A method is disclosed wherein t-butanol is reacted with methanol in a reaction zone in one step to provide methyl tert-butyl ether and the improvement of accomplishing the reaction which comprises:. a. Using a catalyst consisting of a crystalline aluminosilicate faujasite Y-type zeolite which has been treated with hydrogen fluoride; PA1 b. continuously contacting said t-butanol and methanol in a molar amount of about 0.1 to 10 moles of methanol per mole of t-butanol with said catalyst at a temperature of about 20.degree. C. to about 250.degree. C. and a pressure of about atmospheric to about 1000 psig to obtain the methyl tert-butyl ether product wherein the product mix separates into an isobutylene-MTBE product-rich phase and a heavier aqueous methanol phase.

It is known to those skilled in the art that ethers, including unsymmetrical ethers, may be prepared by reacting an alcohol with another alcohol to form the desired product. The reaction mixture, containing catalyst and/or condensing agent may be separated and further treated to permit attainment of the desired product. Such further treatment commonly includes one or more distillation operations.
Methyl tert-butyl ether is finding increasing use as a blending component in high octane gasoline as the current gasoline additives based on lead and manganese are phased out. Currently all commercial processes for the manufacture of methyl tert-butyl ether are based upon the liquid-phase reaction of isobutylene and methanol (Eq. 1), catalyzed by a cationic ion-exchange resin (see, for example: Hydrocarbon Processing, October 1984, p. 63; Oil and Gas J., Jan. 1, 1979, p. 76; Chem. Economics Handbook-SRI, September 1986, p. 543-7051P). The cationic ion-exchange resins used in MTBE synthesis normally have the sulphonic acid functionality (see: J. Tejero, J. Mol. Catal., 42 (1987) 257; C. Subramamam et al., Can. J. Chem. Eng., 65 (1987) 613). ##STR1##
With the expanding use of MTBE as an acceptable gasoline additive, a growing problem is the availability of raw materials. Historically, the critical raw material is isobutylene (Oil and Gas J., Jun. 8, 1987, p. 55). It would be advantageous, therefore, to have a process to make MTBE that does not require isobutylene as a building block. It would be advantageous to have an efficient process for making MTBE by reaction of methanol with tertiary butyl alcohol, since t-butanol (TBA) is readily available commercially through isobutane oxidation.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,144,138 (1979) to Rao et al., there is disclosed a method for recovering methyl tertiary butyl ether from etherification reaction effluent by azeotropic distillation to recover methanol-ether azeotrope overhead which is water-washed to give pure ether raffinate, the latter being azeotropically distilled to yield ether-methanol overhead which is recycled to water washing.
The preparation of methyl tert-butyl ether from methyl I5 and tert-butyl alcohols is discussed in S. V. Rozhkov et al., Prevrashch Uglevodorodov, Kislotno-Osnovn. Geterogennykh Katal. Tezisy Dokl. Vses Konf., 1977, 150 (C. A. 92:58165y). Here the TBA and methanol undergo etherification over KU-2 strongly acidic sulfopolystyrene cation-exchangers under mild conditions. This reference contains data on basic parameters of such a process. It is also pointed out that, although a plant for etherification over cation exchangers does not present any major problems, considerations include the fact that recycling large amounts of tert-butyl alcohol and methanol, as well as isobutylene, causes the scheme to be somewhat more expensive. Also, the progress of the reaction over cation exchangers is usually complicated by various adsorption and diffusion factors, by swelling phenomena, and by the variable distribution of the components between the solution and ion-exchanger phase. Furthermore, said acidic cation-exchangers with an organic (polystyrene or polymethacrylate) backbone generally have a very limited stability range with regard to operating temperatures, with temperatures above 120.degree. C. normally leading to irreversible destruction of the resin and loss of catalytic activity.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,282,469 to Frolich there is disclosed a process for preparing methyl tertiary butyl ether over a catalyst comprising Kieselguhr impregnated with phosphoric acid at a temperature of about 175.degree. F. to 350.degree. F.
Japanese Patent 0007432 teaches the use of zeolites to make dialkyl ethers containing primary or secondary alkyl groups. The zeolites have a porous structure and are represented by: EQU M.sub.2/n O.Al.sub.2 O.sub.3.xSiO.sub.2..sub.y H.sub.2 O
where M is an alkali metal or alkaline earth metal cation or organic base cation, n is the valence of the cation and x and y are variables.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,058,576 to Chang et al. teaches the use of (pentasil-type) aluminosilicate zeolites, such as ZSM-5, having a pore size greater than 5 angstrom units and a silica-to-alumina ratio of at least 12, to convert lower alcohols to a mixture of ethers and olefins.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,822,921 there is disclosed a method for producing MTBE by reacting tertiary butyl alcohol and methanol in the presence of a catalyst comprising an inert support, such as titania, having a phosphoric acid impregnated thereon.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,827,048 discloses a method for producing MTBE by reacting tertiary butyl alcohol and methanol in the presence of a catalyst comprising a heteropoly acid such as 12-tungstophosphoric acid or 12-molybdophosphoric acid on an inert support, such as titania.
In copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/494,281, there is disclosed a method for preparing methyl tertiary butyl ether by reacting butanol and methanol in the presence of a catalyst comprising a super-acid alumina or a faujasite-type zeolite.
Copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/494,280 discloses the reaction of butanol and methanol in the presence of acidic montmorillonite clay catalysts having certain identifiable physical parameters.
Copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/677,192 discloses a super acid, sulfuric acid-on-Group IV oxide for preparing MTBE from t-butanol and methanol in one step. In copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/663,527, a Y-type zeolite modified with fluorosulfonic acid is disclosed.
Copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/724,071, there is disclosed a method for one-step synthesis of MTBE from t-butanol using fluorocarbon sulfonic acid polymers on inert supports.
It would be a substantial advance in the art if methyl tertiary butyl ether could be selectively synthesized from tertiary butyl alcohol and methanol in one step using a catalyst which allows for rapid conversion of t-butanol. It has now been discovered that hydrogen fluoride-modified zeolites can be used as catalysts for the selective synthesis of methyl tertiary butyl ether from tertiary butyl alcohol and methanol. The accompanying examples demonstrate good yields of MTBE when using the modified zeolites of the instant invention for such a reaction.

One step synthesis of methyl t-butyl ether from t-butanol using hydrogen fluoride-modified zeolite catalysts


A communication protocol for use in a mobile cellular communication system using time division duplex establishes a communication channel between a user station (e.g., a handset) and a base station in a time slot by assigning a first time segment within the time slot for a user station transmission and assigning a second time segment within the time slot for a base station transmission. The protocol also provides for virtual time slots wherein a time segment assigned for periodic transmission from the base station to a given user station may be non-contiguous with respect to the time segment assigned for periodic transmissions from the user station to the base station.

