A wireless communication system includes: an access point used the first channel or second channel to transmit the data, wherein the center frequency of the first channel is an initial frequency and the center frequency of the second channel is an target frequency; and a client terminal. When the client terminal receives the data from the first channel, the access point and the client terminal are operated by a first working frequency and second working frequency respectively. Initially, both working frequencies are located at the initial frequency. When the first channel is desired to switch to the second channel, the first working frequency is added an offset frequency. The second working frequency is adjusted and followed so as to keep up with first working frequency. By adding the offset frequency to the working frequency repeatedly, the first and second working frequencies are shifted until both of them arrive at the target frequency.

In the near future, WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) is going to play an important role in our home and daily life. The user can enjoy media, data, and signal everywhere in home by using the WLAN. For the consumer, the access to the entertainment and Internet (information) is not bound by the harnesses of the wired network since the wireless signals can transmit every location on the face of the earth. The consumer will be able to access the Internet even from a car garage or lawn of a house.
Once a wireless communication system was set up in a house, and displays equipped with wireless transmitters and receivers for accessing the data from the any audio/visual instruments. For example, a TV had a transmitter and a receiver in the bedroom can receive the data from a PC or a video/audio recorder provided with wireless signal. As a matter of fact, the audio/visual digital transmission instrument generally includes a display (serving as a client), a remote control and a signal source (serving as an access point). The display and the signal source have the function of transmitting and receiving wireless signals.
When the consumer is watching a program, in case there is some signal interference that causes flickering or blurring of the image being displayed, he or she can press the remote control to transmit a command signal to the signal source in order to switch to another channel. For example, in IEEE 802.11b, the channel frequency can switch from the present frequency 2.412 GHz to the other channel frequency 2.462 GHz. As for 802.11a, the present channel frequency 5200 GHz is switched to the other channel frequency 5280 GHz.
In 802.11 standard, when it is desired to switch a channel to another channel, the signal source and the display are disassociated completely first and later connected again. Such a process results in loss of signal for a relatively short time and inconvenient to the consumer's visual.
Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a seamless wireless communication system such that no interruption of signal transmission during changing of one channel to the other channel.

Method and apparatus for migrating seamlessly in a wireless communication system


A quantum rod luminescent display device includes a first substrate having a plurality of pixel regions; a plurality of first electrodes alternately arranged with a plurality of second electrodes in each of the plurality of pixel regions; a plurality of quantum rod compound layers over the first electrodes and the second electrodes, respectively in each of the plurality of pixel regions, each of the quantum rod compound layers including a quantum rod having a core, a shell surrounding the core, and an electron acceptor; a second substrate facing the first substrate; and a backlight unit at an outer surface of the first substrate. The electron acceptor is attached to or adjacent to the quantum rod.

1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to a quantum rod compound and a quantum rod luminescent display device including the same, and more particularly, to a quantum rod compound and a quantum rod luminescent display device including the same that is capable of improving a quantum yield, on/off driving of applying a voltage and no voltage, and color purity.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Recently, flat panel displays haven been widely developed and applied to various fields because of their thin profile, light weight, and low power consumption.
Liquid crystal display devices have been widely used as representative flat panel displays.
Referring to FIG. 1, which is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a liquid crystal display device according to a related art, a liquid crystal display device 1 includes a liquid crystal panel 3, which comprises first and second substrates (not shown), a color filter layer (not shown) and a liquid crystal layer (not shown), a backlight unit 7, which comprises a plurality of optical sheets 5, and upper and lower polarizers 9 and 11.
Specifically, the liquid crystal display device 1 includes the liquid crystal layer (not shown), requires the optical films 52 and the polarizers 9 and 11 for embodying gray levels, and needs the color filter layer in the liquid crystal panel 3 for expressing colors.
Therefore, in the liquid crystal display device 1, light transmittance is lowered because most of light emitted from a light source (not shown) of the backlight unit 7 is blocked or absorbed when the light passes through the optical sheets 5, the color filter layer (not shown), and the polarizers 9 and 11.
That is to say, if the amount of light emitted from the light source (not shown) of the backlight unit 7 is 100%, the amount of light finally passing through the liquid crystal display device 1 may be 5% to 10%, and the liquid crystal display device 1 may have very low transmission efficiency.
Accordingly, the brightness of the light from the backlight unit 7 should be increased so that the liquid crystal display device 1 has an appropriate brightness for a display device. However, in this case, the liquid crystal display device 1 would have an increase in power consumption. Further, it is difficult to decrease the manufacturing costs of the liquid crystal display device because a lot of elements for manufacturing the liquid crystal display device are needed.
Other flat panel display devices have been researched to solve the low transmittance of the liquid crystal display device 1, to decrease the power consumption, and to lower the manufacturing costs by using fewer components.
In the meantime, organic light emitting diode display devices without the color filter layer and the optical films have been suggested to meet these demands.
An organic light emitting diode display device, which may be referred to as an organic electroluminescent display device, emits light by injecting electrons from a cathode and holes from an anode into an organic light emitting layer, combining the electrons with the holes, generating excitons, and transforming the excitons of an excited state to a ground state to emit photons.
The organic light emitting diode display device has advantages because it is able to use a flexible substrate such as plastic as a base substrate, is able to be driven by a relatively low voltage as compared to the liquid crystal display device, is superior in color representation due to self-luminescence, and is lower in power consumption.
However, the organic light emitting diode display device has a problem that its lifetime is shorter than a liquid display device because organic luminous materials of organic light emitting layers emitting various colors have different lifetimes. Especially, a blue luminous material has a relatively short lifetime.
Therefore, a flat panel display device, which has high transmittance, low power consumption, and a lifetime as long as the liquid crystal display device, is required.
Recently, quantum dots or quantum rods have been applied and developed to use in the display devices. Quantum dots or quantum rods have many possible applications due to their high luminous efficiency and superior reproducibility. A quantum dot is a semiconductor nanocrystal that can emit a narrow band of light when energized. A quantum rod is a nanocrystal with a rod-like shape.
The wavelength of fluorescence radiation emitted from a quantum dot or a quantum rod depends on its size. Namely, the quantum dot or the quantum rod emits shorter wavelength fluorescent radiation as its size is smaller. Thus, by changing the size, the quantum dot or the quantum rod can emit almost all visible wavelengths.
Also, the fluorescent radiation from the quantum rod may have a polarization property. Therefore, a display device using the quantum rod has a polarization property without a polarizer. Since the display device does not need a polarizer, there is no problem with light transmission associated with added polarizers, and the brightness of the display device is improved. Moreover, the power consumption is decreased because there is no need to increase backlight output.
In addition, the display device using the quantum rod has an advantage of an increase in its lifetime compared to an organic light emitting diode display device, which includes different organic luminous materials for respective colors and has a relatively short lifetime because the organic luminous materials have different lifetimes and properties.
However, the display device using the quantum rod has a problem of needing a high driving voltage for driving the quantum rod as compared with the liquid crystal display device and the organic light emitting diode display device.
That is, in a display device using the quantum rod, improvements in an on/off driving property and lower driving voltage are needed.

Quantum rod compound including electron acceptor and quantum rod luminescent display device including the same


Sensor package systems and methods are disclosed, which include a quartz sensor package encapsulated by an overmold material. A surface acoustic wave sensing element and one or more bonding pads can be integrated with the quartz sensor package. Additionally, one or more antennas can be respectively bonded to the quartz sensor package at the bonding pads, such that the antennas communicates electrically with the surface acoustic wave sensing element and permits wireless interrogation of the quartz sensor package including the surface acoustic wave sensing element from an external wireless source.

Various sensors are known in the pressure and temperature sensing arts. The ability to detect pressure and/or temperature is an advantage to any devices which are under variable temperature conditions, which can be severely affected by these conditions. An example of such a device is an automobile tire, which of course, experiences variations in both temperature and pressure. Many different techniques have been proposed for sensing the pressure and/or temperature in tires, and for delivering this information to the operator at a central location on the vehicle so that he knows that a tire is at low or high air pressure.
Such sensors generally communicate with the vehicle so that the sensed pressure and/or temperature are displayed to the operator when the vehicle is moving, i.e. the wheel rotating relative to the body of the vehicle. Such devices are generally relatively complex and expensive or alternatively are not particularly robust.
Some tire pressure and/or temperature sensor systems incorporate a sensor that is fixed to the body so no rotating electrical contact between the rotating wheel and the chassis is required. In this system, a sensor rod is deflected by contact with the tire sidewall when the sidewall of the tire is deformed as occurs when the tire pressure is low. This system provides an indication of low tire pressure but is not robust. For example mud or other debris on the wheels may cause faulty readings. Furthermore, this system provides an indication only when the tire pressure is reduced significantly as is necessary for significant tire bulge to occur. Clearly such a system simply cannot provide a reading of actual tire pressure.
In another form of fixed sensor the height of the vehicle can be detected and when the height is reduced, it is deemed tire pressure is low. However, if the tire in a rut or is parked on uneven ground, a faulty low-pressure reading is likely to be generated.
More complicated systems are capable of monitoring tire pressure. For example, some pressure sensor systems utilize a rotating encoder formed by a multi-polar ring of magnetic segments of different polarity that are distributed circumferentially in a regular and alternating manner. A transmitter coil coaxial with the ring and a fixed pickup (an induction coil system) is energized by alternating electrical current flowing through the transmitter coil to generate a magnetic field superimposed on the magnetic field created by the multi-polar ring generates a signal picked up and delivers a signal relating the rotating characteristic of the wheel and thus, the state of the tire.
Some tire pressure systems also utilize a wheel system wherein each sensor on each wheel is provided with a radio transmitter that transmit the information on tire pressure, etc. from the wheel to a radio receiver on the body of the vehicle and this transmitted signal is decoded to provide information on tire pressure etc. and makes it available to the operator. Conventional wireless systems, however, are not durable and are expensive to design and produce.
One type of sensor that has found wide use in pressure and temperature sensing applications, such as, vehicle tires, is the Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) sensors, which can be composed of a sense element on a base and pressure transducer sensor diaphragm that is part of the cover. For a SAW sensor to function properly, the sensor diaphragm should generally be located in intimate contact with the sense element at all pressure levels and temperatures.
One of the problems with current SAW sensor designs, particularly those designs adapted to tire pressure and temperature sensing applications, is the inability of conventional SAW sensing systems to meet the rigorous environment within the tire itself. Such systems are inherently expensive, awkward, and often are not reliable in accurately sensing tire air pressure and temperature. It is therefore believed that a solution to such problems involves a low cost SAW sensor packaging system, which can be integrated into a tire and interrogated wirelessly. Such a system is described in greater detail herein.

