LTE-only area and a failure occurs that prevents the use of VoLTE for the call, such as a VoLTE outage. In this example, the mobile devices will implement an event-triggered "retry" procedure where the mobile device, upon detecting that the call cannot be established over VoLTE, tries to establish the call on a different, legacy RAT. In this scenario, the mobile device is unaware that there are no fallback RATs available to it, so the mobile device traverses through all of the possible layers, retrying on each, before it ultimately determines that the call cannot be established. A user of such a device may be frustrated by the failed call attempt, and may be further confused by the fact that the mobile device had indicated, before the call attempt, that voice service was available when in fact it was not (i.e., a false voice coverage indication). In emergency situations, a user of the mobile device may be unable to make a phone call to an emergency services telephone number (e.g., 911) in an LTE-only area when VoLTE is turned off.

Selective scanning for legacy radio coverage in idle mode


An apparatus for cutting and deveining shrimp comprises a motor driving means inside a housing and a cutting mechanism outside the housing. A pair of rotating flexible disks grasp shrimp bodies and propel them past a cutting disk which slices the sand vein from the back of the shrimp. An idler roller is mounted on an adjusting shaft which may be positioned to adjust the depth of cut on the shrimp. An improved adjusting mechanism and external crank arm on the adjusting shaft enables adjustment of the idler roller while completely sealing the motor housing from any debris from the cutting operation. Polyurethane flexible disks reduce the growth of surface bacteria.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related to an apparatus for deveining shrimp, and, more specifically, to an apparatus for cutting the sand vein from shrimp with improved sanitation.
2. Description of Related Art
FIG. 1 is a frontal, right-side perspective view of a shrimp cutting machine from U.S. Pat. No. 2,702,921 to Pinney. In Pinney, a shrimp is fed manually into the machine 1 which holds the shrimp in a stretched out position while it is being cut lengthwise down the center of the back and subsequently cut a second time on each side of the center cut. Shown on the top of the top cover 4 are a pair of guide fingers 11 and 12 between which shrimp are placed with their back sides up, and are then pushed head-first until they come in contact with a pair of flexible rubber disks 8 and 9.
FIG. 2 is a frontal, right-side perspective view of the guide fingers 11 and 12 and the flexible rubber disks 8 and 9. The flexible rubber disks 8 and 9 rotate around an axle 10 and grasp the shrimp, pulling it into the machine.
FIG. 3 is a left side view of the interior mechanisms of the shrimp cutting machine 1. The flexible disks 8 and 9, upon pulling the shrimp into the machine, hold the shrimp against the surface of a feed drum 6. The feed drum 6 is rotated at high speed by an electric motor 5 and a drive belt 7. A chain 20 and sprockets drive the flexible disks 8 and 9, a single central cutting disk 15, and a pair of cutting disks 17 and 18.
FIG. 4 is a front view of the interior mechanisms of the shrimp cutting machine 1, showing more definitively the positioning of the flexible disks 8 and 9, the single cutting disk 15, and the pair of cutting disks 17 and 18.
In operation, each shrimp is individually fed into the machine by hand, head first, between the guide fingers 11 and 12. As the shrimp engages the flexible rubber disks 8 and 9, which are revolving at a high rate of speed, the shrimp is drawn downwardly around the periphery of the feed drum 6. The bottom of the shrimp is pressed against the feed drum 6, thus supporting the shrimp on the bottom and also holding each shrimp in proper position so that the cutting disk 15 can cut the shrimp longitudinally down the center of the back.
The shrimp continues to follow the periphery of the feed drum 6 and is carried past the revolving pair of cutting disks 17 and 18 which cut the shell structure on each side of the center cut previously made by the single cutting disk 15. The shrimp is then ejected from the bottom of the machine 1. The sand vein found in the back of the shrimp is cut by the single cutting disk 15, and when the second pair of disks 17 and 18 come into action, the sand vein is automatically discharged from the body of the shrimp.
As is readily apparant from FIGS. 3 and 4, the machine disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,702,921 is quite complex, and this complexity makes it susceptible to mechanical breakdown. In addition, the placement of the electric motor 5 and the chain and sprocket drive mechanism used to drive the drum 6, flexible disks 8 and 9, and cutting disks 15, 17 and 18 makes this machine extremely difficult, if not impossible, to keep in a clean and sanitary condition. As the shrimp is cut, the sand vein is stripped away, and flying debris and bodily fluids from the shrimp cover the inner workings of the machine. It must be frequently disassembled, cleaned and sanitized to keep the machine in sanitary working condition.
An improvement to the machine disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,702,921 was made when it was discovered that the secondary cuts performed by the pair of cutting disks 17 and 18 were unnecessary in the process of deveining and deshelling the shrimp. A redesign of the machine was undertaken, with the secondary blades removed for simplification. Additionally, it was attempted to isolate the electric motor and drive mechanism from the flying shrimp debris resulting from the cutting process. The motor and drive mechanism was placed inside a housing while a pair of flexible rubber disks and a cutting disk were mounted outside the housing and covered with a protective shield.
FIG. 5 is a frontal, left-side perspective view of a prior art shrimp deveining apparatus with an external cutting mechanism covered by shield 55, and an internal motor and drive mechanism within a housing 44 (shown in phantom). An electric motor 31 turns a drive belt 32 which in turn drives two parallel shafts, an upper shaft 33 and a lower shaft 34. The shafts extend through openings in a circular housing plate 35.
FIG. 6 is a frontal, right-side perspective view of the prior art shrimp deveining apparatus of FIG. 5, with the protective shield 55 removed. It can be seen that a pair of flexible rubber disks 36 and 37, similar to flexible disks 8 and 9 in FIGS. 1-4, are mounted near the end of the upper shaft 33. A single cutting disk 38 is mounted near the end of the lower shaft 34. An adjusting shaft 39 extends through a slot 41 in the circular housing plate 35 and has a rubber idler roller 42 mounted near its outside end. The idler roller 42 freewheels on the adjusting shaft 39, and is held in position by a rubber disk 43 on each side.
During operation, the flexible rubber disks 36 and 37, the cutting disk 38, and the adjusting shaft 39 and idler roller 42 are covered with the protective shield 55. The shield 55 slidably mounts on the circular housing plate 35. Shrimp are placed through a small opening 56 in the top of the shield 55, and exit through a large opening 57 in the bottom of the shield 55.
Referring again to FIG. 5, the inside end of the adjusting shaft 39, i.e., the end which is inside housing 44, is mounted with a set screw 45 to an L-shaped arm 46 which is mounted at a pivot point 47 on the frame 48 of the housing 44 above the upper shaft 33. One end of an adjusting rod 49 is mounted at the other end of the L-shaped arm 46. The adjusting rod 49 extends diagonally through the housing 44 and exits through a flexible mount 50 extending through an opening in the front side 51 of the housing 44. The external end 52 of the adjusting rod 49 is threaded, and an adjusting knob 53 is mounted thereon. By rotating the adjusting knob 53, the adjusting rod 49 may be extended or retracted from the housing 44, thereby rotating the L-shaped arm 46 about its pivot point 47. This rotation causes an arcuate change of position of the adjusting shaft 39 as it extends through the slot 41 in the circular housing plate 35. This causes the adjusting shaft 39 and the idler roller 42 mounted thereon to move closer to or, if rotated the opposite direction, farther away from the cutting disk 38.
Although this machine is a significant improvement over the original design disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,702,921, it still has a serious sanitation problem. A considerable amount of fluid, shrimp veins, and pieces of shrimp shell are disbursed within the shield 55 during operation of the machine. The slot 41 in the circular housing plate 35, through which the adjusting shaft 39 extends, allows a significant portion of this material to pass through the circular housing plate 35 and into the motor housing 44. This creates unsanitary conditions which are unsatisfactory from a health standpoint. It has been attempted to block the entry of debris into the housing 44 by placing a rubber disk (not shown) over the adjusting shaft 39 adjacent to the circular end plate 35. However, this technique has not been successful in totally eliminating the entry of debris into the housing 44.
Additionally, the flexible disks 36 and 37 have previously been made of rubber. However, the surfaces of disks made of rubber are porous, and are susceptible to growths of microscopic bacteria. Rubber disks, therefore, will not be approved for commercial food-preparation activities by governmental inspection agencies.
A shrimp deveining machine is needed which rapidly and efficiently deveins shrimp while maintaining government-approved sanitary conditions. This requires completely preventing the entry into the motor housing of any of the debris from the cutting and deveining process, and the incorporation of new flexible disks made of elastomeric material with acceptably low porosity. It is an object of the present invention to provide such a shrimp deveining machine.


