A monomer useful in the formulation of a radiation curable coatable composition comprises (a) polyfunctional isocyanurate having at least three terminal reactive groups reacted with (b) hydroxyalkyl acrylate and (c) tertiary amine alcohol in a molar ratio of a:b:c of about 1:1-2.5:0.5-2, wherein b+c is at least 3 and no greater than the total number of terminal reactive groups of (a). The monomer is included in a radiation curable coatable composition suitable for use as a floor finish and in a floor finishing system comprising the foregoing coatable composition with a primer. A method for the treatment of a substrate using the floor finish and the floor finishing system is also described.

Polymer compositions are used in the formulation of various coating compositions such as floor finishes, for example. Commercially available floor finish compositions typically are aqueous emulsion based polymer compositions comprising one or more organic solvents, plasticizers, coating aids, antifoaming agents, polymer emulsions, waxes and the like. These compositions typically comprise a relatively low solids content (e.g., about 15-35%). The polymer composition is applied to a floor surface and then allowed to dry in air, normally at ambient temperature and humidity to form a film that serves as a protective barrier against soil deposited on the floor by pedestrian traffic, for example.
Although many of the commercially available floor finishes have performed well and have experienced at least some commercial success, the available finishes have been less than completely satisfactory for several reasons. For example, when applying conventional floor finish compositions to the surface of a floor, several coating applications are typically required to obtain a finish with a suitable appearance. Each successive application of the composition must be dried before additional coatings are applied and/or before pedestrian traffic is allowed across the treated floor. The compositions are normally dried at ambient temperature and humidity in air, so that the drying time depends upon the air flow over the floor as well as the relative humidity of the air. Conventional floor finishes will soften when exposed to water for short periods or when exposed to strong chemical cleaners during a scrubbing operation, for example. Moreover, such finishes require almost daily maintenance (e.g., buffing) to provide a sustained and desirable appearance.
In light of the foregoing, it is desirable to provide a floor finish composition that can be applied in a single application and immediately dried and hardened in air to provide a durable, low maintenance, water-resistant, chemically resistant finish that does not require labor intensive (e.g., daily) maintenance to provide a sustained and desirable appearance. It would also be desirable to provide such a durable, low maintenance, water-resistant, chemically resistant finish in a form that can readily be removed from the surface to which it is applied, such as from flooring comprising conventional vinyl floor tiles, for example.
It is known that irradiation of ethylenically unsaturated compounds in the presence of a photoinitiator induces photopolymerization. As used herein, "photoinitiator" refers to any substance or combination of substances that interact with light to generate free radicals capable of inducing free radical polymerization. Photochemical or photo initiated free radical polymerizations occur when radicals are produced by ultraviolet ("UV") and/or visible light irradiation of a free radical polymerizable reaction system. Energy absorption by one or more compounds in the system results in the formation of excited species, followed by either subsequent decomposition of the excited species into radicals or interaction of the excited species with a second compound to form radicals derived from both the initially excited compound and from the second compound. The exact mechanism for photoinitiation is not always clear and may involve either or both of the aforementioned pathways.
Photochemical polymerization has been applied in the formation of decorative and/or protective coatings and inks for metal, paper, wood and plastics as well as in photolithography for producing integrated and printed circuits and in curing dental materials. Many of the known applications involve a combination of photopolymerization and crosslinking with the crosslinking typically achieved by the used of ethylenically polyunsaturated monomers. Acrylate based systems are common as well as those based on unsaturated polyester and styrene.
Additionally, UV curable protective finishes have been applied to vinyl "no wax" flooring during the sheet manufacturing process to provide gloss as well as abrasion resistance. These protective finishes generally cannot be easily stripped from the flooring to which they are applied using conventional stripping methods (e.g., by the application of a chemical stripping composition with a stripping pad or brush). Furthermore, the curing of these finishes is typically carried out using high intensity light. The lamps have high power requirements, large power supplies and generally require ducted venting to remove ozone. Often, these finishes are cured in an inert atmosphere to overcome the deleterious effects of oxygen on the curing process. Because of the above noted power requirements and the like, the use of UV curable polymeric systems in the treatment of flooring has generally been limited to factory scale processes where the expense and additional burdens associated with these systems is more easily justified.
Other problems have been noted in the formulation of UV curable systems for pre-existing flooring (e.g., previously installed in a building). In the application of any type of finish to an existing floor, it is generally preferred that the hardened floor finish not alter the color of the floor. To accomplish this goal, the finish should be transparent and substantially free of observable color. This goal is especially desired in the maintenance of floors composed of white floor tiles where an observable color in the hardened finish will more noticeably produce an observable discoloration in the floor. Additionally, to make a floor finish composition acceptable for application in the field, the applied floor finish should also have low odor prior to curing.
It is known, for example, that certain resins containing functional polymerizable vinyl groups, such as acrylate or vinyl ether/maleate containing an amine or a thiol, are polymerizable in air by free radical polymerization when exposed to UV or visible light in the presence of a photoinitiator. Although tough, abrasion resistant coatings can be provided using such resins, the resulting coatings are typically colored, with colors ranging from yellow to dark orange or have an objectionable odor prior to curing. Consequently, these resins are considered unsuitable for use as floor finishes.
As mentioned, atmospheric oxygen is known to inhibit photoinitiated polymerization reactions, resulting in little or no cure on the surface of the coating or providing a coating with poor surface properties. Various processing techniques have been proposed to eliminate the effects of oxygen from the reacting resin. One approach is to isolate the coating in a chamber and purge the chamber with an inert gas (e.g., nitrogen) so that the polymerization reaction proceeds in an environment substantially free of oxygen. Another approach is to initiate the polymerization reaction using intense UV radiation in conjunction with the high levels of photoinitiator in the uncured resin. Neither of these proposed techniques are practical in providing a floor finish system for use on previously installed flooring. Although smaller, lightweight, inexpensive, low intensity light sources capable of operating on batteries or on 110 volt, 15 amp circuitry would be preferred, known UV curable polymer systems have experienced slower rates of cure and higher cure inhibition when low intensity light has been used.
A long felt and unsolved need exists for a coatable composition suitable for use as a floor finish that can easily be applied to a substrate, such as a previously installed floor, and hardened in air upon exposure to low intensity radiation such as ultraviolet light, for example. It is desirable to provide such a coatable composition, preferably without objectionable odor, in a form that may be easily applied to a floor and subsequently hardened to provide a protective coating substantially free of observable color. It is also desirable to provide the foregoing protective coatings in a form that allows them to be removed from the floor (e.g., by a suitable chemical stripper), as desired.


The present invention relates to a 5G or pre-5G communications system for supporting a higher data transmission rate beyond a 4G communication system such as LTE. The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for generating a packet in a mobile communication system. A method according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is a method for generating a packet from a device in a mobile communication system, comprises the steps of: generating a function-based packet and transmitting the packet to a target node, wherein the packet is characterized in that an internet protocol (IP) address is not included therein.

In order to meet wireless data traffic demands, which have increased since 4th Generation (4G) communication system commercialization, efforts to develop an improved 5th Generation (5G) communication system or a pre-5G communication system have been made. For this reason, the 5G communication system or the pre-5G communication system is called a beyond 4G network communication system or a post-LTE system.
In order to achieve a high data transmission rate, an implementation of the 5G communication system in a super-high frequency (mmWave) band (e.g., 60 GHz band) is being considered. In the 5G communication system, technologies such as beamforming, massive MIMO, Full Dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), an array antenna, analog beam-forming, and a large scale antenna are being discussed to mitigate a propagation path loss in the super-high frequency band and to increase a propagation transmission distance.
Further, technologies such as an evolved small cell, an advanced small cell, a cloud Radio Access Network (cloud RAN), an ultra-dense network, Device-to-Device communication (D2D), a wireless backhaul, a moving network, cooperative communication, Coordinated Multi-Points (CoMP), and reception interference cancellation have been developed to improve the system network in the 5G communication system.
In addition, the 5G system has developed Advanced Coding Modulation (ACM) schemes such as Hybrid FSK and QAM Modulation (FOAM) and Sliding Window Superposition Coding (SWSC), and advanced access technologies such as Filter Bank Multi Carrier (FBMC), Non Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA), and Sparse Code Multiple Access (SCMA).
Internet Protocol (IP) networking has rapidly developed on the strength of the dramatic development of Internet technology. In IP networking, each user and a predetermined server have their fixed addresses, that is, IP addresses, and operate, and routing is performed based on an address.
Various schemes have been proposed to provide a large amount of data to a terminal in a mobile communication system. One of the schemes is allocating an IP address to a mobile terminal. In other words, the concept of a mobile IP has been introduced.
A router supports IP networking, whereby end terminals can communicate in a global network. However, an IP address in the IP networking is only used as unique identification of a terminal in the global network. Therefore, the IP address merely supports packet transmission, but has difficulty in supporting a multimedia and interactive communication service. Furthermore, service is not recognized using only an IP address in an environment where various application services are made, and thus it is not allowed to provide a supplementary service in the network. Also, a router integrates a control plane and a data plane into a single device and each router has different control plane information from the others and operates independently. Therefore, the structure of a router makes it difficult to introduce a new networking protocol. Also, the router uses a full distribution-based routing algorithm and protocol, and thus a network operator cannot directly define a routing policy, which is a drawback. Moreover, a user and an Internet service provider cannot manage the routing policy, and cannot determine static/dynamic information of a network.

