A hinge having two bases (2A/2B) on which a plurality of hollow cylinders (8) are arranged axially and spaced along each of the bases. Fixer holes (12) are provided in the bases at the spaces (10) between the cylinders to enable the hinge to be mounted directly without the need to work the mounting surface. The bases may be constructed to conceal the mounting screws (18).

The present invention relates to hinges for use generally on doors.
Traditionally butt hinges are constructed using a central pin from which two flanges extend. These hinges need to be chiseled and mortised into timber doors or recessed into metal doors with reinforcement plates. If this is fabricated in a factory, as they usually are, the hinges face the problems of alignment, trimming, cutting doors, relative hinge positions changed, etc, due to differences in floor to ceiling heights depending on location and premises.
The alternative is to customize the hinges on site but due to current hinge designs, much carpentry and metalworking is required to install the hinges into the door. This is one of the main reasons for the excessive amount of time and effort currently required to install door hinges and to mount the door to its frame.
This does not obviate the parts of the hinge from being observable on the edge of the door leaf and frame respectively.


This invention relates to a method of treating patients who are receiving dialysis treatments. The method includes administering to a patient in need of treatment an effective amount of a thiol or reducible disulfide compound according to the formula set forth in the specification.

Hemodialysis, hereinafter referred to as kidney dialysis, or simply "dialysis, is a medical procedure that is performed on human patients (and also on a smaller scale, pet animals), to remove toxins from the blood in a similar manner to a functioning kidney. When a person or animal's kidneys cease to function properly due to one or more of a number of acute or chronic diseases or conditions (diabetes is a known causative factor in renal failure), toxins accumulate in the bloodstream.
Failure to remove these toxic compounds—primarily urea, uric acid and its analogues, and other nitrogenous compounds such as creatinine; and excess amounts of elements such as potassium, phosphorous, sodium, chloride and other minerals—from the blood results in deterioration of body tissues and organ systems, eventually resulting in death.
Dialysis may be performed in a hospital setting or clinic; or in some cases, the patient is trained to perform the procedure at home on an outpatient basis. Two primary types of dialysis are regularly performed—conventional hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis. In conventional dialysis, the patient is connected (via an arteriovenous fistula, graft or by catheter) to a dialysis machine. The dialysis machine functions to pump the contaminated blood from the patient through a dialyzer, where the blood is filtered through a dialyzing solution, and thence returned to the patient. Conventional hemodialysis usually takes between 3-6 hours and is normally performed at a clinic or hospital several times per week.
In peritoneal dialysis, a catheter is inserted into the patient's abdomen, with the catheter connected its other end to a supply of dialysis solution. In a typical peritoneal dialysis exchange, dialysis solution is introduced into the patient's abdominal cavity through the catheter and allowed to remain there for a predetermined time period (called a "dwell"). During the period when the peritoneal cavity is filled with the solution, waste products and excess body fluids pass through the peritoneum, where they encounter the dialysis solution and are removed from the body when the solution is later drained from the body. The draining/filling process (the "cycle") is normally repeated several times daily, with a long dwell overnight. Periodic testing is performed to determine the efficacy of the dialysis.
Typical dialysis solution is a dextrose-based solution, with the solution also including a quantity of salt and other dissolved minerals, and perhaps electrolytes as determined by the needs of each patient. The dialysis solution functions to increase osmotic pressure in the peritoneal cavity to cause maximum diffusion of excess fluids and waste products from the blood. The dialysis solution also serves to bind waste products for removal during the draining process, and to deliver necessary minerals and electrolytes to the body (many renal failure patients are placed on diets that shortchange necessary minerals, and must be ingested separately).
Mesna (sodium 2-mercaptoethene sulfonate) and dimesna (disodium 2,2′-dithiobis ethane sulfonate) are known therapeutic compounds that have heretofore demonstrated a wide variety of therapeutic uses. Both mesna and dimesna have been shown to be effective protective agents against certain specific types of toxicity associated with the administration of cytotoxic drugs used to treat patients for various types of cancer.
In particular, mesna has been used with some success in mitigating the toxic effects of cytotoxic agents such as ifosfamide, oxazaphosphorine, melphalane, cyclophosphamide, trofosfamide, sulfosfamide, chlorambucil, busulfan, triethylene thiophosphamide, triaziquone, and others, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,220,660, issued Sep. 2, 1980.
The near absence of toxicity of dimesna further underscores the usefulness of this compound, as large doses can be given to a patient without increasing the risk of adverse effects from the protective agent itself.
Further, pharmacological profiles of each compound indicate that, if proper conditions are maintained, mesna and dimesna do not prematurely inactivate primary therapeutic drugs to a significant degree. Thus, neither compound will significantly reduce activity of the chemotherapeutic agent, and in many cases, act to potentiate the effect of the main drug on targeted cancer cells.
The molecular structures of both mesna and dimesna are shown below as Structure I and Structure II respectively.HS—CH2—CH2—SO3Na  (I)NaSO3—CH2—CH2—S—S—CH2—CH2—SO3Na  (II)
As shown, dimesna is a dimer of mesna, with the optimum conditions for oxidation occurring in the slightly basic (pH ˜7.3), oxygen rich environment found in blood plasma. In mildly acidic, low oxygen conditions, in the presence of a reducing agent such as glutathione reductase, conditions prevalent in the kidneys, the primary constituent is mesna.
Mesna acts as a protective agent for a number of cytotoxic agents by substituting a nontoxic sulfhydryl moiety for a toxic hydroxy (or aquo) moiety. This action is particularly evidenced in the coadministration of mesna and oxazaphosphorine, and in the administration of dimesna along with certain platinum agents and/or taxanes.
Dimesna, as well as some analogues, have excellent toxicity profiles in mammalian species. In fact, dimesna has been administered intravenously to mice and dogs in doses higher than the accepted oral LD50 for common table salt (3750 mg/kg), with no adverse effects. Dimesna has also been administered to humans in doses exceeding 40 g/m2, with no adverse effects.
Mesna, and other analogues with free thiol moieties, constitute the more physiologically active form of the two types of compounds described in this specification. These compounds manifest their activity by providing free thiol moieties for terminal substitution at locations where a terminal leaving group of appropriate configuration, usually a hydroxy, aquo or superoxide is located. Mesna also tends to form conjugates with naturally occurring biochemicals that contain a free thiol moiety, such as cysteine, glutathione, homocysteine, and others.
Dimesna and other disulfides can be activated intracellularly by glutathione reductase, a ubiquitous enzyme, thereby generating high concentrations of intracellular free thiols. These free thiols act to scavenge the free radicals and other nucleophilic compounds often responsible for causing cell damage.
This profile is especially significant in explaining the success of dimesna in controlling and mitigating the toxic effects of platinum complex antitumor drugs. The mechanism for action in the case of cisplatin (cis-diammine dichloro platinum) is explained in U.S. Pat. No. 5,789,000, which is incorporated herein by reference.
Mesna, dimesna, and analogues of these compounds have been the subject of several prior pharmaceutical uses described in the literature and in prior patents, both in the United States and around the world. In addition to the cytotoxic agent protection uses, one or more of these compounds have proven effective, in vitro, against a multiplicity of biological targets, and have been effective, in vivo, in the treatment of sickle cell disease, radiation exposure, chemical agent exposure, and other uses.
Mesna, dimesna, and analogues thereof are synthesized from commonly available starting materials, using acceptable routes well known in the art. One such method involves the two-step, single pot synthetic process for making dimesna and like compounds of the following formula:R1—S—R2;wherein:                R1 is hydrogen, X-lower alkyl, or X-lower alkyl-R3;        R2 is -lower alkyl-R4;        R3 and R4 are each individually SO3M or PO3M2;        X is absent or X is sulfur; and        M is an alkali metal.
The process essentially involves a two-step single pot synthetic process, which results in the conversion of an alkenyl sulfonate salt or acid to the desired formula I compound. The process in the case of mesna is a single step process that converts the alkenyl sulfonate salt to mesna or a mesna derivative by reacting with an alkali metal sulfide or with hydrogen sulfide.
If the desired end product is dimesna or a dimesna analogue, a two-step single pot process is involved. Step 1 is as described above. Step 2 of the process is performed in the same reaction vessel as Step 1 without the need to purify or isolate the mesna formed during that step. Step 2 includes the introduction of oxygen gas into the vessel, along with an increase in pressure and temperature above ambient values, at least 20 pounds per square inch (psi) and at least 60° C. Dimesna or a derivative thereof is formed in essentially quantitative yield.
Other processes, well known and documented in the prior art, may be employed to make either mesna or dimesna, or derivatives and analogues thereof.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method of treating patients undergoing kidney dialysis


Methods of electroless filling electrically different features such as contact openings to form interconnects and conductive contacts, and semiconductor devices, dies, and systems that incorporate the interconnects and contacts are disclosed. The contact openings are electrically shorted together with a selective material, a nucleation layer is selectively deposited onto the area to be plated (e.g., the base of the opening), and a conductive material is electroless plated onto the nucleation layer to fill the opening. The process achieves substantially simultaneous filling of openings having different surface potentials at an about even rate.

