Detection and capture of toxic nitrogen oxides (NOx) is important for emissions control of exhaust gases and general public health. The low power sensor provides direct electrically detection of trace (0.5-5 ppm) NO2 at relatively low temperatures (50° C.) via changes in the electrical properties of nitrogen-oxide-capture active materials. For example, the high impedance of MOF-74 enables applications requiring a near-zero power sensor or dosimeter, such as for smart industrial systems and the internet of things, with 0.8 mg MOF-74 active material drawing <15 pW for a macroscale sensor 35 mm2 area.

Nitrogen oxides (NOx) are toxic gases under regulation due to their detrimental environmental effects. See Report on the Environment: Nitrogen Oxides Emissions, US Environmental Protection Agency (2019). Much research has focused on capturing or decomposing them in flue gases or diesel exhaust, with sensing necessary to verify success. See T. Johnson, SAE Int. J. Engines 9, 1258 (2016); and B. Guan et al., Appl. Therm. Eng. 66, 395 (2014). Current NOx sensing technologies typically use metal oxide sensors at higher temperatures (250-900° C.), or electrochemical cells at near room temperature. See K. P. Ramaiyan and R. Mukundan, J. Electrochem. Soc. 167, 037547 (2020); H. Sasaki et al., in SAE 2010 World Congress & Exhibition, SAE International, Warrendale, Pa., USA (2010); and Drager Sensor & Portable Instruments Handbook, 4th Ed., Drager Safety AG & Co. KGaA, Lubeck, Germany (2018). The power draws of typical sensors mean that they must be hardwired to the power grid or be located in easily serviceable locations for battery replacement. The rise of the "internet of things" (IoT) has increased demand for sensing for environmental monitoring and public health. By decreasing power requirements to "near-zero" (<10 nW), robust, long-lived sensing could be achieved in a wider range of environments. See R. H. Olsson et al., J. Phys.: Conf. Ser. 1407, 012042 (2019). While nanogap-style architectures have been shown successful for near-zero power detection of some organics, the incorporation of nanoporous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) offer an attractive alternative. See A. Banerjee et al., 2016 IEEE SENSORS, IEEE, Piscataway, N.J. (2016).
MOFs are a class of hybrid organic-inorganic materials composed of metal ions and organic linker molecules. See L. E. Kreno et al., Chem. Rev. 112, 1105 (2012); F. Saraci et al., Chem. Soc. Rev. 49, 7949 (2020); B. F. Hoskins and R. Robson, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 111, 5962 (1989); H.-Y. Li et al., Chem. Soc. Rev. 49, 6364 (2020); and D. Britt et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A 105, 11623 (2008). The nanoporous nature of these materials often imparts extremely high surface areas and makes them ideal for incorporation into membranes. See L. E. Kreno et al., Chem. Rev. 112, 1105 (2012); F. Saraci et al., Chem. Soc. Rev. 49, 7949 (2020); D. Britt et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A 105, 11623 (2008); W.-T. Koo et al., Chem 5, 1938 (2019); M. Fang et al., Membranes 10, 107 (2020); C. Y. Chuah et al., Membranes 10, 74 (2020); C. Y. Chuah et al., Membranes 10, 154 (2020); A. Fuoco et al., Membranes 7, 7 (2017); and L. Upadhyaya et al., Membranes 10, 313 (2020). The high surface area and tunable pore size/shape combined with the ability to alter the composition and impart specific functionalities to tune and optimize their properties make MOFs a very versatile class of materials. See F. Saraci et al., Chem. Soc. Rev. 49, 7949 (2020); H.-Y. Li et al., Chem. Soc. Rev. 49, 6364 (2020); S. E. Henkelis et al., ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 12, 22845 (2020); and L. Du et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 135, 562 (2013). For these reasons, tailored MOF materials are being extensively investigated for use in chemical separation, catalysts, and sensors. See C. Y. Chuah et al., Membranes 10, 74 (2020); L. E. Kreno et al., Chem. Rev. 112, 1105 (2012); F. Saraci et al., Chem. Soc. Rev. 49, 7949 (2020); C. Y. Chuah et al., Membranes 10, 154 (2020); A. Fuoco et al., Membranes 7, 7 (2017); V. Pascanu et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 141, 7223 (2019); P. Garcia-Garcia et al., Chem. Sci. 5, 2979 (2014); A. Herbst and C. Janiak, Cryst Eng Comm. 19, 4092 (2017); I. Liberman et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 142, 1933 (2020); H.-Y. Li et al., Chem. Soc. Rev. 49, 6364 (2020); W.-T. Koo et al., Chem 5, 1938 (2019); T.-Y. Luo et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 142, 2897 (2020); and L. J. Small and T. M. Nenoff, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 9, 44649 (2017).
Many MOFs are gaining widespread attention as useful materials for selective gas capture and sensing. See L. E. Kreno et al., Chem. Rev. 112, 1105 (2012); H.-Y. Li et al., Chem. Soc. Rev. 49, 6364 (2020); and L. J. Small et al., ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 11, 27982 (2019). MOFs have previously been used for direct electrical sensing of gases. Changes in electrical properties of ZIF-8 and MFM-300(X) (X=Al, Fe, In, Sc) have been previously used to electrically detect the presence of I2 gas in air, demonstrating up to a 106× decrease in MOF resistance upon I2 adsorption. See L. J. Small and T. M. Nenoff, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 9, 44649 (2017); and L. J. Small et al., ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 11, 27982 (2019). Other groups have used MOFs to create direct electrical sensors for SO2 using MFM-300(In), NO with Cu3HHTP2 and NiHTTP2, CO2 with a Co-MOF-74 composite or Cu3(hexaiminobenzene)2, alcohols with HKUST-1, and hydrocarbons with Cu[Ni[2,3-pyrzinedithiolate)2], or Cu-TCPP/Cu-HHTP. See V. Chernikova et al., J. Mater. Chem. A 6, 5550 (2018); M. K. Smith et al., Chem. Mater. 28, 5264 (2016); 1. Strauss et al., ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 11, 14175 (2019); 1. Stassen et al., ACS Cent. Sci. 5, 1425 (2019); S. Achmann et al., Sensors 9, 1574 (2009); M. L. Aubrey et al., J. Amer. Chem. Soc. 141, 5005 (2019); and M.-S. Yao et al., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 58, 14915 (2019). Previously, several MOF materials have been shown to selectively capture NO2, including RE-DOBDC (where RE is a rare earth element and DOBDC is dihydroxyterephthalic acid), MFM-300(AI), MFM-520, [Zr6O4(OH)4(FA)6]2(calixarene)3, MOF-74, UiO-66, and UiO-67. See D. F. Sava Gallis et al., ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 11, 43270 (2019); Han et al., Nat. Mater. 17, 691 (2018); J. Li et al., Nat. Mater. 11, 1085 (2019); M. Schulz et al., Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 57, 12961 (2018); S. E. Henkelis et al., Cryst. Eng. Commun. 21, 1857 (2019); K. Tan et al., Chem. Mater. 29, 4227 (2017); A. C. McKinlay et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 130, 10440 (2008); A. M. Ebrahim et al., Langmuir 29, 168 (2013); and D. T. McGrath et al., Chem. Sci. 10, 5576 (2019).
However, most of these MOF materials have not yet been demonstrated as effective sensing materials through direct electrical measurements.

National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC


A method and apparatus for dialling out via a phone device a phone number displayed within a screen image generated by a software application executed on a computer. The computer is connected to the phone device, and the phone device includes a dial button. In response to activation of the dial button, a process is spawned within the computer for locating the phone number within the screen image and transmitting the phone number to the phone device whereupon the phone device dials out the phone number.

CTI has evolved with the intention of simplifying telephone communications through the use of computers. For example, PC-based call processing, enhanced directory applications and automated attendant functions allow a person to integrate telephone and computer functionality. However, one telephony function - placing a call, is more complicated when executed by computer than when direct dialled on a phone set. Making a phone call from a PC (Personal Computer) usually involves several steps. First, the current application (e.g. MS Word.RTM.) is minimised or closed. Second, the CTI application is opened. Third, the phone number is entered using either a numeric keypad or via point-and-click numbers. Then, an "accept" or "dial" button is clicked in the CTI application, resulting in the PC directing the associated telephone to dial out the phone number.
In an effort to simplify dialling, some CTI applications mimic phone speed dialling by using directory applications. However, the user nonetheless is required to navigate the directory which can often take longer than simply picking up the phone and dialling the number.
The general concept of automatic dialling under computer or microprocessor control is well known in the prior art, as for example, disclosed in Di Santo et al (U.S. Pat. No. 4,870,677), Kikinis et al (U.S. Pat. No. 5,522,089) and Draganoff (U.S. Pat. No. 5,541,988).
In Di Santo et al a telephone number is displayed on a programmable display portion of a telephone set and once selected (via a cursor) one-button dialling results in out-pulsing of the selected telephone number. This system is essentially an enhanced speed dial with directory display on the telephone set.
In Kikinis, the telephone number can be dialled under operating system control. The telephone number is selected via cursor point-and-click, and then an "OK" button is used to dial the digit.
Draganoff teaches the use of one-button automatic dialling such that, once a telephone number and other alpha-numeric data have been selected on a notebook or PC, depression of the "Tel" button on the keypad results in dialling via an interface circuit, which receives the telephone number from a CPU via a buffer.
Draganoff is relevant for teaching one-button dialling once a telephone number has been "selected" in a computer application. However, there is no teaching or suggestion in Draganoff (or any of the other references discussed above) of any means for overcoming the prior art difficulty of finding a telephone number and then dialling it in a straightforward, uncomplicated manner.


