A distributed speech recognition system includes at least one client station and a server station connected via a network, such as Internet. The client station includes means for receiving the speech input signal from a user. A speech controller directs at least part of the speech input signal to a local speech recognizer. The, preferably limited, speech recognizer is capable of recognizing at least part of the speech input, for instance a spoken command for starting full recognition. In dependence on the outcome of the recognition, the speech controller selectively directs a part of the speech input signal via the network to the server station. The server station includes means for receiving the speech equivalent signal from the network and a large/huge vocabulary speech recognizer for recognizing the received speech equivalent signal.

The invention relates to a distributed speech recognition system for recognizing a speech input signal; the system including at least one client station and a server station; the client station including means for receiving the speech input signal from a user and means for transferring a signal representative of the received speech to the server station via a network; and the server station including means for receiving the speech equivalent signal from the network and a large/huge vocabulary speech recognizer for recognizing the received speech equivalent signal.
The invention also relates to a method of recognizing a speech input signal in a distributed system including at least one client station and a server station.
The invention further relates to a speech recognition client station.
The invention also relates to a method of handling a speech input signal in a client station of a distributed speech recognition system which further includes a server station. The invention also relates a computer program product where the program is operative to cause the computer to perform the method of handling the speech input signal.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,819,220 discloses a client-server speech recognition system, wherein the client station is local to the user and the server is located remotely, accessible via the public Internet. This system is used for providing speech input relating to a Web page. The user provides speech input to the client station which displays a Web page using a conventional browser. The speech may, for instance, be used for specifying a query or for filling information fields (e.g. name, and address) of the page. Usually, the client station receives the speech via a microphone and an A/D converter of an audio card. A representation of the speech is sent to a speech server on the Internet. This server may be located in or be accessible via a Web server that supplied the Web page. The server may also be accessible via the network at a location independent of the Web server. The server recognizes the speech. The recognition output (e.g. a recognized word sequence) may be sent back to the client station or directly to the Web server. In the known system a powerful speech recognizer can be used in the server which is capable of and optimized for recognizing speech in an Internet environment. For certain applications it will be required that this recognizer can support, to a certain extent, the huge vocabularies which can occur in an Internet environment where a user can access virtually any document on any topic. In the known client-server system the client station has no speech recognizer.
Since in the described system all speech input is directed to the server, the load on the server can get very high. This is particularly the case if the system supports many client stations operating at the same time.
It is an object of the invention to improve the system, client station and methods set forth by reducing the load on the server.
To achieve the object according to the invention, the system is characterized in that the client station includes a local speech recognizer and a speech controller; the speech controller being operative to direct at least part of the speech input signal to the local speech recognizer and, in dependence on the outcome of the recognition, selectively directing a part of the speech input signal via the network to the server station. By incorporating also a recognizer in the client station, load can be removed from the server. The server can be targeted towards the difficult task of providing high quality recognition of huge vocabulary speech for possibly many simultaneous users and be relieved from simple tasks which the local recognizer can easily fulfill. Although the tasks may be simple, they can remove a high load from the server and the network, simply by making it unnecessary to send all speech input to the server. Moreover, certain recognition tasks can be performed more effectively in the client than in the server, since the client can have easier access to local information relevant for the recognition.
As defined in the measure of the dependent claim 2, a simple recognizer is used in the client station. In this way the additional costs and processing load on the client station can be kept low.
As defined in the measure of the dependent claim 3, the local recognizer is used to detect a spoken activation command. This relieves the central recognizer from continuously having to scan the speech input signals coming from the client stations even if the user is not speaking or if the user is speaking but does not want his/her speech to be recognized. It also relieves the network from unnecessary load.
As defined in the measure of the dependent claim 4, the local recognizer is used for performing recognition of instructions for control of the local client station. The client station is best suited to determine which local operations are possible (e.g. which menu items can be controlled via voice). Moreover, it is avoided that the speech is sent via the network, and the recognition result is sent back, whereas the local station is equally well or even better suited for performing the recognition task.
As defined in the measure of the dependent claim 5, the client station uses its local recognizer to determine to which speech server the speech signal needs to be sent. Such an approach can efficiently be used in situations where there are several speech recognition servers. An example of this is a Web page with contains several advertisement banners of different companies. Some or all of these companies may have their own speech recognition server, for instance to allow a user to phrase spoken queries. The local recognizer/controller may perform the selection of the server and the routing of the speech based on spoken explicit routing commands, such as xe2x80x9cselect Philipsxe2x80x9d, or xe2x80x9cspeak to Philipsxe2x80x9d. Information used for recognizing the routing command may be extracted from the banner itself. Such information may be in the banner in the form of a tag, and may include items, such as a textual and phonetic representation of the routing command. The local recognizer/controller may also determine the routing based on information associated with the respective speech server. For instance, words of the banner text may be used as the basis for the routing. For instance, if the user speaks a word which occurs in one of the banners, the speech is directed to the speech server associated with that banner. If a word occurs in more than one banner, the speech may be routed to several speech servers, or to one server which was most likely (e.g. whose associated banner had the highest relative occurrence of the word). Instead of using the words which are explicitly shown in the banner, the banner may also be associated with textual information, e.g. via a link. If the used speaks one or more words from that information, the speech server for the banner is selected.
As defined in the measure of the dependent claim 6, the speech recognizer in the server is used as a kind of xe2x80x98backupxe2x80x99 for those situations in which the local recognizer is not capable of recognizing the user input adequately. The decision to transfer the speech input to the server may be based on performance indications like scores or confidence measures. In this way a conventional large vocabulary recognizer can be used in the client station, whereas a more powerful recognizer is used in the server. The recognizer in the server may, for instance, support a larger vocabulary or more specific language models. The local recognizer may remain operational and recognize the input, even if in parallel the input is also recognized by the server. In this way, the input of the user can still be recognized in xe2x80x98real timexe2x80x99. The initial recognition of the local recognizer with a possibly lower accuracy can then be replaced by a possibly higher quality result of the server. A selector makes the final choice between the recognition result of the local recognizer and the remote recognizer. This selection may be based on the performance indicators.
To meet the object according to the invention, the method of recognizing a speech input signal in a distributed system includes:
receiving in the client station the speech input signal from a user;
recognizing at least part of the speech input signal in the client station;
selectively directing a signal representative of a part of the speech input signal via a network from the client station to the server station in dependence on the outcome of the recognition;
receiving the speech equivalent signal in the server station from the network; and
recognizing the received speech equivalent signal in the server station using a large/huge vocabulary speech recognizer.
To meet the object according to the invention, the speech recognition client station includes:
means for receiving a speech input signal from a user
means for recognizing at least part of the speech input signal;
means for selectively directing a signal representative of a part of the speech input signal via a network to a server station for recognition by a large/huge vocabulary speech recognizer in the server station; the directing being in dependence on the outcome of the recognition in the client station.
To meet the object of the invention, the method of handling a speech input signal in a client station of a distributed speech recognition system, which further includes a server station, includes:
receiving in the client station the speech input signal from a user;
recognizing at least part of the speech input signal in the client station;
selectively directing a signal representative of a part of the speech input signal via a network from the client station to the server station for recognition by a large/huge vocabulary speech recognizer in the server station; the directing being in dependence on the outcome of the recognition in the client station.

Distributed client-server speech recognition system


A method for preparing a (meth)acrylic acid ester, which comprises reacting (meth)acrylic acid with a C.sub.1-3 alcohol in the presence of a strongly acidic ion exchange resin as a catalyst, wherein the reaction is carried out under reduced pressure while the molar ratio of the alcohol to the (meth)acrylic acid is adjusted to be less than 1, whereby it is possible not only to improve the esterification yield by one pass but also to reduce the amount of a by-product alkoxypropionate which is problematic in the purification system.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for preparing a (meth)acrylic acid ester. Particularly, the present invention relates to a method for preparing a (meth)acrylic acid ester by reacting (meth)acrylic acid with a C.sub.1-3 alcohol under specific conditions. Here, the term "(meth)acrylic" means each of "acrylic" and "methacrylic".