Encapsulated surface acoustic wave sensor


In summary, the present invention is a flexible printed circuit that eliminates the need for lead wire routing. The flexible printed circuit of the present invention comprises a plurality of electrical paths surrounded by a sheath of pliable MYLAR (polyester film) plastic. One side of the plastic is an adhesive that holds the circuit in place after it is wrapped around the shaft of the motor. On the other side, the mylar sheath opens to expose the ends of each electrical path. Small amounts of solder are pre-deposited at these exposed ends. A probe, suitably heated and applied to these ends, releases the solder to form a electrical and physical contact.

1. Field of the Invention.
The present invention relates generally to the fabrication of spindle motors used primarily in disc drives and, more particularly, to the use of a flexible printed circuit in the construction of an enclosed spindle motor.
2. Prior Art.
Disc drives are a common means of providing secondary storage in computer systems. Disc drives generally consist of a plurality of vertically aligned magnetic media discs that store data thereon. Over the surface of each disc, a read/write head provides access to the stored data. In a typical access, the head is positioned by a motor some radially distance from the center of the disc. The discs are caused to rotate underneath the head; thereby giving access to the entire circumference of the disc.
The rotation of the discs is usually accomplished by way of a spindle motor. Spindle motors generally consist of a stator assembly defined by a number of poles radiating perpendicularly out from a shaft. Conducting wire is wound around each pole to provide the necessary electromotive force to the motor when the correct current is applied. In a three phased, nine-pole spindle motor, three separate wires are wound around the stator poles--one wire for three poles of the stator.
Spindle motors may be placed into two broad categories: enclosed or cantilever/hub type spindle motors. In an enclosed spindle motor, a separate housing covers the stator assembly and defines an opening for the shaft to rise out of the housing. By comparison, a cantilever/hub type motor is not totally enclosed. Instead, the stator assembly is partially exposed to view.
Wiring a spindle motor is typically a two-step process: first, the coil wires are wound around the poles, leaving a start and finish end to each wire; the ends of which are usually soldered to lead wires. These lead wires are then routed away from the stator to be electrically mated to outside circuitry., Typically, the winding of the coil wire is an automated process. In a 9-pole, 3-phase spindle motor, one continuous length of wire is wrapped around three adjacent poles by a dedicated winding machine. This dedicated machine leaves the ends of the windings at various, predetermined angular displacements around the stator.
The mating and routing of lead wires is usually a manual process. Lead wires are manually soldering to the winding ends. Once soldered, the lead wires are manually routed out of the stator assembly to become electrically connected to outside circuitry. Outside circuitry typically controls the current flow through the windings to produce the proper phase relations.
The manner in which lead wires are routed differs depending on whether the spindle motor is an enclosed or a cantilever/hub type motor. For a cantilever/hub type spindle motor, the task of routing is less difficult. Because the stator assembly is not fully enclosed, the lead wires may be routed from the various angular displacement after the automated winding process. As discussed further below, flexible printed circuit have been used to provide electrical connection between the lead wires and outside circuitry in cantilever/hub type motors.
For enclosed spindle motors, lead wire routing is more involved. Since the stator assembly is enclosed in a housing, the lead wires are typically brought together at one given angular position around the stator and lead up along the shaft through the opening of the housing. Once outside the housing, the lead wires are then soldered to outside circuitry.
Several problems are introduced by the manual routing of enclosed spindle motors. First, the manual process is labor intensive and adds to the cost of manufacture of enclosed spindle motors. Savings could be realized if the soldering and routing could either be automated or simplified.
Second, the manual routing of lead wires to a common angular position adds some error to the control of the motor. The dedicated winding machine provides a standard number of windings per pole, typically 30 such windings. Routing extra lead wires around stator creates a resistance imbalance because the length of the different lead wires varies. This resistance imbalance creates an imbalance in the phase relations for the motor; and hence, in the angular velocity of the motor. Ultimately, the storage density of the discs is decreased because variations in the angular velocity of the motor drive may overload the capacity of the head to read or write data.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a means to eliminate the need for manually routing the ends of the windings to lead wires.
It is a further object to eliminate the need for manual solder joints involved in the soldering of winding ends to the lead wires and in the soldering the lead wires to an outside circuit.
It is yet a further object to decrease the error due to phased resistance imbalance that introduced by manual routing.

Lead wire elimination for enclosed spindle motor


A method for manufacturing cutting tools having diamond-like cutting edges or surfaces which are formed by bonding high shear compaction diamond or cubic boron nitride (CBN) ropes or strips in helical grooves formed on the cutting tool outer surface. The strips are formed by slitting a sheet of high shear compaction diamond or CBN material. The ropes are formed by rolling the strips between grooved rollers.

This invention relates to a method for forming cutting tools and specifically rotary cutting tools with diamond-like cutting edges and inserts for drag bits with diamond-like secondary cutting surfaces which are formed by bonding high shear compaction diamond-like rope or strip material in helical grooves formed on the cutting tool bodies. "Diamond-like" as used herein refers to ultra hard materials including diamond and cubic boron nitride (CBN).
Rotary cutting tools are used in a variety of machining operations. Helically fluted end mills and ball end mills are commonly used rotary cutting tools and are generally required to perform severe machining operations under adverse conditions, as well as, finishing operations where a fine surface is desired. The cutting end of a helically fluted end mill, for example, includes at least one cutting edge on the end mill blank. The cutting end of a ball end mill carries the cutting edge around the ball end of the mill. Other types of rotary cutting tools include diamond twist drills, composite sintered twist drills, printed circuit board drills, reamers and taps.
Similarly, inserts with secondary cutting surfaces formed on a side surface of the insert substrate (body) are used as the cutting elements in a drag bit. The primary cutting surface of drag bit insert is typically a diamond layer 140 sintered on a face of the insert body (FIG. 6). The secondary cutting surfaces are formed by packing and sintering diamond crystals (or CBN) in grooves formed on the substrate (body).
The cutting tools have cutting surfaces formed by sintering a diamond-like material on grooves formed on their outer surfaces. After sintering, the diamond-like material is machined to form a sharp cutting surface edge. Compaction is required to ensure sufficient density of diamond within the groove to minimize material shrinkage during the sintering process. An increase in the density of the diamond-like material improves the impact resistance or toughness, wear resistance and material uniformity of the cutting surface. Current methods of compacting the diamond-like material are complex resulting in quality inconsistencies between cutting surfaces.
Accordingly there is a need for a method for manufacturing cutting tools where a high compaction of the diamond-like material is easily achieved, minimizing the shrinkage of the diamond-like material during the sintering process, resulting in improved impact resistance or toughness, wear resistance, and uniformity.


A vehicle air conditioner includes a heating heat exchanger, a first temperature adjustment mechanism for adjusting a temperature of air to be blown toward a driver's seat side in a vehicle compartment, and a second temperature adjustment mechanism for adjusting a temperature of air to be blown toward a front-passenger's seat side in the vehicle compartment. In the vehicle air conditioner, the first and second temperature adjustment mechanisms are controlled to perform a one-seat priority mode control such that the temperature of air to be blown toward the front-passenger's seat side is lower than the temperature of air to be blown toward the driver's seat side, when only the driver is in the vehicle compartment and the heating condition is determined as the air conditioning state.

