The present invention relates to a hanging plant track system (10) which comprises a track (12) securely fastenable by at least one track fastener (12A) to a bottom of a horizontal surface. The track (12) comprises a left track (12L) having a left track horizontal member (12LA) longitudinally disposed thereon. The track (12) further comprises a right track (12R) securely fastened longitudinally along abutting edges to the left track (12L) by a middle track (12M). The right track (12R) comprises a right track horizontal member (12RA) longitudinally disposed thereon.. The hanging plant track system (10)further comprises at least one carriage (14) slidably mounted within the track (12). The at least one carriage (14) comprises a left carriage (14L) having a left carriage horizontal member slot (14LA) longitudinally disposed therein. The left carriage horizontal member slot (14LA) is complimentary in configuration to the left track horizontal member (12LA). The left track horizontal member (12LA) is slidably mounted within the left carriage horizontal member slot (14LA). The at least one carriage (14) further comprises a right carriage (14R) having a right carriage horizontal member slot (14RA) longitudinally disposed therein. The right carriage horizontal member slot (14RA) is complimentary in configuration to the right track horizontal member (12RA). The right track horizontal member (12RA) is slidably mounted within the right carriage horizontal member slot (14RA). The at least one carriage (14) further comprises a carriage top (14MA) which is slidably positioned adjacent an under surface of the middle track (12M). The at least one carriage (14) further comprises carriage bottom (14MB) having a carriage bottom horizontal chamber (14MBB) connected to a carriage bottom vertical chamber (14MBA) therein. The carriage bottom vertical chamber (14MBA) is fluted functioning to allow a plant holder (18) which comprises a plant holder pot (18B) attached to the plant holder hook (18A) to move omni-directional, the plant holder pot (18B) contains a plant (20). The hanging plant track system (10) further comprises a holder (16) is securely mounted within the at least one carriage (14). The holder (16) comprises a holder loop (16A) which is connected at a top distal end to a bottom distal end of a holder vertical member (16C) which is connected at a top distal end to a holder horizontal member (16B). The holder vertical member (16C) is movably mounted within the carriage bottom vertical chamber (14MBA). The holder horizontal member (16B) is securely fastened within the carriage bottom horizontal chamber (14MBB). The holder loop (16A) having a sufficient size opening to accept a plant holder hook (18A) therein.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hanging plant track system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a hanging plant track system which comprises a track having a carriage slidably mounted therein. The carriage comprises a holder rotatably mounted therein. The holder functions to accept a plant holder hook.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Plant hangers are well known in the art. They comprise configurations ranging from stationary rotatable mounts to roller track systems. However, the prior art lacks a hanging plant track system which is slidable along a track and omni-directionally rotatable therein.
Numerous innovations for hanging plant track system have been provided in the prior art that are described as follows. Even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, they differ from the present invention as hereinafter contrasted.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,478,039, titled Swivel Hanging Apparatus, invented by W. Michael Wright, an overhead swivel hanging apparatus consisting of a mount (10) and a support (30), i.e. a grab. When assembled the apparatus is utilized to hang pendant objects, such as a plant or a bird cage, from a ceiling or the like. The mount is comprised of a base (12), a cross brace (14), a connective means (16), an ornamental shell (18), a pendant leg (20), and a spherical bearing (22) cast as a single piece. The support, mill stamped from tensile steel as a single piece, is an C-shaped hook with a widened U shaped grab (34) on the inferior aspect. On the superior aspect of the support is a slot (28) with a flange (24) which narrows posterior into keeper tabs(26). The keeper tabs are narrower than said slot which is wider than said leg. The internal surface has a concavity (32) bisected by the slot which facilitates a ball and socket integration with the bearing. To connect the support to the mount place the flanged end against the pendant leg and move it laterally until past the keeper tabs, thus preventing accidental uncoupling. The grab has a larger internal dimension at the top than at the bottom. Placement of the pendant object into the grab locks it into place through weight, friction, and interlocking torsion between the two pieces. Such an arrangement of components increases the rotational co-efficiency by means of a ball and socket integration and the interlocking torsion on the grab.
The patented invention differs from the present invention because the patented invention has a single non-adjustable attachment point for a hanging means. In the present invention, the carrying means may be slid by a user to a position anywhere along the length of a channel. The carrying means is securely attached to a hanging means.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,390,443, titled Railing hanger, invented by Seymour Emalfarb and Bradley S. Emalfarb, a railing hanger is provided for hanging a plant from a deck rail. The railing hanger has a pair of substantially parallel planar brackets each including a pair of integral oppositely opening hooks. An upwardly opening hook on one bracket is joined with an upwardly opening hook on the other bracket by a plurality of transverse U-shaped stiffeners. The brackets and the stiffeners collectively define an upwardly opening container for receiving a plant. A downwardly opening hook on each bracket is selectively self connecting to the top of the railing and resists movement of the container laterally away from the rail. In an installed position, the container is spaced laterally from the railing and the bottom wall of the container is substantially horizontal. A rearwardly extending leg on the railing hanger prohibits movement of the container toward the rail.
The patented invention differs from the present invention because the patented invention is adapted to support a container from a railing in a cantilevered fashion. The patented invention does not hang from a ceiling. The present invention is adapted to hang from a ceiling and has an adjustable carrying means which may be slid within a channel.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,694,531, Titled Suspended Overhead Hollow Track Support System, invented by Peter S. Foy, a coupler for structurally joining opposing ends of overhead support rails is disclosed herein having a pair of elongated splice plates carried on opposite sides of the rail ends so as to overlap the abutment of the ends. Each splice plate of the pair is of substantially uniform cross section having a U-shaped channel section including a central, upright web terminating in transverse, parallel flanges. The upper flange is integrally formed with an upwardly extending flange parallel to but spaced apart from the upright web. Trapezoidal ribs extend externally of the channel section in parallel space relationship along the upper flange immediately adjacent to the web and along the web midway between the transverse flanges. Threaded bores provided in the ribs insertably receive fasteners for bearing against the respective rails. The configuration of each splice plate is conformal with the external configuration of the overhead support rails.
The patented invention differs from the present invention because the patented invention is a device to join the proximal ends of two rails. It is not a hanging device. The patented invention does not have a carrying means which fastens to a hanging means as does the present invention. The patented invention is not directly mounted or supported from an overhead, but must attach to an adapter
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,635,558, titled Long Span Conveyor Track and Hanger, invented by Robert A. Hoehn, a reinforced track section for a power and free conveyor system utilizes a conventional power rail with a free trolley track suspended therefrom. A uniform rail cap is superiorly attached to the power rail so as to provide a continuous, uninterrupted reinforcement thereto. The rail cap includes a continuous mounting flange in cooperation with hanger clamps which suspend the rail cap and underlying power and free tracks from overhead support structure at user-selectable points along the flange.
The patented invention differs from the present invention because the patented invention comprises a hanger system for supporting a channel or rail. The hanger system consists of a first rail having cutouts to permit engagement of a hanger adapter to fasten to a second channel or rail suspended beneath the hanger. The first rail is suspended from an overhead by plurality of rods. The present invention is fastened directly to an overhead through fasteners passed through mounting holes. The carrying means of your invention slides within the channel. The hanging means is held within the carrying means and constrained to rotate but not swing.
In Patent No D257,398, titled Overhead Track Light, invented by John A. Tedesco, the ornamental design for an overhead track light, is as shown.
The patented invention differs from the present invention because the patented invention is an ornamental design for a track light which has no significant features similar to the present invention.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,170,843, titled Rotatable Hanging Planter Mount, invented by Muhammad Y. Talwani, the plant-mobile is a rotating plant hanger which includes a rotatable frame adapted to support a number of hanging plants. Embodiments of the plant-mobile are adapted to be mounted either from a wall or a ceiling, and the plantmobile includes an associated ceiling or wall mounting means. The rotatable frame includes round balls or hooks from which potted plants may be hung. In addition, the rotatable frame includes radial members which may be used to support the shoots of climbing plants or vines.
The patented invention differs from the present invention because the patented invention is adapted to fasten to a wall or overhead support objects suspended or hung from the patented invention may be rotated by hand or by a motor. The present invention fastens to a horizontal surface and comprises a carrying means which may be slid horizontally along the length of a track. The present invention further consists of a hanging means which supports objects. The objects suspended by the present invention may be rotated in addition to being slid horizontally.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,116,134, titled Hangers for Overhead Suspended Track, invented by Paul H. Troth, an overhead suspended monorail type material handling system or apparatus comprising a rail having a web and a transversely extending flange on each side along its upper edge and a wider flange on each side along its lower edge, a plate-like member or cleat for attachment to an overhead structure and provided with a through aperture enlarged at one end, a bolt-like load supporting stud shaft or hanger member having a head at one end and a nut at the other end with the nut located in the enlarged part of the aperture through the cleat and the shank of the bold-like hanger member extending to the other side of the cleat member, and a pair of clamp plates bolted together, the clamp plates providing an inverted T-like aperture therebetween enclosing the head of the bolt-like hanger member and the narrower flanges on a part of the rail. As an alternative construction the headed stud or hanger member may be incorporated into the cleat.
The patented invention differs from the present invention because the patented invention is a support by a overhead `T` track which carries a trolley. The `T` is dissimilar from the present invention in that your invention is a channel. The present invention fastens directly to an overhead whereas the patented invention is fastened to an overhead and then supports a `T` track.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,875,866, titled Overhead Track Assembly, invented by Jean Ennenmond Mazuyer, an overhead track assembly forming an aerial runway for transporting goods, such as meat, has a pair of downwardly open channels constitute support rails which are hung on yoke like hanger brackets from an overhead support. One leg of each rail is received in a groove in each bracket and a setscrew is tightened in the bracket to clamp this leg in place. The other leg of each rails define with the facing rail a gap down through which extends the hanger arm of a trolley whose rollers each ride on one of the rails. These other legs may be cambered so as to permit lateral displacement of the hanger arm and this hanger arm has at least one roller engageable with the other legs to insure ease of riding. The rails are formed of a plurality of in-line rail sections whose ends are secured together by connecting pieces between the legs. One of the legs is formed with an inwardly directed ridge and the connecting piece is formed to snugly engage in the space between the two legs of the rail and be clamped in place with a setscrew.
The patented invention differs from the present invention because the patented invention is a device to support a downwardly open channels from an overhead. The present invention is a downwardly open channel fastened directly to a horizontal surface in which a carrying means slides.
Numerous innovations for a hanging plant track system have been provided in the prior art that are adapted to be used. Even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, they would not be suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described.