Method and apparatus for generating packet in mobile communication system

University-Industry Cooperation Group of Kyung Hee University


A dispenser for liquids, e.g., ophthalmic liquids, is provided with a restricted up and down movable top that locks in both open and closed positions and that lifts to uncover an aperture and to expose a recessed dispensing tip which is always maintained below the plane of the aperture and that lowers to cover the aperture and conceal the dispensing tip.

A significant problem with previous devices for dispensing ophthalmic solutions is contamination of the dropper nozzle by inadvertent contact with the eye and other surfaces. The problem is described by Hovding et al., Acta Opthalmologica, 60: 213-222 (1982). This contact also can clog the orifice of the tip, making it impossible to dispense further drops. Contamination of the nozzle can then result in microbial contamination of the solution remaining in the dropper bottle and the transfer of this contamination to either or both eyes.
One common route of this contamination comprises touching the dropper nozzle to the surface of the eye during administration of medication. The contact permits contamination of the fluid remaining in the nozzle, which liquid ultimately flows back into the dropper bottle, contaminating the entire contents, and sometimes eventually plugging the dispenser tip.
Some devices have been reported which serve to prevent contact of a dropper nozzle but which were designed primarily to aid in aiming the dropper nozzle properly. See for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,834,728; 3,945,381; 4,111,200 and 4,733,802. These devices generally comprise a large cup-shaped or cone-shaped member, the rim of which rests on the patient's face over the eye socket and have a tip composed of a nozzle protruding through the cup-shaped member oriented so that drops from the nozzle will enter the eye.
These reported devices are fairly large, cumbersome and not easily carried in a handbag or pocket. The diameter of the cup-shaped member is large enough to permit easy contact of the dropper tip with fingers or other septic objects resulting in contamination of the device and its contents. Furthermore, covering of the eye with the large cup-shaped member may actually increase the blink reflex, thus raising the likelihood that the drop will miss the intended target.


A large surface area work piece, such as a piece of sheet metal to be three-dimensionally deformed is held by a suction cup member which in turn is pivotally supported by a bearing disk and by a support that holds the bearing disk as a pivot socket. Two cooperating slide bearing surfaces are formed between the support and the bearing disk and two further cooperating slide bearing surfaces are formed between the bearing disk and the suction cup member. As a result, the angular adjustment movement of the suction cup member is substantially increased with the aid of the bearing disk. In operation, the applied suction or reduced pressure holds the components and the work piece in place. Venting or a slight excess pressure is applied to release the work piece. A flexible loop holds the three components together when suction is not applied.

The shaping of curved sheet metal components, especially spherically or three-dimensionally curved sheet metal components, such as planking elements for aircraft, requires that the support points for the sheet metal pieces are exactly positioned during the molding or shaping. By "exactly positioned" in this context is meant that the support points must be located along a three-dimensional configuration that conforms exactly to the intended configuration of the work pieces in order to avoid local deformations that do not conform to the intended configuration of the work piece in a three-dimensional coordinate system.
German Patent Publication (DE) 3,126,720 C2 discloses clamping elements which hold a work piece by applying reduced pressure or suction to the clamping element. Such conventional clamping elements comprise a support that is vertically adjustable. The support holds a suction cup element in a hemispherical shell or cavity of the support in a pivotable manner. Thus, a suction cup plane can be adjusted to different angles relative to a horizontal plane. The support is equipped with connection nipples for the supply, either of pressurized air, or to a suction generator for producing reduced pressure in the suction cup.
The conventional holding or clamping device is limited in the angular adjustability of the position of the suction cups so that it is difficult to hold work pieces of a complicated, three-dimensionally curved configuration.

Apparatus for holding a large surface area thin work piece when shaping the work piece


A robot includes n arms, n drive units that respectively drive the n arms, n position detecting units that respectively detect positions of the n arms, and L signal lines through which signals detected by the n position detecting units flow. When the number of control units that control the driving of the drive units based on the signals detected by the position detecting units is m, the robot satisfies the relations of 2≤L<n and 2≤m<n.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a robot, a control device, and a robot system.
2. Related Art
In the related art, a robot including a robot arm is known. The robot arm includes a plurality of arms (arm members) coupled with one another through joint portions, in which, for example, a hand is attached as an end effector to the arm on the distal-most end side (the downstream-most side). The joint portions are driven by motors, and the arm rotates by the driving of the joint portion. Then, the robot grips, for example, an object with the hand, moves the object to a predetermined place, and performs predetermined work such as assembly.
Moreover, each of the motors is provided with an encoder that detects the rotation angle of the motor. A dedicated signal line is connected to each of the encoders, and the signal lines are connected to a control device that controls the robot.
JP-A-2004-70422 discloses, in a control device that controls a robot, to use multidrop connected encoders connected with one signal line common to the encoders. In the control device disclosed in JP-A-2004-70422, the number of motors and the number of control units (servos) that control the driving of the motors are set to be the same.
In the related-art robot, however, since the number of encoders and the number of signal lines are the same and the number of signal lines is large, the robot arm becomes thick. Due to this, work in a narrow space is difficult.
Moreover, in the control device disclosed in JP-A-2004-70422, since one signal line common to the encoders is connected thereto, the time required to transmit all of signals detected by the encoders is lengthened, thereby causing wasted waiting time in the control units. Due to this, the control of the robot is delayed.
Moreover, in the control device disclosed in JP-A-2004-70422, since the number of motors and the number of control units are the same and the number of control units is large, a circuit board of the control device is large, thereby increasing the size of the control device.


A system and method are described for transferring excess air from the compressor of a combustion-gas turbine having a paired compressor and expander, to at least one separate combustor where it is mixed with fuel and burned to power at least one non-paired expander. In a preferred embodiment, the non-paired expander is an "off the shelf" unit which can be readily purchased and installed.

The present invention relates to the field of combustion-gas turbines.
Combustion gas turbines are well-known devices for powering electrical generators and other equipment. Combustion gas turbines typically have at least one compressor, one expander and at least one combustor. In the compressor, air is pressurized to mix with a fuel for burning. The air/fuel mixture is then burned in the combustor, and the hot flue gas from the combustor is used to drive the expander.
A range of fuels have been used in combustion gas turbines, including high and low caloric value fuels. High caloric value fuels are defined for purposes of this disclosure as fuels having a heating value of around 20,000-23,000 BTUs per pound. High caloric value fuels include natural gas, which has a caloric value of approximately 23,000 BTUs per pound. Low caloric value fuels are defined for purposes of this disclosure as fuels having a heating value of about 4,000 BTUs per pound or less. Low caloric value fuels include coke oven gas, coal gas, reformed petroleum product gas and blast furnace gas, the latter typically having a caloric value of approximately 1,150 BTUs per pound.
When burned without excess air, high caloric value fuels can burn at about 4,000.degree. F. Temperatures of that order of magnitude, however, are too high for the materials used in today's expanders and would damage the expander. To overcome this problem, combustion gas turbines designed for use with high caloric value fuels typically employ excess compressed air to cool and avoid damage and/or destruction to the expander. In contrast, low caloric value fuels burn at only about 2,000.degree. F. This falls within the temperature constraints of materials used in modern expanders, and excess compressed air is not required.
Under certain circumstances, it may be desirable to use a low caloric value fuel in a combustion gas turbine designed for high caloric value fuels. For example, price or availability differences among different fuels, or stricter atmospheric pollution standards may favor use of a low caloric value fuel. One of the problems caused by using low caloric value fuel in a combustion turbine designed to burn high caloric value fuels is that the design of the combustor requires far more compressed air than is needed to burn a low caloric value fuel. Since using excess air to burn low caloric value fuel would likely extinguish the flame, the excess compressed air must be disposed of to achieve proper functioning.
Several solutions to this problem have been devised. The simplest solution is to bleed the excess compressed air into the atmosphere. This solution is undesirable because the excess air contains considerable energy which would be wasted. Typical excess air may have a pressure of about 200 psig and a temperature of about 660.degree. F. Venting of such high energy air into the atmosphere is extremely inefficient.
Other solutions presently being practiced use the excess air for miscellaneous mechanical purposes besides operation of the turbine. For example, some of the compressed air energy can be recovered in an air expander, which in turn provides power for a generator or other machinery. Alternatively, the residual compressed air can be used in various process applications. Steel plants are in operation which might use the residual compressed air as the "wind" in a blast furnace. Excess compressed air may also be used as feed to an oxygen plant in a gasification unit. However, some loss in efficiency will always be present because the amount, pressure and temperature of the excess air produced is unlikely to match exactly the process requirements for the excess air.
Another solution which has been proposed is to specifically design a compressor for use with a low caloric value fuel in combination with a standard, high caloric expander. This solution involves high design costs and lengthy delays, and results in a machine that would require major modification to burn alternate fuels.
Still another solution is to mix low caloric value fuels with one or more fuels having a higher caloric value. The mixed fuels may have a sufficient caloric value to operate an unmodified turbine without stalling. However, this solution is inherently inefficient because the turbine is not optimized to the air/fuel mixture being used.