In a hybrid vehicle which is driven and running by combining an engine and an electrical motor, an engine load in a heating operation is decreased in accordance with increase of an engine efficiency. For example, even in the heating operation in the winter, it is required to reduce the engine load in order to improve the fuel consumption efficiency, and thereby the heat quantity in the heating operation is reduced.
In the recent years, because of the high efficiency of the engine, it is difficult to obtain a sufficient heating source for performing the heating operation. In this situation, Patent Document 1 (JP Patent No. 2960243) describes regarding a vehicle air conditioner.
If conditioned air is blown to predetermined plural positions in a vehicle compartment regardless of an occupant number and an occupant state in the vehicle compartment, conditioned air may be blown to positions without having the occupant, and thereby it is difficult to perform promptly cooling or heating operation of the vehicle compartment. In the vehicle air conditioner described in Patent Document 1, an occupant-seated state in the vehicle compartment is detected, so that cooling or heating capacity is determined based on the occupant-seated state, and the air state to be blown into the vehicle compartment is controlled.
In Patent Document 1, a detail movement of an occupant, such as occupant's cardiac beats and breathings, is detected by an occupant detection means, thereby controlling the cooling or heating capacity and the air state to be blown into the vehicle compartment in accordance with a signal from the occupant detection means. In the present specification, the occupant includes the driver seated on the driver's seat, a passenger seated on the front-passenger's seat next to the driver's seat, or any passenger seated on the rear seat in the vehicle compartment.
More specifically, the occupant detection means detects presence or absence of an occupant based on occupant's cardiac beats and breathings. When the occupant's presence is detected, the cooling or heating capacity is determined in accordance with an occupant's number, and cooling or heating operation is performed by blowing conditioned air to only the occupant's presence position. When only the driver is in the vehicle compartment, that is, when the occupant's number is 1, conditioned air is blown to be concentrated to the one position of the driver in the vehicle compartment.
Patent Document 2 (JP 2008-296717A) describes regarding a vehicle air conditioner. In the vehicle air conditioner of Patent Document 2, when a control means determines that the occupant is only the driver based on a detection result of a seat detection means, a driver-seat concentrating mode is set so that the temperature of the driver's seat space is rapidly adjusted. Among the plural air outlets, air outlets other than for the driver's seat space are closed by an air outlet switching means, so that the temperature of the driver's seat space of the vehicle compartment is controlled to effectively approach to a set temperature. In the vehicle air conditioner of Patent Document 2, because the conditioned air can be blown to the driver's seat space in a concentrated manner, the driver's seat space of the vehicle compartment can effectively approach to the set temperature.
In a vehicle air conditioner of Patent Document 3 (JP Patent No. 3573682), air conditioning is independently performed for a first zone of a driver's seat side and for a second zone of a front-passenger's seat side in a vehicle compartment. When operation mode is manually changed from an air blowing mode to another mode in one of the first zone of the driver's seat side and the second zone of the front-passenger's seat side so as to change an air flow resistance, the total air flow resistance is changed. Thus, the air amount blown to the other one of the first zone of the driver's seat side and the second zone of the front-passenger's seat side may be changed.
In the vehicle air conditioner of Patent Document 3, an air-amount correction calculation portion is provided to correct an operation of a fan motor based on an air flow resistance, such that even when one of the air outlet modes of the first and second zones is changed manually in an automatic control, the other one of the air outlet modes of the first and second zones is not changed. That is, the vehicle air conditioner is independently controlled such that, even when the air amount blown to the first zone is changed, the air amount blown to the second zone is not changed.
However, in the vehicle air conditioners described above, it is difficult to effectively perform a one-seat priority mode control with a simple structure while fuel consumption efficiency can be improved in the vehicle.


A method, computer program product, and a system where a processor(s) determines generates a cognitive user profile representing patterns of usage of each of a plurality of users of the transportation resource sharing system, a cognitive resource profile for each resource of the plurality of resources, a cognitive route profile for each route traversed by at least one resource of the plurality of resources, and a cognitive station profile for each station of the plurality of stations. The processor(s) assigns one or more specific resources of the plurality of resources to one or more specific users of the plurality of users and the one or more specific resources of the plurality of resources to one or more specific stations of the plurality of stations.

Because of many reasons, including but not limited to, the cost of personal transportation vehicle maintenance and storing, sharing regularly maintained recreational and transportation vehicles, such as automobiles, bicycles, unicycles, motorized bicycles and tricycles, manually operated scooters, motorized scooters, skateboards, motorized skateboards, skates, etc., is growing in popularity, particularly in urban environments. The sharing of these vehicles is so prevalent that new types of personal transportation vehicles are being introduced into various markets, for sharing in primarily urban environments.

Automated and efficient personal transportation vehicle sharing

International Business Machines Corporation


An approach is provided for providing optimized identification of duplicate data in a networked computing environment. An aggregate feature vector is created that is specific to an attribute of the data (e.g., a field that holds specific informational content). The aggregate feature vector has a set of dimensions that each define a specific comparison function used to test for similarity between data entries in the attribute. Each dimension in the aggregate feature vector is assigned an effectiveness, and a cost is computed for each dimension. Based on these two, a subset of dimensions is selected to form an optimized feature vector. This optimized feature vector can then be used to analyze a dataset to find matching data.

The networked computing environment (e.g., cloud computing environment) is an enhancement to the predecessor grid environment, whereby multiple grids and other computation resources may be further enhanced by one or more additional abstraction layers (e.g., a cloud layer), thus making disparate devices appear to an end-consumer as a single pool of seamless resources. These resources may include such things as physical or logical computing engines, servers and devices, device memory, and storage devices, among others.
The large scale of resources provided by the network computing environment allows large amounts of data from many different sources to be stored across a large number of physical locations. One way that this large-scale storage can be provided is by providing a hybrid multi-cloud environment. This hybrid multi-cloud environment may have data centers with data clusters at different countries/regions. These data centers may include on-premises data centers owned by the enterprise, private clouds, hosted private clouds and multiple public clouds, which may have data centers at various locations spread around the world, among others.
Managing data on such a large scale can introduce a number of challenges that require special tools for performing data management. Master Data Management (MDM) based solutions can help to meet these challenges by working with enterprise data, performing indexing, matching, and linking of data from different sources, to create a 360 view of customer data, among other things.
One challenge that can be addressed by MDM based solutions is the increasing amount of duplicate data that can arise as the amount of overall data being stored increases. Unidentified duplicate data can reduce the efficiency of a dataset by increasing the amount of storage that is required for data storage and reducing the ability of searches to identify relevant information that may be associated with the duplicate entry.
Because of this, there are currently a number of strategies that have been employed to identify duplicate data entries so that deduplication, linking of the duplicate data entries, and/or other database optimization can be performed. Matching record pair data requires comparing different record attributes (e.g., name, address, date of birth, identifier, etc.) from each pair of records to determine if they match and should subsequently be linked, based on a series of mathematically derived statistical probabilities and complex weight tables. Attribute comparison functions check for a variety of matching conditions like exact, edit distance, NGRAM, phonetic, or partial matching. Scores are generated based on the outcome of these comparisons, and sub scores from each attribute are combined based on statistically determined relative weights. Using statistically defined thresholds within the system, pairs of records can be considered as matched, unmatched, or indeterminant and sent to Clerical Review.