Compositions and methods for forming surfactants, aqueous dispersions, and curing agents are provided. In one aspect, the invention relates to improved epoxy functional surfactants prepared by reaction of an epoxy composition and an amidoamine composition formed from a blend of acid-terminated polyoxyalkylene polyols. The improved epoxy functional surfactants may be reacted with an excess of epoxy composition and water to result in an aqueous dispersion. The amidoamine composition may be a reaction mixture of a diamine compound and an acid terminated polyoxyalkylene composition formed from two or more polyoxyalkylene polyol compounds. The epoxy functional surfactant may be reacted with amine compounds to form a compound suitable as a curing agent.

Aqueous dispersions of epoxy resins have been known for many years. However, the performance of these dispersions as elements of coatings has been viewed as inferior to their solvent borne counterparts. It is known that the surfactants employed to render the epoxy component emulsifiable such as nonylphenol ethoxylates, alkylphenol initiated poly(oxyethylene) ethanols, alkylphenol initiated poly(oxypropylene) poly(oxyethylene) ethanols, and block copolymers containing an internal poly(oxypropylene) block and two external poly(oxyethylene) ethanol blocks readily migrate to surface interfaces where, it is speculated, they deleteriously affect film performance.
Moreover, as aqueous dispersions of epoxy resins have become more widely used in industry, improved handling properties such as storage stability are required. The storage stability of many water borne epoxy dispersions degrades over time due to the presence of amine nitrogen atoms in the surfactant molecules. As the pH of water borne dispersions increases over 9.8, the storage stability can no longer be measured in years, but rather is measured in months.
It would also be desirable to decrease the particle size of the solids, or decrease the amount of surfactant required at a given solids level, or to disperse solids at a given particle size using less surfactant. Often, a larger amount of surfactant needed to decrease the particle size and effectively disperse the solids in water leads to increased pH and reduced storage stability. Decreasing the surfactant level to control the pH causes an increase in particle size.
Therefore, there is a need to form improved surfactants for forming aqueous dispersions of epoxy resins.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Epoxy systems and amine polymer systems and methods for making the same


A cyclone is provided above a liquid receptacle (4) in a housing (1,3) whose interior is at reduced pressure in operation. Liquid and solid particles carried by the incoming stream of air accumulate in the cyclone (18) and circulate as a body of solid-laden liquid while coming repeatedly into contact with the incoming stream. Excess solid-laden liquid flows down into the receptacle (4) from the cyclone (18) through a lower outlet (23a). The air leaves the cyclone substantially freed from liquid droplets and solid particles.

This invention relates generally to cyclones and particularly but not exclusively to cylones in suction cleaners which draw in air carrying dirt-laden liquid.
Such suction cleaners are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,262,146 and United Kingdom Patents GB-A-1 448 434, GB-A-1 497 709, and GB-B-2 154 431. In suction cleaners of this type, an upwardly open receptacle for dirt-laden liquid (e.g. water) is provided in a housing whose interior is at a reduced pressure in operation. The volume ratio of air to liquid on entry into the housing may typically be roughly 30 parts of air to one part of liquid. The liquid is therefore in the form of small droplets scattered in the air stream and suspended by the motion and turbulence of the air.
A problem with suction cleaners of this type is that fine droplets remain suspended in the air as it travels through the machine. Although most of them are deposited on surfaces and fall into the collection tank, a significant proportion continues suspended in the air stream and leaves via the suction fan. The soiled liquid droplets then evaporate, leaving a fine dust possibly contaminated with allergens and pathogens suspended in the air. The suspended liquid may eventually damage the mechanism or electrical parts of the suction cleaner. It may also shorten the life of any outlet filters used. There is also the possibility that dirt entrained in the incoming air is not captured by the liquid droplets.
The present invention provides a cyclone in which liquid carried by an incoming stream of air accumulates and circulates while coming repeatedly into contact with the incoming stream.
In particular, the invention provides a cyclone in which solid and liquid particles carried by an incoming stream of air are separated from the air stream, the cyclone having a curvilinear peripheral wall, a top wall extending inwards from the entire periphery of the peripheral wall, and a bottom wall extending substantially horizontally inwards from the entire periphery of the peripheral wall, at least one of the top and bottom walls having an outlet spaced from the peripheral wall, the peripheral wall having an inlet port for the incoming stream of air carrying solid and liquid particles, the inlet port directing the incoming stream substantially tangentially to the peripheral wall so that solid and liquid particles carried by the incoming stream are deposited on the peripheral wall, accumulate on the substantially horizontal bottom wall, and circulate as a body of solid-laden liquid while coming repeatedly into contact with the incoming stream, excess solid-laden liquid escaping through the outlet.
As applied to a suction cleaner, the invention provides a suction cleaner comprising a housing whose interior is at reduced pressure in operation, an upwardly open liquid receptacle in the housing, and a cyclone above the receptacle in the housing, the cyclone having a curvilinear peripheral wall, a top wall extending inwards from the entire periphery of the peripheral wall, and a bottom wall extending substantially horizontally inwards from the entire periphery of the peripheral wall and having an outlet spaced from the peripheral wall and communicating with the receptacle, and the peripheral wall having an inlet port for an incoming stream of air carrying dirt and liquid, the inlet port communicating with the exterior of the housing and directing the incoming stream substantially tangentially to the peripheral wall so that liquid carried by the incoming stream is deposited on the peripheral wall, accumulates on the substantially horizontal bottom wall in the cyclone, and circulates as a body of dirt-laden liquid while coming repeatedly into contact with the incoming stream, excess dirt-laden liquid escaping through the outlet to the receptacle.
Dirt (such as dust, lint, soil, mites, and other debris) carried by the incoming stream of air is captured by the circulating body of dirtladen liquid in the cyclone.
Preferred and optional features are set forth in the claims.


The invention relates to foam structures with enhanced physical properties which can be used in the areas of packaging, athletics, water sports, and construction. In general, the structures are laminated polymer foams that include a core of a low density foam and one or more skins of relatively high density foam covering the core. The skins provide improved physical properties to the foam structures by improving the flexural strength, resistance to bending, and resulting damage from bending in the laminated foam structure while modestly increasing the weight of the laminated structure, for example. Uses of the foam structures include, but are not limited to, packaging materials, gym mats, body boards, or eaves fillers.

The invention relates to polymer foams. In particular, the invention relates to polymer foams having low densities with enhanced physical properties.
Foam structures are useful in the areas of packaging, athletics, water sports, and construction. In general, the foams are low density polymeric materials with good physical properties that are capable of supporting loads without adverse deformation. In general, the physical properties required by these applications suggest the use of high density foams. It is generally required that the foams have good proportional limit, compressive properties, shear properties, fatigue properties, and buckling limits, as defined, for example, in "Machinery's Handbook," E. Oberg, et al., Green, Ed., Industrial Press Inc., New York, 1992, pages 166, 168 and 253.
Physically-blown foams, particularly foams with enhanced physical properties are useful, for example, in packaging, automotive, construction, contact sports, water sports, exercise, and appliance applications. It is important to maintain good foam properties (e.g., cushioning and resistance to creasing) at low foam densities.