Method for preparing (meth)acrylic acid ester


A solar heat exchange system is disclosed which includes a header or manifold conduit which includes multiple radially disposed apertures therein. A flexible elastomeric mat which includes multiple elongate tubular elements is then mated to the conduit. Each tubular element includes an exterior wall having an octagonal cross-section such that multiple longitudinally disposed flat surfaces are provided, each capable of reflecting non-absorbed solar radiation onto an adjacent tubular element, greatly enhancing the heating efficiency of a solar heat exchange system utilizing this mat. In an alternate embodiment of the mat each tubular element includes an exterior wall having an octagonal cross section and one or more of the upper surfaces of the octagonal cross section include a number of mutually perpendicular facets, such that solar radiation reflected from each facet is reflected onto an adjacent facet.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to improved solar heat exchange systems and in particular to an improved solar heat exchange system which includes multiple parallel tubular elements. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to an improved solar heat exchange system having multiple parallel tubular elements each having a polygonal cross-section.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The utilization of solar energy to heat water for swimming pools and hydrotherapy tubs, in addition to residential and commercial water heating is well known. Traditionally, solar water heaters have been constructed utilizing metallic components, typically elongate metallic tubing which has been painted black to increase the heat absorption thereof. Such units are typically heavy and highly rigid in nature, expensive to fabricate and maintain and subject to damage as a result of freezing.
Recently, metallic tubes within solar heat exchangers have been replaced by mats of extruded elastomeric tubes which may be pre-colored black by including carbon black within the extrusion material. One example of such a product is described in Scholl, U.S. Pat. No. 3,648,768. Similar heat exchange systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,751,935, issued to MacCracken, U.S. Pat. No. 4,060,070, issued to Harter, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,709,689 issued to Simcox.
In the Scholl patent the elastomeric tubes are prepared for assembly by cutting away webs between the tubes and inserting the tubes onto a manifold. Various methods are then utilized to prevent the tubes from pulling out of the manifold including the utilization of flared screws, springs with tapered collars and heat-shrink end caps. Each of these methods requires the utilization of special tools and special skills.
The utilization of long tubular mats, each having a plurality of parallel tubes, is a clear advance in the solar heat exchange art; however, each of the tubes within such mats generally must be longitudinally separated from each adjacent tube, at least near the end portions, to permit the attaching of the tubes to a manifold. Typically, the tubes within such a mat are spaced by webbing in between the tubes and the webbing is torn manually to loosen the ends of the tube so that they may be connected to associated nipples on a header.
The Simcox patent discloses a technique for enhancing the efficiency of attaching such tubular mats to a manifold by utilizing a tubular header having radial holes bored therethrough and a one piece molded manifold having a base portion which extends over the radial bore within the header and which includes a plurality of radially aligned nipples protruding from the manifold base which may be attached to the tubular mat. Simcox teaches forcing the tubular ends within the mat over the nipples, and then joining all of the tubes on the mat to the manifold thereafter with a single motion. Assembly of the Simcox system is accomplished by applying adhesive to the base of the manifold and header and then aligning the manifold over the bores within the header and applying pressure.
While each of the aforementioned elastomeric mat solar heat exchange systems represents a substantial advance over the metallic elements utilizing in prior art systems, the amount of solar energy which may be obtained from all such mats is substantially identical. Studies within the solar heat exchange art have shown that maximum efficiency in increasing the temperature of water within such mats is achieved by the irradiation of those mats by solar radiation at a particular optimal angle. However, the exigencies of mounting these mats on rooftops or other existing structures often prevents the placement of the mat in a manner which might otherwise maximize the receipt of solar energy. Additionally, the tubular nature of the elements within these mats often acts to reflect solar energy away from the mat, in response to nonoptimal radiation by solar energy.
It should therefore be apparent that a need exists for an improved solar heat exchange system which greatly enhances the efficiency of solar radiation absorption within the elastomeric mat collector.


A ball joint with a ball pin and a steel ball pin with a joint ball. The ball joint and ball pin are suitable for use when, for example, solid-on-solid friction predominates under high static pre-loading or high operational loads and with small joint movements. A portion of the surface of the ball pin has surface layer hardening in order to increase a fatigue strength of the ball pin. The ball pin and the ball joint, on portion of the ball pin without the any surface layer hardened, includes a nitrided layer as wear protection. The ball pin and the ball joint provide an advantageous combination of high fatigue strength, good corrosion protection and high wear-resistance. The nitrided layer of ball joints, previously only regarded as improving corrosion protection, also functions as a wear protection. Thus, these ball pins overcome the mutual exclusion between surface layer hardening and nitriding.

In the case of load-bearing joints subjected to static loading, for example in the chassis area of a motor vehicle, in certain situations (such as periods of rest in combination with only minimal joint movements, or freeway driving) the tribological system of the joint is particularly severely loaded, and in some circumstances this can result in premature wear or failure of the joint. This is related to the fact that in these situations, lubricant present in the ball joint is partially expressed out of the contact area between the ball pin and the bearing shell due to the high load in combination with at most small movements of the joint. Because of this the mixed friction that always exists in a ball joint, namely between fluid friction and solid-on-solid friction, is displaced more markedly toward solid-on-solid friction, with corresponding disadvantageous consequences for the wear of the joint. Another problem known to affect ball joints is corrosion, particularly in the area of the ball pin sealed by sealing bellows, and—if moisture penetrates into the ball joint—also in the bearing gap between the joint ball and the ball socket. This too increases the wear of the joint and can result in the onset of joint play and ultimately in failure of the joint.
From the prior art corrosion-protected ball pins and also ball pins with surfaces protected against wear or ball pins with greater fatigue strength are known. According to the prior art enhanced fatigue strength and wear resistance are primarily achieved by improving the material properties by heat treatment or by hardening of the surface layer, in the latter case particularly on the surface of the ball pin.
A known measure against corrosion in the area of the ball pin that is sealed by the sealing bellows or in the contact zone between the joint ball and the ball socket consists in the use of nitrided and then oxidized ball pins. According to existing knowledge nitriding of the ball pin serves directly to enhance corrosion protection, while the subsequent oxidation seals the pores produced during nitriding, which increases the corrosion resistance still more. Thus, according to existing knowledge the oxidation subsequent to nitriding serves only to improve the corrosion properties of an otherwise bare steel ball pin.
In the treatments known from the prior art nitriding and surface layer hardening are mutually exclusive, since either the surface hardening is impaired due to the high process temperatures required for nitriding, or conversely, prior nitriding and hence the corrosion protection are destroyed again by a surface layer hardening process. The problem is that in relation to high fatigue strength or load-bearing and wear resistance as well, the desired surface layer hardening of the ball pin should typically take place in the same surface areas of the pin which should also be protected by the nitriding treatment, namely primarily in the area of the joint ball and if necessary in the area of the ball pin that is sealed by the sealing bellows.
In summary therefore, the problem is that on the one hand the nitriding of the ball pin desired with a view to corrosion protection, and on the other hand the surface layer hardening desired with a view to long life and good wear resistance, have until now been mutually exclusive for a ball pin—at any rate so far as was known from the prior art.


In one aspect, circuitry to determine a modular remainder with respect to a polynomial of a message comprised of a series of segment. In another aspect, circuitry to access at least a portion of a first number having a first endian format, determine a second number based on a bit reflection and shift of a third number having an endian format opposite to that of the first endian format, and perform a polynomial multiplication of the first number and the at least a portion of the first number.

A variety of computer applications operate on messages to create a message residue. The residue can represent message contents much more compactly. Among other uses, message residues are frequently used to determine whether data transmitted over network connections or retrieved from a storage device may have been corrupted. For instance, a noisy transmission line may change a "1" signal to a "0", or vice versa. To detect corruption, a message is often accompanied by its message residue. A receiver of the data can then independently determine a residue for the message and compare the determined residue with the received residue.
A common message residue is known as a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC). A CRC computation is based on interpreting a stream of message bits as coefficients of a polynomial. For example, a message of "1010" corresponds to a polynomial of (1 x3)+(0 x2)+(1 x1)+(0 x0) or, more simply, x3+x1. The message polynomial is divided by another polynomial known as the modulus. For example, the other polynomial may be "11" or x+1. A CRC is the remainder of a division of the message by the polynomial. CRC polynomial division, however, is somewhat different than ordinary division in that it is computed over the finite field GF(2) (i.e., the set of integers modulo 2). More simply put: even number coefficients become zeroes and odd number coefficients become ones.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A method of augmenting a semantic query of multiple external data sources including receiving a request to search a data store for fields-of-interest designated by a user, applying path-finding technique(s) to identify connections between the fields-of-interest in a semantic model, generating a query based on the connections, intercepting the executing query to determine if data for the fields-of-interest are contained in an external data store, if so identifying an external data service to retrieve external data, executing a semantic query on a triple store, fusing results from the semantic query with the retrieved external data, and providing the fused results to the user computing device. A system and a non-transitory computer readable medium are also disclosed.

