A method and system for integrity testing of sachets. The method comprises the steps of disposing at least a portion of the sachet relative to an electrode structure; applying an AC bias voltage to the electrode structure; measuring an electrical property of the portion of the sachet over a frequency range, and determining the integrity based on the measured electrical property over the frequency range.

Any mention and/or discussion of prior art throughout the specification should not be considered, in any way, as an admission that this prior art is well known or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.
Quality assurance (QA) in e.g. the food and pharmaceutical industries is the foremost facet that dictates brand integrity and reliability. Flexible packages offer large scalability in terms of mass production and reduced production time to meet consumer demands. Sealing flexible packages is an economical way for manufacturers to retain product quality for maximizing shelf life of both dry and moist contents. Any deviation from an airtight containment will adversely affect the product quality, which is detrimental to the manufacturers (financial loss and negative brand image) and fatal for public health and environment. This has generated tremendous interest in cost effective inspection technologies capable of detecting poor seals, defective seals and inner protective layers in flexible packages.
One popular approach in such industries includes using pressure-based systems to inspect the seals/package quality, but this approach suffers from offline analysis, random sampling, expensive equipment, low throughput and high processing time, which considerably affect the production/packaging cost and time.
Other current methods using vacuum/pressure decay, differential force measurement, bubble test and helium leak detection test suffer from the following drawbacks:                i. Poor sensitivity towards tiny particles (eg. beverage powder) trapped in sachet seal area. This allows moisture and air to diffuse into the sachet, thus rendering it defective and prone to contamination.        ii. Such methods require offline screening and are not viable in production/packaging line because of high processing time.        iii. The existing seal integrity inspection systems have a destructive approach, involve high cost and use heavy equipment with low throughput, which leads to large reject sachets/pouches and more financial loss for waste disposal.        iv. Complex mode of inspection requiring labor, sampling methods and time consuming with possibility of generating large waste.
Embodiments of the present invention seek to address at least one of the above problems.

Method and system for integrity testing of sachets


A wire protection grommet is constructed for installation in a wire pull opening extending between a preset and the cell of a cellular raceway. The grommet includes a central opening extending between the preset and the raceway cell and which has defines a wire pull strain relief. The grommet is constructed to lockingly engage into the wire pull opening so that it is not displaced during use. The distal end of the grommet is weighted so that the grommet self-orients itself in the opening during installation. The grommet also includes a wire storage section around which excess wiring can be wrapped. Hooks are provided for retaining the excess wire on the wire storage section.

Not Applicable
The present invention is directed to in-floor raceway wiring systems, and more particularly to a wire pull grommet for installation in a wire pull opening between a preset and the cellular raceway.
Modem office buildings require electric power, communication, and computer data services in various combinations at a large number of locations. Often these needs are addressed by in-floor cellular raceway systems. Cellular raceway systems conventionally have a central portion or cell for carrying power cables and a pair of communication/data cells on opposite sides of the power cell. One of the communication cells may carry telephone cable and the other may carry computer, data, or other low potential cables. The cellular raceway systems are mounted on a subfloor and covered with concrete for the finished floor. Access to the underfloor service raceways is obtained through presets that are mounted on the raceways at desired locations before the concrete floor is poured. The preset defines a hollow interior compartment that is interconnected with the interiors of the raceway cells to provide access to the services that are carried in cells. A removable mud cap on the top of the preset prevents concrete from entering the interior compartment of the preset when the floor is poured. After the concrete floor has hardened, the concrete above the mud cap is broken away and the mud cap is removed to provide access to the interior of the preset.
Certification standards, such as Underwriters Laboratories (UL) and the National Electric Code, now require the opening between the preset and the cell to be grommeted so as to protect cables from being damaged as they are pulled through the opening. Additionally, current EIA/TIA standards require that any opening that will be used to pull category 5 type data cable or fiber optic cable must have a feature that will prevent cable from being damaged when pulled around a corner. This is usually accomplished by rounding the corners of the opening to a minimum radius of 1 inch. Many buildings include cellular raceway systems that were installed prior to the implementation of these requirements. Hence, there is a need for a grommet that can be installed into existing raceway systems to bring these applications into compliance with current certification standards.
One object of the present invention is to provide a grommet for mounting in a wire pull opening extending between a preset and a cell of a cellular raceway system.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a grommet for mounting in a wire pull opening that provides a smooth, radiussed surface for pulling wires between a preset and a cell of a cellular raceway system.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a wire pull grommet that has a passage defining a wire pull strain relief.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a wire pull grommet that includes a wire storage section for storing excess.
A further another object of the present invention is to provide a wire pull grommet that can be mounted in different sizes of wire pull openings.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a wire pull grommet having a wire storage portion around which excess wiring can be wrapped.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a wire pull grommet that is low cost and economical to manufacture.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a wire pull grommet that is durable and easy to install.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a wire pull grommet that can be retrofit into existing cellular raceway systems.
These and other objects and advantages are achieved by a wire protection grommet for installation in a wire pull opening extending between a preset and the cell of a cellular raceway. The grommet is sized for insertion through the wire pull opening and into the cellular raceway and defines central passages extending between the preset and the raceway cell. The central passage has a radiussed portion defining a wire pull strain relief. The grommet is constructed to lockingly engage into the wire pull opening so that it is not displaced during use. The distal end of the grommet is weighted so that the grommet correctly orients itself in the opening during installation. The grommet also includes a wire storage section around which excess wiring can be wrapped. Hooks are provided for retaining the excess wire on the wire storage section.


Coordination of the use of radio resource between a first Radio Access Network (RAN) and a second RAN is provided, each RAN being configured to communicate over the same predefined bandwidth range. A first priority associated with traffic to be carried over the first RAN and a second priority associated with traffic to be carried over the second RAN are determined. A first portion of the radio resource comprising one or more first bandwidth segments is assigned to the first RAN and a second portion of the radio resource comprising a plurality of second bandwidth segments is assigned to the second RAN, based on the first and second priorities. The first portion is indicated to a first RAN scheduler and/or the second portion is indicated to a second RAN scheduler. At least one first bandwidth segment is assigned between two of the second bandwidth segments.

Wireless networks, particularly radio access networks, are configured to operate within specific frequency ranges. To mitigate interference problems, an operator of a radio access network (RAN) is licensed for its use in specific bandwidth ranges. The license often restricts the Radio Access Technology (RAT) that may be used. For example, older RATs (such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and General Packet Radio Service (GPRS)) have conventionally been allocated in frequency bandwidths around 1800 MHz. It is increasingly desirable to operate RANs with a different RAT, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), in the same bandwidth ranges as those in which RANs with such older RATs are operating. The spectrum can be split between the two RATs in a fixed manner in order to avoid significant interference between the two systems. Such a fixed share is not efficient however, since traffic varies significantly over time. There will be times when the load on one RAN is greater than the other and vice versa.
Desirably therefore, spectrum is shared between the two RANs. The proportion of the spectrum used by each RAN can be varied over time. One approach for achieving this is known as Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS), in which a first portion of a bandwidth range is allocated to a first RAN and a second portion, contiguous (adjacent) with the first portion, is allocated to a second RAN. Both portions together form a single continuous bandwidth range. Referring to FIG. 1A, a schematic diagram showing an example spectral allocation according to the known approach of DSS is shown. Here, the first portion of spectrum 10 is allocated to LTE and the second portion of the spectrum 20 is allocated to GSM. These portions can be dynamically adjusted on the basis of the level of traffic being carried by each RAN.
In an alternative approach, a GERAN is allocated one or more specific frequency segments within a bandwidth range, which may be contiguous or non-contiguous. Then, an LTE RAN is allocated all of the remainder of the bandwidth range that is not occupied by the GERAN. As the GERAN allocation is varied, the LTE RAN allocation changes accordingly. This approach can be termed Full Spectrum Sharing (FSS). Referring to FIG. 1B, a schematic diagram showing an example spectral allocation according to the known approach of FSS is shown. Here, the first portion of spectrum 30 is allocated to LTE and the second portion of the spectrum 40 is allocated to GSM. LTE is not scheduled frequencies occupied (used) by GSM traffic 40. It is potentially more efficient, since the LTE RAN may be provided with a full carrier for the entire bandwidth range. In contrast, only a fraction of the bandwidth range could be used by the LTE RAN under DSS.
Techniques based on DSS, FSS or both are described in European Patent publication No. EP2203011, having common ownership with this invention, and in International (PCT) Patent Publication No. WO-2010/091713. Allocations to each RAN under FSS can be made on the basis of each network's load, as for DSS. This allows load balancing. Nevertheless, improvements to load balancing in FSS remain a challenge.


Postal mailing assembly capable of being processed by postal processing equipment without causing damage to the article held by the mailer. The mailing assembly includes a pocket holding the article inside the mailer is offset relative to one edge of the assembly by a distance sufficient to prevent damage when the mailer is oriented and processed by postal equipment.