Process and economic use of excess compressed air when firing low BTU gas in a combustion gas turbine


A tube shaft for a vacuum cleaner the shaft (10) having an upper tube part (15) and a lower tube part turnably connected to one another and each including at least two tube sections (15c,15e,16b,16c). The tube sections of each tube part are inclined with respect to one another. The lower tube part (16) includes an end section (16b) supporting a nozzle (14), the nozzle having a nozzle part (14a) and a connecting part (14b). The connecting part is connected to the end section of the lower tube part whereas an upper end (15f) of the upper tube part (15) is connected to a hose, a tube handle (11) or the like. The lower tube part (16) is arranged to be turned about 180.degree. with respect to the upper tube part (15) as well as to the nozzle part (14a) from a first turning position, wherein said end section (16b) is inclined a first angle (.alpha.) with respect to the floor, to a second turning position, wherein the end section (16b) is inclined a second, relatively smaller angle (.beta.) with respect to the floor.

The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner tube shaft having an upper tube part and a lower tube part that are turnably connected to one another, wherein each tube part has two tube sections that are inclined with respect to one another, the lower tube part has an end section supporting a nozzle that includes a nozzle part and a connecting part, the connecting part being connected to the end section while the upper end of the upper tube part is connected to a hose, a tube handle or the like.
Tube shafts of different types are previously known. The simplest tube shafts have one or more hollow, straight sections to which a tube handle with a hose and a nozzle is connected. The hose is further connected to a vacuum source arranged in a vacuum cleaner housing or to a suction port for a so-called central vacuum system.
A problem when using such tube shafts is that it is difficult to reach sufficiently far beneath low furniture and other details. Thus, the operator is forced to bend in order to decrease the angle between the tube shaft and the floor surface. This is, of course, uncomfortable and cumbersome.
In order to reduce this problem it has previously been suggested, see WO 89/07412, to use a flexible hose between two sections of the tube shaft, with a lower section of the tube shaft being adjustable to a position parallel to the floor surface. However, this arrangement is very primitive and it is difficult to operate the tube shaft in its normal position because of the flexibility of the hose.
A similar arrangement, but with additional elements to stabilize the two sections with respect to one another is also previously known, see SE 9600650. This arrangement is, however, very complicated because the existence of several ball joints, telescopically arranged components, and additional tube sections.
It is also previously known, see JP 725653, to manufacture the complete tube shaft, or a portion thereof, is made from flexible material, which means that the tube shaft is bent under the influence of the contact forces with the furniture. Even if such a design is appealing in the abstract, it is difficult to find material compositions that simultaneously provide the necessary flexibility and stability during normal use.
Moreover, U.S. Pat. No. 1,012,195 and U.S. Pat. No. 1,104,148 describe other types of arrangements for facilitating cleaning operations below furniture. U.S. Pat. No. 1,012,195 describes a tube shaft comprising two parts, a lower straight part and an upper handle part having a short air inlet section which is inclined with respect to an elongated air outlet section. When cleaning below furniture the upper part is turned 180.degree.. This, however, means that the handle part has to be moved to a position near the floor which is as uncomfortable as when using ordinary tube shafts. U.S. Pat. No. 1,104,148 describes an arrangement having a bent tube shaft that can be turned 90.degree. at each side of a central upraised position. However, when turning the tube shaft to one of its side positions the operator is forced to move the handle part towards the floor in order to reach under furniture. Consequently this arrangement has the same disadvantages as the arrangement described in U.S. Pat. No. 1,012,195.


A modular shelf assembly includes planar panels for defining the sides of the assembly, and elongated vertical rows of slots in the panels for receiving the hooked ends of shelf supporting rods, and planar crossbars and diagonal braces with hooked ends for releasably latching the panels together in parallel, spaced apart relationship to each other.

Metal shelves are commonly used for storing goods in various locations such as wholesale and retails stores, warehouses and factories. Modular metal shelf systems are by no means new. A variety of such shelves are commercially available. The modular shelves consist of prefabricated components which are shipped from factories and assembled on site. The shelves typically include a variety of elements such as posts and crossbars, which are fastened together on site. One such shelving system is described in Canadian Patent No. 1,171,389, which issued to Wallace T. Husband on Jul. 24, 1984. The Husband system includes a plurality of elements produced by bending and stamping pieces of metal.
An object of the present invention is to provide a simple modular shelving assembly, which consists of relatively few planar elements, all of which are produced as single, planar pieces without bending.


A shelf for protecting the inner surface of a vertical shell of a pulverizer against wear. It is partially replaceable. The shell accommodates a screw shaft and is filled with a pulverizing medium and a material to be pulverized. At least one of them is magnetizable. The shelf is made up of vertical and circumferential ribs and mounted in the shell. It is divided both vertically and circumferentially into a plurality of blocks that are coupled together by bolts and nuts. Magnets are provided in the spaces defined by the ribs. By turning the screw shaft, the pulverizing medium is pushed radially outward and partially trapped in the above spaces, thus forming a wear protective lining. When any of the ribs is worn, only the block that includes this rib is replaced with a new one.

This invention relates to a protective means for preventing wear of the inner surface of a shell of a vertical pulverizer for pulverizing a material into powder or particles by stirring it with a pulverizing medium.
FIG. 1 shows a vertical pulverizer of this type. It has a vertical shell 1 which accommodates a vertical screw shaft 2 and is filled with pulverizing medium b such as steel balls. A material a is put into the shell 1 with the screw shaft 2 in rotation. The material a flows up and down together with the pulverizing medium b in the shell, so that it is pulverized into minute particles c by friction between individual pieces of the material and between the material and the medium. The particles c thus obtained are carried out of the shell 1 by a carrier fluid d such as air or water.
Due to the movement of the material and the pulverizing medium in the shell 1, its inner surface is subjected to a large frictional force. Thus, it is necessary to provide the inner surface of the shell with some kind of wear protective means. Such wear protective means are disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication 5-329393 and Examined Japanese Patent Publication 44-29838. A wear protective means of the type disclosed in these publications is shown in FIG. 6. It comprises vertical ribs or rods 21 and circumferential ribs or shelf boards 22. Pulverizing medium trapped in the spaces defined by the ribs 22 and 21 covers and protects the inner surface of the shell 1 like a lining.
This wear protective means is constructed first by providing rods 21 to cover the entire length of a portion of the inner surface of the shell 1 that needs protection against wear. Then, shelf boards 22 and cylindrical sheaths 23 are fitted on the rods 21 from bottom to top. The rods 21, shelf boards 22 and sheaths 23 are made of a wear-resistant alloy, a wear-resistant rubber or a ceramic material.
Though the pulverizing medium b trapped in the protective structure serves as a wear protective lining, the shelf boards 22 and the sheaths 23 inevitably get worn gradually as the pulverizer is operated for a long time. When they are worn to a certain degree, they have to be replaced with new ones. For this purpose, all the shelf boards 22 and the sheaths 23 have to be removed from the rods from top to bottom, and then new shelf boards and sheaths have to be fitted on the rods from bottom to top. This work is extremely troublesome.
Thus, worn shelf boards 22 and sheaths 23 are often left unreplaced. But worn shelf boards 22 can come off easily, making it increasingly difficult to trap the pulverizing medium b to form a wear protective lining. Without the wear protective lining, the inner surface of the shell 1 will be worn so quickly that the shell 1 may be prematurely damaged to such an extent that it needs massive repairs.


A small volume prover apparatus and method for precisely measuring the displaced volume of a fluid. A precision bore cylinder and a piston can be configured with a valve arrangement in order to permit fluid to pass through an annular passage when the piston travels from one position to an opposite position. A magnetized forcer connected to the piston and a magnetic drive chamber configured to produce linear motion of said magnetized forcer are operably connected to the piston in order to move the piston from one position to the other.

Meter provers and flow proving components use a known traceable volume under actual operating conditions to calibrate and/or verify the performance of flow meters. A SVP (Small Volume Prover) or piston prover can be employed to accurately (e.g., 0.02% tolerance) measure displaced volume in a fluid flow process and calibrate the flow measurement device employed in a custody transfer (e.g., pipe lines, etc.) or legal metrology applications. Small volume provers generally include a precisely honed cylinder with sensors positioned at key locations for detecting the beginning and ending of a piston stroke. The volume of the stroke can then be employed to determine or verify the volume measured by the flowmeter under test.
Conventional small volume provers for calibrating a liquid flow sensor with respect to the measurement of a fixed volume typically employ a drive-end used to pull the piston back to the start position. A typical drive train can include an electric motor with a chain or belt, or can be hydraulically or pneumatically driven. This requires multiple parts to function. The inherent upstream and downstream shaft requires high pressure seals for good functionality in such designs. Additionally, these shafts increase the total size of the small volume prover (SVP). This is a serious problem in many applications because there are often rigid size constraints for proper application of the small volume prover. Furthermore, prior art methods require a number of parts that make stocking and maintenance untenable. The multitude of parts required in such prior art designs also negatively influences the reliability of the system.
Based on the foregoing, a need exists for an improved small volume prover apparatus and method for measuring flow rate. A need also exists, for an improved drive end mechanism for small volume provers to minimize the number of parts, reduce the device footprint, and minimize the number of seals as will be described in greater detail herein.

