A fiber optic tray system includes a tray. The tray includes a tray body, the tray body extending along a longitudinal axis between a front and a rear and extending along a lateral axis between a first side and a second side. The tray further includes a plurality of alignment rails, each of the plurality of alignment rails protruding from the tray body along a transverse axis. The tray further includes a plurality of retainer features disposed at the rear of the tray body. The fiber optic tray system further includes a fiber optic module, the fiber optic module including an outer housing and at least one retainment feature. The at least one retainment feature is interfaced with at least one of the plurality of retainer features to retain the fiber optic module on the tray.

Large data centers frequently deploy racks, cabinets, or enclosures which contain components for facilitating data communication, such as fiber optic connection components. For example, such racks, cabinets, or enclosures frequently contain a significant number of fiber optic modules, each of which facilitates multiple fiber optic connections. In many cases, the fiber optic modules are mounted on trays. The trays may be movable relative to the racks, cabinets, or enclosures, and the modules may be movable relative to the trays, to facilitate ease of installation and maintenance of the modules and fiber optic connections therein.
Currently known trays and modules utilize various rail systems or other components to retain the modules to the trays. However, a significant limitation of such known designs is that only a single size and shape of module may be utilized with a tray so that the various components of the tray and module fit together to retain the module to the tray. In many cases, it would be desirable to utilize differently-sized fiber optic modules on a tray. For example, it would be desirable to utilize differently-sized modules on the same tray and/or replace a module of one size with a module of a different size.
Accordingly, improved trays, modules, and tray systems are desired in the art.


The present invention relates to an apparatus for connecting appliances/tools to a tool arm, wherein the apparatus includes: an upper fastening portion (10B) adapted to be supported by a tool arm (2) of a machine; a lower fastening portion (16A) arranged to support at least one appliance/tool (5) to be maneuvered by the machine, wherein the lower fastening portion (16A) has one or more recesses (40,41) arranged to receive corresponding fastening pins (30,31) of the appliance/tool (5) for engagement when connecting the appliance/tool to the apparatus; and at least one locking element (50) arranged to be in a locking position for locking the appliance/tool to the apparatus when the fastening pins are in engagement with the recesses (40,41); wherein the apparatus further includes: at least one first sensor (70) arranged to verify that the locking element (50) occupies a correct locking position; and at least one second sensor (80) arranged to verify correct engagement between the fastening pins (30,31) and the recesses (40,41). The invention also relates to a method.

It is customary that certain types of heavy machines such as excavators, forestry machines and wood treatment machines have a tool arm, whereupon one or more appliances/tools can be attached by means of a so called quick coupler. Thereby suitable appliances/tools can be swiftly locked to or be made free from the tool arm. It is customary that such a quick coupler can have a locked position, wherein at least one appliance/tool is locked to the tool arm, and an unlocked position wherein the appliance/tool is made free from the tool arm.
FIG. 1 shows a tool arm/working arm or a shaft 2, in this example of an excavator, wherein said working arm 2 carries an upper fastening portion 10A for the mounting of a manoeuvring apparatus 15 which in the shown example includes a combined rotation device and tilting device. The manoeuvring apparatus 15 includes an upper fastening portion 10B for fastening co-operation with the upper fastening portion 10A of the working arm 2. The manoeuvring apparatus 15 further carries a lower fastening portion 16A for fastening co-operation with a fastening portion 16B of an appliance which in the illustrated case is comprised of a digging bucket 5 but can be any another suitable appliance or tool.
The manoeuvring apparatus 15 is an example of an intermediate part 20 being mounted between the working arm 2 and the appliance 5 in order to increase the movement ability of the appliance 5. It should be understood that this series-connected intermediate part 20 can be constructed in many different ways and exhibit a number of different additional characteristics. The intermediate part 20 can of course be left out where no extra characteristics are desired and then direct connection takes place between the parts 10A and 16B.
As is illustrated in the figures, the fastening portion 10B of the intermediate part 20 includes two parallel fastening pins 30, 31 which are arranged to fit into corresponding recesses 40, 41 being provided in the fastening portion 10A of the working arm 2. In a corresponding manner, the fastening portions 16B of the appliance 5 exhibits two parallel fastening pins 30, 31 which are arranged in a corresponding manner as the previously mentioned fastening pins 30, 31. The fastening pins 30, 31 fit into the corresponding recesses 40, 41 being arranged in the fastening portion 16A.
From the above it is to be understood that the appliance 5 can be directly connected without any intermediate part 20, through direct engagement between the fastening portions 10A and 16B. FIGS. 3-5 illustrate the construction of a co-operating pair of fastening portions which for example could be 10A+10B, 16A-16B or 10A-16B.
FIGS. 3-5 show a connecting procedure between for example an upper fastening portion 10A of a working arm 2 and lower fastening portion 16B of for example an appliance 5. The fastening portion 10A includes two first recesses 41 which come into engagement with (the second) fastening pin 31 and at the same time allow a swing movement between the portions 10A and 16B around the fastening pin 31. A connecting operation (or locking operation) is normally initiated through manoeuvring into said engagement (see FIG. 3). Thereupon a swing manoeuvre takes place with the fastening pin 31 as swing axis such that the (first) fastening pin 30 reaches the bottom in two second recesses 40 of the fastening portion 10A. Thereupon locking together of the fastening portions 10A and 10B takes place by bringing forward a locking wedge 50 from an initial position according to FIG. 4 to a locking position according to FIG. 5. Manoeuvring of the wedge is normally performed by a double-acting hydraulic cylinder 51.
FIG. 5 shows that the locking wedge 50 fixes the fastening pin 30 in the recesses 40 at the same time as the fastening pin 31 is fixed in the recesses 41. The above described results in a very secure locking, provided that the locking wedge 50 ends up in correct contact with the fastening pin 30, which is unfortunately not always the case. This could result in that the appliance drops off, whereby a falling appliance risks causing personal injuries as well as material damages. When disconnecting an appliance, the above described connecting procedure is reversed, wherein the locking wedge 50 is re-manoeuvred to its initial position according to FIG. 4.
In order for an operator/vehicle driver visually to be able to establish that the connection has been successful, it is common to use a so called indicator rod 60 which is arranged to follow the movement of the locking wedge 50, whereby a certain protrusion 61 of the rod verifies adequate locking of the appliance. Said visual inspection is sometimes difficult to perform from the driver's cabin.

Apparatus for connecting an appliance/tool and a method therefor


In one embodiment, a method is provided for selectively providing an alert to a user of a tracked asset in an asset recovery system. The method includes activating a tracking device on the tracked asset to generate a report, evaluating the report and a condition based on a home location assigned to the tracking device for generating an alert, creating the alert based on the evaluation of the condition and the report, and sending the alert to the user.