The constructions of mailpieces and envelopes must conform to specified size and flexibility requirements. Postal services, like the United States Postal Service, sort large volumes of mail with high-speed automated processing equipment having pairs of vertical moving belts arranged in a network to grip and serially transport individual mailpieces at a speed of up to 40,000 pieces an hour. The moving belts convey the mailpieces, which are oriented vertically, at a linear velocity approaching 500 to 600 feet per minute. Each mailpiece is oriented in a vertical plane such that an edge portion of the mailpiece is gripped between the moving belts. An optical scanner provided adjacent to the moving belts identifies a destination address for each mailpiece. Mailpieces are sorted according to the destination address and routed by the network of moving belts into assorted bins or stackers.
Changes in direction of transported letter mail in automated processing equipment are accommodated by providing a pulley, roller or drum over which the moving belts are trained at the point where the direction change is to occur. For example, if the mailpiece is moving linearly in a horizontal direction and it is desired to effect a directional change to a different horizontal direction, a drum mounted for rotation about a vertical axis is placed at the change-of-direction point in the path of travel of the opposed belts between which the mailpiece is gripped for transport. As the belts move about the rotating drum, the mailpiece travels through a curved path conforming to the drum periphery and emerges traveling between the moving belts in a new horizontal direction.
Breakable, frangible or stress-sensitive articles, such as compact disks or mini-compact disks must be packaged inside a mailer. Letter-size mailers should comply with postal regulations, such as size requirements and address positioning, while protecting the stress-sensitive article from damage during sorting by the automated processing equipment. Moreover, postal regulations would require the mailer to be flexible enough to be bent and routed about the circumference of cylindrical pulleys, rollers and drums of the type used in automated processing systems at locations where directional changes occur in the travel path of the belts.
Conventional mailers would expose stress-sensitive articles to a significant risk of damage as the mailer is bent about the circumference of the cylindrical roller or drum. As the mailer is conveyed about the exterior of the pulley, roller or drum, the stress-sensitive article must curve or bow and will experience a state of tension due to the flexure that can damage or even break the article. Thus, because of this and other significant shortcomings, conventional letter-sized mailers do not adequately safeguard stress-sensitive articles when handled by automated processing equipment of the type used by the United States Postal Service.
If the dimensions of the mailer exceed a maximum dimension (e.g., oversized) as governed by postal regulations or does meet the flexibility requirements for letter sorting equipment, the United States Postal Service does not treat the mailer as a letter. Instead, the mailer is handled as a non-letter or flat by automated equipment that does not require routing about the exterior of a drum. Most mass mailings, however, are of pre-sorted, letter-sized mailers that are less expensive to mail.
Accordingly, there is a need for mailers and mailer assemblies for articles that can be handled by automated letter-sized processing equipment and that are fully compliant with postal regulations while simultaneously protecting the article from damage during processing.


A tillage sweep assembly includes a base sweep with a central fore-and-aft slot. A support strap or stem includes a corresponding fore-and-aft extending protrusion which mates with the slot. A filet weld connects the top of the base sweep to the support strap with the weld extending around the strap. A plug weld is added to the underside of the sweep in an offset or lifted portion of the bottom of the base sweep above the cutting plane of the sweep. The extra plug weld adds strength to the existing filet weld joint and significantly reduces the chance of inadvertent base sweep loss. The location of the plug weld above the cutting plane protects the plug weld from wear. The strap or step of the sweep assembly is slotted for ease of pitch adjustment, and the base sweep has wings with substantial fore-and-aft extending end portions to retain working width over the life of the sweep.

1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to agricultural tillage implements and more specifically to a sweep generally of the type commonly referred to as a Smith Fin sweep.
2) Related Art
A sweep such as the Smith Fin sweep has been used for years in crops such as peanuts where minimal soil throw is desired. The sweep assembly includes a flat, horizontal base sweep member with straight leading edges diverging in the rearward direction from a central point. The top of the base sweep has a central portion welded to a flat, upright strap which is supported from a shank. One of the main drawbacks of such a sweep assembly is that the base sweep can break away from the strap in the area of the weld, resulting in added expense, down time and lost productivity. Often, the separated base sweep ends up in a tractor or implement tire, causing damage or destruction to the tire and consternation to the operator. Another disadvantage of the sweeps has been a change in width of the sweep with wear which reduces the total cultivated band. Also pitch angle adjustment is sometimes difficult and the proper working angle cannot be easily provided with some shank geometries.

Fin sweep assembly and method of manufacture


A vehicle vibration control device includes: a motor generator connected via a motor shaft to a power transmission path between a crankshaft of an engine and a drive axle that transmits a drive torque to a tire; and a motor generator control portion executing control of an output torque which is actually output by the motor generator. The motor generator control portion includes a damper torque calculation section that acquires information on a crank angle and a motor angle to calculate a damper torque generated by a damper, an explosion cycle calculation section, a reverse phase torque calculation section, a delay time calculation section, a compensation time calculation section, a first compensation time calculation section, a torque correction amount calculation section, and a command output section.

In the related art, as disclosed in JP 2012-71792A (Reference 1), JP 2018-95169A (Reference 2), and JP 2020-26237A (Reference 3), a technique is known in which, in a vehicle provided with an engine and a motor generator as a power source, a damper is provided in order to reduce vibration transmitted to a crankshaft of the engine, a motor torque having a reverse phase to that of a damper torque generated by the damper is output from the motor generator, and accordingly, vibration caused by the damper torque is reduced.
In the techniques disclosed in Reference 1 to Reference 3, a compensation time that takes into account the delay time is calculated after calculating the delay time based on various causes, and the phase is adjusted for the time corresponding to the compensation time when outputting the motor torque having the reverse phase such that the cycle of the damper torque and the cycle of the motor torque having the reverse phase match each other.
However, since this phase adjustment is executed by a control device such as an electronic control unit (ECU) that controls the motor generator, the control cycle of the control device also needs to be taken into consideration, but the techniques disclosed in Reference 1 to Reference 3 do not take this control cycle into consideration. Therefore, in a case where the time for phase adjustment and the timing of the control cycle do not match each other, the shift between the cycle of the damper torque and the cycle of the motor torque having the reverse phase remains, and as a result, there is a problem that the vibration caused by the damper torque is not reduced efficiently.
A need thus exists for a vehicle vibration control device which is not susceptible to the drawback mentioned above.


In a method for producing a nitride semiconductor light-emitting device according to the present invention, first, a nitride semiconductor substrate having groove portions formed is prepared. An underlying layer comprising nitride semiconductor is formed on the nitride semiconductor substrate including the side walls of the groove portions, in such a manner that the underlying layer has a crystal surface in each of the groove portions and the crystal surface is tilted at an angle of from 53.5° to 63.4° with respect to the surface of the substrate. Over the underlying layer, a light-emitting-device structure composed of a lower cladding layer containing Al, an active layer, and an upper cladding layer containing Al is formed. According to the present invention, thickness nonuniformity and lack of surface flatness, which occur when accumulating a layer with light-emitting-device structure of nitride semiconductor over the nitride semiconductor substrate, are alleviated while inhibiting occurrence of cracking.

The present invention relates to a method for producing a nitride semiconductor light-emitting device, and more particularly to a method for producing a nitride semiconductor light-emitting device improved to prevent cracking and obtain nitride semiconductors and nitride semiconductor laser devices at a high yield rate. The present invention also relates to a nitride semiconductor light-emitting device obtained by such a method.
By using nitride semiconductor crystals represented by GaN, AlN, InN, and mixed crystals thereof, semiconductor laser devices that oscillate in the ultraviolet-visible region are being produced. As the substrate, a GaN substrate is often used and being studied with vigor in associated research institutions. Currently, the yield rate of semiconductor laser devices (e.g., the rate of good products obtained from one wafer) is significantly low, and improvement is highly necessary for cost reduction and the like. One of the causes that have kept the yield rate low is the occurrence of cracking.
As a technique to reduce occurrence of cracking, a method of using a processed substrate is proposed as shown in FIG. 6 (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-246698). Referring to FIG. 6(A), processed substrate 61 (nitride semiconductor substrate) includes grooves 17 that are concave portions each processed in a stripe shape on the substrate surface. Over hills 18, which are convex portions each processed in a stripe shape, a light-emitting device made of nitride semiconductor is formed. It is known that by using such processed substrate 61 concaves are included in the surfaces of the semiconductor films that have been grown, thereby inhibiting occurrence of cracking in the light-emitting device.
It is also known that cracking is reduced by using a processed substrate shown in FIG. 6(B). This processed substrate has different kind substrate 62 (sapphire substrate, SiC substrate, Si substrate, GaAs substrate, or the like) and nitride semiconductor layer 64 formed over different kind substrate 62 via buffer layer 63 (nitride semiconductor layer (of low temperature or high temperature)). On the surface of nitride semiconductor layer 64, grooves 17 are formed each in a stripe shape. Over hills 18, which are convex portions each processed in a stripe shape, a light-emitting device made of nitride semiconductor is formed.
However, when the above-described processed substrate was used and nitride compound semiconductors were grown over the substrate by the MOCVD (Metal Organic Vapor Deposition) method or the like to prepare a semiconductor laser device, occurrence of cracking was prevented, but no great improvement in the yield rate was obtained.
The prevent inventors carried out an extensive study to analyze the cause of why the yield rate did not improve greatly. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7, it has been found that nitride semiconductor layers (those in the areas 130 shown in FIG. 7) accumulated so as to cover from the side surfaces of the groove portions (the portions where grooves portions 17 and hill portions 18 were in contact) to hill portions 18 have undulating-shaped surface morphologies 140 and are grown much thicker than at the center portions of hill portions 18. (This growth will be hereinafter referred to as abnormal growth.) In addition, the sizes and thicknesses of abnormal growth portions 130, caused by abnormal growth, were different between adjacent groove portions 17, and along the stripe of the groove portion 17 even if it was the same groove portion 17. It has been found that if abnormal growth portion 130 is not formed uniformly in each groove portion 17 as described above, the formation of undulating-shaped surface morphology 140 is promoted in the vicinity of the edges of groove portion 17, and that the promoted surface morphology 140 undermines the thickness uniformity and flatness of the nitride semiconductor layers in the vicinity of the center of hill portion 18. It is considered that occurrence of such a phenomenon is because when grooves 17 are formed on the nitride semiconductor substrate by dry etching or wet etching, the edge portions of the sides of groove portions 17 cannot be made uniform and take various shapes.
Thus, if concaves (grooves) remain on a nitride compound semiconductor, the concaves cause deterioration of the flatness of the film. It is considered that the deteriorated flatness in turn causes variation of thickness of each layer of the device and chip-to-chip fluctuation of characteristics, resulting in a deteriorated yield rate. In other words, in order to improve the yield rate, it is necessary to improve film flatness as well as reducing occurrence of cracking.