Sheet-like material articles are gathered in gathering pockets which move along a path in a horizontal direction. The sheet-like material articles are conveyed in a shingled stream adjacent the path. On each of the gathering pockets a deflector is actuatably arranged. The deflector intercepts the leading edge of a respective sheet-like material article while in the shingled stream. The sheet-like material article is deflected into a gathering pocket.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,031,891 discloses a method and system for selectively collating different printed products, particularly different newspaper inserts for targeted distribution. To permit placement of selected products having different subject matter together in specifically collated product assemblies, for association of individualized product assemblies with delivery addresses in a specific sequence, for example specific to subscribers or distribution stations or regions, a controller-computer stores delivery addresses. All the products are stored in individual storage locations, from which, with respect to a specific address within the sequence, selected individual products are removed, for placement on collecting spaces on a collecting transport system.
The controller-computer includes timing circuits controlling, respectively the removal and guidance of selected products for the specific addresses in the sequence to specific collecting spaces, as the transport system moves beneath the storage locations or stations, to form the collected product assemblies which, then, can be supplied with a cover or directly with the delivery address. The first or last of the product stations can hold folded newspapers which, for example, can be the main section of a newspaper with which specific regional or advertisement inserts, formed by the products, are then assembled.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,988,086 discloses an apparatus and method for forming sheet material assemblages. The apparatus for forming sheet material assemblages includes a plurality of sheet material assemblers which travel in a continuous path and sequentially pass beneath stacks of sheet material. The stacks of sheet material are disposed in bottomless hoppers. The sheet material assemblers include belts which support the stacks of sheet material in the bottomless hoppers. The belts move with the sheet material assemblers to sequentially engage the stacks of sheet material. Upper runs of the belts move in opposite directions to the sheet material assemblers and at the same speed as the sheet material assemblers so that the upper runs of the belts are stationary relative to the stacks of sheet material. The sheet material assemblers also include feed mechanisms and receiving locations. As a sheet material assembler passes under a stack (pile) of sheet material, sheet material is fed from the stack of sheet material by a feed mechanism to a receiving location.

Lapped stream feeding adaption for sheet material articles


A closed drift ion source which includes a channel having an open end, a closed end, and an input port for an ionizable gas. A first magnetic pole is disposed on the open end of the channel and extends therefrom in a first direction. A second magnetic pole disposed on the open end of the channel and extends therefrom in a second direction, where the first direction is opposite to the second direction. The distal ends of the first magnetic pole and the second magnetic pole define a gap comprising the opening in the first end. An anode is disposed within the channel. A primary magnetic field line is disposed between the first magnetic pole and the second magnetic pole, where that primary magnetic field line has a mirror field greater than 2.