Coaxial linear drive-end for small volume prover


The present invention provides a cationic polycondensate dye fixing agent prepared by reacting (a) a mono- or polyfunctional amine having at least one reactive --NH or --NH.sub.2 group, or a salt thereof, with (b) a polycondensate-forming cyano compound at a temperature of at least about 260.degree. C.. The present invention also provides a process of improving the fastness of dyed materials using the cationic polycondensate dye fixing agent of the present invention.

Cellulosic fibers can be easily and distinctly dyed with anionic dyes by direct dyeing processes. However generally speaking, textile materials dyed with anionic dyes by direct dyeing demonstrate very poor laundry fastness and wet fastness, and are therefore generally unsuitable for high grade fabrics. In order to improve the fastness (i.e., both laundry and wet fastness) of dyed materials, an aftertreatment chemical called a "dye fixing agent" is typically applied to the dyed material.
Dye fixing agents are of considerable interest in the art of textile coloring, and numerous dye fixing agents have been used and/or proposed in the past. One class of well known dye fixing agents employs formaldehyde as a starting material. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,490,859 to Soiron et al. discloses dye fixing agents based the condensation product of dicyandiamide and formaldehyde. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,995,996 to Pantke, et al., discloses dye fixing agents which include polycondensation products containing sulfonic acid groups of phenols and formaldehyde. However, the use of formaldehyde can be objectionable in the workplace and/or can require the installation of various apparatus in the workplace in order to eliminate or minimize undesirable effects believed to be associated therewith.
Cationic polycondensate dye fixing agents based on the reaction products of poly-quaternary ammonium salts, polyalkylene polyamines and dicyandiamide have also been used extensively as dye fixing agents. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,649,354 to Hemmi, et al. discloses dye fixing agents obtained by the condensation of an amine with a dicyandiamide. The reaction is carried out at a temperature on the order of between about 100.degree. C. and 210.degree. C. for several hours.
The dye fixative activity of cationic polycondensates is improved substantially by the incorporation of metal salts. Thus, Japanese Patent Publication Sho-45-2352 discloses improved dye fixing agents prepared by reacting a polyalkylene polyamine with a cyanamide or a cyanamide derivative, and a copper salt at a temperature above 100.degree. C. and a pH above 8. Japanese Laid Open Patent Publication Sho-48-39781 discloses further improved dye fixing agents prepared by reacting a polyalkylene polyamine with dicyandiamide and a Group II metal salt, e.g., ZnCl.sub.2, at a temperature of above about 150.degree. C. The metal salt is used in an amount of about 0.5 to 20 wt. percent, based on the two components. These dye fixing agents, in particular, have achieved substantial commercial success.
More recently, U.S. Pat. No. 4,764,585 to Heller, et al. proposes dye fixing agents prepared by reacting an amine and a cyanamide in the presence of a catalyst which can be a Group II metal or metal salt, or a heterocyclic nitrogen-containing organic base, at a temperature of between 60.degree. C. and 200.degree. C. When a metal or metal salt catalyst is used, it is used in an amount of 0.2 to 0.48 wt. percent, based on the polyamine and dicyandiamide.
Numerous modified cationic polycondensate dye fixatives, and modified processes for their preparation or purification have also been proposed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,873,266 to Hofer, et al. discloses anionic dye fixing agents comprising polyalkylene polyamine-cyanamide condensation products prepared by reacting a polyalkylene polyamine and cyanamide at a temperature of between about 107.degree. C. and about 157.degree. C. U.S. Pat. No. 4,410,652 to Robinson, et al. discloses dye fixing agents including the reaction products of an amine with a cyanamide, dicyandiamide, guanidine or bisguanidine which is further reacted with an N-methylol resin precursor and heat cured in the presence of an ammonia salt catalyst. U.S. Pat. No. 4,439,203 to Runyon, et al. proposes dye fixing agents including the reaction products of a mono- or polyfunctional primary or secondary amine with cyanamide, dicyandiamide, guanidine or bisguanidine and either an epihalohydrin, formaldehyde or a dihydroxyalkyleneurea. Optionally, the product may be reacted with an N-methylol derivative of urea, melamine, guanamine, triazinone, urone, carbamate or acid amide. U.S. Pat. No. 4,439,208 to Moser, et al. discloses dye fixatives formed from (1) the reaction product of an amine with a cyanamide or dicyandiamide; (2) a quaternary polyalkylene polyamine; (3) formaldehyde, and optionally, (4) an N-methylol compound, which are reacted in the presence of a metal salt catalyst, at a temperature of between about 140.degree. C. to about 160.degree. C.
Recent years have seen dramatically increased efforts directed to preservation of the environment on a worldwide basis. Concurrently, substantial effort has been directed to minimizing use of various volatile chemicals, such as formaldehyde, in the workplace. As a result of these and other efforts, dye fixing agents containing and/or made from materials such as formaldehyde, metals and salts thereof, and other objectionable reagents, have become increasingly expensive to manufacture and use. However, the elimination of such materials substantially reduces effectiveness of the dye fixing agents, while the substitution of other highly reactive reagents for such materials, as has been proposed in the art, can also increase the costs associated with the raw materials and the manufacturing process. Moreover, many of the highly reactive reagents, as have been proposed for use in preparing modified cationic polycondensate dye fixatives, are also objectionable.

Cationic polycondensate dye fixing agent and process of preparing the same


The present invention allows a single display controller design to be used in multiple markets by providing an additional stand-alone circuit which converts conventional analog CRT display signals to digital flat panel display or other digital display signals. A single VGA CRT controller may be implemented in both desktop and portable (e.g., laptop) markets thereby reducing the cost of the display controller through the economies of scale. For a laptop or other digital display markets, the apparatus of the present invention may be applied to a conventional analog CRT controller to convert analog CRT signals to digital laptop signals to generate a display on a flat panel display or other digital device. In addition, the apparatus of the present invention may be incorporated into a stand-alone flat panel display intended for use as a replacement for conventional CRT monitors. The apparatus of the present invention accepts a conventional analog CRT input and outputs digital flat panel display signals. When packaged with a flat panel display intended for the desktop PC market, the present invention provides an overall apparatus which is plug-in compatible with prior art analog VGA controllers. The apparatus of the present invention may also incorporate flat panel protection circuitry to prevent damage to a flat panel display during testing or the like. In addition, the present invention further encompasses an apparatus for providing flat panel protection in a stand-alone circuit.