Nitride semiconductor light-emitting device and method for producing same


A method for segmenting an information word into code blocks in a mobile communication system. The method includes setting a number C of code blocks to a minimum integer not less than a value obtained by dividing X by Z; when sizes K of all code blocks are determined to be equal when a length X of the information word is greater than a maximum length Z of each code block, determining a minimum integer value T not less than a value obtained by dividing a size of the information word by a number of code blocks, and determining, as K, a maximum value most approaching the value T among the values based on which a size of the code block can be set in units of eight bits; and generating a code block by inserting filler bits into a specific code block when a value obtained by multiplying K by C is greater than X.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an apparatus and method for segmenting transmission data and combining received data in a mobile communication system, and in particular, to a method and apparatus for performing segmentation and combination according to a size of a transmission packet during code block segmentation and combination.
2. Description of the Related Art
Mobile communication systems generally channel-encode source user data with an error correction code before transmission, to improve reliability of transmission data. Typical codes used for channel encoding can be classified into a convolution code and a linear block code for which a single decoder is used. Recently, aside from such typical codes, a turbo code has been proposed and widely used. A turbo code has been widely used because, for example, a turbo code has an advantage because error correction performance increases with a size of an information word.
However, the error correction performance of the turbo code becomes saturated when the size of the information word is greater than or equal to a particular size. An increase in the size of the information word increases a size of an interleaver in a turbo coder, causing an increase in complexity of a decoder.
In this context, the turbo code has no performance and implementation gain when the size, i.e., coding length, of the information word is longer than or equal to a specific length. Therefore, a scheme has been proposed, which segments the information word into multiple code blocks and separately encodes each of the code blocks. The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard defines this scheme as code block segmentation.
For example, when the size of the information word is greater than or equal to 5114 bits, the scheme segments the information word so the size of the information word is not greater than 5114 bits. Each of the parts segmented from the information word is called a code block, and the turbo coder performs coding on each of the code blocks independently.
FIG. 1 shows a transmitter for performing code block segmentation according to the prior art.
In FIG. 1, an information word 100, meaning transmission data, is input to a segmentation unit 110. The segmentation unit 110 serves to segment a generated information word in units of code blocks according to a particular length, and this is called a code block segmentation operation. A channel encoder 120 performs turbo or convolutional coding on the input codes segmented in units of code blocks, and outputs a coded codeword. The codeword is divided into information (systematic) bits and parity bits. The information (systematic) bit means the desired transmission signal itself, and the parity bit is a signal added to correct the error occurred during transmission, during its decoding.
FIG. 2 illustrates an example in which one information code is segmented into three code blocks according to the prior art.
Referring to FIG. 2, for a turbo coder, a maximum size Z (220) of a code block is 5114 bits. An input information word size X (210) is assumed herein to be bits. The conventional segmentation unit 110 shown in FIG. 1 segments an information word according to the code block segmentation operation. The size of the information word should be less than the maximum size Z (220) of the code block. Therefore, because the information word is 12999 bits in size, the information word should be segmented into three code blocks. A size K (200) of each of the three segmented code blocks is 4333 bits. As a result, the channel encoder 120, like the turbo coder, separately encodes the three 4333-bit code blocks, thereby generating three codewords.
The code block segmentation shown in FIG. 2 may have the following problems.
For example, a unit of the information word is assumed to be a byte and the maximum code block length is assumed to be 5120 bits. The minimum size of the information word defined in the 3GPP standard is also assumed to be 40 bits. Therefore, since the minimum size of the code block is 40 bits, the maximum length of the code block is 5120 bits, and the unit of the information word is byte, the sizes increase in order of 40, 48, 56, 64, 72, . . . , 5120 from the minimum size of the code block through the maximum size of the code block. In this case, the total number of types of the possible codewords generated by the channel encoder 120 is (5120−40)/8+1=636.
However, for an information word being greater than or equal to 5120 bits in size, when it is segmented by the code block segmentation process shown in FIG. 2, a 5128-bit information word, since 5128 bits are 2564×2 bits, is segmented into two 2564-bit code blocks, and a 5136-bit information word, since 5136 bits are 2568×2 bits, is segmented into two 2568-bit code blocks. If the information words with the 5128-bit size and the 5136-bit size undergo the code block segmentation process shown in FIG. 2, an interval between the code blocks is reduced to four (=2568-2564) bits. In addition, for an information word being greater than or equal to 15360 bits in size, since the information word should be segmented into three code blocks, an interval between the code blocks is reduced to two bits.
As described above, in the conventional code block segmentation, the interval between the segmented code blocks decreases with the size of the information word. For example, although an interval between a 20496-bit information word and a 20504-bit information word is eight bits, after their code block segmentation, the segmented code blocks have 4100-bit and 4101-bit sizes, respectively, so an interval therebetween is one bit. In this way, the code block segmentation operation may increase the number of types of the generated codewords. The increase in the number of types of the generated codewords may increase the channel coding complexity in the process of optimizing channel codes.
For a channel encoder having an interleaver therein, like the turbo coder, the increase in the number of code blocks causes an increase in the number of types of interleavers, thereby increasing the complexity. Therefore, a great need exists for a scheme of reducing the system complexity by minimizing the number of types of the code blocks.

Method and apparatus for code block segmentation in a mobile communication system


A circuit board connector (10), such as for a flex circuit (20), which provides a solid and reliable contact termination between a flex circuit (20) and a connector. The flex circuit connector (10) includes multiple contact points (24, 26) for contacting each lead or trace on the flex circuit (20). The multiple contact points (24, 26) are provided along a common member (28) which also includes a strain relief mechanism (30) in between the multiple contact points (24, 26). The strain relief mechanism (30) may be provided in the form of a V-shaped bend in the material of the common member (28) connecting the multiple contact points (24, 26) together. The contact points (24, 26) used to join the flex circuit (20) and the connector (10) may be achieved using any combination of staple-like contact points or solder contact points. The addition of the strain relief mechanism (30) in between the contact points (24, 26) greatly enhances the termination between the flex circuit (20) and the connector (10). In this way, the termination is able to withstand a larger applied force without destroying the flex circuit/connector termination. Additionally, the use of solder contact points in conjunction with the strain relief mechanism (30) provides additional strength to the termination since the flex circuit material is not punctured using the staple-like contact points.