1) Field of the Invention
The field of the invention pertains to communications and, more particularly, to communication protocols for spread spectrum wireless communication systems.
2) Background
Wireless communication systems typically comprise a number of mobile "user stations" or "handsets" and a number of stationary or fixed "base stations" which are capable communicating with each other. Communication between the various base stations and handsets is usually accomplished by allocating communication resources among the handsets and the base stations to establish and maintain communication links between the handsets and base stations. The scarcity of communication link resources, including frequency spectrum, creates a need for the efficient allocation of these resources. While a number of techniques exist for allocating these communication link resources, including frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), and code division multiple access (CDMA), none alone have proven adequate to supply the ever increasing demand for these resources.
In known wireless mobile communication systems, many more user stations are deployed than there are communication resources available for dedicated links at any one time. However, communications (e.g., telephone calls) originating or terminating at any one user station are generally sporadic, and thus it is usually neither necessary nor desirable from an economic or efficiency standpoint to reserve a single communication link for use by each user station as is sometimes done in completely land based systems. Instead, a mobile communication system typically shares communication resources among multiple user stations on an as needed basis. Where communication links are not reserved for each user station, temporary communication links between user stations and base stations are established, and when a particular communication session is completed and the link is no longer needed, the link is dissolved. Examples of such systems include land mobile radio, cellular telephone, and personal communication systems (PCS). In such systems a communication protocol is generally desirable for allocating the communication resources for communication links in response to demand.
In addition to the finite number of communication link resources in a wireless environment, RF interference is a concern and can serve to limit the number of link resources available in a given environment. In the wireless environment, RF interference can come from sources internal to the communication system or external to the communication system, or both. RF interference from internal sources may be caused by, for example, other user stations with communication links in the same or in neighboring cells, by base stations in neighboring cells, etc. RF interference from external sources may be caused by geographically collocated spectrum users operating in the same or neighboring frequency bands, and by remotely located users of the same frequency bands.
To minimize external RF interference in wireless systems, government regulations have tended to constrain the power level of signals generated by user stations and base stations. For example, in a personal communication system (PCS), existing regulations establish limitations on the allowable RF interference from user stations and base stations to fixed microwave users in the PCS bands. There are also government restrictions on the allowable RF interference from user stations and base stations to users of neighboring frequency bands. These constraints create a need for control of transmission power levels and, if possible, transmission directivity while not limiting the communication link resources.
In addition to the foregoing, communication resources are affected by geographical considerations and as such wireless communication systems should be adaptable to operate over a wide variety of changing environments, since direct line-of-sight paths between a user station and a base station are not always possible, particularly in urban areas. Also, multipath propagation conditions may vary substantially between urban and rural settings. Accordingly, a preferred system is robust and capable of accounting for multipath effects.
Another consideration in a wireless communication system is the degree of symmetry of communication traffic between user stations and base stations. In some voice-oriented mobile communication systems, such as presently known cellular telephone systems, communication traffic between the user stations and the base stations is symmetrical during most communication sessions. However, for some communication sessions involving data transmission (e.g., computer data or a facsimile) in some communication systems, communication traffic may be highly asymmetrical. Consequently, it is generally beneficial to have a communication protocol capable of handling asymmetrical communication requirements without placing further demands on communication link resources.
In addition to the foregoing, a wireless communication protocol preferably should operate with small, low cost handsets. It is therefore desirable that communication protocols be compatible with low power communication techniques, so as to extend battery life in handsets.
Spread spectrum communication techniques are well suited for use in wireless communication systems, particularly in a mobile environment. In direct sequence spread spectrum communication, a data signal is encoded with a distinguishing pseudo-random chip sequence, or spreading sequence before transmission. The spreading sequence typically contains many more "chips" than "bits" in the data signal, and thus "spreads" the data signal over a wider bandwidth than that of the data signal alone. At the receiver, the signal is typically "despread" to its original bandwidth by means of a despreading sequence matched to the spreading sequence. An informative discussion of spread spectrum communication may be found in, e.g., R. Dixon, Spread Spectrum Systems with Commercial Applications (J. Wiley & Sons, 3d ed. 1994).
Consequently, it would be advantageous to provide a flexible and robust communication protocol for use in wireless communication systems employing spread spectrum techniques that address the above concerns. It would be further advantageous to provide a protocol suitable for use in personal communication systems operating in a mobile environment. It would be further advantageous to provide a protocol well adapted to use with low-cost, low-power pocket telephones.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Communication protocol for spread sprectrum wireless communication system


A photovoltaic (PV) module assembly including a PV module and a ballast tray. The PV module includes a PV device and a frame. A PV laminate is assembled to the frame, and the frame includes an arm. The ballast tray is adapted for containing ballast and is removably associated with the PV module in a ballasting state where the tray is vertically under the PV laminate and vertically over the arm to impede overt displacement of the PV module. The PV module assembly can be installed to a flat commercial rooftop, with the PV module and the ballast tray both resting upon the rooftop. In some embodiments, the ballasting state includes corresponding surfaces of the arm and the tray being spaced from one another under normal (low or no wind) conditions, such that the frame is not continuously subjected to a weight of the tray.

The present disclosure relates to solar roof tiles. More particularly, it relates to photovoltaic module assemblies including a selectively implemented ballast device.
Solar power has long been viewed as an important alternative energy source. To this end, substantial efforts and investments have been made to develop and improve upon solar energy collection technology. Of particular interest are industrial- or commercial-type applications in which relatively significant amounts of solar energy can be collected and utilized in supplementing or satisfying power needs.
Solar photovoltaic technology is generally viewed as an optimal approach for large scale solar energy collection, and can be used as a primary and/or secondary (or supplemental) energy source. In general terms, solar photovoltaic systems (or simply "photovoltaic systems") employ solar panels made of silicon or other materials (e.g., III-V cells such as GaAs) to convert sunlight into electricity. More particularly, photovoltaic systems typically include a plurality of photovoltaic (PV) modules (or "solar tiles") interconnected with wiring to one or more appropriate electrical components (e.g., switches, inverters, junction boxes, etc.). The PV module conventionally consists of a PV laminate or panel generally forming an assembly of crystalline or amorphous semiconductor devices electrically interconnected and encapsulated. One or more electrical conductors are carried by the PV laminate through which the solar-generated current is conducted.
Regardless of an exact construction of the PV laminate, most PV applications entail placing an array of PV modules at the installation site in a location where sunlight is readily present. This is especially true for commercial or industrial applications in which a relatively large number of PV modules are desirable for generating substantial amounts of energy, with the rooftop of the commercial building providing a convenient surface at which the PV modules can be placed. As a point of reference, many commercial buildings have large, flat roofs that are inherently conducive to placement of a PV module array, and is the most efficient use of existing space. While rooftop installation is thus highly viable, certain environment constraints must be addressed. For example, the PV laminate is generally flat or planar; thus, if simply "laid" on an otherwise flat rooftop, the PV laminate may not be optimally positioned/oriented to collect a maximum amount of sunlight throughout the day. Instead, it is desirable to tilt the PV laminate at a slight angle relative to the rooftop (i.e., toward the southern sky for northern hemisphere installations, or toward the northern sky for southern hemisphere installations). Further, possible PV module displacement due to wind gusts must be accounted for, especially where the PV laminate is tilted relative to the rooftop as described above.
In light of the above, conventional PV module installation techniques have included physically interconnecting each individual PV module of the module array directly with, or into, the existing rooftop structure. For example, some PV module configurations have included multiple frame members that are physically attached to the rooftop via bolts driven through (or penetrating) the rooftop. While this technique may provide a more rigid attachment of the PV module, it is a time-consuming process and permanently damages the rooftop. Also, because holes are formed into the rooftop, distinct opportunities for water damage arise. More recently, PV module configurations have been devised for commercial, flat rooftop installation sites in which the arrayed PV modules are self-maintained relative to the rooftop in a non-penetrating manner. More particularly, the PV modules are interconnected to one another via a series of separate, auxiliary components. Ballast is mounted to the PV modules, with the ballast and interconnected PV modules serving to collectively offset wind-generated forces. Further, one or more wind-deflecting fairings (or "wind deflectors") are assembled to some or all of the PV modules to reduce a magnitude of wind forces imparted upon an underside of the PV module and/or array.
The use of ballast to provide adequate PV module wind performance remains a necessary feature for non-penetrating PV module rooftop installations, especially for tilted PV arrangements. Because each installation site will have differing load constraints (e.g., load-carrying capacity of the roof, expected wind-related forces due to height, wind zone, and surrounding exposure of the building; etc.), the ability to adjust a weight of the ballast is beneficial. While efforts have been made to allow installers to adjust the mass or weight of ballast associated with an individual PV module, conventional designs require direct, on-site mounting of the ballast to the PV module frame, and thus entails a fairly labor intensive process. Further, the mounted ballast can create potentially damaging stresses in the PV module frame over time. Therefore, a need exists for a PV module assembly with improved ballast features.

Ballasted photovoltaic module and module arrays


A locknutless conduit connector provides for the retentive termination of an electrical conduit to a junction box. The connector includes a connector housing having a conduit receiving end, an opposed conductor egressing end and a central conduit passage therebetween. The conduit passage is defined by opposing connector halves which are relatively movable with respect to one another in clam-shell fashion and which include male and female cooperating engagement members positioned to prevent relative axial movement between the connector halves when the connector is subjected to bending forces.

In both commercial and residential construction, electrical conductors which run between various locations are typically housed in an outer protective jacket. Such structures are referred to as electrical conduits. One such conduit is a flexible, metallic conduit where the conduit includes an outer helically convoluted metal jacket for enhanced flexibility. Another such conduit is a rigid extruded metal tubing commonly referred to as EMT. The conduit is terminated to an electrical junction or outlet box and the individual conductors are terminated to an electrical device supported in the junction box.
In order to suitably retain the conduit in the junction box, a conduit connector or fitting is employed to terminate the conduit and to mechanically and electrically secure the conduit to the junction box itself. Conduit connectors of this type are well-known in the electrical connection art. These connectors typically include a cylindrical body which supports therein an end extent of the conduit. The cylindrical body is attachable to the junction box through a knockout opening to allow passage of the conductors into the junction box. A screw may be interposed through the wall of the connector body to engage the conduit thereby securely retaining the conduit within such connector body.
As mentioned, the connector is mechanically secured to the junction box. One end of the connector is positioned such that it extends through the knockout opening in the junction box and terminates within the junction box. In one application, the end extending into the junction box is threaded for receipt of a securing nut which is installed from the inside of the junction box, thus mechanically securing the connector to the box. In another application, examples of which are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,174,776 and 3,556,566, the cylindrical body of the connector is formed in a split-shell arrangement, whereupon tightening of the screw against the conduit causes the respective shells of the connector body to expand outwards thereby engaging the walls of the junction box about the opening.
Although the split-shell connector eliminates the need for a separate securing nut (which is often difficult to install due to limited room in the junction box), split-shell connectors are more susceptible to failure resulting from application of a moment to the connector. For example, a bending force experienced by the connector (which may be imparted thereon by rigid conduit such as EMT) may cause relative axial movement between the upper end lower body portion of the connector which, in turn, may be sufficient to allow pullout of the conduit from the connector or pullout of the connector from the junction box. The split-shell connectors are particularly susceptible to this type of failure when EMT is employed as the electrical conduit. As a result, EMT has typically in the past been terminated at the junction box with a conventional connector and locknut.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a split-shell type connector having increased mechanical integrity thus providing increased resistance to pullout failure resulting from application of bending forces to the connector.


