The present invention provides a novel hand-held data capture system with interchangeable modules including an autofocusing data file image reader. Several exemplary modules having various features are described. For example the invention teaches an apparatus and method for providing an interchangeable RF module, an interchangeable reflected image reader, two exemplary interchangeable non-scanning laser illuminated bar code reader/RF modules, and three exemplary interchangeable long range CCD reader/RF modules. Also disclosed for the described modular system are noise filtering means, a solid state laser illumination system, signal processing means, and filter, exposure control, and depth of field control means. An exemplary autofocusing system adjusts the lens to a position where the intensity change with respect to time or with respect to position is maximized. A novel focusing system employs several signal processing algorithms, including a method whereby the maximum slope of the intensity of the image signal with respect to time or with respect to position is determined. Mathematical operations may be performed by a high performance digital signal coprocessor.

In the data capture field, there are many applications where hand-held data terminals should be of rugged construction so as to survive rough handling. Many operators are not inclined toward painstaking or precise manipulations. An example is in the use of RF data capture terminals on forklift trucks in factories and warehouses where items to be transported are identified by bar codes. Other examples are found in the fields of route delivery and direct store delivery where many items are handled and the terminal means automates the accounting function. Even in applications where bar code data is transmitted on-line to a central station, it may be desirable for hand-held terminals to be inserted into docking apparatus for the interchange of data signals, e.g., the loading of scheduling information or the like into the terminal at the beginning of a working shift. Further, where terminal means has memory capacity for accumulating data during a delivery operation or the like, it may be desirable for such data to be transferred to a printer so that a hard copy may be produced. In cases where rechargeable batteries are used, the docking apparatus may provide for the recharging of such batteries at the same time as data communication is taking place.
It is conceived that it would be highly advantageous to provide a data capture system with docking apparatus adaptable to a wide range of terminal means, and which furthermore could be quickly and simply loaded in a relatively foolproof manner, and without requiring attention and care from operators engaged in physically demanding and arduous work routines. A docking apparatus would be desirable that completely avoids the use of mating pin and socket type electrical connections, and that does not rely on a specialized configuration of the terminal, e.g., the provision of an optical scanner tip which may be used for data communication. However, pin and socket type connectors may be utilized.
In connection with the use of portable data systems it is conceived that it would be highly advantageous to be able to readily upgrade a basic hand-held terminal to incorporate bar code scan type readers and various image readers as they are progressively improved and developed. A particular goal would be the implementation of the auxiliary image reader function in a rugged configuration free of moving parts. However, in the case of autofocus readers, the current state of the art may require dynamic components for the sake of optimum compactness and economy.
Optical data file readers taught by the prior art often employed analog circuitry and analog signal processing to accomplish digitization of data file images. For example, Dodson, III, U.S. Pat. No. 3,892,950, discloses a circuit for detecting transitions in an alternating signal representing binary information. Dodson's invention is essentially a 1-bit A/D (analog-to-digital) convertor having two output states, a high or low binary output voltage. Dodson's invention uses entirely analog circuitry to calculate the mean value of the input data file signal by analog summation of the input signal and a delayed version of the input signal. The output of the analog summing circuitry is then divided by two using analog circuitry to arrive at the mean value of the input signal, which was used as a digitization threshold. A comparator circuit detected when the delayed signal crossed the threshold value and delivered the digital output signal: either a high voltage or a low voltage.
Other prior art optical data file readers also employed analog circuitry and analog signal processing to accomplish digitization of the data file signal along the same lines as the Dodson invention. In one such invention, Coles, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 3,751,636, operated on the same principal as Dodson, except it used analog circuitry to find the peak value of the input signal, which was divided by two to arrive at the digitization threshold. As was the case with Dodson, Coles invention is essentially a 1-bit A/D converter wherein all of the mathematical computations are preformed entirely in the analog signal processing domain.
State of the art signal processing employs digital signal processing rather than analog signal processing. A discussion of the advantages of digital signal processing over analog signal processing is given in Digital Signal Processing, by John G. Proakis and Dimitris G. Manolakis, 1988.
There are many reasons why digital signal processing may be preferable to processing the signal directly in the analog domain . . . A digital programmable system allows flexibility in reconfiguring the digital signal processing operations simply by changing the program. Reconfiguration of an analog system usually implies a redesign of the hardware, testing, and verification that it operates properly e.g. changing form a Coles type implementation to a Dodson type implementation!. . . Digital signal processing provides better control of accuracy requirements. Tolerances in analog circuit components make it extremely difficult for the system designer to control the accuracy of an analog signal processing system. On the other hand, a digital system provides much better control of accuracy requirements (p.5).
The digital signal processing method allows for the implementation of more sophisticated signal processing algorithms. It is usually difficult to perform precise mathematical operations on signals in analog form.
However, these operations can be routinely implemented on a digital computer or data terminal! by means of software (p.5).
Digital signal processing provides an alternative method for processing the analog signal . . . In order to perform the processing digitally, there is a need for an interface between the analog signal and the digital processor. This interface is called an analog-to-digital (A/D) convertor. The output of the A/D converter is a digital signal that is appropriate as an input to the digital processor (p.4)
As stated in The Electrical Engineering Handbook, "the major factors that determine performance of D/A and A/D convertors are resolution, sampling rate, speed, and linearity." (Richard C. Dorf, The Electrical Engineering Handbook, p.771, 1991). Further, "in an A/D system, the resolution is the smallest change in voltage that can be detected by the system and that can produce a change in the digital code. The resolution determines the number of digital codes, or quantization levels, that will be recognized or produced by the circuit." (id., pp.771-772).
Typical digital signal processing systems employ 8-bit A/D convertors. Using an 8-bit AND convertor yields 2.sup.8 =256 levels of amplitude quantization. Additionally, the bandwidth, or sampling rate, of the signal processors determines the number of samples of a signal that may be taken per unit time. An effective sampling rate of 5 MHz would result in 200 ns between samples. Thus an analog input signal may be converted to a discrete-time 8-bit digital signal having 256 levels of amplitude quantization wherein one sample of the input signal is taken every 200 ns.
A high performance digital signal processor (DSP) such as a Texas Instruments TMS320C51 is capable of performing mathematical computations too complex to implement with analog circuitry at high operational bandwidths. Numerous mathematical algorithms may be implemented using a DSP, and if necessary the algorithms may easily be changed by merely changing the software. The DSP implemented mathematical algorithms may be computationally more complex, more accurate, and hence more reliable than analog implemented algorithms by several orders of magnitude
Thus a basic hand-held data terminal may employ a multitude of interchangeable modules each performing a unique data capturing function. Using digital signal processing technology allows for flexibility and ease of adaptation of the data terminal to an intended use in combination with a particular module. The applications of each module may include intensive digital signal processing in conjunction with a powerful digital signal coprocessor. For example a hand-held data terminal may include a bar code type optical image reader employing digital signal processing techniques to attain such functions as autofocusing by using complex mathematical algorithms.

Hand-held data capture system with interchangable modules including autofocusing data file reader using the slope of the image signal to determine focus


The system is an advanced, web-enabled, clearinghouse that facilitates efficient and effective claim routing, monitoring and report retrieval. A claim status summary is displayed that links directly to a rejected claim listing, wherein each rejected claim listed is a link to associated detailed claim information. The detailed claim information display has fields to edit the associated detailed claim information. During the editing process, a rules verification is performed against the edited claim information to ensure the edit comply with the known rules for the associated payer. Upon successfully completing the rules verification, the edited claim is submitted to a payer.