Circuit boards are commonly used to interconnect electrical, as well as electromechanical, components with each other. Typically, the circuit board is provided with a number of traces of conductive material connecting one component to the other. For example, when interconnecting integrated circuit components, electrical traces are provided from a pin of one component to a pin of another component. The conductive traces on the circuit board are typically overlaid with an insulating material to protect the conductive trace, as well as to prevent inadvertent electrical contact between the conductive trace and any other electrical signal present on or near the circuit board. Circuit boards are oftentimes provided with multiple layers of conductive traces and insulating material to allow for the placement of more conductive traces on the circuit board, i.e., denser layout and interconnection. These "multilayer" boards allow a conductive trace in one plane to cross over or under another conductive trace in another plane (separated by the insulating material) without making electrical contact. In this way, the two traces remain electrically isolated.
Circuit boards may be made from any of a number of rigid or flexible materials. Rigid circuit boards provide mechanical stability and rigidity in that the components which are mounted to the circuit board are mounted and affixed to a rigid structure which is capable of withstanding the application of a certain amount of force without damaging the interconnection between the component and the circuit board. This is particularly crucial in the case of connectors used to interconnect the circuit board with other circuit boards or components. The components on the circuit board are typically soldered in place upon initial installation. This type of interconnection is sufficiently strong and typically able to withstand the subsequent application of force without compromising the solder connection. However, in the case of connectors, the connectors are intended to allow multiple connection/disconnection with other devices. When used with rigid circuit boards, connectors are typically soldered to the circuit board, and thus, are able to withstand the force applied to the connector during the connection/disconnection with other devices.
Conductive traces on flex circuits are typically provided by photolithographically patterning the conductive traces using a conductive ink, such as silver. Several methods have been devised for providing electrical and mechanical contact between the conductive traces on a flex circuit and other devices. One such approach dispenses with the need for a connector altogether. Instead, the flex circuit is provided with a "tail" section, i.e., a narrowed or necked-down section providing electrical contact with the conductive traces on the flex circuit. The "tail" section is then inserted into a receptacle or connector on the device which to be contacted with the flex circuit. While this approach eliminates the need for a connector on the flex circuit, and the associated problems with mounting a connector to the flex circuit, it nevertheless suffers from several disadvantages. Primarily, the "tail" section of the flex circuit is still made from the same flexible material used to fabricate the flex circuit itself, and as a result, the "tail" section does not possess the required structural rigidity needed for inserting the "tail" section into the target connector or receptacle. Although insertion of the "tail" section is still possible, repeated insertions and handling of the "tail" section oftentimes results in damage to the "tail" section.
An alternative approach to the use of the "tail" section to provide interconnection with other devices is the use of a connector mounted to the flex circuit itself. The connector provides sufficient rigidity in connecting with other devices. However, the secure mounting of connectors to flex circuits presents additional problems, even beyond those encountered with rigid circuit boards. Because flex circuit are commonly made from a very thin and flexible material such as plastic, the connector/flex circuit interface must be able to withstand the application of force, and it must be able to do so without damaging the relatively fragile material of the flex circuit itself.
One approach to mounting connectors to flex circuits involves the use of staples or other fastening devices to hold the connector and flex circuit together. In this type of connection, the contacts of the connector are aligned with the conductive traces on the flex circuit. Next, staple-like devices are inserted over each contact and each conductive trace. The staple-like devices puncture the flex circuit material and are then clamped down to hold the contact and conductive trace together, thereby providing electrical and mechanical connection between each contact and each conductive trace. The use of these staple-like devices does not provide adequate immunity against tearing of the flex circuit material whenever any force is applied to the flex circuit/connector interface. Rather, the use of staple-like devices actually increases the susceptibility to flex tearing by introducing holes in the flex circuit which negatively affect the integrity of the flex circuit material.
As discussed above, the use of staple-like devices results in low reliability contact terminations. Additionally, the use of staple-like devices is a complex and labor intensive assembly process. Further, this approach does not lend itself to easy visual inspection, since, liter alia, both the top and bottom surfaces of the flex circuit must be viewed in order to ascertain the integrity of the connection.

Circuit connector with multiple contacts and built in strain relief


An image data reading system is capable of receiving image data without interruption regardless of the amount of time required to read the data. The system comprises a monitor program, a scanner driver and a viewer program. The viewer program initiates a data read process and the scanner driver orders the monitor program to read image data. Upon elapse of a predetermined time period, for example, 30 seconds, the system determines if the monitor program is still reading image data. If the monitor program is still reading image data, the scanner driver does not perform time-out processing. Instead, the system allows the monitor program to continue to read the image data until a read end message for the current page is received from the monitor program. If the monitor program is not reading image data, the scanner driver notifies the viewer program of a probable error and terminates the data read process.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an image data reading system. More particularly, this invention is directed to an image data reading system capable of receiving image data normally when it takes a long time to receive the data transmitted from a scanner to a host machine in the system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Systems comprising a facsimile machine connected to a host personal computer have recently been developed. Typically, the facsimile machine is used as a printer for printing images output by the computer, or as a scanner for inputting desired images into the computer. In such a system, a control program in the personal computer controls the facsimile machine.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a conventional image data reading system. A personal computer 1 is connected to a facsimile machine 7 via an RS-232C I/O port 2. The personal computer 1 typically comprises application programs 6, driver programs 5, a hard disk drive 4, a monitor program 3 and the I/O port 2. The application programs 6, operated directly by a user, comprise a viewer program 6A and a log manager program 6B. The viewer program 6A displays data contents onto a display screen (not shown). The log manager program 6B stores and manages the communication history between the personal computer 1 and the facsimile machine 7 connected to the I/O port 2.
The driver programs 5 are interposed between the application programs 6 and the facsimile machine 7, and facilitate data exchange between them. The method used to access the facsimile machine 7 varies depending on the hardware configuration of the facsimile machine 7 and the personal computer 1. It is difficult to change the access method used by the application programs 6 in order to accommodate different system environments. Thus, the driver programs 5 are interposed between the application programs 6 and the facsimile machine 7. Accordingly, the access method used by the driver programs 5 may be changed to accommodate different system environments, while a single access method is used by the application programs 6.
The driver programs 5 between the application programs 6, and the facsimile machine 7 comprise three programs: (1) a scanner driver 5A; (2) a fax driver 5B; and (3) a printer driver 5C. The scanner driver 5A is a driver program for using the facsimile machine 7 as a scanner. The fax driver 5B is a driver program for using the facsimile machine 7 to either send data stored in the personal computer 1 to another facsimile machine via a telephone line, or to receive data via the telephone line from another facsimile machine to be input to the personal computer 1. The printer driver 5C is a driver program for using the facsimile machine 7 as a printer.
The monitor program 3, interposed between the I/O port 2 and the driver programs 5, manages the I/O port 2. That is, the monitor program 3 converts the format of the data sent to and received from the facsimile machine 7. The monitor program 3 is accessed by each of the three driver programs 5A, 5B and 5C.
The operation of the conventional image data reading system is shown in FIG. 4. In FIG. 4, dashed lines indicate the flow of commands or messages, and solid lines indicate the flow of data.
For the read operation, the facsimile machine 7 is used as a scanner for reading image data into the personal computer 1. It is assumed that the viewer program 6A triggers the reading of the image data. The viewer program 6A first issues a read command M1 to the scanner driver 5A. In response to the read command M1, the scanner driver 5A sends a read command M2 to the monitor program 3. In response to the read command M2, the monitor program 3 sends a read command M3 to the facsimile machine 7 via the I/O port 2.
Upon receipt of the read command M3, the facsimile machine 7 drives its scanner to read an image and generate corresponding image data M4. The facsimile machine 7 sends the image data M4 to the monitor program 3 one line at a time via the I/O port 2. The monitor program 3 converts the format of the image data M4 one line at a time and sends the converted image data M5 to the hard disk drive 4 for storage.
The line-by-line image data read operation is repeated until the image data M5 for a single page has been stored in the hard disk drive 4. When a single page has been stored in the hard disk drive 4, the monitor program 3 sends a message M6 to the scanner driver 5A. The message M6 notifies the scanner driver 5A that the image data M5 for a single page has been stored at a specific address in the hard disk drive 4. In response to the message M6, the scanner driver 5A sends a message M7 to the viewer program 6A that issued the read command M1. The message M7 notifies the viewer program 6A that a single page has been read and stored in the hard disk drive 4 and indicates the address at which the image data M5 for the single page is stored in the hard disk drive 4.
When the image data read operation has been completed for all pages, the facsimile machine 7 sends a read end message to the viewer program 6A through the I/O port 2, the monitor program 3 and the scanner driver 5A. In response to the read end message, the viewer program 6A accesses and reads the image data M5 from the hard disk drive 4, and displays a read-out image data M8 on the display screen.
The scanner driver 5A incorporates a time-out function that prevents the system from hanging up. Specifically, the monitor program 3 is expected to respond within a predetermined time period, for example, 30 seconds, after the scanner driver 5A has issued the read command M2, to instruct the monitor program 3 to read the image data. If the monitor program 3 fails to respond within the predetermined time period, the scanner driver 5A determines an error has occurred in the monitor program 3. Accordingly, the scanner driver 5A halts the read process and sends an error message to the viewer program 6A. In response to the error message, the viewer program 6A displays an error message on the display screen to alert the user.
Depending on the type of image data, the system can take a long time to read the image data or to convert the format of the image data once it has been read. The system can take a long time to perform the image data read operation if the system is also receiving or sending facsimile data. In such cases, the scanner driver 5A will unilaterally execute the time-out function even though the monitor program 3 is functioning normally. The reading of image data is then prematurely halted and may never be normally completed.