Quality-performance optimized identification of duplicate data


A method and apparatus for the installation or removal of large multi-ton prefabricated deck packages includes the use of usually two barges defining a base that can support a large multi-ton load. A variable dimensional truss assembly is supported by the barge and forms a load transfer interface between the barge and the deck package. Each boom has a lifting end portion with a roller that fits a receptacle on the package. Tensile connections form attachments between the deck package and barge at a lower elevational position. The variable dimension truss includes at least one member of variable length, in the preferred embodiment being a winch powered cable that can be extended and retracted by winding and unwinding the winch.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the placement of large multi-ton prefabricated deck packages (e.g. oil and gas platforms, oil rigs) in an offshore environment upon a usually partially submerged jacket that extends between the seabed and the water surface. Even more particularly, the present invention relates to the use of a moving lifting assembly which is preferably barge supported that can place a very large deck package upon an offshore marine jacket foundation without the use of enormous lifting booms such as form a part of derrick barges, offshore cranes, and the like, and wherein opposed short booms are connected with a frame or compressive spreader members that enable use of suspended slings to lift the deck package
2. General Background
In the offshore oil and gas industry, the search for oil and gas is often conducted in a marine environment. Sometimes the search takes place many miles offshore. Oil and gas well drilling takes place in many hundreds of feet of water depth.
The problem of drilling oil wells offshore and then producing these wells has been solved in part by the use of enormous fixed or floating platform structures with foundations that are mostly submerged, but usually extending a number of feet above the water surface. Upon this foundation (or "jacket", tension leg platform ("TLP"), or SPAR, etc. as it is called in the art) there is usually placed a very large prefabricated rig or deck platform. The term "deck platform" as used herein should be understood to include any of a large variety of prefabricated structures that are placed on an offshore foundation to form a fixed or floating offshore platform. Thus, a "deck-platform" can include, e.g. a drilling rig, a production platform, a crew quarters, living quarters, or the like.
As an example of one offshore foundation, a supporting jacket is usually a very large multi-chord base formed of multiple sections of structural tubing or pipe that are welded together. Such jackets have been used for a number of years for the purpose of supporting large deck platforms in an offshore environment.
The jacket or foundation is usually prefabricated on land in a fabrication yard, preferably adjacent to a navigable waterway. The completed jacket can be placed upon a large transport barge so that it can be moved to the drill site where it will be placed upon the ocean floor. As an example, an offshore jacket can be several hundred feet in length. The size of the jacket is of course a function of the depth of water in which the rig will be placed. A five hundred (500) foot water depth at the drill site (or production site) will require a jacket which is approximately 500-550 feet tall. The jacket is usually partially submerged, with only a small upper portion of the jacket extending slightly above the water surface. An offshore jacket as described and in its position on the seabed can be seen, for example, in the Blight, et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,252,469 entitled "Method and Apparatus for installing integrated Deck Structure and Rapidly Separating Same from Supporting Barge Means." Specifically, FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 of the Blight, et al patent show an offshore jacket on the seabed.
A small upper portion of the jacket extends above the water surface. This exposed portion of the jacket is the portion upon which the "deck platform" is placed and supported by. This upper portion of the jacket is usually equipped with a number of alignment devices which enhance the proper placement of the deck package on the jacket. Such alignment devices are referred to variously as stabbing eyes, sockets, or the like. The use of such alignment devices, sockets, or stabbing eyes can be seen in the Blight, et al U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,252,468 and 4,252,469 as well as in the Kansan U.S. Pat. No. 4,242,011. For purposes of background and reference, the Kansan U.S. Pat. No. 4,242,011 is incorporated herein by reference. The Blight, et al U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,252,469 and 4,252,468 are likewise each incorporated herein by reference.
Deck platforms or topsides can be extremely large and have correspondingly heavy weights. For example, it is not uncommon for a deck platform such as a drilling rig crew quarters, production platform or the like to be between five hundred and five thousand (500 and 5,000) tons gross weight. Topsides in excess of ten thousand (10,000) tons have been installed, and others that are being planned may weigh as much as thirty thousand (30,000) tons. Such enormous load values present significant problems in the placement of deck platforms on offshore jacket structures. First, the placement is done entirely in a marine environment. While the jacket can be laid on its side and/or floated into position, the platform is not a submersible structure, and must be generally supported in an upright condition above the water surface to prevent water damage to the many components that form a part of the drilling or production platform (such as electrical systems, wall constructions, and other portions that will be inhabited by individuals and used as oil and gas well drilling or production equipment).
The art has typically used enormous derrick barges for the purpose of setting or placing deck packages on jackets in an offshore environment. These derrick barges are large, rectangular barge structures with a high capacity lifting boom mounted at one end portion of the deck of the barge. The barge, for example might be three hundred to four hundred (300-400) feet in length, fifty to seventy five (50-75) feet in width, and twenty-five to fifty (25-50) feet deep. These figures are exemplary.
A derrick barge might have a lifting capacity of for example, two thousand (2,000) tons. For very large structures such as for example, a five thousand (5,000) ton deck package, two derrick barges can be used, each supporting one side portion of the deck platform with a multi-line lift system supported by an enormous structural boom extending high into the air above the package during the lift.
The boom simply works in the same way as an anchor lifting boom, namely the loadline raises and/or lowers the package into its proper position upon the jacket. While the use of such derrick barges has been very successful in the placing of offshore deck packages on jackets through the years, such derrick barges are generally limited in their capacity to packages of two thousand (2,000) tons or less. Further, derrick barges of such an enormous capacity are extremely expensive to manufacture and operate. Many thousand of dollars per hour as a cost of using such a device is not uncommon. Although there are five (5) or six (6) derrick barges that can lift in excess of six thousand (6,000) tons, they are extremely costly and limited as to the water depth in which they can operate.
However, when very large loads of, for example six thousand-ten thousand (6,000-10,000) tons are involved, the limitation of the derrick barge usually prohibits such a placement on an offshore jacket. The topside must then be pieced and finished offshore.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,714,382 issued to Jon Khachaturian there is disclosed a method and apparatus for the offshore installation of multi-ton prefabricated deck packages on partially submerged jacket foundations. The Khachaturian patent uses a variable dimensional truss assembly is supported by the barge and forms a load transfer interface between the barge and the deck package. Upper and lower connections form attachments between the truss members and the deck package at upper and lower elevational positions on the deck package. The variable dimension truss includes at least one member of variable length, in the preferred embodiment being a winch powered cable that can be extended and retracted by winding and unwinding the winch. Alternate embodiments include the use of a hydraulic cylinder as an example.
An earlier patent, U.S. Pat. No. 2,598,088 issued to H. A. Wilson entitled "Offshore Platform Structure and Method of Erecting Same" discusses the placement of drilling structure with a barge wherein the legs of the drilling structure are placed while the drilling structure is supported by two barges. The Wilson device does note use truss-like lifting assemblies having variable length portions which are placed generally on opposite sides of the deck package. Rather, Wilson relates to a platform which is floated in place and the support legs are then placed under the floating platform. Thus, in the Wilson reference, an in-place underlying supporting jacket is not contemplated.
The Natvig, et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,977,346 discusses a method of placing a deck structure upon a building site such as a pier. The method includes the pre-assembly of a deck structure upon a base structure on land so that the deck structure extends outwardly over a body of water. Floating barges are provided for supporting the deck structure outwardly of the building site. The deck structure is then transferred to the supportive base structure by means of barges. The Natvig reference uses two barges which are placed on opposite sides of a platform with pedestal type fixed supports forming a load transfer member between the barges and the platform. However, the fixed pedestal of Natvig is unlike the truss-like lifting arrangement of applicant which include movable portions at least one of which can be of a variable length.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,249,618, issued to Jacques E. Lamy, discloses a method of working an underwater deposit comprising the following stages: a) constructing and positioning a platform structure, equipped before or after positioning with drilling devices and installations, b) executing drilling using these devices and installations, c) constructing and equipping, during stages a) and b), a production bridge fitted with devices and installations required for production, d) transporting the production bridge to, and positioning it on, said platform structure, and e) commencing production from deposit. The drilling bridge may remain in position on the platform structure during stages d) and e) or it may be removed to make way for the production bridge.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,744,697, issued to Anton Coppens, discloses a vessel that is provided for installing or removing a module on or from a support structure erected in a body of water. The vessel is able to suspend the module over the support structure by cranes enabling installation or removal of the module to be accomplished while the module is being suspended.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,037,241, issued to Stephen D. Vaughn et al. discloses an improved apparatus for setting a deck structure or other marine superstructure using a barge mounted cantilevered support structure. The cantilevered support structure is attached at one end of a floating vessel. The cantilevered support structure extends past the edge of the vessel and, in one embodiment, includes means for rotating parallel support members about the deck of the floating vessel permitting the cantilevered support structure to be raised and lowered while it remains substantially parallel with the top of the offshore platform enabling the superstructure to engage the top of a previously installed offshore platform in a synchronized manner. Alternatively, this superstructure may be aligned directly over the platform. A cantilevered drilling rig is then aligned over the cantilevered support structure and used to lift the deck structure or marine superstructure, permitting the vessel and cantilevered support structure to move. The drilling rig is then used to lower the marine superstructure onto the top of the previously installed offshore platform.

Method and apparatus for the offshore installation of multi-ton packages such as deck packages and jackets


A rolling bearing comprising an outer ring, an inner ring, at least one row of rolling elements that are disposed radially between the rings, at least one seal forming a first sealing component that is fixed to one of the rings and engages with the other ring, and at least one flange forming a second sealing component that is fixed to the other ring and is offset axially with respect to the seal on the outer side of the bearing. At least one of the first and second sealing components comprises at least two annular ribs, the other sealing component being mounted axially in contact therewith. At least one closed annular space is delimited by the ribs and by the other sealing component. At least one lubricant is disposed inside the space.

In a rolling bearing, one or more seals are generally used to keep the lubricant, such as grease, inside the bearing and to limit the ingress of contaminating particles. Generally, such seals are fixed to one of the rings of the bearing and engage with the other ring so as to form a dynamic seal.
Patent application WO-A1-2010/133240 (SKF) describes a rolling bearing comprising two seals that are fixed to the outer ring and each comprise an internal lip in rubbing contact with the inner ring. The bearing also comprises two sealing flanges that are fixed to the inner ring and against each of which an external lip of the associated seal rubs.
The use of such a flange that is axially on each side of the bearing and engages with the external lip of the associated seal makes it possible to limit contaminating particles reaching the internal lip of the seal in rubbing contact with the inner ring. However, the contact pressure exerted on the flange by the elastomeric external lip of each associated seal tends to decrease over time and in the event of angular misalignment of one of the rings with respect to the other following mounting of the bearing. This can affect the sealing properties of the bearing in operation.

Rolling bearing comprising a sealing flange


A boat drain valve which incorporates a valve to open and close the drain valve. The drain valve is connected to the boat hull in a manner that provides a straight channel through the drain valve. A handle with an extension positions the grip of the handle in a location where it can be easily accessed. The grip can be positioned above operational equipment in a compartment formed by the hull of the boat and an access hatch, just under the hatch. The grip can be positioned just above the deck surface of the boat.

Many boats, especially boats that are transportable on trailers, have a drain hole in or near the bilge to permit removal of water that accumulates during the normal operation of the boat. The boat is typically designed so that when the boat is removed from the body of water, the drain hole can be opened and water that has accumulated in the hull drains out.
Typically, the mechanism for controlling flow through the drain hole is a plug or stopper which is inserted in the drain hole to restrict the in-leakage of water when the boat is afloat on a body of water. One difficulty with existing systems is that if the boat operator fails to properly insert the plug before launching the boat it is generally very difficult to correct that problem while the boat is afloat. Typically the boat must be removed from the water so that the plug can be re-inserted.
In normal operation of a boat it is commonplace for material such as leaves, twigs, paper and plastic material, and other debris to accumulate in the bilge area and other areas in the bottom of a boat. Such debris can impede or block the flow of water through the drain hole when it is opened to drain the water.
What is needed therefore is a quick, inexpensive, and reliable means for closing the drain hole in a boat without removing the boat from the water, while still providing a clear, unobstructed passage for cleaning the drain hole if debris accumulates in it.