Knowledge graphs can be used by cognitive and artificial intelligence applications such as digital assistants, chat bots, and intelligent search engines. Knowledge graphs tend to be closely associated with knowledge bases and semantic web technologies. Knowledge graphs can be associated with linked data that can be computationally analyzed to reveal patterns, trends, and associations relating to human behavior and interactions.
Conventional semantic knowledge bases can be implemented in commercial cognitive and artificial intelligence applications such as semantic search, digital assistants, social media analytics, and continuous online learning. The domain of knowledge graphs can vary for specific applications, and could range from all available information on the World Wide Web (web-scale knowledge graphs—e.g., the Google Knowledge Graph and Microsoft Bing Satori for large search engines) to a restricted set of information only available within an enterprise (enterprise knowledge graphs—e.g., LinkedIn Knowledge Graph and Facebook Entity Graph for search and recommendations). The size of web-scale and enterprise knowledge graphs can differ depending on the application's data sources and the rate at which new knowledge is acquired and inferred. Today, knowledge graphs comprising millions to billions of entities and tens to hundreds of billions of associated facts and relationships between those entities are used to power critical applications in large-scale enterprises.
Conventional technology stacks chosen by organizations to construct and maintain knowledge graphs can have considerable variation. Knowledge graphs in the Linked Open Data Cloud and those that enable semantic web search typically use standard Semantic Web technologies. In contrast, organizations using knowledge graphs for specific, highly targeted applications are more likely to develop custom technologies and adopt alternative approaches (such as the property graph model) to represent knowledge. As a consequence, there is little standardization in conventional knowledge graph techniques across different commercial enterprises.
In many organizations data comes in many different forms including, for example, time series, images, large files, and property graphs. These forms of data are not suitable for storage in a semantics-based knowledge graph, due to either their binary nature and/or the large amount of overhead necessary to store them in a semantic store. Conventional approaches are unable to apply the benefits of semantics (e.g., domain term descriptions, links to intra-organization data, etc.) to these data forms.
Missing from the art is a system and method that can build a knowledge-driven framework with the capability to construct polyglot persistent knowledge graphs allowing data to be transparently stored in the location best suited to the data type, whether semantic triple stores or non-semantic stores such as property graphs, relational, and/or big data storage systems. Also missing from the art is a set of services and interfaces that allow non-IT users to create queries via a drag-and-drop user interface to explore knowledge graphs, providing them a single point of access to data in semantic stores, Big Data repositories, and more.

Service layer augmentation of response to semantically-informed query of arbitrary external data sources


The present invention provides a steering wheel. Among respective hooks of a module, the hooks being adapted to engage with wires which are disposed in respective opening portions of a steering wheel main body, an adjustment rib which is provided so as to be protrusive to an outer circumferential face of one side hook comes into contact with an inside face of one side opening portion, and restrains a position of such one side hook in such one side opening portion. An adjustment pin which is protrusively provided at a position different from that of the adjustment rib on the outer circumferential face of such one side hook elastically comes into contact with the inside face of such one side opening portion by the adjustment rib coming into contact with the inside face of such one side opening portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a steering wheel provided with a plurality of engagement members which are respectively engaged with hooks which are inserted through a plurality of hole portions to thereby support a module with respect to a steering wheel main body.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a steering wheel of a motor vehicle has been known that there is provided the one that is configured by mounting a module such as an airbag device provided with: an airbag folded at a boss portion (a boss cored metal) which is a supporting portion constituting a steering wheel main body; an inflator adapted to supply a gas to the airbag; a base plate to which the airbags and the inflator are mounted; and a cover body which is coupled with a base plate and which is adapted to cover the airbag and the inflator.
In addition, as such an airbag device, it has been known that there is employed a construction in which, with respect to snap lock springs (wires) which are U-shaped engagement members respectively disposed at three parts, both side parts and a lower part of through holes provided in the base plate of a case body of the module, a plurality of hooks which are engagement portions provided at the boss portion of the steering wheel main body are respectively pushed into the through holes and then are hooked on the snap lock springs to thereby mount the module to the boss portion with just one touch of a finger.
In a case where such a module is thus mounted to the boss portion with just one touch of a finger, although the module is positioned in a front face to rear face direction with respect to the boss portion by way of engagement between the hooks and the snap lock springs, positioning in the vertical and transverse direction cannot be achieved by way of the engagement therebetween; and therefore, a positioning pin (a locating pin) for the purpose of positioning in these vertical and transverse directions is provided separately from a respective one of the hooks (for example, reference should be made to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2011-148478).
In recent years, downsizing of an airbag device for steering wheel has made a remarkable progress, and it has been not easy to sufficiently allocate a space for providing a positioning pin.


An apparatus for treating traveling textile material in a pressurized fluid, e.g., for heating synthetic filaments to a heat-set temperature in a saturated steam atmosphere is disclosed to comprise a housing defining at least one upstream sealing chamber, an intermediate treatment chamber pressurized with saturated steam, and at least one downstream sealing chamber, separated from one another by constricted strand passageways for traveling movement of the strand successively through the chambers. A pressurized fluid holding chamber is provided between the steam supply and the treatment chamber to reduce condensation within the treatment chamber and the sealing chambers. The sealing chambers and the constricted passageways cooperate to cause the pressurized steam or other treating fluid escaping into the sealing chambers from the treatment chamber to expand sufficiently so that the housing is generally sealed from substantial loss of the steam or other treating fluid and the treatment chamber is sustained substantially pressurized, without the use of mechanical seals and substantially without physically contacting the traveling strand. A venturi nozzle at the downstream end of the housing provides easy suction thread-up of the strand eliminating any need for openability of the housing, which simplifies and reduces the cost of housing construction. Alternatively, a needle or other threading implement may be provided for attachment thereto of a leading end of the strand to guide passage of the strand through the apparatus. A shutter assembly may be associated with the passageways to selectively open them for material thread-up and close them into a constricted state for normal operation.

