A mounting clip for attaching objects, such as flashlights to an article, includes a clipping portion dimensioned for attaching the clip to the article and an object mounting portion formed with the clipping portion. Objects of different widths are removably yet snugly grasped within the object mounting portion. The clipping portion includes upper and lower members defining a slot for receiving the article through a lip of the slot and frictionally securing the clip to the article.

Flashlights have long been popular as portable light sources and can provide a lightweight, compact package for casting a beam of light. More modern flashlight configurations utilize a light emitting diode that provides a strong light beam from relatively small batteries carried in the flashlight casing. Generally, these mini-flashlights are not self-supporting. Thus, it is typically necessary for a user of these mini-flashlights to use one hand to hold and position the light beam emanating from the flashlight, which can be a hindrance if the user is trying to accomplish a task that requires the use of more than one hand.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a mounting clip that is independent of the flashlight and that can be mounted to the bill of a cap along the side of the head to direct a beam of light forwardly of the user to free the use of both hands of the user for other activities. It would further be desirable to provide a mounting clip that can be used with multiple sizes of mini-flashlights. It is also desirable to provide a mounting clip having the option to hang the clip from a hook or mount the clip to a ferrous surface.

Magnetic mounting clip and related method of use


A page exception icon is provided for programming a page exception during a document processing job. The page exception icon is pre-programmed by selecting at least one document job processing parameter from a plurality of document job processing parameters and storing the document job processing parameter in association with a name provided for the page exception icon. The page exception icon can be dragged and dropped onto objects representing pages of a document processing job to perform a page exception in accordance with the document job processing parameters pre-programmed for the page exception icon.

1. Field of the Technology:
The present disclosure relates to a method, system and computer program product for configuring document management systems. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a method, system and computer program product for pre-programming a page exception icon that can be used to apply a page exception on at least one page in accordance with page exception parameters.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
Graphical User Interfaces ("GUIs") are used to display and configure parameter values for processing of documents, such as a page exception programming. A page exception is the application of one or more specified document job processing parameters to one or more specified pages within a document processing job. A document processing job is the input of a document to a system for processing, such as for printing and/or finishing. Currently to program a page exception, a user opens a GUI associated with a target document processing system and selects a tab within the GUI to view and configure document job processing parameters. The user selects a combination of the document job processing parameters and identifies one or more pages on which the pages exception processing is to be performed. This process is repeated until all page exceptions are performed. The job is then submitted for print.
This type of page exception programming is tedious, time consuming and prone to error for document processing jobs involving numerous pages and when there are numerous different types of page exceptions to be performed. For example, the copy quality on different pages may need to differ. In known document management systems, the copy quality may be programmed as a page exception for particular pages by individually selecting each of the pages to be associated with particular copy quality parameters and then specifying the copy quality for the selected group. However, selection errors may not be discovered until the reproduction job is completed and significant expense entailed in the reprogramming of the job.
Accordingly, there is a need for a method, system and computer program product for programming a page exception. There is a need for the method, system and computer program product for pre-programming a page exception icon. There is a need for the page exception icon to perform a page exception in accordance with document job processing parameters pre-programmed for the page exception icon.

Method for enabling ease of use with page exception programming


The invention relates to compilation and persistence of intermediate language code. In one embodiment, a computer-implemented method first inputs intermediate language code. The method compiles this code into corresponding native code, in a non-just-in-time manner. For example, the code is compiled as an installation-type procedure, or the code is compiled in the background during free processor cycles. The method then outputs the native code. For example, the native code is persisted to a hard disk drive or a non-volatile memory. After the installation compilation process, the native code can be loaded and executed.

This invention relates generally to intermediate languages, and more particularly to compiling and persisting of intermediate language code.
Intermediate language-type models for programming languages have become increasingly popular. In an intermediate language model, a source code is generally compiled into a desirably substantially platform-independent intermediate language. When the code is desired to be run on a particular platform, an execution engine on that platform then interprets or compiles the intermediate language to native code understandable by the platform. Examples of systems that use intermediate languages include the Java virtual machine.
As used herein, the terminology intermediate language refers generally to an intermediate language format that is an executable format and that is designed to be run. It can be loaded with very little time and memory overhead. Each part of such a format is typically designed to allow execution with minimal effort; all information required to execute part of the code is present. Such intermediate languages include byte code as used by Java virtual machines, for example. The terminology intermediate language as used herein does not generally refer to the data communicated from the front end of a compilerxe2x80x94for example, a typical C compilerxe2x80x94to the back end of the compiler.
Interpretation of intermediate language code means that as each individual instruction of intermediate language code is encountered, it is decoded and executed. Interpretation is usually the slowest manner by which intermediate language code can be executed. Therefore, compilation of intermediate language code to native code is generally used over interpretation of the intermediate code.
With respect to intermediate language code, compilation to native code is conducted within the prior art on adjust-in-time basis, such that the process is often referred to as just-in-time compilation. Just-in-time compilation of intermediate language code to native code means that a section of intermediate language code instructions is examined and converted to a corresponding section of native code, which is then executed. Thus, as compared to interpretation, which decodes and executes IL code on a instruction-by-instruction basis, just-in-time compilation converts and executes code on a section-by-section basis.
Generally, just-in-time compilation results in faster execution than does interpretation. However, there are disadvantages to the just-in-time compilation approach. Each time a program is run, it must be reconverted to native code. Because conversion time is at a premium, just-in-time compilation often sacrifices the quality of the native code for compilation speed, resulting in native code that may be worse in quality than that generated by a traditional source code-to-native code compiler. The native code that is generated also is tailored specifically to the individual program running; multiple programs cannot usually share native code. In addition, since two versions of the program, an intermediate language version and a native version, are loaded into memory, the resource requirements of a just-in-time compiled program are generally undesirably large.
Furthermore, while just-in-time compilation results in faster execution than does interpretation, just-in-time compilation of intermediate language code to native code still typically results in much slower execution than does straight execution of native code that was compiled directly from source code. Generally, this trade-off is taken for granted as an inherent characteristic of intermediate-language code: what is gained in platform independence is lost in execution speed. Nevertheless, it is desirable for intermediate-language code to be executed as fast as possible. For these and other reasons, there is a need for the present invention.
The invention relates to compilation and persisting of intermediate language code, as this phrase has been defined in the background section. In one embodiment, a computer-implemented method first inputs intermediate language code. The method compiles this code into corresponding native codexe2x80x94for example, in a non-just-in-time manner. The method then outputs the native codexe2x80x94for example, persisting the native code to a hard disk drive or a non-volatile memory. Only then is the native code executed. In one embodiment, verifiability is provided for.
Embodiments of the invention hence differ in their approach to compilation of intermediate language code as compared to the prior art. Usually all of the intermediate language code is compiled to native code prior to the native code being executed. This means that the native code can be saved to a hard disk drive, for example, and then later executed, without the performance penalties typically associated with intermediate language code. The initial compilation of the intermediate language code into native code can be performed as a program installation-type procedure that computer users are typically accustomed to with more traditional programs compiled directly to native code from source code, or, the initial compilation can be performed in the background, while the user is doing other things.
Within embodiments of the invention, generally the conversion from intermediate language code to native code occurs on the target machine on which the native code is meant to be run. This conversion is desirably made by an optimizing compiler, which is managed within the run-time environment. The goal of the conversion is generally to preserve the benefits of intermediate language code distributionxe2x80x94such as verifiability, platform independence, and late bindingxe2x80x94while achieving the performance advantage of an optimizing compiler, and not incurring run-time performance penalties.
While the prior art provides for interpretation of intermediate language code on an instruction-by-instruction basis and for just-in-time compilation of intermediate language code on a section-by-section basis, embodiments of the invention provide for complete whole-program compilation prior to execution. Execution of the resulting native code is therefore usually faster than the execution of just-in-time compiled code, and in some instances approaches that of more traditional programs compiled directly to native code from source code. Embodiments of the invention thus provide to large degree the best of both worlds: the speed of execution of more traditional programs, and the platform portability (i.e., independence) of intermediate language programs.
The invention includes computer-implemented methods, machine-readable media, computerized systems, devices and computers of varying scopes. Other aspects, embodiments and advantages of the invention, beyond those described here, will become apparent by reading the detailed description and with reference to the drawings.

Compiling and persisting of intermediate language code


Determining data rates and data types in a an electronic design. In one embodiment, an electronic design is created in a memory arrangement in response to user input. The electronic design includes a plurality of functional blocks and a plurality of nets connecting the functional blocks. In response to user input, an output data rate and an output data type of data output from at least one of the functional blocks are determined. The input data rate and input data type to each functional block coupled via a net to the at least one functional block are equal to the output data rate and output data type, respectively, from the at least one functional block. For each functional block, an output data rate and output data type are determined as a function of the input data rate and the input data type of the functional block.

