The invention relates to a holding ring for a blow mould for locking and fixing a plastics material pre-form, with a support face for supporting a collar of the plastics material pre-form and a receiving cavity extending at a right angle to a main extension plane of the support face for receiving a neck region of the plastics material pre-form, wherein the receiving cavity is widened radially outwards in a conical manner at least locally in the cross-sectional area thereof starting from the support face along a longitudinal direction (L) of the plastics material pre-form.

The present invention relates to a holding ring for a blow mould for locking and/or fixing a plastics material pre-form with a support face for supporting a collar of the plastics material pre-form and a receiving cavity extending at a right angle to a main extension plane of the support face for receiving a neck region of the plastics material pre-form.
In particular, in the field of the beverage industry, plastic bottles have also been used as well as glass bottles for a considerable time already for the beverages to be poured in. In the production of these plastic bottles it is known to heat a plastics material blank, to supply it to a blow mould and then to blow it to its final size. To this end, use is generally made of blow moulds which are closed on their periphery around the blank to be blowed up and which are then supplied with compressed air through their opening.
In this case the aperture of the prospective bottle is already produced in the blank and it is preferably not treated further. For the actual blow moulding process a peripheral edge or collar of the blank rests upon a peripheral edge of the blow mould, so as to prevent the blank from falling into the interior of the blow mould.
In other words, as soon as a blow mould of this type is closed, the blank, i.e. the so-called pre-form, rests on the support face of the holding ring directly before the stretch blow moulding process.
In the shaping of the plastics material pre-form into the bottle, in particular two regions of the plastics material pre-form play a decisive role during the blow moulding procedure. On the one hand, a first region above the carrying ring is essential since this region may not change or scarcely change if possible. On the other hand, a second region below the holding ring should be defined which, starting from a "test-tube-shaped" body shape of the plastics material pre-form has to be reshaped into the bottle shape. During the blow moulding process an inner face of the plastics material pre-form is increased by a multiple, for example by a factor of twenty. At the same time a wall thickness decreases accordingly, for example by the same factor. This does not, however, take place to the same degree at all points on the plastics material pre-form. The region directly below the holding ring, i.e. below the collar, undergoes these stresses to the shortest degree. At this transition region a mouldability may occur which can be controlled only with difficulty and which increases (relax process without cooling of the neck plate) or reduces (normal re-shrinkage and optionally further components) a start of a bottle neck, for example in diameter in part.
Holding rings from the prior art for a blow mould, which are used for example during a blow moulding process, have the drawback, however, that a starting region of a neck directly below the collar of the plastics material pre-form changes in an undesired manner for example away from the collar in the direction of a longitudinal axis of the plastics material pre-form and undesired thickened portions of material can occur for example, as a result of which available neck handling systems cannot reliably convey the plastics material pre-forms or containers formed from them. In addition, an undesired higher weight of the plastics material pre-form can occur.
The object of the present invention is therefore to eliminate or at least to reduce the risk of undesired thickened portions of material in the neck region of a plastics material pre-form and at the same time to improve the manipulation of the plastics material pre-forms during and after the blow moulding.

Holding ring for a blow mould for locking and fixing a plastics material pre-form


A declined conveyor for conveying articles in a downstream direction, which is parallel to a longitudinal direction, has one or more controlled conveyor sections interposed between gravity conveyors. Each controlled conveyor includes a plurality of driven rollers which are driven by a drive member disposed generally parallel to the longitudinal direction, and is operatively connected to a plurality of the driven rollers through O belts.

Declined conveyors are well known. They are used in many different applications, such as to convey packages to loading bays for loading onto trucks. Declined conveyors may be powered conveyors, such as declined belt conveyors. Declined conveyors may be non-powered, such as gravity conveyors comprising skate wheels or rollers which are free to rotate. Gravity conveyors can function to accumulate packages, eliminating the need for a separate accumulation conveyor. While gravity conveyors are less expensive than powered declined conveyors, their free flowing nature presents flow control problems that can result in impacts between packages thereby interrupting flow, causing jams, misorienting packages, causing package damage or other interruptions to product flow.
The pitch of a gravity conveyor must be great enough for light weight packages to spin the rollers, as is necessary to continue traveling down the conveyor, yet small enough to minimize heavy cartons from gaining too much momentum and crashing into other packages. A gravity conveyor may lack sufficient control to avoid overfeeding the conveyor which carries packages from the lower end of the gravity conveyor.
In order for an initial package to continue traveling down a gravity conveyor, it must overcome the inertia of each roller or wheel it contacts and start it spinning, which removes energy from the package, slowing it down. If a trailing package is following closely enough, the rollers or wheels may still be spinning, so the trailing package does not have to start the rollers or wheels, and thus its speed does not decrease as much as the first package (and may actually increase). Depending on spacing, subsequent packages may be accelerated by the spinning rollers or wheels, and impact the leading packages.
It is known to provide spaced apart, constant speed driven rollers as part of the conveying surface, generally perpendicular to the direction of package travel, acting as a brake. However, while relatively inexpensive, such a configuration often does not provide enough control.
It is also known to provide brakes to stop a group of rollers from spinning. Such brakes typically act on the lower surface of the rollers. However, light packages which are stopped thereby may have difficulty restarting.
The present invention represents an economical solution to controlling package flow down declined conveyors.


A communication method for embedding a meta-carrier under an original carrier signal with reduced or minimal original carrier signal degradation, the method comprising transmitting an original carrier signal by a transmitter, forming a meta-carrier signal separate from the original carrier signal that contains meta-data about the original carrier signal including one or more characteristics of the original carrier signal configured for use by a receiving device to establish one or more parameters of a receiving device to receive the original carrier signal at the receiving device, and transmitting the meta-carrier signal by the transmitter separate from the original carrier signal such that the meta-carrier signal occupies at least a portion of a bandwidth of the original carrier signal.

1. Technical Field
Aspects of this document relate generally to telecommunication systems and techniques for transmitting data across a telecommunication channel.
2. Background Art
Since the introduction of electromagnetic (EM) transmission, a recurring problem that continues to challenge the industry is rogue or improperly configured transmitted carriers also known as interferers. The interfering carrier may be caused by failed equipment that results in the transmission equipment transmitting or sweeping the wrong spectral location or locations. Under these circumstances, the carrier is known as a "rogue carrier." A second type of interferer is known as an improperly configured carrier and is primarily due to human error this includes both improper carrier characteristics and antenna pointing errors. In many situations, the rogue or improperly configured carrier results in service disruption due to interference with a carrier assigned to operate in the same occupied bandwidth.
A system of providing identification and location of a rogue carrier or improperly configured carrier includes adequate information for identifying and locating the source of the carriers. This information is referred to as meta-data. A meta-carrier is a method for the transmission of meta-data.

Embedded meta-carrier with spread spectrum via overlaid carriers


A protective shield for elongated underground utilities such as an elongated underground utility strand or pipe is disclosed. The protective shield includes a foldable elongated flexible sheet of shock absorbing material adapted to both overlie and underlie the elongated underground utilities. The foldable elongated flexible sheet of shock absorbing material includes at least one longitudinally extending fold line that extends in the same direction as the elongated underground utilities and may be transversely offset from a longitudinal midpoint of the foldable elongated flexible sheet of shock absorbing material. In some instances, the foldable elongated flexible sheet of shock absorbing material may include two longitudinally extending fold lines that are transversely offset on each side of a longitudinal midpoint area of the foldable elongated flexible sheet of shock absorbing material. The foldable elongated flexible sheet includes an upper overlying panel and a lower underlying panel such that end marginal areas of the upper overlying panel and lower underlying panel are juxtaposed one another when protecting the elongated underground utilities. The foldable elongated flexible sheet preferably comprises a flexible porous filamentary mat to enable moisture to be dissipated from around elongated underground utilities while also permitting cathodic testing therethrough.