In the fabrication of semiconductor devices, contact holes and other features that are formed on a substrate are filled with a conductive material to provide contacts and other circuitry. Electroless plating techniques are used to deposit copper, silver, platinum, and other conductive materials to fill openings.
A typical plating process to fill a contact opening involves depositing a seed layer (e.g., copper) onto a barrier layer formed over the substrate within the opening, and plating a layer of metal (e.g., copper) onto the substrate by applying an electrical potential between the seed layer and another electrode in the presence of an electroless solution containing an inorganic metal salt and a reducing agent.
Electroless deposition requires active surfaces that are compatible to nucleation and growth by using a metastable system that will heterogeneously nucleate on these selective areas by allowing the reducing agent and the complexed metal to find a favorable site to react. A problem encountered with electroless deposition methods is that surface potential of the feature heavily impacts the fill or plating rate.
In filling multiple electrically isolated features on a substrate by electroless deposition, the differences in surface potential between features can be problematic. The surface potential of features can differ, for example, based on the structure of the features (e.g., hole, elevated structure, etc.), whether the feature is strapped to an active area or to an inactive area in a substrate (or electrically isolated from the active area), the exposure of the feature to light which can generate a bias across a substrate, among other factors. Such differences in surface potential between features can result in uneven activation and significantly different deposition rates from one feature to the next. In traditional plating, low surface potential areas such as holes do not plate as quickly and may receive little or no plating at all. Often, when holes are present in the article to be plated, an uneven fill is deposited in the hole, which is thicker at the top and bottom of the hole than at the center of the hole. This can lead to defects in the circuits.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a process that overcomes such problems.

Method for filling electrically different features


A non-invasive method and system for assessing intraocular pressure (ICP) is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of measuring venous outflow pressure (VOP) using a venous ophthalmodynamometer device (vODM); measuring ophthalmic r central retinal arterial blood flow using color Doppler imaging device; and then estimating ICP using venous outflow data from the vODM and pulsatility and/or resistivity relationships derived from the Doppler imaging data. Further disclosed is a novel vODM for measuring VOP in low flow veins.

Continuous measurement and monitoring of intracranial pressure (ICP) for instantaneous (absolute) pressures as well as changes in pressure, especially among patients with, e.g., head injury, stroke edema, and acute intracranial hemorrhage, provides necessary, sometimes vital information on which medical and surgical treatment can be based. Heretofore and currently, invasive techniques have been used despite the many shortcomings of such practice. Continuous ICP measuring devices to manage intracranial hypertension (ICH) require invasive surgical boring through the skull to emplace them. Alternatively, another standard option for serial measurement of ICP is to repeat puncture of the lumbar dura, i.e., spinal tap, to measure the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure. For our purposes, CSF pressure is used interchangeably with ICP since both are essentially equivalent. Such procedures carry the risk of hemorrhage, malfunction, herniation and/or infection and, furthermore, are quite expensive. Representative examples of invasive ICP measuring devices and monitors include subarachnoid bolts, counterpressure epidural and subdural devices, e.g., Ladd or Camino fiberoptic monitors and Gaeltec sensors, intraparenchymal microsensors, and intra-ventricular catheters coupled to an external fluid pressure transducer.
Other approaches have been proposed to provide means to measure ICP non-invasively. Proposed techniques include measurement of tympanic membrane displacement in the ear, ultrasonic detection of cranial pulsations, and transcranial Doppler (TCD) ultrasonography of the middle cerebral artery. However, practical limitations prevent their use.
For example, the tympanic membrane displacement method is based on acoustic stapedial reflex that, in theory, can measure intracranial pressure indirectly by measuring displacement of the eardrum since ICP is transmitted from the CSF to the perilymphatic fluid of the scala tympana in the labyrinth. Drawbacks to this method include the indirect nature of measurement and the necessity of having a patent, unobstructed cochlear aqueduct.
TCD ultrasonography provides a real-time spectral waveform of blood flow velocity in intracranial vessels. However, with many head injury patients, flow velocities in unilateral intracranial vessels may either increase or decrease due to vasospasms, loss of normal cerebrovascular auto-regulation or other reasons. Furthermore, other physiologic variables, e.g., cardiac output, pulse rate, hematocrit, positive end expiratory pressure (if ventilated), and carbon dioxide tension can alter TCD parameters. Accordingly, TCD ultrasonography cannot predict absolute ICP from instantaneous readings. As a result, one can only infer trends. Finally, insonation of intracranial vessels requires technical training in order to deal with the complexity and anatomic variability of the cerebral vasculature.
Alternatively, use of extracranial ocular blood vessels to measure or assess ICP non-invasively as been suggested. Those skilled in the art recognize that increases in ICP affect the valveless venous system that drains the orbits. Indeed, venous distension due to increased resistance (or back pressure) to drainage is an obvious sign in late papilledema. Thus, those skilled in the art have sought means for assessing or measuring ICP using measurements of venous pressure in optic nerves.
Baurmann is believed to have been the first to suggest assessing ICP by measuring the pressure within the central retinal vein (CRV). The CRV caries venous blood away from the retina and toward the cavernous sinus of the brain. However, Baurmann's theory and findings, which appeared in the mid 1920's, have had to wait for technological advances for verification. Baurmann knew that CSF surrounds the optic nerve and therefore the optic nerve is subjected to ambient ICP. The extraocular segment of the CRV courses through the optic nerve, where the resistance to flow is dependent on the prevailing CSF pressure. This pressure is transmitted onto the thin wall of the vein through the nerve tissue. Further upstream, intraocular venous drainage from the retina and over the optic nerve head must overcome this resistance to outflow at its point of exit into the optic nerve. When ICP is excessive, the extraocular CRV and axons, coursing within the optic nerve, are tamponaded. The result is a rapid rise in intraluminal venous pressure and engorgement of the CRV at the optic nerve head (as well as papilledema if chronic). Distension and pulsation of the CRV branches can be visualized at this location by standard ophthalmoscopy, wherein the pressure gradient across the vein wall is the difference between intraocular pressure (IOP) and the intraluminal venous blood pressure.
The CRV pressure is usually equal to or higher than the ICP in the extraocular segment and, moreover, equal to or slightly higher than the IOP in the intraocular segment, otherwise no flow would occur between the compartments. When approximately equal to the IOP, the vein at the nerve head is found to pulsate; however, in other normal individuals it is not found to pulsate because the resting pressure is slightly higher than the IOP. According to Walsh, the major mechanism of the pulsations is partial collapse from variations in the IOP induced by arterial flow patterns on the extravascular vitreous.
If the IOP is now increased above the venous pressure, the vein will easily collapse. The manipulated IOP at the moment of venous collapse is defines as the venous outflow pressure (VOP). The VOP is, essentially, equal to the central retinal vein (CRV) pressure within the extraocular, intraoptic nerve segment. On the other hand, as ICP increases above about 20 cm H2O (intracranial hypertension), retinal vein pulsations, if present at rest, will first disappear. With further increases in ICP, the veins begin to engorge and become increasingly more difficult to collapse, requiring higher levels of IOP production to find the new VOP. The appearance of the CRV, therefore, reflects whichever compartment—the IOP or ICP—is higher.
Although the VOP is always found somewhat higher than the actual ICP, there is a direct correspondence between them. From the above discussion, the means to estimate actual ICP from graded increases in IOP is provided.
Others have also proposed noninvasive method for assessing ICP by venous ophthalmodynamometry (ODM). ODM refers to use of a calibrated compression-biased spring gauge device, or, alternatively, a vacuum cup, to manipulate IOP in ophthalmologic practice. ODM was pioneered by Bailliart, who, in 1917, observed that retinal arterial blood vessels, i.e., the central retinal artery, begin to pulsate at the point when IOP exceeds the diastolic arterial pressure and pulsations disappear when systolic pressures are reached.
Bailliart applied a hand-held device onto the anaesthetized lateral sclera of a patient and watched for the arteries to pulsate or cease pulsating. The device comprised a small pressure plate disposed at the end of a spring-loaded plunger. The spring was coupled to a dial gauge, which was calibrated to correlate applied pressure (in grams) to displacement of the plunger and compression of the spring. After the user applied the pressure plate/plunger to the patient's orbit (sclera), pressure was incrementally increased. This caused the spring to compress in a manner linear with the rise in IOP. The user continued to apply pressure until he or she observed pulsations come and go and finally loss of arterial color.
Using a nomograph and a baseline IOP readings taken using a tonometer while the patient was resting, one can convert the pressure on the dial gauge at the instant of arterial wall changes as seen through an ophthalmoscope, to the actual induced IOP. Although sophisticated enough to measure pressure in the arterial range, which is not correlated with ICP, the Bailliart device is not sensitive enough to determine the anticipated direct relationship between ICP and lower retinal pressures.
The inventor incorporates by reference herein an article entitled "Flow velocity and pulsatility of the ocular circulation in chronic intracranial hypertension," which appeared in Acta Neurologica Scandinavica 2002: Volume 105, pps. 431–440, that he co-authored. In the article, the authors reported that, "orbital arterial velocities and pulsatility/resistance indices are significantly affected by ICP changes in chronic raised ICH." However, that being said, the authors further observed and reported a non-linear, bi-modal relationship between pulsatility/resistance indices, e.g., Gosling's Pulsatility Index (GPI), and ICP for both flow measurements for the central retinal artery (CRA) and the ophthalmic artery (OA). In summary, the authors concluded that, the biphasic relationship is a function of both the CSF, i.e., whether mild-to-moderate or severe-to-extreme, and compensatory regional changes in arterial flow pattern. As a result, the Ocular Color-Doppler sonography could not be used to predict ICP in chronic raised ICP.
More recently, Firsching, et al. reported a correlation between VOP and ICP using an ODM device fashioned by themselves for non-invasive assessment of IOP. First, Firsching, et al. established a baseline IOP using a tonometer. Subsequently, Firsching, et al. attached a suction cup to a patient's lateral eye bulb and applied negative pressure, i.e., a vacuum, to the eye bulb, to increase IOP. As the pressure was applied, Firsching, et al. observed the CRV to the point of collapse using indirect funduscopy. At the instance of vein collapse, the ODM measurement and ICP were recorded simultaneously. The ODM measurement, further, was converted to IOP, which was equated to VOP. Firsching, et al. then plotted VOP versus ICP and through regression analysis derived an empirical, linear formula for assessing ICP.
The assessment technique developed by Firsching, et al., however, did not address or take into account the contribution to venous outflow pressure made by retinal arterial hemodynamic parameters, e.g., perfusion (flow volume), velocity, pressure, pulsatility, and resistance to flow. Furthermore, indirect funduscopy requires considerably more technical experience to operate than direct ophthalmoscopy as used herein. Moreover, application of a suction cup-based ODM is also more technically demanding, requires a more cumbersome apparatus, and is more uncomfortable to the patient than methods described herein.

