A method and system for securing continued operation of a primary cloud-based computing environment (CBCE) residing in a first cloud environment are disclosed. The system comprises gathering information respective of the primary CBCE; storing the gathered information in a storage space, wherein the gathered information substantially provides a baseline to initiate the creation of a reconstructed CBCE upon a need to recreate the primary CBCE; updating the gathered information with new information gathered respective of changes to the primary CBCE; receiving a periodic status notification from the primary CBCE; and initiating a reconstruction of the primary CBCE in the second cloud environment responsive to the status notification requesting one of: a reconstruction request and failure of the primary CBCE.

In recent years more and more providers have begun providing the ability to create computing environments in the cloud. For example, Amazon Web Services™ (also known as AWS) launched in 2006 a service that provides users with the ability to configure an entire environment tailored to an application executed over the cloud platform. In general, such services allow developing scalable applications in which computing resources are utilized to support efficient execution of the application. To this end, a programmer (a user of the cloud-computing environments) can define the computing resources, such as servers, web servers, routers, storage, load balancers, firewalls, backup, and connectivity as may be desired. Services for creating computing environments in the cloud allow dynamic changes to the set of computing resources and their configurations. This may include adding components or removing components from the configured environment as may be necessary, as well as changes to other configurations of the environment and changes to the configuration of each component.
Organizations and businesses that develop, provide, or otherwise maintain cloud based applications have become accustomed to relying on these services and implementing various types of environments from complex web sites to data mining systems and much more. However, there is a challenge as greater reliance is made on such systems, since such systems have to maintain a very high up-time and any failure may become highly problematic and/or costly to a user of the system. That is, there is a requirement to allow for business continuity. For example, for an e-commerce application executed in a cloud-based environment, any down time of such application means revenue lost. As a result, providers of such applications often utilize measures to ensure continuity of operations by backing up information that is relevant to maintaining operations.
While the providers of such cloud-based environments provide various backup capabilities that automatically or semi-automatically store data from one computer in another storage space that is separate from the computer, those providers still rely on the user to address these issues effectively. Therefore, in order to ensure continuous operations of the application, mirror or backup environments are manually created by the application developer or application owner. In addition, any changes made to the primary environment must be manually updated in the backup environment.
For example, when a machine allocated in the cloud-environment for execution of the application includes certain firewall configuration parameters, these parameters have to be copied manually to the respective backup machine if the user or provider desires that such parameters be identical in character to those of the backed-up machine. Additionally, while coherency maintenance between machines (such as physical and/or virtual machines) is well within the realm of existing solutions, cloud service providers do not currently support coherency maintenance for other computing resources such as load balancers. A solution that periodically backs up data of a machine by way of taking a snapshot and storing such data would be desired. This solution would enable reconstruction of the data in case of failure or when otherwise needed.
Therefore, the disadvantages of prior art solutions are quite obvious. At all times, it is necessary to maintain a full copy of the cloud-based computing environment (CBCE). That is, both machines and services, in at least another cloud environment or platform.
It would be therefore advantageous to provide an efficient solution for maintaining the ability to create a redundant CBCE in case of a failure of a primary CBCE.

System and method for maintaining a copy of a cloud-based computing environment and restoration thereof


A new and distinct sweet orange clone ‘OLL-8’ has been developed from an unstable sweet orange selection, designated as ‘OLL’, using tissue culture techniques. Undeveloped ovules from fruit of selection ‘OLL’ were cultured in vitro to generate an embryogenic callus, from which multiple independent clones were regenerated via somatic embryogenesis. Regenerated plantlets (somaclones) were grafted to Swingle citrumelo rootstock and grown in the field for evaluation. Sweet orange clone ‘OLL-8’ was the most precocious bearing clone among the somaclone population, and thus the first to be selected for release, based on its stable propagation and outstanding qualities. ‘OLL-8’ produces high yields of high quality fruit, with exceptional flavor and juice color. It is expected to make a significant contribution to the sweet orange portfolio available to the not-from-concentrate juice producers in Florida and around the world.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of sweet orange tree named 'OLL-8'. 'OLL-8' is a somaclone regenerated from embryogenic callus (tissue culture) of 'Orie Lee Late' ('OLL') sweet orange (unpatented), with high-quality fruit that usually matures in the standard 'Valencia' (unpatented) time period. 'OLL' is believed to be an irradiation-induced mutant line originating from Pineapple sweet orange in an abandoned USDA trial attempting to generate a seedless Pineapple orange. 'OLL' attracted attention because it never dropped fruit, a serious problem with Pineapple, and held quality late into the summer. Propagations of 'OLL' were not uniform and included some trees of poor growth and productivity, as well as robust high-yielding trees. In efforts to generate genetically stable clones from the 'OLL' selection, tissue cultures (embryogenic callus) were established for the creation of somaclones. 'OLL-8' was the most precocious bearing tree among the population of somaclones regenerated. Trueness-to-type of 'OLL-8' was demonstrated by topworking two trees to Swingle citrumelo rootstock in CREC Block 18-North 40. Topworked trees are stable and productive, producing true-to-type fruit (for 4 consecutive years). In addition, young trees propagated on various rootstocks are stable and produce true-to-type fruit at multiple trial locations. 'OLL-8' was first asexually reproduced in Lake Alfred, Polk County, Fla., by topworking. The first asexually reproduced trees were originally Duncan grapefruit on Swingle citrumelo rootstock, topworked with 'OLL-8'. Since this time, hundreds of trees have been asexually propagated on multiple rootstocks using standard nursery practices. All asexually reproduced trees have been true-to-type to date.


A cruise control system of a vehicle comprises a target generator, a speed controller, and a distance controller. The speed controller and the distance controller are each coupled to the target generator. The target generator is configured for generating a dynamic speed target and a dynamic distance target through real-time assessment of information characterizing current operating condition characterizing information. The speed controller is configured for utilizing the dynamic speed target for issuing commands to cause the vehicle to be operated at a road speed that is adaptive to the current operating condition characterizing information. The distance controller is configured for utilizing the dynamic distance target for issuing commands to cause the vehicle to be operated such that a distance between the vehicle and a leading vehicle is adaptive to the current operating condition characterizing information.

Cruise control (CC) has become a standard feature on most modern vehicles. It is a feature that provides the functionality of autonomously regulating a vehicle's speed around a driver-defined target speed (i.e., speed control). Although cruise, control is a feature that is standard on most vehicles, many drivers are reluctant to use it or use it in only a limited number of scenarios due to worrying about driving at a constant preset speed in various and/or varying road conditions. Examples of such road conditions include, but are not limited to, snow covered roads, icy roads, rough roads, hilly, curved, cambered roads, and the like. Furthermore, a driver's style of driving and/or behavior while driving (e.g., cautious driver, normal driver, expert driver, reckless driver, impatient driver, etc.) can influence their willingness and likeliness to use cruise control.
Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) is an enhanced version of cruise control. Adaptive cruise control switches from a speed control mode of operation (i.e., speed control functionality) to a distance control mode of operation (i.e., distance control functionality) when the Vehicle (i.e., the follow vehicle) approaches another vehicle in front of it (i.e., the leading vehicle) that is travelling in the same direction (e.g., in the same road lane). Examples of apparatuses that can be used for sensing the leading vehicle include, but are not limited to, a radar-type sensing apparatus, a laser-type sensing apparatus, a lidar-type sensing apparatus, a camera-type sensing apparatus or the like. In response to sensing the leading vehicle and/or determining that the vehicles are within a specified distance from each other, adaptive cruise control causes the follow-vehicle to maintain a preset distance behind the leading vehicle (i.e., distance control) regardless if the leading vehicle reduces speed or brakes (e.g., the following vehicle decelerates and/or coasts until the preset distance is achieved). The preset distance can be speed-dependent such that the distance is proportional to the speed of the leading vehicle. Once the leading vehicle is passed or is otherwise no longer in front of the follow vehicle (e.g., turns off of the road or moves to a different lane), adaptive cruise control causing the follow vehicle to accelerate back to the preset cruise control speed under the speed control mode of operation. In this manner, to reduce a driver's concerns relating to maintaining constant speed while following another car, adaptive cruise control provides the functionality of changing the driver's vehicle's speed to maintain a pre-set gap (i.e., distance) between the driver's vehicle and the leading vehicle. Collision mitigation by braking (CMbB), which can be an enhancement of cruise control and active cruise control, is a safety feature that warns a driver of a leading vehicle and automatically applies brakes if there is a high risk of collision with the leading vehicle.
ACC is one example of integrating speed control with on-demand distance control. However, there are many driving situations where speed control and distance control need to be either arbitrated or switched among each other to achieve a vehicle motion state that is acceptable to the driver. For example, besides CC and ACC, modern vehicles can also be equipped with safety features such as Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Roll Stability Control (RSC), Traction Control System (TCS), Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) and/or with convenience/comfort features such as Fuel Economy Minder (FEM), Driver Advisory System, Controllable Suspension System, and Controllable Steering System. Accordingly, providing speed control used in CC device and/or distance control used in ACC device in combination with capabilities of one or more of these other safety, convenience, and/or comfort features will enhance driver assistance functionality, which can improve safety of the vehicle and, at the same time, enhance driving convenience and/or fuel economy. Furthermore, such an enhanced implementation of CC and/or ACC can potentially enhance driver's acceptance and utilization of such driver assist features.


