A nasogastric tube insertion system comprises a nasogastric tube, a guide element, and an inserter element. The inserter element has a slim, elongate main body, a handle attached to the body, and an anatomically curved insertion section. The guide element comprises a swallowable weight attached to a cord, string, monofilament line, tube, or other similar line. The swallowable weight may be ablative in the presence of stomach fluids or may be deflated to allow the guide element to be removed while the nasogastric tube remains in place. The inserter element is inserted through the patient's nasal passages and optionally into the oropharynx. The weight is released and the patient swallows it into the stomach. The guide element is threaded through the guide element retaining structure, and the nasogastric tube is safely inserted along the guide element into the patient's stomach. Chemical property indicators sensitive to fluids found in the stomach may be provided in the nasogastric tube or the guide element to verify correct placement of the nasogastric tube in the stomach.

A nasogastric tube is a generally flexible tube inserted through a patient's nasal passages to extend through the esophagus and into the stomach, for the purposes of allowing the introduction of fluids into the stomach, the removal of fluids from the stomach, or both. A nasogastric tube is often used in an emergency situation in an emergency room, trauma center, or immediate care facility. The nasogastric tube is usually inserted by or under the supervision of a physician. There are a number of situations in which the use of a nasogastric tube may be indicated, including, without limitation: upper gastrointestinal bleeding; a bowel obstruction or illeus; ingestion of a poison, contaminant, or drug of inappropriate kind or quantity (i.e., an "overdose"); or when whole bowel irrigation is needed.
Known nasogastric tubes are constructed of a generally flexible material and have one or more separate interior bores or lumina, each extending most of the length of the tube. Kim U.S. Pat. No. 3,999,554 discloses an exemplary nasogastric tube. Plural lumina allow multiple functions, such as the introduction of fluids, removal of fluids, and ventilation of the region around the end of the tube, to be performed simultaneously.
The construction of known nasogastric tubes varies, but in general, at one end intended for insertion into the patient, openings are provided to allow communication of fluids, possibly including gases, between the interior lumina and the region surrounding the end of the tube. At the opposite end of the nasogastric tube, separate sockets or tubes are provided for connection to various sources of fluids to be introduced into the patents stomach or to suction to remove fluids or gases from the patient's stomach.
Several significant disadvantages manifested by known nasogastric tubes arise during the process of inserting the nasogastric tube through the patient's nasal passages and into the stomach.
One disadvantage of known nasogastric tubes is the difficulty of safely inserting the nasogastric tube so that it does not incorrectly intubate the patient's trachea and lungs. Conventionally, the nasogastric tube is placed into the patient's nostril and pushed into the back of the oropharynx. The tube is typically lubricated at the tip. In some cases, the back of the oropharynx is numbed with a numbing spray. When the tube is in the oropharynx, the patient is asked to swallow the tube. The tube has some rigidity and cannot be independently swallowed by the patient. Instead, the person inserting the tube assists by pushing the tube into the esophagus and into the stomach while the patient is attempting to swallow.
Because the nasogastric tube is flexible and must undergo a significant bend in the oropharynx, it is impossible to precisely control the position of the end of the tube, and there is considerable risk that the tube will enter the trachea and eventually the lung, instead of the esophagus. Intubating the trachea and lung can have severe consequences, including death. Such intubation may cause damage to vocal cords and airway. It also may cause an extreme coughing and gag response in some patients. In some cases, the patient experiences such discomfort that the patient will not thereafter allow any further attempts at placing the nasogastric tube. In other cases, the patient may tolerate the nasogastric tube even after it has entered the lung, and may even be able to speak. This may cause the healthcare provider to erroneously believe the nasogastric tube has been properly placed in the stomach. If the nasogastric tube is incorrectly placed, and medication is improperly introduced into the lungs instead of the stomach, it could cause extreme morbidity or even death.
The epiglottis covers the trachea during the act of swallowing. The risk of intubating the trachea can be minimized by pushing the tube into the esophagus while the patient is attempting to swallow and entrance to the trachea is blocked by the epiglottis. However, this requires precise timing on the part of the medical professional who is inserting the tube. A further problem is that some patients cannot attempt to swallow because the tube activates their gag reflex. Although the tube is generally flexible, it is rigid compared to tissues of the oropharynx and esophagus, and even when a numbing agent has been used, some patients will gag. Because they are unable to swallow, the epiglottis does not cover the trachea and the nasogastric tube may intubate the trachea and lungs.
Another disadvantage of known nasogastric tubes is that pushing the hard tip of the nasogastric tube through the nasal passage and sinus often causes pain, bleeding, and significant trauma to the nasal cavity. The tube may abrade or irritate the tissues it encounters, particularly where it must bend downward toward the esophagus. In addition, the entire process can cause significant discomfort to the patient.
A further disadvantage of known nasogastric tubes is that it is difficult to verify that a nasogastric tube has been correctly placed in the patient's stomach without additional equipment, personnel, and effort. It is known to employ a radiopaque tracer wire or similar component in the nasogastric tube. Correct insertion can then be verified using conventional radiography or fluoroscopy. However, either of these procedures involves additional time, radiography equipment, technical personnel, and a significant cost.
Other workers in this field have sought to remedy some of these disadvantages. Knott U.S. Pat. No. 5,690,620 discloses an anatomically conforming nasogastric tube having a normally-curved or normally-bent leading end and an additional bend near the leading end. The bent portion of the nasogastric tube is intended to conform to the shape of the soft palate, thereby applying a reduced pressure against the posterior nasopharynx. Knott further discloses a method of inserting the nasogastric tube which involves rotating the tube to bias the bent leading end of the tube in various desired directions so as to avoid obstructions, reliably enter the esophagus, or bias the tip in a particular position with respect to the stomach outlet. However, Knott's apparatus and method do not assure that the leading end of the tube will not encounter, abrade, and irritate tissues during insertion. It also does not resolve the problem that the presence of the tube excites the patient's gag reflex. Moreover, rotating the trailing end of the tube does not ensure that the leading edge of the tube will identically rotate. Therefore, the difficulty of precisely positioning the leading end of the nasogastric tube remains. Thus, the Knott nasogastric tube does not satisfactorily resolve the problems of potentially intubating the trachea and lung, irritating or damaging the nasal cavity, and causing patient discomfort.
Peters U.S. Pat. No. 5,391,158 discloses a system for introducing a nasogastric tube into the stomach of a patient. The Peters system includes a digestible weight to be swallowed by the patient, and a digestible guide string having one end attached to the weight. The nasogastric tube is telescoped around the guide string; during the tube's insertion it follows the guide string into the patient's stomach. Peters discloses that the digestible weight is inserted through the patient's nostril to the nasopharynx.
However, Peters does not disclose how the weight is propelled to the nasopharynx, and it is believed this presents a significant difficulty in using the device. In addition, in many instances in which a nasogastric tube is needed, the patient's digestive system is not functioning properly. It is dangerous to assume that the "digestible" weight and guide string can actually be digested. The use of a "digestible" weight and string could even aggravate the patient's condition, and may cause other complications.
Moreover, the patient's digestion process, if it is operable at all, may take extensive time to digest the weight and string. Thus, the Peters nasogastric tube and insertion system also does not satisfactorily resolve the aforementioned disadvantages of known nasogastric tubes.
There has remained a need in the art for a nasogastric tube which can be safely inserted into the patient, which minimizes risk of intubating the trachea and lungs, which avoids damage to the oropharynx, the esophagus, and other tissues, and which minimizes patient discomfort during insertion.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Insertion system and methods for nasogastric tubes


A reciprocating rocking device for the rocking of a chair or cradle, the chair or cradle having rockers and a seat member, the reciprocating rocking device comprising a base secured to the rockers, the base comprising a first bracket, a second bracket secured to the seat member of the chair or cradle, a tension member connected to the second bracket, an eccentric, the eccentric constantly engaged with the second bracket and, a motor secured to the first bracket, the motor having a drive shaft operatively arranged to drive the eccentric, wherein the motor is coaxially arranged with the eccentric.