Laminated foam structures with enhanced properties


Systems, computer-readable media, and methods for generating search engine results pages are provided. A user provides a search engine with one or more query terms. The query terms may be associated with an intent, e.g. product entity, store entity, person entity. The search engine classifies the query and identifies search results that correspond to the query. The search results are grouped based on intents associated with the query. A graphical user interface displays the grouped on search results and allows the user to modify the groupings. The graphical user interface is also updated with entity or entity attributes corresponding to the intents used to group the search results.

The Internet provides access to a vast amount of content. A major challenge given the quantity of content is identifying content that matches a search query provided to a conventional search engine. Upon locating matching content, a search engine result page with the most relevant information is provided to the user that generated the search query.
The conventional search engines perform keyword based matching to locate relevant content. The search query is parsed into keywords that are used to match the content. A match is found based on the similarity between the keyword and terms included in the content. For example, if a user searches for "dinosaurs," the search engine provides the user with a list of search results that are links to content having terms similar to "dinosaurs," e.g., "dinosaur." The search engine may identify "dinosaurs" as a keyword. In turn, the search engine accesses an inverted index to locate content that includes terms similar to the keyword. The inverted index identifies terms and associated content identifiers. The content identifiers link to content having the identified terms. When "dinosaurs" or similar terms are located in the inverted index, the search engine receives a list of content identifiers associated with the terms matching the keyword. The search engine generates search results that include the content identifiers in a ranked order, e.g., similarity or popularity. The similarity rank may be determined by a distance score between the keyword and the index terms. The popularity score may be based on the number of clicks associated with the content. The ranked search results are then transmitted to the client device for display to the user.
Thus, the conventional search engines return search results that match terms included in a search query. The conventional search engines may gather thousands of results for any given query. The search engine, however, only renders the top n results in a search engine result page (SERP). Commonly, n is less than 20. Several SERP are generated to view all of the matching results. In some instances, a user may have to traverse several pages before locating content that the user is interested in. Because search engine queries often consist of keywords or short phrases that are ambiguous in meaning, the SERP provided to the user tend to contain results for the most popular content matching the keyword.

Disambiguating intents within search engine result pages


A method is provided for managing a transfer of a data stream received by a mobile terminal of a first network to a second network, the terminal having subscribed to at least one multicasting group receiving the data stream, and being connected to the first network by way of an access router for the first network, termed the first router. The method comprises: detecting, by an access router for the second network, termed the second router, an arrival of the terminal in the second network; obtaining, by the second router, information relating to at least one multicasting group to which the terminal has subscribed, on the basis of a reading of a subscription table; and receiving the data stream by the second router, on the basis of the information obtained, and retransmission to the terminal.

The distributing of audiovisual programs to terminals is generally carried out in the form of data streams using the IP protocol.
These streams are multicast using a particular destination address, making it possible to dispatch an audiovisual program simultaneously to several recipients. Accordingly, these recipients must have subscribed to a group, called a multicasting group, designated by the particular destination address. One speaks of "multicast" broadcasting.
When a terminal subscribing to a multicast group is connected to a network by way of a router (also called an access point), this router is added to a multicasting tree for this group. In this way, the terminal can receive, by way of this router, the programs to which it has subscribed.
When the terminal changes network, it is necessary for the new network access router to be added to the multicasting tree for the multicasting group to which the terminal has subscribed. Indeed, if the user of the terminal (or the terminal loosely speaking) has subscribed to a service of "Orange TV" (trademark) type for example, this user must be able to receive this service on his terminal, whatever the network to which the terminal is connected.
This switchover or handover from a first network to a second network may give rise to a latency period, the time while the second network is added to the multicasting tree of the multicasting group considered. During this period, the terminal cannot receive the services to which it has subscribed, this not being acceptable.
The document "An efficient mobile multicast mechanism for fast handovers: a study from design and implementation in experimental networks" (D. H. Kwon at al., Computer communications, 2008) proposes a solution making it possible to reduce this latency period when switching from a first network to a second network.
According to this document, the terminal, which was previously connected to a first network by way of an access router PAR, detects a change of network. It then indicates to the access router PAR of the new network (second network) a list of its multicast subscriptions (multicasting groups to which the terminal has subscribed). On receiving this list, the access router NAR of the second network asks to be added to the multicasting trees of the multicasting groups to which the terminal has subscribed, and asks the access router PAR of the first network to make the corresponding multicast streams follow it.
The multicast streams are then transmitted from the access router PAR of the first network to the terminal, by way of the access router NAR of the second network.
Once the process of subscription of the access router NAR of the second network has terminated, that is to say once the access router PAR of the second network has been added to the multicasting trees of the groups to which the terminal has subscribed, the terminal asks the access router PAR of the first network to stop transferring the multicast streams.
A drawback of this technique is that the terminal must be able to communicate at one and the same time with the router of the former network to which it was connected and with the router of the new network.
Indeed, the terminal must take the initiative to ask the router of the new network (second router) to make the multicast streams to which it has subscribed follow it, by indicating to this second router the multicasting group to which it has subscribed.
Moreover, the terminal must ask the router of the former network (first router) to stop making the multicast streams follow it by way of the second router.
Now, the terminal is not always able to communicate with both networks at one and see same time, especially when the link with the first router is lost following a physical movement of the terminal.
Moreover, this solution is not compatible with the new document RFC 5213 describing a new protocol "Proxy Mobile Internet Protocol version 6" (PMIPv6), specified in August 2008 by the IETF ("Internet Engineering Task Force"), the terminal being active in the handover process. Indeed, one of the constraints imposed in this document is that the handover process is entirely transparent to the terminal (one speaks of "seamless mobility").

Method and devices for managing a data flow transfer


A computer-implemented system is provided that facilitates implementation of a voice-over-IP (VOIP) application. The system includes a host system and a user interface (UI) host process residing on the host system. The system also includes an agent host process residing on the host system which is being configured to process a VOIP call received by one or more VOIP applications executable on the host system. A moniker protocol is utilized for redirection of input and output between a media element which is utilized to render media on a display on the system. The redirection enables media processing to be allocated between the UI host process in the foreground and the agent host process in the background to thereby reduce latency perceived by a user during a VOIP experience.

Developing voice-over-Internet protocol (VOIP) applications to run on mobile phones or other limited resource devices (e.g., tablets, personal digital assistants) presents a number of challenges. These challenges are even greater when the VOIP applications are to scale so that they are operational on low end hardware devices having limited resources as well as high end hardware devices having greater resources, particularly when the quality of the VOIP call user experience is to remain relatively high in all cases.
One peculiarity of a mobile phone as a platform for a VOIP application, as opposed to a personal computer, tablet, or the like, is that a mobile phone has a pre-existing telephony (e.g., cellular) module already built into it. Thus, when developing a VOIP application for a mobile phone, issues arise such as switching between different types of calls, which do not arise when a personal computer or tablet is used as a platform for the VOIP application. More generally, it becomes desirable to integrate the user experience of receiving and placing all types of calls, including VOIP calls and cellular or other types of calls that are native to the mobile phone.
Another problem that arises when developing a VOIP application that does not arise with other types of calls native to the mobile phone or other limited resource devices concerns the sharing of hardware resources (e.g., processing capability, memory) among various applications. If, for example, a user switches to another application while on a VOIP call, hardware resources are allocated to the other application which may negatively impact the VOIP call user experience.

Cross-process media handling in a voice-over-internet protocol (VOIP) application platform


The semiconductor laser of the present invention includes a first conductivity-type cladding layer, a second conductivity-type cladding layer having at least one ridge structure extending in the direction of a resonator, an active layer disposed between the two cladding layers and a current blocking layer provided so as to cover at least a side face of the ridge structure. The current blocking layer includes a hydrogenated first dielectric film. In the structure having the current blocking layer formed of a dielectric, a light confining efficiency is enhanced, a threshold value of laser oscillation decreases, and current properties during the oscillation at a high temperature and with a high power are improved.