A wiper subassembly for a motor vehicle has a windshield wiper retention member connected by a front connection arrangement in the longitudinal direction of the motor vehicle to a first bodywork component and by a rear connection arrangement to a second bodywork component. In order to optimize the crash behavior of a wiper subassembly, the front connection is arranged to be configured, when a threshold force which acts in the longitudinal direction between the windshield wiper retention member and the first bodywork component is exceeded, to give way so that the first bodywork component can be moved to the rear relative to the windshield wiper retention member.

Windshield wipers of modern motor vehicles generally are electrically driven. The corresponding motor is typically secured to a retention member which may also have bearings for the pivot shafts of the wiper arms and for mechanical elements for the transmission of force from the motor to the pivot shafts. The retention member which where applicable may comprise a plurality of components which are connected to each other is itself secured to the bodywork of the motor vehicle. In this instance, different connection concepts are known. One of these makes provision for the retention member to be secured in the travel direction at the front to a transverse strut of a cowl plenum which is used for reinforcement between shock-absorbing leg domes and at the rear to a dash panel which terminates the engine compartment with respect to the passenger compartment. The dash panel is often welded at the upper end thereof to a cowl top panel or where applicable laterally to the A-pillar.
In the event of a front-end collision, the cowl plenum may be deformed and compressed in the travel direction, which generally leads to the above-mentioned retention member being pushed together with the above-mentioned engine onto the dash panel and the dash panel potentially becoming deformed into the passenger compartment. This is partially a result of the fact that the retention member brings about a reinforcement of the cowl plenum and thus inhibits the deformation thereof which is important for energy absorption. In this instance, it may also lead to a tearing of the weld connection between the dash panel and the cowl top panel and where applicable other weld connections. All of this may be undesirable.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,899,370 B2 discloses a securing of a wiper installation on a vehicle bodywork by use of a resilient securing element. The securing element rests in a receiving opening of the wiper installation or the vehicle bodywork with a through-opening on a journal of the other component. The securing element is pretensioned, whereby a defined friction force is produced between a peripheral face of the securing element and the adjacent component. By overcoming this defined friction force, in the event of an accident the connection between the wiper installation and the vehicle bodywork can be released, whereby they can become disengaged from each other in a vertical direction.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,805,799 B2 sets out a retention member arrangement for a wiper system of a motor vehicle. In this instance, a pivot shaft arrangement of the wiper system is connected to a vehicle component by an assembly retention member. A rubber ring sealing sleeve is releasably connected to the assembly retention member and is provided to dampen vibrations between it and the vehicle component. A pipe liner is arranged with a pillar component inside the rubber ring sealing sleeve, wherein a platform which adjoins the pillar component in a flange-like manner is arranged at the lower side of the rubber ring sealing sleeve and produces a positive-locking connection with the assembly retention member. A flange screw is screwed through the vehicle component into the pillar component. According to one embodiment, there are formed on the platform bending lines on which the platform systematically buckles under the action of a perpendicular force component in order thus to enable release of the retention member arrangement. The pivot shaft arrangement and a portion of a wiper arm can thereby be displaced downward in the event of a pedestrian collision.
JP 2005/335572 A discloses a windshield wiper arrangement having two rotary bearings for rotatable shafts of the wiper arms, wherein the rotary bearings are fitted at the end side of two tubular arm portions. These arm portions are pivotably connected to each other, but in the normal operating state are secured by a securing element. In the event of an accident, the securing element may break, whereby the arm portions as a result of a resilient action with respect to each other pivot backward into the vehicle body.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,819,888 B2 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,956,502 B2 each set out windshield wiper arrangements in which for each wiper there is provided a pivot shaft retention member which is constructed in an integral manner with a connection portion. The connection portion is provided for connection to a vehicle body and has a recess in which a rubber element is received. Through a through-opening of the rubber element there is guided a screw by which the connection portion is secured to the vehicle body.
In view of the prior art set out, the connection of a wiper installation to the bodywork of a motor vehicle with respect to the safety in the event of front-end collisions still leaves room for improvement. It would be desirable to optimize the crash behavior of a wiper subassembly.


A method for removing metal ions from solution comprises the steps of providing titanate particles by spray-drying a solution or slurry comprising sorbent titanates having a particle size up to 20 micrometers, optionally in the presence of polymer free of cellulose functionality as binder, said sorbent being active towards heavy metals from Periodic Table (CAS version) Groups IA, IIA, IB, IIB, IIIB, and VIII, to provide monodisperse, substantially spherical particles in a yield of at least 70 percent of theoretical yield and having a particle size distribution in the range of 1 to 500 micrometers. The particles can be used free flowing in columns or beds, or entrapped in a nonwoven, fibrous web or matrix or a cast porous membrane, to selectively remove metal ions from aqueous or organic liquid.

The conventional method of preparing titanate particles suffers from two significant drawbacks. First, grinding the dried solids must be done carefully so as to minimize formation of unusable fines. Second, since a wide range of particle sizes results from grinding, the particulate must be sized through sieves. These operations are time-consuming and inevitably cause loss of product. Sized titanates can then be loaded into columns in order to remove metals from radioactive waste solutions.
Spray-drying of solid materials is a method known in the art for preparation of useful solids, including titanates, pigments, and food stuffs. See, for example, Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, 4th Ed., John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1993; Vol. 8, p. 475-519, particularly pp. 505-508; C. Strumillo and T. Kudra, "Drying: Principles, Applications and Design," Gordon and Breach, New York, 1986, pp. 352-359; and Masters, K., Spray Drying Handbook, 4.sup.th Ed., John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1985; pp. 548-567, particularly pp. 549, 550 and 565.
Crystalline sodium nonatitanate has been disclosed as an ion exchanger for strontium in WO 97/14652. Certain binders are stated to be useful for binding the sodium nonatitanate into larger particles. Spray-drying is not disclosed.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,138,336 and 5,128,291 spray-drying of porous titania in the presence of an inorganic binder is disclosed. Crystalline silicotitanates as ion exchangers have been disclosed in WO94/19277 and in Pacific Northwest National Laboratories publication PNL-8847, UC-510 (October 1993).

Method for removing metal ions from solution with titanate sorbents


Breaking compositions are disclosed for controlled breaking of borate cross-linked fracturing fluids, and to method for making and using same, where the composition includes an oxidative component and an ester component.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of this invention relate to a breaking composition for controlled breaking of borate cross-linked fracturing fluids, and to method for making and using same.
More particularly, embodiments of this invention relate to a breaking composition for controlled breaking of borate cross-linked fracturing fluids, and to method for making and using same, where the composition includes an oxidative component and an ester component.
2. Description of the Related Art
One of the key problems in the use of slick water, linear gels and cross-linked fluids for stimulation and fracturing applications is to find a composition and/or method that controllably breaks such polymer viscosified systems at bottom hole conditions. The ideal breakers are those that are in a liquid state and can be delivered under controlled or controllable conditions sufficient to reduce a down hole fluid viscosity to a desired low value during a formation stimulation, i.e., for a time not shorter than and not much longer than a time needed to complete the formation stimulation.
There are many effective oxidative breakers, acid breakers, terpenes breaker and enzymes breaker or combination thereof either in the form of a pure material, a solution, a suspension or an encapsulated form that most of the time break the fluid in shorter or longer periods of time than needed to complete the formation stimulation. These breakers are only effective in narrow ranges of temperatures, which are not necessarily identical to or similar to bottom hole conditions. These systems have been introduced and widely used by services companies including Halliburton, Shlumberger, BJ Services, Weatherford, Mich., Baroid, Baker Hughes, among others.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,413,178 disclosed a composition and method for breaking polymer viscosified fluids using an alkali metal chlorite or hypochlorite, which releases oxygen chloride in a controllable manner to break down the polymer structure, and, therefore, decrease the viscosity of the polymer viscosified fluids.
Historically, breaking of the borate cross-linked fracturing fluids was based on either oxidative breakers introduced by Halliburton, Schlumberger and BJ Services or more recently enzymes and esters breakers introduced by BJ Services.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,067,566 disclosed the use of esters that slowly hydrolyzes producing acids therefore when combined with enzymes favors the enzymatic degradation of the galactommana at pH lower than 9.0. U.S. Pat. No. 5,413,178 disclosed the use of chlorite and hyprchlorite systems as oxidative breakers for stabilized viscosified fluids.
Although there are numerous breaking composition for use with borate cross-linked fracturing fluids, there is still a need in the art for new breaking systems, especially breaking systems for borate fracturing fluids producing less residuals and reducing re-healing when the temperature or pH is reduced.

Compositions and methods for breaking hydraulic fracturing fluids


An RCC-type switching power supply has a main switch means 9 which is repeatedly rendered conductive and cut off to cause a switching current to flow through a primary winding 31 for transferring energy from a primary side to a secondary side due to flyback operation. A snubber circuit 5a.about.5c has a snubber capacitor 7 and an auxiliary switch means 3 which are connected in series with each other and parallel to the primary winding 31. When the auxiliary switch means 3 is rendered conductive by an auxiliary winding 4 when the main switch means 9 is cut off, the auxiliary switch means 3 first effects third-quadrant operation to charge the snubber capacitor 7 with energy stored in a leakage inductance of the primary winding 31, and then effects first-quadrant operation to discharge the snubber capacitor 7 to cause a current to flow through the primary winding 31. The current transfers the energy to the secondary winding 32 or charges a smoothing capacitor 21 on the primary side to transfer the energy to a rectifying and smoothing means 18 on the primary side. Since no surge voltage is applied to the main switch means 9 and the energy stored in the leakage inductance is not wasted, the RCC-type switching power supply 2a.about.2c produces low noise and is highly efficient.