Methods of and systems and devices for assessing intracranial pressure non-invasively

Caritas St. Elizabeth Medical Center of Boston, Inc.


An information processing apparatus according to the present invention comprises a display unit for displaying thereon a plurality of input regions operated by an operating body, a detection unit for detecting an approach distance between the operating body and a surface of the display unit, and a region control unit for, when the operating body approaches one of the input regions within a predetermined distance, enlarging the input region which the operating body approaches, and moving at least one of the input regions such that the adjacent input regions do not overlap each other. The input region is enlarged and an overlap between the input regions is avoided so that a user can easily select a desired input region, thereby preventing erroneous selection of other input region.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, information processing method and computer program, and more particularly to an information processing apparatus including an on-screen keyboard, information processing method and computer program.
Description of the Related Art
Since a touch sensor can realize an intuitive and user-friendly user interface, it has been used in ticketing machines in transportation facilities or ATMs in banks in related art. In recent years, the touch sensor can detect a user' operation, thereby realizing device operations which have not been found in button operations in related art. Thus, recently, the touch sensor has been widely used in portable devices such as cell phone or game device.
Some devices having a touch panel mounted thereon include not a physical keyboard but an on-screen keyboard as software keyboard by which characters are input from a screen (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-297293, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 08-234909, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 05-197471, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 02-136914, and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-9759, for example). There was an issue in the on-screen keyboard that a user can easily input characters while the keys are blocked by a user's finger. A solution for recognizing a user-focusing key is conducted against the above issue. For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-297293, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 08-234909, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 05-197471, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 02-136914, and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-9759, there is performed a processing in which a user-focusing key and its surrounding keys are enlarged in size and the focused key is offset to be displayed outside a finger-blocking region.

Information processing apparatus, information processing method and computer program


A package for displaying pull chains and the like includes a first transparent package component having a recess spanning substantially the entirety thereof. The recess has first and second sections and the second section is sized and configured for receipt of an article. A second package component has first and second spaced apart recess sections. The second component second recess section is aligned with the first component second recess section for therewith forming a chamber. An insert is positioned within the first component recess in overlying relation to the second component recess sections. The insert has a capture region for engaging an article having a portion thereof disposed within the chamber for display. The first and second components are secured together.

Retail establishments are under constraints to reduce costs while increasing sales. Suppliers to retail establishments are encountering similar constraints and demands, with retailers limiting display space to those products which achieve maximum sales potential. The manner in which a product is displayed, and thereby perceived by a consumer, frequently has a strong impact on sales of the packaged product. In addition, particularly with relatively small items, it is preferred that the package construction, size, or the like provide theft resistance.
A ceiling fan typically has a relatively short chain connected to a speed switch, with the switch being adjusted to set the speed of rotation of the fan blades to that which is desired. The short chain may not be reachable by the user, or same may be considered unattractive. Many consumers attach an extension chain to the short chain which comes with the fan, and the extension chain typically has a decorative knob or like ornament at its end. The knob and the chain may be colored or otherwise decorated in order to match the decor of the ceiling fan, the room in which the ceiling fan is positioned, or some other aesthetically pleasing attribute.
Ceiling fan extension pull chains have in the past been displayed to consumers on bubble cards. The typical bubble card has a cardboard base, to which a transparent bubble is secured. The extension chain and its knob are positioned within the bubble, and the card may be hung from a hook. In that configuration, however, the chain and knob are not presented to the consumer in an orientation corresponding to the orientation same would achieve when connected to the chain of the ceiling fan. The bubble package does not permit the consumer to easily recognize the coloring of the chain, or the ornamentation on the knob. The consumer must imagine how the chain and knob will appear with this sort of package, with the result that sales potential is potentially diminished.
Attempts have been made to increase consumer perception of the extension chain by display of the chain and its knob in a transparent carton having a cardboard insert. Those carton-type packages, however, do not display the extension chain and its knob in an orientation and configuration as would be achieved hanging from the ceiling fan. Additionally, portions of the chain remain loose in the package, and thus detract from an aesthetically pleasing appearance. Moreover, the carton-type package is relatively expensive to manufacture, and is relatively complicated to assemble.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that there is a need for a relatively inexpensive, easy to manufacture, aesthetically pleasing, package suitable for display of ceiling fan extension pull chains, other sorts of pull chains, and similar types of products. The disclosed invention meets these needs and others in the art through provision of a transparent clam shell-type package, with an insert disposed in the package for securing the chain while allowing the knob to hang vertically within an open chamber, resulting in an appearance approximating the appearance of the pull chain and knob when hung from a ceiling fan.

Display package for pull chains and the like


A method and associated apparatus for forming an image replication medium on a surface of a printing plate or cylinder in which the surface is initially coated with a layer of photopolymer liquid. Thereafter, selected areas of the layer of liquid coated on the surface are hardened by exposure to a beam produced by a computer controlled laser to provide a surface cylinder having an image replication medium with a desired pattern.

A printing surface has an image replication medium for printing an image on a substrate. The image replication medium for use in connection with a letterpress or lithographic printing cylinder may include a printing surface wherein ink coated on the printing surface is transferred to the surface of the substrate. Alternatively, the image replication medium may be a plurality of cells or wells in a gravure printing cylinder wherein ink contained in the cells is transferred to the surface of the substrate.
Gravure printing plates are generally produced by a mechanical engraving process wherein image information, which may be optically scanned from a copy or derived from computer memory, is used to direct a diamond stylus to cut a plurality of cells in the surface of the plate. Alternatively, the gravure printing plate may be produced by a chemical etching process.
An offset or lithographic printing plate is generally produced by a process wherein a plate coated with a photopolymer is exposed by suitable light through a film (negative or positive) which contains the image to be printed.
Conventionally, the plate is wrapped around a carrier cylinder. A gap or space is obtained between the ends of the plate that extend the length of the carrier cylinder when the plate is put on the carrier cylinder. This gap causes vibrations as it passes over the substrate that can damage the printing equipment. Furthermore, printing cannot occur at the gap which results in a blank spot on the substrate.
The present invention is directed to a novel method and associated apparatus for producing an image replication medium.

Method and apparatus for making print imaging media


The invention relates to a process for the production of toluene diisocyanate, in which the crude toluenediamine obtained from the hydrogenation is purified and then phosgenated. The purification step reduces the total amount of cyclic ketones to less than 0.1% by weight, based on 100% by weight of the toluenediamine.

The present invention relates to a process for the production of toluene diisocyanate, in which the crude toluenediamine obtained from the hydrogenation of dinitrotoluene is purified, and then phosgenated.
It is known that di- and poly-isocyanates are produced by phosgenation of the corresponding di- and poly-amines. In the case of distillable di- and poly-isocyanates, the phosgenation and separation of the solvent used are followed by distillation of the isocyanate. For example, toluene diisocyanate (TDI) is obtained in the form of a distilled product, whereas higher molecular weight mixtures of the polyisocyanates of the diphenylmethane series are obtained in undistilled form as bottom products.
In the working up of toluene diisocyanate (TDI), the crude product, which has largely been freed of solvent, is distilled to remove high-boiling constituents as well as low-boiling constituents that remain after the solvent has been separated off. Multi-stage distillations are thereby carried out in order to separate off low boilers and high boilers that remain in the crude product [see Industrielle Aromatenchemie, H.-G. Franck, J. Stadelhöfer, Springer-Verlag Berlin, 1987, p. 253], or alternatively, more energy-efficient integrated partition columns are used as described in U.S. Published Application 2004/118672, believed to correspond to EP-A1-1413571, or in DE-A1-1260092.
In the distillation of TDI, the markedly colored crude TDI product yields a water-clear, almost colorless end product. However, even finely distilled TDI is not completely free of color-imparting components, which occasionally leads to undesirable coloring of the TDI.
Undesirable coloring of distilled TDI product can have various causes, which require different processes for their avoidance.
For example, it is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,900,348, believed to correspond to EP-A1-1 187 808, that the use of phosgene having a bromine content of <50 ppm in the production of isocyanates of the diphenyl-methane series can lead to a pale isocyanate on phosgenation.
Likewise, EP-A1-816 333 describes a process for reducing the color of TDI, in which the crude TDI solution is treated with hydrogen before the solvent is separated off.
In addition to treatment of the crude isocyanate product after phosgenation, treatment of the amine stream can also lead to a reduction in the color of the isocyanate produced by phosgenation. U.S. Pat. No. 5,872,278, which is believed to correspond to EP-A1-866 057, describes a process in which the amine is treated, prior to the reaction with phosgene, with solid substances containing Lewis-acidic and/or Brönstedt-acidic centres. The resulting isocyanate then has a lighter color than when the untreated amine is used.