There have been many devices and systems developed that are geared to the protection and recovery of valuable assets. Among the most novel of these are those used for the protection of currency and other small high-value objects such as jewelry where the recovery device is embedded directly into the object that is being protected.
There are numerous methods available for protecting high-value assets such as currency at a banking establishment. These include but are not limited to: 1) training; 2) surveillance cameras; 3) reward program; 4) unarmed guards; 5) police tellers; 6) off-duty police officers; 7) bandit barriers; 8) bait money; and 9) explosive devices and tracking systems. Training is the cornerstone to robbery prevention and safety. By maintaining proper security protocols, cash control (to minimize cash loss) and safety precautions, bank personnel can be the most instrumental in robbery avoidance and, in the case where a robbery takes place, apprehension of the criminal. Surveillance cameras placed throughout a bank branch are usually employed as an apprehension tool although there may be some unquantified deterrent effect, especially in the queue line. Given the prevalence of surveillance cameras it sometimes serves as the only record of the bank robbery and the only evidence for the police to use to identify the thief. It is a standard policy for many industries with highly valuable assets to offer a reward program to provide a reward if a robber is identified. Several instances have been reported where a person involved in a robbery actually knew the robber and the reward system helps encourage witnesses to come forward. Unarmed security guards are used primarily as deterrents to robbers for banks and other institutions. During an incident they are instructed primarily to "observe and report". Chances are that the presence of a security guard in a location will redirect the robber to go to another location without a guard. Police tellers are used by banks in particular to "observe and report" during an incident but unlike a security guard they are trained as full tellers and work in plain clothes. They are off-duty police officers and hired at a police salary rate. They share the same service and sales responsibilities as regular tellers. They are commonly used in frequently robbed locations. Off-Duty police officers are sometimes used as armed guards for locations with substantial robbery problems. A good source of personnel for this is the local police department. If not possible, a security firm made up of retired police is a good source for well-trained armed personnel. This can be a very expensive undertaking. Bandit barriers are permanent, bullet-proof shields between assets being protected and the robber. These have been particularly effective in locations where other methods like guards have proven ineffective as a deterrent. With an initial cost of about $1,000 per linear foot, setup is high. The payback for such an investment is first the savings in cash from a frequently robbed location. Also there is the added benefit of avoiding associated costs from a robbery such as lost time and teller fatigue and turnover. Bait money is a cash reserve in a teller's drawer with pre-recorded serial numbers to be handed out in case of a robbery. If the robber is apprehended the serial numbers can be used to trace it back to a particular robbery and aid in conviction. This is purely a method for identification after apprehension.
Banks also use explosive devices and tracking systems both for apprehension (and recovery) as well as prevention. They can be used in prevention when word is leaked that these devices are used in a particular area. It is stressed that training in this case is critical because many bank robbers present instructions to not pass "bait money or dye packs" since knowledge of these methods are apparently fairly well known. Each bank establishes their own policies and methods for training and passing these devices to a robber. The dye pack was invented to stain stolen currency in a manner that "renders a bank robbery pointless" as taught by Robeson (U.S. Pat. No. 3,564,525) and Howett (U.S. Pat. No. 1,923,979). It does this by exploding a colored dye that stains the money, making it obvious that it has been involved in a robbery. In some devices, tear-gas is included in the dye to not only mark the presence of the stolen currency but also show a colored cloud for searching by law-enforcement. A dye pack consists of a hollowed-out stack of real bills with chemicals and electronics inside, usually with one or two bills stuck on the top and bottom of the stack. The dye pack sits idle in "safe mode" while in the teller drawer on a magnetic plate until a robbery occurs. During the robbery the teller is supposed to subtly slip the device in with other money. Removing the device from the magnetic plate does not cause the dye to be released; it is simply armed at that point. When the bank robber passes a radio activation field near the front door the device is programmed to start a timer for later release, allowing time for the bank robber to get some distance from the bank before the money is stained. In many cases the hands and/or clothing of the bank robber are stained making identification easier. Initially these devices were rigid but development in electronic design have allowed for the device [Keniston, S. E., "Bendable currency security dye pack", U.S. Pat. No. 5,196,828] and even the chemical pouches [Keniston, S. E., "Bendable currency security dye pack", U.S. Pat. No. 5,485,143] to be flexible, thus allowing them to be passed during a robber with low chance of detection by the robber (who is often an "amateur"). An alternate activation method would be to have a local RF transmitter near the pack to keep it inactive. When an adequate distance is achieved between the pack and the RF transmitter, and the pack is no longer sensing the RF signal, the pack would activate. While a very useful tool, it has to be noted that this type of device is explosive and requires special handling. For that reason some banks have not adopted this technology to protect their employees and customers.
The other prevalent in-drawer cash protection system employed by banks is the miniature RF beacon. As in the case of the dye pack it sits idle in the teller drawer until activated by lifting off of a magnetic plate. Local receiving towers in the proximity of the bank pick up the small RF transmission of the device [Allen, M. F., "ELECTRONIC DETECTION AND TRACING MEANS", U.S. Pat. No. 3,618,059]. This would immediately start the transmission of a signal received by a network of stations located through a city both near the bank and along likely escape routes for the robber. The police could also be equipped with receivers to tell if they are close to the stolen currency pack. Later refinements allowed the pursuers to not only determine they are close, but also determine range and direction to the stolen device [Culpepper, J. W., Currie, H. A.; Heathcock, W. F., "Beacon tracking system", U.S. Pat. No. 4,021,807]. While the transmission device in the cash can be extremely small, one of the most significant limitations to this technology is the requirement for receiver stations to be placed around the area of operation. If the device should get outside of the installation region, it can no longer be tracked. To cover the whole lower-48 states of the US, assuming a 5-mile radius of receiver coverage would take a minimum of 40,000 stations (excluding line-of-sight issues that would substantially increase the number of stations). It is probably financially impossible to place receiving stations throughout the country for a single application. Therefore it is likely that only local areas will be covered which leaves the system vulnerable to coverage gaps.
As an augmentation to the miniature RF-beacon approach, Grimm (U.S. Pat. No. 6,801,129) proposed using a cellular data transmission system transmitting location information from a Global Positioning System receiver. The Global Positioning System (or GPS as it is commonly known) is comprised of a number of satellites circling the Earth that radiate timing signals that are controlled by a network of ground stations. By measuring the arrival of these signals at a receiver, it is possible to determine the location of the receiver to very high precision. While Mohan (U.S. Pat. No. 6,121,922) teaches the combined use of GPS and a mobile transmitter in a compact form-factor, Grimm extended this concept to include a RF beacon that allowed for the local isolation of stolen device with far greater precision than can be achieved with a cellular network location or GPS position fix. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,665,613, 6,480,147, 6,271,757 teach different variations of defining regions within a tracking device which upon the device getting a GPS location (or any kind of position determination) outside of the region certain actions will occur including, but not limited to, reporting to a network, sending alerts, or sounding an alarm. All these patents teach that there is some alarm mechanism in which some security organization or law enforcement agency can be alerted to a theft of the asset under protection by the tracking device. However, none of these references teaches how such a device came to be installed at a particular fixed location and how a device is associated with a law enforcement agency in a given jurisdiction. It is unclear if these devices were pre-programmed at the factory to be matched with their end location. Since security or law-enforcement agencies need to respond to a particular location (for example, a specific bank branch involved in a robbery), it is clear that some relationship existing between the asset tracking and the location must be established but no information is given on this method or system. These patents also do not teach how these security devices could be serviced and tested without sending non-robbery related alerts to security or law enforcement and they do not teach how unintentional activations not related to a theft could create selective alerts to support personnel but not result in an alarm going to the police. Alternatively, U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,292,159, 7,283,047, 7,283,046, 7,138,914 teach that service and maintenance records can be kept on a central server for update or later recall. However, none of them teaches how alerting can be averted or changed based on servicing at a specific location. The cost of police and other law enforcement responding to false alarms continues to be high. Many municipalities have enacted ordinances to charge owners of alarm systems the cost to respond to alerts that are not tied to an active burglary or crime. Some cities have stopped responding to automated alerts altogether.
The sequence of events in a robbery are: 1) the initial assault, device activation and transfer to robber; 2) robber egress; 3) activation and notification to server; 4) server processing; 5) alert processing; 6) law enforcement, police and security dispatch; 7) RF beacon co-location; 8) suspect isolation; and 9) suspect apprehension and recovery. The critical aspect is that this is a system. Many elements act in concert to make the recovery possible. Careful planning and cooperation of multiple organizations are necessary for ultimate success. Having multiple inadvertent alerts go from a bank (or similar installation of a valuable asset) to law enforcement (or similar private security firm) can reduce effectiveness by increasing response time and possibly costs because of fees responding to false alarms.
The design of the system needs to be near-real-time to enable pursuit by police and other law enforcement agencies such as the FBI. Latencies from the measurement of location and velocity to the display at the tracking site of a minute or more could allow for enough separation in a chase to confuse the pursuers. Tests conducted in trials indicated a delay of 15 seconds or less was required. This provided an extremely short timeline to send location information to some central location then disseminate it to the necessary law-enforcement officers. Communication channels would have to be chosen to ensure that controlled (or at least reliable) latency could be maintained.
It is understood by the one skilled in the art that GPS represents a larger set of Global Navigation Satellite Systems or GNSS that are currently fielded and under planning such as GLONASS in Russia, GALILEO in Europe, Beidou in China as well as others.

