An apparatus for writing on and reading an overwritable optical disk comprises an identifier detector that identifies a recording condition in the sector to be overwritten, and a delay time controller circuit that sets a variation range of the start point for writing according to the recording condition. The record timing of the modulated data signal is changed at random within the set variation range when overwriting the sector of the optical disk.

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for writing on and reading an optical recording medium.
Recently, optical disks, cards and tapes are developed and have been used for recording information optically. Especially, optical disks are given attention as a medium having large capacity and high density.
A conventional method for writing an optical disk is explained below referring to the figures. FIG. 27 shows an example of an optical disk using a phase-change type recording film. A substrate 2301, which is made of a glass or plastic material such as PMMA or polycarbonate, is provided with guide grooves 2302 and pits indicating an address or other information. This area with the pit train is called the ID area. The guide grooves are formed in concentric circles or a coil from the inner to outer portions of the substrate. Areas 2307 between the grooves are called lands. The ID areas are located at a predetermined pitch along the guide grooves. The areas between the ID areas are called sectors. A surface of the substrate 2301 is provided with layers of a protective film 2303, a recording film 2304 and a reflection film 2305 formed by sputtering or other methods. Furthermore, a protective sheet is glued onto the layers.
A method for writing on and reading the above-mentioned optical recording medium is explained below referring to the figures. FIG. 28 shows a block diagram of a conventional writing and reading apparatus. FIG. 29 shows the write and read operation for an optical disk. In FIG. 29, (a) indicates a write data signal, (b) indicates a laser-driving signal (corresponding to a laser power), (c) indicates a recorded state of the optical disk, and (d) indicates a record format.
The reading process for the optical disk is performed as follows. A system controller circuit 101 drives a spindle motor 114 that rotates the optical disk 113. An optical head 112 focuses a laser beam with a weak power (Pr in FIG. 29) to irradiate the optical disk 113, tracking the guide groove 2302 and the pit train 2502 shown in (c) of FIG. 29. The intensity of the beam reflected by the optical disk 113 varies in accordance with the existence of the pit train 2502 and record marks 2501. Detecting the intensity of the reflected beam generates read signal 122, which is processed into binary data by a read signal processor circuit 115 and demodulated by a demodulator circuit 116. Then the signal is processed in an error correction and deinterleaving circuit 117 to obtain read data. The deinterleaving process restores the original data from the interleaved data, which are changed in order.
The writing process for the optical disk is performed as follows. A system controller circuit 101 connected to a host computer gives write data 102 to an error correction and interleaving circuit 103, which adds error correcting data, i.e., parity bits to the write data, and performs an interleaving process. The interleaving process makes error correction easy by converting a burst error (long continuous error) due to a defect of the optical disk into a random error (short error). The write data are divided into blocks and the order of the blocks is changed according to a predetermined rule in the interleaving process. Then a modulator circuit 104 modulates the data in accordance with the (1, 7) RLL modulation method, for example. Consequently, a modulated data signal 105 is obtained for writing the data area 604 shown in (d) of FIG. 29.
In the synthesizer circuit 109, each data block to be written into each sector is provided with VFO and RESYNC signals from a synchronizing signal generator circuit 108 as well as dummy data from a dummy data generator circuit 107 if necessary, to make the write data signal 118. The VFO and RESYNC are synchronizing signals for generating a clock signal synchronizing with the read signal in a PLL circuit (synchronizing signal generator) in the read signal processor circuit 115. The VFO signal is added to the head of the modulated data, and the RESYNCH signal is added in the modulated data signal at a predetermined interval. The dummy data are added for reducing a deterioration of the recording film generated at the end of writing when writing on the same sector repeatedly. The dummy data is not required to include any information. The example of the write data signal 118 is shown in (a) of FIG. 29.
Corresponding to the write data signal 118, the laser driver circuit 110 generates a laser driving signal 111 to drive a laser in the optical head 112, modulating the intensity of the laser beam. An example of the laser-driving signal 111 is shown in (b) of FIG. 29.
When the optical head 112 irradiates the recording film of the optical disk 113 with the focused laser beam having a high intensity (Pp shown in (b) of FIG. 29) for a predetermined period, the temperature of the recording film rises above the melting point and drops rapidly. As a result, the melted spot becomes a recorded mark 2501 (shown in (c) of FIG. 29) having an amorphous state due to rapid cooling. On the contrary, when the recording film is irradiated with the focused laser beam having a middle intensity (Pb shown in (b) of FIG. 29) for a predetermined period, the temperature of the recording film rises to the temperature below the melting point but above the crystallization point. Then the irradiated spot is cooled gradually and assumes a crystalline state.
A recorded pattern having crystalline and amorphous spots as mentioned above, which corresponds to the modulated data signal 105, is created in the data area 604 on the guide groove 2302. Thus, writing and reading of information are performed using a difference of reflectivity between the crystalline and amorphous states.
As shown in (d) of FIG. 29, there is a gap area 602 between the ID area 601 and the VFO area 603, as well as a buffer area 606 between the dummy data area 605 and the next ID area 601. The gap area 602 generates a time for controlling the laser power, and the buffer area 606 compensates for a difference of recording position due to rotation variability of the spindle motor.
When scanning an ID area 601 between sectors 607 of the optical disk, address data are read by the laser irradiating the optical disk with the same weak power as the reading power.
The system controller circuit has a configuration shown in FIG. 30. Transmission of write data and read data between a host computer and the write/read apparatus is performed using a write data buffer 2601 and read data buffer 2602 respectively. The read data is given to the read data buffer 2602 as well as an address data detector circuit 2603. An address data detecting signal is transmitted to the write data buffer 2601 and the read data buffer 2602. A motor driver circuit 2604 drives the spindle motor.
When writing on the optical disk repeatedly as mentioned above, a quality of the read signal of the written data in a sector may be deteriorated at a certain part. Especially, writing similar data into the same sector repeatedly makes the deterioration serious because that part of the sector undergoes repeated melting and hardening while another part never melts. As a result, the thickness of the recording film changes at the boundary of the two parts, so that the thermal and optical characteristics are deteriorated at the boundary. In this case, it is difficult to record (write) and reproduce (read) data properly.
There is a writing method to solve the above-mentioned problem proposed in the Japanese laid-open patent application (Tokukaihei) 2-94113. This method writes data while varying the start point for writing a sector at random within a predetermined range. This range is called the variation range in this specification.
In this writing method, however, the variation range of the start point for writing was constant for various recording media or conditions. On the other hand, the deterioration rate of the recording film depends not only on the number of repeating writings but also on the recording medium or recording condition.
Therefore, the above-mentioned writing method in the prior art is not enough for improving the deterioration of the recording film in every case. For example, when overwriting the optical disk, the whole sector is overwritten. Therefore, even if the data to be written are only a small part of the sector, the whole sector is overwritten actually. A directory area of the disk is overwritten repeatedly with similar data. Thus, the directory area has a tendency to have its recording film deteriorated earlier than another area (called the general area in this specification).
Increasing the variation range of the start point for writing may reduce the deterioration of the recording film. However, an area for writing VFO or dummy data is decreased in a sector because the data area should be settled in the sector. In other words, when adding the VFO area for generating synchronizing data to the head of the data area, and adding the dummy data area to the tail of the data area, the length of the VFO area or the dummy data area have to be shortened in accordance with the enlarged variation range of the start point for writing. Therefore, the deterioration of the recording film at the start and end points of the sector may become critical when being written repeatedly, so that reading of the written data becomes difficult at a certain deterioration level of the recording film. As a result, the number of overwriting of the optical disk may be lowered.
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for writing on and reading an optical recording medium, which can relieve a deterioration of the recording film properly and increase the number of overwritings by changing the variation range of the start point for writing in accordance with the writing condition.
A method according to the present invention comprises the steps of converting write data into a modulated data signal corresponding to a record pattern on the recording medium, selecting a first or second write timing, altering the start point for writing the modulated data signal at random within a first variation range in a sector if the first write timing is selected, and altering the start point for writing the modulated data signal at random within a second variation range that is larger than the first variation range in a sector if the second write timing is selected.
As mentioned above, the variation range of the start point for writing is set in accordance with a recording medium or recording conditions. Thus, deterioration at the specific part of the recording film is relieved when writing repeatedly, and the number of overwritings is increased by enlarging the variation range in the case of a critical recording method or medium. On the other hand, the number of overwritings can be increased by lengthening the VFO area or the dummy data area for suppressing the deterioration at the head or tail part of the sector in the case of the recording method or medium that generates little deterioration of the recording film due to repeated writing. The information of the recording condition or medium can be prerecorded in the medium as an identifier. Alternatively, the variation range can be altered in accordance with the modulation method of the write data or the recording condition such as overwriting frequency of the sector, whether the sector is directory area or not, or whether the sector is on the guide groom or on the land (between the guide grooves).
A second method according to the present invention comprises the following steps for recording and reproducing. The writing steps comprise selecting one of two or more different methods for converting write data into converted data, writing an identifier for identifying the method used as the converting method, together with the converted data into an optical recording medium. The reproducing steps comprise reading the converted data and the identifier from the optical recording medium, and selecting one of two or more methods for restoring the original data from the read data in accordance with the identifier. According to this method, the write data signals have different patterns by changing an order of blocks even if the same write data are written into the same part of the optical recording medium repeatedly. As a result, a damage at a specific part of the recording film can be dispersed, and a deterioration of the recording film due to repeated overwriting can be reduced.

