Several embodiments of a wedgethread pipe connection are disclosed that have improved makeup, sealing, and non-loosening characteristics. In one embodiment, an open wedgethread is disclosed that has an included angle measured in the gap between the stab flank and the load flank to be not less than zero, so as to prevent premature wedging between mating flanks before the position of full makeup is reached, as does occur between trapped wedgethreads wherein the included angle is less than zero.

The use of conventional screw threads to connect joints of pipe together so as to convey fluid, is a very old art that has progressed for hundreds of years in an effort to satisfy periodic needs for stronger and better sealing pipe connections. Performance requirements for pipe connections still vary widely today, such as for home piping with less than 80 psi fluid pressure with virtually no mechanical loads, to Oil Well Pipe that may be required to hold over 15,000 psi gas pressure and simultaneously, withstand extreme mechanical loadings and endure wide temperature fluctuations. The use of conventional screw threads to connect structural members is also an old art.
Due to the historical weakness of threaded pipe connections and their tendency to loosen, leak, and/or break, their use in industrial plants and refineries has been limited by Industrial Codes to very small pipe sizes and low pressures. However, because there is no reasonable alternative pipe connection for use within the very limited hole sizes drilled for Oil and Gas Wells, threaded pipe connections are still used today, so most research on and development of pipe connections has been directed toward such use. Structural use of conventional screw threads has been limited by their weakness and their tendency to loosen while in service.
In 1939 API adopted the 8Rd thread connection to connect joints of API tubing and casing, which is still used to connect about 80% of well pipe today. My U.S. Pat. No. 5,427,418 filed in 1992 explained why API 8Rd Connections loosen and leak, and xe2x80x9cAPI Item 2239 Work Groupxe2x80x9d discovered that fact in 1995 and recently adopted some principles of ""418 into API xe2x80x9cSR17 Supplemental Requirements for API LTC Connections with Specified Performancexe2x80x9d. In an effort to provide pipe connections that sealed better than API 8Rd Connections, special xe2x80x9cPremium pipe connectionsxe2x80x9d were developed by numerous other parties who adopted thin annular sealing lips at the end of their pin threads as depicted in my U.S. Pat. No. 2,766,998 that introduced proven reliable pressure-aided, high-pressure, high temperature metal seals to the nuclear and space industries as well as the oil and gas industry. However, such seals when used in oil-well pipe connections are fraught with several serious problems such as: leakage due to lip damage; excessive costs; and loss of connection efficiency when used in flush connections because the pipe wall thickness for supporting axial loads is reduced to form the lip and it""s mating sealing surface. Today, most experts in the field believe that a lip seal is required xe2x80x9cbecause pipe threads can""t seal gas pressures above 10,000 psixe2x80x9d according to API SR17. There has been considerable confusion in the industry as to what constitutes a reliable qualification test for threaded pipe connections, which has resulted in too many sales claims reflecting hopes more than facts. New standard ISO-13679 gives promise to end that problem in that it allows one to choose the % efficiency ratings relative to the pipe ratings that a connection is to be tested and qualified for, under combinations of: internal pressure; external pressure; tension; compression; bending; temperature; and the choice of water or gas as the pressurizing fluid. It also specifies test procedures that accurately measure performance capability. Therefore, it is expected that the number of new connections offered for sale will decline in face of such stringent standards, but that real progress should accelerate because users can for the first time, begin immediate use of a new ISO qualified connection with confidence. Application for the instant invention is made with that realization in mind. For purposes of the present invention, the following definitions will apply.
Flank angle=The acute angle in a plane coinciding with the pipe axis, measured between a thread flank and a plane positioned 90 degrees to the axis, the angle being plus if the flank faces toward the crest, the angle being minus if the flank faces toward the root.
Included Angle=The algebraic sum of the stab flank angle and the load flank angle.
Thread Turn=A 360 degree portion of a screw thread.
Pin=A male threaded end, the thread turn nearest the pin face being the first thread turn.
Box=A female threaded pipe end formed to mate with pin threads, the thread nearest the box face, being the first thread turn.
Wedgethread=A screw thread form having a crest, root, stab flank and load flank, the load flank being formed on a greater helical angle than is the stab flank such that the axial length of the crest is least at the beginning of the first thread turn, the length gradually increasing to a maximum axial length at the end of the last thread turn, such that the box and pin may be screwed together to a desired position of full makeup at which, both stab flanks and load flanks contact and wedge against their respective mating flanks and thereby prevent further makeup of the connection.
Trapped Thread=A thread form having a negative included angle for at least a portion of the radial width of its flanks.
Open thread=A thread form having no negative included angle over the entire radial width of its flanks.
Metal-to-metal seal=A non-threaded surface formed completely around a portion of a box or pin that is in continuous contact with a mating surface of the other, so as to effect a seal against fluid within or outside of the connection.
Pin wall thickness=A dimension measured radially at mid-length of the engaged threads, extending from the pin thread pitch diameter to the pin bore.
Box wall thickness=a dimension measured radially at mid-length of the engaged threads, extending from the box thread pitch diameter to the box outer diameter.
Stab pitch=axial length between stab flanks, one thread turn apart.
Load pitch=axial length between load flanks, one thread turn apart.
Full-strength connection=a pipe connection that will seal and not rupture under any combination of loads at which, the VME yield stress of the box or pin wall is not exceeded.
Bridge thickness dimension=the maximum width of a gap formed between assembled mating threads that the thread dope used, will seal.
Angle of Friction=The arctangent of the co-efficient of friction, that acts between two solid bodies which slide against one another.
Moore U.S. Pat. No. 1,474,375 discloses an early form of a trapped thread, but not a wedgethread, that is sealed after assembly by compressing a malleable member between mating threads. Stone U.S. Pat. No. 2,006,520, discloses a square non-wedgethread form and seals elsewhere as at 39, 20 and 28, for a flush joint connection efficiency that xe2x80x9cmay be 53%xe2x80x9d, per Col 8 line 10. He claims no thread seal as made evident in Col 3 ln 5-9, Col 4 lines 3-9 and Col 6 lines 44-47. Rotation is stopped by contact of shoulders 20 and 34, not by the wedging of threads. Col 4 ln 49-53 indicate that sealing xe2x80x9cface 39 which is complimentary in angularity to and adapted to seat in fluid-tight relationship with face 18xe2x80x3, which precludes it""s ability to form a reliable seal because rotation of the lower end of nose 39xe2x80x2 will cause it to contact seat 18 only at the top of surface 39 whereupon, the lower end of surface face 39 will rotate and no longer be in contact with face 18. Had surface 39 been formed at an angle less than face 18 as taught by ""998, then a surface seal may have been formed.
Blose Re. 30,647 discloses Trapped Wedgethreads that suggests a thread seal in Col 2 ln 7-11 but does not teach how to accomplish a thread seal and in fact, cites clearances between roots and crests in Col 3 ln 40-43. Conversely in Col 1 beginning at ln 64, he cites, xe2x80x9cSince back flank is intended to always be negative, thread strain reactions against this surface will cause the box member to be pulled radially inward and the pin member to be pulled radially outward.xe2x80x9d The force of such pulling away of the box and pin threads from each other is transmitted through flanks having a small included which angle generates a very high axial force on the flanks which in turn, causes a premature resisting torque during makeup of the connection, which typically stops short of the desired position of full makeup. Thus upon assembly, the box and pin are left pulling away from each other with their mating roots and crests apart, such that excessive clearances left by stopping short of the ideal position of makeup and by complex machining tolerances of the dovetailed trapped wedge threads, are sure to produce leak paths. Then it is no wonder that with such leak paths guaranteed, that he requires a xe2x80x9cprimary resistance to leakagexe2x80x94by a separately functional metal-to metal sealxe2x80x9d per Col 2 ln 12-15. Such seals occupy radial space of the pipe wall that in turn, further reduce the connection strength against axial loads.
Blose U.S. Pat. No. 4,600,224 discloses a trapped wedgethread and cites in Col 1 lines 56-60 that he provides a xe2x80x9ccontrolled clearance between mating roots and crestsxe2x80x9d. Nowhere does he claim a thread seal as he suggested in Re. 30,647, but provides metal-to-metal seals as at 12 of FIG. 1, as at 24 and 26 of FIG. 2, and as at 32 and 34 of FIG. 3 for the three embodiments disclosed. Col 4 lines 52-54 state that crests and roots do not make contact upon full makeup which precludes a thread seal, and nowhere does he claim a thread seal, which is understandable in light of experience with his prior invention. Col 5 lines 6-8 discuss the tendency of trapped threads to xe2x80x9chang upxe2x80x9d during dis-assembly. Hang-up and damage are common deficiencies of sharp edge trapped wedge threads.
Blose U.S. Pat. No. 4,600,225 adds additional clearance as at 43 between mating threads to further confirm that he was not able to form a wedge thread seal.
Ortloff U.S. Pat. No. 4,671,544 further confirms lack of thread sealing attained by the inventions above having a common assignee, in that he provides a resilient seal (26) mid-point the mating threads and metal-to-metal seals as at 22 and 24 of FIG. 1. Col 2 ln 18-20 he mentions the threads seal but does not teach how. If those threads did seal, then his resilient seal and metal-to-metal seals would not be needed. The embodiment shown in FIG. 4 does not claim a thread seal, but claims a metal-to-metal seal as at 50.
Ortloff U.S. Pat. No. 4,703,954 explains in Col 1 ln 12-42 that trapped wedgethreads cause very high stress concentrations and the objects of his invention are to reduce those stresses. Although he claims a thread seal in claim 1, he does not teach how to achieve it.
Reeves U.S. Pat. No. 4,703,959 discloses a trapped wedgethread connection that seals on a soft seal such as polytetrafluoroethylene in Col 2 ln 6-17. Again, he claims a thread seal but does not teach how to accomplish it. Col 2 ln 50-59 explain that the seal material cannot escape from the groove which it completely fills, however, elevated temperatures encountered in the well will cause expansion of the seal which in turn will generate extreme pressures between box and pin sufficient to induce failure of the connection. If the threads sealed the contained fluid, the soft seal would not be needed.
Blose U.S. Pat. No. 4,822,081 discloses a trapped wedgethread but nowhere does he claim a thread seal, having no doubt witnessed tests on several of his inventions listed above. Instead, he cites seals as at 51 and 54. In Col 8 ln 36-37 he indicates that the thread must be trapped to be drivable, but he later witnessed tests on my connection having positive flanks, wherein his employer reported, xe2x80x9cno energy lossxe2x80x9d, which confirmed that they were drivable indeed. Col 8 ln 47-53 and Col 9 ln 5-8 state, the critical area of the box will yield when being driven which precludes a high strength pipe connection particularly in tension, per Col 10 ln 39-42. Such yielding causes an energy loss, which is not desirable for a drive-pipe connection because it kills some of the impact necessary to drive the pipe into the ground. Col 8 ln 15 he states, xe2x80x9cthe thread flanks do not slide against one another, and in fact, the thread flanks do not make contact until final make-up of the jointxe2x80x9d so therefore the large 40 foot long joint of heavy wall pipe must be tediously suspended and very carefully lowered while it is being rotated to carefully engage the sharp cornered mating threads, before being tightened to the position of full make-up, explained in Col 4 ln 22-24 and Col 6 ln 44-52 and Col 7 ln 47-57.
