A function indicator for a dual temperature sensor, which indicates the falling off of the sensor from the skin surface (4) of a patient. An evaluating device (2) determines the body temperature from a first measured temperature value (TA) and determines the contact of the dual temperature sensor (1) with the skin surface (4) by comparison of the measured temperature values TA and TB.

A temperature-measuring device with a dual temperature sensor is known from DE 101 39 705 A1. In the prior-art dual temperature sensor, two temperature sensors are arranged on opposite sides of a sensor housing, thermally insulated from one another. One of the temperature sensors is directly in contact with the surface of the patient's skin, while the other temperature sensor measures the temperature in the environment. The dual temperature sensor can be attached to the skin in different ways. In case of temperature measurements on the head, a head band made of an elastic material, which can be adapted to the shape of the head especially well, is suitable. The dual temperature sensor is frequently attached with adhesive strips in case of temperature measurements in the abdominal region. The manner of attaching also depends on the patient's physical activity.
If the dual temperature sensor is not arranged properly or if there is increased physical activity, it may happen that the dual temperature sensor separates from the skin surface and the temperature measurement is interrupted. The falling off of the dual temperature sensor from the skin surface must be indicated in a short time in case of medical applications in order for the interruption of the measured data acquisition to be limited to the absolute minimum. This is especially important when the temperature is used as a parameter for a temperature or heating output regulation.
Various function indicators are known for indicating the contact of a sensor with the skin surface. Thus, an additional optical sensor, which detects the change in the position of the dual temperature sensor in relation to the skin surface, can be used.
In a device known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,732,711, the skin temperature is measured with two temperature sensors arranged adjacent to one another. The processed measured temperature signals are compared with one another by forming the difference, and the exceeding of a predetermined limit value of the temperature difference is used as an indicator for a temperature sensor that is no longer in contact with the skin surface. The prior-art monitoring device is suitable for certain sensor designs only, and an additional temperature sensor is needed for the monitoring only.

Temperature-measuring device with function indicator


A terminal for analyzing a drug-disease relevance relation includes a transceiver and a processor. The transceiver is configured to receive drug information, disease information and drug-disease relevance relation information. The processor is configured to construct a pharmacodynamic relation model based on the drug information, the disease information and the drug-disease relevance relation information.

With the development of the medical technology, many new drugs have been developed. These drugs are verified and then applied to the clinic to treat diseases, and great effect has been gained. However, there is certain side effect in the use of drugs, so that the doses of drugs need to be controlled to avoid adverse reactions in patients' bodies while ensuring the therapeutic effect.

Method and terminal for analyzing drug-disease relevance relation, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium


An apparatus adapted for attachment to the frame of a truck, usually within a bed of a conventional pickup truck. A generally planar base is rigidly attached to the truck frame with bolts. A platform is rotatably connected to the base with a pair of four-bar linkages, one on the right side of the platform and one on the left. The platform has a low position close to the base, and a high position that is typically 15 or 20 inches higher. A double-acting hydraulic cylinder is anchored at one end to the base and connected at its other end to the platform. Pressurizing the cylinder one way causes the platform to be raised and translated backwardly with respect to the base. Pressurizing the cylinder the other way causes the platform to be moved toward the base in a relatively slow and deliberate manner.. To improve the angles through which the hydraulic cylinder acts when the platform is being raised and lowered--especially when the platform is relatively close to the base, a bell crank mechanism is provided between the base and the barrel end of the hydraulic cylinder. As the hydraulic cylinder is pressurized for upward movement, the bell crank rotates and causes the platform to be lifted for a few inches. A low-friction device like a roller pushes against a lower surface of the platform, moving the platform upward until the pushing angle of the hydraulic cylinder is sufficient to cause more efficient lifting of the platform.

This invention relates generally to lifting devices in which a platform is elevated with respect to a fixed base by use of a hydraulic cylinder and a four-bar linkage; more specifically, it relates to an apparatus in which a platform is adapted to be attached to the frame of a truck, so that the platform may be selectively raised and lowered with respect to the truck's frame.
There are many instances in which a heavy load needs to be raised and lowered at a selected time and place and without the use of manual labor. A very common example of this requirement may be found at major airports, where goods are loaded onto a platform at something close to ground level and subsequently unloaded onto an aircraft at a substantially higher level. The highly specialized--and expensive--vehicles that perform this task are exemplified by the vehicles shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,379,094 to Glenway Maxon Jr. entitled "Air Freight Handling System." The Maxon patent perhaps demonstrates, as well as can be done, that if there is a will to accomplish some task, and there is no limit on the amount of money that can be spent, then specialized equipment can be designed and built to do most any job.
There are frequent occasions, however, where the cost to design, build and maintain a vehicle with lifting capability is significantly restrained by budget considerations. In fact, there are many instances in which a company might like to have a vehicle with a movable platform on occasions, but the company cannot justify the expense of purchasing and maintaining a vehicle that cannot be used one-hundred percent of the time. Of course, many rental yards have been established and have grown on the basis of making exotic or specialized equipment available for short-term rental to companies that only occasionally need a specialized piece of equipment. One disadvantage to using rental equipment only on a "when-needed" basis is that the equipment may have already been rented to another party on the one day that a company needs it. Hence, it would be desirable to have a piece of lifting equipment available one-hundred percent of the time but at a modest cost, so that a company could afford to have its own equipment available whenever it is needed.
One example of a situation in which a heavy-duty lifting platform is desirable is when a load must be delivered to or received from a warehouse that has only conventional (high) loading docks. Such docks are designed for handling merchandise that is delivered with large vehicles, such as trailers that form parts of multi-wheel (e.g., 18-wheel) tractor/trailer rigs, and are conventionally placed at a height of about 48 inches above ground level. When a trailer or heavy truck is backed up to such a dock, conventional load-handling equipment that is routinely used within a warehouse (e.g., fork-lift trucks and pallet jacks) can be utilized to load and unload goods, because they can roll directly onto the bed of the relatively high trailer or truck.
However, there are also many instances in which the volume of a particular load does not justify the use of a large truck or trailer, even though the weight of the load makes it impractical to try to handle it by hand. For example, a load consisting of a large casting, an engine, a pump, or a pallet of hardware may occupy only a few cubic feet--but weigh 500 pounds. Such a load might be impractical to handle manually because of safety, time and other considerations. It would be desirable, therefore, if a light-weight truck (such as a half-ton, three-quarter ton, or one-ton pickup truck or the like) could be utilized to receive and transport a 900-pound load on a pallet, and then deliver that load to another high dock without requiring any manual handling of the load. Unfortunately, the customary height for lowered tail gates on a full-size pickups in the United States is about 30 to 36 inches. Hence, there can often be an elevation difference of about 20 inches between the bed of a pickup and a standard commercial dock; and there is no conventional warehouse equipment that can safely and dependably lower heavy loads a distance of 20 inches below a dock--unless it is a conveyor or ramp that is many feet in length. There has remained a need, therefore, for some mechanism that could dependably handle a load of several hundred, or even a few thousand, pounds, and move that load--in elevation--a distance of 20 or more inches. With such a mechanism, a conventional pickup truck rated at one-half to one ton could be utilized to handle goods that must be transferred onto a conventional "high" loading dock. It is an object of this invention to provide such a mechanism.
It is another object to provide an accessory that can be selectively attached to, and removed from, the bed of a truck without imposing any exotic requirements on the truck, so that standard commercial trucks can be utilized as the prime mover for the apparatus contemplated herein.
One more object is provide an accessory for a pickup truck or van that occupies relatively little space, so that the pickup or van can still be utilized in a conventional manner when the lifting platform is not required.
These and other objects will be apparent from a careful reading of the specification and claims, and the drawing that is attached hereto.

Apparatus for lifting a heavy load with respect to the bed of a truck


An electronic device includes a printed circuit board and a heat dissipation module. The printed circuit board has a first heat-generating electronic component and a number of second heat-generating electronic components. The heat dissipation module includes a heat sink thermally engaging on the first heat-generating electronic component and an enclosure enclosing the printed circuit board. The heat sink includes a number of fins. The enclosure extends an inner casing to envelop the fins of the heat sink. The enclosure defines a number of slots letting the casing communicate with an exterior of the enclosure. The casing separates the fins from the second heat-generating electronic component.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure generally relates to electronic devices and, more particularly, to an electronic device having a heat dissipation module for cooling the electronic components installed in the device.
2. Description of Related Art
The primary heat-generating electronic component, such as the central processing unit (CPU) mounted on a motherboard in an electronic device, produces a lot of heat during operation. The heat must be quickly carried away. Excessively high temperature causes the CPU to work abnormally. In addition to the CPU, other electronic components such as integrated circuits (ICs) or metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) near to the CPU are also sources of heat. With the development of ever more compact devices, heat dissipation in limited space becomes more difficult.
Thus, it is desirable to devise a heat dissipation module, which can dissipate heat generated in a limited space environment effectively.