A method comprises preparing a cooling device for use in a therapeutic cooling apparatus. The cooling device comprises a self-contained unit. The therapeutic cooling apparatus comprises a cavity being configured to accept a portion of a user's body part, a quantity of a liquid for surrounding the body part and an apparatus portion being configured to retain the cooling device. The apparatus portion further comprises a divider separating the apparatus portion from the cavity. The divider is configured to be operable for transferring heat from the liquid to the cooling device. The method further comprises chilling the cooling device, placing the body part into the cavity, and filling the cavity with the liquid to surround the body part enabling a heat transfer from the body part to the liquid and a heat transfer from the liquid through the divider to the cooling device to cool the user.

The following background information may present examples of specific aspects of the prior art (e.g., without limitation, approaches, facts, or common wisdom) that, while expected to be helpful to further educate the reader as to additional aspects of the prior art, is not to be construed as limiting the present invention, or any embodiments thereof, to anything stated or implied therein or inferred thereupon.
The following is an example of a specific aspect in the prior art that, while expected to be helpful to further educate the reader as to additional aspects of the prior art, is not to be construed as limiting the present invention, or any embodiments thereof, to anything stated or implied therein or inferred thereupon. By way of educational background, another aspect of the prior art generally useful to be aware of is that application of cold or heat therapy to an extremity, often a leg, is frequently performed for injury treatment and prevention in athletes. Acute and chronic injuries/diseases of the lower and upper extremities are common and are frequently treated with the application of cold therapy to the affected area. This may be performed frequently for the injured and healthy athlete alike. Many runners, for example, choose to apply cold via ice bags or other devices to their legs after long runs or may even take a lower body ice bath. Athletes with acute injuries such as cartilage, ligament, tendon, muscle or even bone injuries may choose to apply cold therapy to the injured area many times in a single day.
Common approaches for therapy include application of ice directly with ice in hand and massaging of area with ice, application of ice bags, submersion in ice baths or application of cooling packs or material to the affected area either using the hand or held directly to the affected area of the body directly by another device. Other approaches include cooling devices that require attachment to a refrigeration device or have cables/tubes extending out of the device.
Athletes, in events such as the triathlon, often submerge their entire lower body in a lake or other body of water following a race. Some athletes, particularly in endurance events perform a lower extremity ice bath in a bath tub or trash can immediately following events or training. Ice packs are often applied following injury to the lower extremity in events such as football or other many other sports.
In view of the foregoing, it is clear that these traditional techniques are not perfect and leave room for more optimal approaches.
Unless otherwise indicated illustrations in the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale.