Process for the production of toluene diisocyanate


Methods and systems for performing load balancing and session persistence in IP (e.g., IPv6) networks are described herein. Some aspects relate to a destination options extension header that may be used to store load balancing session persistence option (LBSPO) data, including a client identifier and a server identifier for each of a client and a server. A load balancer for a server farm can perform session persistence and load balancing based on the LBSPO information. The server can include its own address in the LBSPO data when responding to an initial request from a client. The client device may then address subsequent packets to the server selected for that session, thereby bypassing the load balancer after the session is established, thereby freeing the load balancer to handle other requests. The LBSPO information may remain unchanged for the duration of the session.

In packet switched networks such as the Internet, there is presently no efficient way to maintain session persistence when a session transforms from an unsecured session (e.g., HTTP) to a secure session (e.g., HTTPS). In architectures using megaproxies (e.g., redirecting users to cached versions of web sites, or for control, surveillance and data mining purpose, as is sometimes done by ISPs and enterprises), the use of cookie switching or URL switching in a load balancer (LB) are sometimes used.
In web applications, a LB may use a URL or cookie in a HTTP request to select an appropriate server. However, in order to examine the application packets, the LB must postpone the binding of a TCP connection to a server until after the application request is received. This is an example of "delayed binding". In a delayed binding scenario, the LB completes the TCP connection setup with the client on behalf of the server. Once the HTTP request is received, the LB selects the server, establishes a connection with the server, and forwards the HTTP request. The LB must translate the sequence number of all reply packets from the server to match what the LB used on the client-side connection. The LB must also change the ACK sequence number for packets from client to the server. Delayed binding therefore impacts the performance of the LB because of the need for sequence number translation, and delayed binding can also increase the response time of a user's request to an application running on a server.
In shopping-cart applications, the LB typically must associate the first HTTPS connection request from a client with an earlier HTTP request received from the client. Source IP-based persistence does not work well when dealing with a mega proxy server, because when a user transitions from HTTP to HTTPS, the LB can no longer read the cookie because the cookie is encrypted.
Current practices for HTTP to HTTPS transition include the use of a shared back-end storage or database system. When the SSL (or TLS) session is initiated, the SSL server obtains the shopping-cart information from the back-end database and then processes it. However, this solution requires the server with the shopping cart to write the information to a back-end database. Another known option is to use middleware software to make all the servers appear as one big virtual server to the client application. A cookie is used to track the user identification. Once the application receives the first HTTPS request, the application uses the cookie to retrieve the data structure that contains the correct context.
In another known solution, a LB may be configured to bind a different port number on the virtual IP address (VIP) to port 443 of a different real server. When the real server generates the Web page reply that contains the checkout button, the LB links its own port number to that button (e.g., by generating a hyperlink for the checkout button).
In another known solution using an SSL accelerator, the SSL acceleration product terminates secure connections and converts the HTTPS request to an HTTP request. The LB redirects requests received on port 443 to the SSL accelerator, and maintains session persistence via a cookie or other method that is no longer encrypted.
Each of these known solutions consumes resources and overhead within a LB, thereby reducing the number of sessions and/or the amount of traffic the LB could otherwise handle.

Single pass load balancing and session persistence in packet networks


An electrical connector element including a first section and a second section. The first section has a general hook shape with a first conductor contact surface on an inward facing surface of the general hook shape. The second section is integrally formed with the first section. The second section has a first side forming a second conductor contact surface and an opposite second side. The second side faces the first conductor contact surface. The second side is sized and shaped to slidably interlock directly with another electrical connector element. The second side has at least one wedging surface.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an electrical connector and, more particularly, to tap or splice electrical connector.
2. Brief Description of Prior Developments
U.S. Pat. No. 1,278,785 discloses a cable clamp with two clamp sections which are longitudinally slid together to wedge cables in a clamping grip. U.S. Pat. No. 7,247,061 discloses a wedge inserted between two C shaped members to clamp two conductors together.


A measuring device with the function of automatically determining the type of device under test (DUT) and selecting measuring function. The measuring device having a controller for sequentially providing a plurality of checking phases; a protection circuit connecting to input end and protecting the measuring device; a switch composed of a plurality of test circuits, being connected to the controller and sequentially connecting the plurality of test circuits with the output end of the protection circuit; a plurality of DUT type detectors, connecting to the switch and comparing the voltage of input end sequentially through a plurality of comparison circuits, transmitting the result of comparison to the controller for determining the type of DUT; and a measurement unit connecting to the controller, measuring the DUT according to the result of determination of the controller and displaying the result of measurement on a display.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to a multi-function testing device and its testing method, and more particularly, to a measuring device with the function of automatically determining the type of device under test (DUT) without selection of switch and its testing method, for example, a multi-meter with function of automatically determining the type of DUT.
2. Description of the Prior Art
At present every automatic function selecting multi-meter is able to display digital measured values, for example, displaying direct current voltage value or alternating current voltage value, resistor value or capacitor value, diode or circuit passageway test result, etc. The above-mentioned functions are generally switched by rotating rotation knob or pressing button, and the user has to determine and select measuring function by himself and manually switch to measuring function that is selected to perform.
Although some multi-meters are claimed to be having intelligent automatic testing function, yet the so-called intelligent automatic testing function is actualized by manually adjusting the function selecting switch of multi-meter to function for measuring a DUT. For example, when the DUT is a resistor, then before the measurement, the function selecting switch of multi-meter needs to be adjusted (or switched) to the function for measuring resistor; the probe at input end is then used to measure the resistor under test, whereas the multi-meter with intelligent automatic testing function selects appropriate resistor measuring range for measuring and it is not necessary for the user to perform tests step by step from the highest resistor value (100 M ohms for example) to find the appropriate resistor value. For another example, when the DUT is under open/short detection, the function selecting switch needs to be switched to the function for open/short detection, and the multi-meter automatically performs test and displays whether the DUT is open or short.
In addition, since multi-meter is equipped with multiple functions, thus for a user not very familiar with electrical properties, it is not enough only to have a multi-meter with above-mentioned function of automatically selecting measuring range. As in the process of measuring, the user may not be able to switch to the right measuring function to be performed, which then leads to errors in measuring. For example, when a DUT is an alternating current voltage source, if the user switches to the function for measuring direct current voltage and the measurement of this signal source is performed and results in a near-zero value as measured value, then not only is the measured result erroneous, but the user is also misled to consider that the DUT is with no voltage and thus neglects the risk of electrical burns. For another example, among circuit elements, diode and resistor often have similar appearances and it is often not easy to differentiate one from another for a beginner; if a user mistakes diode to be resistor and performs measurement, a reasonable value can still be obtained, which results in misusage of electric elements without the user being aware of it.
At present there are multi-meters further equipped with function of automatically selecting DUT which helps the user select the right type of DUT, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,142,221, 5,557,197, and 6,646,562. However, the automatic selecting functions as disclosed in above-mentioned patents cannot cover all of the following functions commonly used: direct current voltage/alternating current voltage/direct current/alternating current/resistor/capacitor/diode/short detection. The present invention thus provides a fast detecting process which is able to detect the type of DUT in a short time and performs measurement and detecting range of which covers all functions of above-mentioned multi-meters. The convenience of operation and the accuracy of measurement can thus be greatly enhanced.
Current multi-meters can already be operated in a simple way. However, when testing is to be actually performed on a complex circuit, there is still need to first determine what type the DUT is and then manually switch the function selecting switch of multi-meter to the appropriate function for the automatic testing function of multi-meter to operate and to obtain the measured result. In addition, when a high voltage signal is inputted, if the measuring function is wrongly selected, not only will the circuit in the measuring device be damaged, but the operator of measuring device may also be harmed. Process of such kind not only decreases the efficiency of work and causes inconvenience, but also leads to longer time in doubt and possible damages to both the measuring device and the operator, particularly when the selection of measuring function is erroneous.
It is thus clear that there is still room for improvement considering the convenience of operating multi-meter of prior art.

Intelligent multi-meter with automatic function selection


An audiovisual display system for displaying three dimensional images including an image source for projecting an image in a predetermined direction. A stage contained within the audiovisual display system provides a setting for the video image. A transparent screen is disposed between the predetermined direction of the video image source and the stage and is oriented at an angle less than 90.degree. to the line of sight and the predetermined direction so that the viewer views the stage and the video image projected onto the transparent screen so that the image appears to be positioned on the stage.