Closed drift ion sources have been known since Russian ion thrusters for satellite propulsion were reported in the 1960's. These prior art devices suffer from problems of sputter erosion of the closed drift side walls, loss of energetic electrons to the side walls, and poor beam collimation out of the source.
Side wall erosion has deleterious effects on ion source performance including:                The source wall inserts, magnetic poles, or other plasma exposed surfaces must be routinely replaced. Where replacement is not possible in space thruster applications, wall erosion is eventually catastrophic. In these applications, thrusters are rated in thousands of hours of life with some 2,000–10,000 hours being the published life expectancies.        Ion sputtering of the side walls contaminates industrial ion source processes with the sputtered atoms. In many applications, this precludes these ion sources as potential process tools.        Sputtering of the side walls raises the source wall temperature. This can be a severe problem in space based applications where heat must be dissipated by radiation. The high temperatures experienced by the side walls requires special, expensive materials.        Ions striking the side walls do not exit the source, reducing source efficiency. (Efficiency is the ion current and energy relative to the power supply discharge current and voltage.)        In ion sources operated in the diffuse mode, erosion is particularly problematic if not ruinous. In the diffuse mode, the source is operated at sufficiently high pressure and power to create a neutral, conductive plasma in the gap between the poles. Operating in this mode, the plasma density is dramatically increased, and the electric fields change significantly, increasing ion bombardment of the pole pieces or side walls.
Other problems generally recognized with prior art ion sources include:                Loss of high energy electrons to the side walls. This especially affects extended acceleration channel type ion sources. Side wall losses of electrons capable of ionizing the propellant gas results in loss of efficiency and side wall heating        Beam spreading outside the source. Here, the ion beam produced leaves the source in a spread cosine distribution rather than the preferred collimated output.
There are two basic types of closed drift ion sources for which many variations have been offered. The two types are anode layer and extended acceleration channel. Prior art examples for each type of source are described below.
FIG. 1 is a section view of prior art linear anode layer type ion source 100. Additional description of this prior art device can be found in Capps, Nathan, et al., Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. Application note: Ion Source Applications: Si Doped DLC, and in Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. Application note: Industrial ion sources and their application for DLC coating, which are hereby incorporated by reference.
Such a prior art source 100 can either be annular or stretched out to lengths beyond three meters, the confined Hall current design enables extendibility similar to a planar magnetron. FIG. 1 shows the magnetic field lines as calculated and mapped by a two-dimensional magnetic field software program. The field in the gap 120 is created by back shunt 110, permanent magnet 130, and pole pieces 140 and 150. Electrically, poles 140, 150 and shunt 110 are connected to ground, and anode 102 is connected to the positive terminal of a high voltage power supply.
As those skilled in the art will appreciate, the anode 102 in a closed drift ion source is disposed a distance from the gap 120 between the poles 140 and 150, where that distance exceeds the Larmor radius of the captured electrons. As those skilled in the art will further appreciate, the width of the gap 120 is adjusted to maintain a magnetic field of sufficient strength to magnetize electrons and to allow a plasma to exist therein.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 1A, in prior art device 100, the half bevel shaped poles 140 and 150 produce a magnetic fields with the strongest magnetic field line, described herein as the "primary field line," emanating from the flat, gap facing pole surfaces 142 and 152. The magnetic configuration and pole shapes of this prior art device, calculated using a Ceramic 8 ferrite type magnet 130, results in a primary field line 170 having a magnetic field strength of 682 Gauss at first end 172 on surface 152, 542 Gauss at second end 176 on surface 142 of outer pole 140, and a minimum strength of 445 Gauss at location 174. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, use of other magnetic materials will change the relative strengths of the field lines but will not substantially change the relative location of the primary line or ratio between surface and gap fields.
By "primary field line," Applicant means the field line having the least curvature and the strongest field strength in the gap. As the bloom of the field in the gap is viewed, the primary field line is the centerline of the bloom. Field lines to both sides of the primary field line are concave, i.e. curved, and face this field line.
As the magnetic field lines leave the high permeability poles 140 and 150, enter the "air" gap 120, and travel toward the center of the gap, the magnetic field strength lessens. Visually, this is seen as field lines spreading out in the gap. The result of this effect is a magnetic mirror. By "magnetic mirror," Applicant means the "reflection" of electrons as an electron moves from a region of weaker field to a stronger field.
Applicant has discovered that the mirror ratio is an important aspect of closed drift ion source magnetic design. By "mirror ratio," Applicant means the ratio of the strong field strength at an end of the field line to the minimum field strength along that field line. For example, in source 100, using calculated field strengths of the primary field line 170 from first end 176 to location 174, the magnetic mirror ratio is 1.22. From second end 172 to location 174 the magnetic mirror ratio is 1.53. Therefore, the minimum mirror ratio for source 100 is 1.22.
In addition, the ratio of the magnetic strengths at the end of the primary field line indicates whether that primary field line is substantially symmetric or asymmetric. By "substantially symmetric," Applicant means an end-to-end ratio of magnetic strengths of between about 0.94 to about 1.06. For prior art device 100, the ratio of the magnetic field strengths at locations 172 and 176 is about 1.26 indicating an asymmetric mirror field existing between the pole portions.
Applicant has found that a minimum mirror ratio greater than 2 in combination with an end to end ratio of between 0.94 and 1.06 to be optimal. The magnetic pole design of device 100, however, produces weak magnetic mirror fields in gap 120. The result is that when a plasma is disposed in gap area 120, electrons are not strongly focused into the center of the gap. This results in substantial sputtering of the poles 140 and 150 and lower source efficiency.
Pole sputtering is exaggerated when the source is operated in the diffuse mode. This mode is entered when the plasma is dense enough to become electrically neutral. When this occurs, the electric fields change from a gradient field from the cathode poles 140 and 150 in gap 120 to anode 102 to a field dropping from the cathode poles across the dark space to the plasma and from the plasma to the anode. The diffuse mode is entered when a combination of higher process gas pressure and high discharge power produces a bright glow in the gap region. The diffuse mode is visually quite different from the collimated mode making the modes easy to distinguish by eye. In the diffuse mode, sputtering of the poles is increased due to the higher concentration of ions in the gap and the large voltage drop between the plasma and cathode pole surfaces.
Sputtering of the poles contaminates the substrate with sputtered material, causes wear of the cathode poles requiring their regular replacement, adds appreciably to the heat load the source must handle, and makes the source less energy efficient.
In contrast to this prior art device, Applicant's device creates a strong magnetic mirror field in the gap along the primary field line. Such a strong magnetic mirror has dramatic benefits for source operation. Without this focusing mirror field, not only are the poles eroded more rapidly, but the lack of the mirror field focusing effect causes the ion source to produce a broader, less collimated beam.
In addition, prior art device 100 includes a single central magnet. The resulting magnetic field is not symmetrical across gap 120 with one magnetic mirror being stronger than the other. As will be described below, symmetrical magnetic mirrors can be created with strong mirror fields along the central field line to focus the plasma in the center of the gap and optimize magnetic mirror repulsion from the poles.
FIGS. 2 and 2A show a section view of prior art anode layer ion source 200. Device 200 includes shunt 210, magnet 230, poles 240 and 250, and anode 202. An analysis of this pole design shows that the primary field line emanates from the flat faces 242 and 252 of poles 240 and 250, respectively, rather than from the pointed portions 241/251.
Magnetic field line 270 comprises the primary field line in this prior art embodiment. Field line 270 has a magnetic field strength of 683 Gauss at first end 272 on surface 252, 580 Gauss at location 276 on second end 242, and 373 Gauss at location 274 on field line 270. Location 274 comprises the portion of field line 270 having the minimum magnetic field strength. Dividing the magnetic field strength at end 272 by the magnetic field strength at location 274 gives a mirror ratio of 1.83. The magnetic mirror formed between 276 and 274 is 1.55. Therefore the minimum mirror ratio is 1.55. Dividing the strength at end 272 by the strength at end 276 gives a ratio of about 1.17 thereby indicating an asymmetric mirror field existing between the pole elements.
FIGS. 3 and 3A show prior art anode layer source 300 as depicted in FIG. 3 in the publication 'High Current Density Anode Layer Ion Sources' by J. Keem, Society of Vacuum Coaters 44th Annual Technical Conference Proceedings. Device 300 includes permanent magnets 331 and 332, in combination with pole portions 340 and 350, and anode 302. Field line 370 comprises the primary field line produced by device 300. Field line 370 has a magnetic field strength of 1013 Gauss at first end 372 on surface 352, 954 Gauss at second end 376 on surface 362, and a minimum strength of 565 Gauss at location 374 on field line 370. Therefore, the minimum mirror ratio for the primary field line for device 300 is 1.69.
FIG. 4A shows a second type of ion source sometimes referred to as an extended acceleration channel type. Extended acceleration channel type ion source 400 is typical of prior art ion thruster propulsion devices. U.S. Pat. No. 5,892,329, in the name of Arkhipov et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,945,781, in the name of Valentian, describe such sources. Extended acceleration channel sources are commonly used in space thruster applications but can be adapted for industrial use also.
FIG. 4A shows the magnetic field lines produced by extended acceleration channel source 400. In this source, magnetic poles 440 and 450 are electrically floating. An electron source 480 serves as the cathode with anode 402 located inside ceramic isolator 490. Anode 402 is positioned at the bottom of channel 422 such that electrons must pass through magnetic fields crossing gap 420 to reach anode 402.
It is known that the ceramic side walls of an extended acceleration channel source, such as source 400, tend to be eroded by ion bombardment. Because prior art device 400 separates the magnetic poles 440 and 450 from the channel with the insulating ceramic 490, and because device 400 does not optimize the pole shapes, a strong magnetic focusing mirror radial field is not created in the channel.
Prior art device 400 produces a primary field line 470 having a magnetic field strength of 1011 Gauss at 472 on the inner surface of insulator 490, 883 Gauss at 476 on inner surface of insulator 490, and a minimum magnetic field strength of 687 Gauss at location 474. This being the case, the minimum magnetic mirror ratio along the primary field line for device 400 is 1.29. The result of a weak mirror field is:                Electrons, accelerated into the magnetic field in the channel by the electric field, are trapped by the magnetic field. Without a containing radial magnetic mirror field, these energetic electrons move along the field lines and can be absorbed by the side walls. Loss of high energy electrons to the walls lowers source ionization efficiency and heats the side walls.        Ambipolar diffusion causes the side walls to be charged negatively, and ions are attracted to the side walls.        The lack of radial electron focusing results in electron distribution across the full channel width. Ions then are created across the full width producing a wider, less collimated beam and added likelihood of ions hitting the side wall.        Only the ions created in the center of the channel experience the electric field pushing them perpendicularly out of the source. Without strong electron focusing, fewer are created in the center.
FIG. 4B is a section view of ion source 900 described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,763,989 in the name of Kaufmann. Ion source 900 includes poles 940 and 950, in combination with anode 902, in further combination with a magnetic screen shunt similar to that taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,892,329 in the name of Arkhipov, except the Kaufman shunt is arranged to allow a single permanent magnet to be used. This shunt technique produces a limited focusing effect in the acceleration channel that potentially results in reduced wall losses and less wall erosion.
While producing a mirror field at one side of the gap, the flat pole faces produce a weak mirror field in the center of the gap. Device 900 produces a primary field line having a magnetic strength of 600 Gauss at first end 972, 550 Gauss at second end 976, and a minimum magnetic field strength of 400 Gauss at location 974. Therefore, the minimum mirror ratio for device 900 along the central primary field line 970 is 1.4.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,277,304 in the name of Horiike et al. teaches an ion source and ion etching process. Horiike et al. teach an arrangement for what is termed a grid-less ion source. The ion beam is created by two cathode surfaces with a magnetic field passing between the two surfaces The cathode surfaces and magnetic field are shaped into a racetrack to provide an endless Hall current confinement zone. An anode is disposed on one side of the racetrack magnetic field loop. This arrangement produces an ejection of ions from the side opposite the anode. Other prior art devices implemented electromagnets to create the magnetic field between the cathode surfaces. Horiike et al. teach the use of permanent magnets and a flat facing pole shape.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,359,258 to Arkhipov et al. teaches a closed drift ion accelerator wherein side wall erosion is reportedly lessened by lowering the amount of magnetic field in the acceleration channel by shunting the field with permeable screens. The idea is to move the containment of electrons from the central channel area out closer to the opening. The screens also shape the magnetic field to provide an amount of focusing of the plasma that helps to reduce side wall erosion. According to Arkhipov et al., the focusing effect allows making the channel walls thicker so the source lasts longer too.
Arkhipov et al. nowhere teaches shaping the magnetic poles to produce a strong radial mirror magnetic field in the gap and, more particularly, to produce that strong mirror field along the primary field line. As shown in FIG. 4A, when the poles are separated from the channel by an insulator, the mirror ratio along the primary field line is less than 2.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,838,120 in the name of Semenkin et al. describes an anode layer source comprising a magnetically permeable anode to shape the magnetic field. The use of a magnetic shunt to remove radial, poorly mirrored magnetic field from the central channel, and moving the anode closer to the exit end, may reduce wall erosion. This prior art device, however, only provides marginal improvements. Semenkin et al. nowhere teaches shaping of the magnetic field to produce a strong, focusing mirror field along the primary field line. The device taught by Semenkin et al. results in electrons that are largely free to move along magnetic field lines and, in this case, recombine at the walls.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,215,124 in the name of King discloses a multistage ion accelerator with closed electron drift. In this device, the life and efficiency of the thruster is improved by shunting the magnetic field away from the central accelerator channel region and moving the Bmax field line toward the open end. When this is done, the region of wall erosion moves farther toward the opening, extending the life of the thruster. While use of thin pole pieces could generate a mirror field of some strength, the poles are distanced from the channel by inserts. The result is a weak magnetic mirror field at the exit end with the accompanying negative results.


The present invention is directed to creating sound reverberation. In accordance with a preferred embodiment, an apparatus estimates an impulse response for use in reproduction of a sound in a desired acoustic space. In particular, the apparatus collects space information concerning an acoustic space and point information indicating positions of a sound generation and reception points in the acoustic space, estimates a set of acoustic ray paths of the sound traveling from the sound generation point to the sound reception point, acquires directivity information indicating an acoustic directivity of the sound generation point and the sound reception point, estimates an acoustic intensity of each acoustic ray path and weights each acoustic intensity by the acquired directivity information, and determines the impulse response based on directions of the respective acoustic ray paths toward the sound reception point and the weighed acoustic intensities of the respective acoustic ray paths.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a reverberation applying apparatus, a reverberation applying method, an impulse response generation apparatus, an impulse response generation method, a reverberation applying program, an impulse response generation program, and a recording medium for applying a reverberation effect to an audio signal in order to reproduce musical performances and the like held in acoustic spaces such as an auditorium a concert hall, a theater, and the like.
2. Prior Art
In recent years, various technologies are proposed so that a user can listen to realistic music in his or her room (hereafter referred to as a listening room) at home as if he or she were enjoying live performance in a concert hall or theater. One example is the acoustic field reproduction technology that reproduces acoustic fields of a virtual acoustic space such as a public concert hall in an actual acoustic space such as a private listening room.
The acoustic field reproduction technology will now be described. FIG. 11 schematically shows how sounds are reflected in an acoustic space 90 when a sound generation point S such as a musical instrument generates a sound. As shown in FIG. 11, sounds generated from the sound generation point S on a stage 901 are reflected on boundary surfaces such as a ceiling and side walls in the acoustic space 90 and reach an auditorium 902. The reflected sounds reach the auditorium 902 not simultaneously, but with time delays dependently on diverse travel distances.
In FIG. 11, a listening room L is depicted in the auditorium 902. If acoustics of a direct sound or a reflected sound (i.e., reverberant sound) can be reproduced on boundary surfaces such as a ceiling and walls in the listening room L, the listening room L can reproduce the acoustic field of the auditorium 902 enclosed in the listening room L. Generally, the reproduction of acoustics uses a reverberation applying apparatus that performs a convolution operation for an audio signal and an impulse response in the acoustic space for output. The impulse response is derived by using an acoustic signal containing reverberant sounds collected in the listening room L when the sound generation point S having nondirectional characteristics generates an acoustic measurement signal such as an impulse sound.
The conventional reverberation applying apparatus does not always accurately reproduce acoustic fields in the acoustic space. For example, it is impossible to reproduce an acoustic field in which the performer plays a musical instrument having specific directivity such as a brass instrument.