Electronic devices for producing a given DC voltage from a commercial AC power supply are called a stabilized power supply, and roughly classified into a dropper power supply and a switching power supply. The switching power supply is widely used in general as it is inexpensive and highly efficient.
One conventional switching power supply is denoted at 102 in FIG. 9. The switching power supply 102 comprises a flyback RCC(ringing choke converter)-type switching power supply, and has a diode bridge 120, a smoothing capacitor 121 on a primary side, a transformer 130, and a main switching means 106.
The transformer 130 comprises a primary winding 131, a secondary winding 132, and an auxiliary winding 133 which are arranged so as to be magnetically coupled.
The main switching means 106 comprises an NPN transistor having a collector terminal connected to an end of the primary winding 131. The diode bridge 120 and the smoothing capacitor 121 constitute a rectifying and smoothing means on the primary side for rectifying and smoothing an AC voltage having a commercial frequency and applying the rectified and smoothed voltage between the other end of the primary winding 131 and an emitter terminal of the main switching means 106. Therefore, when a current is supplied to a base terminal of the main switching means 106, rendering it conductive, the primary winding 131 is supplied with a current from the rectifying and smoothing means on the primary side.
The auxiliary winding 133 is connected between the base and emitter terminals of the main switching means 106. When a base current is supplied to render the main switching means 106 conductive and a current starts to flow through the primary winding 131, a voltage is induced across the auxiliary winding 133 for increasing the base current. Therefore, the current flowing through the primary winding 131 increases progressively from the time when the main switching means 106 starts being conductive.
The secondary winding 132 is connected to a rectifying and smoothing means on the secondary side which comprises a diode 135 and a smoothing capacitor. Because of the rectifying action of the diode 135, when the main switching means 106 is rendered conductive and a current flows through the primary winding 131, no current flows through the secondary winding 132, and when the main switching means 106 is cut off and the current flowing through the primary winding 131 stops, a current flows through the secondary winding 132.
FIG. 10 shows operating waveforms of the RCC-type switching power supply 102. The waveform indicated by the reference numeral 151 represents the current flowing through the primary winding 131, and the waveform indicated by the reference numeral 152 represents the current flowing through the secondary winding 132.
The waveform indicated by the reference numeral 153 represents the collector voltage of the main switching means 106, with a low level showing a conducted state thereof and a high level showing a cut-off state thereof. When the main switching means 106 changes from the conducted state to the cut-off state, the energy stored in the primary winding 131 is transferred to the secondary winding 132, causing a current to flow through the secondary winding 132.
The transfer of the energy from the primary winding 131 to the secondary winding 132 is carried out by a magnetic coupling between the primary winding 131 and the secondary winding 132. Since the magnetic coupling is actually not 100%, not all the energy of the primary winding 131 is transferred to the secondary winding 132. With the RCC-type switching power supply, in particular, a large gap is present in the core of the transformer 130, thus lowering the magnetic coupling between the primary winding 131 and the secondary winding 132 thereby increase the leakage inductance of the primary winding 131.
A T-type equivalent circuit of the transformer 130 taking the leakage inductance into account is shown in FIG. 11(a). The reference character L.sub.0 represents an exciting inductance (an inductance which contributes to the magnetic coupling between the primary winding 131 and the secondary winding 132), and the reference characters L.sub.1, L.sub.2 represent leakage inductances, respectively, of the primary winding 131 and the secondary winding 132. In the transformer 130 as a whole, the leakage inductances L.sub.1, L.sub.2 are added to the exciting inductance L.sub.0 in the form of a T.
As can be seen from the equivalent circuit, if the transformer 130 is seen from the primary side thereof, the leakage inductance L.sub.1 and the exciting inductance L.sub.0 are in series with each other. Therefore, when the main switching means 106 is rendered conductive and a current i.sub.1 flows through the primary winding 131, since the current i.sub.1 flows through the leakage inductance L.sub.1 and the exciting inductance L.sub.0, energy is stored in these inductances.
When the main switching means 106 changes from the conducted state to the cut-off state under this condition, the energy stored in the exciting inductance L.sub.0 is transferred to the secondary winding 132, causing a current i.sub.2 to flow through the secondary winding 132. On the other hand, the energy stored in the leakage inductance L.sub.1 is not transferred to the secondary winding 132, but generates an electromotive force across the leakage inductance L.sub.1. Since the electromotive force is actually generated across the primary winding 131 in a direction to maintain the current i.sub.1, it applies a surge voltage as indicated by the reference numeral 155 in FIG. 10 to the collector terminal of the main switching means 106.
The RCC-type switching power supply 102 has a snubber circuit 105 connected to the collector terminal of the main switching means 106. As shown in FIG. 11(b), when a voltage is generated across the primary winding 131 due to the electromotive force across the leakage inductance L.sub.1, a diode 123 is rendered conductive, causing a current i.sub.3 to flow therethrough to charge a snubber capacitor 124. With the snubber capacitor 124 being charged, the energy stored in the leakage inductance L.sub.1 is transferred to the snubber capacitor 124, which absorbs the surge voltage to prevent the main switching means 106 from being destroyed.
When the charging of the snubber capacitor 124 is finished, the snubber capacitor 124 starts being discharged, causing a discharged current i.sub.4 to flow in a closed current path made up of the snubber capacitor 124 and a resistor 125, as shown in FIG. 11(c), for thereby dissipating the energy stored in the leakage inductance L.sub.1 as heat. When the snubber capacitor 124 is charged, since no current is limited, a pulse current indicated by the reference numeral 154 flows through the diode 123.
In the conventional snubber circuit 105, as described above, the snubber capacitor 124 is charged by the energy stored in the leakage inductance L.sub.1. Inasmuch as the energy is finally consumed in its entirety by the resistor 123 and dissipated as heat, the energy stored in the leakage inductance L.sub.1 is not effectively utilized. Consequently, the conventional RCC-type switching power supply 102 has been poor in electric power conversion characteristics and low in efficiency.
In the conventional snubber circuit 105, furthermore, a certain period of time (a time to conduct the diode in the forward direction) is required after the main switching means 106 has changed from the conducted state to the cut-off state, generating an electromotive force across the leakage inductance L.sub.1, until the diode 123 is rendered conductive by the electromotive force, causing the current i.sub.3 to flow. Since the discharging of the snubber capacitor 124 is not finished while the main switching means 106 is being cut off, a voltage which is the sum of the voltage produced by the rectifying and smoothing means on the primary side and the voltage across the snubber capacitor 124 is applied to the collector terminal of the main switching means 106 when the diode 123 is rendered conductive.
Because such a high surge voltage is applied to the collector terminal of the main switching means 106, the main switching means 106 needs to comprise a high-dielectric-strength device capable of withstanding such a surge voltage.
The present invention has been devised to solve the above problems of the prior art. It is an object of the present invention to provide an RCC-type switching power supply which produces a reduced amount of heat and is highly efficient.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an RCC-type switching power supply which does not produce a surge voltage.

Shindengen Electric Manufacturing Co., Ltd.


A bushing removal device for removing a pilot bushing from a crankshaft cavity includes a casing defining a threaded bore extending into the casing. A grease fitting is coupled to an outer wall of the casing and configured to receive an infusion of grease. The casing includes a grease channel in communication with the grease fitting and with a grease channel outlet situated at the threaded bore. A nozzle includes opposed proximal and distal ends, the proximal end having a threaded configuration received into the casing threaded bore. The nozzle includes a grease conduit having a grease conduit inlet at the proximal end that is in communication with the casing grease channel when the nozzle is coupled to the casing and having a grease conduit outlet at the distal end of the nozzle. The casing and nozzle also include air channels and valve for exhausting air from the crankshaft cavity.

This invention relates generally to automotive tools and, more particularly, to a device for removing a pilot bushing or needle bearing from a crankshaft cavity. The bushing removal device is configured to inject grease into the cavity so as to increase removal pressure on a bushing being removed.
Removing a needle bearing or pilot bushing from a crankshaft is often a difficult procedure for an automobile technician or mechanic although it is not uncommon. A pilot bushing is important in that it may align and support a vehicle's input shaft. Another description of the role of a pilot bushing is that it allows the transmission input shaft—which extends into the engine crankshaft—to rotate independently. Sometimes the pilot bushing must be replaced or repaired.
A significant difficulty with removing a pilot busing or bearing is that there is no reliable means for grasping it with a tool and no good way to leverage enough force to remove the bearing from an interior space defined by conventional crankshaft. Therefore, it would be desirable to have a pilot bushing removal tool that directs grease behind a pilot bushing installed in a crankshaft cavity until an increased pressure of the inserted grease causes an outward "pushing" of the bushing or bearing out of the interior space. Further, it would be desirable to have a pilot bushing removal tool that that may be coupled to a grease gun or other source of grease to be injected through a nozzle and that removes air from accumulated grease so as maximize the pressure.