The disclosure relates to a surgical staple defining a median folding zone which is continued by a pair of branches, each branch having a pointed fastening end and an intermediate clamping zone situated between the median folding zone and the pointed fastening end. The staple is deformable so that each branch can be folded relative to the median folding zone by causing each fastening end to approach the other branch, the staple being formed by a metal cutout pre-shaped by folding, and is of constant thickness. Intermediate clamping zones of the two branches are cut out such as to form at least two teeth, the edges of which form two complementary clamping surfaces, parallel to the median plane when the staple is folded. The cross-section of clamping surfaces correspond to the cross-section of the metal cutout.

In the prior art various staple solutions intended for endoscopic placing are known. U.S. Patent Publication No. 2011/0144691 provides a staple with a general "U"-shaped with a base extended by two "L"-shaped legs. The legs are folded to form an angle of about 90°. They have a pointed portion perforating the tissues. They also have compression structures placed above the perforation portion limiting the depth of penetration of the perforation portion.
The applicant's international application WO2016128691 describes an earlier version of a surgical staple with two movable branches connected by a transverse connecting zone. Each of these branches has a clamping zone and a fastening end. The transverse connecting zone is deformable to enable said movable branches to be brought approached by folding about the axis of the said transverse connecting zone. This document describes in particular an alternative embodiment of a staple with branches bearing several hooks cut out in the width of the branch and curved, each of the hooks having a clamping surface.
The applicant's international application WO2016128693 describes an endoscopic surgical system formed on the one hand by a plurality of staples and on the other hand by an endoscopic applicator comprising a loader of transversely arranged staples, characterised in that said staples have a central zone and two lateral branches and in that the applicator comprises a movable member having holding means in a transverse plane of a staple to be applied and to ensure the deformation thereof by folding relative to the axis of symmetry of said staple. Other examples of staples known in the prior art are described in the U.S. Patent Publication No. 2009/093826 or in the international patent applications WO2002/19920 or WO2009/135009.
The purpose of the invention is to improve the surgical staples so as to ensure a satisfactory maintenance of the tissues clamped without crushing the tissues if the applied force is too great, nor on the contrary to allow sliding if the force is insufficient or if the tissue moves, and of course by avoiding damaging the lips during the displacement of the clamping zone. The solution provided by the invention relates to the multiplication of the teeth in the clamping zone and a particular configuration of these teeth, as claimed. For endoscope applications, the staple must have a very small size, with structures of a maximum thickness of at least one millimetre and a length of a few millimetres.
Moreover, the staples of the prior art involve a perforation of the tissue lips, thus causing the initiation of a tear. All the staples proposed in the prior art have tips penetrating the tissues deeply in order to ensure holding thereof, which causes lesions of the cell material and sources of infection. Finally, the pressure exerted on the tissues by the staples of the prior art during and after closure is poorly controlled and may cause damage or even local necrosis.
It is therefore very difficult to mass-produce staples having a complex geometry. Moreover, it is difficult to obtain satisfactory holding of the tissues clamped with an elongate tooth, which tends to crush the tissues if the force applied is too great, or on the contrary to allow sliding if the force is insufficient or if the tissue moves. The solution proposed in the "multi-hook" alternative embodiment application WO2016128691 is also not totally satisfactory, because all the forces exerted on the tissue are produced by the single clamping tooth provided on each branch, and because the width of the branches generally does not allow cutting more than one hook, unless the branch is widened, which causes problems of space.

Surgical staple having two movable branches connected by a transverse connecting zone


A terminal is provided, in accordance with the embodiments of the present disclosure. The terminal includes a support, a display panel, a camera module and a sensor module. The display panel is opposite to the support. The camera module and the sensor module are disposed on the support. The display panel defines at least one recess. The sensor module and the camera module are disposed adjacently for determining a distance between the terminal and an external object.

A display panel of a terminal may include a display region and a non-display region. The non-display region is disposed on the display region. A length of the non-display region is equal to that of the display region. Because the non-display region is configured to take a place for components of the terminal such as a front camera, a telephone receiver, sensors, and other electrical components, the non-display region should have a large size in width, which makes a ratio of the display region to the display panel be small.

GUANGDONG OPPO MOBILE TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP., LTD.


A vehicle frame component, such as a siderail or a cross member, is formed with a generally C-shaped cross section in which the vertical web member has a greatly reduced mass, as compared to a comparable C-channel section of uniform construction. The reduced mass web member has a corresponding reduced effective cross section to substantially reduce the component weight without adversely affecting its vertical stiffness.

The present invention relates to frames for vehicle chassis and, more particularly, to weight saving siderail components for heavy truck frames. Methods of making such frame components are also disclosed.
In order to meet federally mandated vehicle emission requirements, truck manufacturers have had to use larger cooling packages and exhaust systems. In addition to the added cost, these changes also add significantly to the vehicle weight and, as a result, to reduced fuel efficiency. Therefore, there is great emphasis on weight reduction in all vehicle components.

Reduced weight components for vehicle frame and method of making same


An embroidery data producing apparatus for an embroidery machine which forms embroidery stitches based on embroidery data has the ability to create an embroidery pattern having a uniform thickness without generating overstitched areas. The apparatus includes storage for embroidery data, a selecting mechanism for selecting embroidery data from storage which will generate an overstitched area and a changing mechanism for changing the selected embroidery data into data which will not generate the overstitched area.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an embroidery data producing apparatus for an embroidery machine which is capable of forming an embroidery stitch based on embroidery data.
2. Description of Related Art
An embroidery data producing apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,849,902. According to the embroidery data producing apparatus, when an operator sets an embroidery area where embroidery stitches are to be formed and division lines are defined for dividing the embroidery area, the embroidery area is automatically divided into a plurality of blocks, and block data is converted into embroidery data. The block data has information about the vertexes of each block of the divided embroidery area. When the block data is supplied to an embroidery machine, the embroidery machine automatically creates stitch data based on the block data so as to form the embroidery stitches on the embroidery area. Therefore, the embroidery area is covered with a plurality of the embroidery stitches, so that an embroidery pattern is formed. The stitch data has information about sewing positions where the embroidery stitches are to be formed.
If an embroidery machine does not have a function for automatically creating the stitch data based on the block data, the stitch data is produced as the embroidery data based on the block data by an embroidery data producing apparatus, and the stitch data is supplied to the embroidery machine. Therefore, the embroidery data is equivalent to the block data or the stitch data.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,408 discloses an embroidery data producing apparatus which can compute block data from embroidery data. The embroidery data producing apparatus automatically sets a plurality of division lines for dividing an embroidery area on which a plurality of embroidery stitches are to be formed, based on an embroidery direction, and automatically divides the embroidery area. Therefore, according to the embroidery data producing apparatus, the operator need not set the division lines.
A conventional embroidery data producing apparatus can create embroidery data even if the embroidery area of one embroidery pattern is composed of a plurality of embroidery areas. However, it often happens that a plurality of embroidery areas mutually overlap. If the embroidery stitches are formed in accordance to the embroidery data created in such case, the overlap area where a plurality of embroidery areas mutually overlap is covered with the embroidery stitches a plurality of times or overstitched. For instance, an embroidery area 100 of a pattern shown in FIG. 9A comprises three embroidery areas 101, 102 and 103. The embroidery area 101 and the embroidery area 102 have an overlap area at an almost center position of each. FIG. 9B shows a plurality of embroidery stitches which are formed in accordance to the embroidery data which is created by the embroidery data producing apparatus. As shown in FIG. 9B, the overlap area where the embroidery area 101 and the embroidery area 102 overlap each other is covered twice with the embroidery stitches.
As described above, in the case that the embroidery stitches are formed in accordance to the embroidery data made by the conventional embroidery data producing apparatus, it is possible that an area is generated which is covered with embroidery stitches a plurality of times. The area which is covered with the embroidery stitches a plurality of times becomes thicker than the other area. Therefore, the appearance of the formed embroidery pattern becomes unsightly. The operator has to modify the embroidery data made by the embroidery data producing apparatus in order to prevent generation of the area covered with the embroidery stitches a plurality of times. In the case that the embroidery area is wide or there are many areas to be covered with embroidery stitches a plurality of times, it is very troublesome for the operator to modify the embroidery data. Moreover, it is possible that the operator may make a mistake while modifying the embroidery data.