A designer may use a high-level modeling system (HLMS), such as the System Generator HLMS available from Xilinx Inc., to design an electronic system at an abstract level using an intuitive user interface of the HLMS. In addition, the HLMS permits the designer to simulate the electronic system and translate the abstract representation of the electronic system into a hardware description language (HDL) for subsequent synthesis and production of a hardware implementation of the electronic system.
Various tools, including HLMS and synthesis tools, may increase the productivity of a designer of an electric system. The productivity of a designer may be increased by using previously designed blocks for frequently used functions that are provided in a library of an HLMS. Typically, such blocks in a library of an HLMS may be parameterized to allow the blocks to be adapted to a wide variety of system requirements. The productivity of a designer may also be increased by tools that automatically infer details of the electronic design from design information provided by the designer. For example, blocks in a library of an HLMS may have parameterized data processing rates. Selection by the designer of an actual data processing rate for a few blocks in the electronic design may permit a tool to infer compatible data processing rates for every block in the electronic design.
Parameters of a block may include the rate of data transfer and the type of data transfer, such as unsigned integers and fixed point numbers with various width representations, at the inputs and outputs of the block. A user-specified value for rate and/or type at one block may be propagated to other blocks by an HLMS, such as Simulink. However, existing methods may fail in processing electronic design having feedback loops or having interdependent rate and type parameters.
The present invention may address one or more of the above issues.

Determination of data rate and data type in a high-level electronic design


A multipoint fuel delivery system for an internal combustion engine includes fuel metering device(s) such as fuel injector(s) associated for selectively controlled injection of the second fuel to corresponding combustion chamber(s) of the internal combustion engine. A fuel supply manifold associates with fuel injector(s) for directing the second fuel to each fuel injector. An intake port adaptor mechanism adapts the intake port of the associated combustion chamber to receive the selectively controlled injection of the fuel from an associated fuel injector. The intake port adaptor mechanism may also engage the intake port so as to permit selective flow of the first fuel or the second fuel to the intake port of the selected combustion chamber. A control mechanism selectively controls the flow of the second fuel through each injector(s). The multipoint fuel delivery system make practical both dedicated or single-fuel multipoint injection and, alternatively, selective bi-fuel multipoint injection for an internal combustion engine.

Currently, the most accepted method of metering fuel to internal combustion engines is through the use of pulse-width-modulated (PWM) solenoid valves referred to as fuel injectors. For these engines, a microprocessor provides control signals of the proper timing and duration for proper fuel delivery by the fuel injectors. For conventional engines that use liquid fuels, such as gasoline, fuel injectors are oriented with one end protruding into an intake port near the combustion chamber intake valve. The other fuel injector end receives fuel from a manifolding device. This placement of injectors, one per intake port, is commonly referred to as multipoint injection.
Multipoint fuel injection of alternative fuels is a highly attractive method of metering fuel. Multipoint fuel injection, for example, permits much more precise control of fuel flow than do single point or conventional introduction systems. This is particularly important for gaseous fuel engines. Conventional multipoint fuel injection systems, however, do not easily permit either dedicated multipoint alternative fuel injection or bi-fuel multipoint system operation. Most existing alternative fuel systems for gaseous fuels in internal combustion engines introduce fuel upstream of the intake manifold. The intake manifolds that these engines possess, however, are too large to permit precise engine control using single point injection upstream of the manifold. With these engines, time lags occur in engine response and large fueling errors arise during transient engine operations. These engines, for example, often have limited space to accommodate multipoint injection hardware. Also, the costs to convert the existing intake manifold for multipoint injection may make alternative multipoint fuel injection impractical. These costs include, for example, tooling, machining, and labor costs for performing complicated installation and modification procedures for converting a conventional fuel engine to either a dedicated multipoint engine or a bi-fuel multipoint engine.
Other problems with conventional throttle-body alternative fuel systems adapted to internal combustion engines relate to the fact that their intake manifold has a larger volume than does the engine displacement volume. Because of these large manifolds, throttle-body (single point) gaseous fuel injection systems adapted these engines with large intake manifolds (1) inaccurately meter fuel; (2) have less than desirable driveability; and (3) produce higher than desirable emissions.

Method and apparatus for providing multipoint gaseous fuel injection to an internal combustion engine


A system for mixing two cosmetic products includes a tubular bottle defining a first reservoir containing a first product to be mixed, a tubular cartridge defining a second reservoir containing a second product to be mixed, a retaining device suitable for retaining the cartridge on the bottle in an injection position in which the first reservoir communicates with the second reservoir via the inlet orifice of the base and the injection orifice of the cartridge, a perforator having an upper edge designed to perforate the cap that seals the inlet orifice when the cartridge occupies the injection position, and a piston that seals the lower end of the cartridge and that is axially slidably mounted between an initial bottom position and a final top position in order to push the second product through the injection orifice from the second reservoir to the first reservoir.

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
There is known a type of system for mixing two cosmetic products which comprises a tubular bottle delimiting a first reservoir which contains a first product to be mixed, and a tubular cartridge delimiting a second reservoir which contains a second product to be mixed.
The first reservoir and the second reservoir are separated by a cap.
The cartridge is provided with a pump which, when actuated, perforates the cap and injects the second product into the first reservoir so as to mix the two products.
The type of system described above does not seem to allow selecting the combination of the two products to be mixed.