Electronic device with heat dissipation module


Disclosed is a cyclone-type dust collecting apparatus for a vacuum cleaner, that includes a cyclone body having an air inlet port and an air outlet port, for forming a vortex current of air which is introduced through the air inlet port and contains dust, a dust collecting container removably coupled to the cyclone body so as to collect the dust separated by centrifugal force of the vortex current in the cyclone body, a double grill assembly disposed at an upstream portion of the air outlet port in the cyclone body to prevent the air from flowing back through the air outlet port, and having a dual structure having an outer grill and an inner grill, and a fine dust collecting means disposed at a downstream portion of the double grill assembly in the cyclone body to collect fine dust which is not removed by the double grill assembly.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a dust collecting apparatus, and more particularly, to a cyclone-type dust collecting apparatus for a vacuum cleaner, which allows air containing various dusts and foreign substances (hereinafter, called "dust") to form a vortex current, thereby collecting the dust from the vortex current of air by centrifugal force.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIGS. 1 and 2 show a schematic example of a typical cyclone-type dust collecting apparatus for a vacuum cleaner.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cyclone-type dust collecting apparatus 100 for the vacuum cleaner generally comprises a cyclone body 10, a dust collecting container 20 and a grill 30.
The cyclone body 10 is provided with an air inlet port 11 and an air outlet port 12. The air inlet port 11 is formed at a side of the cyclone body 10 in a tangential direction, and the air outlet port 12 is formed at a center portion of an upper face of the cyclone body 10. Herein, when the cyclone-type dust collecting apparatus 100 is disposed in a dust chamber 230, the air inlet port 11 is connected to an air inlet path 210 which is disposed at a main body 200 of the vacuum cleaner so that an end of the air inlet path 210 is exposed to the dust chamber 230, and the air outlet port 12 is connected to an air outlet path 220 of the main body 200 of the vacuum cleaner. Therefore, the air introduced through a suction brush 300 and containing the dust is introduced through the air inlet path 210 of the main body 200 of the vacuum cleaner and the air inlet port 11 into the cyclone body 10 in the tangential direction. Thus, a vortex current of air is formed in the cyclone body 10, and the dust contained in the vortex current is separated by centrifugal force, and then the purified air is exhausted through the air outlet port 12, the air outlet path 220 of the main body 200 of the vacuum cleaner and a motor driving chamber 310.
The dust collecting container 20 is removably coupled to a lower portion of the cyclone body 10 so as to collect the dust separated from the air by the vortex current.
The grill 30 is disposed at an upstream portion of the air outlet port 12 in the cyclone body 10 so that the dust separated from the vortex current dose not flow backward through the air outlet port 12. The grill 30 is provided with a grill body 31 and a plurality of paths 32 formed at an outer surface of the grill body so as to be fluidly communicated with the air outlet port 12. Further, the grill 30 has a dust preventing member 33 disposed at a lower portion of the grill body 31.
The conventional cyclone-type dust collecting apparatus as described above is mounted in the dust chamber 230 of the main body 200 of the vacuum cleaner so that the air inlet port 11 and the air outlet port 12 of the cyclone body 10 are connected to the air inlet path 210 and the air outlet path 220 of the main body 200 of the vacuum cleaner.
When starting a cleaning operation, a suction force is generated at the suction brush 300 due to driving of a motor in the motor driving chamber 310. Then, the air containing the dust on a surface of an object to be cleaned is introduced through the suction brush 300, the air inlet path 210 and the air inlet port 11 into the cyclone body 10 due to the suction force. At this time, the introduced air is induced from the air inlet port 11 along an internal interference of the cyclone body 10 in an oblique direction, thereby forming the vortex current of air. Therefore, the dust contained in the air is separated by the centrifugal force and collected in the dust collecting container 20. Then, the purified air is exhausted through the path 32 of the grill 30, the air outlet port 12, the air outlet path 220 and the motor driving chamber 310 to the outside.
In the above mentioned cyclone-type dust collecting apparatus, the collecting and the preventing of the backflow of the dust separated from the vortex current are important factors that have great influence on a collecting efficiency. Therefore, there have been steady attempts and studies for efficiently collecting the dust and preventing of the backflow of the dust. However, it reaches a limit of the development due to a structure of the cyclone-type dust collecting apparatus.
That is, since the conventional cyclone-type dust collecting apparatus has a structure in which the dust collected in the dust collecting container 20 is ascended upward by an ascending air current reflected by a bottom surface of the dust collecting container 20, there are some problems that the collecting operation of the dust is inefficiently performed and also fine dust out of the ascending dust, which is smaller than a size of the path 32 of the grill 30, is exhausted through the path 32 of the grill 30 to the outside, thereby deteriorating the dust collecting efficiency.

Cyclone-type dust collecting apparatus for vacuum cleaner


A method of defining a region of interest in a floor plan document including identifying a point within the region of interest, identifying notations in the floor plan document potentially indicative of walls near the identified point, and identifying notations in the floor plan document potentially indicative of protrusions from the walls near the identified point. The method also includes determining whether the notations potentially indicative of protrusions from the walls are part of the perimeter of the region of interest based on at least one criteria selected from a group consisting of size, shape, and location of the notation potentially indicative of a protrusion, defining the perimeter of the region of interest based on the notations determined to be part of the perimeter of the region of interest, and calculating a quantity associated with the region of interest based on the defined perimeter of the region of interest.

Designing, remodeling, and constructing new buildings or homes requires knowledge of various details such as area to be constructed, materials needed, applicable budgets, and the like. Conventional systems aid a user, be it a property owner, an architect, or a contractor, to determine the linear and area units of measurement (imperial and metric) to ultimately determine amount of materials (and/or time) they may need to complete a specific project. However, to provide the necessary information conventional systems require that the user precisely identify an area within a construction document (e.g., a floor plan, an elevation plan, and the like) to be analyzed. Often, the only tool available to identify a specific area is a drawing, a markup, or takeoff tool (e.g., ruler, highlighter pencil, or scale wheel if manual; mouse clicks on the corner points of a perimeter if using a software/takeoff program). Depending on the specific area, using a drawing tool (or takeoff tool) and defining the region of interest by hand can be particularly tedious and prone to error. Such systems require that the user manually and carefully define the area around objects within the room. Defining an area manually is not only tedious (e.g., due to the large number of clicks necessary), but it is also time-consuming. In some instances it may be easier to do the analysis by paper using simple schematics, rather than using a system that requires extensive user input. If the analysis is done manually on paper, rather than on an electronic construction document, the calculations will be much more prone to human and calculation error. A mistake in obtaining the right amount of materials or estimating the cost of completing a project can be significant depending on the specific application.

Detection of a perimeter of a region of interest in a floor plan document


The application discloses methods of treating mammalian diseases characterized by abnormal cell mitosis by administering estradiol derivatives including those comprising colchicine or combretastatin A-4 structural motifs of the general formulae found below in a dosage sufficient to inhibit cell mitosis. The application discloses novel compounds used in the methods.

This invention relates to treating disease states characterized by abnormal cell mitosis.
Cell mitosis is a multi-step process that includes cell division and replication (Alberts, B. et al. In The Cell, pp. 652-661 (1989); Stryer, E. Biochemistry (1988)). Mitosis is characterized by the intracellular movement and segregation of organelles, including mitotic spindles and chromosomes. Organelle movement and segregation are facilitated by the polymerization of the cell protein tubulin. Microtubules are formed from .alpha. and .beta. tubulin polymerization and the hydrolysis of guanosine tryphosphate (GTP). Microtubule formation is important for cell mitosis, cell locomotion, and the movement of highly specialized cell structures such as cilia and flagella.
Microtubules are extremely labile structures that are sensitive to a variety of chemically unrelated anti-mitotic drugs. For example, colchicine and nocadazole are anti-mitotic drugs that bind tubulin and inhibit tubulin polymerization (Stryer, E. Biochemistry (1988)). When used alone or in combination with other therapeutic drugs, colchicine may be used to treat cancer (WO-9303729-A, published Mar. 4, 1993; J03240726-A, published Oct. 28, 1991), alter neuromuscular function, change blood pressure, increase sensitivity to compounds affecting sympathetic neuron function, depress respiration, and relieve gout (Physician's Desk Reference, Vol. 47, p. 1487, (1993)).
Estradiol and estradiol metabolites such as 2-methoxyestradiol have been reported to inhibit cell division (Seegers, J. C. et al. J. Steroid Biochem. 32, 797-809 (1989); Lottering, M-L. et al. Cancer Res. 52, 5926-5923 (1992); Spicer, L. J. and Hammond, J. M. Mol. and Cell. Endo. 64, 119-126 (1989); Rao, P. N. and Engelberg, J. Exp. Cell Res. 48, 71-81 (1967)). However, the activity is variable and depends on a number of in vitro conditions. For example, estradiol inhibits cell division and tubulin polymerization in some in vitro settings (Spicer, L. J. and Hammond, J. M. Mol. and Cell. Endo. 64, 119-126 (1989); Ravindra, R., J. Indian Sci. 64(c) (1983)), but not in others (Lottering, M-L. et al. Cancer Res. 52, 5926-5923 (1992); Ravindra, R., J. Indian Sci. 64(c) (1983)). Estradiol metabolites such as 2-methoxyestradiol will inhibit cell division in selected in vitro settings depending on whether the cell culture additive phenol red is present and to what extent cells have been exposed to estrogen. (Seegers, J. C. et al. Joint NCI-IST Symposium. Biology and Therapy of Breast Cancer. Sep. 25-Sep. 27, 1989, Genoa, Italy, Abstract A58).
Numerous diseases are characterized by abnormal cell mitosis. For example, uncontrolled cell mitosis is a hallmark of cancer. In addition, cell mitosis is important for the normal development of the embryo, formation of the corpus luteum, wound healing, inflammatory and immune responses, angiogenesis and angiogenesis related diseases.