Method for operating a therapeutic cooling apparatus


A mixed signal method and system for tuning a voltage controlled oscillator is described. The method includes dividing a frequency range of an oscillator circuit into a plurality of regions, digitally selecting and tuning one of the plurality of regions of the divided frequency range of the oscillator circuit, and further tuning the selected region of the frequency range of the oscillator circuit via one or more analog tuning elements.

Voltage controlled oscillators (VCOs) are used in various applications, including phase lock loops (PLLs). An example of a conventional PLL 100 that uses a VCO is shown in FIG. 1. The PLL 100 includes a VCO 102, a loop filter 104, a phase comparator 106, a reference frequency oscillator and divider 108, and a programmable counter 110. These components work together to lock onto the frequency of an input signal. In order to do so, the VCO is tuned to match in phase with the frequency of the input signal.
There are various methods to tune the frequency of a VCO. FIG. 2a illustrates a conventional analog method of tuning a VCO by using varactors. This method includes the use of a resonator 204, an amplifier 202, and two varactors 210 and 212 controlled by analog voltage controls Vcontrol 206 and Vcontrol 208, respectively. The capacitance of a varactor varies with the voltage applied across it. Therefore, the analog voltage control will change the value of the varactor capacitance, which changes the frequency of the oscillator. The tuning range of a circuit employing this analog tuning method is limited by the linear range of the varactor capacitance vs. voltage (C-V) curve, which is limited. Achieving a wide tuning range requires that the C-V transfer gain of the VCO increases, which results in higher phase noise. Also, in complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) processes, special varactors are often not available, forcing the use of MOS for the varactor, which makes the tuning voltage range even smaller.
FIG. 2b illustrates a conventional digital method of tuning a voltage controlled oscillator using a large binary weighted capacitance array. This method includes the use of a resonator 220, an amplifier 218, an analog to digital (A/D) converter 214, and binary weighted capacitors (C, 2C, . . . , 2nC) controlled by a voltage control 216. This method achieves frequency tuning by converting the analog voltage signal into the digital domain using A/D converter 214 and then using the digital signals to switch in or out the binary weighted capacitors. For a wider tuning range, the resolution required for the A/D converter increases, which in turn increases the cost and complexity of the circuit. Also, for a wide tuning range, the capacitance ratio of the highest value to lowest value increases, which makes it harder to realize physically due to stray capacitances.

Mixed signal method and system for tuning a voltage controlled oscillator


According to one embodiment, a wireless device includes a transmitter; and a receiver. The transmitter is configured to transmit a first frame including information that designates a plurality of frequency components and instructing execution of frequency multiplexing transmission by a plurality of wireless communication terminals; and the receiver is configured to receive the second frame by at least one frequency component of the plurality of frequency components. The first frame has either a first form or a second form, the first form designates individual terminal identifiers of the plurality of wireless communication terminals, the terminal identifiers each being associated with at least one of the plurality of frequency components, and the second form designates a group identifier of a group to which the plurality of wireless communication terminals belong.

Frequency multiplexing communication is known according to which different frequency components for each wireless communication terminal (hereinafter referred to as terminal) are used as communication resources and transmissions to a plurality of terminals and receptions from a plurality of terminals are simultaneously performed. Here, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) scheme is considered where the frequency components are defined as resource units each including one or a plurality of subcarriers, and the resource units each are used as a smallest unit of the communication resource, and transmissions to the plurality of terminals or receptions from the plurality of terminals are simultaneously performed. The simultaneous transmissions from the base station to the plurality of terminals correspond to downlink OFDMA (DL-OFDMA) transmission and the simultaneous transmissions from the plurality of terminals to the base station correspond to uplink OFDMA (UL-OFDMA) transmission.
When uplink OFDMA (UL-OFDMA) communication is to be performed, it may be considered to transmit a trigger frame from a base station in order to align the uplink transmission timings of the individual terminals. There is a method that notifies the information regarding the assignment terminals on a per-resource-unit basis by the trigger frame, and thereby designating the terminals that perform UL-OFDMA communication and the resource units to be used by the terminals. In accordance with this method, there is a problem of degradation in efficiency of utilizing communication resources in a case where a terminal has entered its sleep mode and in a case where there is no pending uplink transmission demand at a terminal. As another method, there is a method that does not perform designation of the terminals by the trigger frame but only designates the resource units to be used. In this case, a terminal that has received a trigger frame acquires a resource unit based on a technique similar to random backoff procedure. At this point, when there are a large number of terminals that have received the trigger frame, there is a high likelihood of the same resource unit being selected. When a plurality of terminals transmits frames using the same resource unit, the base station cannot successfully receive the frames.