Reinforcing body retainers are formed on an inner peripheral surface near a tip and near a root of first and second claw-shaped magnetic poles. Reinforcing bodies have a trapezoidal base portion and a pair of wing portions formed on two sides of the base portion, and slits are formed completely across a width direction of the base portion at a central portion in a height direction of the trapezoidal shape of the base portion so as to be offset toward a base of the trapezoidal shape. The reinforcing bodies are disposed so as to contact the inner peripheral surfaces of the first and second claw-shaped magnetic poles with a magnet housed and supported in each of the wing portions, and a D ring is fitted into the slits of the reinforcing bodies.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a dynamoelectric rotor construction for an alternator, an electric motor, etc., and particularly to a mounting construction for magnets for preventing magnetic flux leakage between claw-shaped magnetic poles.
2. Description of the Related Art
In conventional automotive dynamoelectric rotors, there are provided: magnets disposed on two side surfaces of claw-shaped magnetic poles to reduce leakage of magnetic flux between the side surfaces of adjacent claw-shaped magnetic poles; and reinforcing bodies for supporting the magnets so as to be inclined such that outer peripheral sides spread away from each other. The reinforcing bodies are for reducing centrifugal force acting during rotation of the rotor, and are pressed against the claw-shaped magnetic poles from an inner peripheral side by a ring-shaped restraining member. (See Patent Literature 1, for example.)
Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-86715 (Gazette)
In conventional automotive dynamoelectric rotors, positioning of the reinforcing bodies supporting the magnets relative to a rotor core assembly is not regulated. Thus, one disadvantage has been that when the reinforcing bodies are pressed against the claw-shaped magnetic poles from the inner peripheral side using the ring-shaped restraining member, it is necessary for the reinforcing bodies to be held using an adhesive or a jig, making assembly difficult. Another disadvantage has been that if the claw-shaped magnetic poles spread during high-speed rotation, the reinforcing bodies supporting the magnets may become misaligned, or dislodge, etc.

Dynamoelectric claw-shaped rotor with magnet retainer


This invention relates to a housing having a shaft with a drill bit for tapping a pressurized fluid pipe. A saddle having a valve is attached to a pipe. A housing having a shaft passing therethrough is threaded to the valve. A drill bit is attached to one end of the shaft and a drill is connected to the other end of the shaft. The housing has a chamber in which the drill bit is retracted before connecting the housing to the valve. With the valve in the open position, the shaft is extended until the drill bit engages the pipe. The drill rotates the drill bit and cuts a hole in the pipe. The housing is sealed such that fluid entering the housing chamber does not escape along the shaft. The shaft and drill bit is then withdrawn into the housing chamber and the valve closed. The housing is then removed from the valve and a branch pipe connected thereto. The valve is then opened to fluidly connect a branch.

1. Field of the Invention.
The invention relates to a fluid tight attachment, used on a valve, for tapping pressurized fluid pipes with a hand held drill.
2. Description of Related Art
It is frequently necessary to connect a branch pipe to a main pipe. This necessitates drilling a hole in the main pipe to form the entrance to the branch pipe. The process is known as tapping.
Many devices have been used in the past to tap into pressurized fluid lines. Typically these devices use a saddle to firmly attach a valve to the pipe to be tapped. A housing is threaded to the valve. The housing contains a drill bit for making an aperture in the wall of the pipe to be tapped. The shaft of the drill bit passes through a seal in the housing such that fluid cannot escape from the housing after the pipe is tapped. The drill is rotated by a first mechanism on the housing to cut through the wall of the pipe, and advanced axially by a second mechanism to apply pressure to the tip of the drill bit as it engages the pipe. When the drill bit has made an aperture in the wall of the pipe the drill bit is withdrawn into the housing by the second mechanism and the valve closed. The housing is removed from the valve, the branch piping is connected, and the valve is then opened to permit fluid to flow in the branch pipe.
Generally the housings in the past have been long, heavy, and complex. The mechanisms for rotating and advancing the drill bit add to the weight and length of the device, while adding to the cost.


A biaxial micro-electromechanical (MEMS) device is disclosed. The device includes a gimbal rotatable about a gimbal axis of rotation. A pair of gimbal torsion bars connects the gimbal to a support along the gimbal rotation axis. A mirror plate is rotatable about a mirror axis of rotation, the mirror plate rotation axis being substantially perpendicular to the gimbal rotation axis. A pair of mirror plate torsion bars connects the mirror plate to the gimbal along the mirror plate axis of rotation. One or more gimbal moment-of-inertia-altering blocks are positioned on a surface of the mirror plate away from the gimbal axis of rotation. Additionally, one or more mirror plate moment-of-inertia-altering blocks are positioned on a surface of the mirror plate away from the mirror plate rotation axis such that the distance from the mirror plate axis determines a resonant frequency of the biaxial MEMS device.

MEMS scanning devices find application in a wide variety of electrical, mechanical, and optical systems. A non-exhaustive list of applications includes scanners, displays, projectors, switches, printers, barcode readers, retinal displays, resonators, and sensors. MEMS scanning devices may be driven by, for example, electrostatic actuation, electromagnetic actuation, a combination of electrostatic and electromagnetic actuation, and piezoelectric actuation.
In scanning applications, MEMS devices are typically driven at their resonant frequencies to produce the desired scanning angle and scanning speed. When using a MEMS device as a mirror in a scanning device, the mirror size affects the resulting resonant frequency. If a large mirror size is used, it is difficult to obtain a high resonant frequency. If the mirror size or mass is decreased, the resonant frequency increases.
Various approaches have been used to alter the resonant frequency of MEMS devices. U.S. Pat. No. 6,256,131 describes a MEMS mirror including selectively removable tabs. The resonant frequency is measured and tabs are removed via laser trimming to reduce the mass of the mirror body to increase the resonant frequency to a desired frequency.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,034,370 uses a voltage differential between electrodes to tune the natural frequency of a MEMS structure and thereby increase the manufacturing yield.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,753,639 discloses a MEMS microbeam oscillator which has material added to or decreased from its surface to tune the oscillator. The material is ablated via a laser following measurement of the resonant frequency of the oscillator. Similarly, material may be deposited onto the upper surface of the microbeam oscillator to tune the device.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,187,488 uses laser or ion beam trimming of a MEMS mirror in a sacrificial portion to fine tune the natural frequency of the device. U.S. Patent Application Publication 2010/0002284 describes a method of modulating the resonant frequency of a torsional MEMS device. The resonant frequency of a MEMS device is measured and if it is greater than a standard resonant frequency, a mass increaser is bonded to the back surface of the MEMS device. As shown in the figures, these mass increasers are positioned along the single torsional axis of the MEMS device.
There remains a need in the art for improved techniques for altering the resonant frequency of MEMS devices, particularly for reducing the resonant frequency of MEMS devices.

Biaxial scanning mirror having resonant frequency adjustment

Hong Kong Applied Science & Technology Research Institute, Ltd.


Structures, methods, and systems for multiple programming of spare memory region for nonvolatile memory are disclosed. In one embodiment, a nonvolatile memory system comprises a main memory cell array, a spare memory cell array, and a memory controller that divides the spare memory cell array into at least a first region and a second region. The system further comprises a selection module for selecting the main memory cell array and the first region to write data and the first reference cell to write first reference data associated with the data during an initial data writing operation and for selecting the second region to write additional data and the second reference cell to write second reference data associated with the additional data during an additional data writing operation.

A flash memory has multiple memory cell arrays and reference cells. Writing of data in a memory cell array is accompanied by writing of reference data in a reference cell that is associated with the memory cell array. When the data is read, the current from the memory cell array and the current from the reference cell are compared. In between the writing operation and the reading operation, the loss of electric charge may occur in the memory cell array and in the reference cell with the lapse of time. As the data reading requires the balanced amount of charge loss between the memory cell and the reference cell, the writing operation should be done concurrently for the memory cell array and the reference cell.
Thus, once data is written to at least a part of the memory cell array, no other reference cell is available for writing another reference data therein as additional data is written to the memory cell array thereafter. That is the reason why additional data writing is often prohibited in the memory cell array. In order to enable the additional data writing operation in the flash memory, a refreshing circuit may be needed. However, the introduction of the refreshing circuit to the flash memory may bring a significant change to the architecture of the memory, and lead to an increase in the size of the flash memory.

Multiple programming of spare memory region for nonvolatile memory


Systems and apparatuses for generating customized driving assistance outputs are provided. The system may collect initial sensor data from a rotating mobile device. The system may analyze the initial sensor data to determine whether to collect additional sensor data. Based on analysis of the initial sensor data and the additional sensor data, the system may determine a customized driving assistance output. The system may determine one or more notification outputs and one or more instruction outputs for the driver based on the customized driving assistance output. The system may update an aggregate driving output based on whether or not the instruction output was completed, as determined from subsequent sensor data.