Method of creating reverberation by estimation of impulse response


An intelligent imaging system, includes an image generator that projects multiple angle views of a user, a plurality of cameras for capturing a plurality of images of the user, an image processing unit, a style advisor, and a control mechanism.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for viewing oneself from multiple angles. In particular, the present invention describes an intelligent mirror that allows users to project their image from multiple viewing angles.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are many situations where people would like to know how they look from different angles. For instance, people in fitting rooms, hair salons, dressing salons and home bathrooms, often desire multiple angle views of themselves.
Conventionally, to provide multiple views of a person in, for example, a fitting room, multiple mirrors are used. Using multiple mirrors, however, is not practical for home applications. Additionally, the use of multiple mirrors increases the cost, in comparison with using a single mirror.
In addition to viewing oneself from multiple angles, it would also be desirable to visualize how one would look with a certain hair style or outfit.
Typically, people would have to try on several outfits one-at-a-time or have their hair repeatedly styled to visualize themselves with a different hair style or outfit. Repeatedly changing one's outfit or hairstyle wastes considerable time.
Finally, it would be desirable for people to be able to read e-mails, news reports, stock quotes, etc., while they are shaving, combing their hair, brushing their teeth, etc.
Currently, people must wait until they are finished grooming to manually look-up information. Again, this wastes considerable time.

International Business Machines Corporation


Disclosed herein is a method and apparatus for transmitting and receiving a scheduling request using a shared resource based filtering method in a radio communication system. The method for supporting scheduling request using shared resources at a base station including assigning each of one or more users to each of one or more subsets of Scheduling Request (SR) resources of a set consisting of a number, M, of SR resources, receiving scheduling request for the one or more users, determining SR resources used for the scheduling request among M SR resources, determining one or more users associated with the received scheduling request based on the assigned SR resources and the determined SR resources, and transmitting scheduling control information to determined one or more users.

In a general radio communication system, an evolved Node B (eNB) may assign uplink resources to a User Equipment (UE), in order to enable the UE to perform uplink transmission to the eNB. In addition, a UE having data to be transmitted in uplink may transmit a Scheduling Request (SR) to an eNB to request uplink resource assignment.
Scheduling request methods include methods based on random access of a UE and methods enabling a UE to use a dedicated channel.
In the random access method, since a plurality of UEs share resources for a scheduling request, resource use efficiency is high, but scheduling requests of a plurality of UEs may collide with each other and thus time required to solve such collisions may result in considerable delays. In the method using the dedicated channel, since discriminable resources for a scheduling request are assigned to each UE, collision between UEs does not occur, but the amount of resources required for the scheduling request may be increased.
In addition, in the case where one UE transmits scheduling requests for a plurality of uplink transmissions (that is, a plurality of uplink traffic flows) to an eNB, each scheduling request for each uplink traffic flow may be transmitted to the eNB.

Method and apparatus for transmitting and receiving scheduling request using shared resource based filtering in radio communication system


The new method of removal and disposal of frozen reserve pit material, thawed reserve pit material and soils contaminated with low level radiation or other pollutants is disclosed. The system has several components that take the solids material and to crush the material down to a workable size. The crushed mixture is agitated and mixed into a slurry. Unlike other systems, the present invention uses agitation plus a jet feed of the fines slurry that is pumped into the bottom of the holding tanks. This supplemental feed assures proper dilution and ensures through mixing. The system then uses finer crushers and hydrocyclones to reduce the particulate size further. Once the material is properly reduced, it can be pumped into an injection well for disposal below ground, using any suitable method.

Oil and gas drilling operations produce drill cuttings or "tailings" that consist of material removed from a well with mixtures of other fluids and materials that are used to facilitate drilling. This other material is typically called drilling mud. In the past, the tailings and spent mud were pumped to open surface pits for storage. Current environmental rules regulate handling and disposal of the tailings that prohibit their disposal on the surface. To solve this problem, several methods of disposal have been developed. Recent examples may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,942,929 to Malachosky et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,109,933 to Jackson. The Malachosky et al. patent teaches a method for cleaning and removing commercial quantities of gravel that are recovered from wells drilled in northern Alaska. The method calls for making a slurry of the remaining material and then reinjecting this material back into the ground. The Jackson Patent uses centrifugal pumps to grind solids recovered from offshore wells. The ground solids are then mixed into a slurry and reinjected into the well for disposal. Both inventions are designed for specific, narrowly designed purposes. They are not designed to treat large quantities of solid materials that may be frozen, such as material stored in many above-ground reserve pits found in the polar regions. Moreover, these devices cannot dispose of large quantities of material.

Device for reclaiming and disposal of drilling wastes and method of use therefore


A light-weight, corrosion-resistant, readily installed bridge deck is formed of modular deck panels spliced to each other on site. Each of the deck panels is shop-fabricated by longitudinally welding flanges of adjacently placed multi-void extruded aluminum alloy structural elements. Transfer splices of longitudinally adjacent elongate elements are made by providing shear elements connecting individual elongate structural elements of each deck panel end-to-end prior to longitudinal welding of adjacent elongate elements, with the end joints between the elongate elements being arrayed in a staggered manner. A safety rail system is mounted to run alongside and above outer edges of the finished bridge deck mounted to a system of support girders.

As existing bridges and their roadway decks age they deteriorate due to the effects of repeated traffic loads, environment, loss of paint, and use of deicing chemicals and therefore need to be maintained with ever-increasing care, and in many cases must be replaced to ensure safety. Some older bridges were never designed to handle modern heavy truck traffic and are therefore structurally deficient. As populations grow, so does the volume of traffic. The consequence is that there is increasing pressure in the United States, and abroad, to modify and strengthen existing bridge structures and to develop more durable, less expensive, lower maintenance, lighter weight, and more easily assembled bridge structures for the future. There are also environmental concerns associated with application and removal of protective paint systems on steel structures which must be taken into consideration.
The typical bridge has a superstructure and foundation system by which a bridge roadway is supported at a desired elevation relative to adjacent terrain. As the moving loads of traffic traverse the bridge, the deck and the superstructure, eventually deteriorate. In some cases, the superstructure and foundations were never designed to support today's heavy trucks. A key factor in obtaining improved bridge structures therefore is to reduce the weight of the bridge deck without sacrificing strength, rigidity, durability, and the ability to cope with unusually heavy loads, accidents and the like. Traditional steel and concrete bridge decks are heavy and are subject to deterioration. Steel superstructures and reinforcing steel in concrete tend to rust and therefore require expensive anti-corrosion measures, inspection and/or painting. Steel orthotropic decks, while considered to be light in weight, are usually heavier than aluminum decks, require extensive welding and are fatigue sensitive. They are also quite flexible in the transverse direction, i.e., across the principal direction of traffic flow, which leads to wearing surface failures, and may be more expensive than aluminum.
Bridges typically consist of a superstructure and a substructure. The superstructure includes the deck and any members which support the deck that are oriented in a generally horizontal configuration. Bridge superstructures often include steel beams. When these beams run parallel to the length of the bridge (called the longitudinal direction of the bridge) they are referred to as girders or sometimes as stringers. Steel beams running transversely to the direction of traffic sometimes are also provided as part of the bridge superstructure.
Bridge decks are typically made of concrete with steel reinforcing bars, although some decks are made of steel plate with ribs on the underside running in the longitudinal direction. These steel decks are referred to as steel orthotropic decks because they have significantly different structural properties in the longitudinal and transverse directions. They are more costly than concrete decks but typically weigh less. One problem associated with steel decks is that the wearing layer typically applied on top of the upper steel, to provide a skid-resistant surface for traffic, often fails prematurely.
Concrete decks are typically cast in place at the bridge site. This requires a significant expenditure of time and labor to prepare the formwork and falsework needed to cast the concrete and to allow the concrete to cure. Steel and aluminum decks are fabricated off-site under controlled conditions and with more efficient labor in shops. Metal deck fabrication typically includes longitudinal and transverse splices between smaller parts that make up the deck. However, there are practical limits to the size of fabricated pieces that can be shipped. Therefore, steel and aluminum decks may also require longitudinal and transverse splices at the bridge site.
Serious consideration is therefore being given to the use of light-weight, corrosion resistant, easily-handled, aluminum deck structures. To reduce costs while ensuring high quality, attention has focused lately on forming the bridge deck in modular fashion, i.e., with initial construction being carried out in a shop or factory with the resulting modular elements being quickly and relatively inexpensively assembled in the field. Prefabricating "deck panels" or "deck slabs" from selected numbers of constituent elements also gives the bridge designer additional freedom in selecting the dimensions and form of the resulting bridge deck.
Examples of known bridge deck structures which variously address such needs include U.S. Pat. No. 4,709,435 to Stemler et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,912,795 to Johnson, U.S. Pat. No. 5,033,147 to Svensson, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,414,885 to Berlin et al. These and other comparable prior art references teach different ways of forming bridge deck structures from component elements including extruded aluminum elements having hollow cross-sections, and the use of a wearing surface on an upper surface of the bridge deck.
The joints between adjacent elongate elements in the prior art, e.g., Svensson, are subject to flexing open and closed under loading, which can result in potential reflective cracking of the wearing layer. The joints between adjacent elongate elements in the present invention are welded, and so will not tend to produce cracks in the wearing layer when the deck is loaded. The Svensson elongate elements are clamped to the bridge girders. This method of attachment cannot be relied upon to transmit shear between the girder and the deck, since only an unquantified friction is available to transmit this shear. Thus, the benefits of composite action of the girders and deck cannot be realized. Also, since it is the practice of bridge engineers to assume that clamped joints will likely freeze up due to the accumulation of dirt or oxides, the deck and girder must also be designed as if shear were transmitted between them. This means that the bridge must be investigated for two conditions and the worst effects of the two used for the design. The Svensson type of structure also requires that holes be drilled in the bridge girders and that shims be driven between the deck and girders to anchor the deck at every joint between the elongate elements. This may be time-consuming and expensive.
There is, however, a continuing need for improvements which would increase the capacity of the bridge, reduce the cost (including the cost of assembling the structure from prefabricated modular elements), tolerate occasional overloads by overweight vehicles or caused by accidents or the like, and meet all applicable governmental standards and professional codes. The present invention is intended to meet such demands.
The present invention comprises an aluminum bridge deck. While somewhat similar to steel orthotropic decks in that they weigh less than concrete or filled grating, aluminum decks weigh even less than steel decks. Also, as will be explained further below, this invention teaches how aluminum decks can be made with essentially isotropic, rather than orthotropic, properties. With a continuous bottom flange and a continuous top flange, as in the preferred embodiment per FIGS. 10 and 12, for example, loads can be effectively resisted by two paths, i.e., in bending longitudinally and transversely to the length of the elongate elements. This is more structurally efficient than providing only one load path to resist loads. It is also redundant, and offers greater structural reliability. The net result is an essentially isotropic deck. Structural strength in this deck structure, in both shear and bending, is thus provided both longitudinally and transversely to the direction of traffic.
Other cross-sectional forms of the basic element from which such aluminum decks are formed provide varying combinations of advantages.