A method for domain shading may include analyzing graphics state data, and generating all first primitives through a single-pass domain shading or generating only second primitives which are visible among the first primitives through a two-pass domain shading based on a result of the analysis.

Embodiments of the present inventive concepts relate to a method for domain shading.
A graphics processing unit (GPU) renders an image of an object to be displayed on a display. In recent years, the GPU performs a tessellation operation so as to more minutely render the image of an object during a process of rendering the image of an object.
The GPU generates a plurality of primitives for the image of an object through the tessellation operation, receives information for generating the plurality of primitives from an external memory, and transmits the finally generated primitives to a next step or stores the primitives in the external memory. The GPU obtains all data corresponding to the plurality of primitives so as to perform an operation after the tessellation operation, thereby causing a waste of bandwidth of data, and a large amount of calculation loads and power consumption.

Method for domain shading, and devices operating the same


Compositions and methods for the inhibition and/or prevention of traumatic brain injury and the symptoms associated with it are provided.

Several publications and patent documents are cited throughout the specification in order to describe the state of the art to which this invention pertains. Each of these citations is incorporated herein by reference as though set forth in full.
Nearly 30% of all patients with combat-related injuries returning from the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI), causing significant personal, social and economical impact to the country. The processes leading to neurodegeneration happen early and are irreversible, which makes the battlefield emergency treatment critical for patient brain function preservation and recovery. In addition to the military injuries, there are currently an estimated 1.7 million civilian cases of TBI annually. However, at present, no treatment for TBI is available as the brain is difficult to access with therapeutic agents due to the presence of the brain blood barrier (BBB).

Compositions and methods for the treatment of traumatic brain injury

BOARD OF REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA


The processing for deciding the remedy as being possible or impossible and the processing for remedying bit fails can be both executed in a short time on the basis of bit mask processing. Fail data are transferred from the tester to the redundancy processor (in Step S101), and the number of the fail addresses stored in the buffer memory is compared with the maximum number of fail bits (in Step S103). Further, the line fail detection and the remedy processing are both executed (in Step S105), and the redundancy processor decides whether the number of the line fails exceeds the number of the spare rows and the number of the spare columns or not (in Step S107). Further, the bit mask processing is executed for the fail addresses (in Step S109) to decide the remedy possibility (in Step S111). Here, the maximum remediable number of the bit mask processings can be calculated on the basis of "the number of row spares R+the number of the column spares". When the number of the bit mask processing exceeds this calculated limit value, the remedy is decided as being impossible (in Step S121), so that any bit fail remedy processing is not more executed at the succeeding stage.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor test system, a semiconductor test method, and a medium for recording a semiconductor test program used for the same system and method. More specifically, the present invention relates to a tester used in a test process for semiconductor devices each provided with a redundant circuit, and more particularly to a redundancy processor for deciding whether a device can be replaced with a redundant circuit provided for the device or not on the basis of fail data of the device to be measured, a redundancy processing method therefor and a medium for recording a redundancy processing program therefor.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the conventional test process for a wafer on which ICs, LSIs, etc. each provided with a redundancy circuit are formed, in general a redundancy processing is executed to decide whether the defective positions of the wafer can be remedied or not.
In the above-mentioned wafer test process, an LSI tester is usually used. Here, the LSI tester has a buffer memory, and the defective data or fail data obtained when each device is tested are stored in this buffer memory. Therefore, on the basis of these stored fail data, it is possible to decide whether the device can be replaced with a redundancy circuit provided for each device or not.
Recently, however, the time required for the test and remedy decision processing has been increased more and more with increasing device capacity and increasing complexity of the redundant circuit. To overcome this problem, therefore, the LSI tester is generally provided with a dedicated redundancy processor used for only the remedy decision processing. In this case, it is possible to shorten the apparent time required for the test system processing, by executing the parallel processing of both the device test and the remedy decision processing at the same time.
FIG. 14 is a schematic block diagram showing an example of prior art test system composed of a tester 1 and a redundancy processor 2.
The tester 1 is composed of a controller 1a, a test section 1b, and a buffer memory 1c for storing the fail data. In the practical test, a device to be measured (e.g., IC, LSI, etc.) is set to the test section 1b, to store the fail data of the set device in the buffer memory 1c under control of the controller 1a. Here, for instance, the fail data are data indicative of whether memory cells are normal or abnormal at the respective rows and columns, respectively.
The redundancy processor 2 is composed of a buffer memory 2a for storing the fail addresses and a controller 2b. The controller 2b controls the total operation of the redundancy processor 2. Here, the buffer memory 2a stores fail addresses on the basis of the fail data transferred from the buffer memory 1c of the tester 1. In this case, the redundancy processor 2 stores only the fail addresses in the buffer memory 2a, to execute the remedy decision processing on the basis of these stored data. Here, although the necessary capacity of the buffer memory 2a can be decided on the basis of the number of the fail addresses to be stored, in general this number of the fail addresses increases with increasing capacity of the device to be measured. Therefore, there so far exists a problem in that the cost of the tester increases with increasing capacity of the buffer memory 2a, and further the throughput of the tester decreases with increasing time required to read the fail addresses.
FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the operation of the test system. As shown in FIG. 15, by the tester 1, a function test (1) of the device (e.g., IC, LSI, etc.) set to the test section 1b for test is executed by the controller 1a, so that the predetermined fail data can be stored in the buffer memory 1c. Further, when a function test (2) is being executed, the fail data obtained by the first function test (1) and stored in the buffer memory 1c are transferred to the redundancy processor 2. In the redundancy processor 2, the remedy processing (1) such as the remedy decision, the replacement with the spares, etc. is executed in cooperation with the buffer memory 2a. In the same way as above, the other function tests (3) to (n) are executed by the tester 1, and the other remedy processing (3) to (n) are executed by the redundancy processor in sequence.
FIGS. 16(a) and 16(b) are data construction tables of the fail data of the prior art tester (i.e., the buffer memory 1c) and the redundancy processor (i.e., the buffer memory 2a), respectively. In these drawing, the memory or, having 64 addresses in total (i.e., the row and column addresses are both eight) is shown by way of example. Further, the number of spares is assumed to be two in both the row and column, respectively. Here, the assumption is made that the fail data as shown by a mark [*] in FIG. 16(a) are stored in the buffer memory 1c of the tester 1. Therefore, when these fail data are transferred to the buffer memory 2a of the redundancy processor 2, all the fail addresses are stored in the buffer memory 2a. In this example, as shown by the actual data stored in FIG. 16(b), the addresses of 14 in total are stored on the basis of the numbers of the row and column, respectively.
FIG. 17 is a flowchart for assistance in explaining the remedy decision processing by the prior art redundancy processor.
First, in Step (S01), data are transferred from the tester (1) to the redundancy processor 2, that is, from the buffer memory (fail data) 1c to the buffer memory (fail address) 2a. After that, in Step (S02), the number of the fail addresses is checked as to whether exceeding the maximum number of the remediable addresses. Here, the maximum number of the remediable addresses can be obtained by the following formula: ##EQU1##
For instance, in the case of the example shown in FIGS. 16(a) and 16(b), the maximum remediable number is 32=(8.times.2)+(8.times.2). Therefore, when the number of the fail addresses exceeds this maximum remediable number, in Step (S08), the remedy is decided to be impossible.
Successively, in Step (S03), on the basis of the fail addresses stored in the buffer memory 2a, the line fail is detected, and spares are allocated to the detected line fail for remedy processing.
Here, "line fail" is defined as follows: when the replaced row spares or the replaced column spares are allocated to the fail addresses, since the number of fails at the same address (i.e., on the same line) is too many, the whole line replacement is indispensable. Further, the fail addresses other than the "line fail" are referred to as "bit fails", for discrimination between the two. Here, the conditions that the "line fail" is decided are that the number of fails on the same row address exceeds the number of column spares in the case of the row addresses and that the number of fails on the same column address exceeds the number of row spares in the case of the column addresses.
Further, when either one of the numbers of the row line fails or the column line fails exceeds the number of the row or column spares, in Step (S04), the remedy is decided to be impossible.
Finally, in Step (S05), the remedy processing is executed by allocating the remaining usable spares to the bit fails. In this case, in general the remedy processing is executed on the basis of all the combinations of the remaining spares. Further, when the actual remedy can be executed in Step (S06), the device remedy is decided as being possible in Step (S07).
However, recently, there exists such a tendency that the number of the spares increases with increasing capacity of the memory device. Therefore, in the case of the prior art test system, since the remedy decision of the bit fails is executed by allocating all the usable spares to all the fail addresses on the basis of the total combinations of the spare rows and the spare columns, the number of the combinations increases with increasing numbers of the bit fails and spares, so that a long remedy processing time is inevitably required. As a result, there exists a problem in that when a device eventually decided as a defective device is tested, the defective device can be decided as being non-remedy (i.e., the remedy is impossible) after all the combinations of the spare rows and the spare columns has been executed.
Further, in general when the remedy solution is obtained for bit fail remedy, it is necessary to select any suitable solution by which the number of used spare lines can be minimized, from among some remedy solutions. In this case, since all the spare combinations must be executed, the number of the spare combinations increases with increasing number of spares, with the result that a long remedy processing time is needed.
In more detail, in the bit fail remedy processing for obtaining one remedy solution, when all the combinations of the remaining spares are allocated and further the remaining bit fail no more exists during the combination processing of the remaining spares, the combination obtained at this time becomes one of the remedy solutions. Here, the number of these combinations increases with increasing number of the remaining rows, increasing number of the spare columns, and increasing number of the remaining bit fails. Therefore, since the non-remedy or the impossible remedy is decided only after all the combination processings have been executed, there exists problems in that the throughput is reduced and further the remedy processing cannot be completed within an FC test time.
Further, in the prior art semiconductor test system, since there exists a tendency that the number of the spares increases with increasing capacity of the memory device, when the wafer is tested by use of the prior art redundancy processor, the capacity of the buffer memory for storing the fail addresses inevitably increases. In addition, when the capacity of the buffer memory increases, since the number of the buffer memory devices increases, there arises another problems in that the number of the substrates thereof increases and the casing of the buffer memory devices is large-sized, with the result that the cost of the buffer memory inevitably increases.
Further, in the prior art test system, the remedy decision processing for the bit fails is executed by allocating usable spares to the fail addresses. In this case, however, since the allocation processing is executed for all the combinations of the row spares and the column spares, there exists the other problem in that the number of the allocation combinations increases and thereby the processing time inevitably increases with increasing number of the spares.

