A method for conducting laser energy to a site includes steps of bringing the proximal end of a flexible tube near the site, filling at least a proximal portion of the tube with a liquid by introducing the liquid into the tube, allowing a portion of the liquid to flow out from the proximal end of the tube toward the site, and directing laser energy from a laser energy source into the distal end of the tube, whereby a portion of the laser energy emerges from the proximal end of the tube at the site. Also, such a method in which the liquid is a radiographic contrast medium. Also, such a method for removing an obstruction from a blood vessel in an animal. Also, apparatus for delivering laser energy to a site includes a flexible tube, a liquid, the tube having an opening in a first end through which the liquid can pass, means for providing a flow of the liquid into the tube, and a source of laser energy operationally associated with a second end of the tube, wherein the tube and the liquid are adapted to cooperate, when the tube contains the liquid, to conduct laser energy from the source and to emit a portion of the laser energy from the first end of the liquid-containing tube.

This invention relates to conducting laser energy from a laser energy source along a course that includes curves of small radius.
In many circumstances in various industrial and medical applications, matter to be cut or welded or otherwise altered or removed is located at a site that is inaccessible or difficult to reach.
Many sites within the body of an animal such as a human patient are difficult to reach for performing surgery, because they are surrounded by hard tissues such as bone or because they are surrounded by delicate tissues which can be damaged. Sites within the thorax, such as the heart and the blood vessels near it, for example, are enclosed by bone structures, and sites within the cranium, such as arteries supplying the brain, for example, are surrounded by delicate brain tissue as well as by bone. The coronary arteries and the arteries of the brain can become occluded for example by atheromatous plaque formations or by thrombi or emboli, with serious consequences for the patient.
One approach to providing a supply of blood to the heart when a coronary artery is occluded is bypass surgery, that is, coronary artery bypass. The patient's thorax is opened, and a substitute conduit for supplying blood to the heart is provided by engrafting a substitute vessel between a point upstream from the occlusion, such as the aorta, and a point in the coronary artery downstream from the occlusion. Coronary bypass surgery is an involved and delicate procedure, entailing significant risk and expense to the patient. Many patients are unable to benefit from bypass surgery.
In an alternative approach to relieving an occlusion of an artery, drugs are administered to cause the vessels to dilate. Not all patients can use such drugs, however, and the results are generally only temporary, as the occluding process can continue, eventually blocking even the dilated vessel.
In still other approaches, generally termed percutaneous translumenal angioplasty, an instrument for dilating the occluded artery is introduced, generally by means of a catheter, through an opening in the skin and through an opening in the wall of a large artery such as the brachial artery or the femoral artery, and passed within the arterial lumens to the site of the occlusion. In balloon angioplasty, for example, a fine guide wire is first passed to the site of the occlusion through the lumens of major arteries, observed by radiography as it progresses; then a catheter having a balloon near its tip is passed over the wire to the site, also within the arterial lumens; and finally the balloon is inflated at the site of the occlusion to stretch the walls of the artery and open the lumen. The results of balloon angioplasty can also be temporary, as the occluding process in 30-40% of patients can continue at the site until the vessel is again blocked. Moreover, the procedure carries risks of perforation or acute occlusion of the arteries by the instrument, and the flow of blood through the vessel being treated is interrupted for a time during the procedure. Only selected patients can benefit from balloon angioplasty, leaving many patients with no viable treatment, including patients having atheromas involving long segments of vessels, or having diffuse distal artery disease, or having arteries too tortuous to permit passage of guidewires.
In a variety of industrial and medical applications, useful results can be obtained by directing laser energy at a site. For example, various materials melt or vaporize upon absorption of laser energy, and parts constructed of such materials can in effect be cut or welded to achieve a desired result. Laser energy can be used in surgery for alteration or removal of tissues or obstructions or deposits by directing the energy at the matter to be altered or removed.
In a surgical technique known as laser angioplasty, conventional light guides using fiber optics have been employed for directing laser energy onto arterial plaque formations to ablate the plaque and remove the occlusion. Individual optically conducting fibers are typically made of fused silica or quartz, and are generally fairly inflexible unless they are very thin. A thin fiber flexible enough to pass through a course having curves of small radius, such as through arterial lumens from the femoral or the brachial artery to a coronary artery, typically projects a beam of laser energy of very small effective diameter, capable of producing only a very small opening in the occlusion; moreover the energy is attenuated over relatively small distances as it passes within a thin fiber. Small diameter fibers can tend to mechanically perforate vessels when directed against the vessel wall as they are passed within the vessel toward the site.
In order to bring a sufficient quantity of energy from the laser to the plaque, light guides proposed for use in laser angioplasty usually include a number of very thin fibers, each typically about 100 to 200 microns in diameter, bundled together or bound in a tubular matrix about a central lumen, forming a catheter. Laser energy emerging from a small number of fibers bundled together in known such catheters produces lumens of suboptimal diameter which can require subsequent enlargement by, for example, balloon dilation. Such devices do not remove an adequate quantity of matter from the lesion, and their uses are generally limited to providing access for subsequent conventional balloon angioplasty.
Moreover, although individual fibers of such small dimensions are flexible enough to negotiate curves of fairly small radius, a bundle of even a few such fibers is much less flexible, and use of laser angioplasty has as a practical matter been limited to the larger, straighter blood vessels such as, for example, the large arteries of the leg, in which the laser energy is conducted by the light guide over only relatively short distances on a relatively straight course. Coupling mechanisms for directing laser energy from the source into the individual fibers in a light guide made up of multiple small fibers can be complex, including lenses and mechanisms by which the individual fibers can be addressed serially by the source beam. Improper launch of the laser energy into such a light guide can destroy the fibers, ruining the instrument and endangering the patient.
More flexible light guides can be provided by filling a flexible tube with a liquid material whose refractive index is less than that of the tube wall material. H. F. Eastgate, U.S. Pat. No. 4,045,119, describes a liquid core light guide, having a plug at each end of the tube to seal the liquid in, for transmitting laser energy at high power from a laser source such as a pulsed laser to an area of application.
The presence of blood near the distal end of such instruments can prevent laser light from reaching its appropriate target, such as for example arterial plaque or a blood clot. Moreover, absorption of laser energy by blood or blood components can result in generation of heat or formation of detonations, which can damage adjacent vessel walls.

Catheter devices and methods for delivering


The method for selecting and evaluating investment portfolio asset allocation strategies includes the step of constructing a record of investment performance statistics for a population of all possible asset allocation alternatives. A series of the average of the periodic returns for the population of securities within each of a number of market sectors is generated. Each allocation alternative is determined from the unique combination of multiples of the minimum allocation percentage increments for each of the market sectors. A list of the population of all possible allocation alternatives is then compiled from the population of all combinations of multiples of minimum allocation percentage increment for each market sector. The series of weighted-average periodic investment returns for each of the allocation alternatives is then calculated. The record of performance statistics is completed by calculating population-comparison statistics for a plurality analysis-periods.