Wireless device and wireless communication method


An apparatus and method for providing a swivel release rope spool including a first mounting surface; and a first rotatable cleat detachably attached to the first mounting surface.

Ropes, cords, electrical cords and other rope-like materials find application in a variety of environments. For example, electrical "extension" cords are used to carry electrical power from a receptacle to a remote location where an electrical appliance is to be used. Further, sail boats and ski boats use rope for a variety of reasons, such as sheets, tie downs, and in the case of a ski boat, the ski rope itself.
In many situations it is awkward to store the rope or cord when it not being used. Electrical cords may be wound around a person's arm and then tied up for later use. Alternatively, the electrical cord may be stored wrapped around a spool. In the former situation, the cord frequently becomes knotted or kinked, making it difficult to use the next time. In the latter situation, the cord must be unwrapped from the spool before it can be used.
On sail boats or ski boats, lines or ropes are sometimes loosely coiled and wrapped and then thrown to the bottom of the boat where they can get in the way or even become dangerous. Alternatively, they may be wrapped around cleats provided for that purpose. In that case, the rope or line must be unwrapped from around the cleats before it can be used.
Some electrical appliances, most notably the vacuum cleaner, have addressed this problem by providing cleat-like fixtures formed into the body of the appliance which can be released by rotating one of the fixtures to release the cord.


A hosting partition update mechanism allows updating the I/O capability of a logically-partitioned computer system in a way that minimally affects the performance and availability of I/O in the computer system. When an update is needed, a new hosting partition is created with the desired update(s). The I/O adapters in the current hosting partition are then migrated to the new hosting partition. The migration of an I/O adapter from the current hosting partition to the new hosting partition is relatively fast, thereby minimally impacting system performance and availability of I/O. Once all of the I/O adapters have been migrated to the new hosting partition, the current hosting partition may be kept as a backup, or may be eliminated. Providing a new or backup hosting partition allows updates to be performed in the new or backup hosting partition in a non-disruptive manner while the current hosting partition continues to service I/O requests.

1. Technical Field
This invention generally relates to data processing, and more specifically relates to the sharing of resources between logical partitions in a logically partitioned computer system.
2. Background Art
Since the dawn of the computer age, computer systems have evolved into extremely sophisticated devices that may be found in many different settings. Computer systems typically include a combination of hardware (e.g., semiconductors, circuit boards, etc.) and software (e.g., computer programs). As advances in semiconductor processing and computer architecture push the performance of the computer hardware higher, more sophisticated computer software has evolved to take advantage of the higher performance of the hardware, resulting in computer systems today that are much more powerful than just a few years ago.
The combination of hardware and software on a particular computer system defines a computing environment. Different hardware platforms and different operating systems thus provide different computing environments. In recent years, engineers have recognized that it is possible to provide different computing environments on the same physical computer system by logically partitioning the computer system resources into different computing environments. The IBM Power5 computer systems developed by IBM are examples of computer systems that support logical partitioning. If logical partitioning on a IBM Power5 computer system is desired, partition manager code (referred to as a "hypervisor" in IBM Power5 terminology) is installed that allows defining different computing environments on the same platform. Once the partition manager is installed, logical partitions may be created that define different computing environments. The partition manager manages the logical partitions to assure that they can share needed resources in the computer system while maintaining the separate computing environments defined by the logical partitions.
A computer system that includes multiple logical partitions typically shares resources between the logical partitions. For example, a computer system with a single CPU could have two logical partitions defined, with 50% of the CPU allocated to each logical partition, with 33% of the memory allocated to the first logical partition and 67% of the memory allocated to the second logical partition, and with two different I/O slots allocated to the two logical partitions, one per partition. Once logical partitions are defined and shared resources are allocated to the logical partitions, each logical partition acts as a separate computer system. Thus, in the example above that has a single computer system with two logical partitions, the two logical partitions will appear for all practical purposes to be two separate and distinct computer systems.
In addition to having their own allocated resources, logical partitions may also share some resources that have been allocated to a different logical partition. When logical partitions share a resource, such as an I/O adapter, one of the logical partitions is typically designated as the "owner" of the resource, and other logical partitions may share the resource by communicating with the logical partition that owns the resource. For the discussion herein, the term "hosting partition" refers to a logical partition that owns (i.e., controls) a resource, and the term "hosted partition" refers to a logical partition that does not own the resource but that desires to use (or share) the resource by communicating with the hosting partition.
Software running on a hosting partition (such as the operating system software or a device driver) may periodically need to be updated, to fix a problem in the code or to add one or more new functions. Such an update may require a reboot of the hosting partition. In the prior art, this means that the hosting partition will stop receiving I/O requests for its shared I/O adapters, and the I/O will be unavailable until the reboot and re-initialization of the hosting partition is complete. In many computer systems that have multiple partitions, the time to reboot a hosting partition creates a delay in I/O performance that is excessive and undesirable. Such a delay appear as an I/O failure that may cause applications to fail due to unavailable I/O. Without a way to update a hosting partition in a way that does not cause undue performance penalties and application failures due to unavailable I/O, the computer industry will continue to suffer from unacceptable consequences that result from updating a hosting partition in a logically-partitioned computer system.