Estrogenic compounds as anti-mitotic agents

The Children's Medical Center Corporation


A winch 100 is provided for taking up or paying out cable 13 without damaging protrusions 14 spaced along the cable from potentially high compressive forces applied to the cable when it is wound over drum members 16, 18, 20 of each of a pair of drum mechanisms 30A and 30B. The winch is operated so that the cable is pulled over the drum members and wound about the two drum mechanisms as a unit, such that successive cable protrusions are always maintained in successive cable path spaces between the drums of each drum mechanism.

The present invention relates to apparatus and methods for in-reeling and paying out cable having protruding elements along its length susceptible to damage from forces associated with pulling the cable and layering the cable as it is conveyed, and more particularly to self-synchronizing winch apparatus and methods arranged to in-reel or pay-out cable without damaging protruding elements carried by the cable.
Normally, cable, of the type under consideration, extends for a predetermined length, and has protruding elements spaced along its length typically at equal intervals. Such elements may be electronic elements which are externally connected through conductors within the cable.
Further, these protruding elements are most conveniently attached to an outer portion of the cable, thereby extending the "radius" of the cable to produce a protrusion or "lump." The cable, thus structured, carries equally spaced lumps along its length.
To avoid damage to the lumps during in-reeling, the in-reeling procedure must operate to reel the cable in without producing damaging forces against the lumps. Similar considerations apply to cable payout.
In the prior art, winches have typically used nonuniformities in applying in-reeling force to a line such as a chain, or simply applied in-reeling force to uniform line, such as a rope, without regard to any position on the line. These approaches do not even address the problems encountered in in-reeling a line with lumps.

Self-synchronizing pulley/winch apparatus and operating method for cable having electronic or other protruding elements spaced along its length


A cooking appliance, includes a pair of cooking plates pivotally mounted to various angular positions, including a vertical position. Each plate is formed, centrally of its lower edge in the vertical position of the two plates, with a ribbed formation defining a drain channel for draining from the plates fluids emanating from the food article during the cooking thereof between the plates. A disposable food holder is provided including a pair of panels of heat-resistant sheet material joined to each other to define a compartment for holding the food article during the cooking thereof, the compartment having a small drain opening aligned with the drain channel of the cooking plates for draining fluids emanating from the food article.

The invention relates to food holders for holding a food article while being heated in a cooking device. The invention is particularly useful for holding meat products, such as steaks, hamburgers, and the like, in a grilling appliance, such as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,003,436 and 6,109,169, and in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/135,331, filed May 24, 2005, the contents of which patents and patent application are incorporated herein by reference.
The above-cited US Patent Application describes a cooking appliance which includes a base for supporting the cooking appliance on a horizontal surface; and a pair of cooking plates pivotally mounted on the base to various angular positions including a vertical position with respect to the base. As described therein, such a grilling appliance permits food articles, particularly meat products, to be grilled in a very short period of time. Further details of the construction and operation of such a cooking appliance are set forth in the above-cited US Patent Application, whose contents are incorporated herein by reference.
While the invention is particularly useful as a food holder in a grilling appliance as described above, it will be appreciated that it could also be used in many other appliances, e.g., for holding vegetables to be steamed.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Cooking appliances and food holders particularly useful therein


An equipment carrier, such as a bicycle rack, is adapted for removable mounting to a vehicle and includes a first frame and a second frame interconnected by one or more hubs. The first frame is engaged with the hubs so as to be axially movable relative to the lower frame and the hubs. The first frame defines a forward engagement area adapted for engagement with the rear of the vehicle, and the second frame defines an outer engagement area adapted to engage the vehicle at a location vertically spaced from the forward engagement area. The second frame is pivotably mounted to the hubs for movement between an operative extended position and an inoperative collapsed position. A variable position engagement arrangement is interposed between the hubs and the first frame, for selectively fixing the axial position of the first frame relative to the hubs. In one form, the variable position engagement arrangement includes an engagement member associated with the second frame which is movable into engagement with one of a series of axially spaced openings in the first frame when the lower frame is in its operative extended position. Movement of the second frame relative to the hubs away from its operative extended position functions to disengage the engagement member from the first frame openings, to enable the axial position of the first frame to be adjusted. Subsequent return of the second frame to its extended operative position functions to engage the engagement member with a different one of the openings, to fix the first frame in a different axial position relative to the second frame. In this manner, the configuration of the carrier can be adjusted according to the configuration of the vehicle to which the carrier is adapted to be mounted.

This invention relates to vehicle-mounted equipment carriers, and more particularly to an equipment carrier adapted for removable mounting to the rear of a vehicle.
Various types of vehicle-mounted equipment carriers are known for enabling a user to mount one or more items of equipment, such as bicycles, skis, etc., to a vehicle for transport. Common types of equipment carries include trunk or rear-mounted carriers, hitch-mounted carriers and roof-mounted carriers.
In a rear or trunk-mounted type of carrier, it is typically desirable to tailor the configuration of the carrier according to the type of vehicle to which the carrier is to be mounted. Typically, prior art carriers of this type incorporate a variable position connection between the carrier frame and the support members that are adapted to support the one or more items of equipment. Examples of this type of carrier are shown in Graber U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,085,874; 4,182,467; and 4,394,948, as well as Piretti et al U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,670, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference. Pedrini U.S. Pat. No. 5,495,970, also incorporated by reference, discloses a carrier arrangement in which both the configuration of the frame as well as the position of the support members can be adjusted according to the configuration of the vehicle, with the frame and support components being adjustable about a common pivot axis.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an equipment carrier in which the configuration of the equipment carrier can be quickly and easily altered according to the configuration of the vehicle to which the equipment carrier is to be mounted. It is a further object of the invention to provide such an equipment carrier which is movable between an operative extended position for providing use of the carrier, and an inoperative collapsed position for storage. Yet another object of the invention is to provide such an equipment carrier in which the configuration of the equipment carrier is fixed in response to movement of one of the components of the equipment carrier, such as one of the carrier frames, to an operative position from an inoperative position for storage or adjustment. Yet another object of the invention is to provide such an equipment carrier having a relatively small number of components, which results in a relatively inexpensive cost of manufacture. A still further object of the invention is to provide such an equipment carrier which is relatively simple in its components and construction, yet which is capable of being quickly and easily reconfigured for use or moved to a collapsed condition for storage.
In accordance with the present invention, an equipment carrier adapted for mounting to a vehicle, such as to the rear area of a vehicle, includes an upper member or frame having an upper or forward engagement area adapted for engagement with the vehicle, and a lower member or frame having a lower engagement area adapted for engagement with the vehicle below the forward engagement area. A variable position engagement arrangement is interposed between the upper frame and the lower frame, for enabling adjustment in the axial position of the forward engagement area relative to the lower engagement area. A support arrangement is interconnected with the upper and lower frames for supporting one or more items of equipment. In one form, the support arrangement is in the form of a rearward extension of the upper frame. The upper frame may be constructed to include a pair of axially extending upper frame members, and the lower frame may be constructed to include a pair of lower frame members that extend outwardly from the upper frame members when the lower frame member is in its operative position. A hub member is interposed between each axially extending upper frame member and one of the lower frame members. Each lower frame member is movably mounted to one of the hub members for providing movement of the lower frame between its operative and inoperative positions, such as by means of a pivot connection between the hub member and the lower frame member. Each hub member preferably defines a passage within which one of the upper frame members is slidably received. In this manner, the upper frame is movable relative to the hub member, and thereby relative to the lower frame member mounted to the hub member, to provide adjustment in the position of the upper engagement area relative to the lower engagement area.
The variable position engagement arrangement is operable to selectively fix the position of the upper frame members within the hub members when the lower frame is in its operative position, so as to selectively fix the position of the forward engagement area of the upper frame relative to the lower engagement area of the lower frame. In one form, the variable position engagement arrangement includes a series of openings in each upper frame member. An engagement member is movable into a selected one of the openings when the lower frame is in its operative position. The engagement member may be mounted directly to an upper end defined by each lower frame member, with the upper and lower frame members being arranged and configured so as to position the engagement member within one of the upper frame member openings when the lower frame is in its operative position. A biasing arrangement may be associated with the engagement member, to urge the engagement member outwardly toward an extended engaged position relative to the upper end of the lower frame member. The biasing arrangement enables the engagement member to be moved to a retracted disengaged position, in the event the lower frame member is moved to its operative position and the engagement member is not in alignment with one of the openings in the upper frame member. The upper frame members can then be axially moved to a desired position while the lower frame is in its operative position, and the outward bias on the engagement members is operable to move the engagement members into one of the upper frame member openings when one of the openings is moved into alignment with the engagement member.
With this construction, the carrier can be collapsed by pivoting the lower frame relative to the hub members toward the upper frame, and the upper frame can be moved axially within the hub member passages to shorten the overall length of the collapsed carrier. In use, the upper frame is moved to a desired position relative to the hub members, and the lower frame is then moved to its operative position to move the engagement members into engagement with one of the openings in each upper frame member, to fix the position of the upper frame relative to the hub members, and thereby relative to the lower frame.
The invention also contemplates an improvement in an equipment carrier adapted for mounting to a vehicle, substantially in accordance with the foregoing summary.
Various other features, objects and advantages of the invention will be made apparent from the following description taken together with the drawings.

