A control apparatus for an engine and an automatic transmission controls a starting timing, a terminating timing, or methods of torque reduction of the engine during gear shifts. Using stored information such as a turbine speed signal, a gear shift signal, a degree to which a throttle valve is opened, a vehicle speed, an engine speed and so on, the control apparatus calculates an appropriate torque reduction which is performed by either retarding ignition timing or cutting fuel supplied to fuel injection valves. According to one embodiment of the invention, by detecting a variation ratio or differential value of turbine speed, a period of the torque reduction is started, ended, and kept within a proper timing. According to another embodiment of the invention, based on a "chasing" state of an input torque of the transmission against the variation of engine load, the timing of torque reduction is changed. Finally, according to yet another embodiment of the invention, a light preceding torque reduction is performed prior to a more significant torque reduction, but only when shocks due to the gear shift tend to occur.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a torque control apparatus for an engine and an automatic transmission and, more particularly, to a control apparatus in which shocks produced during a gear shift are moderated by a torque reduction control for the output of the engine during the gear shift.
Generally, an automatic transmission for an automotive vehicle is equipped with a torque converter and a transmission gear mechanism. The torque converter transmits torque from an output shaft of the engine to a turbine shaft by changing its speed of rotation. The transmission gear mechanism transmits the torque of the turbine shaft to driving wheels after further changing the rotational speed and, when the automotive vehicle is propelled backward, by reversing the rotational direction.
The transmission gear mechanism ordinarily includes a planetary gear system having gears, a plurality of clutches for locking or unlocking a turbine shaft and predetermined gears, and a plurality of brakes for fixing or releasing predetermined gears. In the transmission gear mechanism, turn-on and turn-off patterns for the clutches and brakes are changed by a hydraulic mechanism, so that a power transmission route in the planetary gear system is switched. It is, therefore, possible to provide gear shifts and to switch between forward and backward driving.
2. Description of Related Art
During a gear shift in such an automatic transmission, such as a downshift from third gear to second gear, a 2-4 brake, for example, is turned on or engaged, and a 3-4 clutch and coast clutch, for example, are turned off or disengaged. However, since the amount of torque transmission abruptly changes midway through such a gear shift, shocks due to gear shifts can occur and be a problem.
To prevent the occurrence of such shocks during a gear shift, torque control means or apparatuses, by which the output torque of the engine is temporarily reduced during the shift, are ordinarily provided in automatic transmissions. More specifically, in an automatic transmission, for example, after detecting a start time of a gear shift operation on the basis of a variation ratio of an input speed of the automatic transmission, the torque of the engine is reduced only during a predetermined period from the start time to a time counted up by a timer, as described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 60-248,445.
However, in such a known automatic transmission, time required for gear shifts and timings or periods in which shocks tend to occur during the gear shifts have not been set so that torque is reduced. This causes problems in that an increasing speed of the engine and, therefore, vehicle acceleration may deteriorate due to overreduction of torque after an end of a gear shift. Also, shocks produced during gear shifting may occur due to an early release of torque reduction.
Similarly, as is clear from Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 60-227,049, a known control apparatus performs a reduction control of the output of the engine between starting and terminating speeds. Such a reduction control is performed by detecting the engine speed, determining the starting speed of the reduction control at a time at which the variation ratio of the engine speed is equal to or larger than a predetermined value during an upshift of the automatic transmission, and predicting the terminating speed of the reduction control of the output torque, from a memorized table of data, on the basis of the starting speed in accordance with the degree to which the throttle valve is open, vehicle speed, and the kinds of gear shift, such as a shift from the 1-speed gear to the 2-speed gear.
In such a control apparatus, since the reduction control of the output torque is started from the time at which the variation ratio of the engine speed becomes equal to or larger than the predetermined value, the reduction control is carried out during the gear shift surely and without a malfunction.
However, when the variation ratio of the engine speed becomes equal to or larger than the predetermined value, which may occur for example, when the engine speed becomes equal to or larger than the predetermined value in a short or relatively long time, the engine variation conditions may be different, even if other conditions right before the gear shift, for example, the vehicle speed, are the same. Consequently, although the speeds at which the reduction control of the output torque should be terminated differ according to differences in these conditions, since the terminating speed is determined as a unitary value memorized in the table, termination of the reduction control of the output torque can not be performed precisely. As a result, if the reduction control of the output of the engine is terminated early, shocks from the gear shift are not effectively moderated. Also, if the reduction control is continued more than necessary, deterioration of acceleration performance of the vehicle becomes a problem.
In particular, during a gear shift which involves a 3-4 clutch having a drift on ball, for example, during a downshift from third gear to second gear, the operational characteristics of the drift on ball is varied in response to a driving condition. Consequently, a period required for the gear shift varies, and disadvantages such as those mentioned above arise.
Shocks due to a gear shift are generally determined according to a torque input into the transmission from the engine, i.e., an input torque of the transmission. Therefore, it is desirable to change torque reduction characteristics in accordance with the input torque, for instance, to change a timing for reducing the torque. Another previously known torque control apparatus shifts the timing for reducing the torque in response to the engine speed, which relates to the output torque thereof. Such an apparatus is described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2-20,817.
Even though the speed of the engine generally relates to the output torque of the engine, the speed of the engine does not precisely relate to the output torque of the engine, much less the input torque for the transmission. Thus, a torque control apparatus in which the timing for reducing the torque is shifted on the basis of the speed of the engine does not always start the reduction of torque at an appropriate timing determined in accordance with the occurrence of torque on the side of the transmission during a gear shift. Accordingly, it is impossible to effectively prevent the occurrence of shocks due to the gear shift.
Moreover, during a gear shift in an automotive vehicle equipped with, for example, a four speed gear shift mechanism, transmitting torque is temporarily absorbed in the transmission gear mechanism by operation of elements such as clutches right after a shift starts. Consequently, a phenomenon in which acceleration in a lengthwise direction of the vehicle body falls down, i.e., a so called "pull-down" phenomenon, can occur. After the middle of the gear shift period, when the speed of the engine begins to be lowered, since the amount of engine torque transmitted to driving wheels is increased quickly, a phenomenon in which acceleration in the lengthwise direction of the vehicle body increases quickly, i.e., a so called "push-up" phenomenon, can occur. A "push-up" shock, therefore, can be produced.
In order to prevent such a push-up shock, an automotive vehicle equipped with an automatic transmission, in which the torque of the engine is reduced during shifting, has been proposed. Such a vehicle is described in, for instance, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 60-227,049 mentioned above. In this automotive vehicle, if the reduction of the torque and the occurrence of the pull-down phenomenon are synchronized, a drop of acceleration in the lengthwise direction is easily produced. This causes shocks and, especially, pull-down shocks.
In one other previously known automotive vehicle, a timing at which torque begins to reduce is retarded until a timing at which the pull-down phenomenon is over or the speed of the turbine begins to change due to the shifting operation. However, although the automotive vehicle is able to prevent deterioration of the pull-down phenomenon and the occurrence of a pull-down shock, it is still impossible to suppress push-up shock sufficiently.

Torque control apparatus for engine and automatic transmission


Processing user requests and calls may include receiving a request to establish a communication session from a user device, retrieving a user record associated with the user device, creating an event based on the request, storing the event in a queue, and selecting a queue position of the event based on one or more conditions stored in the user record.

Conventionally, when a customer calls a customer service representative, agent support system, etc., for various reasons, the customer may not obtain prompt access to a party of interest. For example, when a patient calls a hospital to check on the status of a laboratory result, such as bloodwork results or biopsy results, etc., the patient may not obtain access to the doctor or person required to answer the questions related to the patient's health concerns.
Obviously, there is some time available for personnel to contact the concerned patient. However, the patient should have some degree of knowledge of when to be available to answer the call or other communication session. This would require the patient to have some knowledge of an upcoming communication session, or at least a rough idea as to when they will be able to connect with the personnel.
Currently, in conventional approaches, the patient may have a pending laboratory result that needs to be discussed with a particular medical provider. The patient may not know when the results have arrived or when to attempt to contact the provider. A person may be categorized by the provider as an urgent matter or non-urgent matter and placed in a record database of persons to contact when time is available, but otherwise there is no urgency to communicate with most patients. The attempts to contact the patient or the provider can go back and forth until eventually both parties agree on a time that works for all parties. However, any simple interaction between the parties could optimize the overall burden of establishing a communication session.