A heat storage type air conditioning system capable of performing refrigerant receiving and discharging control and oil quantity control, which, in operating the general cooling circuit and the cold radiating circuit simultaneously or separately, is free from difficulties that the compressor is damaged or the cooling capacity is lowered when the quantities of refrigerant in those circuits are excessively increased or decreased, and is able to continue the operations with the quantity of refrigerant and the quantity of ice machine oil adjusted to suitable values. In the heat storage type air conditioning system, evaporators are provided in a general cooling circuit driven by a compressor and in a cold radiating circuit driven by a refrigerant gas pump, respectively, so that those circuits operate independently of each other. Furthermore, bypass circuits are provided to allow refrigerant to flow between liquid pipes and between gas pipes in those circuits. In a cold storing operation, the bypass circuits are closed, so that a cold storing circuit is formed by the compressor, a condenser, a first pressure reducing mechanism, and a cold storing heat exchanger.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to reduction and standardization of electric power consumption during daytime, and more particularly to a heat storage type air conditioning system with a heat storage tank containing a heat storage medium.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing the arrangement of a conventional heat storage type air conditioning system disclosed, for instance, by Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication (Kokai) Hei-2-33573/(1990). The system comprises: a main refrigerant circuit 105 including a compressor 101, a condenser 102, a first pressure reducing mechanism 103, and an evaporator 104 which are connected in the stated order; a heat storing tank 107 containing a heat storing medium 106; a cold (low temperature) storing heat exchanger 108 for performing heat exchange between the heat storing medium 106 in the heat storing tank 107 and the refrigerant; a first bypass circuit 111 for allowing refrigerant to flow between a gas line 110 and a liquid line 109 extended between the condenser 102 and the pressure reducing mechanism 103 through the aforementioned heat exchanger 108; a second pressure reducing mechanism 113 connected to a liquid pipe 112 of the first bypass circuit 111; a refrigerant gas pump 114 for allowing heat exchange between the heat storage medium in the heat storage tank 107 and the refrigerant; a second bypass circuit 116 including the refrigerant gas pump 114 in such a manner that input and output terminals of the latter 114 are connected to a gas pipe 115 of the first bypass circuit 111; and a valve unit 117 for controlling the flow of refrigerant to the second bypass circuit 116.
Now, the operation of the conventional heat storage type air conditioning system thus organized will be described. The above-described circuit elements 101 through 104 are so connected that refrigerant flows to them through the refrigerant pipe line. In the main refrigerant circuit 105, the condenser 102 obtains cold (low temperature) through heat exchange with the air outside the room (hereinafter referred to as "outside air", when applicable), and the cold thus provided is applied to the air inside the room (hereinafter referred to as "inside air", when applicable) through the evaporator 104.
On the other hand, the system includes the heat storing o tank 107 containing the heat storing medium 106 which is able to store heat. The heat storing tank 107 incorporates the heat storing heat exchanger 108 adapted to perform heat exchange between the refrigerant and the heat storing medium 106 in the heat storing tank 107.
In an ordinary cooling operation, the second pressure reducing mechanism 113 is held closed, so that the refrigerant circulates in the main refrigerant circuit 105 only. That is, the refrigerant gas discharged from the compressor 101 is condensed by the condenser 102, and subjected to adiabatic expansion by the first pressure reducing mechanism 103, so that it is formed into a two-phase, gas and liquid, fluid at low temperature. The two-phase fluid flows into the evaporator 104, where it receive heat from outside; that is, it cools the surrounding air. The two-phase fluid itself evaporates, thus returning to the compressor 101. Hereinafter, the above-described operation will referred to as "a general cooling operation" when applicable, and a refrigerant flow circuit in the general cooling operation will be referred to as "a general cooling circuit" when applicable.
In a cold storing operation in which cold is stored in the heat storing tank 107 during nighttime in which electric power load is low, the first pressure reducing mechanism 103 is held closed. That is, the refrigerant gas discharged from the compressor 101 is condensed by the condenser 102, so that it is converted into a refrigerant at high temperature and at high pressure. The refrigerant flows into the first bypass circuit 111, and it is subjected to adiabatic expansion by the second pressure reducing mechanism 113, and then allowed to evaporate at the heat exchanger 108, thus cooling the heat storing medium 106 in the heat storing tank 107, so that cold is stored therein. Thereafter, the refrigerant itself evaporates, thus returning through the valve unit 117 to the compressor 101. Hereinafter, the above-described operation will be referred to as "a cold storing operation", when applicable, and a refrigerant flow circuit in the cold storing operation will be referred to as "a cold storing circuit", when applicable.
The system may perform a stored heat recovering operation in which cold stored in the heat storing tank 107 during nighttime is utilized. That is, when the refrigerant gas pump 114 is operated with the compressor 101 held stopped, a gas refrigerant at low temperature and at low pressure is increased in pressure by the refrigerant gas pump 114, and allowed to flow into the heat exchanger 108, thus giving heat to the heat storing medium 106. The refrigerant itself is condensed into a liquid. The liquid is subjected to adiabatic expansion by the second pressure reducing mechanism 113, so that it is converted into a two-phase, gas and liquid, fluid. The two-phase fluid flows into the evaporator 104, where it receives heat from outside, thus cooling the surrounding air. The fluid itself is allowed to evaporate; that is, it is gasified, thus returning to the refrigerant gas pump 114. Hereinafter, the above-described operation will be referred to as "a cold radiating operation", when applicable, and a circuit in which refrigerant flows in the cold radiation operation will be referred to as "a cold radiating circuit", when applicable.
The above-described air conditioning system is able to perform the general cooling operation, and the cold radiating operation in a parallel mode. That is, the system may be operated with both the compressor 101 and the refrigerant gas pump 114 in operation. More specifically, while the refrigerant condensed in the main refrigerant circuit 105 is allowed to evaporate by the evaporator 104, the refrigerant condensed by the heat exchanger 108 in the first bypass circuit 111 meets the refrigerant of the main refrigerant circuit 105, so that both the refrigerants are allowed to evaporate by the evaporator 104.
In the cooling operation, the ratio of the flow rate of the condensed refrigerant in the main refrigerant circuit to that of the condensed refrigerant in the bypass circuit is adjusted by controlling the operating capacity of the compressor 101 and the speed of rotation of the refrigerant gas pump 114, thus dealing with the air cooling load to the room.
Hence, when the general cooling operation and the cold radiating operation are performed in a parallel mode so that the stored cold is used for the cooling operation as much as required, electric power required for operation of the compressor 101 is standardized, reducing its maximum value.
The cold storing operation is carried out during the cold storing time period (ten to fourteen hours) in the night of the day the cooling operation has been carried out, and it may be performed with the residual ice left as it is, or it may be performed after the residual ice is molten.
The operation of the compressor 101 and the refrigerant gas pump in a parallel mode; that is, to perform the general cooling operation and the cold radiation operation in a parallel mode contributes effectively to a reduction of the load on the request for power consumption during daytime. However, the above-described method in which the refrigerants condensed by the condenser 102 and the heat exchanger 108 are allowed to meet each other, and are then allowed to evaporate by one and the same evaporator 104, suffers from the following difficulties: Depending on variations in environmental conditions such as inside air temperature and outside air temperature, and variations in the load on the side of the heat exchanger due to variation in temperature of the heat storing medium, the general cooling operation and the cold radiation operation become unbalanced in the quantity of refrigerant or in the quantity of ice machine oil. As a result, the operating conditions are adversely affected, so that the system is lowered in capacity. In addition, in each circuit, pressure rise or liquid back may take places when the quantity of refrigerant is abnormally increased or decreased, or the bearing of the compressor may be seized as a result of the shortage of ice machine oil; that is, there are unwanted conditions which may directly damage the refrigerant circuit parts.
In order to eliminate the above-described difficulties, the following method may be taken into consideration: In the method, the amounts of operation of the compressor and the refrigerant gas pump are controlled, so that the condensed refrigerant in the general cooling operation and the condensed refrigerant in the cold radiation operation are adjusted in flow rate. However, the method is not so effective as expected, because of the following reasons: The control method is rather intricate, and therefore the control equipment is high in cost, and it is required to increase the number of transmission lines of the control circuit. Furthermore, it is essential to add a mechanism (such as an invertor) for adjusting the capacity of the compressor or the refrigerant gas pump. That is, employment of the method results in an increase in running cost.
The cold storing operation, the general cooling operation, and the cold radiating operation are different in the required quantity of refrigerant from one another; that is, both the general cooling operation and the cold storing operation are less in the necessary quantity of refrigerant, whereas the quantity of refrigerant required for the cold radiating operation is relatively large. Hence, during the cold storing operation, a larger part of the quantity of refrigerant sealed in the whole circuit is surplus. When the cold radiating operation is carried out, or when the cold radiating operation is performed in combination with the general cooling operation, a large quantity of refrigerant is required. Hence, in those operation modes, it is necessary for the system to have means for temporarily receiving and discharging the refrigerant. However, the conventional air conditioning system has no means for controlling the quantity of refrigerant in the above-described manner. Thus, in a view point of controlling the quantity of refrigerant, it is rather difficult to put the conventional system in practical use.
The conventional heat storage type air conditioning system is designed as described above. Hence, the system is disadvantageous in the following points: In operation of the general cooling circuit and the cold radiating circuit in a parallel mode, the refrigerants excessively cooled and reduced in pressure in those circuits meet each other at the evaporator. Hence, the circuits are varied (become unbalanced) in the quantity of refrigerant and in the quantity of ice machine oil depending on variations in the environmental conditions or variations in the load on the side of the heat storing heat exchanger, which may make it difficult to continue the operations of the circuits.
Since the operating modes are different from one another in the required quantity of refrigerant, the quantity of refrigerant is changed for every operating mode; however, the system has no means for controlling the variations in the quantity of refrigerant. Hence, the operation of the system is not smooth, particularly in the cold storing operation. Thus, it is rather difficult to put the system in practical use.
In the case where, in the cooling operation, both the general cooling circuit and the cold radiating circuit are operated at the same time, the former circuit is operated with priority. Therefore, the degree of dependence on the cooling operation using the stored cold is not more than 50% of the total cooling load.
The conventional heat storage type air conditioning system is designed as described above. Hence, when the cold storing operation is carried out according to an "ice on coil" system, the cold storing heat exchanger may be broken by growth of the residual ice. This difficulty may be eliminated by melting the residual ice before the cold storing operation. However, melting the residual ice in this way is against the economization of energy, being disadvantageous in that electric power is used for melting it at night, and the cold (low temperature) of the residual ice cannot be utilized for the cooling operation during daytime.

Heat storage type air conditioning apparatus


A bracket (20) for attachment to a side of a radio or other multimedia instrument (40) having a leading edge (22) with an outwardly projecting, generally U-shaped rib (23) positioned inwardly of a free end of the leading edge, and/or an in-turned flange (26) positioned away from the leading edge of the bracket and having a tab (27) extending normally from the flange for engagement with the instrument to support and position the instrument during attachment of wiring elements to the instrument.

The insertion of a radio or other multimedia instrument, such as a navigation device, into an instrument panel of an automotive vehicle is usually performed manually, in which case it usually requires a bracket attached to both of the opposite sides of the instrument to assist in the insertion of the instrument. Each such bracket typically has an outwardly projecting flange at its leading edge for purposes of imparting rigidity to the bracket. Unfortunately, the available clearance between the opening into which the instrument is to be inserted and the outer extent of the flange of the bracket that is attached to the instrument is quite small, and this problem can result in a delay in the instrument insertion operation.
Another problem previously encountered in manually inserting a radio or other multimedia instrument into an instrument panel of an automotive vehicle is the problem of suspending the instrument, which can often weigh as much as 3.5 kg in the case of a radio, while wiring harness connections are made to the back of the instrument. In addition to a possible problem of worker fatigue arising from the fact that the worker tends to hold the instrument in a single hand while using the other hand to insert the wiring connection, inherently there is some variation in the position of the instrument from unit to unit while the wiring connection is made, which can also result in a delay in the instrument insertion operation.

Bracket for mounting radio or other instrument in automotive vehicle instrument panel

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.


An injection molding apparatus includes a manifold for delivering a melt stream of moldable material to a nozzle melt channel of a nozzle. A valve pin extends through the nozzle melt channel and is axially movable to selectively open a gate to allow communication with a mold cavity. A sensor is coupled to a forward end of the valve pin. The sensor may be a pressure sensor and/or temperature sensor in direct contact with the melt stream to provide pressure and/or temperature information to a controller.

