A guide rail arrangement for connecting two relatively displaceable components comprising a lower rail (1) and an upper rail (2) supported thereon by rolling elements (3), said lower and upper rails being configured as rectilinear sheet metal profiles, one of the lower and upper rails partially surrounding the other of the lower and upper rails, whereby hollow spaces are formed for receiving the rolling elements (3) and further slide elements (4) arranged between the rails is characterized in that, in a central region of the arrangement, the two rails (1, 2) define a receiving space (5) for a spring and/or damping element, which receiving space (5) is adjoined by regions comprising the rolling elements and the slide elements (4) and extending in end regions of the rails (1, 2) which results in the creation of an arrangement with uniform load distribution on its components so that a deformation of the components and a pressing-in of the rolling elements is reliably prevented.

Such a guide rail arrangement can be used as a displacing device for a mass which has to be displaced in a frame. In an arrangement of this type shown in German Application No. 38 32 778 C2, the transmission of force from the upper rail to the lower rail is effected by one roller and two steel balls arranged between the rails. To prevent parts of the arrangement from being deformed as a result of occurring forces i.e., to give a seat displacing device an adequate stiffness, each end portion of the lower rail of another embodiment described in this document, comprises a reinforcing element having the same cross-section as the lower rail and bearing against this rail. This, however, makes construction more complicated and expensive.
German Application No. 42 41 369 C1 shows a guide rail arrangement in which the upper rail is supported on the lower rail only by balls. A deflecting roller for an elastic elastomer billet which exerts a restoring force under prestress is mounted in the lower rail.
In a guide rail arrangement of the initially cited type described in German Application No. 41 33 509 A1 and the corresponding German Application No. 91 12 600 U1, the slide elements have a cylindrical configuration and are made of a self-lubricating plastic. Apart from lubrication, in a prestressed, deformed state they also serve to prevent a rattling of the rails which bear against each other.


An apparatus for drying headwear is provided, including a main member, at least one light source, and at least one air source. The main member includes an outer surface configured for receiving a glove, and a plurality of apertures disposed along the outer surface. The light source emits a UV-C light, and the air source blows air. The UV-C light from the light source and air from the air source can at least partially pass through the outer surface. The apertures are in communication with at least the air source.

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Glove dryers are frequently used to dry moisture that is trapped inside of a glove. This moisture is generated primarily from the palm and fingers of a user's hand. Repeatedly soaking a leather glove with moisture will cause the leather to become stiff and brittle over time, and ultimately the leather with tear. Moisture that is trapped inside of the glove also encourages growth of bacteria and microorganisms. The bacteria and microorganisms that are trapped inside of the glove create an unpleasant odor.
Moreover, moisture that is generated from the user's hand also contains salt. Salt is especially harmful to leather gloves because salt also hardens the leather. Traditional grove dryers only evaporate moisture that is trapped inside the glove. These dryers cannot reduce the salt or disinfect the glove to reduce the bacteria and microorganisms that collect inside of the glove.
Gloves that are used in the Japanese sport of kendo (sometimes called kote), include a distinctive design where the kendo glove is shaped in a hooked configuration, similar to a boxing glove. These gloves generally are padded with hair, such as deer hair that is biodegradable. Kendo gloves usually include palm portions that are constructed from leather. The palms of kendo gloves are leather because this material is flexible, thereby allowing the user to grasp a sword easily. However, moisture and salt from the user's palm over time causes the leather portion to become stiff and brittle, and eventually the leather will tear. This tearing is especially problematic for the user because some kendo gloves are extremely expensive (at least several hundred dollars) and can be costly to replace.
Thus, there exists a need for a glove dryer that will reduce moisture and contaminants that are trapped inside of a glove when compared to the current glove dryers that are available today.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A socket for an electrical part includes a socket body to which an electrical part is accommodated, the socket body having a base portion to which a number of contact pins and a movable member disposed to the socket body to be vertically movable. The movable member includes a movable member body disposed substantially horizontally and formed with the insertion holes into which contact pins are inserted, respectively, and a projection piece projecting upward from the movable member body. The projection piece has an upper surface to which a pressed surface is formed, and when the pressed surface is pressed, the movable member is lowered.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a socket for an electrical part for detachably holding an electrical part such as a semiconductor device (called as "IC package" hereinlater).
2. Related Art
In a known art, there has been provided an IC socket, as "socket for an electrical part" for detachably holding an "IC package" as an electrical part such as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open (KOKAI) Patent Publication No. 2002-8809.
The IC package disclosed in this publication includes a number of solder balls, as terminals, which are arranged on a lower surface of the IC package so as to protrude therefrom in an lattice arrangement including vertical rows Y and horizontal lines X.
The IC socket, on the other hand, includes a socket body in which the IC package is accommodated and which is provided with a number of contact pins contacting the terminals of the IC package. The socket body is also provided with a movable (moving) member vertically movable to elastically deform the contact pins so as to be contacted or separated to or from the terminals of the IC package.
The socket body is further provided with a lever member to vertically move the movable member to be rotatable through a rotation shaft, i.e., pivot, and an operation member for rotating or pivoting the lever member is also provided to the socket body to be vertically movable.
By vertically moving the operation member, the lever member is rotated and, hence, the movable member is vertically moved, thus elastically deforming the contact pins, and accordingly, contact portions of the contact pins are contacted to or separated from the terminals of the IC package, respectively.
However, in the conventional structure of the IC socket mentioned above, in order to vertically move the movable member, it was necessary to apply a driving force of the operation member to the movable member through the lever member, and accordingly, the increased number of elements or members such as lever member is required, resulting in a troublesome arrangement working or like.


Provided is a carbonization furnace in which disordering of fiber bundles does not occur and there is no lack of uniformity throughout the entire furnace interior, even in the supply of heated inert gas. A carbonization furnace for manufacturing carbon fiber bundles, the furnace being provided with a heat treatment chamber, an inlet sealed chamber and an outlet sealed chamber, a gas spray nozzle, and a conveyance path, wherein: the gas spray nozzle (4) has a double tube structure obtained from a hollow cylindrical inner tube (8) and a hollow cylindrical outer tube (7), and is disposed in a direction that is horizontal and is orthogonal to the fiber bundle conveyance direction; in the outer tube, multiple gas-spraying holes (7a) are disposed across the width of the conveyance path in the longitudinal direction of the outer tube, and the area of the gas-spraying holes of the outer tube is 0.5 mm2 to 20 mm2; in the inner tube, multiple gas-spraying holes (8a) are disposed across the width of the conveyance path in the longitudinal direction of the inner tube such that the gas-spraying directions of the gas-spraying holes are in two or more directions of the circumferential direction of the inner tube, and the interval of the gas-spraying holes of the inner tube in the longitudinal direction of the inner tube is 300 mm or less.

Carbon fibers constituting the carbon fiber bundle have a superior specific strength and a superior specific modulus as compared to other fibers. Furthermore, the carbon fibers have a number of excellent characteristics such as a superior specific resistance and higher chemical resistance as compared to metals. Hence, the carbon fiber bundle is widely used in the sports field, the aerospace field and the like as a reinforcing fiber for composite materials with resins utilizing its various excellent characteristics.
The carbon fiber bundle is usually obtained by heating (carbonization treatment) a flameproofed fiber bundle, which is obtained by heating (flameproofing treatment) a carbon fiber precursor fiber bundle (precursor yarn bundle) such as polyacrylonitrile or rayon at from 200 to 300° C. in an oxidizing atmosphere, at from 800 to 1500° C. in an inert atmosphere such as nitrogen or argon. Furthermore, this carbon fiber bundle is also heated (graphitization treatment) at from 2000 to 3000° C. to manufacture a carbon fiber bundle which exhibits a higher modulus of elasticity in tension, namely, a graphite fiber bundle. In these carbonization treatment process and graphitization treatment process, in many cases, a great number of fiber bundles are arrayed and conveyed into a carbonization furnace and a graphitization furnace simultaneously in order to increase the production efficiency.
Typically, each of the carbonization furnace to perform the carbonization treatment and the graphitization furnace to perform the graphitization treatment consists of a heat treatment chamber corresponding to a furnace body to perform the heating of the fiber bundle in an inert atmosphere and a sealing chamber which is configured to maintain the inert atmosphere of the heat treatment chamber and furnished to each of a fiber bundle inlet (inlet portion) and the fiber bundle outlet (outlet portion) provided in the front and back of the heat treatment chamber.
Specific roles of the sealing chamber is mainly to prevent the reaction gas generated from the fiber bundle in the heat treatment chamber from flowing out to the outside via the fiber bundle inlet or the fiber bundle outlet of the heat treatment chamber as well as to prevent a decrease in quality and grade of the carbon fiber bundle as oxygen enters the heat treatment chamber from the outside and thus the inside of the heat treatment chamber is in an oxidizing atmosphere. The running fiber bundle is contaminated by the tar-like substance formed when the outflowed reaction gas is cooled in some cases, particularly when the reaction gas from the heat treatment chamber is flown out to the vicinity of the inlet or outlet of the furnace.
In addition, an inert gas is supplied to the sealing chamber in order to maintain the inert atmosphere by sealing the heat treatment chamber, but the unevenness in supply of the inert gas leads to not only the unevenness in atmosphere in the sealing chamber but also the unevenness in atmosphere in the heat treatment chamber.
On the other hand, an increase in productivity and a decrease in cost have been required to the recent technology for manufacturing the carbon fiber bundle, and significant improvements have been achieved. For example, improvements such as the highly dense array to array and heat treat a great number of fiber bundles at the same time by increasing the mechanical width of the heat treatment chamber (width of the heat treatment chamber allowing the fiber bundle to run) or a multistage treatment to increase the number of stages of the fiber bundle to be simultaneously heat treated. In such a situation, the unevenness in atmosphere in the sealing chamber caused by the unevenness in supply of the inert gas leads to the occurrence of the unevenness in heat treatment of the fiber bundle or the inhibition on the inert atmosphere maintenance in the heat treatment chamber in some cases. As a result, the unevenness in supply of the inert gas in the sealing chamber causes the unevenness in quality of the carbon fiber bundle and thus becomes a major obstacle in improving the productivity of the carbon fiber bundle in some cases.
A method is proposed in Patent Document 1 in which the inert gas which has been heated in advance is injected through the injection port using a carbonization furnace equipped with a heat treatment chamber, an inert gas injection port, and an inert gas introducing member to introduce the injected inert gas into the direction of the heat treatment chamber so as to prevent the contamination of the fiber bundle.
In addition, a sealing mechanism is proposed in Patent Document 2 which is superior in maintainability by having a removable structure while adopting the labyrinth structure. As the method of supplying the inert gas, a method is proposed in which the inert gas passes through at least one or more perforated plate and thus is jetted out in sheet form.

