A photographic camera of automatic focussing type capable of focussing objects between a minimum and infinite distance. A focussing motor is coupled to a movable objective lens for moving the lens for focussing an image of an object to be photographed. A photoelectric focussing detector has a photoconductive element responsive to light rays passing through the objective lens. The photoconductive element provides a maximum response when an image of the object formed on the photoconductive element is in the focussed condition. A first electrical circuit determines the direction of movement of the focussing motor for moving the objective lens to focus the object image. A responsive zone is defined within which the output of the detector varies in accordance with the position of the objective lens, and a non-responsive zone is defined away from the responsive zone and within which the output of the detector is invariant independent of the position of the objective lens. A second electrical circuit causes the motor to rotate at a first speed when the objective lens is in the non-responsive zone, and for causing the motor to rotate at a second speed less than the first speed when the objective lens is in the responsive zone. A first switch is adapted to be actuated when the objective lens is at a position for focussing at the infinite distance, and a second switch is adapted to be actuated when the objective lens is at a position for focussing at the minimum distance such that when either switch is actuated, the rotation of the focussing motor is reversed.

Several focussing detectors have been proposed in which, for example, a non-linear characteristic of cadmium sulfide (CdS) exposed to light is utilized where a plurality of minor photoconductive elements are arranged to extract a contrast of images on the surfaces of these elements from an object to be photographed. In using any one of these proposed photoelectric focussing detectors for a single lens reflex camera, the photoelectric focussing detector has usually been located at a position optically equivalent to the film defined plane with respect to the reflective mirror disposed in the path of light coming through an objective lens from an object to be photographed. With such arrangement for a photoelectric focussing detector, the detector is responsive only to the movement of the objective lens for generating a focussing signal so that the mechanical structure of the lens system suffers from several disadvantages. Namely, when the objective lens is out of focus, the image of an object to be photographed is also out of focus, and no signal indicating such out of focus is generated by the focussing detector. Additionally, a slight movement of the objective lens from this state causes no variation in the output of the focussing detector. Accordingly, it is impossible to determine the direction in which the objective lens should be moved in order to obtain proper focussing.
Typically, photoconductive elements arranged for use in a focussing detector provide a response characteristic as a function of the position of the objective lens that defines non-responsive zones about either side of a responsive zone within which the point of proper focussing exists. It is possible within the responsive zone to move the objective lens to the focussing position based upon determination of the direction in which the output of the focussing detector varies as the objective lens is moved, whereas, it is impossible within the non-responsive zones to determine the direction in which the objective lens may be moved in order to bring the lens to the focussing position since no variation occurs in the output of the focussing detector. With the photographic camera of the automatic focussing type utilzing the photoelectric focussing detector as mentioned above, there occurs a probabilty of 50% at which the objective lens is moved in the direction opposite to the proper focussing position when the objective lens lies initially within any one of the non-responsive zones.
An object of the present invention is to realize a photographic camera of automatic focussing type utilizing a photoelectric focussing detector in which a simplified mechanical structure is utilized and the foregoing described problems are minimized.
In accordance with the present invention, the objective lens lying initially within any one of the non-responsive zones is moved at a high velocity to move the objective lens out of the non-responsive zone within a relatively short period of time even if the objective lens has been moved in the direction opposite to the focussing position. A switch associated with focussing an object at the infinite distance or a switch associated with focussing an object at the minimum distance reverses an objective lens moving focussing motor upon arrival of the objective lens at the position for photographing an object at infinity or the minimum distance so as to reverse the movement of the objective lens into the proper direction. When the objective lens being moved at such high velocity enters into the responsive zone, the speed of moving the objective lens is reduced in order to provide focussing position and to prevent the objective lens from moving beyond the focussing position due to its inertia. Thus, hunting or oscillation of the objective lens relative to the focussing position is prevented and the objective lens stops at the focussing position.

Photographic camera of automatic focussing type


A media center and an audio visual (AV) unit may be remotely synchronized on the same remodulation channel. A system may include a media center connected to an audio visual (AV) unit; and a remote control unit to activate the media center. The remote control unit may receive signals from the media center to indicate a transmission channel for the AV unit, and the remote control unit may send the received signals to the AV unit to independently cause the AV unit to switch to the indicated transmission channel.

In a home environment, a media center may be set up to interface with multiple audio visual (AV) units (e.g., television(s) (TV(s)), videocassette recorder(s) (VCR(s)), digital video disk (DVD, also referred to as digital versatile disk) recorder/playback devices, and/or other AV units) using RF-remodulation (radio frequency modulation). In order for known arrangements to function properly, the TV or other AV unit should be tuned to a pre-determined channel and the media center should be pre-programmed to remodulate on the pre-determined channel. That is, the media center, as well as the TV or other AV unit, should be coordinated to the proper channel. For example, if the media center is RF-remodulating on channel 3, then the TV or other AV unit should be tuned to channel 3.
The determination of which channel the TV is tuned to and which channel the media center-re-modulates on may be done when the media system is set up. If a TV of a plurality of AV units and the media center share the cable with standard TV broadcasting, the TV may be tuned off-frequency from the media center so that the TV may use the current TV's tuner rather than that of the media center. This may be the case when there are more TV's in the media center of the house than tuners in the media center. Another situation may be that one would like to use the VCR tuner. For example, the TV would first be turned ON and then a user would press the TV/VCR button so that the remote communicates with the TV and the user can change the TV channel to 3. This may be followed by pressing the TV/VCR button again to utilize the VCR tuner.

Synchronizing a media center on a correct channel


An auger for a combine includes a central tube having an outer cylindrical surface and having a first diameter; flighting extends from the outer surface of the central tube. The flighting has an outer edge. An auger diameter is defined as the diameter extending from a top edge of the flighting to the bottom edge of the flighting. The first diameter is approximately 25 percent of the outer diameter.

This invention relates to an auger for a combine header, and, in particular, to an auger allowing longer length combine headers and lower maintenance combine headers.
In the past, the maximum combine header length that was available was approximately 30 feet. It was found that once a header went beyond 30 feet, the auger used to convey cut crop stalks to the central portion of the header and thereafter into the separator machinery of the combine would not operate efficiently. In particular, the center auger tube of most of the combine headers in the past was at the very least approximately one third of the overall diameter of the auger. The overall diameter of the auger is the distance from the edge of the top of the flights of the augers through the center tube to the lower edge of the flights. More specifically, in a GLEANER combine header manufactured by AGCO, a header auger would have a 30-inch overall diameter. Sixteen inches of that overall diameter would be comprised of the diameter of the inner tube. Thus, the center tube of the GLEANER header would be approximately 53.3 percent of the overall diameter of the auger. In a Case International Harvester combine, with an overall auger diameter of 24 inches, the center tube would comprise approximately 14 inches of the overall diameter. Thus, in a Case International Harvester header, the center tube is approximately 58.3 percent of the overall diameter header. In a John Deere combine header having a 24-inch overall diameter, the central tube would comprise approximately sixteen inches of the overall diameter. Thus, in a John Deere combine the center tube comprised approximately 67 percent of the overall diameter. The structure of these prior art combine headers do not appear to allow the construction of combine headers beyond 30 feet. More specifically, in longer combine headers, oftentimes the crop stalks are not conveyed adequately to the central portion. In fact, some of the stalks with the heads still attached flow over the top of the auger and sometimes out of the header. Still further, oftentimes the stalks and headers are not conveyed in a continuous manner to the central portion, thus resulting in large clumps running to the central portion and being ingested into the separating cylinder portion of the combine, often resulting in xe2x80x9csluggingxe2x80x9d of the combine.
An additional disadvantage of prior art combines having long length is the maintenance associated with the retractable finger mechanisms in the very central portion of the auger. The fingers move in and out from the central portion of the combine auger tube in a retracting manner. There is a well-known mechanism within the auger tube which allows this retraction and extension. More specifically, the fingers will extend as the portion of the auger they are located on is rotated toward the bottom platform of the header. Thereafter, they will retract as they reach the farthest position away from the bottom of the header. The mechanism to accomplish this extension and retraction is rather complex and has a variety of bearings associated therewith. Additionally, the location of the retraction and extension mechanism in the center of the combine auger is often difficult to access in order to perform maintenance or repairs.
Therefore, a combine auger is needed which alleviates the problems with the prior art combine augers discussed above.
One object of the present invention is to provide a combine auger which allows increased length of combine headers.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a combine auger header which enhances the efficiency with which stalks and heads of crops are conveyed to the central portion of the header and fed into the separator portion of the machine.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a header auger for a combine which is easy to maintain and has a minimum of moving parts.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a header auger for a combine which prevents carryover of crop stalks during the conveyance from the outer edges of the header to the interior portion wherein they are fed to the separator mechanism of the combine.
In order to accomplish the above objectives, a header auger for a combine is provided which is rotatably positioned in a combine header. The auger includes a central tube having an outer cylindrical surface and having a first diameter. The auger includes flighting extending from an outer surface of the central tube and the flighting has an outermost edge and a screw-type orientation around the central tube. An auger diameter is defined as the diameter extending from a top edge of the flighting to the bottom edge of the flighting. The first diameter of the central tube is approximately one-fourth of the overall auger diameter.