Recent studies demonstrate that a rocking motion, including gliding, is beneficial to both physical and mental health. Patients with mid-stage dementia are often difficult to calm. Because these people are aware, to some extent, of what is happening to them, they often feel fear, anger and anxiety. A study sponsored by the School of Nursing of the University of Rochester found that the act of rocking released endorphins that calm and relax patients suffering from dementia. Researchers at the Medical College of Virginia found that one hour of a rocking-type motion per day provides relief to people suffering from arthritis and can help post-operative patients recover faster and suffer from fewer complications. Smooth repetitive motion also was shown to improve muscle tone and flexibility. Children with ADD and similar learning difficulties were reported to be able to concentrate while they are experiencing of a rocking motion. Observations of patients made in the Orange Spine and Disc Rehabilitation Center in California led to conclusions that the rocking motion of a rocking chair combined with some basic exercises help relieve chronic back pain. It is well known that rocking helps to induce sleep, especially in infants. Such rocking, of course, may be provided by rocking an infant in a cradle instead of a rocking chair.
In addition to the therapeutic effects of rocking, many child caregivers simply enjoy rocking an infant in a rocking chair. The time spent rocking can be a time of bonding for both a parent or caregiver and the child. Adults of all ages also enjoy the rocking motion provided by a rocking chair. Sometimes a user isn't physically able to rock in a chair and requires the assistance of a caregiver.
In order for the beneficial effects of rocking to be fully achieved, the rocking motion should be continuous, that is, without abrupt changes in direction and also be performed as quietly as possible. A caregiver can easily rock a cradle or chair with ease in a quiet manner, but this requires the caregiver to stay next to the cradle or chair and prevents other tasks from being completed. Additionally, the caregiver can become fatigued from manually rocking the cradle or chair. In order to alleviate this fatigue what is needed is a device which simulates the rocking motion of a caregiver.
A problem that occurs with mounting a power source to the cradle or chair is the noise that results from its operation. Additionally, excessive noise occurs if an extensive gear train is used to transfer rotational movement from a motor from the rotating gears meshing with one another. A second problem associated with a caregiver manually rocking a wheelchair is the abrupt change in direction due to the front wheels which pivot in order to steer the wheelchair when moving forward. The constant forward and backward motion the caregiver performs in order to rock a patient in a wheelchair is both non-continuous and places excessive physical strain on the caregiver.
Thus, there has been a long-felt need for a device which can rock or glide cradles, chairs, wheelchairs, or the like in a smooth and continuous manner without excessive noise from complicated gear couplings or the need of a caregiver present.


The present invention calls for the establishment of a centralized facility for the production of unfermented, undiluted, and unprocessed hopped wort using a single source of water. The hopped wort is then cooled and transported to a plurality of remote fermentation sites where the hopped wort will be fermented into beer by the addition of yeast. The fermentation sites are preferably located within a restaurant to provide the diners with the aesthetic enjoyment of consuming beers fermented on the premises and to provide a consistent quality from one restaurant location to the next where such beers are produced.

The production of beer is old in the human arts, with some historians and anthropologists of the belief that it was the need to produce grain to ferment into beer that led to the establishment of civilization thousands of years ago.
In very general terms, the production of beer involves first producing a "sweet wort." The sweet wort is formed by the addition of water to malted and unmalted crushed grain such as, but not limited to, barley to form a slurry or mash in a mash tun. Through the action of naturally occurring enzymes this mash is then converted into the sweet wort. Subsequently, the liquid in the sweet wort is drained from the mash tun and directed to a brew kettle where hops are added. The hopped liquid is then boiled in the brew kettle to produce a "hopped wort." The final step in the brewing process involves the addition of a yeast to cause fermentation to occur in a fermentation vessel, which in turn results in the production of alcohol.
Over the years, the foregoing general process has been tinkered with and altered by brewmasters to produce beers of differing flavors, coloring, clarity, and alcohol content. Differing pressures, temperatures, grains, yeasts, and fermentation times produce differing beers, which is inclusive of ales and lagers.
Along with the rise in the production and sale of fermented beverages came eventually the provision of restaurant services. The basic methods of providing restaurant services, including the sale of alcoholic beverages, has changed little in substance, though perhaps greatly in style, over the centuries.
Many restaurants, though not all, serve alcoholic beverages, including beers. Restaurants generally provide their customers with beer by purchasing finished product produced at a brewery, which is then shipped to a restaurant for sale, or, in a few instances, by producing the beer on site at the restaurant. The latter form of restaurant establishments are known as "brew-pubs" in the industry. In reality, the vast majority of beer is brewed by the major breweries and then transported to various restaurants and served either in individual containers or out of kegs. Some restaurants have made the large capital expenditures necessary to brew beer from start to finish on site, though their numbers are limited because of the cost involved in purchasing, operating, and maintaining a quality beer production facility in a restaurant. In addition, those restaurants that have made this investment find expansion difficult to achieve for several reasons, not the least of them being because of the cost involved in building new brewing facilities at a new location and the lack of skilled brewmasters to oversee the brewing process in the individual restaurants. Consequently, often times a successful restaurant offering on-site brewing as well as other restaurant services is unable to expand beyond a single restaurant because of the capital cost involved with establishing another on-site brewery and/or the lack of a brewmaster to oversee the brewing operation.
Another difficulty faced by brew-pubs in expanding their operations from a single site is that the quality of beer produced at varying locations can differ for a number of reasons, most prominent of them being the quality of water used to produce the beer at each site. That is, because water quality naturally varies from site to site, it is difficult—if not nearly impossible—and costly to produce a beer of the exact same taste and quality from brew-pub to brew-pub without costly processing of the local water at multiple location so as to remove it as a factor in the quality of the final product produced at each location.
Some brew-pubs have perhaps considered a central location for the production of all of their brewed product with shipment of the finished product from the central production facility to other locations, thus avoiding the issue of the large capital costs involved in setting up second and subsequent brewing facilities. A considerable difficulty of this approach, however, is the regulatory morass involved in the production and transport of alcoholic beverages in intrastate and interstate commerce.
The prior art discloses an interruption in the brewing process in U.S. Pat. No. 3,290,153 to Bayne, et al. In that patent, the brewing process is discontinued after the production of the hopped wort. The hopped wort is then concentrated by passing it through continuous film evaporators or boiling away water under high pressure to produce a wort concentrate having a solids content of about 80%. Following concentration, the wort is cooled to a temperature below 105° F. The patent then notes that the wort concentrate can be stored on site or shipped elsewhere for subsequent reconstitution and fermentation. It is unclear whether this method was ever actually implemented, but in any event, this production method is rife with difficulty, however, not the least of which is that the taste, color, etc. of beer is greatly dependent upon the quality of water used in the production of the final product. Thus, the production of beer at a different location from where the wort was originally produced using this process is subject to the production of beer of varying quality and taste at the various final production facilities or to great cost to neutralize the effect of the local water quality. In addition, the cost of producing the wort concentrate is itself expensive in that it requires multiple evaporators or equivalent equipment to produce the concentrated wort.
Another inquiry into interruption of the brewing process after production of the hopped wort is found in Homebrew Digest (http//:hbd.org/hbd/archive/2532). There, an amateur brewer questions whether it might be possible to store a small amount of wort after boiling and chilling in order to sell the stored wort to customers at a local home brew store. It is clear from the disclosure that the process had not been implemented. There are no process steps disclosed nor is any apparatus discussed. The nature of the disclosure, however, indicates that storage of small amounts of wort is contemplated with a very short transport to a "local" home brew store for subsequent storage and sale. Complications also make the proposed process non-functional for home brew stores. For instance, Department of Health regulations and inspections would greatly hamper, if not prohibit, this small scale process. The disclosure does not contemplate the commercial production of multiple barrels of wort and subsequent transportation of the wort to multiple and remote restaurant sites where fermentation occurs according to established and controlled parameters.
It is desirable to have a process and associated apparatus for the interruption of the brewing process after production of commercial volumes of unfermented hopped wort, placing the wort under storage conditions that substantially inhibit bacterial action, transporting the wort under controlled conditions to several remote locations, offloading the wort at each location under controlled conditions, and fermenting the wort at each location according to established procedures to produce a beer of singular taste and quality, ensuring that each brew is essentially indistinguishable from the first location where the hopped wort is made to each second location to which the hopped wort is transported and fermented.

Method and apparatus for distributed production of beer


In response to characters entered within a Find dialog box, a minifind window is dynamically updated to provide corresponding search strategies and quick matches from content search data that are being searched. The search strategies and quick matches that are listed are dynamically updated as the user inputs additional characters in the Find dialog box. At any time, the user can initiate a full text search to populate a search results pane, based upon the characters input, by selecting a Go control or pressing the Enter key. Alternatively, the user can select one of the quick matches or search strategies, to populate the search results pane with corresponding items obtained from the content search data, which are most likely to relate to the information desired by the user. This approach is applicable to finding information in almost any data accessed locally, or over a network.