This invention is a process for the selection and evaluation of investment portfolio asset allocation strategies based on the quantitative analysis of past investment performance. This process relates to the collection and analysis of comparative statistics for whole populations of allocation alternatives over a series of time-periods.
The present invention relates to the replacement of existing quantitative processes of selection and evaluation that rely on algorithmic methods to generate a solution set of allocation strategies based either on the analysis of small, highly volatile groups within a population of allocation-alternatives or on projections of future economic conditions and their effect on asset class performance.
In contrast to these algorithmic approaches, the process of the present invention relates to a data-base approach that works from the analysis of series of statistics of population dynamics over time. This procedure is a much more labor and computer-intensive procedure than those based on algorithmic solutions. This is a part of the reason why it has not been developed before. Its legitimacy, however, can be validated by virtue of its ability to call into question the utility of several popular industry practices regarding strategy selection that have been developed from these algorithmic processes.
The process of the present invention relates more specifically for use by a "conservative investor" otherwise known as an investor who has become skeptical of the value of investment advice based on the ability to predict the future. These conservative investors are, by definition, the users of advice regarding asset allocation strategies. Its business use is predicated on the belief that such investors value stability and place highest priority on allocation strategies whose investment performance remains most stable over changes in market conditions.
These investors are ill-served by solution sets derived from known prior art algorithmic processes, because these processes fail to account for the effect of changes in market conditions. Changes in market conditions occur with such regularity and frequency as to be commonly known as "market cycles". Therefore, there is a need for a process that can compare whole populations of alternatives across multiple market-cycle phases. It is characteristic of investors to hold their investment assets as portfolios and to allocate the assets of those portfolios among investment alternatives of diverse risk in order to mitigate the effects of these market cycles on portfolio investment performance. Therefore, a process is desired that is uniquely relevant to the uses of an investor that holds their investable assets as a portfolio and employs asset allocation as a part of their investment strategy.
It is well known that investors, unless they possess perfect foresight regarding the future path of investment markets and of the performance of individual investments, will seek to hold more than one investment at a point in time, in order to hedge against future investment-performance volatility arising from a less-than-perfect selection. Holding more than one investment creates an "investment portfolio". Such a hedging process is commonly referred to as "asset diversification", and the formulation of a plan for asset diversification is commonly referred to as "selecting an asset allocation strategy". Selecting a strategy, to the extent that it is based on a quantified analysis of alternatives, will entail either the comparison of alternatives in terms of the characteristics of their past investment performance or the projection of future investment performance based on a forecast of future market conditions and their predicted effect on the performance of the investments within a portfolio.
Selecting an asset allocation strategy is one of three basic functions necessary for selecting and maintaining an investment portfolio. An asset allocation strategy is set out in terms of percentages of portfolio assets to be held in investments from each market sector. The $40 trillion global market for publicly traded securities can be segmented into a small handful of "market sectors" which are groups of securities who, over time, have demonstrated a similar pattern of investment risk that has been uniquely different from securities in other sectors. These groups of securities are commonly known as "asset classes". Once this allocation strategy has been formulated, the other two management functions are to 1) select for investments within each sector that together will provide a diversified risk; 2) select for investments whose future investment performance will be strong relative to their sector peers.
In 1952, Dr. Harry Markowitz published a thesis entitled, Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT), in which he proved, by use of an algorithm, that the value of such asset diversification efforts would be maximized by combining investment assets from market sectors whose patterns and levels of investment risk had been uniquely different over time. The results of this algorithm are to define a sub-population of allocation strategy alternatives, known as an "efficient frontier", and a line, known as the "efficiency-line", that identify those asset allocation strategies that generated the maximum investment return across a range of investment risk available within a population of allocation-strategy alternatives in a prior time-period.
Dr. Markowitz also created two other definitions that have become central to the practice of investment management and are germane to this patent application. He defined the concept of "investment performance" as the product of two variables which is investment returns and investment risk where that relationship is plotted as a two-dimension graph with the y-axis marking investment return as the average of a series of contiguous periodic returns and the x-axis marking investment risk as the variance of those periodic returns around their average. This is known as a "mean-variance" graph. He also defined the objective of the investor as maximizing the investment returns available for a level of investment risk. His "efficient-frontier" is the solution-set of allocation alternatives that satisfy this objective.
FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate Dr. Markowitz" known prior art concepts of investment performance, mean-variance graph and an efficient frontier for a population of allocation alternatives. To the extent that processes involving the quantitative analysis of past-period investment performance statistics are used for selecting or evaluating asset allocation strategies, the investment management industry has exclusively adopted processes based on Dr. Markowitz" algorithm and the identification of the population of allocation alternatives residing on this frontier at a given point in time.
The usefulness of the allocation alternatives whose investment performance is identified as resident upon an efficiency-line in a past period is conditioned by assumptions regarding the stability of that residency in future periods. As will be described and illustrated in detail below, these assumptions made by prior art methods are flawed.
For those investors who have likewise become skeptical of the utility of the efficiency-line processes, there currently exists a more proactive algorithmic approach designed to forecast future market trends and anticipate their effects on asset-class performance. This approach relies on two algorithmic processes. The first "decomposes" the past investment performance of available investments into a weighted sum of two or more "market factors". These market factors are commonly market indices, such as the S&P500 Market Index. The attribution of market-index performance statistics to the performance of an individual investment is an algorithmic process called "factor analysis". A "pricing kernel", a second algorithm, projects the future path of markets and their effect on the investment performance of these market indices.
There exist investors that are also skeptical of the utility of this process, based on the general track record of economists and other analysts in forecasting future economic and market conditions, and the recent troubles of Long Term Capital Corp. and other commercial ventures in applying this technology to the selection of investments and allocation strategies. For these investors, another option is needed for selecting a strategy to allocate the assets of their investment portfolios that overcomes the shortcomings found in prior art methods.
In the investment field, there are problems involved with the acceptance by investors of the "pricing-kernel" algorithmic process. Beyond its poor record in commercial application, there exists the illogical nature of applying it to a process of asset diversification. In the first instance, if the provider of such a process could indeed predict the future path of markets and investment performance, there would exist no need to diversify because the investment recommendation could be limited to a single optimal investment. Secondly, if a provider could in fact predict the future, he would, for obvious reasons, forego sharing this information with others.
These processes, in fact, cannot generate a specific recommendation, but are cast as a "stochastic solution" which is a probability array of future choices. The value of these probability arrays depends on the assumption that the probable path of future market cycles follows a normal, or at least, a symmetrical distribution. It has been shown in the past that the actual path of market cycles often deviates from this assumption, and as the troubles of Long Term Capital Corp have aptly demonstrated results in loss of funds.
There have been many attempts in the prior art to solve the aforementioned problems. There exist several patents for processes to select allocation strategies based on these predictive algorithms.
This process for analyzing comparative investment performance statistics among a population of allocation alternatives is not unlike the analyses that have historically been generated in regard to comparing investments within an asset class, which is the population of investments within a market sector. Averages for investment return and risk are commonly computed from population data for a specified analysis-period, and the performance of individuals within each population is compared to these averages. A series of analysis-period analyses are then compared by calculating an average and variance for statistics that they hold in common and the time-period trends so identified are tested for statistical relevance.
However, the prior art have not applied these processes to populations of allocation alternatives. The prior art is devoid of such methodologies. Prior methods for describing allocation alternative populations that have taken as their basis the MPT efficiency-line algorithm and processes derived from this algorithm cannot analyze performance differences among populations of allocation alternatives because they cannot see those populations of alternatives or track them over time.
Due to lack of computing power in the past, the use of the MPT algorithm was desirable because it used little computing-resources, as long as one keeps small the number of market-sectors under consideration. The algorithm involves terms for the pair-wise covariant relationship between market-sectors, namely five market sectors involves calculating ten pair-wise covariant terms; ten market sectors involve calculating forty-five covariant terms.
Defining an allocation-alternative population by means of a data base of computed investment return and risk for each allocation alternative is much more computer and labor-intensive. The population of allocation alternatives arising from five market sectors combined in 5-percent increments is 10,626; for ten market sectors, the population of alternatives is 7.75 million.
There is a desire for a method to work on commercially available spreadsheet and database software, such as Microsoft Excel and Access and a PC of that is configured for the maximum available memory, storage and computing speed. At a five marketsector population, the capacity of the software and current PC computer hardware is taxed, requiring multiple sub-steps to accumulating the performance statistics for a 10,626-item population. Without careful adherence to these sub-steps, the scope of the calculations is beyond the capacity of the machinery. However, present day consumer computers are can perform the desired calculations. Thus, modern computing technology has enabled large number processing possible at low cost.
Processes related to investment management have been granted patents only over the last few years. Until recently, the existence of innovations and existing practices in the field has been communicated primarily through publication in academic journals and textbooks on financial economics. A review of prior art must include these sources as well as the patent record.
Modern Portfolio Theory and Investment Analysis, by E. Elton and M. Gruber, 1995, teaches two methods for asset allocation selection. Both begin with the calculation of an "efficient frontier" in the manner as outlined previously in this paper. For a portfolio comprised of only "risky-assets", it recommends selecting allocation alternatives that reside on the efficiency-line made from market sectors containing those risky assets and at a level of returns variance commensurate with the investor"s risk tolerance. For a portfolio comprise of both risky and riskless assets, it recommends finding the most efficient of the allocation alternatives made from the risky assets, known as the "market portfolio", and then amending that allocation strategy with the addition of riskless assets to achieve a level of returns variance commensurate with the investor"s risk tolerance. The expected performance from such an amended strategy can be located on a mean-variance graph as a straight line drawn from the point of average return for the riskless asset through the point of return for the market portfolio, the line being known as a "market line", FIG. 2. The Elton and Gruber exposition of the population of allocation alternative available to an investor never references the remainder of the allocation population that resides off the efficiency line.
The methodology of selecting for an allocation alternative from an efficiency line or market portfolio population is one that works much better in theory than in practice. As my process can demonstrate, the future investment performance for an allocation-alternative selected from an efficiency line for a series of selection periods over the last forty years has been poor relative to its allocation population peers. Picking a single point from among an efficiency-line population compounds the problem, generating a selection of even a poorer record of relative future performance and further compromising a process whose purpose is to ensure that the future strength and stability of an investment portfolio"s performance will meet investor expectations.
The prior art also includes articles within the research journals over the last fifty years that explore allocation strategy selection. Many of these articles advocate for adding one or more explanatory variables to the prior-period measurements of investment return and risk that go into creating the efficient-frontier population, in effect changing the two-dimensional efficiency line into a three dimensional cone. The jury is still out over whether adding additional factors to an efficiency-line creates a solution to the future performance problems arising from such selections. However, the important point is that in all of its machinations, the prior art never once references the allocation alternatives that may lie inside this line or cone.
A number of prior art patents exist for processes related the function of asset allocation strategy selection and evaluation. Some related to predictive algorithms, a pricing kernel or otherwise "hidden algorithm" being an integral part of their process. Other prior art methods employ processes other than strategy selection and evaluation, and default to "external factors" for the identification of an allocation strategy. Additionally, other prior art methods use a process built off the procedure of finding an efficiency-line population of allocation alternatives.
As example of predictive algorithms, U.S. Pat. No. 6,021,397 issued to Jones, et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 6,125,355 issued to Bekaert, et al. decompose the past performance of investment alternatives into a set of factors made from market indices and then predict the future path of investment markets and their effect on the performance of these factors using a pricing kernel of unspecified dimensions. As example of selection and evaluation processes built from an efficiency-line populations, U.S. Pat. No. 6,078,904, issued to Rebane, identifies a single point of maximum differential returns from among a set of allocation strategies that reside on an efficiency line. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 6,003,018, issued to Michuad et al., employs a process that evaluates the continuing suitability of allocation alternatives selected by an efficiency-line by a "resampling procedure" which runs a number of economic simulations to create a probability distribution around each point on the line.
In view of the prior art, the primary need is to correct for erroneous and misleading information generated by existing algorithmic processes using an efficiency line. These processes are the ones most generally in use within the market, and their shortcomings the most damaging to the interests of investors.
Prior art algorithmic processes, which are based on the analysis of an efficiency-line population, are deficient at two levels. First, the Markowitz algorithm used in such analyses identifies only a small portion of the allocation alternatives available. If an investor decides for an allocation alternative that does not appear on this "efficiency line" for a prior-period, the question arises as to how to identify its relative value.
For example, of the total population of allocation alternatives that can be constructed from a population of market sectors, less than 1% of those alternatives will reside on the efficiency line for any given time period. For the analysis of the investment performance for the other 99% of a population of allocation alternatives, the data generated by an algorithm defining an efficiency line will fail to assist the investor.
The second, and more critical issue is that the alternatives identified through their residency upon an efficiency line in a prior-period are those least likely to be relevant to the purposes of an investor. The investor"s objective of maximizing returns for a level of risk implies that an allocation-alternative"s position of an efficiency line in a prior period must have some relation to the chance of that allocation-alternative residing upon an efficiency line or at least remaining a strong alternative in future periods.
This issue is compounded by the fact that an asset allocation strategy is, in practice, a process that is only relevant in solving for the issue of "long-term" investment performance and risk. Economists have found that market conditions are cyclical and change over time, and that the relative strength of various market sectors, and of the various combinations of market sectors, shifts with these changes. The population of allocation alternatives residing on an efficiency line in a past analysis-period that documents one phase of a market cycle is comprised of those allocation alternatives most responsive to the specific market conditions of that cycle phase. As market conditions changes, these alternatives are the ones within the population that are least likely to thrive in a transition of markets to another phase of a cycle.
It is therefore a principal object of this invention to provide a method of selecting and evaluating investments to generate a solution set of allocation strategies.
It is also an object of the invention to employ a database approach to selecting investments that is based on the analysis of a series of statistics of population dynamics over time.
Another principal object is to provide a method with the foregoing advantages that is strongly predictive of future differences in investment performance characteristics among populations of allocation alternatives, and is reliable regardless of market conditions, and produces a magnitude of superior future performance that justifies the cost of practicing the selection process.