Mott U.S. Pat. No. 5,454,605 depicts a trapped wedgethread described in Col 2 ln 48-61 and illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. The stab flank is formed in the same direction, but at a different angle than the load flank so as to trap the thread, as opposed to the dovetail trapped wedge threads described in the patents above. He properly describes the assembly and disassembly problems and the damage susceptibility of dovetail wedge threads in Col 1 ln 51-Col 2 ln 2. His improvement is a connection particularly for use on drill pipe as detailed in Col 2 ln 18-23 and ln 48-55 which conveys drilling mud during drilling of the well only, which is typically less than a month. Mud is a much easier fluid to seal than oil or gas because solid particles in the mud collect to dam up whatever clearances may exist between the mating threads, whereas casing and tubing connections must seal against water, oil and/or gas for many years. In Col 2 ln 60-65, Col 4 ln 61-Col 5 ln 14, he claims a thread seal but again, does not teach how to seal against even mud. He states, xe2x80x9cwhen made-up, there is no clearance between the threadsxe2x80x9d so not even thread lubricant is entrapped there betweenxe2x80x9d but unfortunately, such perfect confirmation is and will always be beyond machining capability, and particularly within cost limitations for pipe connections. He depicts two embodiments of his invention, one in FIG. 3 to reduce flank hangup during assembly but not during disassembly, and a second embodiment in FIG. 4 to reduce flank hangup during disassembly but not during assembly. Drillpipe connections are typically made and unmade hundreds of times, so the reader is left to wonder which half of such damage is to be eliminated by use of his invention. Neither has he eliminated the sharp corners where the flanks and crest intersect, nor the damage he claims to be associated with such sharp edges.
Watts U.S. Pat. No. 2,766,998 teaches how to form an elastic metallic lip-seal and mating seat so as to effect a high-pressure seal against gas for many years while under conditions of extreme variations of pressure and temperature.
Watts U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,717 teaches how to form a box in a given size plain-end pipe so as to maximize the strength of a threaded pipe connection, for connection with another pipe end having a pin thread per claims 18 and 19, or for connection by a double-pin coupling per claim 2.
Watts U.S. Pat. No. 5,143,411 teaches how to form both a box and pin on plain-end pipe so as to maximize the strength of an integral threaded flush pipe connection.
Watts U.S. Pat. No. 5,018,771 teaches how to form a mating box and pin so as to facilitate assembly and prevent cross threading, in order to gain a more reliable and cost-effective connection.
Watts U.S. Pat. No. 5,427,418 teaches how to effect a thread seal which has been proven capable of sealing against high gas pressure, as high as the pipe rated pressure. When formed on 30xe2x80x3xc3x971xe2x80x3 wall drive pipe, a connection having 6 degree positive stab flanks per ""418 was driven into the ground and tested very successfully, with xe2x80x9cno indication of energy lossxe2x80x9d.
Watts U.S. Pat. No. 5,516,158 teaches a high-strength self-swaging connection having advantages that increase with the size of the pipe diameter. However, because it is swaged after threads are formed, it is not particularly suited for pipe sizes smaller than 5 inches.
Tubular connections in accord with some of the Watts patents listed above have been used successfully under severe conditions that no other known threaded pipe connection was capable of operating under however, like most threaded pipe connections, they require close torque control for proper make-up so as to withstand the loads, but not overstress the box and/or pin. The one proven good feature of wedgethread connections heretofore, is that they can withstand a wide range of makeup torque after repeated assemblies, however, experience has also proven them to leak, to be difficult to assemble, to be highly susceptible to damage, to be difficult to manufacture and inspect, and to lack strength against superimposed loadings.
Six of the wedgethread patents cited above have a common assignee and four name a common inventor which confirms that a long, careful and continuing improvement effort has been focused on wedgethreads for over 25 years. However, all efforts of record are devoted to trapped wedgethreads and none teach how Open (non-trapped) wedgethread may be workable or feasible to connect and/or seal a pipe connection. Experience has taught a characteristic of all Trapped Wedgethreads listed above, that the flanks typically engage before the ideal position of full makeup is reached which in turn, prematurely generates a very high torque sufficient to stop rotation short of full makeup. Such a condition allows the connection to leak and loosen, and such loosening reduces its ability to be driven or to serve as a mechanical support. Upon first rotation of such pins into such boxes, the crest-root gap and the load flank gap are very wide, so excess dope flows freely outwardly from the connection. The premature torque begins during makeup when thread dope thickness trapped in the gap between the last mating thread surfaces is reduced to the bridge thickness dimension. For included angles where that gap occurs between flanks, the applied torque generates very high fluid pressure on the dope which in turn, forces the stab flanks together which are already in intimate contact due to the weight of the pipe joint being stabbed, and the friction between stab flanks causes the high premature torque. For smaller included angles where that gap occurs between roots and crests, the pressurized dope prevents intimate root-crest contact, because the dope pressure acting on the crests and roots holds them apart while forcing all mating flanks into hard contact before the desired position of full makeup is attained. Hydraulic force of the dope is multiplied greatly by a factor equal to: cotangent (included angle/2+angle of friction).
The present invention is for use in various configurations such as with conventional double-box pipe couplings of larger diameter than the pipe, double-pin couplings, integral joint, flush joints, upset pipe ends, for connecting pipe to heavy wall vessels, and for reversibly connecting such as tubular or bar posts to their mounting base, with or without the use of thread dope. The invention may be practiced by selectively combining its various features in different combinations, as may be best suited for certain specific or general applications.
Open wedgethreads in accord with the present invention may be formed on a taper or alternatively, may be formed cylindrically. The dependable wedging action of my Open wedge thread provides a firm, repeatable position and torque at full makeup because no negative included angles exist whereas heretofore, trapped wedgethreads often trap excess dope between negative included angles which prevents their makeup to their ideal position of full makeup, as I have explained above. Prior cylindrical threads required a shoulder or such as a lock nut to provide a firm, repeatable position of full makeup. Use of the present invention for cylindrical wedgethreads requires the radial width of the load flank to equal the radial width of the stab flank, whereas radial width of a tapered wedgethread stab flank is greater than the load flank radial width. The present invention does not suffer premature flank lock-up as described above for trapped wedgethreads, because no negative included angles are used. When box and pin are formed with no difference in taper, my Open wedgethread allows the pin and box to momentarily deflect radially apart during makeup sufficiently for excess dope to escape, unlike trapped wedgethreads that cause lock-up when dope pressure prematurely engages the flanks.
For very fast makeup""s, for very cold conditions, and for other conditions under which the dope may not fully escape from between mating threads on like tapers fast enough during makeup, the pin threads may be formed on a taper slightly less than the box taper, to insure that the first pin thread turn contacts the box threads before the other pin threads do, and then during makeup the other pin threads successively contact the box threads which progressively extrudes excess dope towards the thread end of larger diameter as makeup continues, and thereby prevents entrapment of excess dope between the mating threads. When substantially cylindrical threads are to be used, the pin threads may be formed cylindrically and the box threads formed with a very slight taper or, the box threads may be formed cylindrically and the pin threads may be formed with a very slight negative taper. As an example of the taper difference, I have successfully used a difference in thread interference between the ends of thread engagement according to my formula below for the value xe2x80x9cPTSxe2x80x9d. It is generally known that entrapment of excess dope between any type mating threads can cause major problems. Therefore, unless a method for extruding excess dope is provided, any sealing thread that uses thread dope is subject to dope entrapment, so certain features may be combined in various embodiments of the present invention with a new Open type wedge thread that will assemble easily with a selectively wide range of final make-up torque, stop rotation of the mating threads at the desired position of full makeup, effect a seal against high-pressure fluid, and effect a high-strength rigid connection unlike the trapped wedgethreads of record. Industry experts have long held that to prevent thread jump-out, a negative thread flank angle was necessary and have therefore devised many complicated, expensive and hard to inspect thread designs, as the above cited trapped wedgethread patents disclose. However, tests run for me by an independent test lab disprove that widely held belief and are explained as follows. When a conventional pin having a relatively thin wall is made up into a box having a much thicker wall, then a jump-out tendency may exist because upon application of high axial tension loads, the thin pin wall tends to contract radially according to Poisson""s ratio more than the thick box wall contracts because the box axial stresses are less than the pin axial stresses, which in the absence of a radial restraining force acting on the pin, may cause separation of the mating threads, a leak, and then possibly jump-out as loads increase. If a thread form has a high positive flank angle such as the 30 degree flank angle used on API 8Rd threads, jump out tendency is increased by vector forces in proportion to tangent(flank angle-friction angle), a fact that is generally known. However not generally known, is the fact that when the box wall thickness is reasonably close to the pin wall thickness, that the box will contract radially with the pin when the connection is subjected to an axial tension load, and will expand radially with the pin when the connection is subjected to an axial compressive load, sufficiently to prevent separation of the mating threads if the load flank angles are small. The present invention defines workable values xe2x80x9cMxe2x80x9d for diametrical thread interference to allow this feature to be safely used in combination with a new Open type wedgethread, to prevent such thread separation.
For connections having box and pin walls of substantially different thicknesses, compressive axial loads imposed could cause a thinner box to expand radially away from the pin so as to lose the desired thread interference. Likewise, a tensile axial load imposed on a thin pin could cause it to contract radially away from the box so as to cause it to lose the desired thread interference. Therefore, axial loads may be limited independently to prevent such a loss, in accord with my formulas given below for values BCS and PTS.
The sharp corners of trapped wedgethreads of record are extremely subject to damage and hangup as Mott describes in ""605 above and even more importantly, they are difficult and time consuming to stab and makeup in the field which wastes Rig-Time that can exceed a cost of $500,000/day. They also increase the tendency for damage, galling and leaking which may require extremely expensive remedial work under dangerous conditions that often damage the environment. The present invention provides an Open wedgethread having generous radii that connect flanks and crests so as to prevent such difficulties.
Tests have historically confirmed that makeup torque of a non-wedgethread connection varies with many factors such as thread surface finish, box-pin radial thread interference, the dope used, the taper, the rotational speed of make-up, the temperature and the flank angles etc. so therefore, a makeup torque that is independent of such characteristics is desirable to reduce time, cost and effort required to assure proper make-up repeatability of the connection and most importantly, to prevent overstress of the box and pin. The present invention utilizes a new Open wedgethread having a simpler and more reliable configuration than do trapped wedge-threads, so as to assure repeatable make-ups to the desired full makeup position with a given torque, and not be subject to so many torque variations.
The present invention provides a new Open wedgethread that is easier and less expensive to manufacture, inspect and assemble than are trapped wedgethreads, which have sharp corners and negative flank angles. Trapped wedgethreads have many dimensions that must be controlled such as the crest axial length, the root axial length, the load flank radial width, the stab flank radial width, the stab flank angle, the load flank angle, surface finish of the almost hidden stab flank, surface finish of the almost hidden load flank, tiny almost hidden radii at the roots that induce severe stress concentration, tiny crest radii that induce damage and galling, the load flank lead, the stab flank lead, the diameters of the crests, the diameters of the roots, etc. and all dimension must have close tolerance limits they cannot exceed in order to even screw the box and pin together. The difficulty of maintaining tolerances during manufacture increases with the Square of the number of related tolerances. Thus, it is evident why Blose and others provide multiple independent seals other than depend on trapped wedgethreads to seal. If the trapped wedgethreads of record did seal, a few thread turns would seal and all the other types of seals would not be necessary. The present invention provides a new Open wedgethread form that may have flanks positioned at or near 90 degrees to the pipe axis, which allow easy entry of cutting tools and easy chip removal during manufacture. Also, such threads prevent portions of the thread flanks, roots or radius from being hidden, and allow easy entry of gages and sight checks for simple thread inspection. Thus, the present invention allows the threads to be machined in a more conventional, simpler, more reliable and less expensive manner, such that the threads can effect a fluid seal. To measure the precise thread form during manufacture of pipe connections, it is a common inspection practice today to trace the threads as on a fifty-to-one scale, and/or to make a hard rubber mold of the thread form to check on an optical comparator. However, neither practice is suitable to check a trapped wedgethread form, which further impedes the ability to manufacture such pipe connections accurately, and explains additional reasons for their assembly and sealing problems so widely experienced.