Provided is a conversion device that converts DC power provided from a DC power supply, to AC power and supplies the AC power to a load, the conversion device including: a filter circuit connected to the load and including an AC reactor and a first capacitor; a DC/AC inverter connected to the load via the filter circuit; a DC/DC converter provided between the DC power supply and the DC/AC inverter; a second capacitor provided between the DC/AC inverter and the DC/DC converter; and a control unit configured to set a current target value for the DC/DC converter to thereby be synchronized with current of the AC power, based on voltage of the AC power, voltage variation due to current flowing through the AC reactor and an impedance thereof, reactive currents respectively flowing through the first capacitor and the second capacitor, and voltage of the DC power.

Conversion devices that convert DC voltage outputted from a storage battery to AC voltage and provides the AC voltage to a load are often used as a backup power supply such as a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) (see, for example, Patent Literature 1 (FIG. 1)). Such a conversion device includes a DC/DC converter for stepping up voltage of the storage battery and an inverter for performing conversion from DC to AC. The conversion device is capable of bidirectional operation, and normally, converts AC voltage outputted from an AC power supply such as a commercial power supply, to DC voltage adapted for charging, and charges the storage battery. In this case, the inverter operates as an AC/DC converter, and the DC/DC converter performs step-down operation.
A conversion device (power conditioner) is used also for converting DC power obtained from a DC power supply such as photovoltaic power generation to AC power and performing system interconnection with an AC power system (see, for example, Patent Literature 2).

High-frequency switching type conversion device


A system, device and method for incapacitating a keylogger. An inactivity of an input device may be detected. A flow of information from an input device to a computing device may be manipulated. A keylogger may be caused to store redundant information by causing the input device to produce redundant input. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Hardware keyloggers are hardware devices typically installed between an input device such as a keyboard or a magnetic card swipe reader and a computing device. Hardware keyloggers may be used to record key strokes performed by a user operating and/or interacting with a computing device. Although hardware keyloggers may be used for purposes such as statistics gathering or activity recording they may also, under various circumstances, pose a substantial security threat.
Hardware keyloggers may be used for industrial espionage, for example by installing them in computers of a competing company or they may be used for fraudulent activities, for example, to obtain personal information such as user name, password etc.
One of the problems encountered when dealing with the security threat posed by hardware keyloggers is detecting them. For example, a keylogger may be hidden inside a computer's keyboard. Alternatively, a keylogger may be very small in size and when installed on a backend of a computer may be hard to notice or detect.
There is a need for a system, device and/or method for eliminating the security threat posed by hardware keyloggers.

System and method for incapacitating a hardware keylogger


A pilot mechanism for a pressure regulating valve having a relatively high pressure inlet, a relatively low pressure outlet and main valve pressure responsive means for operating the main valve to control the pressure of the fluid downstream of the main valve. The pilot mechanism comprises pilot valve means for supplying a loading fluid to one side of the main valve pressure responsive means. A normally closed bleed leakage path is provided in communication with the loading fluid supplied to the main valve pressure responsive means for directing loading fluid away from the main valve pressure responsive means when the bleed path is opened. Second pressure responsive means are provided responsive to the pressure of the fluid to be controlled for controlling the position of the pilot valve means to in turn control the flow of loading fluid supplied to the main valve pressure responsive means. The second pressure responsive means includes bleed control means responsive to a predetermined increase in the pressure of the fluid to be controlled for opening the bleed leakage path to rapidly reduce the pressure of the loading fluid operating on the main valve pressure responsive means. In this way, a quicker, more rapid response to changes in the pressure of the fluid to be controlled may be achieved.

The present invention relates to pressure regulating valves and more particularly to pilot operated pressure regulating valves which include a pilot mechanism for supplying a loading fluid to one side of a main valve pressure responsive element which controls the flow rate through the valve.
Prior art pilot operated pressure regulating or reducing valves generally utilize a pilot mechanism which senses the pressure of the fluid to be controlled (normally the pressure downstream of the main valve) and varies the pressure on the main valve pressure responsive element to open and close the main valve to control the flow rate through the valve, and thus the pressure drop across the valve to thereby control pressure of the fluid downstream of the valve.
In typical prior art pilot operated pressure reducing valves, the pressure sensing mechanism of the pilot mechanism comprises a diaphragm or other pressure responsive element which has the downstream pressure applied to one side and an adjustable force applying member applied to the other side, such as for example an adjusting spring mechanism. Changes in downstream pressure cause motion of the pilot pressure responsive element which is then transmitted to a small pilot valve member which opens and closes to vary the supply of a relatively high loading pressure to the main valve pressure responsive element. More particularly, the high pressure loading fluid may for example be taken from the upstream side of the main valve assembly, and the outlet of the pilot valve may be connected to the area above the main valve pressure responsive element. Thus, as the downstream pressure drops below the set point (adjusted by the adjusting spring) the pilot pressure responsive element will move in a direction to open the pilot valve to thus increase the loading pressure to the main valve diaphragm which in turn opens the main valve to increase the flow therethrough and thus the outlet pressure.
For an increase in the outlet pressure of the main valve, an opposite action occurs to decrease the main valve pressure responsive element loading pressure to in turn reduce the main valve opening. More particularly, an increase in the downstream pressure causes the pilot valve sensing diaphragm to move in a direction to close the pilot valve. A small fixed bleed orifice or other bleed leakage mechanism is connected between the outlet side of the pilot valve and the low pressure downstream side of the main valve in order to remove loading pressure from the main valve diaphragm. This small fixed bleed orifice is always open, even during normal steady operation to provide a continuous bleed leakage. Thus, during normal operation, the pilot valve is usually unseated from its valve seat so that loading pressure is always being supplied to the area above the main valve diaphragm, the rate of flow of loading fluid supplied substantially corresponding to the flow rate through the bleed orifice.
One problem encountered with prior art pilot operated pressure regulating valves has been the gain or sensitivity of the pilot mechanism which is affected by the system pressure drop (i.e., the inlet pressure minus the outlet pressure). For high pressure drops, very small motions of the pilot valve cause large changes in the diaphragm or loading pressure thus providing the high gain. At low pressure drops on the other hand, the opposite occurs. If the valve is designed with some minimum acceptable gain for low pressure drop conditions, it tends to be unstable at high pressure drops. That is, when designed to provide an acceptable gain for low pressure drop conditions, the mechanism tends to overcompensate or overshoot the desired limit at high pressure drops and thus unbalance the outlet pressure in the opposite direction. Such action could continue for a considerable period of time before the regulator is stabilized since the pressure impulse caused by the repositioning of the main valve is not transmitted immediately to the pilot diaphragm.
One prior art arrangement aimed at overcoming this "hunting" effect is U.S. Pat. No. 2,277,162 to Soderberg which utilizes double diaphragms or pressure responsive elements for pilot operated regulators. The double diaphragms are operatively connected together with the pressure from the downstream side of the main valve (the fluid to be controlled) introduced therebetween. A relatively high pressure loading fluid is subjected to the lower side of the lowermost diaphragm (against the downstream pressure acting on the other side). On the upper side of the upper diaphragm, a spring acts against the force of the downstream pressure acting on the upper diaphragm. The arrangement is such that the effective pressure area of the lower diaphragm on which the downstream pressure acts is progressively decreases as it moves upwardly (i.e., as the pilot valve closes further in response to increases in downstream pressure), whereas the effective pressure area is progressively increased when the diaphragm moves downwardly (i.e., as the pilot valve opens further in response to decreases in downstream pressure). This change in effective pressure area serves to counteract the downstream pressure changes to prevent overregulation or "hunting" so that a balanced condition will be achieved more quickly, and movement of the main regulating valve reduced.
However, with the Soderberg arrangement, as with the other prior art arrangements, a continuous leakage of the loading pressure is provided to release excess pressure or fluid introduced onto the main pressure responsive elements. Thus, when the downstream pressure increases beyond the preset limit the arrangement is such that the pilot valve supplying the loading pressure to the main valve diaphragm tends to close with the excess loading fluid being removed from the main pressure responsive element only through the bleed leakage path. In the Soderberg reference, this leakage path is arranged between the main valve pressure responsive piston and the side of the cylinder within which it moves. As can be appreciated, for large changes in downstream pressure, it may take a relatively considerable amount of time for the excess loading pressure to be directed away from the main pressure responsive element, thus slowing the response time for the valve. On the other hand, if a large continuous bleed opening were included to provide for a quicker response for the main valve, small changes in pressure drop and fluid turbulence can lead to instability or "chatter" of the main valve.