Process for the selection and evaluation of investment portfolio asset allocation strategies


A device for loading, mixing and delivering ingredients includes a measuring bucket pivotably mounted to the free ends of pickup arms pivotably mounted to a mixing vessel including a lid having a depressed basin with an opening formed therethrough. The mixing vessel and the measuring bucket are simultaneously moved with the measuring bucket in a loading position to fill with ingredients. The measuring bucket is moved relative to the mixing vessel from a transport position to an emptying position emptying the ingredients into the mixing vessel. A linkage is pivotably mounted between the pickup arms and the lid to simultaneously move the lid from a closed position to an open position as the measuring bucket moves from the transport position to the emptying position. The ingredients are mixed by mixing paddles inside the mixing vessel, and the mixed ingredients are released from the mixing vessel through an open gate.

A variable displacement self loading mixing device and methods are shown and described.
Small batches of concrete are typically mixed in a cement mixer that is hand loaded with material and then dumped into a wheel barrow which is moved to the desired location for dumping. Considerable labor is required, much of which is manually performed by multiple persons.
Thus, a need exists for methods and devices for loading, mixing and delivering concrete which mechanizes many steps and reduces labor requirements with fewer personnel.

Variable displacement self loading mixing device and methods


A cab extending tonneau cover for attachment to a pickup truck cargo area sidewalls and extending rearwardly of a pickup truck cab, the cover comprising a frame including a cab extension and first and second arms, the cab extension being constructed and arranged to extend a pickup truck cab rearwardly, the first and second arms being constructed and arranged to attach to left and right pickup truck sidewalls, a deck provided between the first and second arms of said frame, said deck including a hinge system for rotating said deck between open and closed portions, wherein said deck is readily removable from said frame.

Owners of pickup truck style motor vehicles often desire to provide a cover over the bed or cargo area of their pickup truck in order to conceal the cargo from view or protect it from weather. Accordingly, many different designs of tonneau covers and toppers are presently available. Many of the prior tonneau covers and toppers provide desired aesthetics when attached to a pickup truck. A drawback, however, is that they often do not look like a natural extension of the vehicle. Furthermore, they can be difficult to remove when it is necessary to load a large item in the cargo area. Another popular accessory for pickup trucks is a cab extension, sometimes called a cab fairing. This accessory generally provides the pickup truck with the appearance that the cab extends farther rearwardly than it actually does.
Devices have been designed which incorporate some of the features of tonneau covers and cab extensions. For example, see U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,954,296 to Patnode; 4,061,394 to Vodin; Des. U.S. Pat. No. 281,487 to Chapman; Des. U.S. Pat. No. 324,195 to Ueno; and Des. U.S. Pat. No. 323,479 to Akashi et al.

