A first aspect of the invention relates to a porcine lactic acid bacterial strain, wherein said bacterial strain is characterised by one or more of the following characteristics: (i) the ability to exhibit antimicrobial activity against E. coli; (ii) the ability to exhibit antimicrobial activity against S. enteritidis; (iii) the ability to suppress inflammation in IPEC cells induced by 12-0-tetradecaboylphorbol-13-acetate (PMA); (iv) the ability to block the attachment or invasion of IPEC cells by S. enteritidis; (v) the ability to block the attachment or invasion of IPEC cells by E. coli; (vi) the absence of antibiotic resistance to one or more antibiotics selected from the following: ampicillin; cefotaxime; chloramphenicol; erythromycin; gentamicin; tetracycline; vancomycin; metronizadole; nalidixic acid; and kanamycin; and (vii) the ability to exhibit heat stability when subjected to three cycles of heating, each cycle comprising heating at a temperature of 70° C. for a period of 15 minutes. Further aspects of the invention relate to compositions comprising said bacterial strains, and therapeutic uses of said bacterial strains.

The composition of the microbial flora of pigs, their gut innate immune function and possible susceptibility to infection is greatly influenced by the environment in which they were reared during early life (Mulder et al, 2009). Outdoor-reared pigs generally have a more developed gut immune system, perform better and are healthier than indoor-reared counterparts. The outdoor environment dramatically influences microbial diversity of the gut and is associated with high levels of Firmicutes, in particular Lactic Acid Bacteria [LAB].
LAB comprise a clade of gram-positive, low-GC, acid-tolerant, generally non-sporulating, non-respiring bacteria that are associated with certain common metabolic and physiological characteristics. LAB are rod-shaped bacilli or coccus that are characterized by an increased tolerance to a lower pH range. LAB produce lactic acid as the major metabolic end-product of carbohydrate fermentation and are amongst the most important groups of microorganisms used in the food industry.
Lactobacilli are predominant in the gut flora of organically (outdoor) reared pigs. In contrast, the numbers of these bacteria are low in indoor-reared pigs and levels of potentially pathogenic phylotypes are high (Mulder et al, 2009). Furthermore, gut immune development and function of indoor-reared pigs is known to deviate from normal. In particular, expression of Type 1 interferon genes, Major Histocompatibility Complex class I and several chemokines are known to be increased (Mulder et al, 2009).
Lactic acid bacteria may modify the flora and gut structure and function in several ways (Cotter et al, 2005; Ohashi and Ushida, 2009). For example, they may compete with harmful bacteria for key nutrients or attachment sites on the gut, resulting in their exclusion. Alternatively, they can produce bioactive substances that aid or promote colonisation by beneficial bacteria or kill/interfere with the growth of potentially harmful or pathogenic bacteria. Alternatively, these bioactive factors can be immune-modulators that promote immune development and barrier integrity of the gut. Strains of LAB vary greatly in their biological activity. The present invention seeks to provide LAB strains that have therapeutically useful properties. More specifically, the invention seeks to provide LAB strains that are capable of promoting gut and immune development and health, thereby having considerable therapeutic potential as probiotics.


An object detection system for detecting and manipulating objects on a workspace includes a three dimensional (3D) sensor configured to acquire and transmit point clouds of a scene, each point cloud including one or more objects in the workspace, manipulator configured to move or grip each of the one or more objects, a memory to store the images and a computer executable program including an object detection-localization program, a segmentation program, a gripping-moving program and a geometry reconstruction program, a processor to perform the computer executable program using the images in connection with the 3D sensor, the memory and the manipulator. The computer executable program is configured to cause the processor to perform steps of generating frames including the point clouds and measurements, generating an initial map from a first frame, moving part of the one or more objects by using the manipulator using the first image, acquiring, after the moving step, a second frame, generating a first dynamic map and a static map from the initial map using the second frame, moving another part of the one or more objects based on the first dynamic map, splitting at least one dynamic map among the first dynamic map and the second dynamic maps when the at least one dynamic map includes a segment being outlier with respect to the one or more objects, reconstructing a 3D geometry of the one or more objects from the split map, and determining when the one or more objects are separated from each other.

When deployed in unstructured environments, autonomous systems face significant challenges in determining the geometric information relevant to execute their tasks. When tasked with manipulating objects, e.g., grasping or sorting objects from a cluttered environment, this challenge lies in correctly determining what an object is. Object recognition is a common task in computer vision, and several methods can be applied to obtain a scene segmentation with several object hypotheses. However, without priori object models, there is a high chance that the scene segmentation will not be perfect.
Interactive perception is a concept in robotics where by exploiting deliberate interactions with the environment, a robotic system is able to gather more information about it in ways that are not possible by passively reading visual sensor data. This concept has been applied by the robotics community to, e.g., enable object singulation, generate a 3D object model or verify segmentation hypothesis.
For instance, a simple scene segmentation algorithm can extract facets of object candidates and correspond to reasonably smooth and continuous surfaces in the observed scene. A robot interacts with these facets by poking them. If a significant motion of the facet occurs, they are considered a confirmed object hypothesis and a grasp is attempted. If no motion occurs, or if the facet cannot be tracked (e.g., if it were in fact the product of two objects in close proximity), the system continues testing the other facets.
Another approach uses a Simultaneous Localization And Mapping (SLAM) framework to simultaneously register the static scene of a robot's environment (i.e. immovable objects) and track objects that might be moving in the same scene. This system enables spawning a new SLAM map whenever a significant portion of non-registered keypoints occurs in a segmented area of space. These new maps are then registered independently of the static scene's map.
In this case, a limitation still exists as the risk of contamination between maps. The system relies on scene segmentation to add new features to its object maps, and if an object contacts with some other part of the environment, there is a risk of adding features that belong to other parts of the environment. This limits the usability of the system to scenes where isolated objects are moving in a static environment.
Thus, there is a need to provide a novel system and method that allow robots or automatic manufacturing machines for detecting, tracking and 3D modeling of objects on a workspace (worktable, workbench, an assembly table, etc.).

Detection, tracking and 3D modeling of objects with sparse RGB-D SLAM and interactive perception

Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc.


A powertrain for a hybrid vehicle includes a clutch interconnecting an internal combustion engine and an electric motor. The electric motor is coupled to a manually operated gearbox operable in at least one electric only drive position and at least one hybrid drive position. A latch is coupled to the clutch and is moveable between a closed position inhibiting the clutch from interconnecting the internal combustion engine and the electric motor when the gearbox is disposed in the electric only drive position, and an open position allowing the clutch to interconnect the internal combustion engine and the electric motor when the gearbox is disposed in the hybrid drive position.

Hybrid vehicles may operate in an electric only drive configuration, in which an electric motor provides the drive torque to a transmission to power the vehicle, or may alternatively operate in a hybrid drive configuration, in which either the electric motor and/or an internal combustion engine may be engaged to provide the drive torque to the transmission. When operating in the electric only drive configuration, the internal combustion engine must be disconnected from the electric motor and the transmission so that the electric motor does not transfer torque to the internal combustion engine. When operating in the hybrid drive configuration, the electric motor and the internal combustion engine may be coupled together and/or coupled to the transmission to transmit torque therebetween.
The transmission includes a gearbox that provides a plurality of different gear ratios used to alter a speed and/or torque output from the transmission to the drive wheels of the vehicle. Manual transmissions are more efficient than automatic transmissions due to the energy loss associated with a torque converter of the automatic transmissions. Accordingly, a hybrid vehicle utilizing a manual transmission may be more fuel efficient than the same hybrid vehicle utilizing an automatic transmission. However, the manual transmission, when positioned in a drive gear, is rotationally fixed to the torque providing source, e.g., the internal combustion engine. As noted above, when operating in the hybrid drive configuration, the internal combustion engine must be disconnected from the electric motor and the transmission.

Method of operating a hybrid powertrain with manual transmission and off-latching clutch


A print head maintenance mechanism used for an inkjet printer including a print head having a nozzle plateformed with nozzles and a head transport mechanism capable oftransporting the print head along a transport pathway from aprint region to a non-print region, the print head ejecting ink contained in an ink cartridge from the nozzles onto a print sheet while in the print region, the print head maintenance mechanism including: a purge unit disposed in confrontation with the non-print region of the transport pathway and for sucking ink from the nozzles of the head when needed; and a wiper unit disposed in confrontation with the non-print region of the transport pathway and wiping the nozzle plate only after the purge unit has sucked ink from the nozzles.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a print headmaintenance mechanism for cleaning a print head having anozzle plate formed with nozzles.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has been known an ink jet type printer for recording images on a print sheet. While a print head formed with nozzles is in a print region and is confronting the print sheet, ink is ejected from the nozzles to print an image on the print sheet. In between printing operations, the print head is moved to a waiting position, where the purge mechanism caps the nozzles of the print head to prevent ink in the nozzles from drying out. The purge mechanism also sucks defective ink and debris from the nozzles to unclog the nozzles. The ink jet printer is also provided with a wiping unit for wiping the nozzle plate of the print head using a rubber wiper blade. When the print head is moved from the waiting position to a position in the print region, the nozzle plate of the print head contacts and is wiped by the wiper blade. The reason the nozzle plate of the print head is wiped is because after purge operations ink droplets can remain clinging to the nozzle plate of the print head. These ink droplets can interfere with proper ejection of ink droplets.