Carbonization furnace for manufacturing carbon fiber bundle and method for manufacturing carbon fiber bundle


A schema definition, which is known to the encoder and to the decoder or transmitted from the encoder to the decoder, specifies information for calculating code concerning the elements or data types contained in the name subspace and enabling this information to be clearly assigned in this manner to each code in the name subspace. Only a portion of the entire name space including the number of the elements or data types lacking for the code calculation have to be transmitted for the configuration of a code which generally means a significantly smaller volume of data than the volume of data that would be required for the entire name space. In addition, the code tables are smaller than in entirely known name spaces which requires less storage space in the codec and enables a faster encoding and decoding.

Methods, devices or systems of this type are known for example from publications relating to the MPEG-7 standard, in particular from the "Text of ISO/IEC FCD 15938-1 Information Technology—Multimedia Content Description Interface—Part 1, Systems" of the Systems Sub-Group, by Claude Seyrat (Expway), Michael Wollborn (Bosch), All Tabatabai (Sony, Olivier Avaro (France Telecom R&D) or ISO/IEC JTC1/SC29/WG11, MPEG 01/N4001, March 2001, Singapore".
These methods for binary representation of MPEG-7 and other XML-based descriptions or documents reveal deficiencies in terms of compatibility if only a part of the entire name space and/or a schema which was used for encoding is known to a decoder.
This object is achieved in respect of a better method for decoding, a better method for encoding, a system for improved encoding/decoding, a device for improved decoding, and a device for improved encoding by the features of the independent claims. The further claims relate to advantageous embodiments of the methods and of the system.

System and method for the improved encoding/decoding of binary representations of structured, documents


The present invention relates to an intra-prediction method and to an encoder and decoder using same. The intra-prediction method according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises the steps of deriving a prediction mode of a current block; and generating a prediction block with respect to the current block on the basis of the prediction mode of the current block. When the prediction mode of the current block is an intra-angular prediction mode, values of boundary samples from among left boundary samples and upper boundary samples of the prediction block, which are not positioned in a prediction direction of the intra-angular prediction mode, are derived on the basis of reference samples positioned in the prediction direction of the intra-angular prediction mode, and on the basis of adjacent reference samples.

In recent years, demands for a high-resolution and high-quality video have increased in various fields of applications. However, as a video has a higher resolution and higher quality, an amount of data on the video increases more and more.
When a high-resolution and high-quality video with a large amount of data is transferred using media such as existing wired or wireless broadband lines or is stored in existing storage media, the transfer cost and the storage cost thereof increase. Accordingly, in order to effectively transfer, store, and reproduce the high-resolution and high-quality video, high-efficiency video compressing techniques can be utilized.
In order to enhance video compression efficiency, an inter prediction method and an intra prediction method can be used.
In the inter prediction, pixel values of a current picture are predicted from temporally previous and/or subsequent pictures. In the intra prediction, pixel values of a current picture are predicted using inter-pixel relationships in the same picture. In the intra prediction, pixel values of a current picture are predicted using pixel information of the current picture.
In addition to the inter prediction and the intra prediction, weight prediction for preventing degradation in quality due to illumination variations or the like, entropy encoding of allocating a short code to a symbol having a high appearance frequency and allocating a long code to a symbol having a low appearance frequency, and the like can be used.

Intra-prediction method, and encoder and decoder using same


A cylinder portion formed in a caliper supports a pressure receiving portion and a pressing portion of a piston so as to allow the pressure receiving portion and the pressing section to advance and retreat. The piston is provided with a retraction mechanism. The retraction mechanism includes a reversing member for generating a reversing force when compressed by the pressure receiving portion and the pressing portion. The mechanism further includes a movable element moved in a retreating stroke due to the reversing force, and a first elastic member for generating a restoring force and imparting the restoring force, the first elastic member generating the restoring force when compressed by the movable element and the pressure receiving portion which is moved in an advancing stroke. The mechanism further includes a second elastic member for generating a frictional force for maintaining the compression and deformation of the first elastic member. The reversing member generates the reversing force along with the advance of the pressure receiving portion, the movable element relatively retreats due to the reversing force and compresses the first elastic member, and the generated restoring force returns the pressure receiving portion and the pressing portion along with a decrease in pressure of a brake fluid.

In a general floating caliper disc brake device, a caliper arranged astride a disc rotor is supported on a mounting bracket. Further, a pair of slide pins is provided to the caliper, and fitting holes to which the pair of slide pins is slidably fitted are provided to the mounting bracket. Accordingly, the slide pins slide along the fitting holes so that the caliper is movable in a rotational axis direction of a wheel. In addition, an inner pad (friction pad) is movably supported on one side of the caliper, and an outer pad (friction pad) is fixed on the other side thereof. Moreover, a piston and a cylinder are provided to the caliper so as to press the inner pad on one side against the disc rotor (bring the inner pad into press contact with the disc rotor).
In such a floating caliper disc brake device, when a driver steps on a brake pedal, the piston supported on the cylinder advances in accordance with a leg power thus generated so that the inner pad is pressed against the disc rotor (the inner pad is brought into press contact with the disc rotor). Further, the caliper moves in the rotational axis direction of the wheel due to a reaction force generated through the advance of the piston so that the outer pad is pressed against the disc rotor (the outer pad is brought into press contact with the disc rotor). Accordingly, the inner pad and the outer pad can squeeze the disc rotor, and can therefore apply a braking force to the wheel via the disc rotor rotating integrally with the wheel.
By the way, the piston provided to the caliper is movably supported on the cylinder that is formed in the caliper, and is retained by a piston seal in a fluid tight manner. When a hydraulic fluid (brake fluid) is supplied at the time of braking to a hydraulic pressure chamber that is formed in the cylinder, the piston advances while deforming the piston seal, and when the hydraulic pressure is released (removed) from the hydraulic pressure chamber, the piston retreats toward the hydraulic pressure chamber due to a restoring force of the deformed piston seal. However, when the leg power of the driver applied to the brake pedal is excessively large, for example, along with the increase in hydraulic pressure in the hydraulic pressure chamber, the piston is pushed toward the disc rotor to a higher extent than in a predetermined setting. Hence, a relative movement occurs between the piston and the piston seal, which may hinder the piston from retreating sufficiently due to the restoring force of the piston seal. In this case, there may occur such a phenomenon that the inner pad or the outer pad is continuously held in contact with the disc rotor, that is, a so-called drag phenomenon. Further, when the drag phenomenon occurs as described above, there may occur so-called knockback, in which the inner pad or the outer pad is knocked by the rotating disc rotor and therefore the piston is pushed backward.
To address those problems, for example, a disc brake device disclosed in JP 07-253128 A, a disc brake caliper disclosed in JP 05-65929 A, a disc brake device disclosed in JP 2009-156292 A, and a floating disc brake disclosed in JP 2009-185976 A have been known conventionally.


Systems and methods for displaying hierarchical data are described. In an implementation, a method includes processing hierarchical data describing a distributed computing environment. The hierarchical data includes a plurality of levels, in which, at least one of the levels includes a plurality of containers, each of the containers includes one or more items, and each of the items is disposed in another level that is a child of the at least one level. The processed hierarchical data is output for display in a single window on a display device such that the hierarchical data indicates a relationship between each of the items and a respective one of the containers and is configured such that each of the items may be edited without interacting with another window.