Pilot mechanism for pressure regulating valve


An air conditioning system (10) for a passenger compartment of a motor vehicle having a windscreen comprises a first heat exchanger (14) positionable outside the passenger compartment; a second heat exchanger (18) positionable inside the passenger compartment; an expansion device (16) positioned in a first fluid passage (22) between the heat exchangers; an electronically controlled variable stroke compressor (12) for pumping fluid into the second fluid passage and either in a first direction (X) or in a second direction (Y); reverse flow means (32) in the second fluid passage for controlling the direction of the flow of fluid; first sensing means (36, 40) providing a first output signal indicative of the dewpoint temperature of the air leaving the second heat exchanger; second sensing means (53; 44,46,48) providing a second output signal indicative of the temperature of the windscreen; and control means (26,30) electrically connected to the first and second sensing means and to the compressor for receiving the first and second output signals, for determining the dewpoint temperature for the air leaving the second heat exchanger dependent on the first output signal, for determining the windscreen temperature from the second output signal, for comparing the determined dewpoint temperature to the determined windscreen temperature, and for controlling the stroke of the compressor to maintain the dewpoint temperature at or below the windscreen temperature during fluid flow in the second direction. Reduces the risk of internal fogging of the windscreen.

Air conditioning systems for the passenger compartments of motor vehicles are well known. Such systems include arrangements for the flow of air across the internal surface of the windscreen of the motor vehicle. In general, these systems comprise an inside heat exchanger (located within the passenger compartment) and an outside heat exchanger (located outside the passenger compartment). A pair of fluid passages connect the heat exchangers to allow the circulation of fluid through the heat exchangers. An expansion device is positioned in one of the fluid passages. A compressor and accumulator/dryer is positioned in the other fluid passage. When fluid is pumped by the compressor through the outside heat exchanger, the expansion device, the inside heat exchanger and the accumulator/dryer in succession, air passing through the inside heat exchanger is cooled as the air flows into the passenger compartment across the windscreen. When fluid is pumped in the reverse direction through the inside heat exchanger, the expansion device, the outside heat exchanger and the accumulator/dryer in succession, air passing through the inside heat exchanger is heated as the air flows into the passenger compartment across the windscreen. A reversing valve can be positioned in the other fluid passage to provide the required flow direction for the fluid.
During the cooling cycle, the air passing through the inside heat exchanger may be de-humidified, leading to a build-up of condensation on the inside heat exchanger. During a subsequent heating cycle, the condensation may be evaporated, increasing the risk of internal fogging of the windscreen. This potential problem may be avoided either by limiting the time of the heating cycle, or by using a second inside heat exchanger during the heating cycle (with the first inside heat exchanger only being used during a cooling cycle). Both of these potential solutions have limitations.

Air conditioning system for a motor vehicle


The present invention provides an "alert" interface for a component which can be safely "hot-plugged/unplugged" to an "alert" interconnect of an electrically powered system. The alert interface has a mating edge which includes daughter precharge/ground connectors, a daughter (engage) waning connector, a number of daughter signal connectors and a daughter engage connector. The alert interconnect includes corresponding mother connectors. The respective connectors of the interconnect and the interface are arranged so that they mate in the following exemplary order when the interface is hot-plugged/unplugged to the interconnect: precharge/ground connectors, warning connectors, signal connectors and finally engage connectors. When the daughter (engage) warning connector mates with the mother warning connector, the component sends an "engage warning" signal to the powered system. Eventully, all the signal connectors mate followed by the engage connectors, enabling the component to send an "engaged" signal to the system indicating that all the signal connectors have completely mated. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the component can also be safely "hot-unplugged" by first, substantially increasing the degree of recess of the daughter engage connector relative to the daughter signal connectors along the mating edge, and second, doubling the daughter engage connector to function as a daughter disengage warning connector.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of safe and efficient system reconfiguration. More particularly, the invention relates to the hot plugging of a component into a powered receptacle.
2. Description of the Related Art
As computing technology gradually shifts towards the "network is the computer" paradigm, the need to be able to safely add/delete components of sub-systems of a computer network, i.e., of both individual computers and shared network resources, without a power down becomes increasingly important. The ability of each sub-system of the computer network to remain powered-up and responsive to the rest of the computer network enables the system to be maintained and upgraded while operational, thereby minimizing the down time of the network as a whole. This need is especially crucial in real-time mission-critical systems such as life-support systems and commercial banking systems.
FIG. 1 shows a conventional interconnect 1110 of a system 1100 for hot-plugging an interface 1210 of a component 1200. Interconnect 1110 includes precharge/ground connectors 1111a/b, and a plurality of signal connectors 1113a, 1113b, . . . 1113n. Similarly, interface 1210 includes precharge/ground connectors 1211a/b, and a plurality of signal connectors 1213a, 1213b, . . . 1213n.
Precharge connector 1211a protrudes along a mating edge of interface 1210 relative to signal connectors 1213a, 1213b, . . . 1213n. As a result, when interface 1210 mates with interconnect 1110, precharge connectors 1111a, 1211a mate prior to the engagement of the respective signal connectors. Since electrical signals travel at a much higher speed than mechanical components, it is presumed that by the time the respective signal connectors make contact, signal noise caused by a power-up of component 1200 has decayed to a harmless level.
Unfortunately, the conventional hot-plugging mechanism described above only precharges the circuitry on component 1200, thereby powering up daughter signal connectors 1213a, . . . 1213n in undetermined logic levels. Thus, when the mother and daughter signal connectors mate, mothers signal connectors 1113a, . . . 1113n, which can be at any one of three logic levels, high, low or transitioning, may be at inconsistent logic levels with respect to the corresponding daughter signal connectors 1213a, 1213b, . . . 1213n and may glitch. This is because the "capacitances" of the output/input drivers (not shown) of the respective daughter signal connectors 1213a, 1213b, . . . 1213n are uncharged prior to mating. If the resulting glitch(es) on the signal connectors are large enough, they may cause erroneous signals, i.e., signal noise, to propagate on system interconnect 1100.
As a result, the above-described conventional hot-plugging scheme is inflexible and is sensitive to the settling time of signals on signal connectors 1113a, 1113b, . . . 1113n, the (mechanical) rate at which component 1200 can be inserted into system 1100 and the signal clock speed of system 1100. Further, the conventional hot-plugging scheme exerts no control over any signals which may be present on interconnect 1110 during hot-plugging and/or hot-unplugging. For example, there is no provision for system 1100 to delay or slow activity on signal connectors 1113a, 1113b, . . . 1113n during hot-plugging/unplugging.
While it is possible to design drivers/receivers with enhanced noise immunity, at high system clock speeds, noise immunity becomes prohibitively difficult and/or expensive to achieve. Hence there is a need for a flexible and reliable noise-resistant hot-plugging/unplugging scheme that can be easily adapted to the requirements of different powered systems and components, e.g., different clock speeds and activity pattern, and can be easily implementable at low cost.

Method and apparatus for hot plugging/unplugging a sub-system to an electrically powered system


A latch pin actuator (34) for use in connection with an aircraft (10) having folding wings or wing tips (12). The actuator (34) includes housing (38) mountable to a wing portion (12, 16). A latch pin (21) in the form of a hydraulic cylinder is slidably mounted within the housing (38) and on a piston (44) which is fixed to the housing (38). Variable volume fluid chambers (46, 48) are defined in the cylinder body of the latch pin (21). A primary lock member (58) is movable between locked and unlocked positions such that retraction of the latch pin (21) is prevented when the primary lock (58) is in a locked position. In preferred form, a hydraulic actuator (78) is used to move the primary lock member (58) between locked and unlocked positions and to operate a sequencing valve which delivers hydraulic pressure to a chamber (48) of the latch pin (21) after actuation of the primary lock (58). The latch pin actuator (34) may also include a secondary lock member (60) which can be ganged to operate in unison with adjacent latch pin actuators (34).