Prior art computer systems are generally provided with one of two types of displays; Cathode-Ray Tube (CRT) or Flat Panel Display (FPD). CRT displays generally require an analog input comprising analog signals indicating the intensity of Red, Blue, and Green (RGB) components as well as horizontal and vertical synchronization signals.
FPDs generally operate using one of two technologies. So-called passive matrix (e.g., Dual-Scan Super-Twist Neumatic, or DSTN) displays comprise a grid of horizontally and vertically oriented conductors on opposite sides of a liquid crystal matrix. When current is applied to corresponding conductors, a corresponding liquid crystal portion is activated, generating a display pixel.
So-called active-matrix displays comprise a plurality of transistors formed in a grid, one for each color of a given pixel int he display. When each transistor is activated, a liquid crystal portion corresponding to a color of a pixel is activated. In both active- and passive-matrix FPDs, generally digital signals are used to activate each pixel within the display. Variations in shading and color are generally achieved through the use of timing or dithering techniques and the like.
In the prior art, separate video controller devices may be used to generate signals for FPDs or CRTs. Video controllers dedicated to CRT use are generally applied to the desktop personal computer (PC) market which generally uses the higher resolution and less expensive CRT as a display device. Dedicated FPD display controllers are generally designed for the portable or laptop computer market for generating digital signals for compact, energy-saving flat panel displays.
For many portable or lap-top computers, an analog output is desirable for connecting a portable or laptop computer to an analog CRT display, in docking use or for display presentations or the like. An FPD display controller may be suitably modified by adding an digital to analog converter (DAC) to provide an analog output for a CRT display device.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a prior art VGA controller for use with a laptop computer or other portable computer display device. VGA controller 100 may be coupled to a host processor (not shown) through system bus 190. For the purposes of this application, the term "VGA" (video graphics array or adapter) shall be construed to include VGA, SVGA, and other expanded or modified VGA controllers or other devices. It should also be appreciated that the present invention is not limited to the use of VGA controllers, but may be applied to other types of systems (e.g., MacIntosh.RTM. PCs, television displays, and the like).
System bus 190 may comprise any one of a number of known system buses, such as the Industry Standards Association (ISA) bus, Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI), or Advanced Graphics Port (AGP), or the like. VGA core circuitry 120 receives display data from host processor (not shown) and stores such display data in display 170. VGA core circuitry 120 comprises conventional VGA core circuitry as is known in the art. VGA core circuitry may further comprise additional circuitry such as 2-D and 3-D graphics engines, MotionVideo.TM. processing circuitry, and the like.
Flat panel display controller 140 retrieves display data from display memory 170 and generates digital signals to flat panel display 160. Such digital signals include digital data for each pixel within flat panel display 160 indicating whether that pixel is to be turned on or off at a given point in time. Digital signals from flat panel display controller 140 to flat panel display 160 also include flat panel clocking and control signals.
If provided with an analog output, video controller 100 may also be equipped with RAMDAC 130. RAMDAC 130 comprises a color look-up table or CLUT (the RAM portion of RAMDAC 130) for color converting data from display memory 170. Flat panel display controller 140 may be equipped with a similar look-up table or may operate form the same look-up table within RAMDAC 130. RAMDAC 130 also includes a Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC) for generating analog output signals from data the CLUT within RAMDAC 130 or directly from data within display memory 170.
Analog output signals R, G, and B indicate the intensity of respective red, green, and blue sub-pixels for each pixel on CRT display 150 and are timed correspondingly for each pixel in a horizontal scan line. Timing information is also sent from VGA core logic 120 to CRT 150 in the form of horizontal sync information HSYNC, vertical sync information VSYNC, and pixel or dot clock information D_CLK. CRT 150 utilizes analog signals R, G, and B, as well as timing signals HSYNC, VSYNC, and D_CLK to generate a display image using prior art electron gun technology.
The block diagram of FIG. 1 also illustrates the basic components of a prior art VGA controller for desktop use. However, a desktop VGA controller may not generally be provided with flat panel display controller 140, and digital output for flat panel display 160.
Thus, FPD controller 100 of FIG. 1 remains specific to the FPD market. In order to reduce costs for desktop units, such digital FPD controller circuitry may generally not be provided in a CRT-only controller. With the rising cost of computers, and computers becoming more commodity-like items, it becomes imperative that a display controller manufacturer realize economies of scale by providing a single design for as many markets as possible.
In addition, the analog CRT may, in coming years, become obsolete. There are already on the market flat panel displays for desktop use, intended to replace the conventional CRT display. However, such flat panel displays generally require the use of a specialized flat panel display controller card. Thus, a user wishing to upgrade a desktop PC to flat panel display technology may need to discard not only the CRT, but also the flat panel display controller as well.
In addition, new forms of digital CRTs may soon reach the market. For example, the long-awaited HDTV standard is being adopted, and a new generation of digital televisions will reach the market. Such digital televisions may be suitable for use with computer systems for generating displays. However, such digital televisions may require dedicated display interfaces in order to generate a display from a computer system.
In co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 08/704,842, filed Aug. 28, 1996, entitled "METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING LCD PANEL PROTECTION IN AN LCD DISPLAY CONTROLLER", incorporated herein by reference, a display controller for a flat panel display is described with a circuit for protecting a flat panel display from damage. A flat panel display may be provided with a high-voltage power V.sub.EE and flat panel logic power V.sub.DD. If V.sub.EE is applied to an FPD without V.sub.DD, the flat panel display may be damaged.
Under normal circumstances, such an application of voltages may not ordinarily occur. However, during testing phases, or during flat panel power-up and power-down, if a hardware or software error occurs, it is possible that such voltages could be improperly applied, and a flat panel display damaged. A control circuit which monitors flat panel display signals and properly shuts down power to a flat panel display may prevent such damage. It may be desirable to provide such a flat panel display protection circuit as a stand-alone device to incorporate into a flat panel display or as an add-on device for a flat panel display controller or the like.

CRT to FPD conversion/protection apparatus and method


A method includes receiving, via an electronic scale device supporting a user thereon, an indication to begin a verified weight sequence. Responsive to the indication to begin, the method includes: (1) determining a body weight of the user supported by the electronic scale device, (2) receiving, via an electronic device, image data that is reproducible as a visual image of at least a portion of the user supported on the housing of the scale, and (3) generating a data file including: (a) weight data that is representative of the determined body weight of the user supported by the housing, (b) the image data, and (c) time data corresponding to a date and time that the body weight of the user was determined.

Weight loss competitions require users to conduct one or more weigh-ins to track performance. Preventing cheating is paramount to conducting a fair and enjoyable competition. Prior competitions completely ignore and/or leave room for error in the verification of a contestant's identify and/or accurate weight during a weigh-in. Thus, a need exists for a method and system to verify the identities of weight loss competition contests and to verify their weigh-ins. The present disclosure is directed to solving these problems and addressing other needs.

Biomeasurement devices with user verification and methods of using the same


A CRT socket has reduced thickness but maintains favorable insulation without requiring a change in the construction of the neck of a CRT. The CRT socket arrays a plurality of signal and focusing contact sockets about a central hole. The ends of signal pins of a CRT and of the focusing contact sockets passing partly through an enlarged hole in a circuit board, whereby the height of the CRT socket is reduced.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a CRT (cathode ray tube) socket and, more particularly to a construction that is effective in reducing the thickness of a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) socket that connects a CRT to a color television set, a display monitor, or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
CRTs are widely used in color television sets and display monitors. While there is a demand for CRTs with wider screens and higher resolutions, there is also a demand for reduction in the depth of such devices.
FIG. 4 is a perspective drawing showing a conventional CRT socket 101. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the terminal pins of a CRT and the connecting portion of a CRT socket.
The CRT socket 101 has a cylindrical central hole 105 passing through it from its front face to its rear face. The CRT socket 101 includes a ring-shaped portion 102 that is concentric with and surrounding the cylindrical central hole 105. A cover portion 103 is fitted over a base portion 104 with the rear face of the cover portion 103 corresponding to the rear face of the base portion 104. A pair of focus contacts 107, into which the high-voltage focusing terminal pins of a CRT are inserted to connect the pins, are located at positions on the cover portion 103 that are concentric with the central cylindrical hole 105. Signal contact holes 106, into which the low-voltage signal terminal pins are inserted to connect the pins, are also provided at positions on the ring-shaped portion 102 that are concentric with the central cylindrical hole 105.
A CRT, or xe2x80x9cBraun tubexe2x80x9d as it is sometimes called, is a glass tube whose inside is a near vacuum. As shown by the dot-dot-dash line in FIG. 5, a CRT has a neck portion 100 containing an electron gun. A stem base 100c is provided so that a vacuum sealing portion 100d covers the end of the neck portion 100. Focusing terminal pins 100a and signal terminal pins 100b for the electron gun are also provided. The focusing terminal pins 100a are connected to focus contacts 172 of the CRT socket. The signal terminal pins 100b are connected to signal contacts 162.
The voltage applied to the signal terminal pins is relatively low, with a magnitude of 0 to 1000V. On the other hand, a high voltage in a range of 5 kV to 10 kV is applied to the focusing terminal pins. In order to electrically insulate the surrounding parts from the focusing terminal pins, the focusing terminal pins are surrounded by an insulating resin wall 142.
As a result, when attempting to reduce the thickness of the CRT socket, sufficient insulation is required for the focusing terminal pins. Making the focusing terminal pins shorter can easily result in problems affecting the quality of the electric connection of the focusing terminal pins and can make it necessary to reassess the manufacturing method of a CRT. This problem has complicated the task of making further reductions in the thickness of a CRT socket.
According to the above, it is an object of the invention to provide a CRT socket that is thinner while avoiding the drawbacks of the prior art.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a CRT socket construction that enables the thickness of the CRT socket to be reduced while maintaining favorable insulation, without requiring a change in the neck of a CRT.
According to an embodiment of the invention, there is provided a slimline CRT socket, comprising: a ring-shaped portion that has a cylindrical central hole passing therethrough from a front face to a rear face thereof, a plurality of concave signal contact housings in the rear face of the ring-shaped portion at positions that are concentric with the cylindrical central hole, signal contacts in a different one of the signal contact housing, and signal contact holes on the front face of the ring-shaped portion to allow signal terminal pins of a CRT to be inserted into the corresponding signal contact housings so as to connect the signal terminal pins to the signal contacts; a cover portion; the cover portion includes a focus contact housing formed as a concave in a rear face thereof, a focus contact in the focus contact housing, and a focus contact hole that allows a focusing terminal pin of the CRT to be inserted so that the focusing terminal pin is connected to the focus contact; and a base portion corresponding to the rear face of the cover portion, wherein a concave focusing terminal pin housing that houses the focusing terminal pin is disposed on the base portion, the focusing terminal pin housing concave passing through a surface of a board that is attached to the CRT socket and projecting outward from an opposite surface thereof.
The above, and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals designate the same elements.


An electronic device encapsulant comprises polydimethyldiphenylmethylphenylsiloxane in which the mole ratio of the sum of the methyl-phenyl and diphenyl groups to the dimethyl groups is in the range of ten to forty percent. The normal bi-functional hydride terminations are replaced with tri-functional or tetra-functional hydride terminations.