An ultrasonic motor and a manufacturing method thereof are provided. The ultrasonic motor includes an active layered section including a piezoelectric material; an inactive section disposed below the active layered section, which has a contact portion profile as a lowest layer; a first lower layer positioned one layer below an uppermost layer of the active layered section; a second lower layer formed with separated electrodes in an upper surface thereof and positioned two layers below the uppermost layer; and a repeated structure in the active layered section having a same structure as a combination structure comprising the first lower layer and the second lower layer, the repeated structure being downwardly layered from the combination structure.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ultrasonic motor and a manufacturing method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
An ultrasonic motor is a kind of small actuator that can be used for mechanical driving components within various electronic devices, such as components within a cellular phone, a digital camera, a Personal Data Assistant (PDA), a camera for a notebook, etc. Specifically, an ultrasonic motor may be used for auto focus (hereinafter, referred to as "AF"), Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), zoom, a shutter, etc.
A piezoelectric ultrasonic motor may be designed, develop, and manufactured in consideration of a variety of factors, including miniaturization, operation stability, guarantee of reliability, mass producibility, etc.
Actuators within ultrasonic motors are largely divided into two types. A first type of actuators uses electromagnetism. This first type of actuators includes motors using an electromagnetic force between a magnet and a coil, such as a voice coil motor, a step motor, etc. A second type of actuators uses a piezoelectric material. This second type of actuators uses a piezoelectric material that generates mechanical displacement through an electric field, or generates voltage by mechanical deformation. In other words, the second type of actuator drives by causing a mechanical change in the piezoelectric material through application of an electric source to the piezoelectric material, and generating a frictional force with a contact portion through application of a mechanical pressure from the outside. Such an actuator may include a Longitudinal or Bending Mode (L1B2) ultrasonic motor, a Smooth Impact Drive Mechanism (SIDM), and the like. There are also various other kinds/types of piezoelectric actuators using a cantilever, or similar elements.
However, the first type of actuator using electromagnetism has several problems because, this type uses an electromagnetic force between a magnet and a coil. Therefore, a large amount of power is consumed by the motor itself. The first type of actuator is also difficult miniaturize, has a low resolution, generates an electromagnetic field, and has no holding torque for maintaining a position when the actuator is stopped. Thus, for the motor and a controller, continuous driving and power consumption are required to maintain a lens position when the actuator is used for AF of a camera of a mobile terminal, or other similar functions. This may be a significant disadvantage in a mobile device. Also, there is a problem of reproducibility. Specifically, a change in a load amount is caused by gravity when the direction of a mobile terminal is turned, which causes a problem of the reproducibility of the motor.
By contrast, the second type of actuators using a piezoelectric material is superior to the first type of actuator using electromagnetism in regards to power consumption, size, resolution, generation of an electromagnetic field, etc. However improvements in regards to miniaturization, reliability, stability, mass producibility, a price, etc. are still desired, even for the second type of actuators.
FIG. 1 is a view showing the external structure of a conventional L1B2 mode ultrasonic motor.
A conventional L1B2 mode ultrasonic motor requires, at a lower end thereof, a groove and an inactive section for seating a contact tip, and further requires, at an upper end thereof, another inactive section with the same thickness as that the thickness of the inactive section at the lower end to minimize L1 B2 mode distortion. This causes an increase in the entire thickness of the motor, thereby hindering miniaturization of the motor. The inactive sections at the upper/lower ends also reduce displacement, thereby reducing the performance of the motor. In other words, the inactive section at the lower end is necessary to stably seat a contact material, and also the inactive section at the upper end, which is symmetrical to that at the lower end, is necessary to avoid mode distortion. These inactive sections at the upper/lower ends cause an unfavorable effect on the miniaturization and the performance.

Ultrasonic motor and manufacturing method of the same


A device for visual inspection of narrow spaces and objects located in narrow spaces such as solder joints between a component and a printed circuit board has an image prism for deflecting light from the spaces and objects to be inspected and an image sensor that can be connected to a display. For illuminating the solder joints light sources are provided that are located at the transmission path of light from the image prism to the image sensor. The light sources are connected to light guides having outlet ends that are located to issue light at the sides of the light entrance surface of the image prism. Special illumination prisms can be provided to direct the light. The issued light is directed to the field of view, if desired in directions obliquely down into the surface at which the spaces or objects are located and in a weakly converging fashion. Extra light sources can be connected to light guides of a background illumination unit. The light guides may be part of an illuminating unit that can be attached the rest of the device by a snapping function.

When using BGA (Ball Grid Array) packages as components on electronic circuit boards an inspection of solder joints of these components is necessary in many cases. Solder bonds of BGA packages are hidden under the package or circuit, and hence a reliable inspection of solder joints has been a difficult task for many companies assembling circuit boards. Hence, during the two past decades, several X-rays systems have been developed for inspection of BGA packages. Using the results of such inspections, assembler companies have been able to better control the quality and condition of the solder joints.
However, the complexity, the limitations, such as the lack of capability of detecting "cold" solder joints, cracks, thermal stress, flux agent residues, etc., and the high cost of X-ray systems, typically in the range of EUR40 000 to EUR100 000, have made visual inspection systems be an attractive alternative or complement to X-ray systems. The need for visual inspection of BGA and similar packages is constantly increasing within the electronic circuit manufacturing industry since more and more BGA, MicroBGA, CSP and Flip-Chip packages are designed and assembled on PCBs (Printed Circuit Boards). The visual inspection systems are becoming efficient, cost effective and reliable besides the X-ray systems, even bringing advantages that the X-ray systems do not offer.
Optical systems for inspection of BGA joints like Ersascope manufactured and sold by Ersa GmbH or VPI-optical Inspection System manufactured by Metcal in Menlo Park, Calif., have been on the market for a few years. However, the video microscopes according to the prior art can, due to their designs, only be used stationarily in laboratories and they have not such a degree of integration that they can be used as mobile equipment, without extra requirements such as of being connected to a stand and/or to external illumination sources and/or other necessary accessories or devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,580,501 for Cannon and assigned to Ersa GmbH discloses stationary apparatus for visual inspection of concealed solder joints, the apparatus including a lens head, an ocular unit and an image transmission unit for transmitting the image from the lens head to the ocular unit and having the basic structure and shape of an industrial or medical endoscope. The lens head comprises a housing having a recess in which a light deflecting prism is mounted. An illumination device has light exits located at opposite sides of the prism, the light exits being the free ends of the fibers of a glass fiber bundle, the fibers connected to a single external light source at their other ends. The light exits issue light in directions parallel to the surface of the PCB which is to be inspected.

Device for inspection of narrow spaces and objects in narrow spaces


The invention presents the concept of a residential building which is constructed on the principle of staggered dwellings. The staggered dwellings each have a single-storey dwelling part (10, 23) and a two-storey dwelling part (11) with outdoor area. The living area (10 and 11) of the dwelling is open and allows individual living requirements to be realized with a variability which has not been known up until now. The division of space is not fixed by the static system. The type of accommodation presented can be realized in all types of urban construction such as blocks of flats, block-edge developments or high-rise buildings from two storeys upwards. The sizes of dwellings may be determined in accordance with the location and the target group. Combining the accommodation with service-related and commercial use is made possible in a completely new way using this principle.

Many people dream of having their own house or flat. The accommodation available for the middle classes is made up of houses that are at a relatively large distance from urban agglomeration, of terraced housing closer to urban agglomeration or of rented and bought flats in the town or city or in suburbs. Flats which are available today in town and city centres are not only expensive but also, in many cases, are not attractive to those who are not keen on typically urban buildings.
Living space had to be created quickly in the years following the Second World War. In today's terms, bland residential buildings with dwellings were constructed. Architecture which was popular at the end of the nineteenth century and at the beginning of the twentieth century, and in which the facade of a house reflected the use of the latter, was lost. The facades were featureless and uniform. The facade was the same from the ground floor to the top floor and, if this is possible, the blandness was even emphasized by a flat roof. Even if the uniformity was combated at a later date with specific facade designs, a block with dwellings can only be rendered interesting to the observer by additional outlay and associated extra costs.
Maisonettes do indeed provide living-space alternatives, but do little to influence the facade design. Residential buildings with flats or maisonettes make good use of the urban areas available. The living quality, however, automatically suffers if construction is dominated by bland and monotonous blocks of flats.


Systems for creating electrodes for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells include an XY stage having a heated vacuum table physically coupled to the XY stage. The vacuum table has a working face with a plurality of channels formed therein to communicate vacuum pressure from a port coupled to a vacuum source to the channels. A sheet of perforated heat-conductive material has staggered holes configured to evenly distribute the vacuum pressure from the channels through the perforated sheet. A heat-conductive wire mesh is placed over the perforated sheet, and has openings smaller than the staggered holes such that a membrane material placed on the wire mesh is not deformed by the vacuum pressure. A nanopipette or micropipette coupled to a pump is configured to deposit electrode ink onto an exposed surface of the membrane material as the controller device causes the XY stage to move the vacuum table to control deposition of the electrode ink onto the surface of the membrane material.