Users are exposed to increasing amounts of data in everyday life. For example, a user may have thousands of songs available on a portable digital music player, store hundreds on documents on a personal computer, and so on. A variety of techniques may be utilized to organize this data such that the user can locate a particular item of interest.
One such technique is hierarchical organization. Hierarchies include multiple "levels" of data organized in "parent/child" relationships. For example, a hierarchy may be specified to describe equipment owned by a company. Therefore, a first level of the hierarchy may be "corporation", a second level may be specified as "office", a third level may be specified as "equipment" in each office, a fourth level may be specified for "components" for each equipment item, and so on. Although this is an intuitive way of organizing the data which describes the equipment owned by the corporation, it may difficult to navigate through this organization to arrive at particular data of interest. For example, if a user changes different components utilized in different offices, the user is forced to navigate "through" the hierarchy to each equipment item, back "up" to the "office" level, and then back "down" through the levels to interact with another equipment item.
Therefore, there is a continuing need for improved techniques for displaying and editing hierarchical data.

Systems and methods for displaying and editing hierarchical data


A vehicle recording device includes a video acquisition unit that acquires video of a first camera for shooting front or rear of a vehicle and video of a second camera for shooting a range including a lower part of a front, a rear, left and right of the vehicle, a cutout unit that performs cutout processing on the video of the second camera acquired by the video acquisition unit with a first cutout range to be used as an overhead video image and a second cutout range at least including an area in a direction further away from the vehicle than the first cutout range is, and a recording control unit that records the video of the second camera cut out with the second cutout range to be recorded when the vehicle is stopping, and record the video of the first camera to be recorded when the vehicle is moving.

The present invention relates to a vehicle recording device, a vehicle recording method and a program.
A vehicle recording device such as a driving recorder is becoming popular today. The vehicle recording device records video data for a certain period of time before and after the occurrence of an event (the detection of acceleration due to an accident or the like) as event record data, and it generally records video in the forward or rearward direction. However, the occurrence of an event does not necessarily happen at the front or back, and a collision can occur from the side. Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-128031 discloses a driving recorder using an omnidirectional camera. Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2011-250193 discloses a driving recorder that performs recording by detection using sensors corresponding to a plurality of cameras mounted on a vehicle.

Vehicle recording device, vehicle recording method and non-transitory computer readable medium


A metallic body of carbon steel covered with an adhesive layer capable of adhering to a rubber matrix based on diene elastomer. The carbon content of the steel is between 0.35 and 1.2% by weight. The adhesive layer is formed of a metallic layer bearing aluminum oxides or hydroxides, which itself is covered with an organosilane film which is at least bifunctional, capable of ensuring, as coupling agent, the bond between the aluminum oxides or hydroxides on one hand, and the rubber matrix on the other hand.

(Metal/rubber) composites for tires are known and have been described in a very large number of documents. They are generally constituted of a rubber matrix reinforced with reinforcing members, most frequently in the form of wires or assemblies of wires, of perlitic (or ferro-perlitic) carbon steel, hereinafter referred to as "carbon steel", the carbon content of which is normally between 0.35% and 1.2% (% by weight).
It is known that these composites, which are subject to very great stresses during running of the tires, in particular to repeated flexing or variations in curvature, must satisfy a large number of technical criteria, which are sometimes contradictory, such as uniformity, flexibility, endurance under bending and in compression, tensile strength, resistance to wear and to corrosion, and keep these performances at a very high level for as long as possible. It will readily be understood that the adhesive interphase between rubber and metal plays a major part in the durability of these types of performance.
The traditional process for joining the rubber compositions to the carbon steel consists of coating the surface of the carbon steel with brass (copper-zinc alloy), the bond between the carbon steel and the rubber composition being provided by sulphurisation of the brass during vulcanization. To ensure optimum adhesion, furthermore frequently an adhesion-promoting additive such as a cobalt salt is used in the rubber composition.
The brass coating has the known disadvantage that the adhesion between the carbon steel and the rubber matrix is liable to weaken over time, owing to the gradual evolution of the sulphides under the action of the various stresses encountered, in particular thermal and/or mechanical stresses. Furthermore, the presence of humidity in the tires plays a very important part by accelerating the above degradation process. Finally, the use of a cobalt salt makes the rubber compositions more susceptible to oxidation and significantly increases the cost thereof.
Admittedly, here or there wires or cables of carbon steel have been proposed which have different alternating coatings, in particular alloys of zinc such as zinc-cobalt or zinc-aluminum (see for example Wire Journal International 31, No. 10, October 1998, pp 78-82; WO91/01389 or equivalent patents EP-B1-0 483 198; U.S. Pat. No. 5,342,699), but until now without real success or commercial development.
In particular, application WO91/01389 proposes, as a replacement for the brass, a specific zinc-aluminum alloy, having a low percentage of aluminum, which has been known for a long time for its corrosion resistance, this alloy possibly being covered by a second layer of metal or metal alloy, in particular of cobalt, to improve the adhesion. Although the wires and cables described have improved corrosion resistance, the levels of adhesion achieved are insufficient, less than those offered by a conventional brass coating.
Thus, despite the aforementioned drawbacks of brass, the latter today still constitutes the reference adhesive interphase, the one which is by very far most used in (carbon steel/rubber) composites for tires, in particular in carcass or crown reinforcements therefor.


A protected article has a substrate and a protective structure overlying a surface of the substrate. The protective structure includes a protective layer overlying the surface of the substrate and having an aluminum content greater than that of the substrate, and a bond-coat layer of a bond-coat-layer metal. The bond-coat-layer metal has a bond-coat initial composition having at least about 60 percent by weight platinum, rhodium, palladium, or combinations thereof. There may be a diffusion-barrier layer between the surface of the substrate and the protective layer, and there may be a ceramic thermal barrier coating overlying the bond-coat layer.

In an aircraft gas turbine (jet) engine, air is drawn into the front of the engine, compressed by a shaft-mounted compressor, and mixed with fuel. The mixture is burned, and the hot exhaust gases are passed through a turbine mounted on the same shaft. The flow of combustion gas turns the turbine by impingement against an airfoil section of the turbine blades and vanes, which turns the shaft and provides power to the compressor and fan. In a more complex version of the gas turbine engine, the compressor and a high pressure turbine are mounted on one shaft, and the fan and low pressure turbine are mounted on a separate shaft. The hot exhaust gases flow from the back of the engine, driving it and the aircraft forward.
The hotter the combustion and exhaust gases, the more efficient is the operation of the jet engine. There is thus an incentive to raise the combustion and exhaust-gas temperatures. The maximum temperature of the combustion gases is normally limited by the materials used to fabricate the turbine vanes and turbine blades of the turbine, upon which the hot combustion gases impinge. In current engines, the turbine vanes and blades are made of nickel-based superalloys, and can operate at temperatures of up to about 1900-2150° F.
Many approaches have been used to increase the operating temperature limits of turbine blades, turbine vanes, and other hot-section components to their current levels. For example, the composition and processing of the base materials themselves have been improved, and a variety of solidification techniques have been developed to take advantage of oriented grain structures and single-crystal structures. Physical cooling techniques may also be used.
In another approach, coatings are applied to the surface of the base metal substrate to inhibit the oxidation of the base metal, thereby permitting the base metal substrate to be used at a higher temperature than would otherwise be possible. The most widely used coatings are aluminum-rich layers whose surfaces oxidize to an aluminum oxide scale to inhibit further oxidation. The aluminum-rich layer may serve as either an environmental coating or as a bond coat under a ceramic thermal barrier coating. Other types of coatings have also been used, although with less-satisfactory results.
Coatings continue to be used to protect substrates, but there is always a need for further improvements to increase the operating temperatures of the coated substrates and to prolong their service lives. The present invention fulfills this need, and further provides related advantages.

Protected article having a layered protective structure overlying a substrate


A system and method for detecting and excluding false GPS signals are disclosed, which predict a GPS measurement value with a high degree of confidence, compare the predicted value with measured values, and reject a false measurement based on the comparison results. As one example, a tightly coupled GPS/Inertial Navigation System (GPS/INS) is disclosed, which uses a Kalman filter for comparison of a predicted GPS measurement value with measured values (e.g., the residuals) to form the basis for the rejection of false measurements. This rejection is referred to as a chi-squared reject, and can be extended in time in order to apply the same test to a reacquired signal following the loss of an original validated GPS signal. The Kalman filter propagates the receiver's clock bias rate, and enables the system to predict the GPS measurements at the time of reacquisition. The residuals are compared to a limit defined by the uncertainties of the prediction and the measurement errors expected to be involved.