Asset recovery device installation and alert system


A method and system are disclosed for providing a dialog interface for a website. The method comprises at each node in a website, computing a summary, a document description and an alias. A dialog manager within a spoken dialog service utilizes the summary, document description and alias for each website node to generate prompts to a user, wherein nodes in the website are matched with user requests. In this manner, a spoken dialog interface to the website content and navigation may be generated automatically.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to spoken dialog systems and more specifically to a method of analyzing website content to generate a spoken dialog service for websites.
2. Introduction
The task of creating customized spoken dialog applications has traditionally been known to be expensive, requiring significant resources and a certain level of expertise. The cost and complexity for developing such applications present an obstacle in porting dialog systems especially those required for customer care and help desk applications.
Spoken dialog systems provide individuals and companies with a cost effective means of communicating with customers. Some examples of successfully deployed spoken dialog systems include AT&T's How May I Help You? (HMIHY) system, UBS Voice and AOL-By-Phone. For example, the AOL-By-Phone service employs automatic speech recognition technology and text-to-speech (TTS) technology to enable users to call and receive email and other information via a spoken dial.
There are several barriers that hinder the portability of such systems to new services. The most significant challenge is the tremendous amount of human knowledge and expertise required to build and maintain them. Developing such applications involves a great deal of effort in task-specific data collection and design of handcrafted rules for the various components of a dialog system. Further, the cost of developing such systems may keep smaller companies from seeking this cost saving service. Large companies may be hesitant to use such a service because of the delay required to develop the system and the ongoing need to maintain it.
It is evident that the World Wide Web now has become the largest sharable and searchable repository of information. Recent estimates predict the size of the indexable web to be more than 4 billion pages. Almost every company currently has its own website. In order to have their customers get online information in a timely, effective and efficient way, companies expend a large amount of resources to organize these sites to be easily manageable. When preparing a website, months-long effort has been invested in analyzing the backend application database, extracting application logics, carefully designing the dynamic interactions in web environment and the screen presentation to make it more attractive and helpful for customers. Textual data on the web pertaining to a product or a service has been created to be in a human readable form. What is needed in the art is a process of building spoken dialog services by leveraging the wealth of information on companies' websites. In this manner, the investment in a detailed and organized website can be leveraged to service customers with a spoken dialog interface either over the phone or through the Internet.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

System and method of automatically building dialog services by exploiting the content and structure of websites


The invention is a switched-matrix output for a multi-channel stimulator. The switch-matrix output system uses groups of switches connectively placed between N number of digital-to-analog convertors (DACs) and M electrode contacts to permit fewer, space-consuming DACs to be used in an implantable stimulator, thereby saving internal stimulator space. One embodiment of the switched matrix output uses switches to activate only one active-electrode subset of M electrode contacts at any one time, so that the total number of DACs contained in the stimulator can be less than the M total number of electrode contacts.

The present invention relates to implantable stimulators and, specifically, methods and systems for delivering stimulation through multiple output channels.
Multi-channel stimulators are used in a number of implantable medical devices. For example, a cochlear device for restoration of hearing is an exemplary device which uses a multi-channel stimulator. Representative prior art cochlear implant systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,592,359; 4,947,844; 5,776,172; and 6,067,474, all of which are herein incorporated by reference. Another use of implantable, multi-channel stimulators include those for spinal cord stimulation for treating intractable pain. Representative spinal cord stimulation (and electrode) systems are disclosed in International Publication Number WO 02/09808 A1 and in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,646,940; 3,724,467; and 3,822,708, all of which are herein incorporated by reference.
Such multi-channel, implantable stimulators presently have the capability of driving up to 16 electrodes and have increased processing capability. The large number of channels and advanced processing capability typically consume more power than devices having fewer channels. The long-term trend is toward using more channels while more processing capability is added. In cochlear applications, more channels can be used to provide higher resolution of perceived sounds. For spinal cord stimulation, having more channels affords greater flexibility in shaping current stimulation fields after the lead is implanted so that the initial lead placement is less critical for successfully inducing paresthesia to overlap the regions of pain.
While enhanced processing is desired, a concurrent goal is to decrease the size of the implanted device while making the battery last longer. Making the device smaller is advantageous for a number of reasons. One reason is that implantation can be less invasive and, hence, less susceptible to infection. Another reason is that the device is less obtrusive once implanted under the skin, within the skull, or within the body.
Thus, it is evident that there is a need for systems and methods of reducing the space taken up by circuitry in an implantable stimulator. The space thus saved can be used to reduce the overall size of the implanted device or, alternatively, used to implant a larger battery in the saved space to enable more channels, more processing power or longer device life.

Switched-matrix output for multi-channel implantable stimulator


A recording medium is composed of a substrate and an ink receiving layer provided on at least one side of the substrate, wherein the ink receiving layer is composed of a composition or a cured product thereof containing at least (A) a polyvinyl acetal resin having acetal groups, acetyl groups and hydroxyl groups, (B) a monomer having an active energy ray curable ethylenic unsaturated group, and (C) a cationic resin, at a ratio (B)/(A) within the range of 1/100 to 5/1, and a ratio (C)/((A)+(B)) of 0.5/100 to 30/100.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording medium suitable for use in ink jet recording, an ink jet recording method using the same and a printed product.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional recording media used for ink jet recording include a recording sheet comprising an ink receiving layer consisting of acetal-modified polyvinyl alcohol, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 63-221077, 5-221112, 5-262028 and 7-1828; a recording sheet comprising an ink receiving layer consisting of polyvinyl alcohol and polyvinyl pyrrolidone, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 55-146786; a recording sheet comprising an ink receiving layer mainly consisting of polyvinyl pyrrolidone, as disclosed in Japanese-Patent Publication No. 3-29596; a recording sheet comprising an ink receiving layer consisting of polyvinyl alcohol and polyvinyl butyral, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 57-102391; a recording sheet comprising an ink receiving layer consisting of a crosslinked water-soluble resin, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 58-89391; a recording sheet having excellent resistance to fingerprint marks and comprising an ink receiving layer consisting of a polyester resin, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-309956; a recording sheet comprising an ink receiving layer provided on a polyester film and consisting of water-soluble polyvinyl alcohol having a degree of saponification of 70 to 90%, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 60-220750; a recording sheet comprising an ink receiving layer consisting of a water-soluble metallic salt with more than two valencies and a cationic organic material, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 60-67190; and a recording sheet comprising an ink receiving layer containing a polyallylamine derivative as a cationic resin, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-61887. In addition, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-40649 discloses a recording sheet having an ink receiving layer consisting of an active energy ray curable resin, and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-55581 discloses a recording sheet having polyoxyethylene as a skeleton and an ink receiving layer consisting of an active energy ray curable resin.
Recent improvements in the performance of ink jet recording apparatus, such as increased recording speed and realization of multicolor recording, have brought about the need for the ink jet recording medium to have a wide variety of high-performance characteristics.
Namely, the recording medium must simultaneously satisfy the following requirements:
(1) High ink absorbing power (high absorption capacity and high absorption speed);
(2) The ability to form dots with high optical density and clear peripheries;
(3) The ability to form substantially circular dots having smooth peripheries;
(4) Minimal change in printing characteristics and the prevention of curling due to changes in temperature and humidity;
(5) Anti-blocking property;
(6) Stability and the ability to stably maintain an image without deterioration in long-term storage (particularly, in an environment of high temperature and humidity);
(7) Resistance to fingerprint marks;
(8) Excellent water resistance of the ink receiving layer and the recording portion;
(9) Excellent adhesion between the ink receiving layer and the substrate; and
(10) Excellent coating properties of a coating solution for forming the ink receiving layer during the formation of the ink receiving layer.
Regarding the above-mentioned conventional recording media, the recording medium disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 3-29596, which comprises an ink receiving layer mainly comprising polyvinyl pyrrolidone, has relatively good ink absorbing power at room temperature and normal humidity, but the ink dries very slowly at a high temperature and high humidity, thereby causing blocking. The recording medium also has the problem that the recording surface of the ink receiving layer has low mechanical strength and is thus easily damaged.
The recording medium disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 55-146786, which comprises an ink receiving layer comprising polyvinyl alcohol and polyvinyl pyrrolidone, has good ink absorption and fixing properties, but the recorded part and the ink receiving layer have poor water resistance.
The recording medium disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 57-102391, which comprises an ink receiving layer comprising polyvinyl alcohol and polyvinyl butyral, has the problem that the ink receiving layer has poor compatibility between the two resins.
The recording medium disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 60-220750, which comprises an ink receiving layer mainly comprising polyvinyl alcohol, is excellent in anti-blocking property and mechanical strength of the recording surface, but the recording medium has the problem that, when the recording medium is allowed to stand in an environment of high temperature and high humidity for a long time, it deteriorates, and the ink absorbing power deteriorates, and that, when an image is allowed to stand in an environment of high temperature and high humidity for a long time, the dots become blurred, and the image definition thus deteriorates.
The recording medium disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 58-89391, which comprises an ink receiving layer formed by crosslinking a water-soluble resin, is excellent in water resistance of the ink receiving layer, but it has poor ink absorption.
The recording medium disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-309956, which comprises an ink receiving layer mainly comprising a polyester resin, has excellent resistance to fingerprint marks, but it has other properties such as its ink receiving and long-term storage properties are very poor. Thus, the recording medium does not satisfy the above requirements.
The problems with respect to ink absorption and water resistance of the ink receiving layer can be solved to some extent by using polyvinyl acetal for forming the ink receiving layer, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 63-221077, 5-221112, 5-262028 and 7-1828. However, the image definition is not satisfactorily maintained, particularly when a recorded image is allowed to stand in an environment of high temperature and high humidity for a long time.
In addition, when the ink receiving layer is provided in a specified form on the recording medium, for example, when the ink receiving layer is provided on a plate-shaped substrate, a coating solution for forming the ink receiving layer flows to the circumference of the plate-shaped substrate, and thus must be printed in a pattern so as to prevent coating on the circumference of the plate-shaped substrate. Although a polyvinyl alcohol resin is solid and must be printed after being dissolved in some solvent, the resin has poor solubility to solvents, and thus has the problem of requiring a thick coating of the resultant resin solution because of the low solid content thereof. The resin solution also has poor leveling properties and anti-foaming properties, and thus has the problem of poor printing properties.
The recording medium disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 4-67986 and 4-320877, which comprises an ink receiving layer mainly comprising alumina hydrate, is satisfactory in ink absorption and anti-blocking property, but the water resistance of the ink receiving layer is insufficient because the binder component of the alumina hydrate is a water-soluble resin. The recording medium is also unsatisfactory in other properties, such as ink absorption capacity, curling, transparency and storage properties.
The ink receiving layer disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-40649, which is formed by using an active energy ray curable resin, has excellent water resistance and improved stability to changes in temperature and humidity, and the coating solution which forms the ink receiving layer has excellent printing properties. However, since the ink receiving layer has a high crosslink density, the ink receiving layer exhibits good ink jet printing properties in a recorded portion with a low printing duty, but the ink receiving layer cannot sufficiently absorb the ink applied to a recorded portion with a high printing duty and thus has the problem of causing color nonuniformity referred to as "beading" or bleeding at boundaries between adjacent different colors.
Like the ink receiving layer formed by using an active energy ray curable resin, the ink receiving layer disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-55581, which comprises polyoxyethylene as a skeleton and which is formed by using an active energy ray curable resin, cannot sufficiently absorb the ink applied to a recorded portion with a high printing duty, and thus has the problem of causing beading or bleeding at boundaries between different colors. The coating solution for forming the ink receiving layer also has poor coating properties for the substrate.
At present, the above-mentioned conventionally known techniques cannot produce a recording medium which simultaneously satisfies the above requirements,