As new applications of battery and fuel cell technology continue to emerge, a variety of factors are driving the development Polymer Electrolyte Membrane or Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs). One example of such an application is electric vehicles (EVs), which, as a result of the desire to lower vehicle emissions and emissions in general, are becoming more common. For EVs to be practical and successful in the market, they require power sources (e.g., batteries) or energy conversion devices that convert fuel to electricity with high efficiency (e.g., fuel cells) with a number of attributes. The EV application requires low operating temperatures for quick start, safe operation, and high energy density to achieve maximum range with minimal weight and volume.
In general, fuel cells are electrochemical devices that convert energy from a fuel and an oxidizing agent into electricity. FIG. 1 illustrates a PEMFC at its most basic level. Fuel provided to an anode causes electrons to migrate across an electrolyte to a cathode supplied with an oxidizing agent. In many fuel cells, the fuel is hydrogen and the oxidizing agent is oxygen, typically from air. The hydrogen combines with the oxygen to produce electricity and water. PEMFCs use a polymer membrane for the electrolyte, removing liquid electrolytes from the picture.
Though PEMFCs have a variety of components, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the "heart" of a PEMFC is the membrane electrode assembly (MEA). The MEA is typically a polymer membrane having on each side of it a catalyst-coated carbon paper or a catalyst-coated membrane placed between two carbon papers. A solubilized form of the membrane (i.e., ionomer) is typically used as a binder and to provide proton conductivity in the electrode layers. MEAs are fabricated by applying this catalyst-ionomer-solvent "ink" to a carbon paper to form a gas diffusion electrode (GDE) with subsequent hot-pressing to the membrane or by applying the catalyst ink to a substrate with subsequent transfer to the membrane or directly to the membrane to form a catalyst-coated membrane (CCM). The most common catalyst is Platinum, though other noble metals may be used. Platinum is preferred because of its high catalytic activity and stability. However, the high costs of Platinum and other noble metals used for catalysts remains a key challenge slowing commercialization and adoption of fuel cell technology, especially for automotive uses. Therefore, finding alternative catalysts and, in particular, platinum group metal free (PGM-free) catalysts, is a priority of many research groups studying fuel cells.
Testing MEAs manufactured with different catalysts and/or membranes for analysis of performance and stability can be a laborious and time-consuming process. For example, a conventional single cell test setup can require an entire day to complete fuel cell performance measurements: warming up the cell/humidifier system, conditioning the electrode, acquiring polarization curve and other diagnostic data, and assembling/disassembling the cell and test setup. Commercial systems exist that can test the performance of multiple cathodes simultaneously, however such systems require precise placement on the membrane of each cathode being tested, which negates some of the benefits of being able to test multiple cathodes simultaneously.
While some conventional fabrication techniques, such as spraying electrode ink over a mask to make patterned electrodes on a membrane, allow for the fabrication of multiple electrodes in a particular pattern dictated by the multi-electrode cell hardware, such techniques each have their drawbacks. It is difficult to control precise catalyst loading when spraying the electrode ink, for example, and much of the ink is sprayed onto the mask, resulting in unnecessary waste. It is also more difficult to apply different catalyst formulations at each of the spots in the electrode pattern.

Electrode ink deposition system for high-throughput polymer electrolyte fuel cell


A method for separating woody material from plant fibers is disclosed which includes the provision of a plurality of woody material bending regions with the plant material being fed to a first and then a second one of the bending regions as bending and pulling surfaces are moved through the bending regions. The bending and pulling surfaces move through the regions at different operating speeds so that the bending and pulling surfaces in adjacent bending regions will pull on the plant material to separate the fibers from the woody material. As the bending and pulling surfaces primarily impart a pulling or stripping force on the fiber along its length where the fiber has its most strength, the woody material can be dislodged and stripped away lengthwise with minimal damage or breakage of the fiber. The step of providing bending regions can include the step of providing first and second sets of fluted rollers having bending and pulling radially extending flute surfaces. The plant material is fed to the first bending region between the first set of fluted rollers and then the second bending region between the second set of fluted rollers. Preferably, a third bending region is also provided and the bending and pulling flutes are caused to move through the first, second and third regions at progressively increasing operating speeds.

Various methods of decorticating flax straw, that is, separating the woody shive material from the flax plant fibers, have been proposed. Apart from retting and chemical treatment processes, most systems for mechanically working flax straw rely on some sort of scutching or a beating or flailing action as the primary mechanism to break up the woody material and dislodge the same from associated fibers. Examples of machines utilizing scutching or beating action in removing shive are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,418,694 and 2,741,894.
The problem with beating flax straw to break loose the shive material is that the beating action can also damage or break the fibers and thereby shorten the fibers separated from the shive. In many applications for these fibers, long fibers can be necessary for strength purposes such as in papermaking, preparation of fiberboard-types of materials, production of textiles, and reinforcing other fibers, plastic or composite material, and thus the shorter fibers produced by prior methods of decortication are undesirable. In addition to longer fibers, it is also economically desirable to be able to process high rates of flax straw through decorticating machines with relatively low power requirements.

Apparatus for decorticating plant material

Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute


Embodiments of the invention include a band clamp assembly. The band clamp assembly includes a drive rack and a housing including a receiving hole, a rotatable drive gear, and a locking pawl. The rotatable drive gear is designed to engage the first side of the drive rack and the locking pawl is designed to engage a second side of the drive rack.

Pressure vessels, such as split tank filters or split pump housings, often include two components that can be separated for cleaning, maintenance, filter replacement, etc. Clamps or other types of locking members are used to secure the two components (e.g., a top unit and a bottom unit) together during operation of the pressure vessel. If the clamp fails, for example due to improper positioning or insufficient fastening, pressure built up in the pressure vessel can cause the components to separate with substantial force.
Conventional band clamps used to secure a pressure vessel include a threaded rod, which is either threaded through both ends of the band clamp or secured to one end of the band clamp and threaded through a second end of the band clamp. One or more nuts is threaded along the rod (e.g., against one or both ends of the band clamp) in order to tighten the band clamp around the pressure vessel. This type of nut and thread combination provides an infinite number of "locked" positions. As a result, a user must estimate the proper amount of tightening required to sufficiently lock the band clamp (i.e., to prevent separation of the pressure vessel during operation). If the band clamp is not tightened enough, the pressure vessel may not be properly sealed at the junction between the top unit and the bottom unit, resulting in possible separation. If the band clamp is tightened too much, portions of the band clamp may undergo additional stresses which can cause the band clamp to break or otherwise fail, also resulting in possible separation.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A method and apparatus that allows a user to specify whether his web page has primarily row or column layout. Web page editor software designed in accordance with the present invention generates the internal representation of a page (such as HTML) differently depending on how the user specifies the web page. A preferred embodiment of the present invention defaults to a primarily row layout, but allows the user to specify a primarily columnar layout by checking a box displayed by the editor. The editor generates an HTML table representing the page (or each frame of the page). Within the main HTML table, the editor generates HTML subtables, depending on whether the page is laid out using primarily row or column layout. The subtables are defined in such a way that the various elements of the page lined up in either a row or column direction, thus minimizing the problems. In addition, an editor in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention allows the user to define whether the height of text is locked or whether it can be changed when viewed by a browser.

Recently, people have begun to automate the task of designing world wide web pages. Various software programs exist that allow people to define the appearance of a web page. Users on the world wide web can then view the defined page using browser software. In general, when viewed with a browser, the defined page will appear as it was defined. A problem develops, however, when certain types of web pages are displayed on certain hardware platforms on using certain browser options.
These problems are due, primarily to differences between hardware platforms and to the user changing various default browser options. As an example of hardware platform differences, 10 point text displayed in an operating system such as MICROSOFT WINDOWS 95 is the same size as 10 point text on the APPLE MACINTOSH operating system. Thus, for example, if a block of text on a web page is defined to be 10 point type, it will take up less space on the screen of a browser running on a MACINTOSH than it will take up when displayed by a browser executing on an IBM PC.
As a further example, some browsers allow the user to set the size at which text is displayed in a web page. If the user sets the text to be larger or smaller than usual, this affects how much screen space is needed to display the text. As a further example, not all text fonts take up the same amount of room, even when they are technically the same type size. Because certain browsers allow the user to specify the font used to display text, the text of web pages displayed by the browser may take up more or less room than was intended by the human designer of the page.
Given the current state of browsers, the human designer of a web page has no control over how various browsers executing on different platforms will display text. Similarly, the human designer has no control over whether a user changes the size or the font of text on his web page. Thus, even though the human designer may carefully design the layout of his web page, the layout will not appear as planned under certain circumstances. What is needed is a way to let the human designer plan his page in such a way that the effects of the above problems are minimized.

Method and apparatus for implementing web pages having smart tables


A kit for containing water within a bathing space, and a bathing space with components of the kit installed thereto. The kit includes a shower curtain with an extended portion, and a plurality of seam liners configured to adhere to portions of the bathing space with caulk or seams thereon. The extended portion of the shower curtain extends from a main portion of the shower curtain into the bathing space and prevents water from escaping to an exterior of the bathing space. The plurality of seam liners are adhered to portions of the bathing space to protect caulk or seams. The kit is useful for extending a lifespan of the bathing space, and for preventing water accumulation and resulting damage to a floor of a bathroom.