This invention is directed to an audiovisual display system, and more particularly to a method for producing a three dimensional image and an audiovisual display system for displaying the three dimensional image.
Audiovisual display systems are well known in the art. Among the more sophisticated audiovisual display systems are miniaturized screens used in combination with film loop projectors which display a moving image on a small portable screen providing a portable movie theater. These systems are of a fairly simple construction having an image source and a miniaturized screen and therefore are portable. Because these audiovisual display systems are capable of displaying moving pictures they have become desirable for use with demonstration videos for educational purposes and point of sale demonstration in retail stores.
These types of audiovisual display systems suffer from the disadvantage that they are limited to two dimensional displays which severely reduce the realism and aesthetic value of the information displayed. Some films are produced with a process which allows for three dimensional viewing of the film being displayed on the audiovisual display system. However, this method suffers from the disadvantage that in order to view the film as three dimensional, the viewer is required to wear special glasses which are not always readily available, are uncomfortable, or distort portions of the picture.
Another prior art approach known as the holographic process overcomes this deficiency by providing a three dimensional object which may be viewed without the use of special viewing apparatus such as glasses. Holograms operate by diffracting light from a two dimensional interference pattern recorded on a light sensitive plate or film. When light shines on the light sensitive plate, a three dimensional image is displayed. Holograms do provide greater aesthetic value and hold the attention of the viewer due to their three dimensional appearance.
Holograms suffer from several disadvantages. First, holograms provide static images and do not lend themselves to producing images of complex movement. On a more technical level the diffraction angle of the light scattered by a holographic optical element is a function of wavelength. For this reason holographic optics must be designed for operation at a particular wavelength. As a result, holographs require complicated precise machinery to produce and view an image. Additionally, if holographic optics are to focus light precisely, the light must be monochromatic. Accordingly, holograms often appear to be tinged with the one color of the monochromatic laser so that ruby lasers provide a red tinge to the hologram, detracting from the realism. Lastly, diffraction efficiency is extremely important in producing holograms because only light diffracted by the hologram is focused to a desired point. High efficiencies are not always attainable and low diffraction efficiency results in both high losses and high levels of scattered light in the wrong place. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an audiovisual display system which overcomes the deficiencies of the prior art by producing a three dimensional image utilizing a simplified structure.

Method for preparing three dimensional images and audiovisual system for displaying thereof


A contact spring strip including a plurality of contact springs (F) held together in a chain-like manner. Each contact spring (F) includes a hat region (H). The hat region (H) when in the plugged-on state of the contact spring strip grips the head region (HK) of the retaining strip (HS). Each contact spring (F) also includes a spring leaf (FB) which, starting from the hat region (H) on the front (HA) of the retaining strip (HS) is spread away outwards at a bending edge (K). In addition, each contact spring (F) includes two latching claws (RK1 and RK2) which, starting from the hat region (H), are cut free at the front (HA) of the retaining strip (HS) at the bending edge (K) in a spread away outwards manner and situated on both sides next to the spring leaf (FB), and which respectively have a retaining lug (RF1 and RF2) which is spread away upwards in the direction of the head region (HK) and the front (HA) of the retaining strip (HS) and has a latching edge (RA1 and RA2). Further, each contact spring (F) includes a retaining leaf (HB) which, starting from the hat region (H), reaches onto the rear (HI) of the retaining strip (HS) and from which at least one retaining lug (RB) is cut out and spread away in the direction of the rear (HI).

German Patent No. 41 10 800 describes a module for insertion into HF-proof housings of electronic equipment. The module has a front plate constructed in a "U" shape profile. A spring strip including a plurality of spring elements following one another in a chain-like manner is provided for the purpose of high-frequency sealing of the longitudinal gaps between the front plates of modules arranged parallel to one another, for example in a subrack. The spring strip is plugged onto the longitudinal web forming one side of the U-shaped profile of the front plate of a module, and makes contact electro-magnetically and in a radio-frequency-proof fashion between the front plate and the opposite longitudinal strip forming the other side of the U-shaped profile of the front plate of a neighboring module.
A spring element of the spring strip includes two identically constructed contact springs each having a spring leaf and, arranged between a spring clamp and a clamping leaf. The contact springs and the spring clamp have a common, flat rear leaf. The spring clamp and rear leaf are constructed with a U-shaped cross-section and can be plugged onto the longitudinal web of the front plate in a clamping fashion such that the rear leaf rests on the inside of the longitudinal web. The contact springs and rear leaf have a V-shaped cross-section, with the result that their spring leaves are spread away by the outside of the longitudinal web.
One problem in this arrangement is that a proper and sufficient clamping action requires that the cooperating elements of spring clamp and rear leaf and the longitudinal web onto which these elements are plugged are of sufficient height. The essential cause of the latter is that the retaining action is achieved overwhelmingly through the use of friction forces. A further problem is that the element of the spring clamp must furthermore be of sufficient width on the front of the spring element to achieve the required clamping action. The effect of this is that the spacing between the contact springs arranged on both sides of the spring clamp is relatively large. To achieve continuous contact and thus a sufficient screening action, it is necessary for the spring leaves to be connected to one another by a connecting bridge in the lower region. Since, however, the high spring clamp situated between the connecting bridge can be constructed only to be narrow and like a web, the risk of mechanical damage to it is high.

Contact spring strip for plugging onto holding strips, in particular at the front panel of modules in shielded module carriers


A pulse signal generator suitable for generating a two-phase pulse signal required as information of a rotation angle of a motor from a motor control device is provided. According to an embodiment, the pulse signal generator includes: a compensation unit that outputs a compensation signal for compensating for the deviation between the angle information representing the rotation angle of the rotor provided in the resolver and the fed back angle information; a counter pulse output unit that outputs a counter pulse having a frequency corresponding to the compensation amount of the compensation signal and code information representing the sign of the compensation signal, and a pulse processing unit that outputs a count value by a counter as the angle information, which counts the pulse according to the code information, the pulse processing unit generating two-phase pulse signals PA and PB using the values of the counter.

The present invention relates to a pulse signal generator and an angle detection system comprising the same, and, for example, to a pulse signal generator suitable for generating a two-phase pulse signal required as information of a rotation angle of a motor from a motor control device, and to an angle detection system comprising the same.
The angle detection device includes a device for detecting the rotation angle of the motor using a rotary encoder, and in recent years, a device for detecting the rotation angle of the motor using a resolver. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2017-32480 discloses an apparatus for detecting the rotation angle of a motor using a resolver.

Pulse signal generator and angle detection system including the same


An adjustable video game cockpit that facilitates a number of independent adjustments to accommodate users of all sizes. The video game cockpit may include a video monitor stand and a universal video game console mount. The inclusion of the video monitor stand and universal video game console permit the cockpit to operate as a single gaming unit. The video game cockpit collapses down to a low profile for convenient relocation and storage.

The video game industry has expanded over the years to include large segments of the general population. Among the most popular products in the video game industry are games that simulate racing and flying. Some games are focused directly on racing or flying, and others include ancillary vehicle piloting. Some video game consoles thus include piloting components in addition to a standard game controller, mouse, or keyboard. For example, some video consoles are available with foot pedals, steering wheels, flight sticks, and other accessories. As video games have become more sophisticated, the demand for more realistic environments in which to operate them has also increased.
Typically, video games that incorporate a racing or flying aspect are operated using a hand-held controller. When users elect to add additional components such as foot pedals and steering wheels, often the additional components are simply set on the floor or a table. The user generally sits at the table in a kitchen or computer chair with the pedals at his feet. While sitting at a table and operating a steering wheel and foot pedals may add to the simulation experience, there is much room for improvement.
Therefore, there has been some development of portable video game simulation cockpits intended to more closely mimic a driving or flying position. For example, design patent numbers D376,186 and D446,263 illustrate two prior race car simulation cockpits. However, traditional race car simulation cockpits are tailored only to certain users. Typical race car simulation cockpits are not adjustable to accommodate users of various size. At best, some race car simulation cockpits may allow for sliding adjustment of a seat forward and back, but no other adjustments are available. Moreover, traditional race car simulation cockpits do not provide an integral adjustable monitor stand and they are bulky and difficult to transport and store.
In addition, prior race car simulation cockpits are not adaptable for use with all of the multiple video gaming platforms currently available. Race car simulation cockpits are typically designed for use with certain video game platforms, but not with others. For example, one race car simulation cockpit may be designed for use with a NINTENDO game system, but not with a personal computer or a MACINTOSH.


A decorative lamp in tubular aquarium includes a tubular water container having water and a plurality of artificial fish therein, a base which is a hollow body for supporting the tubular water container, and a lid covered on the top of the tubular water container. The base comprises a lamp holder having a bulb therein for providing the lighting in the tubular water container, a glass tube receiving the lamp holder and transversally placed in the base for providing a color light in the tubular water container by a color of the glass tube, and an air bubble valve making air bubbles by a pump in the tubular water container to keep those artificial fish in the tubular water container moving.

A traditional decorative lamp in tubular aquarium usually comprises a container which has water and a plurality of artificial fish therein, a base which supports the tank, and a cover covered on the top of the container. The base also has an air bubble valve for making air bubbles and the glass tube for lighting. When turning the power on, the color of the container is provided by the color of the glass tube to enforce the eyesight effort. The air bubble valve is made air bubbles by a pump to keep those artificial fish moving. However, the base of the container occupies much storage. Furthermore, it is not easily to be repaired when damaged.

8F-1, No. 37, Lane 187, Sec. 1, Tun-Hwa S, Road


A bore-variable leadpipe includes a mouthpiece receiver integrally formed on a tube body of a brass instrument and a mouthpiece adaptor detachably assembled to the mouthpiece receiver. The mouthpiece receiver internally defines a first bore, in which an assembling section, a tapered section and an air-guiding section are sequentially formed. The mouthpiece adaptor has a receiving end for receiving a mouthpiece therein and an assembling end for engaging with the assembling section, and internally defines a second bore between the two ends. When the mouthpiece adaptor is assembled to the mouthpiece receiver, the second and the first bore are aligned and communicable with each other to form a conical passage and a cylindrical passage. The leadpipe can be changed in its bore size by assembling a mouthpiece adaptor of a different bore size to the mouthpiece receiver, so that the same brass instrument can be used with differently sized mouthpieces.