Pickup truck cab extending tonneau cover


An air intake structure in a motorcycle having a body frame including a hollow head member in its front wall with an air inlet opening and supporting a steering shaft and paired hollow main frame members extending rearward from the head member on right and left sides of the motorcycle. The structure includes an air cleaner disposed behind the head member, an inlet duct having an open front end and an open rear end, an intake duct in the hollow main frame member, respectively having a front part extended toward the head member in the hollow main frame member and having an open front end, and a rear part connected to the air cleaner. An air passage defined by the intake duct has a sectional area increased downstream with respect to the direction of air flow. The intake ducts are internally provided with straightening plate, respectively.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an air intake structure of a motorcycle, more particulary to the air intake structure for carrying air from an air intake member to an air cleaner of an engine in a motorcycle.
2. Description of the Related Art
A generally known air intake structure of the engine for a motorcycle has an air intake member disposed at the front end of a body of a motorcycle with its intake opening forward to take in incoming air efficiently and an intake duct for carrying air taken in through the air intake member to an air cleaner. A part of the body frame is used as an intake air passage to reduce the necessary length of the intake duct and space for containing the intake duct.
FIG. 7 is a sectional view in a horizontal plane of a conventional air intake structure and FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line VIII-VIII in FIG. 7.
Referring to FIG. 7, a body frame 100 of the motorcycle has a hollow head member 102 housing a head pipe 101, and right and left main frame members 105 extending backward from the head member 102 on the right and the left side, respectively, of the body frame 100. The open front end of an air intake duct 106 is connected to the front end of the head member 102. The head member 102 defines a substantially straight, longitudinal intake passage 110.
Referring to FIG. 8, a part of the head member 102 corresponding to the rear end of the intake passage 110 is connected to an inlet duct 115 connected to an air cleaner 112. A resonator 116 for intake noise suppression is connected to the air intake duct 106 so as to project downward from the air intake duct 106. Air taken in through the open front end of the air intake duct 106 flows through the intake passage 110 in the head member 102. The air devides into right and left sides at the head pipe 101 and flows into the air cleaner 112. The air passage between the air intake duct 106 and the air cleaner 112 is substantially straight.
Referring to FIG. 9 showing another conventional air intake structure disclosed in JP-A No. 2001-152990, a body frame has a Y-shaped head box 201 housing a head pipe 200. An air intake duct 203 is joined to the front end of the head box 201. Right and left outlet openings 205 are formed in the back wall of the head box 201. An front openings 211 of an air cleaner case 210 is connected to the outlet openings 205. A water drip plate 213 having the shape of an inverted V is disposed inside the air cleaner case 210 so as to confront the openings 205 and define right and left intake passages 215 connected to right and left air cleaner elements 216.
In the air intake structures shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, since air taken into the air intake duct 106 flows through the substantially straight intake passage 110, the resonator 116 is provided to be connected to the air intake duct 106 so as to project downward from the air intake duct 106 for intake noise suppression. Therefore, the motorcycle needs to provide a space for installing the resonator 116 therein and there is a limit to the volume of the resonator 116. Further water, such as rainwater, leaked into the air intake duct 106 is carried by air flowing at a high velocity into the air cleaner 112. Therefore, the inlet of the air cleaner 112 is opened downward as shown in FIG. 8, and an additional dehydrating mechanism may be necessary on the upstream side of the inlet of the air cleaner 112. Thus, additional work is required for preventing the leakage of water into the air intake structure.
The air intake structure shown in FIG. 9 has the Y-shaped head box 201 defining an air passage sharply expanded toward the main frame members 204 such that the sectional area of the air passage increases rearward to suppress intake noise. In this air intake structure, all the air taken in through the air intake duct 203 flows into the wide Y-shaped part of the air passage and the flow velocity of the air drops sharply, and then the air flows through the right and left outlet openings 205 into the intake passages 215 of the air cleaner 210. Therefore, a satisfactory intake noise suppressing effect is low, and the large drop of the flow velocity of the air reduces intake efficiency. The water drip plate 213 having the shape of an inverted V is disposed inside the air cleaner case 210 to prevent the leakage of water into the air cleaner case 210. Therefore, the volume of a space on the clean side in the air cleaner case 210 is small. It is difficult to prevent the leakage of water into the cleaner case 210 effectively only by the water drip plate 213.


The support for the moving contact of a circuit breaker has a piston that is driven by arc gases generated by initial separation of the contacts through magnetic repulsion to rapidly open the contacts. A pair of telescoping shield sleeves that have aligned openings through which the moving contact is extended to close with the fixed contact are oppositely driven transversely to piston movement by the arc gases to cut off the arc.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to a circuit breaker in which the arc gases generated during current interruption are used to open the circuit breaker and to propel shutters that cutoff the arc.
2. Background Information
In a common construction of a low voltage air circuit breaker, the movable contact is mounted on a contact arm that is pivoted to open the contacts by a spring powered operating mechanism triggered by a trip unit responsive to an overcurrent condition in the protected circuit. Even though the contacts open, current continues to flow by way of an arc that is struck between the opening contacts. This arc must be extinguished in order to interrupt the current. Typically, the arc is commutated to an arc chute containing a stack of spaced apart electrically conductive plates that break the arc into a series of smaller arcs that raise the arc voltage thereby aiding in termination of the arc. Simultaneously, the arc is cooled by arc gases formed by the vaporization of the contact and surrounding materials and directed to vents in the circuit breaker housing.
One approach to limiting the let through current during interruption has been to speed up the opening of the contacts. This includes forming a reverse current loop in the conductor leading to the fixed contact to generate magnetic repulsion forces that initiate contact arm opening movement before the opening mechanism has time to respond. Supplemental to this, U.S. Pat. No. 6,204,465 suggests providing paddles on the contact arm against which the expanding arc gases act to accelerate contact opening.
Another approach to limiting let through current, and therefore improving the performance of low voltage circuit breakers, has been to physically cut the arc. U.S. Pat. No. 4,801,772 suggests forcing an insulating wedge between the contacts; however, it has proved difficult to completely cutoff the arc and to reset the spring operated mechanism in this arrangement. U.S. Pat. No. 4,700,030 suggests using the arc gases to drive an insulative closed in cylindrical skirt between the contacts to cutoff the arc.
Despite these approaches, there is still room for improvement in the short circuit interruption performance of low voltage air circuit breakers.

Circuit breaker with arc gas propelled movable contact and opposed arc cutoff shutters


Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a novel safety alert sign which provides a uniquely attention-getting and highly visible warning to oncoming drivers during both daylight, and, particularly twilight and dusk through the nighttime hours.

Nearly everywhere an individual travels on roads and highways, there is routine sharing of the pavement for multiple purposes. On most roadways, cars and trucks share space with cyclists, runners, and walkers. In other locations, there are pedestrian, child stroller, wheelchair, ATV and snowmobile crossings. Often unanticipated circumstances are encountered, such as unsafe roadways, bad weather, traffic congestion, accidents, road repairs, delivery trucks that block traffic, vehicle breakdowns, stressed-out commuters, and congestion arising from bottlenecks occurring before and after large public events. All of these conditions amplify the need to be seen for those sharing the road with motorists.
Drivers face a growing number of distractions ranging from radios, and onboard audio and video devices, to the nearly ubiquitous and now well-documented, highly distracting cell phone. Given the power, mass, and velocity of modern vehicles, together with the period of time a driver requires for recognition and reaction, it can be life threatening when a cyclist or pedestrian is not noticed until the last instant. This type of situation is especially hazardous at dusk or after dark. Those who are not in automobiles, but need to share the roadside, face a growing level of danger. The threat is to both young and old alike. Such individuals have a life-saving need to make themselves seen at the greatest possible distance by approaching drivers.
Each year in the U.S., hundreds of people are killed as a result of cycling accidents. A much larger number are injured, either temporarily or permanently. An even larger population of victims exists among pedestrians. In a recent annual compilation by the State of New York, bicyclists and pedestrians together experienced 30,000 injuries and 500 fatalities. The injury numbers were represented as low, due to flaws in current accident reporting requirements. The study stated that of the major factors contributing to such accidents, chief among them are: (1) confusion on the part of a cyclist or pedestrian unable to make needed judgments, to react quickly, or take fast evasive action (often due to age or inexperience); (2) driver inattention; and (3) a driver failing to yield the right-of-way. Driver error was present in over one-third of all reported accidents.
The report stated that, "Collectively, human error is probably the most significant factor." The carnage in other leading states, California, Florida, and Texas, is as bad or worse.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reported that in the year 2002, 660 U.S. bicyclists were killed in crashes with motor vehicles. These deaths are more frequent in the warmer months, on the busier traffic days of the week (Monday and Friday), in urban population areas, and during periods of darkness.
Motorists often share the roadside with countless cyclists, walkers, and runners. Many drivers often encounter a cyclist, walker, or jogger in dark clothing, with either no illumination or poor illumination. Accident statistics clearly indicate that the trust of these individuals in approaching motorists is misplaced. This type of hazard has become increasingly true in a society in which driving while holding a distracting phone conversation has become so common and problematic. Dialing motorists have now become their own statistical risk category, as a documented threat to others and to themselves.
Particularly during periods of darkness, improved visibility affords two distinct advantages. A cyclist or pedestrian gains an additional margin of safety. A motorist gains an additional margin of response. Each benefits from a simple but life-saving collaboration between the cyclist or pedestrian who needs to be seen, and the motorist who cannot respond until they have seen the cyclist or pedestrian. Each benefits from the motorist recognizing and responding to the presence of the cyclist or pedestrian as early as possible.
Research at the University of Michigan, funded by NHTSA, examined numerous formats and types of content used for display in road hazard and warning signs. Subjects noted a preference for signs that quickly conveyed a message in brief, meaningful text. Subjects preferred this type of message to lines, arrows, drawn hazards, and other signage in which cognitive interpretation is required to deduce an implied meaning. This is especially significant inasmuch as safe response distances rapidly close at highway speeds. This extends also to simple steady or blinking lights, which in some instances might be so small or weak as to not provide an effective, attention getting warning at all.