In recent years, due to the widespread use of DVDs and CDs, semiconductor lasers are used in various fields, and reductions in their manufacturing cost and lead time are strongly required.
A burying ridge-type stripe structure that is generally used for a semiconductor laser is shown in FIG. 6 (see JP6(1994)-237038 A). This structure is formed by the method described below.
First, a buffer layer 202, a first conductivity type cladding layer 203, a guide layer 204, an active layer 205, a guide layer 206, a second conductivity-type cladding layer 207, a hetero buffer layer 208 and a cap layer 209 are grown epitaxially on a first conductivity-type substrate 201 using an organometallic vapor phase growing method (hereinafter, called MOCVD method).
An insulating layer (not shown in the figure) is formed on the cap layer 209 and is formed into a stripe pattern, and then the second conductivity-type cladding layer 207 is formed into a ridge shape by etching with the stripe pattern as a mask. Subsequently, a first conductivity-type current blocking layer 210 is grown selectively using the MOCVD method. After removing the stripe pattern, a second conductivity-type contact layer 211 is grown using the MOCVD method. Moreover, a n-side electrode 212 and a p-side electrode 213 respectively are formed.
With this structure, the MOCVD process is carried out three times in the manufacturing process, thus it is hard to reduce the manufacturing cost.
Next, a ridge-type stripe structured semiconductor laser having a dielectric film as a current blocking layer is illustrated in FIG. 7A (see JP11(1999)-186650 A). In the process of forming this structure, a buffer layer 302, a first conductivity-type cladding layer 303, a guide layer 304, an active layer 305, a guide layer 306, a second conductivity-type cladding layer 307, a hetero buffer layer 308 and a cap layer 309 are grown epitaxially on a first conductivity-type substrate 301 using the MOCVD method. An insulating layer (not shown in the figure) is formed on the cap layer 309 and is formed into a stripe pattern, thereafter, the second conductivity-type cladding layer 307 is formed into a ridge shape by etching with the stripe pattern as a mask. Moreover, a current blocking layer 310 made of a dielectric film is provided to both sides of the ridge. Furthermore, a n-side electrode 311 and a p-side electrode 312 respectively are formed.
Since the ridge-type stripe structure using the dielectric film requires the MOCVD process to be carried out only once, the manufacturing cost can be reduced compared to that in the example of FIG. 6. In addition, by virtue of the reduction in the number of growing steps, lead time in manufacturing processes also can be reduced. Particularly in a monolithic dual wavelength laser, steps of crystal growth and manufacturing processes are more complicated, thus it is considered that the cost and the manufacturing lead time can be reduced dramatically by adopting the structure of FIG. 7A.
The laser having the ridge-type stripe structure shown in FIG. 7A, which is manufactured using the epitaxial growth only once, uses as the current blocking layer a dielectric film, such as a silicon oxide film (hereinafter, called SiO2) or a silicon nitride film (hereinafter, called SiN), which has a considerably small refractive index in comparison with that of an AlGaAs based or AlGaInP based semiconductor layer. The refractive indices with respect to light with a wavelength of 650 nm are, for example, AlGaAs=3.1 to 4.1 and AlGaInP=3.2 to 3.6; while SiO2=1.5 and SiN=2.0.
Accordingly, the difference in a refractive index between the current blocking layer and the semiconductor layer composing the ridge portion and the cladding layer becomes larger. Therefore, in order to adjust a flare angle of outgoing light, it is necessary to increase a film thickness H of the second conductivity-type cladding layer 307 outside the ridge portion, which is shown in FIG. 7A, so as to strengthen the light confinement. According to this, as shown in FIG. 7B, an ineffective component 314 of a current to be injected to the active layer 305, which leaks out of the light-emission region 313, increases, thus causing a problem of the increment of an operation current. The increment of the operation current has a risk of degrading the temperature properties of the semiconductor laser element and degrading significantly the reliability at a high temperature.

Semiconductor laser and method for manufacturing the same

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A method having a negative output voltage at a negative output terminal of a charge pump tracking a positive output voltage at a positive output terminal of the charge pump. The charge pump comprises a plurality of switches and each of the plurality of switches has a serially coupled resistance. The method comprises selecting the serially coupled resistance for at least one of the plurality of switches to be different to each of the other respective serially coupled resistances associated to the other switches.

One type of charge pump receives an input voltage and provides at the output terminals a positive output voltage which is higher than a reference ground voltage and a negative output voltage which is lower than the reference ground voltage. In many applications, it is required that the negative output voltage tracks the positive output voltage well, that is, the absolute value of the negative output voltage equals or substantially equals the positive output voltage. And it is further appreciated that the negative output voltage tracks the positive output voltage well even at startup.

Charge pump and method of having negative output voltage tracking positive output voltage thereof

Chengdu Monolithic Power Systems Co., Ltd.


A turn guide is disposed between a first transport surface and a second transport surface on which a sheet is transported while being sucked. The turn guide has a plurality of guide ribs. The plurality of guide ribs have curved inverting transfer surfaces from an inversion start point corresponding to a first transport surface to an inversion end point corresponding to a second transport surface.

Conventionally, this kind of apparatus includes a paper feeder as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-95550. The paper feeder includes a paper feed tray for loading sheets of paper, a feeding part for feeding, one by one, the sheets of paper loaded on the paper feed tray, a turn guide for changing the transport direction of the sheet of paper fed from the paper feed tray by the feeding part, and a plurality of ribs formed on the turn guide so as to have long shapes along the transport direction of the sheets of paper. The sheets of paper loaded on the paper feed tray are fed one by one and the ribs on the turn guide change the transport directions of the sheets of paper.
Further, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-95382 discloses an apparatus including a feed/transport guide for guiding a recording medium so as to bend the recording medium, a first transport roller disposed near the bending start position of the feed/transport guide, and a second transport roller disposed near an inversion start position where the recording medium having passed through the first transport roller starts to be inverted while being bent. A sheet of paper transported by the first transport roller and the second transport roller is inverted along the feed/transport guide.
Moreover, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-233497 discloses an apparatus including a transport roller for transporting a recorded material to a recording part, a transport driven roller which is rotated in a driven manner while being pressed to the transport roller, a feed roller for feeding the recorded material to the transport roller and the transport driven roller, a supply path for supplying the recorded material while bending and inverting the recorded material along the outer surface of the feed roller, and a guide member which is separated from the outer surface of the feed roller and comes into contact with the recorded material to guide the recorded material. On the guide surface of the guide member, a plurality of guide rollers are provided which are rotated in a driven manner in response to the supply of the recorded material.
Further, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-302316 discloses an apparatus including a holding roller for holding and transporting roll paper and a guide member disposed near the downstream side of the holding roller. The guide member has a guide surface formed to be bent opposite to the curling of the roll paper, and the curling of the roll paper is corrected by bringing the guide surface into contact with the unprinted side of the roll paper.
Moreover, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-27799 discloses an apparatus including a transport path for transporting a recording medium to an image forming position by using a transport roller and an ejection path for ejecting the recording medium after an image is formed. The amount of transport of the recording medium is controlled by monitoring the amount of drive of the transport roller, and the amount of drive of the transport roller is corrected based on the winding angle of the recording medium relative to the transport roller and the thickness of the recording medium.
Further, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-145539 discloses an apparatus including a recorder for recording an image on a recording medium, a storage for storing recording media of multiple sizes, a separator for separately feeding the stored recording media, and an inversion device for inverting the fed recording media. Rollers in multiple rows are disposed on the guide of the inverting device and a slider is disposed on the guide. The slider is set lower than the rollers and a recording medium such as cardboard having high stiffness is fed while inverted.
In the configurations of the prior art, a sheet of paper is sandwiched between rollers when transported or inverted and thus the rollers are in direct contact with the printed surface of the sheet. Thus when a paper transport apparatus configured according to the prior art is applied to a stencil duplicator and an inkjet printer, a printed surface is smudged.
Further, in a configuration for sucking a sheet of paper on a transport belt, the transport belt itself cannot form a curved inversion path. Thus a pair of transport apparatuses including transport belts forming linear transport paths are sequentially disposed on the front end and the rear end of a paper transport direction, and a turn guide having a curved surface for inverting a sheet of paper is disposed between the transport apparatuses. When a sheet of paper is inverted, the sheet is bent along the curved surface of the turn guide.
However, it is difficult to provide the turn guide with a sucking function and thus a suction force is not applied to a sheet of paper at the turn guide while the sheet is moved from one transport apparatus to another. Thus when a transport force is applied to the sheet at the front and rear of the turn guide, particularly cardboard having high stiffness has a large transport resistance at the turn guide, increasing the possibility that an insufficient transport force may cause faulty transport. Further, when the sheet is forcibly transported, the sheet may be curled or may be sharply bent in the worst case.
The present invention is devised to solve the foregoing problems. An object of the present invention is to provide a paper transport apparatus which can smoothly invert a sheet of paper by adjusting the curvature radius of the curved surface of a turn guide in the transport path of the sheet of paper.

Paper transport apparatus with inverting turn guide having range of curvature radius


The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a substrate bearing assembly and a magnetron sputtering apparatus. The substrate bearing assembly includes: a stage; and a bearing plate provided on the stage for carrying a substrate on which a film is to be formed. A side of the bearing plate is hinged with the stage by a hinge member, and the bearing plate is able to be rotated by the hinge member to be perpendicular to a plane in which the stage is located. The hinge member is able to translate on the stage in a direction perpendicular to a side of the bearing plate connecting with the hinge member.