The amount of facts, information, and other data that are available online and in various data resources and reference works has grown tremendously in the recent past and will likely continue to expand exponentially. However, as the amount of data available increases, the task of identifying specific data of interest becomes correspondingly more difficult. Traditionally, hard copy reference works, such as encyclopedias, have been consulted to obtain information on a variety of topics. A person interested in reading information about a specific topic would either consult a subject index typically provided in the last volume of an encyclopedia, or simply select an appropriate volume to page through and find the desired information, based on the letter of the alphabet of the topic. For example, information on the "Civil War" might be found by selecting the encyclopedia volume that includes topics starting with the letter "C," and then paging through the topics that are alphabetically arranged within that volume, until the pages for the section on the Civil War topic are found.
The task of accessing a desired topic or specific information relating to a topic has been made much easier with the availability of relatively low-cost software reference works that are analogous to hard copy encyclopedias. In addition to text and images, the software reference works also typically include maps, animations, videos, and sound files relating to selected topics. Microsoft Corporation's ENCARTA™ Reference Library is an excellent example of such a software reference product. Currently, several gigabytes of data can be provided on a single digital video disk (DVD) in a software reference library. The Internet includes terabytes of data that can be used to supplement the data in a reference work. Unlike a hardcopy reference work, when attempting to access information in software reference libraries or on the Internet, it is not possible for a person to physically thumb through the data to find information based upon the initial letters of keywords or topics of interest. However, software reference works include search facilities that are designed to perform an analogous function by enabling a user to input a topic, or one or more keywords, a phrase, or question in a text box. The user then typically either presses the Enter key or selects a "Go" button or other equivalent control to initiate a search of the available data based upon the text input by the user.
In response to the user initiating the search as described above, a search engine will typically parse the text that was input and then produce a listing of search topics, sometimes many pages long, of possible "hits" that may be appropriate to the user's input. Search modules may rank these "hits" or search results according to their likely relevance to the input text, placing those that appear to be more relevant first in the list. For example, if a user inputs several keywords, hits that have more of the keywords will be listed before hits that have fewer keywords. However, it can be somewhat frustrating for a user reviewing the search results produced by such searches, since the hits may have little apparent relevance to the information that the user desired to find. One reason that the results of a search may not be as expected is because the user may be looking for a particular category of information, but the words input by the user can be interpreted by the search module in a different manner, so that the search returns results in an entirely different category. For example, if the user enters the word "turkey" hoping to find information on the correct temperature at which to roast a turkey, the results of the query may be a list of information related to the country "Turkey," or general information about the bird "turkey," or about commercial establishments that sell roasted or smoked turkeys. Accordingly, it would be preferable to provide a user an option for limiting the search results that will be returned to a specific category, before the search is actually carried out.
Reference works will sometimes enable a user to select a specific category prior to entry of a search query. For example, a user might selectively make a search for a geographic location by initially limiting the search to data maintained in an atlas database. Alternatively, after the user enters a query, the search engine may provide a list of alternatives in different categories from which the user may choose to more accurately access information of interest. For example, one search engine developed for use on the Internet (http://www.askjeeves.com) enables a user to enter a query as a plain language question. After the query is entered, the search engine parses the query text and displays a list of several possible questions representing different questions that may be related for which the search engine can provide information, as well as a list of related search terms, and a list of the search results for the search that was done in response to the query previously entered by the user. By selecting one of the proposed queries or search terms that seems to more closely indicate the information of interest, the user may be able to better access the desired information, since the search results returned in response to the user's query may not be very closely related to the desired information.
Often, searches can be implemented by entering only a single word, particularly, if the user has the ability to choose among various search strategies related to the word, and/or the ability to choose among items that are related to the word. For many words, it may be that typing only a portion of the word is sufficient to indicate the word in its entirety, or at least to narrow the field of choices regarding related matching items. Microsoft Corporation's INTERNET EXPLORER™ and other programs provide auto completion of text entries, using entries that were previously input in the program, but this capability does not extend to indicating proposed search strategies or proposed matching items, based upon a partial entry of a word or phrase. Almost every program that proposes alternative searches or keywords does so only after the user has actually completed a query and entered it. Instead of requiring the user to enter a query before responding, it would be desirable to dynamically list proposed search strategies and possible matches that correspond to the characters input by the use, and to refine the list of proposed search strategies and matches as the user continues to input additional letters in a text box. Such an approach is analogous in some respects to the manual technique applied by a person in looking up information in an index or listing based upon the alphabetical order of the characters in a word.
Preferably, after at least a minimum number of characters are entered by a user, the dynamically refined matches should be listed in a preferred order of priority, with the matching items having the characters input by the user as their first characters, followed by alternative choices that include the characters input by the user, as part of other words in the matching items. A user should also have the option to enter all of the characters of a keyword or multiple words, to enable full text searching. After dynamically modifying the list of proposed search strategies and matches corresponding to the characters that have been input, a user should be able to select one of the search strategies or matches that will likely yield the desired information the user is attempting to find. This approach would be extremely helpful for children, who may not be comfortable typing long words, and for people whose native language (e.g., the Asiatic languages) is relatively complex and not easily entered in a text box using a keyboard. The prior art does not provide any corresponding dynamically updated listing of search strategies or matching items.

Dynamically updated quick searches and strategies


One exemplary embodiment can be a catalyst for catalytic reforming of naphtha. The catalyst can have a noble metal including one or more of platinum, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, osmium, and iridium, at least two alkali metals or at least two alkaline earth metals, or mixtures of alkali metals and alkaline earth metals and a support.

This invention generally relates to an improved catalyst for the conversion of hydrocarbons. More specifically, this invention relates to a reforming catalyst for the catalytic reforming of gasoline-range hydrocarbons that results in increased aromatics production.
There is an increased demand for aromatics production. This invention involves a novel reforming catalyst formulation with tuned acidity for increased aromatics yields. This catalyst formulation applies to new aromatics units, as well as reloads for aromatics units.
The subject of the present invention is a novel dual-function catalyst, characterized by a multimetallic, multigradient combination of three or more metal components in specified concentrations on the finished catalyst, and its use in hydrocarbon conversion with increased aromatics production. Catalysts having both a hydrogenation-dehydrogenation function and a cracking function are used widely in many applications, particularly in the petroleum and petrochemical industry, to accelerate a wide spectrum of hydrocarbon-conversion reactions. The cracking function generally relates to an acid-action material of the porous, adsorptive, refractory-oxide type which is typically utilized as the support or carrier for a heavy-metal component, such as the Group VIII (IUPAC 8-10) metals, which primarily contribute the hydrogenation-dehydrogenation function. Other metals in combined or elemental form can influence one or both of the cracking and hydrogenation-dehydrogenation functions.
Catalytic reforming involves a number of competing processes or reaction sequences. These include dehydrogenation of cyclohexanes to aromatics, dehydroisomerization of alkylcyclopentanes to aromatics, dehydrocyclization of an acyclic hydrocarbon to aromatics, hydrocracking of paraffins to light products boiling outside the gasoline range, dealkylation of alkylbenzenes and isomerization of paraffins. Some of the reactions occurring during reforming, such as hydrocracking which produces light paraffin gases, have a deleterious effect on the yield of products boiling in the gasoline range. Process improvements in catalytic reforming thus are targeted toward enhancing those reactions effecting a higher yield of the gasoline fraction at a given octane number.
It is of critical importance that a dual-function catalyst exhibit the capability both to initially perform its specified functions efficiently and to perform them satisfactorily for prolonged periods of time. The parameters used in the art to measure how well a particular catalyst performs its intended functions in a particular hydrocarbon reaction environment are activity, selectivity and stability. In a reforming environment, these parameters are defined as follows: (1) Activity is a measure of the ability of the catalyst to convert hydrocarbon reactants to products at a designated severity level, with severity level representing a combination of reaction conditions: temperature, pressure, contact time, and hydrogen partial pressure. Activity typically is designated as the octane number of the pentanes and heavier ("C5+") product stream from a given feedstock at a given severity level, or conversely as the temperature required to achieve a given octane number. (2) Selectivity refers to the percentage yield of petrochemical aromatics or C5+ gasoline product from a given feedstock at a particular activity level. (3) Stability refers to the rate of change of activity or selectivity per unit of time or of feedstock processed. Activity stability generally is measured as the rate of change of operating temperature per unit of time or of feedstock to achieve a given C5+ product octane, with a lower rate of temperature change corresponding to better activity stability, since catalytic reforming units typically operate at relatively constant product octane. Selectivity stability is measured as the rate of decrease of C5+ product or aromatics yield per unit of time or of feedstock.
Some catalysts may have both a hydrogenation-dehydrogenation function and a cracking function and are useful for accelerating a wide spectrum of hydrocarbon-conversion reactions. Different components, such as the carrier, may contribute to the cracking function while other portions, such as deposited metals, may contribute to the hydrogenation-dehydrogenation function. Some components contribute to both the cracking and hydrogenation-dehydrogenation functions. Typically, dual function catalysts are used to accelerate a variety of hydrocarbon conversion reactions, such as dehydrogenation, hydrogenation, hydrocracking, hydrogenolysis, isomerization, desulfurization, cyclization, alkylation, polymerization, cracking, and hydroisomerization.
Generally, it is desirable to have flexibility with catalyst functionality for utilizing in various processes, such as reforming. In one exemplary reforming process, increasing the yield of one or more C5+ hydrocarbons, hydrogen, and aromatic yields is desired. Optionally, the acidity of the catalyst can be altered by adding a metal and/or other elements to the catalyst. Generally, modification of the acid function results in reduced cracking of the alkanes to C3 and C4 light ends allowing increased selectivity to the formation of aromatics. Modification of the metal function may also occur resulting in the reduction of alkane cracking to methane and ethane. There can also be a reduction in the dealkylation reactions of aromatics leaving heavier and more valuable C8+ aromatics.
Beside the yields, the activity of a catalyst may enable obtaining a commercially useful conversion level without employing additional quantities of catalyst or using excessively high temperatures, which can lead to undesired higher costs. Higher catalyst activity can also be utilized to process greater quantities of feed or to increase conversion, and therefore increase the production of valuable products.
This invention relates to catalytic materials used for reforming naphtha feeds more selectively towards aromatics by tuning the material acidity. In one embodiment, the catalytic material comprises a refractory aluminum oxide support, a metal from the platinum group, tin, a halogen element and wppm levels alkali metals from Group IA, or a combination thereof of Group IA metals, or wppm levels of alkaline earth metals from Group HA, or a combination thereof of Group IIA metals, or mixtures thereof of Group IA and Group HA metals. A catalyst with a combination of alkali metals, such as, Li and K, was unexpectedly found to be more selective towards aromatics by 1.1 wt % compared to a reference reforming catalyst with only 2° C. activity debit.