Wind instruments are musical instruments that include a hollow tube body serving as a resonator. According to different sounding principles thereof, the wind instruments are divided into two major types, namely, brass instruments and woodwind instruments. A brass instrument produces sound when a player blows into a mouthpiece set at the end of the resonator to vibrate a column of air in the resonator. Some very common brass instruments include trumpets, French horns, trombones, euphoniums and baritones.
Please refer to FIG. 1. Any type of brass instrument generally includes a mouthpiece 10, a leadpipe 11, a mouthpipe 12, a valve section 13 and a bell 14. The mouthpiece 10 includes a funnel-shaped or bowl-shaped cup 101 and a tapered shank 102 extended into the leadpipe 11. The valve section 13 is located between the mouthpipe 12 and the bell 14 and generally includes three to six valves. In most cases, three or four valves are arranged in the valve section 13.
Conventionally, the leadpipe 11 for a brass instrument has an opening formed into a conical bore 111, a size of which is depending on the type of the musical instrument and is usually fixed for receiving a correspondingly sized shank 102 therein. Therefore, to play different brass instruments, a brass player has to own not only a number of brass instruments, but also a number of differently sized mouthpieces 10 to produce sound.
This means the brass player has to purchase different types of brass instrument as well as differently sized mouthpieces, and the cost thereof doubtlessly forms a considerable burden to the brass player. Some brass instruments have a leadpipe bore that can only receive a small-size mouthpiece. For a brass player who prefers to a large-size mouthpiece for playing the brass instruments, the use of a mouthpiece having the player's preferred size to play different brass instruments without being limited to the mouthpiece sizes specific to individual brass instruments would no doubt help the player to get adapted to different brass instruments more quickly.
In view that the conventional brass instruments respectively have a leadpipe that can be used with only one type of mouthpiece, it is desirable to develop a bore-variable leadpipe to allow easy change of the bore size of the leadpipe of a brass instrument, so as to overcome the drawback in the conventional leadpipe.

Bore-variable leadpipe for brass instruments


A drive train for a hybrid vehicle is described herein. The drive train includes an electric motor having a rotor linked to a ground contacting wheel of the vehicle, a combustion engine that may be selectively connected to the ground contacting wheel and an electric generator that may be directly or indirectly connected to the combustion engine. The drive train may be used in a series mode while the generator is operated at a nominal rotation speed via a speed increasing gear mechanism while the internal combustion engine operates at low speed and in a parallel mode while the generator is operated at a rotation speed of the combustion engine.

Hybrid vehicles are well known in the art. They are usually provided with an electric motor and an internal combustion engine (ICE) that may transmit power to at least one wheel of the vehicle and a generator used to supply electricity to the electric motor and/or to recharge batteries of the vehicle.
On the one hand, a hybrid vehicle is said to be a series hybrid vehicle when the electric motor is used to drive the wheels and the ICE is exclusively used to drive the generator to recharge the vehicle's batteries and/or supply electric power to the electric motor.
On the other hand, a hybrid vehicle is said to be a parallel hybrid vehicle when both the electric motor and the ICE are used simultaneously or individually to drive the wheels of the vehicle. In parallel hybrid vehicles, the ICE may also be used to recharge the batteries through a generator.
Series/parallel hybrid vehicles (SPHV) are also known in the art. Conventionally, these vehicles may be switched between a series mode and a parallel mode, as described hereinabove.

Drive train for series/parallel hybrid vehicle


A container and cover therefor, preferably of plastic, and particularly designed for Regulated Materials, having two sets of locking means for securing the container and cover.

1. Field of the Invention
Plastic pails and containers especially of relatively large size, e.g., 3.5 gallons or more, and locking covers therefore. (hereinafter, for the sake of simplicity, "pail(s) and container(s)" are referred to as "container(s)".)
2. Background Art
Plastic containers with single locking covers, generally of the 3.5 gallon or more size and especially intended to contain (but not limited to) "Regulated Materials" as defined by the United States Department of Transportation ("DOT"). Such Regulated Materials Include, but are not limited to toxic, corrosive, flammable and poisonous materials, and may be liquid and non-liquid (e.g., granular).

Double locking pail and cover for regulated materials


A safety device for vertically moving load carrier is disclosed. It includes a vertical column, a retainer, a vertical safety rack, a pivot shaft, a safety detent pivotally fitted on the pivot shaft and a resilient member. When a flexible transmission belt disposed in the vertical column is in a normally sealedly installed state, the safety detent is positioned in a first position without contacting with the safety rack. While in case the transmission belt is accidentally broken and in a loosened state, the safety detent is forced by the resilient member and rotated to a second position in contact with the safety rack. In the second position, the engaging section of the safety detent is just engaged with a horizontal section of one tooth of the safety rack so that the retainer and the load carried thereby are kept stationary at a certain height without abruptly dropping down to cause accident.

The present invention relates to a safety device for vertically moving load carrier, including a safety detent and a safety rack. In case the transmission belt is accidentally broken, the safety detent is forced to engage with the safety rack so as to prevent the load carrier from abruptly dropping down to cause accident.
FIGS. 1 and 2 show a conventional vertically moving load carrier often used in a general packing machine, elevator, crane, parking apparatus, etc. Such load carrier basically includes a pair of vertical columns 1 and a retainer 2.
The vertical column 1 has a predetermined height and is disposed with a driving shaft 11 and a driven shaft 12 respectively at top section and bottom section. The driving shaft 11 is driven by a driving means 13. An circular flexible circulating transmission belt 14 (such as a chain, a leather belt or a steel cord) is sealedly disposed between the driving shaft 11 and the driven shaft 12. The driving means 13 can be an electric motor.
The retainer 2 is secured at a predetermined position of the transmission belt 14 and is only vertically slidable along the vertical column 1. The retainer 2 has a load platform 21 for receiving a load 22 (such as an article, person or car). When the driving means 13 drives the driving shaft 11, via the transmission belt 14, the retainer 2 is lifted from a lower first position H1 to a higher second position H2 or is lowered from the second position H2 to the first position H1.
The conventional device has a most serious problem, that is, unsafety. Especially, when the retainer 2 is lifted or lowered, in case the load 22 is too heavy and the transmission belt 14 is accidentally broken apart, the load will abruptly drop down to cause injury or death of persons or damage of articles.
A safety device (not shown) used in the conventional car parking apparatus includes similar vertical column structure. The safety device further includes an upper sprocket, a lower sprocket, a chain and a parking platform. In addition, a vertical dropproof rack is disposed on one side of the vertical column. The parking platform is equipped with a safety detent and an electromagnetic valve near the dropproof rack. Such safety device is operated in such a manner that when the platform goes up, the electromagnetic valve is not energized and the safety detent is moved upward along with the platform one tooth by one tooth in contact with the dropproof rack. When going down, the electromagnetic valve is energized to pull back the safety detent from contacting with the dropproof rack, permitting the parking platform to move downward.
However, the above structure still has two major shortcomings as follows: 1. The parking platform is prevented from accidentally dropping only in rising state. While when moving downward, the safety detent does not contact with the dropproof rack. That is, it has no any security. This is extremely dangerous. 2. When rising, the safety detent keeps in contact with the dropproof rack and is quite subject to abrasion.

Safety device for vertically moving load carrier


In an electrically propelled vehicle having at least one roof container (1) and at least one pantograph (6), such that the roof container (1) contains at least components for electrically protecting the power electronics downstream of the pantograph (6), because the pantograph (6) is mounted in electrically insulated fashion on the roof container (1) there are only short unprotected electrical conduction paths between the pantograph (6) and the components for protecting the power electronics downstream of the pantograph (6).

In electrically propelled vehicles such as electrically propelled rail vehicles, the roof container and pantograph are arranged in physically separate fashion. The roof container generally contains components for electrically protecting the traction equipment, the heating system, and the vehicle's power converter. The components for distribution of supply voltage can also be arranged in a roof container of this kind.
In a conventional arrangement, the electrical lines between the pantograph and the roof container extend on the roof. Because they are not electrically protected in this region, the electrical cables must be mechanically shielded by pipes or by cable ducts. Such features are relatively complex. If the insulation is damaged in the case of an electrical cable that is protected in this fashion, this immediately causes a short circuit.
In addition, European Patent No. 0 599 031 describes a roof container in which the housing is constituted by a rectangular floor, two side walls, and two end walls. The housing can be covered by a one-piece cover which covers the entire area of the housing. In order to ensure that the components arranged in the housing are easily accessible from both sides, detachable articulated connections are arranged at the upper edges of both side walls, so that the housing cover can be swung open to either side.


An electrical heat lamp for pig breeding includes a housing and an electrical heating source. The heating source is a U-shaped, infrared electromagnetic radiation heating element, and includes an electric member portion for connecting to an external electric energy source. The heat lamp includes a reflector arranged in the housing, the reflector being adapted to reflect the electromagnetic radiation emitted from the heating source, is adapted to fit the shape of the heating source, and has a U-shaped groove which in turn has a parabolic cross section. The heat lamp includes a sealing member sealing the space or electrical connection between the heating source and the electric member portion against water; optionally, one or two more sealing members are provided.