The concept of folding wing airplanes is commonly associated with fighter aircraft that are stationed onboard aircraft carriers. Because an aircraft carrier has a small flight deck and reduced hanger space compared to ground-based facilities, carrier-based aircraft must have folding wings that reduce their wing span for storage purposes. Providing folding wings on carrier aircraft enables a larger number of planes to be based on a carrier than would otherwise be possible and facilitates rapid movement .of planes between flight deck and hanger bay.
The same kind of space considerations have not previously applied to commercial passenger aircraft or jets. As a result, there has been little or no need to have folding wings on commercial planes. The typical airport served by a passenger jet generally has ample space for aircraft maneuvering on the ground, and for parking and passenger ingress and egress. However, for reasons discussed below, this may now be changing.
Current and projected passenger demographics indicate that the use of larger planes are more economical for commercial airlines to operate. Aircraft size alone, however, is not the only factor controlling how commercial airlines move a given passenger volume from point A to point B in the most efficient manner. The major airlines typically have a fixed number of passenger gates at each major airport. Most major U.S. airports have either been built or renovated during the last twenty or thirty years. During such building process, passenger gates were spaced from each other a distance that was generally considered to be optimal given the size and number of aircraft in use at the time. The present trend toward using larger aircraft is accompanied by problems resulting from significantly larger wing spans than the majority of commercial airplanes in use twenty or thirty years ago. This results in fewer airplanes taking up a fixed amount of parking or berth space around the typical terminal and, consequently, reduces the number of usable passenger gates. The end result is that larger airplanes tend to make it more difficult to accommodate airline scheduling that requires a large volume of flights.
Space restriction is becoming a significant problem at modern airports. The folding wings of carrier-based airplanes, discussed above, suggest one solution to this problem. Applying this military aircraft solution to commercial jets, however, presents several logistical problems in order to achieve the inherently higher desired level of safety.
It is well-known that The Boeing Company, the assignee of the invention disclosed and claimed herein, is presently developing a new model of commercial jet designated as the "777." This jet is larger than Boeing's earlier models and, consequently, has a larger wing span. At least one study done by The Boeing Company estimates that there are approximately one hundred thirty usable gates at six major airports for The Boeing 767 and the DC-10. However, only approximately twenty of these same gates would be suitable for use by the 777, because of its larger wing span.
Providing 777 jets with folding wing tips can enable a larger number of this particular airplane model to be parked or placed around a given terminal at the same time. It has been estimated that nearly as many usable gates would be available for a 777 that is modified in this way as are presently available for the 767 and DC-10.
A 777 with folding wing tips would require a latching hinge mechanism for releasably interlocking the wing tip with the inboard portion of each wing. Safety considerations dictate that such system must have the utmost structural integrity and fail-safe operation. As the skilled person would realize, an aircraft with folding wings presents additional design and safety problems that are not present on aircraft with conventional wings. The wings must be designed so that they do not accidentally fold during flight and that the latching and locking mechanism does not falsely indicate "latched and locked" prior to takeoff when that condition is not true.
In military aircraft, latch pins are used to hold each folding wing in place. These are locked by an independently-operated locking mechanism. The common method used to detect whether or not the latch pins are locked is a wing-mounted red "flag" that is driven above the wing contour by mechanical connections when the latch pins are unlocked. When they are locked, the flag is conversely driven below or flush with the wing contour. The pilot or flight crew determines the proper lock state merely by viewing the position of the flag. For high reliability, the flag is driven directly by the mechanism that locks the latch pins, with a minimum of interconnections. This necessitates physically locating the flag close to the locking mechanism.
Design safety for military aircraft is, by necessity, viewed differently than for civilian aircraft. Military operations typically require optimum airplane performance in order to provide the pilot with the best chance of survival. Military airplane design anticipates that more pilots are lost as a result of combat than equipment failure. Hence, safety considerations are balanced with combat performance considerations. Since combat is not a consideration in the commercial arena, design safety takes on the utmost importance.
The FAA is the government agency that is responsible for closely regulating commercial aircraft design in the United States. Although the FAA is not known to have considered the use of the above-described wing-locking technique used by the military for commercial aircraft, the type of fail-safe operation required by both The Boeing Company and the FAA may not be met. One known drawback to the military design is that the position of the flag does not necessarily provide an indication as to the integrity of the locking mechanism itself. Another drawback to the military design is that it is not particularly well-suited for most modern commercial jets, simply because the wings of such jets are not visible to the flight crew. Therefore, using a similar mechanical flagging technique in connection with the 777 folding wing tip would probably place an unacceptable operating burden on the airline that operates the plane.
The Boeing Company has designed a folding wing tip latching and locking mechanism which meets or exceeds the above-discussed safety considerations in an efficient and cost-effective manner. One aspect of the mechanism is that the hinge of the wing tip is latched into a spread position by a series of latch pins which extend through aligned openings in a clevis and spade connection. Each latch pin is then locked into place by independently-operated primary locks and a mechanically-linked series of secondary locks. The secondary locks are rotated between locked and unlocked positions by an independent hydraulic power drive unit.


A training bag apparatus includes a fluid-fillable stand having a pedestal and column supporting a striking pad assembly. The column has a fill opening for filling and emptying the stand. A cap provided to seal the fill opening includes a needle valve for pressurizing the stand. The column of the stand has a pair of channels and lock slots for setting the striking pad assembly to various heights. The striking pad assembly includes a sleeve, a pad disposed around the sleeve and a cover surrounding the exterior of the sleeve and pad. A pair of buttons protrude from the inside wall of the sleeve at locations corresponding to the position of the channels of the column. The sleeve buttons, channels and lock slots cooperate to secure the striking pad assembly at the desired height setting on the column.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to bags and pads which are struck with the hands, arms, feet or legs for conditioning, fitness and technique training in activities such as boxing and the martial arts.
2. Description of Related Art
In the art of boxing, the familiar punching bags, heavy bags and speed bags are well known. These bags are often suspended from overhead chains. A problem with the conventional bags is how to obtain the desired resistance to punches, jabs and kicks and also achieve rapid rebound of the bag.
In the martial arts, pads are sometimes used to receive the punches and kicks. However, the use of pads requires another person in order to train. Further, a person holding a pad may not provide the optimal resistance and rebound to the punches and jabs.


A pen pack is disclosed which is mountable on the back of the writing hand of a user to provide ready access to a writing, marking or scribing implement when required. The pen pack includes a telescopic writing implement and an actuating mechanism disposed in a casing which may be readily affixed to the wearer's hand. The actuating mechanism includes a plunger which is depressed against an external object to actuate the pen pack, a feeder line subassembly which coacts with the plunger, and a rotational shaft which also coacts with the plunger and to which the telescopic writing instrument is affixed. Depression of the plunger causes the telescopic writing instrument to rotate into a writing position. Concomitantly, the feeder line subassembly causes the telescopic writing instrument to be extended to a fully telescoped position so that the user may grip the writing instrument and utilize it for writing, marking or scribing. The feeder line subassembly also includes a retraction mechanism which causes the telescopic writing instrument to be returned to its original position when the user releases the telescopic writing instrument.

Almost everyone at one time or another has experienced the inconvenience of requiring a writing instrument for a particular task and finding that a writing instrument is not at hand. Such inconvenience is particularly telling for people whose jobs require them to write, mark or scribe frequently, but who also are required to have the free use of their hands at other times for non-writing tasks.
One way to ensure that a writing implement is readily at hand is to store the writing implement on the user's person, as for example, storing the writing implement in a pocket of the user's clothing or tucking the writing implement behind an ear. Many workers, however, may not have clothing suitable for keeping a writing instrument readily handy. For example, construction or industrial workers frequently wear T-shirts without pockets and secretaries and other female clerical personnel often wear dresses without pockets of any sort.
And, some writing instruments have a configuration or bulk which makes it awkward to tuck the writing implement behind one's ear. In a similar vein, the wearing of glasses would preclude tucking the writing implement behind one's ear.
Another possible way to ensure that a writing implement is readily at hand is to position the writing implement at the work station. We have all experienced Murphy's Law, however, and it always seems that a writing implement once laid down is soon mislaid. In addition, a worker may be required to move around such that a previously positioned writing implement may not always be handy.


A method for dynamically determining a remaining actual operational period for a filter in a filtration device including: determining an initial remaining operational period based on an installation date of the filter and an initial expected operational period; periodically determining a remaining actual operational period of the filter based on the initial remaining operational period based and an elapsed operational period from the installation date; monitoring at least one operating parameter in the filtration device; adjusting the remaining actual operational period based on the monitored operating parameter, and continuing to periodically determine the remaining actual operational period based on the adjusted remaining actual operational period and the elapsed operational period.

The present invention relates to a bag house for filtering dust and other particles from a gaseous exhaust from, for example, a combustion system. Specifically, the present invention is related to control and monitoring systems for a bag house.
Bag houses filter dust and other gas borne particles from exhaust gas, such as flue gases from combustion systems. A bag house typically has an array of filter bags. The bag house ducts exhaust through the filter bags. As gas passes through the filter bags, dust and other particles are captured on the surfaces of the media of the filter bags. The buildup of dust and particles on the filter bags continues as the bag house filters dust from the exhaust air.
The buildup of dust and particles on the filter bags eventually clogs the porous media of the filter bags and obstructs the flow of exhaust gas through the bag house. Mechanisms are employed to remove the buildup from bag filter, such as agitators that shake the bags to cause the dust and particles to fall off the bags. In addition or as an alternative to, the bag filters may be cleaned by pulse jets that pulse air jets to the interior of the bag to apply an impulse to the bag that knocks off the dust and particles. However, these mechanisms do not entirely open the porous openings in the media of the bag filters. Even with periodic cleaning operations, the bag filters become clogged and unsuitable after prolonged use in a bag house.
Bag filters are conventionally assigned an operational life by the manufacturer of the bag. The operator of the bag house replaces the filter bags before they reach the end of their operational life. The assigned operational life of a bag filter is conventionally a fixed period. The assigned operational life may be assigned by bag filter manufacturer and is based, in part, on the type of bag house into which the filter is to be used.
The assigned operational life is based on assumptions of the operating conditions in the bag house. The operating conditions in a bag house may vary depending on ambient conditions, the composition of the mixture of exhaust gas, dust and other particles passing through the bag house and other factors. These variations in operating conditions affect the actual operational life of the bag filters. The assigned operational life does not vary and thus does not account for variations in the actual operation life of a bag filter. At the expiration of the assigned operational life, the bag filter is typically replaced regardless of whether there is remaining actual operating life of the filter. Bag filters having an expired actual operating life may remain in use in a bag house because the assigned operational life of the filter. Similarly, bag filters having an expired actual operating life may remain in use in a bag house because the assigned operational life of the filter has not expired.