Adjustable rack for carrying equipment on a vehicle


A throttle valve and the throttle body are formed substantially simultaneously in the same dies. When a movable die moves away from a fixed die, a body ejector pin, a valve ejector pin, and a motor housing ejector pin simultaneously push a bore wall of the throttle body, a motor housing, and peripheral edge of the throttle the valve in a radial direction respectively. A deformation of the throttle valve can be avoided because a stress concentration on the metal shaft of the throttle valve is reduced in opening the dies.

In an electrically controlled throttle apparatus shown in FIG. 8, a driving device such as a motor controls an opening degree of a throttle valve 102 in accordance with a position of an accelerator pedal stepped by a driver. In the throttle apparatus, a gap is formed between an inner periphery of a substantially tubular throttle body 101 and an outer circumferential periphery of a throttle valve 102, and the gap has a large influence of an air tightness of the throttle apparatus when the throttle valve 102 is in its full close position.
Conventionally, the throttle body 101 and the throttle valve 102 are independently manufactured in each different process. Subsequently, a manufactured throttle valve 102 is combined with a manufactured throttle body 101 in accordance with an inner peripheral dimension of the manufactured throttle body 101 in a downstream process. Alternatively, a manufactured throttle body 101 is combined with a manufactured throttle valve 102 in accordance with an outer circumferential dimension of the throttle valve 102 in a downstream process. Thus, a predetermined gap is obtained between the bore inner periphery of the throttle body 101 and the outer circumferential periphery of a throttle valve 102. A throttle shaft 103 integrally rotates with the throttle valve 102. Both of the ends of the throttle shaft 103 are rotatably supported by cylindrical bearings 104 provided in the throttle body 101.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,304,336, which is a counterpart of JP-5-141540A, shows molding methods in which a manufacturing process of the throttle body and the throttle valve is reduced. In the molding methods, the throttle body 101 and the throttle valve 102 shown in FIG. 9 are integrally molded of a resinous material in the same molding dies. At first, the substantially tubular throttle body 101 is integrally molded of a resinous material. Subsequently, inner periphery (bore inner periphery) of the throttle body 101 is used as a part of a molding die molding the throttle valve 102, and the throttle valve 102 is molded. Thus, a shape of an outer circumferential periphery of the throttle valve 102 is adapted to a shape of the bore inner periphery of the throttle body 101 in the above molding methods.
The throttle body 101 is molded of a resinous material in a body cavity formed in a fixed dies 111, 112 and a moving die 113. The molded throttle body 101 is gradually cooled in the body cavity to be solidified. Subsequently, the movable die 113 is slid forward in order to form a valve cavity, into which a resinous material is filled. The throttle valve 102 is molded of a resinous material in the throttle body 101.
However, in the above molding methods of the throttle valve 102, the throttle body 101 is molded of a resinous material while the molded throttle body 101 is restricted by dies in its radial direction and in its substantially circumferential direction. Thus, the throttle valve 102 is molded of a resinous material while the throttle body 101 and the throttle valve 102 are restricted by the dies. The throttle body 101 and the throttle valve 102 are taken out of the dies, and gradually cooled. In this cooling period, the unrestricted throttle body 101 and the throttle valve 102 are contracted. The throttle body 101 and the throttle valve 102 are deformed. Accordingly, it is difficult to maintain the gap in a predetermined dimension between the inner periphery of the throttle body 101 and the outer circumferential periphery of the throttle valve 102.
A practical use of the throttle apparatus release an internal stress, by which the apparatus is deformed. When the throttle apparatus is made from a crystal resin and is crystallized, the apparatus is deformed due to the crystallization thereof. Even the apparatus is annealed or aged, the throttle body 101 and the throttle valve 102 are deformed individually.
To solve the above problem, the inventors filed Japanese patent application No. 2003-285434 on Aug. 1, 2003. In this application, the throttle valve and throttle body is formed in a same die in such a manner that the throttle valve is opened in a predetermined angle as shown in FIG. 10. However, when the molding is ejected from the die, ejector pins push out the molding to cause a stress concentration on the throttle shaft 103. Such a stress concentration may cause a deformation of the throttle shaft 103.

Forming method of throttle apparatus for internal combustion engine


The present invention relates to devices that allow for linear, sustained-release of solutes with adjustable initial-release kinetics. In particular, the present invention relates to devices for delivering substances to the body of an animal. The present invention also relates to methods for delivering solutes in a constant, sustained-release fashion using the devices of the invention.

Drug delivery classically has been via oral dosage forms that release the drug as they dissolve in the gastrointestinal tract. These delivery systems typically provide for rapid release of the active substance, which leads to the presence of maximal concentrations of the drug in the blood followed by a rapid decrease in concentration as the drug is metabolized and cleared. At these maximal concentrations, many drugs are highly toxic. Furthermore, if the concentration decreases rapidly in the body, then the time during which there is a therapeutically-effective level is short, and therapeutic efficacy requires administration of multiple doses. In addition, if release of a substance in the body cannot be controlled, then it may not be effectively delivered to the site of the body requiring treatment.
Other solutes also benefit from devices that allow for their sustained release. For example, dosing of swimming pools with chlorine or hot tubs with bromine as anti-microbial agents currently requires adding these substances to the water on a fairly regular basis. Furthermore, if the concentration is not controlled and becomes too high upon addition, then the water may not be safe or pleasant for bathers until the concentration stabilizes at lower values. Other uses for sustained-release delivery systems include, for example, delivery of food or insecticides to plants, delivery of vaccines, antibiotics, anti-parasitic agents, growth promotants or other drugs to livestock, delivery of sanitizing agents or perfumes to toilets or septic tanks, delivery antibiotics or other drugs to companion animals, delivery of dyes, bleaches or other substances in the processing of textiles, delivery of algicides to water towers or ponds, delivery of food to fish in aquaria or ponds, and delivery of any substance requiring constant delivery in an industrial manufacturing process.
Various sustained release delivery devices have been described, including those in which a solute is contained within an impermeable housing with one or more openings from which solute egresses by diffusion. Such devices purport to deliver solute at a constant (zero-order) rate; however, many deviate significantly from zero order or linear delivery. In addition, such devices often are limited in the amount of total dose deliverable, as well as by fixed parameters that make it difficult or impossible to adjust the delivery kinetics. A common feature of such prior art devices is that their release kinetics are characterized by an initial burst of solute release prior to a period of relatively constant rate of release, and the relatively constant rate of release often only crudely approximates zero order. For several reasons, such an initial burst is undesirable, as it temporarily delivers a dose in excess of the desired, effective dose, thus wasting solute, and moreover, may deliver an amount of solute which is toxic or otherwise damaging in the particular application. In addition, the initial release of a large amount of solute reduces the total amount of solute subsequently available for prolonged release by the device, thus shortening the duration of relative constant delivery, reducing its effective life and requiring more frequent replacement.
The devices and methods of the present invention overcome the disadvantages of current devices and methods for the delivery of solutes by providing for reliable and adjustable sustained release of solutes in aqueous and non-aqueous environments. In addition to exhibiting adjustable, nearly-constant release rates over suitably prolonged periods of time, the devices and methods of the invention provide for modulation or suppression of the aforementioned initial burst. The devices and methods of the invention may be applied to any of the prior-art devices relying on a fenestration or orifice and a fluid- and solute-impervious coating, to provide prolonged and near zero-order release.
Discussion or citation of a reference herein shall not be construed as an admission that such reference is prior art to the present invention.