Modular bridge deck system including hollow extruded aluminum elements


An extension coupling for interconnecting a trailer to a tow hitch carried on a tow vehicle includes a pin box assembly having a first end and a second end. The first end is pivotally connected to the trailer. A king pin is connected to the second end. The pin box assembly includes a locking wedge that engages the tow hitch to strictly limit pivoting movement of the pin box assembly relative to the tow hitch.

The present invention relates to a new extension coupling for interconnecting a trailer to a tow hitch carried on a tow vehicle. The extension coupling provides both softening in the vertical direction and anti-chucking in the longitudinal or horizontal direction so as to provide enhanced performance and a smoother ride. In effect the extension coupling acts as a buffer between the tow vehicle and the trailer, significantly reducing the negative impact of vertical shock and longitudinal chucking to provide an improved ride. The coupling relieves stress on the towing vehicle, trailer frame, cabinets, mechanicals and support mechanisms. The smoother ride also reduces fatigue for drivers and passengers in the towing vehicle.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Extension coupling for interconnecting trailer and tow hitch


Method and apparatus for controlling an evaporative gas conditioning system utilizes a controller for controlling the rate at which liquid is introduced into a conditioning chamber, thereby closely controlling the rate at which temperature within the conditioning chamber is adjusted to a desired temperature. Nozzle characteristics of a plurality of different nozzle types are stored in a memory associated with the controller, so that when existing nozzles are replaced with a different nozzle type, an operator can select the new nozzle type, and data stored in memory will be retrieved to permit efficient control of the system without the necessity for manual reconfiguration. Additionally, spray nozzles for spraying water into the conditioning chamber of the system are organized into banks of nozzles, and the banks of nozzles are controlled to maintain optimum water flow through each nozzle, and to evenly distribute the water into the conditioning chamber. Additionally, steady state or stable operation of the system is monitored and data indicative of operating conditions during stable operation, for various conditions, are stored in memory. Upon a change in conditions, such as from a mill on to a mill off condition, data indicative of stable operation with respect to said operating condition retrieved, and utilized in controlling system 10, particularly, in controlling the volume of liquid introduced into the conditioning chamber, to thereby drastically reduce the transition time associated with a change in mill on/mill off condition.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to an evaporative gas conditioning system for conditioning gases resulting from industrial processes. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for controlling an evaporative gas conditioning system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Evaporative gas conditioning systems for cooling and conditioning hot gases produced by industrial processes are well known. Evaporative gas conditioning systems are most commonly utilized upstream from pollution control equipment, such as an electrostatic precipitator or a baghouse, so as to condition, or prepare, the industrial gases for the pollution control equipment. As hot, particulate laden gas resulting from an industrial process, such as a kiln or furnace operation, is introduced into a conditioning chamber or duct of an evaporative gas conditioning system, the physical and chemical properties of the gas are equipment located downstream. Particularly, conditioning of the gas typically involves altering the temperature, moisture content, resistivity of the dust and chemical composition of the gas.
Conventionally, industrial gases introduced into a conditioning chamber of an evaporative gas conditioning system are conditioned by spraying water into the gas stream. Spraying of water into the gas stream results in a reduction in the temperature of the gas, a reduction in the gas volume handled by the downstream air pollution control equipment, a reduction in resistivity of particulate located within the gas stream, and an increase in the overall moisture content of the gas.
Evaporative gas conditioning systems conventionally fall into one of two categories--single fluid systems and dual fluid systems. Single fluid evaporative gas conditioning systems are characterized by the introduction of only high-pressure liquid (water) for conditioning purposes. In contrast, dual fluid evaporative gas conditioning systems introduce both water and air at lower pressure into the gas stream. In either type of system, water is introduced into the gas stream by nozzles, which output a spray in the form of water droplets. Typically, single fluid evaporative gas conditioning systems are characterized by water droplets of 350 microns or more in size, while dual fluid systems output much smaller water droplets, often on the order of 50-136 microns. Dual fluid evaporative gas conditioning systems therefore typically utilize less water than single fluid systems, and are able to operate with smaller conditioning towers. Moreover, one advantage of a dual fluid evaporative gas conditioning system is that, since the water droplets are smaller, it is more likely that they will evaporate before passing through the conditioning chamber, thus preventing downstream water damage.
In the past, dual fluid evaporative gas conditioning systems were controlled utilizing a control loop known as proportional integral derivative, or PID. As will be appreciated by those with skill in the art, a primary drawback with the PID approach is, when introducing water into the conditioning chamber to lower the temperature of the gas from a sensed temperature to a desired temperature, it is common to overshoot the desired temperature, which thus requires a correction. However, when undertaking correction, it is not uncommon for control systems based upon a PID loop to over correct, and so forth, resulting in oscillation of temperature above and below the desired temperature. The resulting output from the conditioning chamber is thus unstable, causing performance problems and possible equipment damage downstream from the conditioning system. Additionally, a specific drawback of the PID approach is the inability of the system to be sensitive to on-going conditions in the system, and to respond as necessary to those on-going conditions. More specifically, with the PID approach, the nozzles utilized to introduce water droplets into the conditioning chamber cannot be adequately controlled to adjust the rate at which water is introduced into the chamber, thus resulting in the oscillation problems described.
In response to the limitations of the PID loop approach, the present applicant developed an evaporative gas conditioning system which took a different approach. In that system, water was introduced into the conditioning chamber at a first maximum rate when the temperature of the gas in the chamber was more than a selected amount away from the desired temperature. Upon reaching a predetermined threshold temperature, the rate at which water was supplied to the conditioning chamber to cool gas was based upon a linear function. However, it has been determined that such a system has numerous drawbacks, is limited in its ability to efficiently respond to conditions in the conditioning chamber, and results in an unacceptable overall performance by the conditioning system.
An additional problem with conventional evaporative gas systems is their inflexibility to accommodate nozzles having different characteristics. In other words, in the design of a conventional evaporative gas conditioning system, once a nozzle is selected, the performance parameters of the system are designed around the characteristics of the selected nozzle. In the event that it becomes necessary or desirable to change the nozzles to a type having different characteristics at a later time, conventional systems require a substantial reconfiguration to accommodate the new nozzle type.
Accordingly, the need exists for a dual fluid evaporative gas conditioning system which is responsive to the on-going conditions within the conditioning chamber of the system. Additionally, the need exists for an evaporative gas conditioning system that does not have the temperature overshoot problems associated with utilization of the PID loop, and which overcomes the drawbacks of the linear approach taken in other prior art.
Additionally, the need exists for an evaporative gas conditioning system which is easily adjustable to utilized nozzles having different performance characteristics. The present invention overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art, and meets these and other needs.

Method for controlling an evaporative gas conditioning system


Systems and methods recited herein provide for affixation of a prosthetic valve to surrounding tissue, by at least one anchor and an anchor deployment device. The prosthetic valve device may be compliant with native tissue and may receive the at least one anchor in at least one anchor receptacle to affix the prosthetic valve to native tissue. The anchor may include a distal tip, a proximal head, and a tension component, such that upon deployment into tissue the tension component is situated in a tensioned state to exert a pulling force on the distal end of the anchor.