Embroidery data producing apparatus for embroidery machine


A memory structure and related method for collecting and maintaining data descriptive of a multiplicity of interrelated process flows is disclosed. A complex memory structure includes job entities, operation entities, and process entities. Operation entities are subordinate to job entities, and process entities are subordinate to operation entities. These entities are represented by tables which are linked together to indicate their position in the hierarchy and their sequencing within a process flow. The process entities describe specific activities accomplished by an organization in achieving organizational goals. Typically, resources are either consumed or released, or both, during a process. Bill-of-resource tables are subordinate to process entities and populated with data which identify resources consumed by corresponding processes in the process flow. Attribute tables are subordinate to the resources listed in the bill-of-resources tables and populated with data which identify attribute limitations, durations for which resources are used, and quantities of resources consumed. Branch and condition entities are positioned between operation entities or process entities to initiate alternate process flows to be taken when specified conditions are met. In addition, condition entities may specify conditions to be met before including particular bill-of-resource and attribute tables within a process flow.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to manufacturing, delivery of services, and other organizational activities about which data describing process flows are collected. More specifically, the present invention relates to a system for managing process flow information related to a multiplicity of interrelated organizational tasks.
2. Background Art
Organizations engage in activities to achieve organizational goals. For a manufacturing organization, such activities may relate to the manufacture of a product or of several products. For a provider of services, such activities may relate to the performance of a service or of many different services. In many organizations, and particularly in large or complex organizations, the manufacture of products and the performance of services require the completion of a large number of diverse activities in specific sequences relative to one another to achieve organizational goals. In order to manage these activities, organizations often perform information gathering and processing tasks related to describing the activities and their relative order. Such descriptions are referred to as process flows and may characterize the manufacturing of products, the performance of services, or other organizational goals. These process flows are useful in planning, simulating, and controlling realization of the described products and services.
Conventional systems for managing process flows are typically adapted to describe a relatively simple organization. Such simple organizations have no more than a few products or services to be described with process flows. Critical Path Method (CPM), Project Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT), and Material Requirements Planning (MRP) represent a few of the conventional techniques which support and manage process flows. When more complex organizations utilize such conventional systems, they are forced to duplicate or repeat usage of the systems for various products or services. As a result, the process flows for these products or services are independent from one another. In other words, process flows are constructed and exist in isolation of one another.
However, in reality different products and services of a complex organization tend to be interrelated with one another. For example, diverse products and services must compete to receive commonly used resources. Thus, these diverse products and services are related to one another through their demands for commonly used resources. Likewise, economies of scale may be realized by identifying and forcing roughly equivalent components of diverse process flows to be more similar. For example, if a "widget" product requires the use of one brand of red paint and a "gadget" product requires the use of another brand of red paint, two different brands of red paint must be purchased, inventoried, and managed. However, by recognizing the similarity between the paint requirements and forcing one of the products to use the other product's brand of paint, economies of scale are achieved in purchasing larger quantities of a single brand of paint and in inventorying only one brand of paint. Accordingly, diverse products and services are related through similar components between the products' and services' process flows.
Due to this interrelation between products and services of a complex organization, conventional systems fail to provide satisfactory process flows. Specifically, conventional process flow information management systems fail to promote standardization in characterizing process flows related to diverse organizational tasks. Consequently, opportunities for achieving economies of scale are missed. Moreover, process flow information quickly gets out of control, and organizations must expend large quantities of organizational resources to manage numerous process flows.
Furthermore, conventional systems for managing process flow information fail to satisfactorily account for the dispersion of expert knowledge within a typical complex organization. Thus, such systems inadequately permit a single person to create, modify, and otherwise manage, for the entire organization, many related process flows. Consequently, the expert's knowledge is often used inefficiently by the organization while non-experts manage flows related to areas beyond their expertise. Inaccurate and incomprehensive process flows result.

Process flow information management system


A waste tank clog removal system is provided for removing clogs during draining of a waste tank through a drain line. This system removes the clog by flushing the clog back into the waste tank. A bypass valve and a hose assembly are added to an existing waste tank drain and rinse system. The hose assembly is connected to the bypass valve and routed to the drain line, between a ball valve and a drain valve. When clogging occurs, the bypass valve is rotated to a bypass position, the drain valve is closed, and rinse fluid fills the drain line to push the clog back into the waste tank.

When draining an aircraft waste tank into a service truck waste tank, airlines often experience clogs. Diapers are often the cause of clogs that occur at the opening of a waste tank drain line between the aircraft waste tank and the service truck waste tank. Several tools are available to the airlines for removal of clogs.
One such tool is a Y-coupling. This tool connects to a drain valve between the aircraft waste tank drain line and a service truck drain line. The service truck drain line connects to the Y-coupling downstream. An auger is inserted into the Y portion of the coupling which is pushed back up the waste tank drain line until the clog is removed.
Another type of tool is a pneumatic tool that connects to the drain valve. With the drain valve open, pneumatic pressure is applied to push the clog back into the aircraft waste tank. Once the clog is removed, the tool is removed and the waste tank is allowed to drain.
A third type of tool used is a pneumatic tool that connects to a fitting on the waste tank drain line upstream from the drain valve. With the drain valve closed, pneumatic pressure is applied to push the clog back into the waste tank. Once the clog is removed, the tool is removed and the waste tank is allowed to drain.
The use of tools to remove clogs is very expensive for the airlines because of the various costs associated with it. The use of tools forces the airlines to have one tool at each base. In addition, the use of tools requires the airlines to rely on maintenance personnel to retrieve the tool, to remove the clog, and to sanitize the tool prior to storage. Furthermore, a risk of disease due to failure of the tool arises.
Another way to remove clogs involves opening up the aircraft waste tank and physically removing the clog. This method also creates potential hazards. Upon opening up the waste tank and removing the clog, waste material may spill into the cargo bay exposing personnel to raw sewage.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a clog removal system in which the need for a tool is eliminated. The elimination of the need for a tool eliminates the costs and hazards associated with using a tool.
It is another object of this invention to provide a clog removal system that utilizes existing hardware on the airplane, including the rinse fitting and rinse fluid from the service truck rinse fluid tank, to remove clogs. By utilizing existing hardware, the costs are kept low. In addition, by utilizing the rinse fluid from the service truck rinse fluid tank to pressurize the waste tank drain line, the possibility of overpressurization is eliminated because service truck pressures will not exceed proof limits of the drain line and the existing hardware used.