Mobile devices comprise a plurality of sensors. Each interaction with a mobile device yields sensor data, associated with characteristics of a user and the user's surroundings. Users may not be aware of how best to protect themselves while driving. Accordingly, it would be advantageous to control the plurality of sensors with regard to timing of data collection, an amount of data collected, a type of data collected, and the like, and to aggregate the sensor data to generate customized driving assistance outputs. This may increase driver safety.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Processing system having a machine learning engine for providing a customized driving assistance output


An OP amplifier including an input stage and an output stage for improving a slew rate is provided. The input stage receives one of input voltages, and generates an internal voltage according to the received input voltage. The output stage receives and gains the internal voltage, and outputs an output voltage. The output stage includes a first transistor, a plurality of first capacitors and a first switching unit. The first transistor includes a first source/drain terminal coupled to a first voltage, a gate terminal controlled by the internal voltage. The output stage outputs the output voltage according to a voltage at a second source/drain terminal of the first transistor. First terminals of the first capacitors are coupled to the second source/drain terminal of the first transistor. The first switching unit selectively transmits the internal voltage to the second terminal of a corresponding one of the first capacitors.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an operation amplifier, and more particularly, to an operation amplifier for improving a slew rate.
2. Description of Related Art
FIG. 1A illustrates a conventional source driver. The source driver includes a Gamma generator 110, an interface circuit 120 and a Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC) 130 for receiving a digital data Din to drive a panel (not shown). The Gamma generator 110 provides a plurality of Gamma reference voltages to the DAC 130. The DAC 130 selects one of the Gamma reference voltages respectively in accordance with the digital data outputted from the interface circuit 120. The DAC 130 outputs the selected Gamma reference voltage(s) for driving the panel (not shown). In one embodiment, the Gamma generator 110 generates three sets of Gamma reference voltages, and the three sets respectively correspond to R, G and B data. The first set of the Gamma reference voltages includes red Gamma reference voltages Gr0, Gr1, Grn; the second set of Gamma reference voltages includes green Gamma reference voltages Gg0, Gg1, . . . , Ggn; the third set of Gamma reference voltages includes blue Gamma reference voltages Gb0, Gb1, . . . , Gbn.
FIG. 1B illustrates the output stage of the Gamma generator 110 in the source driver of FIG. 1A. The output stage of the Gamma generator 110 includes OP amplifiers OPA0, OPA1, . . . , OPAn. Each OP amplifier is used as a buffer that sequentially receives the corresponding red, green and blue Gamma reference voltages for outputting to the DAC 130. Specifically, the buffer OPA0 receives the Gamma reference voltages (Gr0, Gg0, Gb0); the buffer OPA1 receives the Gamma reference voltages (Gr1, Gg1, Gb1); the buffer OPAn receives the Gamma reference voltages (Grn, Ggn, Gbn).
FIG. 1C illustrates a circuit of a conventional OP amplifier. The OP amplifier OPAn includes an input stage 111 and an output stage 112. The input stage 111 may respectively receive input voltages Vin1 through Vinm of different magnitudes, and the output stage 112 correspondingly generates different output voltages. For example, when the input stage 111 receives an input voltage Vin1, the output stage 112 outputs a corresponding output voltage. Then, when the input stage 111 receives an input voltage Vin2, the output stage 112 outputs a corresponding output voltage. Then, when the input stage 111 receives an input voltage Vin3, the output stage 112 outputs another output voltage. However, if the time intervals of the input voltages Vin1 through Vin3 when inputting to the input stage 111 are relatively short, and a slew rate of the operation amplifier OPAn is not high enough, the output voltages outputted from the output stage 112 are unlikely to be accurate as expected.
As well understood, the slew rate of an OP amplifier OPAn is determined by a ratio between a bias current I at the input stage 111 and a compensation capacitance Cc, that is I/Cc. As such, when the compensation capacitance Cc is fixed, increasing the bias current I at the input stage 111 is the only way to improve the slew rate. However, simply increasing the bias current I unfortunately increases the power consumption of the OP amplifier OPAn.

Operation amplifier for improving slew rate


A bracket and head rail assembly is provided. A recess is formed at both ends of the upper portion of a head rail. The recess is sunken at both sides to form a first slot and a second slot. The bracket includes a body and a fastener, wherein a claw is extended from the body, and an elastic part is extended from the fastener and bears against the body, such that the fastener is slidably disposed in the body. When being assembled, the first and second slots are easily locked with the claw and the fastener, and alternatively, they are exchanged with each other for locking with the claw and the fastener respectively. Then, the head rail and the fastener are designed into a thin configuration, and then, formed by bending and processing sheets, so as to achieve the advantages of simple assembly, mass production, and nice appearance.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a combination structure of a head rail and a bracket, and more particularly, to a structure with the head rail being bi-directionally locked by the bracket, which is easily assembled.
2. Related Art
A blind or shade can provide a protection for the privacy directed to an opened window. Therefore, the structure of the blind or shade is continuously improved. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,293,330 discloses a universal head rail assembly, which comprises a head rail and a universal mounting bracket. The head rail comprises a front wall and a back wall, wherein the front wall and the back wall have a first lip and a second lip formed on one end respectively. The universal mounting bracket comprises a mounting assembly and an interlocking element, wherein the mounting assembly has a notch on one side. When the head rail is to be mounted on the universal mounting bracket, the head rail bears against the interlocking element at the second lip, and then, the interlocking element is compressed to slide relative to the mounting assembly, so as to position the head rail. Then, the interlocking element is released, such that the first lip bears against the notch, and the head rail is locked in the universal mounting bracket. Furthermore, the head rail may be bi-directionally locked in the universal mounting bracket, such that two side walls of the head rail may be adjusted depending upon the assembling requirements.
However, as for the head rail and the mounting bracket assembly disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,293,330, the first and second lips of the head rail are disposed into the head rail, such that the head rail is too high. Furthermore, in the universal mounting bracket structure, the interlocking element is slightly inverted-U shape and it is elastic. Such design also causes the interlocking element to have a large volume, thus, the volume occupied by the assembly is accordingly too large.


Examples of the present disclosure are related to systems and methods for controlling stimulation movement on a stimulation device. Specifically, embodiments are related to changing a stimulation pattern on a stimulation device responsive to bio feedback data associated with a user.

1. Field of the Disclosure
Examples of the present disclosure are related to systems and methods for controlling stimulation movement on a stimulation device. Specifically, embodiments are related to changing a stimulation pattern on a stimulation device responsive to bio feedback data associated with a user.
Stimulation movement consist one and of more movement but not limited such as vibration, stroke, thrust, tighten and rotation.
2. Background
Conventional stimulation devices are available for both men and women, and can be used with or without a partner. These stimulation devices can be strictly manual devices or can include stimulation mechanisms. The stimulation mechanisms in conventional stimulation devices are manually controlled by a user, wherein the user may interact with buttons on the stimulation device to control the frequency and/or amplitude of the stimulation movement.
However, a user may become distracted while performing actions to change the frequency and/or strength of the stimulation movement of the stimulation device.
Accordingly, needs exists for more efficient and effective systems and methods to operate and automate a stimulation device.

Systems and methods for a stimulation device


An electrophotographic photosensitive member includes a conductive substrate and a photosensitive layer. The photosensitive layer is a single layer. The photosensitive layer contains a charge generating material, a hole transport material, an electron transport material, and a binder resin. The hole transport material includes a compound represented by chemical formula (1-1) or (1-2). The photosensitive layer further contains an n-type pigment. The n-type pigment is preferably an azo pigment or a perylene pigment.

The present disclosure relates to an electrophotographic photosensitive member, a process cartridge, and an image forming apparatus.
An electrophotographic photosensitive member is used as an image bearing member in an electrographic image forming apparatus (for example, a printer or a multifunction peripheral). An electrophotographic photosensitive member includes a photosensitive layer. As the electrophotographic photosensitive member, for example, a single-layer electrophotographic photosensitive member or a multi-layer electrophotographic photosensitive member is used. The single-layer electrophotographic photosensitive member includes a single-layer photosensitive layer having a charge generating function and a charge transport function. The multi-layer electrophotographic photosensitive member includes as the photosensitive layer a charge generating layer having a charge generating function and a charge transport layer having a charge transport function.
A known example of the electrophotographic photosensitive member is an image forming member including at least one charge transport layer containing a terphenyldiamine charge transport component having a specific structure. The terphenyldiamine charge transport component is represented by, for example, chemical formula (II).

Electrophotographic photosensitive member, process cartridge, and image forming apparatus


A turbocharger system includes: an engine including a first cylinder head constituting a first bank and a second cylinder head constituting a second bank; a center turbocharger formed between the first bank and the second bank, and connected to exhaust and intake manifolds of the first and second banks; a first turbocharger connected to the other exhaust and intake manifolds of the first bank; and a second turbocharger connected to the other exhaust and intake manifolds of the second bank.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a turbocharger system, and more particularly to, a turbocharger system which provides low flow resistance and good charging efficiency by reducing the length of intake/exhaust manifolds.
2. Description of Related Art
A turbocharger system is a system that generates a higher power output for a given engine size by forced induction.
An engine with a turbocharger system has higher power output and efficiency, compared to a naturally aspiration engine. This engine forces incoming air to flow in through a turbine, and provides higher efficiency of the engine in proportion to the inflow, compared to engines using atmospheric pressure.
In a turbocharger system using exhaust gases, however, intake air or exhaust air is directed to one side when the system is used on a V-shaped engine. Thus, a turbo is placed within a V-bank, or only two turbos are used, one on each side of the engine.
Alternatively, a turbocharger is placed outside the engine, an intake manifold is located at the center of the engine, and an exhaust manifold is located at the outside. Thus, air drawn from the outside is compressed by the turbocharger. Accordingly, a long flow path is used for supply to the intake manifold, which causes a pressure drop and results in a decrease in intake efficiency.
Moreover, since the system cannot have more than two turbochargers, turbo lag increases and high power output cannot be attained.
The information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.


A multi-colored silk screen printing machine has an improved electric resistance heating station to cure silk screen printed ink on a substrate such as a textile. A control system has a proximity switch that detects the presence of a pallet within the heat curing station and starts supplying electrical power to a bank of electric resistance heaters automatically only when a pallet is present. An infrared temperature sensor is used to measure the ink temperature when the bank of electric resistance heaters is heating the printed ink on the textile. The infrared sensor provides a signal to a control system that interrupts power to the bank of electric resistance heaters when the signal exceeds a preselected maximum ink temperature value. A timer can also be used to override the infrared temperature sensor. A sheltered passageway and a low level air flow therethrough protect the face or lens of the infrared sensor from gases, smoke or other types of contamination. The heat curing unit also uses a board made of a heat retaining material to support the bank of electric resistance heaters, thereby promoting quicker, more uniform heating of subsequent units entering the heat curing unit.

Multi-colored silk screen printing presses are used to print multi-colored images on substrate materials such as a T-shirts, sweatshirts, posters, etc. The substrate material is mounted on one of several pallets which typically extend radially from an indexed turret. The turret is rotated to move the pallets among a plurality of print units located peripherally around the turret. Each of the print units prints a different color, to produce a multicolored image on the substrate material.
Silk screen printing machines have one or more heat curing stations intermingled among the several print stations. The heat curing stations use electric resistance heating elements, such as a bank of quartz flash lamps, to quickly heat previously printed ink and sufficiently cure the ink before printing another color at a subsequent print station. It is not always necessary to cure a previous layer of ink before printing a subsequent layer. This is true when the previous layer is a thin layer of ink. On the other hand, it is almost always necessary to cure a first base layer of ink printed on the substrate material (e.g. a base layer printed on a T-shirt). Also, it may be desirable to cure after applying a subsequent heavy layer of ink, or even after applying two or more thin layers of ink consecutively.
A bank of quartz flash heater bulbs in a cure unit is capable of producing temperatures up to about 1200.degree. F. To cure the ink, the bank of flash lamps is placed in close proximity (e.g. 2-3 inches) above the image on the printed material, and the bank of quartz flash lamps is powered to supply extreme heat and raise the temperature of the ink to a curing temperature, or slightly above. The curing temperatures for different types of inks can vary, but generally range from 200.degree. F.-350.degree. F. Controls for prior quartz flash cure units typically turn the bank of flash lamps off after a preselected time period that is set by an operator of the press by adjusting a potentiometer.
If the quartz flash lamps are on too long, the lamps can scorch the ink or the underlying substrate material, or can otherwise damage the final product. Press operators often adjust the potentiometer that controls the activation time for the quartz flash lamps on the basis of trial and error. This can present a problem because heat transfer characteristics on the system vary with respect to many factors, including the characteristics of the underlying substrate material, the type of ink, as well as the operating conditions surrounding the curing unit. For instance, it may take the curing unit 5-7 seconds to raise the ink temperature from room temperature to a cure temperature at a first curing station, but only 2-3 seconds at a subsequent curing station after the item has been heated. In addition, each particular curing station typically heats faster as the machine continues in operation because residual heat does not dissipate completely. Since the press operators do not know the actual temperature of the ink, it is difficult for the operators to accurately regulate the activation time for the quartz flash units.
There have been some efforts in the industry to promote dissipation of the residual heat by the use of fans and the like. However, these methods tend to increase the required curing time and can even slow production of the overall printing process.

Heat curing system for silk screen printing press


A new cultivar of hybrid Heuchera named ‘Pretty Perrine’, characterized by its foliage with leaves that are yellow-green with bright green veins and margins and light red mottling around the veins, its compact, upright, mounded plant habit, its white flowers with red tips on the petals held on thin strong green flowering stems, its tolerance to heat and humidity, and its vigorous growth habit.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Heuchera of hybrid origin, botanically known as a Heuchera and is hereinafter referred to by its cultivar name 'Pretty Perrine'.
The new cultivar was discovered as a whole plant mutation by the Inventor in Hantay, France. The Inventor sowed seeds that were pooled from crosses made between unnamed proprietary plants his breeding program of Heuchera×villosa as the female parent and pollinated with 'Pinot Gris' (U.S. plant Pat. No. 19,592 as the male parent in 2008. The Inventor selected 'Pretty Perrine' in 2010 as a single unique plant amongst the seedlings that resulted from the above crosses. The exact female parent is unknown.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar was first accomplished by the Inventor by division in Hantay, France in 2011. Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by division and tissue culture has shown that the unique features are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.


A method of joining sheet metal parts is disclosed which includes forming tabs on one and slots in the other of a pair of parts being welded together with the tabs having a length equal to half the dimensional thickness of the parts. The tabs fit accurately within the slots and welding takes place within the slots at the ends of the tabs so that tabs and material bordering the slots are melted together with the welding rod or wire, whereby the heat generated by the welding process and the resultant weld material are located in the neutral axis of the parts being joined together so that distortion of the parts due to the welding process is lessened or eliminated.

The present invention relates to fabricating sheet metal structures and more specifically relates to welding sheet metal parts together to form structures.
The most common way to fabricate sheet metal structures, used on agricultural equipment, for example, is by welding flat sheet metal plates together with the plates being disposed orthogonally to each other, or by forming flat sheet metal plates into angle or channel members and to weld the legs of one or the other of these members to a flat sheet metal plate, with the legs being disposed orthogonally to the plate, to form the desired structures. Positioning of the parts for welding requires tooling to accurately hold them in position. These parts are then welded in place using fillet or butt welds at the intersection of the orthogonally disposed sections of these parts. The welding of these parts is most always done on one side of the parts being welded. This results in the heat of the welding process and the weld material being concentrated on this one side which causes the welded component to distort when the weld cools and shrinks. This distortion then has to be overcome during the assembly of the component into the implement being built.

Method of fabricating sheet metal structures by welding and structure formed thereby


A system and method for determining the strength of a bond joining a composite structure is provided. The system includes a gas gun produces a short gas pulse directed normal to a surface of the composite structure and that creates a compression wave through the composite structure; a monochromatic x-ray system produces a monochromatic x-ray that is incident at an angle to the surface and that passes through the composite structure; a scintillator screen receives transmitted x-rays that pass through the composite structure; a mirror receives and magnifies radiation emitted from the scintillator screen; a detector receives the radiation from the scintillator screen; an electronic processor configured to process the radiation detected by the detector; and a synchronization controller configured to synchronize operation of the gas gun, the monochromatic x-ray system, and the detector.

Using bonded materials, such as composites, as structural materials can provide design flexibility and reduced cost. Inspection of composite materials, particularly of the bonds between them can be challenging.
Bonds are typically inspected using some ultrasonic method, either looking at attenuation through or reflections from the part/adhesive interface.
There is a need to develop techniques that allows for verification of bonds connecting composite structures.

System and method for monochromatic x-ray gas excitation bond inspection


An improved blade member is shown for the type of rotary lawn mower that includes a shroud supported on wheels for horizontally traversing the surface of a lawn, a rotatably driven shaft extending downwardly at the horizontal center of the shroud for rotatably driving a blade assembly, and an opening in the upper part of the shroud for the exit of cuttings from the lawn. The blade member has a central section of circular configuration whose periphery is concentric to a center balance point, means for securing the driving shaft to the member at the center balance point, and three blade arms which are symmetrically circumferentially spaced about the central section and extend radially outwardly therefrom. Each blade arm has its forward side sharpened to form a cutting edge and has a portion of its width adjacent its rearward side inclined upwardly to create an air lift for lifting cuttings toward the exit port. Each of the cutting edges extends substantially the full length of the respective blade arm up to and adjacent the circular central section so that there is little or no dull edge of the blade arm adjacent the central section, and any tendency of the blade member to knock down grass without cutting it is therefore minimized.