Semiconductor test system and method, and medium for recording test program therefor


A separator for flat-type polymer electrolyte fuel cells comprises a fuel-feed-side separator and an oxygen-feed-side separator, each comprising a collector portion in which n unit conductive substrates (n is an integer of 2 or more), each having a plurality of through-holes, are arrayed in flat configuration via gaps, and a pair of insulating frames which have n openings in alignment with an array position of the unit conductive substrates and are integrated in such a way as to hold the collector portion between them. The back-to-back (n−1) unit conductive substrates of the n unit conductive substrates in one of both separators, as counted from the end of its array direction, and the 2nd to nth unit conductive substrates of the n unit conductive substrates in another separator, as counted from the end of its array direction are successively joined together by means of (n−1) connecting hinges.

Briefly, a fuel cell is a device wherein fuel (a reducing agent) and oxygen or air (an oxidizing agent) are continuously supplied to it from outside for electro-chemical reactions through which electric energy is taken out, and classified depending on its working temperature, the type of the fuel used, its applications, etc. Recently developed fuel cells are generally broken down into five types: a solid oxide type fuel cell, a molten carbonate type fuel cell, a phosphoric acid type fuel cell, a polymer electrolyte type fuel cell, and an alkaline aqueous solution type fuel cell, depending on kinds of using electrolytes.
These fuel cells use hydrogen gas resulting from methane or the like as fuel. More recently, a direct methanol type fuel cell (sometimes abbreviated as DMFC) relying on direct use as fuel of a methanol aqueous solution has been known in the art, too.
Among them, attention has now been directed to a solid polymer type fuel cell (hereinafter abbreviated as PEFC) having a structure wherein a solid polymer membrane is held between two kinds of electrodes and these components are further sandwiched between separators.
In general, this PEFC has a stacking structure wherein a plurality of unit cells, each having electrodes, are stacked on each side of the solid polymer membrane in such a way as to increase its electromotive force depending on what it is used for. A separator interposed between the unit cells is generally provided on its one side with a fuel gas feed groove for feeding fuel to one of the adjoining unit cells. With such a separator, fuel gas and oxidant gas are fed along its surfaces.
Known for the PEFC separator here are a graphite plate separator with a groove cut or otherwise formed in it, a separator obtained by molding of a carbon compound with carbon kneaded into a resin, a metal separator with a groove etched or otherwise formed in it, a metallic material separator with its surface portion covered up with a corrosion-resistant resin, and so on. If required, these separators are each provided with a fuel gas feed groove and/or an oxidant gas feed groove.
Besides such fuel cells of the stacking structure, for instance, there is a fuel cell for personal digital assistants, which requires not that large electromotive force, but must be of as thin a flat-type as possible. With that flat-type wherein a plurality of unit cells are arrayed in flat configuration and electrically connected together in series, however, there is a problem that the feed of fuel and oxygen becomes uneven from site to site.
As one possible approach to solving such uneven fuel feed problem, there has now been proposed a separator having a structure wherein a number of vertical through-holes are formed in a separator plane contiguous to a membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) to supply fuel and oxygen through them (JP(A)2003-203647).
In the present disclosure, the term "membrane-electrode assembly or MEA" is understood to refer to an assembly including electrode portions positioned between the fuel-feed-side separator and the oxygen-feed-side separator of a fuel cell, specifically, an assembly like a membrane wherein a collector layer, a fuel electrode, a polymer electrolyte, an oxygen electrode and a collector layer are stacked together in this order.
With that separator of such structure as explained above, however, there are problems such as difficulty with which wires are formed for making series connections between unit cells, complicated processes, and increased contact resistance due to wire connections.
With a prior art flat-type PEFC with the MEA put between the fuel-feed-side separator and the oxygen-feed-side separator as discussed above, there is another problem that as the MEA swells during power generation, it causes contact of the MEA with the fuel-feed-side separator or the oxygen-feed-side separator to become insufficient, resulting in an increased contact resistance. This problem could possibly be eliminated by using bolts to tighten together the fuel-feed-side separator and the oxygen-feed-side separator positioned on both sides of the MEA, thereby ensuring contact of the respective layers. However, provision of the width necessary for such tightening between the unit cells arrayed in flat configuration would arise yet another problem that the effective area of each unit cell diminishes.

Separator for flat-type polymer electrolyte fuel cells


An adjustable paint brush pole has a brushing head attached to a handle. Disposed on the handle is a pivoting joint, allowing the brushing head to be angularly positioned relative to a base portion of the handle. Additionally, the base portion of the handle is internally threaded for receiving a threaded portion of an extension pole.

A common task when constructing or maintaining a building is painting. Proper painting is a time consuming activity that requires a set of workman skills, proper paints for the particular job, and the correct tools. While painting can be difficult, and while it may require painstaking patience, a job that is done well is readily apparent and personally rewarding.
Painting may require brushes, rollers, sprayers, cleaning agents, thinning agents, poles, ladders, scaffolding, and safety equipment as well as paint. Stooping is often required for low areas and ladders for high ones. Proper preparation and materials are important, as is the ability to properly select and use the tools.
One (1) of the most common tools used in painting is the paint brush. Paint brushes can be wide, narrow, long, short, straight and tapered. They can be comprised of common materials or exotic materials, either natural and/or man-made. While the common paint brush has existed for generations they nonetheless have problems. One (1) problem occurs when painting at either extremely high or extremely low elevations. Such elevations require the use of a ladder, or the ability to get on one's hands and knees to paint.
Other types of painting tools, such as paint rollers, are almost always provided with an expandable extension pole for making painting easier. Curiously extension poles for paint brushes either do not exist or are rare. Some painters have been known to tape or tie a paint brush to a broom handle to obtain additional lengths. While such an approach works it is neither handy nor efficient.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a paint brush pole for holding paint brushes. Preferably such a paint brush pole would allow painting to be performed at elevated or low positions. In practice such a paint brush pole would allow its paint brush head to be adjusted to different angles. Ideally adjustments could be made without the use of tools and in such a way that the paint brush would lock into place. Beneficially the paint brush head could be removed from the paint brush pole and used with another pole having a threaded coupling.


A method of forming gate electrodes having different work functions includes forming a first well of a first conductivity type and a second well of a second conductivity type. Subsequently, a gate dielectric layer is deposited over the first and second wells. A multi-layer stack comprising two or more thin metal/metal nitride layers is next formed over the first well. A thick metal/metal nitride layer is formed over the multi-layer stack to form the first gate electrode. The thick metal/metal nitride layer is also formed over the gate dielectric layer portion extending over the second well, thereby forming the second gate electrode. The first and second electrodes are then annealed, and thereafter exhibit different work functions as desired.

The present invention relates to semiconductor devices and fabrication processes, and more specifically to semiconductor gate electrode architectures which provide improved work function tuning.
In the conventional CMOS process, poly silicon is used as a gate electrode material up to 90 nm node. The conventional process has several advantages such as: (i) it is compatible with high temperature processing, (ii) well behaved poly-Si/thermal SiO2 interfaces, (iii) more reliable than metal gate electrode like Al, (iv) conformal deposition over steep topography (v) and most significantly it introduces self-aligned dual work function for both n-MOSFETs and p-MOSFETs by selection of proper dopant.
The polysilicon gate electrode, however, also represents a major challenge for near-term and long-term CMOS scaling. Some major limitations of the process include gate depletion, high gate resistance and boron penetration into the channel region. The poly depletion causes an effective increase in the gate dielectric thickness, which operates to reduce the current drive. Boron diffusion from p+ polysilicon gate to the channel degrades device performance significantly. Both the effective increase in the gate dielectric thickness associated with depletion and the channel autodoping associated with boron out-diffusion from the p+ polysilicon gate will eventually require the phase-out of polysilicon as gate material beyond the 45 nm technology node.
Metal gate electrodes offer a potential solution to the aforementioned problem. Metal gate electrodes provide advantages such as: (i) no boron penetration from polysilicon gate into channel through very thin gate dielectric, (ii) much lower gate resistance, (iii) and perhaps the most desirable advantage of reduced electrical thickness of gate dielectric. The last and most significant advantage is derived through elimination of depletion in heavily doped polysilicon gates, which can amount to a 3-5 Å reduction in equivalent oxide thickness (EOT)—the equivalent of ˜2 generation advancement.
A key requirement for gate electrode material in CMOS is that of dual work function. Gate metal for NMOS and PMOS devices should have work functions which closely correspond to conduction and valence band edge respectively for surface channel mode of operation. In conventionally fabricated CMOS devices, the dual work function of the polysilicon gate is achieved by implanting the polysilicon material with either n or p-type dopants (during deep S/D implantation) as mentioned above.
In the case of refractory metals or metal nitrides, work function is not a strong function of doping, and S/D implantation cannot be used for work function tuning. Further, conventional approaches of using two different bulk metals to fabricate NMOS and PMOS gate electrodes require the use of exotic metals and alloys to meet the work function requirements, which complicates CMOS processing and results in lower device yield.
What is needed is a gate electrode architecture capable of a dual work function, and which can be preferably fabricated using technology close to conventional CMOS fabrication.