A method of imaging an interior of a turbid medium, for example a part of a breast of a human female, the turbid medium is irradiated with light and measurement of the intensity of light propagated along a plurality of light paths through the turbid medium is measured. An image of the interior of the turbid medium is reconstructed from the intensities measured. Furthermore, possible strengths assignable to each pixel of the image are determined from combinations of weighting functions and differences between expected photon fluences and a measured photon fluences from the intensities measured. A distribution function is made up from the possible strength determined. In a last step the image is determined from the distribution function. Further steps can be carried out to correct for objects of high strength in the image.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method of imaging an interior of a turbid medium, including consecutive irradiation of the turbid medium with light and measurement of the light propagated along a plurality of light paths through the turbid medium, and determination of an image of the interior of the turbid medium from the intensities measured. The invention also relates to a device for carrying out such a method.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the context of the present Patent Application light has to be understood as electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength in the visible or infra-red range approximately between 400 and 1000 nm. Furthermore, a turbid medium has to be understood as a volume of a highly scattering substance, for example, an Intralipid solution or biological tissue.
Such a method is known from the article "Back-projection Reconstruction of Cylindrical inhomogeneities from Frequency Domain Optical Measurements in Turbid Media", S. A. Walker et al, OSA Topics on Advances in Optical Imaging and Photon Migration, 1996. In the cited article, the known method is used for the imaging of a turbid medium having optical properties similar to those of biological tissue. In medical diagnostics the known method and device could be used for imaging the internal structure of breast tissue of a human female. For example, a tumor can be localized in such an image of the internal structure of breast tissue. The known method employes a back-projection method similar to X-ray computer tomography to obtain an image of the region of interest inside the turbid medium from physical parameters of the measured intensities. In said back-projection method, the physical parameters are calculated from frequency domain data. Furthermore, a value of the optical absorption coefficient .mu..sub..alpha. and a value of the reduced scattering coefficient .mu.'.sub.s are used as reconstruction parameters. Said values are calculated for each measurement and, in a single step, are projected back along the region between source and detector while employing an appropriate weighting function. An image is formed by averaging data from multiple source detector scans taken at multiple angles. A weighting function can also be chosen in order to maximize resolution which weighting function consists of an evenly weighted straight line between source and detector multiplied by a filtering function. That filtering function accounts for the size of the sampling interval. A drawback of the known method is that the known method is not capable of reconstructing inhomogeneities beyond a source detector line.
It is an object of the invention to provide an image reconstruction algorithm for imaging inhomogeneities also beyond the source detector line. It is a further object to provide a real-time imaging technique for use in medical imaging processes, for example mammography. Therefore, the method according to the invention is characterized in that it includes the following steps:
c) determination for each measurement of a difference between an expected photon fluence and a measured photon fluence from the intensity measured, PA1 d) determination of possible strengths assignable to each pixel of the image from combinations of weighting functions and the differences determined, PA1 e) determination of a distribution function of the possible strengths assignable to each pixel, PA1 f) determination of an image from the distribution function determined. PA1 determining intensities due to a perturbation function for the position of a strong object, PA1 subtracting the intensities determined from the intensities measured, PA1 repeating the steps c) to f). PA1 a) a light source for irradiating the turbid medium, PA1 b) a plurality of detectors for measuring light intensities of light propagated through the turbid medium at a plurality of different positions, PA1 c) means for irradiating the turbid medium from a plurality of different positions connected to the light source, PA1 d) means for selecting a detector from the plurality of detectors, PA1 e) a control unit for generating control signals for the means for controlling the means for irradiating the turbid medium and the means for selecting detectors, and PA1 f) a reconstruction unit for reconstructing an image from the measured intensities, the reconstruction unit also being arranged to carry out the following steps: PA1 1) consecutive irradiation of the turbid medium with light and detection of the light propagated along different light paths through the turbid medium, PA1 2) determination of an image of the interior of the turbid medium from the measured intensities, PA1 3) determination, for each measurement, of a difference between an expected photon fluence and a measured photon fluence from the intensity measured, PA1 4) determination of possible strengths assignable to each pixel of the image from combinations of weighting functions and the differences determined, PA1 5) determination of a distribution function of the possible strengths assignable to each pixel, PA1 6) determination of an image from the distribution function determined.
In the present Patent Application the expected photon fluence is defined as ##EQU1## in which S.sub.O represents the source intensity, K=(.mu..sub..alpha. c/D').sup.1/2 .about.(3.mu..sub..alpha. .mu.'.sub.s).sup.1/2, D'=cD=c/3(.mu.'.sub.s +.mu..sub..alpha.)! is the photon diffusion coefficient (in m.sup.2 /s) and c is the speed of light in the turbid medium (in m/s). Furthermore, the strength q of an inhomogeneity at a position r can be regarded as the effect on the measured intensity of the light an is given by the formula ##EQU2## wherein ##EQU3## and r.sub.l,r.sub.s,r.sub.d represent position vectors of a point in the object space, a light source position, and a detector position, respectively and .phi.(r.sub.d) is the measured photon density.
Furthermore, a weighting function is defined as a function giving a dependency of the strength of an object of a position r, which strength introduces a normalized intensity change at a detector position r.sub.d in light from a source at position r.sub.s. The weighting function W is defined as the inverse function of the perturbation function P, so ##EQU4## The distribution function is defined as a function giving a correlation between the possible strengths assignable to each pixel of the reconstructed image for the differences determined.
The effect of said steps is that an image is reconstructed containing an non-blurred image of a strong object. The invention is based on the insight that the possible strengths assignable to a pixel can be derived from a combination of the weighting function and the differences between the measured photon fluence and an expected photon fluence for each light source position and each detector position and that furthermore the possible strengths determined for different light source positions and detector positions must correlate in order to assign a value of the strength to that pixel. Said correlation can be determined by employing the distribution function. Consequently, determination of an image from the distribution function can be performed by employing statistics from the distribution function. Furthermore, said method enables three-dimensional imaging because the reconstruction of an image is not limited to inhomogeneities in a source detector plane only, but because of the use of the weighting function, also accounts for inhomogenities beyond the source detector plane.
A further advantage of the method is that fewer measurements of different source detector positions are suffice as compared to the known back-projection method.
An embodiment of the method according to the invention is characterized in that the method also includes the following steps:
The perturbation function P(r.sub.l,r.sub.s,r.sub.d) is defined as the inverse function of the weighting function. The intensity at a detector position is then given by I=A.sub.O .PHI.(r.sub.d)=A.sub.O .PHI..sub.O (r.sub.d)1-qP(r.sub.l,r.sub.s,r.sub.d)!, wherein A.sub.O (in cm.sup.2) a collection area of the input window f the detector, q represents the strength of the perturbation and .PHI..sub.O(r.sub.d) is defined as ##EQU5## in which S.sub.O represents the initial source intensity and ##EQU6## represents the normalized photon diffusion coefficient. A strong object is an indication for an inhomogeneity having a large value of q. A small object is an indication for an inhomogeneity with a small value of q.
Subtracting the effect of the strong object from the intensities measured and repeating said steps of the image reconstruction process produces an image in which smal objects are deblurred. Furthermore, the image can be refined, by a small number of these iterations, so that in the resultant image more smal objects become visible.
An embodiment of the method according to the invention is characterized in that the distribution function comprises a histogram for each pixel, in which histograms each bin represents a value of the possible strength and the frequency of the bin represents the occurrence of the possible strengths determined. An image of the interior of the turbid medium is then formed by using the statistical information of said histogram. Generally speaking, a high frequency indicates an inhomogeneity for that pixel in the turbid medium. Statistical parameters that may used for forming the image are, for example, maximum value or peak value, mean, variance and standard deviation.
An embodiment of the method according to the invention is characterized in that for each pixel the value of the bin belonging to maximum frequency of the histogram of the pixel is assigned to the pixel. The effect of this step is that the possible strength of the pixel on which the different possible assignable strengths agree or correlate is assigned to the pixel.
An embodiment of the method according to the invention is characterized in that for each pixel the pixel value assigned is multiplied by a correction factor ##EQU7## wherein .sigma..sub.k is the standard deviation of the histogram of the pixel and a is a constant determined by the desired bit accuracy of the image as ##EQU8## wherein b represents the bit accuracy and q.sub.max is the maximum value of the weighting function. Bit accuracy is defined as the number of binary digits representing the maximum possible values of a pixel in the image. The effect of this step is that the strength of the pixel is corrected for the standard deviation of the histogram. For a high standard deviation .sigma..sub.k only a small value of the strength will be assigned to the pixel. For a low standard deviation .sigma..sub.k the histogram is peaked around a central value and that central value will be assigned to the pixel.
The invention also relates to a device, which is provided with
characterized in that the reconstruction unit is further arranged to carry out the following sub-steps for determining the image of the object:
The above and other, more detailed aspects of the invention will be explained hereinafter by way of example with reference to the drawing.