Stable electron acceptor compositions are composed of a plurality of pillared metal complexes disposed on a supporting substrate. At least one Group VIII metal at zero valence is entrapped within this matrix. The complexes comprise from one to about 100 units of the formula: EQU --(Y.sup.1 O.sub.3 --Z--Y.sup.2 O.sub.3)Me.sup.Y --. Y.sup.1 and Y.sup.2 being phosphorus or arsenic; Z being a divalent group which reversibly forms a stable reduced form and contains two conjugated cationic centers having a negative E.sup..smallcircle..sub.red value; and Me.sup.Y being a divalent, trivalent, or tetravalent metal of Group IIIA, IIIB, IVA, or IVB having an atomic number of at least 21 or a lanthanide with bonded anions. The units are bound to the substrate through an organic polymer having side chains derivatized with phosphonate or arsonate groups. Counter anions balance the charge of Z. The compositions can be used in the decomposition of water to yield hydrogen gas, the sensing of oxygen, and as catalysts.

Solar energy can be used and stored by the efficient production of long-lived photo-induced charge separation--a state achieved in photosynthetic systems by the formation of a long-lived radical pair. A number of artificial systems have been reported that efficiently undergo photochemical charge transfer, unfortunately, the thermal back electron transfer often proceeds at an appreciable rate, limiting the utility of these systems. What is needed is a systems which has very efficient photoinduced charge transfer, and forms a charge-separated state which is long lived in air. The charge separation in these systems typically involves a redox reaction between a photo excited donor and a suitable acceptor, resulting in the production of radical ion pairs illustrated by the formula: EQU D+hv.fwdarw.D* (1a) EQU D*+A.fwdarw.A.sup.- +D.sup.+ ( 1b) EQU D.sup.+ +A.sup.- .fwdarw.D+A (2)
The cation and anion generated in this way are better oxidants and reductants, respectively, than either of the neutral ground-state molecules. To harvest the light put into this system, the oxidizing and reducing power of the photo-generated species must be used before the electrons are transferred back (equation 2) generating the starting materials. It is desirable to control this photochemically unproductive thermal fast back electron transfer reaction. One method has been to incorporate the donors and acceptors into solid matrices.
The individual components in the charge separated state have the appropriate potentials to carry out the reduction and oxidation of water. Unfortunately, these direct reactions are kinetically limited, such that catalysts are required to overcome the kinetic barriers. Colloidal platinum particles are ideal catalysts for the reduction of water to give H.sub.2. In systems used for photoreduction of water, the close contact of high potential radicals formed in the compounds and Pt particles is advantageous, because electron transfer from reduced viologen to Pt particles should compete effectively with back electron transfer. These platinum particles may be present in the reaction solution, incorporated into the structure of the compositions, or both.
Compounds which can carry out reduction reactions, using hydrogen gas as their reducing equivalents, are useful as catalysts for the conversion of mixtures of hydrogen and oxygen to hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide is a very large volume chemical. The United States annual production is greater than 500 million lbs. Several processes have been patented for the production of hydrogen peroxide, which depend on the two following reactions. The goal is to promote reaction (3) and retard reaction (4): EQU H.sub.2 +O.sub.2 .fwdarw.H.sub.2 O.sub.2 ( 3) EQU H.sub.2 O.sub.2 +H.sub.2 .fwdarw.2 H.sub.2 O (4)
A number of catalysts for this conversion have been reported including both homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts.
The compositions of the present invention are capable of producing a sustained photoinduced charge separation state which renders the compositions useful in solar energy conversion and storage. In addition, the compositions permit reduction of various metal ions to produce the zero-valence metal in colloidal form entrapped in the matrices of the compositions. These latter matrices containing the zero-valence metal have a variety of uses such as in the decomposition of water to yield hydrogen gas and the sensing of oxygen. In addition, the zero-valence metal matrices can be used in catalysis, as for example in the production of hydrogen peroxide and the oligomerization of methane to form higher hydrocarbons.

Electron acceptor compositions on polymer templates


An adjustable height device for aiding in the stretching of a sheet. The device may include a bracket for attaching the device to a bottom surface of a bed frame, a first connector attached to the bracket by a first rotating element so that the first connector can rotate about the first rotating element with respect to the bracket, a telescoping shaft attached to the first connector by a second rotating element so that the telescoping shaft is rotatable about the second rotating element with respect to the first connector, and a gripping device attached to the telescoping shaft by a second connector. The telescoping shaft may be made of an inner shaft slidably inserted into an outer shaft. The gripping device may include a base having a first gripping surface and a movable element having a second gripping surface rotatable about a rotational axis with respect to the base.

Musculoskeletal disorders, back and joint pain, and poor spinal posture are known occupational hazards for housekeepers in the hospitality industry. Hotel workers are nearly 40% more likely to be injured on the job than other service-sector employees, and housekeepers have the highest overall injury rate of any category of hotel employee. In addition to diminishing staff members' quality of life, these disorders are costly for employers, weighing on productivity and increasing workers compensation costs.
When making a bed, the housekeeper positions the comforter into all four corners of a clean duvet cover and spreads the two evenly over the bed, fluffing them multiple times to eliminate wrinkles and position the duvet symmetrically atop the bed. When unmaking a bed, the housekeeper separates the dirty duvet cover from the comforter by grabbing the corner of the cover and pulling away the heavy duvet. This separation requires great physical exertion from the back, waist, hips, arms, shoulders, wrists, and hands.
Housekeepers constantly stoop, bend, and twist when changing bed linen; time pressure magnifies these risks and causes overexertion. Furthermore, hotels are investing more in upscale, oversized bedding with increasingly heavy and cumbersome duvets (upwards of 15 pounds). Particularly for oversized bedding, two people are often required to stretch a wrinkled sheet or cover a comforter with a duvet cover. A second person is not always available, however, and one person must often accomplish the task alone.
Prior attempts to reduce the strain of applying and removing the duvet cover include the one disclosed in WO 2012/084554 A1, which uses one or a pair of self-locking plastic devices mounted to either side of a bed frame or a box spring towards the head of the bed. Each of the plastic devices has a first gripping surface on a base and a second gripping surface on a moveable element rotatable about a rotational axis with respect to the base. The duvet or sheet is held between the first gripping surface and the second gripping surface when the movable element is rotated toward the base.
As previously mentioned, however, changing consumer trends have led the hotel industry to invest in oversized luxury bedding, including taller box springs, resulting in varying duvet overhang lengths that make the devices disclosed in WO 2012/084554 A1 undesirable or inoperable. If the device is mounted to the bottom of the bed frame, the duvet may not hang down far enough to reach the device. If the device is instead mounted to the box spring to ensure the duvet can reach the device, the device is visible to hotel guests, who may find the device aesthetically displeasing or be tempted to tamper with the device.

Adjustable height aid for stretching a sheet


In a compressor where an oil pump is driven by a crankshaft through a drive tang with oil passing through the drive tang. The bolts holding the drive tang in place tend to agitate the oil and create foam. To prevent foam from being drawn into the oil pump, the agitation is isolated by a sub-chamber defined in part by a spring retainer while oil is supplied via a tube extending through the sub-chamber.

There is an affinity between conventional refrigerants and lubricants such that, in refrigerant compressors, each is normally present in the other. For lubricants specifically, there can be problems associated with refrigerant gas being delivered to the lubrication system. This can be caused by outgassing taking place in the lubricant drawn into the lubrication system as a result of a reduction in pressure. Also, foam produced as a result of agitation of the lubricant by the lubricant pump structure may be drawn into the lubrication system. Specifically, in a semi-hermetic reciprocating compressor having an oil feed to the oil pump passing to the center of the rotating crankshaft, the oil enters through a hole in the drive tang which drives the oil pump rotor. Since the drive tang is bolted on and rotates with the crankshaft, the bolt heads and drive tang agitate the oil/refrigerant mixture producing foam that enters the oil pump. The more foam or gas that enters the oil pump, the less volume left for pumping oil.


The process for the treatment of ligno-cellulosic biomass comprises the steps of:                A) Soaking a ligno-cellulosic biomass feedstock in vapor or liquid water or mixture thereof in the temperature range of 100 to 210° C. for 1 minute to 24 hours to create a soaked biomass containing a dry content and a first liquid;        B) Separating at least a portion of the first liquid from the soaked biomass to create a first liquid stream and a first solid stream; wherein the first solid stream comprises the soaked biomass; and        C) Steam exploding the first solid stream to create a steam exploded stream comprising solids and a second liquid.