Gate electrode architecture for improved work function tuning and method of manufacture

Agency for Science, Technology and Research


A package for a food product such as a cylindrical sandwich includes an elongate central strip having a plurality of fold lines defining a series of panels. A central panel of the series includes a central flap connected at each side edge, and other closure flaps are connected to at least some of the other panels. The panels are folded with respect to each other so that the endmost panels are positioned to define a polygonal cross-section for the package. The closure flaps and central flaps are folded to close the package. An outer portion of each central flap is free from the remaining closure flaps to permit outward folding of the panels for access to the food product. Several alternative embodiments are disclosed.

The present invention relates to a pack for cylindrical, hamburger-type sandwiches. More generally, it relates to a pack for any rather compact food presented in a cylindrical shape and intended to be eaten in the pack.
The hamburger being the most popular cylindrical sandwich, the descriptions shall be based on the application to the wrapping of hamburgers, as the wrapping of hamburgers is a delicate operation, inasmuch as it deals with a soft, open and layered sandwich, with dripping sauces and greasy debris which can fall and soil the consumer's clothing if the hamburger is not systematically supported from beneath in its pack during the entire consumption time.
There are two principal known types of hamburger packs-one is a hinged box in the shape of double trays, generally of square cross section, with a snap-in locking system. Currently, for environmental reasons these packs are preferably made of a light-weight flat or micro-flute paperboard; these trays are preformed in an automatic gluing operation.
The hamburger is placed flat in the lower tray, and the consumer must bring it upright, requiring that he delicately slide the index and/or second finger of one hand between the hamburger and the bottom of the lower tray to lift the hamburger with his thumb, in a very uncomfortable gesture, just as uncomfortable as holding the same lower tray with the other hand to protect against spots during consumption, while the upper tray hinged on the lower tray may hit his face during the eating process.
Moreover, children tend to eat the sandwich outside the tray, thereby frequently soiling their clothing.
Other packs are merely very thin rectangular sheets of paper which are wrapped around the hamburger in the manner any flat cylindrical object is wrapped, by tucking the extending edges of the folded paper under the wrapped item.
In addition, there is a very thin, longitudinally pleated wrap, where the pleats are secured at the end by lateral seals, the paper having a polyethylene coating serving as a hot-melt glue to allow it to be sealed.
This manual pack is very difficult to adjust, it is rather unattractive once in place, and has not met with the expected success.
According to another method described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,189,054, a cylindrical box for the packing of round sandwiches consists of two half-shells, each surrounding the sandwich over half of its perimeter, and connected to each other along a single hinge parallel to the generatrix of the cylinder. In the closed position, each shell comes into edge-to-edge contact with the other. During the filling operation, the sandwich is placed upright into the lower shell, and the upper shell is lowered on the lower shell.
During consumption, the sandwich is held in the lower shell which can either be torn along its radius, or folded outward laterally along the hinge in the generatrix of the cylinder. This pack is produced by polyurethane foam molding and has several disadvantages. Since the peripheral and lateral walls are perpendicular to each other and molded, the packs are not stackable; the sandwich is too ensconced at the bottom of one shell while the other shell hits the consumer's face, which is most uncomfortable, particularly during the end phase of consumption as the radial tear-out of the half-shell as well as the lateral tear-out features provided to access the last portion of the sandwich with the mouth are awkward and require a strong pull on the pack which may suddenly give way and possibly dislocate the sandwich, and cause food scraps to shower on the consumer or his neighbors.
To our knowledge, this pack has never actually been used for these reasons.
Differently, U.S. Pat. No. 4,494,785 relates to a precut and prepleated flexible paper napkin destined to partially cover a cylindrical sandwich allowing it to be held in one's fingers without them touching the food. It consists of a strip partially surrounding the periphery of the sandwich and of two series of parallel two-by-two flaps designed to fit between the fingers and the top and bottom of the sandwich respectively. This napkin stays around the sandwich only if it is held by the hand, and does not allow to effectively catch the sauce or greasy scraps escaping from the sandwich during its consumption, nor does it provide for thermal insulation of the hot sandwich.
The very old, German patent 336789 describes a rectangular parallelepiped box with square cross-section and cross-bottom closure obtained through the diagonal folding of the four bottom fields; this box is accessible from the bottom only; it mainly serves to wrap powdered or grain products, and possesses no specific characteristic for eating a round sandwich in its pack, even if one box may serve many different purposes.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,443,531 describes an hermetically sealed cubic box of rather thick paperboard, specifically designed to accommodate a cube of ice cream to be carried under the best possible conditions (mainly of temperature) between the point of purchase and the point of consumption.
The paperboard sheet is divided into equal square areas along three longitudinal strips, delimited by two parallel fold lines and five transversal strips delimited by four fold lines perpendicular to the former.
To consume the content, the box is placed on an horizontal table and redeployed in the plane of the table so that the ice cream remains on the central square area on which it can be cut and served. Granted perhaps that this box may accommodate a hamburger in a specific application, one cannot help but realize that it has not been designed for a hamburger to be eaten in its pack.
The round box disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,224,504 consists of a cylinder made from a sheet of unspecified material, having a central section and lateral extensions, the length of which is exactly half the diameter of the product to be packed.
It is the material of these extensions which, by folding down on both sides of the apertures of the central cylinder along fan-shaped pleats, closes the cylinder and wraps a product compatible with this type of pack which can be opened from either side. The resulting pseudo-box possesses no useful characteristic for a hamburger pack, much less for the consumption of a hamburger from the pack as it does not have a stable sealed bottom.
As we know, it is designed to package deluxe soaps and other perfume items or gifts, preferably having two roughly parallel planes.
The paperboard container described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,295,508 forms a universal box with original assembling and locking, designed to hold fairly large volumes, but as a result has the usefulness of any non-specific traditional box, which was actually the inventor's intent as he was seeking the widest possible application as stated in the text of the patent.
The paperboard container in U.S. Pat. No. 3,031,124 features a very complicated manual folding system in no way suitable to large commercial preforming runs; while the esthetic result is quite pleasing, this satchel shaped pack does not offer any specific application, which was the intent of its inventor. In another perspective, had this pack held any specific interest for the consumption of a hamburger, surely this would have become known since 1959.
In 1963, U.S. Pat. No. 945,399 describes a wrapping process for various articles with a folded sheet, lined or impregnated with polyethylene in particular, but also with aluminum, and especially a means to utilize the lining material to heatseal the organized pleats and seal the pack through the application of a rigid thermoplastic label made from a compatible material and designed to display a brand name outside the pack.
We are far removed here from the concern for a specific hamburger pack.
The analyses of all above-mentioned packs and of many other existing food packs leads to the conclusion that while some of them may be used for a hamburger, none of them, including the currently used hinged boxes and the lined papers, offer nor do they claim to offer all of the required specifications allowing the easy and practical consumption in its pack of a hamburger or another compact food of cylindrical shape.

Package for cylindrical sandwich and the like


This invention relates to an electric double layer capacitor electrochemical cylinder (11) made up of concentric layers of capacitors (16), current collectors (14a, 14b, 14c), ion specific membranes (18, 18a, 18b) and dielectric spacer (20) wrapped around an inner support tube (12) that can be used as a high capacitance capacitor and to remove dissolved solids from a liquid stream such as water, acid, aqueous or non-aqueous.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to an electric double layer capacitor constructed of a plurality of concentric rings of capacitor pairs for use as an electrochemical device for energy storage or deionization of liquids
2. Prior Art
The following tabulation of some prior art that presently appears relevant:

Concentric layer electric double layer capacitor cylinder, system, and method of use


A modified air heater gas inlet plenum for a tubular air heater which permits retrofit installation of additional flue gas environmental treatment equipment. A divider plate is located within the inlet plenum to subdivide it into first and second flue gas passages. The first flue gas passage created by the divider plate merely conveys the hot flue gas through the inlet plenum and into flues which convey the flue gas to the new equipment. Return flues convey the flue gas back to the second flue gas passage created in the inlet plenum which, in turn, conveys the flue gas into the tubular air heater heat exchanger tubes. By taking advantage of the large size of a conventional air heater gas inlet plenum, the first and second flue gas passages created by the divider plate still have sufficient cross sectional area so that acceptable flue gas velocities are preserved. One particular application of the modified air heater gas inlet plenum is to permit retrofit application of selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems for treating flue gas to existing steam generators or boilers.