Silicone resins have been used for a number of purposes because of their thermal stability, dielectric properties, chemical stability, and resistance to atmospheric deterioration. For example, the papers, "Electrical Performance and Reaction Kinetics of Silicone Gels," by C. P. Wong, Journal of Materials Research, Vol. 5, No. 4, April 1990, pp. 795-800, and "Understanding the Use of Silicone Gels for Non-Hermetic Plastic Packaging," by C. P. Wong et al., IEEE Transactions on Components, Hybrids and Manufacturing Technology, Vol. 12, No. 4, December 1989, pp. 421-425, describe the use of silicone resins as encapsulates for electronic devices, particularly integrated circuits.
The patent of Wong, U.S. Pat. No. 4,888,226, granted Dec. 19, 1989, is directed to a silicone resin that is particularly suitable for wire bonded hybrid integrated circuits. A hybrid integrated circuit is one in which a semiconductor chip, usually a silicon chip, is connected to a bonding pad region of a circuit pattern on a ceramic substrate. The patent describes the need for an encapsulant that will protect delicate bonding wires interconnecting the chip with the bonding pad under varying conditions of temperature and humidity, and with high integrated circuit bias voltages. While polydimethylsiloxane is adequate for most purposes, such silicone resins tend to crystallize at extremely low temperatures, such as temperatures below about -35.degree. C.(-31.degree. F.). Such crystallization may break the delicate bonding wires and may crack the encapsulant to expose the electronic device to contaminants from the outside environment. There is therefore a continuing need for integrated circuit encapsulates that give a high degree of protection from outside contaminants, even under conditions of extreme cold.


A device for guiding away a cold-rolled tube from a cold pilger rolling mill that at least one of intermittently feeds and rotates the tube. The device including a constant-speed driver for drawing the tube from the rolling mill. The driver is arranged downstream of the rolling mill so that there is a buffer zone between the driver and the rolling mill. Additionally, an apparatus is arranged in the buffer zone for diverting the tube out of a roll direction by restrictively guiding the tube so that the tube describes a roughly S-shaped path in the buffer zone whereby cyclically non-uniform rolling speed of the rolling mill is compensated for.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a device for guiding away cold-rolled tubes behind a cold-pilger rolling mill with intermittent feeding and/or rotating of the tube. The tube is diverted out of the rolling direction in a buffer zone between the rolling zone and a driver operating at a constant speed in order to compensate for the cyclically non-uniform rolling speed.
2. Discussion Of the Prior Art
From the generic document DE 31 46 284 C2, a process and a device are known for guiding away cold-rolled tubes of long length behind a rolling mill with a rolling stand that moves back and forth and has within it forcibly driven grooved rollers with intermittent feeding and/or rotating of the tube in the area of one or both dead center(s), whereby the alternating rotations are equally large in each rotation direction. The known process calls for the cyclically non-uniform feeding/exit speed of the rolled tube, which is typical of cold pilger rolling mills with rolling stands that move back and forth, to be changed into a constant run-out speed in a buffer zone while the tube is conducted by a drive apparatus operating at a constant speed at a distance from the rolling zone. The drive apparatus is located at such a distance that the torsional stresses in the tube do not exceed the yield strength of the tube.
The known solution is based on a known problem in cold pilger rolling mills, namely, that in the case of longer tube lengths, the entire tube length must continually be accelerated and braked during the cyclical feed, whereby the acceleration forces necessary for this must be produced by the forming process. These accelerative and decelerative forces are usually transmitted by the clamping chucks (clamping slots, run-in clamping chucks, and run-out clamping chucks) and, as applicable, an additionally present tube brake. Even in tubes of lengths starting at approximately 90 meters, accelerations of over 10 g occur, which increase as the tubes become longer and finally may lead to the tube moving forward in uncontrolled fashion in the rolling direction during its deceleration phase, i.e., to the occurrence of an unwanted feed. The deceleration forces which must be produced in order to arrest the tube depend, among other factors, on the mass of the finished tube to be decelerated and on the number of strokes of the cold pilger rolling mill.
Another problem is that it is necessary, particularly during the rolling of copper tubes, to reduce the number of strokes of the cold pilger rolling mill when the tube being rolled at a particular moment has left the first of the arresting elements, namely the clamping slots. When the tube has, in addition, left the run-in clamping chucks, the number of strokes must be reduced again. The higher the number of strokes during normal operation, the greater the effect this reduction in the number of strokes will have on the total achievable production of the cold pilger rolling mill. This is especially true when the nominal number of strokes is to be increased through other measures.
It has already been suggested in the generic document mentioned previously that, in order to limit the masses to be accelerated and decelerated, the length of the tube which is located behind the buffer zone existing between the rolling zone and the driver be dynamically decoupled from the remaining tube mass, so that only the mass of tube still remaining in the buffer zone needs to be cyclically moved. The design of the known solution calls for the tube to be diverted from the rolling plane following a straight run-out segment approximately 30 meters in length and to be introduced into the drive apparatus in a curvature of approximately 15 meters radius at a diversion of approximately 70 degrees.
In practice, it has been shown that a large diversion of this sort from the rolling axis leads, in almost all cases, to significant space problems which rule out the use of the known device.

Device for the guiding away cold-rolled tubes behind a cold pilger rolling mill


A single pair of headlamps that each contain a single on-focus light source and produce different but complementary beam patterns are mounted on a motor vehicle to provide a composite beam of intense non-glare light that is used for city, rural and turnpike driving and thus remains "fixed" and constant for all driving conditions. The use of a single light source in each headlamp improves the optical efficiency of the lighting system and provides both long range and short range illumination of the roadway with a minimum amount of energy and drain on the electrical system of the vehicle. The headlamps are not interchangeable and must be mounted in proper relationship on the vehicle to provide the single-mode illumination. However, they can be of circular or rectangular shape and have reflector and lens components that are preferably hermetically sealed to one another to provide sealed-beam type lamps, or which can be separated and thus form housings that can be opened to permit the light sources to be removed and replaced. When the headlamps are of sealed-beam construction, a coiled wire filament or a compact halogen-cycle type incandescent lamp can be used as the light source. Standard compact incandescent lamps or halogen-cycle incandescent lamps are employed in headlamps that are not hermetically sealed. Reflector components of dual-segment construction can also be used to obtain beam patterns having the proper characteristics.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the roadway illuminating art and has particular reference to an improved headlamp system for a motor vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In an effort to provide maximum illumination of the roadway under various driving conditions without "blinding" the drivers of other vehicles, the automotive industry has traditionally employed a dual-mode headlamp system that provides "low beam" and "high beam" lighting patterns. The "low beam" mode of illumination is used for city driving and on highways where other cars are present, and the "high-beam" mode for driving in rural areas and on turnpikes where glare light is not a problem or does not constitute a safety hazard. Such headlamp systems conventionally employ either two or four headlamps that are selectively energized by suitable switch means in the vehicle to provide the desired high-beam or low-beam modes of illumination. Headlamp systems of both types are well known to those in the art and are presently in use on motor vehicles manufactured in this country and abroad.
A dual-headlamp automotive lighting system having switch means and lamps with light-gate-lens assemblies which permit the lamps to be operated in two or three different lighting modes is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,617,795 (Peek). Road-lighting systems for vehicles which include four headlamps that are selectively energized to provide low-beam, high-beam and turnpike-beam modes of illumination are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,373,311 (Neulinger et al.) and 3,818,210 (Pitkjaan). A tri-beam roadway-lighting system for motor vehicles which employs four headlamps that provide low-beam, mid-beam and high-beam lighting modes is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,894,227 (Pitkjaan et al).
Dual-headlamp systems for vehicles having headlamps with various combinations of lens components, baffles and light sources which reduce glare by shifting light rays from one quadrant to another to form overlapping beams, that concentrate the light rays in conical-shaped beams, or which control the light rays with an elongated housing that is fitted with a grooved lens are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,338,675 granted to Churchill; 3,102,692 granted to Einerman and 3,219,809 granted to Bulic.


A storage box for mass information carriers such as CDs, computer disks, cassette tapes. The storage box includes a box part, at least one drawer part, a spring, and a lock. The box part has a drawer opening for slidably receiving the drawer part, which is arranged for receiving the mass information carrier. The spring is associated with the drawer part and is arranged for pressing the drawer part into an at least partially opened position. The lock associated with the drawer part is arranged for holding the drawer part in a closed position against the action of the spring. The box part, the drawer part, the spring and the lock are all manufactured in an injection molding process. A set-up device for a storage having a drawer part for receiving mass information carriers box is also provided. The set-up device has a base configured to clamp a number of storage boxes adjacent the lateral side thereof located opposite the drawer opening. The base is configured so that the clamped storage box is pivotable relative to the base.