The majority of healthcare providers (physicians, dentists, etc.) obtain payment for medical services provided to a patient from a payer, which is generally a healthcare organization or insurance company administering a plan for the patient's employer. The form that is submitted from the healthcare provider to the payer is called a "claim." A claim is typically filled out by the healthcare provider. The claim should indicate all information required by the payer for payment of the healthcare provider for the service rendered to a patient. A properly completed claim typically identifies the physician that provided the service, a service identification code, the patient, the patient's group and plan number, payer identification, the amount of the claim, co-payment amount, etc.
There are two primary methods by which providers may submit claims to the payers:                1) send the claims on paper using a standard paper form called a HCFA 1500 form; or        2) send the claims electronically.If the provider selects to send the claims electronically, they generally have two options:        1) a direct method that utilizes a software application provided by a payer that only accepts claims for that payer; or        2) a clearinghouse method that utilizes a software package provided by a clearinghouse that enables a provider to submit claims to multiple payers.Typically, if a provider elects to submit all or a portion of their claims electronically, they will rely on their practice management software (PMS) vendor to facilitate an interface between their electronic connectivity solution and their PMS system. The transportation of claims from the provider's office to the payer can occur via direct dial up connection using a modem or via the Internet.
Once the claims are submitted, the payer then checks the claims to ensure that the information contained in the claim is in proper format. For example, certain service identification codes may only be five digits and have certain values uniquely identifying the service provided. In addition, the data is checked to ensure it makes sense in context. For example, an adult male patient visiting an obstetrician for a child wellness visit would cause the payer's processing system to reject the claim. A male patient should never have need of such obstetric services, and an adult would not properly receive services in connection with a child wellness visit. These checks are implemented by the healthcare payer's claim processing system are implemented as 'rules' embedded in the code of the payer's claim processing system. In some cases these 'rules' are included in the claims submission software application that resides in the providers office, whether the provider is using the direct or clearinghouse method for submitting claims. Payers have a vested interest in improving the quality of the rule edits that reside in front of the payer's claim processing system.
By editing the claims at the time of submission, the provider receives notification of any problems with the claim immediately, which enables the provider to correct the claim and resubmit the claim. This process reduces the delays in the payment process, which leads to improved provider relations and results in fewer calls from the provider to the payer's support center, thereby reducing cost for both the provider and the payer. Furthermore, by editing the claims at the time of submission, the payer avoids the expense of accepting the claim, processing the claim, and facilitating the return of the information required to correct the claim. Accepting claims that will ultimately fail in the payers system generates increased expense for the payer as well as delay in the payment of the claim. However, these edits are not easily changed once embedded in the code to accommodate rule updates, even by skilled programmers familiar with the computer language in which the rules are implemented.
In addition to rejecting claims for format and contextual errors, payers may also reject claims for reasons related to patient or provider eligibility. In those cases the claim may reject because:                1) the patient is not covered by the plan or the provider is not registered with the payer;        2) the patient or provider is not properly registered with the payer;        3) services that were rendered by the provider are not covered under the patient's payer plan;        4) the information identifying the patient or provider was submitted incorrectly; or        5) 5) the claim was filed after the timely filing deadline.Furthermore, claims may reject for reasons related to authorizations. Authorizations are granted by payers to patients seeking access to specialists or providers other than their primary care provider (PCP). If the proper authorization has not been granted by the payer prior to claims submission, the claim may rejected.
The amount of information available to a provider about the status of their claims once they have sent them can vary dramatically, depending on the payer, the clearinghouse and the method used to submit the claims. In general there are three basic categories for the types of messages that can be returned:                1) claim File Acknowledgement—indicates the status of the claim file that was sent by a submitter. This report simply indicates whether or not the file was received and accepted by the payer.        2) claim Level Acknowledgement—preliminary status that indicates whether or not a claim has passed the first phase of editing. A claim accepted at this point is not a guarantee of payment.        3) Electronic Remittance Advice (ERA)—final report indicating acceptance or denial of the claim. If the claim is accepted, in whole or in part, it will also indicate payment amounts.Even when these reports are available electronically, there is no guarantee that the clearinghouse intermediary will make these reports available to the provider.
Even when information is available there is little or no consistency in the messages that are returned by the different payers. As an example, a provider could receive a different message for the same claim error from each of the payers to which they submit claims. In many cases the provider must contact the payer to obtain clarification about the exact cause for a claim rejecting.
Once a claim is submitted from the healthcare provider to the payer, the healthcare provider often has limited information regarding the status of the claims. Therefore, the provider is unaware of problems in the processing of claims that could be remedied to obtain faster payment of the claim.
What is needed is an all payer, universal system that can ensure that the appropriate format for each particular payer's requirements, the information contained within the claim conforms to the appropriate content specifications, and checks to determine the patient's and provider's ability to receive reimbursement from the payer, when such information is available. If the claim is incorrect, then the claim should be rejected at the time of submission and the provider should receive immediate notification that details the errors.
Once claims in the correct form are received, the system needs to format the claims according to each payers requirements and transmit the claims. Thereafter, the payer applies its rules and either rejects or accepts the claims. This information should be readily accessible by the provider to determine a claim's status. The system should enable the provider to use these status indicators to perform summary or detailed queries as to the overall status of their billing and quickly and efficiently identify claims that require attention. Ideally, the system would allow the provider to determine the status of a claim at all stages of its processing and receive proactive reports indicating when claims have either rejected or when important information is delayed.

Correcting and monitoring status of health care claims


A wireless communication device includes a wireless transmitting section, a distance measuring section, a transmission method sorting section, a link quality determining section, and a wireless transmission method determining section. The wireless transmitting section performs communication using one of a plurality of predetermined wireless transmission methods. The distance measuring section measures a distance between the wireless communication device and a communication partner device. The transmission method sorting section sorts out one or more suitable wireless transmission methods from the plurality of wireless transmission methods on the basis of the distance measured by the distance measuring section. The link quality determining section determines a link quality of the communication. The wireless transmission method determining section determines the wireless transmission method to be employed by the wireless transmitting section according to the link quality from the wireless transmission methods sorted by the transmission method sorting section.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to wireless communication devices. In particular, the present invention relates to a wireless communication device configured to select one of a plurality of predetermined wireless transmission methods and perform communication using the selected method, a processing method for the same, and a program causing a computer to execute the method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, in many wireless communication systems, wireless transmission methods are switched according to a state of a link (propagation path) of wireless communication in order to improve communication throughput and reduce fluctuation. Particularly, in view of fading that is a phenomenon specific to wireless communication, there are some wireless communication systems that estimate a change in a signal level by a parameter such as an SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio), an RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator), and a PER (Packet Error Rate) and switch wireless communication methods on the basis of this information.
For example, a control device which switches modulation techniques employed in a conversion circuit of a transmitter on the basis of an error rate obtained in an error correction circuit of a receiver has been suggested for using in such wireless communication system (see, for example, Japanese Patent No. 3620563 (FIG. 4)).

Wireless communication device and method for determining a wireless transmission method


An architecture for processing an Extensible Markup Language (XML) document converts schema elements in the XML document to data type definition (DTD) objects that can be used to validate data elements in the XML document. The architecture utilizes a node factory design in which an XML parser calls one or more node factory interfaces to construct an in-memory tree representation of an XML document. One of the node factory interfaces is a schema node factory, which is a thin layer that receives calls from the parser to build nodes in the tree representation and translates those calls to calls to a schema builder. The schema builder is a table driven interface that converts the schema elements in the XML document into DTD objects. The DTD objects are then used to validate the data elements as belonging to the schema. If valid, the data elements are used to construct the tree representation.

Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a meta-markup language that provides a format for describing structured data. XML is similar to HTML in that it is a tag-based language. By virtue of its tag-based nature, XML defines a strict tree structure or hierarchy. XML is a derivative of Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) that provides a uniform method for describing and exchanging structured data in an open, text-based format. XML utilizes the concepts of elements and namespaces. Compared to HTML, which is a display-oriented markup language, XML is a general-purpose language for representing structured data without including information that describes how to format the data for display.
XML "elements" are structural constructs that consist of a start tag, an end or close tag, and the information or content that is contained between the tags. A "start tag" is formatted as "<tagname>" and an "end tag" is formatted as "</tagname>". In an XML document, start and end tags can be nested within other start and end tags. All elements that occur within a particular element must have their start and end tags occur before the end tag of that particular element. This defines a tree-like structure that is representative of the XML document. Each element forms a node in this tree, and potentially has "child" or "branch" nodes. The child nodes represent any XML elements that occur between the start and end tags of the "parent" node.
XML accommodates an infinite number of database schemas. A schema is a set of rules for constraining the structure and articulating the information set of XML documents. A schema describes what data structures, shape, and content of XML documents are valid for a given application. For example, one schema might describe how documents used in an online banking exchange are structured. Other schemas may describe XML documents for email, or XML documents for purchasing blue jeans or music over the Internet.
To illustrate a tree structure constructed from XML data, consider an exemplary XML data exchange between different entities, such as client and server computers, in the form of requests and responses. A client might generate a request for information or a request for a certain server action, and a server might generate a response to the client that contains the information or confirms whether the certain action has been performed. The contents of these requests and responses are XML documents. In many cases, the process of generating these XML documents involves building, in memory, a hierarchical tree structure. Once the hierarchical tree structure is built in its entirety, the actual XML document in proper syntactic form can then be assembled. Consider the following exemplary XML code:    <trans:orders xmlns:person="http://www.schemas.org/people"            xmlns:dsig=http://dsig.org        xmlns:trans="http://www.schemas.org/transactions">        <trans:order>                    <trans:sold-to>                            <person:name>                                    <person:last-name>Layman</person:last-name>                    person:first-name>Andrew</person:first-name>                                                </person:name>                                    </trans:sold-to>            <trans:sold-on>1997-03-17</trans:sold-on>            <dsig:digital-signature>1234567890</dsig:digital-signature>                        </trans:order>            </trans:orders>
This code includes three XML namespace declarations that are each designated with "xmlns". A "namespace" refers to a dictionary or set of element names defined by the schema. Namespaces ensure that element names do not conflict, and clarify who defined which term. They do not give instructions on how to process the elements. Readers still need to know what the elements mean and decide how to process them. Namespaces simply keep the names straight.
Within an XML document, namespace declarations occur as attributes of start tags. Namespace declarations are of the form "xmlns:[prefix]=[uri]". A namespace declaration indicates that the XML document contains element names that are defined within a specified namespace or schema. "Prefix" is an arbitrary designation that will be used later in the XML document as an indication that an element name is a member of the namespace declared by universal resource indicator "uri". The prefix is valid only within the context of the specific XML document. "Uri" is either a path to a document describing a specific namespace or schema or a globally unique identifier of a specific namespace or schema. Uri is valid across all XML documents. Namespace declarations are "inherited", which means that a namespace declaration applies to the element in which it was declared as well as to all elements contained within that element.
With reference to the above XML code, the namespace declarations include a prefix, e.g. "person", "dsig", and "trans" respectively, and the expanded namespace to which each prefix refers, e.g. "http://www.schemas.org/people", "http://dsig.org", and "http://www.schemas.org/transactions" respectively. This code tells any reader that if an element name begins with "dsig" its meaning is defined by whoever owns the "http://www.dsig.org" namespace. Similarly, elements beginning with the "person" prefix have meanings defined by the "http://www.schemas.org/people" namespace and elements beginning with the "trans" prefix have meanings defined by the "http://www.schemas.org/transactions" namespace.
It is noted that another XML document that incorporated elements from any of the namespaces included in this sample might declare prefixes that are different from those used in this example. As noted earlier, prefixes are arbitrarily defined by the document author and have meaning only within the context of the specific element of the specific document in which they are declared.
FIG. 1 shows a hierarchical tree structure 18 that represents the structure of the above XML code. The tree nodes correspond to elements parsed from the XML document. Such a structure is typically constructed in memory, with each node containing all data necessary for the start and end tags of that node. It has been typical in the past to build the entire tree structure before generating the XML document itself.
In XML 1.0, data types in the schemas are defined using a set of data type definitions (DTD). XML documents have two kinds of constraints: well-formedness and validity. The "well-formedness" constraints are those imposed by the definition of XML itself (such as the rules for the use of the < and > characters and the rules for proper nesting of elements). The "validity" constraints are constraints on document structure provided by a particular DTD or XML-Data schema. Schema or DTD validation is very useful in the Internet realm, because entities are able to validate whether data structures received from random or anonymous sources are appropriate for a given context. Suppose, for example, that a company receives XML data from some random user. The company does not necessarily trust the data at this point, and hence utilizes a validation process to determine whether the XML data is good or whether it is noise that can be rejected outright or sent to a system administrator for special consideration.
FIG. 2 shows current software architecture 20 for processing XML documents. The architecture 20 includes an XML parser 22 that receives and parses XML data. The XML data may arrive in a variety of ways, including as a stream, a URL (universal resource locator), or text. Parsing the XML data results in a list of events. For example, suppose the XML data describes an author and title name for a book, as follows:                <Book>                    <author>X</author>            <title>Y</title>                        </Book>
The parser 22 parses the XML data and returns the following list:                1. "Book" element        2. BeginChildren        3. "Author" element        4. BeginChildren        5. "X", text        6. EndChildren        7. "Title" element        8. BeginChildren        9. "Y", text        10. EndChildren        11. EndChildren
As the parser 22 parses the XML data, it calls to one or more node factories. A "node factory" is a callback interface that builds node objects used to construct an in-memory tree representation of the XML document. The node factory may also be used to search the XML document, without building a node object. Custom node factories can be constructed to build different kinds of object hierarchies that reflect the XML document.
In architecture 20, there are four node factories, including a namespace node factory 24, a DTD node factory 26, a tree builder node factory 28, and a validation node factory 30. The XML parser 22 calls the namespace node factory 24, which outputs a sequence of name tokens. DTD events are passed to the DTD node factory 26 and XML data events are passed to the validation node factory 30. The DTD node factory 26 builds DTD objects 32 from the DTD events. The DTD objects 32 are used in the validation process of validating the XML data. The DTD node factory 26 may also delegate to the tree builder node factory 28, which builds XML DOM (Document Object Model) fragments 34 for pieces of the tree structure, or XML DOM.
The validation node factory 30 receives the XML data events from the namespace node factory 24 and uses the DTD objects 32 to evaluate whether the data complies with certain constraints defined by the DTD objects. If the XML data is valid, the tree builder node factory 28 builds a complete XML DOM 36 for the XML data. Some elements of the XML DOM 36 may reference fragments 34.
The architecture 20 is configured for DTD-specific considerations. DTD objects have an advantage in that they are known and previously defined. DTD objects also have a drawback, however, in that they are not extensible. Thus, new data type definitions cannot be easily created. Due to this problem, more recent evolutions of XML are beginning to use XML-data schemas as an additional or alternative way to define data types in schemas. XML-data schemas are not restricted like DTD objects, but are extensible and new ones can be created as needed.
Thus, there is a desire to adapt the architecture of FIG. 2 to handle the more extensible XML-data schemas in addition to DTD objects. One problem with this adaptation is that the node factory interface provides a sequential ordered stream of XML tokens, whereas the XML-data schemas define items in a way that is order independent. This means that the node factory has to store certain states until it knows it can process those states.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved architecture built around the node factory design, which handles XML-data schemas to build in-memory tree representations and DTD objects for validation purposes. More particularly, the improved architecture should leverage existing components (e.g., DTD validation, namespace node factory, and XML parser) for creating an in-memory representation of the schema and be roughly as fast as the existing architecture. The architecture should also maximize code reuse.

Methods and systems for processing XML documents


A method and system is provided which facilitates the process of the learning music reading related to the playing of keyboard instruments through associating the staff lines on the bass and treble clefs with the ten corresponding keys on a keyboard by marking those keys.

Keyboard musical instruments generally have a surface comprising keys each corresponding to a musical note or tone and which are pressed or otherwise actuated in order to sound or "play" the notes assigned to the respective keys. Such instruments produce sounds in various ways and are embodied in such well known keyboard instruments as pianos, organs, harpsichords, synthesizers (digital keyboards), and accordions.
Another type of keyboard instrument is the xylophone, a musical instrument of the percussive family. The xylophone consists of wooden bars of various lengths that are struck by plastic, wooden, or rubber mallets to produce sound. The vibraphone and other similar instruments of the percussive family can also be considered keyboard instruments.
Keys on keyboard instruments typically produce a sound when depressed or contacted. These sounds can be produced by mechanical or electronic means or a combination of the two. As used herein, a "key" is intended broadly to mean all types of levers including conventional piano keys, as well as other actuation devices as applied to xylophones and vibraphones and similar percussive instruments.
Sheet music for keyboard instruments is typically notated on what is commonly referred to as the great or grand staff. The grand staff is comprised of a bass clef and a treble clef. The five lines on the bass clef correlate to five notes of distinct pitches. The notes represented by the lines of the bass clef and their corresponding pitch frequencies in hertz (Hz) are as follows: G (97.999), B (123.471), D (146.892), F (174.614), and A (220.000). The notes represented by the five lines of the treble clef and their corresponding pitch frequencies are: E (329.628), G (391.995), B (493.883), D (587.330), and F (698.456).
In Western music, the expression "middle C" refers to the note "C" located exactly between the two staves of the grand staff. The piano key corresponding to "middle C" also tends to be in the middle of a keyboard. When calculated in equal temperament with a reference of A above middle C as 440 Hz, the frequency of the middle C note is approximately 261.626 Hz.
A problem associated with conventional approaches to the teaching of reading of music (musical scores) and applying what one reads simultaneously to musical instruments, and to the keyboard in particular, is that the teaching of it at the elementary level has been focused on the recognition and naming of notes in a discrete manner. An elementary learner must read a note on the grand staff and translate that note to a letter name (E, G, B, etc.) That note is then processed and transferred to an appropriate key on the keyboard that the player activates.
Thus, in conventional keyboard instructional methodologies, one initially learns music notation by letter name, the location of each musical note on the instrument by that letter name, and the theory that ties these methods together in the naming of notes rather than intuitive placement of the beginning player's fingers on the keys.
Others have developed less conventional means to simplify the learning process by marking the keys of the keyboard with the corresponding note and/or letter symbols. These attempts can actually make the process more complex and result in additional processing of musical notation or symbols (directly on the keyboard). As a result, these conventional (and quasi-conventional) reference techniques frequently do little to advance a student's mastery of the keyboard and understanding of basic musical notation as it relates to the keyboard.

Grand staff to keyboard association method and system


Methods for recovery of naturally occurring nanoclusters are provided involving providing an aqueous nanocluster slurry and desorbing the nanoclusters from the surface of host substrate on which the nanoclusters are bound, followed by isolating the desorbed nanoclusters, and the isolated naturally occurring nanoclusters obtained thereby.