Sustained release delivery systems for solutes


The present apparatus calculates a mass ma (mass ratio ma/mf) of mixing-gas-forming cylinder interior gas, which is a portion of cylinder interior gas to be mixed with a forefront portion of injected fuel vapor having a mass of mf, on the basis of a predetermined empirical formula. Subsequently, under the assumption that heat exchange with the outside does not occur, the apparatus calculates an adiabatic gas mixture temperature Tmix of the gas mixture forefront portion on the basis of the heat quantity of the fuel vapor having a mass of mf and the heat quantity of the mixing-gas-forming cylinder interior gas having a mass of ma. Subsequently, in consideration of an amount of heat that the gas mixture forefront portion receives from peripheral cylinder interior gas mainly via a circumferential surface thereof, the apparatus estimates a final gas mixture temperature Tmixfin of the gas mixture forefront portion (i.e., the temperature of the gas mixture) in accordance with the equation Tmixfin=Tmix (1−Kex)+Ta Kex, where Ta represents cylinder interior gas temperature, and Kex represents a heat exchange coefficient (0<Kex<1).

The amount of emissions, such as NOx, discharged from an internal combustion engine such as a spark-ignition internal combustion engine or a diesel engine has a strong correlation with the flame temperature (combustion temperature) after ignition. Therefore, controlling the flame temperature to a predetermined temperature effectively reduces the amount of emissions, such as NOx. In general, since flame temperature cannot be detected directly, the flame temperature must be estimated so as to control the flame temperature to the predetermined temperature. Meanwhile, the flame temperature changes depending on the temperature within a cylinder before ignition (hereinafter, may be simply referred to as "cylinder interior temperature"). Accordingly, estimating the cylinder interior temperature is effective for estimation of the flame temperature.
In particular, in the case of a diesel engine in which air-fuel mixture starts combustion by means of self ignition caused by compression, the ignition timing must be properly controlled in accordance with the operating state of the engine. The ignition timing greatly depends on the cylinder interior temperature before ignition. Accordingly, estimation of the cylinder interior temperature is also necessary for proper control of the ignition timing.
In view of the above, a fuel injection apparatus for a diesel engine disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 2001-254645 sets a target ignition timing in accordance with the operation state of an engine, and estimates a cylinder interior temperature as measured at the target ignition timing on the basis of various operational state quantities which affect the cylinder interior temperature, such as engine coolant temperature, intake air temperature, and intake pressure. Subsequently, the apparatus controls the manner of injection (e.g., injection timing and/or injection pressure) of fuel in such a manner that the estimated cylinder interior temperature attains a predetermined temperature, to thereby control the ignition timing to coincide with the target ignition timing.
Incidentally, strictly speaking, the above-mentioned flame temperature and, therefore, the timing of ignition (by means of self ignition) changes depending on the pre-ignition temperature of a gas mixture produced through mixing of fuel (fuel vapor) present within a cylinder and a gas (new air, EGR gas, etc.) present within the cylinder (hereinafter, the pre-ignition temperature will be referred to as simply the "temperature of gas mixture").
In particular, in the case of an internal combustion engine of a type in which fuel is injected directly to each cylinder, the injected fuel is ignited before it is uniformly mixed with the entirety of gas already taken into the cylinder (hereinafter referred to as "cylinder interior gas"). In other words, at or immediately before an ignition timing, the gas mixture consists of the injected fuel (fuel vapor) and a portion of the cylinder interior gas. Accordingly, at the ignition timing, in the cylinder, the gas mixture occupies one spatial region, and the cylinder interior gas which is present around the gas mixture without being mixed with the fuel (hereinafter may be referred to as "peripheral internal combustion gas") occupies a different spatial region. Since the temperature at the region occupied by the gas mixture (accordingly, the temperature of the gas mixture) naturally differs from that of the peripheral internal combustion gas, the temperature distribution within the cylinder is not uniform.
However, the conventional apparatus estimates the cylinder interior temperature under the assumption that fuel (fuel vapor) is uniformly mixed with the entirety of cylinder interior gas and that a resultant gas mixture is uniformly present within the entire cylinder. Accordingly, the estimated cylinder interior temperature differs from the temperature of the gas mixture itself. As a result, the apparatus fails to accurately control the ignition timing to the target ignition timing. In view of the above, there has arisen desire to accurately estimate the temperature (state quantity) of a gas mixture consisting of injected fuel (fuel vapor) and a portion of cylinder interior gas mixed with the fuel.

Method of estimating state quantity or temperature of gas mixture for internal combustion engine


A raw material gas supply method for use in a film forming apparatus which forms a film on a substrate, includes supplying a carrier gas to a gas phase zone defined inside a raw material container accommodating a liquid or solid raw material, vaporizing the raw material, supplying a raw material gas containing the vaporized raw material from the raw material container to the film forming apparatus via a raw material gas supply path, measuring a flow rate of the vaporized raw material flowing through the raw material gas supply path, comparing the flow rate of the vaporized raw material obtained by the flow rate measurement unit with a predetermined target value, and controlling an internal pressure of the raw material container to be increased when the flow rate is higher than the predetermined target value, and to be decreased when the is lower than the predetermined target value.

To form a film on a substrate (hereinafter, referred to as "wafer") such as a semiconductor wafer, various methods such as a CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) method, an ALD (Atomic Layer Deposition) method are used. The CVD method includes supplying a raw material gas onto a surface of a wafer, and heating the wafer such that the raw material gas is subjected to a chemical reaction. The ALD method includes adsorbing an atomic layer or molecular layer formed of a raw material gas onto a surface of a wafer, supplying a reaction gas for oxidization and reduction of the raw material gas to produce reaction products, and repeatedly performing a sequence of these operations to deposit layers, which are formed of the reaction products, on the wafer. The above operations are performed by supplying the raw material gas into a reaction chamber which accommodates a plurality of wafers and is in a vacuum atmosphere.
Raw materials used in the CVD and ALD methods, when they are vaporized into raw material gas, often have a low vapor pressure. Such raw material gas is obtained by supplying a carrier gas into a raw material container that accommodates a liquid or solid raw material, followed by vaporizing the raw material into the carrier gas. However, in the raw material gas supplied by such a method, a vaporization amount (vaporization flow rate) of the raw material per unit time is varied over time due to a reduction of the raw material received in the raw material container, a change in residence time of the carrier gas inside the raw material container, or the like.
The constant vaporization flow rate of the raw material may be maintained by controlling a heating temperature of the raw material container or adjusting a flow rate of the carrier gas. However, when the heating temperature is controlled, it may result in poor responsiveness. In addition, when the flow rate of the carrier gas is adjusted, it may generate dusts as the flow rate of the carrier gas increases.
In the related art, there has been suggested a chemical vapor deposition apparatus which supplies a bubbling gas into a bubbler with a liquid raw material, bubbles the liquid raw material and supplies a raw material gas consisting of the bubbling gas and the bubbled raw material gas into a reaction chamber. In this apparatus, an internal pressure of the bubbler is controlled to be higher than an internal pressure of the reaction chamber, which prevents the raw material gas from flowing backward. However, this conventional apparatus is outdated in terms of a relationship between the internal pressure of the bubbler and the vaporization flow rate of the raw material.


Methods, devices, routers and systems for a satellite-ready Satcom Direct router with simultaneous use of Inmarsat, SwiftBroadband, Swift 64, Ku-Band and Ka-Band satellite connections with intelligent traffic control, along with Wi-Fi access and 3G/4G cellular network connectivity. The router is compatible with existing Wi-Fi access points and is backward-compatible with 802.11b/g. Up to four or more simultaneous wireless networks can be supported, allowing multiple systems to operate on aircraft without additional wireless access points and providing 3G/4G network connectivity when the aircraft is on the ground. A downloadable Satcom Direct router mobile App provides on-board cabin services including one or more of moving maps, flight tracker and command and control of satellite links.