The GPS is a constellation of 24 earth-orbiting radio-navigation satellites whose orbits are arranged so that at least four of the satellites are visible anywhere on the Earth at any time. A GPS receiver receives signals from four or more of these satellites, and uses trilateration techniques to determine the precise position (e.g., altitude, and latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates) of the receiver on or near the Earth. Also, using the received signals, a GPS receiver computes velocity and time. Thus, GPS receivers are used to provide precise position, velocity and time information for users that include, but are not limited to, aircraft, missiles, ships, ground-based vehicles, fixed based systems, and individuals (e.g., using hand-held GPS receivers). For certain applications, differential GPS (DGPS) is used to eliminate measurement errors and improve the accuracies of the basic GPS derived position, velocity and time estimates.
A significant problem with existing GPS receivers is that they are subject to jamming and spoofing. Jamming is the intentional or unintentional denial of the signal to the user, typically through radio frequency interference (RFI). Spoofing is a surreptitious attempt (by an unfriendly party) to feed a GPS receiver false information so that the GPS receiver computes an erroneous position, velocity, and/or time. In a typical spoofing scenario, a GPS signal is received from a satellite and retransmitted with a higher power than that of the original signal in space. This indirect, deceptive GPS signal is received by a GPS receiver, which produces an inaccurate estimate of position, velocity and time, as a result. The deceptive GPS signal(s) can be derived from a retransmission of a single satellite's signal, retransmissions of a small number of satellites' signals, or retransmissions of signals from the entire visible constellation of satellites. The original, direct GPS signal can be overcome by a signal from an RF jamming device, or by the power of the indirect retransmitted signal itself. As such, spoofing has been identified by the GPS community as a viable threat. Therefore, a pressing need exists for a system that can detect and exclude false GPS signals. As described in detailed below, the present invention provides a system and method for detecting and excluding false GPS signals, which resolve the above-described spoofing problems and other related problems.

System and method for detecting false navigation signals


The present invention relates to optimizing optical power from a laser processing system, and more specifically to a method of optimizing the optical power by employing parallel laser processing techniques to maximize fabrication quality and yield. The method in the present invention includes the steps of: determining the specification for the final product, selecting the proper combination of optical power and processing method for processing a single feature, determining the maximum number of features in pattern to be parallel processed, selecting a portion of the desired pattern that can be parallel processed, designing the DOEs, manufacturing the DOEs, incorporating the DOE into laser processing system, operating and controlling the laser processing system, and determining if more DOEs are needed to complete the laser processing.

There is an ever-increasing demand for smaller and smaller electronic devices in today's high-tech marketplace. As a result, new and innovative. fabrication techniques have become a focal point of many manufacturers. Many manufacturers have turned to laser processing as a means of fabrication, (e.g. for blowing fuses, via and hole drilling, ablation or material transformation patterning, or resistor trimming). However, most laser processing systems are very costly and inefficient. For example, single feature laser processing systems process one feature (i.e. pattern, hole or via) through ablative, additive, or transformational means at a time and are therefore incapable of efficiently operating in large volume manufacturing environments. Many manufacturers have sought means to reduce cost by increasing yield. However, increasing yield often requires higher optical power from the laser. Increasing optical power reduces the processing time each feature thus yield is increased, but this increase in optical power often has a negative effect of lowering the quality in the fabricated devices due to overexposure. Therefore there exists a need to reduce cost by increasing manufacturing yield without sacrificing manufacturing quality. Likewise, there exists a need to increase manufacturing quality without sacrificing manufacturing yield.
One way that manufacturers have sought to increase manufacturing yield and reduce cost is through parallel processing, where a energy beam is split in order to process more than one feature at a time. Diffractive optical elements (DOEs) are often employed in parallel laser processing systems because they are capable of providing highly efficient and highly uniform beam splitting. Unlike conventional optical components that utilize refraction and/or reflection, DOEs enable parallel processing by optically diffracting and directly controlling the optical phases of the beam. Therefore, a wide range of applications including, for example, multi-spot beam splitters or shapers, can be expected. The beam splitting or shaping can be used for drilling holes or vias of various sizes and shapes and multiple ablation or material transformation patterns.
A method of patterning holes in a surface of an object through the use of parallel processing with a DOE can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,635,849, entitled "Laser beam machine for micro-hole machining." The '849 patent details a process of beam splitting to increase manufacturing yield. To ensure that manufacturing quality is also met, the '849 patent details a process where masks control the optical power and the beam diameter from over-exposing the object under process. However, masks (e.g. aperture, imaging or pinhole masks allow only a small portion of the laser's beam to be used, wasting 20% to 80% of the optical power. Thus, the highest potential yield is not realized and manufacturing cost is increased. Therefore there exists a need to more economically use the optical power supplied by laser processing systems.
It is an object of the invention to reduce cost by increasing manufacturing yield without sacrificing manufacturing quality.
It is another object of this invention to increase manufacturing quality without sacrificing manufacturing yield.
It is yet another object of this invention to more economically use the optical power supplied by laser processing systems.

Method of optimizing optical power use in a parallel processing laser system

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A battery recharging circuit capable of operating stably against a variation of a supply voltage. The battery recharging circuit includes a voltage source; an AC-to-DC converter for converting an AC supply voltage from the voltage source into a DC supply voltage, to generate a charging voltage; a voltage sensor for comparing the charging voltage with a reference voltage to generate a voltage control signal when the charging voltage is equal to or higher than the reference voltage; a current sensor for comparing a charging current with a reference current to generate a current control signal when the charging current reaches the reference current; and controller including a switching element connected between the voltage source and the AC-to-DC converter, to connect and disconnect a power path between the voltage source and the AC-to-DC converter so as to maintain the constant charging voltage.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a circuit for recharging a rechargeable battery, and in particular, to a battery recharging circuit capable of operating stably against a variation of a supply voltage.
2. Description of the Related Art
A common battery recharging circuit includes an AC-to-DC converter to convert an AC supply voltage into a DC charging voltage, and provides a rechargeable battery with the DC charging voltage. Further, in order to prevent overcharge of the rechargeable battery, the battery recharging circuit controls a supply of the charging voltage according to a charging status of the rechargeable battery.
Known battery recharging circuits can be widely divided into three types. A first type of known battery recharging circuit provides the rechargeable battery with a constant current regardless of a voltage level of the charging voltage. Since this prior art battery recharging circuit has a great power loss, there is a need of a separate solution for the heat radiation in the circuit. A second type of known battery recharging circuit has a temperature sensing function and an overcharge prevention function, to protect the circuit and the rechargeable battery from damages. Though this prior art battery recharging circuit is preferable, it is very costly and difficult to precisely control the circuit. A third type of known battery recharging circuit maintains a constant output voltage until an output current reaches a predetermined value, at which point the battery recharging circuit varies the output voltage level while maintaining the constant current value.
FIG. 1 is an example of the third type of known battery recharging circuits. As illustrated, a voltage converter 112, composed of a transformer, converts an AC supply voltage from a voltage source 111 into a charging voltage. A rectifier 113 rectifies and smooths the charging voltage output from voltage converter 112, and provides a rechargeable battery 100 with the rectified charging voltage output thereof. Voltage converter 112 and rectifier 113 constitute an AC-to-DC converter for converting the AC supply voltage into a DC voltage having the charging voltage level. A current sensor 114 senses a current of the charging voltage output from rectifier 113, and generates a control signal when the current exceeds a predetermined value. A switching circuit 115, composed of a photocoupler, is turned on and off in response to the control signal output from current sensor 114. A controller 116, composed of a switching element connected between voltage source 111 and voltage converter 112, controls the supply of the AC supply voltage to voltage converter 112 according to a switching status of switching circuit 115.
In operation, current sensor 114 compares the charging current of rechargeable battery 100 with a reference current and generates the control signal if the charging current is identical to or greater than the reference current. Then, switching circuit 115 and controller 116 operate to cut off the AC supply voltage being applied to voltage converter 112, in response to the control signal output from the current sensor 114. In this manner, the battery recharging circuit maintains the constant output voltage before the output current reaches the predetermined value, and varies the output voltage level while maintaining the constant output current, if the output current reaches the predetermined value. However, this prior art battery recharging circuit is very sensitive against the variation of the supply voltage. Thus, it is difficult to precisely control the constant charging voltage and current. Further, the prior art device has a great loss of the charging voltage, which results in an obstacle to minimization of the device.
Other known switched, or triggered, charging circuits are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 3,586,955 to Edmund Kisiel entitled Battery Charger Using A Controlled SCR To Provide Tapering Charging Characteristics and U.S. Pat. No. 3,688,177 to John B. Reeves et al. entitled Battery Charger. In Kisiel the battery voltage is compared to an independent reference voltage and a silicon-controlled rectifier is gated according to the comparison result. In Reeves et al. both the charging current and the battery terminal voltage are sampled to control the conduction duration of a controllable rectifier to change the battery charging current.