A structure of a universal joint is disclosed in which an end surface of a spider is coated with a solid lubricant and a projection having an arc cross section formed on a center of a bearing cup into which the spider is fitted is brought into point contact with the solid lubricant coated end surface of the spider. When the spider is axially rotated, the friction generated on the bearing cup can be remarkably reduced.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a structure of a universal joint applicable to a steering system of an automotive vehicle.
(2) Background of the Art
A universal joint is a joint used to link a pair of shafts at predetermined a angle and to transmit rotational torque from one shaft to the other, used, for example, in a steering system of an automotive vehicle.
An automotive steering system includes a steering shaft rotatably supported at a predetermined tilt angle in a vehicle compartment, a steering gear box disposed at a front portion of the vehicle body, and a universal joint with a low frictional coefficient intervened between intermediate shafts.
The universal joint includes a pair of yoke portions which face each other and rotatably link the intermediate shafts via a trunnion.
A link portion of the universal joint linking the pair of yoke portions and trunnion includes a hole penetrated into the pair of yoke portions, a bearing cup fitted into the hole, a spider of the trunnion intervened with a needle bearing and inserted into the bearing cup, and a seal ring which houses a lubricant and is closely contacted against the bearing cup and trunnion. A circular projection having a predetermined area is projected from the outside of the center of the bearing cup toward its inside. A rough surface having a convex portion and a recessed portion is formed on the projection. The rough surface is contacted against an end surface of the spider with a lubricant such as grease intervened on the rough surface of the projection. A stopper is formed on the pair of yokes and fixed to the bearing cup. Thus, swing torque (friction) between the trunnion and yokes can relatively be reduced.
However, in the previously proposed structure of a universal joint described above, trouble occurs such that steering force is heavy making a steering wheel difficult to return to an original state when applied to a vehicle in which an auxiliary output such as a hydraulic system is used to relieve the steering force, i.e., a so-called power-assisted steering system.
This is because the swing torque between the trunnion and the pair of yoke portions is relatively large. Hence, more improvement is required for the universal joint structure.


Embodiments of the present invention disclose a wireless access method, device, and system. The method includes: sending pilot signal strength or channel characteristics to a central processing node, where the pilot signal strength or channel characteristics are fed back by a user terminal within the coverage area of a wireless access node and are between the wireless access node and the corresponding user terminal; receiving access indication information of the user terminal, which is fed back by the central processing node and is determined according to the pilot signal strength or channel characteristics, where the access indication information of the user terminal includes an identifier of the wireless access node connected with the user terminal and a corresponding coding and modulation scheme; and sending the identifier of the wireless access node connected with the user terminal and the corresponding coding and modulation scheme to the corresponding user terminal.

In a conventional macro cellular system, the radius of a cell ranges from several hundreds of meters to several thousands of kilometers, and usually a user terminal is served by one cell. Meanwhile, in a cell, strength of received signals is different. According to different signal strength at the locations of user terminals, user terminals may be classified into two different types: user terminals located at a cell center and user terminals at a cell edge. The user terminals located at the cell center, due to good received signals and a high signal to interference plus noise ratio (Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio, SINR), may receive a service transmitted at a high rate; the user terminals located at the cell edge can only receive the simplest service because the signals are poor and subject to interference of the signals of a neighboring cell and the service throughput is low. In an era of voice services only, the above macro cellular system may satisfy the basic requirement of a user, but with the development of new wireless services, such as wireless Internet, requirements on the wireless communication system capacity are higher and higher. The macro cellular system of a large radius cannot satisfy growing service requirements, and in particular, the requirements of anytime online services. Due to the existence of users at the cell edge, the overall service capacity is limited. Therefore, the cell radius becomes smaller with the increase of the service capacity. In hot areas (such as office buildings and central business districts), the cell radius is gradually reduced to about 50-100 meters. The conventional macro cell develops toward a smaller micro cell and a pico cell.
In addition, in the conventional cellular system, the height of an antenna is dozens of meters to one hundred meters, and the model of a cell may be simplified as an elliptical or hexagonal cell model. There are apparent differences between different cells. In the structure of a micro cell or a pico cell, and typically the coverage of an office building, to provide better services, a base station is placed at heights (for example, placed on a roof or tower, but this already cannot meet the requirements. The distribution of base stations is flat distribution, and the height may be a dozen meters or the distance between floors of a building. One user terminal UE may receive signals from N base stations nearby (several base stations or several dozens of base stations) (Base Stations, BSs), and the signals sent by the UE may also be received and processed by the N base stations nearby. In this case, the form of the base station changes, and may not be a base station with complete functions in the sense of a conventional macro cell, but a distributed mini base station, a distributed antenna over a fiber, a conventional wireless relay (Relay) station, or an amplifier, or may be different virtual base stations formed by the same base station through the beams of a smart antenna. These base stations may be uniformly referred to as wireless access nodes (Access Nodes, ANs).
One UE may receive service data sent by several BSs nearby, and the signals sent by one UE may be received by several BSs nearby. If multiple UEs in the system share the same channel resources (this is a common application scenario), great interference is caused between information that is sent to different UEs, and great interference is also caused to the uplink data that is sent by different UEs and received by the same BS. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a conventional grid wireless access system. As shown in FIG. 1, when the BS_1 sends data to the UE_1 or receives data from the UE_1, interference may be caused to the UE_2 that uses the same channel to send or receive data. If the distance between different wireless access nodes is short, the interference problem is serious, and the normal work of the system is affected. The technologies used to solve inter-cell interference include interference randomization and interference cancellation, fractional frequency reuse (Fractional Frequency Reuse, FFR), multi-user MIMO (Multi-User MIMO), and so on. However, all these conventional solutions for solving inter-cell interference aim at a macro cell and cannot effectively reduce the interference in a grid wireless access system where the wireless access nodes in micro cells of a small radius are close to each other.

Wireless access method, device, and system


Described are a variety of techniques for viewing multimedia-based information in accordance with user controls for the speed and direction of the multimedia presentation. Different techniques for presenting multimedia data items are disclosed. User controls providing control for speed and direction in accordance with a user selection device being in a particular location. When a user device is with the defined area, the speed and direction control are on. When the user selection device leaves the defined area, the speed and direction are off. Also described is a system using a browser tool for displaying multimedia data in accordance with these viewing techniques. Multimedia data items displayed with the viewing techniques are indices into multimedia presentations. A user selection is made by viewing the multimedia data items and control is transferred accordingly to an appropriate application to present a multimedia presentation corresponding to a selected multimedia data item.

This application generally relates to computer systems, and more particularly to computer executed techniques for locating and selecting information.
Computer systems may be used in a variety of applications and environments. For example, in commercial applications of computer systems, a computer may assist a user in making a decision or choice based on information that is viewed using the computer. A computer storing information may be used to display information to a user. Subsequently, the user may make a decision or selection in light of the information presented. One type of information from which a user may make a selection is multimedia data.
When selecting and searching for items within multimedia data, one concern is what to utilize as an index into the multimedia data. One technique uses video key frames as an approach to indexing or accessing into portions of multimedia data. For example, video key frames may serve as reference frames and be used to index into videos. However, a problem may be encountered when the key frames are similar in that a user is associating a key frame with a distinct portion of a video segment. Additionally, when there are multiple media streams associated with one presentation, it may not be clear which one of the media streams to use as an index. In this instance, for example, use of video key frames as an index into portions of multimedia data for selecting and browsing may not be adequate.
Another problem is how to display multimedia data items and associated indices to enable one to browse and select a corresponding presentation. Browsing and selecting techniques, such as those employed by an Internet browser like Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator, may be used in conjunction with static data or content information. However, these techniques may not be particularly suitable for use with temporal based multimedia information such as the foregoing video information and other types of multimedia data that may be used as indices into multimedia presentations being browsed.
Thus, there is required a technique for efficiently locating, browsing, and indexing multimedia information.

Methods and systems for selection of multimedia presentations


A new plant variety of Chrysanthemum producing white flowers.

The present invention is directed to a new and distinct variety of Chrysanthemum botanically classified as Dendranthema grandiflora. The varietal denomination of the new chrysanthemum is `Party Time`.
The female parent of the new variety is an undistributed, unpatented seedling identified as p 79-5 and the male parent is the variety known as `Fashion Time` (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,935). The new variety has been asexually reproduced by vegetative cuttings in Ventura County, Calif. and the distinguishing characteristics are retained through successive generations of asexual reproduction.


Techniques are provided for storing a row address of a defective row of memory cells to a bank of non-volatile storage elements (e.g., fuses or anti-fuses). After a memory device has been packaged, one or more rows of memory cells may become defective. In order to repair (e.g., replace) the rows, a post-package repair (PPR) operation may occur to replace the defective row with a redundant row of the memory array. To replace the defective row with a redundant row, an address of the defective row may be stored (e.g., mapped) to an available bank of non-volatile storage elements that is associated with a redundant row. Based on the bank of non-volatile storage elements the address of the defective row, subsequent access operations may utilize the redundant row and not the defective row.