Method and apparatus for writing and reading optical recording medium

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A temperature control method and apparatus for a fixing apparatus, in which a first roll contacting the back surface of a recording sheet and a second roll contacting the front surface of a recording sheet for fixing a recording sheet carrying a toner image are individually equipped with heating mechanism. The temperature control method and apparatus can suppress storage of the rolls with wasteful thermal energy to fix with less thermal energy. For this suppression, a target surface temperature y required for the second roll to reproduce a predetermined fixing property is computed from an actually measured temperature value X of the first roll so that only one of the heating means is driven on the basis of the result of comparison between the target surface temperature y and an actually measured temperature value Y of the second roll.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a temperature control method for use in a fixing apparatus for thermally fixing a toner image onto a recording sheet of a copying machine or printer and, more particularly, to a temperature control method for a fixing apparatus in which a pair of rolls abut against the front and back of the recording sheet and are individually equipped with heaters.
2. Description of Related Art
In most of the fixing apparatus of this kind in the prior art, the heater is packaged in only that one of the paired rolls to be brought into abutment against the front surface of the recording sheet carrying a toner image thereon. Moreover, the temperature control of the heater is always adjusted to a target value of the surface temperature of the roll by setting a certain target temperature in advance and by energizing the heater only when the surface temperature of the roll having the heater packaged therein becomes lower than the target value.
In the so-called "full-color copying machine", however, an unfixed toner image is formed by overlapping toners of four colors of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black. If, therefore, the unfixed toner image is heated only from the front side of the recording sheet, there arises a problem that the fixing property is deteriorated because sufficient thermal energy will not propagate to the toner of the lowermost layer contacting with the recording sheet. On the other hand, the full-color recorded image itself requires more sufficient thermal energy to be applied to the toners than a monochromatic recorded image, if its coloring property is considered.
For use in the full-color copying machine or the like, therefore, there has been proposed in recent years a fixing apparatus which is equipped with a heater even in the roll to be brought into abutment against the back side of the recording sheet.
However, this fixing apparatus having the individual heaters in the rolls abutting against the front and back sides of the recording sheet has to consider as its important problem how the temperatures of the individual rolls are to be controlled. This is because the copying machine or printer, in which the fixing apparatus of that kind is to be packaged, is designed premising that it is used with the home-service power supply of 100 V, so that the simultaneous energizations of the two heaters cannot be achieved because of the restrictions on the rated current. Thus, what can be energized is only one heater. The specific temperature control methods proposed in the prior art will be described in the following together with their problems.
In a first method, two rolls are individually set with target temperatures so that one of the roll has its heater energized if its surface temperature only is lower than the target value or so that the two rolls have their individual heaters energized alternately for a constant time period if both their surface temperatures are lower than the target values.
However, the efficiency for the rolls abutting against the front and back sides of the recording sheet to contribute to the fixing of the unfixed toner image, that is, the thermal energies for the individual rolls to be applied to the toners for a constant time period are naturally higher at the front-side roll contacting directly with the unfixed toner image than at the back-side roll. In case, therefore, the roll is liable to have its surface temperature seriously dropping as in the continuous copying operation, the thermal energy to be stored in the individual rolls could be more efficiently used if the heater of the front-side roll were preferentially energized. In this connection, according to this control method, an equal quantity of thermal energy is applied to the rolls abutting against the front and back sides of the recording sheet so that an excess thermal energy has a tendency to be stored in the roll abutting against the back side. Thus, this method is accompanied by a problem that the restricted thermal energy cannot be efficiently used.
In view of the problems of the first method, there has been proposed a second method, in which the heater of the front-side roll is preferentially energized if both the surface temperatures of the two rolls are lower than the target values. In other words, the heater of the back-side roll is not energized so long as the surface temperature of the front-side roll fails to reach the target value.
In the fixing device having both its front- and back-side rolls equipped with the heaters, however, a sufficient fixing property might be achieved if the surface temperature of the back-side roll were at a considerably high level although that of the front-side roll were lower than the target value. According to this control method, therefore, the energy efficiency is seriously deteriorated because the front roll is heated more than necessary.
Since, moreover, the surface temperatures of the rolls could not reach the target values if in the continuous copying operations, according to this control method, the heater of the front-side roll is kept energized once the copying operations are started, till the copying operations are ended so that the surface temperature of the front-side roll restores its target value. As a result, this method is troubled by a problem that the temperature in the inside of the front-side roll rises to a level higher by about 50.degree. C. than the target value till the heater is turned off, thus causing the so-called "overshoot phenomenon", in which the surface temperatures of the rolls exceed the target values by 20.degree. C. to 30.degree. C.
Incidentally, the fixing apparatus of the prior art is equipped with control means for deciding the incapability of the fixing operation in relation to the temperature control of the rolls having the heaters, if the roll surface temperatures drop to levels lower than the lowest fixing temperature determined in advance. In the fixing apparatus, however, which is equipped with the individual heaters in the rolls to be brought into the front and back of the recording sheet, as has been described hereinbefore, the lowest temperature required for the front-side roll to reproduce the predetermined fixing property would change with a change in the surface temperature of the backside roll. It would, therefore, be seriously diadvantageous to decide the capability of the fixing operation in terms of the lowest constant fixing temperature, as in the prior art. Specifically, the actually capable state of the fixing operation might be misjudged to be incapable, or vice versa. Thus, it has been impossible to avoid the reduction in the operating efficiency of the apparatus and the deterioration of the image fixing property.
Thus, in the temperature control methods of the prior art, the wasteful thermal energies having no contribution to the fixing of the unfixed toner image are stored in the individual rolls to deteriorate the energy efficiency, and still the worse the apparatus itself is adversely affected by the overshoot phenomenon. Moreover, the decision of the capability of the fixing operation is not accurate to deteriorate the operating efficiency of the copying machine or printer and the reliability of the fixing operation.

Temperature control method and fixing apparatus


Live loading is applied on each end of both the secondary and the primary packing of a packing gland. After installing the primary packing assembly and a lantern ring, the primary packing is compressed to proper specifications. While the primary gland is so compressed, it is locked into place using lantern ring lock bolts. The secondary packing assembly and a follower are then installed. The secondary gland is also compressed to proper specifications and the follower secured in place. The lantern ring lock bolts are then removed, both internally and externally live loading the packing gland. A single assembly of the present live loaded packing can also be installed in the gland from the process side, eliminating the need for purging and resulting in a most efficient purgeless gland.

This invention relates generally to packing glands and more particularly concerns live loading packing glands.
Presently known packing glands use a primary set of packing consisting of five to six rings of packing, a lantern ring followed by a secondary set of packing consisting of five to six rings of packing and a follower to compress the packing. In some instances the follower is live loaded by springs or Beleville washers which maintain a constant pressure on the packing and create a type of constant adjustment to the packing.
There are several problems with these glands. Due to the mass and density of packing materials, a maximum of five rings of packing can be compressed. Since the present live loading glands only apply a pressure to the outer end of the secondary packing, once the gland has been packed, neither the follower nor the live loading has the ability to tighten or compress the primary packing.
Since the primary packing is not properly compressed, leakage in a valve incorporating the gland is prevented primarily by the secondary packing gland. During its initial life, the primary packing gland minimizes but does not eliminate leakage. During the continued life of the gland, as leakage continues, the seepage rate of the process into the gland increases, further damaging the primary gland and increasing the rate of seepage. This is especially true if the process employs highly corrosive catalysts which accelerate erosion of both the gland and the stem which it surrounds.
It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a packing gland that makes effective use of its primary packing. It is a further object of this invention to provide a packing gland in which the primary and secondary packing are both compressed under relatively uniform compression. A correlative object of this invention is to provide a packing gland which employs both internal and external gland compression.


Exemplary embodiments provide compression of data that will be saved to a multipath table for a given set of routing rules. Thus, the total space required in the multipath table for storing a given set of routing rules is reduced. A routing rule associated with a network switch may be represented using a building block that includes one or more entries. The one or more entries form an unordered enumeration of egress ports of the network switch. In the routing rule, the weight of an egress port is represented by the number of times the egress port appears in the building block. Compression of data may be accomplished by combining one or more of the routing rules into a same building block having one or more entries. The building block may be stored in the multipath table, hereby programming the one or more of the rules into the multipath table.

In conventional networks, various routing techniques may be used to transport data packets through the network. There may be multiple paths to transport the data packets between two nodes of the network. The network may be configured to split the traffic among these multiple paths. For example, a multipath routing technique may be used to determine how the traffic will be split among the multiple paths in the network. Exemplary multipath routing techniques may include Weighted Cost MultiPath (WCMP) routing and Equal Cost MultiPath (ECMP) routing. WCMP routing technique may distribute the traffic among available paths based on a set of pre-determined ratios. If the pre-determined ratios are equal, the WCMP routing may be a ECMP routing where the traffic is distributed evenly among the available paths. WCMP routing may be accomplished using a multipath table.
In conventional networks, the number of entries supported by a multipath table may be limited and may not be able accommodate the various multi-path forwarding rules to support hundreds to thousands of traffic flows. Therefore, a technique is needed to reduce the number of entries to be programmed into a multipath table for a given set of WCMP forwarding rules.