The Organic Light Emitting Diode (referred to as OLED for short) display device has been widely applied in various electronics including electronic products such as computer and cell phone, as it presents such advantages as self-luminous, thin and light, low power consumption, high contrast, high color gamut, feasibility in flexible display and so on.
In the conventional technology, the production of a film layer structure on a substrate may usually be accomplished in such manners as vacuum evaporation plating, physical vapor deposition film formation, or chemical vapor deposition film formation. Among them, magnetron sputtering film formation, as one of physical vapor deposition film formation manners, is more used in the production of a film layer of an OLED display device, due to its simple device structure, mature process and strong adhesive force of a formed film layer.

Substrate bearing assembly and magnetron sputtering device


A status parameter is set for a storage area of a computer system to a read-only status. An access key is received from an access key call by a caller. The status parameter is changed to a write-permissible status if the access key matches a master access key. A request to perform a write to the storage area is received, and the write is allowed only if the status parameter has been set to the write-permissible status. The status parameter is reset to the read-only status after the write is performed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of data storage in a computer system and, more particularly, to prevention of unauthorized changes to data stored in a computer system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Computer technology is continuously advancing, resulting in modern computer systems that provide ever-increasing performance. One result of this improved performance is an increased use of computer systems by individuals in a wide variety of business, academic and personal applications. With the increased use of and demand for computer systems, a large number of manufacturers, developers, and suppliers of computer systems, components, and software have come into existence to service the demand.
The large number of manufacturers, developers, and suppliers, combined with the flexibility afforded them due to the advances in technology, has resulted in a wide range of methods by which computer systems operate. Typically, in order for different components within a computer system to work together effectively, each must agree on certain specific operating parameters. Often, standards or specifications are adopted or agreed upon by various industries or groups of companies which define certain operating parameters. Thus, if two components comply with the same standard(s) or specification(s), then the two components should be able to work together effectively in the same system.
For example, one such standard is the Plug and Play BIOS basic input/output system! Specification (version 1.0A, May 5, 1994). A component which conforms to the Plug and Play BIOS Specification should work properly in a system which also complies with the Plug and Play BIOS Specification by simply interconnecting the components to the system. Components that do not comply with the Plug and Play BIOS Specification may require additional configuration steps to be taken by the user before they function properly with one another.
Another current standard is the Desktop Management BIOS Specification (version 2.0, published Mar. 6, 1996) (hereinafter referred to as the DMI BIOS Specification), the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference. This specification includes a Desktop Management Interface (DMI). The DMI BIOS Specification provides, among other advantages, general purpose nonvolatile (GPNV) data areas which can be accessed to store various data by various applications running on the system.
The DMI BIOS Specification, however, lacks suitably flexible mechanisms to prevent an application from performing an unauthorized modification of data stored in one of these GPNV data areas. For example, a GPNV data area may store vital manufacturing data the modification of which may be done for fraudulent purposes. Thus, it would be beneficial to provide mechanisms for restricting write access to selected GPNV data areas to prevent unauthorized changes to the data stored therein.
Additionally, in order to maintain compliance with the DMI BIOS Specification, any protection against unauthorized updates to GPNV data areas must not violate the DMI BIOS Specification.

Access key protection for computer system data


A bowling lane masking unit having an elevatable panel with first and second pulley wheels at the lower corners, a pair of stabilizing cables each anchored on both ends, passing around the pulley wheels and across the panel to retain the panel vertically aligned when shifted up and down, and a shiftable latch retaining the panel in elevated position.

This invention relates to bowling lane masking units, and particularly to a stabilized masking unit vertical lift.
A bowling facility masking unit is a graphic panel mounted directly in front of all pinsetter mechanisms in a bowling center. It provides an aesthetically pleasing structure blocking the bowler's view of the pinsetter operation mechanism above the pins. A variety of scenes/graphics are available as standard products. Custom graphic development is also offered to customers with special graphic requests. In addition to providing the masking function, a double upper and lower set of masking units can be employed, with the lower panel also serving as a mounting location and visual contrast for the light assembly that displays pins remaining after the first and second bowled ball. A representative masking unit is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,339,129. Bowling center masking installations usually consist of both upper and lower masking panels. However, in some installations only the lower panel is employed and the upper panel is omitted.
During normal bowling sessions, the upper and lower masking unit panels usually remain in place and provide the masking function described above. However, during periods between bowling sessions, the lanes may be cleaned and oiled. In addition, during bowling sessions, minor repairs or adjustments to the pinsetter may be required. Each of these conditions requires that the lower panel, with optional ball light assemblies, be quickly and easily moved by a single individual to provide ready access. However, the moved lower panel cannot physically block any bowling lane or visually interfere with bowling in adjacent lanes. Thus, the preferred temporary storage position of the lower panel is upward, preferably directly behind the upper panel. A required operating feature is that the lower panel can be easily lifted by a single individual from anywhere along the length of the masking unit, i.e., the extreme left, center, or righthand edge, without binding of the panel. The lower panel must be automatically captured and physically held in place by components of the supportive frame until cleaning or repair is completed.
The functions defined above are currently accomplished with garage door type torsion spring technology. A stiff torsion spring is mounted symmetrically around a horizontally oriented, solid, cylindrical, cross lane, steel bar with sprockets assembled to each end of the bar. The sprockets drive vertically oriented roller link chains located on each end of the masking unit frame. These chains are joined with additional vertical frame members that support the graphic panels. This mechanical system is designed and assembled such that the weight of the graphic panel and its considerable supportive structure can be raised at any point across its width without excessive binding of the assembly. The amount of lifting assistance provided by the torsion spring is determined by the stored energy of the spring, and can be adjusted by changing the number of turns or the "pre load" of the spring. It is a well-known fact that the adjustment of the spring can be difficult if attempted by an untrained and/or inexperienced person. Moreover, the mechanical implementation of the methodology described above requires very substantial mechanical structure to support the numerous mechanical components. The end result is a complex, heavy, and relatively costly assembly to produce, package, install and maintain.

Bowling establishment vertically stabilized masking apparatus

Brunswick Bowling & Billiards Corporation


A utility bar assembly for attachment to a roof rack, including an elongated utility bar, at least two clamp assemblies detachably engageable with the roof rack, at least two fastening devices for connecting the clamp assemblies to the utility bar. Optional support blocks may also be provided for positioning and supporting the utility bar on the roof rack.

It is known in the automotive industry to provide roof racks on vehicles for carrying skis, bicycles, and the like. However, such roof racks are not designed for carrying heavy loads and therefore, the users of the roof rack are limited in how many items they may transport on the roof racks.
Presently, there are know utility bar type of assemblies which are attachable to existing roof racks that are provided by the automobile manufacturers. These types of assemblies, however, often have complicated attachment mechanisms which contain numerous components. Thus, these assemblies are very costly and are not easily installed.
Therefore, there exists a need for a utility bar assembly that is economical and easy to install.


A door actuator for opening and/or closing a door, includes a fluid housing with an inner compartment, which is filled with fluid, in particular hydraulic oil, a fluid housing opening in the fluid housing for draining the fluid at thermal overload, a thermally activatable valve for opening, which closes the fluid housing opening, and a collecting device, which is disposed outside the fluid housing opposite the fluid housing opening, forms a collecting space for the fluid, is open towards the fluid housing opening, and includes at least one drain opening for draining the fluid from the collecting space.

Different door actuators are known in the state-of-the-art, which are formed as door closers, for example. An energy accumulator, for example a spring, is pretensioned in the door closer by manually opening the door. The energy accumulator relaxes for closing the door. However, also door drives, which for example electromechanically or hydraulically open and/or close a door are identified as "door actuators". In many door actuators fluids are used, in particular hydraulic oil, in order to transfer forces, be it for executing the opening or closing movement or for dampening a movement. In the event of a fire, these fluids can be a safety risk, because they can be flammable, at least at very high temperatures.

Door actuator for opening and/or closing a door


A high resistance region may be used to isolate the body of a first transistor from a body contact.

In conventional stacked devices, isolated wells for transistors may be used to reduce the body effect and the corresponding shifts in threshold voltages of the transistors. Despite having such benefits, additional costs of forming isolated wells for transistors render its implementation less desirable. As an alternative, low threshold voltage transistors may be used to reduce the body effect. However, low threshold voltage transistors may respond poorly to signals because of their grounded bodies. With the bodies connected to ground, the performance of transistors (e.g., low threshold voltage transistors) may suffer from the accompanying body effect.