Apparatus and method for updating I/O capability of a logically-partitioned computer system

International Business Machines Corporation


A novel fence module is provided for use in a burrowing-animal discouraging modular fence, the module comprising a plurality of generally parallel elongate members each having an upper end and a tapered lower end, upper and lower crossbars connecting the plurality of elongate members in a row with a pair of end members and a plurality of intermediate members, wherein the elongate members have a spacing of between about 1 inch and about 2½ inches, a connector extending outwardly beyond at least one of the pair of end members for closely connecting the module to another module, wherein the tapered lower ends of the elongate members extend at least about 3 inches below the lower crossbar for insertion into ground, and wherein the elongate members extend at least about 16 inches above the lower crossbar.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed toward a modular fence for enclosing an area of land, particularly to a fence for preventing burrowing animals from entering a garden.
2. Description of the Related Art
Gardening has become a popular hobby among homeowners. Gardens are known to be expensive to maintain due to the cost of plants and their upkeep. One challenge that gardeners have faced is preventing animals from damaging their plants. In particular, rabbits are known to cause substantial damage to gardens by infiltrating the garden and eating its plants.
Fences have been erected in an attempt to discourage or prevent animals from burrowing under the fence. However, fences typically have been difficult to install, particularly for those with little or no experience in fence building, because of the special skill and physical strength required to build them. Also, fence building is time consuming, and in many cases may require expensive, specialized tools. Moreover, many fences require gates to be installed in the fence, which requires moving parts and additional skill to install. Traditional fences also are permanent, so that they may be hard to work around during yard work, such as mowing a lawn or tilling a garden. Rabbits also are good diggers, so that merely erecting a fence typically does not prevent rabbits from entering the garden.
Wire garden fences have been built that are partially buried to prevent animals from burrowing under the fence. However, these all-wire fences are flimsy, can be damaged, and have typically been used for only one growing season each.
What is needed is a sturdy, easy-to-install garden fence for discouraging burrowing animals from entering a garden, and that is easy to remove when needed.


An electro-optical system intended for medical use that measures and analyses an individual's cumulative short-wave and long-wave UV-radiation exposure as detected by sensor 10 of the system attached to the individual. Sensor 10 separately registers sequences of UV-A and UV-B signals which are synchronized in time by clock pulses. After a predetermined interval sensor 10 is connected to an analyzer unit 12 that statistically processes the collected data to derive risk factor and generate predictive information. Such information permits the physician to predict individual-specific levels of ultraviolet (UV) radiation potentially harmful to the skin and help protect the individual from skin cancer and similar diseases with solar radiation causation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of medical diagnostic systems, particularly to a system for determining and predicting individual skin-damaging levels of ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
2. Description of Prior Art
Solar radiation reaching the earth consists of electromagnetic energy ranging from ultraviolet (UV) radiation to infrared (IR) radiation. UV radiation is further subdivided into three types: UV-A, UV-B, and UV-C. UV-C radiation are those wavelengths in the range of 200 to 285 nanometers (nm); it is totally absorbed by the earth's atmosphere. UV-B, from about 285 to 318 nm, is known to cause skin cancer in humans. UV-A, from about 315 to 400 nm, is mostly responsible for tanning. However, UV-A has also been found to play a role in skin cancer and is the cause of eye cataracts, solar retinitis, and corneal dystrophies.
In view of the latest problems associated with global warming and development of holes in the ozone layer of the earth atmosphere, the risk of development of skin cancer and other diseases caused by intensified exposure to solar radiation is greatly increasing.
Based on general principles and techniques for radiometry and photometry, several UV radiation-measuring and warning instruments have been developed and made commercially available.
A personal UV radiometer, described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,008,548 to Nahum Gat, 1991, includes an LCD display, a photocell, and an integrated circuit for processing user inputs and UV radiation data.
However, this device of U.S. Pat. No. 5,008,548 does not take into account the changes in skin pigmentation which occur while a person is being exposed to solar radiation. Furthermore, this device is not convenient, since it is intended for attachment to an article of clothing and may restrict movement of a subject during rigorous physical activity, for instance, a volleyball game.
An apparatus, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,985,632 to Frank Bianco et al., 1991, comprises an electronic wristwatch having a digital readout for displaying the time, the day, and the month. It also incorporates a photodiode for detecting skin-damaging UV radiation, a microcomputer, and four function buttons.
This device, however, is not user-friendly due to its large number of functions, many of which are superfluous. Moreover, like the radiometer, the wristwatch does not take into account skin pigmentation changes which occur during exposure to UV radiation. Furthermore, it cannot monitor UV radiation when placed in the shade.
Furthermore, all of the above prior-art devices are based on the assumption that the amount of UV radiation that may be safely tolerated by human skin is independent of the rate at which such incident radiation is accumulated. These prior art devices measure only the cumulative magnitude of incident UV radiation, and do not factor any rate measurements into the determination of a safe UV-radiation threshold.
In other words, if one of two identical cumulative UV-radiation doses is an intense dose received relatively quickly and the other a longer-duration exposure of lesser intensity, none of the prior-art devices are able to distinguish between these two doses with respect to relative differences in potential harmful effect on the skin. The prior-art devices cannot monitor differences in UV-radiation exposure rates.
The concept of total accumulated UV radiation as the single measure of the effect on human skin of exposure to UV radiation is flawed in principle for two major reasons. Firstly, as embodied in the prior-art devices, the cumulative dose that is monitored does not differentiate between the two most important constituent spectral ranges within the overall UV-radiation spectrum: UV-A and UV-B. These constituent UV-radiation spectra each have specific and differing effects on human tissue ranging from the propagation of skin cancer to cataract formation. Therefore, each of these spectral ranges deserves separate monitoring, data collection and analysis.
Secondly, as discussed above, data on cumulative dosage only without consideration of UV-exposure rates, i.e., the intensity of incident UV-radiation reaching the detector per unit time, cannot properly distinguish between harmful and unharmful UV exposures. The practice of measuring only accumulated UV radiation stems from the use of the Geiger counter for measuring radioactive dosage. The measurement of cumulative radioactivity received by a human body is a proper measurement because the harmful effect of radioactivity on human tissue is, in fact, a cumulative one: no matter what the rate of exposure, once the maximum cumulative threshold of exposure is reached, the damage is irreversibly done.
However, such is not the case with accumulated solar radiation. Solar radiation can be accumulated in large doses without harm if the dose is accumulated over a sufficiently long period of time. Equivalent cumulative dosages might be received in one day or one month. In the first case, the dose could be dangerous, whereas in the second case it might be completely benign. Therefore, data collected only for cumulative radiation exposure is neither indicative of actual skin damage done, nor predictive with respect to future harmful effects on the tissue.
To initiate a solution to these problems of effective UV radiation monitoring and analysis, the inventors submitting the present application developed a special noseshade for monitoring both cumulative UV-A and UV-B radiation exposure. This noseshade is fully described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 867,433 filed Apr. 13, 1992, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,151,600. However, the noseshade is not intended for the analysis of recorded data, not does it interface to a radiation exposure analyzer.