The present invention relates to a rotary lawn mower of the type which includes a shroud supported on wheels for traversing the surface of a lawn, a blade assembly which is horizontally rotatable within the shroud, a shaft extending vertically downward at the center of the shroud and attached to the blade assembly for driving it in horizontal rotation, and an opening in the shroud for the exit of cuttings from the lawn.
The cutting of grass, if a science at all, is purely an experimental one. Some kind of sharp instrument must be applied to a stalk of grass if it is to be cut. In early times the scythe--a swinging blade--was used to cut grass or other vegetation. About 1830 Budding invented what is now known as the reel type mower. It uses a fixed blade moving horizontally against the grass, and rotating cutters arranged in a cage-like configuration which mesh with the upper surface of the fixed blade once each revolution. In that type of machine the stalks of grass are grasped between a moving cutter and the stationary blade.
A more recent development is the rotary mower with a horizontally rotating blade assembly. The blade assembly is motor driven, rotates at high speed, and relies on the stiffness of the stalk of grass to complete the desired cutting action. In U.S. Pat. No. 1,656,105 issued in 1928 Durkee disclosed the use of air lifts on the rotating blade arms of a rotary mower. The patent explains that such air lifts "caused the growth to be straightened up, and in fact drawn into the paths of rapidly moving cutting edges". As is now well known, the air lifts when used in conjunction with a shroud enclosing the blade assembly also create a vacuum that aids in lifting the cuttings and expelling them through an exit port provided for that purpose.
A type of rotary blade member now in widespread usage includes a single piece of metal which is of essentially constant width throughout its length, has a central hole for attaching the drive shaft of the motor, and each of its ends provides a cutting arm which has one side sharpened while its other side is inclined upwardly to provide an air lift. A central portion of the blade member is dull on both of its sides. The rotating cutting edges are potentially dangerous to human beings, and when concealed by the shroud their operation cannot be fully observed. In a scientific sense, therefore, the precise mechanism of the cutting action is not fully understood. There are, however, well-known problems or deficiencies in the operation of these machines. The blade member may experience a heavy frictional drag which then results in stalling the motor. Cuttings may be left on the ground behind the machine, presumably because the air lifts have created an inadequate vacuum. And a further problem is the "scalping" of the grass.
Scalping occurs when stalks of grass are knocked over and damaged, but are not cut. It may then become necessary to run the mower over the same piece of ground a second time to complete the job, and even then some uncut grass may remain. Also, the scalped grass generally creates an increased frictional drag on the machine, slowing its operation.
More specifically, when a particular cutting arm of the rotating blade member is at the forward edge of the machine near the front wheels, it is the cutting edge of that cutting arm that directly engages the grass. But the action of the blade may result in "scalping" some stocks of the grass. The cutting edge then moves over the particular stalks, damaging them and bending them over, but not cutting them. Any stalks of the grass which are not cut by the rotation of a cutting arm at the forward edge of the machine may later be engaged near the rearward portion of the machine. Presumably the previously uncut stalks are now bent toward the cutting arm whose cutting edge will be able to engage them from their under sides. However, in actual practice the previously scalped stalks may not rise far enough above the level of the blade to be cut, and hence will become even more badly bent and remain uncut.

Anti-scalping blade for rotary lawn mower


Cross-channel and cross-source data are aggregated into an aggregated data store. Custom segmentation is generated from the aggregated data. A campaign is monitored for the custom segmentation with successes and failures provided as dynamic feedback to a machine learning process that dynamically adjusts the segmentation and the campaign for optimal performance. In an embodiment, a final recommendation is provided identifying a final optimal segmentation and campaign.

A typical individual engages in some form of financial transaction every day; from shopping online with a credit card, to dining at a restaurant, and/or by applying for loans at a bank. Each transaction contains valuable insights about the consumer. However, the electronic data being generated from these transactions are spread across many different disparate systems and disparate sources. Moreover, each individual system only contains partial information about a particular user for which that system has transaction information about.
That is, pieces of information for a given user and that user's transactional behaviors are dispersed across many different disparate systems for numerous user activities with a variety of entities (retail, government, social media, etc.). There is no mechanism to provide a true holistic 360 degree view of any given user available in the industry.
As a result, campaign management by retailers is often not as accurate and successful as it could be. Promotions are not tailored enough to consumer segments for success, and the consumer segments are not as accurately defined as they should be.
Additionally, each consumer now has the ability to transact over multiple communication channels with retailers. Capturing cross-channel transactions even for multiple consumer transactions with a same retailer continues to be problematic in the industry, such that cross-channel transactions between retailers remains just an elusive dream to most retailers.
Therefore, there is a need for deepening the knowledge about each consumer's transactional activity for purposes of improving retail recommendations, promotions, and campaign management.


An imaging device, including a locking assembly connected to the frame of the imaging device and selectively engaged with the fuser assembly thereof when the fuser assembly is mounted to the frame. The locking assembly includes a lock member slidingly coupled to the frame between a first position in which the lock member engages with the fuser assembly for locking the fuser assembly to the frame and a second position in which the lock member is disengaged from the fuser assembly to allow the fuser assembly to be disconnected and removed from the frame. A lever mechanism is movably coupled to the frame and coupled to the lock member, wherein actuation of the lever mechanism moves the lock member between the first position and the second position.

1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates generally to securing a fuser assembly in an electrophotographic imaging device, and particularly to a lock mechanism which locks the fuser assembly in the imaging device while being transparent to a user thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Within an electrophotographic (i.e., laser) printing device, a fuser assembly is employed to adhere or fuse toner particles to sheets of media via application of heat and pressure. The fuser assembly is disposed downstream of the image transfer station of the imaging device. The location of the fuser assembly relative to the media alignment and the image transfer station serves to mitigate twist, treeing, and print defects as the media passes through the fuser assembly. It is desired to locate the fuser assembly in a manner that is largely co-planar to the media sheet through a number of datum points. However, applying a holding force to the fuser assembly that is generally centered between the datum points is often difficult to achieve. This is mostly due to the need to attach the fuser assembly at locations outside of the width of the paper-path and away from the backup roll and belt of the fuser assembly. With the proper design, the fuser assembly can be located relatively accurately and precisely to the media sheet and image transfer station for normal operating conditions, but during a drop event, damage can occur due to the non-centered attachment scheme. A secondary mechanism is often utilized to eliminate damage that could occur if the imaging device is dropped during shipment.

Fuser locking assembly for an electrophotographic imaging device


A decorative residential or commercial flag for attachment to a supporting upright pole having flag attachment means comprising a linear sleeve adapted to loosely slip over the upright pole to enable unobstructed rotation of the flag in response to wind direction along with a flexible tab secured to the top of the linear sleeve adapted to rotatably engage an upwardly extending narrow pin located at the top of the upright pole. The flexible tab contains an opening larger than the narrowed upright extension to enable free rotation of the tab around the narrowed extension, while the opening is smaller than the upright pole to enable the larger diameter pole to vertically support the flexible tab. The flexible tab supports the decorative flag vertically on the upright pole while the sleeve enables circumferential rotation of the decorative flag about the axis of the upright pole. The decorative flag can be attached directly to an upright pole or inclined pole. Preferred flags are outdoors flags supported vertically by inserting the bottom end of the pole into a ground socket sunk into the ground flush with the ground, which permits expedient installation of the flag pole and easy removal of the pole for storage or rearrangement if desired. Alternatively the flagpole can be supported by a weighted holder resting on interior furniture or floors, or outside on a patio or other flat surface.

Residential dwellers as well as commercial properties frequently like to display colorful decorative flags to attract attention or provide informative to the public. Such flags can be multiple color whimsical design of random or a set pattern of colors, graphics, numbers, lettering or similar design identifying school or organization affiliation or advertising brand name colors or company colors and products, union or club affiliation, brand names, high school or collage colors and/or logos, professional sport team colors and logos, commercial names, sales information, national flags, patriotic and community displays, political information, and similar indicia decorative flags displaying information such as announcements for birthdays, anniversaries, marriages, awards, addresses, directions, building names or numbers, and the like. Co-pending and commonly assigned Ser. No. 10/194,708 discloses and claims a movable golf marking flag for attachment to movable poles for marking hole locations in golf course greens depending on pin placement on the greens. The golf marking flags are attached to movable upright poles or pins which in turn are inserted into preset cups or holes disposed in the greens.
Prior to this invention decorative display flags such as an American flag frequently were simple cloth flags tied to poles or adapted to be tied to poles or some other structure by simple tie knot connections or some intervening mechanical interconnection. Flag poles for this purpose ordinarily are permanently fixed into the ground or securely attached to a structure to permit the flag pole to stand upright and permit the flag to extend outwardly with the wind without blowing over. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,835 discloses a flag pole permanently set in concrete and a flag attached to the pole by intervening rings forming part of the pole assembly. Similarly U.S. Pat. No. 5,975,009 suggests wire retainer clips for attaching the flag to the pole, while U.S. Pat. No. 5,943,980 suggests connecting rings for connecting a banner to a pole, where multiple rigid metal connection assemblies are required for attaching and vertically supporting the flags on the poles. Intervening mechanical connectors are difficult and cumbersome to assemble and disassemble necessitating existing poles to be retrofitted with connectors to hang a flag on a pole. Permanently secured poles are difficult to remove from set locations and cannot be easily moved to change location of the flag pole or flag poles or rearrange multiple poles to change the overall flag display. In brisk winds, the flag tied to the pole remains fixed in a circumferential position while the wind causes the flag to wrap around the pole. Flags not securely tied or knotted to the pole can fall off due to the ties loosening. Smaller exterior or interior decorative flags were often permanently glued or otherwise permanently secured to sticks. Interior flags can be displayed in building lobbies or personal offices or conference rooms, while interior residential flags can be displayed in game rooms or family rooms. Although interior flags are not subjected to outside weather or wind, such flags ordinarily were permanently fixed to a pole thereby preventing easy detachment and interchangeability of multiple flags depending on the season or occasion.