Not Applicable
Not Applicable
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The recovery and purification of metals from metal-bearing ores has been practiced for millennia whereby metal containing substances, including native metals and metal salts, metal sulphides, metal oxides and various other forms are subjected to various recovery procedures to produce high purity metals or alloys. Non-metallic elements also have been recovered and purified by various other processes, some of which rely on recovery of the elements from a liquid state, as exemplified by the recovery of salts from brines, or from the gaseous state, as exemplified by the recovery and purification of gases from air.
Throughout history and continuing to the present, the selection of a particular ore for the recovery of elements of value is normally first made on the basis of visual indications of the presence of the element of interest or the presence of alteration minerals known to be associated with it. For example, although visible gold is not normally seen in gold deposits, minerals such as quartz, arsenopyrite and arsenian pyrite commonly are associated with gold, and their presence in a rock alerts the geologist to the possibility that the rock may contain gold in significant quantities. Similarly, exploration geologists and prospectors searching for copper will be alerted to the presence of a potential copper deposit by the bright blue and green colours of the minerals azurite and malachite which are the weathering products of copper mineral oxidation.
Accordingly, a useful prerequisite to recovering an element from a particular source material is a visual indication that the source material is enriched in the element sought. For base metals such as copper, and other substances of relatively lower value, visual estimates of the concentration of the element sought in the source material usually correspond well with the amount that is ultimately recovered. However, gold and precious metals and other elements of relatively higher value can occur in economically significant concentrations without visual indications of their presence or their enrichment.
It is desirable that accurate methods for determining the concentrations of gold and precious metals and other high-value elements are available when developing procedures for the recovery of these materials. Fire assay is an example of such a technique. Fire assays have been used for thousands of years to determine the concentrations of gold, silver and other precious metals in ores, rocks and concentrates. Fire assay works by segregating and concentrating the precious metals contained within the source material into a small bead from which the concentrations of the precious metals can be determined, either by weighing or, as is common today, by dissolving the bead in acid(s) and measuring its elemental composition by instrumental analysis.
Other methods have been used to determine the concentrations of metals and other elements in natural materials. The optical microscope and the more recently developed scanning electron microscope (SEM) and electron microprobe (EMP) have extended the range of visual estimation of element concentrations to the micron to sub-micron scale. Other instruments such as the transmission electron microscope (TEM) have extended the range of visual determination of element abundance to the scale of the atom. Various analytical techniques such as energy dispersive x-ray analysis can be used during electron imaging to determine the chemical composition of the substrate under the electron beam. These tools extend the ability of the geochemist and metallurgist to correlate between visual and chemical estimates of element concentrations from the macroscopic scale to the atomic scale. As such, they serve as a complementary method to chemical analysis for estimating the concentrations of small quantities of elements of high value.
These varying methods of determining useful content of metals have from time to time given differing results. That is, assessing a particular ore by the fire assay method may not show any significant concentration of the desired end product, whereas analysis using the SEM or EMP techniques may show the presence of such metals or products.
SEM and EMP examination of sedimentary rocks from selected areas in western Canada by a number of competent agencies has documented previously unknown occurrences of micron to submicron sized particles of native metals and intermetallic alloys. Amongst the metals identified by electron imaging as occurring in this form are the base metals chromium, manganese, iron, nickel, copper and zinc, and the precious metals including gold, silver and the platinum group metals (PGM). They are accompanied by a wide variety of other metallic and non-metallic elements. In all, some 56 elements of the periodic table have been identified as occurring in this form in these rocks. These deposits have been called xe2x80x9cPrairie-typexe2x80x9d deposits. Fire assay of these rocks for gold, platinum and palladium and other precious metals, however, typically returns values at or below their respective lower limits of detection. Therefore, the concentrations of precious metals in these rocks can not be accurately determined by conventionally practiced analytical techniques.
Allusion to difficulties in the detection and recovery of precious metals from ores containing precious and other metals has been set out in the literature and various attempts have been made to recover such metals from these ores by a variety of processes. For example, in Hunter, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,150,960 and 3,238,038, there are disclosed processes for the recovery of platinum, gold, silver, palladium, ruthenium, iridium, rhodium and osmium from bituminous shales which conventional fire assay procedures frequently showed to be barren of these metals. Hunter""s work, directed particularly toward the recovery of gold and PGM""s, postulated that the precious metals, which occur in the xe2x80x9cshalesxe2x80x9d, had a tendency to resist xe2x80x9call heretofore known procedures for recovering them economically,xe2x80x9d were in a colloidal form or were xe2x80x9centangledxe2x80x9d with silica particles, and thus were not accessible to the action of conventional agents of recovery.
Similarly in Anderson, U.S. Pat. No. 3,958,985, there is disclosed an extraction method for non-ferrous metals for the recovery of precious metals and other non-ferrous metals from, xe2x80x9cso-called unassayable ores wherein the minerals are combined in such a way that they cannot be analyzed by conventional techniquesxe2x80x9d. Anderson disclosed that many ores contain both conventionally detectable and recoverable metals including precious metals and other precious and base metals that are not normally detected. That is, the then-current assay methods xe2x80x9cidentified only a portion of the metal present in the samplexe2x80x9d. Anderson gives no information as to the precise nature of the precious or other non-ferrous metals.
More recently Butler, U.S. Pat. No. 5,215,575, disclosed a process for processing noble metal-containing ores at low pulp densities where the noble metals are reported to be, xe2x80x9c . . . in extremely fine form and are often present in higher concentrations than is revealed by normal assay techniques in common usexe2x80x9d. In Butler, the presence of metal-absorbing substances, specifically clays, carbon or sulphides, is suspected to remove some of the metals from solution so that they cannot be detected by instrumental analysis. This mechanism is invoked to explain the loss of gold from cyanide leach recovery and aqua regia assay solutions, as well as loss of gold to slag in fire assay.
Although natural occurrence of nanoclusters has not been reported in the technical literature, manufactured nanoclusters are known and are becoming increasingly important in the fields of catalysis, ceramics, semiconductors, and materials science, among others. Their importance is due to the high ratio of surface atoms to interior atoms in nanoclusters. This imparts properties such as high surface reactivities, increased hardness and yield strength, decreased ductility, liquid-like behaviour at low temperature, and size-related quantum effects that are distinct from those properties of their macro-scale counterparts.
A method for production of nanoclusters at a high rate is disclosed in Brown, U.S. Pat. No. 5,958,329, wherein nanoclusters are produced by using an electron beam gun under high vacuum to vaporize source materials, which vapor is cooled in a condensation chamber to produce nanoclusters at claimed rates of up to kilograms per hour. Another method for artificially producing monodisperse sized nanoclusters is disclosed in Martino, U.S. Pat. No. 5,814,370.
At its finest division an element consists of a single atom. Molecules consist of simple aggregates of a few atoms, and metals and other macrocrystalline solids comprise a crystalline lattice extending outwards in continuous, three dimensional arrays of atoms. The dimensions of atoms and molecules are measured in angstroms ( ), one angstrom being 10-10 m or 0.1 nanometers (one nanometer, or nm, being 10-9 meter). Crystalline domains in macrocrystalline solids such as metals typically are measured on the scale of micrometers (micron or xcexcm) which is 10-6 meter. Nanoclusters occupy the transition from the simple atomic/molecular state to the crystalline state and have diameters in the range of 0.1 to about 100 nm. They consist of atomic polyhedra made up of as few as three or as many as thousands of atoms. Numerous terms have been used to describe nanoclusters. Smaller, charged nanoclusters are referred to as polyanions and polycations. Larger entities are referred to as microclusters, clusters or nanoparticles, although the more apt term nanocluster is now more commonly coming into use and has been adopted herein. Adjectives such as xe2x80x9cnanophasexe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cnanocrystallinexe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cnanoscalexe2x80x9d are also used to distinguish nanoclusters from their macroscale counterparts.
Within the context of the present invention, the following definitions are used:
xe2x80x9cAtomxe2x80x9d refers to the entity making up the smallest division of an element.
xe2x80x9cMoleculexe2x80x9d refers to entities comprising simple combinations of a few atoms with fixed chemical, physical and quantum properties.
xe2x80x9cNanoclusterxe2x80x9d refers to particles in the 0.1 to 100 nm size range which exhibit size-dependent variations in chemical, physical and quantum properties.
xe2x80x9cNanocluster gelxe2x80x9d refers to aggregates of dehydrated colloidal nanoclusters which commonly form micron to sub-micron sized particles.
xe2x80x9cMacrocrystalline solidsxe2x80x9d refers to crystalline substances, such as metals, that exhibit no size-dependent variation in chemical, physical or quantum properties, and whose crystal size is typically one micron or greater.
Throughout this disclosure and claims, the term xe2x80x9cmetalsxe2x80x9d is intended to include precious or noble metals comprising gold, silver and the platinum group metals (PGM) platinum, palladium, osmium, iridium, ruthenium and rhodium, group I alkali metals, group II alkaline earth metals, group III to group XII transition metals, and other metallic elements including aluminum, silicon, gallium, germanium, arsenic, indium, tin, antimony, tellurium, thallium, lead, bismuth, thorium and uranium, and the rare earth elements.
This invention relates to the field of metallurgy. In particular, the invention relates to the recovery of extremely small, naturally occurring particles known as nanoclusters, from host materials comprising solids, liquids and gases, and the resulting nanoclusters isolated thereby.
One object of the present invention is to provide a method for the detection and recovery of nanoclusters from nanocluster-bearing materials.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a method for the detection and recovery of metal nanoclusters from natural materials.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a method for recovery of metals from naturally occurring nanoclusters.
A further object of the present invention is to provide isolated natural nanoclusters of precious metals and/or PGM""s.
These and other objects of the present invention have been satisfied by the discovery that nanoclusters do, in fact, occur naturally. Heretofore these particles have not been observed and no attempt has been made to separate such naturally occurring nanoclusters for purposes of recovering metallurgically significant materials.
Accordingly, this invention further relates to a process for recovering naturally occurring nanoclusters from nanocluster-bearing source material in which the nanoclusters can be demonstrated to occur: i) as discrete nanoclusters which may be adsorbed to a host substrate, ii) as nanocluster colloids, or iii) as nanocluster gels, the process comprising forming an aqueous nanocluster slurry comprising the nanoclusters and host substrate, contacting the slurry with peptizing reagents to cause the formation of nanocluster colloids and isolating the nanocluster colloids.