Ordinary bathing spaces, such as bathtubs and showers, may be equipped with a shower curtain rod that is intended to contain water with the bathing space when used in combination with a shower curtain attached thereto. However, even though the shower curtain rod may extend a length of the bathing space, due to the design of a typical rod and curtain assembly, there often exists gaps on either or both ends of the shower curtain that fails to prevent water from escaping the bathing space and wetting an exterior of the bathing spaces, such as a floor of a bathroom. This escaped water can damage the floor of the bathroom over time, resulting in costly repairs.
Further, due to the construction of the bathing space itself, there are often seams or cracks between adjacent surfaces or walls of an interior of the bathing space, and water can get into these cracks, causing further damage to the bathroom or adjacent rooms or structures. Caulk may be used to seal or cover these seams. However, caulk can break down over time and upon exposure to the elements, and is not a reliable sealant by itself.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a kit for containing water with a bathing space, and a bathing space with components of the kit installed thereto. The present invention addresses this unmet need.
Items have been disclosed in the art that relate to water containment within a bathing space. These include items that have been patented and published in patent application publications. These items often fail to contain bathing water with a bathing space, such as a bathtub or a shower. In view of the items disclosed in the art, it is submitted that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing bathing water containment items. In view of the present disclosure, it is submitted that the present invention substantially diverges in structural and functional elements from items in the art, and substantially fulfills an unmet need in the art.

Bathing water containment kit and apparatus


A joint which is a cylindrical body having an inner circumferential surface, a diameter of which is larger than any of outer diameters of two pipes to be connected, the cylindrical body being provided with an annular projecting strip portion formed in an approximately axially intermediate portion so as to project radially inward, first and second cylindrical portions respectively disposed on opposite sides of the annular projecting strip, annular projecting portions projecting radially outward so as to form annular space portions in approximately intermediate portions of the first and second cylindrical portions respectively, and through holes formed respectively in the annular projecting portions for injecting a foamable and curable liquid agent. A method of connecting pipes by use of the above pipe joint, includes the steps of bonding sealing bodies of a compressible and deformable material onto the outer circumferential surfaces of the two pipes to be connected or the inner circumferential surfaces of the joint; pressing the pipes into the joint; injecting a foamable and curable liquid agent into inside space portions through corresponding through holes so as to fill the internal space portions with a foamed and expanded hardened substance of the liquid agent injected therein to thereby connect the pipes to the joint water-tightly.

The present invention relates to a pipe joint suitable for making interconnection between corrugated pipes which are formed of synthetic resin so as to have corrugated outer-circumferential surfaces, particularly pipes which are different from each other in shape of corrugation or in outer diameter, and further relates to a method of connecting different-diameter pipes to each other by use of such a pipe joint.
Such type of conventional pipe joints may be roughly classified into a joint for pipes having pipe walls corrugated spirally, and a joint for pipes having pipe walls corrugated annularly. Generally, the former joint for spirally corrugated pipes has such a structure that the whole (inner and outer) shapes or at least the inner circumferential surface of the joint is formed into a spirally corrugated shape which can fit the spirally corrugated shapes of pipes to be connected, while the latter joint for annularly corrugated pipes has a halved structure because of impossibility of plug-in connection of pipes into the joint.
Both of those conventional pipe joints, that is, the former joint and the latter joint, are formed for the purpose of making connection between two pipes which are identical in shape of corrugation and which are equal in outer diameter (hereinafter referred to as "same-shaped pipes"), that is, pipes having the same predetermined shape.
Therefore, any of the conventional pipe joints, that is, any of the joint for spirally corrugated pipes and the joint for annularly corrugated pipes, cannot be used for connecting pipes which are different in diameter or in shape of corrugation other than same-shaped pipes having a predetermined size, that is, pipes with a shape other than a predetermined shape. In addition, in the joint for spirally corrugated pipes, it is required to rotate long pipes relative to the joint when the pipes are to be spirally connected to the joint, while in the joint for annularly corrugated pipes, it is required to combine the two parts of the halved joint by means of fastening bolts, or the like. Accordingly, there has been such a problem in either joint that it takes time and labor to connect pipes, and it is impossible to perform piping work rapidly.

Joint for different-diameter pipes and method of connecting different-diameter pipes


A single instance, multi-tenant procurement system, includes an access module to provide access to a plurality of end users associated with an organization to their respective accounts, each account being customized by a super user of the organization, a search engine to execute searches for products offered by one or more suppliers, a transaction module to process and track one or more requisitions generated by the plurality of end users, a business rules module to apply business rules established between the organization and the one or more suppliers to process the requisitions, and a data repository to store data generated on the system.

Current e-commerce systems and methods provide consumers and businesses the ability to browse product lines and consummate sales transactions. However, current e-commerce systems do not allow for easy customization of the needed functionality to facilitate the transaction. While current systems can be customized for a specific business or customer, the customization is a time consuming and complicated task. These customizations must generally be hard coded into the application by the developers, thereby incurring increases in costs, delay in implementation, and loss of productivity. In the field of procurement, for example, an organization in need of a product or service generally has contractual relationships with multiple vendors to provide the desired product or service. The contractual relationship may define such terms as price, lot size, form of delivery, amount of discount, and other business rules. These rules may become complex as one term may influence other terms, such as different levels of discounts based on the number of items ordered.
Procurement systems also generally require order authorization from a procurement officer of the organization or someone in charge of reviewing the orders for compliance with internal policies of the organization, in addition to the contractual relationships with the vendors. These orders must be processed and tracked as the orders progress through the approval process such that the individuals placing orders are notified of whether the order was approved or denied, as well as for internal audit purposes.
Furthermore, procurement systems also do not currently provide features that would allow users to create custom item attributes, define the custom item attributes using one or more sub-attributes, and assign the custom item attributes to one or more items, catalogs, and/or suppliers. Therefore, there is a need for a system and method that can provide an efficient and simple procurement process that is easily customizable for multiple organizations and multiple vendors with simple and complex business terms, and can also provide a single point-of-access for both businesses and consumers to interface, interact, and implement and execute transactions, in accordance with existing or newly defined relationships, using a custom and configurable methodology for realizing their requirements.

Multi-constituent attribution of a vendor's product catalog


An individual may wish to make a gift of digital media to a designated recipient. The digital media may be previously purchased by the individual or may be new, unused digital media purchased specifically as a gift for the recipient. The sender of the gift sends a gift notification. The sender is then verified to ensure that the sender is authorized to make the gift by matching an identifier of the digital media with an identifier associated with the sender. The digital media may be associated with a set of rights and privileges. Further rights and privileges associated with the digital media may be offered to the recipient.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to gifts of digital media. More specifically, the present invention relates to managing gifts of digital media.
2. Description of the Related Art
Digital media encompasses a range of audio, video, video games, and other software applications. Digital media is typically sold or transferred via download over a communications network or on some form of digital storage media including optical discs such as a compact disc (CD) or digital versatile disc (DVD) as well as non volatile memory such as flash memory. Initial purchasers of digital media, either through a download or on a storage medium, buy the digital media new, unused, and directly from the publisher, manufacturer, or authorized retailer. Following acquisition and play of the digital media, an initial purchaser may lose interest in the digital media. Some initial purchasers may only desire to have the digital media for a short period of time, until they view a movie once or twice, or 'beat' a particular game. Subsequent to achieving that short term goal, the initial purchaser may wish to resell, swap, rent, lend, or otherwise give away the digital media to others for their use or enjoyment.
Various intermediaries may facilitate the transfer to a secondary user, including intermediate secondary users (e.g., another short-term user), resellers (e.g., eBay, GameStop), lenders (e.g., a public library), or lessors of the media (e.g., GameFly). Rather than having to buy a new copy of a video game or other digital content on a corresponding digital storage medium (e.g., a DVD), a secondary user is provided with a copy that has been previously owned and/or used. Because the digital media has been previously owned or has been used by any number of secondary users when borrowed or rented, the price of an item of digital media on the secondary market is generally lower than those prices paid by initial purchasers.
Such secondary markets can be an important part of the distribution and development lifecycle. For example, secondary markets may be useful to publishers and authors because secondary markets may allow for promotion a particular title or series through word-of-mouth publicity or viral marketing. These grass-root efforts allow for sampling of lesser-known titles and publishers and may contribute to building future dedication to or interest in the titles or publisher. Secondary markets also allow for physical media to be recycled for use by multiple users who might not otherwise make the investment in a particular game platform if there is a lack of available content at a moderate price.
Notwithstanding the importance of the secondary user market, secondary users—and parties that facilitate secondary purchases—can cause a significant financial loss to the publisher, manufacturer, and/or authorized retailer of initial copies of digital media. Secondary users are usually motivated by the lower purchase or rental prices offered by secondary markets. Secondary users may not desire to acquire a catalog of content or to re-watch or replay a particular movie or game over time. These considerations and corresponding effects become even more pronounced as the costs of producing content and digital media increase.