Battery recharging circuit triggered in response to current and voltage control signal


Example embodiments of the brace assembly utilize an elastic cross strap attached to mounting facilities about a joint to provide progressive resistance to the extension, flexion or other movement of body parts about the joint. In some embodiments for a knee joint, the brace assembly provides a progressive resisting force to resist hyperextension of the knee. Some embodiments of the assembly may be able to accommodate different joints, different size wearer's of the assembly and different tension settings such as for athletes during competition. Some embodiments of the brace assembly may be used bilaterally and can be made without metal bracing to comply with the requirements of some sports. Some embodiments of the mounting facilities may have through holes.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate to joint braces that can help prevent the hyperextension, flexion or undesirable movement of a joint, and more specifically relates to brace assemblies and methods utilizing an elastic cross strap that assists in preventing undesirable movement of the joint.
2. Prior Art
Braces are often utilized to support joints when damage, deformation, surgery or the like has caused the joint to be instable. Sports, physical labor and everyday physical movement can create strains and injuries to joints such as the shoulder, elbow, back, wrist, ankle and knee. Specific to the knee, most of the running, jumping, cutting or twisting sports today have the risk of damaging the knee. These injuries frequently involve a tearing the ACL in the knee. Many injures to the knee joint have a mechanism of injury of hyperextension in which the ACL is stretched or torn. Many methods have been employed to prevent this action to the knee and prevent the injury to the ACL. Taping techniques as well as rigid braces have been designed to prevent this condition.
One common method of treatment and prevention for these injures today is the use of the rigid braces. Common to most, if not all, of these devises for use on the knee are, adjustable metal hinges on the medial and lateral side of the knee. Rigid arms on each side connect the hinges to curved thigh and calf pieces or cuffs. A series of Velcro straps attached to these rigid side pieces then wrap around the leg to mount and hold them in place with the cuffs and the hinges. Adjusting the hinge from allowing extension or hyperextension blocks the knee from moving into to these positions quite well.
With respect to these rigid braces however, many sports have rules in which players cannot have any metal or rigid devices on any part of their body to compete due to metal or hard structures that may cause injury to other players. One of these sports is soccer, which is also one of the most popular sports in the world. Additionally, with the introduction of bracing both knees for prevention of injury, the bracing must have a very low profile on the knees to prevent the braces from catching against each other during competition.
Another technique of treating and preventing joint injuries includes taping techniques. While reinforcing joint strength, taping typically does not involve rigid braces that cause problems with sporting rules.
Prior art embodiments of braces having strap elements that cross posterior to the knee joint include U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,588 filed on Jul. 1, 1987 to Gary Bledsoe (Bledsoe) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,368,297 filed on Oct. 22, 1999 to Jan F. A. Smits (Smits) both of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety. Bledsoe discloses a restraining strap network positioned entirely behind the knee that has to cooperate with additional brace elements including hinges and connecting means to connect the brace elements to the wearer's leg. Bledsoe does not disclose embodiments of the strap network extending anterior to the limbs about the joint. Smits discloses a brace having a strap that crosses at the back of the knee that like Bledsoe is entirely behind the knee and has to cooperate with other brace elements. Smits also specifically uses stop portions in a hinge to limit extension of the brace elements. Smits does not disclose limiting extension of the brace with the strap.

Elastic brace assembly and methods of use


Thermoplastic polymeric material in pelletized or chip form are initially coated with a wetting agent in a mixer, then a powdered phosphorescent pigment is added to the mixer and mixing continued until the pellets are substantially uniformly coated with phosphorescent powder. The coated polymeric material is then fed to an extruder where it is heated to form a melt and mixed to distribute the phosphorous material uniformly throughout the melt before being extruded to form phosphorescent textile fibers, filaments, yarns, tapes or fibrillated films having highly uniform phosphorescent properties.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improved phosphorescent textile fiber and to a process for producing such phosphorescent fiber suitable for use in the production of textile articles.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Synthetic resins or polymeric materials having phosphorescent or luminescent qualities have been used to make a wide variety of goods such as amusement devices, signs, safety devices, articles of clothing and the like. It is also known to use fluorescent dyes in the production of commercial textile articles including yarns and the like. It should be pointed out, however, that the arts of producing phosphorescent and fluorescent materials are quite different in many instances. For example, many fluorescent dyes of are relatively lightweight compounds whereas phosphorescent materials such as zinc sulfide may be relatively heavy in comparison with the synthetic resin materials to be treated.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,382,355 to Warren discloses a luminous rope in which the filaments are formed from a resinous material having a suitable luminous material molded within the filaments. According to the patent, the phosphorescent (or fluorescent) material is mixed in the plastic while in the powdery form or at any point in the rope making process prior to the extrusion or cold rolling of the plastic into filaments so that the luminous material is dispersed throughout the mass of plastic. In other embodiments, the luminous material is mixed in a plastic carrier and coated on the filaments, then covered with a transparent or translucent plastic coating. The individual filaments are formed by stretching or drawing through a die to orient the molecules in the strand for tensile strength.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,436,182 to Schmidling discloses a molded phosphorescent device formed from a resin material having a phosphorescent filler blended throughout the resin. Various articles are made from the relatively heavy rigid molded mass.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,838,762 to Wadely discloses a floor covering or rug having designs therein formed from yarns which are impregnated with a phosphorescent material. The phosphorescent yarns are coated with a binder which permits the transmission of light therethrough.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,640,797 to Goguen discloses a process for preparing a phosphorescent polymeric material for use in the molding of shoes for runners, cyclists, or the like, and in which the elastomeric material and from 20 to 50% by weight of processing oil is heated and blended in an extrusion apparatus and then from 3 to 30% by weight of a phosphorescent material (with other ingredients) is blended with the melting ingredients as thoroughly as possible before the finished product is formed into pellets or the like for subsequent use in molding the shoe soles. The oil used is as a plasticizer for the polymeric material.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,781,647 to Doane teaches a process for extruding a thermoplastic polymer containing a mixture of phosphorescent particles. The extrusions are of a dimension to be suitable for use to make doll hair which glows in the dark. The phosphorescent material is stated to have a maximum particle size which is less than one half the diameter of the strands. The strands have a diameter of less than 0.015 inches and preferably in the range of 0.002 to 0.004 inches, and preferably the polymeric material consists of polyamides, polyesters, polyolefins, polyacrylonitriles and polyvinyl chlorides. The phosphorescent material may be zinc sulfide, cadmium sulfide or calcium sulfide. A coupling agent is used to coat the phosphorescent particles to enhance mixing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,591 to Vockel et al discloses a process for making phosphorescent fiber reinforced plastic articles in which the a phosphorescent material is encapsulated on a surface of the molded finished product.
While it is apparent from the above and other prior art patents that extensive efforts have been made to utilize the phosphorescent properties of materials such as zinc sulfide, substantial difficulty has been encountered in producing satisfactory products. For example, it is not heretofore been considered practical to form a phosphorescent fiber suitable for use in yarn such as bulked continuous filament (BCF) yarn of thermoplastic polymers such as polypropylene, nylon, and polyester having properties suitable for commercial use in the textile industry. For such use, it is obvious that the yarn must possess and retain a high degree of uniformity in the phosphorescent properties as well as color and the like, and that the phosphorescent materials used not adversely affect processing characteristics, including dyeing or physical properties of the yarn or filaments formed.
While it cannot be determined for certain, it is believed that a primary problem in producing synthetic yarns having phosphorescent particles therein has been the inability to adequately mix the phosphorescent material with the synthetic resin material. The relatively heavy nature of the most widely used commercial phosphorescent material, when compared with the weight of the polymers used, tends to cause the phosphorescent material to settle. Further, in the past the dry phosphorescent material has generally been added in the melt extruder where the auger was relied upon to physically agitate and mix the materials. It is apparent, however, that for forming of very fine fibers or filaments, only slight variations in the concentration of solid particles can result in inferior product or even interruption of the process.
In the production of BCF yarn of thermoplastic polymers in a commercial melt spinning line, pigment or other foreign matter loading above about 1% for solution dyed yarns are generally considered unusual and loadings of 2 to 3% have been considered to be the upper limit for such commercial manufacturing process.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method of producing continuous phosphorescent filaments or fibers suitable for use in the textile industry.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved method of melt spinning phosphorescent yarns or filaments from a thermoplastic polymer material.
Another object is to provide such a method which enables loading of the polymer material with a relatively high percentage of finely divided phosphorescent pigment to produce a high degree of phosphorescence.
Another object is to provide an improved monofilament, spun, continuous filament and/or BCF phosphorescent yarn which has a substantially uniform phosphorescent property.
Another object is to provide an improved textile fiber or filament produced by such a process.