Recovery of natural nanoclusters and the nanoclusters isolated thereby


A locking device for locking a heat-dissipating member securely in position on the housing of a CPU is provided. The locking device includes a flexible securing piece which is an integral piece including an elongated flexible middle portion having one end formed into a first fastening portion and the other end formed into a coupling portion. The first fastening portion is formed with a first fastening hole, and the coupling portion is formed with an angled portion and a slot extending from the angled portion to near the hook-shaped portion. Further, the locking device includes a pressable fastening piece which includes a second fastening portion having a second fastening hole; a pair of hook-shaped pieces linked to the second fastening portion; a stopper linked to the hook-shaped pieces; and a press portion linked to the second fastening portion; wherein the hook-shaped pieces and the stopper are coupled to the slot in the coupling portion of the flexible securing piece. An elastic member has a first end connected to the flexible securing piece and a second end connected to the pressable fastening piece. The locking device can be easily and effortlessly mounted on a CPU mount for locking a heat-dissipating member on the CPU mount. It is also adjustable in length so that it can be mounted on CPU mounts of various dimensions for locking a heat-dissipating member on the CPU mount.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to locking means, and more particularly, to a locking device for locking a heat-dissipating member securely in position on a computer circuit board, such as on the CPU (central processing unit) mount on a computer circuit board used to mount the package of a CPU device.
2. Description of Related Art
Computer chips, such as CPU chips will produce heat during operation when electric current flows therethrough. If not dissipated, the heat will accumulate and then cause damage to the circuitry of the chips. Therefore, the CPU adapter on a computer circuit board is customarily mounted with a heat-dissipating member that can dissipate heat away from the CPU. One conventional heat-dissipating member is illustrated in FIG. 1, which is formed with a plurality of fin-like pieces for increasing heat-dissipating surface.
Conventionally, a heat-dissipating member is mounted and secured on a CPU mount by using a plastic frame which is formed with a plurality of hook pins for fastening the heat-dissipating member tightly on the CPU mount. One drawback to this structure, however, is that the plastic frame is difficult, and thus involves laborious effort, to mount and dismount. The plastic frame is an insulator that contributes nothing to the heat-dissipating efficiency. Further, the heat produced by the CPU may degrade the mechanical properties of the plastic frame, causing the plastic frame not able to secure the heat-dissipating member tightly in position on the CPU.
One improvement on the locking means for securing a heat-dissipating member on a CPU mount is disclosed in ROC Utility Model No. 270562. The locking device of this patent can be used on ZIF CPU mount. It includes a metal presser and a metal locking plate that allows for easy mounting and high heat-dissipating efficiency. One drawback to this patent however, is that the mounting and dismounting of the device require the use of two hands or hand tools to carry out. This drawback makes the patent difficult to use in practice. Some users may even get hurt when mounting or dismounting the locking device of this patent.
There exists, therefore, a need for a new locking device which can be mounted or dismounted effortlessly and safely. This new locking device should also be easy and quick to mount so that production time can be reduced for increased competitiveness on the market. Moreover, this new locking device should be adjustable in length so that it can be used to lock heat-dissipating members of various dimensions.

Locking device for locking heat dissipaters mounted on computer circuit boards


This invention provides a method/process of determining a personal dietary supplement profile of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, enzymes, herbs, and other nutritional supplements for an individual based on information from a health questionnaire and comparing the individual's health information to an ideal health profile in a computer data base. Optionally, information provided by physical examination and laboratory studies can be incorporated into the method/process of determining the dietary supplement profile. The profile can be further defined by listing commercially available products that provide the suggested dietary supplements.

We are all biochemically different, and our dietary nutrient requirements for optimal health vary. Each of us is unique due to variations in our genetics, lifestyle, dietary habits and health problems. If we were all the same, the same multivitamin-supplement with the same doses would provide the same results. Dr. Roger J. Williams, a pioneer in the field of nutrition and renowned biochemist, who discovered pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), wrote extensively on "biochemical individuality" and has shown that every human is innately highly distinctive in terms of his biochemistry. Dr. Williams believed that no two individuals are identical in bodily structure and neither are their chemical processes always carried out in the same ways. Different persons need different combinations and amounts of food elements, vitamins and other nutrients.
Some 106 million Americans use vitamin and mineral supplements every day, and 45 million reported using herbal remedies regularly. Further, 74 million Americans are more likely to treat themselves than see or consult a physician. A recent survey noted that consumers have low confidence in labeling information and product safety, and that product labels, magazines, doctors, books and advertising all ranked ahead of pharmacists in providing information on dietary supplements. Lower than pharmacists as an information source, the survey noted, are health food stores and alternative medicine practitioners. One of the last places consumers used for information on dietary supplements was the Internet. Conlan M F, Drug Topics, Oct. 18, 1999, pg. 58.
Computerized programs for medical needs are not new to the art. Potter et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,354 discloses an interactive method for performing a differential diagnosis using a programmed computer system and a stored data base. Kaufman et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,036,462 discloses a medication delivery device. Swenson et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,632,925 discloses a virtual medical instrument system for storing diagnostic test protocols. Williams III, U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,350 discloses a method for selecting foodstuffs to compare the user's daily dietary and physical activities to the user's recommended dietary allowance. None of the above cited patents teach or suggest the use of the method or process outlined in the present invention.
A more reliable source of information regarding the selection of dietary supplements is sought by consumers and provided by the present invention.

Method/process of determining a personal dietary supplement profile and recommending dietary supplements for an individual