Electro-optical system for measuring and analyzing accumulated short-wave and long-wave ultraviolet radiation exposure


A torsional vibration damping device in which a first rolling contact surface that is curved with a center of curvature at a location offset from a rotation center of a rotating body, which rotates upon receiving a torque, is formed along a circumferential direction of the rotating body at a location offset from the rotation center of the rotating body in a radial direction, and which includes the rolling element that is brought into contact with the first rolling contact surface by receiving a centrifugal force resulting from rotation with the rotating body and that rolls along the first rolling contact surface through torsional vibrations of the rotating body is described. The rolling element includes a first rolling element that rolls along the first rolling contact surface and that is formed in a hollow shape, and a second rolling element that is arranged inside the first rolling element such that the second rolling element rolls along a second rolling contact surface formed inside the first rolling element.

A rotating body such as a shaft that transmits a torque or the like may vibrate due to fluctuations in an input torque itself, fluctuations in a load torque resulting from a load member that is coupled to the rotating body, a slight deviation of the center of gravity of a rotary system, or the like. Such torque fluctuations act on the rotating body as torsional vibrations. Various devices for reducing the torsional vibrations have been conventionally developed. One such example is a device that is referred to as a so-called dynamic damper. The dynamic damper is configured to form another vibration system other than the rotating body by an inertia mass body that is separately provided, and to reduce vibrations with a frequency equivalent to a resonant frequency of the vibration system caused by the inertia mass body, due to the fact that the resonant frequency of the vibration system by the inertia mass body is different from the resonant frequency of the rotating body.
In this kind of device, the inertia mass body vibrates relatively to the rotating body, and hence friction occurs at contact locations therebetween. If the frictional force or the friction resistance is large, abrasion progresses to cause a fall in durability. Besides, the frictional force acts in such a manner as to suppress vibrations of the inertia mass body. Therefore, if the frictional force changes, the frequency characteristic changes, and it may become impossible to reduce the target vibrations. Besides, on the other hand, the torsional vibrations that are transmitted from an internal combustion engine differ depending on the rotational speed. Therefore, a vibration damping device that has a natural frequency adapted for the rotational speed may be employed for the internal combustion engine. Such a so-called rotational speed adaptation-type vibration damping device is configured, as an example, to change the pendulum radius of the inertia mass body that makes pendular movements.
A device that is configured to reduce friction between the inertia mass body and the rotating body as the former is described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-340097 (JP-2002-340097 A). In the device described in this Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-340097 (JP-2002-340097 A), a rigid body pendulum is rotatably attached, by a spindle, to an outer peripheral side that is offset from a rotation center of a pulley body that is integrated with a drive shaft. Abrasion reduction means such as a fluorocarbon resin coat or the like is provided between an outer peripheral surface of the spindle and an inner peripheral surface of a hole that is penetrated by the spindle. Besides, a rotational speed adaptation-type vibration damping device as the latter is described in Published Japanese Translation of PCT Application No. 2011-504987 (JP-2011-504987 A).
The aforementioned device described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-340097 (JP-2002-340097 A) can reduce friction between an inertia mass body and a rotating body to suppress abrasion and enhance durability. However, since the pendulum radius of the inertia mass body is constant, the natural frequency changes depending on the rotational speed. In the case where the frequency of vibrations to be damped changes as a result, it may not be possible to obtain desired vibration damping characteristics. Accordingly, in the case where the rotational speed of the rotating body as a subject of vibration damping changes and the order of vibrations to be damped changes as a result, a device structured to change the substantial pendulum radius as described in Published Japanese Translation of PCT Application No. 2011-504987 (JP-2011-504987 A) is employed. In that case, as described in Published Japanese Translation of PCT Application No. 2011-504987 (JP-2011-504987 A), a rolling contact surface whose curvature is constant or changes is formed on at least one of the rotating body and the inertia mass body, and the inertia mass body or a shaft member that removably supports this inertia mass body is supported by the rolling contact surface and rolled along the rolling contact surface. That is, the rolling contact surface serves as a contact location between the inertia mass body and the rotating body.
In the vibration damping device that is configured to roll the inertia mass body, desired vibration damping performance is exerted through smooth rolling of the inertia mass body (i.e., a rolling element). However, the rolling contact surface is a curved surface that has a center of curvature at a location spaced apart from the rotation center of the rotating body. Therefore, in a state where the rolling element moves to a position that is offset from a line that links the center of the rotating body with the center of curvature of the rolling contact surface, the load in the direction of a normal line, which presses the rolling element against the rolling contact surface as a result of a centrifugal force, is small, and a large force is applied in a tangential direction. Accordingly, if a treatment of reducing friction as described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-340097 (JP-2002-340097 A) is applied to the rolling contact surface or a predetermined outer surface of the rolling element that is in contact therewith, the rolling element slips with respect to the rolling contact surface without rolling thereon. As a result, desired vibration damping performance may not be obtained.