Method and apparatus for imaging an interior of a turbid medium


A form identification method which can identify forms without errors even if a form is inputted from a scanner in different direction or the form is enlarged/shrunk. A form registration method which enables change/modification of forms when form types are pre-registered. Inputted points as features are extracted from the form, modification of enlargement/shrinkage, rotation, or skew is made to the inputted points. Form types are identified based on minimum distances between the inputted point and pre-registered dictionary points. When registering a similar form type, warning can be displayed on the screen. In a system a dictionary registration station, a form identification station, and a form edit station are connected via a communication network. Each station operates in interlocking manner, identifies inputted forms, and registers them into a dictionary.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a form identification method of identifying a type of form which is read prior to processing of a form in case of reading a plurality of types of forms and a form registration method of registering the identified form. More particularly, the invention relates to a form identification method of enabling a type of form to be stably identified against the form direction, enlargement and shrinkage (or scale-up and scale-down), and skew of the form and to a form registration method.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a conventional technique regarding a form identification method, there has been known a method whereby features for identifying the type of form, for example, character codes, character lines, lines or ruled lines, cells, and the like in the form are automatically extracted, the extracted features are subjected to matching with features of the form which have previously been registered on the basis of those features, and the type of form is identified.
As a conventional technique using the lines as a feature of the form identification mentioned above, for example, the techniques disclosed in JP-A-61-59568 and the like have been known. According to such conventional techniques, the type of form is identified by analyzing a structure of the form by using horizontal and vertical lines in the form.
As a conventional technique whereby features of the form identification are expressed by point coordinates and matching is made using the point coordinates, for example, the techniques disclosed in JP-A-62-184585 and the like have been known. Such conventional techniques relate to a method of subjecting a pattern comprising point sets to matching. That is, a degree of matching is obtained to detect a similarity between two point sets and the degree of matching is obtained at a high speed on a block unit basis of blocks divided into small areas in the horizontal and vertical directions, thereby identifying the type of form. For example, the method whereby a center of a cell is set as a feature and matching is made using a hash-table in which the horizontal and vertical directions are set as bases, has been disclosed in JP-A-8-255236. Further, the method whereby a positional relation of a minimum rectangle in a form is obtained from a connecting relation of the row and column directions and an attribute of the minimum rectangle is decided has been disclosed in JP-A-2000-339406.
As a conventional technique using the position of the character line as a feature, for example, the techniques disclosed in JP-A-7-114616 and the like have been known. According to such conventional techniques, in order to identify a format of a detailed bill account of a diagnosis and treatment fee, the form is identified on the basis of a position of the extracted character line.
Further, as a conventional technique regarding the form identification of a form such that the operation to extract each rectangle in the form is unstable because of the enlargement and shrinkage (or scale-up and scale-down) of the form, a blur of the lines, or the like, for example, the technique disclosed in JP-A-2000-306030 has been known. According to this conventional technique, coordinates of a matched rectangle are set as a reference point of a rectangle to be subjected to next matching and matching is made while sequentially moving the reference point.
Hitherto, as a method of searching an image having a similar nature, for example, the technique disclosed in Yoshinori Musha and Atsushi Hiroike, "Image Laboratory", The Japan Industrial Publishing Co., Ltd., Vol. 11, No. 9, pages 5–9, September, 2000, has been known. According to this conventional technique, feature vectors of images are extracted from the images and images near a key-image at a distance between the extracted vectors are collected, and a color feature in a three-primary color space of red, green, and blue and a differential direction feature in which lightness/darkness of a luminance image varies are used as image features. According to the conventional technique, however, nothing is considered with respect to the features of the lines, character lines, and cells which are peculiar to the form image.
As a conventional fingerprints identification method for personal identification, for example, the techniques disclosed in JP-A-2000-293688 and the like have been known. According to such conventional techniques, feature information of an inputted finger prints image and feature information of fingerprints images which have previously been stored are checked for matching and one of the feature information is rotated into a handstanding state or orthogonal state, and the fingerprints are verified. According to such conventional techniques, however, nothing is considered with respect to the features of the lines, character lines, and cells which are peculiar to the form image.
As a conventional method of detecting a rotational angle of a document, for example, the techniques disclosed in JP-A-6-103411 and the like have been known. According to such conventional techniques, the document is rotated by 0°, 90°, 180°, and 270°, character recognition is executed, respectively, and the most correct rotational angle among them is determined as a direction of the document. Such conventional techniques, however, have a problem such that in order to detect the direction of the form, the character recognition is executed at each angle, and it takes a processing time for the character recognition. Moreover, nothing is considered with respect to the identification of a type of form.
As a conventional method of also identifying a rotating direction on a unit basis of 90° (at a right angle) of a form simultaneously with the identification of the form, for example, the technique disclosed in JP-A-7-249099 has been known. According to such a conventional technique, with respect to the forms obtained by rotating the inputted form by 90°, 180°, and 270°, distributions of the lines, that is, the vertical and horizontal lines are obtained and verified with those of the vertical and horizontal lines which have previously been obtained, thereby identifying also the rotating direction on a 90° unit basis of the form which was inputted simultaneously with the identification of the form. The above conventional technique, however, has a problem such that the identification is unstable against a blur or boldface of the line which is used as a feature and, in dependence on an array of contacting characters, a false line such that character strokes are coupled appears, so that an erroneous form identification and an erroneous identification of the rotating direction are made.
As a conventional method of making a form identification by using a line type of cell lines, for example, the techniques disclosed in JP-A-11-66228 and the like have been known. According to such conventional techniques, the type of cell lines is decided and format information for reading the form is generated. As such a kind of techniques, according to the conventional technique disclosed in JP-A-11-85900, a solid line and a broken line are distinguished, thereby identifying the form and, further, the solid line and broken line are handled without being distinguished in terms of identification precision, thereby enabling the form to be identified. Such a conventional technique, however, does not disclose a process for switching so as to validate or invalidate a discrimination of whether the types of lines of every type of form and every cell of the form are used or not.
As a conventional method of enabling the form identification even if there are enlargement and shrinkage (or scale-up and scale-down) of the form, for example, the techniques disclosed in JP-A-2000-306030 and the like have been known. According to such conventional techniques, cells of adjacent forms are verified by sequentially moving the reference point, thereby preventing erroneous matching due to a location shift by the enlargement and shrinkage (or scale-up and scale-down) of the whole form. Such conventional techniques have a problem such that an error occurs in the matching of each cell in the case where the cells are dropped out and the cells cannot be extracted or a case where a false rectangle occurs. Nothing is considered with respect to a shift of the reference position. As techniques of the same kind as that mentioned above, the techniques disclosed in JP-A-2000-123174, JP-A-8-315068, JP-A-7-249099, and the like have been known. Those conventional techniques relate to a method of subjecting an interval of the lines included in a predetermined area to matching and presuming ratios of scaling (or magnifying and shrinking) of the form image from the result of the matching. However, in the matching between the lines, a problem such that if there is a dropout of the lines or a generation of false lines, the matching itself becomes wrong, so that values of the presumed ratios of scaling (or magnifying and shrinking) become erroneous is not solved. Those methods cope with the enlargement and shrinkage (or scale-up and scale-down) relying on the matching of the lines. There is, consequently, a problem such that if the matching of the lines becomes wrong, an error occurs in the enlargement and shrinkage (or scale-up and scale-down).


A bolt tensioning assembly has a bolt with a first end portion and a second end portion at an opposite side of the bolt. The first end portion has an enlarged diameter to form a counter-pressure surface facing the second end portion. The first end portion has external threads to receive a lock nut. A hydraulic bolt tensioning device is for tensioning of the bolt. The hydraulic bolt tensioning device is arranged for enclosing a portion of the bolt such that it abuts the counter pressure surface. A lock nut is arranged on the first end portion of the bolt. The hydraulic bolt tensioning device and lock nut are dimensioned such that upon tightening of the lock nut, the lock nut will tighten against a portion of the hydraulic bolt tensioning device.

Mechanical connections, where two or more components are connected by means of at least one bolt, are often critical for the installation which they are part of, and thus proper securing of the connection is of great importance. Such critical mechanical connections may for instance be pipeline flanges and other subsea installations, but may also be connected to for instance pipeline connections, pressure vessels, windmills and a long list of other installations. Common for all of them is that the connection needs to be secure, and that the bolts used preferably may be tightened in a predictable manner, such that the tension in the bolt after tightening is at a desirable level.
In order to obtain this, it is known to provide a hydraulic bolt tensioning device for tensioning of the bolts. The bolt is then first placed in the connection which it is to secure, and fastened at one side of the connection with for instance a nut. When the bolt is placed like this, it extends out from the other side of the connection. A lock nut is then provided on this other side, and tightened against the surface of the connection. Thereafter the tensioning device is arranged enclosing the lock nut and the part of the bolt which extends outside of the lock nut. The tensioning device is secured to the bolt and then tension is provided such as to tension the bolt to a predetermined level of tension. The tension is kept by the tensioning device until the lock nut has been tightened again in order to lock the tension in the bolt connection. In order to provide necessary access to the lock bolt to perform this tightening up of the lock nut, the prior art tensioning devices are provided with a window or hole, or a so-called bridge. In subsea installations this last tightening of the bolts is typically done by a diver provided with a suitable tool, or by a remotely operated or ROV-assisted special tool.
Patent publication GB 2492140 A discloses a bolt tensioner, especially a hydraulic bolt tensioner of the kind described above, for threaded connection to a bolt to be tensioned, and for removal from the bolt after tightening of a lock nut.
Patent publication US 2016069373 A1 discloses a hydraulic rod tensioning system wherein the tensioning system is arranged with a reaction foot around both the bolt and the lock nut.
One of the drawbacks of the prior art solutions is that the lock nut which needs to be tightened up after tensioning of the bolt, is difficult to access because it is partly enclosed by the bolt tensioning device. The problem is that the bridge or housing of the bolt tensioning device needs to have the capacity to withstand the same load as the tensioned bolt, and therefore only limited access in the form of windows/holes may be permitted. Often the tools necessary for rotation of the lock nut while the tensioning device is still in place, are left behind. In diver assisted operations subsea, the rotation of the luck nut is also time consuming for the diver. In particular it is difficult to use an ROV assisted tool to rotate the lock nut while the tensioning device is still in place.
Patent publication US 2007/0166121 A1 discloses a self-locking tensioner where the above-mentioned problem is circumvented by not using a lock nut at all. Instead, the self-locking tensioner which can be used for placing a piston or stud in tension, comprises slip wedges positioned between the piston/stud and a body which houses the piston and the slip wedges. Said body has a central channel with a conical portion. The stud/piston is in principle being tensioned and locked at the same time, because the activation of the hydraulic system forces the wedges further into the conical portion of the central channel such that they are locked between the body and the stud/piston. One disadvantage of this self-locking tensioner is that by using wedges there will be considerable friction between the wedges such that the tensioning of the bolt is less efficient than what is the case in prior art solutions using a lock nut, i.e. there is no direct relationship between the applied hydraulic force and the resulting tensioning of the stud/piston. Another disadvantage is that it is known in the art that conical locking systems have large and partly unverifiable lock loss.