The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for treating a traveling textile material, particularly filament, yarn, or other strand-like material, in a pressurized fluid and, more particularly, to an apparatus for heating traveling textile strands to a heat-set temperature in a pressurized saturated steam atmosphere, such as preliminary to a texturizing operation.
In typical conventional apparatus for texturizing textile strands, a heating apparatus is provided through which the strand is directed to travel preliminarily to elevate the temperature of the strand to a predetermined heat-set temperature. One of the more common heating apparatus utilized for this purpose is a contact heater wherein the strand travels in a groove formed in a heating plate whose temperature is controlled to approximate the desired heat-set temperature. As is well-known, the temperature to which the strand is heated is a function not only of the temperature of the heating plate itself, but also the residence time spent by the traveling strand within the heater, which is determined by the traveling speed of the strand and the length of the groove formed in the heating plate. In recent years, the textile industry has increasingly demanded texturizing equipment capable of operating at ever higher strand traveling speeds, which objective has been addressed in basically two ways. First, texturizing equipment has been offered with heating apparatus of increasing lengths so as to achieve requisite strand residence times within the heaters and, in turn, sufficient heating to a desired heat-set temperature at increased strand traveling speeds. Second, more recently, texturizing equipment has become available utilizing heaters which generate a considerably higher strand-heating temperature than the desired heat-set temperature so as to accomplish sufficient strand heating within a shorter strand traveling distance while the strand travels at an elevated speed.
Disadvantages exist in both types of heating apparatus. More elongated heating apparatus of the first above-mentioned type may be as long as 2.5 meters and, accordingly, require considerably more space within the textile plant. Typically, to minimize the floor space occupied by such texturizing equipment, the heaters are oriented vertically, causing the apparatus to be of a considerable height. To attempt to reduce the height of texturizing equipment heaters, some equipment orient the heaters at an upward angle or, alternatively, configure the heaters to define an arcuate or circular strand traveling path. In either case, a greater floor space is occupied by the heating apparatus than with vertically-oriented heaters. Moreover, inclined or arcuate heaters additionally tend to cause a greater degree of frictional contact between the traveling strand and the groove within the heater plate which can produce damage to the traveling strand, cause excessive deposits of polymeric strand material and strand finishings to collect within the heater groove requiring periodic cleaning to maintain efficient heat transfer and minimize strand breakages, and otherwise deleteriously affect the texturizing process. It has also been found that more elongated heater sections in texturizing equipment can produce instabilities and surging within the strand heating zone, which does not typically occur in texturizing equipment whose heaters are shorter in length and operate at a lower strand traveling speed.
In texturizing equipment utilizing shorter length heaters operable at more elevated temperatures, often in the range of up to 600.degree. C., substantially greater energy must be generated to accomplish heating to such elevated temperatures, thereby correspondingly increasing the cost of operating the equipment. Furthermore, a greater risk exists in operating such equipment that the cross section of the strand can be rendered nonuniform by crystallizing the outermost portions of the strand to a greater degree than the strand core. The similar danger exists of severely damaging the strand by melting upon periodic stoppages of the equipment. Thus, it is critical in such equipment that the temperature of the heater and the traveling speed of the strand be closely monitored and carefully controlled to minimize these risks.
Similar disadvantages exist in conventional commercial equipment for heat-setting carpet yarns, wherein the objective is to stabilize the yarn bulk, to return the yarn to a fully relaxed state by relieving inner molecular tension within the strand structure, and to increase its crystallinity for better and more uniform dye pick-up. For this purpose, commercial carpet yarn heat-setting equipment typically accomplish heat-setting by directing the yarn to travel in a low tensioned state through a dry heat atmosphere or in a steam atmosphere at ambient pressure or a slightly elevated pressure. However, since the steam atmosphere generated in such equipment is typically at a temperature below a desired heat-setting temperature and since heat transfer from a dry heat atmosphere to a traveling strand is relatively inefficient, such conventional heat-setting equipment must be of a relatively significant length to achieve a sufficient dwell time of the traveling carpet yarn within the heater to obtain desired heat-setting results.

Apparatus for treating traveling textile material in a pressurized fluid


A pipe expander assembly for replacing an existing pipe with a new pipe. The expander assembly has a slitter disposed about a wire rope and abutting an expander at a spherical joint. The expander comprises a cone to expand a slit pipe and is internally connected to the wire rope by jaws that expand and contract about the wire rope due to threading of a jam nut into the cone. A pipe puller is connected to the back of the expander at a clevis and is adapted for connection to a new pipe, either through a jaw system, an adaptor, or fusion to the pipe.

Pipe slitting is a process where an existing buried pipeline is separated longitudinally, expanded open circumferentially along with the surrounding soil and a new pipe is pulled in simultaneously as the slitting and expanding process is performed. Variations on the process include removal of the existing pipe prior to installation of the new (product) pipe; however most projects are performed with the slit host pipe remaining in the bore adjacent the product pipe.
A tensile structure such as a wire rope is pushed or fished through the host pipe and tooling capable of performing the combined slitting/pipe pulling process is attached to one end of the tensile pulling strand. A device capable of applying tension to the strand such as a hydraulic puller or even excavating equipment is coupled to the opposite end. A load is applied and the tooling is pulled along the path of the host pipe, through the ground.
There remains a need for quick attachment and removal mechanisms that satisfy the desire for an unobtrusive feature somewhere along the length of the tooling.


An adjustable mechanical coolant pump for an internal combustion engine includes a pump rotor wheel comprising an axial inlet. The pump rotor wheel is configured to pump a coolant radially outwardly. Variable pump stator blades are arranged so as to pivot radially outwardly at a circle concentrically with the pump rotor wheel. A control ring is configured to pivot the variable pump stator blades when the control ring is rotated. An actuator is configured to rotate the control ring so as to pivot the variable pump stator blades between an open position and a closed position. A pump housing body is configured to support the variable pump stator blades and the control ring. A separate static blade holding frame is mounted to the pump housing body. The variable pump stator blades and the control ring are captively mounted at the separate static blade holding frame.

The coolant demand of a combustion engine depends on many factors, such as engine temperature, environment temperature, effective engine power etc. A mechanical coolant pump is directly driven by the internal combustion engine so that the rotational speed of the pump is strictly proportional to the rotation speed of the combustion engine. As a consequence, the mechanical coolant pump does not consider the coolant demand of the combustion engine.
More sophisticated mechanical coolant pumps are therefore made adjustable by different kinds of valve mechanisms. WO 2007/025375 A2 describes an adjustable mechanical coolant pump with pivotable pump stator blades surrounding the pump rotor wheel. The stator blades form an inlet valve so that the coolant flows through the open inlet valve before it is pumped by the pump rotor wheel radially inwardly. However, when the stator blades are in the closed position and the rotor wheel is rotating with high speed, cavitation can occur which causes undesirable effects.
The stator blades are pivotably mounted axially between two mounting rings and are pivoted by a separate control ring surrounding one mounting ring. During the assembly procedure, the control ring can fall off the mounting ring as long as the mounting rings and the control ring are not fixed to the pump housing body. When the control ring falls off, every single stator blade must be re-assembled with the control ring, which is a time consuming procedure.


The invention relates to novel method of incorporating free fatty acid into soap-based bars to minimize or eliminate efflorescence and to compositions made by the process.

It is desirable to "superfat" (add free fatty acid) to fatty acid soap bars because they provide a creamy, tactile feel desirable to many consumers.
One method of superfattying a bar is to simply add free fatty acid to soap. However, the addition of free fatty acid is generally more expensive than producing fatty acid in-situ via production of organic or inorganic acids from their counterpart salts. Also, when adding free fatty acid to soap the levels are limited (e.g., less than about 8% by wt. bar composition) because the free fatty acid may cause the bar to be tacky (sticky and prone to leaving residue when touched); may cause discoloration; and/or may reduce lather (see U.S. Pat. No. 6,218,348 to Aronson et al. (column 4)).
Another way of introducing free fatty acid into a soap bar is to form the free fatty acid directly in the reaction from the fatty acid soap (i.e., the "soap", which is a salt of fatty acid, is broken down to free fatty acid upon release of the counter electrolyte salt). Typically such a reaction may be precipitated by use of an acid (e.g., citric acid) whose pKa is less than that of the fatty acid soap. Because of its lower pKa, the acid will "attract" the electrolyte salt (e.g., sodium) from the fatty acid soap thereby forming free fatty acid and a salt of the protic acid used to cause the precipitation (e.g., sodium citrate in the case of citric acid addition).
One problem with this method of generating free fatty acid from the soap is that, as elevated levels of protic acid salts are produced (e.g., production of sodium citrate during the production of free fatty acid from the soap), efflorescence (i.e., the appearance of salt crystals which both provide a negative visual and tactile cue) can occur.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,218,348 to Aronson et al., for example, describes bars containing free fatty acids, polyalkylene glycol and specific salts of protic acid (i.e., salts having pKa less than 6; the lower the pKa, the stronger the acid) wherein said bars are said to have beneficial sensory properties and can improve skin. The patent, however, fails to recognize that the protic acid salts may cause efflorescence during the in situ production of fatty acid from the soap; and there is, of course, no discussion of how to deal with this issue.
One solution to the problem has been to partially generate free fatty acid (i.e., at a level that there is not enough salt formed to cause efflorescence) and then adding free fatty acid to make up the difference to a desired higher level where such efflorescence will normally have been detected. This method is quite costly.
Unexpectedly, applicants have found that when a sodium aluminate solution (precipitating aluminum hydroxide in final bar composition) is added during processing (e.g., to reverse titrate excess levels of free fatty acid generated by the use of protic acid having pKa lower than soap), the resulting generated aluminum hydroxide acts to hinder or eliminate altogether the efflorescence normally caused by production of the precipitated protic acid salt (e.g., sodium citrate).
The aluminate technology of reacting fatty acid or acid precursor and, for example, aluminum containing alkaline material (e.g., sodium aluminate) is not new. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,207,636 to Benjamin et al., for example, a low total fatty matter ((TFM); the term is used to denote % by wt. fatty acid and triglyceride residue percent, without taking into account accompanying cations) bar is prepared comprising 25 to 75% TFM, 9.0 to 16% colloidal aluminum hydroxide (A-gel), 12 to 52% water, optional benefit agent and conventional additives.
There is no disclosure, however, of soap/free fatty acid bars or of the use of protic acid having pKas lower than fatty acid in the fatty acid soap; and there is no disclosure of the use of such protic acids to produce free fatty acids from the soap. There is also, therefore, no teaching or disclosure of aluminate (and precipitated aluminum hydroxide) used to resolve the problem caused by protic acid salt precipitation.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,310,011 to Behal discloses TFM bars comprising a colloidal aluminum hydroxide phosphate complex, but neither teaches nor suggest bars where both specific salts of protic acid (having pKa lower than the fatty acid soap) and aluminum hydroxide are found in the final bar, or that use of the hydroxide ameliorates the efflorescence problem caused by the protic acid salt generated even as free fatty acid is being produced from the fatty acid soap.
The present invention represents a novel marriage of the two technologies resulting in novel composition, novel processes to make the compositions as well as unexpected amelioration of the efflorescence problem.