A cylinder (1) for a crankcase scavenged two-stroke engine, comprising a cylinder bore (2) with centre line (12) and on opposite sides of the cylinder located closed transfer ducts (3, 3′), which cylinder (1) has an underside (4) essentially perpendicular towards the cylinder bore (2), intended to be connected to a crankcase (5) in a parting plane (A), and besides an inlet (8) for air/fuel mixture, the cylinder is provided with at least one inlet (9, 9′) for additional air to the combustion chamber, which inlet for additional air runs through a cylinder wall (11) and via a recess in the piston and a transfer port (6, 6′) leads down into the transfer ducts (3, 3′). Especially the transfer ducts (3,3′) each have an upper section (3a, 3a′) leading from the transfer port (6, 6′) and in a tangential direction in relation to the cylinder bore (2) and is followed by an essentially right angled bend (3b, 3b′) leading into a lower section (3c, 3c′) leading into the parting plane (A), and at least the right-angled bend of each transfer duct is located on opposite sides of an exhaust duct (7) and during at least a part of the right-angled bend (3b, 3b′) the transfer ducts approach each other.

A difficulty regarding crankcase-scavenged engines is to provide a homogeneous air-fuel mixture to the combustion chamber. This can be achieved by so called long transfer ducts, which however tends to make the crankcase complicated and bulky. For two-stroke engines provided with additional air to the transfer ducts it is important to keep the air in the transfer ducts separated from the air-fuel mixture, in order to as far as possible prevent the air-fuel mixture from the transfer ducts to disappear out through the exhaust port. This separation, also called stratification, is promoted by making the transfer ducts long and narrow, thus preventing, or at least reducing, mixing of different scavenging gases.
The length is also adapted to the desired performance of the tool and its engine. Long transfer ducts for high torque at low speed and shorter ducts for high torque at high speed. A cylinder of the above-mentioned kind is connected to the crankcase in a parting plane essentially perpendicular towards the cylinder bore, usually with a sealing intermediate layer, such as a gasket. Either the parting plane can be located entirely above the center axis of the crankshaft bearing, a so called "short" cylinder, or the parting plane can be located essentially as high as the center axis of the crankshaft, a so called "long" cylinder.
In engines provided with additional air to the transfer ducts, as well as in conventional, high-performance engines, the transfer ducts are closed, i.e. they are separated from the cylinder bore by means of an intermediate wall. Usually closed transfer ducts are vaulted out from the cylinder body for providing the scavenging gases a desired direction into and out from the cylinder bore. This design will lead to difficulties at die-casting of the cylinder body since the direction of the transfer ducts will vary. However US 2003/0106507 A1 shows a cylinder of this type. Each transfer duct runs in a radial direction away from its transfer port and has a vaulted top part and lower part parallel with the cylinder bore. This cylinder is possible to die cast, but it has some clear disadvantages. The flow of additional air from the inlet via the piston recess and the transfer port and down into the transfer channel is slowed down by a number of sharp bends that creates a high flow resistance. From the piston recess there is first a 90° bend into the upper radial part of the transfer duct followed by a 90° bend down to the bore—parallel section of the duct. This creates a high flow resistance that reduces the amount of additional air that can be added, and therefore also the available reduction of exhaust emissions. Further these bends are also followed by a sharp bend in the parting plane.
US 2002/0043227 A1 shows a cylinder with a transfer duct that leads from the transfer port in a tangential direction. Thereafter follows a very strong bend, more than 150 degrees, to make the transfer duct meet the parting plane almost directly below the transfer port. A cutout in the lowest part of the cylinder opens each transfer duct directly in the parting plane. The tangential flow from the transfer port is an advantage compared to US 2003/0106506 A1, but the shape of the other parts of the transfer ducts results in a number of drawbacks:                The strong bend, more than 150 degrees results in a fairly high flow resistance.        The transfer duct will meet the crankcase in a very oblique angle, resulting in high flow resistance.        The transfer duct will lye on the side of the cylinder below the transfer port. This will restrict the flow of cooling air around the cylinder.        The transfer duct will not continue in the crankcase, but will open up in the parting plane. Therefore it is not possible to adapt its total length by just adapting the crankcase. The crankcase is more specifically connected to each tool application than the cylinder is.