Reforming catalysts with tuned acidity for maximum aromatics yield


A pulling cart with four wheels can be folded into a folded configuration. The wheels are mounted on wheel assemblies which can be in an open or a folded position. The cart has a front panel hinged to a rear panel. The front panel has a front carrier for mounting two wheel assemblies and a pair of slide rails extendable to the second panel. A rear carrier having two wheel assemblies is fixedly mounted to the end portion of the slide rails to move between the front and rear panels. When the cart is used for pulling, all wheel assemblies are in the open position. Each carrier has two arm-receiving holes. Each wheel assembly has a pair of arcuate arms which can rest on the carrier to support the wheel in the open position or move through the arm-receiving hole into the folded position for folding the cart.

Small wagons or carts have been popular and widely used by individuals of all ages. Small wagons or carts can be used to transport a variety of objects with ease and convenience. One disadvantage of these wagons or carts is that they cannot easily be stored in a small, compact space. For example, a wagon or cart may not be able to fit in the trunk of a car. Even if it can be put in the car, it would take up too much space.
Thus, it is desirable to have a small wagon or cart that is foldable. In other words, it would be advantageous to have a wagon or cart that can be deployed in an open configuration and a folded configuration. The wagon or cart has a handle. When the cart is deployed in the open configuration, the handle is used to pull the cart. When the cart is deployed in the folded configuration, part of the handle can be used for carrying the cart.


A portable headrest is provided that includes a center plate, a first side plate, a second side plate, the center plate, the first side plate and the second side plate configured to support a human head. The headrest further includes a first hinge mechanism to couple the first side plate to the center plate, the first side plate configured to rotate about the first hinge mechanism relative to the center plate, a second hinge mechanism to couple the second side plate to the center plate, the second side plate configured to rotate about the second hinge mechanism relative to the center plate, an inner rail assembly, the inner rail assembly including a ratchet assembly to couple the inner rail assembly to the center plate such that the inner rail assembly extends angularly from the center plate, the ratchet assembly configured to allow the center plate to rotate relative to the inner rail assembly and an outer rail assembly, the inner rail assembly sized and configured to slide freely within the outer rail assembly.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a headrest and, more particularly, to a portable headrest that is capable of being used while seated in a vehicle such as an airplane, a train, car and the like or while seated on furniture such as chairs, sofas, beds and the like.
2. Background Art
Headrests may be found attached on many forms of body support members to provide support for the head while seated. Often, headrests are situated on airplane seats, train seats and car seats and the like to support the head while in a seated or prone position. Furniture such as chairs, sofas, beds and the like may also include some type of support for the head while in a seated or prone position. Headrests have been designed and are in use to support the head and aid in reducing stress and strain on the neck and back.
Headrests are used mainly to aid in the reduction of neck and back strain that one may experience from being in a seated position for a long period of time and having to support the weight of their head. Typically, those that must remain seated for long periods of time such as on an airplane flight, train; car or truck may experience strain on the neck and back muscles if the headrests are not designed to support the head properly. Furthermore, proper head, neck and back support from a headrest may make the difference between refreshing travel and thoroughly exhausting travel. While designers take great care in designing headrests to support the head, often designers, in the design of headrests, must consider other factors such as package, cost and safety. Taking these other factors into account, designers may have to sacrifice some functionality and support features that may not be recognized on short flights, train rides or car and truck rides, but become more relevant during longer travel periods. Furthermore, headrests that have been designed for these vehicles are often limited in the adjustments that may be made to accommodate people of different sizes and shapes.
Therefore, a need exists for a portable headrest that is configured for use in any number of vehicles such as airplanes, trains, trucks cars and the like as well as any type of furniture that may be adjusted to the needs of a specific individual to support the head and alleviate neck and back stain and other physiological issues that may stem from an improperly supported head.


An electrical outlet may be stored (e.g., stocked at a manufacturer and/or a warehouse) in a bulk form and may be constructed to have a desired color, finish, and/or material prior to shipment to a customer. The outlet may comprise a rear bezel portion having a front surface with openings configured to receive blades of a plug of an electrical device for electrically connecting the electrical device to a power source and a front bezel portion configured to be mounted over the rear bezel portion. The rear bezel portion may have openings aligned with the respective openings of the rear bezel portion for receiving the blades of the plug. In addition, the electrical outlet may have a temporary bezel when stocked at the manufacturer and/or the warehouse. The temporary bezel may be removed from the outlet and a permanent bezel may be installed on the outlet prior to shipment.

A typical electrical outlet may be wall-mounted in an electrical wall box and may be electrically connected to a power source, such as an alternative-current (AC) power source. Electrical outlets may include a bezel having one or more receptacles into which plugs of respective electrical loads (e.g., appliances) may be inserted to electrically couple the electrical loads to the power source. The bezel of the electrical outlet may be received in an opening of a faceplate that may be mounted to the electrical wall box. The bezel and/or the faceplate may be provided in a number of colors in order to match the appearance of the electrical outlet to the walls and/or furniture in the vicinity of the electrical wall box.

Front and rear bezels for an electrical outlet


An optical pumping apparatus for few-mode fiber amplification is provided. The optical pumping apparatus includes an optical pump source configured to generate an optical pump; an optical power divider configured to divide an optical power of the optical pump from the optical pump source so as to output several optical pumps with uniformly distributed optical power; and a modal multiplexer configured to receive the optical pumps from the optical power divider through a plurality of single-mode fibers, multiplex the received optical pumps, apply a multiplexed optical pump to each mode of a few-mode fiber (FMF) amplifier, and adjust a gain difference among modes, wherein the FMF amplifier obtains a gain by amplifying an optical signal with the optical pump.

1. Field
The following description relates to optical communications, and more particularly, to optical pumping.
2. Description of the Related Art
As an attempt to increase the capacity of an optical transmission link whose bandwidth is saturated, space-division-multiplexed optical transmission techniques have been studied. As one of the methods, the mode-division-multiplexed optical transmission which uses a few-mode fiber (FMF) as an optical link has been researched. A few-mode fiber has a single core and supports a number of modes, and an individual signal is transmitted through each mode, thus making it possible to increase the transport capacity in accordance with the number of modes supported by the FMF. For long-distance optical transmission using mode-division multiplexing, a few-mode fiber amplifier is required to amplify an optical signal that is attenuated while propagating along an optical link.