Process for making bar composition having little or no efflorescence

Unilever Home & Personal Care, USA division of Conopco, Inc.


A series of novel, melt- or mold-processable HA esters with varying aliphatic chain lengths are synthesized from silyl HA-quaternary (quat.) ammonium salt complex (preferably silyl HA-CTA, a silylated HA complex with cetyltrimethyl ammonium salt). Introduction of aliphatic acyl groups, preferably acid chlorides, to disrupt the strong HA intermolecular bonding, is done via acylation. Acylation takes place at the oxygen of the trimethylsilyloxy group —O—Si(CH3)3 in the silyl HA-CTA by removal of trimethylsilyl groups therefrom. Optionally, crosslinking may be performed during the shaping/molding of the HA esters into a structure/device, or thereafter, if at all. Native HA can then be regenerated/recovered by saponification hydrolysis, removing acyl groups, —CH3(CH2)10CO, and the cetyltrimethyl ammonium salt groups, -CTA, from HA ester. The structure/device of a preselected shape (e.g., porous or solid, bulk structure or fibers) may become a component of an assembly, a product that is further processed, integrated into another component (e.g., laminated, adhered, assembled, further shaped, chemically-intermixed/intermingled), and so on.

In general, the present invention relates to the synthesis and use of hyaluronan (a.k.a., hyaluronic acid, sodium hyaluronate, or HA), and other hydrophilic polymers with pendant hydroxy groups that are not generally melt-processable in their 'native' state. As a naturally occurring polysaccharide with a large unbranched structure consisting of repeating disaccharides of N-acetylglucosamine and glucuronic acid, the structure of shown in FIG. 2A, present in vertebrate tissues and body fluids, HA has certain physical and biological properties, including viscoelasticity, hydrophilicity, lubricity and cell-activity regulation. Native HA and its currently available derivatives degrade before melting; thus, they cannot be thermally molded into custom shapes or otherwise thermally integrated with thermoplastic biomaterials. In biomechanical applications where characteristics such as maintaining a shape and/or supporting or protecting/cushioning a structure (e.g., joints, bone, cartilage and other tissue) are important, as well as for surgery instruments and aids, etc. and other mechanisms (whether biocompatibility is an issue)—degradation prior to melt point is an obstacle to using HA. The extreme hydrophilicity of HA does not permit use in conjunction with durable, hydrophobic biomaterials, such as polyethylene or polypropylene. Furthermore, the quick turnover within an animal body limits use of native HA in applications such as longer-term and permanent implants.
More-specifically, the instant invention is directed to a novel melt- or mold-processable hydrophilic polyanionic polymer with pendant hydroxy groups that are not generally melt processable in their native state, such as HA, as well as a method of synthesis of such a polymer. Of particular interest is hyaluronan/hyaluronic acid/sodium hyaluronate (generally, throughout referred to as "HA"); produced according to the invention, the melt- or mold-processable HA has a melting point below the point at which the polymer degrades. Pure (whether synthetic or genetically engineered, or native) HA has a melting point above the point of substantial degradation making it by-and-large impossible to mold or shape into structures suitable for use. A polymeric material produced according to the unique technique of the invention, provides a processable HA polymer that, once re-hardened (i.e., cooled or otherwise solidified), can be used in a variety of product applications, whether resultant structures are used 'as is' having been molded, extruded, or otherwise shaped into a mechanism/piece/device/etc. or employed as a member, component or subassembly of an assembly/system.
According to the invention a series of novel, melt- or mold-processable HA esters with varying aliphatic chain lengths are synthesized from silyl HA-quat. ammonium salt complex (preferably silyl HA-CTA, a silylated HA complex with cetyltrimethyl ammonium salt, a hyaluronan derivative). Introduction of aliphatic acyl groups (e.g., acid chlorides listed, TABLE 1) to HA disrupts the strong HA intermolecular bonding, reducing the crystallinity and producing appreciable thermoplasticization. Acylation takes place at the oxygen of the trimethylsilyloxy group —O—Si(CH3)3 in the silyl HA-CTA by removal of trimethylsilyl groups therefrom. Optionally, crosslinking may be performed during the shaping/molding of the HA esters into a structure/device, or thereafter, if at all. Native HA can then be regenerated/recovered by saponification/hydrolysis, removing acyl and -CTA groups. The structure/device of a preselected shape (e.g., porous or solid, bulk structure or fibers, etc.) may become a component of an assembly, a product that is further processed (e.g., seeded with cells, further shaped, etc.), integrated into another component (e.g., laminated, adhered, assembled, further shaped/molded together with a component, chemically-intermixed/intermingled, etc.), and so on.
Structure(s) produced according to the invention may be composed entirely of the melt- or mold-processable derivatized HA (or other polymer with hydroxy groups) and used alone, or used as scaffold for biological materials (e.g., cells, morphogenic proteins) or incorporated into a component, piece, module, feature, or mechanism/structure/member to produce a 'system' such that the HA's hydrophilic outer surface provided is interior- or exterior-facing, etc. A non-exhaustive list of possibilities contemplated for use of the derivative HA of the invention—including those where a generally hydrophilic outer surface is desirable—include: bearing surfaces or components for items such as gears, fishing rod eyelets, bearings of all types, joint and other weight-bearing mechanisms, whether incorporated as part of manufacturing equipment, as part of the manufactured product itself, etc.; flexible barrier surfaces separating a first and second area (such flexible barriers to include the membrane material or tubing used for catheter balloons, catheter tubing, hot air balloons, condoms, IV tubing, diaphragms, flexible bladders, etc.); transparent member surfaces including the transparent planar or curved polymeric films and sheet material used where optical clarity is sought, such as for fish tanks, polymeric covers for vehicle, water- or aircraft head-lamps and blinkers/fog-lights, covers for spot-lights, windows on or in a vehicle, aircraft, watercraft, and spacecraft, monitor and television screens, ophthalmic lenses, camera lenses and view-finders, etc.; in vivo implants of any of a variety of total or partial joint replacements, splints, stents, diaphragms, etc.; drag reduction surfaces and associated components of a vehicle, watercraft, aircraft and spacecraft such as hulls, pontoons, vehicle-body parts, blades/runners, etc., as well as the glide-surface of snowboards, water and snow skis, etc.; reaction resins for research or industrial components; topical dressing surfaces for dressings such as those used for medical/veterinary applications such as adhesive bandages, sterile pads for wounds and surgical procedures, bandage tape/adhesive, ace bandages, soft casts, etc.; and dental splints (to include mouth-guards, tooth/jaw-correction splints, etc.).