Cylinder for a crankcase scavenged internal combustion engine


An image projection apparatus. The image projection apparatus comprises a light source and LCD panel. The LCD panel comprises a plurality of pixels and color filters thereon. Light from the light source is projected to the pixels along an irradiative path and the LCD panel selectively reflects the projected light in accordance with an image signal along a projective path, wherein an angle between the irradiative and projective paths exceeds 0°.

The invention relates to an optical system, and more particularly to an off-axis liquid crystal projector using a single chip.
Reflective liquid crystal display (LCD) panels have many advantages over conventional transmissive LCD panels in many aspects. As a result, there has been an increasing trend to adopt reflective LCD panels in liquid crystal projectors. For example, the aperture ratio (i.e. the ratio of area between the actual size area of a pixel and the area of that pixel that can transmit light) of a transmissive LCD panel is limited, and it is necessary to add isolating material between pixels, which can generate pixilated images. For transmissive LCD panels, it is difficult to enable display devices having high resolution and high brightness at a reasonable production cost. Reflective LCD panels achieve desired aperture ratio and adopt specular material characterized by high reflectivity. Consequently, the reflective LCD panel addresses many of the problems of the transmissive LCD panel.
FIG. 1 shows a conventional on-axis reflective projection system 100 comprising a light source 102, a polarizing beam splitter (PBS) 104, a color separator 106, a plurality of LCD panels 108, such as red, blue and green panels, and a projection lens 110. The light source 102 emits white light to the PBS 104. The PBS 104 only allows light of certain polarization therethrough and reflects light of other polarization to the color separator 106, according to a system axis 112. The color separator 106 then separates the red, blue and green components in the light and allows them to progress toward the respective red, blue and green LCD panels 108. Each LCD panel 108 is controlled by a system, such as a computer or other image source (not shown) and the reflected light from the pixels is selectively modulated to generate a light forming color image which is then reflected to the color separator 106. The color separator 106 combines incident red, green and blue light into a whole-color light and outputs it to the PBS 104 along system axis 112. PBS 104 allows only modulated light to pass to the projection lens 110, whereby the light is focused and projected onto a screen (not shown).
Another on-axis reflective projection system adopts a single chip having color filters. This type of on-axis single chip projector requires no color separator or combining unit for the single chip having color filters, but there is still a need for PBS. The on-axis single chip projector, however, still has many unsolved problems. Firstly, light reflection efficiency is reduced by the single chip having color filters and the PBS in the light path. Secondly, if the incident angle of lights to the PBS increases, there is a serious drop in transmissivity. Thirdly, skew ray caused by the PBS also reduces contrast ratio (CR).

Optical system, image projection apparatus and method thereof


A syringe loading jig that includes structures for gripping and holding a medicant vial in concentric alignment with a syringe and includes a horizontal fastening mechanism for securing the syringe loading jig to a horizontal surface and a vertical fastening mechanism for securing the syringe loading jig to a vertical surface. The syringe loading jig includes a resilient molded jig structure forming a vial holding assembly and a syringe holding assembly. The vial holding assembly includes a lockable vial securing clip and a resilient vial body receiving cavity, a vial neck receiving channel and a vial cap receiving cavity. The resilient vial body receiving cavity, the vial neck receiving channel and the vial cap receiving cavity are concentrically aligned. The syringe holding assembly includes a syringe securing clip and a resilient open-ended and open-topped syringe body receiving channel concentrically aligned with the resilient vial body receiving cavity, the vial neck receiving channel and the vial cap receiving cavity of the vial holding assembly. The resilient molded jig structure has a finger insertion opening formed therein in connection with the resilient vial body receiving cavity, a back surface provided with a jig back surface fastening mechanism, and a vial end surface provided with jig vial end fastening mechanism.

It is often difficult for individuals with the use of a single arm and hand to accurately fill a syringe with a proper dose of insulin or other self administered medicant. It would be a benefit to these individuals to have a syringe loading jig that could be used to grip and hold the medicant vial in concentric alignment with a syringe so that one hand could be used to adjust the plunger handle of the syringe to draw the proper medicant dose into the syringe body of the syringe without the need for simultaneously physically gripping the medicant visal and the syringe plunger. In addition, because it can be difficult to position the plunger when the syringe loading jig is free to move, it would be a further benefit to have a syringe loading jig that included at least one fastening mechanism for fastening the jig to a fixed surface. Because it could be desirable to secure the syringe loading jig to either a horizontal or a vertical surface, it would also be a benefit to have a horizontal fastening mechanism for securing the syringe loading jig to a horizontal surface and a vertical fastening mechanism for securing the syringe loading jig to a vertical surface.