This invention relates to a protective shield for elongated underground utilities such as an elongated underground utility strand or pipe (i.e. steel pipe, plastic pipe, electric conduit, fiber optic cables and other elongated underground utility strands or pipes). The protective shield protects the elongated underground utilities as they are being laid in a trench, during subsequent back-filling of the trench and covering of the elongated underground utilities, and during prolonged use under a variety of conditions and exposures.
It will be appreciated that care must be taken to avoid damaging elongated underground utilities during the laying of same in trenches. Some elongated underground utilities may be subject to corrosion, scratches, marring or impact while other damage may be due to certain ground conditions and exposures.
Because steel pipe is subject to corrosion, it is usually coated with a plastic material during its manufacture as well as having individual welds coated in the field so as to prevent corrosion. While plastic pipes are not subject to corrosion, they are subject to scratches, marring or impact during the laying of the pipe in a trench, as well as during subsequent back-filling of the trench and covering the pipe. Electrical conduit and fiber optic cable are also subject to damage due to marring or impact during the covering and back-filling of same in a trench. Prolonged use of elongated ground utilities can also result in damage under certain conditions and exposures. For example, in the laying of plastic gas transmission pipe on a rock bed in a trench and the subsequent back-filling over the plastic gas transmission pipe with more gravel and dirt on top of the plastic gas transmission pipe, damage to the pipe may occur when vehicular traffic drives over the back-filled trench a number of times. This can lead to bursting of the pipe and explosions creating significant health risk to humans.
As explained in U.S. Pat. No. 5,099,889, the prior art has developed many ways in which to protect and cover such underground utilities including the use of sand, sand bags, foam plastic pads and poured-in-place foam plastic product. In order to overcome the difficulties and expenses in applying such aforementioned techniques, the external pipe protector of U.S. Pat. No. 5,099,889 was developed. The invention of this aforementioned patent includes an elongated flexible sheet of shock absorbing material that was enabled to be quickly and conveniently wrapped about and fastened in an encircling relationship to an elongated length of pipe. The flexible sheet of shock absorbing material was disclosed as being preferably constructed as a flexible porous mat in order to enable moisture to be dissipated from around the elongated length of pipe, while further permitting cathodic testing of same for crack and rust deposits, by enabling a charged electrical rod to be inserted through the open construction of the flexible porous mat.
While the technique disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,099,889 overcomes many of the problems of the prior art, it nonetheless has been difficult and somewhat labor intensive to wrap the flexible sheet of shock absorbing material around an elongated length of pipe. As will be appreciated, significant manual labor is required in wrapping the flexible sheet of shock absorbing material around the length of pipe and securing same in position to avoid damage to the elongated length of pipe. As a result, there has been a long felt need in the art for an even simpler and less expensive system for quickly and easily applying an effective protective shield, while at the same time minimizing labor costs.

Protective shield for elongated underground utilities


A slit coater including buffer members having elasticity and installed at both sides of a slit nozzle unit, compensating for a height difference between both sides, preventing breakdown due to excessive stress generated by the height, and reducing set-up time. The slit coater includes: a table on which an object to be processed is mounted; a slit nozzle unit formed above the table for applying coating solution onto the object; a driving unit moving the slit nozzle unit in a predetermined direction; and buffer members having elasticity installed at both sides of the slit nozzle unit.

When a flat panel display device or a semiconductor device is fabricated, a process for depositing a thin film, a photolithography process for exposing a region selected in the thin film, and an etching process for removing the thin film of the selected region are performed several times. Particularly, the photolithography process includes a coating process for forming a photosensitive film of photosensitive solution such as a photoresist on a substrate or a wafer, and an exposing and developing process for patterning the photosensitive film by using a mask with a predetermined pattern.
In general, a spray coating method, a roll coating method, a spin coating method, or the like, is used in the coating process for forming a photosensitive film on a substrate and a wafer.
Because the spray coating method and the roll coating method are not suitable to achieve high precision in the uniformity of a coating film and the adjustment of a thickness of the film, the spin coating method is used for high-precision pattern formation.
A spin coater used in the spin coating method will now be described in detail with reference to accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a sectional view which illustrates the structure of a general spin coater.
As shown, the spin coater includes a spin chuck 5 that is connected to a rotating shaft 6. A cover 7 surrounds the spin chuck 5 and may be opened and closed. A nozzle 4 is placed above the spin chuck 5 and moves into the cover 7 when the cover 7 is opened.
An object 10 to be processed and coated with a photosensitive film is mounted on the spin chuck 5, and a drain valve (not shown) for discharging photosensitive solution, such as photoresist, to the outside is installed at a lower portion of the cover 7.
In order to form a coating film on the predetermined object 10, first, the nozzle 4 of the spin coater having the aforementioned structure is lowered and sprays photosensitive solution onto a surface of the object 10, which has been placed on the spin chuck 5.
When the photosensitive solution is sprayed onto the object 10, the cover 7 is hermetically closed, a motor (M) is rotated, and the rotating shaft 6 connected thereto is rotated, thereby rotating the spin chuck 5 with the object 10 a certain number of times.
When the spin chuck 5 is rotated, the photosensitive solution on the surface of the object 10 is spread out by a centrifugal force, thereby applying the photosensitive solution over an entire surface of the object 10.
After the photosensitive solution is applied over the entire surface of the object 10, the applied photosensitive solution is hardened. Then, a predetermined pattern is formed on the surface of the object 10 through exposure and development using a photo mask or the like.
Although the spin coating method using the spin coater is suitable to coat a small object such as a wafer with a photosensitive film, it is not suitable to coat a large and heavy substrate, such as a flat panel display device having a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display panel with a photosensitive film.
This is because it gets harder to rotate a substrate at a high speed as the substrate gets larger and heavier. Further, damage to the substrate can occur and a lot of energy is consumed when the substrate is rotated at a high speed.
Also, the spin coating method is disadvantageous in that a large amount of photosensitive solution is wasted in comparison with the amount of photosensitive solution used in the photolithography process. In particular, a considerable amount of photosensitive solution is dispersed outside the spin chuck at the time of high-speed rotation, and is wasted. Substantially, the amount of wasted solution is much larger than the amount of solution used for coating, and the dispersed photosensitive solution may form particles that contaminate following thin film forming processes. The particles can also cause environmental pollution.


An adjustable fastening mechanism generally including an adjustable clasp and a cord. The adjustable clasp has an inlet end, a fastener end, and a center core therebetween. In the preferred embodiment the adjustable clasp has an inlet and a radial port which are connected by a conduit. The inlet end of the adjustable clasp is narrower than the fastener end of the adjustable clasp. A helical groove is provided on the exterior of the adjustable clasp and extends from the radial port to an exterior bore near the fastener end of the adjustable clasp. The exterior bore extends through the solid center core of the adjustable clasp and is substantially perpendicular to the center axis of the adjustable clasp and helical groove.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of cords or cables. More specifically, the present invention comprises a cord construction, a cord termination, and an adjustable clasp which can be used to attach a cord to another device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various fastening mechanisms are known for attaching cords or cables to devices (Throughout this disclosure, the terms "cord" and "cable" are considered synonymous). Fastening mechanisms are particularly important when the cord supports a tensile load. Most fastening mechanisms are not adjustable and do not allow the user to easily vary the length of the cord. These fastening mechanisms are typically semi-permanent. Often the user can shorten the length of the cord by cutting the cord next to the fastener and reattaching the same fastener or a different fastener to the shortened cord. It is generally inadvisable if not impossible to lengthen the cord because conventional fastening mechanisms damage the portion of the cord at the location where the fastener is attached.
One example of applications where it is useful to have an adjustable fastening means is control cable applications. For purposes of illustration, a bicycle control cable, such as a control cable used for braking or shifting, will be considered. A complete control cable consists of the tensile carrying cable itself, a first terminating device on one end, and a second terminating device on the other end. Because the length of such cables often need to be adjusted, at least one of the two terminating devices will normally include an adjustment feature.
Bicycle control cables are typically composed of an inner steel cable which is wrapped in a protective and supportive outer sheath. Various fastening and actuating devices are customarily attached to the opposite ends of the inner steel cable. These can include combinations of crimps, ferrules, donuts, caps and other hardware. Such fastening devices are used to connect the inner steel cable to a braking handle (or shifting lever) on one end and to the braking mechanism (or shifting mechanism) on the other end. Generally, some piece of hardware is crimped on to both ends of the inner steel cable so that the cable can be fastened to these other devices.
Crimping is a semi-permanent method of attaching hardware to the inner steel cord. To remove the hardware, the steel inner cord must generally be cut beneath the crimp. If the user attaches the hardware too short to reach the device it is designed to actuate or if the user moves the actuating mechanism further from the device that is actuated, the user will often have to replace the control cable. Accordingly it would be desirable to have an adjustable fastening mechanism that can be attached without damaging the cord.
In recent years the traditional steel cable has been replaced by advanced synthetic fibers. These fibers, when compared to steel, are much smaller and slicker. Crimping does not work well for synthetics, since the crimping force required to grip such a slick surface will often damage the fibers. Synthetic fibers also have very little compressive stiffness. This fact means that a bundle of such fibers will tend to be loosely organized. It will not maintain a circular cross section when passed around a bend but will flatten instead—producing uneven load distribution across the cable's cross section. An integrated cable, termination, and clasp system should ideally take into consideration the new design constraints imposed by the growing use of synthetic fibers.

Cord termination and adjustable clasping mechanism


Embodiments of a leveler that may be controlled by a computer are provided. The leveler may include a top frame that has at least a first set of rolls mounted thereon. The top frame includes a plurality of operatively associated ball screw assemblies that enable movement of the top frame with respect to a bottom frame of the leveler. The bottom frame has at least a second set of rolls mounted thereon. The leveler may further include at least one motor operatively associated with the plurality of ball screw assemblies. The motor is designed to drive the plurality of ball screw assemblies to move the top frame. The motor may also have at least one operatively associated encoder configured for monitoring or communicating data associated with rotation of the ball screw assemblies. The leveler may also include at least one position transmitter configured for monitoring a position of at least a portion of the top frame relative to a position of at least a portion of the bottom frame.