If a satellite is placed in synchronous orbit above the equator to revolve in the same direction of the earth's rotation and synchronized with the earth's rotation, the satellite will continually remain above a fixed point on the surface of the earth. Many communications satellites have been placed in these synchronous orbits to provide continuous communications capabilities in almost all regions of the globe.
Generally, active communications satellites are orbiting repeaters with broadband characteristics. A signal from a ground station is intercepted by the satellite, converted to another frequency, and retransmitted at a moderate power level to an end user receiver. This provides much better signal strength at the receiving end of the circuit as compared with a signal that is merely reflected from a passive satellite. Active communications satellites are placed in synchronous orbits, making it possible to use them with fixed antennas, a moderate level of transmitter power, and at any time of the day or night. Synchronous satellites are used for television and radio broadcasting, communications, weather forecasting, and military operations.
Further, a constellation of satellite systems such as INMARSAT® is used to cover major regions of the globe to enable ground-to-aircraft (and aircraft-to-ground) communications via the satellite systems. One example of such a constellation is INMARSAT I4, which currently comprises three satellites located in geostationary orbits, each generally covering a region of approximately one-third of the globe with a certain amount of overlap between regions. These satellites are used to provide circuit switched and packet switched data connection as well as additional services, such as Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) and Swift Broadband (SBB).
INMARSAT®, ViaSat, Intelsat and Eutelsat satellites support various different types of communications services to the aeronautical, maritime and land mobile markets. An airborne satellite communication system can provide an aircraft with multiple digital voice, fax, and real-time Internet communications capabilities. These systems are specifically adapted for use in global two-way, ground-to-air communications by aircraft operators requiring global voice, fax, and Internet communications for their flight crews and passengers.
As the general communications need to transmit more data in larger files at faster speeds grows, so too does the need for faster connections and increased data throughput. This holds true for any communications system, whether strictly ground-based, air-to-ground, or ground-to-air. One way developers of ground-based systems have addressed this need is through the use of acceleration and compression technologies. Acceleration and compression can be achieved through any number of techniques to reduce data traffic volumes such as selective caching, vertical data analysis, adaptive packet compression, packet aggregation and flow control, and so on. This ground-based technology contributes to increasingly faster connection speeds.
The same need for high-speed data connections that currently exist in the office or at home also exist in aircraft cabins. However, ground stations that support global two-way, air-to-ground ATG and ground-to-air GTA communications have not offered equivalent increases in data rates, and especially not in a cost-effective way.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,660,579 titled Communication network acceleration system and method issued Feb. 9, 2010 describes mobile ground-to-air and air-to-ground communication network acceleration that reduced the cost of airborne communication services by creating a faster connection and increasing data throughput. In one embodiment, the communication network acceleration system and method provide as much as a four-fold increase over standard high-speed data rates. This increase is made possible in part through the integration, implementation, and use of acceleration and compression technologies in the ground system that supports communications to and from an airborne terminal.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,761,793 titled SATCOM data compression system and method issued on Jul. 20, 2010 discloses a method of data compression for compressing a web page with graphics files, text files, JAVA scripts, and HTML files comprises storing the graphics files, the text files, the JAVA scripts, and the HTML files in a temporary directory. The graphics files are sorted into lossless and lossy file groups. The files are concatenated and then compressed to yield a compressed web page. Optimal file concatenation size range is determined to optimally develop compression performance while minimizing latency. The concatenated file size is regulated to the optimal file concatenation size.
In business aviation, connectivity is key. With the availability of several Satcom or air-to-ground systems, many business aircraft are being equipped with two or more such systems. With different voice and data communication paths off the aircraft, a confusing array of options is now available for passengers and operators to configure, manage and operate.
Thus, the need exists for solutions to the above problems with the prior art with a Satcom Direct router as a single line-replaceable unit to act as the communications hub for all aircraft links—voice or data.

Router for aircraft communications with simultaneous satellite connections


An automatic machine implemented identification and data processing, gathering and storage system and method. A system, method and computer program product for communicating peer-validated reputation information enabling users, including automated processing equipment and methods, to, among other things, make decisions of safe or unsafe personal interactions, such as participating in an in-person meeting.

The subject matter discussed in the background section should not be assumed to be prior art merely as a result of its mention in the background section. Similarly, a problem mentioned in the background section or associated with the subject matter of the background section should not be assumed to have been previously recognized in the prior art. The subject matter in the background section merely represents different approaches, which in and of themselves may also be inventions.
The Internet and other online mechanisms have enabled creation of online virtual identities and pseudonyms. There are many services and tools that provide online communities where netizens (a term for citizens of these virtual spaces) meet and interact. Sometimes these meetings and interactions lead to meetings and real-world interactions. The individuals involved do not necessarily have verifiable information regarding the other person(s).
Part of the reason that this is true is because it is very easy for individuals to create and shed virtual identities. Some systems anchor an identity to some other reference, like an e-mail address. However these e-mail addresses are very easy to proliferate and obtain and shed, making such anchors less valuable for contexts that desire greater verification.
There are many situations where a user would like an increased level of user verification. Even in cases where there is an online reputation system, those systems may be compromised and artificially skewed in one direction or another. Online dating that develops into a real-world meeting, or a commerce site where parties meet to exchange real-world items are particularly well-known examples where the parties are advantaged by having some sense that a person that they are meeting is, in fact, the virtual entity and/or that the online reputation information that was used in developing a decision about interacting with the person represented by the virtual identification is authentic.
There have been conventional approaches to obtaining user identification (e.g., fingerprint(s)) using portable computing platforms. However these systems have required that special fingerprint image scanners be installed into these platforms. The extra cost and limited function are deterrents to adoption of remote ID verification, and the inability to have effective and robust remote ID verification have limited development of systems that rely on collection/use of such information. Many portable computing embodied in smartphones, tablets and the like having cameras, yet these cameras are typically viewed as insufficient to function as fingerprint imagers sufficient for use in identification.
What is needed is a system and method for relating information to individuals prior to, during and after interactions, e.g., in-person meetings initiated through on-line virtual introductions or other introductions of previously unknown individuals, to enable confidence related to the security of a transaction, e.g., personal safety of all parties to a face-to-face encounter.


A detecting apparatus for performing an auto-teaching operation is used in a vertical heat treatment system to cause a controller for controlling movement of a wafer transfer arm to learn a unit of positional information about a wafer boat placed on a transfer station. The detecting apparatus has a base frame having a shape similar to a wafer and detachably mounted on a wafer holding place of the boat. On the base frame are a Z-sensor formed of an optical sensor of a reflection type, a pair of .theta.-sensors, and an X-sensor. The auto-teaching operation is performed by observing the transfer arm by the detecting apparatus while the detecting apparatus is placed on the wafer holding place of the boat.

The present invention relates to an auto-teaching technique to cause a controller for controlling movement of a transfer apparatus for a target substrate, such as a semiconductor wafer or an LCD substrate, to learn a unit of information about relative positions between the transfer apparatus itself and a holder for the target object, such as a transfer container, a process rack, or a process worktable. Where the controller has a grasp on the relative positions between the holder and the transfer apparatus in advance, it can accurately control movement of the transfer apparatus during transfer of the target substrate, such as stop positions and driving amounts of a transfer arm, and the like. The semiconductor process includes various kinds of processes which are performed to manufacture a semiconductor device or a structure having wiring layers, electrodes, and the like to be connected to a semiconductor device, on a target substrate, such as a semiconductor wafer or an LCD substrate, by forming semiconductor layers, insulating layers, and conductive layers in predetermined patterns on the target substrate.
In a vertical heat treatment system, for example, a number of semiconductor wafers are transferred by a transfer arm (or arms) from a transfer container, which is called a cassette, to a process rack, which is called a wafer boat. Then the wafers are loaded into a vertical furnace along with the wafer boat and are subjected to a heat process. In such an apparatus, it is necessary to perform a teaching operation about relative positions between the transfer arm and the cassette or the wafer boat placed at a predetermined position, after the wafer boat is washed or the transfer arm undergoes a maintenance operation.
There is a teaching method in which the transfer arm is manually controlled by an operator to perform a predetermined transfer operation, and a unit of positional information is stored in a memory on the basis of the movement of the transfer arm during the operation. However, since the wafer boat is frequently washed, it is troublesome and time-consuming to perform the manual teaching operation after the washing operation every time.
For this reason, there has been developed a technique, which is called an auto-teaching method, of automatically performing a teaching operation without relying on an operator. Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 7-74229 discloses an auto-teaching method in which a teaching operation is performed, using a jig including a plate having a shape similar to a semiconductor wafer, and a pin vertically disposed at the center of the plate, and also using a distance-detecting sensor of a reflection type arranged on a transfer apparatus. The jig is placed on a holder, and a side surface of the jig and the pin are detected by the distance-detecting sensor, so that a unit of information about relative positions between the holder and the transfer apparatus is obtained.
This auto-teaching method, however, cannot be applied, as it is, to an existing processing system using a transfer apparatus which has no distance-detecting sensor of a reflection type and thus requires a manual teaching operation by an operator. In order to perform this method in such an existing processing system, it is necessary to provide the transfer apparatus with a distance-detecting sensor of a reflection type, thereby entailing expense, time, and labor for remodeling the processing system. Further, where a new processing system capable of performing this method is constructed, a transfer apparatus to be used therein will inevitably be complicated and expensive.

Auto-teaching method in semiconductor processing system


A transaction kiosk collects cash from a user and then electronically negotiates with the user's creditor to settle a balance on an account with the creditor. The bank recognizes the cash deposited in the transaction kiosk by the user as security for the settlement amount. The cash deposited in the transaction kiosk is considered a cash asset owned by the bank and available to satisfy depositor claims. A transaction processor brokers the transaction between the user of the transaction kiosk, the surety bank, and the creditor.