An electrical discharge, suitable for heating optical fibers for processing, is made in a controlled partial vacuum, such that saturation of available ionizable gas molecules is reached. The workpiece temperature is thereby made to be a stably controlled function of the absolute air pressure and is insensitive to other conditions. A system and method accomplishing the foregoing are provided.

In the manufacture of devices using optical fibers, it is commonly required to heat the fibers in a controlled manner so that they may be spliced, coupled, shaped, annealed, tapered, diffused, expanded, flame polished, cleaned, or stripped of coatings. An electrical discharge is commonly employed for this purpose. This electrical discharge is known in the industry as an "arc." However, according to some sources, a discharge of this current level is not a true arc, but a glow discharge that generates a hot plasma.
The arc is normally formed between the sharply pointed tips of a pair of electrodes, typically made of tungsten and spaced 1 mm to 10 mm apart. Larger electrode spacing is required for splicing multiple fibers at once (fiber ribbons), and for larger diameter fibers. The optical design of some splicers may also require the electrode spacing "gap" to be larger in order to prevent the electrodes from physically occluding the optical path.
The voltage applied to the electrodes may be DC (typically in conjunction with smaller electrode spacing) or AC (which allows a larger spacing between the electrode tips—up to 10 mm or more). The voltage required to initiate the discharge is determined by Paschen's Law, which relates the breakdown voltage of a gap between electrodes to a (complex and non-linear) function of the gas present in the gap (typically ordinary air), pressure, humidity, electrode shape, electrode material, and gap distance. Many of the parameters required to apply Paschen's Law to this system are not known, so little quantitative theoretical analysis of splicer arcs has been done. Typically, the initiating voltage is determined experimentally to be in the range of 5 kV to 30 kV.
FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of a typical prior art fiber processing device using an electrical discharge as a heat source, known as a "fusion splicer". This device has as its primary purpose the splicing of two fiber ends together, but may also be used for other operations, such as tapering. The two fiber ends are held by fixtures (3,4) which can be positioned in at least two axes each. An Arc Discharging Unit (5) provides controlled high voltage to two pointed tungsten alloy electrodes (1,2). A programmable control unit (6) positions the fibers and controls the operation of the Arc Discharging Unit. Typically, these mechanisms are used in conjunction with one or more cameras and associated optics (not shown) to locate the fibers for positioning and to analyze the resulting splice quality.
Once the arc has been initiated, sustained ionization of the plasma in the discharge requires a lower voltage than initially applied. The impedance (ratio of applied voltage to current) of the plasma as a circuit element is difficult to predict. Splicer arcs are even suspected to exhibit negative incremental impedance at some frequencies and current levels. These characteristics make "constant voltage" operation of a splicer arc very difficult to achieve. Therefore, most such systems are controlled to provide a constant average current. This correlates in a reasonably predictable way with the observed power delivered to the discharge and the resulting temperature of the fibers.
However, the accuracy, precision, and repeatability of such control methods is subject to many uncontrolled factors. Air pressure, humidity, air temperature, electrode spacing, electrode cleanliness, and electrode geometry produce unacceptably large changes in the temperature reached at the working surface of the fibers. The electrodes oxidize away during use, which expands the gap between the electrodes, blunts their points, and contaminates their emitting surfaces.
As a result, various procedures have been developed to renormalize the relationship between the setpoint arc current and the resulting fiber temperature. These procedures normally consist of an "arc check" wherein the arc discharge is operated at various power levels, and the resulting distortion or incandescence of the fibers is observed by a camera to provide information used to recalibrate the system for atmospheric and electrode conditions. These procedures are unsatisfactory in many respects, as they consume time, electrode life, and optical fiber, while providing only a temporary and partial solution to the problem of changes in the fiber temperature.

Partial vacuum operation of arc discharge for controlled heating


A male terminal fitting (1) has a rectangular tube (4). A locking edge (15) engageable with a locking portion provided in a cavity is formed over the entire width in an outer surface of a rectangular tube (4). No opening is formed in the outer surface of the rectangular tube portion (4) by forming this locking edge (15). Closing pieces (12) are provided at positions slightly retracted inwardly of the locking edge (15). Thus, problems such as the intrusion of external matter from the outside and the deformation of a leading end portion of another male terminal fitting (1) due to the entrance into the rectangular tube (4) can be avoided.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a terminal fitting.
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 6,244,900 discloses a male terminal fitting with a rectangular tubular main portion. A locking hole is formed in the upper surface of main portion and is retained by the engagement of a projecting lock with the locking hole. Two stabilizers project from upper edges of side surfaces at the opposite sides of the locking hole to prevent an erroneous insertion of the male terminal fitting into a cavity, such as an upside-down insertion.
The stabilizers are, in many cases, formed by making cuts in the main portion and bending the cut portions. A through hole left by forming the stabilizers is used as part of the locking hole. Male terminal fittings frequently are handled in large numbers prior to use. As a result, the leading end of one male terminal fitting can intrude into the locking hole of another male terminal fitting. External matter also can intrude through the locking hole and into the main portion. These intrusions can deform the male terminal fittings.
The present invention was developed in view of these problems and an object thereof is to prevent or reduce the likeliness of the intrusion of an external matter into a locking hole.


A method of making and the product of the method in a diaphragm for use in a pressure regulator, or other similar uses, where leakage around the confined edges of the diaphragm must be avoided. The structure confining the edges of the diaphragm consists of a main housing body having a groove for receiving a rib or the outer periphery of the diaphragm and a secondary housing to clamp the periphery. The central portion of the diaphragm carries a top plate with a bottom groove to receive a rib on the central periphery of the diaphragm and a bottom disc to clamp the inner periphery. Diaphragms are made with a fabric sandwiched between flexible layers of material. This results in a flash edge which may cause wicking and prevents a proper seal in the grooves receiving the ribs. An angled trim on the peripheries allows a proper filling of the grooves and a leak proof seal.

There are hundreds of pressure regulator designs dating back to the beginning of the mechanical age of steam engines and compressed air actuators. The present invention contemplates an improved regulator design which is more compact and has a lower height dimension. The ball valve element having a flat valve surface is self-aligning. An improved diaphragm is confined peripherally and properly shaped at the peripheries to fill annular grooves for annular ribs on the diaphragm to insure a leak-proof seal. In addition, the diaphragm and valve assembly are conveniently designed for a single tool assembly.
The diaphragm is designed for use with liquid fuel or air and is also compatible with the use of alcohol or oxygenated fuels.
Other objects and features of the invention will be apparent in the following description and claims in which the principles of the invention are set forth together with details to enable persons skilled in the art to practice the invention, all in connection with the best mode presently contemplated for the invention.

Diaphragm for pressure regulators and method of making


A redundant industrial controller system has a primary controller backed up by a secondary controller and recovers from a power loss by analyzing the state memories of the controllers to reach a determination of which controller would best be suited to assume primary control status without resorting to arbitrary tie-breaking procedures or race conditions. The rules and their inputs are applied by both controllers which independently make the determination as to which controller should be the primary controller.

The present invention relates to industrial controllers and in particular to an industrial controller system having two industrial controllers operating as active and back-up controllers.
Industrial controllers are special purpose computers used for controlling factory automation and the like. Under the direction of a stored program, a processor of the industrial controller examines a series of inputs reflecting the status of a controlled process and changes outputs effecting control of the controlled process.
Typically, an industrial controller is constructed in a modular fashion, having one or more functional modules connected together through a common backplane in a rack or the like. The modular construction allows the circuitry of the industrial controller to be customized to some degree for each application and simplifies maintenance and repair of the industrial controller in the event that one or more modules fail.
Industrial controllers must often provide uninterrupted and reliable operation for long periods of time. One method of ensuring such operation is by providing a second industrial controller operating in a back-up mode to an active industrial controller. If the active industrial controller should fail, the back-up controller may take over the controlled process or equipment with minimal interruption. The back-up controller may also be used to facilitate maintenance or testing of the control program. Such modifications may be performed on one controller (either the active or back-up controller) reverting to the other controller if problems develop. In such circumstances, it is desirable that the two controllers be completely symmetric with either one having the capability of assuming an active or back-up capacity.
A loss of power can disable both the active and back-up controller or power may be lost to either controller individually. In both circumstances, it is desirable that when power is restored the control process resume smoothly with a single controller acting as the active controller and a single controller acting as the redundant controller.
One method of resolving controller status in the event of a power loss is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,313,386 issued May 17, 1994, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention. Using this method, each controller after completing an initialization, checks to see if the other controller has taken the first steps toward assuming the role of active controller. If so, the other controller adopts a back-up role; if not, the other controller proceeds to assume the active controller role.
In the case where both controllers simultaneously attempt to take the active role, for example, when power is applied to both controllers at exactly the same time, a tie-breaking procedure is invoked in which a single designated controller previously having a jumper set assumes the active role.
This approach has the advantage of avoiding needless disruption of the controlled process if active control is already being performed by one controller regardless of whether it was the controller having the active role prior to power loss. It is particularly well suited to the case where only one controller has experienced a power loss. When that controller returns to power, it is prevented from disrupting the ongoing control of the controller that did not experience power loss.
On the other hand when both controllers lose power, this approach creates a race condition in which active control is awarded to the controller which has taken the first steps to assume active control, even if active control has not yet been established. In a tie situation, the active control is awarded arbitrarily to one controller. In both cases, control may revert to less than the ideal controller.
This problem can be minimized by ensuring that both controllers are equally qualified to assume active control of the process, but to insist on such qualification at all times limits the usefulness of a back-up controller, for example, to be used in testing upgrades.