In the biomass field converting lignocellulosic biomass to ethanol is a common practice. If the biomass is a polysaccharide-containing biomass and it is lignocellulosic, a pre-treatment is often used to ensure that the structure of the lignocellulosic content is rendered more accessible to the enzymes, and at the same time the concentrations of harmful inhibitory by-products such as acetic acid, furfural and hydroxymethyl furfural are usually high and present problems in further processing.
In general terms the more severe the treatment, the more accessible are the cellulosic contents of the material. The severity of the steam explosion is known in the literature as Ro, and is a function of time and temperature expressed asRo=t·e[(T−100)/14.75]with temperature, T, expressed in Celsius and time, t, expressed in common units. The formula is also expressed as Log(Ro), namelyLog(Ro)=Ln(t)+[(T−100)/14.75].
It is generally considered that a high Ro value is associated with a high number of unwanted by-products which inhibit the hydrolysis and fermentation of the biomass, such as furfural.
NREL Report No. TP-421-4978, November 1992, McMillan J. D., "Processes for Pretreating Lignocellulosic Biomass: A Review" even affirmed in its conclusions that "steam explosion-based processes . . . are unattractive in the long run because the formation of degradation products reduces yields" and exhorted to research alternative processes, such as ammonia fiber explosion and supercritical fluid-based treatments.
There exists therefore, the need to have a severe process with a high Ro which at the same time produces a product with low furfural.


The present invention relates to a characterizing a timing delay curve of a circuit component, said timing delay curve having a first region and a second region. The method includes determining a first delay equation representing the first region of the delay curve, determining a second delay equation representing the second region of the delay curve, and determining a corner capacitance representing a transition point from the first region to the second region.

Designers utilize computer aided engineering (CAE) systems when creating integrated circuits. CAE systems, in general, permit a designer to electronically construct and test a model circuit, without having to physically assemble the test circuit. The designer selects the type of component (also referred to as cells, devices, etc.) from a system library. The designer then places and connects the component with other components within the model circuit. The designer may then execute tests that simulate the operational characteristics of the model circuit. The designer may change the type of components used, the placement of the components, and the interconnection routing of the circuit in an attempt to optimize the operational characteristics of the integrated circuit. Thus, by using CAE, the designer may insure that the design criteria for the integrated circuit is met before the integrated circuit is physically manufactured.
The CAE's system library contains a list of components that may be selected by the designer. The library may contain a multitude of component types, for example, the library may contain inverters, transistors, multiplexers, latches, and flip-flops, among others. The library may also contain each component's characteristics or parameter information, for example, the operating voltage, resistance, capacitance, threshold voltage, and timing delay, among others. Additionally, the library may contain several components of a single type, each having different parameters. For example, the library may contain several inverters, each having a different timing delay characteristic, among others. Thus, a designer may choose from the library and substitute a component having different parameters to optimize the integrated circuit. The library may be updated by adding new components or changing the parameters of existing components.
One challenge related to creating or updating the library is determining the characteristics for a specific component. Prior art methods for determining a component's characteristics are very time consuming. In particular, prior art methods for determining the timing delay characteristics of a component use time-intensive iterative approaches. Furthermore, the iterative approaches must be completed for each component in the library because adequate scaling methods do not exist. For example, the delay curve of a component is usually non-linear due to the component's dependence on the edge ramp time of an input signal and the capacitive load. Because prior art scaling methods for overcoming the non-linearity of the delay curve do not exist, an iterative process must be used to characterize the timing delay of each component for various input edge ramp times and capacitive loads.
A need exists, therefore, for a method that simplifies the determination of a component's characteristics. In particular, a need exists for a method of characterizing a component having a reduced number of iterative steps. Additionally, a need exists for a method for determining the characteristics of components by scaling a pre-characterized component, without using an iterative process on each component.

Method of determining library parameters using timing surface planarity


Presented are passive-release, snap-fit coupling devices for attaching cargo to cargo suspension systems, methods for making/using such devices, and aircraft equipped with underbody suspension systems using passive-release, snap-fit coupling devices for securing payloads. An object mounting device is presented for securing an object, such as a cargo container, to a tether hook of a suspension system, such as an aircraft's payload suspension system. The object mounting device includes a base plate that affixes to the object, and a hook latch mounted onto the base plate. The hook latch includes a guide surface adjacent a catch cavity. The catch cavity releasably receives therein the tether hook. The guide surface is oriented at an oblique angle with respect to the base plate in order to slidably engage the tether hook, upon release from the catch cavity and under the force of gravity, to thereby eject the tether hook from the hook latch.

Fixed-wing aircraft, such as airplanes and gliders, achieve flight using wings that are immovably attached to the aircraft's airframe and generate aerodynamic lift through a positive angle of attack during forward travel through the air. The wing's airfoil cross-section deflects air downward as the aircraft is propelled forward; this produces a dynamic pressure-gradient on the wing that, in turn, lifts and buoys the airplane during flight. In contrast to conventional fixed-wing aircraft, vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft, as the name implies, are capable of vertical takeoffs and landings as well as intermittent hovering flight. The most recognizable example of VTOL aircraft is the helicopter, which is a rotary-wing aircraft (rotorcraft) with engine-driven rotor blades that provide lift and thrust to the aircraft. Tiltwing and tiltrotor aircraft are hybrid-type VTOL that incorporate features of both fixed-wing and rotary-wing vehicles for flight operations.
Many modern-day aircraft—be they fixed-wing, rotary-wing, or hybrids of the two—eliminate the need for an in-vehicle human pilot to operate the aircraft during flight. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), for example, is an aircraft without manual flight controls or a flight deck from which a pilot controls the aircraft. A UAV, or "drone" as it is colloquially known, may operate with various degrees of autonomy, ranging from predominantly manual control to fully autonomous control and therebetween in partially automated flight control architectures. Remote-piloted UAVs are part of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) that employs a resident computer control system that is wirelessly connected to a land-based ground control station for piloting the aircraft. Handheld UAVs are radio-controlled (RC) aircraft that are smaller than a bookcase and manually operated by a handheld controller. Commercial-class UAVs, in contrast, have built-in control and guidance systems to provision speed control, flight stabilization, and navigation functions.
Conventional aircraft and modern-day UAVs are frequently employed to transport a variety of different payloads to assorted destinations. Many VTOL aircraft, for example, are originally equipped with or retrofitted to include a payload suspension system for quickly and efficiently airlifting payloads. To accommodate such delivery operations, the payload or its container may be specifically designed to easily and safely attach to a drop-down tether cable of a drone's payload suspension system. Alternatively, the VTOL may employ a "universal" payload suspension system designed to accommodate containers of varying shapes and sizes. In either case, the payload container must be suspended in a manner that ensures secure attachment to avoid involuntary jettisoning of the payload, while at the same time minimizing inadvertent load movement and oscillation to ensure aircraft control and maneuverability during flight.

Passive-release, snap-fit coupling devices for suspended payload containers of aircrafts

Aurora Flight Sciences Corporation, a subsidiary of The Boeing Company


A set of criteria is acquired that defines a category of entities. The set of criteria is dynamically applied to identify an entity that meets the criteria. It is determined that the entity is registered as having control over at least a portion of a World-Wide Web address. The at least a portion of a World-Wide Web address is associated with the entity in a presentation that indicates that the entity belongs to the category of entities. In the presentation, a link may be included to a set of computer data about the entity. The set of computer data includes information other than information provided at a World-Wide Web site corresponding to the World-Wide Web address.

This application relates to dynamically categorizing entity information.
On the World-Wide Web ("Web"), services known as Internet or Web portals provide hierarchical directories of Web sites. The hierarchical directories include, in Web pages organized by categories, links to Web sites and home pages that are under the control of entities such as businesses. Typically, both the creation of the categories and the assignment of Web sites to the categories are performed with substantial human input, as are any changes to the categories and assignments. For example, after a medical category is created for medical entities such as hospitals, a human searches for hospitals that have Web sites and then assigns the Web sites to the medical category. In such a case, if the medical category is then broken up into multiple subcategories such as a small hospitals subcategory and a large hospitals subcategory, a human must reassign the hospital Web sites to the proper subcategories, by determining which hospitals qualify as small hospitals and large hospitals and reassigning each of the corresponding hospital Web sites accordingly.
Much of the information available on Web sites is organized into Web pages that can be retrieved and displayed by Web browser software under the direction of a user. Each of the Web pages is identifiable by a respective Uniform Resource Locator text string ("URL"), such as "http://www.isp321.com/frontpage.html", that the Web browser software can use to select the page. Each URL includes a domain name, such as "isp321.com", that identifies the Web site where the corresponding Web page is stored for retrieval by Web browser software. Each domain name is registered by an entity that controls the corresponding Web site and Web pages. A domain name registry organization maintains the domain name registration information, which may include name, address, and other information that allows the organization to bill the entity for payment for the maintenance. (It is to be understood that the term "registry", as used herein, also refers to a domain name registrar or any other entity that may provide assistance in registering a domain name.)
An Internet service provider ("ISP") is an example of an entity that may have a registered domain name for a Web site. Typically, an ISP has customers such as individuals or businesses for whom the ISP stores Web pages on the Web site for retrieval by Web browser software. For example, the ISP may have a customer Maple Street Plumbing for which the ISP stores a home Web page having a URL that includes a prefix "http://www.isp321.com/˜maplestplumb". A home Web page is typically the only or the primary entry point into a Web site or a set of Web pages that are under the control of an entity.
A Web portal is another example of an entity that may have a registered domain name. Typically, a Web portal site allows another entity to create a link from the Web portal site to the other entity's Web site or home page by submitting information to the Web portal site.
Some information about an entity may not be available on a Web site that is under the control of the entity. For example, public financial information about a company may be stored in a database that is not linked to the company's Web site or is not directly accessible by Web browser software, such as a database under the control of a financial services firm.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Dynamically categorizing entity information


A method for performing technical diagnostics of machines is carried our by means of a diagnostic system of machines that employs at least two sensors to be placed on the machines, wherein the sensors are selected from the group of vibration sensors, strain sensors, position sensors, and distance sensors, and wherein measured data is evaluated by an evaluation process comprising a step of pairing the measured data and a step of comparing processed data with model states.