Recording medium, ink-jet recording method and printed product


A system and related method is disclosed for automated setting of a barometric altimeter onboard an aircraft. The system may receive inputs from a plurality of integrated systems and, based on those inputs, automatically set the barometric altimeter to the proper setting for safe operation of the aircraft. Recognition of a voice command from an onboard operator as well as from an offboard source, and parsing of received METAR reports coupled with positioning information may form the basis of the integrated inputs. Once the barometric altimeter is automatically set, the system notifies the crewmember of the new barometric altimeter setting.

Barometric altimetry is the standard by which air traffic maintains vertical separation. Above a transition altitude, each aircraft is required to maintain a standard altimeter setting to ensure adequate separation. Below a transition level, each aircraft is required to maintain a local setting in the altimeter to 1) maintain separation from other aircraft, and 2) accurately maintain clearance above surface obstacles.
Traditional barometric altimetry requires pilot action in this transition between the standard setting (e.g., 29.92 inches mercury (inHg)) and the local setting (e.g. QNH, QNE). The pilot must reach to the instrument panel and physically twist a knob to the desired setting. Passing this transition, the pilot must set the proper setting in the altimeter (climbing set to standard 29.92, descending set to local). This pilot action must be timely at the transition altitude and transition level since a level off at an altitude just after passing the transition may be required. In some cockpits, a Z axis of a knob (a push of the knob) may set the altimeter to a standard setting of 29.92.
Traditional barometric systems may utilize 1) air data system, 2) flight displays, and 3) a barometric altimeter adjustment knob with manual pilot action to set the desired barometric pressure.
Transition altitudes and transition levels vary throughout the world. For example, in the US, transition altitude (climbing) is 18,000 feet Mean Sea Level (MSL) while the transition level (descending) is Flight Level (FL) 180. In the Netherlands, however, transition altitude is 3,000 ft. MSL while transition level is FL40. Operating in Beijing, China, the transition level is FL118 while the transition altitude is 9850 ft. MSL.
Without experience in these theaters of operation, a pilot may be unfamiliar with current altimetry requirements. Single piloted aircraft require continuous attention to detail where altimetry may fall out of the scan pattern of a task saturated pilot. An error in altimetry setting may possibly reduce a desired margin of safety.
Upgraded avionics displays may require/demand less mechanical input. A display system designed for pilots in a flight deck requiring a mechanical pilot input may be less economical. In addition, a mechanical device may be prone to failure since miniature gears and dials may fail over time.
Although traditional federated systems may share information, they may lack an ability to fully integrate a device and may not allow two-way communications between the integrated device and the system as a whole.
Therefore, a need remains for a system and related method to automate the setting of the barometric altimeter, so that human error and mechanical requirements are minimized. Further, a system and related method to automate the setting of the barometric altimeter to allow a reduction in pilot workload an increase in safety, and an elimination of a dedicated flight deck knob is desired.

Automated barometric pressure setting system and related method


This invention is an improved pet food dish which combines the food dish with the water dish, the food dish being supported by a frictional slip fit engagement between a pillar and socket. This slip engagement allows for the easy removal and storage of the upper dish. The socket does not extend beyond the bottom peripheral edge of the upper dish which permits the upper dish to remain at rest when stored on a flat supporting surface.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to animal feeding devices, and more particularly to a combination food and water dish wherein the food contained within the food dish is protected from crawling insects by a water barrier contained within the water dish.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Food dishes for pets and small animals often become infested with ants and other crawling insects. Various types of pet dishes are known in the prior art. A typical example of an insect inhibiting pet dish can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,128,080 issued on Dec. 5, 1978 to C. Haney. This patent discloses a combination food and water dish. The food dish is supported on a pillar above the water dish allowing the pet to both drink from the lower water dish and eat from the raised food dish. Unlike applicant's instant invention disclosed hereinafter, the Haney patent further discloses a non-moveable support pillar located in the center of the water dish. A water dish of this type accommodates only one food receptacle and does not allow the food receptacle to be selectively positioned. An alternative pet dish is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,896,627 issued Jan. 30, 1990 to D. Riddell. Riddell discloses a pet dish utilizing three receptacles stacked above one another and spaced apart in a concentric arrangement. The base receptacle acts as a reservoir for trapping and preventing crawling insects from accessing the two uppermost receptacles.
While the above mentioned devices are appropriate for their intended usage, none of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.


Some embodiments relate to a Direct Memory Access (DMA) controller. The DMA controller includes a bus controller having a system bus interface and configured to read a pattern from a memory location via the system bus interface. Pattern comparison logic compares the read pattern to at least one predetermined pattern. Control logic induces the bus controller to process a first conditional link over the system bus interface if the read pattern differs from the predetermined pattern, and induces the bus controller to process a second conditional link over the system bus interface if the read pattern differs from the predetermined pattern.

Direct memory access (DMA) controllers allow hardware subsystems within a computing system to access memory with limited effort from a central microprocessor unit. To illustrate general DMA functionality, consider the example of FIG. 1A, which illustrates a digital system 100 including a microprocessor 102, memory 104, DMA controller 106, and input/output block 108; all of which are operably coupled via a system bus 110. Without the DMA controller 106, successive read and write operations associated with a large data transfer, for example copying data within memory 104 or moving data to or from I/O block 108, can fully occupy the microprocessor 102 for an extended time period. With the DMA controller 106 in place, however, the microprocessor 102 provides some minimal programming for the DMA controller 106 and, after programming the DMA controller 106, the microprocessor 102 can go about other tasks while the DMA controller handles the data transfer.
More particularly, to transfer data, DMA controller 106 can make use of linked list structure 150, which is stored in memory 104, as shown in FIG. 1B. This linked list structure 150 includes multiple links 152 (e.g., DMA Link 1, DMA Link 2, . . . , DMA Link N), where each link includes a data field 154 and a reference field 156. The data field 154 points to data to be transferred for the corresponding link, and the reference field 156 points to the next link in the linked list structure 150. In the example of FIGS. 1A-1B, the microprocessor 102 programs the DMA controller 106 with the first link (DMA Link 1), and the DMA controller 106 subsequently transfers data as specified in the data field 154 of DMA Link 1. The DMA controller 106 then identifies the location of the second link (DMA Link 2) from reference field 156 of the first link, retrieves the second link (DMA Link 2) from memory 104, and transfers data as specified in data field of DMA Link 2. The DMA controller 106 then moves onto the third DMA Link, fourth DMA link, and so on. After all links in the linked list 150 have been processed (i.e., and the full data transfer completed), the DMA controller 106 can flag an interrupt (IRQ) to notify the microprocessor 102 that the data transfer is complete.
Although this conventional linked-list DMA technique allows the microprocessor 102 to offload some computational effort to the DMA controller 106 for large data transfers, these techniques still require ongoing "hold-holding" or management by the microprocessor 102 for the DMA controller 106 for many applications. Aspects of the present disclosure provide DMA controllers that exhibit greater independence from microprocessors, and thus, potentially enhanced system performance.