Wearable, attachable, or hand-held, super-bright, led-based, textual, safety alert sign and portable emergency/work light


A received signal strength detector for a receiver of a mobile communications system includes: a first intermediate frequency processor for processing a transmitted radio frequency signal at a first intermediate frequency zone to produce a first intermediate frequency signal; a second intermediate frequency processor for processing the first intermediate frequency signal at a second frequency zone to produce a second intermediate frequency signal; a first path connected to an output terminal of the second intermediate frequency processor for providing a flow path for a current corresponding to the strength of the second intermediate frequency signal; and a second path for providing an additional flow path for the current flowing through the first path in response to the first intermediate frequency signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a receiver of a mobile communications system, particularly to a received signal strength detector which can extend the dynamic range of the received signal strength and minimize variations in the detection voltage of the received signal strength.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a receiver of a mobile communications system performs detection of a signal received through an antenna. The received signal strength indicator (hereinafter referred to as "RSSI") thus detected is used for control of the transmission output level, setting of a near value and a far value at the time of link setting, hand-off function, etc. which means that it is an element which can guarantee smooth operation of the mobile communications system.
In a receiver of a mobile communications system which performs the above-described operations, a radio frequency signal received from the air through an antenna is supplied to a low noise amplifier through a circulator. The low noise amplifier amplifies at low noise a radio frequency signal supplied through the circulator, and a first mixer mixes and outputs the radio frequency signal, which is amplified at low noise, and a frequency signal, which is generated by a first local oscillator. The signal outputted at this time is a signal at an intermediate frequency zone. An intermediate frequency amplifier amplifies the signal at the intermediate frequency zone and outputs it to an IF processor. The IF processor then receives the outputted signal of the intermediate frequency amplifier, and performs various processing operations to be done at the intermediate frequency zone.
The IF processor is composed of a second mixer, a second oscillator, a second IF amplifier, a limiter, a quadrature detector, an audio signal amplifier, a voltage regulator, a logarithmic amplifier, etc. and performs various processing operations to be done at the intermediate frequency zone. For the IF processor, a frequency modulation IF integrated circuit of Type SA606 manufactured and sold by the Philips Company of the Netherlands may be used typically.
An IF processor composing an earlier RSSI detection circuit and its surrounding circuits are explained in detail on pages 355 through 367 of a data book published by the Philips Company on Oct. 26, 1993 under the title "Philips Semiconductor RF Communications Products.
The IF processor has an RFin terminal and inputs the signal amplified by the intermediate frequency amplifier. The amplitude of the inputted signal is limited to a certain degree by a limiter and is supplied to a non-inverting input terminal (+) of a logarithmic amplifier for detection of the RSSI. The output terminal of the logarithmic amplifier is connected to the RSSI terminal of the IF processor, while an inverting input terminal (-) is connected to an RSSI F/B terminal of the IF processor. A capacitor connected between the RSSI terminal of the IF processor and a ground terminal, a first resistor connected between the RSSI F/B terminal and the ground terminal, and a second resistor connected between the RSSI terminal and the RSSI F/B terminal are surrounding constituent elements which enable detection of the RSSI.
The detection of the RSSI is possible by detecting a voltage Va appearing at the RSSI terminal of the IF processor. That is, once the value of the Va voltage is detected, the RSSI can be detected by a graph of the RF signal level versus RSSI voltage. However, there is a range in which the value of Va voltage is varied as the level of the RF signal is changed as well as a range in which the value of Va voltage is not varied even when the level of the RF signal is changed. The former range is called an RSSI dynamic range. When the RF signal corresponding to the level in this range is supplied to the IF processor, detection of the RSSI is possible from the value of Va voltage. However, if the RF signal corresponding to the level in the latter range, called the RSSI saturation range, is supplied to the IF processor, detection of the RSSI from the value of Va voltage becomes impossible since if a Va of about 3.75 volts is detected, there is no way of knowing whether the level of RF signal corresponding to that voltage is -30 dBm, -20 dBm, or -10 dBm.
In summary, the RSSI dynamic range of the IF processor is limited to a constant range (generally a range of -30 dBm through -110 dBm). Therefore, in case of an earlier receiver of the mobile communications system, the level of the received signal can be detected only when an RF signal of a level corresponding to a -30 dBm through -110 dBm range is supplied to the IF processor.
In the meantime, the earlier mobile communications system is designed to have a low transmission output to minimize interference and a high gain for elements such as a circulator, an LNA, a mixer, an IF amplifier, etc. composed ahead of the IF processor in order to improve receiving sensitivity. For example, in case of a second generation cordless telephone (CT-2) system, it is designed to have the gain of a circulator of -1 dB, that of an LNA of +20 dB, that of a mixer of +6 dB, and that of an IF amplifier of +5 dB (that is, the gain ahead of the IF processor of about 30 dB). However, the gain of the elements ahead of the IF processor should be designed taking into consideration the RSSI dynamic range permitted by the IF processor, and not freely without any restrictions. The higher the gain of the elements ahead of the IF processor, the smaller the range of the RF signal level which can be detected at the IF processor. As an example, when the gain of the elements ahead of the IF processor is designed to be 30 dB, detection of the RSSI is possible if the range of the level of the RF signal transmitted from the transmitter is less than -60 dBm.
On the other hand, to be noted is that the stable range of the level of the RF signal received by an antenna should be more than about -90 dBm taking into consideration the Rayleigh fading phenomena and thermal noise of the receiver which are seen for the mobile communications system of the pico cell concept such as the CT-2 system.
Therefore, taking into consideration the above-described items, the RSSI dynamic range which can be received by an antenna without having a saturated IF processor is merely about 25 dB (-60 dBm through -90 dBm). It can be seen that the RSSI dynamic range of a receiver for the earlier mobile communications system is very narrow. Accordingly, the number of objects of transmitted output which can be controlled by the receiver becomes smaller, and there are interfering signals in the RF signal because of uncontrolled transmitted outputs, which means communications becomes of low quality eventually. In addition, there is a problem of a narrower set range of a near value and a far value which can be used effectively for link setting as the RSSI dynamic range becomes narrower.
The following patents each disclose feature in common with the present invention but do not teach or suggest the specifically recited received signal strength detector for a mobile communications system of the present invention: U.S. Pat. No. 5,390,365 to Enoki el al., entitled Radio Communication Apparatus Having A Received Signal Strength Measuring Function, U.S. Pat. No. 5,193,210 to Nicholas el al., entitled Low Power RF Receiver, U.S. Pat. No. 4,620,114 to Moon, entitled Signal Strength Detector, U.S. Pat. No. 5,430,893 to Myer, entitled Radio Receiver With Increased Dynamic Range, U.S. Pat. No. 5,603,113 to De Loe Jr., entitled Automatic Gain Control Circuit For Both Receiver And Transmitter Adjustable Amplifiers Including A Linear Signal Level Detector With DC Blocking, DC Adding, And AC Removing Components, U.S. Pat. No. 5,487,186 to Scarpa, entitled Automatic Frequency Control Using Split-Band Signal Strength Measurements, U.S. Pat. No. 5,489,868 to Gilbert, entitled Detector Cell For Logarithmic Amplifiers.

Received signal strength detector for a mobile communications system


An image processing method for adding noise-like texture to the print through the manipulation of halftone screens. The method injects noise into halftone thresholds arrays rather than directly into the image. The method operates by creating a halftone threshold array of suitable size to support the desired noise characteristics. A textured pattern of a corresponding size is created having the desired noise characteristics and boundary transitions. The texture pattern is applied to the halftone threshold array by an amount determined by a noise amplitude control curve. The incoming contone image is then processed with the modified halftone screen.

Many processes and devices have been used in image processing for digital printing. The acceptance of electrostatic print engines by the graphic arts and commercial print market has heretofore been hampered by various problems, including the lack of acceptable uniformity appearance, especially in the mid-tone range. In the image forming apparatus of the electro photo-graphic system, an apparatus capable of outputting a color image by arrangement of a plurality of image forming units corresponding to color components, color-decomposed in accordance with subtractive primaries or repetition of an image forming process, has previously been put to practical use.
Image noise is among one of the top image quality issues for electrostatic printing when compared to offset printing. Noises at high and low spatial frequencies are typically referred to as graininess and mottle within the visual frequency range. The image noises at various spatial frequencies, namely graininess & mottle, are of particular interests to this application. In particular, the relative amplitudes of the image noises at different frequencies are adjusted to optimize the visual uniformity of a print.
Ideally, it is desired to eliminate the image noise at all frequencies. But current electrostatic printing technology still leaves a significant amount of noises at various frequencies, which leads to quite objectionable graininess and mottle (blotchy) appearance.
Visual masking is a well known phenomenon that some visual effects are less noticeable in the presence of some other more visually dominant features. Some image processing methods are taking advantages of this phenomenon by using noises to mask out moiré, banding and contouring. Another particular example is the visual masking of mottle by graininess: image mottle (low frequency variation) perception improves as the image graininess increases. Therefore, there is an opportunity to optimize the overall uniformity (combining both mottle & graininess) by adjusting the levels of noises at different frequencies. Although it is difficult to lower the system noise, it is possible to increase the noise levels at pre-selected frequencies to achieve the desired visual optimization.
Image mottle is particularly troublesome for some systems. Following the visual masking principle, adding noise to the image, especially high frequency noises, such as graininess noise, have shown to improve the mottle appearance of the image. Due to the random nature of noise, noise addition to the print has only been demonstrated through manipulation of the input contone images before halftoning.
Although the addition of noise to images has show improvement in mottle appearance, such methods are still inadequate. What is needed are better and more flexible methods to improve uniformity appearance of images.

Textured HT screens for improved uniformity appearance


A valve, possibly for use in a paintball marker, has a longer threaded portion that insures a canister that engages the valve must undergo many twists to become unscrewed from the valve. Alternatively, the valve has an elongated threaded portion with gas bleed channels that extend along a substantial portion of the threading. Still alternatively, the valve may use visual markings along the length of the threaded portion to indicate to a user that the canister is being unscrewed.

In the sport of paintball, players use a paintball gun or "marker," to fire ammunition (paintballs) that bursts upon impact. To generate the force necessary to burst the paintballs on impact, paintball markers drive the paintballs using compressed gas, usually Carbon Dioxide (CO2) or a Nitrogen/High Pressure Air (N2/HPA) mixture These gases are stored in compressed gas tanks, also referred to collectively as gas tanks, air tanks, air canisters, or canisters.
The tank comprises, generally, a canister, and a valve closing off an open end of the canister. One end of the valve is designed to securely screw into the canister, usually by threaded engagement. Another end of the valve is threaded for engagement with a portion of, for example, a paintball marker, or a paintball marker accessory that is designed to receive the tank.
FIG. 1 shows standard valve 10 used in threaded engagement with a canister (not shown), a burst disk assembly 15 that engages the valve through the hole 15a (shown in phantom), and a threaded portion 16 for engaging an air tank. Internally, the valve 10 comprises a depressor pin 20, a depressor pin spring 22, and a retainer plug 24. The threaded portion 16, may be provided with a vent hole 17 that releases pressure built up inside the valve to atmosphere.
There are drawbacks of these prior art canister and valve combinations, especially as the canister begins unscrewing from the valve. During intentional or unintentional unscrewing, pressure from the compressed gas inside the canister presses against the valve and can unexpectedly separate the canister and valve as the engaged threads between the canister and valve decrease. The only known safety mechanism for the valve and canister interface is directed at pressure relief from inside the valve and is shown in prior art FIG. 1.


A gas flow rate verification unit capable of enhancing reliability of gas flow rate verification. The gas flow rate verification unit has a first cutoff valve that is connected to a flow rate control device and to which gas is inputted, a second cutoff valve for discharging the gas, a communication member for allowing the first cutoff valve and the second cutoff valve to communicate with each other, a pressure sensor for detecting the pressure of the gas supplied between the first cutoff valve and the second cutoff valve, a temperature detector for detecting the temperature of the gas supplied between the first cutoff valve and the second cutoff valve, and a control means for verifying the flow of the gas flowing in the flow control device, the verification being performed by using both the result of the pressure detected by the pressure sensor and the result of the temperatures detected by the temperature detector. The volume (Vk) between the valve seat of the first cutoff valve and the valve seat of the second cutoff valve is equal to or less than the volume (Ve) between the outlet of the flow control device and the valve seat of the first cutoff valve.

In a film deposition device or a dry etching device in a semiconductor manufacturing process, special gas such as silane or phosphine, corrosive gas such as chlorinated gas, combustible gas such as hydrogen gas, or the like are used.
Flow rates of these gases should strictly be controlled.
The reason of this is because the gas flow rate directly affects a quality of the process. Specifically, the gas flow rate greatly affects a film quality in a film deposition process or a quality of a circuit processing in an etching process, whereby a yield of a semiconductor product is determined according to precision of the gas flow rate.
Another reason is that most of these gases are harmful to a human body and environment or have explosiveness. These gases are not allowed to be directly disposed in the atmosphere after they are used, so that a device used in a semiconductor manufacturing process should be provided with detoxifying device in accordance with a type of gas. However, the detoxifying device described above has limited processing capacity in general. Therefore, when the flow rate more than the allowable value flows, it cannot perfectly process the gas, so that the deleterious gas might be flown out in the atmosphere or the detoxifying device might be broken.
Moreover, since these gases, especially high-purity dust-free gas that can be used in a semiconductor manufacturing process, are expensive, and limitation is imposed on some gases for their use due to natural deterioration, they cannot be preserved in a large quantity.
In view of this, a known mass flow controller serving as a flow rate control device has conventionally been mounted in a semiconductor manufacturing process circuit so that a gas flows in an optimum flow rate for every type of gas. The mass flow controller described above changes the set flow rate by changing the applied voltage thus responding to changes in a process recipe.
However, these gases used in the semiconductor manufacturing process, especially the material gas for the film deposition among the so-called process gases, might cause precipitation of solid substances in a gas line due to its characteristics, so that the flow volume might be changed. The mass flow controller is formed with a capillary tube inside in order to supply a fixed flow rate with high precision. Even a small amount of precipitation of the solid substance on this portion could deteriorate the flow precision of the gas to be supplied. Further, since a gas with high corrosivity for an etching process or the like is flown, the corrosion of the mass flow controller cannot be avoided even if a material having a high corrosion resistance such as a stainless material or the like is used. As a result, a secular deterioration could occur, deteriorating the flow precision.
As described above, in the mass flow controller, the relationship between the applied voltage and the actual flow rate changes, so that the actual flow rate might possibly change. Therefore, the mass flow controller needs to be periodically subject to flow rate verification calibration.
The flow rate verification of the mass flow controller is basically performed by using a film flowmeter. However, this measurement is performed with a part of a pipe removed. After the measurement, the pipe should be assembled in the original state, and a leakage check should be executed. Therefore, the work is very time-consuming. Accordingly, it is ideal that the flow rate verification can be executed without removing the pipe.
As a method for performing the flow rate verification with the pipe assembled, there has been a method, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, in which a gas flow rate verification unit U is mounted downstream of a mass flow controller so as to constitute a gas mass flow measurement system. FIG. 19 shows a block diagram of a gas mass flow verification system.
As shown in FIG. 19, the gas mass flow verification system includes the gas flow rate verification unit U that includes a valve component 151, a chamber 153, a transducer assembly 154, and a valve component 152 and is mounted downstream of a mass flow controller 10. The chamber 153 has a known volume. The transducer assembly 154 is connected to a gas flow line 150 downstream of the chamber 153, and the valve components 151 and 152 are connected to the gas flow line 150 positioned downstream and upstream of the transducer assembly 154, thereby making the volume constant. The transducer assembly 154 outputs a signal directly indicating a PV/RT on the basis of pressure and temperature between the valve components 151 and 152. Here, P denotes a pressure, V denotes a volume, R denotes a gas constant, and T denotes an absolute temperature.
The gas mass flow verification system described above measures the actual flow rate of the mass flow controller 10 on the basis of the signal indicating the PV/RT outputted from the transducer assembly 154 without individually measuring pressure and temperature of the chamber 153. The gas mass flow verification system compares the actual flow rate with the preset flow rate of the mass flow controller 10, thereby verifying the flow rate of the mass flow controller 10.
Patent Document 1: Japan Patent No. 3022931


A compression type refrigeration system having a compressor, a condenser and an evaporator positioned remotely from the condenser, a liquid feed line connecting the condenser outlet with the evaporator inlet, said feed line having a length, and an expansion device located in the liquid feed line and positioned remotely from the evaporator. Where multiple evaporators are employed a novel distributing device is employed to divide the main refrigerant stream flowing in the liquid feed line between the expansion device and the evaporators into sub-streams which flow to each of the multiple evaporators. A hot gas defrost is provided which is designed to avoid condensation of refrigerant within the defrosting evaporator.

There was a time not long past when refrigerants, commonly used in large systems for warehouses and supermarkets, such as dichloro-difluoro methane, known in the trade as R-12, cost less than one dollar per pound and lubricants of the type employed with R-12 cost less than a dollar per gallon.
Subsequently it was found that the concentration of stratospheric ozone was declining, especially in the Antarctic regions. Many scientists believed that R-12 and similar fully substituted chlorfluorocarbons (CFC's) were escaping from refrigeration systems and from industrial processes which employed them and were migrating to the stratosphere where the chlorine atoms in these chemicals attacked and destroyed the ozone present there.
Governments decreed that the production of such chemicals stop. To satisfy the demand for refrigerants for comfort and process and food cooling and freezing, a group of chemicals which employed fluorine but had no chlorine was developed (-FC refrigerants). These new -FC refrigerants cost ten or more times greater than the prebanned price for the old CFC refrigerants. The old low cost oils were believed to not work correctly with the new -FC refrigerants and new oils were developed. Instead of costing only a few dollars per gallon, the new oils such as polyolester (POE) chemicals cost much more.
It was found that the greater the mass of refrigerant required to be charged into a system to make it function correctly, the greater the volume of lubricant was needed to satisfy the requirements of the compressor.
Therefore efforts were directed to designing systems which employed less refrigerant, thereby requiring less of the new lubricant and thus providing the dual benefit of reduced aggregate cost for both as well as sharply reduced risk of loss in the event of a serious refrigerant leak.

System for supermarket refrigeration having reduced refrigerant charge


A bridged driving amplifier for driving a capacitive load comprises a first and a second output terminal, and a first and a second supply rail. A first driving section is coupled between the first supply rail and the first output terminal. A second driving section is coupled between the second output terminal and the second supply rail. A third driving section is coupled between the first supply rail and the second output terminal. A fourth driving section is coupled between the first output terminal and the second supply rail. The bridged amplifier is AC-driven such that the first and the second section, when driven, cause an output voltage across the capacitive load of a given polarity, and that the third and the fourth section, when driven, cause an output voltage across the capacitive load of a polarity opposite to the given polarity. The bridged driving amplifier comprises inhibiting means for inhibiting that at least a part of the supply current is inhibited when the capacitive load is discharged during voltage state changing of the voltage across the capacitive load from the one polarity to the other polarity.

The present invention relates to a bridged driving amplifier for driving a capacitive load which is coupled between a first and a second output terminal of the bridged driving amplifier, which bridged driving amplifier comprises a first driving section coupled between a first supply rail and the first output terminal, a second driving section coupled between the second output terminal and a second supply rail, a third driving section coupled between the first supply rail and the second output terminal, and a fourth driving section coupled between the first output terminal and the second supply rail, whereby the bridged driving amplifier is AC-driven such that the first and the second section, when driven, cause an output voltage across the capacitive load of a given polarity, and the third and the fourth section, when driven, cause an output voltage across the capacitive load of a polarity opposite to the given polarity. Such a bridged driving amplifier can be used in a telecommunication device such as a wired telephone for driving a piezo electrical acoustic transducer for generating a ringing signal, or any other bridged driving amplifier used for driving a capacitive load and driven by an AC-signal. The transducer can be a capacitive transducer having a relatively low dissipation factor and can thus also be a piezo fan, or the like.
The present invention further relates to a telecommunication device comprising such a bridged driving amplifier.
A bridged driving amplifier of the above kind is known from the Data Sheet of the UBA1702 Integrated Circuit, Philips Semiconductors, Jan. 9, 1996, pp. 1-24. On page 4 of this data sheet a block diagram of the UBA1702 is given. Shown is a bridged piezo driving amplifier for driving a piezo electrical acoustic transducer for generating a ringing signal at a typical frequency of 1 kHz. Such a conventional bridged driving amplifier comprises four driving sections of which two are active at a time, for each AC-cycle of an input signal. Driving the bridged driving amplifier causes a switching sequence of charging the capacitive load to a given voltage with a given polarity, discharging the capacitive load, and charging the capacitive load to a voltage of a polarity opposite to the given polarity. This sequence is a cyclic process comprising four states. The conventional bridged driving amplifier is not very efficient because for both charging and discharging currents are drawn from the current supply. Particularly in telephone applications it is desirable to have a more efficient bridged driving amplifier for driving a capacitive ringer.
The German patent DE 35 05 478 describes a more efficient bridged driving amplifier. It is proposed to keep output terminals of the bridged driving amplifier at the same potential during discharging of the capacitive load. No detailed embodiments are shown, only a schematic operation of such a sequence switching. The present invention is aimed to give different solutions to the same basic problem.

Bridged driving amplifier and a telecommunication device


A boat including a hull and a floor positioned within the hull. A pedal mount is secured to the floor. The pedal mount defines a pedal recess sized to receive a pedal for controlling a trolling motor.

Fishing boats often include trolling motors for providing relatively low amounts of thrust for propelling the boats quietly through the water at speeds suitable for trolling or casting. Trolling motors are most commonly battery powered and are typically mounted at either the bow or the stern of the boat. To facilitate hands-free operation, it is common for a trolling motor to be controlled by a foot pedal. Foot pedals can be used for steering a trolling motor as well as for controlling the level of thrust provided by the trolling motor. Foot pedals are coupled to trolling motors by any number of means such as mechanical cables, electrical wires and remote wireless connections. Example trolling motors are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,431,923; 5,465,633; and 5,112,256, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

Pedal mount for an electric trolling motor


An absorbent article, such as a disposable diaper, includes a chassis having a front waist region, a back waist region, and a crotch region extending between the front and back waist regions. An outer cover member and a bodyside liner extend longitudinally between the front and back waist regions. An absorbent body structure is sandwiched between the outer cover member and the bodyside liner. A unitary elastomeric structure is attached to at least one of the front and back waist regions, the elastomeric structure extending completely across the respective waist region and extending beyond lateral sides of the chassis so as to form elastomeric attachment tabs. The elastomeric structure having a predetermined first modulus of elasticity such that when attached to said waist region, a resulting elastomeric waistband portion is defined having an overall second modulus of elasticity that is less than the first modulus of elasticity of the attachment tabs.