The following relates generally to a system that includes at least one memory device and more specifically to intelligent post-packing repair (PPR).
Memory devices are widely used to store information in various electronic devices such as computers, wireless communication devices, cameras, digital displays, and the like. Information is stored by programing different states of a memory device. For example, binary devices most often store one of two states, often denoted by a logic 1 or a logic 0. In other devices, more than two states may be stored. To access the stored information, a component of the device may read, or sense, at least one stored state in the memory device. To store information, a component of the device may write, or program, the state in the memory device.
Various types of memory devices exist, including magnetic hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM), ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM), magnetic RAM (MRAM), resistive RAM (RRAM), flash memory, phase change memory (PCM), and others. Memory devices may be volatile or non-volatile. Non-volatile memory, e.g., FeRAM, may maintain their stored logic state for extended periods of time even in the absence of an external power source. Volatile memory devices, e.g., DRAM, may lose their stored state over time unless they are periodically refreshed by an external power source.
Improving memory devices, generally, may include increasing memory cell density, increasing read/write speeds, increasing reliability, increasing data retention, reducing power consumption, or reducing manufacturing costs, among other metrics. For example, some memory devices (e.g., some memory cells of memory devices) may develop defects after being packaged, and improved systems and techniques for post-packaging repair (PPR) may be desired.


A social expression card with a detachable gift portion includes a first panel and a second panel connected by a fold line to the first panel. The second panel is foldable over said first panel to form a card. A third panel, which includes a detachable gift portion, is connected by a fold line to the second panel. The third panel is foldable over the second panel to a position in which the detachable portion is hidden between the first and second panels when the second panel is folded over the first panel. The detachable portion includes gift indicia. Examples of gift indicia include gift certificates, photographic images, and the like.

The present invention relates generally to the field of social expression cards, and more particularly to a social expression card with a detachable gift portion.
People like to commemorate important events in people""s lives, such as weddings, anniversaries, and birthdays, and show their appreciation and affection for others by sending gifts and social expression cards, such as greeting cards. Most greeting cards sent today are mass produced cards purchased in retail establishments such as card shops, gift shops, grocery stores and the like. Gifts, of course, may be purchased at any of a number of retail establishments.
It is not always easy to find a mass produced card that expresses the right sentiment. Additionally, there is a desire on the part of most people to personalize their gifts and greeting cards. Most people write a personal greeting in the mass produced cards that they send to others. Recently, there have been introduced card vending machines or kiosks that enable purchasers to create personalized printed social expression cards. Also, there are software packages that enable people to produce cards using personal computers.
In the area of gifts, most people prefer to give a gift that they believe will be meaningful to and appreciated by the recipient. However, a giver may know only generally the wants and needs of a particular recipient. For example, the giver may know that an intended recipient likes music or a particular style of clothing. However, the giver may not know which musical group the recipient likes or whether the recipient would prefer one article of clothing over another. In such instances, the gift certificate from a store that carries goods of the type appreciated by the recipient might be an appropriate gift.
The traditional method of purchasing requires that a person visit one or more retail establishments. Most people like to send a card with a gift. Accordingly, purchasing a gift may require travel to one or more card shops as well as one or more gift or other retail stores in order to find the right combination of a card and gift. In today""s busy world, many people find it difficult to find the time to shop for cards and gifts.
In addition to cards commemorating events such as weddings, anniversaries, and birthdays, many people send holiday greetings to their friends, family members, and business contacts. One popular form of holiday greeting includes a photograph of the sender""s family or children, or of some other thing of importance, such as the family home or pet. While the photograph may simply be enclosed in a conventional holiday greeting, many people like to have the photograph printed as part of the card.
In addition to holiday greeting, many businesses send cards to their clients and customers. These business-type cards may be for the purpose of making an announcement or simply to remind the recipient of the existence or presence of the business. It is fairly common to include a business card or xe2x80x9cRolodexxe2x80x9d card with these business-related cards and announcements.
The present invention provides a social expression card with a detachable gift portion. The card of the present invention includes a first panel that is preferably square or rectangular in shape. A second panel of substantially the same size and shape is connected by a fold line to the first panel. The second panel is foldable over said first panel to form a card. A third panel, which includes a detachable gift portion, is connected by a fold line to the second panel. The third panel is foldable over the second panel to a position in which the detachable portion is hidden between the first and second panels when the second panel is folded over the first panel.
The detachable portion is sized so that it may be carried in a recipient""s wallet, pocketbook, purse, or the like. The detachable portion includes gift indicia. In one embodiment, the gift indicia is a gift certificate. In another embodiment, the gift indicia is a photographic image. The photographic image may be a miniature of a photographic image carried by the first panel. The gift indicia may also comprise a business card, coupon, or other writing or image.
The card of the present invention may be adapted for mailing in a conventional envelope. Alternatively, the card may be in the form of a self-mailer. In the self-mailer embodiment, a sealing flap is connected by a fold line to the first panel. The first panel includes recipient mailing address indicia and the sealing flap includes sender return address indicia.

Social expression card with detachable gift portion


In a control system for a valve actuation property variable control device which can switch over between a plurality of modes including a low speed mode for adapting at least one of an intake valve and an exhaust valve of an engine to a low speed range and a high speed mode for adapting the valve to a high speed range at least according to the rotational speed of the engine and a representative temperature of the engine, to prevent an abrupt change in the engine output by switching over valve actuating properties while the engine is being warmed up, the load condition of the engine is detected so that the transition from the low speed mode to the high speed mode may be prohibited if the representative temperature of the engine exceeds a prescribed level while a load higher than a prescribed level is being detected. Thereby, the driveability of the engine is improved.

To the end of achieving a large output in a high speed range and a large torque in a low speed range, a valve actuating device equipped with a variable valve actuation property control device for varying at least one of valve timing and a valve lift primarily according to a rotational speed of the engine is proposed, for instance, in Japanese patent laid open publication No. 63-16111. According to this proposal, a plurality of (for instance, two) valve actuating modes for different output torque properties are provided so that the range of the output property of the engine may be widened by selectively establishing one of the valve actuating modes which is suitable for each particular operating condition of the engine.
In an engine equipped with such a variable valve actuation property control device, it is preferable from the view point of the driveability of the vehicle equipped with the engine to avoid a sudden change in the engine output when switching over between a valve actuation mode suitable for low speed operation and another valve actuation mode suitable for high speed operation, and a technology is disclosed in Japanese patent laid open publication No. 02-042105 to switch over between the two modes when the outputs by the high speed mode and the low speed mode substantially agree with each other.
Meanwhile, if the switch over between two different valve actuation modes is carried out before the engine has been warmed up, unsatisfactory operation of the mechanism for valve actuation mode switch over may develop due to high viscosity of the lubricating oil which is used in the mechanism as a working fluid and irregular combustion resulting from unfavorable atomization of fuel under low intake temperature condition, and a control program is known which detects the warm-up of the engine as a condition for allowing the switch over between different valve actuation modes (refer to FIG. 7 of Japanese patent laid open publication No. 02-042105).
According to this control program, when the vehicle is operating in a range suitable for the high speed mode before the engine is warmed up, the low speed mode is selected until the completion of the warm-up of the engine is detected, and the transition from the low speed mode to the high speed mode occurs immediately after the detection of the engine warm-up. Therefore, particularly when the mode switch over is executed when the engine is warmed up under high load condition (with a large throttle opening), as there is a large difference in the engine output between the high speed mode and the low speed mode, a relatively large shock is expected to occur upon detection of the warm-up of the engine. As this is a change in the engine output which the operator of the vehicle may not be expecting, and substantially impairs the smooth impression of the vehicle, it should be avoided.
It has been proposed, for instance in Japanese patent laid open publication No. 02-157440, to control the slipping of driven wheels of an automobile by detecting the slip ratio of the driven wheels according to the deviation of the rotational speed of the driven wheels from that of the non-driven wheels, and reducing the output torque of the engine by making the air/fuel ratio of the engine intake leaner.
In mass produced engines, it is unavoidable to produce some variations in output properties because of inevitable manufacturing errors in the fuel injection valves and the camshafts and control errors in engine control. Therefore, the data stored in the engine control device serving as the basis for the control commands produced by the engine control device may deviate from the ideal data for engine control. In particular, the error in the air/fuel ratio in making the air/fuel ratio leaner for the purpose of traction control may cause a larger change in the actual engine output than what is considered to be acceptable.
In particular, when the valve actuation mode is to be switched over while such a traction control is being executed, the actual outputs of the high speed mode and the low speed mode may deviate from each other to such an extent that the high speed mode may actually give rise to a lower engine output than the low speed mode. In such a case, since the output torque of the engine is reduced when the valve actuation mode is changed from the low speed mode to the high speed mode, the slip ratio of the driven wheels is decreased upon the mode change, and the air/fuel ratio may be made richer or restored to a normal level so as to terminate the traction control. This in turn causes an increase in the output torque of the engine, and a corresponding increase in the slip ratio of the driven wheels, and produces a condition suitable for the resumption of the traction control, thereby creating an undesirable condition of hunting.