Optical pumping apparatus for few-mode fiber amplification

Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute


A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate, a pair of source/drain regions on the semiconductor substrate, and a gate structure on the semiconductor substrate and between the pair of source/drain regions. The gate structure includes a first metal layer and a second metal layer in contact with the first metal layer. A sidewall of the first metal layer and a top surface of the semiconductor substrate form a first included angle, a sidewall of the second metal layer and the top surface of the semiconductor substrate form a second included angle. The second included angle is different from the first included angle.

The size and distance between device structures is decreasing as the device concentration on integrated circuits continues to increase. However, the vertical heights of the gaps or trenches during manufacturing in the device normally do not decrease as fast as their horizontal widths. As a result, the gap or trench structures have larger ratios of height to width (i.e., higher aspect ratios).
While the ability to make device structures with increasing aspect ratios allows more of the structures (e.g., transistors, capacitors, diodes, etc.) to be packed onto the same surface area of a substrate, it has also created fabrication problems. One of these problems is the difficulty of filling deep narrow gaps or trenches without creating a void or seam in the material that fills the gaps or trenches. As the gaps or trenches during manufacturing decrease in size, and depositing material into the gaps or trenches becomes increasingly difficult, and increasingly likely to form a void.

Semiconductor device and method for manufacturing the same

TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY LTD.


A range estimation system and method which comprises a data base containing data for identification of certain targets and data for estimating the initial range to each of the targets as a function of the observed dimensions of the targets. A sensor (1) observes a scene containing a target a plurality of spaced apart times while the sensor is moving relative to the target to provide data from each observation of the scene relating to the dimensions of the target within the scene. The remaining range to the target is estimated from the observed dimensions of the target from the range traveled since a prior estimation of range and from a prior estimation of the remaining range to the target. The sensor (1) provides electrical signals representing the observed scene (3) and can be a visible light or infrared sensor. A computer (9) is used to identify the target from the data base, estimate the initial range to the target and estimate the remaining range from the range traveled between successive observations of the scene and the change of dimensions of the target in the observed scene.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to passive estimation of range from a sensor or seeker to an object and, more specifically, to a system and method for estimating such range based upon the change of size of the object with change of distance of the object of interest within a scene from the sensor.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
There are a number of situations wherein it is desirable to estimate the range to an object of interest or target. For example, if for some reason the ILS of an aircraft becomes disabled, it is highly advantageous to know the distance from the entrance to the runway to the aircraft to assist in landing. In the case of automotive travel, it would be highly desirable to always be aware of the distance between vehicles to avoid collisions. An air-to-air missile can use estimated range to the target to determine when to detonate its warhead. Anti-tank missiles which fly non-line-of-sight trajectories use range to determine target position on the battlefield.
Active techniques to measure range, such as radar, ladar and sonar, have been used extensively. The drawback of active ranging approaches, primarily in military applications, is that they can be easily detected by the target under attack. For example, if a submarine commander uses sonar to determine the position and velocity of an enemy ship, he runs a high risk of being detected. In such situations, it is advantageous to estimate range to the target passively.
The most common technique used to passively estimate range to a target employs a Kalman filter to estimate range from angle-only measurements. Initially, a rectangular Cartesian coordinate-based extended Kalman filter (EKF) is used to estimate target positions and velocities in Cartesian coordinates from angle measurements. Analytical and experimental work has shown that the Cartesian-based EKF suffers from instabilities and bias in the filter as discussed in "Fundamental Properties and Performance of Bearings-Only Target Motion Analysis", by S. C. Nardone et al., IEEE Transactions on Auto. Control, Vol. AC-29, No. 4, Sept. 1984, pp. 775-781. A paper entitled "An Angle-Only Tracking Filter in Modified Spherical Coordinates", by D. V. Stallard, AIAA Guidance, Navigation, & Control Conference, Vol. 1, Aug. 17-19, 1987, pp. 542-550 describes the use of modified spherical coordinates (MSC) which reduces problems with EKF observability, range bias and covariance ill-conditioning. In this paper, line-of-sight (LOS) angles of a missile are used as both filter measurements and states. This paper proposed the following six-state vector: EQU x=.THETA..THETA..PSI..omega.1/rr/r!.sup.T
where .THETA. is the pitch LOS angle, .THETA.=d.THETA./dt, .PSI. T is the yaw LOS angle, .omega.=(d.PSI./dt) cos .THETA., r is range to the target along the LOS and r is the range-rate to the target along the LOS. An important point that is noted is that the 1/r state can be determined only if the missile accelerates in a direction perpendicular to the LOS because, as can be demonstrated mathematically, when 1/r becomes observable, range can be passively estimated.
Considering a command to LOS flight from a gunner to a target, the missile flies as closely as possible to the LOS of the gunner. Missile accelerations perpendicular to the LOS due to climbing, diving or yaw maneuvers are undesirable since such maneuvers may cause the missile to hit the ground or miss the target completely. However, since the angle-only measurement EKF approaches require maneuvers away from the LOS, these techniques cannot be used for LOS-only engagements.

Passive range estimation using image size measurements


An imaging system includes an array of pixel cells and a plurality of digital memory elements disposed physically separate from and coupled to the array of pixel cells. Each of the pixel cells includes a photodetector, an electrical storage device coupled to the photodetector, and quantization circuitry coupled to the electrical storage device. The photodetector is configured to generate a photo-current in response to light impinging thereon. The electrical storage device is configured to accumulate an electrical charge from the photo-current. The quantization circuitry is configured to convert the electrical charge into an analog quantization event signal. Each of the digital memory elements is in electrical communication with at least one of the pixel cells and is configured to store a digital value in response to receiving the analog quantization event signal from the at least one of the pixel cells.