Heart valve replacements have been developed to counter heart valve failure, either from heart valve regurgitation (i.e., the failure of the heart valve to properly close), or from heart valve stenosis (i.e., the failure of the heart valve to properly open). Though early efforts at heart valve repair and replacement included open surgery, more recent developments have included percutaneous surgical applications.
Percutaneous heart valve repair, however, has shown certain disadvantages. For example, percutaneous repair involves modified surgical techniques, which can limit the benefits of the procedure. Annular rings may lack effectiveness, and include risks of erosion, perforation, and coronary artery thrombosis. Edge-to-edge repair can be technically demanding, and may lack long term durability. Depending upon the particular valve failure, combinations of different repair techniques may be necessary, further complicating the procedure and limiting its effectiveness.
In contrast, heart valve replacement has provided certain advantages, limiting the risks associated with heart valve repair, and applying to a broader scope of patients. Open surgery solutions for heart valve replacement, however, carry significant risks to the patient. Therefore, a less invasive, percutaneous heart valve replacement is needed.
Existing percutaneous solutions include U.S. Pat. No. 7,621,948, describing a percutaneously inserted heart valve prosthesis, which can be folded inside a catheter for delivery to the implant location. Another percutaneous solution is available from CardiAQ Valve Technologies, Inc., described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0144378. Other percutaneous prosthetic valves include Neovasc Tiara, Valtech Cardiovalve, ValveXchange, Lutter Valve, and valves from Medtronic, Inc. and Edwards Lifesciences Corporation.
In providing a percutaneous heart valve replacement, challenges include providing an implant that may be folded into a catheter for delivery, and can emerge from the catheter to fit properly into the implant site and serve its function as a valve. The implant valve must therefore be small enough to be folded into the catheter, but must be large enough, upon implantation, to provide the functions of the valve, without being so large as to obstruct ventricular flow.
Moreover, fixing the heart valve implant to the implant site may be challenging, as the implant site may form an irregular shape, may lack calcium to secure the valve, or may cause difficulty in fixing the implant valve with the proper orientation.
Further, although long-standing surgical methods for the implantation and the design of aortic valve prosthesis have proven both safe and reliable over the past few decades, it has been well documented that the transition of these same prosthetic designs and surgical methods, to mitral valve replacement, has fallen far short both in terms of safety and reliability.
The reason for this failure is simple: the aortic and mitral valves differ in a number of substantive ways. For example, in a body of operable patients the aortic valve will consist of more rigid, calcified tissue, whereas the mitral valve will be composed of muscular tissue that dilates and constricts, to some extent, throughout the cardiac cycle. This seemingly innocuous difference is one of several that have caused aortic prosthesis to fail in the mitral arena. That is, aortic prosthesis may rely on radial pressure to 'force fit' in a particular location. But, the mitral valve lacks the necessary rigidity and consistency of size that allow radial pressure to succeed as a means of engagement in the aortic arena.
The ineffectiveness of radial pressure to reliably secure a prosthesis in certain cardiac procedures has also had implications regarding the invasiveness of those procedures. For example, in the case of certain anchoring approaches and all suture dependent approaches, the need for tensioning the anchoring device or suture has generally required that a surgery be far more invasive than might be otherwise necessary. The reason for this is simple: a surgeon will require more direct access to the prosthesis in order to manually tension the anchors or sutures employed.
Another dilemma in prosthetic related cardiac surgeries results from the drastic structural variance between individual hearts when circumstances dictate that radial pressure will not serve as an adequate means of securement. The distance between the interior tissues surrounding the mitral valve and the coronary sinus, circumflex artery, or electrophysiological conduction system, for example, vary materially between patients. Furthermore, the depth required for a certain anchor or suture to reliably affix a prosthesis is often not present between the operable tissue and these fragile structures. The potential health risks created by this dilemma have not been sufficiently addressed by the current technologies in this space, and it is difficult to envision an anchoring technology that would maintain a deployment depth necessary to consistently secure a prosthesis without running the risk of damaging nearby cardiac features.
The aforementioned examples serve to highlight the inability of long standing aortic valve replacement technologies to be effectively employed in alternate surgical implications within the heart. The drawbacks associated with the heightened level of invasiveness and the implications of structural inconsistences are two of many problems yet to be solved for the growing number of cardiac patients in the world today. All of these differences, though, can be overcome by means of a proprietary anchoring technology, capable of bridging the gap in structural discrepancy described above.

Systems and methods for affixing a prosthesis to tissue


A bag stuffer for placement in a bag, comprising a first panel, a second panel, and an articulated support beam connected between the first and second panels. The articulated beam has a collapsed storage position with the first and second panels substantially adjacent each other and substantially parallel to each other for a storage position of the bag, and an extended or expanded bracing position for holding the first and second panels spaced from each other and for holding the bag in a stuffed display position. The articulated support beam also has at least two beam panels and at least one elastic band for biasing the two beam panels toward each other for biasing the articulated support beam from the collapsed storage toward the expanded bracing position.

The present invention relates generally to the field of bag stuffers having an insert movable from a collapsed orientation which enables compact storage of an expandable bag containing the insert, to an expanded orientation which provides a commercial display of the expandable bag containing the insert, and in particular to such a bag stuffer with an improved pop-up feature.
Bag stuffers or expanders are well-known in the retail art. Each includes an insert movable from a collapsed orientation which enables compact storage, to an expanded orientation which provides a commercial display of the expandable bag containing the insert. Bag stuffers are used with a wide variety of expandable articles which, for reasons of economy, are preferably shipped and stored in a relatively flat or collapsed orientation, but are best presented in commercial displays in an expanded orientation. Such articles include backpacks, baseball bags, basketball bags, beach bags, belt bags, briefcases, cooler bags, cosmetic kits, cross trainer bags, duffle bags, Dop kits, bowling bags, fashion totes, hand bags, locker bags, lunch bags, pilot cases, purses, roller skating bags, snorkeling bags, soft-sided luggage, sports bags, sportsman's gear bags, tackle bags, tennis bags, utility bags and the like. The present invention can be used to stuff any of these bags and any other soft bags not specifically listed, as well.
The assignee of the present application also owns the following US patents that illustrate various types of bag stuffer structures: U.S. Pat. No. 6,698,927 for a Bag Stuffer With Improved Spring; U.S. Pat. No. 6,550,967 for a Bag Stuffer; U.S. Pat. No. 5,542,767 for a Bag Stuffer; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,259,674 for a Bag Expander And Bag Containing Same.
Various rubber band powered bag stuffers or expanders are also know.
See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,179,600; 4,993,846; 4,969,751; and 4,946,292.
Other patents of interest to the present invention are: U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,930,557; 3,447,648; 3,902,541; 3,934,803; 4,077,451; 4,141,399; 4,142,564; 4,395,845; 4,993,846; 5,292,197; and 5,322,362.
Also see U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,341,532 and 5,499,874 and U.S. Design Pat. Nos. D316,633; D346,064; and D362,113.
A disadvantage of known bag stuffers is the limitations on the configurations of the expandable bags with which they are useful. Thus while the known bag stuffers are typically useful with relatively shallow, generally rectangular bags, the various planar elements of the insert which abut the bag and are used to force the bag to its expanded orientation could not be used in connection with cylindrical or duffel-type bags or other bags not having parallel sides. Additionally, even where the bag has parallel sides, the biasing means typically cannot separate the planar elements by more than a given distance (determined by the length of the coil spring biasing means) unless an intermediate panel or flap is used (with the biasing means acting on the flap which in turn separates the planar elements). Accordingly, the need remains for a bag stuffer which can expand unusually shaped bags and which, without the presence of intermediate elements (such as flaps), permits the biasing means to move the planar elements abutting the bag to a desired separation greater than the length of the biasing means.
A need still remains for a bag stuffer of increased efficience and reduced cost and complexity for the luggage industry and related fields.


It is an object of the present invention to provide a thermosetting resin composition having satisfactory adhesiveness, good processability, high heat resistance, and excellent dielectric characteristics in the GHz band; and a laminate and a circuit board including the thermosetting resin composition.

In recent years, to improve information-processing capability in electronic devices, frequencies of electrical signals transmitted through circuits on circuit boards used in the electronic devices have been increased to high frequency level. Therefore, even when the frequencies of the electrical signals are increased, the wiring (circuit) boards are required to maintain electrical reliability and suppress a decrease in electrical signal transmission rate and loss of electrical signals in the circuit.
Insulating layers, such as a protective film for protecting the circuit board and the circuit and an interlayer insulating film for ensuring insulation between layers constituting a multilayer circuit board, are usually provided on the above-described circuit board. The insulating layers such as the protective film and the interlayer insulating film are provided on the circuit board and thus have been required to have adhesiveness to the circuit board in addition to insulation properties.
In particular, when a multilayer circuit board, such as a build-up circuit board, is produced by lamination, the layers are bonded together with the interlayer insulating layer provided therebetween and fixed. At the same time, the space between lines in the circuit wiring are filled with a material constituting the interlayer insulating layer, thus fixing the lines. Therefore, the interlayer insulating film is required to have satisfactory adhesiveness to a substrate and the like and flowability such that the gaps between the lines in the circuit wiring are filled with the interlayer insulating film. Consequently, the insulating layers, such as the protective film and the interlayer insulating film, are composed of adhesive materials having adhesiveness and resin flowability.
Furthermore, in order to improve information-processing capability in electronic devices by increasing frequencies of electrical signals, even when insulating layers are composed of adhesive materials, the circuit boards are required to maintain electrical reliability in the gigahertz (GHz) band and have no adverse effect on the electrical signal transmission.
Conventionally, for example, epoxy adhesive materials and thermoplastic polyimide adhesive materials have been used as adhesive materials for circuit boards. The epoxy adhesive materials have satisfactory processability, i.e., the epoxy adhesive materials can bond adherends under low-temperature and low-pressure conditions and can fill the space between lines in circuit wiring. In addition, the epoxy adhesive materials have satisfactory adhesiveness to adherends. The thermoplastic polyimide adhesive materials have dielectric constants and dielectric loss tangents lower than those of epoxy resins and thus can be used in higher-frequency applications. Furthermore, the thermoplastic polyimide adhesive materials have, for example, satisfactory insulation (e.g., low volume resistivity) and excellent heat resistance (e.g., low thermal expansion and high thermal decomposition temperature).
Patent Document 1 discloses an adhesive being in the form of a film and composed of a mixture of a polyimide resin having a glass transition temperature within a predetermined range, an epoxy compound, and a compound having an active hydrogen group that can react with the epoxy compound, as a material containing the epoxy resin and polyimide resin described above, and this adhesive allowing bonding of adherends at a low temperature in a short time and ensuring reliability of heat resistance at a high temperature.
Patent Document 2 discloses a sealing epoxy resin composition containing an epoxy resin, a phenolic resin curing agent, a specific imide oligomer, and an inorganic filler.
Patent Document 3 discloses a hybrid adhesive composition containing an imide oligomer containing a specific repeating unit structure, an epoxy resin, and an epoxy curing agent.    [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 8-27430 (publication date: Jan. 30, 1996 (Heisei 8))    [Patent Document 2] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 08-41172    [Patent Document 3] PCT Japanese Translation Patent Publication No. 2004-502859

Thermosetting resin composition, laminated body using it, and circuit board

Abstract: The present invention provides a thermosetting resin composition including an imide oligomer component (A) containing at least one imide oligomer having a specific structure and an epoxy resin component (B) containing at least one epoxy resin. Furthermore, the present invention provides the thermosetting resin composition further including a polyimide resin component (C).