An insulating cover for an attic or other opening is provided which mounts on top of a stair frame or framed opening or the like without the necessity of attic flooring, characterized by economical construction, economical shipping, ease of assembly, ease of installation above the opening, and a footprint substantially similar to the frame of the folding stair or the empty opening. The present invention further provides an insulating cover that is rugged enough for continued use yet light enough and supported in such as way as to have an ease of opening, staying open and closing as the consumer needs. In a further embodiment, the invention components may be substantially flat packed for ease of shipping and handling. In a further embodiment, the invention provides a multifunction insulating cover that may be fitted with a ventilation means, such as a louver or powered fan to enable ventilation through the framed opening even though the attic cover would be closed. This embodiment provides a multipurpose function to the cover, thus eliminating the need for a separate roof or ceiling installed ventilation fan. In a still further embodiment, the present invention may be provided with a protective outer layer to better resist impact or weather.

The present invention relates generally to the field of devices used as thermal barriers to cover an opening in a ceiling such as a scuttle or access hole, and a process for insulating such opening. More particularly to the field of devices used to insulate a ceiling opening enclosing the drop-down style folding attic ladder. More particularly to a device for reducing or preventing temperature gain or loss through the attic opening when the stair is in the extended position, as well as when the stair is retracted into the stored position.
Attics or unheated spaces above ceilings are generally entered through an access hole cut and framed in a ceiling. These openings generally require the use of a step or extension ladder to be brought into the living space and placed at the opening for access. This inconvenience prompted the adaptation of a foldable ladder that disappeared into the ceiling, but could be pulled down for access into the attic. Thus, retractable, foldable or collapsible stair assemblies have been in use for many years to provide access to an overhead space.
The retracted stair assembly is typically enclosed in a wood frame installed between ceiling joists in a hallway to provide access to the overhead attic space, as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 2,572,281 (1949) to Pierce. When closed up into the ceiling, the opening is covered from below by a plywood or hardboard panel attached to a stair section. The plywood panel is mostly decorative, but may have an insulated strip around its perimeter to reduce hot or cold air transfer.
The advantage of this type of access system is that a separate permanent stairway to an attic is not necessary. However, a permanent stairway typically has a door that can be easily opened and closed with each trip up and down the attic stairs, thus preventing a large temperature gain or loss. Folding stairs, on the other hand, typically remain in the open or extended position, as shown in FIG. 1 of '281, during an entire project such as moving boxes into or out of the attic. Since attic spaces with restricted access are typically neither heated nor cooled, they can contain a large volume of very hot or very cold air. Thus when the stairs are in the open position, the heat or cold from the attic space invades the living area causing discomfort to the occupants and increased heating or cooling costs to return the living space to comfortable temperature. It is simply too inconvenient for most individuals to open and close the stair unit for every trip to and from the attic space.
Various articles have been devised to remediate temperature gain or loss through the opening when the stairs are closed. Even though the cover may have a perimeter gasket or be comprised of an insulating material, the panel is generally not thick enough, or well fitting enough, to significantly reduce or eliminate the temperature transfer problem. U.S. Pat. No. 4,567,074 (1986) to Litaker provided an insulated cover that fit over a trap door panel thereby reducing the temperature transfer through the trap door when it was in the closed position. A possible improvement is disclosed by Hunter in U.S. Pat. App. 2004/0172893 wherein a prefabricated sheet metal panel provided an exterior protective surface covering a Styrofoam slab in contact with the bottom plywood cover of the stair unit that is exposed at the ceiling. The unit was slid over the plywood cover and securely fastened. The unit seals the opening using perimeter weather stripping or gasketing. However, these units attach to the stair unit cover and project downward from the ceiling, unless extra work and expense is done to recess the stair unit up into the ceiling to make the additional add-on cover flush with the ceiling plane. A similar objection is raised to the ceiling covers illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,014,841 (2000) to McCoy et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 6,601,352 (2003) to Obermeyer et al. In addition, when the stair unit is opened these covers are disengaged and provide no insulative barrier. If the person has several articles to store or retrieve, the stair must remain open for an extended period of time and a flood of hot or cold air from the attic space invades the living area. The only practical way to reduce the large volume air exchange is to install a cover above the folded stair in the attic space. But a simple batting of insulation pulled over the opening before the stair is folded is inadequate to many persons who demand a more reliable, accessible and effective barrier.
Thus, there exists a need for an attic mounted access cover to (1) install above an opening, scuttle hole or folded stair unit, (2) in an attic space without the need for a finished floor surrounding the opening, (3) that is inexpensive to purchase, (4) requires a minimum of expense and time to install, (5) is easy to open and close in a repetitive and reliable manner, (6) provides a means of positive repeatable alignment when closed, (7) is constructed of sturdy substantially rigid material not easily damaged, (8) that would take up no more attic floor space, open or closed, than the footprint of the framing for the opening, (9) that provides superior insulating capability from the heat and cold of the attic space, and (10) may be modified after purchase to conform to various opening dimensions as needed. Numerous attic mounted devices have been developed to address one or more of these requirements.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,151,894 (1979) to Edwards discloses an insulating box-shaped cover made of wood, fiberglass or plastic, that is deep enough to receive the folded stair unit and could be rolled away from the opening as the operator ascends or descends the stair. The unit is not made of insulating materials, but may be double walled to accommodate insulation therein. However, the unit requires a finished floor surrounding the framed opening to permit the unit to roll back and forth, and there is no means provided to positively align the lower edge over the opening when closed, enabling free lateral movements, particularly when the stair unit slams shut against the attic framing. The '894 design would most certainly move and expose the opening to the attic air thereby defeating its purpose entirely.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,658,555 (1987) to Steiner provided a double-walled, insulation-filled hatchway cover utilizing foam or fiberglass to act as a seal against a rough board face. This type of free-moving cover, like '894 above, requires the user to push the entire unit out of the way onto attic insulation or flooring. The claims state that the 'interlocking surface' is just a rough board and the 'interlocking seal' is merely fiberglass bat insulation on the edges to 'impede shifting' of the cap. Again, there is no means to allow repetitive alignment when open or closed to maintain optimum sealing. In addition, the fiberglass bat acting as a seal will wear down from contact with the rough board, and since it supports the weight of the cap, will compress down flush with the edge of the cover greatly reducing its ability to provide positive sealing from the attic air infiltration.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,281,743 (1981) to Fuller discloses a knockdown, segmented, box-shaped attic opening cover comprised of lightweight insulating materials, such as polystyrene foam, so that it could be readily and easily moved to cover or uncover the opening. While the light weight and segmented parts have certain advantages, the insulating material has no protective covering and thus could be easily damaged. Such foam with joints is also prone to fatigue in the elevated heat of an attic. Further, the design does not provide a positive sealing configuration on its bottom edge or at the segmented joints, it just rests in place like '894 above, and would therefore be easily shifted during closure of the attic stair unit. In addition, when such a free-standing cover is pushed aside and the person is working in the attic, there is nothing rigid to cover the exposed opening, presenting a possible safety issue for a person to fall through the opening, or a heavy object such as a box to cause the flimsy foam to collapse and drop through to the stair and floor below.
An improvement by Helbig in U.S. Pat. No. 4,312,423 (1982) discloses the insulated box-shaped opening cover preconfigured as a rigid foam packing box for shipment of the stair unit. With careful shipping and unpacking, the shipping box is then used as a lightweight cover for the stair opening. However, without a protective outer layer, damage to the foam during shipping would be expected considering the weight of the stair unit, along with the other disadvantages cited against '743 above.
Waters et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 4,344,505 (1982), utilized insulative material of sufficient thickness to form a substantially rigid frame and cover, and achieve an R value of at least 19 in the materials. Although the design is relatively light weight and provides an increased R value over '743 or '423 due to the thick rigid foam insulation, the foam insulation does not have a rigid protective covering leaving it susceptible to damage or collapse, as also stated against the preceding patents. In addition '505 does not disclose a means to positively attach the frame in place. Thus, we are led to believe that opening the cover will not cause the frame to shift. Without being secured, this light weight cover would certainly move around every time it was touched. The specification recites the option of a track mounting system, but it is not claimed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,550,534 (1985) to Mariano et al. continues the use of rigid foam, but discloses it as a one piece molded dome-shaped cover that rests over the retracted stair and opens on a floor mounted hinge assembly. Again, the use of unprotected foam is prone to the damage as recited above. In addition, this unit requires a finished floor around the stair unit framing since the foam dome has a footprint larger than the framing. It also requires mounting a leaf spring behind the unit from the floor to the dome to aid in raising the cover, which most certainly would be an inconvenience projecting away from the cover. Further, it is quite large to ship as one piece for installation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,591,022 (1986) to Sciambi et al. further discloses rigid foam employed in a foldable attic opening cover. As the person climbs the stair the cover is folded rearward of the opening behind the person and secured, causing the person to turn around while still on the stair to push and secure the folded members. While this arrangement does save some space, the act of turning around on the stair may present a safety issue for less-agile persons. In addition, this unit requires a finished floor around the stair unit framing since the foam frame has a footprint larger than the floor opening.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,928,441 (1990), Daley improves upon the design of '534 by encapsulating the rigid foam tub within a plastic shell. However, this unit, like those above, required a finished floor around the stair unit framing since the foam dome has a footprint larger than the framing. It also required mounting exposed hinges lateral to the cover on the flooring to aid in raising and lowering the cover. These hinges, with a built in stop or rest for the open cover, could present a tripping hazard due to their exposed location. Further, like '534 it is quite large to ship as one piece for installation.
A further refinement of the use of insulating material to comprise the opening cover like '534 and '441 is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,274,966 (1994) to Daley wherein the segmented cover has a lateral hinge assembly molded therein. Daley addresses the shipping size issue by halving the unit. However, this assembly is still bulky to produce and ship, and easily damaged as unprotected foam. The cover also requires finished attic flooring like '534, '022 and '441 above because of its large footprint and hinge design. An alternative solution to the shipping issue was provided in U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,153 (1989) to Daw et al., wherein the cover was again made out of a plurality of lightweight insulting pieces, but configured such that the parts could be partially nested for shipping or storage. While shipping size and light weight are advantages, the design has the disadvantage of having a weak construction due to multiple segments, whether or not it is reinforced with fiberglass, and finished flooring since it is made to rest outside the stair unit framing. A further refinement by Dickinson in U.S. Pat. No. 5,475,955 (1995) provided an insulated telescoping assembly made out of lightweight material such as cardboard or plastic. The unit is shipped with the parts nested together, and then expanded to the appropriate length at installation. The design has the disadvantage of weak construction since it is hollow and made out of cardboard or thin plastic. In addition, it requires finished flooring around the stair unit since it has a much larger perimeter when expanded.
Lightweight construction was further enhanced by the disclosure of Freeman in U.S. Pat. No. 5,271,198 (1993) wherein cardboard was folded to compose a cover with hollow chambers that may be filled with insulation during installation. As in '955 above, the hollow cardboard shell has the disadvantage of weak construction and poor insulative ability, and this cover also requires finished flooring around the stair unit since it has a much larger perimeter. U.S. Pat. No. 5,623,795 (1997) to Padgett disclosed the use of a single thickness of cardboard to form an inexpensive cover resting on weather stripping. While cost effective, it shares the disadvantage of weak construction and poor insulative qualities with '198. U.S. Pat. No. 5,628,151 (1997) to Monat provided a similar lightweight cover except that pockets were provided in the structure in which insulation was placed at the time of installation. To seal off the attic air, it was designed to fit over the box framing of the stair like the cap of '490. But this design shares the disadvantage being oversized and of weak construction as noted in '795, '198 and others.
Seagren, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,867,946 (1999) showed that the singular use of insulating materials for attic opening covers, without an exterior protective layer, left the cover easily vulnerable to damage, required molds to fabricate, and large boxes to store and ship the units to installation. Whereas '946 disclosed individually fabricated side and top elements, comprised principally of a protective layer bonded to an inner insulating layer. These composite parts were fabricated flat without the need for molds, and shipped unassembled to minimize cost. However, the cover required finished attic flooring like '534, '022 and '441 above because of its large footprint and hinge design.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,337,602, (1982) to King, disclosed a flexible enclosure placed above a ceiling opening closed by a zipper or other fastener. While this arrangement, when closed would substantially prevent air movement, the thin material does not provide significant insulating value, the sidewalls could be easily damaged by a person carrying objects up and down the stairs, and the construction provides no safety capability. Continuing with the theme of a flexible removable cover, U.S. Pat. No. 4,675,225 (1987) to Cutler et al., disclosed a thermal blanket that stretched to cover the opening in the attic before the stair was closed. Exactly how you are to fit the blanket in place on the attic framing from below while standing on the stair is not disclosed. While this arrangement may prevent air movement, the thin material does not provide significant insulating value, and the construction provides no safety capability. A variation on the '602 concept of a flexible cover is disclosed by Williams in U.S. Pat. No. Re. 36,975 (2000) wherein an attic hatchway cover of tent-like structure utilizes a zipper to open and close the cover. Again, while the cover is flexible it does not contain significant insulating properties and is prone to damage due to its material, and the construction provides no safety capability.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,223,490 (2001) to Wessley, a tall sleeve with an insulated removable cap was first installed in the framed ceiling opening. A collapsible stair unit was then installed within the sleeve. Thus air movement down from the attic is restricted by the presence of the cap and the sleeve walls extending vertically into the attic space. However, the sleeve walls may impede access to the attic. The tight fitting locking cap will require additional time and effort to remove and replace when laying on the attic floor or on unprotected insulation. This unit could not be used in an existing stair installation since the stair unit wood framing is fastened to the ceiling joists before the ceiling is finished.
To reduce the time and effort to move the cover, Vesperman in U.S. Pat. No. 4,541,208 (1985) disclosed use of parallel tracks to allow horizontal movement of a box-like pre-molded insulated cover, or enable the cover to raise from one side utilizing a hinge-like configuration in one track. However, the installation required existing finished flooring, and exact placement of the tracks to maximize sealing and prevent binding. In addition, like '505 above, there will be permanent tracks in place in the attic to move around or trip over during attic work and occupy a significantly larger area than just the framed opening. U.S. Pat. No. 5,220,757 (1993) to Hulligan did not use floor tracks, but rather a retractable flexible plastic plate or cover disposed in opposite parallel grooves of vertical side pieces, easy to open and close, thus providing a more convenient access to the attic space. However, the construction of the opening cover unit is quite large in comparison to the other inventions and it projects substantially into the attic space. It would restrict movement of large or cumbersome objects through the opening. In addition, the plastic plate provides no real insulating capability, and slides reward occupying additional attic space.
As noted above, the prior attempts at attic stair covers address only one or two specific issues important to the inventor, but ignore the other requirements beneficial to the consumer. The results from the references above are attic opening covers of 'extremes', from thin vinyl and cardboard covers, to large premolded domes of insulation, to an oversized expansive tambour-like apparatus. Thus, the consumer has to chose among the various devices based upon expense, or ease of installation, or size, or weight, without a choice encompassing all of these objectives.


A snowshoe (1) includes a binding (4) intended to retain the boot of the user and a plate pivoting around a transverse pivot axis (X, X′) including a retaining assembly for the boot. A longitudinal position of the rear retaining assembly is adjustable for in order to conform the longitudinal dimension of binding, with the size of the boot, by displacement toward the front or towards the rear and locking it in the chosen position. The front retaining stirrup is mounted to a front horizontally extending plate (7), which is pivotally retained on the webbing around the pivot axis (X, X′), while the rear retaining part is mounted on a lower support wall (9), extended toward the front by a sliding member (10) intended to cooperate, with a slide channel of corresponding form defined under the front plate (7) of the front retaining assembly (4a).

The present invention relates to a snowshoe and more particularly a longitudinal position adjusting device in its means for mounting the boot.
The snowshoes, devices known for very many years, have been used for several centuries by the Scandinavian populations to move on snow. Until recently, snowshoes were used by ordinary travelers or soldiers to allow the populations and the alpine troops to move on snow for their movements required by the everyday life. Currently, snowshoes are instead used by walkers or sportsmen who undertake excursions and walks, and even competitions. But the sportsmen, although participating for their pleasure, are increasingly demanding for the equipment which they use, and it is true that the currently sold products do not give whole satisfaction.
One knows many mounting devices intended to equip snowshoes, such as rubber slippers or bindings of the type including front and rear retaining means intended to retain the boot of the user on an articulated plate. According to these bindings the rear retaining means are slidably disposed at the rear of the plate to be able to be moved forwards and backwards longitudinally and to be positioned and locked in a determined longitudinal position, adapted to the length of the boot of the user. This type of device for example is described in French language patents FR 0,002,823, FR 2,606,660, FR 2,742,347, FR 2,760,375, EP 0 671 190.
However, such devices present disadvantages, because the adjustments are generally not very practical to use and often require a relatively long time to be implemented. Moreover, certain types of adjustment require the use of a key, a screwdriver or another tool. Besides if these types of devices are entirely correct, for boots of large sizes, they are entirely misfits for average and small sizes. Indeed, if the rear retaining means are moved forwards, the user notes that a large part of the pivoting plate extends beyond the back of his heel, which harms the esthetics of the product, as well as its comfort because with each step the user must raise this extending part, and which in addition catches snow.

Mounting for retaining a boot on a snowshoe


A drain arrangement is provided for a lubricating system of an engine powering a watercraft. The engine is mounted to a hull of the watercraft, and includes a lubricating system having a lubricant collector positioned at a bottom of the engine and a lubricating system drain also positioned at the bottom of the engine through which lubricant may be drained from the collector. An access opening is provided in a bottom of the hull adjacent the lubricating system drain and a hull access opening cover plate is provided for selectively opening and closing the access opening.

Two-cycle engines are used to power watercraft, including smaller watercraft known as "personal" watercraft. These engines have the advantage that they are fairly powerful, and relatively lightweight and compact.
One particular disadvantage to the two-cycle engine is its emission content. Two-cycle engines exhaust large quantities of carbon monoxide (CO) and various hydrocarbons. When measures are taken to reduce the emission content of the two-cycle engine, other generally undesirable consequences result, such as an increase in the weight of the engine, a reduction of its power output or the like.
Four-cycle engines are commonly used as a power plant in other applications, such as automobiles. These engines have the advantage that their emission content is desirably lower and the engines have a high power output.
On the other hand, four-cycle engines are generally arranged with oil-filled crankcases or reservoirs positioned at the bottom of the cylinder block. In addition, the oil filter is positioned at the bottom of the engine. This impedes use of the four-cycle engine in this type of watercraft. In particular, when this type of engine is mounted in a watercraft in a manner in which the drive shaft is generally horizontally extending, the oil reservoir and oil filter are positioned under the engine adjacent the hull. This arrangement prevents the watercraft's owner from being able to service the engine, including replacing the oil and oil filter, through a service access which is normally provided in the top deck of the hull.
It is desired to provide a watercraft with a four-cycle engine having a lubricating system which is accessible for servicing and the like.

Oil system drain for personal watercraft


To better support beamforming in MIMO systems such as 5G, a first match is determined between a first transmit (TX) beam group of a radio network and a first receive (RX) beam group of a user equipment (UE); and also a second match is determined between a second TX beam group of the radio network and a second RX beam group of the UE. For example these matches can come from the UE's beam report with best match information. The network configures the UE with at least a first discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration associated with the first RX beam group and with a second DRX configuration associated with the second RX beam group. In this case the first and second DRX configurations are active simultaneously for the UE, and each said beam group comprises at least one antenna or antenna port.

Wireless radio access technologies continue to be improved to handle increased data volumes and larger numbers of subscribers. The 3GPP organization is developing 5th Generation (5G) wireless networks (aka New Radio (NR)) to handle peak data rates of the order of ˜10 Gbps (gigabits per second) while still satisfying ultra-low latency requirements in existence for certain 4G applications. 5G intends to utilize radio spectrum on the order of GHz or more in the millimeter-wave (mmWave) band; and also to support massive MIMO (m-MIMO). M-MIMO systems are characterized by a much larger number of antennas as compared to 4G systems, as well as finer beamforming and a higher antenna gain. For example, a 5G system operating at a carrier frequency of 28 GHz and with a system bandwidth of 800 MHz is to be demonstrated at the 2018 winter Olympics.
To compensate the increased path loss when operating on higher frequencies, beamforming is seen essential for providing adequate cell coverage. In this regard different transceiver architectures are being considered for 5G radio access system: digital, analogue or so-called hybrid which utilizes digital baseband precoding and analog beamforming. Such hybrid or even fully analogue architectures are intended for 5G deployment where the number of antenna elements required for cell coverage may range from tens to hundreds. Systems deployed to lower frequencies (˜sub 6 GHz) are typically implemented by using fully digital architecture, and fully digital architectures can certainly also be implemented for 5G signal processing.
As with any modem radio system, discontinuous reception (DRX) is an important concept to enable power savings at the mobile terminals, generally termed user equipments (UEs). At higher carrier frequencies a given UE may be equipped with multiple antenna panels and operate using non-omnidirectional beams. Furthermore, to provide robustness against (antenna beam or antenna beam group) blockages a given UE may have candidate serving base station (BS) beams from multiple transmit-receive points (TRPs) associated with the different UE beams.
FIG. 1 is a prior art timing diagram showing the general concept of DRX, for example in the LTE system. During the ON period the UE is expected to monitor its active frequency in case there is signaling from the network such as a resource allocation for data or a call, specific to LTE this is when the UE blind decodes PDCCHs in its search space to see if there are any that schedules a resource allocation (PDSCH or PUSCH) for it. During the OFF period the UE may be able to operate at a reduced power, shutting down certain internal processes/hardware to conserve power. In any given cycle it may be the UE is not able to de-power due to ongoing data exchanges that are not yet complete by the end of the ON period; for example, the allocated PUSCH, a persistent allocation or an open HARQ process might extend into the OFF period. For this reason FIG. 1 characterizes the OFF period as only a DRX opportunity rather than simply DRX. In LTE a given UE may be configured with a short and a long DRX cycle, where the long DRX cycle activates after inactivity during a number N of consecutive short DRX cycles. A long DRX cycle may have longer OFF period than a short DRX cycle, and it also may have different DRX ON cycle length.
Neither the LTE system nor any other radio access technology of which the inventors are aware considers DRX from the perspective of any antenna beam groupings. It would be advantageous to adapt the DRX concept to exploit power saving efficiencies in a radio environment such as 5G that utilizes antenna beam groupings.


A golf club and golf club shaft includes a tubular member having at least one neck portion with a reduced outer diameter and at least one relatively rigid two-piece sleeve secured to the tubular member in overlying relationship to each neck portion. The two-piece sleeve defines a small central gap filled by a compressible ring to allow the two otherwise longitudinally aligned sleeve pieces to pivot relative to one another under dynamic loading of the tubular member during a golf swing, and then upon reaching a limit point restrict additional deflection or bending of the tubular member.

During a golf swing, the golf shaft flexes or bows due to gravity and forces applied by the golfer to the club, especially longer clubs. During the initial phase of the downswing, the club shaft bows backwardly as the golfer's hands and grip end of the shaft accelerate, and the club is subject to centrifugal forces and bending moments. As the downswing continues, the center of gravity of the club head tries to catch up and align itself with the club shaft. Eventually the head accelerates past the nominal shaft axis so that at the point of impact the club shaft actually is bowed forwardly. To the extent this flexing is within the swing plane or hitting direction and creates forward deflection at impact, it has the desirable effect of increasing the "dynamic loft" of the club to cause a higher ball trajectory and imparting a greater force to the ball at impact.
"Dynamic loft" is the angle of the club face when it impacts the ball during the swing. In contrast, "grounded loft" or static loft is the loft angle of the club face when the clubhead is resting on the ground during set up. Thus, dynamic loft takes into account the static loft of the club, the attack angle of the swing, as well as the change in the orientation of the clubhead attributable to any bending of the shaft. For example, forward deflection of the shaft in the swing plane at the point of impact creates greater dynamic loft, causing a higher launch angle and ball trajectory for a given static loft of the club. With a traditional longer golf club and typical swing, the dynamic loft may be substantially greater than the club's static loft.
An additional dynamic effect occurring during a golf swing is shaft "droop." During the downswing, the club head accelerates toward the ball. As this happens, the centrifugal force of the downswing applied to the moment arm between the shaft axis and the center of gravity of the club head creates a torque force which causes the shaft to flex and bow downward, out of the swing plane. The resulting "droop" of the clubhead creates a flattening of the lie angle of the golf club of up to several degrees depending upon the location of the clubhead center of gravity, the speed of the swing (and the resultant magnitude of the centrifugal force), the length and flexibility of the shaft, and other factors. Shaft droop tends to open the club face at impact, causing a ball trajectory tendency to the right, and decreases the dynamic loft, both of which are undesirable.
In general, at the point of impact, the magnitude of the droop deflection of the club shaft is larger than its deflection in the swing plane, especially near the head where the shaft diameter is the smallest. This is attributable to the fact that the moment arm (i.e., distance between the shaft axis and the clubhead center of gravity) in the droop plane is typically larger than the moment arm in the swing plane. Both droop deflection and swing plane deflection are greater and more of a factor with longer clubs such as drivers, fairway woods and long irons because the head is at the end of a longer moment arm. They also are more of a factor with graphite shafts which generally are more flexible than steel shafts.
There remains a need for a golf club shaft that mitigates the effects of droop and improves club performance, especially in the context of clubs having composite (i.e., graphite) shafts.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A method of capturing and sequestering a gas species from a fossil fuel-fired power plant flue gas is disclosed. The method includes the step of providing an apparatus having a vessel adapted to be pressurized and a hollow fiber membrane contained in the vessel and having a sorbent embedded therein. The method further includes the steps of subjecting the hollow fiber membrane to a flow of flue gas, removing one or more gas species from the flue gas with the hollow fiber membrane, and regenerating the sorbent contained in the hollow fiber membrane.

The present invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for rapid adsorption-desorption CO2 capture.
The capture and sequestration of CO2 from fossil fuel-fired power plant flue gas is an important step in controlling global warming due to fossil plant energy production.
CO2 separation and capture from flue gases of various stationary sources can be described by either post-combustion, pre-combustion, or oxy-combustion configurations. In the post-combustion configuration, CO2 is captured from the flue gas after the fuel is combusted. When air is used as an oxidant, the combustion flue gas is diluted with the nitrogen in the air; thus, the CO2 concentration in the post combustion flue gas is usually low and ranges from 10-15% by volume for a pulverized coal (PC) fired power plant. For each MW of electric generation capacity, a PC boiler produces a flue gas volume of about 3,500 acfm and emits roughly 1 ton of CO2 each hour. Due to the low concentration of CO2 in the flue gas, low operating pressure, and large volume of flue gas to treat, the post-combustion configuration requires larger equipment and, hence, a higher capital cost.
One option available for lowering the capital cost is post-combustion capture using sorbent beds to adsorb the CO2 from the flue gas. However, current sorbent bed technologies require very large beds of granular sorbents, are difficult to regenerate, and require high energy consumption. Based on the operation modes, adsorption processes include temperature swing adsorption (TSA), pressure swing adsorption (PSA), and vacuum swing adsorption (VSA). VSA is a PSA process in nature. Adsorption processes have several process configurations, such as fixed bed, moving bed, fluidized bed, and simulated moving bed (SMB). Most of the TSA and PSA processes employ the fixed bed configuration. FIGS. 1 and 2 show typical TSA and PSA adsorption processes for CO2 separation.
In adsorption processes, gases or vapors can be captured through chemical or physical interaction with a porous solid adsorbent such as zeolite or activated carbon. Gas separation is achieved when certain species are preferentially adsorbed and subsequently regenerated at high purity.
For TSA applications, CO2 is generally adsorbed at temperatures between 10° C. and 60° C. while regeneration is conducted at greater than 100° C. With large beds, it takes a long time to heat up (to regenerate, such as using steam) and cool down (for adsorption, such as using air) due to heat transfer limitations. The steam used for heating also attacks some of the sorbents, especially if they condense and collect on the sorbent surface. During the adsorption cycle, mass transfer and diffusion is a rate limiting step requiring very large beds to adsorb CO2 due to the large quantity of CO2 to be adsorbed and the large granules needed for the beds. In addition, pressure drop across the beds is also a concern.
For example, in a typical TSA implementation for a 500 MW PC power plant, CO2 emission from the power plant is about 500 ton/hr. The following conditions are assumed for the TSA process:    CO2 removal rate from the flue gas: 90%    CO2 working capacity for the adsorbent: 8% (could be significantly lower)    Adsorption/desorption cycle time in TSA: 2 hours    Bed utilization: 90%
According to these assumptions, the total amount of sorbent required is:Total sorbent=500*90%*2*/8%/90%=12,500 (ton).
This results in a large amount of sorbent. Using the design parameters given in Table 1 below, the minimum number of columns needed is:Number of Columns=12500/(π*3.1*3.1*32/4)/0.8=65The total bed volume (65 columns of sorbent material) required is 15, 600 m3.
TABLE 1WorkingSorbentColumncapacity (gCyclepackingdiameterHeightCO2/gtimedensityColumns(m)(m)sorbent)(hour)(ton/m3)requiredTSA3.1320.0820.865
It should be pointed out that the adsorption-desorption cycle time may vary. However, considering a column size of 3.1 m in diameter and 32 m in height the total cycle time (mostly because of heating and cooling the adsorbent during regeneration) of 2 hours for a TSA process is very moderate. Real cycle time may be well above 2 hours and the column number will accordingly increase.

Method and apparatus for rapid adsorption-desorption CO


A hierarchical reinforcement learning system for automatic disease prediction, and method thereof, including an agent simulator module for simulating the acts of doctors; a user simulator module for simulating the acts of patients; a disease classifier module, and an internal critic module, wherein the agent simulator module includes a master module which is in a high level, and a plurality of worker modules which are in a low level; the plurality of worker modules each acts as a doctor from a specific department, while the master module appoints the plurality of worker modules to interact with the user simulator module for collecting information; wherein the master module activates the disease classifier module to output a prediction result when information collected from the plurality of worker modules is sufficient; wherein the internal critic module is configured for generating intrinsic reward to the plurality of worker modules, judging the termination condition for the plurality of worker modules, and wherein the user simulator module is configured for returning extrinsic reward to the mater module.

With the development of electronic health records (EHRs) systems, researchers explore different machine learning approaches for automatic diagnosis ("A review of approaches to identifying patient phenotype cohorts using electronic health records", Shivade et al., 2013, Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association). Although impressive results have been reported for the identification of various disease, they rely on well established EHRs which are labor-intensive to build. Moreover, supervised model trained for one disease is difficult to be transferred to another, therefore, EHRs are needed for every single disease.
In order to relieve the pressure for constructing EHRs, researchers introduce task-oriented dialogue system to request symptoms automatically from patients for disease diagnosis. They formulate the task as Markov Decision Processes (MDPs) and employ reinforcement learning (RL) based methods for the policy learning of the system. Existing framework utlizes a setting of flat policy that treats diseases and all related symptoms equally. Although RL-based approaches have shown positive results for symptom acquisition, when it comes to hundreds of diseases in real environment, the setting of flat policy is quite impractical.
In general, a particular disease is related to a certain group of symptoms. That's to say, a person who suffers a disease will often carries some corresponding symptoms at the same time. As shown in FIG. 1, the correlation between diseases and symptoms is presented. X-axis represents symptoms and y-axis is the proportion of diseases related. Some patterns can be easily identified. In other word, each disease has a group of corresponding symptoms and the overlap among different groups of symptoms are limited. This motivates us to classify diseases into different groups following the setting of departments in the hospital and design a hierarchical structure for symptom acquisition and disease diagnosis.
Recently, Hierarchical Reinforcement Learning (HRL), in which multiple layers of policies are trained to perform decision making, has been successfully applied to different scenarios, including course recommendation, visual dialogue, relation extraction, etc. The natural hierarchy of target tasks are modeled either manually or automatically. Inspired by these research, it is explored to utilize the clustering information of diseases via HRL to deal with the issue of large action space.
HRL has a hierarchical policy and has been proposed to solve the problems with large action space. One classic framework of HRL is options framework ("Between mdps and semi-mdps: A framework for temporal abstraction in reinforcement learning", Sutton et al., Artificial Intelligence, 1999), which involves abstractions over action space. At each step, the agent chooses either a one-step "primitive" action or a "multi-step" action (option). Kulkarni, et al. proposed a hierarchical-DQN ("Hierarchical deep reinforcement learning: Integrating temporal abstraction and intrinsic motivation", arXiv preprint: arXiv:1604.06057, 2018), which integrates deep Q-learning into HRL, to learn policies for different levels simultaneously. HRL has been successfully applied to different tasks and reached promising results. Most existing works decompose the corresponding task into two steps manually, where the first step is finished by high level policy while the second step is finished by the low level policy. The task-specific design limits the generalization of HRL to complex tasks. Carlos et al. proposed a general framework ("Stochastic neural networks for hierarchical reinforcement learning", arXiv preprint: arXiv:1704.03012, 2017) that first learns useful skills (high level policies) in an environment and then leverages the acquired skills for learning faster in downstream tasks. Moreover, some methods that generate or discover goals automatically when training the policies of two levels have also been proposed.
There are some previous works that applies the flat RL-based method in the medical dialogue system and generates positive results. In the work of Wei et al. and Xu, et al., both symptoms and diseases are treated as actions and a flat policy is used for choosing actions ("Task-oriented dialogue system for automatic diagnosis", in Proceedings of the 56th Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics, 2018; and "End-to-end knowledge-routed relational dialogue system for automatic diagnosis", arXiv preprint: arXiv:1901.10623, 2019). Considering the grouping between different diseases, Tang et al. divide diseases into different groups based on anatomy and trained a policy for each group of diseases ("Inquire and diagnose: Neural symptom checking ensemble using deep reinforcement learning", in Proceedings of NIPS Workshop on Deep Reinforcement Learning, 2016). Moreover, a rule-based method is used to choose a policy when interacting with patients. Based on the work of Tang et al., Kao et al. train a policy while fixing the policies of different groups to replace the rule-based method ("Context-aware symptom checking for disease diagnosis using hierarchical reinforcement learning", 2018). Due to the separate training of high level and low level policy, the whole system may reach a sub-optimal solution. In addition, the action of informing disease to the user is taken by the low level policy rather than the high level policy, which can only have the diagnosis based on some limited information.
However, there is always a need to provide an improved system with hierarchy framework having outperforming performance.

Task-oriented dialogue system with hierarchical reinforcement learning


A radial compression spring having a formed of an elastomer having a ratio of plastic strain to elastic strain that is greater than 1.5 to 1 into a hollow body having oriented wall sections that include a bend as a result of radial precompression. The spring is precompressed to overcome the compression set characteristics of the elastomer and to orient its molecular structure.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to elastomeric compression springs. The preferred embodiment of our invention is primarily directed to a novel compression spring formed of a minimum quantity of an elastomer that is oriented in the radial direction to provide a low spring rate. The invention has broad, varied applications that may include use as an auxiliary spring for eliminating side loads in the struts of automobiles, replacement of the spring damper system of small automobiles, vibration isolation for engine and for vehicle platforms, and energy absorption in athletic shoes.
2. Related Art.
Some light weight automobiles such as the Cutless Supreme.RTM. and Lumina.RTM. of General Motors Corporation have required auxiliary springs to balance the moments about and to eliminate side loads imposed upon their strut assemblies. An auxiliary spring developed and successfully sold for that purpose is depicted in FIG. 2 of the drawings. It is formed of a copolyester polymer elastomer manufactured and sold under the designation 4069 by E. I. duPont de Nemoirs under the trademark Hytrel.RTM.. This related art is more fully described in the "Detail Description" of this application. Additional prior art related to the present invention are U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,198,037 and 4,566,678 which issued to Miner Enterprises, Inc. on applications of David G. Anderson. Each of these patents focus on a method of manufacture of compression springs from the Hytrel.RTM. material and its associated compression set problems. Both are primarily directed to applications requiring very high spring rates for absorbing substantial quantities of energy in applications such as the railcar industry. In addition, they focus on elimination of the compression set problem through an axial, rather than a radial, precompression step during manufacture.