Automated teller machines (ATMs) and quick cash or money machine kiosks have become ubiquitous. ATMs are often owned by banks (proprietor banks) and provide a variety of banking services twenty-four hours a day without need for interaction with a customer service representative from the proprietor bank. The services available at an ATM are available not only to a proprietor bank's own customers, but to anyone who has an account at a bank that participates in a common network with other proprietor banks. Today, the networks are so broad-reaching that almost anyone with a bank account can conduct banking transactions at most ATMs in the world. ATM services include the provision of account balance information, balance transfers between bank accounts, cash withdrawals from bank accounts (often for a transaction fee), and cash or check deposits to bank accounts. Some ATMs also allow the initiation of money transfers from the account of a bank customer in settlement of the account of a creditor. Deposits are generally collected by instructing the customer to place any cash and/or checks into an envelope and to insert the sealed envelope into a receptacle. The customer indicates the amount of the deposit by data input on a keypad on the ATM. The deposit information entered by the customer is later reconciled with the cash and/or checks in the deposit envelope at the proprietor bank.
ATMs are generally serviced by armored transport services in the employ of the bank that is the proprietor of the particular ATM. The armored transport service collects the deposit envelopes and replenishes the cash dispensing mechanism in the ATM with currency from the proprietor bank or a correspondent bank. The deposit armored transport service returns the deposit envelopes to the proprietor bank or a correspondent bank. Once counted, cash in the deposit envelopes is considered cash available to the proprietor bank, even if still physically held by a correspondent bank, as part of its cash reserves available to satisfy its customers' claims. The bank's cash reserve is often termed "vault cash." Any checks from the deposit envelopes are presented by the proprietor bank to the banks of the drafters for payment. The proprietor bank then participates in an electronic settlement with the banks of the ATM users.
Cash or money access machines are found in many commercial establishments such as bars and convenience stores that either conduct a significant volume of cash transactions or desire to offer access to cash for the convenience of their customers. Such money access machines are generally owned by either the proprietors of the establishment where the machines are located or a third party owner of the money access machines leases space in the establishment. The owner of a money access machine may generate revenue by charging a transaction fee to the user for the convenience of access to cash. The user's bank account is thus debited not only the cash withdrawal amount, but a transaction fee as well, and the sum of those amounts is credited to the bank account of the money machine owner. The money access machines generally do not provide the extensive banking services that ATMs offer and instead usually only provide a user access to cash with corresponding account balance information. The money access machines are similarly generally serviced by an armored transport service that brings money from the owner's bank account to stock the machine.
In order to operate, both the ATMs and cash access machines (which for the sake of convenience are hereinafter referred to collectively as "banking machines" unless one or the other is particularly indicated) must be connected to an information network for the reciprocal transfer of information from the banking machine to the bank of the user. In order for a user to make a cash withdrawal, the banking machine must first contact the user's bank to determine whether the user has enough funds in an account to secure the cash withdrawal. Funds will ultimately be debited from the user's account and credited by the user's bank to the bank of the banking machine owner (which may be a proprietor bank) by network transfer or otherwise reconciled. When a user makes a deposit at an ATM owned by the user's bank, the user's account is credited with the deposit amount to ultimately be confirmed after reconciliation when the deposit envelope is opened. Alternately, when a user of an ATM makes a deposit in a proprietor bank's ATM that does not hold the user's account, but has an affiliation with the user's bank, the ATM may contact the user's bank to notify the user's bank that the user's account should be credited with the deposit amount to ultimately be confirmed after reconciliation when the deposit envelope is opened after transfer to the user's bank.
The information networks linking banking machines and banks are generally provided or facilitated by a third party transaction processor. The transaction processor may operate the physical information network used by the banking machines and may further provide the necessary hardware and software used by the banking machines and banks to communicate with each other over the network. Transaction processors also provide other communication services, for example, transaction services between banks and creditors of account holders for automatic payment of bills, and transaction services between credit card issuers, merchants, and the merchant's banks.
Perhaps incredibly, even now in the twenty-first century approximately thirty percent of the population of the United States does not own a bank account and operates financially on a cash only basis. Many of these people are in lower income brackets and often are recent immigrants. For these classes of society, conducting business with traditional financial institutions, e.g., banks, is often difficult and is sometimes unavailable as an option for managing personal finances. Difficulties may arise from, for example, a lack of transportation to reach the financial institution to conduct business, a language barrier, a fear of identification arising out of immigration issues, or different cultural norms. For many, traditional banking options are unavailable due to poor credit histories or a lack of credit history at all. Electronic banking and other electronic financial services, for example, internet banking and automatic bill payment, are often unavailable to this population merely from the fact that they do not have access to computers or Internet connections. Further, since they do not have bank accounts, they are unable to write a check to be drawn on an account and send it to a creditor in settlement of the debt.
At present there is no opportunity for a person without a bank account to take advantage of the ease and convenience of a banking machine to perform financial transactions. The primary problem is the inherent credit risk that no party involved in such a transaction is willing to undertake. A bank is generally unwilling to guarantee payment to a creditor of a customer unless that customer has sufficient funds deposited within his bank account. A bank is definitely unwilling to extend credit to or guarantee payment to a third party creditor of a person without an account because there is no security for transaction. While a transaction processor has relationships with both banks and creditors, the transaction processor is not in the business of extending credit itself or receiving security for a transaction. The transaction processor merely provides a service as an information broker or facilitator for the banks and creditors.
The information included in this Background section of the specification, including any references cited herein and any description or discussion thereof, is included for technical reference purposes only and is not to be regarded subject matter by which the scope of the invention is to be bound.

Automatic settlement of user account with creditor from transaction kiosk


Provided is a sample fixing member for an atomic force microscope capable of reducing the drift amount of a sample during measurement. A sample fixing member for an atomic force microscope of the present invention includes a fibrous columnar structure including a plurality of fibrous columnar objects each having a length of 200 μm or more.

An atomic force microscope (AFM) is a microscope having a resolution at an atomic level under atmospheric pressure, and can easily observe, for example, the fine shape of the surface of a sample (see, for example, Patent Literature 1). In addition, the atomic force microscope can observe not only a conductive material but also an insulating material such as a polymer compound. In those respects, the atomic force microscope is extremely effective as means for observing the surfaces of various samples.
The atomic force microscope observes the shape of the surface of a sample by: scanning the top of the surface with a probe having a tapered tip; and transforming an atomic force felt by the probe into an electric signal. The probe is attached to the tip of a cantilever, and the probe and the surface of the sample are brought into contact with each other by a minute force. Accordingly, when the drift amount of the sample during measurement is large, the following problem arises. An accurate measurement result cannot be obtained.

Sample fixing member for atomic force microscope


A system for automatically transferring the fuel from one or more engine fuel manifolds directly to the engine fuel tank(s) during engine shutdown using an ejector pump has been presented. A checkvalve, which may be integrated with the ejector pump, is also used. A metering valve initiates fuel flow shutoff and is used in the draining of the fuel manifolds, thereby eliminating the need for an additional solenoid dedicated mainly to the shutoff function. The shutoff and pressurizing valve provides flow division between manifolds and manifold drain for systems having multiple manifolds. The bypass valve is used to turn the motive flow and/or manifold drain functions on and off as a function of engine speed at start and shutdown.

In many gas turbine engines, the fuel system for regulating the flow of fuel to the combustion chamber consists of one or more fuel nozzles arranged in the combustion chamber, a fuel pump for pressurizing fuel from the fuel supply, a fuel metering unit for controlling the flow of fuel to the fuel nozzles and one or more fuel manifolds fluidically connecting the fuel metering unit to the fuel nozzles.
During engine start-up, fuel is pumped from the fuel supply to the fuel metering unit by the fuel pump and, once a sufficient start-up pressure is attained, the pressurizing valve of the fuel metering unit opens and fuel is supplied to the fuel nozzles via the fuel manifold. Thereafter, the metering valve of the fuel metering unit modulates the rate of fuel flow from the fuel supply to the nozzles. As such, a single, continuous flow path exists from the fuel metering unit, through the fuel manifold, to the fuel nozzles.
When the engine is shutdown, residual fuel may remain in the engine manifold. It is desirable to prevent the residual fuel from remaining in the engine manifold to prevent coking of the residual fuel. Coking of the residual fuel is a fire hazard and can lead to blockages in engine fuel injectors, which results in shorter injector life and can harm engine performance.
It is known in the art to drain residual fuel from the manifold of an engine, downstream of the engine shutoff valve, to prevent the fuel from coking. U.S. Pat. No. 6,442,925 to Dalton et al. discloses a system for draining residual fuel from the engine manifold of a gas turbine. The system includes an ejector having an inlet port for receiving high pressure fuel from a main fuel pump at engine shut-down, an outlet port and a suction port. The ejector defines a nozzle that extends between the inlet port and the outlet port for increasing the velocity of high pressure fuel flowing therethrough at engine shut-down so as to create suction at the suction port. A motive valve controls the flow of high pressure fuel between the main fuel pump and the inlet port of the ejector. A drain valve controls the flow of residual fuel between the engine manifold and the suction port of the ejector such that residual fuel is drawn from the engine manifold under suction to the inlet port of the ejector.
While the Dalton patent provides a unique system for pumping the residual fuel from an engine manifold after the engine is shut down, it is a relatively complex system. The motive valve and drain valve require simultaneous operation. The simultaneous operation is controlled by a three-way shutoff solenoid valve that is used to simultaneously control the motive valve and drain valve. These features add to the overall complexity and may decrease the reliability of the system. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved engine manifold drain system which overcomes the deficiencies of prior art systems
The invention provides such an improved engine manifold drain system. These and other advantages of the invention, as well as additional inventive features, will be apparent from the description of the invention provided herein.