Bolt tensioning assembly and method for tensioning of a bolt


The invention provides a solvent-assisted method for mobilizing viscous heavy oil or bitumen in a reservoir under reservoir conditions without the need to adjust the temperature or pressure. The invention utilizes mixtures of hydrocarbon solvents such as ethane, propane and butane, which dissolve in oil and reduce its viscosity. Two or more solvents are mixed in such proportions that the dew point of the solvent mixture corresponds with reservoir temperature and pressure conditions. The solvent mixture, when injected into a reservoir, exists predominantly in the vapor phase, minimizing the solvent requirement. The invention can be practised in the context of paired injector and producer wells, or a single well cyclic system.

Recovery of heavy oil (herein defined as bitumen and oil with a viscosity of greater than 100 mPa.s) from the extensive tar sand deposits in Alberta, Saskatchewan and other parts of Canada is hampered by its viscosity, which renders it partially or completely immobile under reservoir conditions. For example, the heavy oil in Lloydminster reservoirs has limited mobility, with a viscosity of several thousand mPa.s, whereas the bitumen in the Cold Lake reservoir is almost completely immobile, with a viscosity in the order of 40,000-100,000 mPa.s.
Currently, oil production from viscous deposits which are too deep to be mined from the surface is generally achieved by heating the formation with hot fluids or steam to reduce the viscosity of the heavy oil so that it is mobilized toward production wells. For example, one thermal method, known as "huff and puff", relies on steam injected into a formation through a producer well, which is then temporarily sealed to allow the heat to "soak" and reduce the viscosity of the bitumen in the vicinity of the well. Mobilized bitumen is then produced from the well, along with steam and hot water until production wanes, and the cycle is repeated. Another thermal method, known as steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD), provides for steam injection and oil production to be carried out through separate wells. The optimal configuration is an injector well which is substantially parallel to, and situated above a producer well, which lies horizontally near the bottom of a formation. Thermal communication between the two wells is established, and as oil is mobilized and produced, a steam chamber or chest develops. Oil at the surface of the enlarging chest is constantly mobilized by contact with steam and drains under the influence of gravity. Under this scheme, production can be carried out continuously, rather than cyclically.
All thermal methods have the limitation that steam and heat are lost to the formation. In reservoirs where the deposits are relatively thin, in the order of 8 meters, loss of heat to overburden and underburden makes thermal recovery particularly uneconomical. Another problem is loss of heat and steam through fractures in the formation, or to underlying aquifers.
Because of the difficulties encountered in attempting to produce tar sands formations with thermal processes, the use of solvents, rather than heat, as a means to mobilize heavy oils has been proposed. Hydrocarbon solvents such as ethane, propane and butane are partially miscible in oil, and when dissolved in oil, reduce its viscosity. A number of references have suggested mixing of solvents to achieve miscibility with heavy petroleum under reservoir conditions.
In a method known as the VAPEX method, hydrocarbon solvents, rather than steam, are used in a process analogous to SAGD, which utilizes paired horizontal wells. An hydrocarbon such as heated propane in vapor form, (or propane in liquid form in conjunction with hot water) is injected into the reservoir through an injector well. Propane vapor condenses on the gas/oil interface, dissolves in the bitumen and decreases its viscosity, causing the bitumen-oil mixture to drain down to the producer well. The propane vapors form a chest, analogous to the steam chest of SAGD.
The pressure and temperature conditions in the reservoir must be such that the propane is primarily in vapor, rather than liquid form so that a vapor chest will develop. Ideally, the conditions in the reservoir should be just below the vapor liquid line. A serious drawback of the VAPEX method is that temperature and pressure conditions in a reservoir are seldom at the dew point of known solvents. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the pressure and/or temperature in the system to create reservoir conditions under which the particular solvent is effective. However, this is not feasible in all reservoirs. Increasing the pressure could lead to fluid loss into thief zones. Reducing the pressure could cause an influx of water.
A recently described process called "Butex" relies on the use of an inert "carrier gas" such as nitrogen to vaporize a hydrocarbon solvent such as butane or propane in the reservoir.
In order to make the use of hydrocarbon solvents to reduce oil viscosity generally feasible and economical under field conditions, there is a need for solvents which:
are predominantly in the vapor phase at reservoir conditions, and can be used without the need to adjust the pressure or temperature conditions in the reservoir; PA1 have high solubility in reservoir oil at reservoir conditions; and PA1 are readily obtainable at reasonable cost. PA1 1. The mixture should exist partially, preferably predominantly, in the vapor phase at reservoir conditions, in order to fill the chest cavity and minimize solvent inventory, but some liquid is desirable because liquid is more aggressive as a solvent than vapor. PA1 2. The mixture should have a high solubility in the reservoir oil, preferably being capable of dissolving at least 10 weight percent in the reservoir oil at reservoir conditions. PA1 3. The resultant oil/solvent mixture should have a low viscosity, preferably below 100 mPa.s for efficient gravity drainage.

Solvent-assisted method for mobilizing viscous heavy oil

Alberta Oil Sands Technology and Research Authority


Lipophilic active substance composition and its use in a new method of treating erectile dysfunction by administration thereof, optionally together with a hydrophilic vehicle and optionally an antibacterial agent into the urethra.

Normal erection activity involves the coordination of a complex series of physiological and psychological factors. Anything that affects any one of these systems can cause impotence. Psychogenic impotence can be caused by e.g. anxiety, depression, tension and stress.
Physical impotence occurs when diseases or injury affects the nerves, blood vessels or hormones that control erectile ability. The major causes of physical impotence in the United States are diabetes mellitus, vascular diseases, impotence following radical surgery, spinal cord injury and other traumas, other endocrine problems and multiple sclerosis. Other causes include prostate infections, drug abuse, alcoholism and side effects of prescription medicines. Even smoking can interfere with normal erections.
It is estimated that about 10 million men in the United States suffer from impotence. Above, the age of 60 about one of three are no longer able to achieve a suitable erection.
There are several medical treatment alternatives currently available depending on the nature and cause of the impotence problem, such as therapy with Yohimbine, an Indian tree bark extract, thought to chemically stimulate the nerves in penis that control erections. Early reports indicate that normal erection is restored in 20-25 percent of the patients, but the effect is disputable. Side effects may include dizziness, nausea, nervousness and headaches.
For some men with low male hormone (testosterone) levels treatment with testosterone injections or pills may be beneficial. However, most patients do not have low testosterone levels and will not benefit from supplemental hormones. The side effects of testosterone treatment are several.
In recent years patients with erectile dysfunction of various origin have been treated by intracorporeal injection of various drugs. One such medicament is papaverin, which in small amounts dilates the arterial blood vessels and decreases the venous drainage (Virag R., Intracavernous injection of papaverin for erectile failure. Letter to the editor. Lancet 1982; 2:938). Brindley, G. S. describes in Brit. J. Psychiat. (1983), 143, 332-337 a new technique for investigating and treating erectile impotence by intracavernous self-injection of small doses of phenoxybenzamine or phentolamine. The doses as used for intracorporeal injection are about 2-10 mg of phenoxybenzamine and about 0.5-1.5 mg of phentolamine.
The side effects of self-injection of medication are the risk of infection, bruises, fibrosis and scarring with permanent changes inside the penis. There is also a risk of painful longstanding erection (Priapism).
It is further known that intravenous or intramuscular injection of phentolamine in moderate doses can cause an excessive fall in blood-pressure due to peripheral vasodilatation which puts the patient into a state of circulatory shock.
Experimentally it has been shown in some cases that cutaneous application of nitroglycerine paste to some extent can enhance the quality of erection.
Further, surgical implantation of penile prosthesis have been performed when simpler treatments are unsuccessful. However, all surgical penile prosthetic implants carry a high risk of infection. Other complications of surgery include temporary urinary retention, pain, bleeding, scarring, mechanical failure and extrusion of the implant.