Relatively wide stab flanks and generous radii of the preferred embodiment using tapered threads are made possible by my relatively steep taper. When lowered into the box for assembly, the stab flanks rest upon a complimentary stab flank of the box to support the pipe joint being installed, which also positions the pin over halfway into the box as taught by my U.S. Pat. No. 5,018,771, such that alignment is automatic, such that cross-threading cannot occur as Mott described in ""605. I generally prefer such tapers to be xe2x85x9 to xc2xc diameter change of any given axial thread length, for instance, a {fraction (3/16)}xe2x80x3 diameter change in an axial length of one inch however, other tapers are within the scope of the present invention. Ideally, the taper should increase with an increase of wall thickness as necessary to prevent excessive thread lengths. To prevent taper lockup between pin crests and box crests when the pin is stabbed into the box, it is preferred that the crests and roots be positioned parallel to the pipe axis. For tapered wedgethreads, the stab flank must have a greater radial width than the load flank, and the preferred values are defined in the formulas given below as xe2x80x9cSxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cBxe2x80x9d. The difference in the load flank axial pitch and the stab flank axial pitch for a given diameter defines the wedging angle between adjacent thread turns and if it is too great the threads may loosen and leak, but if it is too small the desired position of full makeup may not be reached. My preferred difference in axial pitch may be found by the formula given below for the value xe2x80x9cJxe2x80x9d, and preferred values for the load flank axial pitch and the stab flank axial pitch may be found by the formulas for xe2x80x9cLFxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cSFxe2x80x9d respectively.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an Open wedgethread that is highly resistant to handling damage during manufacture, shipment and installation, in that no sharp corners exist between the metal faces forming the corners, but have crests positioned at approximately 90 degrees to the flanks connected, by generous radii so as to thereby survive reasonable handling without significant damage. To even further minimize effects of localized crest damage too small to notice visually during assembly, the present invention teaches that the thread flank widths be dimensioned and toleranced such that the pin roots contact the box crests upon assembly but hold the pin crests which are most subject to damage, apart from the box roots so as to prevent interference and galling there between. It is within the scope of the present invention for the box roots to contact the pin crests and for the pin roots be held apart from the box crests, but this damage prevention feature would be lost along with the best sealing configuration, explained as follows: At the small diameter end of thread engagement, the axial length of the pin root-box crest contact of a wedgethread is necessarily much longer than the axial length of the pincrest-boxroot contact, so my preferred embodiment provides that the longer length pinroot-boxcrest lengths be in certain intimate contact to minimize leak tendency there where fluid pressure is typically the greatest, and that the shorter lengths define a gap not greater than the bridge dimension, to be sealed by thread dope. So as to help maintain the previously discussed intimate pinroot-boxcrest contact after make-up of the connection, a predetermined amount of radial interference is preferred to exist between the box and pin threads sufficient to generate an optimum tension hoop stress in the box and a compressive hoop stress in the pin. Should box makeup hoop stress be excessive, then the connections rating against internal fluid pressure could be reduced, or should pin makeup hoop stress be excessive, then the connections rating against external fluid pressure could be reduced because such stresses are additive to hoop stresses generated by fluid pressures. Therefore, the present invention teaches that the preferred diametrical interference between the mating box and pin threads should approximate the quantity: ⅓ times the pipe O.D. times the pipe material yield strength, divided by the pipe material modulas of elasticity. For best performance, thread interference should extend all along the helical thread length to both ends of the engaged threads, which should be considered when diameter and taper tolerances are specified. Such a controlled interference should allow reliable service near maximum ratings.
For extreme service requirements or because a user specification requires it, metal-to-metal seals to augment or replace the thread seal, may be provided adjacent either or both ends of the engaged threads. Most often, such a sealing surface is positioned adjacent the pin end for cooperation with a mating sealing surface formed within the box adjacent the small diameter end of the box threads, so as to reduce the sealing diameter against internal fluid pressure to a minimum and thereby, reduce the fluid pressure load on the connection to a minimum. Occasionally it may be required to provide a metal-to-metal seal adjacent the large diameter end of the mating threads by forming an inner diameter surface of the box adjacent it""s end for cooperation with a mating sealing surface formed around the pin adjacent the large diameter end of the pin threads. Such an external seal will provide maximum resistance against external fluid pressure and may also be required to prevent corrosion of the threads in extreme cases. When such seals are required in a pure flush-joint connection, then the wall thickness required for the seal lip thickness is lost to use for mechanical strength of the connection, however, by use of my In-Process-Swaging taught in parent application Ser. No. 09/421,483, a full strength near-flush connection may be provided at a cost lower than costs for Upset or full swaged connections. An optional feature of the present invention to enhance connection strength and sealability is to dimension the axial length of the gap to be sealed at a minimum, and to maximize the number of thread turns within the desired length of thread engagement for a given minimum starting crest length, which is accomplished by dimensioning the least axial crest length of the first pin thread turn to be substantially equal to the least axial crest length of the first box thread turn. My formulas given below for the mean axial pitch labeled xe2x80x9cAxe2x80x9d will allow future designers to determine such dimensions for any size connection. Then, based on the value of xe2x80x9cAxe2x80x9d, the stab flank lead and the load flank lead may be found by my formulas for xe2x80x9cSFxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cLFxe2x80x9d respectively shown below. Thus, other non-workable, wasteful and/or dangerous factors may be avoided.
To effect a thread seal, the gap width existing between crests and roots after mating flanks wedge in firm contact, must not exceed the bridge thickness dimension. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, that gap width is controlled by the radial width of the stab flanks and the radial width of the load flanks, the previously mentioned pin root-box crest radial interference being maintained. It is easy to say that a pin crest contacts the box root simultaneously as the box crest contacts the pin root, but machining tolerances prevent such from happening and to even approach that idealistic condition would be excessively expensive for the manufacture of pipe connections. Therefore, a maximum gap width must be defined and not exceeded in practice, for the threads to be able to seal. As I explained in ""418, the maximum-allowable gap when using API 5A2 Modified Dope was measured as substantially 0.006xe2x80x3. Dimensions and tolerances for flank widths of the present invention are best set to maintain a gap width no greater than 0.006xe2x80x3 when the mating flanks are in firm wedging contact at the position of full make-up when API 5A2 Modified thread dope is to be used for assembly of the connection. In keeping with standard production practice, the target gap width is preferably about half of the bridge thickness dimension.
Another feature of the present invention is explained as follows. At the position of full makeup, mating wedgethreads having a zero included angle are wedged tightly together and there is no tendency for threads to be forced out of their mating grooves by excessive torque. The same is true if the included angle is less than twice the resulting angle of friction for a given thread dope. If non-wedgethreads were formed with such a small included angle, flank lockup would occur when flanks first engage, long before the position of full makeup was reached to effect the desired radial interference between mating threads and therefore desired connection strength, would not be attained. With my open wedgethreads, radial interference is effected by root-crest interference before and independently of the final torque magnitude, which can occur only when the flanks wedge at the full makeup position.
There are service applications for wedgethreads that do not require maximum torque resistance, and/or highly stressed box and pin that my previously described embodiments allow for and for them, the following embodiment has certain advantages, such as to improve thread cutting tool geometry in certain instances. The flanks may be formed with an included angle that is greater than twice the angle of friction. The axial wedging pressure on the flanks is many times greater than the pressure between roots and crests due to the very small, helically configured wedging angle between stab and load flanks. The radial force vector of the wedging force tending to separate the threads equals the wedging force times tangent (included angle/2xe2x88x92angle of friction). It is therefore evident that no such force will exist if the positive included angle does not exceed twice the angle of friction between the flanks. Should it be desired that the included angle exceed twice the angle of friction, then engineering calculations must confirm that box and pin walls are thick enough to retain that force without being overstressed, before such an included angle is used. A zero degree included angle is preferred to eliminate any concern of such separating tendency, but wedgethreads having positive included angles greater than zero are clearly within the scope of the present invention.
Thus, it is now clear that the present invention teaches how to form a cost-effective high strength open wedgethread pipe connection that may be easily and repeatedly assembled to a desired position of full make-up within a wide torque range, so as to seal high pressure gas or liquids, while simultaneously withstanding extreme mechanical loads.
Preferred dimensions for my wedge threads not taught heretofore by background art, may be determined per the following example however, the scope of the present invention is not intended to be limited thereby.
D=Pipe design O.D.=The mean diameter within the O.D. tolerances for pipe ends.
PPF=Nominal pounds per foot of length for the pipe to be connected.
d=Pipe design I.D.=(D{circumflex over ( )}2-PPF/2.67){circumflex over ( )}0.5
t=Pipe design wall thickness=(Dxe2x88x92d)/2
W=Radial width of pin load flank= less than t/6= less than Starting axial length of thread crest
BL=Desired box thread P.D. at largest diameter of engagement.
BS=Desired box thread P.D. at the smallest diameter of engagement.
T=Conical thread taper=diameter change/axial length=0.1875 preferred
L=Length of engaged threads=(BLxe2x88x92BS)/T, (except when conical threads are chosen)
J=Load flank axial pitch-Stab flank axial pitch=0.0025+0.00036xc3x97D=(ANSI RC5 Fit@ 1 turn)
A=Mean axial pitch=W+(W{circumflex over ( )}2+Jxc3x97L){circumflex over ( )}0.5
LF=Load Flank axial pitch=A+J/2
SF=Stab Flank axial pitch=Axe2x88x92J/2
N=Number of Thread turns=L/A
S=Radial width of pin stab flank=W+Axc3x97T/2, (+/xe2x88x920.001xe2x80x3 tolerance)
B=Radial width of box load flank=W+0.003xe2x80x3,(+/xe2x88x920.002xe2x80x3 tolerance), with API 5A2 Mod dope.
C=Radial width of box stab flank=S+0.003xe2x80x3,(+/xe2x88x920.002xe2x80x3 tolerance), with API 5A2 Mod dope.
Y=Pipe material unit yield strength
E=Pipe material modulas of elasticity
M=Preferred thread interference on diameter=2/3xc3x97Dxc3x97Y/E
PS=Pin thread P.D. at small end of thread engagement=BS+M
PL=Pin thread P.D. at large end of thread engagement=BL+M
PB=Pin bore
PE=Pin % efficiency=100xc3x97[PL+Wxc3x97(Axe2x88x92W)/A]{circumflex over ( )}2xe2x88x92PB{circumflex over ( )}2/(D{circumflex over ( )}2xe2x88x92d{circumflex over ( )}2)
BE=Box % efficiency=100xc3x97[D{circumflex over ( )}2xe2x88x92(BSxe2x88x92Wxc3x97(Axe2x88x92W)/A){circumflex over ( )}2]/(D{circumflex over ( )}2xe2x88x92d{circumflex over ( )}2)
PR=Poisson""s ratio for pipe material
R=Ratio of, Box wall thickness to Pin wall thickness
BCS=Box axial compressive stress limit=Mxc3x97E/[PRxc3x97Dxc3x97(R+1)]
PTS=Pin axial tension stress limit=Rxc3x97BCS
TID=Thread interference at small end minus interference at large end=0.002xe2x80x3xc3x97(BL+BS)/2