A focal plane array includes a two-dimensional array of detector elements, or pixels, organized by columns and rows. FIG. 1 is a block diagram one of example of an array 195 of pixels 190. It is common for a circuit within the pixel 190 to be able to accumulate charge from a photo-diode 105, corresponding to the flux 110 of light of various wavelengths. Often, the charge is accumulated on a capacitive element 115 which effectively integrates charge, producing a voltage, the voltage corresponding to the intensity of the flux 110 over a given time interval called an integration interval. In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, the photo-diode 105 is coupled to the capacitive element 115 via a MOS transistor or direct injection gate 120 that is biased with a voltage Vbias. In FIG. 1, circuit element 135 comprises circuitry capable of resetting the voltage of capacitive element 115 back to an initial condition and circuitry capable of conveying a charge or voltage to a column (or row) wire 180 for transfer to an output of array 195. Such a voltage or charge can be digitized by circuitry associated with the focal plane array resulting in binary values, at least one value for each pixel 190 of the focal plane array 195. Thus, a focal plane array can be used to convert a two-dimensional pattern of flux into a two-dimensional array of binary values, such resulting array often called a digital image.
The effective amount of charge that is accumulated by a pixel 190 over an integration interval can be increased by the addition of a digital counter circuit. In some examples, each pixel is given a unique digital counter circuit. Additional circuitry can be added to the pixel to allow a predetermined amount of charge to be removed from the capacitive element of the pixel and correspondingly increase the value of the digital counter by one count. Thus, over the lapsed period of time of an integration interval, the capacitive element 115 of the pixel 190 can integrate photo charge, a circuit within the pixel can remove predetermined quantities of charge, and a digital counter can count the number of charge removals. In this manner, the effective amount of charge that is accumulated by the pixel over an integration interval can be increased because the digital counter extends the integration range of the capacitive element.
The type of digital counter used to record charge removals can be of any logical variation, including binary, gray code, Linear-Feedback-Shift-Register (LFSR), or any other digital count circuit that can count charge removals. Furthermore, the relative sign of the charge removal can be plus or minus, relative to circuit ground, so a charge removal could be viewed as a charge addition in some cases.
A class of pixel circuits called "digital pixels" or "in-pixel ADCs" feature a digital counter circuit within each pixel, as illustrated in FIG. 2. A common digital pixel circuit features a capacitive element 115 for integrating photo charge to produce a voltage, a comparator 125 which detects when the voltage exceeds a reference voltage, a charge removal circuit 135 which removes a predetermined fixed amount of charge from the capacitive element 115, and a digital counter circuit 145 which increments each time an amount of charge is removed from the capacitive element. Reset logic 140 supplies a clock-type signal to the charge removal circuit 135, triggering the charge removal circuit to remove the predetermined amount of charge from the capacitive element 115 responsive to a signal from the comparator 125 indicating that the voltage across the capacitive elements has exceeded the reference voltage. With each charge removal/reset event, the digital counter 145 is incremented. The value of the digital counter 145 may be read out via a tri-state gate 150 on a data-out line 180, as shown in FIG. 2. Multiple other means of conveying the value of digital counter 145 to a set of outputs exist as alternatives to tri-state gate 150, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art. For example, the values may be shifted out.
In a common digital pixel circuit, the size of the capacitive element is often reduced to a relatively small value (for example, 1.0 femto-farads or 10 femto-farads) and the number of counter bits is some number of bits that results in a large range of count values, for example 16 bits. Correspondingly, the voltage range of the capacitive element 115 is often relatively small, for example 250 millivolts. In this configuration, the digital counter 145 can act as an analog-to-digital converter, resulting in the ability of the circuit of a pixel to perform analog-to-digital conversion and thus be referred to as an "in-pixel ADC" circuit. The predetermined amount of charge can also be called a "quanta" of charge. The charge removal from the capacitive element 115 may be a reset back to a first voltage using a simple device such as a MOSFET. The charge removal may also be a more complex circuit that removes a quantum of charge causing the capacitive element voltage to go from one value to a second value.
There are several negative attributes of the above-discussed conventional digital pixels. In particular, the digital counter circuit 145 consumes finite area within each pixel 190. If the fabrication process of the circuit is relatively low density (for example 180 nanometers CMOS), the digital counter area might occupy nearly all of the available area within the pixel leaving negligible area for the capacitive element 115, the comparator 125, and the charge removal circuit 135. As discussed above, the pixel 190 may also include biasing circuits such as a direct injection gate MOSFET 120, for example, and negligible area might be available for that device or devices also. In these cases, where negligible or insufficient room for these or other circuit devices exist within the pixel area, the performance of these circuits may be degraded. Thus, noise, for example, may be increased substantially. In addition to digital counter circuits 145 restricting available area and thus limiting the quality of the analog circuits (such as the capacitive element 115, the comparator 125, and the charge removal circuit 135), the restricted area also limits capacity of the digital pixel. More specifically, the size of the capacitive element 115 may be restricted to less total charge storage, and which may limit the overall input flux capability of the pixel 190, possibly to less than what is needed for a given end application.
Conversely, if the fabrication process of the circuit is relatively high density (for example, 65 nanometers CMOS), there may be adequate room for the capacitive element 115, the comparator 125, the charge removal circuit 135, and bias circuitry 120; however, the associated non-recurring design cost of these processes may be too high for some consumers of such devices.
Another negative attribute is that when a digital counter circuit 145 resides with analog circuits, such as the capacitive element 115, comparator 125, charge removal circuit 135, and biasing devices 120, the instantaneous currents associated with digital counter switching events may create noise voltages in the supply lines and in the CMOS substrate potential, leading to increased noise and decreased quality performance of the analog circuits.
In some cases, the comparator circuit 125 sends a clock signal to the digital counter circuit 145 instantaneously when the voltage on the capacitive element 115 reaches the threshold of the comparator circuit. This same clock signal also causes the charge removal circuit 135 to remove a quantum of charge from the capacitive element. Such circuits are referred to as "asynchronous" digital pixels because there is no outside timing strobe used or required for the counting operation. Asynchronous digital pixel circuits are desirable because they are compact, relatively simple, and can be of lower power than a similar circuit that requires a timing strobe. However, it is also the case that asynchronous digital pixels can create instantaneous power supply perturbations of unpredictable timing leading to random power supply transient voltages and random substrate voltage fluctuations, further increasing noise and decreasing quality of the analog circuits. Furthermore, when the total incident flux 110 on the focal plane array is relatively high, the aggregation of the unpredictable supply transients created by an array of digital pixels can substantially degrade the quality of the analog circuits.
A further negative attribute of having digital counters in digital pixels is that the supply metal lines to the digital counters 145 consumes a percentage of available total routing of metal lines to each pixel 190. Similarly, the output bits of the counters require routing to the edges of the focal plane array 195, further consuming available routing area. The combination of supply wires and output bit routing wires consumes area that is often needed to increase the number and width of wires to the analog circuits of the pixels which could, if the area were available, reduce the resistance of the analog supply wires, thereby leading to improved analog performance. Along with this factor, further pixel area is consumed with output-capable circuits that are added to allow the counter values to be read out to the edges of the focal plane array 195. Such circuits may include tri-state drivers 150, dynamic pull-down multiplexors, shift registers, or any other circuits that are configured to propagate the digital counter values out to the edges of the focal plane array 195.
Referring to FIG. 3, another negative attribute is that if "integrate-while-read" capability is required, then an additional set of digital storage elements (for example, latches 155) also have to be installed within the pixel 190, further exacerbating the problems associated with having digital counters 145 in digital pixels, as described above. In integrate-while-read mode, at the end of an integration interval, the value of the digital counter 145 is copied to the digital storage element 155, preserving the values for read-out, for example, one row or one column at a time, and freeing up the digital counter 145 to be used for further counting of integrated charge.
Thus, a digital pixel circuit includes a digital counter circuit which can increase the overall charge storage capacity of a pixel. Simultaneously, though, the digital pixel circuit has several negative attributes which may limit its uses.


An audio processing apparatus, comprising: a first receiver configured to receive one or more audio signals derived from one or more microphones, the one or more audio signals comprising a speech component received from a user and a first noise component transmitted by a first device; a second receiver configured to receive over a network and from the first device, first audio data corresponding to the first noise component; one or more processors configured to: remove the first noise component from the one or more audio signals using the first audio data to generate a first processed audio signal; and perform speech recognition on the first processed audio signal to generate a first speech result.

Virtual assistants, such as Apple Siri®, Samsung Viv®, Amazon Alexa® or Google Now®, operate by monitoring an audio environment via one or more microphones for human speech and subsequently interpreting that human speech. In environments where interfering noise is present, making a determination that audio contains human speech, and subsequently interpreting that speech can become difficult. For example, in an environment in which audio is being played through a loud speaker, a virtual assistant might find it difficult to differentiate between the interfering noise from the loud speaker and the speech of a user trying to interact with the virtual assistant. Worse still, the interfering noise may completely drown out the speech of the target user.
It is desired to address or ameliorate one or more shortcomings of known noise cancellation techniques, or to at least provide a useful alternative thereto.
Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles or the like which has been included in the present specification is not to be taken as an admission that any or all of these matters form part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the present disclosure as it existed before the priority date of each of the appended claims.


To provide a box-shaped cab for a work machine, on which an operator operates the work machine, having a front surface portion, a rear surface portion, left and right side surface portions, a floor surface portion, and a ceiling surface portion, the cab for a work machine includes: a frame body having a pair of rear side structural members and a pair of lateral side structural members, a pair of rail members each having a vertical portion along the front surface portion and a horizontal portion along the ceiling surface portion; and a rectangular window frame being stored in the front surface portion or the ceiling surface portion, in which the vertical portions of the rail members are directly fixed to the lateral side structural members, and the horizontal portions of the rail members are fixed to the lateral side structural members via intermediate members.

A work machine (such as a hydraulic excavator and a bulldozer) includes a vehicle body provided with a traveling device, an work implement provided on the vehicle body, and a cab for work machine provided on the vehicle body and serving as a driving room, on which an operator operates the work implement and the traveling device.
The cab for work machine includes a frame body formed by welding ends of a plurality of steel pipe members to each other, sheet metal members to cover the side surfaces of the frame body. Rigidity of the cab is ensured by the frame body formed by welding the steel pipe members to each other. On the other hand, the cab for work machine is provided with a window frame and the like to which a windowpane and the like is mounted.
An opening/closing mechanism for an opening member such as a window frame and a door includes a hinge mechanism, which is provided on one end of the side edge of the opening member, and a slide mechanism for sliding the window frame and the door along the side surface of the cab for work machine.
Conventionally, there has been known a slide type opening/closing mechanism in which a rail is attached along a pipe member that forms a frame body, so that a window frame, a door or the like is slidably supported by the rail. As such a slide type opening/closing mechanism, there has been known an arrangement in which a pair of pipe members, which form the frame body and have deformed cross section, opposing each other are employed, and each of the pipe members has a rail incorporated thereinto (refer to, for example, Patent Document 1).
Further, as such a slide type opening/closing mechanism, there has been known another arrangement in which a pair of rails are directly fixed along, by means of welding or the like, a pair of pipe members, which form a frame body, opposing each other (refer to, for example, Patent Document 2).
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2001-207479 (Paragraph Number [0027], Paragraph Number [0028], FIG. 1, FIG. 2 and others)
[Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2004-106824 (Paragraph Number [0027], FIG. 2 and others)


A filter cartridge (20) having an upper disc (22) joined to an upper end of a tubular filter medium (21) is positioned within a casing (11) having an upper closure cover (12). First coupling elements (31) joined to the cover (12) and second coupling elements (41) joined to the upper disc (22) project axially towards each another to achieve mutual snap-coupling. The first coupling elements (31) include axially-extending coupling teeth elastic in a radial direction, and the second coupling elements (41) include a cylindrical surface divided into identical sectors equal to the number of teeth (31), each sector includes a coupling region (43) for snap-engaging the coupling teeth (31) axially, and a disengagement region (44), positioned to the side of the coupling region (43), for releasing the coupling teeth (31) from their engagement with the coupling region (43) by rotating the cartridge (20) through a small angle relative to the upper cover (12).