There are many industries that utilize flat rolled products in their manufacturing processes. Some of the key industries include consumer goods manufacturers, automotive manufacturers, residential and commercial building product suppliers, and machine manufacturers. These industries depend on roller levelers to produce quality parts that can help them reduce production costs, reduce assembly time and eliminate costly secondary processing requirements. To meet customer expectations, businesses that offer material processing equipment must provide machines that can produce uniform and accurately dimensioned products on a consistent basis.
There are a variety of shape defects that may arise in flat rolled metal materials. Mill induced defects in metal materials can include, for example, wavy edges, center buckles, quarter buckles, crossbow, and coil set. Such shape defects may be caused by misaligned rolls or other substandard equipment or manufacturing processes that can be found in an array of processing lines. Regrettably, material related shape problems result in inefficient operations at downstream processing plants, and material variability or inconsistency can cause production delays, customer dissatisfaction, and many other problems and potential costs. Unfortunately, conventional leveler machines generally suffer from lack of precision in their performance to attempt to correct these material defects. Such conventional machines also typically rely too heavily or unreasonably on the know-how of operators to produce a quality product.
In view of the problems described above, more effective and efficient systems and processes are needed that can address the deficiencies of conventional procedures for processing metal materials.


An optical data storage device having at least two removable rotatable disks and at least one actuator assembly for writing data onto each side of the disks and reading the data recorded on each side of the disks is provided. The disks are rotated by a dual stator/dual rotor spindle motor. The actuators are driven by a dual coil/dual moving magnet actuator.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a multiple positioner data storage device and, more particularly, the invention relates to a multiple positioner data storage device having fixed and/or removable media with single positioner and multiple positioners per media side.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, a disk drive is used as an auxiliary memory device in a computer. The disk drive includes at least one disk which is rotated at a high speed by a spindle motor, and a single actuator arm assembly which rotates in response to a voice coil motor about a pivot point for moving a magnetic head on an actuator arm that writes data onto the tracks of the disk and reads the data recorded on the tracks of the disk. The magnetic head is located on a leading end of a head gimbals, which typically moves along both sides of the disk, wherein the magnetic head is influenced by an airflow generated on a surface of the disk as the disk rotates at a high speed to maintain a minute gap between the magnetic head on the actuator arm and the disk.
The elements of the disk drive are typically positioned within a base plate housing covered by a top plate. Both the actuator arm assembly and the spindle motor are attached to the base plate housing. Furthermore, in an attempt to seal the interior of the disk drive from foreign material and other debris, a gasket is positioned between the base plate and the housing. Due to the necessity of maintaining the disks in a "clean environment", the disks in a disk drive are not removable from the disk drive by a consumer without damaging data.
Conventional rewritable DVD's are typically removable. At present, the conventional rewritable DVD's and rewritable magneto optical disks are typically single sided and, at the present time, to utilize all rewritable optical disks as fixed disks, the dual sided, fixed disks are generated by bonding two single sided disks together forming the dual sided, fixed disks.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a multiple positioner data storage device using multiple positioners. Additionally, a need exists for a multiple positioner data storage device having a fixed disk drive and removable media combined.


A method is disclosed for controlling a plurality of host processors from either a single remote workstation or a plurality of remote workstations. The user interface and level of control at the remote workstation is identical to that which is available at the host processor operations console. Operator alerts appearing at the operations console are forwarded to the remote workstation for notifying the remote operator of alert conditions occurring at the operations console. A computer serving as the operation console for the host processor is coupled to a communications network. Upon operator initiation, a workstation, also connected to the network, sends a message to the console requesting that a console window be started. After the console window is started on the workstation, the operations console duplicates its user interface at the remote workstation and the host processor connected to the console can be controlled from the workstation. This operation can be repeated for multiple host processors.

Digital data processing systems, hereinafter referred to as "Host Processors", have historically required operator control for the day to day operations of the host processor. Prior art operator/Host Processor interfaces have included an Operation Console directly coupled to the Host Processor. A typical Operation Console included a keyboard for entry of control commands, a plurality of selector switches, one or more banks of indicator lamps, and a CRT display for providing system status information to the operator.
In particular, the Operation Console is the means through which an operator can enter commands to the Host Processor's operating system, and monitor messages coming from the operating system and from other lower level Host Processor control software, thereby controlling the Host Processor. Specifically, the operator can gather information about a host and undertake a number of tasks, some of which are listed in Table 1.
______________________________________ 1. Boot/Start 2. Configure 3. Restart 4. Job Scheduling 5. Job Salvaging 6. Resource Management Disk Drives Tape Drives Memory Instruction Processors 7. User Management 8. File Management 9. React to Exception Conditions and Alarms ______________________________________
Along with the increase in processing capacity of Host Processors has come the increase in operating complexity. With the increase in operational complexity has come the increasing cost of operation. Recognizing the problem of increased cost of operation of Host Processors, those in the industry have set forth various strategies to attack this problem. Three of the various strategies include: 1) easy to use operator interfaces 2) operation automation; and 3) operation centralization.
One implementation of the easy to use operator interface strategy is the commercially available SHIELD Friendly Console for 2200 Series Host Processors sold by the assignee of the present invention. The SHIELD Friendly Console can be used in place of the traditional Operation Console described earlier. The SHIELD Friendly Console consists of software running on a personal computer which provides enhanced display of output messages, a menu driven interface for the generation of input commands to the Host Processor, and context sensitive help. The combination of capabilities provided by the SHIELD Friendly Console helps to make the operation of a complex Host Processor less than an ordeal.
A solution to automate the operation of Host Processors is currently marketed by the assignee of the present invention. Operation automation of 2200 Series Host Processors can be obtained by using the Unisys Smart Console. When combined with the SHIELD Friendly Console, the Smart Console replaces the traditional Operation Console described earlier. The Smart Console consists of software running on a personal computer which is capable of automatically generating commands to the Host Processor and responding to requests for operator input from the Host Processor.
A limited capability for operation centralization has been developed and sold by the assignee of the present invention. This capability consists of hardware and software added to the aforementioned SHIELD Friendly/Smart Console combination which: 1) provides a communications network interface for the Console, and 2) provides a message passing service between software on the Console and software on another computer (e.g. a Workstation) which is coupled to the same communication network to which the Console is coupled.
Centralized operation can be accomplished by coupling a plurality of Operation Consoles to a common communication network and developing a program for the Workstation to establish and maintain a software coupling with a plurality of Consoles. Once the Workstation program has established software connections with the Consoles, another program would provide an operator interface for sending input commands to the respective Consoles and ultimately the respective Host Processors, and receiving messages from the respective Consoles.
While this method of centralized operation brought Console operation of a plurality of Host Processors to a single location, it came at the expense of losing the easy to use operator interface available in the SHIELD Friendly Console. Without reducing the operational complexity of Host Processors through an easy to use interface, the potential number of Host Processors which can be effectively operated at a central location is limited.
In addition to loss of the easy to use interface, the prior art method for centrally operating Host Processors did not provide all functionality available on the Console at the Workstation. This is owed to the fact that the prior art method was based on a message passing scheme. In order to make all Console operational capabilities available at the Workstation, each Console application program would be required to be programmed to handle the message passing interface.
Coupled with the previous two limitations, is the loss of the Console alarm capability in the prior art centralized operations approach. Upon detection of an alarm condition, the prior art Console would notify the local operator through visual cues on the Console Video Display Terminal and audio cues output through a speaker on the Console. With the prior art centralized operations implementation, these visual and audio cues were not sent across the communications network to a Workstation coupled through a network to the Console. Thus an operator at the Workstation had no way of knowing when an alarm condition existed on a Console.
Related to the concept of centralized Host Processor operation is the notion of remote Host Processor operation. Remote operation can be thought of as operation of a Host Processor from a location removed from the physical location of the Host Processor. The extent to which the operational capability is removed from the physical location of the Host Processor goes to the degree to which operations may be classified as remote.
The prior art Console provided the capability to couple the Console to a modem and telephone line, thereby enabling an operator to dial into and communicate with the Console. Once dialed in, the operator could enter input to the Console and have Console output displayed on a dumb terminal. While the prior art console did provide the capability for remote operation, it did not permit more than one terminal at a time to interact with the Console, nor could more than one Console interact with any one terminal.
In using the modem connection as a means to remotely operate a Host Processor, the Console alarm capability (as described above) consisted of sending a character sequence to the coupled dumb terminal. The character sequence caused the terminal to emit an audible cue to the operator. One disadvantage inherent in this scheme is that if a plurality of dumb terminals, all of which are coupled to Consoles, were gathered in a single location, it would be difficult to discern the audio alarms from one terminal from the audio alarms of another terminal.
As described above, the prior art approach to remote and centralized Host Processor operation lacked the full complement of Console functionality and an adequate alarm capability. Neither the centralized nor the remote approach to Host Processor operations found in the prior art provided a consistent and complete user interface as compared with that available at the local Console. Both the visual video display characteristics and the keyboard manipulation necessary for Host Processor operation input at the remote location differed from that found at the local Console. Furthermore, the capability to operate a Host Processor from a plurality of remote locations did not exist.

Method and apparatus for remotely and centrally controlling a plurality of host processors


The invention relates to cartridged ammunition, particularly blank ammunition, having a cartridge shell (3) and a projectile (2) placed therein. A propellant chamber (4) accommodating a pyrotechnic of a propellant charge (5) is disposed in the cartridge shell, such charge being ignitable by an ignition device (13) also containing pyrotechnic material that generates propellant gases that act on the base (8) of the projectile and propel the shot out of the cartridge shell. In order to prevent the pyrotechnic charges of the propellant charge and/or the ignition device from self-igniting at high ambient temperatures, particularly in a fire, thus tearing apart the cartridge shell and projectile and being flung away, an inert, meltable material is mixed into the pyrotechnic charges of the propellant charge and/or the ignition device. This material has a melting temperature that is lower than the self-ignition temperature of the pyrotechnic charge with the lowest ignition temperature and, upon melting, phlegmatises the pyrotechnic charges of the propellant charge and/or the ignition device.

Such a cartridged blank ammunition is described in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,936,189. This cartridge ammunition is used in connection with automatic firearms of medium caliber of approx. 40 mm. A plurality of such cartridges are accommodated in a belt, which is then fed to an automatic firearm.
The propellant chamber in the cartridge shell is subdivided into a high-pressure chamber in which the propellant charge is accommodated and a low-pressure chamber which is in communication with the high-pressure chamber via overflow openings. Cartridge shell and projectile are mechanically connected via a central screw connection which is designed as a rated break point.
If the propellant charge in the high-pressure chamber is pyrotechnically ignited by means of a primer, the propellant charge burns off, develops propellant gases with a high pressure which, then, act on the projectile bottom in both chambers and finally expel the projectile from the cartridge shell, after the rated break point between cartridge shell and projectile had been broken at a specific pressure.
A similar cartridge ammunition is described in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,892,038.
Moreover, blank cartridges of this type are known, in which only a low-pressure propellant chamber is provided; such cartridges are designated as low-velocity cartridges.
A great number of pieces of such a cartridge ammunition are used and must both be safely stored and safety transported from the manufacturer to a user. As a rule, storage and transport are carried out in larger containers, e.g. sheet-metal boxes which accommodate a plurality of such cartridges.
Despite the not insignificant amount of igniting agent for primers and propellant charge, which is located in a storage or transport container, storage and transport are customarily unproblematical. At most, a fire in the storage or transport room represents a risk, during which temperature of around 220° C. and more are reached.
However, at such temperatures the pyrotechnical igniting charge of the primer is already ignited, which, then, also ignites the actual propellant charge, which, otherwise, is only ignited at from 320° C. to 400° C. After the igniting of the propellant charge such a pressure is built up as in a customary shot in the propellant chamber which acts on the projectile bottom so that, finally, after the breaking up of the mechanical connection between cartridge shell and projectile they are explosively flung apart.
A considerable damage can be caused alone due to the amount of the exploding propellant charges of a plurality of cartridges. However, the cartridge shells and projectiles which are explosively flung apart may also cause a lot of damage. Here, both cartridge shell and projectile virtually act as projectiles. Any accommodation containers are destroyed due to this, the cartridge shells and projectiles which are driven apart may also endanger persons and cause a lot of mechanical damage.
During tests such cartridges were placed into a heating dish, whereupon the heating dish was slowly heated. After the ignition temperature of the primer of about 220° C. had been reached, the primer was first of all ignited—as described—and by means of the same subsequently the propellant charge of the cartridges. Due to the building up of pressure in the propellant chamber cartridge shell and projectile are driven apart and flung up to a distance of 100 meters so that the energy which is released by many such cartridges during a fire is quite conceivable.
In order to avoid a tearing apart of cartridge shell and projectile and a damage to the environment in the case of a high increase in the outside temperature above the ignition temperature and/or self-ignition temperature of the pyrotechnical ignition charge, e.g. in the case of a fire, it is known both from DE 102004017465 and the corresponding WO 2005/098348, to provide at least one and preferably several passage(s) starting from the propellant chamber which penetrate the wall of the cartridge shell and are filled with a solid, pressure-tight, meltable material whose melting point is lower than the lowest ignition temperature of one of the pyrotechnical charges of the cartridge, i.e. lower than the ignition temperatures of the pyrotechnical ignition charge and the propellant charge.
Such a melting material is e.g. a melting metal. Such melting metals are e.g. alloys of bismuth and tin, other metals such as lead, etc. being possibly still added.
If, accordingly, a cartridge of the type in question is heated up to the melting temperature of the melting material and/or melting metal of e.g. 140° to 180° C., the melting material melts in the passages between the propellant chamber in the cartridge shell and the outside environment. If with the temperature still increasing the primer and, finally, even the propellant charge are ignited by this, no pressure can build up in the propellant chamber, since the exposed passages act as pressure relief openings. Due to this, the propellant charge only burns off, it being possible that the propellant gases generated due to this may escape through the relief openings. Cartridge shell and projectile are not separated from each other in this fashion so that neither a damage due to pressure nor a mechanical damage is caused.
This was confirmed in tests, in which a plurality of such cartridges were accommodated in a customary transport box made of sheet metal. Not even the sheet metal box was substantially damaged.
The passage or the passages irrespective of its (their) design (is) are designed in such a way that in the case of a normal shooting of the projectile from the cartridge shell the melting material withstands the high pressures within the propellant chamber.

Cartridged ammunition, particularly blank ammunition


Dual clutch arrangement for a dual clutch transmission. The dual clutch arrangement has a housing, an input shaft, a first friction clutch, a second friction clutch, two output shafts, a hub which is fixed to the housing, a first piston/cylinder arrangement which is fixed to the housing, and a second piston/cylinder arrangement which is fixed to the housing. Input members of the friction clutches are connected to the input shaft. Output members of the friction clutches in each case are connected to one of the two output shafts. It is possible for the friction clutches to be actuated in each case by means of one of the piston/cylinder arrangements, which are fixed to the housing.

The present invention relates to a dual clutch arrangement for a dual clutch transmission, having an input shaft, a first friction clutch, a second friction clutch, two output shafts, a hub which is fixed to the housing, a first piston/cylinder arrangement which is fixed to the housing, and a second piston/cylinder arrangement which is fixed to the housing, with input members of the friction clutches being connected to the input shaft, with output members of the friction clutches in each case being connected to one of the two output shafts, and with it being possible for the friction clutches to be actuated in each case by means of one of the piston/cylinder arrangements, which are fixed to the housing, and an axial bearing.
Dual clutch transmissions have a dual clutch arrangement and two partial transmissions. The partial transmissions are generally designed as spur gear transmissions. Here, one of the partial transmissions is assigned to the even gear stages, and the other is assigned to the odd gear stages.
It is possible, by means of overlapping actuation of the two clutches of the dual clutch arrangement, to carry out a gearshift without an interruption in tractive force.
Said type of dual clutch transmission is suitable for motor vehicles, in particular for passenger vehicles.
Nowadays, fluidically operated (wet) friction clutches, for example wet-running multiplate clutches, are generally used in dual clutch arrangements.
A dual clutch arrangement is known from DE 10 2004 013 265 A1, in which dual clutch arrangement the two friction clutches are assigned in each case one jointly-rotating actuating piston, and with the actuating pistons having a first radial active face which faces towards a piston space which can be acted on with pressure, and a second radial active face which faces towards a centrifugal force pressure compensation space. Fluid is supplied to the piston spaces via a jointly-rotating hub and a rotary leadthrough which is arranged between said hub and the housing.
A disadvantage of said type of dual clutch arrangement is the fact that it is relatively highly complex and produces high drag torques.
A comparable dual clutch arrangement is known from DE 102 23 780 C1.
It is known from DE 10 2004 061 020 A1 to provide two piston/cylinder arrangements, which are nested one inside the other radially and act in the same direction, so as to be fixed to the housing on a hub which is fixed to the housing. The piston/cylinder arrangements act via lever arrangements on the friction clutches, which are likewise nested one inside the other radially, of the dual clutch arrangement.
An input member of the radially outer friction clutch is rotatably mounted on a section of the first output shaft (inner output shaft) which extends in the direction to the crankshaft.

Abstract: At least one of the input members is rotatably mounted by means of a radial bearing arrangement on the hub which is fixed to the housing.

GETRAG Getriebe- und Zahnradfabrik Hermann Hagenmeyer GmbH & Cie KG


In one aspect of the present invention, an electric-field-enhancement structure is disclosed. The electric-field-enhancement structure includes a substrate and an ordered arrangement of dielectric particles having at least two adjacent dielectric particles spaced from each other a controlled distance. The controlled distance is selected so that when a resonance mode is excited in each of the at least two adjacent dielectric particles responsive to excitation electromagnetic radiation, each of the resonance modes interacts with each other to result in an enhanced electric field between the at least two adjacent dielectric particles. Other aspects of the present invention are electric-field-enhancement apparatuses that utilize the described electric-field-enhancement structures, and methods of enhancing an electric field between adjacent dielectric particles.

Enhancement of electric fields around metal particles is a topic of current scientific and technological interest. For example, surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy ("SERS") is a well-known spectroscopy technique that utilizes an enhanced electric field near a specially prepared, roughened metal surface or metal particles to increase a Raman signal from an analyte. In SERS, the analyte is adsorbed onto, or placed adjacent to, an activated metal surface or structure. Irradiation of the analyte and the metal surface or particles with light of a selected frequency excites surface plasmons in the metal surface or particles. The surface plasmon frequency is relatively independent of surface or particle geometry and is predominately a function of the composition of the metal.
During SERS, the analyte experiences the intense, localized electric field of the surface plasmons, and Raman photons characteristic of the analyte are scattered from the analyte. The enhanced electric field is considered one significant factor for the relatively increased Raman signal compared to when Raman spectroscopy is practiced without the metal surface or particles. For example, the enhanced electric field from the metal surface may enhance the Raman scattering intensity by factors of between 103 and 106.
Recently, Raman spectroscopy has been performed employing randomly oriented metal nanoparticles, such as nanometer scale needles, islands, and wires, as opposed to a simple roughened metal surface, for enhancing electric fields. The intensity of the Raman scattered photons from a molecule adsorbed on such a metal surface may be increased by factors as high as 1016. At this level of sensitivity, Raman spectroscopy has been used to detect single molecules and is commonly referred to as nano-enhanced Raman spectroscopy ("NERS").
As can be appreciated from the discussion above about SERS and NERS, enhancement of electric fields around metal particles can be of significant utility. In addition to SERS and NERS, enhancement of electric fields can be used in other applications, such as sensors, Raman imaging systems, nanoantennas, and many other applications. Regardless of the particular application, electric field enhancement using metal particles or surfaces has several limitations. The frequency at which light can be coupled to either localized or surface plasmons is relatively independent of the surface or particle geometry and is predominately a function of the composition of the metal. Thus, altering the size or geometry of the metal surface or metal particles has only a minor effect on the frequency at which light can be coupled to the surface plasmons. Accordingly, the frequency at which light can be coupled to surface plasmons is essentially fixed by the composition of the metal surface or particles, which limits their usefulness in many applications.
In addition to lack of scalability, many types of metal nanoparticles are known to be toxic. Metal nanoparticle toxicity can make safe-manufacturing of electric-field-enhancement structures difficult, and may limit application of electric-field-enhancement structures including metal nanoparticles in certain biomedical applications. Furthermore, fabrication of electric-field-enhancement structures with metal particles typically relies on a self-assembled distribution of the metal nanoparticles. Thus, it can be difficult to precisely space or align metal nanoparticles.
Therefore, researchers and developers of electric-field-enhancement structures can appreciate a need for a scalable and less-toxic electric-field-enhancement structure for use in a wide variety of applications, such as sensors, Raman spectroscopy systems, and many other applications.

Electric-field-enhancement structures including dielectric particles, apparatus including same, and methods of use

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


Surgical instruments are disclosed for manipulating selected tissue in a body cavity under visual inspection. The preferred instrument includes a probe in which a blade is positioned, wherein the probe includes a lateral aperture near its distal end. The blade can be extended outwardly from the probe along a path which is essentially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the probe. After the blade has been extended it can be used to effectively divide tissue. An optical system can be received in the probe for viewing through the lateral aperture in the probe.

U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,963,147; 4,962,770; and 5,089,000 incorporated herein by reference, describe a surgical instrument which is very useful in techniques for carpal tunnel release and is also useful in other surgical techniques. The instrument includes a probe in which a cutting blade and an optical system are disposed. After the probe has been inserted into a body cavity the cutting blade is extended through a lateral aperture in the probe to a position adjacent the selected tissue, while allowing the tissue manipulation to be observed.
In the surgical instrument just described the cutting blade extends through an axially fixed rotatable pivot pin. As an actuation shaft urges the cutting blade through &he pivot pin, the distal end portion of the blade sweeps through an arc to reach a fully extended position. Initially the distal tip of the blade moves toward the distal end of the probe and then moves upwardly to its fully extended position. This forward movement of the tip of the blade can be undesirable because the tip can encounter tissue which is not intended to be cut. Also, the tip of the blade is not easily visible as it is being elevated.


A method for setting the sizes of film tubes extruded by blown film plants includes changing the film tube size from an initial size to a final size, and optimizing the location of a frost area during the size change by setting the output of a cooling fan. Physical parameters of the initial and final size of the film tube are stored in a control device. The control device takes these physical parameters into account when generating control signals. The control signals form the basis for the control of the cooling fan output.

1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to a method for setting the sizes of blown film tubes and a blown film plant comprising a control device for implementing said method.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Blown film plants have been disclosed in a number of patent applications (e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,219). Blown film plants are usually provided with cooling or temperature control devices. The purpose of these cooling devices, which usually include fans, is to cool the hot, freshly extruded plastic melt, and the film resulting from the melt after the cooling process.
The film tubes are often cooled both from the outside and from the inside. The internal film cooling involves certain technical problems since the freshly extruded film tubes often form a closed film bubble from which the cooling air must be evacuated.
In modern extrusion plants, the film material transitions from a plastic melt to a still very hot film usually shortly after the melt is extruded from an annular gap intended for this purpose. The location at which the melt is transformed to film is often incorrectly referred to as "frost line". In reality, this transition point is an annular region of the peripheral surface of the melt tube or film tube. This region has an absolutely significant expansion in the transport direction of the film tube, which expansion can range from a few millimeters to a few dozes of centimeters. In this region, the random macromolecules of the melt assume an at least partly organized or at least more organized crystallite structure. Although plastics do not undergo a prompt and defined phase transition, as is possible in the transition of water to ice, the properties of the film melt change due to this transformation into the still very hot film in a manner that is significant for film production. Thus, this transition decisively reduces the stretchability and increases the stability and resistance of the film material. The transition point mentioned above is referred to hereinafter as "frost area" due to the analogy drawn to the freezing of water.
Due to the change in the stretch behavior and resistance of the film during its passage through the frost area, the calibration baskets (see EP 1 488 910 A1), which are often used in the production of blown films, are mounted above the frost area or the location of the frost area is controlled by means of a variation in the cooling devices or temperature control devices such that the frost area is located below the calibration basket.
If the frost area wanders into the calibration basket, the latter could damage the film melt. It is also probable that the softer melt material forms a "bulge' before reaching the calibration basket. This means that the diameter of the tube before reaching the calibration basket is larger than that of the calibration basket. Machine operators counteract this likewise highly undesirable state by regulating the fans in order to adapt to the cooling behavior and internal pressure of the film bubble. The difficulties involved in this regulation of the fans and the reduced efficiency of this regulation often lead to a pumping behavior in the region of the "bulge" located upstream of the calibration basket. This pumping behavior results in considerable damage to the film or even a tear of the film bubble.
If a frost area is located too far ahead or excessively below the calibration basket, the film may not be stretched to the desired extent and thus may not achieve the desired size. Even in blown film plants without a calibration basket, the adjustment of the location of the frost area is of great significance.
The adjustment of the frost area during size changes, which are performed for completing a new order, poses a special challenge. The amounts of size settings in this connection are particularly large and exceed by several times the changes undertaken in regulating procedures during the processing.
In the case of a size change, in which important physical values change significantly between the initial size and the final size, it is very difficult to optimize the location of the frost area. The word "optimize" in this context is meant to connote that after a size change, the frost area can assume either a different position or the same position as the target position in the transport direction of the film tube. Often the target position of the frost area changes from one order to the other, thereby also necessitating a change in the position of the calibration basket.

Method for setting the sizes of blown film tubes as well as a blown film plant comprising a control device for implementing said method


A cleaning composition dispensing device for use in an automatic dishwasher is provided for dispensing the right cleaning composition at the right time during a wash cycle. The device includes wash cycle sensing system that controls the release of cleaning composition via temperature and water flow data measured with respect to time. The device includes a refill compartment receiving a multi-section refill including at least two cleaning composition sections divided by separable seams. The multi-section refill separates into individual cleaning composition sections during placement in the refill compartment that fall into the slots forming the refill compartment.