Process for producing phosphorescent yarn and yarn produced by the process


A method of manufacturing a liquid ejection head and a liquid ejection head capable of preventing corrosion of electrodes are provided. The method of manufacturing a liquid ejection head includes: a step of forming porous silicon areas in portions of a silicon substrate where the liquid paths are to be formed; a step of forming in layers in the porous silicon areas a protective layer, a heating resistor layer, an electrode layer and a heat accumulation layer; a step of forming ink ejection openings in the silicon substrate; and a step of removing the porous silicon areas.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a liquid ejection head and a liquid ejection head and more particularly to a method of manufacturing an ink jet print head and an ink jet print head.
2. Description of the Related Art
A liquid ejection head, for example, an ink jet print head used in an ink jet printing apparatus, is known to form ink droplets and eject them by a variety of methods.
As one example use of the ink jet print head (also referred to simply as a print head), Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 54-051837 (1979) discloses an ink jet printing method that applies thermal energy to the liquid to produce a force for liquid ejection. This printing method heats the liquid by the thermal energy to produce a bubble which in turn forces an ink droplet out of an orifice at the front end of the print head, sending the droplet flying onto a print medium to form an image. This type of print head can relatively easily increase the density of multiple nozzles, allowing for improved resolution, higher print quality and faster printing.
The print head generally has ejection openings from which to eject a liquid, liquid paths leading to the ejection openings, and heating portions arranged one in each of the liquid paths. The heating portion is a means to generate thermal energy when it is energized. The heating portion is formed of a heating resistor layer and protected from ink by an upper protective layer disposed over the heating portion. The heating portion also has a lower layer to accumulate the heat the heating portion has generated for ink ejection.
Generally, the heating portion is made by forming a heat accumulation layer over a silicon substrate, forming a heating resistor layer and an electrode layer over the heat accumulation layer, patterning these layers using photolithography, and then forming an upper protective layer over these layers.
In the heating portion, the electrode layer is formed over the heating resistor layer and is partly removed so that the remaining part of the electrode layer carries an electric current. These layers of the heating portion are protected by the upper protective layer. However, if differences in height formed as a result of partly removing the electrode layer are badly covered with the protective layer, ink may enter from these badly covered stepped portions, leading to a corrosion of electrodes and, in extreme cases, resulting in the electrodes being broken.
Further, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-338798 (1998), the ink jet print head is made by bonding, with adhesives, a plate (nozzle forming member) having a wall portion in which to form nozzles to the substrate (heater substrate) in which heating resistors are formed. Further, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-330066 (1993), the ink jet print head can also be made by forming a nozzle forming member of an organic material on the heater substrate.
The print heads described above, however, have a drawback that head constituting members may peel off. In the constructions described in the above Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 10-338798 (1998) and 5-330066 (1993), the nozzle forming member and the heater substrate are made of different materials, so a long period of ink's corrosive attack results in an ingress of ink between the two materials. More specifically, the heater substrate is generally formed of an inorganic material while the nozzle forming member is generally formed of an organic material and a low bonding force between the different materials is considered a major culprit.

Liquid ejection head and its method of manufacture


Disclosed are various embodiments for distributed network address allocation management. In one embodiment, a first instance of a plurality of instances of an allocation management service assigns a first portion of a network address space to the first instance and a second portion of the network address space to a second instance of the plurality of instances. The second instance receives a request to allocate a particular network address block. The second instance allocates the particular network address block from the second portion of the network address space by updating an allocation data structure. An allocation of the particular network address block is returned in response to the request. A copy of the allocation data structure maintained by the first instance is updated asynchronously based at least in part on the allocation of the particular network address block.

Network addresses for the Internet are specified in respective addressing schemes for Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) and Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6). IPv4 addresses are 32 bits in length and are usually visually represented by dotted quad notation, with four octets, each ranging from 0 to 255 and separated by periods. There are roughly 232 or 4,294,967,296 addresses, less reserved and/or system address ranges. The use of Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR) allowed for allocation of addresses using variable length subnet masks and accompanying arbitrary length network prefixes. For example, a network "192.168.1.0/24" indicates a network prefix 24 bits in length using CIDR notation, with the equivalent subnet mask of "255.255.255.0" being implied by the "/24" CIDR notation. While four billion addresses may seem like a large number, every top-level block of IPv4 addresses has already been allocated. Because of IPv4 address exhaustion, the Internet is transitioning to the use of IPv6, which uses 128-bit addresses and 2128 possible addresses. IPv6 addresses are represented as eight groupings of four hexadecimal digits, each ranging from 0000 to ffff, and separated by colons.

Distributed network address allocation management


Embodiments of the disclosure relate to a cover for an electronic device. The cover can be deployed on a transparent surface of the electronic device and can reversibly occlude the view through the transparent surface. In certain embodiments, the cover can include a closed bounding surface region that is transparent and has a specific volume. The bounding surface can define an interior open space that can be partitioned into multiple cavities, where nearest-neighboring cavities can share a surface that defines each of such cavities. In one embodiment, in order to occlude the view through the transparent surface, an opaque liquid can be injected into the cavities, where the liquid can solidify and, thus, can form an opaque solid layer. To reverse such an occlusion and, effectively, uncover the transparent surface, the solid layer can be melted by applying a suitable voltage to at least one of the multiple cavities.

A cover that can be attached, usually in a wrap-around fashion, to a portable electronic device, such as a tablet or a smartphone, may increase the longevity of such a device by mitigating or avoiding damage throughout the course of usage of the device. Typical covers can be bulky and while they can be removed, end-users tend to keep their devices covered at all times.

Embedded reversibly opaque display cover for an electronic device


A bed-tent provides an enclosure over a mattress. The tent forms a canopy having panels each with a resilient, strip frame member and a sheet of flexible fabric. Retainers secure the canopy on the mattress. In some forms, a frame member disposed externally of the canopy helps to hold the panels and canopy upright. In other forms, the frame members are configured so that no additional support is needed to hold the panels and/or bed tent upright on a bed. The frame members may be readily adapted for use in curved or rectilinear panels to permit a wide range of bed tent designs and features. The frame members preferably can be twisted or wound into flat coils of reduced diameter or other form so that the entire canopy can be conveniently stored in a small package.