In an injection molding apparatus, the molding conditions of each of a plurality of mold cavities must be as close as possible to predetermined ideal molding conditions in order to ensure that high quality molded parts are produced. Any significant variation in the temperature and/or pressure of one or more mold cavities may result in the production of sub-standard molded parts.
Pressure and/or temperature sensors are used in injection molding apparatus to determine molding conditions of each of a plurality of mold cavities. It is known to position a pressure and/or temperature sensor along a nozzle melt channel, a manifold melt channel, and/or within a mold cavity to measure a processing condition at that respective location of the injection molding apparatus. In a valve gated injection molding system, it is known to position a pressure measurement device upstream of a valve pin such that it will measure pressure when a rear end of the valve pin is in direct or indirect contact therewith when the valve pin is in a retracted position.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Valve gated nozzle having a valve pin with a sensor


A method and kit for testing a multi-channel blood-testing cartridge. In particular, blood-testing cartridges are tested with plasma samples with clotting times measured to indicate whether a batch of cartridges is suitable for testing the blood of a patient.

The management of hemostasis (control of bleeding) is an important requirement for a successful surgery. The exposure of blood to foreign surfaces, which often occurs during surgery, as well as the surgery itself, can induce the activation of the clotting factors.
The clotting mechanism can be mediated in a variety of ways. One of the more common methods of preventing coagulation is to administer heparin.
The administration of heparin, however, must be done carefully. Care is required because the response of any one patient to a particular dose of heparin is highly variable, depending upon the particular physiology of each patient. Thus, it is often quite necessary for physicians or other caregivers to understand the response of a patient such that a proper heparin dosage may be administered.
The Medtronic Hepcon® Hemostasis Management System Plus (HMS Plus) may be used to measure many blood parameters, including activated clotting time (ACT). The Medtronic Hepcon® HMS Plus system uses the ACT to base the Heparin Dose Response cartridge to measure individual response to heparin in vitro. The heparin dose response curve may be seen in FIG. 1.
The heparin dose response requires a small sample of whole blood from a patient. The whole blood is introduced into particular assay channels or vials, at least one (and preferably two) of the assay cartridge having no heparin reagent, at least one (and preferably two) more assay channels having a heparin reagent concentration of A and at least one (and preferably two) more assay channels having a heparin reagent concentration of B, where the concentration denoted as A is different from the concentration denoted as B.
The test begins by introducing the same volume of blood into each of the channels or vials. Thereafter the blood is mixed (preferably using a plunger.) The blood clots in each of the channels or vials at differing times. The clot is measured by timing the descent rate of the plunger. Ultimately, the clotting of each of the vials or channels may be graphed as shown in FIG. 1, where line 1 may be drawn through the three data points created by the time taken for blood to clot in each channel or vial. That is, blood without any heparin (depicted here as data point DPO), blood with heparin reagent concentration A (depicted here as data point DPA) and blood with heparin reagent concentration B (depicted here as data point DPB). As seen, the heparin dose response is a linear function when the ACT is used to initiate coagulation.
The heparin dose response line varies from patient to patient. That is, the linear heparin dose response seen in FIG. 1 has different slopes for different individuals. Patients may have a heparin dose response line having slopes such as those seen as line 1′ (very low slope) or line 1″ (very high slope.) Generally speaking, the flatter or lower the slope of the line the more heparin resistant the patient is. Heparin resistant patients may have different reasons accounting for the heparin resistance. For example, these patients may have mechanisms which complex or bind the heparin, not allowing the heparin to inhibit blood coagulation. There may also be mechanisms present in the patient that rapidly eliminate the heparin. Finally, these patients may be heparin resistant due to low levels of the serine protease inhibitor antithrombin III (AT III). Heparin is a catalyst, that is, it helps prevent coagulation by accelerating the natural anticoagulant mechanisms present in the patient. The primary mechanism is the inhibition of thrombin, the primary protease of blood coagulation, by AT III. Without adequate amounts of AT III, heparin is ineffective in preventing blood coagulation.
AT III targets proteases of the coagulation cascade, and in particular thrombin. Heparin accelerates the rate with which AT III inhibits the proteases. Thus, without the presence of AT III, the anticoagulant activity of heparin is severely diminished. The differences in which individuals respond to heparin may be affected by the differences in their AT III levels. Thus, a goal of the present system is to provide a method of reliably assessing the heparin dose response while further accessing whether such heparin dose response is attributable to presence or absence of sufficient levels of AT III within the patient and whether the fresh whole blood (and thus patient) has, or requires additional, AT III.
Reference is made to a commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,541,262 and corresponding PCT application WO 01/082793, which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. These references disclose a method for assessing the heparin dose response and whether the heparin dose response is attributable to the presence or absence of AT III.
A batch of test cartridges preloaded with reagents can be made in advance of testing a blood sample by means of an HMS Plus-type machine and may be stockpiled at a medical or surgical facility for convenient use during a medical or surgical procedure. Test cartridges are then taken from the stored batch of cartridges, as they may be needed for testing while other test cartridges remain in storage. However, a practical difficulty with stored reagents in the test cartridges is to have assurance that the stored reagents will remain active and will produce consistent, reliable results as the cartridges in the batch age.

Method and kit for testing a multi-channel blood assay cartridge


A puddle light for a motor vehicle, in particular for a battery-operated motor vehicle, wherein the puddle light projects the status of charge of a drive battery of the vehicle onto a surface; and a method for projecting the status image.

It is generally known to provide so-called puddle lights in motor vehicles, which lights illuminate the immediate surroundings of the vehicle in the dark when the vehicle is being entered or exited. These lights, which are also referred to in the art as "ambient lights", can be mounted or inserted into the undersides of the door handles or exterior rear view (or side) mirrors so that they correspondingly illuminate the ground underneath. Frequently, these puddle lights are switched on when the doors are unlocked, for example by means of a remote key fob.
In addition, in electric vehicles it is known to display to the driver a charge status of the vehicle drive battery by means of suitable status lights in the dashboard so that the driver can detect and assess whether the battery has sufficient charge for the planned journey. These status lights usually do not display the state of charge to the driver until after the ignition has been switched on.
US 2010/0140244 A1 discloses a side mirror arrangement for a motor vehicle, wherein the motor vehicle has a device for controlling the heating of an engine and/or a battery in the motor vehicle, wherein the side mirror arrangement has: a base which is mounted on the motor vehicle, a mirror housing which extends from the base, an electrical terminal which is configured to receive electrical energy from an electrical energy source which is provided outside the motor vehicle and which is connected electrically to the device for controlling the heating of the motor and/or the battery in the motor vehicle. According to FIG. 7, the exterior rear view mirror can also contain an integrated display for the heating status.
FIG. 6 in U.S. Pat. No. 8,125,180 B2 discloses a corresponding display, for the state of charge of a battery.


Plural tiles are positioned in a plate-like array. The tiles have edge portions that overlap in such a way that no straight-through joints are present between abutting tiles and such that the thickness of the entire array does not substantially exceed the thickness of a single tile.