The present invention relates generally to tubular air heater constructions used in steam generator installations for utility power generation and, more particularly, to an air heater gas inlet plenum for such tubular air heaters which permits retrofit installation of additional flue gas environmental treatment equipment.
Increasingly stringent environmental regulations continue to place pressures upon electric utilities which utilize fossil-fueled steam generators to produce electricity. However, modifications to existing steam generators is often problematic due to the limited space available, and the utilities"" desire to make such modifications in an efficient manner and at minimum cost.
Many fossil-fueled steam generators used for utility power generation employ recuperative tubular air heaters to transfer heat from the hot flue gases produced during combustion into the incoming combustion air. After this heat exchange process has occurred, the flue gases are eventually conveyed into the atmosphere via a stack. Various types of environmental cleanup equipment are also often provided in between the flue gas outlet of such steam generators and the stack, such as precipitators for particulate control and wet or dry flue gas desulfurization systems.
In addition to controlling sulphur oxide emissions, nitrogen oxides are one of the primary pollutants emitted during combustion processes. As described in Chapter 34 of Steam/its generation and use, 40th Edition, Stultz and Kitto, editors, Copyright (copyright)1992 The Babcock and Wilcox Company, at pages 34-1 to 34-9, various methods are used to control nitrogen oxide emissions. One method involves selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems which catalytically reduce flue gas NOx to N2 and H2O using ammonia in a chemical reduction. For further details concerning the basic principles behind SCR systems, the reader is referred to the aforementioned Chapter 34 of Steam, the text of which is hereby incorporated by reference as though fully set forth herein.
SCR reactions take place within an optimal temperature range, and the SCR modules used in such systems are typically located downstream of the economizer gas outlet of the steam generator or boiler and upstream (with respect to a direction of flue gas flow through the steam generator) of the air heater devices used to preheat the incoming combustion air. Retrofit applications of SCR systems to steam generators having tubular air heaters present their own particular problems.
Referring generally to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the present disclosure, there are shown two such typical installations of tubular air heaters as provided at the economizer gas outlet of a utility steam generator (not shown).
FIG. 1 illustrates a first embodiment of a known tubular air heater installation, generally designated 10. Hot flue gas 12 provided from a boiler economizer gas outlet 14 is conveyed to a tubular air heater 16 for transferring heat from the hot flue gases 12 into incoming combustion air (not shown). Tubular air heater 16 is generally provided with a large gas inlet plenum 18 located at an upper end of the tubular air heater 16 and above a plurality of heat exchanger tubes 20 for receiving and conveying the hot flue gas 12 therethrough while the air for combustion (not shown) passes there across over the outside surfaces of these tubes 20 in a heat exchange relationship. The large gas inlet plenum 18 has a top wall 19, a rear wall 21, and side walls 23. The hot flue gases 12 are cooled as they pass downwardly through the tubular air heater 16, conveying the heat contained therein to the combustion air. A gas outlet plenum 22 is generally provided at the bottom of the tubular air heater 16 for collecting and conveying the flue gases 12 to a stack (not shown). Since the flue gases 12 contain significant amounts of flyash, a hopper 24 may be provided at a lower portion of the gas outlet plenum to collect flyash particles. As illustrated in the arrangement of FIG. 1, the hot flue gas 12 is conveyed from the boiler economizer gas outlet 14 via an outlet gas flue 26 into the gas inlet plenum 18 where the flue gases make a 90xc2x0 turn downwardly into the plurality of heat exchanger tubes 20 and, after exiting therefrom, make another 90xc2x0 turn at the gas outlet plenum 22 before exiting the tubular air heater 16. The tubular air heater 16 is generally top supported via support rods 28 which are hung from top support steel 30, but it may be bottom supported as well.
Various other arrangements of tubular air heaters are known. For particular details of such arrangements, the reader is referred to Chapter 13 of Steam/its generation and use, 39th edition, Copyright (copyright)1978 by The Babcock and Wilcox Company, particularly pages 13-4 to 13-8, and that chapter is hereby incorporated by reference as though fully set forth herein. FIG. 2 illustrates one such variation, generally designated 50. Throughout FIGS. 1 and 2, as well as in the balance of the present disclosure, like reference numerals designate the same or functionally similar elements throughout the several drawings. In the arrangement of FIG. 2, the hot flue gases 12 are again conveyed from the boiler economizer gas outlet 14 into an upper plenum 18 of a U-shaped tubular air heater, generally designated 17. As shown therein, tubular air heater 17 is provided with a gas downflow section 32 and a gas upflow section 34 containing heat exchanger tubes 20. While the hot flue gas 12 makes a 90xc2x0 turn downward into the gas downflow section 32, at the bottom portion thereof the hot flue gases 12 make a 180xc2x0 turn up into the gas upflow section 34 by means of an intermediate gas plenum 36. If desired, hoppers 24 may again be provided to collect particles from the hot flue gas 12 as it makes the 180xc2x0 turn within the intermediate gas plenum 36. After passing upwardly through the heat exchanger tubes 20 comprising the gas upflow section 34, the hot flue gases 12 make another 90xc2x0 turn in a gas outlet plenum 38 located at an upper portion of the gas upflow section 34. The hot flue gases 12 then exit from the tubular air heater 17 for eventual exhaust into the atmosphere. At the upper portion of the tubular air heater 17 a flue gas impermeable wall 40 separates the gas inlet plenum 18 from the gas outlet plenum 38. Similarly, flue gases conveyed downwardly through gas downflow section 32 and upwardly through gas upflow section 34 are separated from one another by another flue gas impermeable wall 44.
It will thus be readily appreciated that retrofit installation of SCR equipment so that the flue gas 12 exiting from the boiler economizer gas outlet 14 can be treated prior to entry into the tubular air heater configurations illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 can present significant arrangement problems. The present invention provides a solution with a minimum of cost and modification.
The present invention involves modifications to an air heater gas inlet plenum for a tubular air heater to permit retrofit installation of additional flue gas environmental treatment equipment, such as selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems for treating flue gas. A divider plate is located within the inlet plenum to subdivide it into first and second flue gas passages. The first flue gas passage created by the divider plate merely conveys the hot flue gas through the inlet plenum and into flues which convey the flue gas to the new equipment. Return flues convey the flue gas back to the second flue gas passage created in the inlet plenum which, in turn, conveys the flue gas into the tubular air heater heat exchanger tubes. By taking advantage of the large size of a conventional air heater gas inlet plenum, the first and second flue gas passages created by the divider plate still have sufficient cross sectional area so that acceptable flue gas velocities are preserved.
Accordingly, one aspect of the present invention is drawn to a tubular air heater for transferring heat from hot flue gas into air. The tubular air heater comprises a plurality of heat exchanger tubes for conveying the hot flue gas therethrough and the air there across in heat exchange relationship. In addition, there is provided an inlet plenum means for receiving the hot flue gas, the inlet plenum means being subdivided by divider plate means therein into a first and a second flue gas passage, the first flue gas passage for conveying the hot flue gas through the inlet plenum means while preventing the hot flue gas from entering the plurality of heat exchanger tubes, the second flue gas passage for conveying the hot flue gas into the plurality of heat exchanger tubes.
Another aspect of the present invention is drawn to a gas inlet plenum for a tubular air heater having a plurality of heat exchanger tubes for conveying hot flue gas therethrough and air there across in heat exchange relationship. The gas inlet plenum comprises divider plate means therein for subdividing the gas inlet plenum into a first and a second flue gas passage. The first flue gas passage is for conveying hot flue gas from a first flue gas inlet of the gas inlet plenum through the gas inlet plenum to a flue gas outlet while preventing the hot flue gas from entering the plurality of heat exchanger tubes. The second flue gas passage is for conveying the hot flue gas from a second flue gas inlet of the gas inlet plenum into the plurality of heat exchanger tubes.
Yet another aspect of the present invention is drawn to a method of modifying a gas inlet plenum for a tubular air heater to permit retrofit installation of additional flue gas treatment equipment in between a boiler economizer gas outlet and the tubular air heater. As described above, the gas inlet plenum is fluidically connected to a plurality of heat exchanger tubes of the tubular air heater for conveying hot flue gas therethrough and air there across in heat exchange relationship, and has a first flue gas inlet, a rear wall, and side walls. The method involves modifying at least one of the rear wall and the side walls of the gas inlet plenum to provide a flue gas outlet and a second flue gas inlet therein. In addition, the method involves installing divider plate means into the gas inlet plenum for subdividing the gas inlet plenum into a first and a second flue gas passage. The first flue gas passage is for conveying hot flue gas from the first flue gas inlet of the gas inlet plenum through the gas inlet plenum to a flue gas outlet while preventing the hot flue gas from entering the plurality of heat exchanger tubes. The second flue gas passage is for conveying the hot flue gas from the second flue gas inlet of the gas inlet plenum into the plurality of heat exchanger tubes.
Yet another aspect of the above method involves modifying at least one of the rear wall and the side walls of the gas inlet plenum to provide plural flue gas outlets and plural flue gas inlets therein. The divider plate means are installed to subdivide the gas inlet plenum into a first and second flue gas passage, the first flue gas passage for conveying hot flue gas from the first flue gas inlet of the gas inlet plenum to the plural flue gas outlets while preventing the hot flue gas from entering the plurality of heat exchanger tubes, the second flue gas passage for conveying the hot flue gas from the plural second flue gas inlets of the gas inlet plenum into the plurality of heat exchanger tubes.
The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects obtained by its uses, reference is made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated.