Disclosed is a treatment agent for paper comprising a fluorine-containing copolymer having a repeat unit (a) derived from a fluorine-containing monomer represented by general formula (I): CH2═C(—X)—C(═O)—Y—[—CH2)m—Z—]p—(CH2)n—Rf; a repeat unit (b) derived from at least one amino monomer represented by general formula (II-1):

Hitherto, various fluorine-containing polymer compounds are proposed. The fluorine-containing polymer compounds have the advantageous effects of having properties excellent in heat resistance, oxidation resistance, weather resistance and the like. The fluorine-containing polymer compounds are used as, for example, a water- and oil-repellent agent and a soil release agent by utilizing the properties that the fluorine-containing polymer compounds have low free energy, i.e., difficulty in adherence.
Recently, with respect to compounds containing a Rf group having 8 carbon atoms prepared by telomerization,
Federal Register (FR Vol. 68, No. 73/Apr. 16, 2003 [FRL-7303-8]) (http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/pfoa/pfoafr.pdf),
EPA Environmental News for release Monday Apr. 14, 2003 "EPA INTENSIFIES SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION OF A CHEMICAL PROCESSING AID" (http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/pfoa/pfoaprs.pdf), and
EPA OPPT FACT SHEET Apr. 14, 2003 (http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/pfoa/pfoafacts.pdf)
announced that a "telomer" may possibly metabolize or decompose to perfluorooctanoic acid (hereinafter abbreviated as "PFOA").
EPA (Environmental Protection Agency of USA) has announced that the EPA intensifies the scientific investigation on PFOA (cf. EPA Report "PRELIMINARY RISK ASSESSMENT OF THE DEVELOPMENTAL TOXICITY ASSOCIATED WITH EXPOSURE TO PERFLUOROOCTANOIC ACID AND ITS SALTS" (http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/pfoa/pfoara.pdf)).
Patent Document 1 (U.S. Pat. No. 4,366,299) discloses a fluorine-containing polymer, but the polymer is not dispersed in water. Patent Document 4 (U.S. Pat. No. 4,127,711) discloses a fluorine-containing polymer which is dispersed in water. Patent Document 5 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,247,008) discloses a fluorine-containing polymer comprising a fluorine-containing monomer, a nitrogen-containing monomer and an alkylene oxide group-containing monomer. In technologies of Patent Documents 1, 4 and 5, the number of carbon atoms in the Rf group of the fluorine-containing monomer is generally at least 8. A fluorine-containing monomer having the Rf group containing 1 to 6 carbon atoms is not sufficiently utilized in industry.
Patent Document 3 (International publication WO2005/090423) discloses that a copolymer, which is based on a fluorine monomer: CH2═CH—C(═O)—O—(CH2)2—(CF2)nF wherein the number of carbon atoms (n) of the Rf group is 1 to 6, and an amino-monomer and a polyethylene glycol monomer as comonomers, is used as soil release agent of the paper use is disclosed, but the specification, including Examples, is silent on a monomer having a vinyl pyrrolidone skeleton.
Patent Document 2 (International publication WO2003/106519) discloses a copolymer, which is based on a fluorine monomer of CH2═CH—C(═O)—O—(CH2)2—(CF2)nF wherein the number (n) of carbon atoms of the Rf group is 4, and an amino-monomer and a pyrrolidone monomer as comonomers, but Examples thereof do not describe the fluorine monomers wherein number (n) of carbon atoms in the Rf group is 6.
Hitherto, a copolymer, which is based on a fluorine monomer CH2═CH—C(═O)—O—(CH2)2—(CF2)nF wherein the number of carbon atoms (n) in the Rf group is 1 to 6, and an amino-monomer and a pyrrolidone monomer as comonomers, has not been described nor suggested.
The fluorine-containing polymers described in these Patent Documents cannot impart enough oil-resistance and water-repellency.
Patent Document 1: U.S. Pat. No. 4,366,299
Patent Document 2: International publication WO2003/106519
Patent Document 3: International publication WO2005/090423
Patent Document 4: U.S. Pat. No. 4,127,711
Patent Document 5: U.S. Pat. No. 5,247,008

Copolymer, treatment agent for paper, and treated paper

Abstract: or a derivative thereof; and a repeat unit (c) derived from a pyrrolidone monomer represented by general formula (III):

Abstract: The treatment agent for paper provides paper having high oil resistance and high water resistance.


A head carriage of a disk drive apparatus includes a carriage main body for supporting a first magnetic head; and a head arm which is rotatably provided in the carriage main body, and supports a second magnetic head. The head carriage has an engaging projection engaged with the lead screw and is moved by a distance in proportion to the rotation of the lead screw driven by a stepping motor. A restraining member that is detached from the spiral groove of the lead screw and restrains; relative displacement of the head carriage with respect to the lead screw. The restraining member is provided in the carriage main body.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to disk driving apparatus, and more particularly, to a disk driving apparatus constructed wherein a head carriage is moved in accordance with the rotation of a lead screw.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a magnetic disk drive apparatus capable of performing magnetic reading and writing with respect to a flexible magnetic disk (hereinafter, simply referred to as a disk) accommodated in a disk cartridge, the front end of the disk cartridge comes into contact with a latch lever when the disk cartridge is inserted into a holder, so that a slider is released from engagement with the holder. The slider slides toward the front of the magnetic disk drive apparatus due to a spring force so that the holder is moved to a predetermined position, thus causing the disk accommodated in the disk cartridge to be mounted on a turntable.
Magnetic reading and writing is effected when a head carriage which supports a magnetic head is moved in a radial direction of the disk so as to allow the magnetic head to slide on the disk. One known carriage driving mechanism for moving the head carriage includes a lead screw that lies in a radial direction of the disk; a stepping motor for driving the lead screw into rotating motion; an engaging projection that is engaged with a spiral groove formed around the periphery of the lead screw; and a torsion spring which urges the lead screw toward the engaging projection.
The engaging projection engaged with the lead screw is provided to be integral with a main body of the head carriage for supporting the magnetic head. In order to reduce the weight and cost of the magnetic disk driving apparatus, the main body of the head carriage and the engaging projection are formed of a synthetic resin to be integral with each other.
In a carriage driving mechanism constructed as described above, the driving force of the lead screw that is driven into rotation is transmitted to the head carriage via the engaging projection. For this reason, the engaging projection bears a load of the head carriage.
The above-described construction of a conventional disk drive apparatus wherein the engaging projection is engaged with the spiral groove of the lead screw, the engaging projection bears a significant load when a shock is applied, causing the head carriage to undergo an excessive acceleration temporarily. Such a shock may be applied when rugged use occurs, for example, when the disk drive apparatus is carried by a user to a certain place or when an electronic equipment like a note-type personal computer having a built in disk drive apparatus, is placed on a desk.
Thus, the conventional disk drive apparatus has a problem in that the synthetic-resin engaging projection built therein may be damaged due to a shock exceeding a predetermined level is applied to the disk drive apparatus.

Head carriage with restraining member that engages lead screw during a shock


Device/system that provides pain relief by delivering stimulation that neither generates action potentials nor completely blocks neural transmission (in the peripheral nerve). The present teachings provide relief by modulating release of neurotransmitters in peripheral nerves to cause neuromodulation at the level of the peripheral nerve (modulation of neural signals in the peripheral nerve). The present teachings provide relief by modulating release of neurotransmitters in peripheral nerves to cause neuromodulation at the level of the peripheral nerve (modulation of neural signals in the peripheral nerve) to alter the frequency of physiologically generated neural transmission.

It is generally recognized that the perception of pain, especially non-acute pain such as sub-acute or chronic pain, in mammals can be caused, worsened, and/or sustained in duration by a sensitization (e.g., hyperexcitability, or increased propensity or likelihood of activation) of afferent sensory receptors and/or the central nervous system fibers that receive direct and/or indirect signals from the afferent sensory receptors, including free nerve endings, to noxious or conventional or previously non-noxious stimuli. Sensitization is the process whereby previously non-noxious stimuli are perceived as painful, and this is an integral part of the development and maintenance of chronic pain (as opposed to the acute, healthy pain response). Such sensitization may result from non-nociceptive primary afferents (e.g. A.beta.) sprouting to make inappropriate and/or additional connections in the spinal cord, from the loss of inhibition in the central nervous system (e.g. spinal cord, and/or brain), and/or from plasticity resulting from changes in functional connectivity.

Devices and methods for delivery of electrical current for pain relief


Techniques for associating geographic-related information with objects are described. In one implementation, a search is conducted on a keyword string of one or more keywords descriptive or otherwise representative of a geographically-relevant object. If a location is identified, geographic-related semantic information of the location is associated with the geographically-relevant object. In some cases, multiple possible locations may be identified as a result of searching the keyword string. If multiple locations are identified, a probable location is determined and then geographic-related semantic information of the probable location is associated with the geographically-relevant object described by the keyword string.

Geographically centric web interfaces, such as Live Local ("local.live.com") from Microsoft Corporation and Google™ Maps ("maps.google.com") from Google, are useful to search for geographically relevant objects that represent physical places or things, such as restaurant, theatres, stores, parks, web cameras (webcams), traffic sensors, and so forth. To enable such searching, the objects are first matched to their precise locations in terms of latitude and longitude. Historically, the process is done manually and takes significant time and expense to match the objects with their locations.
As a result, there are many useful objects found on the Web that are not typically matched with their geographical locations. For example, a restaurant in the Redmond Town Center in Redmond, Wash. might position a webcam to capture the restaurant entry area. Images from the webcam may then be posted on the restaurant's webpage so that potential patrons may access the webcam online to quickly ascertain whether the restaurant is crowded. As another example, the Department of Transportation (DOT) of a city or state may publish traffic sensors on its website so that citizens can check traffic online before embarking on a drive. These objects of interests (e.g., the restaurant webcam and the traffic sensors) are not typically matched with geographically relevant information, like latitudes and longitudes. Rather, in most cases, the objects are simply made available on specific websites for users to access.
In some cases, the web pages might include a brief description of the objects. For instance, the restaurant webpage might show images from the webcam accompanied by a note "Redmond Town Center", while the DOT's webpage may provide a descriptive note (e.g., "I-5 and I-90 Interchange") next to the appropriate traffic sensor. While these objects are very useful and understandable in these contexts, a lack of specific geographical coordinates prevents them from being more widely used and displayed on maps by existing geo-centric web interfaces.

Associating geographic-related information with objects


A method of smoothing hybrid vehicle engine shutdown. A powered and rotating electric machine is used to slow deceleration of an unpowered and rotating engine by transferring torque through a clutch from the machine to the unpowered engine. Prior to the machine being powered, torque may be transferred through the clutch from the unpowered and rotating engine to the unpowered machine to accelerate passage of the engine through a resonance frequency.

The present invention relates to a method of controlling an automotive engine and in particular to a method of smoothing engine shutdown.
Some automotive vehicle powertrains incorporate engine start/stop (ESS) systems to improve fuel economy. ESS shuts down an internal combustion engine under specified conditions when engine torque is not required and restarts the engine when torque is again required. For example, ESS may shutdown the engine of a vehicle after a driver brakes the vehicle to a stop and then restart the engine when the driver requests torque by depressing an accelerator pedal. ESS is commonly incorporated into hybrid electric powertrains. In general, the more conditions specified when ESS will shutdown the vehicle engine, the greater the improvement to fuel economy.
However, noise, vibration, and harshness may result from the engine shutdown as an engine speed falls through a resonance frequency of the engine. Harshness may also result from energy being transferred, as the engine speed decreases, through the engine mounts to the vehicle.

Smoothing hybrid vehicle engine shutdown


The present invention relates to methods of and compositions comprising cytokines for, improving the success rate of embryo implantation and the success rate of pregnancy rates in females, by providing an immunopermissive uterine environment prior to insemination or implantation of embryos. The methods of the present invention are used to make the uterus more receptive or less hostile to, for example, transferred embryos, sperm or other allografted tissue.

The uterine environment, which, if hostile/non-receptive, can be responsible for poor implantation rates of good quality embryos in human and animals alike. It is believed that an inadequately primed uterine environment may also be responsible for many cases of reproductive failure in terms of failed implantation and spontaneous abortion. Similarly, a failure in uterine priming is recognised in humans as being causative to pregnancy complications such as pre-eclampsia and foetal growth restriction by preventing appropriate placental development.
Genetically altered or modified animals provide valuable models for testing novel gene and drug therapies in vivo and are the main reason the numbers of animal experiments have been rising in the last decade. In the UK, over four times as many scientific procedures using genetically modified animals were carried out in 2011 as compared to 1995. The use of genetically modified animals now represents over 50% of all scientific procedures on animals. The largest category of use is breeding (to produce genetically modified animals), with rodents accounting for almost 1.8 million procedures in the UK in 2012 alone, on a background trend for this number to increase annually. Embryo transfer in rodents underpins the development of transgenic approaches, re-derivation of specific strains and facilitates the transport of animal-lines across large distances. Typically, embryo transfer requires induction of pseudopregnancy in recipient females. This phenomenon prepares the uterus for implanting embryos, however, the success rate of transferring genetically modified embryos, despite induction of pseudopregnancy, remains relatively low.
Mice are spontaneous ovulators and can become pseudopregnant following an estrus in which the female is mated with a genetically sterile male such as the T145H-Re strain (which is sterile due to a chromosomal translocation) obtainable from Harlan Laboratories Inc or a vasectomised male. Both sets of males ejaculate seminal plasma devoid of functional sperm. However, both genetically sterile and vasectomised mice are relatively costly. In the instance of vasectomised males, sterility cannot be guaranteed to be 100% effective and needs testing for each male, while the production of genetically sterile males generates unwanted surplus females.
Alternatively, pseudopregnancy can be induced by simulating the normal vaginal stimuli attained by mating with artificial mechanical stimulation, for example by a vibrating engraving tool (Kenney et al; J Reprod. Fert. 1977, 49, 305-309). It was found that the number and rate of intromissions were crucial influences on reproductive success (Diamond; Science, 1970, 169, 4, 995-997). Whilst this approach has seen some success in rats and mice mechanical stimulation had no effect on the induction of pseudopregnancy in the Golden Hamster (Diamond et al J. Reprod. Fert. 1968, 17, 165-168). When the female is mated with an infertile male or mechanically stimulated, the corpus luteum persists without an embryo, leading to pseudopregnancy. The female will develop mammary glands, lactate and build nests in the pseudopregnant state. There is a need to improve the methods of inducing a pseudopregnant state in laboratory test animals.
Although the protocols for embryo transfer in an array of rodent species are relatively well-established, their poor optimization means that there is a significant wastage of animals, raising a number of financial and ethical issues in animal units worldwide. The prior art standard approach currently relies on mating recipient females with vasectomised males to induce pseudopregnancy rather than mechanical stimulation, where copulatory activity and seminal exposure of the maternal reproductive tract triggers a neuroendocrine and localised (to the uterus, principally) inflammatory response involving a complex cascade of cytokine and prostaglandin-mediated events geared towards creating an immunopermissive environment in the uterus, thereby favouring pre-implantation embryo development and/or blastocyst implantation and the establishment of pregnancy. Even in the absence of fertilisation, luteal development and progesterone production are supported, and the maternal physiology is orchestrated to render the uterus receptive to transferred embryos for up to 10-13 days. This technique is routinely used to support the development of normal (cryopreserved strain regeneration/re-derivation) or genetically modified (transgenic/chimaeric/cloned) embryos.
However, the efficacy of this approach is limited. Typically, four times as many females are prepared for the procedure compared to those becoming pregnant. When implanting fresh or frozen embryos this represents a considerable wastage of valuable biological material and effort. Moreover, numbers of young vasectomised males also need to be maintained alongside the prospective recipients: these can only mate 2-3 times a week and are typically replaced every 6-9 months in order to maintain performance.
Mating predominantly occurs when the recipient female is in estrus. The estrus cycle lasts 4-5 days in the mouse and rat (equivalent to a woman's average 28 day menstrual cycle), which leads to the need to rely on a large pool of potential recipient females to take part in potential matings with vasectomised or otherwise sterile males. Typically, 75% of recipients are not in estrus in randomly cycling populations, leading to large numbers of females and vasectomised or otherwise sterile males being kept and, in the case of the former, often not used as surrogates in order to guarantee adequate numbers of recipients for use in timed transfers. This is particularly evident in instances where the embryos to be transferred are particularly valuable. Improvements to this approach have relied on timed estrus induction via the Whitten effect in recipient females. This strategy relies on pheremonal stimulation of recipient females, which typically brings them into estrus 3 days after exposure to stud male urine-soiled bedding. However, the cycling stage of females at the time of pheremonal exposure, proximity to stud cages and the age of recipients can all have adverse effects on the reliability of this approach, making it relatively inefficient.
The chances of females being in estrus (sexually receptive) at the right time is 1:4 due to the length of their cycle (4 days). Thus, if 4 recipients are required, 16 females will be mated to 16 males, which translates to a 25% success rate. This figure can be even lower as some females will refuse to mate with their partner. The key point is that although most breeders either select females in estrus, or induce estrus before mating with sterile males, still only a relatively low percentage (often about 50%—but as low as 15% in some facilities) of oestrus females will become 'plugged' and so assumed to be pseudopregnant. Furthermore, females also have a very limited functional lifespan of a few months of age as embryo transfer recipients. Females rapidly accumulate abdominal fat as they mature, making laparotomic embryo transfers (the most common and successful method) technically too challenging.
It is known that seminal fluid ejaculate is a complex mixture rich a variety of cytokines and prostaglandins, and that some of the cytokines may have a positive effect on the vaginal/uterine environment and others may have deleterious effects which both and ultimately affect receptivity to embryo implantation. For example, the pro-inflammatory cytokine GM-CSF (CSF-2) is present in seminal fluid ejaculate and is also known to be released by endometrial epithelial cells in response to seminal plasma within hours of coitus (Robertson et al. Reprod Fertil Dev, 1990. 2 (4): p. 359-68) and that maternal GM-CSF is required for foetal viability and growth (Robertson et al. Biology of Reproduction Feb. 1, 1999 vol. 60 no. 2 251-261). Furthermore WO1999067364 A1 discloses media supplemented with GM-CSF to promote blastocyst growth and WO 2014087218 describes GM-CSF as sole acting substance to prevent recurrent miscarriage.
The cytokine IL-12 is also present in seminal fluid ejaculate and has been shown to be deleterious to pregnancy (Reina et al. Am J Reprod Immunol. 2004 May; 51 (5):345-51) and to be abortifacient in high concentrations, particularly in synergy with IL-18 and IL-2, via activation of maternal lymphocytes (Hayakawa et al. Am J Reprod Immunol. 1999; 41: 320-329). Other studies have shown that IL-12 injections (100 ng i.p. daily on days 5, 6, 7 and 8 of pregnancy) into CBA/J mice caused increased abortion rate when compared to controls (Zenclussen et al Scand J Immunol. 2002 June; 55 (6):560-9).
By the compositions and methods of the present invention it is envisaged that the need for vasectomised or otherwise sterile male mice can be dramatically reduced along with a significant reduction of female mice usage.
The present invention aims to improve the pregnancy rates in mammalian females in terms of established pregnancies and/or increased litter number following artificial or natural insemination or following transplantation of fresh or frozen or otherwise preserved embryos.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


Devices are provided for regulating the pressure pulses and flow pulses that are emitted in the exhausts of apparatus and equipment such as internal combustion engines, compressors and poppet valves. The pressure pulses are reflected from a reflecting member to their source as expansion waves that create a reduced pressure zone that allows subsequently emitted flow pulses to be more easily emitted, thereby enhancing the operational efficiency of the apparatus and equipment. Flow pulses that contain exhaust products such as the products of combustion from an internal combustion engine are regulated so that the exhaust flow they generate is not unduly restricted within the device and an undesirable back pressure that resists the emission of flow pulses from their source created. In regulating the pressure and flow pulses, the devices attenuate the noise generated by the pressure and flow pulses.

Apparatus and equipment such as, for example, internal combustion engines, compressors and poppet valves emit pressure pulses and flow pulses in their exhausts. In certain of the apparatus and equipment, such as the internal combustion engines, products of combustion comprise the flow pulses. The pressure and flow pulses are sources of noise, and the flow pulses can create a back pressure that adversely affects the operational efficiency of the apparatus and equipment.
The known exhaust systems that are employed with the aforementioned sources of pressure and flow pulses for the purpose of receiving and conveying away from the sources the pressure pulses and exhaust products that are emitted as flow pulses are varied. In many cases the designs of such exhaust systems do not adequately account for the back pressure that can be created by the flow pulses nor do the systems regulate the pressure pulses in a manner to improve the operational efficiency of the sources of the pressure pulses.
In particular, it is often the case that the known exhaust systems are intended to muffle, or attenuate, the undesirable noise generated by the operation of the sources of pressure and flow pulses. The energy of the pressure pulses is the primary source of such noise. Not only are the pressure pulses audible in and of themselves, in addition, pressure pulses reflect off obstructions and surfaces generating additional frequencies, often sinusoidal in nature, which are perceived as secondary noise. Also, should flow pulses pass over an obstruction, an intensified pressure field is formed on the upstream side of the obstruction and a reduced pressure field is formed on the downstream side of the obstruction. These pressure fields cause the generation of additional secondary noise of a generally sinusoidal nature having differing frequencies. Numerous devices are known to those skilled in the art for attenuating the secondary noise. However, the wave lengths of the secondary noise typically are such that the attenuating devices necessarily contain multiple chambers and passages, particularly where wave cancellation techniques are employed to attenuate the noise, and, as a result, are undesirably large and cumbersome. Such devices, as well as noise muffling devices that employ baffling or expansion techniques, often restrict exhaust flow by not adequately taking into account the flow pulses that are generated and, consequently, an undesirable back pressure is created at the location where the exhaust products are emitted. As a result, the operational efficiency of the source of the flow pulses is negatively affected. Additionally, the known devices do not regulate the pressure pulses in way that improves the operational efficiency of the sources of the pressure pulses.

Devices for regulating pressure and flow pulses


A communication light detecting structure includes a communication optical fiber configured to transmit communication light; a leakage optical fiber optically connected to the middle of the communication optical fiber via optical connection portions, the leakage optical fiber being different in core refractive index from the communication optical fiber; and a light detecting unit configured to detect part of the communication light leaking from the optical connection portions as leakage light. A communication light detecting optical connector includes the communication light detecting structure. A communication light detecting optical cable includes the communication light detecting structure. The communication optical fiber and the leakage optical fiber may have the same core diameter. The communication optical fiber and the leakage optical fiber may have the same cladding refractive index.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication light detecting structure capable of enabling the user to visually check the state of communication in a communication optical fiber, a communication light detecting optical connector including the communication light detecting structure, and a communication light detecting optical cable including the communication light detecting structure.
2. Description of the Related Art
In optical communication related facilities, such as data centers and stations, communication light transmitted through a communication optical fiber is often invisible light outside the visible light range. This means that the user cannot visually check the state of communication in the communication optical fiber.
Therefore, the communication optical fiber in use may be erroneously identified as not being in use, and an optical connector optically connected to the middle of the communication optical fiber may be removed by mistake. This may lead to serious failures in communication.
Techniques have been developed, which are capable of detecting the presence of communication light transmitted through a communication optical fiber without interrupting the communication, and are capable of enabling the user to visually check the state of communication in the communication optical fiber.
For example, there is a proposed technique in which a light transmissive resin, such as a refractive index matching agent, is charged into a gap in the middle of a communication optical fiber. Part of communication light scattered by the light transmissive resin is detected as leakage light by a light receiving element or the like, and the detected leakage light is converted to visible light. This enables the user to visually check the state of communication (see, e.g., Japanese Patent No. 4927028).
However, the amount of leakage light may be changed by entry of air bubbles during charging of the light transmissive resin, or by changes in refractive index of the light transmissive resin with changing environmental temperature. This results in significant product-to-product variations, and it is difficult to maintain a stable amount of leakage light over a long period of time.

Communication light detecting structure, communication light detecting optical connector including the communication light detecting structure, and communication light detecting optical cable including the communication light detecting structure


Wireless communication in a wireless network comprises a wireless station obtaining a transmission opportunity period (TXOP) for communicating with an access point (AP) over a wireless communication channel. The wireless station sends an announcement to the AP to share the transmission opportunity period with at least another wireless station, as a multi-user transmission opportunity period for simultaneously transmitting data from said wireless stations to the AP on multiple uplink (UL) spatial streams over the wireless channel.

In a typical wireless network utilizing a coordination function for coordinating transmissions among wireless stations, such a function may be implemented in one of the wireless stations or a coordinator device such as an access point (AP). The wireless stations may communicate via directional transmissions using sector antennas and beamforming antenna arrays. The coordinator device may use omnidirectional transmissions for broadcasts to all wireless stations in all directions (e.g., 360 degrees range). Alternatively, the coordinator may use quasi-omnidirectional transmissions for broadcasts to a wide range, but not necessarily in all directions. In many wireless area networks (WLANs) such as those according to IEEE 802.11 standards, a coordinator station in infrastructure mode is used for providing contention-free access to a wireless communication medium to support Quality of Service (QoS) for certain applications.
In the absence of a coordinator, to provide contention-free channel time reservation, existing techniques use announcement or information exchange among wireless stations in a network to negotiate/reserve the use of the communication medium. For example, IEEE 802.11e Enhanced Distributed Channel Access (EDCA) provides QoS support for certain applications using announcement or information exchange. EDCA defines four Access Categories (ACs) and introduces service differentiation such that certain data traffic uses higher priority parameters to contend for the communication medium.
Further, a frame structure is used for data transmission between wireless stations such as a transmitter station and a receiver station. In one example, a frame structure in a Media Access Control (MAC) layer and a physical (PHY) layer is utilized, wherein in a transmitter station, a MAC layer receives a MAC Service Data Unit (MSDU) and attaches a MAC header thereto, in order to construct a MAC Protocol Data Unit (MPDU). The MAC header includes information such as a source address (SA) and a destination address (DA). The MPDU is a part of a PHY Service Data Unit (PSDU) and is transferred to a PHY layer in the transmitter to attach a PHY header (i.e., PHY preamble) thereto to construct a PHY Protocol Data Unit (PPDU). The PHY header includes parameters for determining a transmission scheme including a coding/modulation scheme. The PHY layer includes transmission hardware for transmitting data bits over a wireless link. Before transmission as a frame from the transmitter station to the receiver station, a preamble is attached to the PPDU, wherein the preamble can include channel estimation and synchronization information.
EDCA allows contention for transmission opportunities (TXOPs), wherein a TXOP is a time interval when a quality of service (QoS) wireless station (STA) may initiate frame transfer on the wireless medium (e.g., wireless channel). The TXOP may be assigned to the wireless station by a coordinator, or the wireless station may obtain the TXOP by successfully contending for the wireless channel.

Method and system for uplink multi-user multiple-input-multiple-output communication in wireless networks


An apparatus for food waste treatment which efficiently treats sewage and odor generated from food wastes. The food waste treatment apparatus includes a body (10), a hopper (30) to put the food wastes into the body (10), a crusher (14) installed in the body (10) to crush the food wastes, an agitating container (42) having an agitator (38) therein and provided at a lower portion in the body (10) to agitate the food wastes, a sewage purifying tank (70) provided under the crusher (14) in the body (10) so as to purify sewage generated from the food wastes during a crushing operation of the crusher (14), and a drain pipe (73) extending from the sewage purifying tank (70), with a magnetic material (74) mounted on an end of the drain pipe (73) to secondarily purify the sewage drained from the sewage purifying tank (70) into a sewer pipe.

Recently, a variety of techniques for apparatuses for food waste treatments have been proposed, according to an increase of the interest in environmental pollution caused by the food wastes.
As an example, an apparatus for food waste treatment, in which a compressing unit compresses the food wastes to remove water from the food wastes, has been proposed, so as to reduce odor emitted from the food wastes and decrease weight of the food wastes. The above-mentioned conventional food waste treatment apparatus reduces the environmental pollution by preventing the odor from being emitted from the wet food wastes and reduces the food wastes treatment costs, because the food waste treatment apparatus removes the water from the food wastes.
However, the conventional food waste treatment apparatus is difficult to use at home due to a large size of the apparatus. Therefore, the conventional food waste treatment apparatus is problematic in that the food wastes must be treated by the apparatus after the food wastes are separately collected from the dwellings.
Recently, in an effort to overcome the problems experienced in the conventional food waste treatment apparatus having a large size, an apparatus for food waste treatment, which is designed for home use, has been proposed. However, the conventional food waste treatment apparatus for home use does not have any purifying unit which purifies sewage generated from the food wastes when the food wastes are agitated and compressed in the conventional food waste treatment apparatus. Accordingly, the conventional food waste treatment apparatus for home use is problematic in that the sewage of the food wastes is directly drained into a sewer pipe, thus contaminating an inside surface of the sewer pipe and causing water pollution.


In the process of distilling a polyol product mixture including one or both of a biobased propylene glycol and a biobased ethylene glycol from the reaction of hydrogen with a biobased feed, it has been discovered that undesirable epoxides can form, and the present invention provides means for guarding against their formation, for removing epoxides which do form by particular methods of distilling, and for removing the epoxides from a finished, otherwise commercially acceptable biobased glycol product.

The present invention is concerned with the development of renewably sourced products which are able to serve as commercially acceptable, drop in replacements for materials, and especially commodities such as propylene glycol and ethylene glycol, which are presently made downstream of conventional fossil fuel operations. Such biobased, renewably sourced materials can be differentiated from their petroleum-derived counterparts, for example, by their carbon isotope ratios using ASTM International Radioisotope Standard Method D 6866, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. Method D 6866 is based upon the fact that isotopic ratios of the isotopes of carbon within any given material, such as the 13C/12C carbon isotopic ratio or the 14C/12C carbon isotopic ratio, can be determined using certain established analytical methods, such as isotope ratio mass spectrometry, with a high degree of precision.
ASTM Method D6866, similar to radiocarbon dating, compares how much of a decaying carbon isotope remains in a sample to how much would be in the same sample if it were made of entirely recently grown materials. The percentage is called the biobased content of the product. Samples are combusted in a quartz sample tube and the gaseous combustion products are transferred to a borosilicate break seal tube. In one method, liquid scintillation is used to count the relative amounts of carbon isotopes in the carbon dioxide in the gaseous combustion products. In a second method, 13C/12C and 14C/12C isotope ratios are counted (14C) and measured (13C/12C) using accelerator mass spectrometry. Zero percent 14C indicates the entire lack of 14C atoms in a material, thus indicating a fossil (for example, petroleum based) carbon source. One hundred percent 14C, after correction for the post-1950 bomb injection of 14C into the atmosphere, indicates a modern carbon source. ASTM D 6866 effectively distinguishes between biobased materials and petroleum derived materials in part because isotopic fractionation due to physiological processes, such as, for example, carbon dioxide transport within plants during photosynthesis, leads to specific isotopic ratios in natural or biobased compounds. By contrast, the 13C/12C carbon isotopic ratio of petroleum and petroleum derived products is different from the isotopic ratios in natural or bioderived compounds due to different chemical processes and isotopic fractionation during the generation of petroleum. In addition, radioactive decay of the unstable 14C carbon radioisotope leads to different isotope ratios in biobased products compared to petroleum products. As used herein, "biologically derived", "bioderived", and "biobased" may be used interchangeably to refer to materials whose carbon content is shown by ASTM D 6866, in whole or in significant part (for example, at least about 20 percent or more), to be derived from or based upon biological products or renewable agricultural materials (including but not limited to plant, animal and marine materials) or forestry materials.
Propylene glycol and ethylene glycol have conventionally been produced from petrochemical sources. Commercial production of petroleum-based or -derived propylene glycol involves the hydration of propylene oxide, made predominantly by the oxidation of propylene. The commercial production of ethylene glycol similarly involves the hydration of ethylene oxide, made by the oxidation of ethylene. Propylene and ethylene in turn are industrial by-products of gasoline manufacture, for example, as by-products of fluid cracking of gas oils or steam cracking of hydrocarbons.
The world's supply of petroleum is, however, being depleted at an increasing rate. As the available supply of petroleum decreases or as the costs of acquiring and processing the petroleum increase, the manufacture of various chemical products derived therefrom (such as propylene glycol and ethylene glycol) will be made more difficult. Accordingly, in recent years much research has taken place to develop suitable biobased propylene glycol and ethylene glycol products, which can be interchangeable with propylene glycol and ethylene glycol products deriving from petroleum refining and processing methods but which are made from renewable versus nonrenewable materials.
As a result of these efforts, processes have been developed by several parties involving the hydrogenolysis of especially five and six carbon sugars and/or sugar alcohols, whereby the higher carbohydrates are broken into fragments of lower molecular weight to form compounds which belong to the glycol or polyol family. Sugars containing five carbon chains, such as ribose, arabinose, xylose and lyxose, and corresponding five carbon chain sugar alcohols such as xylitol and arabinitol, are among the materials contemplated in U.S. Pat. No. 7,038,094 to Werpy et al., for example, as are six carbon sugars such as glucose, galactose, maltose, lactose, sucrose, allose, altrose, mannose, gulose, idose and talose and six carbon chain sugar alcohols such as sorbitol. Some of these carbohydrate-based feedstocks are commercially available as pure or purified materials. These materials may also be obtained as side-products or even waste products from other processes, such as corn processing. The sugar alcohols may also be intermediate products produced in the initial stage of hydrogenating a sugar.
For other known examples of such processes, U.S. Pat. No. 5,206,927 describes a homogeneous process for hydrocracking carbohydrates in the presence of a soluble transition metal catalyst to produce lower polyhydric alcohols. A carbohydrate is contacted with hydrogen in the presence of a soluble transition metal catalyst and a strong base at a temperature of from about 25° C. to about 200° C. and a pressure of from about 15 to about 3000 psi. However, as is evident from Tables II and III in the disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 5,206,927, about 2-7% of other polyol compounds are produced in the hydrocracking process. U.S. Pat. No. 4,476,331 describes a two stage method of hydrocracking carbohydrates using a modified ruthenium catalyst. European Patent Applications EP-A-0523 014 and EP-A-0 415 202 describe a process for preparing lower polyhydric alcohols by catalytic hydrocracking of aqueous sucrose solutions at elevated temperature and pressure using a catalyst whose active material comprises the metals cobalt, copper and manganese. Still other examples of such carbohydrate-based processes may be found without difficulty by those skilled in the art.
Other efforts have been based on the use of another readily accessible biobased feedstock, namely, glycerol. Glycerol is currently produced as a byproduct in making biodiesel from vegetable and plant oils, through the transesterification reaction of lower alkanols with higher fatty acid triglycerides to yield lower alkyl esters of higher fatty acids and a substantial glycerol byproduct. Glycerol is also available as a by-product of the hydrolysis reaction of water with higher fatty acid triglycerides to yield soap and glycerol. The higher fatty acid triglycerides may derive from animal or vegetable (plant) sources, or from a combination of animal and vegetable sources as well known, and a variety of processes have been described or are known.
In the context of vegetable oil-based biodiesel production and soap making, all sorts of vegetable oils have been combined with the lower aliphatic alcohols or water. Preferred vegetable oils include, but are not limited to, soybean oil, linseed oil, sunflower oil, castor oil, corn oil, canola oil, rapeseed oil, palm kernel oil, cottonseed oil, peanut oil, coconut oil, palm oil, tung oil, safflower oil and derivatives, conjugated derivatives, genetically-modified derivatives and mixtures thereof. As used herein, a reference to a vegetable oil includes all its derivatives as outlined above. For instance, the use of the term "linseed oil" includes all derivatives including conjugated linseed oil.
A biobased glycerol is also available as a product of the hydrogenolysis of sorbitol, as described in an exemplary process in U.S. Pat. No. 4,366,332, issued Dec. 28, 1982.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,276,181 and 5,214,219 thus describe a process of hydrogenolysis of glycerol using copper and zinc catalyst in addition to sulfided ruthenium catalyst at a pressure over 2100 psi and temperature between 240-270° C. U.S. Pat. No. 5,616,817 describes a process of preparing 1,2-propanediol (more commonly, propylene glycol) by catalytic hydrogenolysis of glycerol at elevated temperature and pressure using a catalyst comprising the metals cobalt, copper, manganese and molybdenum. German Patent DE 541362 describes the hydrogenolysis of glycerol with a nickel catalyst. Persoa & Tundo (Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2005, 8535-8537) describe a process for converting glycerol to 1,2-propanediol by heating under low hydrogen pressure in presence of Raney nickel and a liquid phosphonium salt. Selectivities toward 1,2-propanediol as high as 93% were reported, but required using a pure glycerol and long reaction times (20 hrs). Crabtree et al. (Hydrocarbon processing February 2006 pp 87-92) describe a phosphine/precious metal salt catalyst that permit a homogenous catalyst system for converting glycerol into 1,2-propanediol. However, low selectivity (20-30%) was reported. Other reports indicate use of Raney copper (Montassier et al. Bull. Soc. Chim. Fr. 2 1989 148; Stud. Surf. Sci. Catal. 41 1988 165), copper on carbon (Montassier et al. J. Appl. Catal. A 121 1995 231)), copper-platinum and copper ruthenium (Montassier et al. J. Mol. Catal. 70 1991 65). Still other homogenous catalyst systems such as tungsten and Group VIII metal-containing catalyst compositions have been also tried (U.S. Pat. No. 4,642,394). Miyazawa et al. (J. Catal. 240 2006 213-221) & Kusunoki et al (Catal. Comm. 6 2005 645-649) describe a Ru/C and ion exchange resin for conversion of glycerol in aqueous solution. Again their process however, results in low conversions of glycerol (0.9-12.9%). Again, still other examples of like processes may be found without difficulty by those skilled in the art.
One of the recognized problems in producing a biobased propylene glycol or ethylene glycol by such methods, is that other diol compounds are formed which reduce the purity of the desired component. The boiling points of many of these components as shown in Table A are very close to one another, however, so that the separation of substantially pure propylene glycol from these other polyhydric alcohols is difficult.
TABLE APolyols produced by Hydrocracking of SorbitolPolyolWeight PercentBoiling Point, ° C.2,3-Butanediol3.5182Propylene glycol16.51871,2-Butanediol2.0192Ethylene glycol25.21981,3-Butanediol2.72062,3-Hexanediol—2061,2-Pentanediol—2101,4-Pentanediol—2201,4-Butanediol2.12301,5-Pentanediol0.1242Diethylene glycol2.22451,6-Hexanediol—250Triethylene glycol2.1285Glycerin38.82901,2,4-Butanetriol4.8190/18 mm
Several reports in the literature describe efforts for azeotropically separating the other polyhydric alcohols from propylene glycol. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,935,102 describes a method for using an azeotrope forming agent such as propylene glycol isobutyl ether, tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol, N,N-dimethylacetamide, ethylene glycol diethyl ether, diethylene glycol diethyl ether, 2-methoxyethyl ether, ethylene glycol n-butyl ether, diacetone alcohol and ethyl n-butyl ketone. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,423,955, the azeotrope forming agent consists of a material selected from the group consisting of toluene, ethyl benzene, o-xylene, p-xylene, cumene, m-diisopropyl benzene, m-diethyl benzene, mesitylene, p-cymene, hexane, cyclohexane, methyl cyclohexane, heptane, 3-methyl pentane, octane, decane, 2,3,4-trimethyl pentane, dipentene, decalin, dicyclopentadiene, alpha-phellandrene, limonene, hemimellitene, myrcene, terpinolene, p-mentha-1,5-diene, beta-pinene, 3-carene, 1-heptene, cyclopentane, pentane, o-diethyl benzene, 2,2-dimethyl butane and 2-methyl butane. The azeotrope forming agents described in these two references may be characterized by their Hansen solubility parameters (Tables B and C), as these can be determined using the program "Molecular Modeling Pro Plus (version 6.0.6, Norgwyn Montgomery Software Inc, available from ChemSW, Inc) based on values published in the "Handbook of Solubility Parameters and Other Parameters" by Allen F. M. Barton (CRC Press, 1983) for solvents obtained experimentally by Hansen. The Hansen "h" (hydrogen bonding) values at 25° C. and Hansen "p" (polarity) values ° C. listed below were calculated in this manner.
TABLE BAzeotropic agents used for separation of 2,3-Butanediolfrom propylene glycol (U.S. Pat. No. 4,935,102).Azeotropic agentHansen pHansen hPropylene glycol isobutyl ether5.4212.52Tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol10.4610.96N,N-dimethylacetamide11.4710.23Toluene0.751.98Ethyl benzene0.651.85p-Xylene0.911.84m-Xylene0.911.84o-Xylene0.911.84Cumene0.581.74Mesitylene0.981.7Ethylene glycol diethyl ether9.1914.3Diethylene glycol diethyl ether9.2212.332-Methoxyethyl ether1.817.41Ethylene glycol-n-butyl ether5.1312.27Diacetone alcohol8.1710.763-heptanone5.283.93
TABLE CAzeotropic agents used for separation of 1,2-Butanediolfrom ethylene glycol (U.S. Pat. No. 5,423,955).Azeotropic agentHansen pHansen h3-Heptanone5.283.93Cyclohexanone3.135.08Diisobutyl ketone4.93.79Methyl isoamyl ketone6.034.2Isobutyl heptyl ketone3.763.312-Methoxyethyl ether1.817.412,6-Dimethyl-4-heptanone4.903.79p-Xylene0.911.84m-Xylene0.911.84o-Xylene0.911.84Ethyl benzene0.651.85Cumene0.581.74Mesitylene0.981.7
Alternative approaches to purifying the product mixture have been proposed in commonly-assigned United States Patent Application Publication US 200810275277A1 to Kalagias, published Nov. 6, 2008, wherein the addition of a polar solvent and extractive distillation are presented as an alternative to the use of an azeotropic agent, and in commonly-assigned United States Patent Application Publication US2009/0120878A1 to Hilaly et al., published May 14, 2009, wherein simulated moving bed chromatography is offered as a means to achieve a purified, commercial grade biobased propylene glycol.
A difficulty that has not been appreciated before, though, is that in distilling out these other, undesired polyhydric alcohols, conditions can be such that epoxides such as propylene oxide and glycidol can be formed. These two epoxides in particular are of concern for certain established uses and commercially important applications of propylene glycol, at least for the reason that these substances are listed under the State of California's "The Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986"—more commonly known as Proposition 65—as being known to California to cause cancer. Consequently, having a biobased, drop-in replacement propylene glycol for a petroleum-based or -derived propylene glycol will depend, for certain markets and end uses at least, on developing a solution or solutions to this heretofore unrecognized problem.

Methods for producing bioderived propylene glycol


A prequalification determination is made on a DSL line to predict the bit rate improvement that might be accomplished by implementation of vectoring, providing information to use in determining whether or not to implement vectoring. Overall noise is measured on the line, along with FEXT noise, and the FEXT noise is subtracted from the overall noise, and the resulting value is employed to determine a predicted bit rate, providing an indication of the potential bit rate if vectoring is implemented.

This disclosure relates to prequalification of Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), and more particularly to estimating the effect of implementing vectoring at a prequalification stage.
DSL is a technology that transmits data over a local telephone network and prequalification is a procedure to detect conditions and estimate performance of data transmission, such as bitrate, on the line.
The performance of the DSL is affected by noise such as Near-End Crosstalk (NEXT), Far-End Crosstalk (FEXT), impulse and white noise.
Vectoring is a transmission method that employs the coordination of line signals to provide cancelling and reducing of FEXT levels and improvement of performance. To implement vectoring and conditioning of the signal, extra devices need to be implemented in the Access Node (AN) located at a Central Office (CO). Vectoring requires implementation of a heavy signal processing to cancel FEXT noise.
Though vectoring cancels FEXT and greatly improves rate and reach performance, vectoring cannot achieve full improvement when there are non-vectored lines or lines form separate vector group.

Prequalification of vectoring before implementation


A plastic vessel has a barrier coating comprising sequentially arranged barrier layers of organic polymer and of inorganic oxides, nitrides or oxynitrides. The barrier coating preferably has at least two inorganic barrier layers. The thickness of the inorganic barrier layers lies between 2 and 300 nm and the thickness of the organic barrier layer lies between 2 and 1000 nm. The total thickness of the layer packet should not exceed 0.1 mm.

Vessels made of plastic (for example, bottles and canisters) afford the following advantages with respect to known vessels made of glass or sheet metal: a low weight, a high degree of resistance to breakage and a reduced tendency to corrode combined with an advantageous performance when the vessel bursts. However, plastic vessels are disadvantageous because of the unsatisfactory barrier diffusion effectiveness of the plastic materials used. Depending upon the material used, the plastics permit more or less large quantities of oxygen, carbon dioxide, water vapor, solvents (alcohol, aromatic substances) and the like to diffuse.
Accordingly, experiments were made in plastic vessels to improve the barrier effectiveness against diffusion. Plastic vessels, which comprise one or more multi-layered laminates made of different plastics have not been accepted because the raw materials of the vessels are, in part, expensive and the vessels are complicated and therefore expensive to manufacture. Furthermore, the diffusion is still too great even for these laminate vessels so that a true long-term stability of, for example, more than a year is not obtainable.
Another solution comprises applying a so-called barrier layer to the surface of a plastic vessel. This barrier layer is intended to prevent the diffusion of gases and, if required, to prevent an attack by the material stored in the vessel on the plastic. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,552,791, a vessel is described having an outer surface which has a barrier coating of inorganic oxides. The function of the barrier coating is so described that the inorganic oxides partially penetrate into the polymer and clog the interstices and the porosity between the polymer chains. Most inorganic or metal oxides are suitable for this purpose. Oxides of silicon, aluminum, titanium and tantalum are preferred. The thickness of the oxide layer extends from less than 50 nm to over 500 nm. The coating is applied by means of a PVD (physical-vapor deposition) method by vaporization of the layer material in an electric field with the layer material being ionized by means of gas discharge. Although the diffusion barrier effectiveness is improved by a factor of 3 by this barrier coating, the result nonetheless needs improvement. For small layer thicknesses, the barrier effectiveness against diffusion is not satisfactory and for large layer thicknesses, the problem is presented that the layer peels especially when the vessel is subjected to sterilization in an autoclave.
European patent publication 0,460,796 (corresponding to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/513,353, filed Apr. 20, 1990, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,177,739 and Ser. No. 07/513,302, filed Apr. 20, 1990, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,084,356) discloses a vessel having an improved barrier effectiveness. This vessel has a diffusion barrier coating which comprises a packet of layers of two sequentially arranged inorganic barrier layers of different composition, namely, SiO and SiO.sub.2. The SiO and SiO.sub.2 layers alternate. The SiO layers have a thickness of 10 to 75 nm and the SiO.sub.2 layers have a thickness of at least 20 nm. A considerable improvement of the barrier effectiveness against diffusion is provided by the buildup of two layers of different composition. However, the disadvantage is presented that a relatively thick coating is required for providing a good barrier effect. A thick coating tends, because of its brittleness, to form fissures and to peel off because the bendability and the capability of withstanding inner stresses is reduced with increasing thickness.

Method of making a vessel having a wall surface having a barrier coating


In order to dim the brightness of the mixed-color light from an LED light (11) with LED arrays (12r, 12g, 12b) which emit different colors, in particular in the passenger cabin of an airliner, the current-flow time intervals (tr, tg, tb) which can be adjusted such that they are different over the various arrays (12) are shortened in steps during initially constant working period lengths (ta).

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method for the dimming of the light emitted from LED lights, and in particular, in the passenger cabin of an airliner.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
DE 10 2005 016 729 B3 discloses the dimming of the light emitted from a white-light light-emitting diode (LED) in successive working periods without any gaps and of the same length as one another, in each of which high-frequency chopping takes place of the current which flows during the switched-on time intervals in the successive working periods through the diode. The shorter the switched-on time interval in the working period is, the fewer constant-current pulses flow through the LED and in consequence the lower is the brightness of the emitted light.
In order to vary the color impression of an LED light, the light emitted from LED arrays in the primary colors red, green and blue is normally superimposed with different intensity, for which purpose the individual arrays have their array-current time intervals controlled independently of one another in the working periods, for dimming purposes.
However, only a dimming ratio in the order of magnitude of 1:1000 between dark and bright can be achieved in this way. This is no longer sufficient for, for example, constant-color variable dimming impressions (for example the extended transition over time from starlit heavens to sunrise in the case of the lighting in a passenger cabin) with gamut color correction (compensation for the shift to a warmer light color during the transition to reduce brightness), when the RGB light-emitting diode arrays are already being operated in a highly dimmed form, that is to say at a very low brightness which can be adjusted in this way; the aim is to achieve a dimming ratio that is greater than this by at least one order of magnitude to allow operation at even lower levels, before being completely switched off.
This is because in gamut color correction, which is required for high-quality, constant-color lighting effects, is dependent on very short current-flow times through light-emitting diodes. This is because it is then possible to compensate for variation of the color loci of LEDs within a production batch. Specifically, in order nevertheless to achieve a specific primary color, with two other primary colors are mixed in with low intensities even during the production matching process or later during operation (controlled by photodiodes), as a result for the respective color locus written from the color triangle, as written in the CIE standard color table (into what is also referred to as the color shoe) for the LEDs. For example, a gamut-corrected guaranteed color locus of "blue, unsaturated" is produced by driving the green LED at 5% and the red LED at 2%, in addition to the blue LED being driven at full power (100%). In order to present this color locus with a low brightness, for example dimmed to 1%, with a drive cycle of 3 ms, this results in the blue being switched on for a time of 1% of the full cycle, that is to say 30 μs, the green being switched on for 1% of 5%, that is to say 0.05% (1.5 μs), and the red being switched on for 1% of 2%, that is to say 0.02% (0.6 μs current flow through the red LED).
Passing current pulses that are as short as this through LEDs results in numerous problems. For example, these short pulses have fundamental frequencies of several hundred kilohertz, and this can lead to disturbing interference (electromagnetic interference) and frequencies which are allocated to specific radio services (for example the emergency radio at 200 kHz); excessively short-switched-off times make it difficult to discharge the natural capacitances within the LEDs; and it is not possible to produce current sinks which switch sufficiently quickly using low-cost components. Such extreme LED dimming would be feasible from the circuitry point of view only by using very fast and therefore expensive processes with a high coding depth for the fine subdivision of the working period, together with high-power, radio-frequency transistors for the current sinks in the R, G and B diode series circuit, that is to say with a rarely acceptable level of circuitry complexity.

Method for dimming the light emitted from LED lights, in particular in the passenger cabin of an airliner


A method (200) of determining a transformation matrix for transformation of ranging data from a first coordinate system for the ranging sensor to a second coordinate system for an image sensor is disclosed. The method comprises providing (201) a ranging sensor and an image sensor; acquiring (202) a ranging frame sequence, and an image frame sequence; determining (203) points of motion in frames of each acquired frame sequence; for each frame in one of the frame sequences: evaluating (204) if a single motion point has been determined in the frame, and if a single motion point has been determined, evaluating (206) if a single motion point has been determined in a temporally corresponding frame of the other frame sequence and, in that case, pairing (207) the temporally corresponding frames, whereby a set of frame pairs is formed, and determining (209) the transformation matrix based on the set of frame pairs.

There exist different sensors for imaging a scene. Common sensor types include image sensors, which register light waves and provides a 2D view of the scene; ranging sensors, which send out signals and register echoes thereof to determine at which distance objects in the scene are located. Ranging sensors provide a 2D or 3D view of a scene, but typically in a different space compared to the image sensor.
An image sensor may be adapted to receive different types of light waves including visible light and infra-red (IR) light. Examples of ranging sensors are radar sensors, lidar sensors and sonar sensors.
All sensor types have their advantages and disadvantages. For example, their performance differs in given environments (day, night, rain, sun, etc.) and they provide different types of information (colors, contrasts, distances, object velocities, etc.). Many imaging systems, such as surveillance/monitoring systems, use a combination of different sensors in order to depict a scene. The data collected by the sensors can be combined in many ways and at different stages of the data processing, depending on the purpose of the combination.
For example, ranging sensors can be used to provide additional information to data produced by an image sensor. A problem with combining ranging data and image sensor data is that they are typically collected in different spaces. The ranging sensor, for example a radar sensor, images a space extending horizontally and in depth, while an image sensor images a space extending horizontally and vertically (each space as seen from the sensors).
Thus, the sensor data need to be transformed between the different spaces.
In order to transform sensor data from one coordinate system of one of the sensors to a second coordinate system of the other sensor, a transformation matrix can be determined. The determination of the transformation matrix is based on correlating points of interest in frames acquired (of a common field of view) by each of the ranging sensor and image sensor. Correlating points of interest can be determined by advanced analysis methods such as spatio-temporal similarity processes. These methods may include rotation, translation, and scaling of the sensor data in order to find correlations. The succeeding calculation of the transformation matrix, can be done through many known methods. One example is disclosed in "Integrating Millimeter Wave Radar with a Monocular Vision Sensor for On-Road Obstacle Detection Applications" by Wang et. al (Sensors 2011, 11, 8992-9008).
As discussed, the existing methods of determining a transformation matrix is very computationally heavy and time-consuming. There thus exist a need for a simpler method.

Method of determining a transformation matrix


An internal voltage referenced output driver is disclosed which is capable of generating any intermediate output level between a first and second voltage supply. The driver includes a dynamic stage which asserts, responsive to a first input voltage being asserted on a driver input terminal, a first output voltage on a driver output terminal, a disabling signal on an enabling terminal, and a stabilizing signal on the stabilizer terminal. Responsive to a second input voltage being asserted on the driver input terminal, the dynamic stage ceases to assert the first output voltage on the driver output terminal, asserts a release signal on the stabilizer terminal, and asserts an enabling signal on the enabling terminal. The driver further includes a static stage which, responsive to the enabling signal and the release signal, asserts a second output voltage on the driver output terminal.

The present invention relates generally to digital electronic circuits and more particularly to the digital drivers used to generate the logic signals used by those circuits.
Typically, modern digital circuits include devices from many different digital logic families, such as transistor-transistor logic (TTL), metal-oxide semiconductor (MOS) and complimentary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS). It is often desirable to combine different families within a single system, or even a single chip. A problem exist, however, in that each family has unique characteristics and requirements, such as supply voltages and output levels, and using a high voltage device output level to drive a low voltage device could damage the low voltage device.
Many systems deal with this problem by using a mixed power supply having for example a 5 V terminal and 2.5 V terminal. FIG. 1 shows a typical prior art CMOS driver 100, using a mixed power supply (Vcc1, Vcc2), to generate an output at the lower (Vcc2) voltage level. Driver 100 includes an input terminal 102, a first PMOS transistor 104, a first NMOS transistor 106, a second PMOS transistor 108, a second NMOS transistor 110, a conductor 112, a first voltage supply terminal 114, a second voltage supply terminal 116, a ground terminal 118, and an output terminal 120.
First PMOS transistor 104 has a source terminal 122 connected to first voltage supply terminal 114, a drain terminal 124 connected to conductor 112, and a gate terminal 126 connected to input terminal 102. First NMOS transistor 106 has a drain terminal 128 connected to conductor 112, a source terminal 130 connected to ground terminal 118, and a gate terminal connected to input terminal 102. Second PMOS transistor 108 has a source terminal 134 connected to second voltage supply terminal 116, a drain terminal 136 connected to output terminal 120, and a gate terminal 138 connected to conductor 112. Second NMOS transistor 110 has a drain terminal 140 connected to output terminal 120, a source terminal 142 connected to ground terminal 118, and a gate terminal 144 connected to conductor 102.
When the voltage at input terminal 102 is low, first PMOS transistor 104 is "on," so that its drain terminal 124 and conductor 112 are pulled up near Vcc1, the voltage on first voltage supply terminal 114. The low voltage on input terminal 102 also turns first NMOS transistor 106 "off," so that no current flows from conductor 112 through transistor 106 to ground. Since the voltage on conductor 112 is near Vcc1, second NMOS transistor 110 is "on" and pulls its drain 140 and output terminal 120 near ground. The high voltage on conductor 112 also turns second PMOS transistor 108 "off," so that no current flows from second voltage supply terminal 116 to output terminal 120. Thus, responsive to a logical low voltage on input terminal 102, driver 100 produces a logical low voltage on output terminal 120.
When input terminal 102 is brought to a high voltage, however, first NMOS transistor 106 is turned "on" so that its drain terminal 128 and conductor 112 are pulled near ground. The high signal on input terminal 102 also turns first PMOS transistor 104 "off" so that no current flows from first supply voltage terminal 114 through transistor 104 to conductor 112. The low voltage on conductor 112 turns second PMOS transistor 108 "on," pulling its drain terminal 136 near Vcc2, and turns second NMOS transistor 110 "off" so that no current can flow from output terminal 120 through transistor 110 to ground terminal 118. Thus, responsive to a logical high voltage on input terminal 102, driver 100 produces a logical high voltage, very close to Vcc2, on output terminal 120.
Using a mixed power supply is not, however, a total solution. First, it is undesirable to increase the number of supply pins that must be provided on an integrated circuit chip. Further, it would be impractical to provide a separate supply terminal for every possible voltage level.
Intermediate voltages can sometimes be produced using diodes, but often the desired voltage level is not an integral number of diode voltage drops from a supply level. For example, if an output voltage of 4.0 V is required, and the power supply has a 5.0 V pin, one diode drop would produce a (5 V-0.6 V=) 4.4 V output and two diode drops would produce a 3.8V output, neither achieving the desired 4.0V.
Generally, the amount of static current required for the on-chip production of output voltages is roughly equivalent to the amount of static current required at the output. This amount of static current is usually unacceptable from the standpoint of power dissipation. Further, it is desirable that the static current required to produce each output voltage be much smaller than the output current requirements. Therefore, what is needed is a driver that generates, on-chip, the intermediate voltages used to drive the outputs, and whose static current requirements are far less than its output current requirements.

Internal voltage referenced output driver

Philips Electronics North America Corporation


A method, system and program product for locating personal information over a network are provided. Specifically, under the present invention, personal information is entered using an interface. Then, a search string(s) based on the entered information is formed by processing the personal information according to a definable algorithm(s). Once the search string(s) is formed, a search based on the string(s) is conducted over a network to identify any network destinations storing the personal information. The identified network destinations can then be notified to remove/delete the personal information.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a method, system and program product for locating personal information over a network. Specifically, the present invention allows a network user to automatically identify network destinations that are storing the user's personal information.
2. Background Art
As the use of computers becomes more pervasive, computer users are increasingly using the Internet to complete everyday tasks. For example, today a computer user can purchase consumer goods, renew a driver's license and register to vote from the comfort of his/her home. Unfortunately, many on-line transactions require the user to submit some form of personal information. For example, each time a consumer uses a World Wide Website to make a purchase, he/she will be inevitably required to submit some form of personal information for the transaction to be completed. Such information often includes, among other things, the user's name, address, credit card information, etc. Although the user typically desires the personal information to remain private, success is not always guaranteed. For example, many web storage systems are frequently the targets of intruders who attempt to access personal information for illicit purposes. Moreover, many intended recipients (e.g., web companies) sell the personal information to third parties to do with as they please. Given the high volume of transactions that are conducted on-line, the user usually cannot identify of all of the parties possessing his/her personal information.
In an attempt to resolve some of these issues, many legislative bodies have enacted laws to better control the privacy of personal information. However, given the widespread nature of the Internet, and the lack of uniformity between the localities, enforcement of privacy laws is extremely difficult. For example, an Internet company operating in locality "A" may not have to follow the privacy laws set forth by locality "B." Accordingly, it is often left up to the user to control the distribution of his/her personal information.
Heretofore, a network user controlled the distribution of his/her personal information by manually conducting searches using multiple search strings to identify network destinations where the personal information was stored. Once a network destination was identified, the user could then manually request the information to be deleted/removed. Given the widespread use of the Internet by many users, and the quantity of locations to be searched, this process has been both tedious and inefficient.
In view of the foregoing, there exists a need for a method system and program product for locating personal information over a network. Specifically, an application is needed whereby a user can enter personal information, and have a search conducted over a network to identify network destinations storing the personal information.

Method, system and program product for locating personal information over a network

International Business Machines Corporation


A three dimensional printing system includes a resin vessel, a light engine, a movement mechanism, a fixture, and a controller. The resin vessel is for containing a photocurable resin and has a lower portion with a transparent sheet. The light engine is configured to selectively project radiation up through the transparent sheet and over a build plane. The fixture is coupled to the movement mechanism and has a lower face that faces the transparent sheet. The controller is configured to operate the light engine to solidify a particle trapping sheet proximate to the build plane thereby trapping particles that extend upwardly from the transparent sheet into the build plane.

Three dimensional (3D) printers are in rapidly increasing use. One class of 3D printers includes stereolithography printers having a general principle of operation including the selective curing and hardening of radiation curable (photocurable) liquid resins. A typical stereolithography system includes a containment vessel holding the photocurable resin, a movement mechanism coupled to a support surface, and a controllable light engine. The stereolithography system forms a three dimensional (3D) article of manufacture by selectively curing layers of the photocurable resin.
In one system embodiment the vessel includes a transparent sheet that forms part of a lower surface of the vessel. The support surface is positioned above and in facing relation with the transparent sheet. The following steps take place: (1) The movement mechanism positions the support surface whereby a thin layer of the photocurable resin resides between the support surface and the transparent sheet. (2) The light engine transmits pixelated light up through the transparent sheet to selectively cure a layer of the photocurable resin proximate to and onto the support surface. The focus of the pixelated light curing is referred to a "build plane." (3) The movement mechanism then incrementally raises the support surface. Steps (2) and (3) are repeated to form a three dimensional (3D) article of manufacture having a lower face in facing relation with the transparent sheet.
One difficulty is an accumulation of particles on the transparent sheet and/or within the photocurable resin. The particles are formed from the photocurable resin and are the result of portions of a fabricated article that may break off and settle into the resin. A required gap between the build plane and the transparent sheet is very small. The lower face of the support surface or three dimensional article of manufacture must therefore be positioned very close (a small fraction of a millimeter typically) to the transparent sheet in order to perform step (2) above. During this positioning, the accumulated particles can become compressed between the transparent sheet and the lower face. These particles can be compressed and can damage the transparent sheet and become embedded in the three dimensional article of manufacture, possibly creating a defect. Damage to the transparent sheet will affect its light transmissive properties and therefore impact the quality of all subsequent fabrication. The transparent sheet is also expensive and disruptive to replace. What is needed is a system and method to facilitate particle removal.

Three dimensional printing system that automatically removes particles from build plane


A yarn debris removing apparatus for circular discoloration knitting machines provides compressed air through an air compressor. The compressed air is delivered to a negative pressure generator through a rotary connector that controls the flow direction of the compressed air so that a negative pressure suction nozzle forms a negative pressure to generate a suction force to suck yarn debris cut off on a circular discoloration knitting machine. The negative pressure generator is connected to a dust collection net on another end through a hose to collect and filter out the yarn debris to reproduce clean air. Through the rotary connector the dust collection net and the negative pressure generator can be rotated with the circular discoloration knitting machine. The suction nozzle of the negative pressure generator is directed towards the needles of the circular discoloration knitting machine where change of yarns takes place to suck the yarn debris.

Circular knitting machines are widely used now in the textile industry. Many new types of circular knitting machines have been developed to increase operation efficiency and enrich function. These days there are circular knitting machines that can change yarns to alter colors and patterns of the fabrics. This is accomplished by altering different color of yarns on the needles. Each time the yarn of one color is changed, the original yarn has to be cut off, and another color of yarn is used to continue knitting operation. If the debris of the cut off yarn is not properly handled and scatters, it could be gathered in the fabric and form small patches of motley patterns. To remove the yarn debris takes a great deal of extra labor and time.
To remedy the aforesaid problem, R.O.C. patent publication No. 182863 discloses a technique which has an air duct extended from the interior of a circular knitting machine to connect to a suction machine located outside the knitting machine. It has to provide an extra blower outside the knitting machine to generate suction force. As the air duct is extended from the interior of the knitting machine to the blower, the air duct is too long and bent and twisted. As a result the suction force decreases. And yarn debris and flints tend to accumulate in the duct and result in clogging. Utilization efficiency suffers. R.O.C. patent publication No. 517722 discloses another technique which has a blower to generate airflow to prevent yarn flints and debris depositing on the knitting machine. It also has a lengthy duct that weakens the airflow. Hence a powerful blower has to be used. The cost is higher and maintenance is more difficult. All the conventional techniques still leave a lot to be desired. There are still rooms for improvement.

Yarn debris removing apparatus for circular discoloration knitting machines


The invention is a device for inhibiting the rim of a vehicle steering wheel from movement thereby rendering the vehicle inoperable. The invention is comprised of first and second semicircular casings wherein each casing has an inwardly curving lip disposed around the circular portion of its periphery. Each casing is designed to fit over a portion of the vehicle steering wheel such that when so disposed, the first and second semicircular casings can be secured together to completely encase the rim of the vehicle steering wheel. When secured around the rim of the vehicle steering wheel in this manner, casings prevent any portion of the rim from being broken or cut. Additionally, a radial bar is attached to the outer surface of one of the casings wherein the bar extends beyond the periphery of the steering wheel to prevent substantial rotation of the steering wheel. The bar is also used to join the first and second casings. A locking mechanism is utilized to secure the first and second semicircular casing to one another to prevent removal of the invention from the vehicle steering wheel. In additional embodiments, hook members are located within the semi-circular casings. The hook members engage the rim of the steering wheel such that portions of the steering wheel are fully encapsulated about the steering wheel's "periphery". The hook structures retract before the device is removed from the steering wheel by the user.

There are many devices commercially available to protect a vehicle or automobile from theft. Such related devices include electrical alarms, fuel shut-off devices, ignition kill switches, and steering wheel locking mechanisms. The present invention falls within the final category of theft prevention devices.
One effective way of preventing the theft of a vehicle is to lock or substantially restrict movement of the vehicle's steering wheel. By doing so, the vehicle is rendered nearly inoperable. Because a would-be thief cannot steer or control a vehicle having an inoperable steering mechanism, the vehicle to which the present invention is attached is less likely to be stolen.
Many steering wheel locking devices are available today. However, most have substantial weaknesses that render the devices ineffective. For example, many steering wheel locking devices are easily removed from the steering wheel by simply cutting the steering wheel rim in one location. Other devices do not even require the single cut. They can be removed or disabled by flexing or deforming the steering wheel rim or the other structure to which they are attached (i.e. brake pedal). Furthermore, most commercially available competing devices provide no protection for the safety restrain system airbag located within the steering wheel.
While many such steering wheel locking devices are available on the market today, none have the same structure and benefits as my invention. It is an object of my invention to provide a vehicle steering wheel locking mechanism that encapsulates the entire vehicle steering wheel. It is a further object to provide a vehicle steering wheel locking mechanism that includes a radial arm member to limit the allowable rotationable position of the steering wheel when the vehicle steering wheel locking mechanism is installed. It is yet a further object to provide such a mechanism that uses either a standard, commercially available padlock or a built-in lock mechanism. It is yet a further object to provide a vehicle steering wheel locking mechanism that is easy to install on any vehicle steering wheel and easy to remove. Additionally, it is an object of my invention to provide a steering wheel locking mechanism which by encapsulating the steering wheel will prevent access to the steering wheel or its contents and controls, such as the safety restraint system airbag or the horn or the cruise control. Finally, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device which presents a readily ascertainable visual impact to act as a deterrent to a would-be thief.
Steering wheels vary in diameter and rim thickness by vehicle manufacturer. My invention can be placed and securely locked on all passenger vehicle, light truck, and many commercial vehicle steering wheel rims thus eliminating the need of the user to select a locking device that fits his or her specific vehicle.
Furthermore, this feature of my design allows the same locking device to be used on more than one vehicle (i.e. transferred from vehicle to vehicle).
In addition to protecting the entire vehicle from theft, my invention also protects the vehicle's driver side safety restraint system air bag from theft. Recently, the theft of steering wheel mounted safety restraint system air bags from vehicles has been increasing at an alarming rate. By simply unscrewing a few bolts and cutting a few wires, the air bag assembly located within the center portion of many vehicle steering wheels can be removed. It takes approximately one minute to remove an unprotected air bag. In addition to encapsulating the steering wheel, the structure of my invention forms a solid web that covers the entire front surface of the steering wheel thus preventing the removal of the air bag assembly on vehicles so equipped.
The key factor to be considered when evaluating steering wheel locking mechanisms is the amount of time it takes for a thief to remove the device. Some devices can be removed in less than a minute by simply cutting through the steering wheel rim in only one place. Others can be removed by placing a pry bar or similar tool between the steer wheel and locking mechanism thus allowing the thief to "peel" the locking mechanism off of the steering wheel.
The longer it takes to remove or attempt to remove a device, the more effective the device is in preventing vehicle theft. The present invention requires a minimum of four cuts through both the steering wheel rim and encapsulating portions of the locking mechanism before it can be removed by peeling. The total time required to remove the best competing device on the market at present exceeds five minutes. The competing device does not include the novel features of my vehicle steering wheel locking device. My novel features are discussed in detail herein. Criminologists believe that if a locking device requires more than five minutes for removal, a thief is likely to avoid attempting the removal, and thus vehicle theft, altogether.
My vehicle steering wheel locking mechanism provides a safe and effective theft deterrent. Because its structure encapsulates the entire steering wheel and forms a solid web across the steering wheel, it is very difficult for a thief to cut through the entire encapsulating structure or through a portion of the steering wheel in order to remove my locking mechanism. In addition my invention also protects a vehicle air bag from theft. These and other features of my invention will become evident in the following descriptions.

Vehicle anti-theft steering wheel locking mechanism


The present invention provides a liquid filtration device with internal flow paths that facilitate the purging of air bubbles from the device. The device includes internal channels that collect bubbles from fluid entering the filtration device and more efficiently direct fluid to sweep bubbles from the device during operation. The present invention also provides for an automatic means to minimize fluid loss during a vent process.

The IMPACT® LVHD filter, sold by Mykrolis Corporation of Bedford, Mass., has a low hold up volume which is very advantageous due to the high cost of the process fluids principally filtered by the device: photoresist, dielectrics, anti-reflectives and optical disc materials. The IMPACT LHVD filter provides superior filtration to prevent debris in the process fluid from being deposited onto the substrate and from causing defects.
A sectional view of the current IMPACT filter may be found in FIG. 1. FIG. 1 provides a device that uses three independent connections, a vent 12, a feed 14, and an outlet 16, that can interface with either a stand alone manifold or directly to a dispense system such as the RGEN™ or IntelliGen® dispense systems that are manufactured by Mykrolis Corporation. The process fluid enters through the inlet port 14 and flows through the inlet tube 24 to the housing bottom 25. The process fluid then flows through the vertical membrane filter 26 to the outlet port 16, where the purified fluid is directed back to the manifold or dispense system. The vent port 12 allows bubbles that accumulate on the upstream side of the filter to exit the housing 22. To better eliminate bubbles from the filter, the top surface of the housing cap 18 is set at an angle directed up to the vent port 12. This allows air bubbles to gradually rise to the highest point in the housing 20 and to exit the housing 22.
A more detailed description of the attributes and benefits of the IMPACT LHVD filter may be found in Mykrolis Applications Note No. MA068 entitled "New Photochemical Filtration Technology for Process Improvement" by M. Clarke and Kwok-Shun Cheng. This paper was originally presented at the INTERFACE '97 Poster Session on Nov. 10, 1997. Also, benefits of the IMPACT LHVD are presented in Mykrolis Applications Note No. MAL109 entitled "Improving Photolithography Equipment OEE with the IMPACT ST Manifold" by M. Clarke.
Although the design and performance of the IMPACT LHVD filter is much improved over other filtration devices, it is also not fully optimized for bubble venting. In the IMPACT LHVD filter, bubble-laden fluid is forced to the bottom of the device to sweep the bottom with fluid to prevent fluid stagnation at the bottom and the formation of gel particles. Therefore, any entrained bubbles must then rise to the vent. Again, the slowly rising bubbles from the bottom will require more time and chemical to purge them from the device.
To compensate for the shortcomings of filters and how they are used in standard filtration and dispense systems, Mykrolis developed integrated filtration and dispense systems called "Two Stage Technology" or "TST". The designs of these TST systems allow for recirculation of bubble-laden fluid to minimize the amount of fluid that is wasted during start-up of a new filter. Although these systems more efficiently remove bubbles from the filter and conserve fluid, waste is still generated, as the venting process is not optimized.
A more detailed description of the operation of a Two Stage Technology System is given in Mykrolis Applications Note No. MAL111 entitled "Understanding the Operating Cycles of Millipore Two-Stage Technology Photochemical Dispense Systems" by M. Clarke.
For all of these systems (even including TST systems), bubble venting is still not optimized as the venting process release not just bubbles but a bubble saturated fluid stream. Since bubbles do not rise quickly in many process fluids, the motion of the fluid toward the vent is required to remove the bubbles (effectively, the bubbles are carried along by the fluid stream). In addition, the smaller the bubbles to be removed, the more fluid that is ejected in the stream.
It is apparent from the aforementioned applications notes and discussions that gas bubbles are a concern to semiconductor manufacturers. However, the current IMPACT filter or any other currently available product, inadequately addresses the need to sweep bubbles from all surfaces of the filtration device as well as to initiate bubble removal prior to filtration.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a liquid filtration device wherein bubble removal from the liquid being filtered be initiated prior to filtration so that the gas bubbles removed are positioned near the vent, thereby facilitating gas bubble removal from the liquid being filtered. Also, it would be desirable to have the system to provide a means for automatic venting of a liquid filtration device that minimizes the amount of fluid loss.


A separator to separate oil and debris from an aqueous fluid includes a container with a cover, the top portion of which includes a control panel access door. The separator draws an aqueous fluid with one or a plurality of skimmers that float on the aqueous fluid inside one or a plurality of corresponding reservoirs. When the separator is operating, the surface portion of the aqueous fluid is drawn into each corresponding skimmer hose and transferred to the separator by a pickup hose. The separator separates oil, debris and any sludge that may be in the aqueous fluid to provide a substantially filtered aqueous fluid. The substantially filtered aqueous fluid is then returned to the reservoirs through an exit hose.

An aqueous cleaning solution is typically used in machine shops, automotive repair facilities, or other types of workshops or factories to clean and/or cool various equipment or parts. The aqueous cleaning solution washes away oil, sludge, and various types of debris, such as metal shavings, from the equipment or parts. The used aqueous fluid is then stored in barrels or drums for later disposal.
Various filtering devices are used to remove oil, sludge, and/or debris from the aqueous cleaning solution so that the aqueous cleaning solution can be recycled. These filtering devices typically use a pump to draw the aqueous fluid from a reservoir of the aqueous fluid through a skimmer that floats on the aqueous fluid; remove the oil, sludge, and/or debris at various filtering stages; and, return the clean aqueous fluid back to the reservoir. The oil is typically removed by pumping the aqueous fluid into a drum. The oil floats to the top of the aqueous fluid when in the drum. Accordingly, by drawing the aqueous fluid from a bottom portion of the drum, the oil remains in the drum. Another filtering stage may be typically used after the oil filtering stage to remove any sludge or debris from the aqueous fluid. A filter may be used that includes a mesh therein to trap debris and/or sludge. Continuing the filtering process will eventually recycle the aqueous fluid in the reservoir to provide substantially clean aqueous cleaning solution in the reservoir. When the drum fills mostly with oil, the drum can be emptied or replaced with another drum. The mesh inside the filter can also be removed for replacement or cleaning.
Several drawbacks to the above-described filtering device exist. These filtering devices include a number of parts that are connected together to provide the above-described operation. When the drum fills and should be replaced or emptied, several or a large number of parts may have to be disassembled from the filtering device to gain access to the drum to empty or replace the drum. After the drum is replaced or emptied, the parts must be reassembled before commencing the filtering operation. The above-described filtering devices typically draw aqueous fluid from one reservoir. Therefore, to clean the aqueous fluid in several reservoirs, either the reservoirs must be connected, or the aqueous fluid in each must be filtered separately with the filtering device. The separate filtering of the reservoir may entail either an operator physically moving the filtering device from reservoir to reservoir, or having long enough hoses that can reach all of the reservoirs. Furthermore, the above-described filtering devices are manually operated in that a user turns on a pump to run the filtering device and has to turn off the pump either when the drum fills with oil or when the filtering operation is finished or has to be stopped for any reason. Accordingly, an operator must be at least attending the filtering operation continuously or frequently.
Therefore, there exists a need in the art for filtering device that can simultaneously and/or selectively operate on several reservoirs, includes components that are connected together and arranged so as to provide easy access to the drum and the contents thereof, and includes a control system for automatic operation thereof.

Apparatus to separate oil and debris from an aqueous fluid