Various types of disposable absorbent articles such as disposable diapers, training pants, swim pants, incontinence articles, and the like, utilize a chassis incorporating an absorbent system and an elastomeric waistband. The waistband provides for enhanced fit, comfort to the wearer, and improved product performance.
Much attention has been paid in the art to development of various elastomeric waistband configurations. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,205,679 discloses various embodiments of a pull-on pant-like article having gathered elastic waistband portions. U.S. Pat. No. 4,639,949 describes a disposable absorbent garment having an improved elastic waistband with an elastic element joined in a stretched condition to a marginal portion of an exterior panel of the garment with a plurality of spaced bond points. U.S. Pat. No. 4,904,251 describes a disposable diaper having gathered elasticized front and back waistband portions. Tape fasteners are provided on back side flaps for fastening the front and back regions of the article together on a wearer. U.S. Pat. No. 5,676,661 similarly discloses a diaper configuration having elasticized waistband portions and tape members extending from the side margins of the back waist region. The tape members include a fastening strip, such as a hook-type material, that attaches to a corresponding landing pad material provided on the front waist region to secure the article to a wearer.
With a known commercial disposable diaper (the HUGGIES® brand from Kimberly-Clark Corp. of Neenah, Wis., USA) elasticity is provided to the back waistband by elastomeric strips bonded to side edges of the chassis at the waist region. A non-elastic material strip is bonded to the outboard end of the elastomeric strips, and a micro-hook material strip is laminated to this non-elastic material. For securing the diaper on a wearer, the hook material attaches to a piece of non-woven web material adhered to the outer cover at the front waist region. Thus, with this configuration, the chassis has generally non-elastomeric waistband portions, and the degree of elasticity provided around the waist of a wearer is a function of the elastomeric tab strips.
Conventional elastomeric waistband configurations may, however, be improved upon. For example, with diaper configurations wherein elastomeric waistband portions are defined at the longitudinal ends of the chassis by adhering elastic strands or strips in a tensioned condition to the liner material and/or outer cover, it is very difficult to accurately predict and control the elasticity of the respective portions under multiple wear conditions. As other materials are added or attached at the waistbands, such as containment flaps, the overall elastic modulus of the waistband changes. A change in the outer cover material or liner material will change the elastic modulus of the waistbands, and so forth. To accommodate for such variance, manufactures tend to use more elastic material than would otherwise be necessary. Unfortunately, the elastic materials are relatively expensive.
With the diaper configurations wherein the chassis waistband regions are non-elastomeric and elasticity is provided by elastomeric tab strips, the bonds between the elastomeric strips and chassis sides must be particularly strong to withstand the tensile forces exerted by the strips in use. The same concern applies to the bonds between the elastomeric strips and fastening strips. Many consumers believe that they must stretch the elastic tabs as much as possible in order to obtain a secure fit of the diaper. This results in significant tensile forces being exerted at the bond points. Tab tears at these locations is a common complaint with consumers. Adding additional length to the elastic strips would only add significant cost, may degrade fit and performance, and may impede attachment of both tabs along the front waist region of the chassis. Also, from a manufacturing standpoint, the process of forming the multi-component elastomeric tabs and bonding the tabs to the article chassis is material intensive and relatively complicated.
The present invention provides an improved elastic waistband configuration that may help alleviate deficiencies of current configurations.

Absorbent article with unitary elastomeric waistband with multiple extension zones


Fragment data is generated with respect to a certain data aggregate that is one of a plurality of data aggregates using a coded matrix. The fragment data is capable of restoring the certain data aggregate based on the coded matrix when the fragment data is collected to a required count. The generated fragment data is provided with an identification code associated with the certain data aggregate restored by the fragment data. The fragment data having the identification code is transmitted to a transmission channel. Further, the same transmission channel can be used to transmit the multiple pieces of the fragment data corresponding to the multiple data aggregates. When a receiving party is previously notified of the identification code, it can receive the fragment data by distinguishing which fragment data should restore which data aggregate.

Conventionally, there has been examined a service of distributing information to vehicles using wireless communication technologies such as wireless LAN and DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communications).
When the wireless LAN or the DSRC is used, a plurality of vehicles may be serviced within one wireless cell. In such a case, it is necessary to provide as many transmission sessions as services, thus degrading the efficiency of using wireless transmission channels.
A technology to solve this problem is disclosed in patent document 1 (JP-A-2001-189665 or U.S. Pat. No. 6,307,487). This technology outputs a meta-packet from an input file as a data aggregate. Here, the meta-packet is defined as a sequence of fragment data having information independent of each other. FIG. 23 shows relationship between an input file and a meta-packet to be generated. The following description is not a quotation from patent document 1. The inventors reproduced the contents using equations based on technical examinations. An input file 51 is divided into source packets s0, s1 . . . , and sn−1 each having a unit data length. A vector comprises these n source packets as components. The vector is multiplied by a coded matrix comprising n+k rows and n columns, where n and k are natural numbers. This multiplication yields a vector comprising n+k components. Each component is a meta-packet.
The coded matrix is formed so that a matrix of (1+α)n rows and n columns extracted from any (1+α)n rows becomes regular. Value α is sufficiently smaller than 1. Accordingly, obtaining the necessary number of meta-packets, i.e., (1+α)n meta-packets makes it possible to restore the input file, i.e., the vector comprising source packets s0, s1 . . . , and sn−1. To do this, an inverse matrix comprising (1+α)n rows and n columns is generated by extracting rows corresponding to the obtained meta-packets from the coded matrix. The inverse matrix is then multiplied by a vector comprising the obtained meta-packets. FIG. 24 schematically shows a method of restoring an original input file from the obtained meta-packets.
This technology can be used for the wireless LAN and DSRC. When meta-packets are continuously transmitted in a wireless cell, information can be simultaneously distributed to vehicles that enter and exit from the wireless cell. When entering the wireless cell, a vehicle repeatedly receives transmitted meta-packets until the necessary number of meta-packets is accumulated. When the necessary number of meta-packets is accumulated, an original file can be restored based on the accumulated meta-packets. As mentioned above, any meta-packets can be received only when the necessary number of meta-packets is available. It is unnecessary to adjust the timing to start a service between a service provision party (sender) and a service receiving party (recipient). Even when a plurality of vehicles enters or exists from the wireless cell, each vehicle can complete the reception when the necessary number of meta-packets can be obtained. Therefore, it is unnecessary to provide a session individually.
When the information distribution service is actually provided for vehicles, however, it is not always the best way to distribute the same file to all vehicles in one wireless cell. Information to be distributed may often vary with vehicle's situations such as a traveling speed.
Further, the same transmission channel is used to distribute the information to a plurality of users. Therefore, it is necessary to devise a method of preventing the other users from intercepting the data that should be distributed to a specific user.
Patent document 1 does not disclose a means for solving these situations by using the above-mentioned meta-packet technology.


Provided is a plug-in hybrid vehicle which includes an exhaust treatment unit which communicates with an engine and discharges exhaust gas generated by combustion of liquid fuel, an oxidation catalyst and an SCR which are placed in a middle part of the exhaust treatment unit to remove impurities contained in the exhaust gas, and an external charging mechanism which is electrically connected with a battery and charges the battery with external electrical power, where the external charging mechanism includes a first heater unit and a second heater unit which heat the oxidation catalyst and the SCR with electrical power stored in the battery or external electrical power when the battery is charged with the external electrical power in a state where the fuel-based power unit and the electrical power unit are stopped.

In general, an exhaust purification system of a vehicle includes an oxidation catalyst which oxidizes hydrocarbons (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO) in exhaust gas and a selective reduction catalyst which selectively reduces and purifies nitrogen compounds (NOx) in exhaust gas. The oxidation catalyst and the selective reduction catalyst are inactive at low temperatures, and thus it is necessary for the catalyst temperature to be equal to or higher than the catalyst activation temperature in order to effectively exhibit the exhaust purification performance of those catalysts. In view of those points, for example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a fuel injection control technique for raising the temperature of the oxidation catalyst to be equal to or higher than a catalyst activation temperature by raising the exhaust gas temperature when the temperature of the oxidation catalyst is lower than the catalyst activation temperature.