Conditional links for direct memory access controllers


Proposed is an improvement in the method for the preparation of a battery electrode consisting of a spongy metal sheet to serve as a substrate having a three-dimensional skeletal structure with intercommunicating open pores and an active material filling the open pores of the skeletal structure of the substrate. While the conventional process comprises the steps of imparting electroconductivity to the surface of the skeleton of a foamed resin sheet, forming a plating layer of a metal on the surface of the foamed resin imparted with conductivity and removing the resin by thermal decomposition to leave the metallic plating layer alone followed by impregnation of the open pores with a pasty active material, the improvement of the invention comprises subjecting the foamed resin sheet, prior to the step of imparting the resin surface with electroconductivity, to a low temperature plasma treatment so as to remove the spiky fragments or dendritic protrusions of the resin on the surface of the skeleton so that the impregnating work of the skeletal space of the spongy metal sheet with a pasty active material is greatly facilitated and the durability of the battery prepared by using the battery electrode is remarkably increased. Further, an additional improvement can be obtained by forming the metallic plating layer on the foamed resin skeleton having a larger thickness in the marginal areas of the foamed resin sheet than in the center area surrounded by the marginal areas.

The present invention relates to an electrode of secondary batteries and a method for the preparation thereof. More particularly, the invention relates to a high-performance electrode of alkali storage batteries such as nickel metal hydride batteries as well as to a method for the preparation thereof.
It is a remarkable trend of electronic technologies in recent years that various kinds of very compact and portable electronic instruments, such as portable telephones and the like, are acquiring wide prevalence. Since these instruments are operated with batteries as the power source, the utilizability thereof largely depends on the performance of the batteries, in most cases, in the form of a cylindrical sealed secondary battery which is desired to have a high energy capacity and is of low costs. Alkali storage batteries are used, as the major current, as the secondary battery in the portable instruments. As the material of the electrodes in these secondary batteries, spongy or porous metal sheets are high-lighted in recent years as the substrate to be impregnated with an active material of the electrode as is disclosed in Japanese Patent Kokai 57-52479, 61-42377, 62-54235 and 63-81767.
The above mentioned spongy metal sheet is prepared from a base body of a foamed resin sheet having a three-dimensional network structure which is first subjected to a plating treatment of a metal such as nickel followed by direct impregnation of the skeletal structure with an active material of the electrode and shaping the body into the form of a battery electrode.
The above described prior art method for the preparation of a battery electrode has a problem as mentioned below. As is schematically illustrated in FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawing, namely, it is sometimes the case that the skeleton 1 of the base body of a foamed resin forming open pores 2 has spiky fragments 3A or dendritic protrusions 3B formed on the surface of the skeleton 1 of the foamed resin and is partly covered with a thin membrane 3C bridging the skeleton to cause sealing of the pores so that the spongy metal sheet may suffer from a decrease in the smoothness of impregnating work of the open pores in the skeleton with a pasty active material and/or catalyst of the battery electrode. Accordingly, the amount of impregnation of the skeletal structure with an active material or catalyst is necessarily decreased. When the electrode sheet after impregnation with the active material and catalyst is overlaid with an electrode separator sheet and wound together into the form of a cylindrical roll, in addition, the needlelike or spiky fragments 3A and/or dendritic protrusions 3B in the electrode sheet sometimes pierce the separator sheet to cause shortcircuiting between the positive and negative electrodes of the battery so that the life of the battery is greatly decreased.

Battery electrode and method for the preparation thereof


Different URLs that actually reference the same web page or other web resource are detected and that information is used to only download one instance of a web page or web resource from a web site. All web pages or web resources downloaded from a web server are compared to identify which are substantially identical. Once identical web pages or web resources with different URLs are found, the different URLs are then analyzed to identify what portions of the URL are essential for identifying a particular web page or web resource, and what portions are irrelevant. Once this has been done for each set of substantially identical web pages or web resources (also referred to as an “equivalence class” herein), these per-equivalence-class rules are generalized to trans-equivalence-class rules. There are two rule-learning steps: step (1), where it is learned for each equivalence class what portions of the URLs in that class are relevant for selecting the page and what portions are not; and step (2), where the per-equivalence-class rules constructed during step (1) are generalized to rules that cover many equivalence classes. Once a rule is determined, it is applied to the class of web pages or web resources to identify errors. If there are no errors, the rule is activated and is then used by the web crawler for future crawling to avoid the download of duplicative web pages or web resources.

The World Wide Web is a large, distributed, decentralized collection of documents. Documents (often referred to as "web resources" or "web pages") can be downloaded from computers called "web servers"; there are tens of millions of web servers serving billions of web pages. Each web page is identified by a uniform resource locator (URL). A URL is of the form http://host:port/path where the host component identifies the web server that serves the document associated with the URL, and the path component provides a name for that document relative to the host. The port component identifies the networking "port" (an Internet abstraction used to multiplex different logical communication channels over the same physical networking device) used by the web server running the specified host; if the port is omitted, it defaults to 80.
Web crawlers traverse web sites and download all pages referenced by the URLs of the web site. However, many web sites use different URLs to reference the same web page or document, for various reasons. It is quite common for the same document to be identified by several and possibly many URLs. For example, the following sixteen URLs, although all different, all refer to substantially the same web page:                1. http://www.marketwatch.com/news/yhoo/story.asp?source=blq/yhoo&siteid=yho o&dist=yhoo&guid=%7B5D426EE8%2DBB62%2D457C%2DA82E%2D05EE3F6F16C8%7D        2. http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?source=blq/yhoo&siteid=yhoo&dis t=yhoo&guid=%7B5D426EE8%2DBB62%2D457C%2DA82E%2D05EE3F6F16C8%7D        3. http://www.marketwatch.com/news/yhoo/story.asp?siteid=yhoo&dist=yhoo&guid=%7B5D426EE8%2DBB62%2D457C%2DA82E%2D05EE3F6F16C8%7D        4. http://www.marketwatch.com/news/yhoo/story.asp?source=blq/yhoo&dist=yhoo &guid=%7B5D426EE8%2DBB62%2D457C%2DA82E%2D05EE3F6F16C8%7D        5. http://www.marketwatch.com/news/yhoo/story.asp?source=blq/yhoo&siteid=yhoo&guid=%7B5D426EE8%2DBB62%2D457C%2DA82E%2D05EE3F6F16C8%7D        6. http://www.marketwatch.com/news/yhoo/story.asp?source=blq/yhoo&guid=%7B 5D426EE8%2DBB62%2D457C%2DA82E%2D05EE3F6F16C8%7D        7. http://www.marketwatch.com/news/yhoo/story.asp?siteid=yhoo&guid=%7B5D426EE8%2DBB62%2D457C%2DA82E%2D05EE3F6F16C8%7D        8. http://www.marketwatch.com/news/yhoo/story.asp?dist=yhoo&guid=%7B5D426EE8%2DBB62%2D457C%2DA82E%2D05EE3F6F16C8%7D        9. http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?source=blq/yhoo&siteid=yhoo&guid=%7B5D426EE8%2DBB62%2D457C%2DA82E%2D05EE3F6F16C8%7D        10. http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?source=blq/yhoo&dist=yhoo&guid=%7B5D426EE8%2DBB62%2D457C%2DA82E%2D05EE3F6F16C8%7D        11. http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?siteid=yhoo&dist=yhoo&guid=%7B5D426EE8%2DBB62%2D457C%2DA82E%2D05EE3F6F16C8%7D        12. http://www.marketwatch.com/news/yhoo/story.asp?guid=%7B5D426EE8%2DB B62%2D457C%2DA82E%2D05EE3F6F16C8%7D        13. http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?source=blq/yhoo&guid=%7B5D426EE8%2DBB62%2D457C%2DA82E%2D05EE3F6F16C8%7D        14. http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?siteid=yhoo&guid=%7B5D426EE8%2DBB62%2D457C%2DA82E%2D05EE3F6F16C8%7D        15. http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?dist=yhoo&guid=%7B5D426EE8%2DBB62%2D457C%2DA82E%2D05EE3F6F16C8%7D        16. http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7B5D426EE8%2DBB62%2D457C%2DA82E%2D05EE3F6F16C8%7D
These web pages are therefore downloaded duplicatively by a web crawler. This is a concern as superfluous downloads waste bandwidth and computational resources of both the web server (operated by the web content provider) and the web crawler (operated by the search engine). Such wasteful behavior is undesirable.
Web crawlers can download only a finite number of documents or web pages in a given amount of time. Therefore, it would be advantageous if a web crawler could identify URL equivalence patterns in multiple different URLs that reference substantially identical pages and download only one document, as opposed to downloading all the substantially identical documents addressed by the multiple different URLs.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for systems and methods that overcome such deficiencies.