The present invention relates to methods of diagnosing, predicting and monitoring kidney disorders. In particular, the present invention relates to the diagnosis, prediction and monitoring of kidney disorders by detection of cytokines, cytokine-related compounds and chemokines in urine. The present invention further relates to methods and compositions for assessing the efficacy of agents and interventions used to treat kidney disorders.

The diagnosis of kidney disorders is classically based on the presence of one or more signs and symptoms. For example, signs and symptoms of acute renal failure, renal tubular injury, renal cancer or glomerulonephritis may include weight gain, reduced urine output, increased serum creatine concentrations, hypertension, fever, and kidney enlargement and tenderness. However, the use of these signs and symptoms alone to detect kidney disorders is not adequate. Currently, most kidney disorders are diagnosed by measuring kidney function, for example by using biochemical tests such as assays that measure serum creatinine (Cr) concentrations, and by imaging or biopsy.
Presently, renal biopsy remains the most definitive test to specifically diagnose many kidney disorders. However, renal biopsy has major limitations. For example, the biopsy procedure itself has complications, and cannot be performed on a routine or serial basis to monitor progression of renal disease. In addition, a renal biopsy is invasive, making it uncomfortable, inconvenient and often dangerous for patients. Morevoer, accurate interpretation of a renal biopsy demands the expertise of a pathologist with extensive experience in analyzing the sample for evidence of specific kidney disorders. Hence, renal biopsies are reserved for those patients demonstrating other clinical and/or laboratory evidence of a kidney disorders, thus limiting its broader use.
Thus, a less invasive method for the diagnosis, prediction and monitoring of kidney disorder is clearly needed.

Systems and methods for characterizing kidney diseases


A method for use in a land-based seismic survey includes: transmitting a plurality of source control commands to a plurality of seismic sources over a VHF/IP network; and managing congestion on the VHF/IP network while transmitting the source control commands. In other aspects, a program storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform such a method and a computer programmed to perform such a method.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to land-based seismic surveying and, in particular, to reliable broadcast delivery of communications in land-based seismic surveys.
2. Description of the Related Art
This section of this document is intended to introduce various aspects of the art that may be related to various aspects of the present invention described and/or claimed below. This section provides background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present invention. As the section's title implies, this is a discussion of related art. That such art is related in no way implies that it is also prior art. The related art may or may not be prior art. It should therefore be understood that the statements in this section of this document are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
Seismic surveying typically involves imparting seismic survey signals into the Earth. Various features in the subterranean formations reflect the signals back to the Earth's surface. The reflections are then detected and recorded. Analysis of the recorded reflections can then yield indications of probable presence (or absence) of hydrocarbon deposits and their locations.
Seismic surveys are usually conducted over very large areas. Current analytical techniques are predicated on obtaining a sufficient sampling of the area under survey. This sampling includes both the number and location of data points. This consideration has a number of consequences for the survey in both design and execution. For example, the number and placement of both the seismic sources that generate seismic signals and the seismic receivers that detect the reflections are carefully considered and distributed across survey area.
Some surveys might employ several tens of seismic sources across several square kilometers. The analytical techniques mentioned above are usually also predicated on being able to distinguish which reflections are generated from which of the many seismic survey signals used in the survey. This, in turn, means that the seismic survey signals need to be distinguishable from one another.
One common technique for generating distinguishable seismic survey signals is to stagger the firing of the sources. The firing is then managed from some central point, typically a recording truck. The central source system sends commands to the seismic sources to fire them in a certain sequence and at certain times. This sequence and timing is predetermined and is not random.
However, this approach adds a logistical burden to the survey. The seismic sources are usually spread apart quite some distance, and typically at a goodly distance from the central source system. Running physical signal lines from the central source system to the seismic sources can be very difficult and costly both because of the time needed to run them and because of the logistics involved in transporting, deploying, and retrieving them. Some attempts have been made at implementing wireless surveys, but they encounter difficulties with reliability, bandwidth, latency, and/or reliability with respect to communications between the central source system and the seismic sources.
The present invention is directed to resolving, or at least reducing, one or all of the problems mentioned above.

Reliable broadcast delivery of communications in land-based seismic surveying


An electrical connector assembly (10) includes a housing (24) having an inner terminal (50) with a spring biasing member (54), an outer conductive shell (14), and an electrical component (60) having electrodes (62) on ends thereof disposed in a recess (28) of the housing (24). The recess (28) is adjacent an inner surface of the shell (14) and the spring biasing member (54). The component is completely enclosed within the assembly (10) and is biased against the shell (14) with the electrodes (62) thereof in electrical engagement with the biasing member (54) and the inner surface of the shell (14). The improvement comprises a soldered connection (64) between the biasing member (54) and one of the electrodes (62) of the component (60) whereby the soldered connection assuredly maintains the position of the component (60) during the assembly process and thereafter.

U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,030,122 and 5,073,123 disclose self-terminating connector assemblies that are used, for example, in local area networks that interconnect computer work stations where the connector self-terminates to prevent disruption of the network when a work station is disconnected from the network. Both patents disclose connectors having two switches with one switch contact engaged to an electrical article. The connectors include a two piece conductive shell, a two piece switch terminal supported by a dielectric housing, and a circuit element or electrical component, such as a resistor, capacitor or the like, having electrodes on the ends thereof disposed in a recess of the housing adjacent to the inner surface of the shell. The electrical component provides a fixed impedance for the self-terminating connector assembly. The component is biased against the shell by one of the switch contacts. The other switch contact or terminal is electrically connected to a cable or other electrical equipment Upon withdrawal of a terminal of a complementary mating connector from the switch, the switch terminal is terminated electrically to the outer shell through the electrical component thus avoiding disruption of the transmission of communication signals.
In assembling the connector, as shown in these patents, the electrical terminals are disposed in respective slots in the housing with the biasing terminal exposed at the recess in the housing. The electrical component having electrodes on opposite ends thereof is disposed in the recess with one of the electrodes in engagement with the biasing member. The conductive shells are then disposed over the dielectric housing by inserting the ends of housing into respective cylindrical portions of the two shells. For final assembly, it is necessary to depress the electrical component against the spring biasing terminal while simultaneously moving the two shell units into position around the housing and above the other electrode of the electrical component. The assembly requires considerable manual dexterity to assure that the electrode of the component is maintained in its proper position against the biasing member of the switch terminal both during and after assembly. Owing to the difficulty of assembly, this component sometimes moves from its proper position thus causing the connector to malfunction. Furthermore once the assembly has been completed, it is not possible to determine visually that the electrical component is in its proper position.
Additionally, even if the component is initially in the correct position, intermittent failures may occur if the component in the connector changes its position a sufficient amount when in use. This can occur if the assembly is subject to vibrations, inadvertently dropped or otherwise subjected to sufficient external forces to dislodge the component from engagement with the biasing member. It is desirable, therefore, to have a more assurable means of locating the electrical component in the connector.

Self-terminating electrical connector assembly


This invention provides a novel antioxidant, kombic acid or a derivative thereof, obtained from crude kombo butter suitable for preventing oxidation of various organic materials. In particular, the invention relates to the use of kombic acid as an antioxidant in the stabilization of human and animal foods against rancidity, color and odor development; as an antioxidant for use in dietary supplements and other human and animal health formulations; as a stabilizer in cosmetic and other personal care applications; and in the stabilization of plastics against oxidative degradation. The present invention further encompasses a method of preparation of said kombic acid by alcohol extraction or supercritical fluid extraction from crude kombo butter.