Redundant automation controller with deductive power-up


On a vehicle roof, there are mounted an air-conditioning unit and a molded ceiling panel having an aperture opened to a duct of the air-conditioning unit, a bezel fitted into the aperture and mounted with one or more of a switch, a lamp, and an instrument. An electrical equipment module has a connector for electrically connecting the switch, the lamp, or the instruments. A roof wiring harness has a preliminarily oriented connector secured thereto. The roof air-conditioning unit has a connector receiving portion provided in the side of the duct. The connector receiving portion can receive the preliminarily oriented connector of the roof wiring harness. The electrical equipment module can be attached to the roof air-conditioning unit through the aperture of the molded ceiling panel so that the connector of the electrical equipment module connects with the preliminarily oriented connector. Thus, the roof wiring harness can be disposed and secured by engaging the preliminarily oriented connector with the connector receiving portion of the roof air-conditioning unit. Further, the electrical equipment module connector and the preliminarily oriented connector can connect to each other by attaching the electrical equipment module to the roof air-conditioning unit. This enables simultaneously mounting of the electrical equipment module and electrical connection thereof.

In mounting work of electrical equipment, such as a room lamp around a roof in a car interior and an electrical wiring work, there has been the drawback that workers can not continue to work in an appropriately long period of time because the workers must be continuously glancing upward in the narrow interior space. Such work is fatiguing.
Therefore, for simplifying work to reduce fatigue of the workers and to improve productivity, the assignee as this application has proposed a roof module shown in FIG. 14 and disclosed in Japanese Patent Application no. 7-333184.
Such roof module consists of a molded base plate 1 covering an interior, a forward roof portion made of a synthetic resin and a molded ceiling panel 17 covering the roof. The module has a construction for installing various electrical equipment and interior implements on the roof.
More specifically, on the base plate 1 there are a GPS (global positioning system) receiving antenna 1, a control unit 3, and a modular circuit board 4 for connecting the control unit 3, the electrical equipment, etc. The control unit 3 has a unit base plate 3a mounted with a keyless entry receiver portion 5, a lamp 6, a switch assembly 7, and a multi-layer control board 8 for controlling the lamp 6 and a room mirror 10. The control unit 3 is mounted on a central operation aperture 1a of the base plate 1. A case 3b and a lamp cover 9 cover the control unit 3, respectively, from the upper and lower sides. Then, the unit 3 united with the coverings is secured on the base plate 1 with screws or the like. Each of the electrical equipment is operated by using the switch assembly 7 of the control unit 3. The base plate 1 has a connector 13 connecting to the modular circuit board 4 and positioned at one end thereof. The connector 13 also connects to a wiring harness 15 disposed in a front pillar 14 of the vehicle body.
Meanwhile, the molded ceiling panel 17 has a module mounting shallow recess 17a at a forward end portion thereof. In the shallow recess 17a is laid the molded base plate 1 to be secured thereto. On a lower surface of the shallow recess 17a there are fitted with some interior equipment, that is, an electrically driven room mirror 10 and a sun visor 11 having a vanity lamp (not shown) respectively with fixtures 10a, 11a. The modular circuit board 4 connects to connectors (not shown) disposed so as to oppose to the fixtures 10a, 11a, so that installation of the room mirror 10 and the sun visor 11 allows simultaneously circuit connection for a related driving motor and the vanity lamp.
Further, in each side end portion of the molded ceiling panel 17 there is disposed a subwire assembly 19 connecting to a rear room lamp 18. The sub-wire assembly 19 has an end connector 20 disposed on the shallow recess 17a. The connector 20 engages with a connector 12 connected to the modular circuit board 4, allowing the circuit of the molded base plate 1 to be connected to the sub-wire assembly 19.
The roof module in FIG. 14 includes integrated functional equipment such as the antenna 2, the lamp 6, the switch assembly 7, and the room mirror 10 on the molded base plate 1, the equipment being appropriately electrically connected. The molded ceiling panel 17 has a subwire assembly 19 disposed thereon, and the molded ceiling panel 17 having been combined with the molded base plate 1 is furnished in the vehicle body. Thereby, electrical connection is the rear room lamp 18 or the like is completed. This needs no fixtures for fitting the functional equipment, greatly reducing the numbers of parts and eliminating such a work as drawing out connectors from holes of the molded ceiling panel to make electrical connection to each functional equipment. This provides advantages such as a greatly improved connection process.
However, in a relatively larger-sized car, as a vehicle used for leisure (so called RV vehicle), such car has a larger-sized roof, and over the roof there are spread out larger-sized electrical equipment (or auxiliary instruments) such as an air-conditioning unit, a television, a room lamp, and a sun roof. Thus, it is difficult to integrate the functional equipment disposed in the roof at one forward position as shown in FIG. 13.
Moreover, the many electrical equipment, including the air-conditioning unit, cause a complicated arrangement of the roof wiring harness, which requires a considerable amount of hand work and man hour in its electrical wiring. FIG. 15A shows an example of such arrangement of a roof wiring harness W applied in a larger-sized car. The wiring harness W requires many branch lines W1, W2, . . . , W5 for connection of a map lamp L1, each side spot lamp L2, L3, a sun roof M, and a rear room lamp L4. Furthermore, the harness W must include branch lines W1', W2' from a cowl side wiring harness for an air-conditioning unit N and a television O.
Thus, in the roof of the larger-sized car, many wiring harnesses and their connectors require arrangement and connection work thereof. This causes a fatiguing, heavy, long hour work in the narrow vehicle interior.


A lottery terminal apparatus and method of playing a word based lottery includes a value input device, a display unit and a lottery input unit for receiving alphabetical game play information wherein the display unit is adapted to visually display the received alphabetical game play information. The lottery terminal unit further includes a controller having a memory and a processor, wherein the controller is operatively coupled to the display unit and is programmed to receive wager data in response to a wager made by a person. The controller and method may assign a prize value to the alphabetical game play information received from the lottery input unit and randomly select an alphabetic sample based on a distribution of choices. The controller may further determine a correlation between the alphabetic sample and the alphanumeric game play information to determine a payout value based on a comparison of the alphabetic sample and the alphanumeric game play information to determine the prize value.

Lotteries and lottery theory are well known in the art. Generally a prize is awarded when an assigned or chosen series of numbers is matched with corresponding numbers that have been randomly chosen.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,168,521 entitled "Video Lottery Game" discloses a video lottery system utilizing multiple player-activated video terminals that are linked to computers performing centralized game draw and accounting functions. Each player places a wager and selects his lottery draw choices. The system enrolls the player in a future lottery game after the player makes his choices. The system automatically draws the lottery numbers. The results of the selected game are displayed at the player's terminal in a manner as to provide the excitement of a real-time game.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,080,062 entitled "Lotto Gaming Apparatus and Method" discloses an individual electronic system adapted for playing a Lotto game. The electronic system is configured to rapidly acknowledge a player's win or loss status. The player plays his/her selected numbers against the electronic lotto gaming apparatus randomly generated win numbers. In addition, the lotto gaming apparatus can transfer and receive lotto game information to a central processing system which is capable of handling multiple players from multiple lotto gaming apparatus either within a certain gaming facility or state wide, nationally or internationally. Moreover, the system is configured to allow individual players of the otto game to access and rapidly determine their win status via an electronic telecommunications network such as the Internet.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,017,032 entitled "Lottery Game" discloses two or more different denominational levels for game tickets, i.e., two or more groups of tickets with tickets in each group being priced differently from tickets in the other groups. All tickets in any one group are priced identically to one another. Wagers received from each ticket group are placed in a corresponding jackpot pool according to the denominational level or amount of the tickets sold for that pool. All wagers for each denomination are processed by a single central controlling authority, with wagers being distributed to each separate pool according to the corresponding wager denomination. Thus, the present game provides a series of different and separate jackpot pools corresponding to each ticket price or denominational level. Jackpots or prizes are awarded from each pool to the winning bettor holding a ticket corresponding to that denominational level and jackpot. Alternatively, the pools are combined and divided in accordance with the total amount of each wager denominational level group. The game is played for a predetermined period of time, or to a predetermined date, or through the sales of a predetermined number of tickets in a given denominational group or groups, as desired. Prizes (e.g., automobiles, etc.) are awarded in addition to money, at the higher or highest denominational levels. A percentage of each pool, or of the combined total, is retained by the operating authorities for overhead, charitable or government use, etc., if so desired.