Systems and methods for inferring uniform resource locator (URL) normalization rules


An apparatus and method is provided that combines both self test and functional features in a single latch circuit, which may be used with an SRAM array and is usefully embodied as an L1-L2 latch. During partial writes from an SRAM array, data bits of unknown state are inhibited from entering the latch circuit, while data for testing is allowed to enter. In one useful embodiment of the invention the latch circuit is used with a mode control that provides mode select signals to operate the latch circuit in one of a plurality of modes, including at least full write and partial write modes. The latch circuit further includes a data hold circuit for selectively receiving and storing data coupled to the latch circuit. A first enabling circuit responsive to the mode select signals enables the hold circuit to receive all the data contained in the array during a full write mode, and further enables the hold circuit to receive only some of the data bits contained in the array during a partial write mode.

1. Technical Field
The invention disclosed and claimed herein generally pertains to a latch or latch circuit adapted to perform both self test and functional tasks and operations. More particularly, the invention pertains to a latch of the above type wherein functional tasks include writing data into the latch from a Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) array. Even more particularly, the invention pertains to a latch of the above type wherein data bits of unknown state from the SRAM array are prevented from entering the latch, while data for self testing is allowed into the latch.
2. Description of Related Art
As is known by those of skill in the art, flush latches are commonly used to receive data from an array of SRAMs, such as to move data stored temporarily in an SRAM to more permanent storage. It is also known that certain types of SRAMs support partial writes and write throughs. A write through occurs when data written into an SRAM is immediately made available at the output thereof. A partial write occurs when only some of the bit locations of the SRAM are being written to. For example, it could be economical to write only four of eight bits associated with an ASIC to an SRAM. In this situation, data would not be written into some of the bit locations of the SRAM. Accordingly, the read mechanism cannot guarantee to the latch that the contents or states of these bit locations are correct. Herein, bits or bit levels of this type are referred to as "X" states. Generally, when only certain bits in the SRAM are being written to and are thus known, it will be desirable to update only the latches of those written bits. Bits in the SRAM that are not being written to should not be used to update their associated latches. Otherwise, the latch would be written with an unknown state or "X" state.
Those of skill in the art have frequently found it useful to provide groups or sequences of latches with an Automatic Built-in Self Testing (ABIST) capability. In one arrangement, a Multiple Input Shift Register (MISR) is used for this purpose. The MISR is operated to move self test data, or p-bit data, along a latch bus to a sequence of latches connected to the bus. It would be advantageous to provide a simplified latch that could be used in connection with an SRAM array, including SRAMs that supported partial writes and write throughs, wherein the latch also was adapted for use with self test procedures such as those referred to above.

Multifunctional latch circuit for use with both SRAM array and self test device

International Business Machines Corporation


Processes for optimizing the geometry of a blade for use in a propeller are disclosed. In one exemplary process, an optimization routine that generates new blade geometries based on structural parameters and calculates performance parameters of each blade geometry, including aerodynamic performance parameters, farfield acoustic parameters, and/or electrical power requirements to operate a propeller having the blade geometry, is performed. The optimization routine receives design parameters and weightings from a user and can use one or more surrogate algorithms to map a design space of the weighted values of the design parameters to find their local minima. The optimization routine then determines an optimized blade geometry using a gradient-based algorithm to generate new blade geometries to explore the minima until the weighted values of the design parameters converge at an optimized blade geometry representing the global minima of the design space.

Multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO) is an emerging field of engineering that encompasses using optimization methods to solve design problems involving more than one discipline. Existing MDO techniques involve considering the interactions between the multiple disciplines during a design optimization process, where the resultant design achieved using an MDO approach is typically better than alternative designs that result from optimizing each discipline in sequence. MDO methods have been employed in a variety of applications, but the complex and multidisciplinary nature of aircraft makes MDO methods particularly useful. One example aerospace application of the MDO techniques involves combining optimization with aerodynamic and structural methods (i.e., aerostructural) because of the strong physical interaction between these two aerospace design parameters.
Traditionally, multidisciplinary optimization problems have been solved using an approach of sequential disciplinary optimization (e.g., optimize for discipline A, then take that result and optimize for discipline B, then do the same for discipline C, then repeat—analogous to Gauss-Seidel fixed-point iteration). However, recent work in the MDO field has shown that this approach is prone to solution stalling, and it is very inefficient because it takes the normally-isotropic design space and forces an artificial parameterization for design improvement at each iteration. Another example multidisciplinary problem is propeller design, which is especially complicated when the acoustic signature of the propeller is a design quantity of interest. Current propeller design primarily relies on aerodynamic performance and does not typically account for integrated whole system design.
Accordingly, there is a need for improved systems and methods for designing propellers that can quickly and efficiently design propellers that are optimized across a variety of parameters.


A method for routing bearer traffic (70′) between 3G networks (32, 42) and 2G networks (12, 22) and vice versa uses voice signaling gateways (VSGW)(14, 24, 34, 44). The method determines a VSGW nearest the calling party (11). The nearest VSGW directly routes (86) the bearer traffic through the inter-network (50) to the called party (31) and avoids the “tromboning” effect of always sending bearer traffic to the called party's home location.

The present invention pertains to data transmission among networks in a communication system and more particularly to the routing of bearer traffic among these networks of the communication system.
Call processing in modern communications is typically divided into two segments. First, the networks of the communication system use various signaling schemes to set up a path from an originator to a terminator. The second portion of the call is the sending of bearer traffic, whether the bearer traffic be data or human voice. The signaling portion of the call is governed by the rules of each of the networks and call engines of the network. This signaling process may become complex due to roaming mobile telephone subscribers.
The amount of signaling information transmitted through the communication system is quite minimal as compared to the amount bearer traffic. Therefore, efficient transmission paths for bearer traffic greatly improves overall communication system efficiency and transmission capability, and improves how resources may be used in the network.
As an example of a mobile communication system bearer traffic routing issue, mobile subscribers homed in one geographic area but roaming in another distant geographic area may have their data routed from the second area to the first area and back to the second area again. This is an inefficient routing and such bearer traffic routing exhibits an effect called tromboneing. That is the system and various networks of the system must use greater portions of their switching and transmission capability to service such a call. As a result, such bearer traffic routing is inefficient as wasting communication system resources and increasing delays between the subscribers.
Accordingly, it would be highly advantageous to have a method for efficiently routing bearer traffic between various types of networks and geographic areas in a communication system.

Method for efficient bearer traffic routing in a communication system


The present invention broadly relates to a catalyst for promoting the oxidation-reduction reactions of the exhaust gases produced by an internal combustion engine wherein the catalyst comprises; tungsten oxide, a basic metal oxide, and a noble metal. More narrowly, the present invention relates to a catalyst for promoting oxidation-reduction reactions with the exhaust gases produced by internal combustion engine wherein the catalyst comprises; a composite oxide comprised of a refractory oxide, tungsten oxide in juxtaposed relation with the refractory oxide, and a basic metal oxide in juxtaposed relation with the tungsten oxide; and arrayed on the composite oxide a noble metal.