Method for determining life of filters in bag house


An energy harvesting interface receives an electrical signal from an inductive transducer and outputs a supply signal. An input branch includes a first switch and a second switch connected in series between a first input terminal and an output terminal, and further a third switch and a fourth switch connected in series between a second input terminal and the output terminal. A first electrical-signal-detecting device coupled across the second switch detects a first threshold value of an electric storage current in the inductor of the transducer. A second electrical-signal-detecting device coupled across the fourth switch detects whether the electric supply current that flows through the fourth switch reaches a second threshold value lower than the first threshold value.

As is known, systems for harvesting energy (also known as "energy scavenging systems") from intermittent environmental-energy sources (i.e., ones that supply energy in an irregular way) have aroused and continue to arouse considerable interest in a wide range of technological fields. Typically, energy harvesting systems are configured to harvest, store, and transfer energy generated by mechanical or thermal sources to a generic load of an electrical type.
The mechanical energy is converted, by one or more appropriate transducers (for example, piezoelectric or electromagnetic devices) into electrical energy, which may be used for supplying an electrical load. In this way, the electrical load does not require batteries or other supply systems, which are cumbersome and present a low resistance in regard to mechanical stresses.
FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration in the form of functional blocks of an energy harvesting system of a known type. FIG. 2 shows, according to a simplified circuit representation, the energy harvesting system of FIG. 1.
The energy harvesting system of FIG. 1 comprises: a transducer 2, for example of an electromagnetic type, subject in use to environmental mechanical vibrations and configured to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy, typically into AC (alternating current) voltages; a scavenging interface 4, for example comprising a diode-bridge rectifier circuit (also known as Graetz bridge), configured to receive at input the AC signal generated by the transducer 2 and supplying at output a DC (direct current) signal for charging a capacitor 5 connected to the output of the rectifier circuit 4; and a DC-DC converter 6, connected to the capacitor 5 for receiving at input the electrical energy stored by the capacitor 5 and supplying it to an electrical load 8. Thus, the capacitor 5 has the function of element for storing energy, which is made available, when required, to the electrical load 8 for operation of the latter. This type of interface, which operates as a peak detector, presents some drawbacks.
The efficiency of the system 1 of FIG. 1 is markedly dependent upon the signal generated by the transducer 2. In the absence of the DC-DC converter 6, the efficiency rapidly drops to zero (i.e., the system 1 is unable to harvest environmental energy) when the amplitude of the signal of the transducer 2 (signal VTRANSD) assumes a value lower, in absolute value, than VOUT+2VTH_D where VOUT is the voltage across the capacitor 5, and VTH_D is the threshold voltage of the diodes that form the energy harvesting interface 4. If the amplitude of the signal VTRANSD of the transducer 2 is lower than twice the threshold voltage VTH_D of the diodes of the rectifier of the energy harvesting interface 4 (i.e., VTRANSD<2VTH_D), then the efficiency of the system 1 is zero, the voltage across the output capacitor 5 is zero, the environmental energy is not harvested, and the electrical load 8 is not supplied.
When the DC-DC converter 6 (of a boost type) is set between the output capacitor 5 and the electrical load 8, it is possible to make up for the drop in efficiency. However, in this situation, the current supplied by the transducer and rectified by the diode bridge is not regulated and is not actively controlled. Consequently, the impedance RLOAD represented schematically in FIG. 2 cannot be matched to the series impedance RS of the transducer 2. This in any case causes a global loss of efficiency of the system 1.
A further solution, which enables active control of the current supplied by the transducer 2, envisages use of an AC-DC converter. This solution, for example proposed by IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER ELECTRONICS, Vol. 25, No. 8, Aug. 2010, pp. 2188-2199 (incorporated by reference), envisages the use of a closed-loop boost converter that exploits directly the series inductance of the transducer and generates a regulated voltage that charges the output capacitor. However, this solution presents some disadvantages. For instance, if the mean power made available by the transducer is less than the power required by the load, the regulated output voltage drops instantaneously. Furthermore, in this condition, the AC-DC converter is unable to make up immediately for the voltage drop on the output capacitor, harvesting further energy for supply of the electrical load. The energy harvesting efficiency is thus jeopardized. In addition, the load is not correctly supplied in so far as it does not receive sufficient energy from the energy harvesting interface.
In general, to obtain the maximum transfer of energy between a transducer and a load by means of an energy harvesting interface coupled between them, it is expedient for the equivalent input impedance of the energy harvesting interface to be such as to enable the maximum transfer of energy (impedance matching). In energy harvesting system of a known type this is not always possible in so far as said systems are programmed for working in predefined operating conditions and hence do not adapt to the variation of said operating conditions.
There is accordingly a need in the art to provide an energy harvesting interface with impedance matching, a method for impedance matching of the energy harvesting interface, a system for harvesting environmental energy that uses the energy harvesting interface, that will enable the aforementioned problems and disadvantages for being overcome.

Energy scavenging interface with impedance matching, method for impedance matching of the energy scavenging interface, and energy scavenging system using the energy scavenging interface


Disclosed is a color image-stabilization processing solution for a silver halide color photographic material containing at least one of (a) an N-methylol compound represented by the following formula (I): ##STR1## wherein X represents a group of non-metallic atoms necessary to form a 1H-pyrazole ring or 1H-1,2,4-triazole ring together with the nitrogen atom; and (b) an N-methylol compound satisfying the condition that an equilibrium constant in water at room temperature is 2.times.10.sup.-2. mol/liter or less and a formaldehyde-releasing rate constant is 1.times.10.sup.-5 sec.sup.-1 or more. This solution permits one to dispense formaldehyde and its attendant risks. Also disclosed is a method for processing silver halide color photographic materials using such a solution.

In general, the fundamental steps for processing a color light-sensitive material are the color developing step and the desilvering step. In the color developing step, exposed silver halide is reduced with a color developing agent to generate silver and the oxidation developing agent reacts with a coupler to form a dye image. In the subsequent desilvering step, silver formed in the developing step is oxidized by the action of an oxidizing agent generally called a bleaching agent and is then dissolved with an agent for forming a complex ion of a silver ion, which is generally called as a fixing agent. After going through this desilvering step has been performed, only the dye images are formed on the color light-sensitive material.
Usually, after these steps, a washing processing is carried out to remove an unnecessary processing solution drainage.
In the case of a color paper and a reversal color paper, the processing is finished with the above steps and a drying step generally follows. In the processing of a color negative film and a reversal color film, a stabilizing step is necessary in addition to the above steps. It is well known that the stabilizing bath in the final step following these processing steps contains formaldehyde for the purpose of preventing fading of the magenta dye attributable to the magenta coupler remaining in the light-sensitive material after processing. A small quantity of formaldehyde vapor is generated when the stabilizing bath containing formaldehyde is prepared and a light-sensitive material having a stabilizing solution attached thereon is dried.
It is known that the inhalation of formaldehyde is harmful for the human body and the Japan Association of Industrial Health advises that the allowable concentration of formaldehyde in a working environment is 0.5 ppm. Therefore, the effort to reduce the concentration of formaldehyde in the stabilizing bath and replace formaldehyde with an alternative has been made to improve the working environment.
A hexamethylenetetramine compound is described in, for example, JP-A-63-244036 (the term "JP-A" as used herein means an unexamined published Japanese patent application), as an alternative for formaldehyde. The use of this compound reduces the concentration of formaldehyde, that is, the vapor pressure of formaldehyde, but it also restricts the desired anti-fading function of a magenta dye and causes a marked fading within several weeks even at room temperature.
On the other hand, many N-methylol compounds having the specific structure have been proposed. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,487,569 and 2,629,660 disclose N-methylol compounds of melamines; U.S. Pat. No. 2,579,435 discloses N-methylol compounds of urea or 2-oxapropylene urea; U.S. Pat. No. 2,487,446 and JP-B-45-8506 disclose N-methylol compounds of thiourea compounds; U.S. Pat. No. 2,579,436 and British Patent No. 684,540 disclose N-methylol compounds of hydantoins; British Patent No. 908,136 discloses N-methylol compounds of cyandiamides; U.S. Pat. No. 3,801,322 and JP-A-61-35447 disclose N-methylol compounds of guanidines; British Patent 1,392,134 discloses N-methylol compounds of morpholine or biuret compounds; and JP-A-2-153348 discloses N-methylol compounds of pyrrole, pyrrolidine, methylamine, glycine, or ethylcarbamate. Further, the methods for using these compounds have also been proposed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,786,583, 4,859,574, and 4,921,779 and European Patents No. 345,172A and 395,442A.
However, of these compounds, those having the reduced vapor pressure of formaldehyde as compared with formaldehyde itself are poor in the image preservability, and those having the improved image preservability only have the same vapor pressure of formaldehyde as formaldehyde itself. These compounds can not have both the effect of improving the image preservability and the reduction of vapor pressure of formaldehyde.
Also, it has been found that these compounds cause the formation of stain, the deterioration of preservability of a yellow or cyan dye or other dyes contained in the light-sensitive material, and the reduction of solubility although the image preservability of a magenta dye is improved, and there is the problem that these compounds stick to the light-sensitive material and stain the processed image.
Therefore, there has been a strong demand for a compound having a sufficient anti-fading function to a magenta dye and the low formaldehyde vapor pressure, that is, for an effective alternative for formaldehyde.