A semiconductor device package and method for its fabrication are provided. The semiconductor device package generally includes at least one semiconductor die and a substrate coupled to the semiconductor die. The semiconductor die is provided with a front side defining a sealing area, and a first solder sealing ring pad formed on that front side. The substrate is provided with a front surface opposing the front side of the semiconductor die on which a second solder sealing ring pad is formed. A solder sealing ring structure is sandwiched between the first and second solder sealing pads of the substrate and semiconductor die, such that it extends peripherally about a substantial portion of the sealing area to substantially enclose thereat a cavity between the semiconductor die and the substrate. The solder sealing ring structure includes at least one venting portion defining against at least one of the substrate and semiconductor die an air vent in open communication with the cavity.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to electronic packaging of semiconductor integrated circuits. More specifically, the present invention relates to electronic packaging of image-sensing semiconductor devices.
2. Related Art
Image sensors (or image-sensing semiconductor devices) find wide use in various digital photography applications. They are used in digital cameras and camcorder, for which the market has grown sharply since about 1999 when manufacturers began incorporating in cellular phone devices.
As shown in FIG. 1, an image sensor die 2 includes an image-sensing area 4 (the so-called "pixel area") at its center, and electrical terminals 6 (the so-called "bonding pads") about its peripheral areas for electrical input and output. Typically, the image-sensing area 4 includes a plurality of photo-diodes disposed underneath which serve to transduce light to electrical signals. Red, green, and blue color filters are disposed over the photo-diodes for differentiating the color of the incoming light. Micro-lenses are in turn disposed over the color filters for improving light intensity passing on to the photo-diodes. In the image sensor die configuration schematically illustrated in FIG. 1, only the image sensing area 4 and terminals 6 are shown for brevity and clarity.
Generally, semiconductor devices have been packaged in the so-called "plastic package," having epoxy molding compound fully enclosing the device for protection. In the case of image sensors, however, light must pass to the image-sensing area. Therefore, such plastic package is generally not suitable as electronic packaging for image sensors.
Ceramic packages having glass lid tops have been used for image sensor packaging. On such package is illustrated in schematic cross-section in FIG. 2. As shown in the figure, this ceramic package 10 includes a multi-layered ceramic substrate 14 and an image sensor chip 12 attached at a central portion of the substrate using epoxy or the like. Gold wires electrically connect the image sensor chip and substrate. A glass lid 16 is attached at a top of the package to allow the passage of light into the image sensor chip's image-sensing area.
This ceramic package has superior robustness. However, it is ordinarily very expensive. Moreover, the package in most cases is not small enough for hand-held applications like cellular phones. Because of these factors, use of such ceramic package is seen primarily in applications where high reliability is of greater concern than compact size or low price, such as digital camera or camcorder applications. Use of the package is not often seen in applications like camera phones, where low price and compact size are more important concerns than reliability.
Although not separately shown, a plastic package is also known in the art which incorporates typical lead frame and molding compound features, but includes a glass lid top to serve as an image sensor package, employing a plastic leadless chip carrier (PLCC) configuration. Such a package structure is well known to persons versed in image sensor packaging art. A notable advantage is that it tends to be less in cost than the ceramic package. However, it is not as robust as the ceramic package, and is no more compact than a comparable ceramic package. For these reasons, such plastic package structure has been used primarily in certain PC camera applications where low price is the most important of requirements, over such others as reliability or size.
Another packaging option proposed in the art for an image sensor is one having a laminate substrate instead of ceramic, but with much the same configuration as a ceramic package. This option may prove a bit cheaper in cost, but also fails to provide the degree of compactness normally required for hand-held applications. A figure schematic illustrating this package is omitted for brevity and clarity, as such package structure is well known to persons versed in image sensor packaging art.
The packages mentioned above fail to provide sufficient compactness for hand-held applications such as cellular phone. Chip scale (or size) packaging (CSP) technology for image sensors having low price and small size has drawn much interest in the art for hand-held applications, given the enormous recent growth of the market.
CSP technology suitable for image sensor was proposed by Shellcase Inc. Detailed techniques relating to this technology are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,716,759, 6,040,235, and 6,117,707, for example. FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic cross-section of a package formed according to this technology. For better understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of the package, it is helpful to explain the method for forming the structure. First, an image sensor wafer is provided with bonding pads extended to its dicing areas which have narrow widths between neighboring dice. The dicing width must be sufficiently wider than the approximate 100 micro-meters normally used in the semiconductor industry. This special requirement limits the package's application in practice.
To form a package 20 shown in FIG. 3 according to this technique, a front side of an image sensor wafer 22 is attached to a glass wafer 24 using epoxy 21 or the like. Then, a backside of the image sensor wafer is thinned by grinding. Generally, the wafer thickness before thinning is about 725 micro-meters, and about 100 micro-meters after it is thinned. A detailed explanation as to the need for such thinning is omitted herein for brevity and clarity.
Afterwards, another glass wafer is attached to the backside of the image sensor wafer by using epoxy or the like. Then the wafer is partially diced up to sufficient depth that the terminals extending to the dicing line are exposed. Special dicing blades having a certain tip angle is used for this operation to form a ditch-like structure where terminals are exposed at inner surfaces of the ditch. Interconnection metal lines are thereafter formed over the surface by metal layer depositing and patterning. Additional description of further processing steps necessary to complete this package are omitted for brevity and clarity.
A most important advantage of this technique is that the resulting package size is about the same as the image sensor die size. However, there are several critical drawbacks in this technique. The most critical drawback is that the structure is too complicated, and the process technique is too difficult. Detailed explanations are again omitted for brevity and clarity, but such drawbacks are well known to persons versed in the wafer level packaging art. Because of these drawbacks, required manufacturing costs tend to be prohibitively high, and sufficiently high yields tend to be difficult to achieve, which in turn also increases overall manufacturing costs.
Other drawbacks are found with this technique. One of them is that the image sensor wafer has to meet certain special requirements, like terminals having to be extended to the dicing area and the pertinent width having to be substantially larger than normal as a result. This tends to decrease the total number of dice realizable on a given wafer, given the need for wider dicing lines. In practice, an image sensor maker employing this technique is forced to produce multiple wafer types, one adapted for this packaging technique, and another of more conventional configuration for other general packaging techniques. This results in additional costs.
Yet another disadvantage to this technique is that all dice on wafers are subjected to all the manufacturing processes in this technique. The manufacturing cost depends quite heavily on the yield of each image sensor wafer in this kind of situation. In the example of one device having an 80% image sensor wafer yield and another having a 40% yield, the unit package manufacturing cost (or price) in the latter case would be double that in the former case. The reality presently is that even matured image sensor devices in production have typically about a 70% yield; and, image sensor makers typically start mass production at about a 30% yield. With high resolution image sensors, the wafer yield could be even lower than 30% in production, since wafer yield is inversely related to resolution. Given such circumstances, it is not easy to adopt this technique for packaging an image sensor wafer. The technique is not used much for these reasons, even though it provides superior compact package size advantages.
A major source of failure in image sensor packaging is particles adhered to image sensing area surfaces. This causes repeatable spotting in the resultant digital images. Even though particles may not actually stick to image sensing area surfaces, but instead moves inside of the package, the persistent if not repeatable spotting which results in the resultant digital images is equally unacceptable. Contamination of the image sensing area otherwise may cause the same kind of failure. Therefore, it is critical in image sensor packaging to minimize or prevent any particle entry or other contamination, especially at the image sensing area. That is why higher cleanness is particularly essential in image sensor packaging than in other types of packaging.
Image sensor packages typically include a sealing structure for preventing particles from reaching and entering the image sensing area. For instance, a ceramic package for image sensor includes a glass lid on top of the package, with a cavity formed inside, such that particles are prevented from getting inside once the glass lid is placed and attached onto the package.
Humidity uptake inside the image sensing area is also known to degrade a color filter and micro-lens disposed thereon. This does not appear to be a significant issue with many digital cameras, but in the case of high-end, professional-grade digital cameras, for instance, hermetic or other protective measures have been sought to prevent or minimize the humidity uptake.
A package having a hermetic metal sealing structure was proposed by IMEC, VZW. Detailed techniques relating to such structure are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,566,745. FIGS. 4a and 4b illustrate the package structure. As shown in the figures, this package 30 includes flip chip solder joints 33 for electrical interconnection between an image sensor die 32 and a glass substrate 31. Also, this package includes solder balls 34 which serve as package's external terminals, as well as metal lines 37 formed on the glass substrate for connecting the solder balls and flip chip solder joints. This package further includes a solder sealing ring 35 having a closed loop configuration. In addition, the package includes epoxy sealing 36 disposed about the solder sealing ring. Other components are not shown, in the interests of brevity and clarity.
The metal sealing structure provides a hermetic seal for preventing particle or humidity uptake, while epoxy sealing structure provides a non-hermetic seal inasmuch as that it permits some amount of humidity to get inside by diffusion.
This IMEC, VZW package strives for the most ideal sealing structure for image sensors, but substantial difficulties must be overcome in actually forming the structure. First of all, this package requires a vacuum solder reflow process instead of a conventional convection reflow process or the like. Normally, a flip chip die collapses when solder bumps melt and wet to pads of the substrate during a solder reflow process. That is, the height of a flip chip solder joint formed by a solder reflow process is substantially less than that of the original flip chip solder bump. Solder bumps 50 micro-meters in height, for example, typically form solder joints approximately just 30 micro-meters high. The amount of collapse mainly depends on the pad size on substrate. For instance, if the pad size were infinite, the collapse would be 100%, and the solder joint height would conversely be zero. On the other hand, if the pad size were to approach zero, the amount of collapse would also approach zero, and the solder joint height will remain the same as the solder bump height. While further explanation is omitted, this is well known to persons versed in the soldering art.
The IMEC, VZW package includes a solder sealing ring structure having a closed loop configuration. As the solder material melts and wets to pads on the substrate, the solder sealing ring necessarily tends toward some collapse. If not done within a vacuum environment, the air entrapped within the cavity surrounded by the ring would hinder this collapse of not only the solder sealing ring but also the flip chip bumps. This would increase failure rate in forming solder joints, which in turn increases yield loss. Therefore, vacuum solder reflow or the like is essential for properly forming this structure.
A fluxless soldering technique is also essential for properly forming this structure. Normally, flux is applied onto joining areas of objects to be adjoined by soldering. Flux removes oxide from surface of joining objects and also prevents oxidation during a solder reflow process. It includes a solvent that evaporates early in the reflow process, at about 60°–100° C. depending on the given flux material characteristics. This is called "out-gassing." In the IMEC, VZW package structure, there is no path by which the solvent can evacuate since a closed cavity is maintained. Residual solvent in the cavity would prove detrimental to long term reliability, and may also cause contamination of the image sensing area. Therefore, the IMEC, VZW package structure necessitates a fluxless soldering technique to properly form its sealing structure.
Conventional solder reflow techniques, like the so-called surface mounting technique (SMT), is quite inexpensive and reliable. This technique includes flux application on joining areas, and permits the transport of objects to be adjoined through a belt (conveyor) oven. A vacuum reflow technique, on the other hand, is not common in industry even though it has been tried for research purposes. Hence, there is no vacuum reflow equipment for mass production commercially available presently on the market.
A vacuum reflow oven would not necessarily be difficult to build. A possible configuration of the equipment may include a vacuum chamber and a robot system to handle wafer transport in and out. Also the equipment may include infrared (IR) lamps to heat the wafer through a glass window of the vacuum chamber. The temperature control would not be as simple as for a conventional belt oven. The equipment price, however, would be considerably higher than that for a conventional belt oven. The throughput would be much lower considering that processing of the next wafer must await complete processing of the wafer then in the vacuum chamber, whereas wafers may be continually transported for processing through a conventional belt oven.
The required fluxless soldering for forming this package structure would add further costs and complexity. Detailed explanation in that regard is omitted, however, for brevity and clarity.