Prior art Bed-tents consist of some sort of a fabric covered pole structure, which rests on the top surface of a conventional bed mattress. Prior art Bed-tents utilize semi-rigid, bowed poles which place the cover or canopy under tension; the tension is provided by bending the support poles and securing them with a canopy which is attached to the mattress. Bed-tents have enjoyed commercial success but have always presented problems of various types.
One of the principal problems with prior art Bed-tents is that associated with erecting them. Prior art Bed-tents require simultaneous assembly of an independent pole structure and a separate canopy, and the user must be familiar with an exacting set-up procedure. The process begins with unpacking a bewildering assortment of pole segments and an enormous, shapeless canopy. Segments of different-length poles are connected and passed through a specific sequence of fabric sleeves or the like; the sleeves and canopy form a confusing labyrinth and choosing the correct pole for the correct sleeve makes this an unforgiving process. Each pole is then secured at both ends by insertion into a flexible pocket affixed to the canopy; the user must combat the tension of each pole during this process which becomes more difficult as more poles are added. Further, the finished set-up shape is completely unrecognizable when the structure's components are laid out; only after the final pole is secured does the Bed-tent's shape become apparent. It is no surprise that the instruction manuals for prior-art Bed-tents caution, "Adult assembly required."
Further complicating the set-up procedure, all prior-art Bed-tents place the flexible frame members inside the canopy, where access is limited during set-up and assembly. Original Bed-tent U.S. Pat. No. 4,852,598 describes, "elongated flexible frame members adapted to support said canopy means over said mattress when positioned between said top surface of said mattress and said canopy means." Erecting such Bed-tents requires adults to climb inside the partially supported, trembling canopy while securing the internal pole structure in an exact position. As most adults cannot fit inside prior-art Bed-tents, which are designed to attach to a child's twin size mattress, the torments above are greatly multiplied.
Ease of set-up is a strong consideration for adults purchasing toys such as a Bed-tent. In short, parents generally will not tolerate time-consuming assembly of toy products and frequently return a product to the retailer if assembly is too difficult. Present day Bed-tents suffer the significant liability of an extra-ordinarily high return percentage. Most Bed-tents are currently sold through mail-order outlets, which offer generous return privileges; traditional retailers no longer distribute the prior art product.
Attempts have been made to simplify the task of erecting the Bed-tent. U.S. Pat. No. 4,590,956 proved too difficult to assemble because of an integrated canopy and fitted sheet which attached to the mattress. U.S. Pat. No. 4,852,598 eliminated the integral fitted sheet and thus simplified the set-up procedure but only to a small degree.
A Bed-tent is disclosed herein which eliminates the internal frame assembly of the prior art. This Bed-tent instead utilizes a flexible, resilient strip material induced by a non-stretch fabric to form a weight-bearing panel. By itself the strip sags and offers no support, however because the strip is secured at generally all points of it's perimeter by the attached non-stretch fabric, it can bear considerable weight. The weight-bearing capacity of the resilient strip is increased by the provision of anchoring means or retainers, such as elastic bands, which releasably attach the structure to the mattress.
The strip material may be made of plastic, metal, fiber composite or the like and is collapsed by turning or twisting into a packed generally flat disk as illustrated. The strip may be a closed annulus and with the covering fabric forms a panel that is circular, oval, elliptical or generally square, rectangular or triangular with acute or truncated corners. It should be noted that different-shaped panels can be used interchangeably. The strip may also be open-ended rather than a closed annulus to form an arch-type panel; the strip(s) may be permanently or removably attached to the fabric cover to allow washing of the fabric. It may also include a coupling means that permits the abutting ends of the strip material to rotate with respect to each other to simplify the collapsing process. The panel incorporates openings for doors and/or windows and retains the weight-bearing feature.
One presently preferred embodiment of a Bed-tent is comprised of two opposing panels, a releasably connected pole to maintain them generally upright and a flexible fabric canopy, which forms an enclosure. The pole is segmented for folding and made of plastic, fiberglass or the like and may be adapted, as a non-limiting example, by forming an upside-down "V" for increased headroom inside the structure. The pole can be placed inside or outside of the canopy; the preferred embodiment utilizes an external pole to provide full accessibility while assembling and disassembling the structure. The resilient strip of the preferred embodiment may be substituted by semi-rigid members made of fiberglass, plastic or the like and made of segmented pieces and connected by an elastic cord, or telescoped, for ease of storage. Semi-rigid frame members may be utilized in the manner as prior bed-tent U.S. Pat. No. 4,852,598; however positioned outside the canopy for ease of assembly.
Similar to the preferred embodiment, a related arrangement is comprised of three panels (rather than two) and a canopy, which forms an enclosure. The additional panel is arranged along the third side of the structure; the pole, while not required, preferably supports the canopy and a fourth side of the structure. The three panels may also be arranged as two opposite sides and roof, in which case the pole may be eliminated, but this structure may be less stable.
A further related arrangement incorporates four panels and a fabric canopy to form an enclosure. As above, three panels are arranged along the sides of the structure. The additional panel supports the roof; the pole may be eliminated without loss of stability. One panel may also be arranged on each of the four sides of the structure and, as in the previous arrangement, the pole may be eliminated. However, in this arrangement at least one pole—or pole assemblies—may be releasably attached between the panels to provide for vestibules, awnings, wings, fins or other aesthetic and/or semi-functional adaptions. This latter arrangement may also accommodate a fifth panel to support the roof. Some embodiments with more than two panels may be easier to set-up and disassemble by the provision of at least one releasable coupling on one or more of the panels.
The panels can be adapted to provide increased stability. For example, panels suffer from buckling or bowing along the length of the mattress or when wider mattresses are contemplated; larger panels are also difficult to collapse. To increase the stability of the structure and to simplify the collapsing process, both the resilient strip and covering fabric of the panels may be adapted in several ways. Two strips, which overlie each other on a portion thereof in the same panel, provide more support than a single residual strip and collapse as usual. A panel utilizing a resilient strip formed in a "figure 8" arrangement (which is essentially two smaller panels) increases stability and collapses as usual. The "figure 8" arrangement can turn the corner of the mattress and thereby form at least a portion of two sides of the structure. Similarly, a larger panel may be comprised of two or more smaller panels in the same plane; the smaller panels can be adjoined or spaced apart and connected by an interconnecting piece of fabric, which is part of the panel. Adjoining panels may also be overlapped by a further panel secured to them by Velcro®, buttons, snap-fit engagements or ties as common in the art. Maximum stability is gained by overlapped panels secured by stitching or the like. In such an arrangement, one panel "pierces" the fabric covering of another panel and is stitched at the intersection point to the pierced panel. The overlapped panels pivot around the intersection point; when pivoted in one direction, the panels lie atop each other and collapse as usual. When pivoted in the opposite direction, the overlapped section of the panels prevents them from moving beyond an in-line configuration with each other. Two overlapped, intersecting panels in the same plane form a very stable equivalent of one larger panel. Similarly, two overlapped, intersecting panels in perpendicular planes form a very stable right-angle configuration for the corners of a structure. Elastic bands, attached to the outside distal section of the panels, maintain the overlapped panels in a right-angle configuration when stretched over the corners of the mattress.
An even simpler arrangement utilizes only a single resilient strip to form the frame of the structure, however it is the least stable of the embodiments. The single strip is induced by the fabric into a saddle-shaped annulus comprised of four serially-connected arches; each arch forms one side of a rectangle which corresponds generally to the shape of a bed mattress. The first arch is upwardly-shaped along the length of the mattress, the second arch is shaped downwardly as it traverses the mattress end, the third arch is again upwardly-shaped along the length of the opposite side of the mattress, the fourth arch is downwardly-shaped and traverses the opposite end of the mattress. A similar arrangement turns the saddle-shaped annulus upside down. Embodiments illustrated in the following figures include a resilient strip which crosses at the apex of the annulus in the formation of a "figure 8" with the arches of the "8" extending downwards to form the sides of the structure.
Bending or pre-forming the resilient strip of these embodiments contributes significant advantages. Strip members shaped at the four corners conform to the rectangular shape of the mattress instead of assuming a circular or oval shape which expands over the edges of the bed. The shaping also increases the internal "living space" of the structure. Similarly, bending the upward strip so it is approximately flat instead of arched raises the structure's height and increases "headroom" for the user. To facilitate bending of the resilient strip material, rounded stock (rather than flat stock) of plastic, metal, fiber composite or the like is preferred but not required. Rounded stock "takes" a bend in any direction more readily than flat stock which bends easily in one plane but not in the other.
Instead of a single strip, the structure of my invention may utilize two or more resilient strips for enhanced stability. Certain embodiments may include a second or third strip inside the same or separate fabric channels. The strips may be made from a continuous piece of strip material or from separate strips. Multiple strip embodiments also allow for frames made of different material and diameters; for example in one embodiment, the member forming the base of the Bed-tent is made of a lighter, reduced diameter, less-expensive stock than the upward-shaped member. Rotatable connectors between the ends of the strip material eases the folding of the structure and allows embodiments with base strip members to lay flat after assembly. The rotatable connector(s) may be designed to couple the separate strip members although such coupling is not required.
Another embodiment of the present invention utilizes a single continuous resilient strip, which forms the base of the structure. The fabric canopy is supported by one or more open-ended resilient strips formed into an arch shape by a fabric channel affixed to the base by stitching or the like. A pivoting junction, affixed to the base loop is a further non-limiting attachment means. To assemble the structure, the open-ended resilient strips are raised generally vertically and attached to the canopy by ties, tabs, Velcro® or the like. To collapse the structure, at least one open-ended resilient strip is detached from the canopy, allowing both open-ended strips to lie atop of the resilient base strip. The structure is collapsed by folding as usual. Both the base strip and the open-ended strip(s) can be bent, as previously described, to better conform to the rectangular shape of the mattress.
To assemble the bed-tent, the resilient strip pops open and virtually "self-erects" when shaken by the user. The segmented pole, when required, is unfolded and inserted into a flexible fabric sleeve or flexible pole-pockets attached to the canopy. Placing the structure on top of the bedding, the user fits elastic band retainers or the like, attached to the four corners of the bed-tent, over the four corners of the mattress. Elastic bands readily adapt to the user's bedding and to mattresses of varying thicknesses, whether 8 or 18 inches or any size. A similar means incorporates fabric pockets stitched to the ends of the structure. Both arrangements allow the bed-tent to be attached on top of bedding such as sheets and blankets. A third arrangement, attaches the structure to a conventional fitted sheet, but the user's bedding is partially or fully covered thereby. While the bed-tent of my invention is preferably attached to the top of a mattress, it can be adapted for a lower position on the bed: elastic bands or fabric sections, fitted between the mattress and box spring, or on top of the top mattress, or both, affix the bed-tent to the peripheral sides of the mattress and prevent the structure from sliding to the floor. This arrangement allows for bedding to be "tucked in" in the normal manner and otherwise includes all the features and forms disclosed previously.
To disassemble the bed-tent, the user detaches the elastic bands or the like from the mattress. When a segmented pole is used, it is detached from the structure and folded. If overlapped panels are used, they are manipulated to lie upon each other. The panels are collapsed as illustrated.
Accordingly, several advantages and benefits of the present invention are described hereinafter.
Base of Assembly
The bed-tents are uniquely easy to assemble. When shaken by the user, the collapsed panels pop open and virtually self-erect; the structure's finished set-up shape is immediately recognizable. The structure is attached to the mattress by elastic bands or the like in a manner common to the bedding industry. The bed-tents can be easily assembled by a novice or first-time user; there is no "adult assembly required." Children six years old can assemble their own bed-tents without adult assistance and feel a sense of accomplishment. To disassemble the bed-tent, the assembly process is reversed and the resilient strip(s) collapsed by folding or winding as described in the accompanying drawings.
Adaptable Design
The bed-tents permit a wide range of shapes by providing for increased adaptability of the structure's framing members. Some embodiments of the bed-tents utilize a segmented pole located outside the bed-tent canopy. Because the pole is accessible, users can conveniently and with minimal expense attach additional frame members for aesthetic or semi-functional purposes conveniently and with minimal expense. For example, frame members can be added to support extensions of the canopy such as awnings, verandas, vestibules or covered windows. Elements such as wings, fins or the like can be added to increase aesthetic options. The toy industry's commercial viability depends upon new shapes and designs which the bed-tent richly provides; this is a significant advantage in the crowded, competitive field of children's toys. Finally, the bed-tents can easily be adapted for larger mattresses by increasing the size or number of the panel(s) and enlarging the canopy.
Fewer Parts
Prior art bed-tent structures required as many as seven separate rods or at least two framing assemblies. One presently preferred embodiment of a bed-tent utilizes one pole, with segments interconnected via elastic shock cord or telescoped as is customary in the art. Other embodiments eliminate the pole and instead utilize additional flexible panels as described above. In addition to using fewer parts, some embodiments of the bed-tents eliminate the possibility of lost parts.
Speedier Assembly
Still another improvement in the bed-tents is the speed of assembly. In the preferred embodiment, poles rapidly self-assemble by means of an integrated, tensioned cord. The panels pop open instantly. The structure quickly attaches to the mattress with a few elastic bands. Other bed-tent embodiments, without the pole, require only to be popped open before attachment to the mattress. Adults and especially children will appreciate the increased speed in erecting their bed-tents.
Safety
A still further improvement of my bed-tent is safety and reliability. Prior art bed-tents, which secured the poles inside the canopy with fabric ties and the like, posed a potential hazard of the child's strangulation on the framing members. The pole of my invention is located out of harm's reach outside of the canopy. Embodiments utilizing a pole bend readily and can flatten all the way to the mattress and recover to their original position. The flexible strip(s) bend to absorb stress from any direction without breakage. Access from inside the bed-tent to the elastic straps which attach the structure to the mattress, is prohibited. Further, the bed-tents are devoid of small loose parts that can be mistakenly swallowed by a child.
My bed-tent's structure and attachment means remain secured to the mattress despite considerable lateral force applied against them. A surprising and unexpected result is that at least some embodiments of the bed-tents can actually catch and hold a small child who might otherwise fall to the floor. A larger child's fall is slowed and possible impact lessened. While especially effective when closed, a partially opened bed-tent can also perform this important function.
Child Friendly Shape
The bed-tents preferably rest on an approximately rectangular, open base attached to the mattress. The open base and attachment means enable the bed-tent to fit over a child's favorite bedding; no specialized sheets, blankets, etc., are required. Further, removal of sheets or blankets is not necessary for assembly or disassembly of the structure. Bedding, including fitted sheets beneath the structure, can be neatened in the normal manner. The vertical sidewalls of my invention provide for full utilization of the mattress so pillows, blankets and toys may be pushed all the way to the edge. Finally, the bed-tents desirably can provide a consistent height throughout the entire length of the bed-tent for maximum use of the internal space.
Less Expensive
Nature's most efficient shape (maximum internal volume with minimum surface area) is a sphere. Due to the circular, elliptical or arch shape of certain portions of some embodiments of my bed-tents, they may enclose more cubic living space per given amount of fabric than any prior-art bed-tent. Putting this another way, to provide a structure of given internal size, the bed-tent of my invention requires less fabric. The consistent height of my preferred embodiment also eliminates fabric waste as full widths of material can be utilized. Because my invention eliminates the apex common to all prior-art bed-tents, costly workmanship to cut and sew irregular fabric patterns is minimized. Finally, the bed-tents eliminate the obvious disadvantage of breakage suffered by prior art bed-tents, which are ruined if a single frame member fails. Present-day bed-tent manufacturers employ costly service departments, which serve primarily to replace broken frame members.
Compact and Portable
The bed-tents preferably fold into a compact flat disc. Weight of the packed bed-tent is evenly balanced for ease of transport. The segmented pole is folded into a small bundle as common in the prior art. Containerizing, shipping and insurance costs are correspondingly reduced.
The features, advantages and objects of my invention, which are explicit and implicit in the foregoing, as well as others, will become apparent and more fully understood from the following description of the invention made in connection with the accompanying drawings.