Resistive isolation between a body and a body contact


An optical display device comprises a light source, a pixelated display panel, and a light guide to collect light from the light source and to transport the light via total internal reflection. A first surface of the light guide includes recessed regions having a circular-based profile, such as a quarter-circle profile, to reflect the light from the light guide to the pixelated display panel. A first optical layer covering at least a portion of the first surface of the light guide fills the recessed regions included in the first surface of the light guide. A second optical layer covering at least a portion of a second surface of the light guide transmits the reflected light to the pixelated display panel.

Displays are found in numerous types of electronic devices such as electronic book ("eBook") readers, cellular telephones, smart phones, portable media players, tablet computers, wearable computers, laptop computers, netbooks, desktop computers, televisions, appliances, home electronics, automotive electronics, augmented reality devices, and so forth. Displays may present various types of information, such as user interfaces, device operational status, digital content items, and the like, depending on the kind and purpose of the associated device. The appearance and quality of a display can affect a user's experience with the electronic device and the content presented thereon. Energy consumption of a display can also affect a user's experience regarding battery life and environmental impact. Accordingly, finding ways to enhance user experience and reduce environmental stress continues to be a priority.
Increased multimedia use imposes high demands on designs of displays, as content available for mobile use becomes visually richer. In a liquid-crystal display (LCD), energy efficiency, among other things, can be determined by a backlight or frontlight design. Many transmissive displays use backlights that light a display to enable a viewer to see content on the display that can otherwise be difficult to see without the backlights. In another example, reflective displays use frontlights to improve visibility of content on displays, particularly in low light situations. Displays configured with backlights and/or frontlights can incorporate one or more light guides to direct light from a light source onto or through the display. In some applications, a light source can have a relatively small area, such as in the case of a light emitting diode (LED).


The present invention provides a search method used to search for the reading order of a plurality of recording groups when the plurality of recording groups written on tape are continuously read by a tape drive which manages data on tape in recording units having a fixed data length for each recording. This search method includes the steps of: receiving information on a plurality of tape groups to be read; and sorting the plurality of recording groups to be read so the reading time is shortened. In the sorting step, the time required to sort the plurality of reading groups is reduced by combining two or more recording groups into a single object to be sorted in the sorting step when at least two or more contiguous recording groups have been assigned to the same region or are assigned across adjacent regions among the plurality of regions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tape drive and, more specifically, to a method of searching for a reading order for recording groups on tape in a tape drive.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, tape drives are being used in file systems and virtual tape servers (VTS) to transfer large amounts of data at high speeds in accordance with the increasing capacity of tape media (referred to simply as "tapes" in the present specification). These tape drives require the ability to read a plurality of data elements written to scattered segments of tape as a whole.
However, when these data elements are written to scattered segments of tape which has a length of hundreds of meters and the data read without consideration to reading order, it takes a long time for the head to travel to (and be positioned at) the start of each data segment, and this results in significant delays in reading the request data from the host as a whole.
As a method of ameliorating this problem, a nearest neighbor algorithm (referred to as a "nearest selection method" in the present specification) and a pairwise exchange algorithm (referred to as a "last replacement method" in the present specification) have been disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2012-128937.

Reading order search method and program for recording groups on tape

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


A clip for securely retaining a weatherstrip in the upper mounting channel of an upper door frame of an automotive vehicle is described. The clip possesses a plurality of tines that engage various portions of the weatherstrip and the upper mounting channel so as to provide a resistive force against a dislodging force.

Conventionally, a weatherstrip of an elongate resiliently deformable strip is attached to an upper door frame on a door or to the adjacent jamb structure of a vehicle body in order to seal the clearance space between the upper door frame and the adjacent jamb structure in the closed position of the door and also to serve as a cushioning member upon closing of the door. A known door seal construction uses a weatherstrip having a base portion and a lip portion extending from the base section. In this door seal construction, the weatherstrip is attached to an upper door frame member on a door with the base portion fitting in an upper mounting channel of the upper door frame member in such a manner that the lip portion will yieldably engage the adjacent jamb structure of a vehicle body when the door is closed.
However, this construction permits the weatherstrip to be relatively easily dislodged from the mounting channel, thus adversely affecting the integrity of the door seal. Additionally, this construction permits unwanted lateral movement of the weatherstrip in the mounting channel. As a result, water, dirt, and wind can penetrate the door seal and potentially damage various structures of the automotive vehicle.
Therefore, there is a need for an apparatus for securely retaining a weatherstrip in a mounting channel, such as an upper mounting channel of an upper door frame of an automotive vehicle.


In a bar code laser scanning system operable in a continuous scan mode and a sleep mode, an object sensing circuit for automatically switching said laser scanning system from the sleep mode to the scan mode is provided to help extend the operational lifetimes of the system components such as the laser diode and the scanning motors. When in the sleep mode, pulsed light is received and processed to generate a steady state voltage signal. Derived from the steady state voltage signal is a positive threshold voltage signal and a negative threshold voltage signal each having a magnitude respectively greater than and less than that of the steady state voltage level. The steady state, positive threshold and negative threshold voltage signals are input to a comparator means which detects when an object is placed in the scanning field of the laser scanning system. Object detection occurs when the steady state voltage increases above the positive threshold voltage signal or decreases below the negative threshold voltage signal depending upon the object's reflectivity. When an object is detected, a trigger signal is provided to direct the laser system to switch back into the scan mode without interrupting the normal scanning process.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to laser scanning systems for reading and decoding bar code symbols. Particularly, it relates to an object sensing circuit that (i) detects when an object has been introduced into the scan field of the laser scanner and (ii) automatically converts the laser scanning system from a sleep or object sensing mode of operation to a continuous or scan mode of operation when an object has been detected.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
Various optical readers and optical scanning systems have been developed heretofore for reading bar code symbols appearing on a label or on the surface of an article. The bar code symbol itself is a coded pattern of indicia comprised of a series of bars of various widths spaced apart from one another to bound spaces of various widths, the bars and spaces having different light reflecting characteristics. The readers and scanning systems electro-optically transform the graphic indicia into electrical signals, which are decoded into alphanumerical characters that are intended to be descriptive of the article or some characteristic thereof. Such characters are typically represented in digital form and utilized as an input to a data processing system for applications in point-of-sale processing, inventory control, and the like. Scanning systems of this general type have been disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,251,798, 4,369,361, 4,387,297, 4,409,470, 4,760,248, and 4,896,026, all of which have been assigned to the same assignee as the instant application.
Bar code symbols are formed from bars or elements that are typically rectangular in shape with a variety of possible widths. The specific arrangement of elements defines the character represented according to a set of rules and definitions specified by the code or "symbology" used. The relative size of the bars and spaces is determined by the type of coding used, as is the actual size of the bars and spaces. The number of characters per inch represented by the bar code symbol is referred to as the density of the symbol. To encode a desired sequence of characters, a collection of element arrangements are concatenated together to form the complete bar code symbol, with each character of the message being represented by its own corresponding group of elements. In some symbologies a unique "start" and "stop" character is used to indicate where the bar code begins and ends. A number of different bar code symbologies exist. These symbologies include UPC/EAN, Code 39, Code 128, PDF417 Codabar, and Interleaved 2 of 5.
For the purpose of our discussion, characters recognized and defined by a symbology shall be referred to as legitimate characters, while characters not recognized and defined by that symbology are referred to as illegitimate characters. Thus, an arrangement of elements not decodable by a given symbology corresponds to an illegitimate character(s) for that symbology.
In order to increase the amount of data that can be represented or stored on a given amount of surface area, several new bar code symbologies have recently been developed. One of these new code standards, Code 49, introduces a "two-dimensional" concept by stacking rows of characters vertically instead of extending the bars horizontally. That is, there are several rows of bar and space patterns, instead of only one row. The structure of Code 49 is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,794,239, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
A one-dimensional single-line scan, as ordinarily provided by hand-held readers, has disadvantages in reading these two dimensional bar codes; that is, the reader must be aimed at each row, individually. Likewise, the multiple-scan-line readers produce a number of scan lines at an angle to one another so these are not suitable for recognizing a Code 49 type of two-dimensional symbols.
In the scanning systems known in the art, the light beams are directed by a lens or similar optical components along a light path toward a target that includes a bar code symbol on the surface. The scanner functions by repetitively scanning the light beam in a line or series of lines across the symbol. The scanning component may either sweep the beam spot across the symbol and trace a scan line across and past the symbol, or scan the field of view of the scanner, or do both.
Scanning systems also include a sensor or photodetector which functions to detect light reflected from the symbol. The photodetector is therefore positioned in the scanner or in an optical path in which it has a field of view which extends across and slightly past the symbol A portion of the reflected light which is reflected off the symbol is detected and converted into an electrical signal, and electronic circuitry or software decodes the electrical signal into a digital representation of the data represented by the symbol that has been scanned. For example, the analog electrical signal from the photodetector may typically be converted into a pulse width modulated digital signal, with the widths corresponding to the physical widths of the bars and spaces.
Such a signal is then decoded according to the specific symbology into a binary representation of the data encoded in the symbol, and to the alphanumeric characters so represented.
Laser scanners are not the only type of optical instrument capable of reading bar code symbols. Another type of bar code reader is one which incorporates detectors based upon charge coupled device (CCD) technology. In such readers size of the detector is larger than or substantially the same as the symbol to be read. The entire symbol is flooded with light from the reader, and each CCD cell is sequentially read out to determine the presence of a bar or a space. Such readers are lightweight and easy to use, but require substantially direct contact or placement of the reader on the symbol to enable the symbol to properly read. Such physical contact of the reader with the symbol is a preferred mode of operation for some applications, or as a matter of personal preference by the user.
There presently exists various types of fixed mount omnidirectional laser scanners for bar code reading applications. These scanners typically use one or more motor/mirror assemblies to generate a scan pattern. The light source used to scan bar codes is usually a semiconductor visible laser diode. For a typical omnidirectional laser scanner, the scan pattern is designed such that the bar code may be scanned in any orientation in a plane with respect to the scan pattern. This obviates the need for the user of the scanner to carefully align the bar code symbol with respect to the scan pattern as one would have to do for single line laser scanners, whether fixed mount or hand held.
Fixed mount omnidirectional scanners are often operated in a continuous ON mode. In this mode, items having bar codes may be rapidly scanned with no need for the user to carefully align the bar code symbol nor to initiate the scanning process by turning on the scanner in any way. A key disadvantage of continuous mode operation is that the key internal components of the laser scanner, such as the visible laser diode and the scan motor, have limited operational lifetimes and their degradation is accelerated by continuous operation. For instance, the reflective facets which define the laser cavity tend to degrade in reflectivity over time resulting in the gradual reduction of effective laser output power. Also, the various motors used as scanning elements all comprise mechanical parts having finite lifetimes. Other factors that may degrade motor lifetime are high speeds, unbalanced motor shaft loads, and high temperatures associated with constant on or high duty-cycle operation.
Because of the limited lifetime associated with the key elements of the laser scanner, it is undesirable to have the scanner remain on during extended periods of non-use. Thus, to extend the overall scanner lifetime, the scanner may be shut down if it is not used for a predetermined length of time. The shutting down process may be implemented in hardware or software. In prior art laser scanners, this shutting off process may have required the user to manually restart the scanner, possibly by toggling an external switch on the scanner or controller. This is not desirable because time is wasted during the power-up process and especially because that process is not transparent to the user.
In view of the above-mentioned disadvantages associated with an omni-directional laser scanner having only a continuous ON and OFF mode of operation, a system that provides a way for the laser scanner to operate in a dormant state or "sleep" mode of operation, when not in use, would be highly desirable. Such a sleep mode would permit the laser scanner components such as the visible laser diode to remain OFF, and the motor(s) to operate at a fraction of the nominal scanning speed, thus helping to reduce overall power consumption and significantly extend the lifetimes of these components. Furthermore, a system that can rapidly convert from a sleep mode to a continuous ON mode of operation in a way that is virtually transparent to the user would also be advantageous. It is accordingly an object of the present invention to fulfill these needs by providing an object sensing system that automatically converts the laser scanner from a sleep mode to a continuous mode of operation when an object is introduced in the scanning field. Such an object sensing system provides circuitry that detects when an object is placed in the scanning field, such as when a user attempts to read a bar-coded item. Once detected, the object sensing system automatically "wakes up" to scan and decode the symbol. Thus the present invention enables the user of bar code scanners to conserve the useful lifetime of the critical scanner components including the laser diode and scan motors without sacrificing the ease of use or scanner throughput.