Electronic package for image sensor, and the packaging method thereof


The present invention is an exercise fluid bottle which contains a liquid nourishment and which is used by a user during a strenuous physical activity. The exercise fluid bottle includes an integral container formed out of a plastic material and a dispensing cap for retaining and dispensing the liquid nourishment. The integral container has a first portion which is a hollow cylinder with an enclosed end and a partially enclosed end and a second portion which is a hollow cylinder with an enclosed end and a partially enclosed end. The integral container also has a handle portion which is a hollow cylinder which has corrugated ribbing axially aligned therewith so that the user can more comfortably grip the exercise fluid bottle and which is disposed adjacent to the partially enclosed ends of the first and second portions. The dispensing cap is fluidly and mechanically coupled to the enclosed end of the first portion. Each of the first and second portions has a first groove of a first diameter, which is equal to the diameter of a ski pole in order to receive the ski pole and a second groove of a second diameter, which is equal to the diameter of a boom of a wind-surfing apparatus in order to receive either the frame pipe or the boom. A VELCRO strap fixedly, but detachably, couples the exercise fluid bottle to either the ski pole or the boom.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an exercise fluid bottle which may contain water or other liquid nourishment which an individual who is training in a strenuous physical activity needs to ingest in order to prevent dehydration during his training, and more particularly a training bottle which the individual is not only able to conveniently carry during his training, but which also provides aerobic exercise to him.
2. Description of the Prior Art
During strenuous physical activity, such as jogging, hiking, bicycle and motorcycle trail riding, horseback riding and the like, most medical doctors recommend that the participant ingest liquid in order to prevent dehydration. Typically, water or other liquid nourishment is carried or worn on the body in containers. Many participants rely on canteen, plastic bottles, boda bags and other similar liquid containers to hold their supply of such liquid during physical activity.
All of these liquid containers are inconvenient to carry in that they are often bulky in shape and are worn on a waist belt or a shoulder strap, or otherwise attached to the clothing or body of the participant. When so carried the liquid container and its attachment frequently interferes with activity by its position on or near the waistline, under the arm or elsewhere on the body.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,265,381, entitled Beverage and Liquified Food Belt, issued to Steven C. Muscatell on May 5, 1981, teaches a belt for carrying beverages and liquified food for consumption during a strenuous physical activity.
Bicycle riding has become very popular for transportation, recreation and exercise. Like all vigorous physical activities, bicycle riding makes the participant thirsty, and he will often want to have a few swallows of a refreshing beverage. Accordingly, many riders will take a beverage bottle with them on the bicycle, especially if they are going on a long ride. Often, the rider will prefer not to stop to take a drink. In that case it is desirable the beverage bottle be readily accessible and convenient to open. If not, the rider may be distracted from proper operation of the bicycle in the course of either removing the beverage bottle in order to drink from it or replacing it after having a drink from it thereby exposing him to some risk of an accident.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,345,704, entitled Bottle Mount and Bottle for Bicycles, issued to Matthew S. Boughton on Aug. 24, 1982, teaches a bottle mount and a bottle for bicycles. The bottle mount includes a mount for attachment to the bicycle having a concave surface that is a segment of a surface of revolution of a substantially straight line of not more than about 180 degrees in circumferential extent. The bottle has an external surface that is complementary to a concave surface of the bottle mount. The concave surface of the bottle mount and the complementary surface of the bottle have hook and loop cloth fastener elements affixed to them. A beverage in the bottle is discharged through a valved dispenser that is designed to be opened using the teeth.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,384,714, entitled Weighted Cuff Exercising Device, issued to Akira Kimura on May 24, 1983, teaches a training aid for drilling arm and/or foot muscles of a user which includes a main body made of soft and flexible material in the form of a thick tubular member having a substantially C-shaped cross-section in its construction. Major surface of the main body are smooth. The thick tubular member is substantially uniform thickness throughout its length. A plurality of elongated holes are formed in the main body and between its major surfaces. The holes extend in a longitudinal direction in the main body and are parallel with each other. The holes extend substantially the full length of the thick tubular member. A plurality of rod like members each made of heavy metal and having a length substantially equal to the depth of the holes and a diameter which is slightly larger than the inner diameter of each hole. The rod like members are detachably inserted in the holes. A VELCRO fastening strap is secured to the main body for detachably mounting the training aid around the wrist or ankle of the user.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,407,497, entitled Weighted Exercise Suit, issued to Geysa Gracie on Oct. 24, 1983, teaches a weighted exercise suit which is designed to enable human users to exercise with added weights removably attached to a body suit. Specifically, it is designed incorporating two weight strips that are removably attached to the suit over the shoulders. Each strip contains separate compartment which hold weights, the amount of which is regulated by the user. Furthermore, the weighted exercise suit is designed to provide for a balanced and symmetrical distribution of weight from front to back and from side to side over the upper body, rather than having the weight placed solely on the lower body.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,247,097, entitled Variable Weight Aerobic Exercise Glove, issued to Leonard Schwartz on Jan. 27, 1981, teaches a variable weight aerobic exercise glove. Aerobic exercise is highly effective in training the body, i.e., heart muscle and skeletal muscle ensemble, to utilize oxygen at a higher rate. As a result, running jogging and walking have taken on a new dimension in the world of physical fitness. By encumbering his limbs, one may augment to a surprising degree the training effect of his aerobic exercise.


The instant invention is a harness-attached light mechanism that is visible from a distance or and in inclement weather. It consists of a harness assembly that supports a flash assembly. The flash assembly is a battery powered strobe or other light affixed atop a pole by a flexible means that allows easy movement, or waving, of the light. The light mechanism attracts the attention of on-coming motorist thereby increasing his safety. The pole is supported by a harness that is fitted to the wearer.

While working on highway, the workers attention is generally directed at the ground level. This diverts the attention of the worker from traffic on the road under repair. This causes danger to the worker.
Several types of warning devices have been used that have partially solved the problem. For example, bright colored or florescent vests, and road barriers with lights. The lights used have been both flashing or steady.
Other attempts that have been more successful in solving this problem include vests with a pole attached, along with a brightly colored flag affixed near the tip of the pole. However, this type of device has limitations.
For example, the vest is hot and cumbersome for a person performing labor. Also, the flag cannot be seen in conditions of reduced visibility.
The instant invention solves these problems and protects the highway worker in any type of condition, while being more comfortable and easy to use.