Further examples of applications for the invention include: tissue engineered scaffolds (porous, seeded with cells, etc.) for cartilage and other tissue repair and treatment, wound dressings, artificial skin, viscoelastics for intra-surgical protection and prevention of post-operative adhesions, hydrophilic, lubricious and/or anti-fouling and/or anti-coagulant coatings (e.g., catheters, contact lenses, dialysis membranes), drug release/delivery devices, and biodegradeable materials (e.g., nerve guides).
While the focus, here, is of HA (i.e., a hydrophilic polyanionic polymer with hydroxy groups that is not generally melt processable in currently available native or derivative state(s)) other biomaterials exhibiting similar characteristics that would benefit from molding or shaping are contemplated hereby as a starting polymer. Examples shown herein showcase the synthesis of unique HA esters, i.e., melt- or mold-processable HA derivatives having hydrophobicity and compatibility with other generally hydrophobic materials. Derivatization of HA according to the invention permits control of its hydrophobicity, expanding the range of useful solvents and non-solvents during synthesis and fabrication into end product. In the spirit and scope of design goals contemplated hereby, the novel melt- or mold-processed polymer produced according to the invention may be made by chemically modifying a wide variety of hydrophilic polyanionic polymers containing pendant hydroxy groups, including without limitation: polyanionic polyhydroxy polymers such as polysaccharides and glycoaminoglycans.
Hyaluronan was first isolated from bovine vitreous humor in acid form in 1934; it was coined "hyaluronic acid" meaning uronic acid from hyaloid (vitreous). The first non-inflammatory fraction of sodium hyaluronate, called NIF—NaHA, which was free of impurities that could cause inflammatory reactions was synthesized by Endre Balazs. HA has certain physical and biological properties: (1) Viscoelasticity. Hyaluronan carries one carboxyl group (—COOH) per disaccharide unit, which is dissociated at physiological pH thereby conferring a polyanionic characteristic to the compound; (2) Hydrophilicity. Hyaluronan acts as a water-retaining polymer network in many tissues; it can hold large amounts of water like a molecular sponge. The hydrodynamic volume of HA in solution is 1000 times larger than the space occupied by the unhydrated polysaccharide chain. (3) Lubricity. The extraordinary viscoelastic properties also make hyaluronan ideal as a lubricant. Hyaluronan in synovial fluid complexes with proteins and penetrates the surface of cartilage, forming a layer of HA protein complex that serves as a lubricating layer in joints and other tissue surfaces that slide along each other. Under slow mechanical loading it behaves as a viscous oil-like lubricant. At higher mechanical loading rates the HA layer becomes a highly deformable elastic system: it absorbs and converts an imposed stress into an elastic deformation, then rebounds to the original condition when the stress is removed.
Not only does HA act as a vital structural component of connective tissues, it also plays an role in diverse biological processes, such as cellular migration, mitosis, inflammation, cancer, angiogenesis and fertilization. However, HA's high solubility, rapid degradation and short residence time in water have historically limited biomedical application of naturally occurring HA, particularly in tissue engineering and viscoseparation applications. Four pendant groups on hyaluronan are available (FIG. 2A) for chemical modification: carboxyl, hydroxyl, acetamido group and the reducing end-group. Prior attempts of others at synthesizing HA derivatives have been directed at modifying one or more of these groups, resulting in much different derivative end-product (none have thermoplastic characteristics, as they by-and-large have no meltable endotherms).
Two groups of commercialized hyaluronan derivatives, include HYLAN and HYAFF®: HYLAN is a brand name for a crosslinked hyaluronan in which crosslinking only occurs on hydroxyl groups, not affecting carboxyl and acetamide groups, this cross-linking was done by Balazs and his colleagues. HYAFF® is the brand name of a class of hyaluronan esters with the free carboxyl group of glucuronic acid esterified using different types of alcohols (delta Valle et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,851,521, 1989). patent application No. US 2002/0143171 A1 published 3 Oct. 2002 to Yui et al. focuses on a chemically modified HA for use as pharmaceuticals, foodstuffs, cosmetics (e.g., moisturizing agent, lotion) and similar flowable, gel-like substances, but their crosslinked polymer can not melt without first degrading. Yui et al. modified the hydroxyl groups of HA with an acid halide carrying photoreactive groups, such as cinnamoyl chloride, in DMF solution in the presence of pyridine. The product was dissolved in DMF, and was subjected to ultraviolet radiation to crosslink HA. The applicants hereof have published earlier work: US App. US 2003/0083433 A1 filed on behalf of the assignee hereof for the applicants on 29 Oct. 2002, and is hereby incorporated herein by reference to serve as technical background support.
'Animal' as used throughout includes any multicellular organism having a body that can move voluntarily and actively acquire food and digest it internally, including human beings and other mammals, birds and fish. 'Extrude'/'extrusion' as used includes a molding technique as follows: the moldable material is forced through the shaping die of an extruder; may have a solid or hollow cross section. The following general acronyms, if used throughout, are decoded on the following page:    HA—Hyaluronic acid/hyaluronan/sodium hyaluronate.    HA-CPC—the complex of HA polyanion and cetylpyridinium salt.    HA-CTA—the complex of HA polyanion and cetyltrimethyl ammonium salt.    HA−-QN+—the complex of HA polyanion & long-chain paraffin ammonium cation.    HMDS—hexamethyldisilazane, a silylation agent.    THF—Tetrahydrofuran.    TMCS—trimethylchlorosilane, a silylation agent.    QN+—long-chain paraffin ammonium cation.