Object sensing system for bar code laser scanners


The vessel for multicomponent products contains a receptacle for a basic component, a cover in a detachable connection with the receptacle, a container for an introduced component, which is placed in the upper part of the receptacle. wherein the vessel has at least one channel for output of an end product, the container contains at least one opening, a valve closing the opening of the container, wherein the container and the valve are slidably connected such that either the container or the valve or both can move along the guide members and wherein the cover can interact with the container or the valve.

1. Field of Invention
The Invention refers to containers utilizing several components different in structure and/or in their aggregative state, mixed immediately before use to be preserved for a long period of time and to create the effect of freshly-prepared food products, healthcare products, cosmetics, chemical agents, etc.
2. Previous Level of Engineering
Different types of the design of vessels intended for storage of various substances and their mixtures in given proportions are widely known in science and technology.
Thus, for example, it is known a device of a bottle cover for dosed introduction of liquid or solid substances into a liquid (U.S. Pat. No. 6,561,232; IPC B65B 03/04; published 13 May 2003), consisting of a container for a basic component, a cover with a chamber filled with a substance under pressure, one or more tubular containers filled with a liquid or solid introduced component, the device is also provided with a disrupting element. The above-mentioned device uses a complex multistage system of containers, put into action after the chamber in the cover is depressurized, and the working volume of the introduced component is limited by the construction of the tubular container.
Also known is a device of a separate container (U.S. Pat. No. 3,856,138; IPC B65D81/32C1; published in 1974), representing a vessel consisting of a receptacle and a container, placed concentrically to each other and sealed with a bottom plug of the receptacle. The cover is provided with a threaded joint. The container is structurally designed with an open bottom. Removal of the cover results in that the container connected thereto leaves the sealed joint with the bottom plug, which in turn results in mixing of the components from the container and the receptacle.
This device can be used only if the container is removed from the receptacle, thus, arrangement of the container along the height of the receptacle does not allow to mix the components at the moment of putting the device into operation.
From the technical point of view, the closest prior art to the present invention is the device for mixing fluids and liquids (RU-Patent No. 2146641; IPC B65D81/32; published 29 Jul. 1996), chosen as the prototype, consisting of a receptacle for a liquid with an entry opening, closed with a cover and the second receptacle for a fluid, arranged into the upper part of the first receptacle, the external housing of the second receptacle with a breaking element in the form a pin, the connecting pipe and the drain pipe submerged into a liquid. The specified device operates as follows: initially it is necessary to wind up the cover till it stops, the second receptacle moves downwardly, the pin breaks a membrane of the second receptacle, then the cover must be turned in the opposite direction, the second receptacle moves upwards, the fluid from the second receptacle moves under pressure through the system of channels into the receptacle with a liquid, afterwards it is necessary to remove the empty second receptacle and the external housing with the breaking element. The above-mentioned device is not widely used as it has limited functional capabilities and a rather complex construction. The device can be used only after performing several sequential operations, thereby, the process of mixing up is irreversible, i.e. the user does not have the opportunity to manage the process of mixing the components at his own discretion.


Aircraft including an airframe having a fuselage extending between a forward end and an aft end and a fixed wing extending laterally from the fuselage. The aircraft includes a power plant mounted on the airframe producing exhaust during operation. The aircraft includes a rotor/wing rotatably mounted on the airframe including a plurality of blades and an adjustable nozzle mounted on the airframe downstream from the power plant exhaust for selectively directing the power plant exhaust to exit the aircraft at a pre-selected angle with respect to the airframe within a range of angles extending from about horizontally rearward to about vertically downward.

The present invention relates to aircraft and, more particularly, to rotor-wing aircraft having an adjustable tail nozzle.
The rotor/wings or blades of conventional rotary wing or rotor-wing aircraft are frequently driven by a rotating shaft or mast that rotates about a generally vertical axis. The rotating blades and shaft cause a reaction torque that is frequently counter-balanced by smaller rotor blades mounted on the aircraft tail so they rotate about a generally horizontal axis. In other cases, the reaction torques are counter-balanced by having two counter-rotating main rotor blade sets. In order to avoid the problems associated with reaction torques, some rotary wing aircraft are reaction driven. That is, the rotor/wings are rotated by high-pressure gas exhausted from a trailing edge of each wing. Because reaction-driven aircraft are not shaft driven, significant reaction torques are not transmitted to the aircraft body. The gas delivered to each wing of a reaction-driven aircraft is typically created by a power plant (e.g., a gas turbine engine) mounted in the aircraft body and directed to the rotor/wing through the rotor mast.
Higher performance rotor-wing aircraft are sought. If reaction-drive rotor-wing aircraft are used, increasing performance generally requires increased exhaust mass flow rates and operating pressures. However, reaction-drive rotor-wing aircraft have significant system losses. Reaction-drive rotor-wing aircraft also require a relatively thick rotor mast and relatively large rotor blades to accommodate the exhaust passing through them during aircraft operation. In addition, heavy metal parts are required for transferring the high-temperature exhaust from the power plant to the blade tips. Further, the larger mast and blades increase aircraft weight and drag, requiring even larger power plants, which increase fuel usage and cost.
In addition, there is a need for increased vertical thrust during vertical flight of rotor-wing aircraft. One method for providing more thrust is to provide a second rotor/wing. Another method for providing more thrust is to provide a vertical fan in the aircraft. However, adding a second rotor/wing or adding a vertical fan greatly increases the complexity of the required drive train, manufacturing cost, and the weight of the aircraft. A rotor-wing aircraft design is sought that is more efficient than conventional reaction-drive rotor-wing aircraft and provides increased vertical thrust.