1. Field of Endeavor
The invention generally relates to a heat lamp. The invention more particularly relates to an electrical heat lamp for pigs, especially for small pigs and/or pig breeding.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
It is well known that new born and very young pigs require heat in order to thrive and grow. Therefore, heat lamps have been developed for the pig farrowing industry with the purpose of keeping new born and young pigs warm.
In traditional farrowing operations, it is desirable to heat, at least a part of, the box areas. A common method is to suspend a heat lamp over the box areas.
Prior art heat lamps for pigs typically use bulbs to generate heat, and when the box area is cleaned with the use of water, each heat lamp has to be removed from the box area. After the cleaning process the heat lamps have to be put back in place. This is a time consuming process and the heat lamps may be damaged during this process. Accordingly, it is desirable to have an alternative to these heat lamps.
The prior art heat lamps for pigs provide a rather inhomogeneous heat distribution. Thus, it is typically very hot in a small, basically circular, area below the heat lamp. On the other hand, the temperature is a decreasing function of the distance to the centum of the hot area. Accordingly, the optimum temperature is only present in a restricted area. Therefore, it is often very difficult for the pigs to find a comfortable place to stay.


A multi-rate transmission system (10) includes a receive section (12) and a transmit section (14). The receive section includes a receiver (16), a clock recovery unit (18), and a serial to parallel converter (20) all operating at a first clock rate (M). The receiver (16) also has a frame recovery unit (22) that operates at any of a plurality of clock rates, including the first clock rate (M) and a second clock rate (M/n). When the frame recovery unit operates at the first clock rate (M), frame information received by the receiver section (12) has unique bits occupying each bit position associated with each clock pulse of the first clock rate (M). When the frame recovery unit (22) operates at the second clock rate (M/n), each unique bit of the frame information occupies a number of bit positions according to a ratio of the first clock rate (M) to the second clock rate (M/n). Similar operation occurs with respect to a frame formatter (30) in the transmit section (14) of the multi-rate transmission system (10).

Many modern transmission products, such as SONET fiber optic transmission systems, are required to have variants in order to operate at different clock rates. Development of these products becomes unnecessarily complicated and time consuming because one set of components is required for one clock rate and another set of components is required for another clock rate. Upgrading the transmission system or changing the clock rate requires disposal and replacement of a large number of components, significantly increasing the cost and design cycle time of the system. Further, changes in system clock rates cannot be performed remotely, requiring the system to suffer down time in order to affect the changes. Therefore, it is desirable to have a transmission system that can perform in response to changes in clock rates without adversely affecting performance and development.


A device for discovering, identification and monitoring, of mechanical flaws in metallic structures is disclosed, based on magneto-graphic/magnetic tomography technique to identify stress-related defects. The device can determine the position of the defect or stress including depth information. The device includes registration means that optimized for use with metallic structures of various types, shapes and sizes. Applications include a real-time quality control, monitoring and emergency alarms, as well structural repairs and maintenance work recommendations and planning. Examples of the device implementation include pipes for oil and gas industry monitoring, detection of flaws in rolled products in metallurgical industry, welding quality of heavy duty equipment such as ships, reservoirs. etc. It is especially important for loaded constructions, such as pressured pipes, infrastructure maintenance, nuclear power plant monitoring, bridges, corrosion prevention and environment protection.