Hyaluronan (HA) esterification via acylation technique for moldable devices

Colorado State University Research Foundation


An ultrasound imaging system generates a legend on a display device. This legend includes at least two axes and an array of display indicia, and the indicia are responsive to a mapping function used to generate a displayed ultrasonic image as a modulated, non-linear, multi-bit function of at least first and second image signals. At least one of the axes of the legend varies as a function of a B-mode value range. Preferably, one axis of the legend varies as a function of a fundamental image signal, and the other axis varies as a function of a harmonic image signal. The imaging system can be controlled such that a B-mode processor automatically alternates between a fundamental mode of operation and a harmonic mode of operation on a line-by-line, group-of-lines by group-of-lines, or frame-by-frame basis. A user selects the desired mapping function as one of a series of alternative mapping functions included in a selected family of mapping functions, and the user also selects the family of mapping functions from a plurality of available families.

This invention relates to ultrasound imaging systems, and in particular to methods and systems for simultaneously displaying image information derived from multiple imaging modes.
Ustuner et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,479,926, disclose a B-mode image enhancement method for combining a first image signal which has greater detail information and a second image signal which has greater contrast information, into a single image using a 2D look-up table. In one of the preferred embodiments, the second processed image can be obtained from a motion estimator which calculates the correlation coefficients between consecutive B-mode frames.
Arenson et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,285,788, disclose a Doppler tissue imaging method (DTI) that uses color Doppler imaging means to image moving tissue. The disclosed DTI imaging can output tissue velocity, energy, or acceleration as a two-dimensional image which is spatially coordinated and superimposed on a B-mode image to display simultaneously the selected Doppler information and a tomographic image of the moving tissue. For Doppler tissue velocity imaging (DTV), the moving tissue velocity is the primary parameter to be displayed. Conventionally, a color map is used to encode the direction as well as the magnitude of the velocities, and a gray scale B-mode image signal may also be partially added to provide tomographic information of the moving tissue.
In the past, various contrast agents have been used to enhance contrast of blood and perfused tissues. Typically, a contrast agent is introduced into a part of the body which is to be ultrasonically imaged. For example, in the case of a blood-filled chamber of the heart, blood which carries contrast agent can be distinctly imaged by detecting the contrast agent.
Nonlinear scattering from contrast agents is described, for example, by V. Uhlenhdorf, et al., in "Nonlinear Acoustic Response of Coated Microbubbles in Diagnostic Ultrasound" (1995 Ultrasonic Symposium, pp. 1559-1562). Such contrast agents possess a fundamental resonant frequency. When the contrast agents are insonified with a high intensity ultrasonic energy at this fundamental frequency, they reflect and radiate ultrasonic energy at both the fundamental frequency and a harmonic of the fundamental frequency. For example, if insonified at a frequency of 2.5 MHz, the contrast agent may radiate energy at both 2.5 MHz (the fundamental frequency) and at 5.0 MHz (the second harmonic frequency).
Typically, non-linear contrast agents are used with an imaging system having a transmit beamformer that transmits ultrasonic energy and a receive beamformer that receives the reflected ultrasonic energy. The transmit beamformer insonifies the area to be imaged with ultrasonic energy at a fundamental frequency. When insonified with ultrasonic energy at the fundamental frequency, the contrast agent radiates energy at both the fundamental and harmonic frequencies as described above. The receive beamformer receives both the fundamental and harmonic energy, filters out the fundamental energy, and forms a harmonic image from the received harmonic energy. Ideally, the harmonic image relates only to the scattering from the contrast agent.
The harmonic image, however, may contain harmonic frequency components related to scattering from tissues in addition to the desired harmonic energy. For example, the transmit beamformer may transmit energy at the harmonic frequency as well as at the fundamental frequency. This energy scatters linearly and is included in the harmonic image. In addition, the receive beamformer may not completely filter out energy at the fundamental frequency, so this fundamental frequency leaks into the harmonic image. Finally, non-linear scattering from tissues or non-linear propagation through tissues may result in harmonic energy being scattered from normal tissues and included in the harmonic image, even in the absence of a contrast agent.
Brock-Fisher et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,577,505, combine a colorized non-linear image with a gray-scale image. The non-linear image is obtained via a subtraction approach, requiring insonifing the tissue at two different times and power levels. Further, the combination includes only the simple steps of colorizing the non-linear signal and summing with the gray-scale image.
Monaghan, U.S. Pat. No. 5,255,683, combines a B-mode image taken before the introduction of a contrast agent with a subtraction image formed from images taken after a contrast agent has been introduced. Monaghan, however, requires images to be acquired before and after the introduction of a contrast agent. The scan is thus not in real-time, and the scan plane must be identical for each firing before and after the introduction of the non-linear contrast agent.
Conventional ultrasonic imaging system combine B-mode imaging modes and color Doppler imaging modes. Such systems usually have distinct signal paths for the B-mode and Doppler signals. Since different transmit and receive beams are required for regular B-mode imaging and color Doppler imaging, acquisition time is typically shared between the two modes. A typical acquisition sequence is to acquire one complete frame of B-mode information and then to acquire one complete frame of color Doppler information, alternating between the two modes. This method is conventionally referred to as "frame interleaving". Another typical acquisition sequence is to alternate between the two modes of imaging in a line by line sense, i.e., one line of B-mode information is collected followed by one line of color Doppler information. This mode of operation is called "line interleaving". Other modes of operation between these two interleaving techniques are also possible, i.e., many color Doppler lines may be collected between every pair of B-mode lines.
In the past, various legends have been displayed to inform the user of the mapping function currently being used to map measured signals to output image signals. For example, with conventional B-mode imaging, a one-dimensional legend that identifies display indicia such as gray-scale level with the range of values of the output B-mode signal has been displayed. Similarly, it is known to display a two dimensional legend that defines the display indicia of a mapping function for mapping two Doppler images (such as a color velocity image and a color energy image) into the displayed output image. Alternately, Doppler velocity and variance in Doppler velocity have been used as two axes of a mapping function that is displayed as a two dimensional legend.
Also, it is known to allow a user to select mapping functions in two stages, first by family of mapping functions, and then by individual mapping function contained within a previously selected family. Such techniques have been used in Doppler imaging systems where, for example, Doppler velocity and Doppler energy may be mapped to an output image, and where the user has been provided with means for selecting a mapping function family and an individual mapping function contained within a previously-selected family.


A carrying apparatus includes a metal basket and a metal frame. The metal basket includes a bottom and a wall attached to the bottom. The wall includes an upper edge and a bent connection extending from the wall to the upper edge. The metal frame includes a vertical portion, a first horizontal portion, a bent connection extending from the vertical portion to the first horizontal portion, a second horizontal portion, a retroflex connection extending from the first horizontal portion to the second horizontal portion and a roiled edge extending from the second horizontal portion. The bent connection of the basket is clamped between the bent connection and the rolled edge of the frame. Therefore, the frame is secured to the basket.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, a conventional carrying apparatus 60 includes a basket 62 made of metal and a frame 64 made of metal. The basket 62 is made of a metal net that is punched. The frame 64 is made of a metal strip that is punched. The frame 64 is secured to the basket 62 for rigidity of the basket 62 and safety of users. The basket 62 includes a wall 66, an edge 68 and a bent connection 70 extending from the wall 66 to the edge 68. The frame 64 includes a vertical portion 72, a first horizontal portion 74, a bent connection 76 extending from the vertical portion 72 to the first horizontal portion 74, a second horizontal portion 78, a retroflex connection 80 extending from the first horizontal portion 74 to the second horizontal portion 78, a bent edge 82 extending from the second horizontal portion 78. The edge 68 is put in a space defined between the first horizontal portion 74 and the second horizontal portion 78. The bent connection 70 is covered via the bent edge 82. The frame 64 is punched against the basket 62. Soldering is conducted between the vertical portion 72 and the wall 66. Thus, the frame 64 is secured to the basket 62. However, solder provided between the vertical portion 72 and the wall 66 is, of course, not esthetic. Moreover, while using the carrying apparatus 60, a user can easily have his or her fingers cut by the bent edge 82.
The present invention is therefore intended to obviate or at least alleviate the problems encountered in the prior art.


In a selvage laying equipment a catcher nozzle (44) with a catcher channel (45) lying in axial prolongation of the nozzle and a threader nozzle (41) with a catcher channel (42) lying in axial prolongation of the nozzle are arranged in a carrier (54) with the axes of their air jets crossing one another, which enables a narrow construction of the device for threading the end (21a) of the weft yarn into the eye or hook of the selvage laying needle (11) and hence short ends (21a) to the weft yarn and narrow selvages, respectively. Bits of dirt such as fluff are reliably carried away from the gap (55) in the carrier (54) as well as from the catcher channels (42, 45) and the formation of an air dam is prevented.

The invention refers to an equipment for looms.
From the O/S EP-0-149-969 an air-operated selvage laying equipment is known which holds the end of the weft yarn temporarily by a catcher nozzle until it is blown by means of a threader nozzle through the eye of a selvage laying needle. Thereupon the end of the weft yarn is inserted in the shed by the selvage laying needle.
The arrangement of catcher nozzle and threader nozzle off-set in parallel with respect to the longitudinal axis of the nozzles as disclosed in that case, has the disadvantage that a relatively long end of weft yarn is necessary for secure threading into the eye, the consequence of which is a relatively wide selvage. This arrangement of the nozzles requires in addition in a relatively heavy nozzle carrier. A further arrangement disclosed in the same document, with nozzles arranged directly one above the other on the same axis, allows shorter ends to the weft yarn, though the disadvantage persists that both of the two nozzles carry dirt onto the catcher channel placed in each case in front of the companion nozzle, which cannot be eliminated during operation of the loom. The dam which forms against the air can impede secure threading of the weft yarn end.

Air-operated selvage laying equipment for looms


A disable control system for a four-wheel steer vehicle disables rear-wheel steer capability when desired. The rear-wheel steer mechanism is responsive to, and at a fractional proportion of, the front wheel steering as a function of vehicle speed. The disable function operates in the dual, i.e. both front and rear steering mode only. The vehicle also includes a normal user selectable single steering mode, wherein only the front wheels are capable of being steered. Upon disablement of the rear wheel steering response, the control system automatically switches to the single steering mode, thus returning the rear wheels to a centered, zero steer angle, position.