An electrolytic production of sodium persulfate in a decreased number of steps with low unit power cost is described. Sodium persulfate is caused to crystallize by the reaction between an anode product and sodium hydroxide. The resulting sodium persulfate slurry is separated into a mother liquor and sodium persulfate crystals which are recovered and dried to obtain product sodium persulfate. In the process of the invention, ammonia liberated in the reaction-type crystallization of sodium persulfate is recovered into a cathode product, which is then neutralized by sodium hydroxide and/or ammonia. The neutralized solution is combined with sodium sulfate recovered from the mother liquor after recovering the sodium persulfate crystals and reused as a part of the starting material for an anolyte feed solution.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for producing sodium persulfate. Sodium persulfate has been widely used in industrial process, for example, as a polymerization initiator for the production of polyvinyl chloride and polyacrylonitrile and as a treating agent for printed wiring boards.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As a general production method of sodium persulfate, the reaction between ammonium persulfate and sodium hydroxide in an aqueous solution has been known (U.S. Pat. No. 3,954,952). However, this process is uneconomical because the yield of sodium persulfate based on ammonium persulfate is low due to a large number of steps required. In addition, the concentration of sulfuric acid in the catholyte feed solution should be lowered to maintain a high solubility of ammonium sulfate to the catholyte feed solution, this increasing the electrolytic voltage, i.e., the unit power cost.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,144,144 discloses a direct electrolytic production of sodium persulfate using a neutral anolyte feed solution in the presence of ammonium ion. In this process, the mother liquor after removing crystallized sodium persulfate is mixed with a cathode product and recycled to an electrolytic step as the anolyte feed solution. Therefore, the electrolysis is conducted in the presence of sodium persulfate which participates nothing in the electrolysis, this increasing the electrolysis voltage and decreasing the current efficiency. In addition, since the resultant sodium persulfate crystals contain nitrogen in higher concentrations, a careful and thorough washing is necessary to purify sodium persulfate to an acceptable level for practical use.
An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems in the prior art and to provide a process for producing sodium persulfate in a low unit power cost and a reduced number of production steps.
After extensive study for solving the above problems, the inventors have found that sodium persulfate is more economically produced by electrolyzing an anolyte feed solution containing sodium sulfate, ammonium sulfate and sodium persulfate, reacting the resulting anode product with sodium hydroxide and crystallizing sodium persulfate by concentration, while recovering ammonia gas liberated from the crystallization step into a cathode product, followed by neutralizing the resulting cathode product with sodium hydroxide and/or ammonia and recycling a mixture of the neutralized solution with sodium sulfate recovered from a crystallization mother liquor as a part of the starting material for the anolyte feed solution.
Thus, the present invention provides a process for producing sodium persulfate, comprising (1) a step of electrolyzing a catholyte feed solution containing sulfuric acid and an anolyte feed solution containing sodium sulfate, ammonium sulfate and sodium persulfate, thereby obtaining a cathode product and an anode product; (2) a step of reacting the anode product with sodium hydroxide in a reaction-type crystallizer, thereby obtaining a reaction mixture; (3) a step of crystallizing sodium persulfate from the reaction mixture by concentration, thereby obtaining a sodium persulfate slurry; (4) a step of separating the sodium persulfate slurry to sodium persulfate crystals and a mother liquor, thereby recovering the sodium persulfate crystals; (5) a step of crystallizing sodium sulfate from the mother liquor, thereby obtaining a sodium sulfate slurry; (6) a step of separating sodium sulfate crystals from the sodium sulfate slurry; (7) a step of recovering ammonia gas liberated in the step (2) into the cathode product obtained in the step (1); (8) a step of neutralizing the resulting cathode product with sodium hydroxide and/or ammonia to obtain a neutralized cathode product; and (9) a step of recycling the neutralized cathode product and the sodium sulfate separated in the step (6) to the step (1) as a part of a starting material for the anolyte feed solution.
In the electrolysis step (1) of the process of the present invention, an aqueous solution containing, by weight, 5 to 18% sodium sulfate, 21 to 38% ammonium sulfate and 0.1 to 2% sodium persulfate is used as an anolyte feed solution. The sulfate ratio, sodium sulfate/ammonium sulfate, is preferably 0.1 to 0.9 by weight. When the sulfate ratio is less than 0.1, the available amount of sodium sulfate obtained in the separation step (6) is reduced to increase the unit material cost. A sulfate ratio higher than 0.9 increases the electrolytic voltage to increase the unit power cost. The anolyte feed solution may further contain 0.01 to 0.1% by weight of a known polarizer such as thiocyanate, cyanide, cyanate and fluoride. The catholyte feed solution is a 20 to 80% by weight aqueous solution of sulfuric acid.
The electrolytic cell usable in the present process is not specifically limited so long as it is structured to separate the anode from the cathode by a diaphragm, and a box electrolytic cell or a filter press electrolytic cell is preferably used. The diaphragm for the box electrolytic cell is made of an oxidation resistant material such as alumina. Ion-exchange membranes are preferably used as the diaphragm of the filter press electrolytic cell.
The anode is preferably made of platinum, although anodes made of a chemically resistant material such as carbon are usable. The cathode is preferably made of zirconium or lead, although cathodes made of a chemically resistant material such as stainless steel are usable. The anode current density is 40 to 120 A/dm2, preferably 60 to 80 A/dm2. A current density lower than 40 A/dm2 produces a poor current efficiency. A current density higher than 120 A/dm2 could be used, but uneconomical because a specific power supply equipment is needed due to a considerable heat generation at a bus bar.
The electrolytic cell is operated at 10 to 40xc2x0 C., preferably 25 to 35xc2x0 C. Temperatures lower than 10xc2x0 C. are detrimentally low because sodium sulfate, etc. begin to crystallize to make the process inoperable and an unnecessarily high electrolytic voltage is required. Temperatures exceeding 40xc2x0 C. are undesirably high because excessive decomposition of the resulting persulfate ion occurs to result in a low yield of sodium persulfate.
Then, the anode product from the electrolysis step (1) is introduced into a reaction-type crystallizer and reacted with an aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide in the step (2), followed by the step (3) where sodium persulfate is caused to crystallize from the reaction mixture by concentration. The reaction-type crystallizer is not specifically limited so long as it is operable under reduced pressure, and a reaction-type crystallizer equipped with an agitator, preferably a double propeller reaction-type crystallizer having a clarification zone is used. The reaction-type crystallizer so constructed facilitates the sampling of at least a part of the liquid therein in the step (3) for crystallizing sodium persulfate.
The crystallization of sodium persulfate in the reaction-type crystallizer is carried out at 15 to 60xc2x0 C., preferably 20 to 50xc2x0 C. When the temperature is lower than 15xc2x0 C., the reaction rate between the anolyte product and sodium hydroxide is low and the coexisting sodium sulfate is likely to crystallize to lower the purity of sodium persulfate crystals. At temperatures higher than 60xc2x0 C., excessive decomposition of the resulting sodium persulfate occurs to result in a low yield of sodium persulfate. The residence time in the reaction-type crystallizer depends on the desired particle size of sodium persulfate, and generally selected from the range of 1 to 10 hours. The residence time can be shorter than one hour if sodium persulfate with smaller particle size is desired.
Sodium hydroxide is added to the anode product solution introduced into the reaction-type crystallizer in an amount enough to displace at least proton and ammonium ion attributable to by-produced sulfuric acid, ammonium persulfate and ammonium sulfate present in the solution by sodium ion. Preferably, sodium hydroxide is added in an amount such that the liquid in the reaction-type crystallizer is adjusted to the pH range of 9 to 12. The rate of effusion of ammonia is low at a pH lower than 9 to increase the nitrogen content of the sodium persulfate crystals, and the persulfate ion is likely to decompose at a pH higher than 12 to reduce the yield of sodium persulfate. The pressure inside the reaction-type crystallizer is adjusted to a level which allows water to boil at the temperature range mentioned above. The liberated ammonia gas is recovered into the cathode product obtained in the electrolysis step (1), as described below.
The sodium persulfate slurry obtained in the crystallization step (3) is separated into sodium persulfate crystals and a mother liquor in the separation step (4) using a solid-liquid separator such as a centrifuging separator. The separated crystals are dried to the final product by a powder drier. The reaction step (2) and the crystallization step (3) may be operated in the same reaction-type crystallizer having a clarification zone.
The mother liquor is transferred into the reaction-type crystallizer of the step (2) or into the crystallization step (5) of sodium sulfate. The crystallization of sodium sulfate is preferably conducted by a cooling crystallization method where sodium sulfate precipitates as a hydrate in the step (5) and separated from the sodium sulfate slurry in the step (6), for example, by a common technique such as centrifuging separation. The mother liquid after separating the crystallized sodium sulfate is returned to the reaction-type crystallizer of the step (2). If the separation of sodium sulfate is omitted, sodium sulfate formed by the reaction with sodium hydroxide added in the step (2) will build up in the reaction-type crystallizer, and ultimately coprecipitate with sodium persulfate to reduce the purity of the sodium persulfate product. The crystallization of sodium sulfate is conducted in a cooling crystallizer equipped with a cooling means. If a double propeller crystallizer having a clarification zone is used in the step (2), the clarified liquid is treated to separate sodium sulfate.
Sodium sulfate is separated in an amount such that the concentration of sodium sulfate in the reaction-type crystallizer of the step (2) is maintained constant. Namely, sodium sulfate is removed in an amount corresponding to the total amount of the sulfate ion contained in the anode product to be fed into the reaction-type crystallization steps (2) and (3) and the sulfate ion formed during the operation of the reaction-type crystallization by the decomposition of persulfate ion. Namely, the amount of sodium sulfate to be removed can be determined by the total amount of the sulfate ion in the anode product measured by a common method such as titration and the amount of decomposed persulfate ion obtained from the material balance of the reaction-type crystallization steps (2) and (3). By regulating the feeding rate of the mother liquor to the cooling crystallizer so that sodium sulfate crystallizes in the determined amount, the desired amount of sodium sulfate can be precipitated and removed. The recovered hydrate of sodium sulfate is recycled as a part of the starting material for the anolyte feed solution as described below.
As described above, the precipitating amount of sodium sulfate depends on the feeding rate and the chemical composition of the starting solution to be fed into the cooling crystallizer. For example, in the cooling crystallization of a 30xc2x0 C. saturated solution containing, by weight, 35% sodium persulfate and 8% sodium sulfate at 18xc2x0 C., sodium sulfate decahydrate precipitates in an amount of about 8% by weight based on the starting saturated solution.
The cooling crystallization of the step (5) is conducted at 5 to 30xc2x0 C., preferably 15 to 25xc2x0 C. Sodium sulfate precipitate insufficiently at temperatures higher than 30xc2x0 C. to reduce the purity of the sodium persulfate product. Sodium persulfate coprecipitate with sodium sulfate at temperatures lower than 5xc2x0 C. to increase the content of sodium persulfate in sodium sulfate.
In the step (7), ammonia gas liberated from the reaction-type crystallizer of the step (2) is recovered into the cathode product obtained in the step (1), as described above. Sulfuric acid remaining in the cathode product after absorbing ammonia is neutralized with sodium sulfate and/or ammonia gas in the step (8). Then, sodium sulfate recovered in the step (6) and a desired amount of the polarizer are dissolved into the resulting neutralized solution in the step (9). The solution thus obtained is recycled as a starting material for the anolyte feed solution. To maintain the dissolution of sodium sulfate and the polarizer, the solution may be diluted with water.
In the continuous process of the present invention, the neutralization by sodium hydroxide is switched to the neutralization by ammonia gas and vice versa such that the sulfate ratio, sodium sulfate/ammonium sulfate, in the anolyte feed solution is regulated within the range of 0.1 to 0.9 by weight. Since ammonia and sodium sulfate are circulated in the present process, the amount of ammonia gas used in the neutralization corresponds to the loss of the ammonia in the recovery step (7).
A part of the anode product obtained in the electrolysis step (1) may be concentrated prior to the reaction with sodium hydroxide in the step (2) to increase the reaction rate between the anode product and sodium hydroxide in the reaction step (2). The degree of concentration can be increased by concentrating after mixing the anode product solution with the mother liquor after recovering sodium sulfate in the step (6). Since the mother liquor is a saturated solution at an operating. temperature (5 to 30xc2x0 C.) of the step (5), the degree of concentration can be increased as compared with when concentrating the as-obtained anode product solution.