A numerical display device includes a base panel, a plurality of numerical sections provided on the base panel to form a numerical character, a plurality of folding panels pivotally coupling at the base panel to fold between a first position and a second position to selectively change the numerical character, and a magnet arrangement for retaining each of the folding panels at the first and second positions, wherein at the first position, the folding panel is pivotally folded on the base panel to fully cover the respective numerical section, and at the second position, the folding panel is pivotally folded at 180° to expose the respective numerical section.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a display device, and more particularly to a numerical display device, especially for the high post advertisement board, which is adapted to selectively change each of seven numerical sections of the number character without lowering the numerical display device from the post.
2. Description of Related Arts
Generally speaking, a conventional numerical display device includes LED numerical display board, signboard with slot-in numerical panels, moving film signboard, and LCD display board. Such conventional numerical display devices, especially the LED numerical display board, moving film signboard, and LCD display board, have a common drawback that they must be connected to a power source. Thus, the cost of such numerical display devices is relatively high and the use of such numerical display devices is limited. For example, the LED numerical display board and the LCD display board cannot display the numerical character clearly under the sunlight because of the light reflection. In addition, the user must prepare enough numerical panels for selectively inserting into the signboard to display the numerical characters. When the signboard is supported at a high post, it is dangerous for the user to climb up along the post in order to change the inserting numerical panels as well.


This invention relates to a binder composition comprising condensed tannin and furfuryl alcohol. The composition can be used to prepare foundry mixes. The foundry mixes are prepared by mixing the composition with an acid or salt of an acid. The foundry mixes are then shaped into molds or cores and cured by heating or by the no-bake process with stronger acid curing catalysts. The molds and cores are used in casting metal articles.

It is known that molds and cores, which are used in the casting of metal articles, can be made from a foundry aggregate, e.g. sand, and heat curable or no-bake foundry binders, e.g. furan binders. One of the problems with using heat curable binders for making cores and molds is that the process is slow, i.e. low productivity, and energy requirements are high. Another problem with using such binders is that the binders typically contain free formaldehyde and/or free phenol, which are undesirable from a health and safety standpoint. Because of these problems, there have been attempts to improve the quality, productivity, performance, and environmental acceptability of processes that use heat curable binders for making molds and cores.
Two of the best-known processes for making molds and cores with heat curable binders are the hot-box process and the warm-box process. The hot-box process uses a binder composed of phenolic and/or urea/formaldehyde resins, sometimes modified with furfuryl alcohol. The binder is mixed with a foundry aggregate and cured with latent, acid salt catalysts, such as ammonium chloride. Although the process provides thermally stable cores with high immediate and final strength, the process has disadvantages because there are significant amounts of free formaldehyde and free phenol in the binder.
Although there are some similarities between the warm-box process and the hot-box process, the warm-box process uses much higher levels of furfuryl alcohol than the hot-box process, and uses stronger latent acid salts and/or acids as curing catalysts than used in the hot-box process. Additionally, lower tooling temperatures are sometimes possible if the warm-box process is used. The curing chemistry of this process relies more on the acid curing of furfuryl alcohol to achieve the required reactivity and strength. Phenolic and urea/formaldehyde resins are generally still incorporated into the binder composition at lower levels, so the presence of free formaldehyde and phenol can still be a health and safety issue. The thermal stability of these binder systems is generally considered to be lower than hot-box binders because of the reduced amount of phenolic and urea/formaldehyde resins that impart hot strength. In addition there is often a significant compromise between reactivity and immediate strengths versus the working life of the mixed sand. By increasing the strength of the acid curing catalyst, the process can be carried out without heat, i.e. by the no-bake furan process. But because heat is not used, it is usually necessary to use acid curing catalysts having a greater strength. Typically, these catalysts are sulfur-containing catalysts, e.g. sulfuric acid, sulfonic acid, etc. The problem with using these sulfur-containing catalysts is that high levels of sulfur dioxide are typically emitted when metals are cast from the cores and molds made by the no-bake process. This has the potential of creating environmental, health, and safety issues.
Hot-box and warm-box binders often contain a urea/formaldehyde resin. These binders contain nitrogen that can be emitted as a gas during the casting process. The nitrogen gas emitted can cause casting defects if present at high levels, or the metal cast is sufficiently sensitive to this type of defect.
It is clear that there are advantages and disadvantages to the hot-box and warm-box processes. But both processes have a major disadvantage in common, which is the use of binders that contain free formaldehyde and free phenol to some degree. A heat-curable binder that did not contain free formaldehyde or free phenol would offer obvious advantages. In addition, if the no-bake process were used, reduced catalyst quantities or significantly weaker and/or lower sulfur content catalysts could be used instead of the typical addition or strength of curing catalysts used, which would typically result in lower sulfur dioxide emissions during the casting process.
All citations referred to in this application are expressly incorporated by reference.

Binder composition comprising condensed tannin and furfuryl alcohol and its uses

Ashland Licensing and Intellectual Property LLC


An imaging apparatus includes an image capturing system. A controller is communicatively coupled to the image capturing system. A scanner body has a scanner opening. The image capturing system is located adjacent the scanner opening. A document planar member is positioned across the scanner opening. The document planar member is communicatively coupled to the controller. The document planar member has a transparent state wherein the document planar member is clear and having a translucent state wherein the document planar member is translucent. The controller executes program instructions to control the document planar member to display scan operation related indicia formed by controlling a first portion of the document planar member to be in the transparent state and controlling a second portion of the document planar member to be in the translucent state.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to scanners and scanning methods, and more particularly to an imaging apparatus having a document planar member that displays scan operation related indicia.
2. Description of the Related Art
In prior art, an imaging apparatus in the form of a scanner is used to generate a digital representation of a document being scanned. Such a document may include any of a variety of media types, such as paper, card stock, etc., and may be regular (e.g., rectangular) or irregular in shape, and on which there is formed, for example, text, graphics or a picture, e.g., a photo, or a combination thereof. In one type of scanner, typically known in the art as a flat bed scanner, prior to scanning of a target document, the scanner lid is lifted and the target document is positioned on a document glass in the correct orientation and location. Thereafter, prior to scanning, the scanner lid is closed to prevent incident light around the edges of the target document from adversely affecting the quality of the scan.
Orientation of a rectangular original, i.e., target document, for a scan or copy operation is often problematic for a user. For instance, if the size of the target document is selected to be 5 inches×7 inches, then a rectangle area 5 inches×7 inches will be scanned. However, assuming the edges of the target document are placed flush with the scanner housing edges, the target document can be placed with the 7 inch length either horizontally or vertically. If the machine assumes a vertical placement but the actual placement is horizontal, the result is a partially scanned image, and the user must retry the task. Although some scanners have edge marks formed in, or painted on, the plastic housing surrounding the document glass that act as suggestions to the user, often the user does not, or cannot, see or understand the marks. Some scanners have auto-detection of the target document size, but this function is slower and is prone to error if the document glass is dirty. Also, some scanners have a preview function in which the preview of the target document is displayed on a monitor screen that assists the user in stopping the scan/copy operation if it appears the incorrect area has been scanned, but many scanners do not have this preview.
There continues to be a need for improvement in the area of scanner usability.

Imaging apparatus having a document planar member that displays scan operation related indicia


Systems and apparatuses for revoking access to one or more applications for one or more individuals or users are provided. In some examples, revocation settings may be received from different business divisions or enterprises or business groups within an entity and may be compiled to form a standardized set of revocation settings that may be applied across the entity. Accordingly, upon receiving an item that may be associated with access and may include one or more applications to which access may be revoked and/or one or more users from which access may be revoked, the system may apply the standardized revocation settings to determine whether access should be revoked. If it is determined that access should be revoked, the system may revoke access to the one or more applications for the one or more users.