The manufacturers and users of internal combustion engines have long sought an efficient and cost effective method to reduce the emissions of certain exhaust gases produced by such engines. Automobile manufacturers have addressed the problem with the incorporation of catalytic converters which promote the oxidation-reduction of undesirable gases such as hydrogen, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons such as linear and branched alkanes, alkenes, aromatics, and nitrogen oxides, sulfurdioxide, water vapor and mixtures thereof.
In general, motor vehicle exhaust gases are passed over or through a body containing one or more substances which act as catalysts for the desired reactions. Catalysts which are able to promote the oxidation of hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide as well as the reduction of nitrogen oxides are known as Three Way Catalysts (TWC). Whether oxidation or reduction is the prevalent reaction in such catalysts is a function of the stoichiometry of the air/fuel ratio. In air-rich fuel mixtures, oxidation reactions will dominate, while fuel-rich feed mixtures encourage reduction.
As the following discussion of the prior art indicates, much effort has been directed toward the formulation of efficient, low cost catalysts which are capable of withstanding normal automobile operating conditions.
While the catalytic activity of the noble metals has long been known by those skilled in the art, several prior art patents have attempted to increase their catalytic activity and efficiency. Many of these attempts have centered on the addition of one or more metals to the noble metals to achieve multi-metallic catalysts. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,036,784, issued to Gembicki et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 4,324,645, issued to Angevine et al., herein incorporated by reference, both disclose catalyst compositions and/or processes of using such wherein the catalysts include combinations of Group VIB and Group VIII metals.
More particularly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,374,103, issued to Gandhi et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 4,500,650, issued to Wyatt et al., herein incorporated by reference, disclose the addition of tungsten containing compounds to respectively increase the catalytic activity of palladium and the platinum group metals.
However, under normal operating conditions, such catalysts may reach operating temperatures between 300.degree. to 1200.degree. C. Tungsten oxide from these catalysts is lost at temperatures as low as 800.degree. C. As a result, such prior art catalysts will be prematurely depleted of tungsten oxide.
Thus, although the prior art was able to produce Three Way Catalysts having increased activity, such prior art catalysts are not suitable for commercialization due to the volatility of the tungsten oxide and the corresponding depletion of such under normal operating conditions. Such problems are particularly acute in motor vehicles such as trucks which normally have catalyst operating temperatures in the 700.degree.-1000.degree. C. range.
The instant invention has addressed the deficiencies in the prior art by incorporating basic metal oxides which act to surface stabilize the tungsten oxide. Although not wishing to be bound to a particular theory, it is believed that this stabilization occurs as a result of the interaction of the basic metal oxide with the acidic tungsten oxide. In addition, it has been found that the catalysts of the instant invention have increased activity for the oxidation of hydrocarbon gases.
While various prior art patents, including U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,500,650; 4,749,671; and 4,931,419; herein incorporated by reference, disclose the addition of various metal oxides to noble metal catalysts containing tungsten, nowhere does the prior art teach that the addition of basic metal oxides will stabilize the acidic tungsten oxide and thereby decrease the volatility. The prior art has neither addressed nor solved the problem of tungsten oxide sublimation under normal catalyst operating conditions.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to produce a commercially feasible catalyst which is both efficient and cost effective.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an exhaust gas catalyst which has the increased catalytic activity of a tungsten modified noble metal catalyst but which is stable and nonvolatile at the operating temperatures normally encountered by an exhaust gas catalyst used in a motor vehicle.
It is another object of the invention to provide a catalyst which exhibits increased catalytic activity for the oxidation of hydrocarbons.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a process of making the catalyst of the invention.
Finally, it is an object of the invention to provide a process for reducing the emission of exhaust gases produced by an internal combustion engine utilizing the catalyst of the invention.

Composite catalysts for hydrocarbon oxidation


A method may include bonding a deformable bounding element to a structural support element in which the deformable bounding element and a cavity-adjacent side of the structural support element define a cavity. The method may further include filling the cavity with a deformable medium by injecting the deformable medium past a cavity-opposite side of the structural support element and toward the cavity-adjacent side of the structural support element. The method may additionally include sealing an entry point of the injection of the deformable medium into the cavity. Various other apparatuses, systems, and methods are also disclosed.

Putting on a virtual-reality or augmented-reality head-mounted system may be the beginning of a thrilling experience, one that may be more immersive than almost any other digital entertainment or simulation experience available today. Head-mounted systems may enable users to travel through space and time, interact with friends in a three-dimensional world, or play video games in a radically redefined way. Head-mounted systems may also be used for purposes other than recreation—governments may use them for military training simulations, doctors may use them to practice surgery, and engineers may use them as visualization aids.
In any use of a virtual-reality or augmented-reality system, making the experience as immersive as possible may be critical. However, many design features of head-mounted systems may potentially interfere with an immersive experience. For example, many head-mounted systems may be relatively heavy with most of their weight distributed toward the front, potentially resulting in significant pressure on a user's face and leading to discomfort that may make a virtual reality experience less compelling. In addition, attempts to integrate more functionality into head-mounted systems may add thickness and weight, potentially resulting in head-mounted systems that are overly heavy or unwieldy.

Apparatuses, systems, and methods for fabricating ultra-thin adjustable lenses


A hydrogen sensor 1 includes detection elements 4A, 4B, 4C formed from hydrogen-absorbing alloys which exhibit different hydrogen-absorbing pressures at a given temperature; a strain gauge 6 which detects changes in volume upon absorbing of hydrogen by the detection elements 4A, 4B, 4C; a micro-heater 2 which controls the temperatures of all the detection elements 4A, 4B, 4C to approximate equal values; and a substrate 3.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hydrogen sensor for detecting hydrogen concentration in a gas.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a related art, a hydrogen sensor utilizing a hydrogen-absorbing alloy is disclosed in JP-A-10-73530. The hydrogen sensor has a hydrogen-absorbing alloy bonded on one surface of its substrate and has a strain gauge attached on the other surface thereof. In this arrangement, the distortion is produced in the substrate under a circumstance of volume expansion caused in the course of absorbing hydrogen by the hydrogen alloy. The hydrogen sensor detects the amount of said absorbed hydrogen by the strain gauge on the basis of a magnitude of distortion of a substrate. The hydrogen sensor utilizing such a hydrogen-absorbing alloy shows fairly high selectivity of hydrogen, whereby the hydrogen sensor has an advantage of high detection accuracy.
The hydrogen sensor as disclosed in JP-A-10-73530 is suitable for detecting an amount of hydrogen, for instance, in such a way of being incorporated in equipment utilizing a hydrogen-absorbing alloy (e.g., hydrogen-absorbing alloy tank); however, the sensor is incapable of detecting a hydrogen concentration in a gas.


The present invention is directed to methods for improving the efficiency of processes for the recovery of natural gas liquids from a gas feed, e.g., raw natural gas or a refinery or petrochemical plant gas stream. These methods may be employed with most, if not all, conventional separation methods using distillation towers, e.g., a demethanizer and/or deethanizer column. The methods of the present invention involve installing an internal refrigeration system consisting of an open cycle refrigerant withdrawn from a distillation column and a closed cycle refrigerant derived from the open cycle refrigeration system. A separator is installed downstream of the recycle compressor discharge cooler in the open cycle refrigeration scheme. At least a portion of liquid withdrawn from this separator is used as a closed cycle refrigerant by indirect heat exchange with the inlet gas or other process streams. Thus a closed refrigeration cycle enhances the performance of the open refrigeration cycle.