Color image-stabilization processing solution used for processing a silver halide color photographic material and a processing method using the same


A method and apparatus for heating water in a spa which has a plurality of venturi jets, a hosing which includes a plurality of venturi jets and a high speed pump which circulates water through the housing and the venturi jets in the spa and a water thermostat. The thermostat is positioned in the water of the spa and connected to the high speed pump such that the high speed pump is activated to propel water through the venturi jets at high speed and thus heat it whenever the water temperature falls below a preset level.

A spa is a large whirlpool bath capable of seating between two and eight persons in which water is circulated by means of venturi jets. A heater is standard equipment in all spa installations. The heater is used to heat the water. A form a water thermostat known as an "aquastat" is provided which intermittently activates the heater when the water temperature drops below a preset level. A pump is provided which is set on a timer and circulates water through the venturi jets when persons are using the spa.


A dynamic beam current control circuit for a television camera tube features a threshold circuit so that the correction is effected only for large light intensities impinging on the television camera tube. It also features a non-linear circuit which has a characteristic which is in the inverse of the control electrode voltage versus beam current characteristic of the camera tube. This prevents a ghost effect from showing in the display picture.

The present invention relates to television cameras, and more particularly to dynamic beam current control circuits for said cameras.
A television camera tube has a target which is illuminated by the scene that is viewed by the camera tube. The intensity of the light falling on the target causes an electrical discharge of it. An electron beam sweeps across the target and recharges it to a fixed value. The current that is required to recharge the target plate is proportional to the intensity of the light falling upon the target plate. If the camera tube is viewing a very intense object, the electron beam current may not be sufficient to totally recharge the target plate. This especially occurs when the camera and the viewed object are moving with respect to one another. It causes a visible effect known as "comet tail", which trails a brightly illuminated spot when said motion occurs.
The beam current which flows in the camera tube is a function of the voltage applied to its control electrode. This current traditionally has been a compromise between minimizing a comet tail effect, which requires a large current, and high resolution, which requires a low beam current. If the voltage on the control electrode can vary with the signal current created by the optical image, then the beam current can temporarily and automatically be increased to accomodate local areas of excess light. This technique has been named "dynamic beam current control". Such a beam current control scheme can, and has in the past, been accomplished by connecting the pre-amplified pick-up tube output signal back to the control electrode of the camera tube via ordinary electronic amplifiers. This method however exposes several undesirable side effects which can be annoying when viewing the displayed picture. First propagation delay of the signal through the electronic amplifier leads to a ghost image in the picture. This is due to crosstalk between the control and signal target electrodes within the pick-up tube. Second the control loop tends to be unstable because the control electrode voltage versus cathode beam current characteristic of the pick-up tube is non-linear. Typically it follows a square law.


A mounting assembly and shock absorber are presented for mounting and shock absorption for the transmitter and sensor elements of a mud pulse telemetry system. The shock absorbing apparatus for the mud pulse transmitter is entirely located at one end of the assembly above the transmitter, and the shock absorber apparatus for the sensor package is located at the other end of the assembly below the sensor package, whereby all of the elements can be incorporated in a one piece drill collar.

This invention relates to the field of borehole telemetry, especially mud pulse telemetry wherein data relating to borehole parameters is gathered by sensing instruments located downhole in the drill string and is transmitted to the surface via pressure pulses created in the drilling mud. More particularly, this invention relates to a shock absorber assembly wherein the mud pulse transmitter and the sensor elements are encased in a single one piece segment of a drill collar, the shock absorber assembly for the mud pulse transmitter being positioned entirely at the top or front end of the drill collar above the mud pulse transmitter, and the entire shock absorber assembly for the sensor elements being positioned at the rear or bottom end of the drill collar entirely below the sensor package.
The basic concept of mud pulse telemetry for transmitting borehole data from the bottom of a well to the surface has been known for some time. United States Pat. Nos. 4,021,774, 4,013,945 and 3,982,431, all of which are owned by the assignee of the present invention, show various aspects of a mud pulse telemetry system which has been under development by the assignee hereof for several years. During the course of development of a mud pulse telemetry system, particular attention has been paid to component mounting and shock absorber assemblies. Mounting and shock absorber assemblies are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,714,831 and 3,782,464. While the mounting and shock absorber assemblies of those patents are adequate for some purposes, they pose assembly and other problems, and the drill collar in which they are mounted must be in two pieces in order to have access to the shock absorber elements for assembly. The requirement for a two piece drill collar posed by those prior shock absorber assemblies poses several disadvantages. Joints in a drill collar pose several well recognized problems. They result in two different internal diameters, they provide locations for concentration of flex stressing which may lead to structural failure, and they are sources of potential leakage. While joints, of necessity, must occur at the junction of each segment of drill pipe, it is desirable to avoid any more joints than necessary; so it became desirable to develop a mounting and shock absorber system which does not require a split drill collar segment. The prior art has also posed problems in failure to isolate various system components from shock loads imposed on other components.

Mounting and shock absorber assembly for borehole telemetry apparatus


A method for ontologically driving context mediation in a computing system can include collecting events arising from a solution in a computing environment, loading operational meta-data for the solution, contextually mediating, for example context interchange (COIN) mediating, the collected events with the operational meta-data to produce context sensitive events, and correlating the context sensitive events with corresponding symptoms in a display to an end user in the computing environment.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of context aware computing and more particularly to contextual mediation.
Description of the Related Art
Context aware computing refers to the treatment of the user environment in system behavior. Aspects of context can be wide-ranging and can include computing device and undertaken task. Context can be used to modify data in a computing system in order most appropriately process the data. Examples include adjusting the presentation of data according to context, or adjusting the responsiveness of logic to events according to the context of processed data. Contextual mediation generally relates to the consideration of the contemporaneous context of a transaction in processing the transaction itself.
Generally speaking, the notion of mediation has been proposed as the principle means of resolving semantic inter-operation issues in a computing environment. Mediation architectures often are based upon mediator or wrappers paradigms wherein information flowing from a source can be wrapped into logical views such that the interface in front of each view appears uniform. The logical views, however, can be assembled via a domain-ontology such as an integrated global schema. The mediator or wrapper, in turn, can serve as an intermediary or interface between observing end users and the source of information.
Once such source of information can include event data in a computing environment. Event data often can be generated natively or via adapters, through common base event generation. Alternatively, event data can be generated via crawling or extensive indexing of content in the computing system. In a given process in the computing system, however, it can be important to correctly identify relevant data according to a provided context such that the identified relevant data accordingly can be consumed by an appropriate consumer.

International Business Machines Corporation


The present invention provides novel peptides derived from portions of the sequence of amino acids 23-26 and 27-30 of P-selectin. The invention also provides pharmaceutical compositions comprising the peptides of the invention, and diagnostic and therapeutic methods utilizing the peptides and pharmaceutical compositions of the invention. The peptides of this invention can be used in the modulation or inhibition of coagulation processes or inflammatory processes.