A work space management system for creating work areas including two horizontal elongate tracks attached to a permanent wall with a decorative wall tile disposed therebetween and an office partition panel attached to the tracks at variably selectable positions for defining and partitioning the work areas. Overhead modular storage units and work surfaces may attach alternatively to the panels and tracks at any point and may be removed and relocated as needed. The brackets attaching the modular furniture to the track include an anti-dislodgement tang preventing disconnection of the furniture units from the track by only vertical movement.

The present invention relates generally to office systems and, more particularly, to such office systems having movable partitions and modular furniture units.
Current changes in office environments have created a transition from private fixed wall offices to a need for conference areas. Private offices are now a meeting area for office personnel, and office partition systems have become universally employed in offices.
Office furniture includes components such as desks, credenzas, storage modules and other office equipment. Normally it is not possible to use the same office furniture interchangeably in both a private, fixed wall office and an open office scheme. In the prior art, most office furniture was made for either a fixed wall office or an open office environment. The open office furniture was not able to be interchanged between the two environments because it was designed to attach to particularly sized office panels. In these open offices, the partitions included vertical channel members with slots into which the office furniture would connect and hang much like those shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,907,384 assigned to the assignee of the present invention. These vertical channels are spaced a fixed distance apart allowing only similarly spaced office furniture to attach. Private offices normally do not have the vertical channels for attaching furniture. There is a particular need to reduce the types of office furniture in order to achieve flexibility and economies in manufacturing.
Rapidly changing business conditions have resulted in constant changes in the work force of many offices. In prior art systems, the integration and physical layout of open office schemes and private office schemes are difficult to adapt and change. Also, it has been difficult to supply power to open office partition schemes since these systems often stand away from pre-existing exterior walls from where power is normally supplied. This has necessitated power cords running under floors or through ceiling tiles to electrify the free standing partitions of open office systems.
Prior art office componentry in open office panel systems is limited in that certain components may be attached only at specific places on the system because of the location the vertical channels or because of strength limitations of the system. Open office systems and private fixed wall offices have not had integrated, consistent and complimentary office work space partition systems.
Thus there is a need for an office system which is flexible, visually appealing, and adaptable to changing office requirements.


The present invention discloses a handpiece having a root canal length measurement function, wherein a signal circuit, which is specifically provided for sending measurement signals from a root canal length measurement circuit to a measurement probe mounted on a head provided at the tip of the handpiece, is incorporated in the handpiece, and the signal circuit is electrically connected to the measurement probe via a contact piece in the vicinity of the measurement probe. Therefore, it is not necessary to connect the signal circuit for measurement by way of the outside of the handpiece. In addition, this structure improves the operability of the handpiece because there is no lead wire for connection. Furthermore, this structure eliminates the troublesome task of externally connecting lead wires to the head of the handpiece, which would otherwise be required at each treatment time. Moreover, the signal circuit is securely formed without passing through a drive power transmission mechanism, thereby preventing unstable operation of root canal length measurement due to instantaneous opening of the signal circuit. Additionally, it is possible to use a cutting tool having a shank portion and a cutting portion insulated from each other.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to improvements in a handpiece having a root canal length measurement function for a dental treatment apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An apparatus capable of conducting root canal treatment while performing root canal measurement by using a cutting tool, such as a file or a reamer, which is also used as a measurement probe, is known. In this case, since the cutting tool is used as one of the electrodes of a root canal length measurement circuit, measurement signals are required to be sent to the cutting tool via lead wires. Such lead wires are conventionally connected by way of the outside of the handpiece of an apparatus. This causes the problem of impairing the operability of the handpiece because of nuisance due to the existence of the lead wires, and also causes the problem of requiring the troublesome task of externally connecting the lead wires to the head of the handpiece at each treatment time.
In order to solve these problems, the inventors of the present application paid attention to the fact that the drive power transmission mechanism in the handpiece comprises metallic members, namely electrically conductive members, and have proposed that a tool holding mechanism should be connected to the root canal length measurement circuit by using the drive power transmission mechanism as a signal circuit (refer to Japanese Laid-open Patent Application 7-328034, for example). However, in this proposal, the signal circuit may be opened instantaneously as gears are rotated, raising the possibility of unstable measurement operation. Furthermore, in a type of cutting tool, the cutting tool's shank portion installed in the measurement probe holding mechanism of the handpiece and the cutting portion at the tip of the cutting tool are insulated from each other. This type of cutting tool cannot be used for the handpiece proposed above.