In addition to methane, natural gas includes some heavier hydrocarbons with impurities, e.g., carbon dioxide, nitrogen, helium, water, and non-hydrocarbon acid gases. After compression and separation of these impurities, natural gas is further processed to separate and recover natural gas liquids (NGL). In fact, natural gas may include up to about fifty percent by volume of heavier hydrocarbons recovered as NGL. These heavier hydrocarbons must be separated from methane to be recovered as natural gas liquids. These valuable natural gas liquids consist of ethane, propane, butane, and other heavier hydrocarbons. In addition to these NGL components, other components including hydrogen, ethylene, and propylene may be contained in gas streams obtained from refineries or from petrochemical plants.
Processes for separating hydrocarbon gas components are well known in the art. C. Collins, R. J. Chen, and D. G. Elliot have provided an excellent general review of NGL recovery methods in a paper presented at Gas Tech LNG/LPG Conference 84. This paper, entitled "Trends in NGL recovery for natural and associated gases", was published by Gas Tech, Ltd. of Rickmansworth, England, in the transactions of the conference on pages 287-303. In addition, R. J. Lee, J. Yao, and D. G. Elliot provided an excellent general review of NGL recovery methods in a paper entitled "Flexibility, efficiency to characterize gas-processing technologies", which was published in the Dec. 13, 1999 issue of Oil & Gas Journal on pages 90-94. The pre-purified natural gas is treated by well-known methods including absorption, refrigerated absorption, adsorption and condensation at cryogenic temperatures down to −175° F. Separation of the lower hydrocarbons is achieved in one or more distillation towers. The columns are often referred to as demethanizer or deethanizer columns. Processes employing a demethanizer column separate methane and other volatile components from ethane and heavier (C2+) components in the purified natural gas liquids. The methane fraction is recovered as purified gas for pipeline delivery. Ethane and less volatile components, including propane, are recovered as natural gas liquids. In some applications, however, it is desirable to minimize the ethane content of the NGL. In those applications, ethane and more volatile components are separated from propane and less volatile (C3+) components in a column generally called the deethanizer column.
NGL recovery plant design is highly dependent on the operating pressure of the distillation column. At medium to low pressures, i.e., 400 psia or lower, the recompression horsepower requirement (to compress the residue gas to pipeline pressure) will be so high that the process becomes less economical. However, at higher pressures, the recovery level of the hydrocarbons will be significantly reduced due to the less favorable separating conditions, i.e., lower relative volatility inside the distillation column. Prior art has concentrated on operating the distillation columns at a higher pressure, i.e., 400 psia or higher while maintaining the high recovery of liquid hydrocarbons.
Many patents have been directed to methods for improving this separation technology. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,171,964, 4,278,457, 4,687,499, and 4,851,020 describe relevant processes.
While single-column processes utilizing only the demethanizer have been capable of recovering more than 98% of the propane, propylene, and heavier hydrocarbons during the ethane recovery mode, most of those processes fail to maintain the same propane recovery level when ethane is not needed and operated in the ethane rejection mode. Due to equilibrium constraints, the propane recovery in a single-column arrangement is ultimately limited by propane content in the top reflux to the demethanizer. To overcome this deficiency, various methods employing sequentially configured first and second distillation columns, e.g. a demethanizer followed by a deethanizer, are disclosed. In this arrangement, the overhead vapor from the second column is condensed and recycled to the top of the first column as the reflux. The top reflux thus derived is essentially propane-free, thereby enhancing propane recovery efficiency.
In the afore-mentioned two-column arrangement, most prior art uses the first column comprising only the rectification section like an absorber. The absorber bottom liquids are transported to the second column for further processing to generate a reflux lean in propane for use as the top reflux to the first column. For examples, see U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,617,039, 4,690,702, 5,771,712, 5,890,378, 6,601,406, 6,712,880, and 6,837,070. An improved two-column scheme disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,116,050 thermally links both distillation columns via a side reboiler-overhead condenser and introduces a stripping section to the first column. The provision of the stripping section allows undesirable light components to be stripped off the liquids feeding to the second column.
A significant cost in the NGL recovery processes is related to the refrigeration required to chill the inlet gas. Refrigeration for these low temperature schemes is generally provided by using propane or ethane as refrigerants. In some applications, mixed refrigerants and cascade refrigeration cycle have been used. Refrigeration is also provided by turbo expansion or work expansion of the compressed natural gas feed with appropriate heat exchange.
Traditionally, the gas stream is partially condensed at medium to high pressures with the help of external propane refrigeration, a turboexpander or both. The condensed streams are further processed in a distillation column, e.g., a demethanizer or deethanizer, operated at medium to low pressures to separate the lighter components from the recovered hydrocarbon liquids. Turboexpander technology has been widely used in the last 30 years to achieve high ethane and propane recoveries in the NGL for leaner gases. For rich gases containing significant quantities of heavy hydrocarbons, a combined process of turboexpander and external refrigeration is the most efficient approach. Mechanical refrigeration consisting primarily of a pure refrigerant and in closed circuit, such as propane, is commonly used as the source of external refrigeration in cryogenic turbo expansion processes.
In addition to the external propane refrigeration, the use of an auto-refrigeration system has been utilized in prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 5,588,308 discloses that NGL product is recovered by cooling and partial condensation of a purified natural gas feed wherein a portion of the necessary feed cooling and condensation duty is provided by expansion and vaporization of condensed feed liquid after methane stripping, thereby yielding a vaporized NGL product. Additional refrigeration for feed gas cooling is provided by vaporizing methane-stripped liquid, which in turn provides boilup vapor for the stripping step. This process eliminates the need for external refrigeration with the aid of auto-refrigeration and integrated heat exchange.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,992,175 introduces a self-refrigeration scheme in open cycle to improve the efficiency and economy of processes for the recovery of natural gas liquids (NGL) from a gas feed under pressure. In this process, a portion of a hydrocarbon liquid is withdrawn from the lower portion of a distillation column. This withdrawn liquid hydrocarbon is expanded and heated to produce a two-phase system for separation into a heavy, liquid hydrocarbon product and a vapor phase for recycling to the column, preferably as an enhancement vapor. The withdrawn hydrocarbon liquid is preferably heated by indirect heat exchange with the inlet gas, thus reducing or eliminating the external refrigeration requirements of the process. The expanded, heated vapor recycled to the column increases the ethane and propane concentration in the column, thus reducing the tray temperature profile and increasing the separation efficiency. Accordingly, the column may be operated at higher pressures while maintaining the same separation efficiency, resulting in significant energy savings and economies of operation.
The open refrigeration cycle disclosed in the '175 patent not only reduces the requirements for external refrigeration, but also provides essentially all the reboiler duty for the distillation column. However, the reboiler duty required for the distillation column is generally limited to the specific distillation objective. Therefore, the refrigeration that can be effectively employed by this technique is somewhat restricted. In some cases where a large amount of external refrigeration is needed, there seems to be a shortage of refrigeration that can be produced via the above technique as a result of this limitation. This is particularly true for a relatively rich gas.
As can be seen from the foregoing description, prior art has long sought methods for improving efficiency and economics of processes for separating and recovering natural gas liquids from natural gas. Accordingly, there has been a long-felt but unfulfilled need for more efficient and more economical methods for performing this separation. The present invention provides significant improvements in efficiency and economy, thus solving those needs.

Internal refrigeration for enhanced NGL recovery


A mower unit includes a blade housing, and a guide plate for dividing a grass clipping flow space formed in the blade housing, along a flowing direction into a first flow space and a second flow space communicating with each other in a downstream position with respect to the flowing direction. The blade housing has a discharge section for discharging grass clippings cut by cutting blades, in a predetermined direction along with air flows. The discharge section has an intake opening for drawing ambient air into the second flow space. The guide plate may be displaceable relative to the blade housing to vary a sectional passage area of the first flow space.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a lawn tractor, and more particularly to a mower unit for use with a lawn tractor for discharging grass clippings cut by cutting blades in a predetermined direction as entrained by air flows.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a lawn tractor discharges grass clippings cut by cutting blades through a discharge opening formed at a lateral end of a blade housing, or transmits the grass clippings through a transport duct to a grass catcher mounted rearwardly of a tractor body. The lawn tractor disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open Publication H3-123411 or U.S. Pat. No. 5,560,188, for example, has a blade housing and a grass catcher connected through a duct, with a blower mounted in an intermediate position of the duct for causing grass clippings to flow smoothly to the grass catcher. The duct feeds the grass clippings discharged through a lateral end of the blade housing into the grass catcher mounted rearwardly of a tractor body. A region of transition from the blade housing to the duct includes a grass flow passage bent nearly 90 degrees, to limit an extent to which the duct protrudes laterally of the tractor body. In the region of transition, therefore, the flow of grass clippings is disturbed, i.e. a smooth flow thereof cannot be expected.


The present embodiment relates to a light output module comprising: a first lens part including at least one lens; a second lens part including at least one lens and disposed at a lower side of the first lens part; an actuator for moving the second lens part; a third lens part disposed at a lower side of the second lens part; and a light source disposed at a lower side of the third lens part, wherein the actuator comprises: a first housing receiving the second lens part and including at least one first magnet disposed therein; a second housing receiving the first housing and including at least one second magnet disposed therein; and a third housing including a first coil facing the first magnet and a second coil facing the second magnet, wherein the first housing is operated in a first direction, and the first housing and the second housing are operated in a second direction.

Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) illuminates light onto an object and can detect distance to object, direction, speed, temperature, material distribution, concentration characteristics, and the like.
Although LiDAR has been utilized for weather observation and distance measurement, recently it has been studied for autonomous driving and unmanned valet parking.
LiDAR comprises a light output module for illuminating light onto an object, and a light receiving module for sensing light reflected from the object. However, the conventional light output module has a problem in that the field of view is fixed depending on the shape of the lens. In addition, when a camera module having an auto focus (AF) function or a camera module having an optical image stabilization (OIS) function is applied to a light output module, a problem occurs in that the amount of displacement of the field of view is limited to a narrow range. Moreover, in this case, a problem occurs in that it is vulnerable to an impact.
Besides, in the conventional light emitting module, there is a problem in that the alignment for the sub-lenses constituting the lens unit cannot be performed. Moreover, in the conventional light emitting module, there is problem in that, once assembled, the lens cannot be moved.