Arrays of tiles are used for covering surfaces. These include arrays of paving stones, roof tiles, heat shield tiles, and armor tiles. Such arrays typically have plural tiles arranged edge-to-edge generally in a common plane. Each tile typically has two opposed broad faces that are generally flat or slightly curved or arcuate and has perimeter edge surfaces.
In some applications, it is best for such tiles to have edges that can overlap in such a way that no straight-through joints are present and such that the array is plate-like with the thickness of the entire array not exceeding the thickness of a single tile. A straight-through joint, as discussed to herein, is a joint having a gap between two abutting tiles with at least a portion of the gap extending from one face of the array to the other face of the array that is normal to a face of the array. In the case of a curved array, a straight-through joint is a gap with at least a portion of the gap extending radially in a straight line between two abutting tiles at about 90° to a tangent where the tangent touches a curved face of the array.
Some approaches to avoiding straight-through joints have disadvantages. These include systems having tiles that overlap in the manner of fish scales and systems wherein seam sealers are placed over joints where tiles abut. Arrays made from such tiles cannot have a generally continuous outwardly facing surface because the outwardly facing surfaces of all the tiles are not in alignment. When tiles overlap in the manner of fish scales or seam sealers are used, there typically is excess weight, bulk, and added material expense to cover a given area. Example overlapping tile arrays having lap joints are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,268,223 (Eimer) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,35,777 (Neal). The weight penalty of such fish scale overlap designs can be 25% to 30%.
Monolithic tiles can be used when the coverage area is sufficiently small. But is impractical to cover a large area with a single tile, particularly if the tile is to be composed of a hard, brittle material such as a ceramic material. Such tiles are fragile and develop sharp, linear cracks propagating from the point of origin of a projectile hit through the thickness to the outer edges, so that a projectile hit typically damages the entire tile.
Tiles having edges with undercuts and/or groves sometimes have been used to address the straight-through joint gap problem, but are impractical to produce economically in high volume from hard materials. An example of tiles having undercut edges is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,404,793 (Meyers). As used herein, the term "undercut" refers to any tile surface feature that makes it impossible to eject a part from a uniaxial die by simple linear displacement. An example of an undercut is a recess, groove, channel, or wall surface that extends radially inwardly from an edge of a part toward the axis of a punch of a die in which the part is formed and that blocks ejection of the part by simple linear displacement.
Described herein are tiles that have major and minor surface faces and edge surfaces that do not have undercuts relative to such an axis. In particular, such tiles do not have any recess, groove or channel that extends radially inwardly from an edge surface toward an axis that extends normal to at least one of the surface faces.
A chamfer is provided at each corner of the tile at the major surface face to permit a ledge of one tile to overlap a ledge of an abutting tile when placed in an array. Due to the presence of the chamfers, the perimeter of the major surface face generally is an irregular or regular octagon. The corners of the minor surface face need not be chamfered.
In particular, the major surface face is defined by an octagonal edge at the perimeter of the major surface face. The edge consists of eight edge portions extending between the corners of the octagonal edge. The edge portions at each corner extend at an internal angle of about 135° relative to each other. The minor surface face is square or otherwise rectangular and is defined by a rectangular edge that consists of four edge portions. Four edge surfaces extend between the four edge portions of the minor surface face and the perimeter of the major surface face. One or more of the edge surfaces and a portion of the major surface face define one or more laterally extending ledges.
Such tiles can be arranged in an array with the ledges of one tile overlapping ledges of abutting tiles to avoid straight-through joints. The edge surfaces are shaped such that the edge surface of the one tile generally conforms to the edge surface of the other tile when the pair of tiles is positioned edge-to-edge. The major and minor surface faces of the one tile generally align respectively with the minor and major surface faces of the other tile and with an edge surface of the one tile overlying an edge surface of the abutting tile, when viewed facing normal to surface faces of the tiles, with only a portion of the thickness of each tile overlapping so that the face-to-face thickness of the pair of tiles where they overlap is no greater than the distance between the major and minor surface faces of one of the tiles.
In some arrangements, all the tiles are identical in shape with abutting tiles inverted so their facing perimeter ledges mate when in an array. In other arrangements, arrays are built from two or more different styles of tiles that are not of identical shape but that have mating perimeter ledges.
Because the ledge of one tile overlaps the ledge of an abutting tile, no grout or filler is required between mating edge surfaces. Such filler systems add cost, have maintenance issues, and can cause catastrophic system failures such as failure of the space shuttle Columbia heat shield tiles where grouting material between tiles came out and allowed heat penetration.
Arrays formed from tiles described herein can be held in place by attachment to a substrate by adhesives. Or tiles can be contained in fabric wraps to hold arrays in place.
Tile systems described herein will find application in many different fields including, but not limited to armor tiles for body armor, armor systems for non-body armor such as vehicles, airplanes helicopters and wherever ballistic and blast protection is needed, heat shields, patio floor tiles, bath tiles, cabinet tiles, roof tiles, building tiles, and in other architectural applications. An array of tiles can provide a barrier for inhibiting penetration of ballistic projectiles such as an array of tiles in a body armor garment configured to be worn by a human.
For some applications, the entire major and/or minor surface face of a tile described herein can be slightly curved or arcuate, having a radius of curvature of 4 inches or more.
The major and/or minor surface faces can have texture, such as a series of curved or angular projections, to turn impinging projectiles to reduce or eliminate the effect of 90° projectile impacts, which have the greatest potential for penetration or cracking destruction of an armor tile.
The major and/or minor surface faces may be textured to provide a decorative effect.


A reduction device includes a housing defining an input chamber configured to receive exhaust from a power source, an output chamber, an exhaust channel configured to direct the exhaust from the input chamber to the output chamber, and a longitudinal axis. The reduction device also includes a treatment unit disposed in the exhaust channel and along the longitudinal axis. The treatment unit is configured to at least partly remove pollutant species from the exhaust. The reduction device also includes an attenuation component disposed in the housing and radially outward of the treatment unit. The attenuation component is fluidly connected to the exhaust channel, and is configured to attenuate a range of frequencies corresponding to operation of the power source. Additionally, the exhaust channel prohibits exhaust entering the input chamber from exiting the housing without passing through the treatment unit.

Internal combustion engines, including diesel engines, gasoline engines, natural gas engines, gaseous fuel-powered engines, and other engines known in the art exhaust a complex mixture of air pollutants. These air pollutants are composed of gaseous compounds such as nitrogen oxides (NOx), and solid particulate matter also known as soot. Due to increased awareness of the environment, exhaust emission standards have become more stringent, and the amount of NOx and soot emitted to the atmosphere by an engine may be regulated depending on the type of engine, size of engine, and/or class of engine.
In order to ensure compliance with the regulation of NOx, some engine manufacturers employ strategies in which the exhaust gas is passed through a diesel particulate filter (DPF), an oxidation catalyst, or other aftertreatment devices in order to remove particulates and other pollutants carried by the exhaust. Additionally, or alternatively, a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) process can be employed in which a gaseous or liquid diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) is injected into the exhaust gas stream and is absorbed onto a substrate. The DEF reacts with NOx in the exhaust gas to form H2O and N2.
Current regulations associated with the SCR systems require that the SCR systems are to include the capability to execute quality detection of the DEF concentration that is utilized by the SCR system. Additionally, the regulations require the quality detection of the DEF concentration to occur at every key switch event and every storage tank fill event, leading to an increased number of cycles and the associated deterioration of detection systems. Further, current monitoring systems are configured to monitor the DEF tank during operation of the associated SCR systems utilizing the DEF. Accordingly, current monitoring systems of DEF concentration are unable to consistently monitor the storage tank and expose the detection systems for the DEF concentration to unnecessary use and deterioration.
An example system for preventing the injection of non-urea fluid into a urea storage tank for an SCR system is described in Korean Patent No. 2016/0065544 (hereinafter referred to as the '544 reference). In general, the '544 reference describes a method and system for preventing non-urea injection into a urea storage tank based at least on the state of a vehicle determined by an electric control unit associated with the vehicle. Additionally, the '544 reference describes that the system can be configured to prevent the vehicle from activating when foreign fluid is introduced into the urea storage tank. However, although the system described in the '544 reference includes a component detection sensor, a flow level sensor, and other sensors adapted to detect the chemical components and flow level of material being injected into the urea tank, the system is not configured to monitor the level and other characteristics of the fluid within the tank itself. Further, due to the large number of unique parts included in the system of the '544 reference, use of this system may increase the overall cost and complexity of the SCR system and associated devices.
Examples of the present disclosure are directed toward overcoming one or more of the deficiencies noted above.


An apparatus for sealing a rotary tube drum of a furnace to another furnace component. Two concentric resilient metal ring segments are provided on a disk to comprise the sealing elements of the present invention. A plurality of springs arranged as a ring apply pressure to the disk and ring segments to ensure a consistent and self-adjusting seal between the joined components. Links located circumferentially about the disk limit lateral movement, yet allow axial movement, of the seal. It is thereby possible, according to the present invention, to provide a resilient seal between a rotary tube and another component of a furnace that yields a self-adjusting gas-impermeable seal between the mating components.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an apparatus for sealing rotary tubes, and more particularly, to a seal that is suitable for the sealing of rotary tube drum devices, such as those used in furnaces for combustion, thermolysis, pyrolysis and similar processes.
2. Description of the Related Art
Seals are needed to achieve gas-impermeable separation between the various joined components of a furnace. For example, a gas-impermeable seal is required between a rotating tube drum and the stationary inlet and discharge housing to which the drum connects. These seals must be suitable for operation at temperatures above 750 degrees (Fahrenheit) and resistive to deformation--which tends to make the seals ineffective. The seals must also be able to withstand attacks by abrasive gases, abrasive solid particles and resinous oils and tars, and the wear associated therewith. Furthermore, the seals must be capable of sustained operation with little maintenance.
According to the prior art, rotary drums commonly use resilient elements such as, for example, gasket strips, placed into slots or other seals to achieve gas-impermeability between the various components. However, gasket strips are subject to clogging with resinous products that can lead to the ultimate failure of such seals. Moreover, seals of this type can become baked onto the sealing surfaces, i.e. onto the joints between the rotary tubes, in which event their impermeability is no longer ensured. In addition, maintenance and replacement of gasket-type seals can be expensive.
German Patent Number DE 43 31 556 A1 discloses a sliding ring seal for sealing a hot tube against a housing. The ring seal is attached to the tube by a nozzle having a central opening. The nozzle serves to lower the temperature of the sliding ring seal or alternatively, at the sealing point. A lubrication system is required to move the ring seal from the nozzle to its mounting location between the hot tube and the housing. In addition to this disadvantage, this solution requires large structural volume, and heating of the sealing points cannot be completely prevented. This creates the danger that the ring seals, which usually are large, will warp from the heat and that leaks will eventually develop, as is generally the case with linear forces applied by sliding ring seals.
German Patent Number DE-AS 1 226 377 discloses a sliding ring seal that is embodied as a rotating tube coupling between an electric vacuum melting furnace having a vacuum chamber. This sliding ring seal permits a wavy-type displacement, because the sealing ring has a resilient compensating component. However, this does not eliminate the aforementioned disadvantages of the prior art, i.e. high maintenance and replacement expense, resistance to abrasive substances, etc.