Method and composition for treating erectile dysfunction


A method producing a limiter and flexure configuration that includes a flexure that has a first section attached to the load beam, and a second section defining a slider mounting section and a frame that defines an aperture into which the slide mounting section extends in a direction towards the first section, and terminating in an end that interacts with the free end of the limiter. The aperture is sized and positioned to provide a clearance allowing the limiter to freely move through the aperture such that the limiter is free to be bent from the first position to the second position and to extend through the aperture after the flexure assembly has been attached to the load beam. The limiter is bent from the first position to the second position, extending through the aperture, after the flexure assembly has been attached to the load beam.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to magnetic disk storage systems, and more particularly, to a head suspension assembly for use in a magnetic disk storage system.
2. Description of Related Art
Magnetic disk drives are information storage devices that utilize at least one rotatable magnetic media disk having concentric data tracks defined for storing data, a magnetic recording head or transducer for reading data from and/or writing data to the various data tracks, a slider for supporting the transducer in proximity to the data tracks typically in a flying mode above the storage media, a suspension assembly for resiliently supporting the slider and the transducer over the data tracks, and a positioning actuator coupled to the transducer/slider/suspension combination for moving the transducer across the media to the desired data track and for maintaining the transducer over the data track center line during a read or a write operation. The magnetic media disk or disks in the disk drive are mounted to a spindle. The spindle is attached to a spindle motor, which rotates the spindle and the disks to provide read/write access to the various portions on the concentric tracks on the disks.
One type of suspension is an integrated lead suspension assembly that includes a load beam, a flexure, and a mount plate. The flexure assembly is supported at its forward portion on a gimbal for allowing gimballing of the slider/magnetic head combination, and mounts at its rearward portion to the load beam. The actuator shifts the load beam generally radially across the disk to carry the head to all desired portions of the disk. The main function of a load beam is to suspend the flexure along with a slider/magnetic head assembly at a desired position and at the same time apply pre-load to the head assembly. The pre-load is typically exerted by the rearward spring area portion of the load beam. The flexure assembly may include an integrated assembly of a layer of flexible metal, and electrical traces separated from the metal layer by an insulation layer.
The prior art integrated lead suspension assembly has a number of drawbacks. Prior art shows different methods of bonding of the electrical leads to the slider on the flexure assembly. Ultrasonic bonding methods involve clamping on the slider through the load beam, which requires a wider load beam tip to facilitate a clamping means (e.g., see U.S. Pat. No. 5,892,637). However, the external excitation acting upon the wide load beam results in torsional (off track) and in-plane bending modes that are at lower resonance frequencies during operation of the disk drive, which are undesirable as they affect the dynamic performance of the drive. Other clamping approach permits narrower load beam tip, but such load beam structures exclude a lift tab for interacting with a ramp for head loading and unloading (e.g., see U.S. Pat. No. 6,021,022).
Prior art integrated lead suspensions include a limiter for limiting the separation of the flexure from the load beam during unload operation of the slider from the disk. However, because of the relative location of the slider and the limiter, the limiter in prior art is known to slide away from the load beam during high shock in the unloaded position. The limiter location also causes higher force to pull the slider off the disk.
Prior art also requires prebending of the limiter on the load beam before attachment of the flexure to the load beam. The steps required for this structure create difficulties in manufacturing.
It is desirable to design an integrated lead suspension assembly that overcomes the above-mentioned drawbacks.

Integrated lead suspension for high density drive

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies, The Netherlands B.V.


A silver-colored, tarnish-resistant, corrosion-resistant alloy is provided. The alloy includes 92.5–95% silver, combined with a master alloy of 24–34% zinc; 60–74% copper; 0.5–1.8% silicon; 0.0–8.0% tin, or 0.0–1.5% indium, wherein percentages are in terms of weight. The alloy can be used for jewelry items, tableware items, dental items or other items that should resist tarnishing or corrosion and which require a non-brittle alloy.

Sterling silver jewelry and utensils are valued because of their intrinsic worth and the silver color of the metal. The alloys from which sterling silver jewelry and utensils are made are preferably moldable and castable, yet hard enough for sterling silver jewelry. One problem with sterling silver is its tendency to tarnish. Another problem with sterling silver is the fact that sterling silver is usually brittle after casting. Sterling silver alloy is generally 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper, and many attempts have been made to improve the tarnish resistance and corrosion resistance of sterling silver and to improve the casting qualities of the alloy by the addition of other metals.
For example, alloys known as precium have been produced with approximately 74% silver, 25% PD and 1% IN. However, precium alloys have been found to be too expensive for substantial commercial use. A prior art, tarnish-resistant and corrosion-resistant silver-colored alloy is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,037,708, entitled "Silver Palladium Alloy." The alloy in this prior art patent is made up of 80% to 92.5% silver, 4% to 9% palladium, 10% to 0% copper and 1% to 0.5% indium or zinc. U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,985 to Alexander discloses a silver alloy for plating that uses silica as an extender, but does not use pure metal silicate as in the present invention or for improved casting properties. Rather, silicate in combination with other materials is disclosed. Alexander et al. further discloses that ductility and smooth surface finish are desirable, but does not describe how to prevent brittleness. Further, Alexander et al. describes the use of silicates as extenders, which are defined as making casting easier and increasing the volume of the alloy using low-cost materials.
Japanese Patent No. 59038-346A teaches an alloy that has zinc and nickel. This prior art reference also uses indium and bismuth. While these prior alloys are useful, a sterling silver alloy that is less expensive would be an improvement over the prior.
Japanese Patent No. 62-243725 teaches a jewelry alloy with concentrations of silver, zinc, indium, and copper; however, its casting properties and melting are not well-suited for jewelry.

Silver-colored alloy with low percentages of copper and zinc


A controller for controlling a vehicle, the vehicle comprising a detection means having a detection zone and a lateral non-detection region, the controller comprising: an input for receiving an object detection signal from the detection means; a processor arranged to generate a control signal for controlling a vehicle system in dependence on the received object detection signal; an output for outputting the control signal wherein the processor is arranged to generate a vehicle speed control signal to vary a vehicle speed about a current vehicle speed in order to bring an object within the lateral non-detection region into the detection zone of the detection means; and the output is arranged to output the vehicle speed control signal.

Modern vehicles commonly feature Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) that aim to assist the driver in a variety of driving scenarios. These ADAS systems have become increasingly commonplace due to the technological developments in sensory technologies and the improved capabilities of on-board processing devices.
As a result, information gathered by these sensory systems can be used to improve the driver's situational awareness, to identify dangerous situations and to facilitate automated control of certain vehicle operations.
For example, an adaptive cruise control system can automatically control a vehicle's cruising speed by identifying nearby vehicles, monitoring the speed and proximity of the vehicles and adjusting the vehicle's cruising speed to maintain an optimal separation. Similarly, a collision avoidance system may identify obstacles ahead of or behind the vehicle and indicate these obstacles to the driver.
However, these ADAS systems rely on sensors that have a limited field of view through which they are able to transmit/receive signals or capture images.
Consequently, a vehicle may be equipped with various front, rear and side mounted sensors in order to identify objects in various locations surrounding the vehicle. Additional sensors increase the cost and complexity of the ADAS systems and present packaging challenges that affect the vehicle design.
The present invention has been devised to mitigate or overcome at least some of the above-mentioned problems.


A tap (1) is disclosed for dispensing liquids from a vessel, composed of: a body (3) made in a single piece comprising: a supporting member (5) from which a liquid dispensing mouth (7) and air entering mouths (9) project; a resilient thrusting member (11) that allows/prevents the dispensing of liquids; and winged abutting means (12); and a valve member (14) contained inside the body (3) and adapted to engage at one end the outlet mouth of the vessel in order to open/close it, and adapted to further engage the resilient member (11) to open and close the liquid dispensing opening.

1) Field of the Invention
The present invention refers to a tap for dispensing liquids from vessels, particularly vessels of the rigid type or of the so-called "bag-in-box" type. The following description will refer to the application of the inventive tap onto a rigid vessel, commonly used for containing water or similar liquids, but it is obvious that the inventive tap, with few adaptations (removal of air entering mouths and creation of a layout adapted to be placed on a fixing opening for this type of taps), can be used also for "bag-in-box" vessels or other types of vessels.
2) Background Art
In order to dispense water from rigid vessels, very few tap arrangements are known in the art, all characterized by a high number of parts, some of which, due to their nature, are also very costly: the end result is a highly costly tap, that cannot be realized in practice, since it heavily affects the final cost of the liquid-vessel-tap product, cost that is given by stamping and assembling steps.
The known taps are costly because, in applications with rigid vessels, to avoid having to drill the vessel itself so that air enters in it while liquid goes out of it, the tap had to be equipped with at least one air passage able to be actuated (namely able to be opened and closed) together with the liquid dispensing passage. However, all existing taps provide that the two above-mentioned passages are placed one above the other with respect to the liquid dispensing axis: this forces to provide the tap with a control member to be made of two pieces, in order to obtain seal and operation. And the external control piece (namely a sort of dome-shaped resilient push-button), to be realized separately from the control piston, is a very costly piece of resilient plastic material. In addition thereto, there are taps with air passage made of many parts that are opened by rotation (and not by squashing of a resilient membrane), and that have a seal of the cylindrical type—but they have various problems: for example, they have no automatic closure, namely their closure must be performed by the user, they have no warranty seal, etc.
Moreover, the known taps, once being assembled onto a vessel neck, cannot be oriented at will (since once arrived at the end of their thread, they are blocked in place and cannot be moved any more), and therefore require either to make the rear tap area (area with thread+body area+gasket, that allows a relative movement especially adapted to orient the body) of three pieces, in order to obtain seal, operation and orienting, or they require the user to suitably place the vessel to which the tap is connected in such a way as to correctly orient the tap, in order to allow tapping the liquid. Moreover, in case of a body made of a single piece and not three, like the previously described one, a particular thread geometry on the neck is required (it is necessary to adequately compute the thread start both of the vessel neck, and of the tap body in order to orient the tap at the end of its screwing) of the vessel in order to place the part immediately in its correct position.