For some years filters have been constructed having an outer casing and an upper closure cover, which enclose an inner chamber having an inlet for the liquid to be filtered and an outlet for the filtered liquid, and a filter cartridge having a tubular filter medium positioned inside the inner chamber to separate the chamber into a first region communicating with the inlet and a second region communicating with the outlet.
The filter cartridge is secured to the upper cover by an upper disc joined to the upper end of the filter medium and which, when consumed and needing replacement, is separated from the cover and replaced with a new cartridge.
Said filters are currently appreciated because the entire filter does not have to be scrapped and destroyed, but merely the spent filter cartridge. Accessibility to the cartridge is also facilitated in that, as this is secured to the closure cover of the casing, on opening the cover the cartridge follows it to emerge from the liquid in which it is immersed without having to be gripped with tools and without having to be shaken out or disengaged, which could cause damaging dirt to separate from it.
To secure the cartridge to the cover it is known (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,695,633 in particular) to use first coupling elements and second coupling elements which act together to achieve a mutual snap connection, the first coupling elements (or the second coupling elements) being joined to the cover and projecting axially towards the chamber interior and, vice versa, the second coupling elements (or the first coupling elements) being joined to the upper disc and projecting axially towards the upper cover.
A drawback of these filters is that, while there are no difficulties in coupling the cover and filter cartridge together, a considerable axial force is however required to separate these elements when a spent cartridge has to be replaced with a new one. If carried out manually, this separation operation, in addition requiring considerable force, can also, because of the fact that the spent cartridge is impregnated with oily impurities and miscellaneous dirt, cause these impurities and dirt to spatter all around, with the risk of soiling the operator and also the inner chamber of the filter.
An object of this invention is therefore to provide a filter of the aforedescribed type, in which the filter cartridge can be rapidly coupled to the casing cover and be easily and delicately released therefrom.

Liquid filter for vehicle internal combustion engines


A hydraulically operated continuously variable transmission associated with the engine of a motor vehicle has a clutch for controlling the transfer of power through the transmission and a hydraulic servo unit for selectively connecting and disconnecting the clutch. A clutch control device comprises a first discharge oil passage for discharging working oil from the hydraulic servo unit when the clutch is connected by the hydraulic servo unit to start the transfer of power, an orifice disposed in the first discharge oil passage and having a prescribed cross-sectional area, a second discharge oil passage for discharging the working oil from the first discharge oil passage, the second discharge oil passage communicating with the first discharge oil passage upstream of the orifice with respect to the direction in which the working oil flows through the first discharge oil passage, and a relief valve disposed in the second discharge oil passage and openable only when the pressure of the working oil in the second discharge passage is higher than the pressure of the working oil which is developed in the first discharge oil passage upstream of the orifice when the working oil is at a normal temperature. The degree to which the flow of the working oil is restricted by the orifice may be modified by an orifice charging valve depending on the magnitude of an indication of the throttle valve opening of the engine.

The present invention relates to a clutch for controlling the transfer of power in a transmission, and more particularly to a device for controlling the operation of such a clutch.
Clutches for controlling the transfer of power in transmissions are classified into various types dependent on the transmissions with which the clutches are to be combined. For example, some clutches used in gear transmissions employ friction clutch plates, and those used in hydraulically operated transmissions comprise clutch valves for controlling the opening of a bypass passage.
One clutch device for use in a hydraulically operated continuously variable transmission is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 56-95722, for example. The disclosed clutch device includes a closed hydraulic circuit interconnecting a hydraulic pump and a hydraulic motor and composed of two hydraulic passages with a bypass passage extending therebetween, and a clutch valve disposed in the bypass for adjusting the opening of the bypass passage. The clutch valve is controlled in operation by a hydraulic actuator unit in the form of a cylinder. The hydraulic actuator unit is arranged to generate a control force commensurate with the rotational speed of an engine coupled to the transmission and acting in a direction to close the clutch valve (i.e., to connect the clutch), and a control force commensurate with the opening of the throttle valve and acting in a direction to open the clutch valve (i.e., to disconnect the clutch).
When the accelerator pedal of a motor vehicle with the transmission installed thereon is depressed to increase the throttle valve opening for setting the motor vehicle started, the rotational speed of the engine increases beyond a certain speed level, and the clutch valve is closed to connect the clutch. The motor vehicle is thus smoothly started.
If a hydraulic servo unit is employed to control the operation of the clutch valve to close the same, then it is necessary supply working oil of a certain hydraulic pressure to a cylinder chamber in the hydraulic servo unit for closing the clutch valve and also to drain working oil from an opposite cylinder chamber in the hydraulic servo unit.
If the working oil were discharged or drained without any restriction, then the clutch valve would be closed so quickly that the clutch would be connected abruptly, thereby producing a shock. It would be possible to provide an orifice in a drain passage for restricting the flow of the working oil discharge, so that the clutch valve would be closed at an appropriate speed by the hydraulic servo unit. With the orifice merely provided in the drain passage, however, since the rate at which the working oil flows through the orifice differs depending on the temperature of the working oil, the clutch would be connected slowly at a low oil temperature, and any desired clutch control would be impossible to carry out. Such a problem could be solved by varying the cross-sectional area of the orifice depending on the temperature of the working oil, but a complex mechanism would be needed to adjust the cross-sectional area of the orifice.
The same drawbacks would also be experienced with the controlling of a clutch having friction clutch plates with a hydraulic servo unit.
Adequate values required for the speed at which the clutch valve is closed vary from throttle valve opening to throttle valve opening. It is difficult to maintain the valve closing speed at an adequate level simply by providing the orifice in the drain passage.
Generally, when the throttle valve opening is small, i.e., if the clutch is to be connected while the accelerator pedal is not depressed substantially, it is required that the clutch valve be closed quickly to connect the clutch quickly. Conversely, when the throttle valve opening is large, the clutch has to be connected relatively slowly.
The above clutch valve control will be described in greater detail with reference to the continuously variable transmission disclosed in the publication referred to above. In the disclosed continuously variable transmission, after the clutch has been completely connected, a target engine rotational speed is established which corresponds to the throttle valve opening, and the transmission ratio or speed reduction ratio of the transmission is controlled so that the actual engine rotational speed will be brought into accord with the target speed. In order to effect a smooth transition from the connection of the clutch to the control of the speed reduction ratio, it is desirable so that the engine speed will not exceed the target speed when the clutch is connected, and the engine speed will smoothly be increased during the transition from the connection of the clutch to the control of the speed reduction ratio. If the clutch is connected when the accelerator pedal is not deeply depressed and hence the throttle valve opening is small, since the target engine rotational speed is low, the actual engine speed becomes higher than the target speed and then is lowered to the target speed after the clutch is connected, unless the clutch is connected quickly.
The clutch may be connected quickly by increasing the cross-sectional area of the orifice and closing the clutch valve quickly. By doing so, however, the clutch is connected too quickly when the accelerator pedal is depressed to a large degree and the throttle valve opening is large, and the engine speed is subjected to hunting.


A navigation system permits the user to designate certain roads or areas to avoid when planning a route. The navigation system generally includes a database of road segments and a cost associated with the road segments, such as estimated time of travel across that road segment and estimated length of travel across that road segment. The navigation system determines a route from a selected beginning point to a desired destination by evaluating the cost of the road segments to be traveled in several potential routes and recommends the potential route having the lowest total cost. The user can selectively modify the cost of selected road segments to indicate a preference or avoidance of such roads. By increasing the cost of a road segment, the navigation system is less likely to recommend a potential route which includes that road segment. Similarly, by decreasing the cost of a selected road segment, the navigation system is more likely to recommend a potential route which includes that road segment.