Rotor wing aircraft having an adjustable tail nozzle


A space duplexed beamshaped microstrip antenna system including transmit and receive antennas, each of which has two groups of interleaved arrays. The array groups are slanted in opposite directions and each is fed from opposite corners of the antenna so that each group utilizes its entire assigned reduced width aperture to create the required beam contours for two beams. To achieve frequency and temperature compensation, one of the antennas is made up of forward firing arrays and the other of the antennas is made up of backward firing arrays.

This invention relates to Doppler radar navigation systems and, more particularly, to an improved transmit/receive antenna system for such a navigation system which is particularly well adapted for overwater use.
Antennas for overwater Doppler radar navigation systems must satisfy very stringent requirements. The type of antenna typically used for such an application is commonly referred to as a microstrip antenna and is formed as a planar printed circuit comprising an array of parallel lines of serially interconnected radiating rectangular patch elements. The antenna is mounted to the underbelly of an aircraft fuselage within a rectangular aperture formed by the ribs of the fuselage. Thus, the maximum size of the antenna is constrained by the spacing between the ribs. These Doppler antennas generate time shared beams within the defined aperture. Since beam width is inversely proportional to aperture size, one requirement is to utilize as much of the aperture as possible for each beam.
For Doppler systems that fly over both land and water, the navigation accuracy is impacted by a shift in the measured Doppler frequency due to the backscattering over water which is a function of the incidence angle (the angle from the vertical) and the actual sea state. The calmer the sea (the lower the sea state) the larger the Doppler error from land to sea because the sea has more of a mirror effect. It is therefore another requirement of such an antenna that it have the inherent ability to shape the beams so that they have contours which result in Doppler shifts which are essentially invariant with backscattering surface.
For FM/CW Doppler systems, the minimum required isolation between the transmit and receive antennas is sixty dB. This results in the requirement of space duplexed antennas (i.e., separate transmit and receive antennas). Since these antennas must both occupy the same aperture, this limits the full usage of the aperture for each of the antennas and conflicts with the requirement for narrow beam width.
Another requirement of such an antenna system is that it be inherently temperature and frequency compensated.
Planar microstrip antennas for Doppler radar navigation systems are well known. It is also known to slant the arrays in order to generate beams with particular contours to provide independence from overwater shift, as disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,180,818, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. U.S. Pat. No. 4,347,516, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference, discloses the application of the principles of the '818 patent to a rectangular antenna. However, the antenna according to the '516 patent only utilizes one half the available aperture for each of the beams. It is also known to interleave linear arrays so that the entire available aperture can be utilized for each beam and to use a crossover feed structure so that the antenna can be printed on only a single side of a substrate. Such structure is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,605,931, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. However, the arrangement disclosed in the '931 patent provides all feeds from a single end of the antenna and only results in about half of the available aperture contributing to the shaping of each beam. When the width of an antenna employing the single-end feed scheme is reduced by half to accommodate a space duplexed configuration, the portion of the aperture contributing to beamshaping is also reduced by half. This reduced aperture is then unable to provide the degree of beam-shaping required for acceptable overwater performance.
It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a transmit/receive antenna system satisfying all of the above requirements without the limitations of the known prior art.

Space duplexed beamshaped microstrip antenna system


A method of forming a self-aligned MTJ without using a photolithography mask and the resulting device are provided. Embodiments include forming a first electrode over a metal layer, the metal layer recessed in a low-k dielectric layer; forming a MTJ layer over the first electrode; forming a second electrode over the MTJ layer; removing portions of the second electrode, the MTJ layer, and the first electrode down to the low-k dielectric layer; forming a silicon nitride-based layer over the second electrode and the low-k dielectric layer; and planarizing the silicon nitride-based layer down to the second electrode.

A typical MRAM structure includes a simple 1-transistor and 1-magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) memory cell. The MTJ is formed between metal (Mx) layers, e.g., Mx and Mx+1, and the state of a bit is detected as a change in resistance.
Such an approach for forming a MTJ is illustrated in FIG. 1. Adverting to FIG. 1, metal layer 101, e.g., Mx, is formed in interlayer dielectric (ILD) 103. A metal cap 105 is then formed over the metal layer 101 and ILD 103. Next, a bottom electrode (BE) dielectric 107 is formed over the metal cap 105. Thereafter, a BE electrode 109 is formed over the metal layer 101. A MTJ 111 is then formed between the BE electrode 109 and a top electrode (TE) 113. Next, a passivation layer 115 is formed over edges of the MTJ 111 and the TE 113, and over the BE 109. Thereafter, a tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) layer 117 is formed over the passivation layer 115 and the metal cap 105. A metal layer etch stop layer 119 and a metal layer 121, e.g., Mx+1, are then formed over the TEOS layer 117 and the TE 113. Further, a TEOS layer 123 is formed over the metal layer 121 and the metal layer etch stop layer 119. The described process flow requires three (3) different lithography masks to fabricate, which are costly and time consuming in terms of wafer processing.
A need therefore exists for methodology enabling fabrication of a self-aligned MTJ without using lithography masks and the resulting device.

Topological method to build self-aligned MTJ without a mask


A system records use of a structure deployed in operative association with heart tissue in a patient. An image controller generates an image of the structure while in use in the patient. An input receives data including information identifying the patient. An output processes the image in association with the data as a patient-specific, data base record for storage, retrieval, or manipulation.

The invention generally relates to systems and methods for guiding or locating diagnostic or therapeutic elements in interior regions of the body.
Physicians make use of catheters today in medical procedures to gain access into interior regions of the body for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. It is important for the physician to be able to reliably and precisely position in proximity to desired tissue locations. For example, the need for precise control over the catheter is especially critical during procedures that ablate myocardial tissue from within the heart. These procedures, called ablation therapy, are used to treat cardiac rhythm disturbances.
One aspect of the invention provides a system to record use of a structure deployed in operative association with heart tissue in a patient. An image controller generates an image of the structure while in use in the patient. An input receives data including information identifying the patient. An output processes the image in association with the data as a patient-specific, data base record for storage, retrieval, or manipulation.
In a preferred embodiment, the data that forms part of the data base record include other relevant information. For example, the data includes information identifying the procedure, or diagnostic information, or therapeutic information, or time stamped information, or processing information documenting the storage, retrieval, or manipulation of the data, or information identifying a person other than the patient (such as the attending physician). In a preferred embodiment, the output password-protects the data base record.
In a preferred embodiment, the image controller includes functions to alter orientation, or shape, or view aspects of the image before or after processing by the output. In a preferred embodiment, the image controller also includes functions to mark or otherwise annotate one or more regions of the image in response to operator input before or after processing by the output.
In a preferred embodiment, the image controller generates a proximity-indicating output showing the proximity of a roving element, deployed in the patient, to the structure.
Another aspect of the invention provides a system for diagnosing or treating cardiac conditions of multiple patients. The system includes a network of local work stations, each one adapted to be coupled to an electrode structure, which, in use, is deployed in operative association with heart tissue of a patient. Each local work station includes an image controller to generate an image of the structure at least partially while the operative element performs a procedure in an interior body region. An input receives data including information identifying the patient, and an output processes the image in association with the data as a patient-specific, data base record for storage, retrieval, or manipulation. The system further includes a central terminal coupled to the output of each work station. The central terminal receives the patient-specific data base records for all work stations for storage in a central patient data base.
Other features and advantages of the inventions are set forth in the following Description and Drawings, as well as in the appended claims.

Systems for recording use of structures deployed in association with heart tissue


A welding-type power supply includes a fan configured to operate at multiple fan speeds. A controller of the welding-type power supply is configured to identify a welding parameter of the welding-type power supply, and determine an operating fan speed of the multiple fan speeds based on the welding parameter.

Welding is a process that has become ubiquitous in various industries and applications, such as construction, ship building, and so forth. Welding power supplies are constructed with a housing to protect internal electrical components. Welding systems operate at high power levels which results in internal components reaching elevated temperatures. In order to cool the internal components, fans have been incorporated into the welding power supply to introduce air flow over the electrical components. A forceful air flow can create an additional problem by introducing heavy particulates from the work environment into the interior of the housing. These particulates can build up on various components and can damage and/or shorten the life of certain electrical components of the power supply. Thus, a system to reduce power consumption, provide targeted cooling of internal electronics, and mitigate exposure to environmental hazards is desirable.