The automatic dishwasher, or ADW, has become a part of today's society. More and more households own one and therefore, the products that are used with them are evolving quickly. First there was a need to add a main wash cleaning composition in powder form, rinse aid and salt for a wash program. Next, the main wash cleaning composition evolved from loose powder into a compressed powder tablet to simplify dosing the right amount powder. Additional rinse aids and salt were still needed; however, it did not take long before all-in-one tablet solutions were available on the market.
Despite the fact that most of the practical aspects of cleaning results have been improved, there are still performance issues with the ADW. For instance, consumers have accepted that rinsing, and soaking dishes prior to loading dishes in the ADW is needed to make sure the dishwasher can completely clean the dishes. In addition, spotted glasses and the need for towel drying dishes are almost accepted flaws of the automatic dishwasher. Therefore, there is a need to find a solution that eliminates these compensatory behaviors and enables a consumer to get the most out of the automatic dishwasher's performance capabilities.
Research has shown that the main reason these problems exist is that all cleaning compositions in the tablet are released at the same time. Some cleaning compositions counteract or are not fully compatible with each other, leaving the full potential cleaning performance unmet. Thus, a dispensing device is desired that can sequentially release cleaning compositions at defined times during the wash program that can increase the cleaning performance of the automatic dishwasher.
Wash programs for ADWs can contain five different cycles: pre-wash, main wash, rinse cycle, dry cycle and purge cycle. The different wash cycles occur in the order of pre-wash, main wash, and rinse cycle. The water is typically refreshed between each wash cycle (e.g. Pre-wash or Main wash cycle). Not all wash programs contain all cycles and it is possible that some cycles could occur twice or even three times. Thus, a dispensing device for releasing cleaning agents in an automatic dishwasher needs to be capable of sensing the wash cycles. Wash cycles may be distinguished by water temperature; however, determining which cycles are heated and which cycles are not depends on the dishwasher brand and model. In general the main wash and final rinse cycles are heated for improved cleaning performance; however, prewash cycles can be heated or cold.
An overview wash cycle programs based on several machines currently in the market illustrates the diversity of ADW wash cycles.
Pre-Wash
    Occur # times in wash program: not at all, 1-2 or even 3 times Heated: depends on wash cycle    Temperature range: 5-50° C.    Duration: 4-25 minutesMain Wash    Occur # times in wash program: Once/always in wash program Heated: Yes, always    Temperature range: 37-75° C.    Duration: 16-85 minutesRinse Cycle    Occur # times in wash program: 1-2 or 3 times    Heated: depends on wash cycle    Temperature range: 5-75° C.    Duration: 3-47 minutesDry Cycle    Occur # times in wash program: Once in wash program    Heated: depends on ADW model    Temperature range: 72° C. to room temperature (20° C.)    Duration: till user opens ADW door
As shown, the temperature and duration values between pre-wash and main wash cycles often overlap making it difficult to distinguish between these cycles.
A majority of dishwashers today feature a minimum of three wash programs; however, models exist with up to fifteen wash programs. The different wash programs having different cycle times and temperature profiles emphasizes the significance of correctly sensing the wash program and corresponding wash cycles for the sequential release of cleaning agents. It has been determined that ultimate cleaning performance can be achieved by releasing one cleaning composition during the pre-wash cycle, two preferably three cleaning compositions during the main wash cycle and one cleaning composition during the rinse cycle.
The challenge for wash program sensing is determining what parameters to measure in order to clearly distinguish between the wash cycles. For instance, wash cycle parameters such as temperature, water flow and cycle duration (time) can be measured and used to automatically trigger the release of cleaning agents during the wash program. Other parameters include pH value, conductivity, turbidity and motion.
Temperature
With temperature you can follow the progress of heated and cold cycles; however, the warm water inlet in North America vs. the cold inlet in Europe as well as overlapping temperature profiles of different cycles can present a problem.
Time (Duration)
Very diverse time values exist for the different wash programs. For instance, pre-washes range from single prewash cycles of 7 minute duration to double prewash cycles with each prewash cycle having duration of 3 to 5 minutes. Main wash cycles can vary from 30 minutes to 75 minutes.
Water Flow
Water flow sensors can be used to detect water flow similar to sensors used to detect water droplets on windshields of cars having automatic wipers.
pH Value
The pH value of the water will change when cleaning compositions are released. It is possible to use a pH sensor to recognize cycle transitions for instance if prewash cycle has a high pH level when prewash cleaning compositions are released, there will be a big drop in the pH level once the water is drained and replenished for the main wash cycle. This can indicate a cycle transition.
Conductivity
Conductivity works similar to the pH level option. The conductivity value depends on which amount, and of which chemicals are already released. However, it will not distinguish a pre-wash cycle from a main wash cycle.
Turbidity
Turbidity is already used in modern ADW's for sensing how dirty the dishes are. This can be used to determine cycle transition when water is refreshed between cycles. However, it may be easier to detect water flow instead.
Accelerometer (Motion Sensor)
The only parts of an automatic dishwasher that will move during the wash program are the spray arms. The rotation could be sensed with an accelerometer however this requires attaching a sensor to the spray arms. Since rotation of the spray arms is typically controlled by water flow, the added weight of a sensor could affect performance.
Another option is to sense the movement in front of the water intake with a motion sensor, so the sensor will know when the tub is filled (start of wash program and during cycle changes). However, the placement of the sensor will be essential and not preferred to be left to the consumer. Alternatively, a motion sensor could be connected to the dosing chamber door that opens during the main wash cycle. This approach has similar drawbacks in that it relies on the consumer to close the dosing chamber door even though cleaning composition is not placed inside.
Hall Sensor (Magnetic Field Sensor)
Magnetic fields exist during operation of the dishwasher that are registerable. Such magnetic fields are created by solenoid valves which are mainly used for opening the dosing chamber and for the water intake. However, these are so weak that you would have to place the sensor very close to the source (e.g. 10 cm). In addition, not all ADW's use solenoid valves.
Opening of Dosing Chamber
The dosing chamber containing the ADW cleaning composition always opens in the main wash providing a good indication point. A magnet may be stuck on the dosing chamber and sensed with a hall sensor to determine when it opens indicating the start of the main cycle. However, the device will have to be placed directly in front of the dosing chamber requiring placement by the consumer which is not preferred.
To conclude, most of the sensor options can be effective in detecting cycle transitions, but not so effective distinguishing cycles from one another. As discussed earlier, only the main wash cycle includes opening of the dosing chamber which distinguishes it from a pre-wash or rinse cycle. While a combination of sensors improves the ability to effectively distinguish cycles, the overlapping cycle characteristics across ADW machines makes it difficult to distinguish all cycles. For instance, it is impossible for a sensor system to predict whether a second or third hot rinse cycle will follow a first hot rinse cycle. As a result, it will automatically release all rinse compositions during the first rinse cycle, instead of during the last hot rinse cycle which is preferred. Similarly some wash cycle programs have a longer hot prewash cycle than the main wash cycle of wash cycle programs having zero pre-wash cycles causing the device to mistakenly identify the long pre-wash as a main wash and prematurely release the main wash composition during the prewash cycle.
Therefore, there is a need for a device that can release the right chemistry at the right time inside the automatic dishwasher. However, since a number of different wash programs exist within and across all dishwasher brands, the device must be capable of releasing the right chemistry at the right time consistently across all dishwasher brands and wash programs. Therefore, a dispensing device is desired that includes a wash cycle sensing system to detect wash cycle parameters such as temperature, water flow relative to time which in conjunction with an algorithm can be used to determine the preferred chemistry release points inside the dishwasher during the different phases of the wash cycle. In addition, since the cycle parameters can overlap and fluctuate between wash cycles, a recording function may be implemented to store the sensed cycle data and effectively 'learn' the wash cycles used and modify the algorithm in order to adjust the best release points based on the wash cycles chosen by the consumer. The result is a personalized cleaning composition dispensing device tailored to a consumer's dishwasher and corresponding dishwashing behavior that increases the cleaning performance of the dishwasher in such way that the compensatory behaviors are no longer needed.