The present invention relates to the novel compound 4-(4-trans-hydroxycyclohexyl)amino-2-phenyl-7H-pyrrolo[2,3d]pyrimidine hydrogen mesylate, the polymorphic α and β forms thereof, and a method for the production of said compounds.

4-(4-trans-hydroxycyclohexyl)amino-2-phenyl-7H-pyrrolo[2,3d]pyrimidine is disclosed in WO 99/62518 (compound 18 on page 53) and is a selective Adenosine-1 Receptor agonist that may be used in the treatment of essential hypertension, congestive heart failure, and renal failure. During further development of said compound in the above-mentioned indications, it appeared that the compound as disclosed in WO 99/62518 has the serious drawback of a low solubility in gastrointestinal fluids.

4-(4-trans-hydroxycyclohexyl)amino-2-phenyl-7H-pyrrolo [2,3D] pyrimidine hydrogen mesylate, its polymorphic forms, and methods for making same


A hand-operated device that can be actuated to dispense a predetermined volume of liquid food product (LFP) for use in food preparation and food consumption is provided. The device includes an actuator, an opening, a reservoir for storing the food product, and a liquid metering device for controlling a volume of LFP dispensed at the opening. The device may include a heater that functions to heat and/or liquefy the food product. The device may also include a volume adjuster that allows a user to vary the predetermined volume of LFP dispensed with each actuation of the device.

The present invention relates to liquid dispensing devices, such as a liquid dispensing device that dispenses a predetermined and adjustable metered volume of liquid.
For many people, keeping track of their food intake is important, whether for health purposes, tracking calories, or other reasons. Many food product dispensers provide no way for the user to easily control, or even know, how much of the food product is being dispensed, whether from the standpoint of volume, calorie value, and/or weight. Instead, if the user wishes to keep track of these features, the user may need to use a measuring spoon or cup, scale or other instrument.


A bed, in particular a sickbed or nursing bed, comprises a height-adjustable bedstead to be supported on a floor, a fixing brake having an actuator adapted to be moved between a braking position and a release position and to be operated by hand or by foot, and at least one brake element which is pressed to the floor in the braking position of the actuator, and is spaced apart from the floor in the release position of the actuator. The actuator is adapted to be automatically placed into the brake position by a bedstead element when the lowermost position of the bedstead has been reached.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a bed which is in particular a sickbed or a nursing bed.
2. Description of Related Art
Sickbeds or nursing beds are normally height-adjustable for making it easier for nursing staff to nurse a patient or a test person. Such beds normally comprise side parts on both sides of a lying surface, said side parts being adapted to prevent the test person from falling out of the bed.
It is known that, depending on their mental or physical condition, the test persons try to climb over the side parts in order to leave the bed. In doing so, the test persons may fall when climbing over the side parts, which entails a considerable risk of injury.
Thus it is desirable that a sickbed or nursing bed can be lowered to such an extent that the upper edges of the side parts are located at a height where there is only a small risk of injury for a test person climbing over the side bars. Ideally, the bed can be lowered to such an extent that its lying surface is located only a few centimeters (20 to 30 cm, for example) above a floor. At such a low position, a side protection can even be omitted since there is hardly any risk of injury if a test persons "falls" out of the bed from a height of only a few centimeters.
It is common practice to realize height-adjustable bedsteads of sickbeds or nursing beds either by telescoping or length-adjustable vertical legs or by so-called scissor-type mechanisms. The scissor-type mechanisms offer the advantage that the beds can be lowered to an extremely low level. Examples of scissor-type mechanisms for height-adjustable bedsteads are shown in DE 43 20 092 A1, DE 44 06 784 C1 and DE 199 15 431 A1. The known height-adjustable beds having a scissor-type mechanism or scissor levers comprise a frame having frame side and frame transverse parts, wherein pivotable legs are arranged at the head end and the foot end of the frame. The legs comprise lower ends supported on the floor, while their opposite ends are slidably guided along the frame. The legs are adapted to be pivoted via a centrally arranged drive mechanism such that the bedstead is lifted or lowered.
For further increasing the comfort, sickbeds or nursing beds comprise adjustable lying surfaces, i.e. adjustable mattress supporting devices. These devices comprise individually adjustable or pivotable portions which are adapted to be adjusted by a motor. An adjustment drive is located below the lying surface or the mattress supporting surface of the mattress supporting device. The height-adjustable bedstead of the sickbed or nursing bed may not collide with this adjustment drive, which means that the bed can be lowered only to a position in which the lying surface is located at such a height above the floor that a side protection cannot be omitted. In other words, the adjustment drive thus prevents sickbeds or nursing beds equipped with a scissor-type mechanism or a similar height adjustment means from being lowered down to a location as near to the floor as possible.
Sickbeds or nursing beds further comprise a fixing brake for locking the bed in position with the purpose of preventing any unintentional movement of the beds which are normally provided with guide rollers and castors. Normally, such fixing brakes are adapted to be operated by hand or by foot. This involves the risk that the nursing staff unintentionally do not operate the fixing brake of the sickbed or the nursing bed when the bed is being lowered or is completely lowered. Thus the bed can inadvertently move which entails a risk of injury of the patients or test persons on the one hand, and the risk of damage to functional units of the bed on the other hand since there is only little space between the functional units and the floor in the completely lowered condition.

Bed, in particular sickbed or nursing bed