This invention relates to peptides which inhibit binding of selectins such as P-selectin, E-selectin and L-selectin.
The adherence of platelets and leukocytes to vascular surfaces is a critical component of the inflammatory response and is part of a complex series of reactions involving the simultaneous and interrelated activation of the complement, coagulation, and immune systems.
The complement proteins collectively play a leading role in the immune system, both in the identification and in the removal of foreign substances and immune complexes, as reviewed by Muller-Eberhard, H. J., Ann. Rev. Biochem. 57: 321-347 (1988). Central to the complement system are the C3 and C4 proteins, which when activated covalently attach to nearby targets, marking them for clearance. In order to help control this process, a remarkable family of soluble and membrane-bound regulatory proteins has evolved, each of which interacts with activated C3 and/or C4 derivatives. The coagulation and inflammatory pathways are regulated in a coordinate fashion in response to tissue damage. For example, in addition to becoming adhesive for leukocytes, activated endothelial cells express tissue factor on the cell surface and decrease their surface expression of thrombomodulin, leading to a net facilitation of coagulation reactions on the cell surface. In some cases, a single receptor can be involved in both inflammatory and coagulation processes.
Leukocyte adherence to vascular endothelium is a key initial step in migration of leukocytes to tissues in response to microbial invasion. Although a class of inducible leukocyte receptors, the CD11-CD18 molecules, are thought to have some role in adherence to endothelium, mechanisms of equal or even greater importance for leukocyte adherence appear to be due to inducible changes in the endothelium itself.
Activated platelets have also been shown to interact with both neutrophils and monocytes in vitro. The interaction of platelets with monocytes may be mediated in part by the binding of thrombospondin to platelets and monocytes, although other mechanisms have not been excluded. The mechanisms for the binding of neutrophils to activated platelets are not well understood, except that it is known that divalent cations are required. In response to vascular injury, platelets are known to adhere to subendothelial surfaces, become activated, and support coagulation. Platelets and other cells may also play an important role in the recruitment of leukocytes into the wound in order to contain microbial invasion.
Endothelium exposed to "rapid" activators such as thrombin and histamine becomes adhesive for neutrophils within two to ten minutes, while endothelium exposed to cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor and interleukin-1 becomes adhesive after one to six hours. The rapid endothelial-dependent leukocyte adhesion has been associated with expression of the lipid mediator platelet activating factor (PAF) on the cell surface, and presumably, the appearance of other endothelial surface receptors. The slower cytokine-inducible endothelial adhesion for leukocytes is mediated, at least in part, by E-selectin that is synthesized by endothelial cells after exposure to cytokines and then transported to the cell surface, where it binds neutrophils. The isolation, characterization and cloning of E-selectin or ELAM-1 is reviewed by Bevilacqua, et al., in Science 243, 1160-1165 (1989). L-selectin, a peripheral lymph node homing receptor, also called "the murine Mel 14 antigen", "Leu 8", the "Leu 8 antigen" and "LAM-1", is another structure on neutrophils, monocytes, and lymphocytes that binds lymphocytes to high endothelial venules in peripheral lymph nodes. The characterization and cloning of the protein is reviewed by Lasky, et al., Cell 56, 1045-1055 (1989) (mouse) and Tedder, et al., J. Exp. Med. 170, 123-133 (1989).
P-selectin, also known as GMP-140 (granule membrane protein 140), or PADGEM, is a cysteine-rich and heavily glycosylated integral membrane glycoprotein with an apparent molecular weight of 140,000 as assessed by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). P-selectin was first purified from human platelets by McEver and Martin, J. Biol. Chem. 259:9799-9804 (1984). The protein is present in alpha granules of resting platelets but is rapidly redistributed to the plasma membrane following platelet activation, as reported by Stenberg, et al., (1985). The presence of P-selectin in endothelial cells and its biosynthesis by these cells was reported by McEver, et al., Blood 70(5) Suppl. 1:355a, Abstract No. 1274 (1987). In endothelial cells, P-selectin is found in storage granules known as the Weibel-Palade bodies. (McEver, et al. J. Clin. Invest. 84:92-99 (1989) and Hattori, et al., J. Biol. Chem. 264:7768-7771 (1989)). P-selectin (called GMP-140 or PADGEM) has also been reported to mediate the interaction of activated platelets with neutrophils and monocytes by Larsen, et al., in Cell 59, 305-312 (October 1989) and Hamburger and McEver, Blood 75:550-554 (1990).
The cDNA-derived amino acid sequence, reported by Johnston, et al., in Cell 56, 1033-1044 (Mar. 24, 1989), and in U.S. Ser. No. 07/320,408 filed Mar. 8, 1989, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,378,464, indicates that it contains a number of modular domains that are likely to fold independently. Beginning at the N-terminus, these include a "lectin" domain, an "EGF" domain, nine tandem consensus repeats similar to those in complement binding proteins, a transmembrane domain (except in a soluble form that appears to result from differential splicing), and a cytoplasmic tail.
When platelets or endothelial cells are activated by mediators such as thrombin, the membranes of the storage granules fuse with the plasma membrane, the soluble contents of the granules are released to the external environment, and membrane bound P-selectin is presented within seconds on the cell surface. The rapid redistribution of P-selectin to the surface of platelets and endothelial cells as a result of activation suggested that this glycoprotein could play an important role at sites of inflammation or vascular disruption.
This important role has been confirmed by the observation that P-selectin is a receptor for neutrophils (Geng et al., Nature 343:757-760 (1990); Hamburger and McEver, Blood 75:550-554 (1990)), monocytes (Larsen, et al. Cell 59:305-312 (1989)); Moore, et al., J. Cell Biol. 112:491-499 (1991)), and perhaps a subset of lymphocytes (Moore, et al. J. Cell Biol. 112:491-499 (1991)). Thus, GMP-140 can serve as a receptor for leukocytes following its rapid mobilization to the surfaces of platelets and endothelial cells stimulated with agonists such as thrombin. This role in leukocyte recruitment may be important in hemostatic and inflammatory processes in both physiologic and pathologic states.
Peptides derived from P-selectin are described in U.S. Ser. No. 07/554,199 entitled "Functionally Active Selectin-Derived Peptides" filed Jul. 17, 1990, now abandoned, by Rodger P. McEver that are useful in diagnostics and in modulating the hemostatic and inflammatory responses in a patient wherein a therapeutically effective amount of a peptide capable of blocking leukocyte recognition of P-selectin is administered to the patient. U.S. Ser. No. 07/554,199 filed Jul. 17, 1990, now abandoned, also discloses that peptide sequences within the lectin domain of P-selectin, having homology with the lectin domains of other proteins, especially E-selectin and the L-selectin, selectively inhibit neutrophil adhesion to purified P-selectin, and can therefore be used in diagnostic assays of patients and diseases characterized by altered binding by these molecules, in screening assays for compounds altering this binding, and in clinical applications to inhibit or modulate interactions of leukocytes with platelets or endothelial cells involving coagulation and/or inflammatory processes.
E-selectin, L-selectin, and P-selectin have been termed "selectins", based on their related structure and function. E-selectin is not present in unstimulated endothelium. However, when endothelium is exposed to cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor or interleukin-1, the gene for E-selectin is transcribed, producing MRNA which in turn is translated into protein. The result is that E-selectin is expressed on the surface of endothelial cells one to four hours after exposure to cytokines, as reported by Bevilacqua et al., Proc.Natl.Acad.Sci.USA 84:9238-9242 (1987) (in contrast to P-selectin, which is stored in granules and presented on the cell surface within seconds after activation). E-selectin has been shown to mediate the adherence of neutrophils to cytokine-treated endothelium and thus appears to be important in allowing leukocytes to migrate across cytokine-stimulated endothelium into tissues. The cDNA-derived primary structure of E-selectin indicates that it contains a "lectin" domain, an EGF domain, and six (instead of the nine in P-selectin) repeats similar to those of complement-regulatory proteins, a transmembrane domain, and a short cytoplasmic tail. There is extensive sequence homology between P-selectin and E-selectin throughout both proteins, but the similarity is particularly striking in the lectin and EGF domains.
Homing receptors are lymphocyte surface structures that allow lymphocytes to bind to specialized endothelial cells in lymphatic tissues, termed high endothelial cells or high endothelial venules (reviewed by Yednock and Rose, Advances in Immunology, vol. 44, F. I. Dixon, ed., 313-378 (Academic Press, New York 1989). This binding allows lymphocytes to migrate across the endothelium into the lymphatic tissues where they are exposed to processed antigens. The lymphocytes then re-enter the blood through the lymphatic system. L-selectin, a lymphocyte homing receptor, contains a lectin domain, an EGF domain, two complement-binding repeats, a transmembrane domain, and a short cytoplasmic tail. L-selectin also shares extensive sequence homology with P-selectin, particularly in the lectin and EGF domains.
Based on a comparison of the lectin domains between P-selectin, E-selectin, and L-selectin, it may be possible to select those peptides inhibiting binding of neutrophils to P-selectin which will inhibit binding of E-selectin, L-selectin, and other homologous selectins, to components of the inflammatory process, or, conversely, which will inhibit only P-selectin binding.
The in vivo significance of platelet-leukocyte interactions has not been studied carefully. However, in response to vascular injury, platelets are known to adhere to subendothelial surfaces, become activated, and support coagulation. Platelets and other cells may also play an important role in the recruitment of leukocytes into the wound in order to contain microbial invasion. Conversely, leukocytes may recruit platelets into tissues at sites of inflammation, as reported by Issekutz, et al., Lab. Invest. 49:716 (1983).
The coagulation and inflammatory pathways are regulated in a coordinate fashion in response to tissue damage. For example, in addition to becoming adhesive for leukocytes, activated endothelial cells express tissue factor on the cell surface and decrease their surface expression of thrombomodulin, leading to a net facilitation of coagulation reactions on the cell surface. In some cases, a single receptor can be involved in both inflammatory and coagulation processes.
Proteins involved in the hemostatic and inflammatory pathways are of interest for diagnostic purposes and treatment of human disorders. However, there are many problems using proteins therapeutically. Proteins are usually expensive to produce in quantities sufficient for administration to a patient. Moreover, there can be a reaction against the protein after it has been administered more than once to the patient. It is therefore desirable to develop peptides having the same, or better, activity as the protein, which are inexpensive to synthesize, reproducible and relatively innocuous.
It is preferable to develop peptides which can be prepared synthetically, having activity at least equal to, or greater than, the peptides derived from the protein itself.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide peptides interacting with cells recognized by selectins, including P-selectin, E-selectin, and L-selectin.
It is another object of the present invention to provide methods for using these peptides to inhibit leukocyte adhesion to endothelium or to platelets.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide methods for using these peptides to modulate the immune response and the hemostatic pathway.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide peptides for use in diagnostic assays relating to P-selectin, E-selectin and L-selectin.


A method of reducing odors resulting from a ferrous metal molding operation is disclosed. A green sand molding mixture is employed having 1-2% by weight volatile organic material. The mold is provided with manifold-type channels each 0.5 inch in diameter which extend between the upper mold surface to a distance 1-2 inches from the mold cavity. The channels are spaced apart a distance 2-10 inches and at least one of the channels is located 2.5 inches from a pouring basin so that during a metal pouring operation all of the gas flows exiting from said channels will be autoignited and reduce odors by at least 50%.