This invention can be used in various fields where constructions are tested for continuity defects in a contact fashion or combined with the remote method. Examples of device and method implementation may include pipes for oil and gas industry, detection of flaws in rolled products in metallurgical industry, welding quality of heavy duty equipment such as ships and reservoirs, etc. It is especially important for inspection of loaded constructions, such as pressured pipes, infrastructure maintenance, nuclear power plant monitoring, bridges, corrosion prevention and environment protection.
Similar to the modes of transportation like roads, railroads, and electric transmission lines, the pipelines have an important role in the nation's economy, belonging to the long linear assets. They typically cross large distances from the points of production and import facilities to the points of consumption. Like the other modes of transportation, pipe lines require very large initial investment to be built, having long exploitation periods when properly maintained. Like any engineering structure, pipelines do occasionally fail. While pipeline rates have little impact on the price of a fuel, its disruptions or lack of capacity can constrain supply, potentially causing very large price spikes. That's why pipelines, such as ones used in the oil and gas industry, require regular inspection and maintenance before potentially costly failures occur.
The major causes of pipeline failures around the world are external interference and corrosion; therefore, assessment methods are needed to determine the severity of such defects when they are detected in pipelines. Pipeline integrity management is the general term given to all efforts (design, construction, operation, maintenance, etc.) directed towards ensuring continuing pipeline integrity.
Traditional contact methods of assessing the structural integrity typically complemented by flaw detection using in-line inspection (ILI), detecting and evaluating various metal defects organized by area (clusters), assessing their danger by calculating a level of stress-deformed state (SDS), and deciding on a permissible operating pressure with evaluated factor of repair (EFR), based on residual pipe wall thickness (for defects of "metal loss"—corrosion type).
Pipelines, e.g. those used in the oil and gas industry, need regular inspection and maintenance before potentially costly failures occur. A traditional method of assessing the technical condition of a pipeline typically includes flaw detection using in-line inspection (ILI) for detecting location and evaluating parameters of separate metal defects, joining defects into clusters by an expert evaluation method (without indicating the rules of joining), calculating a level of stress deformed condition (SDC) in cluster zones to assess their danger, and calculating a permissible operating pressure and evaluated factor of repair (EFR) for clusters of corrosion origin based on residual pipe wall thickness with defects of "metal loss" (corrosion) type.
As a contact technique, pigging devices has been used for many years to maintain larger diameter pipelines in the oil industry. Today, however, the use of smaller diameter pigging devices is increasing in many plants as plant operators search for increased efficiencies and reduced costs. Unfortunately, the ILI using intelligent pigging is unavailable for a wide range objects that require full disruptive inspection and significant spending on repair preparation. While the ILI method is suitable for the initial flaw detection, it is less efficient for the relative degree (ranking) of the risk-factor evaluation, as well as for defective pipeline serviceability calculation.
Pipe-line pigging device can detect the following types of defects: i) changing in geometry: dents, wavy surface, deformed shape of cross-section; ii) metal loss, having mechanical, technological or corrosion nature; material discontinuity: layering and inclusions; iii) cracks; iv) all types of welding defects.
Pipe-line pigging is a very expensive and labor consuming method. The major limitation of this method is the fact that a large part of pipe-lines are not prepared for the pigging device operation, e.g. due to lack of input/output chambers for pig-flow device launching and pipe-line cleaning access, partially blocked pipe cross-section due to the welding artifacts, geometrical abnormalities and large slopes (small radius turns) of the pipe-line layout. In order to make the pipe-line pigging method possible, a significant preparation has to be done in advance, in particular, the high residual level magnetization (saturated magnetic fields) of the pipe line has to be performed before using the pig-flow device. This causes future technical problems of the pipeline demagnetization that required for actual pipe repair after the pigging.
Moreover, the evaluation of the absolute values of mechanical flaws by pigging device is particular difficult due to the multiple additional factors that have to be taken into account, e. g. bearing capacity of the soil, local cyclical loads (temperature, etc.).
Aside of the remote methods, there are numerous contact non-destructive testing devices for access to the surface of the metallic construction (ultrasound-, eddy-current-, magnetic-powder-defectoscopy). The main disadvantages of such methods is the time-consuming procedure of surface preparation that reduces the scope of applicability and leads to high cost, low registration sensitivity and selectivity for hidden internal defects identification.
Typically, a pipeline company will have a thorough pipeline safety program that will include a routine for the identification of pipeline defects and review of pipeline integrity. Such a plan should include, but not be limited to i) a review of previous inspection reports by a third party expert; ii) excavation of sites identified by this review for visual examination of anomalies; iii) repairs as necessary; and iv) addressing factors in the failure and verify the integrity of the pipeline.
It is important to mention that the pipeline safety program can be only as effective as the interpretation of internal inspection reports.
There are several magnetographic devices that have been disclosed for non-destructive inspection of ferrous materials. In magneto-graphic inspection and defectoscopy the tested area of the material is placed in proximity to the magnetic medium. The changes of the surface-penetrating impede flux due to the material flows or deviations can be recorded. The resulting "magnetogram" of the material can provide the information about the location, size, and type of the defect or abnormality. In general, this information can be converted into the report about the quality of the material. Obtaining the magnetogram (magnetic picture) of the material in the course of the non-destructive inspection process is very challenging and typically requires additional forms of inspection, such as roentgenogram or an X-ray image.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,806,862 (Kozlov) offers a contact method of magnetographic inspection of quality of materials, where a magnetic substance (such as liquid) is applied to be magnetized together with the tested material. According to the invention, the intensity of the magnetizing field is established by the maximum curvature of the surface of a drop of a magnetic fluid applied onto the surface of the material to be inspected, so that the resulting magnetogram can be used to assess the quality of the material.
In another magnetographic U.S. Pat. No. 4,930,026 (Kljuev), the flaw sensor for magnetographic quality inspection is disclosed, which includes a flaw detector and a mechanism for driving the magneto-sensitive transducer. During the scanning procedure, the magnetic leakage fluxes penetrate through the surface of the material in places where flaws occur, resulting in a magnetogram of the tested material.
There is another magnetic technique that has been proposed by U.S. Pat. No. 6,205,859 (Kwun) to improve the defect detection with magnetostrictive sensors for piping inspection. The method involves exciting the magnetostrictive sensor transmitter by using a relatively broadband signal instead of a narrow band signal typically used in order to avoid signal dispersion effects. The amplified detected signal is transformed by a short-time Fourier transform providing the identifiable signal patterns from either defects or known geometric features in the pipe such as welds or junctions.
There is a known contact device with two single component collinear flux-gate magnetometers have been reported for the contact magnetometric monitoring and defects detection, RU 2062394. This device characterized by limited applicability due the slow data reception and processing and low sensitivity that makes impossible to detect minor deviations of stress-strain state (STS) from the background values, also leading to the low resolution threshold and a high false alarm rate.
The deviations of F-value can be classified as follows: X1—for negligible defects (good technical condition of the metal); X2—for defects that require planned repairs (acceptable technical condition); X3—for defects that require immediate repairs (unacceptable, pre-alarm technical condition, alarm).
The absolute values X1-X3 of the F-value (comprehensive value of magnetic field anomaly) should be defined for each particular case, depending upon the following factors: i) Material type (e.g. steel); ii) Topological location with the local background magnetic fields variation range, iii) Distance to the object (e.g. pipe-line installation depth), iv) General condition of the deformation-related tension within construction under testing, v) etc.
As a result, the only relative changes (variations) of the magnetic field can be evaluated for the given defective segment (relatively to the flawless segment), by comparing to its relative F-values. Thus, the very moment of the ultimate stress-limit crossing can be identified for each defective segment during the real operation (i.e. under pressure/loaded) condition. It can be done by monitoring the development of the defects within its F-value interval, namely, starting from the good technical condition X1 up until the yield-strength limit approaching and material breakdown. It provides a real possibility to predict the defect's speed development, resulting in increased accuracy in priority order definition for upcoming maintenance steps.
The aforementioned techniques are not satisfactory to be used for efficient prediction in defects development timeline and not capable of providing a real-time alert about the strength-limits approaching, i.e. when probable construction failure is about to occur.
The closest remote technology to the disclosed invention is shown in RU 2264617 that describes the Magnetic Tomography (MT) technique. This technique includes a remote magnetic field vectors measurement in Cartesian coordinates with the movement of measuring device (magnetometer) along the pipe-line, the recording of the anomalies of magnetic field (on top of background magnetic field), processing of the data and report on found pipe-line defects with their localization shown in resulting magnetogram. The technique provides a good sensitivity, also capable of discovering the following types of defects: i) Changing in geometry: dents, wavy surface, deformed shape of cross-section; ii) Metal loss, having mechanical, technological or corrosion nature; material discontinuity: layering and inclusions; iii) Cracks; iv) Welding, flaws, including girth weld defects. Moreover, such method provides a risk-factor ranking of the discovered pipe-line defects accordingly to material tension concentration (factor F). Accordingly this technique was taken as initial prototype for the disclosed technology.
MT determines the comparative degree of danger of defects by a direct quantitative assessment, of the stress deformed condition of the metal. Conventional surveys only measure the geometrical parameters of a defect. Their subsequent calculations to assess the impact of the defect on the safe operation of the pipe do not take into consideration the stress caused by the defect. Therefore conventional surveys may fail to detect dangerously stressed areas of the pipe or, conversely, classify a defect as one which requires urgent attention when, in reality, the stress level may be low and the defect presents no immediate threat to the operation of the pipe. Since MT directly measures the stress caused by defects it is an inherently more accurate guide to the safe operation of the pipeline than conventional survey methods.
There are several methods for integrity assessment of extended structures (e.g. metallic pipes) that have been proposed in literature. Thus, U.S. Pat. No. 4,998,208 (Buhrow, et al) discloses the piping corrosion monitoring system that calculates the risk-level safety factor producing an inspection schedule. There is another method disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,813,949 (Masaniello, et al.), which addresses a pipeline inspection system having a serviceability acceptance criteria for pipeline anomalies, specifically wrinkles, with an improved method of correlating ultrasonic test data to actual anomaly characteristics.
The main disadvantages of previous methods are: i) The scope of its application is limited by large-scale linear objects. Located at a considerable distance from each other, ii) Difficult real-time implementation of the device, iii) It is impossible to identify the location of individual defects, visualize and specify the exact position on the internal or external tested surfaces; iv) There is also a lack of visualization of the obtained information in a form of the resulting tomogram where all the locations of the defective segments with associated respective risk factors (absolute mechanical stress values) are shown.
There is a need in developing a combination of contact and remote techniques in order to increase sensitivity, resolution and visual representation of the stress-related anomalies within the structure, as well as a probability of operation failure (i.e. risk-factor).
The defect areas risk-factor criteria and ranking (such as material stress: F-value) is used for planning a required sequence of repair and maintenance steps. Such criteria were developed by comparing a risk-factor calculated using the defect geometry in calibration bore pits with a predicted risk-factor obtained by the remote magneto-metric data (i.e. comprehensive F-value of particular magneticanomaly).
However, there are several limitations to the above method. For example, ILI using intelligent pigging is unavailable for a range of objects that are non-piggable, or requires significant spending to prepare an object for pigs running. While the ILI method is suitable for the first task (the flaw detection itself), it is less advantageous for evaluating the comparative degree of the flaw's danger (e.g. by ranking), or for calculating serviceability of pipeline sections with various defects. Also, traditional calculations consist only in the evaluation of danger of groups of defects (clusters) like "metal loss". The task of evaluating the corrosion rate (corrosion prognosis or monitoring) is not solved, and is typically settled by repeated runs of tools-defectoscopes.
Furthermore, in the above traditional method, there is no evaluation of cracks stability, that is, no prognosis for the rate of crack-like defects development, especially in a longitudinal direction. There is also no evaluation of danger of other types of defects (e.g. welds) due to operation conditions, as the evaluation of metal properties degradation in aggressive conditions and with anomalies of stress-deformed condition (SDC) is not carried out. For example, there are pipeline sections with sags, bends, stresses/stretches/twists, that is, with loss of a pipeline stability, e.g. due to land-washing during heavy rains, in land-slipping areas, precipices, ravines and zones of seismic activity. In addition, the main problem—the degree of stress concentration in a particular pipeline section—is not considered; it must be considered by engineers of the integrity department of the company/operator by e.g. expert evaluation.
As an alternative to the above method, a magnetometric tomography method (MTM) has been proposed. MTM is a non-contact method of non-destructive testing (NDT) and technical diagnostics based on remote scanning the magnetic field of a ferro-magnetic pipeline in a system of orthogonal coordinates. Additionally, manual processing and calibrating are used to define locations of sections with metal defects of various types, identify the type of the most dangerous defects, and evaluate serviceability of defective sections according to the degree of mechanical stress concentration.
However, MTM is currently available only to on-shore (i.e. land-based) applications. Also, the current detection capability of such a magnetometer is only up to a maximum distance of 20 times the pipe diameter. Thus, such conventional MTM systems are not suitable for many subsea (i.e. underwater) pipelines, which may be located at significant depths. The inspection speed is also limited to only about 2 meters per second (m/s), and the recording of distance is typically manual. Also, the analysis of the collected data is substantially manual, i.e. it relies again on expert evaluation.
A need therefore exists to provide a system and method for inspecting a subsea pipeline that seeks to address at least some of the above problems.

System and method for inspecting subsea vertical pipeline


The present invention is directed to the use of bandwidth efficient OCDMA in a multipath environment. The high rate PN code greatly attenuates multipath components that are delayed enough to have significant impact on the degree of orthogonality that may be achieved. By offsetting the carriers by the RW chipping rate and using precise network timing to align all accesses to a small fraction of a high rate PN chip duration, it is possible to fully utilize the available bandwidth. The procedure for achieving this time base alignment has been previously disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 980,957.

Orthogonal code-division multiple access (OCDMA) has been proposed (U.S. patent application Ser. No. 980,957 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,375,140, incorporated herein by reference, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/257,324 filed Jun. 7, 1994, incorporated herein by reference) as an effective technique for improving the capacity, i.e., bandwidth efficiency, of the more conventional quasi-orthogonal CDMA (QOCDMA). QOCDMA is frequently referred to as asynchronous CDMA since the chips (for direct sequence PN) or the hops (for pseudo-random hopping) are not aligned in time. As a consequence of the non-alignment, or asynchronicity, it is not possible to achieve true orthogonality and QOCDMA systems suffer from interference from other system users or what is commonly known as access noise. As a result of this access noise QOCDMA systems cannot achieve as high a capacity, i.e., number of channels, in a given amount of bandwidth as can an orthogonal system such as OCDMA.
As noted above, OCDMA requires time base alignment of all accesses and this can be done readily in star networks provided that the subscriber terminals, i.e., remote units, are not moving too quickly nor are too far removed from the base station, i.e., hub of the star network. In addition, there is another propagation condition that must be met that is of particular concern when the subscriber terminals employ antennas that do not have a great deal of directivity. In such situations there may be considerable multipath and the delayed path signals will contribute access noise since these signals being non-aligned in time will be non-orthogonal. However, if the multipath delay spread is small in comparison to the chip duration of the orthogonal codes, the impact of the multipath signals is negligible. By choosing a suitably low chipping rate and restricting operation to indoor environments, where the delay spread is quite small, this condition may be assured. Thus, the first application of OCDMA has been to a wireless PBX where these conditions can be met.
The object of the present invention is to extend this system to those environments where there is a significant delay spread in comparison to the duration of the orthogonal code chip duration.

Multipath resistant, orthogonal code-division multiple access system