Not applicable
Not applicable
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the polyisoprenoic natural terpenoid with the common name kombic acid and the chemical name 16(2xe2x80x2, 5xe2x80x2-dihydroxy-3xe2x80x2-methylphenyl)-2,6,10,14-tetramethyl-2,6,10,14-hexadecatetraenoic acid. More particularly, the present invention relates to the use of kombic acid and its derivatives as an antioxidant in the stabilization of human and animal foods against the development of rancidity and color and odor development; as an antioxidant in dietary supplements and other human and animal health formulations; as a stabilizer in cosmetic and other personal care applications; and as a stabilizer against oxidative degradation in plastics. The present invention also encompasses improved methods of isolating kombic acid and its derivatives.
2. General Background of the Invention
Fats and oils are water-insoluble, hydrophobic substances of vegetable, land animal or marine animal origin that consist mostly of glyceryl esters of fatty acids, called triglycerides. Their structure is shown below, where R1, R2, and R3 can be the same or different xe2x80x94(CH2)xCH3 chains, with x being an odd number of 5 or greater.
The chains (the Rs) may be completely saturated with respect to hydrogen or have one or more double bonds. When R1 is seventeen carbons with no double bonds, the chain is called stearic; in this case there are thirty-five hydrogen atoms attached to the seventeen carbons. With one double bond the same carbon-length chain is called oleic and there are thirty-three attached hydrogen atoms. When there is more than one double bond, the fatty acids are polyunsaturated. Linoleic acid, for example, has eighteen carbons atoms and two double bonds, and linolenic acid has three double bonds and eighteen carbon atoms.
There are roughly 100 million metric tons of fats and oils consumed globally with about 80% used for human food. The balance is used as industrial oils, in animal feed, to make soap, and to produce oleochemicals, which have many industrial applications, most notably as plastics additives and food processing ingredients.
The principal fats and oils used in food are canola, soybean, palm, sunflower seed, coconut, palm kernel, sesame, olive, corn, cottonseed, edible tallow and lard. The most frequently occurring fatty acids found in these fats and oils are stearic, oleic, linoleic, linolenic, palmitic (C16:0), palmitoleic (C61:1), myristic(C14:0) and lauric(C12:0). The first two digits in the carbon subscript refer to carbon chain length, and the number after the colon refers to the number of double bonds in the chain.
Myristoleic acid, which has fourteen carbon atoms and one double bond in the chain has an ester derivative, cetyl myristoleate, with claimed efficacy in relieving the pain of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis1, 2. The myristoleic acid used to make this product up to now has been derived from beef tallow.
There are two commonly accepted reference sources with respect to published treatises on fats and oils: xe2x80x9cBailey""s Industrial Oil and Fat Products,xe2x80x9d Fourth Edition, John Wiley and Sons, and Gunstone and Padley""s, xe2x80x9cLipid Technologies and Applications,xe2x80x9d Marcel Dekker, Inc. In xe2x80x9cBailey""sxe2x80x9d there is the following discussion of sources of myristoleic acid, all based on land animal or marine animal origin.
9-Tetradecenoic (myristoleic) acid is the most common of the tetradecenoic acids, being first detected in whale oil in 1925 at about 1.4%, later in whale blubber oil, in shark liver oil, Antarctic whale oil, eel oil, and turtle oil. In 1924 it was suggested to occur in butterfat; it was found to constitute 1% of the total acids. It also occurs in goat milk fat, human milk fat, and various animal depot fats, (particularly beef tallow).
It is noteworthy that there is not the slightest reference in Bailey""s to any vegetable oil sources.
Gunstone and Padley, in their well-recognized reference work mention hundreds of fatty acids but make no reference of any sort to myristoleic acid. Useful products can be obtained from myristoleic acid, most notably cetyl myristoleate, a possible remedy for alleviating the pain and inflammation of arthritis and related maladies1, 2. However, cetyl myristoleate based on myristoleic acid sourced from animal origins, up to now the only ostensible source, has several disadvantages:
1) Fatty acids derived from beef tallow run the risk, albeit slight, of inducing bovine spongiform encephalitis (mad-cow disease).
2) Any fatty acid sourced from land animal or marine animal origins cannot be Kosher or the Islamic equivalent, Halal.
3) Any fatty acids sourced from land animal or marine animal origins cannot be xe2x80x9cvegetarianxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cvegetable-oil food-grade.xe2x80x9d
Myristoleic acid, however, is not exclusively sourced from non-vegetable oil origins. There is a tree that produces a nut containing a vegetable butter that is a relatively good source of myristoleic acid3, 4, 5, 6, 7. The fat is known as kombo butter. It comes from the seeds of Pycnanthus Kombo (Myristicaceae family) found in West Central Africa. Other compounds isolated from P. Kombo (P. Angolensis) include 2xe2x80x2-hydroxy-4xe2x80x2-7-dimethoxy isoflavone and 2xe2x80x2-hydroxy formonometin8. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 5,674,900 00 describes the isolation and use of terpenoid quinones from the stems and leaves (not the seedfat) of P. kombo for use in treating diabetes9.
The seedfat of P. kombo is reddish-brown and has a distinct aromatic odor. The fat also contains 20-30% of kombic acid. Kombic acid is not a fatty acid per se, rather it is a substituted fatty acid, and must be separated and removed from kombo butter in manufacturing downstream oleochemical products such as myristoleic acid. From kombo butter, the unit operations to obtain relatively pure distilled fatty acid mixtures containing appreciable levels of myristoleic acid include: 1) fat (kombo butter) saponification to split the fat and form the sodium soaps of the fatty acids, thereby separating and removing the glycerine, 2) acidulation of the sodium soaps of the fatty acids to reform the free fatty acids, and 3) molecular distillation of the crude fatty acids for purposes of purification. The cetyl esters can then be formed by conventional esterification reactions. The present invention describes the unexpected isolation, and manufacture of substituted fatty acids and substituted fatty acid derivatives from the seed fat of Pycnanthus Kombo via alcohol extraction and supercritical CO2 methods and their use as antioxidants. This substituted fatty acid is kombic acid and the substituted fatty acid derivatives are derivatives of kombic acid.
The method of the present invention provides an antioxidant and stabilizer in human and animal pharmaceuticals and dietary supplements. The method of the present invention also solves the problems of stabilization of human and animal foods against the development of rancidity, color and odor; stabilization of cosmetic and other personal care products; and the stabilization of plastics against oxidative degradation by using kombic acid, or a kombic acid derivative, as an antioxidant. In addition, the invention method solves the problem of isolating kombic acid in a highly purified form on a large scale for such use.


Disclosed are glycosides, orthoester glycosides and glycuronamides of fluoxetine and analogs thereof to treat conditions and diseases such as depression.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to glycuronamides, glycosides and orthoester glycosides of fluoxetine and analogs and their use in therapy.
2. Related Art
Fluoxetine hydrochloride is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor and is sold as an antidepressant and for the treatment of eating disorders. Fluoxetine hydrochloride is also reported to be useful for the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder, bulimia, pain, obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, hypertension, atherosclerosis, anxiety, anorexia nervosa, panic, social phobia, stuttering, sleep disorders, chronic fatigue, Alzheimer's disease, alcohol abuse, appetite disorders, weight loss, agoraphobia, amnesia, smoking cessation, nicotine withdrawal syndrome symptoms, disturbances of mood and/or appetite associated with pre-menstrual syndrome, depressed mood and/or carbohydrate craving associated with pre-menstrual syndrome, disturbances of mood, disturbances of appetite or disturbances which contribute to recidivism associated with nicotine withdrawal, circadian rhythm disorder, borderline personality disorder, hypochondriasis, pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS), late luteal phase dysphoric disorder, pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder, trichotillomania, symptoms following discontinuation of antidepressants, aggressive/intermittent explosive disorder, compulsive gambling, compulsive spending, compulsive sex, psychoactive substance use disorder, schizophrenia, premature ejaculation, or psychiatric symptoms selected from the group consisting of stress, worry, anger, rejection sensitivity, and lack of mental or physical energy without an increase in nausea. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,314,018, 4,626,549, 5,985,322 and 5,910,319.
Wirth, D.D. et al., J. Pharm. Sci. 87:31–39 (1998), discloses that generic formulations of fluoxetine hydrochloride comprise lactose and are inherently less stable than formulations containing starch due to the Maillard reaction between the fluoxetine and lactose. N-formylfluoxetine was identified as the major product.

Glycuronamides, glycosides and orthoester glycosides of fluoxetine, analogs and uses thereof


A weatherproof network interface module for providing connection between a customer's equipment and the telephone company owned portion of the customer loop includes an overvoltage protection device disposed therein in addition to the circuitry which provides a prescribed line test termination impedance having particular characteristic signature to the telephone central office when a continuity test is made on a subscriber line and may include an illumination device and test switch for indicating when the telephone company owned portion of the customer loop is in operating order, or may include a device for connecting or disconnecting the telephone company owned portion of the customer loop from the customer loop portion wherein all of terminals are weatherproof (protected from the environment).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to network interface modules and in particular to a network interface module that includes overvoltage protection, line termination impedance having a characteristic signature, other means for testing the telephone company owned portion of a customer loop or means for disconnecting the customer's equipment therefrom.
2. Discussion of the Relevant Art
An individual homeowner at present may purchase and install his or her own telephone equipment and related appliances. The homeowner is responsible for the proper operation of the equipment that he/she has installed. The telephone company may not own the equipment in a subscriber's home and therefore will be responsible only for proper service up to the juncture between the telephone lines and the homeowner's premises. Thus, it is necessary to provide a telephone interface apparatus which is capable of readily disconnecting the homeowner's wiring, installed in the premises, from the telephone company's transmission lines so that when trouble occurs, it could readily be isolated to the telephone company's line or the homeowner's house wiring. If a homeowner experiences a problem with his telephone service it is first necessary for him to determine if it is the telephone company's fault and repairs are needed on their lines or equipment, or if the wiring or equipment the homeowner installed requires repairs. Many devices are now available that provide the function of readily disconnecting the home wiring from the telephone company owned portion of the subscriber loop. Typical of these apparatuses is U.S. Pat. No. 4,910,770 issued to Collins, et al on Mar. 20, 1990; U.S. Pat. No. 4,488,008 issued to T. A. Dellinger, et al on Dec. 11, 1984; U.S. Pat. No. 287,583 issued to T. J. Smith, et al on Jan. 6, 1987, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,624,514 issued to Smith on Nov. 25, 1986.
These devices, although providing the necessary function of severing the telephone company owned portion of the customer loop from the homeowner's portion of the customer loop are either inconvenient, capable of handling only a single loop and do not provide overvoltage protection within the module. The instant invention provides a simple, convenient means to provide similar functions for a plurality of telephone lines, includes overvoltage protection within the module and circuitry for adding the signature thereto, is weatherproof and is readily exchangeable with other modules presently in use. The identifying signature impedance appearing across the customer line allows for interrogation by the telephone office. The module is readily replaceable with a minimum of wiring disconnects required.

Weatherproof telephone network interface modules