Composition dispensing device for an automatic dishwasher


A system for measuring the saturation of at least one gas in blood has a sensor which is, intended to be placed on a living body. Light is emitted from the sensor and into the body at a light radiating zone. The sensor has a plurality of light receiving zones, serving to receive light backscattered in the body, which zones are at various distances from the light radiating zone. Light receiving means are also present, in order to measure the intensities of the light backscattered from the body and reaching the sensor in the various light receiving zones. The measuring system also has electronic circuitry, which upon measurement, based on a predetermined criterion, selects one evaluation zone from among the light receiving zones and evaluate the portion of the light detected in the evaluation range that varies periodically over time at the rate of the pulse frequency in order to detect at least one gas saturation of blood, in particular the oxygen saturation of blood.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for measuring the saturation of at least one gas, in particular the oxygen saturation, of blood present in a living body. The system may also be embodied for measuring the saturation of some other gas in blood--such as its carbon monoxide saturation, in addition to or possibly instead of measuring the oxygen saturation. The system is intended to enable noninvasive measurement. The term "noninvasive" means here that the measurement is carried out without using any instrument introduced into a blood vessel and accordingly solely with sensor means that are located entirely outside the living human or possibly animal body for which the measurement is carried out. In the planned use of the system for measuring a gas saturation, it will usually be the gas saturation of the arterial blood that is measured.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The hemoglobins present in the red blood corpuscles can bind various gases, such as oxygen and carbon monoxide--and transport them and give them up again. The blood may contain in particular oxyhemoglobin, in other words hemoglobin with bound oxygen, deoxyhemoglobin, in other words hemoglobin without oxygen, and carbon monoxide hemoglobin. The term "gas saturation" is understood as a value that provides a measure of the concentration or proportion of the hemoglobin that contains the applicable gas. For example, the oxygen saturation that is to be measured in particular may provide a measure of the ratio between the concentration of oxyhemoglobin and the concentration of the sum of the oxyhemoglobin and the deoxyhemoglobin, or of the total hemoglobin concentration. The degree of saturation that is equal to the value, shown in percentage, of the aforementioned ratio is often indicated as the measure of oxygen saturation.
For measuring the oxygen saturation or some other gas content in blood, an important factor is that light shone into a body and in particular into a blood vessel is scattered. The blood plasma and the red blood corpuscles contained in it, along with other blood cells, have various indexes of refraction, so that a beam of light upon entering a blood cell, for instance a red corpuscle, and on leaving it is normally deflected by refraction. The light can also be deflected by reflection and diffraction. The totality of all these deflection processes is called scattering. A beam of light shone into a blood vessel is typically scattered multiple times in the blood before it leaves the blood vessel again. If the light penetrates a red corpuscle, some of the light is absorbed.
In measuring the oxygen saturation using light, use is made of the fact that the hemoglobin containing bound oxygen, that is, the oxyhemoglobin, and the hemoglobin lacking oxygen, or in other words the deoxyhemoglobin, have different colors and correspondingly different light absorption spectra. If the absorption coefficients of the two types of hemoglobin are represented in the same diagram as curves as a function of the wavelength of light, the two curves intersect at so-called isobestic points, at a wavelength hereinafter called the isobestic wavelength which is approximately 805 nm.
Systems for noninvasive measurement of gas saturation in blood, in particular of its oxygen saturation, are known, for instance from the publication entitled "A New Noninvasive Back- Scattering Oximeter", by T. M. Donahoe and R. L. Longini, Proceedings of the Seventh Annual Conference of the IEEE/Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, 1985, Chicago, Vol. 1, pp. 144-147, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,619 and British Patent A 2,228,314. These systems have sensor means, light transmission means in order to shine light into a body to be examined for at least one light transmission zone of the sensor means, and light reception means, in order to receive light scattered in the body in at least one light reception zone of the sensor means and measure its intensity using at least one photosemiconductor. The known systems also have electronic circuit means in order to ascertain the oxygen saturation, and possibly other variables as well, from the light intensities ascertained by the photosemiconductors.
The system known from the publication by Donahoe et al named above has two identical sensors. Each of them has two light-emitting diodes, which form light sources to generate light of two different wavelengths, and on the side of the sensor applied to the body being studied during measurement, they together define a light transmission zone through which the light generated can be shone into the body. When a measurement is carried out, one sensor, intended for measuring the oxygen saturation of the arterial blood, is heated with a heater container in it, while the other sensor is not heated and is intended to measure the oxygen saturation of the tissue.
The systems known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,619, already mentioned, also have two identically embodied sensors, each of which has one light receiver, embodied by a photodiode, and four or six light-emitting diodes disposed in a circle around it. The light-emitting diodes of each sensor form light sources to generate light at two different wavelengths, and together they define a circular light transmission zone in which light can be transmitted out of the sensor. The distance between the light reception zone, defined by the photodiode of the applicable sensor, and the annular light transmission zone is approximately equal to the mean radius of the light transmission zone. Some of the sensors also have ultrasound sources for heating the tissue with ultrasound. The systems known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,619 make it possible, depending on the arrangement of the two sensors, to measure the oxygen saturation with transmitted light passing through the body from one sensor to the other, or with backscattered light that is scattered from the body back into the same sensor in which it originated.
British Patent A 2,228,314, already mentioned, discloses a system intended, among other purposes, for measuring the oxygen saturation in the blood in the brain. The light transmission means of the system have a number of laser diodes, which are capable of generating light at various wavelengths for measuring the oxygen saturation. Each laser diode is connected to the inlet end of an optical fiber, whose outlet end is located on the surface of the head of a patient to be examined. The light reception means of the system have a number of optical fibers, with inlet ends located on the surface of the head of the patient. In the system primarily described, the optical fibers of the light reception means all lead from the head to the same single photodetector. It is also noted that a separate photodetector could be provided for each optical fiber of the light reception means, and that the computer that is part of the electronic circuitry of the system adds together the light intensities detected in measurement by the various photodetectors. The outlet ends of the optical fibers belonging to the light transmission means and the inlet ends of the optical fibers belonging to the light reception means are distributed more or less uniformly over the upper half of the head of the person to be examined. The system therefore has a number of light transmission zones and light reception zones; the light transmission zones and the light reception zones alternate along the circumference of the head, if seen in plan view vertically from above. There are also relatively large interstices between the closest-together light transmission zones and between the closest-together light reception zones. In operation of the systems, light is shone sequentially through the skull into the brain in the various light transmission zones. Light scattered there and transmitted back through the skull out of the head can then be intercepted by the various light reception zones. For example, if light is shone into the head at a light reception site located on the "equator" of the head, then at each light reception site, scattered light can be intercepted, which depending on the location of the applicable light reception site is backscattered, scattered to the side, or scattered forward.
In measurement with all the system that are known and are described above, light scattered not only by the red corpuscles but light that was scattered by dead skin cells, tissues, hair follicles, sweat glands, nerves and the like reaches the light receiver, or every light receiver. This latter light, not scattered by hemoglobins, provides no information on the oxygen saturation be measured, and it impairs the accuracy of measurement. For accurate determination of arterial oxygen saturation, the highest possible proportion of the light reaching the light receiver or receivers and evaluated to determine the oxygen saturation should therefore be scattered by the red corpuscles. As will be discussed in further detail hereinafter, the intensity of the light scattered by red corpuscles and reaching a light receiver through a light reception zone in measurement with backscattered light depends on the distance, measured along the surface of the body, of the light reception zone from the light transmission zone at which the light was shone into the body. As will also be discussed in detail hereinafter, the most favorable value for this distance depends on individual anatomical characteristics of a person being examined, on the site of the body selected for the measurement, and also on the instantaneous physiological condition of a person examined, which is subject to changes over time. The systems known from the various publications named above therefore have the disadvantages, for measurement with backscattered light, that the attainable accuracy of measurement can vary from one measurement to another, and that considerable measurement errors sometimes occur.
If the systems known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,619 are used to measure with transmitted light, they have not only more or less similar disadvantages to those of measurement with backscattered light, but above all the disadvantage that the measurements can be performed only on thin parts of the body, such as an earlobe or finger. In addition, measurements with transmitted light are relatively poorly suited for long-term continuous monitoring, because motion by the person being examined, for instance, often causes errors in measurement. The situation is similar for measurements with the systems of British Patent 2,228,314. Since when these systems are operated, the light has to pass twice through bony parts of the skull, the measurable light intensities are furthermore very slight, which additionally impairs the accuracy of measurement.
In the known systems, if the intensities of transmission of the various light-emitting or laser diodes, or the sensitivity of the photosemiconductors change over the course of time, this can also impair the accuracy of measurement. In particular, inaccuracies in measurement can arise if the transmission intensity at the various wavelengths varies differently, or if the spectral sensitivity of a photosemiconductor changes.
As mentioned, the sensors of the system described in the above-named publication by Donahoe et al is equipped with a heating coil. This makes it possible to warm the skin by conduction of heat and thereby increase the circulation. If the region of the skin containing the arteries and arterioles--that is, the dermis--is warmed by heat conduction from the surface of the skin, a temperature drop from the outside inward is created in the skin. If the heating is done solely by conduction of heat, it is therefore difficult and practically impossible to heat the region of the skin containing the arteries and arterioles to an optimal temperature for measuring the arterial oxygen saturation without causing harmful overheating in certain regions of the skin.
In the sensors known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,619, which are equipped with ultrasound sources, there is a rather large void between the ultrasound sources, located in the interior of a housing of the sensor, and the surface of the skin of the patient being examined. For measurement this void must either be filled with a gelatinous and more or less readily flowable filling composition of polyethylene glycol, or with water, which makes the measurement process more complicated, and if water is used requires a pump for introducing it. Since the ultrasound transmitted into the skin is not uniformly absorbed there, heating that occurs solely from transmitting ultrasound into the skin, like heating effected solely by heat conduction, may also produce a temperature distribution that, while different, is still uneven.
The supply of oxygen to tissues and/or organs of a living being depends not only on the oxygen saturation of the blood but also on the intensity of blood profusion, or in other words circulation. When the oxygen saturation is measured, it is therefore desirable to measure the intensity of blood profusion at the sam=time. With the known systems used for measuring oxygen saturation, however, the blood profusion cannot be measured, or if at all, then at best with only slight accuracy.
Similar problems to those in measuring oxygen saturation can also arise when some other gas saturation is measured, such as the carbon monoxide saturation of blood.