This invention generally relates to navigation or route guidance systems that can be tailored to a user's particular wishes.
Navigation systems generally provide a recommended route from a starting point to a desired destination. Generally the starting point and desired destination are selected from a large database of roads stored in a mass media storage, such as a CD ROM, which includes the roads in the area to be traveled by the user. The navigation system can be located in a personal computer or can be installed in a vehicle. If the navigation system is installed in a vehicle, the starting point is typically the current position of the vehicle, which can be input from an associated positioning determining device, such as a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver.
The navigation system determines a route from the starting point to the destination utilizing an algorithm well-known to those in the art and currently in use in many navigation systems. Usually there are many potential routes between the selected starting point and the desired destination. The navigation system selects a recommended route based upon certain "cost" values associated with each segment of road in the road database. These cost values include the length of the road segment and the estimated time of travel through the road segment. The navigation system selects the potential route with the lowest total cost to be the recommended route. Depending upon the predetermined algorithm of the navigation system, the navigation system will recommend the route with the shortest total length, the lowest total time, or some weighted average of length and time.
The recommended route is then displayed to the user as a map showing the starting point and desired destination and highlighting the recommended route. Preferably, if the navigation system is installed in a vehicle, the navigation system displays the current position of the vehicle and turn-by-turn instructions to the driver, guiding the driver to the selected destination.
Some drivers prefer to avoid certain roads that they believe to be congested or certain areas that they believe to be unsafe. Some drivers may have a preference or aversion for particular types of roads such as highways or toll roads. Further, a route which is the shortest distance is sometimes preferred, while a route which is the lowest total time of travel is preferred at other times.
Current navigation systems have several limitations in how they select a potential route as the recommended route. The known navigation systems permit the driver to select one of the following preferences: fastest route; shortest route; use highways; avoid highways. However, the known systems do not permit the driver to adjust a weighting factor to be given to these preferences; nor can the driver adjust a balance between the fastest and shortest routes. Further, the known navigation systems do not permit the user to designate selected areas or roads to avoid or to adjust a preference/aversion factor of the road or area.

Navigation system with user definable cost values


The systems described herein may provide mechanisms for recommending specialty packaging in a materials handling facility dependent on physical characteristics of items to be shipped and/or feedback received in response to previous shipments of the items. For example, if feedback indicates frequent low customer ratings for damage during shipping and/or for the suitability of the container in which a particular item was shipped, of if feedback indicates that concession costs were repeatedly incurred due to damage of the item during shipping, the item may be designated as needing special damage protection. This protection may be realized by shipping the item in sturdier containers, in containers of a more suitable size, and/or with improved or increased protective cushioning. For example, a stored indication that an item is designated for special damage protection may influence the selection of a container recommended for shipping the item, e.g., by excluding unsuitable containers from consideration.

Many companies package items and/or groups of items together for a variety of purposes, such as e-commerce and mail-order companies that package items (e.g., books, CDs, apparel, food, etc.) to be shipped to fulfill orders from customers. Retailers, wholesalers, and other product distributors (which may collectively be referred to as distributors) typically maintain an inventory of various items that may be ordered by clients or customers. This inventory may be maintained and processed at a materials handling facility which may include, but is not limited to, one or more of: warehouses, distribution centers, cross-docking facilities, order fulfillment facilities, packaging facilities, shipping facilities, or other facilities or combinations of facilities for performing one or more functions of material (inventory) handling. Selecting inappropriate containers in which to package items may increase costs, in terms of container costs, shipping costs, and/or item damage.
A common concern with shipping items and/or groups of items, referred to herein as "item packages," involves ensuring that appropriate containers are used for shipping them, both to minimize costs and to protect the item contents. An agent may select a container based on a visual assessment of the item or items once they are picked from inventory and/or grouped. This visual method of selecting containers may be prone to human error, as an agent may select a container that is too small, that is larger than it needs to be to handle the item or items, or that does not adequately protect the contents of the container. This may result in higher costs associated with using an inappropriate container or in additional costs associated with re-work, in the case that an agent must re-package the item(s) or compensate a customer due to damage during shipping. For example, shipping an item or a group of items in a box that is larger than necessary may result in a higher shipping cost than shipping the same item(s) in a smaller box, due to the cost of the box and/or any higher fees associated with shipping larger or heavier boxes. Similarly, shipping an item or items in a box that is larger than necessary, or not filling each box to capacity, may waste valuable (and expensive) transportation space (e.g., space in a truck or in a shipping container that will be placed on a train or an airplane). In another example, attempting to pack an item in a box that is too large or too small for the item or that does not adequately protect the item may damage the item and/or may result in re-work if the item (or a group of items that include the item) must be taken out of one box and re-packaged in another (larger) box. These excess costs associated with shipping item packages in inappropriate containers may significantly reduce profit margins in some materials handling facilities.
While embodiments are described herein by way of example for several embodiments and illustrative drawings, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments are not limited to the embodiments or drawings described. It should be understood, that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit embodiments to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope as defined by the appended claims. The headings used herein are for organizational purposes only and are not meant to be used to limit the scope of the description or the claims. As used throughout this application, the word "may" is used in a permissive sense (i.e., meaning having the potential to), rather than the mandatory sense (i.e., meaning must). Similarly, the words "include", "including", and "includes" mean including, but not limited to.

Systems and methods for implementing specialty packaging in a materials handling facility


A method for checking an exhaust gas cleaning plant connected to an internal combustion engine in an exhaust gas tract that includes a catalytic converter having oxygen storage characteristics as well as a NOx sensor positioned downstream in the exhaust gas tract that emits a sensor signal depending on the NOx and the NH3 concentration in the exhaust gas in which case the internal-combustion engine is operated with a periodic air/fuel ratio oscillating around the value lambda=1 and that the average of the sensor signal is formed over one period or several periods and if the threshold value of the average is exceeded, damage to the monolith of the catalytic converter is detected.

A conventional method for checking an exhaust gas cleaning plant is, for example, described in DE 199 05 192 A1 and is an example of an exhaust gas catalytic converter monitoring method that uses the catalytic converter that can store oxygen for the checking process. In this way, the fact that this catalytic converter that can store oxygen, correlates with the hydrocarbon conversion characteristic of the catalytic converter is utilized. If a catalytic converter has good hydrocarbon conversion capabilities, the lambda fluctuations of the air/fuel ratio by means of which the internal-combustion engine is operated, smooth out oxygen fluctuations called up by the lambda fluctuations of the catalytic converter. On the other hand, if a catalytic converter has no or only reduced conversion characteristics because of aging, contamination, leaded fuel or combustion malfunctions, a control oscillation upstream of the catalytic converter penetrates the catalytic converter downstream.
Therefore, on the one hand, with the generic method the air/fuel ratio is set by means of a corresponding intervention in the case of a lambda control device of the internal-combustion engine with an oscillation around lambda=1 that brings about an oxygen fluctuation in the exhaust gas that exceeds the normal operating ratios. At the same time, the NOx concentration is detected downstream of the catalytic converter to be checked and a suitable diagnostic value that is a measure for the aging condition of the catalytic converter is calculated. As an alternative to this method according to DE 199 05 192 A1, the signal of a linear lambda probe can also be evaluated downstream of the catalytic converter in order to measure the oscillation of the air/fuel ratio and with that the catalytic converter that can store oxygen and the aging condition of the catalytic converter.
However, with increasing importance of exhaust gas after-treatment in internal-combustion engines, it is not only necessary to be able to measure the aging condition of the catalytic converter, but also to detect cases in which the monolith of the catalytic converter is destroyed mechanically (so-called "empty catalytic converters"). It has been proven that such empty catalytic converters were not detected from time to time by means of conventional methods.

Method for checking an exhaust gas cleaning plant


A device includes a photographing unit, an image processing unit, a buffer, a storage unit, and a digital signal processor. The buffer stores index information to be assigned to at least one image signal obtained by the photographing unit, file name and storage path information to be provided to the at least one image signal when the at least one image signal is stored in the storage unit. The digital signal processor displays the most recently stored image signal when a display input instruction to display a currently captured image is received, searches the storage unit when an input instruction to display previously-captured images is additionally received, if a corresponding image file is found in the storage unit, displays the found image file, and if the corresponding image file is not found in the storage unit, displays an image signal stored in the buffer using the index information.

1. Field
One or more embodiments of the invention relate to an electronic apparatus (e.g., an image photographing apparatus), and more particularly, to a method and an apparatus for rapidly reproducing a captured image after the apparatus photographs a subject.
2. Description of the Related Art
As performance of an image photographing apparatus is improved so that high-speed continuous photographing and infinite continuous photographing may be performed, a change to a playback mode may be made after an image is completely stored. Thus, a captured image may not be checked until the image is completely stored.

Device and method for making quick change to playback mode after photographing subject