During operation of machines, different forces can be applied which can cause significant deformations of machine parts. During operation, high vibration due to different processes during operation can occur. For this reason, it is advisable to use diagnostic systems to measure physical quantities acting on different parts of machines.
Systems utilizing different types of sensors as protective members are known in the art. The sensors measure only exceeding the limit value and thus do not allow diagnostics of the machines.
In addition, diagnostic systems using various types of sensors are known, with individual types of sensors being used to measure certain phenomena and the fault states resulting therefrom. However, this solution is inappropriate, since fault states can be detected incorrectly due to fault recognition only on the basis of data measured by one type of sensors.
It would therefore be advantageous to provide a diagnostic system, which would allow a sufficiently precise evaluation of the various fault states of parts of the machines, optionally tools of the machines or the product. At the same time, the solution should allow identification of various stages of the machine operation. Present solution should also allow identification of new, previously unknown, fault states and their storage in a set of model states.


The invention relates to a semiconductor laser device, including a semiconductor laser element, or a number of individual lasers mounted parallel to each other, with a number of output surfaces, from which laser light can escape, having a treater divergence in a first direction (Y) than in a second direction parallel to the above and at least one reflecting means, at a distance from the output surfaces, outside the semiconductor laser element or the individual laser, with at least one reflective surface which reflects at least a part of the laser light escaping from the semiconductor laser element or the individual lasers through the output surfaces back into the semiconductor laser element or the individual lasers, such that the mode spectrum of the semiconductor laser element or the individual lasers is influenced. The at least one reflective surface of the reflecting means has a concave curve.

This invention relates to a semiconductor laser device, a semiconductor laser element with at least one exit surface from which laser light can emerge, which in a first direction has greater divergence than in the second direction which is perpendicular to it, at least one reflection means which is located spaced apart from the exit surface outside of the semiconductor laser element, with a reflecting surface which can reflect back at least parts of the light which has emerged from the semiconductor laser element through the exit surface into the semiconductor laser element, such that the mode spectrum of the semiconductor laser element is influenced thereby, and a lens means which is located between the reflection means and the semiconductor laser element and which can at least partially reduce the divergence of the laser light at least in the first direction.
A semiconductor laser device of the aforementioned type is known from OPTICS LETTERS, 2002, Vol. 27, No. 3, page 167 to 169. In the semiconductor laser device described in it, a laser diode which is made as a so-called broad strip emitter is used as a semiconductor laser element. In these broad strip emitters, for example, there are exit surfaces for the laser light which have a width of roughly 100 microns and a height of roughly 1 micron. Over this width, within the internal resonator which is formed by the end surfaces of the laser diode, an entire series of different transverse modes of the laser light can be formed. At the same time, an entire series of longitudinal modes, i.e. different wavelengths of laser light, can also occur. In particular, the numerous different transverse modes adversely affect the beam quality of the laser beam emerging from this broad strip emitter. This laser radiation cannot be optimally focused. The longitudinal modes lead to spectral broadening which is not desirable for various applications.
In the aforementioned publication, an external resonator is proposed which has a highly reflecting planar mirror. Between the planar mirror and the exit surface of the semiconductor laser element, facing the external resonator on the one hand, there is a fast axis collimation lens and on the other hand, between the fast axis collimation lens and the planar mirror, there is a spherical convex lens. The fast axis collimation lens is used to collimate the light of the broad strip emitter which is much more dramatically divergent in the first direction. The spherical lens is used to focus the light which has been reflected back by the planar mirror such that it is imaged essentially back onto the exit surface. Furthermore, in the external resonator there is an aperture diaphragm. Both the aperture diaphragm and also the planar mirror are located outside the optical axis of the external resonator and outside of the normal or middle perpendicular on the exit surface. It is shown that for broad strip emitters the stronger modes generally emerge at a small angle to the normal on the exit surface from the latter. Through the aperture diaphragm which is positioned outside of the axis thus only portions of such a mode which emerges from the exit surface at an angle will be incident on the mirror and will be reflected by it through the aperture diaphragm and the spherical lens back onto the exit surface. Only light from one or more such modes is thus reflected back through the exit surface into the laser diode. In this way the laser diode can be caused to stimulate oscillations essentially on this mode so that the mode spectrum of the semiconductor laser element is reduced essentially to the transverse mode.
The laser light is decoupled from the external resonator, according to the aforementioned publication, by the component beams of the corresponding transverse mode which emerge from the exit surface at the oppositely identical angle being able to emerge from the semiconductor laser device past the aperture diaphragm and the planar mirror.
The disadvantage in the aforementioned arrangement is that there are a comparatively large number of different optical elements in the external resonator. Besides the fast axis collimation lens, they are the spherical lens, the aperture diaphragm, and the planar end mirror. Due to the many different optical elements which are provided in the external resonator, on the one hand imaging errors occur increasingly and on the other hand, large losses arise since these elements are located within the laser resonator. But in this way the attainable output power of such a semiconductor laser device is greatly limited. At the same time the output powers which can be achieved with such a semiconductor laser device can only be attained with high cost. In addition such a semiconductor laser device can only be calibrated with difficulty.
According to the existing art, an attempt is made to influence the mode spectrum of the semiconductor laser elements by structuring the active zone of the semiconductor laser element. This structuring can include changes of the refractive index in different directions, so that propagation of individual preferred transverse laser modes is preferred by these refractive indices which change in different directions. Furthermore it is possible, for example, by different degrees of doping, to act on the number of electron-hole pairs available for recombination so that at different locations of the active zone different amplifications of the laser light are possible. The two aforementioned methods for giving preference to individual transverse modes are associated with consideration production cost and likewise do not yield actually satisfactory beam quality or output power of the semiconductor laser device.
It is an object of this invention to devise a semiconductor laser which ensures comparatively high beam quality and high output power with simple means.
This is achieved as claimed in the invention by the features according to claims 1 or 6.

Hentze-Lissotschenko Patentverwaltungs GmbH & Co. KG


A blowout preventer (10) is provided for use in a hydrocarbon recovery operation to prevent a well blowout. The BOP body (20) has a central passageway (22),therein for receiving an oilfield tubular T. First and second radially opposing doors (16) and (18) are provided for sealing engagement with the corresponding side face (15) on the BOP body. First and second ram assemblies (12, 14) are each supported on a respective door and may be pressure energized for driving first aid second ram blocks (24) into engagement with the oilfield tubular. A door connector (60, 90, 110, 140, 160 and 180) is provided for securing each door to the BOP body. Each door connector includes an upper connector bar and a lower connector bar (62, 64, 92, 94, 112, 114, 142, 144, 146, 148, 160 and 180) each having a bar axis generally perpendicular to the BOP body central axis. Each upper and lower connector bar is movable with respect to the BOP body from a locked position for locking the door into sealing engagement with the BOP body to an unlocked position for structurally releasing the door from the BOP body, such that the door may be disengaged from the BOP body for servicing the ram blocks. A significant feature of the present invention is the reduced time required to service the BOP ram blocks. The axial height of the BOP is desirably reduced by providing the upper and lower connector bars.