Method to transfer fuel in a fuel system for a gas turbine engine


A package assembly (70) for encapsulating and vertically surface mounting a semiconductor device such as an accelerometer includes a semiconductor device (40), a package (44) enclosing the semiconductor device, and a plurality of leads (16, 18) protruding from the package. The plurality of leads are formed from a common leadframe (10) and an internal portion of a first lead of the plurality of leads is offset from a common plane corresponding to the common leadframe prior to forming any of the plurality of leads. The offset lead increases the rigidity and vibration-resistance of the package assembly.

The present invention relates, in general, to a package for an electronic component and, more particularly, to such a package having at least one offset lead.
An electronic component such as a sensor formed on a semiconductor die requires some final package to encapsulate and protect the component. The package protects the die from adverse environmental elements such as humidity or corrosive chemicals. Typically, the final package containing a sensor is mounted to a printed circuit board for electrical connection to other circuit elements in a final sensing application.
In the case of certain sensors, such as accelerometers, it is further desirable that the final package used to mount the accelerometer to the printed circuit board provide resistance against the vibratory environment of the application. This is important for an accelerometer because excessive sensitivity to vibration of low frequencies, such as might occur in an automotive application, can lead to false activation of an air bag electrically coupled to the accelerometer. Prior packages have used external supports protruding from the package and mounting to the printed circuit board to increase the rigidity of the mounted package structure. However, it would be desirable to have a rigidly-mounted package that does not require such extensive external supports. These external supports increase the difficulty of manufacture of the final packaged product and increase the footprint or surface area required to mount the package to the printed circuit board.
The prior packages noted above provide the accelerometer die with a vertically-mounted orientation relative to the printed circuit board, as is necessary for certain air-bag applications in current automotive side-door applications. It is further desirable to have an improved package for a sensor that permits vertical mounting of a die while removing the external supports required on the prior packages.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved package for a semiconductor die that provides improved rigidity without the use of external supports and further provides the capability to mount the die with a vertical orientation.

Package assembly for an electronic component


A method and apparatus are described for cleaning the inside of a heat exchanger tube while the tube is in operation and for simultaneously enhancing the heat transfer rate across the tube wall. The method consists of positioning a rod containing a tube cleaner inside of the heat exchanger tube and moving the rod in a back and forth motion during operation of the heat exchanger tube. The tube cleaner is designed to scrape the inside wall of the heat exchanger tube and to create turbulence in the fluid near the tube wall thereby improving the heat transfer rate across the tube wall.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to cleaning of heat exchanger tubes. More particularly, this invention relates to the on-line cleaning of a heat exchanger tube and simultaneous improvement of the heat transfer rate across the tube wall.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is well know that the performance of a heat exchanger tube, and therefore the heat exchanger itself, is reduced due to the deposition of material on the inside wall of the tube known as fouling. These deposits reduce the heat transfer rate across the wall of the tube and result in an increased pressure drop across the length of the tube. Further, these deposits can be relatively hard and, therefore, difficult to remove from the tube wall.
Various methods have been developed to clean the inside of a heat exchanger tube to remove these deposits. Most of these methods involve taking the heat exchanger off-line and out of service to manually clean the tubes. These manual methods of cleaning include: high pressure water cleaning to blast away the deposits, acid cleaning to loosen or dissolve the deposits, or the propulsion of a brush or scraping implement through the tube to scrape off the deposits.
All of these manual methods result in the loss of use of the heat exchanger during cleaning and incur the cost associated with the cleaning itself. Furthermore, after cleaning and during operation, the tubes begin to foul and continue fouling resulting in a reduction in heat transfer until the next cleaning. In the case of acid cleaning, pitting and corrosion of the tube my occur.
Other methods for cleaning the tubes without taking the heat exchanger out of service include devices which introduce a number of tube cleaners (e.g., balls or brushes) into the fluid which passes through the tubes. The tube cleaners are designed to fit tightly enough into the tube to contact the tube wall while still being pushed through the tube by the fluid pressure. At the outlet of the tube these tube cleaners are collected and recycled back to the tube inlet. In some systems the tube cleaners are propelled through the tube in a direction opposite the fluid flow by reversing the fluid flow temporarily. The number of tube cleaners used and the recycle rate may vary depending upon the cleaning effectiveness desired.
While these on-line systems avoid having to take the heat exchanger out of service, there is significant cost associated with the necessary piping and valving. Further, these methods are prone to plugging of the tube by debris that has been loosened by the tube cleaners.
After the tubes have been cleaned the pressure drop across the tube and the heat transfer rate across the tube wall return to their nominal design points. However, none of the on-line cleaning methods act to enhance the heat transfer rate across the tube wall.
In view of the foregoing, a need exists for an improved method of cleaning the inside of a heat exchanger tube and for enhancing the heat transfer rate across the tube wall.

Method and apparatus for on-line cleaning of and improvement of heat transfer in a heat exchanger tube


There is provided a System and Method For Determining The Radiological Composition of Material Layers Within a Conduit. The system and method disclosed is equally applicable to pipes, vessels, and conduits as well as medical applications such as determining vessel thickness, occlusion, scarring, or the like in humans and animals. A phantom setup is disclosed that has a phantom containing a test standard such as a reactor water test standard, removable plates, a collimator and probe with a spectrometer display. The phantom setup provides a baseline data set that can be used in conjunction with field measurements to determine the composition of materials within the conduit, such as corrosion or the like. The baseline data set may be semi-logarithmic and contains spectrometer readings of various plate thicknesses or quantities of plates.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to measurement equipment and methods, and more particularly to a System and Method For Determining The Radiological Composition of Material Layers Within a Conduit.
2. Description of the Related Art
Determination of the radiological contamination layer within a conduit such as a light water reactor pipe in a nuclear power plant provides proper decision making regarding chemistry regimes to best minimize the radiological transportation of corrosion products and activation products. Corrosion products such as Co-58 and Co-60, and some fission products such as Cs-134 and Cs-137, are the primary causes of radiation exposure to plant workers during reactor maintenance. In addition, excessive corrosion on valves reduces their operational effectiveness. Once the make-up of the corrosion layer is understood, changes in plant water pH, clean up system alternatives, or operating temperatures may be made to reduce the continuous build up of corrosion products. Unfortunately, techniques and equipment currently used to measure the radiological contamination layer within pipes in a nuclear power plant are large, bulky, and difficult to maneuver into the sometimes tight, inaccessible, or elevated spaces within a nuclear power plant. What is needed is a measurement device and associated methods that is compact, lightweight, easy to operate, and provides quick and accurate readings of the radiological contamination layer within the conduit, pipe, or vessel.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a System and Method For Determining The Radiological Composition of Material Layers Within a Conduit such as a pipe or a vessel. Other objects of the present invention include, but are not limited to, determining vessel thickness, occlusion, scarring, or the like in human or animal bodies. These and other objects of the present invention are not to be considered comprehensive or exhaustive, but rather, exemplary of objects that may be ascertained after reading this specification with the accompanying drawings and claims.

System and method for determining the radiological composition of material layers within a conduit


A cutting tool for cutting sheets of building materials, such as, for example, laminate baseboards, chair rails and crown molding, at an angle. The cutting tool includes a base connected to a cutting platform with a hinge connection. The cutting platform further includes a blade that can be moved downward on the cutting platform to cut the building material. The hinge connection allows the cutting platform to be angled relative to the base to cut the building material at a range of angles from 0°, vertical, to 60° or more.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a cutting tool for cutting sheets of building materials, for example laminate, at a range of angles from vertical and/or horizontal. More specifically, this invention relates to a cutting tool including a base, a cutting platform adjustably connected to the base, a cam pivotally connected to the cutting platform, and a blade, the blade movable downward by pivoting the cam.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Often carpenters need to cut building materials, such as baseboards and crown molding, with a beveled or mitered cut in order to fit in or around corners. Various tools are currently used to cut building materials with a beveled cut, however most are bulky, heavy, require power to be operated, produce large amounts of dust during the cutting process, and/or result in uneven or splintered cuts. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved cutting tool for cutting building materials with beveled cut. There is a need for a portable, non-power operated cutting tool capable of cutting building materials with a vertical or beveled cut and in a predictable and straight fashion without splintering, cracking or similar problems and without creating dust.