System for measuring the saturation of at least one gas, particularly the oxygen saturation of blood


A vacuum furnace for heat treating and rapid gas quenching insitu a work piece at pressures up to 20 Bar and high gas velocities. The furnace comprises a single chamber having an inner portion including a plurality of graphite heating elements and graphite insulation, an outer portion and an access door. Further included are movable radiation baffle doors. In their closed position hot gases heat treat the work piece. In their open position the hot gases escape through the opening created onto chevron-shaped baffles in the outer portion which reflect radiation heat energy back into the inner portion and diffuse only convective heat energy into a heat exchanger and a variable speed drive recirculating fan. The recirculating fan directs the cooling gases through cooling nozzles onto the work piece to quench it to a pre-programmed temperature.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a horizontal, single chamber front loading vacuum heat treating furnace capable of rapidly cooling the heat treated materials by insitu gas quenching at pressures up to 20 Bar and gas velocities approaching 200 miles/hour in a single chamber of the furnace.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The need for "green" environmentally friendly quenching capabilities has challenged furnace engineers to design furnaces capable of achieving high pressure, rapid gas quenching up to 20 Bar or greater. The ability to achieve such high gas pressures for cooling is driven by the need to eliminate the use of oil quenching for cooling of tool steels. Oil quenching is currently the fastest quenching medium for heat treatment of tool steels. However, it is rife with disadvantages, such as cracking and distortion due to high residual stress on the processed material. Some tool steel grades with reasonable cross-sections have been successfully quenched in a 10 Bar vacuum furnace, but there are limitations of the load size and part dimensions which need to be overcome. The use of 10 Bar quenching for lower alloy tool steels is limited. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,514,035. The present inability to gas quench such alloys led to the design and development of the present invention, which can achieve cooling gas pressures as high as 20 Bar and gas velocities approaching 200 miles/hour for rapid cooling of high and low alloy steels.
Typical high pressure gas quench multi-bar furnaces utilize a standard design of fixed thermal exit baffles and complicated fan cycling sequences—clockwise and counterclockwise—with directional control of the wind mass in order to achieve the necessary velocity within the furnace chamber in order to achieve the high pressures necessary to cool tool steels. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,478,985. Typical gas flow designs have stationary exit ports, which result in restricted gas flow and unacceptable pressure drops.
The use of movable baffles or bungs has been utilized previously in vacuum heat treat furnaces (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,903,306 and 8,088,328). However, the movable dampers in U.S. Pat. No. 6,903,306 are connected to a rigid fixed-size opening that is connected to one side of a narrow plenum. The bungs from U.S. Pat. No. 8,088,328 have a large plenumless gas chamber; however the gas must flow through a gas duct in order to pass through an external heat exchanger. These passageways result in high pressure drops, which are fine for an atmosphere quench design, but detrimental for quench pressures up to 20 Bar. The present design eliminates these limitations and therefore does not suffer from the gas flow restrictions and pressure drops of prior art designs.
Prior art references—U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,836,776, 4,906,182 and 5,478,985—teach improved gas flow, but the fixed gas baffle designs in these references suffer from high pressure drops leading to decreased energy transfer and longer cooling times and slower cooling rates. The configuration in U.S. Pat. No. 4,836,776 includes a movable baffle which feeds the hot gas from the furnace toward the heat exchanger and fan in a lateral direction, resulting in a higher pressure drop. The use of bearing assemblies in these baffle designs will eventually lead to mechanical failure, resulting in increased maintenance downtime and loss of service time for the furnace. These designs also suffer from direct flow of hot gases from the furnace into the center of a water-cooled heat exchanger and recirculation fan. Although the teaching in U.S. Pat. No. 7,514,035—that the fixed baffle design with gas recirculation systems and mammoth ducts helps prevent pressure drops—this design has its limitations, as much higher gas pressures (greater than 10 Bar) are utilized. In order to achieve cooling gas pressures up to 20 Bar without loss of cooling gas velocity due to high pressure drops, a new design for flow of hot gas to the heat exchanger and recirculation fan was required. The present design is an improvement over the teachings in U.S. Pat. No. 7,514,035 and in the other prior art references mentioned above.
The design and teachings of the present invention result in the ability to achieve high pressure quenching up to 20 Bar with gas cooling velocities approaching 200 miles/hour, thereby rapidly cooling the work piece by diffusing the gas through a much larger opening directly into the heat exchanger and the blower fan and returning the cooled gas into a large gas chamber insitu. Accordingly, pressure drops associated with typical gas quench furnaces have been eliminated. A key feature of the present design is the movable doors which provide a dual purpose. When the doors are closed during the heating cycle, they provide a mechanism for retaining temperature uniformity during the heating cycle throughout the hot zone, and they serve to prevent thermal radiation from leaking around the baffles, such as in the stationary baffle designs of the prior art.
Similar techniques have been utilized in prior art designs, such as in U.S. Pat. No. 8,088,328, which discloses an atmosphere furnace that is not designed for high pressure gas quenching. The present design has the opening at the rearward end of the furnace directly attached to a heat exchanger with a more compact design that incorporates a high surface area per unit volume. Another key feature of the present invention is the coupling of this large opening with a specially designed chevron-type baffle made of stainless steel. The chevron baffle is situated behind the movable radiation shield doors and is not exposed to the heat from the heating cycle until the gas quenching cycle is initiated. The purpose of the chevron baffle is two-fold. One purpose is to serve as a gas diffuser, and the other is to serve as a radiation barrier of the radiant heat from the furnace hot zone to the heat exchanger at the beginning of the quenching cycle. The heat exchanger will only be exposed to convective heat from the recirculation of the cooling gases.


A one piece disposable litter box comprising of a bottom member and 2 end panels with folding flaps along with 2 side panels forming a rectangle container along with a left and right folding side panels with cutouts and a top member with latching handles and locking tab and a rear support privacy panel forming the collapsible hood.

This invention relates to disposable, litter containers such as would be suitable for a cat or other small animals and includes a method for collapsing, latching and carrying the litter container without disturbing the contents.
Disposable litter containers, such as are usable for cats and other small animals popular as household pets, is a crowed field, based on Applicants search of the U.S. Patent Office files available to the public on the Internet.
Providing for and disposing of pet waste such as excrement and urine in urban settings is a necessity, albeit unpleasant and unsanitary task and one of the main reasons more people do not have cats.
Inventors of the prior art were obviously well aware of the need for a disposable litter container, however there are still limitations in their approaches. One of the major deficiencies in the prior art is that one has to be in close proximity of the animal waste when readying a container for replacement or disposing of the waste material that includes absorbent filler mixed with animal waste. A litter container without handles usually requires one to hold the container with two hands to keep the container level while transporting for disposal as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,792,082 to Williamson (1988), U.S. Pat. No. 5,014,649 to Taft (1988) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,337,700 to Toft (1993). This approach has one""s hands closer to the animal waste as well as one""s nose. Animal wastes smells and is unsanitary.
Several of the prior art litter containers as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,487,163 to Jobert (1982), U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,364 to Pirker (1992) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,144,914 to Giannakopoulos (1991) comprising of handles on an end or side of the container designed for carrying the litter container vertically on it side prior to it being used. If one was to dispose of the litter container by using these same handles the filler along with the animal waste would be disturbed as the container went from a horizontal plane to a vertical one thereby increasing the risk of spilling the contents. None of the prior art lifter containers found in my search included a latching handle such as it was usable to carry the litter container in an undisturbed horizontal plane after it has been in use.
Several of the litter containers shown in the prior art use multiple pieces of cardboard or other type panels as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,337,700 to Toft (1993) or use an oversize panel being die cut with a large percent of the panel material going to waste as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,784,082 to Williamson (1988) making the successful commercialization of the product much less likely.
The present invention is a collapsible disposable lifter container with an improved method of carrying and latching said litter container and contents which include latching handles that permits said litter container to be carried in an undisturbed horizontal plane minimizing shifting of the filler materials and animal waste while in the open and usable condition and additionally after folding down to a compact size to save space for disposal.
A one piece disposable litter container comprising of a bottom member and 2 end panels with folding flaps along with 2 side panels forming a rectangular container along with left and right folding side panels with cutouts and a top member with latching handles and locking tab and support privacy panel forming the collapsible cover.
The litter container is die cut from 1 piece of integral cardboard sheet which when folded in an appropriate fashion results in a compact litter storage container for shipping, storage and disposal.
The litter container may be folded open and held there by the support privacy panel to provide a covered litter container with an end open and suitable for cats and other small animals. By reversing this folding procedure the litter container may be returned to its prior dimensional height.
The handles are latched into the folded side panels at the perimeter of the cutouts and the locking tab inserted into the corresponding orifice to provide a compact, spill resistant container. The above procedure takes approximately 15 seconds per cycle all the while maintaining the litter container in an undisturbed horizontal plane.

Collapsible, disposable litter box with latching handles

Abstract: The litter box is die cut from 1 piece of integral cardboard sheet which when folded in an appropriate fashion results in a compact litter storage container for shipping, storage and disposal.

Abstract: The litter box may be folded open and held there by the supporting privacy panel to provide an enclosed litter box with one end open and suitable for cats and other small mammals. By reversing this folding procedure the litter box may be returned to its prior dimensional height of approximately 2 inches. The handles are latched into the folded side panels at the perimeter of the cutouts and the locking tab inserted into the corresponding orifice providing a compact, spill resistant container for disposal. The above procedure takes approximately 15 seconds per cycle all the while maintaining the litter box in an undisturbed horizontal plane.