Noell-KRC Energie-und Umwelttechnik GmbH


Embodiments of the present application provide an integrated circuit and a layout method thereof. First, a first pitch of a first standard cell having a maximum gate length in multiple standard cells in an integrated circuit is determined. The first pitch is a distance between a central axis of a polysilicon gate in the first standard cell and central axes of virtual polysilicon gates in the first standard cell. Then, a distance between a polysilicon gate and virtual polysilicon gates in each of the standard cells is adjusted by using the first pitch and a gate length of each of the standard cells. After the adjustment, a distance between a central axis of the polysilicon gate in each of the standard cells and central axes of the virtual polysilicon gates in each of the standard cells is the same as the first pitch.

Integrated circuits are usually formed by integrating a plurality of standard cells and are currently widely applied to various electronic devices.
In a design process of an integrated circuit, a plurality of standard cells are selected from a standard cell library, and the plurality of standard cells are placed in corresponding positions for connection to form an integrated circuit. There may be some differences in gate lengths of standard cells in an existing integrated circuit, and such differences may lead to large errors in key graphic dimensions during integrated circuit production, affecting performance of the integrated circuit.

Integrated circuit having each standard cell with same target pitch and layout method thereof


The present invention relates to a multicolor decorative welding rod (3) and a method to produce a multicolor decorative welding rod, said welding rod comprising a PVC-based component A and a PVC-based component B, in a ratio of component A/component B comprised between 10/90 to 50/50, said components A and B being associated in such a way that the composition of said component A comprises a PVC having a higher melt viscosity and/or a higher melting point, than the PVC of said component B, said components A and B being of a different color.

Surface coverings, particularly PVC-based surface coverings, are widely used to decorate buildings or houses surfaces as they are more pleasant, more aesthetic and more comfortable than painted surfaces. However, these surface coverings, especially floor coverings, are generally produced in limited sizes that have to be joined one to the others. For this purpose, the use of a welding rod is well known. Usually, a round cross-section thermofusible welding rod is introduced in a hot-air welding device which heats the welding rod so that it penetrates into the space between two pieces of adjacent floor-covering elements and joins them together. Usually, once cooled-down, the excess of welding rod is cut off, or skived, with a "U"-shaped cutter or a similar tool (knife).
Welding rods are usually polymeric compositions having good adhesion to the covering elements to be joined, and allowing the welding rod to have flexibility at temperatures lower than the composition of the elements to be joined, while being easily cut off after welding.
For floor coverings having a multicolour decorative pattern, it has been suggested to use multicoloured welding rods. Thus, from an aesthetic point of view, the welding rod has to emulate the aspect or the pattern of the surface covering.
Generally, for PVC-based coverings, welding rods are PVC-based compositions of a single colour and are produced by extrusion. However, extruded coloured welding rods appear as a seam of a contrasting colour creating a discontinuity in the decorative pattern, as they are unable to properly reproduce a complex multicoloured pattern.
To address this issue and to maintain the continuity of decorative pattern, welding rods can comprise the coloured particles or granules of the surface covering the rods have to join. However, a welding rod composition comprising such particles, generally hard particles, can not be extruded without damaging the extrusion device, making thus such welding rods hard to obtained by extrusion. Therefore, for floor coverings, U.S. Pat. No. 5,635,266 has proposed a PVC-based and patterned welding rod obtained by preparing a sheet of coloured vinyl granules, colour-matched to the flooring that is to be seamed and with pigmented granules, by cutting strips of this sheet and by placing them in a mold and compressing them to form half-round rods.

Decorative welding rod for surface coverings


A search system includes a storage device and a search server. The storage device stores an index database storing an index encrypted with an index key and the index key encrypted with a user key and associated with the encrypted index and stores a document database storing a document encrypted with a document key and the document key encrypted with the user key and associated with the encrypted document. The search server extracts a term for search from a requested search query, decrypts the encrypted index key with a user key which belongs to a user requesting the search query, encrypts the extracted term with the decrypted index key without storing the decrypted index key in a non-transitory storage device, searches the index database with the index encrypted using the encrypted first term, and sends a search result to a terminal.

The present invention relates to a search system which searches data with the data encrypted.
Storage services are one kind of cloud services. The storage services store document data uploaded by users and enable the users and user groups who are given permission by the users to share the document data. The storage services provide full-text search service which searches document data including keywords.
For the storage services, a problem that third parties might inspect the document data stored in the storage services has been pointed out. In particular, when legal organs, such as investigating authorities and court, request to submit the storage, the service providers cannot probably refuse to submit the storage, and the legal organs probably impound the storage. In the cloud services, a plurality of users share servers, storage, and the like. Thus, storage including one user's document data may be submitted even if the user is not an investigation target, and the third parties, such as the investigating authorities and the court, may access the document without being noticed by the user. Thus, it is required to take measures to prevent confidential information from leaking out.
Cloud service providers typically encrypt the document data and store the encrypted data. However, there are cases when the cloud service providers are requested to submit the document data by the legal organs and must follow an order to decrypt the encrypted data from the legal organs. This concern can be given not only in the case of storing the document data but also in the cases of key-value stores and relational DBs.
For taking measures against the problems, arts encrypting the document data with keys of users or organizations to which the users belong and storing the encrypted document are proposed. In addition, arts searching full-text of the document data with the data encrypted are proposed.
Background arts of the technical field of the present invention include JP 2002-278970 A and JP 2003-150600 A. The following describes JP 2002-278970 A. JP 2002-2789870 A discloses a document managing system comprising a client and a document managing server providing functions of storing an electronic document, searching a bibliography, searching full texts, and referencing. The client encrypts a document, the bibliography corresponding to the document, and full-text index information by a same method or different methods and sends them to the server. The server records the encrypted document and index information. In searching, the client encrypts search criteria by a method which is same as the method corresponding to the index information and sends encrypted search criteria to the server. The server searches index information encrypted with the encrypted search criteria, and sends the encrypted document to the client in referencing. The full-text index information is stored in the server by using inverted index method. The client encrypts the index information Caesar cipher.
JP 2003-150600 A discloses an information search method, by an information search device, comprising a language analyzing step of analyzing a character string, an encrypting step of encrypting, an information storing step of storing a plurality of pieces of information including the character string, a query input step of inputting a query, a character strings comparing step of comparing a first character string with a second character string, a decrypting step of decrypting, and a displaying or storing step of displaying one or a plurality of information names and the information contents including the coincident character string.


In a mobile magnetic resonance imaging van, the challenge is to design a magnet mounting system such that the top and bottom poles of the magnet are within magnet temperature gradient specifications for good image quality. The present invention provides such a mounting system and method for mounting a permanent magnet in a mobile trailer vehicle. Mounting bolts are used to mount the permanent magnet to the floor of the mobile trailer vehicle. Laminate or composite insulating material, preferably stacked Phenolic pads, thermally insulate the permanent magnet from the trailer floor. A second set of stacked insulating material pads thermally insulate the mounting bolts from the permanent magnet.

In the present day cryogen cooled and cryogenless MRI magnets, the magnet solenoid mass is suspended in a cryostat with suspension systems that limit thermal losses. Hence, the magnet cold mass temperature is fairly uniform, or at least within the specified temperature gradient to prevent loss of superconductivity of the coils. Therefore, the magnet feet could be mounted without any special thermal designs.
The main concern in designing the magnet mounts for the permanent magnet class of MRI magnets is to maintain static and dynamic mechanical integrity of the magnet in a mobile van environment. In prior designs for mounting permanent magnets in mobile vans, no special thermal mounting design was applied to provide for thermal stability. The magnet was simply mounted on rubber pads which doubled for thermal insulation and vibration isolation material. The main deficiency of this design is that the rubber is compressible. In a mobile MRI trailer van, the magnet must be properly torqued down to the van floor to be able to withstand dynamic loads during transportation of the van. The bolt torque levels are quite high and introduce large compressive load to the rubber in addition to the magnet weight. The rubber's thermal conductance increases with an increase in pressure. This happens for two reasons, (a) as the rubber is compressed, the thermal resistance length is reduced resulting in higher conductance, and (b) the rubber pad often used is synthetic rubber with high percentage of carbon and as the pad is compressed, these carbon atoms thermally short out increasing the thermal conductance of the pad. Consequently, unacceptable temperature gradients were present between the top and bottom pole of the magnet during extreme temperatures outside the mobile van. When the van outside temperature was about or below -29.degree. C., the magnet heaters were not able to keep the magnet temperature at the required magnet imaging temperature specification. This was true even with the van interior, or magnet room, at the required temperature stratification.
It would be desirable then to be able to develop a thermal isolation system for mounting an MRI permanent magnet in a mobile trailer van, while maintaining mechanical integrity.

Thermally passive magnet mounting system for an MRI signa profile magnet in mobile trailer van


Wheel track ruts form under moving sprinklers and the depth of ruts is reduced and water infiltration is increased by using solid polymeric products. Solid polymeric products containing water soluble polymer are located over each wheel track. Sprinkler water contacts and dissolves the solid polymeric products, carrying water soluble polymer into the wheel track.