Abstract: The invention may be used for pipe threads large or small, as a flush joint, with collars, screwed into plates or it may even be used to reversibly connect such as solid posts to base members where a wide makeup torque range is desired.

Abstract: This Open wedgethread, as opposed to trapped wedgethreads, provides a threaded pipe connection that: is more cost-effective; can seal high pressure gas; can provide selectively a connection strength as high as the pipe strength; assures easy makeup to the desired position of full makeup within a wide torque range; may have a torque strength as high as the pipe torque strength; is easier to manufacture; is easier to gage; and is less subject to handling damage.


In a battery cell unit, in which battery cells are connected in series, channels for which the battery cells are divided are sequentially connected to a capacitor, and a channel voltage is measured per the channel. For an abnormal channel whose deviation of the measured channel voltage from a reference voltage is larger than a permissible deviation value, measurement is performed by extending a charging time for charging the capacitor. For a normal channel whose deviation is equal to or smaller than the permissible deviation value, the measurement is performed by shortening the charging time for charging the capacitor so as to maintain a measurement cycle, in which the measurement on all of the channels is performed, to be constant.

1. Technical Field
The disclosure relates to a voltage measurement method for a battery.
2. Description of Related Art
A voltage measurement method for a battery cell by a so-called flying capacitor method is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-78572 (JP 2010-78572). In this voltage measurement method, when a measured voltage is lower than a specified value, a charging time for charging a capacitor is changed to be extended, and the voltage of the battery cell is measured again. In this way, malfunction of the battery cell and malfunction of a connection circuit such as an increase in contact resistance are separately determined.


A first network element (NE) comprises a receiver configured to receive a tunnel redirection request message from a second NE, wherein the tunnel redirection request message is a request to re-route packets to a third NE instead of the second NE, wherein the tunnel redirection request message comprises an address of the third NE and a first destination address, wherein the packets comprise the first destination address. A processor of the NE is coupled to the receiver and configured to add an outer header and an encapsulation header to a first subset of the packets, wherein the outer header comprises the address of the third NE, and wherein the encapsulation header comprises an identifier of an encapsulation protocol supported by the third NE, and a transmitter coupled to the processor and configured to transmit the first subset of the packets to the third NE via an overlay tunnel, and transmit a second subset of packets to the second NE.

Computer virtualization has dramatically and quickly changed the information technology (IT) industry in terms of efficiency, cost, and the speed in providing new applications and/or services. The trend continues to evolve towards network virtualization, where a set of virtual machines (VMs) or servers may communicate in a virtual network environment that is decoupled from the underlying physical networks in a data center (DC). An overlay virtual network is one approach to provide network virtualization services to a set of VMs or servers. An overlay virtual network may enable the construction of many virtual tenant networks on a common network infrastructure, where each virtual tenant network may have independent address space, independent network configurations, and traffic isolation among each other, which are all decoupled from the underlying network infrastructure. In addition, an overlay virtual network may support migrations of VMs since there is no longer a physical network limitation. Further, an overlay virtual network may speed up the configuration of multi-tenant cloud applications and virtual DCs, leading to potential new DC applications, such as a software defined DC.
An overlay virtual network may provide communication among a set of tenant systems (TSs), where TSs may be VMs on a server or physical servers. An overlay virtual network may provide Layer 2 (L2) or Layer 3 (L3) services to the connected TSs via network virtualization edges (NVEs), where NVEs may be implemented as part of a virtual switch within a hypervisor, and/or physical switch or router. An NVE encapsulates ingress tenant traffic and sends the encapsulated traffic over a tunnel across an underlying network toward an egress NVE. An egress NVE at the tunnel remote end point decapuslates the traffic prior to delivering the original data packet to the appropriate TS. There are a number of encapsulation protocols available in the industry today, such as virtual eXtensible Local Area Network (VXLAN) encapsulation, Microsoft's Network Virtualization over Generic Routing Encapsulation (NVGRE), and Internet Protocol (IP) Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE), and other encapsulation protocols.
The Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) is one of the main protocols of the internet protocol suite, as defined by Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) Request For Comments (RFC) 792 titled, "INTERNET CONTROL MESSAGE PROTOCOL," by J. Postel published in September 1981, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. ICMP is used by network devices, like routers, to send error messages indicating, for example, that a requested service is not available or that a host or router could not be reached. ICMP can also be used to relay query messages.

Internet control message protocol enhancement for traffic carried by a tunnel over internet protocol networks


In accordance with the present invention a method and system for linking a user to a data record in a directory comprises the steps, performed by one or more processors, of receiving user identifying information, selecting records based on the user identifying information, displaying the selected records to the user, receiving user input identifying at least one of the data records, linking a user to the data record by associating a reference identifier to both the user and the data record, and storing the reference identifier in a location globally accessible location.

A. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of this invention generally relate to computer systems and, more particularly, to methods and systems for linking a user to one or more records in a directory.
B. Description of the Related Art
Electronic directories are fast becoming a popular tool for managing network resources. Printed directories comprise lists of names and other identifying information that allow others to find and easily contact the listed people. Directories may contain, for example, residents of a particular geographic region (a telephone directory), members of an organization (mailing list), or employees of a company (corporate directory). Electronic directories serve the same purpose as printed directories and contain the same type of information. In addition, computer applications use electronic directories to access information about system users, such as login account names and e-mail addresses, and physical devices, such as servers, printers, and file locations.
Early electronic directories were developed for a particular application and computer system and were often incompatible with other applications and systems. As a result, each software operating system and accompanying hardware configuration typically maintained multiple directories containing overlapping information, an unfortunate consequence of the early directory systems. New protocols soon emerged that made it possible for almost any application running on virtually any computer system to obtain directory information. The X.500 directory access protocol (DAP), for example, provides standardized functionality that assists users in browsing or searching directories regardless of the type of server hosting the directory. Another example of a directory protocol is the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP), a TCP/IP-based version of X.500 DAP.
Directory access protocols overcome the problem of incompatible host systems and access procedures, but do not guarantee that the type of information stored in the directories is standardized. For example, one directory may store the user's entire first name, for example, while another directory may not include first names at all or may contain only a first initial. In fact, directory content often varies widely depending on the needs of the host organization or application maintaining the directory. Application programs that want to access and use the information in a directory must search the database to find a particular record. Because directory content is not standard, however, programmers cannot easily program an application to search the directory based on a particular field.
NameView.TM., for example, is an application program in the HotJava Views.TM. suite of application programs that provides users with e-mail, calendaring, name directory access, and Internet browsing capabilities all written in Java.TM. programming language..sup.1 The Java programming language is an object-oriented programming language that is described, for example, in a text entitled "The Java Language Specification" by James Gosling, Bill Joy, and Guy Steele, Addison-Wesley, 1996.
 FNT .sup.1 Sun, Sun Microsystems, the Sun Logo, NameView, HotJava Views, and Java are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and other countries.
NameView enables users to view a name directory provided by an application within HotJava Views or downloaded from an existing directory database. Typically, a host organization configures the NameView directory to contain user information such as name, telephone number, and e-mail address. Each host organization, however, may customize their NameView directory to include different information.
Programmers can design applications to contain links to information in other directories. These links typically comprise addresses, pointers, or other information that an application uses to access information in another application or data storage area. NameView, for example, can be programmed so that NameView records contain links to directory records containing a user's calendar or mail store address, allowing a NameView application to quickly locate and access a user's e-mail or calendar. Links between directories, however, must first be established. Ideally, the application would be able to recognize a user's record in a directory and automatically create the appropriate links.
One method of automatically linking a user to a record in a directory is by programming the application to search for a record containing the user's login information. User login information, however, is not always unique to a single individual. Network user "David E. Smith" using the login account name "desmith" may have left the network and, six months later, "Dawn E. Smith" is given access to the network under the same login account name. User records from David's use of the "desmith" login account name may still be archived on the system.
Furthermore, user login information that is unique to a particular subset of a network may not be unique to a directory database that stores company-wide information. As a result, application programs that link records solely by user login information may incorrectly link some users to records belonging to other users having the same login information.
Another method of linking a user to a record in a directory is to prompt the user to enter the information directly. This method, however, requires that the user know what information the application needs and enter the information without error. Information such as a mailbox or a calendar address may be complicated and difficult for the typical user to determine or remember. Furthermore, if the user enters incorrect or incomplete information, the application may not be able to find a matching record and may create a redundant record.
Therefore, a need exists for a method of linking a user to one or more records in a directory containing multiple records possessing the search term or terms, a method of linking a user to one or more records in a directory using a unique reference identifier, and a method of linking a user to one or more records in a directory using minimal human interaction.

Method, apparatus, and product for linking a user to records of a database


The present invention includes compounds useful in preventing, treating or ameliorating Sigma-related disorders or diseases. The compounds of the invention may modulate cellular protein homeostasis, which includes: translation initiation, folding, processing, transport, and degradation (including ubiquitin selective autophagy) of proteins. The present invention also includes methods of preventing, treating or ameliorating a Sigma-related disorder or disease in a subject in need thereof, the method comprising administering to the subject an effective amount of a Sigma-modulating compound. The present invention also includes methods of preventing, treating or ameliorating a Sigma-related disorder or disease in a subject in need thereof, the method comprising administering to the subject an effective amount of a Sigma-modulating compound, further comprising administering an effective amount of a compound that inhibits the ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) and/or autophagic survival pathways.

In eukaryotic cells the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is the primary site of synthesis, folding, and assembly of secreted and integral membrane proteins and their macromolecular complexes (Mu et al., 2008, Cell 134:769-781; Marciniak et al., 2006, Physiol. Rev. 2006:1133-1149; Ron et al., 2007, Nat. Rev. Mol. Cell Biol. 519-529). Maintenance of ER protein homeostasis relies on the timely convergence of multiple pathways that detect homeostatic protein concentration thresholds and control the ebb-and-flow of ER proteins (Mu et al., 2008, Cell 134:769-781; Marciniak et al, 2006, Physiol. Rev. 2006:1133-1149; Ron et al., 2007, Nat. Rev. Mol. Cell Biol. 519-529; Jonikas et al. 2009, Science 323:1693-1697). This process is driven by an intricate network of molecular chaperones and transcription factors. Disruption of ER homeostasis activates stress response pathways including the unfolded protein response (UPR) (Marciniak et al, 2006, Physiol. Rev. 2006:1133-1149; Ron et al., 2007, Nat. Rev. Mol. Cell Biol. 519-529; Kim et al., 2008, Nat. Rev. Drug Discov. 7:1013-1030; Xu et al., 2005, J. Clin. Invest. 2656-2664).
The mammalian UPR comprises at least two phases: an initial alarm phase, followed by a cytoprotective, adaptive phase in which UPR factors are upregulated to enhance the cellular capacity to process increased concentrations of unfolded protein (Marciniak et al, 2006, Physiol. Rev. 2006:1133-1149; Ron et al., 2007, Nat. Rev. Mol. Cell Biol. 519-529; Kim et al., 2008, Nat. Rev. Drug Discov. 7:1013-1030; Xu et al., 2005, J. Clin. Invest. 2656-2664). Imbalanced or altered capacity to respond to ER stress has been implicated in various diseases and disorders (Marciniak et al, 2006, Physiol. Rev. 2006:1133-1149; Kim et al., 2008, Nat. Rev. Drug Discov. 7:1013-1030; Ma et al., 2004, Nat. Rev. Cancer 4:966-977). Protracted ER stress can overwhelm the UPR, leading to autophagy as a secondary survival response (Ron et al., 2007, Nat. Rev. Mol. Cell Biol. 519-529; Bernales et al., 2006, PLoS Biol. 4:e423; Ogata et al., 2006, Mol. Cell Biol. 26:9220-9231; Yorimitsu et al., 2006, J. Biol. Chem. 281:30299-30304). Although the relationship between ER stress, unfolded protein response, and autophagy remains unclear, growing evidence suggests that these responses are likely integrated signaling pathways that modulate cell survival and growth (Ron et al., 2007, Nat. Rev. Mol. Cell Biol. 519-529, He et al., 2009, Annu. Rev. Genet. 43:67-93, Hoyer-Hansen et al., 2007, Cell Death Differ. 14:1576-1582).
Autophagy describes a set of bulk cellular degradation pathways in which large aggregates of misfolded proteins and damaged cellular components, including damaged organelles, are sequestered into membrane bound vesicles called autophagosomes and subsequently targeted for lysosomal degradation (He et al., 2009, Annu. Rev. Genet. 43:67-93; Levine et al., 2004, Dev. Cell 6:463-477). Complete autophagy comprises autophagosome fusion with lysosomes to form autolysosomes, wherein the sequestered proteins and lipids are subsequently degraded by autophagic degradation or flux (He et al., 2009, Annu. Rev. Genet. 43:67-93; Levine et al., 2004, Dev. Cell 6:463-477). Autophagy occurs under basal conditions in many tissues and is involved in cellular differentiation and development. It is also activated or hyperactivated in conditions of nutrient starvation and cellular stress (Levine et al., 2004, Dev. Cell 6:463-477, Mizushima et al., 2008, Nature 451:1069-1075), to maintain energy levels and to sequester and remove damaged and cytotoxic cellular components (Levine et al., 2004, Dev. Cell 6:463-477; Mizushima et al., 2008, Nature 451:1069-1075). Thus, autophagy plays important roles in cellular homeostasis and disease prevention, and defective autophagy has been implicated in neurodegenerative disease and cancer (Levine et al., 2008, Cell 132:27-42; Mizushima et al., 2008, Nature 451:1069-1075; White et al., 2009, Clin. Cancer Res. 15:5308-5316).
Autophagy has been shown to influence tumor cell growth and tumorigenesis (Levine et al., 2008, Cell 132:27-42; White et al., 2009, Clin. Cancer Res. 15:5308-5316; Degenhardt et al., 2006, Cancer Cell 10:304-312; Mathew et al., 2007, Nat. Rev. Cancer 7:961-967). Autophagy may serve a cytoprotective role in cancer cells (Levine et al., 2008, Cell 132:27-42; Mizushima et al., 2008, Nature 451:1069-1075; White et al., 2009, Clin. Cancer Res. 15:5308-5316; Degenhardt et al., 2006, Cancer Cell 10:304-312). Several antineoplastic agents have been shown to induce autophagy (Rubinsztein et al., 2007, Rev. Drug Discov. 6:304-312). However, in many cases it remains unclear whether cell death occurs by autophagy, whether cell death is associated with autophagy, or whether autophagy is a survival response to cytotoxic chemotherapy (Levine et al., 2004, Dev. Cell 6:463-477; Levine et al., 2008, Cell 132:27-42; White et al., 2009, Clin. Cancer Res. 15:5308-5316; Hippert et al., 2006, Cancer Res. 66:9349-9351). Emerging data suggest that autophagy participates in integrated responses to cellular stress that determine cell death versus survival. The proteins and pathways that regulate these integrated stress responses are just beginning to be defined (Ron et al., 2007, Nat. Rev. Mol. Cell Biol. 519-529; Kim et al., 2008, Nat. Rev. Drug Discov. 7:1013-1030, Levine et al., 2004, Dev. Cell 6:463-477; Rubinsztein et al., 2006, Neuron 54:9349-9351).
Sigma receptors, first proposed 30 years ago (Martin et al., 1976, J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 197:517-532), are distinct from classical opioid receptors (Su, 1982, J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 223:284-290). Binding studies suggest at least two Sigma receptor subtypes, of which only the Sigma1 receptor (hereinafter "Sigma1") has been cloned, whereas the identity of Sigma2 remains unclear (Hanner et al., 1996, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 93:8072-8077; Vilner et al., 1995, Cancer Res. 55:408-413). Sigma1 is highly conserved among mammals (greater than 80% amino acid identity), but shares no significant homology with any traditional receptor family or other mammalian protein (White et al., 2009, Clin. Cancer Res. 15:5308-5316; Mathew, et al., 2007, Nat. Rev. Cancer 7:961-967). Cloned Sigma1 is a 26 kilodalton integral membrane protein (Hanner et al., 1996, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 93:8072-8077; Pal et al., 2007, Mol. Pharmacol. 72:921-933; Aydar et al., 2007, Neuron 34:399-410; Hayashi et al., 2007, Cell 131:596-610). It is found primarily in the ER, and can translocate to the plasma membrane, other organelles, and endoplasmic membrane microdomains (Hanner et al., 1996, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 93:8072-8077; Aydar et al., 2007, Neuron 34:399-410; Hayashi et al., 2007, Cell 131:596-610; Hayashi et al., 2003, J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 306:718-725; Palmer et al., 2007, Cancer Res. 67:11166-11175). Sigma receptors are highly expressed in tumor cell lines, including prostate and breast adenocarcinoma (Vilner et al., 1995, Cancer Res. 55:408-413; Berthosis et al., 2003, Br. J. Cancer 88:438-446; Piergentili et al., J. Med. Chem. 53:1261-1269). Some Sigma ligands are reported as antitumor agents (Berthosis et al., 2003, Br. J. Cancer 88:438-446; Vilner et al., 1995, J. Neurosci. 15:117-134). Interestingly, putative Sigma antagonists, but not agonists, inhibit prostate carcinoma proliferation in vitro and inhibit tumor growth in tumor xenograft experiments (Berthosis et al., 2003, Br. J. Cancer 88:438-446; Spruce et al., 2004, Cancer Res. 64:4875-4886). Recent work has described Sigma ligand-induced cell death by lysosomal destabilization and oxidative stress.
There are numerous examples of clinically used compounds that bind Sigma1 with high affinity and thus are considered Sigma1 ligands, such as haloperidol, a widely used antipsychotic that also binds D2 receptors with similar affinity and whose anti-psychotic properties are primarily understood as D2 mediated (Seeman, et al., 1975, Science 188:1217-1219; Seeman et al., 1976, Nature 261:717-719), and the hallucinogen N,N-dimethyltryptamine, hypothesized to be an endogenous Sigma1 regulator (Fontanilla et al., 2009, Science 323:934-937). Sigma receptors have proved to be highly attractive pharmacological targets for the treatment of various pathologies, such as neuropathic pain (de la Puente et al., 2009, Pain 145:294-303), depression (Skuza, 2003, Pol. J. Pharmacol. 55:923-934), cocaine abuse (Matsumoto et al., 2003, Eur. J. Pharmacol. 469:1-12), epilepsy (Lin et al., 1997, Med. Res. Rev. 17:537-572), psychosis (Rowley et al., 2001, J. Med. Chem. 44:477-501), and Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease (Maurice et al., 1997, Prog. Neuro-Psychopharmacol. Biol. Psychiatry 21:69-102; Marrazzo et al., 2005, NeuroReport 16:1223-1226). Recent reports demonstrate a genetic link between the Sigma1 receptor gene (SIGMAR1) and Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) (Al-Saif et al., 2011, Ann Neurol. 70(6):913-9), as well as Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration (FTLD) (Luty et al., 2010, Ann Neurol. 2010 68(5):639-49). Moreover, Sigma1 antagonists and Sigma2 agonists may be useful as anticancer agents and selective tumor imaging agents (Akhter et al., 2008, Nucl. Med. Biol. 35:29-34; Tu et al., 2007, J. Med. Chem. 50:3194-3204).
Sigma1 can function as a molecular chaperone at the ER-mitochondrion interface at least in certain model cell lines (Hayashi & Su, 2007, Cell 131(3):596-610). However, the physiological role of Sigma receptors as well as their role in neurodegenerative disease and cancer remains unclear. In vitro, treatment with a Sigma antagonist results in apoptotic cell death following prolonged treatment, with Sigma ligand time-action and dose-response, depending on the Sigma antagonist and cell line (Berthosis et al., 2003, Br. J. Cancer 88:438-446; Piergentili et al., J. Med. Chem. 53:1261-1269; Spruce et al., 2004, Cancer Res. 64:4875-4886; Vilner et al., 1995, J. Neurosci. 15:117-134). Yet, a mechanistic understanding of the Sigma1 receptor system remains elusive.
Most prostate cancer patients become unresponsive to initially effective hormone- and chemotherapy as prostate tumor cells eventually adapt and develop resistance. Treatment with Sigma antagonists leads to apoptotic cell death of both androgen-sensitive and androgen-insensitive prostate cancer cells (Berthosis et al., 2003, Br. J. Cancer 88:438-446; Spruce et al., 2004, Cancer Res. 64:4875-4886). Although some insight has been gained into how prostate cancer cells develop such resistance, currently there are few alternatives to treat hormone refractory (castration resistant) prostate cancer. Emerging therapies to treat intractable, advanced prostate cancers target protein processing and chaperone pathways that maintain prostate tumor growth and survival.
There is a need in the art to identify compounds useful in the treatment of intractable, advanced cancers. Such compounds may target protein processing, protein synthesis, protein folding, protein transport, protein localization, protein assembly into functional macromolecular complexes, and related chaperone pathways, all of which may help maintain tumor growth, survival and metastasis. The present invention addresses this unmet need.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Sigma receptor ligands and methods of modulating cellular protein homeostasis using same


Provided herein are bird feeders configured to be positioned on an exterior window sill ledge and readily observed and maintained from the comfort of a home. The bird feeders provided herein can in some embodiments comprise a basin or other container (and optional cover) for holding and/or providing bird seed and/or feed and a compression pad configured to be compressed between a closed window and the window sill to thereby secure the feeder in place on the exterior window sill ledge. In some embodiments adjustable support members can be provided to permit the feeder to be leveled or placed in a substantially level position on an exterior window sill ledge. To refill and/or maintain the feeder a user can access the feeder simply by opening the window from the inside of the home or dwelling.

Bird watching, or birding, is a worldwide recreational and educational activity that includes the observation of birds by the naked eye, through a visual enhancement device like binoculars and telescopes, or by listening for bird sounds. The observation of birds and other wildlife can often times be enhanced by providing food to attract the birds to a desired location, including private residences, office buildings, parks and the like. Bird watchers and wildlife enthusiasts find enjoyment in observing and providing food for these wild avian species.
There are currently numerous bird feeding devices available in the marketplace. Many provide desirable features intended to enhance the enjoyment of feeding and observing birds. However, most of the currently available bird feeder designs require a user to go outside of a residence or dwelling, or precariously hang outside of a window, to attend to the feeder and replenish food sources. During inclement weather, and/or for elderly or disabled persons or those residing on the upper floors of buildings, such may not be desirable or even possible. Moreover, in some instances it can be beneficial to have a feeder positioned near a window to facilitate up-close bird watching from the indoors through the window.
Thus, a need remains for devices, apparatuses, systems and methods for feeding, observing and caring for birds. Particularly, what is needed is an effective and reliable bird feeder that can be easily and safely installed, replenished, maintained and observed from indoors.


A specular illuminator having a plurality of bulbs surrounded by a plurality of glass panes coated with a light-filtering resin on their inner surfaces. When the bulbs are not glowing, the glass surrounding them may be used as a mirror since the outer surface, not coated with light-filtering resin, can reflect the image; when the bulbs are glowing, the light will shine forth through the glass and, at the same time, reflect repetitively among the inner surface of the glass and project an image of numerous bulbs on the outer surface of the glass. With the application of bulbs of different colors and shapes or other ornaments, the reflection will look even more glaring.

This invention relates to a specular illuminator comprising a plurality panes of bulbs surrounded by a plurality of glass coated with light-filtering resin on their inner surfaces. With the multiple reflection among the glass, the bulbs inside the glass combination will appear as an image of numerous bulbs on the outer surface of the glass.
Along with the rapid progress of industry, the population of the city has expanded to such a degree that the space allowed for each person decreases in a large scale and forms a kind of spacial pressure on people. Accordingly, how to make good use of the limited space so as to enlarge people's visual territory has been the major concern of architectures and interior designers.

Fu-Hsing Li, Ta Sih Town, Tao-Yuan County, Taiwan


An acoustical transducer unit mountable in a speaker enclosure with a speaker opening adapted to face a user's ear, and a method for manufacturing the transducer. The transducer has a pair of opposing plates spaced apart a predetermined distance and a diaphragm physically connected and positioned between the plates, though electrically separated from the plates. The plates are adapted to be connected to an audio signal source, while the diaphragm receives a bias voltage. The transducer is mounted in the enclosure facing outward toward the speaker opening. The diaphragm is formed of a flexible substrate material such as MYLAR.TM.. A substantially infrared transparent material is deposited onto each side of the substrate in a thin layer to arrive at a transducer which is at a much higher level of performance than those of the prior art. The deposited material is infrared transparent so as to permit the deposition process to proceed without substantial damage or distortion to the diaphragm. Because the deposited metal is transparent to infrared energy, the diaphragm may be thinner than 5.0.times.10 meters, resulting in a transducer having substantially improved frequency response due to the thinness and low mass of the diaphragm.

This invention relates to acoustic transducers, for use such as in loudspeakers, headphones and microphones, and in particular to such acoustic transducers based upon electrostatic principles.
It is well known to produce an acoustic transducer based upon electrostatic principles. Generally, as shown in Lange, U.S. Pat. No. 3,362,903, an electrostatic acoustic transducer includes a pair of fixed electrodes, often with a multiplicity of small openings and supported opposite to each other, and with a vibrating film or diaphragm affixed therebetween. The diaphragm is caused to vibrate according to the desired acoustical frequencies by applying electrical fields to the electrodes, so as to faithfully reproduce an audio signal.
Often the material of the diaphragm is a polyethylene terephthalate film manufactured by DUPONT under the trademark MYLAR. As is well known, MYLAR.TM. has an extremely high sheet resistivity, on the order of about 10.sup.18 ohms per square, which causes the attendant electronic drive circuitry to be exceedingly complex and expensive It may be that a coating of a complex quaternary compound used in the fabric industry could be applied to a MYLAR.TM. diaphragm to reduce the resistivity. When such quaternary compounds are used, however, the sheet resistivity of the surface is dependent upon ambient humidity, and can change noticeably with small changes in humidity, adversely affecting the acoustical performance of any transducer of which it is a part. These changes based upon humidity are particularly noticeable if the acoustic transducer is used in a headphone speaker application, because of the increased humidity caused by the proximity of the transducer to the listener's head and ear.
As indicated in Atoji, U.S. Pat. No. 3,833,770, it is known to provide an electret, the electrostatic equivalent of a permanent magnet, with a conductive layer formed on one side thereof. Atoji proposes to have the electret generate an electrostatic field between itself and one of the fixed electrodes and thereby eliminate certain harmonics generated between the electret and the other fixed electrode. Thus, Atoji proposes to apply highly conductive materials such as aluminum or silver to one side of the diaphragm. This application of highly conductive materials to the diaphragm material, however, drastically reduces the sheet resistivity of the diaphragm, and adds significant mechanical mass to the diaphragm. The overall effect of these changes is to reduce the acoustic performance of the transducer, unless other changes are made in the design and construction of the transducer to maintain sound quality. Such changes to maintain sound quality again result in increased expense of manufacture.
This invention relates to improvements over the structures described above, and to solutions to some of the problems raised thereby.

Electrostatic acoustic transducer having extremely thin diaphragm substrate


A method controls an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle. The engine is supplied with air and has an ignition angle and the engine is equipped with a control unit for adjusting at least the air supplied to the engine and the ignition angle. In the method, a driver command for the control unit is detected which can be realized by effecting a change of the air supplied to the engine. The air supplied to the engine and the ignition angle are adjusted during an operating state of the engine in dependence upon the driver command. In this way, the change of the air supplied to the engine is reduced which is required to fulfill the driver command.

The control of internal combustion engines is configured in particular with a view to reducing the emission of toxic substances and optimizing the composition of the exhaust gases. Transient processes such as acceleration processes are, in this regard, critical operating states since they are responsible for brief deviations from the ideal mixture composition. Very rapid changes in the air mass supplied to the internal combustion engine have particularly negative effects on the mixture composition when the internal combustion engine is cold.
In order to optimize the composition of the exhaust gases during transient processes various approaches have been proposed. Thus, it is known, for example from U.S. Pat. No. 5,095,874, to adjust the fuel supply to the internal combustion engine in dependence upon the activation of the accelerator pedal. The air supply is then controlled in a way which optimizes the mixture composition on the basis of the quantity of fuel pregiven by the driver taking into account a wall film model, as may be required.
The entire right, title and interest to the present application and to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/378,020, filed Jan. 25, 1995, are assigned to the same assignee, namely, Robert Bosch GmbH of Stuttgart, Germany. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/378,020 discloses that the maximum rate of change of the air mass or air quantity is limited in the warm-up phase of the internal combustion engine in order to reduce the emission of toxic substances within the scope of an electronic control of the air supply to the engine in dependence upon the driver command.
The objective of all known proposals is to limit the rate of change in the air mass per time unit or to optimize the air/fuel system dynamically. However, if a given change in the driver command is to be realized, a corresponding change in the air supply must always be realized, if only with a limited rate of change.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,351,297 discloses that the ignition angle of the internal combustion engine is changed in the retard direction in order to heat up the catalytic converter more rapidly when the internal combustion engine is cold.

Method and arrangement for controlling an internal combustion engine of a vehicle


A semiconductor device in the form of a metal insulator field effect transistor (MISFET) (200) is constructed as a heterostructure of narrow bandgap In.sub.1-x Al.sub.x Sb semiconductor materials. The MISFET (200) is formed from four semiconducting layers (112 to 118) arranged in series as follows: a heavily doped p-type first layer (112), a heavily doped relatively wider bandgap p-type second layer (114), a lightly doped p-type third layer (116) and a heavily doped n-type fourth layer (118). A source (202) and a drain (204) are formed in the fourth layer (118) and a gate (116/205) in the third layer. An n.sup.+ p.sup.- junction (124) is formed between the third and fourth layers and a p.sup.+ p.sup.- junction (122) between the second and third layers. The second layer (114) provides a conduction band potential energy barrier to minority carrier (electron) flow to the gate (116/205), and is sufficiently wide to prevent tunnelling of minority carriers therebetween. The first and second layers (112, 114) in combination provide a p.sup.+ p.sup.+ excluding contact to the third layer (116). The n.sup.+ p.sup.- junction (124) between the third and fourth layers (116, 118) is an extracting contact; when reverse biased in operation, this junction (124) extracts minority carriers from the region of the third layer (116) adjacent the collector (118/204). In operation, the third layer (116) incorporating the gate (205) becomes depleted of charge carriers and therefore exhibits greatly reduced leakage current. In consequence, the MISFET (200) has good dynamic range in terms of controllable drain current. The invention also provides bipolar transistors (300, 400 ) and related devices.

1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a semiconductor device. More particularly, though not exclusively, it relates to such devices which are heterostructures of narrow bandgap semiconductor materials.
2. DISCUSSION OF PRIOR ART
Narrow bandgap semiconductors such as InSb have useful properties such as very low electron effective mass, very high electron mobility and high saturation velocity. These are potentially of great interest for high speed device applications. Unfortunately it has proved difficult to overcome the drawbacks of these materials. A prior art three terminal active device which is a narrow bandgap semiconductor material heterostructure is described by T Ohashi et al in J Vac Sci Technol B4 622 (1986). It is a thin film depletion mode field effect transistor (FET) device, and consists of an InSb film on a GaAs substrate. However, the device of Ohashi et al unfortunately has poor performance, a high leakage current in particular. It has a dynamic range of only 7dB, and so its current in an ON state is only about twice (5.sup.1/2) that in an OFF state. This exemplifies the difficulty of exploiting the useful properties of narrow bandgap semiconductors.
European Patent Application No.8530405.1-2203 published as No. 0 167 305 corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,016,073 discloses photodiodes having two or more terminals and formed as heterostructures of semiconductor materials. There is no disclosure of field effect transistors or bipolar transistors.

Semiconductor device with low thermally generated leakage current

The Secretary of State for Defence in Her Britannic Majesty's Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland


The systems and methods that identify fraud committed using native applications and web applications are provided. A native application executing on a client device generates a pairing identifier. The pairing identifier is associated with native attributes that are used by a fraud detection system to identify fraudulent transactions. The native application also activates a browser and passes the pairing identifier to the browser. The browser associates the pairing identifier with web attributes that store browser data collected on the client device. The client device transmits native attributes together with the pairing identifier and also the web attributes together with the pairing identifier to the fraud detection system. The fraud detection system links the native attributes and the web attributes by the pair identifier, and uses the native attributes and the web attributes to identify fraud that is initiated on the client device.

Conventional fraud detection systems rely on browser data to connect an operator of an account to transactions. For example, when a transaction is initiated from the browser, the fraud detection systems collect attributes received from the browser and compare the attributes with already collected attributes and user data to determine risk associated with the transaction. The measure of risk may indicate whether a transaction is generated by an owner of the account or by a third party attempting to commit fraud.
The trend in technology, however, is to install native applications on a client device and use the native applications to initiate transactions that have previously been initiated from the browser. Because the native applications do not interact with the browser, the browser generated attributes are not provided to the fraud detection systems to measure risk of the transactions initiated from the native applications. Similarly, when a browser initiates transactions, native application attributes are not provided to the fraud detection systems to measure risk of the transactions initiated from the browser. As a result, some attributes available on the client device that the fraud detection systems may use to accurately measure risk are not provided to the fraud detection systems. This, in turn, increases the risk that the fraud detection system will not detect fraudulent transactions.
Embodiments of the disclosure and their advantages are best understood by referring to the detailed description that follows. It should be appreciated that like reference numerals are used to identify like elements illustrated in one or more of the figures, wherein showings therein are for purposes of illustrating embodiments of the disclosure and not for purposes of limiting the same.

Acquiring browser data with application data


This invention relates to a rubber-reinforced polystyrene composition having a rubbery polymer dispersed in the form of particles therein, characterized in that:. (A) the particles have an area-averaged particle diameter in the range of 0.20 to 1.00 micron, PA0 (B) the dispersed particles of rubbery substance have polystyrene included in the form of minute particles therein and not less than 80% of the total number of the polystyrene particles have diameters of not more than 0.3 micron, and PA0 (C) the composition contains polydimethyl siloxane in an amount falling in the range of 0.005 to 0.8% by weight.. The resin composition of this invention is superior in appearance such as coloring and gloss and has balanced properties of impact resistance and rigidity. Excellent coloring represents a profound commercial significance in that the cost of dye and pigment to be used for the coloring can be appreciably saved.

1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates to a method for continuous production of a rubber-reinforced polystyrene type resin possessing a balanced set of outstanding properties.
Rubber-reinforced polystyrene, for example, is now used extensively in parts for household electric appliances. It nevertheless has the disadvantage that the molded articles thereof are deficient in surface gloss, in impact strength, and in colored feeling as compared with those of the conventional ABS resin. Recently, in view of the trend of the molded articles of rubber-reinforced polystyrene type resins toward reduction of cost and decrease of wall thickness, the market has been demanding the appearance of a rubber-reinforced polystyrene composition which exhibits properties similar to those of the ABS resin.
As the general trend of the recent techniques concerning the production of rubber-reinforced polystyrene, the method of continuous bulk polymerization which gives products of highly stable quality at low cost has come to attract increasing attention in view of reduction of cost.
This invention aims to provide a rubber-reinforced polystyrene type resin composition which is inexpensive and yet is capable of producing molded articles possessing a balanced set of outstanding properties such as gloss, coloring, and impact strength comparable to those exhibited by injection molded articles, extruded sheets, and extrusion vacuum molded articles of the expensive ABS resin and a method for the continuous production, particularly a method for the continuous bulk polymerization, of the rubber-reinforced polystyrene type resin composition.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
The rubber-reinforced polystyrene has heretofore been used extensively on a commercial scale. The rubber particles dispersed in the rubber-reinforced polystyrene have diameters generally falling in the range of 1.0 to 5.0 microns (.mu.). When the rubber-reinforced polystyrene contains rubber particles of diameters not exceeding 1.0 .mu., it does not exhibit desirable properties.
The rubber-reinforced polystyrene generally has polystyrene included in the form of minute particles within the dispersed particles of rubbery substance. It is clearly noted from the electron microscope photographs of commercially available rubber-reinforced polystyrene products inserted as FIG. 2 in "Encyclopedia of Polymer Science and Technology," Vol. 13, page 402 that in all the included polystyrene particles of a given rubber-reinforced polystyrene product, those of diameters exceeding 0.3 .mu. account for a fairly large proportion.
Resin compositions which comprise a rubber-reinforced styrene type resin and an organic polysiloxane are described in such prior publications as "Modern Plastics," November, 1972 issue, pp 114-116, "Plastics Age," 1974, Vol. 20, May issue, page 107, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 3494/1980, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 124561/1978, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 187345/1982, and Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 187346/1982. From the contents of these publications, it is clear that a desirable resin composition is not obtained when the rubber-reinforced polystyrene component used therein contains rubber particles of smaller diameters.
To meet the aforementioned market's demand for an improved rubber-reinforced polystyrene possessing a balanced set of outstanding properties, it is necessary to offer an improved rubber-reinforced polystyrene which exhibits outstanding and balanced performance in impact strength, gloss, tensile strength, and heat resistance.
The method which comprises polymerizing a styrene monomer solution containing a rubbery substance thereby making particles of the rubbery substance, bulk polymerizing the resulting composite until the produced particles of rubbery substance acquire stable diameters, and switching the proceeding bulk polymerization to suspension polymerization has been known to the art. The method which adds polystyrene before start of polymerization (Japanese Patent Publication No. 19352/1966, U.S. Pat. No. 3,488,743), the method which adds polystyrene while the polymerization is in progress and then continues the polymerization to make particles of the rubbery substance (Japanese Patent Publication No. 13983/1968, Japanese Patent Publication No. 21746/1968), and the method which polymerizes part of a styrene solution of the rubbery substance and then adds an additional supply of rubbery substane and optionally a styrene type polymer to make particles of the rubbery substance (Japanese Patent Publication No. 35074/1974) have been also known to the art. These methods invariably include a step of suspension polymerization. Besides, the method which adds polystyrene before the polymerization is started in either bulk-suspension polymerization or bulk polymerization (U.S. Pat. No. 3,144,420, for example) has been known to the art. Further, the method which mixes the rubbery substance particles with a separately prepared polystyrene solution and continues the polymerization without a catalyst (U.S. Pat. No. 3,676,527, U.S. Pat. No. 2,694,692) have been proposed.
It is, however, difficult to obtain a rubber-reinforced polystyrene type resin which produces molded articles of excellent appearance (gloss and coloring). It is far more difficult to obtain this resin by a method of continuous bulk polymerization. None of the methods of continuous bulk polymerization developed to date has succeeded in obtaining this resin with satisfactory performance.

High-gloss rubber-reinforced polystyrene composition and method for continuous production thereof


A carrying assembly (10,110) having an easy release clip for carrying of an electronic device (12,112) is disclosed. In both a first and a second preferred embodiment, the easy release clip of the carrying assembly (10,110) allows a user to insert and remove the electronic device (12,112) in one step and without having to depress a release key. In the first preferred embodiment, the carrying assembly (10) is adjustable so that the electronic device (12) may be positioned in a horizontal position, a vertical position, or any position between horizontal and vertical. The carrying assembly (10) broadly comprises a rear panel (14), a spring component (16) including an integral leaf spring (46), a retainer button (18), and a base (20). In a second preferred embodiment, the carrying assembly (110) is fitted to a lanyard so that the electronic device (112) may be worn around the user's neck. The carrying assembly (110) broadly comprises a base (114), a catch (116), an actuator (118), and a rear panel (120) having an integral leaf spring (256).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to carrying assemblies for securing or carrying portable electronic devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to a carrying assembly operable to quickly and easily release an electronic device from the carrying assembly and to adjustably position the device in a preferred position.
2. Description of Prior Art
Portable electronic devices are well-known in the art, examples of which include mobile telephones, pagers, personal digital assistants ("PDAs"), global positioning system ("GPS") receiver units, etc. One problem presented with carrying such an electronic device is securement of and accessibility to the electronic device. A user of the electronic device desires to carry the electronic device in such a manner to prevent dropping, misplacing, or damaging the electronic device, while at the same time maintaining quick access to the electronic device.
Prior art carrying assemblies use holders that may be clipped to the user's clothing, such as the user's belt or a waist of the user's pants. Unfortunately, these devices are often cumbersome and do not allow quick access to the electronic device. For example, some carrying assemblies are not easily removable from the belt or pants. Also, when the user sits, the electronic device often pushes into the user's torso. Furthermore, the carrying assembly and the electronic device are often obstructed from reach, such as when a safety belt is used in an automobile.
Accordingly, there is a need for a carrying assembly for an electronic device that overcomes the limitations of the prior art. Specifically, there is a need for a carrying assembly that offers reliable securement of the electronic device while allowing the user to quickly and easily remove the electronic device from the carrying assembly.
Furthermore, there is a need for a carrying assembly that is adjustable so that the user may rotate the electronic device to a comfortable position once the device is in the carrying assembly and clipped to the user's clothing.
There is yet a further need for a carrying assembly that allows the user immediate access to the electronic device, such as when the user is reading navigational information from a GPS unit.

Carrying assembly and method for securement of electronic devices


Devices including a cavity region to house a plurality of ports are described. In one example, a device includes a first side including a display region, a second side including a cavity region to house a port, and a third side including a cutout region adjacent to the cavity region.

Data centers are facilities used to house computer systems and associated components such as telecommunications and storage systems. The computer systems (e.g., servers, routers, switches) and associated components can be organized in racks or cabinets. A data center administrator may need to monitor all aspects of the systems and components onsite or from a remote location.

Devices including a cavity region to house ports

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP


Arrangement for a tool spindle equipped with a rotor (22) of an electric driving motor (32). It is distinguished in that the rotating part (1, 3) of the tool spindle is accommodated in a unit (4) that is stationary in relation to the rotating part, that the rotating part (1, 3) has at least one axial channel (12a, 12b or 12d) extending to the area for the rotor (22) for leading cooling fluid to the area (20a, 26), that the stationary unit (4) is provided with an inlet (16, 14 or 25) for leading cooling fluid to the channel (12a, 12b or 12d), that a gap sealing is arranged on either side of the inlet (16, 14, 25) between the stationary unit (4) and the rotating part (1, 3) and forms a dynamic bearing during the rotation of this, and that a channel is arranged to lead away the coolant fluid.

The present invention relates to a wholly new tool spindle which has built in multi functions to simplify and secure the function of the tool spindle even at very high speeds of rotation. The invention is distinguished by the features stated in the characterizing parts of the claims and will be described in more detail in the form of examples with reference to the drawings.
FIGS. 1-4 show schematically examples of the tool spindle according to the invention, whereby the spindle, due to the its rotational symmetry, is only shown as half a cross-section.
FIG. 5 shows another design of the invention in section and
FIGS. 6 and 7 shows cross-sections through the spindle axle along lines VI and VII in FIG. 4 and FIG. 8 shows schematically the supply unit connected to the spindle according to the invention.