BOPs have long been used in hydrocarbon recovery operations for preventing well blowouts. A BOP body has a central passageway therein for receiving an oilfield tubular. Radially opposing ram assemblies each mounted on a door are simultaneously actuated by hydraulic pressure to drive corresponding ram blocks into sealing engagement with the oilfield tubular during a well blowout condition, thereby reliably sealing the annulus between the BOP body and the oilfield tubular and preventing a hazardous well blowout condition.
Each BOP ram assembly is supported on a door which sealingly mates with a planar surface of the BOP body. The BOP door is secured to the body by a plurality of large bolts circumferentially spaced about the ram axis. During BOP service operations, the bolts are removed and the door may be structurally disconnected from the BOP body, thereby exposing the ram block for repair or replacement. BOP doors may be mounted on the BOP body by a hinge, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,253,638 and 5,255,890, so that the BOP body supports the opened door during the service operation. Alternatively, the disconnected BOP doors may each be supported on a pair of rails extending from the BOP body.
Very high well blowout pressures may exist in the central passageway in the BOP body, and the doors must be sealed to the BOP body to prevent leakage of wellbore pressure. Some prior art BOPs rely upon the mechanical pressure applied by the door securing bolts to exert the force required to compress a seal between the door and the BOP body. High wellbore pressure exerts a tensile force on the door securing bolts since the door is forced by the wellbore pressure radially away from the BOP body, thereby creating a slight gap between the door and the BOP body which reduces the effectiveness of the seal. Other BOPs employ a fluid pressure responsive seal, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,156,475, 4,566,372 and 4,787,654, so that the sealing force is directly related to the wellbore fluid pressure. When using this type of seal between the door and the BOP body, the sealing force thus increases with increased wellbore pressure. When using a pressure responsive seal, tensile force on the bolts still result in a slight gap created between the door and the BOP body when the BOP is subjected to high wellbore pressure, although this gap does not adversely affect the sealing effectiveness since the seal stays engaged with the body as the door moves, i.e., when the door bows, the seal stays flat on the BOP body. The gap between the door and BOP body must be regulated, however, and most importantly the securing bolts must be sized for ensuring that the door does not structurally separate from the BOP body during a high pressure blowout condition.
Those skilled in BOP operations recognize that regular service of the BOP is required to ensure its high reliability. In recent years, BOPs are increasingly used to seal high wellbore fluid pressures, and wellbore fluids are more commonly caustic, contain high water content, or are otherwise deleterious to the life of the ram block seals. Accordingly, the BOP door frequently must be separated from the BOP body to expose and service the ram block seals. The operation of separating the door from the BOP body is no easy task, and frequently requires special tooling sized to accommodate the large diameter bolts. After servicing the ram block seals, the door is reattached to the BOP body by rethreading each of the securing bolts mounted about the periphery of the ram axis. Special torque wrenches are required to ensure that the required torque is applied to each of the circumferentially spaced bolts. The operation of removing a door from the BOP body and reattaching the door after the ram block service operation may require several eight-hour shifts by skilled technicians. Those skilled in hydrocarbon drilling operations recognize that labor costs involved in servicing the BOP ram block seals is nominal compared to the effective cost of the rig down-time during this service operation, since millions of dollars of drilling related equipment may be idle during the BOP service operation.
Another problem with BOPs relates to the increasing axial height required by improved BOPs. Various BOPs have been designed which have advantages over prior art BOPs, but the improved design requires a larger axial spacing between the end faces or flanges of the BOP which each mate with conventional equipment used on a well drilling site. In many applications, the increased axial height required for an improved BOP is not possible or is highly undesirable in view of other parameters involved in equipment effecting the drilling operation. Accordingly, BOPs which provide improvements over the prior art but which result in increased axial length of the BOP body are frequently not widely received in the hydrocarbon recovery industry.
The disadvantages of the prior art are overcome by the present invention, and an improved blowout preventer for use in the hydrocarbon recovery operations is hereinafter disclosed. The blowout preventer of the present invention does not increase the axial height of the BOP, and instead desirably decreases the BOP axial height compared to prior art BOPs. Most importantly, the BOP provides a mechanism for easily and quickly disconnecting the BOP doors from the body during ram block service operations, while still providing a reliable seal between the BOP body and the doors during well blowout conditions.


A digital copying machine is provided with a control section which, based upon function information and an instruction from an operation panel requesting that desired image process be carried out on image information, selects a digital copying machine and a host computer that are capable of carrying out the desired image process, successively transfers the image information to the respective processing sections of the digital copying machine and the host computer for each image process, and supplies the finally processed image information, which has been returned thereto, to a laser printer section. Further, upon receipt of an instruction from the operation panel requesting that a plurality of image processes be carried out on image information by using a digital copying machine and a host computer in a combined manner, the control section also makes a decision as to which image process should be preferentially carried out, and gives the resulting instruction. Thus, in the case when desired image processes are carried out by using the digital copying machine and the host computer in a combined manner, it is possible to shorten the transfer time, and to operate both of the apparatuses efficiently. As a result, it becomes possible to provide an image-forming system that produces a desired visual image in a short time.

Presently, image-forming apparatuses, such as, for example, digital copying machines, are introduced into the market. In the digital copying machines, a document image is copied as follows: First, the image-reading section reads the document image. Then, the image-processing section carries out specified image-processing on the read document image. Thereafter, the recording section printouts image information which has been subject to the image processing. Therefore, in the digital copying machine of this type, an image is copied onto a sheet of paper by using only the image-processing functions that are provided in the particular digital copying machine.
Here, in recent years, it has been proposed that a plurality of image-recording apparatuses or other apparatuses be organized into a network. For example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication 116834/1978 Tokukaishou 53-116834) discloses an arrangement wherein a plurality of image-reading apparatuses and a plurality of image-recording apparatuses are connected through a control section.
In such an arrangement, an original image that has been read by any of the image-reading apparatuses is printed by any of the image-recording apparatuses. This arrangement makes it possible to shorten the stand-by time of the image-recording apparatus that is caused by processes, such as an exchanging process of originals in the image-reading apparatuses.
Moreover, Japanese Examined Patent Publication 36592/1995 (Tokukouhei 7-36592) discloses an image-forming system wherein a plurality of copying machines, each having an image-reading section and an image-recording section, are connected to a control device. In this image-forming system, an image signal that is to be recorded is supplied to the copying machines in a distributed manner in accordance with a document copying mode that has been set, and copying operations are carried out by the copying machines in parallel with one another.
However, the conventional image-forming systems have the following problems.
Presently, various image-processing functions in the digital copying machine are dependent upon software. Here, with the recent remarkable developments of the software, the image-processing functions have been highly improved in a very short period, and new copying machines having additional unprecedented functions have been newly introduced into the market. Consequently, even when a digital copying machine having desired image-processing functions is purchased, the digital copying machine, which has the highest image-processing functions at the time of the purchase, will soon become outdated with relatively low functions in a short period.
In this case, it is impossible for the purchased digital copying machine to obtain functions higher than those originally provided in the digital copying machine. In the case when higher functions or newer functions are required, it is inevitable that a new copying machine has to be purchased to replace the older one. This tends to impose a big burden on users on an economic basis, and also to present an inherent problem for makers that try to provide consumers with new merchandise.
In order to solve these problems, an image-forming system in which, for example, the following processes are carried out has been proposed; this system will eliminate the need for the purchase of a new machine, and will provide an optimal system. In other words, any of the copying machines reads a document image, and the read document image is subject to image processing by another copying machine. In this case, processed image information, obtained from the copying machine that has carried out the image processing, is again returned to the copying machine or other device which read the document image. Then the copying machine in question printouts the processed image information.
In contrast, the aforementioned prior art system has a problem in that, although the copying machine which has carried out image processing can printouts the processed image information, the copying machine or other device which read the document image cannot printout the processed image information returned again thereto.
Moreover, when desired image processing is carried out by the current machine, the amount of processed image information sometimes becomes larger than that of the image information before the image processing. Therefore, in the case when image information is transferred to a plurality of machines, and image processing is carried out by using those machines in a combined manner, if image processing is carried out indiscriminately in the current machine, it sometimes takes a lot of time to transfer the image information. Furthermore, since the respective machines have their own degrees of image-processing performances, if image information is transferred to a certain machine indiscriminately, the image processing rather tends to take longer. The resulting problem is an inefficiency of the entire image-forming system.


Described are compositions, containing a. compounds selected from (i.) hydrogenated and/or non-hydrogenated, ethoxylated and/or propoxylated triglycerides of ricinoleic acid having degree of ethoxylation and/or propoxylation of ≧20, (ii.) addition products of 2-50 mol ethylene oxide on sorbitan monoesters and/or diesters of saturated or unsaturated fatty acids having 6-22 carbon atoms, and (iii.) addition products of 2-50 mol ethylene oxide and 1-20 mol propylene oxide on alpha olefin epoxides having 8-22 carbon atoms and ring-opened with polyols, b. ethoxylated and/or propoxylated glycerol fatty acid monoester and/or diester having degree of ethoxylation of <20, c. polyol selected from glycerol, diglycerol, trigylcerol, tetraglycerol, alkylene glycols and polyalkylene glycols, d. glycerol fatty acid monoester of general formula (I), where R1 is saturated or unsaturated, branched or linear group having 9-19 carbon atoms, and e. ≦20 wt % water. Further described is use of said compositions, and substrates treated with the composition.

In the field of skin and hair care and cleansing, wet and dry papers or wipes are becoming more and more important. The term "wipes" here includes a very wide variety of substrates such as, for example, nonwovens, tissues and papers.
The generic term "paper or wipe" is understood to cover ca. 3000 different types and articles, some of which can differ considerably in their fields of application and their nature. For their production, a series of additives is required, of which fillers (e.g. chalk or kaolin) and binders (e.g. starch) count among the most important. For the field of tissue and hygiene papers and wipes which are brought into relatively close contact with the human skin, there is a particular need for a pleasant soft feel, which is usually imparted to the paper through careful selection of the fiber materials and in particular a high proportion of fresh groundwood pulp or cellulose.
These papers or wipes can be treated with a very wide variety of impregnation solutions which give the particular paper or wipe its care and/or cleansing properties.
Thus, e.g. DE 10 2005 006 299 A1 describes emulsifier concentrates and their use.