Decorative display flag for rotatable attachment to movable poles for residential and commercial uses


An ink supply port sealing cap is to be used in an inkjet recording apparatus including a recording head unit having nozzles for ejecting ink, and first and second ink supply ports for supplying ink from first and second ink cartridges to the nozzles respectively. The ink supply port sealing cap includes: a first cap portion that seals the fist ink supply port; a second cap portion that seals the second ink supply port; and a coupling portion that separably couples the first and second cap portions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink supply port sealing cap to be mounted on ink supply ports of inkjet recording apparatus in place of ink cartridges, and ink jet recording apparatus using the ink supply port sealing cap.
2. Description of the Related Art
Among printers, facsimile machines, and copying machines known in the background art, some utilize inkjet recording apparatus for ejecting ink droplets from nozzles of an inkjet head so as to form an image on a recording medium.
Of such apparatus, some is of a chip type in which a recording head is attached directly to a carriage movable forward and backward in a direction crossing the conveyance direction of a recording medium, while other is of a type in which a recording head unit is removably attached to a carriage. Apparatus of either type is often arranged so that ink cartridges are attached directly to a recording head.
In either type of apparatus configured thus, ink cartridges are attached to ink supply ports of a recording head so as to test the image forming operation or the image quality before the apparatus is shipped from a factory. Only ones passing the test are shipped as products. Among them, some products may be shipped in the condition that the recording head unit is filled with ink used for the test, while other products may be shipped in the condition that the recording head unit is filled with a special preservative solution after the ink used for test is eliminated.
In either case, however, when the tested apparatus is shipped in the condition that the ink supply ports are exposed, there is a fear that the ink or the preservative solution charged into the recording head unit leaks out due to the upside-down posture of the inkjet recording apparatus during transportation or storage, or the ink is evaporated during long-term storage, so that a user of the product will fail in forming an image later. Therefore, the ink supply ports are sealed with an ink supply port sealing cap having a flat-plate-like sealing portion or the like at the time of shipment (for example, see JP-A-2003-054000). Incidentally, the ink supply port sealing cap is described as a manifold cap in the document JP-A-2003-054000.
In such an ink supply port sealing cap, a cap portion corresponding to a black ink cartridge and a cap portion corresponding to a color ink cartridge are formed integrally. Accordingly, when the ink supply port sealing cap is mounted in a recording head unit on a manufacturing line, the cap portion corresponding to the black ink cartridge and the cap portion corresponding to the color ink cartridge can be mounted in one work. As a result, the working efficiency can be improved.

Ink supply port sealing cap and inkjet recording apparatus


Method for upgrading software in a network bridge that is part of a VLAN includes sending notification to other bridges of the VLAN that the bridge is scheduled for upgrading; suspending VLAN registration and membership information in the other bridges while upgrading the bridge; restoring a state of the updated bridge and sending notification to the other bridges that the upgrading has been completed. As a result of the notification, the other bridges do not expect additional messages from the upgrading bridge. The step of restoring a state of the bridge includes synchronizing a GVRP protocol running within the network to a current VLAN membership table. Apparatus includes a forwarding plane adapted to store VLAN membership information and a control plane adapted for issuing and executing instructions that control registration and de-registration of one or more ports of the bridge according to the VLAN membership information and the presented method.

A Local Area Network (LAN) is generally defined as a broadcast domain. All nodes in a network connected to the same LAN communicate directly with each other, whereas two nodes connected to different LANs require a router to communicate. A LAN may consist of a single physical segment, or several segments interconnected by hubs, bridges or switches. A Bridged LAN (BLAN) consists of LAN segments interconnected by bridges. As data moves through a BLAN there may be multiple paths the data may take to arrive at the same destination. To avoid the problem of loops being created in a BLAN, bridges execute one of various protocols that determine which ports (points of physical access) of a bridge should be used for accepting data frames and which ports should be blocked. One such protocol is a Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) which is explained in detail in IEEE 802.1D-1998 and herein incorporated in its entirety by reference. The STP determines for each port of a bridge whether such port should be placed in a blocking mode, where no data frames are accepted or sent by the port, or placed in a forwarding mode, where data frames may be sent and received by said port. The broadcast domain for a BLAN is the entire spanning tree. In other words, whenever a frame of data is sent to an unknown address, the frame will be sent out on every LAN segment and received at all end nodes in the spanning tree.
A single BLAN can support several logical LANs, or Virtual LANs (VLANs). A VLAN consists of a subset of the BLAN. Associated with each VLAN is a VLAN ID (VID). A Virtual Bridged LAN (VBLAN), is a BLAN that allows for the definition, creation and maintenance of VLANs. A bridge that performs the necessary functions is a VLAN-aware bridge. VBLANs consist of interconnected VLAN-aware bridges. Nodes may send and receive frames associated with different VLANs; each frame that is exchanged via a VBLAN is associated to a single VLAN.
FIG. 1 depicts a typical VBLAN 100 associated with the prior art. The VBLAN 100 includes a plurality of user computer stations 110, printers 120, personal computers 130 and one or more network host computers 140 and 150. Messages, frames and data within the VBLAN 100 are passed from one network device to another via a series of bridges 160 and interconnecting links 190. End devices (such as user computer stations 110, printers 120 and the like) can be grouped into a VLAN 180 (the subset denoted by dashed line circles) for accessing minicomputer 140. Using this VLAN 180, devices are grouped logically into a single broadcast domain. Accordingly, broadcast traffic is confined to just those devices that need to see it, thereby reducing traffic to the rest of the network. All devices that exchange frames via a certain VLAN are said to be members of that VLAN.
For a BLAN, the broadcast domain consists of the entire spanning tree. The broadcast domain of a VLAN is reduced to a subset of the entire spanning tree. Such a revised broadcast domain is realized by means of limiting the VLAN membership of ports on the bridges 160. Frames belonging to a certain VLAN are only exchanged via ports that are configured to be members of that VLAN. This configuration can be static or dynamic. Dynamic configuration is achieved by using the GARP VLAN Registration Protocol (GVRP). GVRP is an application of the Generic Attribute Registration Protocol (GARP). GARP is defined in IEEE 802.1D-1998 and GVRP is defined in IEEE 802.1Q-2003 both of which are incorporated in their entirety by reference. By using GVRP, VLAN-aware bridges register and propagate VLAN memberships on all ports that are part of the active topology of the underlying spanning tree(s). For example, a frame from VLAN 180 received on a port which is a member of VLAN 180 is only forwarded on ports which are members of the same VLAN 180.
It is understood that in a sophisticated interconnection of various network devices to create VLANs, it is sometimes required to upgrade the software on a bridge to provide the best possible operating conditions within the network. Currently, upgrading of a bridge results in that bridge not sending out messages in accordance with GARP AND GARP applications (e.g., GVRP). Additionally, such bridge will not respond to such messages from neighboring bridges. Consequently, if a bridge is running the GARP application GVRP, connectivity for the VLAN is lost and the traffic from end-users is affected.

Method and apparatus for upgrading software in network bridges


Systems and methods are provided for avoiding memory address conflicts in systems containing shared memory. Upon system power up, programmable logic device integrated circuits, microprocessors, and other integrated circuits with processing capabilities are provided with unique initialization data memory addresses. Each unique initialization data memory address corresponds to a respective non-overlapping block of memory in the shared memory. During initialization operations, the integrated circuits retrieve initialization data from the shared memory using the unique initialization data memory addresses. The integrated circuits can be organized using a master-slave architecture. The master can load the initialization data memory addresses into the slave integrated circuits using communications circuitry that is active after the slaves have powered up but before the slaves have been initialized.

This invention relates to integrated circuits and systems that share memory, and more particularly, to integrated circuits with adjustable initialization data memory addresses that are used when accessing initialization data in shared memory.
Electronic systems often contain integrated circuits with processing capabilities. Examples of integrated circuits with processing capabilities include microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, certain application specific integrated circuits, and programmable logic devices.
When these integrated circuits are initialized, they typically are loaded with initialization data. For example, microprocessors are loaded with boot code upon initialization. The boot code provides the microprocessor with basic functionality, so that the microprocessor can undertake more complex system boot-up functions. For example, the boot code includes a basic set of instructions that allow the microprocessor to load and run application code.
As another example, programmable logic devices are initialized by loading configuration data. Once configuration data is loaded into configuration memory in a programmable logic device, the configuration memory generates static output signals that are applied to programmable logic. The states of the static output signals configure the programmable logic to perform desired custom logic functions.
Initialization data such as the boot code for microprocessors and the configuration data for programmable logic devices is stored in memory. When a system boots up, each integrated circuit retrieves its initialization data. In some system architectures, each integrated circuit retrieves its initialization data from a separate memory. For example, a microprocessor can retrieve its boot code from a read-only-memory chip and a programmable logic device can retrieve its configuration data from a specialized memory-based circuit called a configuration device.
In other system architectures, shared memory is available to system components. The use of shared memory reduces system cost and complexity, because initialization data such as boot code or programmable logic device configuration data may be stored on a large inexpensive memory device such as a flash memory. System designers must take care not to create memory address conflicts when using shared memory.
Some processors are available as "bottom-boot" or "top-boot" devices. A bottom-boot processor retrieves its boot code by starting at an address at the bottom of the memory's memory space and working towards the top (i.e., by successively incrementing the memory address from a starting address at the bottom of the memory space while reading the boot code from the memory). A top-boot processor retrieves its boot code by working from the top of the memory space towards the bottom. Processors are also available that can be configured to have different boot code addresses depending on which voltages are applied to some of their pins upon power-up.
Some memory addressing conflicts can be avoided using these approaches, but in systems with multiple devices, conflicts may become unavoidable unless the system designer avoids or reduces the use of shared memory.
It would therefore be desirable to provide integrated circuits that can be loaded with a desired initialization data memory address.

Integrated circuits with configurable initialization data memory addresses