A ceramic honeycomb catalytic converter having a novel canning structure capable of stably retaining a thin-walled ceramic honeycomb catalyst within a metal casing for a long period. A retainer member in the form of a ceramic fiber mat is disposed between an inner peripheral surface of the casing and an outer peripheral surface of the honeycomb catalyst, in a compressed state to generate a surface pressure for retaining the honeycomb catalyst in place. The ceramic fiber mat is composed of heat resistant and non-intumescent ceramic fibers, and has a compression characteristic which is substantially free from a significant increase or decrease over an operative temperature range of the catalytic converter. The casing may be provided with at least one locking member for locking the ceramic fiber mat in a flow direction of exhaust gas passed through the honeycomb catalyst.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a ceramic honeycomb catalytic converter which can be suitably used for an exhaust gas clarification system of an internal combustion engine for vehicles.
More particularly, the present invention pertains to a ceramic honeycomb catalytic converter which comprises a metal casing, a ceramic honeycomb catalyst accommodated in the casing, and a retainer member in the form of a ceramic fiber mat disposed in a compressed state between an outer surface of the honeycomb catalyst and an inner surface of the casing, thereby generating a surface pressure for holding the honeycomb catalyst within the casing.
2. Description of the Related Art
As known in the art, ceramic honeycomb catalytic converters of the kind mentioned above include a ceramic honeycomb catalyst wherein a number of flow channels having a polygonal cell-like cross-section and extending longitudinally through the honeycomb catalyst are defined by a peripheral wall and partition walls arranged inside of the peripheral wall. Conventional arrangement of such ceramic honeycomb catalytic converters is disclosed, for example, in JP-A-57-56,615, JP-A-61-241,413, JP-A-1-240,715, JP-U-55-130,012, JP-U-56-67,314 and JP-U-62-171,614.
Such ceramic honeycomb catalytic converters have been widely spread primarily due to a high open frontal area of the ceramic honeycomb catalyst and a resultant low pressure drop when exhaust gas is passed through the flow channels in the honeycomb catalyst, making it readily possible to achieve an excellent exhaust gas clarifying performance. As a typical example, an advanced ceramic honeycomb catalyst used for practical purposes has a partition wall thickness or rib thickness of approximately 0.170 mm and a flow channel density or cell density of 60 cells per unit cross-sectional area of 1 cm.sup.2.
In accordance with a recent enhancement in the exhaust gas regulation as related to environmental problems, e.g., a requirement for reduction in the total emission amount of hydrocarbon in the LA-4 mode which is one of exhaust gas evaluation test modes in the United States, there is a strong demand for an improved ceramic honeycomb catalyst which is capable of achieving a distinguished exhaust gas clarifying performance as compared to conventional honeycomb catalysts. Specifically, in an operational state immediately after starting an engine, i.e., in the so-called cold start state, the exhaust gas clarifying efficiency undergoes a considerable deterioration because the catalyst is still not much warmed and hence it is not sufficiently activated. Thus, an early activation of the catalyst during the cold start state is considered as the most important task to clear the exhaust gas regulation. From such a viewpoint, as a general discussion, it has been proposed to reduce the thickness of the partition walls of the ceramic honeycomb structural body. The thin-walled ceramic honeycomb structural body serves on one hand to increase the open frontal area and thereby decrease the pressure loss and reduce the structure weight, and on the other hand to decrease the heat capacity of the catalyst and enhance the temperature elevation speed of the catalyst. In this case, a large geometric surface area of the honeycomb structural body can be obtained so that it is also possible to realize a compact structure. However, the thin-walled ceramic honeycomb structure, in turn, makes it difficult to achieve a predetermined minimum guarantee value, generally no less than 5 kgf/cm.sup.2, preferably no less than 10 kgf/cm.sup.2, of the isostatic destruction strength as one index of the structural strength. The term "isostatic strength" is defined in the JASO Standard M505-87, an automobile standard issued by The Corporation of Automobile Technology Association, Japan, and refers to a compressive destruction strength of the honeycomb structure under an isostatic or isotropic hydrostatic load, and is represented by a pressure value when the destruction occurs. Needless to say, ceramic honeycomb structural bodies with a poor isostatic strength require very careful handling, and may be readily subject to damage during the so-called "canning" process whereby the honeycomb catalyst is loaded into the converter casing and retained therein such that the honeycomb catalyst is prevented from dislocation due to vibrations, etc., which are encountered in practical use condition.
In many cases, the canning for retaining the ceramic honeycomb catalyst in place within a casing is effected by holding the outer peripheral surface of the honeycomb catalyst. However, the canning is sometimes effected in a different manner, e.g., by retaining the honeycomb catalyst solely in the exhaust gas flow direction, or in a combined mode in which the honeycomb catalyst is held at its outer peripheral surface while being retained in the exhaust gas flow direction. Normally, the canning is implemented using a ceramic fiber mat held compressed between the outer periphery of a honeycomb catalyst and the inner periphery of the metal casing, whereby the honeycomb catalyst is retained in place within the metal casing by a surface pressure generated by the ceramic fiber mat. In this instance, the catalyst canning structures, in particular the catalyst retainer members, are required to exhibit a high reliability in terms of the heat resistance. This is mainly due to the fact that, in view of the above-mentioned requirement for an early activation of the catalyst in the cold starting stage, the recent trend is to install the catalyst at a location close to the engine where the catalyst may be exposed to exhaust gas at a higher temperature, and/or to operate the engine under such a condition as to emit exhaust gas at a higher temperature. Emission of exhaust gas at a higher temperature may also result from an air/fuel ratio which is approximated to a stoichiometrical ratio in the high speed mode of the vehicle for satisfying various regulations regarding CO.sub.2 emission, fuel consumption, etc.
The requirement for a highly reliable heat resistance characteristic of the catalyst canning structures, in particular the catalyst retainer members, is also associated with a recent progressive application of the exhaust gas emission regulations to motorcycles, which necessitates an exhaust gas clarification system suitable for motorcycle engines. That is, due to a space limitation in the case of motorcycles, a catalyst converter is often installed within a muffler so that the metal casing with a catalyst converter housed therein is maintained out of contact with the open air and therefore hardly cooled. Consequently, the metal casing and the retainer member are subject to heating up to an extremely high temperature.
As a ceramic fiber mat forming the catalyst retainer member for the canning structure, it has been a general practice to use an intumescent, i.e., thermally expansive mat composed of alumina-silica fibers added with vermiculite. However, conventional intumescent mats proved to undergo deterioration in their compression characteristic, when they are heated beyond an upper limit temperature of 800.degree.-900.degree. C. More particularly, the surface pressure which had been acting to retain the honeycomb catalysts in place tends to decrease with the progress of deterioration. Then, it is no longer possible to stably retain the honeycomb catalyst in its initial position, so that the honeycomb catalyst tends to get premature wear as a result of friction with cone, retainer ring and/or end face cushion, etc., which are provided in the flow directional end region of the metal casing, or to be damaged due to intensive vibrations transmitted from the engines. Besides, the mats may scatter away when they are exposed to the intensive heat of exhaust gas. To overcome these problems, the ceramic honeycomb catalytic converter disclosed in the above-mentioned JP-A-61-241413 is combined with a ceramic fiber layer which is arranged between the intumescent mat and the inner surface of the metal casing. Such a solution, however, is not always appropriate because the resultant structural complexity makes it difficult to improve the manufacturing productivity of the ceramic honeycomb catalytic converters.
Besides, it should be noted that a reduced thickness of the partition walls of the ceramic honeycomb catalyst results inevitably in a decreased isostatic strength, and further that there may be instances wherein a thermal expansion of conventional mat rapidly increases the surface pressure generated thereby. The decreased isostatic strength of the thin-walled ceramic honeycomb catalyst in combination with the increased surface pressure may give rise to damaged to the ceramic honeycomb catalysts during their actual application. Thus, realization of a thin-walled ceramic honeycomb catalyst has been generally recognized to be practically incompatible with a stable retention of the honeycomb catalyst in place. To the knowledge of the inventors, there have been no proposals regarding the canning structure which is capable of stably retaining a thin-walled ceramic honeycomb catalyst in place for a long period.


There is disclosed herein a refrigerant container in the form of a bag, or pouch, made from two sheets of multi-layer barrier film material which are heat sealed adjacent their edges to form a closed pouch which has an interior space. The bag may be connected to an access valve provided in a line of a sealed refrigeration system for capturing the refrigerant therefrom. The barrier film material is specially formulated to prevent outward permeation of a refrigerant and to prevent inward permeation of air. A valve system is provided for filling and emptying the bag.

Refrigeration apparatus, such as refrigerators, freezers, dehumidifiers and air conditioners, include a sealed refrigeration system for providing cooling. A typical system includes a compressor, a condenser and an evaporator with intermittent recirculation of a refrigerant or coolant to provide cooling. A typical refrigerant used in refrigerators and freezers is known as R-12, while a typical refrigerant used in air conditioners is known as R-22.
Both of the above-mentioned refrigerants include chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). In servicing refrigeration apparatus at the present time, CFCs are customarily released to the atmosphere. However, CFCs are believed to deplete the ozone layer from the atmosphere. This damages the atmosphere since the ozone layer filters harmful ultraviolet radiation from sunlight.
Occasionally, it is necessary to remove the refrigerant from a sealed system. For example, if a compressor needs to be replaced, or if there is an improper charge in the system, or if there is a flow restriction in the sealed system, then it is necessary for a service technician to evacuate the refrigerant from the sealed system prior to servicing. One commonly used method uses a long hose connected to a valve brazed on a line of the sealed system to purge the refrigerant either directly into the home, or outside the home. However, this procedure has caused concern among environmentalists as a result of its harmful effects to the ozone layer.
Various apparatuses are available for capturing the refrigerant removed from a sealed system. Examples of refrigerant recovery and capture devices are disclosed in Cain U.S. Pat. No. 4,261,178 and Lower et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,441,330. However, these disclosed devices are believed to be heavy, bulky, complicated and expensive. In a recently reported survey, the available equipment for refrigerant recovery/recycling weighed from 40 to 600 lbs with an average weight of close to 150 lbs. The cost of such equipment varied from a low of $1,200 to as high as $24,000. While large repair shops may easily justify such expense, refrigerant recovery is not performed often enough for most small repair shops to justify the cost of purchasing or acquiring the expertise to correctly use such equipment.
The present invention is directed to solving one or more of the problems set forth above, in a novel and simple manner.

Method and apparatus for recovering refrigerants from home refrigeration systems


A controller for controlling an operation of a system is disclosed. The controller receives an input signal indicative of the operation of the system and rotates a test signal multiple times with different circular shifts to produce different rotations of the test signal forming a matrix data structure with the input signal. The input signal and the test signal are time-series data having values monotonically measured over time. The controller is further configured to apply a sliding three-dimensional (3D) window method to the matrix data structure to produce statistics of the input signal with respect to the rotations of the test signal. The sliding 3D window method iteratively moves window over the matrix data structure to compute a value of the statistics for a segment of the matrix data structure within the window. Furthermore, the controller controls the operation of the system according to the statistics of the input signal.

Modern computer systems collect large amount of information from various physical systems and/or machines. Maintaining such physical systems (hereinafter, systems) in good working order is an important task associated with their operation, and how and when maintenance is performed has a very significant effect on economic aspect of their operation. One maintenance strategy is to repair a system only after it fails (also known as corrective maintenance). This strategy is not optimal, because repairs of an entire failed system may be costlier than replacing a single part before the system breaks, and also system failure may result in wasted materials, unacceptable product quality, and might even endanger the personnel operating the system. In situations when the corrective maintenance is not a viable or economic option, a different strategy is used—regular maintenance of the system at fixed intervals, for example one year. Examples of such safety critical systems are elevators and cars; generally, their maintenance is done once per year, and corresponding certificates are issued. Such strategy is commonly known as preventive maintenance.
Although the preventive maintenance addresses safety issues that are associated with the system maintenance, there are many cases when it is not economically optimal. For example, in the preventive maintenance, a length of a maintenance cycle is often arbitrary (e.g., one year or one month), and according to convenience of inspection authorities and logistics of an inspection process (e.g. issuing inspection stickers for cars), than with the actual need of the systems. Further, a single maintenance cycle may not be optimal for all systems in a group, where some of the systems are new, and may require maintenance not very often, whereas older systems may require maintenance much more often. In this situation, a time-based preventive maintenance strategy is used. The time-based preventive maintenance is also referred to as predictive maintenance.
The predictive maintenance strategy allows use of sensors to measure system parameters. As instrumentation of system operations increases, large amounts of data are being collected from the sensors that monitor the operations of the systems. The data from some sensors may also be generated at a relatively high frequency, which further results in large amount of data. The data from the sensors associated with systems may be analyzed to determine a state of the system. For example, in some cases, a data stream from a sensor associated with the system may be analyzed to determine whether the system is not performing as expected, referred to as equipment failure. However, the predictive maintenance strategy is time-consuming and demands for training data. For instance, when adapting the predictive maintenance to actual environment, the predictive maintenance demands for an amount of training data to analyze the data streams from the sensors and further takes long time to gain high-accuracy learning model. For example, in a case of a group of systems comprising older systems and new systems, the training data for all the systems in the group needs to be collected and further a model for each system in the group needs to be designed and trained. Furthermore, the predictive maintenance strategy prevents quick adaptations, as models for different systems need to be designed differently.
Accordingly, there is a need for an efficient apparatus for controlling the operation of system in an optimal and feasible manner.

System control based on time-series data analysis

Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc.


A monitoring system is disclosed. The monitoring system comprises a base station and a plurality of interconnected slave units, where each one of the slave units is adapted to receiving an alarm from an alarm unit and transmitting an alert corresponding to the alarm to the base station.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to personal emergency communications systems and more particularly to personal emergency communications systems which incorporate distributed input/output devices.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Typical personal emergency communications systems (PERS) employ a portable alarm unit worn by a subscriber. The alarm unit, when actuated by the subscriber, transmits an alarm signal to a fixed base station located within the subscriber's residence. When the base station receives the alarm signal, the home base system transmits an alert signal via a telephonic communication link to a central monitoring system. The operator at the central monitoring system attempts to verify the alert via two-way voice communications with the subscriber via the central monitoring system and the home base station, which has a hardwire speaker phone capability. Depending upon information or lack thereof received by the operator from the subscriber, directions may then be issued by the operator to dispatch aid to the residence from which the alert signal was received. PERS of this type have proven to be a reasonably effective tool for responding to the needs of elderly and/or infirm persons confined to their residences.
Accidents in homes may be classified into emergency accidents and non-emergency accidents. Some individuals living alone may require assistance, because of dizziness or illness, to simply rise up from a collapsed state in order to reach a telephone to obtain assistance. Such incidents while requiring assistance, may not be of an emergency nature requiring "emergency" response from EMS personnel. Alternatively, there are serious events which are true emergencies.
Each year many false alarms are generated by PERS for non-emergency types of events. On the other hand, persons involved in serious accidents having PERS in their residences have been found to have waited helplessly for hours, if not days before discovery. Persons who have encountered such serious accidents in many cases simply were unable to communicate their needs because the alarm reception capability or the speaker phone capability of the PERS was not within range of the subscriber. Both false alarms could be reduced and serious accidents could be more properly responded to if plural equivalents of the base station could be located in the residence.
Thus, it is desirable to enhance the performance of known personal emergency response systems to: (1) have the capability of reliably receiving alarms from all areas within a living space, including out-buildings and external areas and (2) have the capability of providing voice communication with the subscriber following an alarm, regardless of the location of the subscriber within the living space.

Personal emergency response system with interconnected slave units


A method for determining an identifier of a wireless network to which a mobile device can connect. For at least one wireless network, an identifier and at least one address for component(s) in that network is stored on the mobile device. An address of a component in an available network is received. If the address of the component is received without an identifier for the network, the received address is compared with at least one stored address. If the received address matches one of the at least one stored address, the identifier stored in association with that address is obtained. A module and a mobile device for implementing the method comprise a memory, a receiver, a comparison module and an interface module.

In some WiFi capable devices for use in WLANs (Wireless Local Area Networks), users may create profiles for networks and/or APs (Access Points) to which they commonly connect. These profiles are stored in profile tables or lists on the devices to enable the devices to automatically connect to a network listed in the profile table for that device when the device in the range of that network. A profile usually contains an SSID (Service Set Identifier) for the network and security parameters, such as whether the network is Open or Secure and security keys.
Each AP in a WLAN has one or more MAC (Medium Access Control) address for the AP and one or more SSID for the networks to which the AP belongs. Some networks have what is known as "hidden SSIDs". A hidden SSID is not disclosed in response to a scan or probe for availability of the network, or in the beacon that the AP transmits regularly. To join such a network, a user must know the SSID and usually the user will conduct a directed probe using the known SSID to check availability.
Some WiFi capable devices perform scans and probes in accordance with IEEE Standard 802.11 to determine which APs and/or peer devices are available. A broadcast probe request is sent to determine all APs and/or devices that are WiFi capable in the range of the user device. Each AP/device found sends a probe reply containing its respective MAC address. The probe reply also indicates whether or not the address belongs to an infrastructure device, such as an AP, or an independent wireless device, such as a laptop or handheld device. The probe reply will also include the SSID, if it is not hidden. Broadcast probe requests are also known as broadcast scans or site surveys. After the probe reply is received, the results are stored on the wireless device, usually in (Random Access Memory). A user can then select an AP/device from the scan results and connect to that device it the SSID is not hidden. Furthermore, scanning can be defined as either passive or active. Passive scanning involves listening for the beacon transmitted by the AP. Active scanning is performed by sending "probe request" packets to a broadcast MAC address. If the probe request packet contains an SSID, then it is known as a directed probe. If the probe request does not contain an SSID it is known as a broadcast probe or discover probe.
Directed probe requests that are sent directly to a specific network are also possible. In order to send a directed probe request the user must know the SSID of the network of the AP or device.
Typically, a WiFi capable device will send a broadcast probe first to determine all APs or other mobile device to which it can connect. If some of the APs listed in the scan result have hidden SSIDs, some devices are programmed to go through each profile stored on the device and send a directed probe to each SSID to ensure that all of the available APs from networks listed on the profile table for that device are added to the scan result. If the list of profiles is long, this can be time consuming. Furthermore, each probe uses valuable battery power in battery operated mobile devices because rather than putting the mobile device in sleep (or doze) mode, the mobile device is in active mode transmitting and/or receiving packets such as beacons, probe requests, probe responses, etc.

Determining identifiers for wireless networks