This invention relates to control of rear wheel steering in a four-wheel steer vehicle, and in particular to a method for automatically disabling rear wheel steering upon certain limited conditions.
In four-wheel steering capable vehicles, an electronically controlled rear wheel steering system typically permits the rear wheels to be steered a proportional amount of front wheel steering in response to front wheel steering inputs. Normally rear wheel steering is strictly a user-selectable function permitting switching between four-wheel steering and front-wheel steering-only modes. One notable difference between four-wheel steer trucks and four-wheel steer cars is the use of a wider track width for rear wheels in some of the larger pickup trucks. Thus in a given truck, the rear track can be considerably wider than the front track width. Track width is herein defined as the measured distance between the outside of the left tire to the outside of the right tire on a given axle.
The use of larger track widths has given rise to the exacerbation of a problem with four-wheel steerable vehicles when used in automatic car wash assemblies. When the four-wheel steering mode is active and front steering inputs are induced via car wash rails, the rear wheels are indirectly steered for proper tracking between the car wash rails. When this occurs, particularly in the case of larger rear track widths, it has been noted that the rear tires of the vehicle have greater tendency to scrub, or even to occasionally become bound, against the rails of the car wash mechanism, temporarily disrupting car wash operations.
Unfortunately, it is not always feasible to rely upon the vehicle user to remember to deactivate the four-wheel steering mode to avoid the issue.
This invention provides an algorithm control solution to avoid the binding of four-wheel steerable vehicle wheels against the rails of a car wash mechanism, irrespective of active steering mode. Upon selection of a neutral gear, with four-wheel steering enabled, and at low vehicle speeds, the four-wheel steerable system will automatically switch into a two-wheel steering, or front steering only, mode. An algorithm control unit will disable the rear-wheel steering function, returning the rear wheels to their centered, non-angled, positions to eliminate binding of the rear wheels against the car wash rails as the vehicle is being pulled forward in a car wash assembly.
Since rear steering capability of a four-wheel steer vehicle is generally user-selectable between the modes of two-wheel steering and four-wheel steering, the algorithm control unit of the present invention provides that in the event that the vehicle enters a car wash in the four-wheel steering mode, the four-wheel mode will be automatically switched to the two-wheel mode, thus avoiding potential binding of the rear wheels. The invention also contemplates a solution to an increased likelihood of a wide rear track vehicle having its rear wheels bind between car wash rails, during the condition that the rear wheels of such vehicle are being steered; i.e. in a four-wheel steer mode.
In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the vehicle will automatically enter into the two-wheel steering mode whenever the neutral gear of the transmission is selected, and the vehicle speed is less than five miles per hour, conditions likely to be encountered while a vehicle is being pulled through an automatic car wash assembly. dr
FIG. 1 is an elevation view of a four-wheel steerable truck vehicle of the type that includes a set of rear wheels having a wider track than the track of the front wheels of same vehicle.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the four-wheel steerable system showing the master algorithm control unit for determining relative rear wheel positions.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the system of FIG. 2, shown representing a vehicle positioned between parallel rails of a car wash assembly.
FIG. 4 displays an algorithm control sequence for disabling rear wheel steering in a four-wheel steer vehicle.

Disable control for four wheel steer vehicle


A system for multi-staged in-memory checkpoint replication with relaxed consistency includes a replication manager and a cluster with a plurality of nodes. In accordance with a configurable replication policy, the replication manager may be configured to identify a primary group of nodes to store primary replicas of a specified source memory region of a source node, and to identify a node of the primary group as an initiator of replication to a secondary group of nodes. In response to a replication request, the replication manager may be configured to copy contents of one or more data blocks of the source memory region to a each node of the primary group within a single atomic transaction, and initiate an operation to copy the contents of the data blocks from the initiator to an additional node of the secondary group.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to computer systems and, more particularly, to replication of application checkpoint data.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the data centers of many enterprises, computer servers may be organized as one or more clusters of multiple cooperating nodes, where each node of a given cluster includes a computer server, and where the nodes of a cluster cooperate with each other to perform the data accesses and computations desired. Such clustered environments may be implemented for a variety of reasons: for example, to increase application availability, to increase the total computing capacity or storage capacity that may be utilized for a given application, and/or to support centralized management of the servers. In particular, clusters may be used to implement various types of application recovery mechanisms, including several types of failover mechanisms.
Typically, cluster-based failover mechanisms may allow an application (or a component of a distributed application) that normally executes on a first node (which may be called a primary node) of the cluster to be started at a different node (which may be called a secondary node) in the event of a failure at the first node. In order to start the application at the secondary node, the state of the application may typically be recovered at the second node using any of a variety of techniques. From an application user's perspective, two different objectives may need to be considered with respect to application state recovery. The first objective may be termed a "recovery point" objective: that is, a point of time in the past up to which a consistent copy of application data must be recovered in the event of a service disruption or failure. The second objective may be termed a "recovery time" objective: that is, the amount of time elapsed before business functionality is restored after a service disruption. Users typically want to minimize recovery time and also have the recovery point be as close to the point of failure detection as possible.
In some traditional recovery mechanisms, the state of the application data may be stored, e.g., periodically and/or on demand, in shared persistent storage such as a disk device that is accessible from both the primary and the secondary node. When a failure at the primary node is detected, the secondary node may read the latest version of the application state from the shared persistent storage, and may start a failover version of the application using the application state information read in. For many classes of applications, however, storing application state to disk may be too expensive, e.g., in terms of the resources needed to save the state and/or the time taken to recover the state from disk. For example, the overhead of disk latency (e.g., seek and rotational latency) associated with updating application state on disk may have a significant negative impact on perceived application execution speed. Thus, such disk-based application state recovery may result in excessive application overhead, unacceptably large recovery times as well as unacceptable recovery points.
As a result, some cluster-based recovery solutions have implemented in-memory checkpoint replication techniques. The term checkpoint may refer to one or more regions of memory that include application state information needed for application failover. For further enhancements to availability, checkpoints may be replicated to multiple nodes, from which a particular node may be chosen for failover in the event of a failure at the primary node. In order to ensure consistency of the replicated versions of the checkpoints at different nodes, checkpoint replication may be performed atomically in some environments. Typical atomic replication protocols that rely on two-phase commit or other techniques that require multiple messages to be exchanged between primary and secondary nodes for each committed set of changes may not scale as the number of replicating nodes is increased. In such replication protocols, for example, the messaging traffic for the replication protocol and/or the processing required for the replication protocol may become a bottleneck that adversely affects both recovery time and recovery point objectives.

System and method for multi-staged in-memory checkpoint replication with relaxed consistency


Disclosed is an improved method and system for implementing metal fill for an integrated circuit design. When an engineering change order is implemented, the existing dummy metal fill geometries are initially ignored when modifying the layout, even if this results in shorts and/or other DRC violations. Once the ECO changes have been implemented, those violations caused by interaction between the changes and the metal fill are repaired afterwards.

The invention relates to the design and manufacture of integrated circuits, and more particularly, to techniques, systems, and methods for implementing metal-fill on an integrated circuit.
In recent years, in integrated circuit (IC) manufacturing, chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) has emerged as an important technique for planarizing dielectrics because of its effectiveness in reducing local step height and achieving a measure of global planarization not normally possible with spin-on and resist etch back techniques. However, CMP processes have been hampered by layout pattern dependent variation in the inter-level dielectric (ILD) thickness which can reduce yield and impact circuit performance.
Metal-fill patterning is a common approach for reducing layout pattern dependent dielectric thickness variation. Metal-fill patterning is the process of filling large open areas on each metal layer with a metal pattern to compensate for pattern-driven variations. The manufacturer of the chip normally specifies a minimum and maximum range of metal that should be present at each portion of the die. If there is an insufficient amount of metal at a particular portion on the chip, then metal-fill is used to increase the proportion of metal in that portion. However, too much metal may cause dishing to occur. Therefore, the metal-fill process should not cause the die to exceed any specified maximum range of metal for the chip.
Even after the IC design has been completed, it is possible that additional engineering changes may be implemented at a later point in time. These additional changes may be implemented, for example, to correct an existing problem, to improve performance, or to add new functionality to the device. The process of implementing an engineering change after a device has been manufactured is often called the Engineering Change Order (ECO) process.
If the IC design does not include any dummy metal fill geometries, then the ECO could complete without having any impact on areas of the device that were not explicitly affected by the changes (e.g., in connectivity) required by the ECO. However, the ECO process is much more complicated for designs that include dummy metal fill geometries to control the effects of on-chip variation (OCV), such as IC designs for processes that use CMP.
One approach for implementing an Engineering Change Order (ECO) after a device has been manufactured is to delete dummy metal fill geometries that were added to the original design. This makes room for changes in the layout that might be required by the ECO process. By removing the dummy metal fill, the placement and routing operations have sufficient free space to be able to complete without causing shorts or design rule check (DRC) violations.
One significant problem with this approach is that the process of first removing the original dummy metal fill geometries, then implementing the ECO, and then finally inserting new dummy metal fill can lead to different timing characteristics in areas of the device that were not affected by the ECO itself. This could cause additional iterations in the ECO process to repair errors caused by the initial ECO changes.
Disclosed is an improved method and system for implementing metal fill for an integrated circuit design. In some embodiments, when an engineering change order is implemented, the existing dummy metal fill geometries are initially ignored when modifying the layout, even if this results in shorts and/or other DRC violations. Once the ECO changes have been implemented, those violations caused by interaction between the changes and the metal fill are repaired afterwards.
Further details of aspects, objects, and advantages of the invention are described below in the detailed description, drawings, and claims. Both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory, and are not intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention.

Method and system for implementing metal fill