In the conventional green sand molding process, sand, 5-6% by weight (all mixture percentages hereinafter shall mean by weight unless specifically noted otherwise) clay, about 1-2% cereal, about 2-5% water and a 4-5% lustrous carbon producing material (such as seacoal, No-col, etc.) are mixed together to form a moldable material. The lustrous carbon material contains 30-35% volatile organic compounds with about 58% fixed carbon, 7% ash, 1% sulfur and some water. No-col contains about 25% organic material and the remainder clay. In each of these lustrous carbon producing materials the organic materials play an important role because they form a soot which prevents surface defects of the casting caused by micropores and cracks in the mold surface.
The prepared sand mixture is typically transferred to a mold line where it is placed into the bottom half of the mold and an impression of the part to be produced is made in the sand. A similar procedure is followed with the top half of the mold. A pour basin and sprue is also defined in the mold parts (halves) which communicate with the impression or mold cavity. The two halves are placed together with the pouring basin on the top for receiving molten metal. Other pin holes may be punched in the top half to facilitate a limited amount of gas venting during the casting operation, such holes being no greater in diameter than 0.125 inches. Molten metal is then poured into the basin, through the sprue and into the mold cavity to take the shape of the impression in the mold. When the hot metal is poured into the mold, there is combustion of the organic material in the mold sand as well as in the cores, until the air supply is depleted, then volatilization and partial breakdown of such organic material occurs. The gases formed as a result of such volatilization are quite odorous and some escape from the mold through said vent holes and some escape when the mold is opened to remove the casting. These gases are objectionable not only to the in-plant personnel, but to others in the environment to which the gases are exhausted outside of the plant.
The prior art has attempted to solve only the in-plant personnel problem by quickly collecting the gases such as by vacuum devices which gather the gases rapidly during the molding operation and transmit such gases to baghouses and other exhausting apparatus. However, such attempts do not solve the problem of eliminating the odors which eventually find their way into the surrounding environment; there is increasing concern by governmental agencies which prohibit such gas dumping. What is needed is a mechanism or process by which such odorous gases (containing unburned hydrocarbon from the lustrous carbon producing material) can be substantially eliminated, not merely collected or masked.

Use of mold venting practices in green sand molding for odor reduction


A first film plate 20 and a second film plate 40, each made of flexible resin film, are attached to a top surface and a bottom surface of a key top 30 made of mold-resin, respectively, so as to cover the key top 30. The first film plate 20 is pressed upward to form a recessed portion 23, the key top 30 is molded within this recessed portion 23. The second film plate 40 is arranged on the bottom surface of the key top 30. All of the first film plate 20, the key top 30, and the second film plate 40 are transparent. Decorative layers 21 and 41 are formed on the first film plate 20 and the second film plate 40, respectively.

The present invention relates to a key top plate which is preferably applied to a push-button switch used in a variety of electronic devices and also to a method of manufacturing the key top plate.
Heretofore, such a key top plate has been developed in order to make it smaller and thinner that comprises a film plate made of resin film and a key top of mold-resin molded on the film plate. In particular, a specific type of key top plate has been developed that further comprises a print layer including graphic form or the like printed on an under surface of a transparent key top, wherein the print layer is illuminated by an illumination means arranged beneath the layer.
FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view illustrating a principal part of such a conventional key top plate 300 including one of the key tops 311 thereof. It is to be noted that the actual key top plate 300 includes a lot of key tops 311. The key top plate 300 shown in FIG. 5 has been configured in such a way that a predetermined portion of a film plate 301 made of flexible transparent resin film is pressed upwardly to form a recessed portion 303, the key top 311 made of transparent mold-resin is molded within this recessed portion 303, and then a print layer 313 including desired character, graphic form or symbol is indicatively formed on a flat under surface of the key top 311.
When the key top plate 300 is illuminated from an under side thereof by an illumination means, though not shown, color and/or character of the print layer 313 attached onto the under surface of the key top 311 can be displayed clearly on a top surface side of the key top 311 so as to give a high-class appearance to the key top 311.
In the above conventional example, if, for example, the character or the like is to be printed on a solid print for background in the form of single-color print over a sheet in order to further enhance the high-class appearance, the solid print and the print of the character or the like have been provided in a double-layer as placing one on the other in the section defined as the print layer 313.
However, since the background and the character or the like are both formed on the same plane when the character or the like is printed directly over the solid print for the background, the character would not look as embossed or as if floating above the ground, resulting in failure to provide the enhanced high-class appearance.
Besides, in the above example of the prior art, since the key top 311 is simply attached on the under surface of the recessed portion 303 of the film plate 301, there is still a fear that the key top 311 may be detached from the film plate 301 in case of bad adhesion.
On the other hand, there has been an alternative case where the print layer is formed in the location of the recessed portion 303 of the film plate 301, instead of the print layer 313 being formed on the under surface of the key top 311. In this case, the screen printing method has been typically used as a means for printing this print layer.
However, the conventional screen printing method has imposed a limitation on color scheme. In other words, reproducing a peculiar color tone (e.g., a metallic color tone or a pastel color tone) is difficult and, for example, a photo-image like printing represented by many different colors with fine texture has been difficult.
On the other hand, another type of key top having a different configuration has also been proposed, in which a print layer including a desired coloring is arranged on the top surface of the key top so as to decorate it. Furthermore, an area without a print layer is arranged in a central portion of the print layer so as to allow the inside of the transparent key top to be seen though, thereby improving the aesthetic appearance in design. In addition, in the key top of such configuration, the one that can be manufactured in a simple manner with low cost has been desired.

Key top plate and a method for manufacturing the same


A cache is configured to receive direct access transactions. Each direct access transaction explicitly specifies a way of the cache. The cache may alter the state of its replacement policy in response to a direct access transaction explicitly specifying a particular way of the cache. The state may be altered such that a succeeding cache miss causes an eviction of the particular way. Thus, a direct access transaction may be used to provide a deterministic setting to the replacement policy, providing predictability to the entry selected to store a subsequent cache miss. In one embodiment, the replacement policy may be a pseudo-random replacement policy. In one embodiment, a direct access transaction also explicitly specifies a cache storage entry to be accessed in response to the transaction. The cache may access the cache storage entry (bypassing the normal tag comparisons and hit determination used for memory transactions) and either read the data from the cache storage entry (for read transactions) or write data from the transaction to the cache storage entry (for write transactions). Other embodiments may set the replacement policy based on other types of transactions.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related to digital systems and, more particularly, to caches within digital systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
Processors and/or the computer systems including the processors typically provide caches to alleviate the high memory latency frequently experienced in computer systems. Generally, a cache is a relatively small, high speed memory which may store copies of data corresponding to various recently-accessed memory locations. Generally, cache storage is allocated and deallocated in units of cache lines (a group of bytes from contiguous memory locations). In other words, the cache may include multiple entries, and each entry may include storage for a cache line of bytes. If requested data for an access is not in the cache (a "miss"), an entry is allocated for the cache line including the requested data and the cache line is filled into the allocated entry. Subsequently, the data may be found in the cache upon request (a "hit"). In some cases, a portion of the cache line (often called a "sector") may be valid while other portions are invalid. However, the entire cache entry is allocated for the cache line if one or more of the sectors are valid.
Since a cache is generally smaller than the system memory for which the cache is used, cache lines currently stored in the cache may need to be deleted from the cache (referred to as "evicting" the cache line) to make room for newly accessed data which is not stored in the cache. The newly accessed data may be statistically more likely to be accessed again in the near future than is data that has been in the cache for some time, particularly for code which exhibits locality of reference (in which access to a particular datum makes access to nearby data within the memory more likely). Typically, the cache selects one or more cache entries which are eligible to store data corresponding to a given transaction, and searches these entries to detect a hit or miss. In a direct-mapped cache, one entry is eligible to store the data based on the address of the data. If a miss is detected in a direct mapped cache, that cache line in that entry is evicted. In a set associative cache, on the other hand, two or more entries are eligible to store the data based on the address of the data. The cache line of any one of the two or more entries could be evicted on a miss. Set associative caches employ a replacement policy to select one of the two or more eligible entries for eviction. A variety of replacement policies exist.
Unfortunately, it is frequently difficult to predict, from a viewpoint external to the cache, which cache entry will be allocated to a given cache line. Complex monitoring of the transactions presented to the cache, along with detailed knowledge of the implemented replacement policy, would be required to determine the state of the replacement policy at any given point in time. During the typical access of various data from memory, this lack of ability to determine which cache entry will be selected is generally not a problem. However, in some cases, it may be desirable or even critical to know which cache entry will be allocated according to the replacement policy. For example, in certain testing situations, it may be desirable to ensure that a particular entry is used for a particular transaction. Additionally, knowing which entry will be allocated to a cache miss could be used to intentionally evict the cache line in the entry (e.g. to flush the particular entry from the cache). Thus, a method for easily determining which entry will be selected by a replacement policy is desired.

Deterministic setting of replacement policy in a cache