The primary purpose for development of this invention is to provide a cost effective method of minimizing agricultural sprinkler wheel track ruts. It relates to stabilizing soil structure with water soluble polymer. Center-pivot sprinklers and linear movement sprinklers use large wheels to enable movement through an irrigated field. There are generally one or more support towers on these sprinkler systems. Each tower generally has two tires, one trailing the other. Due to the weight of the overhead sprinkler system and the softness of the wet ground the wheel tracks can become deep ruts, occasionally causing the sprinkler system to get stuck.
In the past, irrigators learned to live with the problem. They would purchase special wheels (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,046,785) to prevent them from getting stuck in the deep ruts, or they would fill in the ruts during the irrigation season (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,386,792 and 4,909,334). Another option has been to move the sprinkler heads behind the trailing wheel (see U.S. Pat. No. 6,116,527), allowing the wheels to travel on drier ground.
Irrigators have begun using water soluble polymers for soil stabilization. Until now, they have generally been applied to irrigation water for erosion control and to improve water penetration. Liquid polymers are being injected into sprinkler irrigations systems (see U.S. Pat. No. 6,000,625) to stabilize soil structure and improve water penetration. While this method begins to stabilize soil throughout the field, it does not provide enough water soluble polymer in the wheel tracks to reduce rutting. Also, from a cost perspective, water soluble polymer is spread over the entire field instead of only in the wheel tracks.
Granular and solid polymeric products (i.e. blocks, tablets, or gel logs) have been placed in furrows for erosion control and for improving water infiltration during gravity irrigation (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,749,672). However, prior to this invention, solid polymeric products had not been developed or used for stabilizing sprinkler wheel tracks.

Solid polymeric products for minimizing sprinkler wheel track ruts


A current feed extends between a terminal at ambient temperature and an electrical equipment immersed in a cryogenic fluid and adapted to operate at variable current. The current feed is cooled by circulating an auxiliary cooling fluid at ambient temperature exchanging heat with the current feed. The auxiliary cooling fluid is introduced at an intermediate level of the current feed when the current exceeds a particular threshold and optionally all or some of the auxiliary cooling fluid is introduced at other levels nearer the electrical equipment at higher currents.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a method of cooling a current feed between a terminal at ambient temperature and an electrical equipment operating at very low temperature and at variable current. This method exchanges heat between the current feed and an auxiliary cooling fluid. This auxiliary fluid is injected at ambient temperature at a point between the terminal at ambient temperature and the electrical equipment. The fluid outlet is at the terminal at ambient temperature. The invention also includes a device for implementing this method.
The invention applies in particular to cooling superconductive equipment, especially superconductive machines, operating at different times with no or only a low current, with a nominal current and with a current greater than the nominal current.
Current feeds of this kind connect an external circuit operating in an ambient temperature environment to the very low temperature electrical equipment, immersed in liquid helium at 4.2K or in liquid nitrogen at 77K, for example. They are subject to losses as a result of the Joule effect and by thermal conduction; these losses introduce an additional liquefaction-refrigeration overhead as compared with that for cooling the very low temperature equipment.
It is known that the liquefaction-refrigeration requirements balance (cryogenic balance) is improved when the current feeds are cooled by exchange of heat with an fluid injected in contact with them at low temperature, evacuated at ambient temperature and then cooled by the cryogenic machine cooling the equipment. The cryogenic fluid is usually evaporated by the current feed itself, which is then said to be "self-cooled". Under these conditions, it is known that the heat losses for a given current are minimal when the ratio ##EQU1## (where L and S designate the length and the transverse cross-section of the conductor) has an optimal value r.sub.opt depending only on the nature of the conductive material. In the case of a current feed whose transverse cross-section S(1) is not constant over the entire length of the conductor an analogous law is obtained: ##EQU2##
The definition of the current feed showing minimal losses therefore depends on the current I that it carries. In particular, a current feed optimized for a given current I.sub.l has non-negligible losses under no load conditions (approximately 50% of the full load losses) and may even be destroyed in the event of an overload for a current varying from 1.05 I.sub.l to 3 I.sub.l depending on its structure and the conductive material used.
It is therefore advantageous to modify the current feed according to the current I that it must carry in such a way as to maintain the above ratio r as close as possible to the value r.sub.opt.
A first proposal is mechanically to unplug the current feed when the electrical equipment is shut down. This makes it possible to reduce considerably the losses under no load conditions, but introduces problems of reliability and of contact resistance, and in the event of automated operation requires a complex control system and the provision of adequate room to maneuver. The current feed is then optimized only for a single value of current, unless it is subdivided into a plurality of individually unpluggable elements that are thermally insulated from each other, resulting in a very complex installation.
Another proposal is that the electrical contacts should be transferable between an over-dimensioned conductor at a temperature near ambient temperature and the current feed proper (a so-called "sliding" contact) so as to vary the useful length l such that its value remains close to the product r.sub.opt.s/I. This solution introduces problems of reliability, of electrical resistance and of effective sealing. It requires a large amount of room to maneuver above the cryostat and flexible or articulated conductors, and is therefore hardly feasible for use in a confined space.
Finally, the document U.S. Pat. No. 4 209 658 proposes a method of optimizing a current feed in which the point of the feed maintained at ambient temperature is moved by sliding in a bore internal to the feed a piston delimiting the extreme point that can be reached by cooling water introduced into the bore, so as to vary the length of the current feed below ambient temperature in inverse proportion to the current. A method of this kind has the same drawbacks as mentioned above except that concerning the contact resistance.
An object of the present invention is to optimize the current feed for a plurality of current values, for example a null or low value (operation of the very low temperature electrical equipment with no load), a value representing nominal operation and a value representing a temporary overload of the electrical equipment (starting).

Method of cooling a current feed for very low temperature electrical equipment and device for implementing it


In a semiconductor device and a manufacturing method therefor, in a nonvolatile semiconductor memory such as an EEPROM having a floating gate, bit lines are formed under word lines to easily and properly realize bit contact, and a memory cell portion and a peripheral circuit portion are manufactured with good uniformity. In the memory cell portion of this nonvolatile semiconductor memory, a polysilicon film is patterned to form a gate counterelectrode and the bit lines substantially at the same level. The gate counterelectrode opposes a floating gate and is capacitively coupled to the floating gate with a dielectric film intervened therebetween on a field oxide film which is an element isolation structure. The word lines extend on an insulating film formed on the bit lines to cross the bit lines and are electrically connected to lower counterelectrodes. Therefore, the bit lines substantially exist under the word lines. The floating gate of the memory cell portion and the gate of the peripheral circuit portion, or the gate counterelectrode and the bit lines of the memory cell portion and the wiring layer of the peripheral circuit portion are simultaneously formed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device including memory cell region which has a composite gate structure consisting of a floating gate and a control gate and to a method of manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Along with recent multifunctioning of various portable electronic devices or home appliances, a technique of integrating, in a logic LSI represented by one-tip-microcomputer, a nonvolatile semiconductor memory which has an electric charge accumulation layer to hold stored data even after the power-OFF is becoming more important. The nonvolatile semiconductor memory uses, as the electric charge accumulation layer, a floating gate, a two-layer film (NO film) constituted by a nitride film and an oxide film, a three-layer film (ONO film) constituted by an oxide film, a nitride film and an oxide film, or the like. The nonvolatile semiconductor memory having a floating gate is represented by an EEPROM. The nonvolatile semiconductor memory having an NO film is called an MNOS transistor and the memory having an ONO film is called an MONOS transistor.
The nonvolatile semiconductor memory is developing into a multivalued memory which stores one of predetermined multivalued data of ternary or more. One instance of a multivalued EEPROM or MNOS transistor is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-235886.
Generally, the memory cell structure of an EEPROM or the like has a floating gate and a control gate (word line), and a bit line is formed on this control gate with an insulating interlayer intervened therebetween.
However, with recent progress in micropatterning and integration of semiconductor devices, a contact hole formed to connect a bit line and a drain diffusion layer is required to be smaller in diameter. In this case, the aspect ratio of the contact hole becomes high because its diameter becomes small relative to its depth. Therefore, the requirement of position accuracy becomes stricter in formation of the contact hole. To relax this requirement of position accuracy, the aspect ratio of the contact hole must be made as low as possible.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-28379 discloses a nonvolatile semiconductor memory in which the word line and the bit line are simultaneously formed using the same material. In this nonvolatile semiconductor memory, the word line and the bit line do not cross each other but are formed in parallel, thus substantially forming a single layer structure. With this structure, the depth of the contact hole formed for bit contact can have a small value, i.e., almost the same value as that of the thickness of a single insulating interlayer formed on the surface of the semiconductor substrate.
However, the nonvolatile semiconductor memory has the following problem. When the word line and the bit line are formed in parallel so as not to cross each other, a plurality of transistors electrically connected to one bit line through corresponding contact holes formed under this bit line are simultaneously selected in the operation of the nonvolatile semiconductor memory. For this reason, the nonvolatile semiconductor memory cannot be normally operated because of its memory cell array structure.
Even if the above problem can be avoided by some means, no decoders can be arranged in the periphery of the memory cell array of the nonvolatile semiconductor memory.