The invention relates to a storage box for CDs, computer disks, cassette tapes and like mass information carriers, comprising a box part, at least one drawer part, and spring means and locking means associated with the or each drawer part, the or each drawer part being arranged for receiving the mass information carrier and being slidably receivable, via a drawer opening, in the box part, the spring means associated with the or each drawer part being arranged for pressing the relevant drawer part into an at least partially opened position, the locking means associated with the or each drawer part being arranged for holding the relevant drawer part in a closed position against the action of the spring means; the box part, the drawer part, the spring means and the locking means all being manufactured in an injection molding process, at least partly from synthetic material, the box part being manufactured from at least one molded part, the drawer part being manufactured from one molded part, the spring means and the locking means forming an integral part of one or more of the molded parts mentioned and hence being formed integrally with these molded parts during the injection molding process, the locking means forming an integral part of both the molded part comprising the drawer part and the at least one molded part comprising the box part.
Such storage box is known from international patent application WO 87/05884. On page 11, lines 27-32 of this publication, it is described that the spring 86 can be an integral part of the drawer part or the box part. Hence, from this publication, a skilled person may learn that the number of parts of which the storage box is manufactured, can be limited by designing the spring as an element formed integrally with the molded parts. The drawings of this publication directly make it clear that this also holds for the locking means.
A drawback of the known publication, however, is formed by the construction of the locking means. The drawer part of the known storage box can only be opened with one hand when a single storage box is taken in the hand. When a box located in a stack is to be opened, the left-hand side of the stack should be freely accessible for operating the locking means. In practice, however, usually more stacks of storage boxes are disposed side by side. Under those circumstances, the known storage box can only be opened when the storage box is removed from the stack. This is particularly inconvenient.
European patent application EP-A-0 568 729 discloses another storage box. The drawback of the construction known from that publication is that it consists of a large number of parts, to be manufactured separately. After the manufacture of these separate parts, the different parts of the storage box have to be assembled, which operation can be performed only manually. The manufacture of the large number of separate parts and the assembling operations have as a consequence that the cost price of the known box is too high, on which account it has not found widespread application in the market. Another drawback of the known box is that the unlocking means are operated by a separated unlocking button which occupies a considerable amount of space next to the drawer part. Not only does this disturb the outward appearance of the storage box, but the storage box is moreover considerably larger than the dimensions of the mass information carrier to be stored would require.

Storage box and set-up device for mass information carriers


Cutting apparatus with three blades, for trimming three sides of an inner book or the like, having a drive system which permits the simultaneous trimming of two opposed sides of the work closely followed by the trimming of the third side. Operation of the third cutting blade while the other two are still in motion is permitted by driving the simultaneously operated blades along a multi-directional orbital path.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the cutting of sheet material and particularly to the trimming of stacked paper sheets such as, for example, in the manufacture of books. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a three-cutter guillotine for trimming sheet material by cutting along three sides of such material. Accordingly, the general objects of the present invention are to provide novel and improved methods and apparatus of such character.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
While not limited thereto in its utility, the present invention is particularly well suited for use in the manufacture of books. It is often necessary, in the course of the manufacture of a book, to trim the inner book to size by effecting cuts along three sides which are respectively known in the trade as the "head", "foot", "front" sides. Apparatus for performing this trimming is known as a guillotine. Guillotines employing three cutting blades or knives are known. In such prior art three-cutter guillotines, the work is automatically guided beneath the cutters, aligned and maintained on a cutting table by means of a press ram and the head and foot trimming occurs in a first work stroke. Subsequently, the front trimming is effected in a second work stroke. The work is thereafter automatically ejected from the guillotine and placed on a conveyor belt.
The prior art three-cutter guillotines, as briefly described above, perform trimming cuts which are spaced in time; i.e., the front trimming is not performed until the head and foot trimming has been completed and the cutter blades employed therein fully retracted. Accordingly, previously available three-cutter guillotines have been severely restricted in operating speed to the extent that such apparatus cannot be integrated into presentday high capacity production lines.
In an effort to overcome the above-discussed problem of slow operating speed of three-cutter guillotines, two-station flow cutters have been proposed wherein trimming is accomplished at two successive cutting stations. Specifically, the head and foot trimming are executed in a first station and the front side trimming will occur at a subsequent second station. Pressing, transfer from the first to the second station and feed and discharge all occur automatically. While an enhanced operational speed has been achieved with two-station flow cutters as compared to prior three-cutter guillotines, an increase in manufacturing capacity has not been realized for a number of reasons. Firstly, the height of the stack to be cut is limited due to the transport between cutting stations. Secondly, the precision with which the cuts are made has suffered as a result of the added handling of the work. It is also to be noted that two-station flow cutters are quite costly, due to their structural complexity, and are generally considered as requiring an excessive amount of floor space.

Rahdener Maschinenfabrik August Kolbus GmbH & Co. KG


Test carrier for analyzing a sample fluid with several test layers which form a sample fluid transport path and contain a reagent system which reacts with the sample fluid to produce a detectable signal. The test carrier includes a reservoir layer of absorbent material, a detection layer arranged in the fluid transport path downstream the reservoir layer, in which a detectable signal is formed, and a separating layer arranged between the reservoir layer and the detection layer. The separating layer makes a two-step process possible. Fluid contact between the reservoir layer and the detection layer arises only with pressure loading of the layer assembly of the reservoir layer, separating layer and detection layer. A more uniform optical detection signal, and consequently better accuracy, can be achieved because the separating layer is made up of a hydrophilic material, wich is in the form of a lattice-shaped structure, in which the mean width of the lattice openings is more than 0.05 mm, and the threads from which the lattice-shaped structure is formed are multi-filament.

The invention relates to a test carrier for analyzing a sample fluid having several test layers arranged on the test carrier so that they are wetted in succession by the sample fluid. The sample is placed onto one of the layers, which is referred to as the sample feeding layer. The test layers form a fluid transport path for the test carrier.
Test carriers are used for analyzing sample fluids, in particular body fluids of man or animals. They are distinguished from the previously known analytical methods using liquid reagents above all by their ease of handling. The analyses can therefore also be conducted without specialized staff and near the patient.
There is embedded in the test layers a reagent system usually consisting of several reagents, in which the reagents are dissolved by the fluid and the reaction of sample and reagents leads to a detectable signal, in particular a color change in a detection layer. The detection signal can be visually or, preferably, instrumentally evaluated. Reflection photometry is typically employed to evaluate a color change. The invention is directed in particular towards test carriers which generate an optically measurable detection signal.
One problem with the performance of complicated analyses by test carriers is that the separation in time of several reaction steps is not a simple matter. The sample fluid usually flows along the fluid transport path largely uncontrolled.
The invention is directed towards a test carrier having a two-step process cycle, made possible by means of a separating layer. Such a test carrier is described in DE-C-31 30 749. A hydrophobic net, which is arranged in the fluid transport path between the reservoir layer of absorbent material and the detection layer, is used as the separating layer. In the previously known test carrier the reservoir layer, the hydrophobic net and the detection layer simply lie above one another on a band-shaped base layer of rigid plastic foil. They are bonded at one edge to the base layer. The reservoir layer is larger than the layers superimposed on it, so that it is only partly covered by the latter. The sample fluid is placed onto the part of the reservoir layer not covered by the detection layer and spreads out in the former beneath the detection layer. The hydrophobic net ensures that the detection layer is not immediately wetted by the fluid. In this state an initial reaction step can take place, the reagents being able to be contained in the reservoir layer or in further test layers which are situated immediately in front of the reservoir layer in the fluid transport path.
The fluid barrier formed by the hydrophobic net is only overcome if a pressure perpendicular to the surface of the layers is exerted, either manually or mechanically by a corresponding component of the evaluating instrument onto the layer assembly consisting of the reservoir layer, the hydrophobic net and the detection layer. The sample fluid then wets the detection layer and, where applicable, other test layers arranged between the hydrophobic net and the detection layer, and the proper detection reaction is initiated.
The use of a hydrophobic net separating layer permits a clean separation of two reaction steps on a test carrier. It is a disadvantage, however, that the color formation in the detection layer is in many cases not sufficiently uniform. This problem can be overcome by providing a thick reservoir layer and a correspondingly large sample amount. Additionally or alternatively the structure of the detection layer can be designed to ensure good lateral spreading of the fluid or an additional spreading layer may be located between the hydrophobic net and the detection layer. These measures lead however to an increased absorption of fluid by the test carrier. This is contrary to the goal of providing test carriers with as little fluid absorption as possible, because the required amount of sample fluid and the amount of reagent required in the test carrier are thereby reduced. Moreover, the detection layer should be as thin as possible in order to ensure intensive color formation. As a rule, however, a thin detection layer has poor lateral spreading and is therefore sensitive to non-uniform color formation.

Test carrier with separation means for analyzing a sample fluid


A jewelry chain holder includes two tube-like structures joined together by a common partition wall in a side-by-side disposition, each tube defining a channel-like cavity and a longitudinal slit running the full tube length and preferably located on a portion of the tube somewhat opposite from the partition wall. The length of each tube approximates half the total chain length, and the cross-section of each cavity is sufficiently large to contain a cross-section of the chain within. Preferably the tube-like structures are transparent and made of a slightly resilient material that permits a user to force approximately half the chain length into each cavity through the longitudinal slit. The result is that substantially the entire chain is maintained in a stretched out disposition within the two cavities, the partition wall separating the two chain halves. So held, the chain is visible from 360.degree. and is protected by the exterior of the tube-like structures from dust, scratching and other damage. Because the chain halves are held slightly taut, the chain is not free to tangle and kink, despite the orientation of the holder. The disclosed holder is inexpensively constructed, is light weight, and may be used to display or maintain a jewelry chain during storage, transportation and the like.

Many devices are known in the art for holding and protecting a jewelry chain. U.S. Pat. No. 3,876,065 issued to Phelps discloses a rigid, transparent tube wherein jewelry is suspended from a cap piece. The tube is maintained in a vertical disposition by a base holder. U.S. Pat. No. 3,997,050 to Patterson discloses a vertical caddy with outwardly projecting hooks from which jewelry may be suspended.
Unfortunately unless they remain vertical, such devices do not adequately retain a jewelry chain. This limitation makes such devices somewhat marginal when used to transport jewelry, since a vertical disposition may not always be maintained. Further such devices do not adequately prevent the links in a jewelry chain from twisting or kinking together, resulting in a tangled chain. Finally, such devices are not generally inexpensively mass produced, and do not yield a light weight jewelry chain holder.

238 Lake Almanor West Dr. (P.O. Box 415)


An indicator assembly for determining a liquid level condition within a tank includes a dial assembly with a base and a lens or cover connected to the base. A channel is formed in the lens and a go-no-go protrusion projects into the channel. An actuator is located between the base and the cover and is movable in response to a change in liquid level in the tank. The indicator assembly also includes a sensor module for insertion into the channel. The sensor module has a housing with a sensor for determining movement of the actuator in response to a change in liquid level. A go-no-go cavity complementary in shape with the go-no-go protrusion is formed in the housing so that the sensor module can be fully inserted into the housing with the sensor aligned with the actuator for generating signals related to the liquid level condition.

This invention relates to monitoring liquid level in tanks, and more particularly to a system and method for manually determining and electronically indicating a liquid level condition within a tank.
The determination of liquid level, such as the level of liquefied petroleum (LP) gas, propane, butane, and so on, in transportable and stationary storage tanks is often inconvenient for vehicle operators, will-call status customers and others where a mechanical gauge head and sending unit are installed in the tank. Such customers must visually read the gauge head to determine the liquid level condition of the tank, then call a fuel supply company for tank refill. For some portable tanks, such as those used to power forklifts, generators, and other equipment, the operator is usually not in a position to constantly monitor the fuel level since the gauge head is out of the operator's view. Accordingly, the equipment can run out of fuel at a location remote from the replacement tank, causing equipment downtime and loss of revenue, power, and other conditions until the empty tank can be replaced.
For stationary tanks, located at a place of residence or business for example, a person must exit the building, approach the tank and move a protective cover located over the gauge head and other fittings in order to ascertain whether or not a fuel supply company should be contacted for refilling the tank. Consequently, many stationary tanks also run out of fuel at the most inconvenient times, such as during heating, cooking, bathing, and so on. However, such inconveniences can potentially lead to more serious consequences, such as frozen pipes during winter conditions and the attendant damage and repair costs, health degradation when exposed to low temperature conditions, and so on. The difficulty in ascertaining fuel level within the tank is exacerbated when access to the gauge head is not possible for numerous reasons, such as the location of the gauge head, physical limitations of the user, and so on.
Portable and permanently installed storage tanks for pressurized fuel and other liquids, such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), propane, butane, and so on, typically include a fuel sending unit mounted at the center or end of the tank for view by an observer. The sending unit typically includes a float that rides on the surface of the liquid. The float is connected to a pivoting float arm which is in turn connected to the lower end of a driven shaft that rotates about its axis in response to float movement. A drive magnet is typically located at the upper end of the driven shaft that magnetically couples with a driven magnet inside the gauge head, which is associated with an indicator and gauge plate with scale markings thereon, so that rotational movement of the drive magnet in response to float movement induces the driven magnet to rotate a proportional amount and rotate the indicator across the scale, to thereby display a liquid level condition of the tank to an observer. One such device for determining liquid level within LPG or fuel oil tanks is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,041,650 to Swindler, et al., and includes a sensing probe having a movable float arm coupled by gears to the lower end of a rotatable drive shaft. A magnet is mounted to the upper end of the shaft and extends into a passage of a gauge head for magnetic coupling with a level indicating dial. A change in liquid level within the tank causes movement of the float arm and thus rotation of the indicating dial with respect to a stationary gauge plate with liquid level indicia printed thereon, to thereby show the amount of liquid within the tank. These types of liquid level gauges must be manually accessed and visually observed to determine the position of the indicating dial with respect to the gauge plate, and is often inconvenient to do so, as discussed above.
In order to facilitate the reading of liquid level, and due to the number of portable and stationary tanks with pre-existing sending units having a magnet at the top of a rotatable drive shaft inside the tank, a liquid level gauge, which allows both manual and electronic determination of the liquid level within the tank, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,564,632 to Ross, Jr., the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. This patent discloses a gauge head for mounting to a tank and a dial assembly for mounting to the gauge head. The dial assembly includes a base, which is in turn connected to the gauge head. A magnetically-driven indicating dial, or pointer magnet, is rotatably mounted on the base above a stationary gauge plate also mounted on the base. The gauge plate includes scale indicia around its periphery relating to liquid level in the tank. The relative position of the magnetically-driven indicating dial and the gauge plate can be viewed by a user for manually determining liquid level within the tank. This gauge also enables electronic determination of the liquid level by the provision of a circular pointer magnet with a variable thickness. The pointer magnet rotates in response to the rotation of one or more tank magnets, as disclosed in the Swindler, et al. patent referenced above. The variable thickness of the pointer magnet creates a linearly variable magnetic flux around the periphery of the magnet. A transparent lens or cover is connected to the base for enclosing and protecting the components of the dial assembly. The transparent nature of the cover allows a user to view the indicating dial and gauge plate to visually ascertain the liquid level. A channel is formed in the cover for receiving a removable magnetic detector with a single Hall-effect sensor. The channel is located at a position to ensure that the pointer magnet and the gauge plate with liquid level indicia are not obfuscated, thereby allowing the simultaneous visual observation of the liquid level and electronic determination thereof by electronically sensing a change in the magnetic flux of the pointer magnet, and thus its angular position with respect to the magnetic detector. The angular position of the pointer magnet is indicative of liquid level in the tank. The electronic signal produced by the magnetic detector can be sent to a remote location for viewing by a user or further processing, notifying a distributor of LPG or the like of the liquid level condition within the tank for scheduling delivery of LPG, and so on.
Although the above-described system is adequate for manually and electronically indicating liquid level, the specially shaped pointer magnet with variable thickness is a specialty item that is relatively expensive to manufacture when compared to ordinary magnets, requires calibration, and thus increases manufacturing time and costs, thereby increasing the overall cost of the gauge head.
It would therefore be desirous to overcome one or more disadvantages of liquid level gauges associated with storage tanks as discussed above.

Liquid level gauge with removable indicator assembly


Microphone arrays with automatic beam focusing may easily focus on disturbing sound sources. In order to prevent this unwanted behavior, a predefined control sound signal is replayed from a direction of a disturbing sound source. The microphone array detects the predefined control sound signal, determines the direction of replay and in response performs a re-configuration according to the control sound signal. The reconfiguration may comprise eliminating the direction from its scanning range or cancel a previously made elimination of a different direction.

Microphone arrays use a plurality of microphone capsules, and combine output signals of the microphone capsules in order to obtain a specific directivity of the microphone array in a particular direction. The direction of an audio source can be detected mainly by analyzing delays between audio signals arriving at each microphone capsule. Correspondingly, a directivity of the microphone array can be implemented by combining delayed microphone output signals, and the direction can be controlled by modifying the respective delays.
Microphone arrays may use automatic beam focusing in order to automatically adjust their directivity towards a speaker. For example, the microphone array may determine a direction of the speaker by determining a direction of maximum sound input. In a practical approach, the microphone array may scan sound signals from different pre-determined directions of a given scan area. It may pick up and compare energies of sound signals from these directions, determine a direction of maximum sound energy and adjust the delays for its microphone capsules so as to adjust its directivity into the determined direction. Such microphone array is described e.g. in US 2017/0164101 A1.
However, this may lead to a problem if there is a sound source within the scanned area which is not intended to be picked-up by the microphone array. For example, disturbing sound may be heard through an open window or open door. For microphone arrays that are installed e.g. in conference rooms, the disturbing sound sources may be electronic devices, such as a beamer, a loudspeaker or an air conditioner. Particularly if the disturbing sound source is near the microphone array, or in moments of silence when no person is speaking, the audio signal emitted by the disturbing sound source may irritate the microphone array. The disturbing sound may be the signal of maximum energy within the scan area, so that the microphone array focuses on the disturbing sound source. The microphone array will then refocus very often, which may decrease its signal quality, and may even pick up the sound emitted by the disturbing sound source and amplify it.

Configurable microphone array and method for configuring a microphone array