Handpiece having a root canal length measurement function


A sequence of low force, high compliance, long extension, piezofilm-based sensors for a biofeedback system for self-monitoring of selected body motions. Flexible, large area, piezofim sensors are mounted on compliant but less flexible, larger area, backbone structures so as to distribute localized stress anomolies and produce a useful, coherent, signal voltage for realtime body motion monitoring. The sensors are used in combination with body appliances that permit suitable placement of the sensors proximate the body, in areas suitable for measuring body motion, such as twist, stretch and flexure. The sensors provide input signals to a small, self contained signal processing and feedback module that generates a limited sequence of stepped announcements indicating the amount of motion detected. Instant feedback is provided to the user in the form of audible tones, colored lights, or other means intended to provide periphery feedback without directly interferring with the intended motion.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
This invention relates to instrumentation for monitoring of motion and flexure of body joints and digits. In particular, it relates to flexible film based sensor configurations for monitoring body joint movement, suitable for use with body-mounted appliances and specialized signal processors with discrete audible or colored light and other biofeedback capabilities.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
The art of user figment with medical devices for injury avoidance and rehabilitation therapy is not new. However, as with medical care and treatment in general, it used to be conducted with a somewhat cavalier attitude about cost. The xe2x80x98if it doesn""t cost a lot in can""t be any goodxe2x80x99 attitude, was driven home to the applicant some years ago when a new state of the art oscillometer product costing a conservative (US)$300 was offered to a surgeon who quipped, xe2x80x9cI paid that for the light I wear in the operating room,xe2x80x9d and declined to consider it further.
Now, however, we have entered an era of greater emphasis on reduction and control of medical care and treatment costs. There is a new willingness by the medical care delivery establishment to consider and even search for lower cost products that offer bonafide medical benefits. The need for lower cost medical products extends to injury prevention and rehabilitation devices.
There are, in the prior art, body suit implementations for general measurement of body activities for injury avoidance training and/or physical rehabilitation. One body suit, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,729,377, requires points of electrode contact with the skin and requires soaking the garment with conductive fluid to select the measurement points of interest. Another suit, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,375,610, encompasses the entire body and measures inclination by a plurality of mercury switches. Both are costly examples of accomplishing generalized monitoring at the expense of ease of use, and do not lend themselves to casual use as in sports training or for prolonged use in repetitive or continuous motion. These types of devices are more appropriate for specific data collection testing sessions rather than for everyday wearing to monitor body motion for injury prevention or rehabilitation in the industrial setting.
Many prior art devices utilize standard transducer technology that is rigid and has low electrical sensitivity. The former creates a comfort issue when integrated with a user system while the latter generates a need for electrical shielding and high gain amplification, limiting both cost and function.
In addition to the medical need, professional and recreational training activities for kinetic sports share the requirement for low cost, effective monitoring of body motion. Common problems facing both industries are the need for a system or inventory of low cost associated devices to meet the needs of athletes and patients of different sizes; the need for a flexible scheme for universal figments adaptable to each part of the body; the need for a self-monitoring system and methodology that is easy for the athlete or patient to remove and reinstall daily, and to use and interpret so as to realize the full benefit.
More specifically, industry data clearly indicates a large amount of pain, suffering, lost time and lost productivity results from back injuries that occur on and off the job from lack of training or improper training and monitoring in lifting and related activities. Lifting is a general problem, while twisting while lifting or repetitive twisting such as when moving parts along a production line are also statistically very significant contributors to employee injuries.
One example of a recently introduced commercial body motion monitoring device is the Spine Tuner(trademark) by Clear Sky Products, a posture monitor consisting of a belt that goes around the back approximately half way between the waist and shoulder that holds a small system module against the spine. The system module consists of a pressure-activated switch that is actuated by pressure, forcing the housing to compress front to back, actuating the switch. When the switch is closed, a battery is connected directly to a small motor with unbalanced weight, to cause vibrations that are noticeable to the user. Adjusting the contact spacing on a stamped metal switch by turning an adjustment screw sets the system sensitivity. This operation cannot be performed while the device is being worn, which requires the user to use an awkward trial and error approach to obtain a useful setting. The feedback scheme for the Clear Sky device utilizes a single threshold at which a signal is initiated.
An example of the need for body motion monitoring in the sports training category is the game of golf. The new buzzword in the golf industry for the past five years or so is the xe2x80x9cXxe2x80x9d factor, a rotation of the shoulders relative to the hips. The need to monitor spinal twisting in this instance is similar to some industrial requirements.
It is common for workers in some companies and industries to be required to wear back support belts. Home Depot and the Marriott Chain are among companies believed to require the use these devices for employees in lift-related jobs. Interviews with workers that are required to wear these belts have produced comments such as, xe2x80x9cNow that I have support I can lift heavier thingsxe2x80x9d, which defeats the primary purpose; and xe2x80x9cI have to wear it but I don""t think it does anything.xe2x80x9d There seems to be an acceptance and confidence problem with these commonly required devices that defeats or reduces their intended benefit.
Much of the technology for medical and sports requirements rely on braces. A sport brace called The Secret(trademark), endorsed by golf pro Greg Norman, sells at a premium price, but constrains the user to a particular position of the wrist, an approach that is not likely to promote good muscle memory.
Braces in general have a number of problems, they are uncomfortable, frequently they do not quite fit the subject or the need, in training they do not promote good muscle memory, they can cause injury by constraining too well during a required activity, particularly in athletics, and they can promote xe2x80x9cfalsexe2x80x9d confidence causing users to try to over perform. When these devices are removed, everyday performance seems awkward.
What is needed, for both medical and athletic fields, is a low cost system and methodology of devices, sensors and biofeedback mechanisms that are flexible and adaptable to various body motions, comfortable to wear, and easy to understand and use.
Our research, as disclosed in this and previously filed applications, shows that discrete, multi-level thresholds of realtime biofeedback, where the feedback mechanism holds the peak a value of the measured parameter sufficiently long or otherwise emphasizes it to ensure user awareness, enables more meaningful comprehension of the relationship between the effort and the motion response. A limited set of frequency-discrete tones of audio feedback, or of color discrete light feedback, accomplish this end.
Not all means of sensory awareness are suitable for this more complex type of biofeedback. Vibration, for example, as with a mechanical device worn where its physical vibrations are noticeable to the wearer, is known to be viable for single threshold, on/off type signals. However, most users"" level of sensitivity to this type of messaging is too low to discriminate between even a limited set of different vibration frequencies or amplitudes, particularly in a realtime environment. Physically displaced points of vibration may be suitable for messages with significantly different meaning, but may be too distracting for usefully tracking the acceleration common to repetitive human movements.
A non-invasive monitoring system with discrete audible or lighted color, used on a repetitive basis, makes it clear that the user is approaching a danger limit, eliminating the over confidence factor and encouraging compliance with proper lifting or other pertinent motion technique, and ultimately teaching the user what effort will generate the best result.
A biofeedback system with unique sensors is herein disclosed that allows for a universal monitoring methodology to be applied to the physical therapy needs for the human body. The system combines configurable mounting appliances, compatible motion sensors, coded means for positioning and orienting sensors at any location of the body, with a small, self-contained signal processing and feedback module. Multi-level instant audible feedback, or multi-level visual feedback such as by a set of different colored LED""s or other visual display of discrete colors, is employed to provide a quick learning environment. Motions of the back, torso, limb joints and digits relevant to the general task of concern, can be selected and monitored by the sensors of the invention. Specific embodiments employing the concepts and methodology focus on the back of limb joints, i.e. the elbow, wrist, digits, knee and ankle. Other embodiments are taylored towards proper lifting motion, and on avoiding twisting of the back while lifting or performing common repetitive industrial movements that have a proven history of harming the performer.
Several embodiments of a low force, high compliance, long extension, body motion sensor are disclosed, which strengthen the monitor system concepts,. These enhance the functionality, simplicity and cost of the resulting system implementation. The invention employs compliant, large area, low cost, flexible piezofilm as the core element of a flexure sensor, attached to any of several different somewhat less flexible or semi-flexible, backbone members of somewhat larger surface area. In some cases, the flexible piezofilm sensor being attached to the less flexible backbone acts to integrate localized strain anomalies and produce an average signal voltage of the flexure to which the combination is exposed. This combination preserves the xe2x80x9csoft comfortablexe2x80x9d requirement aimed at achieving user compliance, while employing low cost, easy-to-fabricate, sensor methodology.
The sensors of the invention enable a universal body motion biofeedback kit capable of providing the doctor or therapist with an in-office components package from which a suitable biofeedback system can be configured, fitted and adjusted; for a range of different patients, and for a range of different patient problems. The customized system is what the patient wears out of the office. Development of the soft flexible force and motion transducers disclosed herein, were necessary to optimize the universality of the components package or biofeedback kit in the hands of the doctor or physical therapist, to meet all of the objectives of the invention.
Further, it is possible to provide a system for volume application such as for works at Home Depot(trademark), the Marriott(trademark) chain, and the like, or for supermarket employees. These systems would be factory set to baseline statistics for harmful moves or conditions providing warning over a wide range of conditions of the measured variable or variables. These would not need the assistance of a doctor, therapist or trainer. They could be fitted with a fine adjustment control to account for differences in individuals, settings that could be described using base line movements to allow the user to arrive at the proper threshold indication for that reference move.
It was an object of a parent application to provide a mounting appliance system that allows motion sensors to be placed anywhere on the body with a chosen orientation and that is comfortable to wear and non-confining. Many of the athletic training devices on the market are uncomfortable constraining braces that force the user to a particular per-determined move that may not be correct for every user. The aforesaid mounting appliance system and the transducers and sensors disclosed herein are intended to be companion devices, although either may be used independently with other compatible devices.
An object of this invention is to provide a sensor system that allows abuser to isolate a single folding or twisting motion of the body with a suitable sensor/appliance combination, (e.g. flexing the wrist in a particular plane), so as to provide sensing and instant feedback to cue for proper motion performance and warn against improper motions. It is a related objective to promote a training methodology for such motions, including a xe2x80x9cone thing at a timexe2x80x9d focus and a natural learning by doing process.
The transducer concepts disclosed herein meet these needs. There are four general transducer configurations within the scope of the invention, all sharing a common dependence on a flexible film sensing element: oval, half oval, trident and compression pad. The oval and half oval lend themselves to mounting in elastic bands such as suspenders, the trident lends itself to mounting at a joint in a wrist, elbow or knee, while the compression pad is optimum for application along the spine. Additionally, introduction of a static overlay switch greatly enhances system capability by introducing one or more absolute levels for the parameter being measured, such as minimum, maximum or optimal, to the sensors of the invention.
An object of this invention is to include in the training system, capability for adjusting the system sensitivity to accommodate different levels of skill, performance, application or severity, in a manner that is simple to set up and adjustment. Many existing training systems for athletic activities compare and force the user to accept a pre-determined average motion or range of motion. The transducers disclosed herein have linear output and the range required for optimum parameter adjustability and threshold selection with a suitable control module.
An object of this invention is to provide a limb/body sensing and monitoring system that enables very low cost implementation. Medical systems that help a patient with recovery and rehabilitation, historically, have been expensive and frequently require fitting and ordering of a custom device. The disclosed invention provides a means for in-office configuration and setup of the system so that the patient can leave with a properly fitted custom aid or biofeedback system, and where the fitting xe2x80x9cbreadboardxe2x80x9d and the final device are one and the same, promoting lower costs and reduction in stock requirements.
An object of this invention is to provide training systems easy to wash, clean, or sterilize. These transducers, a preferred example using a Kynar(trademark) flexible piezofilm sensor, are inert to a range of solvents. For example, a common use of Kynar(trademark) film is to line caustic tanks to avoid corrosion. These transducers can be plated, or alternatively deposited with inert elements such as gold, for electroding the transducer film, to preserve environmental inertness.
Further objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from a consideration of the drawings and ensuing description.

Flexible film sensor system for monitoring body motion


A deformation of a rotating tire on a road surface is calculated the following. At first, time series data of acceleration extracted from measurement data of acceleration corresponding to one round of tire rotation is subjected to a time integration of second order to obtain displacement data so as to calculate the deformation at the tread portion. The time series data of acceleration and the displacement data in the non-contact region excluding a road surface contact region on the tire circumference at the tread portion are respectively approximated to calculate a first and a second approximation curves. The two approximation curves are subtracted respectively from the time series data of acceleration and the calculated displacement data, thereby extracting time series data of acceleration due to tire deformation and obtaining the deformation at the tread portion.

Conventionally, finite element models have been used to simulate a rotating tire, in order to acquire a contact length or distribution of deformation (deformation shape) on a tire circumference at a tread portion of the tire. In such acquiring methods, however, because of the time required for preparing finite element models as well as required for simulation computing, it has been difficult to obtain the deformation shape of the tread portion or the contact length in a short period of time. For this reason, the contact length and the deformation shape of a stationary tire has been used as substitutes for those of a rotating tire.
However, in consideration that the deformation shape on the tire circumference affects the contact length and the contact region contour, and therefore has a significant effect on the tire performance, there has been a need for acquiring the contact length and the deformation shape that are measured with the rotating tire in order to determine the tire performance accurately.
The following Patent Documents 1 to 3 disclose, for instance, a method in which an acceleration sensor is attached to a tire to acquire measurement data of acceleration of the tire during rotation, and from the acquired measurement data, power spectrums and vibration spectrums are obtained to estimate the status of the road during the tire rotation, and a method in which a timing at which a tread portion is in contact with a road surface is determined from measurement data of acceleration in a radial direction.
However, any one of the Patent Documents 1 to 3 does not allow the deformation shape and the contact length of a rotating tire to be calculated from the measurement data of acceleration, though it is possible to estimate the status of the road surface using the measurement data.
Patent Document 1: JP 2002-340863 A
Patent Document 2: JP 2003-182476 A
Patent Document 3: JP 2002-511812 A

Tire deformation calculating method and tire deformation calculating apparatus