Companies often implement a plurality of different applications in the day-to-day functioning of the company. Providing access to those applications and associated data is an important business function. Although providing access is important in order to enable employees to successfully perform different work functions, revoking access upon termination of an employee, or other job change of an employee, is also an important function. Often, when employees leave a position, notifications are sent to various business groups, such as an information technology group, who may then revoke access to the one or more applications to which the user had access. However, in some situations, there can be significant delays in informing the various business groups, which can leave the company exposed to risk from former employees or other individuals who no longer need access to one or more applications, but still are able to access those applications.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that cancels fan noise in a computer system. During operation, the system obtains a fan noise signal using a microphone. Next, the system generates a spectral pattern based on the obtained fan noise signal. The system then uses the spectral pattern to identify a corresponding cancellation spectrum in an anti-spectra library. Next, the system generates a noise-canceling signal using the cancellation spectrum. Note that the amount of computation required to cancel fan noise is reduced because generating the noise-canceling signal using the anti-spectra library requires less computation than generating the noise-canceling signal using dynamic noise-cancellation techniques.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to techniques for canceling fan noise in computer systems. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for canceling fan noise in a computer system by using an anti-spectra library.
2. Related Art
Rapid advances in computing technology presently make it possible to perform trillions of operations each second on data sets that are sometimes as large as a trillion bytes. These advances can be largely attributed to the exponential increase in the density and complexity of integrated circuits.
Unfortunately, in conjunction with the increase in density and complexity, the power consumption and heat dissipation of integrated circuits has also increased dramatically.
Specifically, high-end server systems can easily generate 20 kilowatts or more heat. Servers typically use powerful fans to remove heat, which can generate high levels of noise. In fact, a datacenter full of high-end servers can produce a very high decibel roar from all of the fan noise which can cause human errors while servicing high-end servers. Specifically, high noise levels can make it difficult for service engineers to communicate with each other. Service engineers may even have to use sign language to communicate with one another. High noise levels can also make it difficult for individual engineers to concentrate on the complex tasks they undertake in the datacenter. Specifically, noise levels can cause human errors that result in "No Trouble Found" (NTF) problems at customer sites, which can result in a huge cost to the server manufacture as well as causing customer dissatisfaction. Hence, techniques for reducing or eliminating fan noise are very important. These techniques are often called Automatic Noise Cancellation (ANC) techniques, or simply, noise cancellation techniques.
Present noise cancellation techniques are costly and computationally intensive. This is because present approaches sense the harmonics of a fan noise signal in real time, and then use dynamic feedback and control methods to cancel as much of the fan noise signal as possible. Since these techniques are executed in real time, they can significantly increase the computational burden on the server, which can decrease server performance.
Hence, what is needed is a method and an apparatus for canceling fan noise in a computer system without the above-described problems.

Method and apparatus for canceling fan noise in a computer system


A fuel cell system is provided with a humidifying device (27, 28) for humidifying at least one of fuel gas and oxygen-bearing gas, a water passage (11) through which water from a water tank (5) flows, a water removing device (2, 3, 3a, 4) for supplying purge gas to the water passage in order to remove the water in the water passage, and a water recirculating device (8) for enabling water to flow through the water passage. The fuel cell system is also provided with a shutoff valve (7) for blocking the water passage such that water from the water tank does not flow into the water recirculating device, the shutoff valve (7) being provided between the water tank (5) and the water recirculating device (8). When a shutdown operation of the fuel cell system begins, a controller (48) controls the shutoff valve (7) to open and controls the water removing device (2, 3, 3a, 4) such that purge gas is supplied to the water passage. The controller (48) also controls the shutoff valve (7) to block the water passage after the water has been expelled from the water passage.

A fuel cell system disclosed in Tokkai H6-223855, published by the Japanese Patent Office in 1994, is known in the prior art.
This system comprises a fuel cell for generating electric power by causing hydrogen gas and oxygen gas to electrochemically react, a cooling water recirculation passage through which cooling water for adjusting the temperature of the fuel cell is recirculated, and a gas forcing device for removing the cooling water from the cooling water recirculation passage. When operations in the fuel cell system are shut down, the gas forcing device removes the cooling water in the cooling water recirculation passage and stores the cooling water in a container on the outside of the cooling water recirculation passage. The gas forcing device supplies oxygen or air from a gas supply source for supplying the fuel cell with gas to the cooling water recirculation passage through an open/close valve. In this manner the water to be circulated in the cooling water recirculation passage during operation of the fuel cell system is prevented from freezing after a shutdown of the fuel cell system in the prior art.


A retrofit for diverting water leaking into an elevated expansion joint is formed by lowering an applicator that carries an adhesively treated water run-off arrangement into the joint and pressing the arrangement against inside walls of the joint with an expanding bladder under fluid pressure. When the adhesive cures, reducing the pressure collapses the bladder and allows withdrawal of the applicator.

This invention relates to backup protection for sealed structural expansion joints, and particularly to retrofitted backup protection of structural members against water seeping around seals at expansion joints of elevated structures such as bridges or decks.
Elevated roadways with steel or concrete-steel superstructures generally sit on concrete piers with steel bearings. Such roadways expand and contract continuously with hourly changes in temperature, as well as seasonal temperature variations. They also move in response to other forces. Expansion joints, forming gaps between sections of roadway that rest on the pier caps, accommodate this movement, growth, and shrinkage. The expansion joints usually extend transversely across tho road, but may also follow longitudinally along the roadway. To prevent run-off water from damaging the supporting piers and caps, the expansion joints include elastically compressible seals secured in the gaps between the roadway sections. These seals shunt most of the water and other liquid materials that accumulate on a roadway away from gaps. The seals themselves resiliently reshape to fill the gaps between the roadway sections.
However, the seals are not perfect. Some of the water, caused by rain and snow and accompanying oils and other materials from leaking automobiles, pass by the seals and ultimately damage the structural piers and bearings supporting the roadway. Because the damage is so slow, it may not be recognized before the conditions become unsafe.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,804,292 illustrates a run-off arrangement for deflecting and collecting water seepage from the seals and diverting it to the sides of the roadway beyond the underlying piers and bearings. However, it is necessary to incorporate the run-off system into the bridge structure during initial construction, or to make it part of a dramatic rehabilitation project.
Accordingly, existing roadways cannot benefit from such a run-off system without reconstruction.

Backup protection for sealed structural expansion joints


A pharmaceutical combination or composition containing a lipase inhibitor, preferably orlistat, and a bile acid sequestrant is useful for treating obesity.

1. Field
The present invention relates to pharmaceutical combinations, compositions and methods for treating obesity.
2. Description
Bile acids are synthesized in the liver and enter the bile as glycine and taurine conjugates. They are released in salt form in bile during digestion and act as detergents to solubilize and consequently aid in digestion of dietary fats. Following digestion, bile acid salts are mostly reabsorbed in the ileum, complexed with proteins, and returned to the liver through the hepatic portal vein. The small amount of bile acid salts which are not reabsorbed by active transport are excreted via the distal ileum and large intestine as a portion of fecal material. Reducing reabsorption of bile acids within the intestinal tract can lower levels of bile acid circulating in the enterohepatic system thereby potentially reducing emulsification in the upper intestinal tract of dietary fat and reducing intestinal absorption of fat soluble drugs. One method of reducing the amount of bile acids that are reabsorbed, is oral administration of compounds that sequester the bile acids within the intestinal tract and cannot themselves be absorbed.
Orlistat (also known as tetrahydrolipstatin and sold under the brand name XENICAL®) is a potent inhibitor of gastrointestinal lipases, i.e. lipases that are responsible for breaking down ingested fat (gastric lipase, carboxylester lipase, pancreatic lipase). As a consequence of this, unabsorbed fat is excreted in the feces. Pancreatic lipase is the key enzyme for the hydrolysis of dietary triglycerides. Triglycerides that have escaped hydrolysis are not absorbed in the intestine. Pharmacological studies with human patients demonstrate potent inhibition of fat absorption and medically relevant reduction of body weight was achieved using lipase inhibitors. However, in a subgroup of the patients, unpleasant gastrointestinal side effects such as oily spotting, fatty/oily stools, fecal urgency, increased defecation and fecal incontinence are observed. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for lipase inhibiting compositions that minimize or suppress the side effects caused by inhibitors of digestive lipases.


According to the embodiments illustrated herein, a method is disclosed. The method comprises receiving, by a computing device comprising a processor, an input from an operator device, wherein the input facilitates determining a task to be performed. Further, the method comprises activating, by the computing device, a first light device associated with a first location in a workplace in response to receiving the input, wherein the first location is associated with the task to be performed. Furthermore, the method comprises receiving, by the computing device, a first voice input from the operator device, indicative of an exception encountered during execution of the task. Additionally, the method includes modifying the task, in response to determining that the first voice input is indicative of the exception encountered during execution of the task.

In workplaces such as, but not limited to, warehouse, manufacturing assembly line, and retail stores, workers may perform various tasks such as, but not limited to, picking tasks, placing tasks, inventory management tasks, and/or the like. Usually such tasks are executed at specific locations in the workplace. Accordingly, executing such tasks in the workplace may involve transmitting specific instructions (e.g., instructions containing information pertaining to the location where the task is to be performed) to the worker. Any discrepancy either in transmitting the instructions or misinterpretation of the instructions by the worker may lead to erroneous task execution, which may be undesirable

Methods and systems for task execution in a workplace


A method of handling busy calls, performed by a controlling entity (ZC1) in a multiple-zone system, includes the steps of issuing (201) a request to participate in a call to one or more participating zones (101, 103, and 105) and concluding (203) that at least one zone of the participating zones (101, 103, and 105) is unable to grant the call, thereby resulting in a busy status for the call. The controlling entity (ZC1) informs the participating zones (101, 103 and 105) of the busy status. A resource available notification is received (209) from a first zone, and the controlling entity (ZC1) determines (211) if a predetermined number of the participating zones (101, 103, and 105) have indicated ability to grant the call. When at least one zone of the one or more participating zones has not indicated ability to grant the call, the controlling entity (ZC1) issues (213) a still busy notification to the first zone, which still busy notification indicates that the call still has a busy status.