Apparatus is provided for a safe, convenient and practical method of securing goods and packages inside a vehicle. The device comprises a generally rectangular, open storage facility which is collapsible to an approximately flat configuration. The device can be situated in various locations inside the vehicle, and can be easily stored in the trunk or under the seats when not in use. Two handles on either side of the device allow the same to be carried or readily moved within the vehicle. A generally flexible netting functions as an alternative base for the device, reducing the risk that fragile items would become loose and break or crack. The netting is also adapted to fit over the top of the device, preventing the escape of articles from open areas of vehicles such as a pick-up truck.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle cargo restrainer intended to secure a variety of articles during transportation. More specifically, the present invention provides a convenient restrainer, which may be positioned in various locations within a vehicle, that prevents articles, parcels and so forth from slipping or being dislodged during transportation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A common dilemma experienced by the drivers of automobiles are the problems associated with the transport of various articles and parcels. Typically, these objects become dislodged during portage, and the contents normally spill into the vehicle's compartment. Fragile items such as glass, plastic and so forth occasionally break or crack, causing the stored fluids to leak. As a result, drivers frequently resort to various, oftentimes futile, methods of providing support to ensure said articles and packages are secure during transport. In no instance is this problem more acute than during trips to and from department stores and supermarkets, where packages of goods and valuables often overturn during the journey. Displaced articles can also be a danger to drivers, as well as an inconvenience, where displaced articles roll under the gas pedal or brake. The present invention ensures a measure of relief for frustrated drivers by providing a portable restraining means which can safely secure a variety of articles and packages. When not in use, the device collapses readily to be conveniently stored behind the seat of pick-up trucks, under the seats of vans and sport vehicles or in the trunk or designated storage area of other types of vehicles. For use, it opens easily into a large, stable restraining fence which rests on the floor of the vehicle wherever desired.
Numerous innovations for an vehicle cargo restrainer have been provided in the prior art that are described as follows. Even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, they differ from the present invention as hereinafter contrasted.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,226,348 to Dottor et al. discloses an automobile contained grocery bag holder that provides a storage means in the trunk of a vehicle. A plurality of storage compartments are secured to a solid base intended to prevent the escape of liquids. The device includes attachment meas that enable the device to be secured to the floor of the trunk of the vehicle. This patent differs from the present invention because the vehicle cargo restrainer provides at least two handles, one on either side of the device, which allow the same to be repositioned to various locations within the vehicle. Moreover, the vehicle cargo restrainer provides a flexible base for more cumbersome objects, this feature is not disclosed in the present patent. In addition, the vehicle cargo restrainer provides an open storage facility, allowing for the placement of larger objects, whereas the present invention comprises smaller, individual compartments.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,379,906 to Levin et al. provides a foldable organizer located in the automobile's trunk which includes a plurality of compartments for storage purposes. This patent differs from the present invention because two handles for carrying purposes is not disclosed. Further, a the present invention comprises a generally open storage basin, allowing for the storage a large articles. This feature is not disclosed in the present patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,366,189 to Thomson provides a support means for grocery bags. The device comprises two intersecting panel members that form four chambers within which said bags are secured. This patent differs from the present invention because the vehicle cargo restrainer comprises a generally rectangular storage means having four walls and a base. This features are not disclosed in the present patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,234,116 to Kristinsson et al. provides a collapsible rack assembly intended to secure packages and other parcels. This patent differs from the present invention because a generally rectangular storage means comprising four adjustable walls and a flexible base is not disclosed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,561,554 to Swincicki discloses a container intended for the storage of produce and other goods. The present invention provides an open, generally rectangular storage basin with a flexible base. These features are not disclosed in the present patent.
Numerous innovations for an vehicle cargo restrainer have been provided in the prior art that are adapted to be used. Even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, they would not be suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described.


A rain gutter system includes a back flashing, fastening clips, fasteners, a rain gutter and a reverse-curve shield. The back flashing overlaps existing flashing and has a crease at the bottom and the fastening clips have a groove that locates the fastening clips relative to the back flashing. The back wall of the rain gutter extends above and behind the bottom of the back flashing. The rain gutter and shield are anchored to the back flashing and fastening clips vertically and in the fore/aft direction, and can slide laterally. The front upper end of the rain gutter slopes up and back to improve debris shedding.

Open trough rain gutters collect debris that falls on the roof and washes down with the rain water. Systems to shield the rain gutter from debris include screens over the open trough and reverse-curve shields. The screens have a tendency to clog with small debris, blocking the rain water from entering the rain gutter.
Reverse-curve shields or hoods generally have a sloped planar section that extends over the rain gutter and a coextensive curved section that first curves forwardly and downwardly over the front of the rain gutter and then curves downwardly and inwardly. Rain water, through liquid adhesion principles, follows the curved section to the lower edge of the shield and falls from this lower edge into the rain gutter. Debris washed down by the rain water falls off at the forward extent of the curved section of the shield and drops to the ground.
Known reverse-curve shields can generally be divided into two types. In a first type, the rear of the shield is integrated into the roof, typically by sliding the rear edge of the shield under the lower, forward edge of the roof covering. Reverse-curve shields typically require a certain amount of vertical spacing above the rain gutter. Open top rain gutters are generally mounted as high as possible on the eave, adjacent to the lower edge of the roof. When a reverse-curve shield is added over an open top rain gutter, the required vertical spacing of the shield above the rain gutter can result in the rear edge of the shield being higher than the roof edge. In order to achieve an appropriate geometric configuration of the shield relative to the rain gutter for correct functionality, this first type of reverse-curve shield is typically used when a reverse-curve shield is added over an existing open top rain gutter.
In the second type of reverse-curve shield, the shield mounts only over the rain gutter, independent of the roof. This second type of reverse-curve shield is mounted with specialized fastening clips and typically mounted with the rain gutter as part of an integrated system. When positioned correctly, the shield is located slightly below the roof edge and completely above both the front edge and back edge of the rain gutter. This type of positioning often leaves the back edge of the gutter located well below the existing flashing with the fascia behind the gutter exposed and susceptible to leakage behind the gutter.
Seams or joints in a rain gutter can leak. Seamless rain gutters, with a single seamless section of rain gutter along each straight section of guttered eave, reduce the possibility of leakage and are preferable over rain gutters with joints or seams along straight sections of rain gutter. In many known rain gutters, including many seamless rain gutters, the fasteners that attach the rain gutter to the eave, pierce the rain gutter. Differential thermal expansion between the rain gutter and eave can generate stress on these fasteners, creating a possibility of failure. A mounting system for a rain gutter that allows the rain gutter and shield to independently expand relative to the eave is desirable.

Integrated debris-shielding cover, flashing & mounting system for rain gutter


A system for providing a threshold voltage (VT) includes a VT extractor that extracts the VT for a MOS transistor relative to a first voltage rail. An inversion circuit inverts the extracted VT (e.g., VT+VIN) relative to a reference voltage that is intermediate the first voltage rail and a second voltage rail and provides an output corresponding to the VT (e.g., VT+VIN) relative to the second voltage rail. The relative voltages at the voltage rails generally will depend on whether the VT is being extracted for a p-channel MOS transistor or an n-channel MOS transistor. The VT can be employed to generate a ramp voltage across a capacitor formed of another MOS transistor.

Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors (MOSFETs) are often used to implement a variety of analog functions and digital logic. For instance, MOSFETs can be arranged to form of large scale integrated circuits (LSI) and very large scale integrated circuits (VLSI). A MOSFET can be controlled to provide an output that varies as a function of one or more operating parameters. The drain current (ID) through a given MOSFET device can be expressed as follows:
      I    D    =            (              W        L            )                  1      2            μ                                                  C          OX                                  (                                    V              GS                        -                          V              T                                )                    2
where:                W=channel width of the MOSFET;        L=channel length of the MOSFET;        COX=capacitance per unit area of the gate-to-channel capacitor for which the oxide layer serves as a dielectric; and        VGS=gate-to-source voltage of the MOSFET.
Of particular interest from the foregoing equation is the threshold voltage (VT). VT corresponds to a voltage applied to the gate of a field effect transistor (FET) that is necessary to open a conductive channel between the source and drain. More specifically, for the case of a MOSFET, VT is the minimum voltage at the gate that is necessary for an inversion layer to be formed at the semiconductor surface so that significant current flows through the device. For many integrated N-channel MOSFET devices, VT is in the range of about 0.3 to 1.5 V.
Various approaches have been developed to determine or extract VT for a MOSFET. One approach to extract VT is to obtain VT from a single voltage measurement. The efficacy of this method generally depends on the selected current, as different drain currents tend to result in different threshold voltages. Another approach is a linear extrapolation method in which a maximum transconductance is employed to locate a point of maximum slope along a plot of drain current versus gate-source voltage. However, the transconductance is dependent on the series resistance of the MOSFET, which can introduce errors. Other approaches to derive an indication of VT include a ratio method and a quasi-constant-current method, which have various limitations in addition to their complexities.
The extracted VT can be utilized for a variety of purposes where it is desirable to reduce process-dependent parameters associated with a MOSFET. Examples for using an extracted value of VT include process monitoring, device characterization, temperature sensing, and voltage reference generation.

Threshold voltage extraction for producing a ramp signal with reduced process sensitivity