The basic operation and structure of a land mobile radio system is well known. Land mobile radio systems typically comprise one or more radio communication units (e.g., vehicle-mounted or portable radios in a land mobile system and radio/telephones in a cellular system) and one or more repeaters that transceive information via the RF communication resources. These communication resources may be narrow band frequency modulated channels, time division multiplex slots, frequency pairs, and so forth. Land mobile radio systems may be organized as trunked communication systems, where a plurality of communication resources is allocated amongst a group of users by assigning the repeaters on a communication-by-communication basis with an RF coverage area.
Currently, there is a desire to have larger communication systems that cover much larger geographic areas. Today, communication systems are known to be organized into a plurality of communication sites, with a zone or network controller (ZC) attached to a bank of repeaters at each of the plurality of sites so that communication requests from a communication unit within a coverage area may be handled and organized amongst all of the sites that are connected to that zone controller. These repeaters may be intelligent repeaters, such as an IntelliRepeater.TM. available from Motorola, Inc., and the zone controller communicates with the intelligent repeater that is currently in control of the site. Alternatively, the repeaters may be standard repeaters with a site controller attached to the each of the repeaters at the site, and the site controller coordinates resources for the site.
There is, however, a limit to the number of sites that can be serviced by one zone controller. Consequently, a need exists for a way to provide communications over larger areas of land, particularly for a single call over larger areas of land than can be accommodated by today's multiple site systems.

Method of handling busy calls in a multiple zone communication system


The invention provides a lens device of a projector for projecting light that has been modulated and emitted by a display device, wherein said lens device has an optical axis and is arranged telecentric to rays of light emitted from said display device, said lens device has a diaphragm mechanism having an aperture at such a position that the lens device causes principal rays emitted from various locations on the display device to intersect with the optical axis, and said aperture is substantially triangular.

Various projectors that are adapted to guide via a lighting optical system to a display device, such as liquid crystal panels, light emitted from a light source and project said light onto a screen via a lens device after modulating the light by the display device are known conventionally (e.g. Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. Hei-8-43729). In order to improve the contrast of a projected image, the lens device of a conventional projector may be provided with a diaphragm mechanism which has a circular aperture and is positioned within a group of lenses.
In the case of projectors that use liquid crystal panels or the like as the display device, it is necessary to ensure telecentricity between the display device and the lens device. Therefore, in order to improve the contrast of a projected image while limiting the reduction of telecentric properties, the entire lens device has to be designed to permit adjusting of the aperture diameters of the lens frames that secure the respective lenses.

Lens device and projector having diaphragm mechanisms with substantially triangular apertures


A device for controlling the thickness of a sheet in calendering includes a thickness measuring unit for measuring the thickness of the sheet immediately after it has been formed by a pair of calender rolls, and a roll adjusting unit for moving at least one of the pair of calender rolls toward and away from the other calender roll. The device further includes a detection unit for detecting change in distance between the axes of the pair of calender rolls, and a control device for comparing the measured thickness of the sheet with a target thickness to obtain a difference therebetween. The control device then calculates a gap adjusting value on the basis of the difference, and compares the change in distance between the axes of the rolls detected by the detection unit with the calculated gap adjusting value. When these values become equal, the control device stops the movement of the one calender roll to make the thickness of the sheet equal to the target thickness.

This invention relates to a method and a device for controlling the thickness of a sheet to be a target thickness during forming it by calender rolls.
In general, when a sheet is being formed by calender rolls, the thickness of the sheet often changes owing to change in physical properties of materials of the sheet, forming temperatures and the like. In order to overcome this problem, it has been proposed that the thicknesses of a sheet is measured immediately after it has been formed to obtain a difference between the measured value and a target value. At least one of the calender rolls is then moved correspondingly to the obtained difference to adjust the gap between the calender rolls, thereby controlling the thickness of the sheet to be the target thickness.
The principle of such a control of the thickness will be explained with reference to FIG. 1 whose ordinate indicates rolling forces N of calender rolls and the abscissa shows gaps G between the calender rolls. Curves A and B in FIG. 1 indicate the rolling force characteristics of materials, which are called as "plastic curve of material in rolling". These curves progressively lower to the right in the graph, because the narrower the gap between the rolls, the higher is the rolling force. The plastic curve of material depends upon kinds of materials to be formed, working temperatures, calendering speeds, and amounts of bank materials (amounts of materials arranged between calender rolls) and moves toward the right in the graph with harder materials, lower working temperatures and more bank materials.
Straight lines a and b in the graph indicate the relationship between the rolling force N and the gap between calender rolls and rise to the right in the graph, because the calender rolls are more deformed and the frame of the calender supporting the calender rolls is more elongated as the rolling force N increases. In this case, the gradients K of the straight lines a and b are called as "mill modulas" which shows a rigidity of the calender as a whole.
It is no assumed that the calendering is performed along the curve A and the straight line a. The gap G between the calender rolls and the rolling force N are determined by the point of intersection T0 of these lines A and a, the former h0 and the latter PO. It is further assumed that the gap h0 gives a target thickness of a sheet and a material is supplied between the calender rolls with the gap h0. If the plastic characteristics of the material change to move from the curve A to the curve B, the point of intersection moves from T0 to T1 so that the gap G between the calender rolls increases by .DELTA.h to be h1.
In order to restore the thickness of the sheet to the target thickness, the increased gap h1 must be returned to h0. For this end, the roll gap control device of the calender is adjusted by an adjustment .DELTA.s to move the straight line a to the line b so that the calendering is performed along the curve B and the straight line b. Consequently, the gap G between the calender rolls becomes h0 given by the point of intersection T2 of the curve B and the straight line b. The thickness of the sheet is thus controlled to be the target thickness in this manner.
The following relationship is established between the .DELTA.s and .DELTA.h. EQU .DELTA.s=(1+M/K).times..DELTA.h
Upon substituting (1+M/K) in the equation by control coefficient .alpha., the equation reads as follows. EQU .DELTA.s=.alpha..times..DELTA.h
where M is gradient of plastic curve of material which is a gradient at the point of intersection T0, T1 or the like of the curve A or B, and K is the mill modulas described above. The above equation means that if it is required to adjust the gap G by .DELTA.h, the roll gap control device of the calender may be adjusted by .alpha..times..DELTA.h.
In the prior art, the control of the gap between calender rolls has been effected with an estimation that the gap between calender rolls will be changed some amount by adjusting the roll gap control device of a calender a certain amount in the manner described above. In such an operation, the control of the thickness of a sheet has been performed by using a constant control coefficient experimentally determined, notwithstanding that it will change when the plastic characteristics of a material to be calendered is changed. Consequently, the actually corrected amounts of the gap often deviate from the estimated amounts to an impermissible extent.
Moreover, the control coefficient includes some errors because it was experimentally determined. As a result, the actually corrected amounts of the gap tend to deviate somewhat from the estimated amounts. In order to overcome this problem, it has been proposed to correct the control coefficient .alpha. to an optimum value spontaneously in forming a sheet as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 62-17,527. However, this method suffers disadvantages from the very complicated control and the complicated and expensive apparatus.

Device for controlling thickness of sheet in calendering


A coating apparatus and a method of fabricating a liquid crystal display device using the same is described where a uniform coating layer over an entire surface of a substrate is formed by placing auxiliary coating devices at front and rear ends of the coating apparatus and starting the coating operation from the auxiliary coating device. The coating apparatus includes: a table on which an object is located; a slit nozzle installed above the table and dispensing a coating solution on the surface of the object; an auxiliary coating device installed at least one end of the table; and a driving unit moving the slit nozzle in a predetermined direction.

A process of fabricating a flat panel display device or a semiconductor device includes a plurality of thin film deposition processes, photolithography processes for exposing a selected region of the thin film, and processes of etching the selected region of the thin film. In particular, the photolithography process includes a coating process for forming a photosensitive film, which is formed of a photosensitive material, such as a photoresist, on a substrate or a wafer, and exposing and developing processes for patterning the photosensitive film by using a mask having a predetermined pattern. The coating process for forming a photosensitive film on the substrate or the wafer is a spray coating method, a roll coating method, a spin coating method, or the like.
The spray coating method and the roll coating method are not suitable for high accuracy in terms of uniformity of a coating layer and adjustment of layer thickness. The spin coating method is used to form a high-accuracy pattern.
A spin coater as shown in FIG. 1 includes a spin chuck 5 that is connected to a rotary shaft 6, a cover 7 that covers the spin chuck 5 from the outside and can be opened/closed, and a nozzle 4 that is located above the spin chuck 5 and moves inside the cover 7 when the cover 7 is opened.
An object 10 to be coated with a photosensitive film is located on the spin chuck 5. A drain valve (not shown) that drains a photosensitive solution, such as a photoresist, which drops downwards, is installed under the cover 7.
In order for the spin coater to form a coating layer on the object 10, the nozzle 4 moves downwards and jets a photosensitive solution onto the surface of the object 10 that is located on the spin chuck 5. After the photosensitive solution is jetted on the object 10, the cover 7 is tightly closed. A motor M rotates, and the rotary shaft 6 connected to the motor M also rotates, such that the spin chuck 5, on which the object 10 is located, spins at a predetermined rotation rate.
When the spin chuck 5 spins, the photosensitive solution jetted on the upper surface of the object 10 is spread outwards by centrifugal force, such that an entire surface of the object 10 is coated with the photosensitive solution.
When the entire surface of the object 10 is coated with the photosensitive solution, the photosensitive solution is hardened. The hardened photosensitive solution is exposed and developed by using a photo mask or the like, such that a predetermined pattern is formed on the surface of the object 10.
The spin coating method using the spin coater is suitable when a small object, such as a wafer, is coated with a photosensitive solution. When a large and heavy object, such as a substrate for a flat panel display device (e.g., a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display panel) is coated with a photosensitive solution, the spin coating method is not suitable.
The larger and heavier substrate to be coated with a photosensitive film is, the more difficult it is to rotate the substrate at a high speed. In addition, when the substrate is rotated at a high speed, it is much more likely to damage the substrate, and power consumption is also increased.
In addition, a substantial amount of the photosensitive solution is wasted as the amount of photosensitive solution used is much larger than the amount of photosensitive solution that is used for coating. That is, a considerable amount of photosensitive solution coated on the substrate surface scatters out of the spin chuck and wasted when the substrate is rotated at a high speed. In addition, the scatted photosensitive solution tends to act as foreign matter in a subsequent process for forming a thin film, and may contaminate an environment.
Semiconductor flat panel display device fabrication requires photolithography processes in order to pattern a thin film performing a specific function, for example, a metal thin film or a semiconductor thin film to form a predetermined shape. In the photolithography process, a photosensitive material, such as a photoresist that chemically reacts to light, is used.
Defects will be not generated during the process if a photosensitive film is formed to have a very uniform thickness on a substrate on which a thin film is formed. For example, when the photosensitive film is formed to have a greater thickness than a predetermined thickness, a desired portion of the thin film is not etched. In addition, when the photosensitive film is formed to have a smaller thickness than a predetermined thickness, the thin film is etched by a larger amount of etching than a desired amount of etching.
In particular, the uniform coating of the photosensitive solution is a very important factor since the size of the substrate increases in size as a liquid crystal display panel of a liquid crystal display device increases in size.

Coating apparatus and method of fabricating liquid crystal display device using the same


A digital counter comprised of a synchronization judgement circuit and a counting circuit, the synchronization judging circuit receiving as an input signal the results of a comparison from a phase comparison circuit which compares the phase of a reference signal and an output signal of a frequency factoring circuit and outputting a phase synchronization judgement signal to the counting circuit, the counting circuit receiving as input the results of comparison and the phase synchronization judgement signal, performing a count based on the results of comparison, and successively determining a count from the most significant bit to the least significant bit. Also, a digital PLL circuit using the digital counter.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a digital phase locked loop (PLL) circuit and to a digital counter used for configuring that digital PLL circuit.
2. Description of the Related Art
A usual digital PLL circuit is, for example, comprised of a phase comparator, a digital counter, a frequency multiplier, and a frequency divider. It compares the phase of a reference clock and the phase of a feedback loop signal at the phase comparator, sets the data of the digital counter so as to minimize the phase error, and decides on the multiplying factor of the frequency multiplier or the dividing factor of the frequency divider based on that set data. To reduce the jitter, however, the number of bits of the digital counter must be increased. If the number of bits is increased, however, it takes time to minimize the phase error. That is, there is an inverse relationship between the reduction of the jitter and the reduction of the time taken for phase locking.

Digital counter and digital phase locked loop circuit using same


A thermal pad is adapted to be placed in physical contact with a patient and to receive temperature controlled fluid from a thermal control unit. The temperature controlled fluid circulates through the thermal pad and controls the patient's temperature. The thermal pad includes first and second sheets that are sealed together about their periphery to define a fluid chamber there between. A fluid inlet and fluid outlet are fluidly coupled to the fluid chamber. In some embodiments, a filter sheet is sandwiched between the first and second sheets and arranged such that fluid entering the fluid inlet must pass through the filter sheet before exiting out of the fluid outlet. A plurality of bonds may be included that seal the first and second sheets together at a plurality of locations. In some embodiments, a non-sheet filter is positioned within the fluid chamber and filters the circulating fluid.

The present disclosure relates to a thermal control system for controlling the temperature of circulating fluid that is delivered to one or more thermal pads positioned in contact with a patient.
Thermal control systems are known in the art for controlling the temperature of a patient by providing a thermal control unit that supplies temperature controlled fluid to one or more thermal pads positioned in contact with a patient. The thermal control unit includes one or more heat exchangers for controlling the temperature of the fluid and a pump that pumps the temperature controlled fluid to the pad(s). The pads are placed in contact with the patient and facilitate the exchange of thermal energy between the patient and the fluid circulating through the pad, thereby either removing heat from the patient or supplying heat to the patient. After passing through the pad(s), the fluid is returned to the thermal control unit where any necessary adjustments to the temperature of the returning fluid are made before being pumped back to the pad(s). The thermal control unit and its coupled thermal pads can therefore be used to warm or cool a patient.
In one common arrangement, three pads are applied to the patient: one applied around the patient's torso, one applied around the patient's right leg, and one applied around the patient's left leg. The pads are often intended to be disposable such that, after use with a particular patient, they are discarded.


A method for securing communications within a computer network that includes wireless devices is presented. The method involves the use of a middleware server, which allows ill-performing and potentially insecure communications protocols to be off-loaded onto a more powerful machine running in a more secure environment, e.g., within a company's Intranet. The method can be practiced with any symmetric encryption algorithm, and can be combined with additional security methods, such as asymmetric encryption methods.

Recently, technology has been developed that allows for wireless devices, such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), cell phones, and two-way pagers, to access computer networks; computer networks are no longer physically limited to a hard-wired environment. In the past, database or systems administrators for a computer network have been forced to work within the physical confines of a secure office computer network at a company or other organization. Access to a computer network through a wireless device allows the administrator to monitor and manage the computers within the network remotely. If the administrator does not happen to be physically near in the event of a crisis, then wireless access translates directly into a quicker response to problems and less downtime. This is extremely valuable to companies, such as banks, auction houses, brokerage firms, etc., which must keep their systems running uninterrupted in order to prevent a loss of revenue.
Thus, wireless devices provide an excellent solution to many old problems in systems and database administration, but they also introduce a new problem: how can communications within a network that includes wireless devices be kept secure? For a system or database to be administrated or managed remotely, communications within the network must be kept secure at all times and in all places to avoid a leak of confidential information. The difficulties of keeping a computer network secure are increased dramatically when wireless communications are allowed between computers within the network.
In the present state of the art in wireless communications, information is transmitted to and from a wireless device by electromagnetic radiation that will inevitably travel through public spaces. It is not desirable, and in some cases it may be a violation of law, for a company to allow public access to the information kept in its computer network. In addition, data must be transferred between a server inside, and a server outside a company's Intranet before it can be broadcast to a wireless device. Each connection must be secure to prevent unauthorized access to a secure computer network. Since private or confidential information may be kept in a computer within a secure computer network, it is extremely important that all communications within a network are secure.
Wireless devices present additional challenges to securing a computer network since they usually have fewer computing resources (e.g., processing power, memory, and bandwidth) available than do non-portable or handheld devices. Previous methods for securing a computer network have relied on algorithms that require a very fast processor or a long time to complete. Other methods have relied on a large amount of memory. The security methods used with non-wireless devices are not useful for securing a wireless device.
Currently, one of the most widely used methods for securing a computer network is with public key (also called "asymmetric") encryption. The use of public key encryption, in which a secret key is securely exchanged between a client and a server using a public key, is so prevalent that most current versions of Web browsers, such as NETSCAPE NAVIGATOR or MICROSOFT INTERNET EXPLORER, come preinstalled with "Certificates" for the most often visited "Certificate Authorities" on the Web.
Public key encryption is not well adapted for use within a computer network that includes wireless devices. Public key encryption is slow and difficult to implement in hardware. Public key encryption algorithms may run 10,000 times slower than a comparable private key (or "symmetric") encryption algorithm. Even in the future, when wireless devices are built with the computational resources today available only for desktop computers, public key encryption methods would be undesirable. In part because of their wide use there are many known ways for circumventing public key encryption.
One serious vulnerability in the public key encryption method exists in a step of requesting and transferring a private key from an internal server to a client within a network. This vulnerability can be exploited by "hijacking" a private key request from the client to the internal server. The request is hijacked by an "impostor" server, a server that acts in place of the internal server intended for communication with the client. The impostor server sends its own private key back to the client, and subsequent communication between the client and the impostor server is carried out with that private key—the client has no way of knowing that the impostor server is not the internal server it had intended for communication, and all information transferred to the impostor server is available for inspection by the impostor server's owner, usually a competing or hostile company that has specifically targeted the client will engage in this kind of attack. Use of a public key encryption method, in this case, would make all of the confidential information transferred within the computer network directly available to that competitor.

Secure communications between internet and remote client


An inventory distribution system and method of providing a plurality of items to a plurality of kiosks is provided. The inventory distribution system may maintain and update a plurality of inventory records associated with the plurality of items provided by the plurality of kiosks, which can be used to determine and update quantities of the plurality of items at specific kiosks. To provide the plurality of items to the plurality of kiosks, the inventory distribution system can provide deliveries to a plurality of distribution agents, where the distribution agents are assigned to a subset of kiosks to maintain and distribute one or more select items to the subset of kiosks.

With the growing accessibility and breadth of the Internet and telecommunications networks, many retail transactions may be conducted remotely, such as from a consumer's home, without necessitating the consumer to visit a brick-and-mortar retail location. Consumers may browse retail websites, order items, pay electronically, and receive the items delivered to their doorstep. Further, with the increasing usage of mobile devices, consumers frequently conduct transactions on their mobile devices while away from their homes, and can request delivery of items to locations other than a personal home address, for example, an office or a hotel. While convenient to the consumer, the delivery of numerous individual items to numerous individual consumers at varying addresses can become exponentially costly to both retail businesses and consumers.

Inventory distribution method and system


A container for housing a package includes a case made of a flexible sheet. The package is adhered to a frame around a dispensing opening of the container through a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer. The frame has a lid. When the lid is opened, wet sheets can be taken out of the package. Since the frame is adhered to the package around the dispensing opening, a simple fastener can be used for keeping the case in an unopened state.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a container for a package formed by housing wet sheets in a bag made of a flexible packaging material and more particularly to a container of which a case is flexible and allows the package to be easily put in and taken out and which is improved in the effect of keeping the wet sheets from drying out.
2. Description of the Related Art
Wet sheets to be used for cleansing the skin, for wiping the excretory parts of an infant when a diaper is changed or for wiping stains off the toilet bowl and the like are typically nonwoven fabrics impregnated with a chemical containing a cleansing ingredient. Wet sheets of this kind are usually supplied and sold in the form of a package formed by housing a number of wet sheets in a bag made of a flexible packaging material. This bag has a dispensing opening and a lid seal is adhered to the bag through a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer to cover the dispensing opening.
When taking out the wet sheets, the lid seal, which is peelably adhered to the bag, is peeled to expose the dispensing opening. However, since the lid seal should be peeled against an adhesion force due to the pressure-sensitive adhesive, a relatively large force is required to peel the lid seal, so that it is cumbersome to peel the lid seal over and over again.
After a few wet sheets are taken out, moreover, the lid seal should be adhered to the bag without leaving wrinkles so as to completely close the dispensing opening. If not, wet sheets left in the bag cannot be prevented completely from drying out. However, since the bag is made of a flexible packaging material, adhering the lid seal to the bag again is likely to make wrinkles in the packaging material or the lid seal. Thus, complete adhesion of the lid seal to the bag at a location around the dispensing opening is not easy to achieve.
On the other hand, containers have been developed for household use so as to house the packages therein. Such a container includes a rigid case made of a plastic material and a separable part for insertion of the package into the case. In addition, the container has an opening for facing the dispensing opening of the package housed therein, as well as a rigid lid movably mounted to open and close the opening.
The package is housed in the container with the lid seal removed to expose the dispensing opening. Opening the rigid lid enables removal of wet sheets out of the package, and after take out of wet sheets, the container can be sealed by closing the lid. The rigid lid of the container is easier to operate than the lid seal of the package.
However, such a rigid container, which is suitable for stationary use in the home, is not suitable for portable use outside the home.
In addition, when the package is housed in the container, a relatively large space is left between the outer surface of the package and the inner surface of the container and it communicates with the inside of the package through the dispensing opening. Since moisture contained in the wet sheets inside the package is allowed to evaporate into this space, the wet sheets are liable to dry out.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H11-70056 discloses a lid body to be mounted on the bag of the package.
This lid body has an openable plate and is adhered to the bag of the package through a pressure-sensitive adhesive tape or the like to thereby cover the dispensing opening with the openable plate. In this invention, the dispensing opening of the package can be easily exposed and closed by operating the openable plate. In addition, since a single lid body can be used several times for different packages, this invention contributes to resource saving and reduction of waste generation.
However, the lid body, which is fixed on the bag through an adhesion force of the tape, is liable to fall off the package when an external force is exerted on the lid body during portable use. Particularly when a shearing force is exerted to slide the lid body on the package, the adhesion force alone cannot withstand the shearing force, so that the lid body is liable to fall off the package. If the lid body falls off the package during portable use outside the home, the dispensing opening of the package is left opened to let the wet sheets dry out.


A method for fabricating a ceramic matrix composite structure. A core having an ordered structure is fabricated of a preceramic polymer and pyrolyzed. Facesheets, either uncured or cured, are placed on the core (with a bonding layer of preceramic polymer resin if the facesheets are cured) and the assembly is cured and pyrolyzed. The pyrolyzed assembly is re-infiltrated with preceramic polymer resin and re-pyrolyzed. The cycle of re-infiltration and re-pyrolyzation is repeated until the mass gain per cycle stabilizes.

Sandwich structures, which may include (e.g., consist of) two thin, stiff skins connected by a thick but lightweight core, offer significantly increased flexural strength and torsional rigidity compared to monocoque or stiffened plate designs of equivalent mass. Polymer matrix composite and metallic sandwich designs may be used in low temperature automotive, naval and aircraft platforms (e.g., at temperatures less than 800° C.). Such composite materials may be poorly suited for elevated temperature applications (e.g., at temperatures greater than 800° C. and less than 1800° C.).
Related art fabrication of ceramic sandwich designs may use secondary bonding approaches or vapor infiltration methods. In the case of secondary bonding, the resulting interface may be a weak point in the structure. Vapor infiltration processes may require significant capital and labor expenditures as well as long duration cycle times, which may exceed 40 days. As a result of both of these factors, the fabrication cost may be high.
Thus, there is a need for a low-cost method for fabricating ceramic composite materials with high strength.

Method for fabrication of a ceramic matrix composite sandwich structure


An apparatus adaptable to be mounted on the tomato harvesters of various manufacturers for the purpose of removing tomato plants from the ground with their tomatoes attached for delivery onto a tomato harvester, which mechanically separates the tomato fruit from the balance of the plant. This apparatus also reduces the amount of agglomerated earth or clods that sticks to the root system upon removal from the ground. The apparatus utilizes a pair of spaced cutter bars which rotate counterclockwise. Upon impact of the forward lower bar with the plant, the plant is pulled from the ground. As the plant travels rearwardly, the upper bar knocks dirt loose from the roots.

The harvesting of tomatoes has in the last 20 years become almost totally mechanized. Today harvesters made by one of several companies can move quickly through a field to remove the whole tomato plant from the ground, separate the tomatoes from the plant, and even permit on-board sorting both manually and calorimetrically by electronic means. The first step of plant removal from the earth is generally carried out by a sickle type front attachment for the harvester. This device features the lateral movement of one notched blade relative to a infrapositioned stationary blade in the same fashion as a common home hedge trimmer.
While the sickle plant remover does an adequate job, it tends to permit excess dirt to stick to the roots of the plant. These dirt clods can and do interfere with the operation of the color sensitive LEDs or CCDs used to separate ripe from unripe tomatoes.
Thus, there seems to be a need for a more efficient means of plant removal. One that will separate the clods of dirt from the roots before the dirt can get into the sorter and cause jams in the sorter.
One object of this invention is to provide a new apparatus for removing tomato plants from the ground for the plants to be handled by a tomato harvester.
Another object is to provide an apparatus which will remove a significant portion of the residual dirt from tomato plant roots once the plants have been removed from the ground.
Yet another object is to provide an apparatus for removing tomato plants from the ground, which can be adapted for installation upon a plurality of tomato harvesters.
A still further object is to provide a tomato plant remover that is efficient, safe and easy to operate.
These and other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.
The invention accordingly comprises the apparatus possessing the features, properties and the relation of components which are exemplified in the following detailed disclosure and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the claims.
For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention reference should be made to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Tomato harvester mountable double rod cutter

Woodland Tractor and Equipment Co., Inc.