A method for neutralizing brines that contain high levels of silica accompanied with a high pH. Brine is processed through a reactor in which the pH is lowered and the resultant silica precipitate is adsorbed onto a sacrificial crystal structure. The resultant stream is then processed through a solids removal zone wherein the solids are removed and recovered for reuse. The neutralized solids-free brine is then suitable for down-hole injection in the heavy oil industry or further treatment by common water treatment methods if further adjustment is required for other industries.

The SAGD process generates a large quantity of produced water that is typified by low hardness and high silica (SiO2) content. The SAGD process uses steam injected into the oil formation to lower the viscosity of the oil and allow it to flow to a collection wellhead. The oil is then separated from the condensed steam and the resultant produced water has to be processed, either as a waste stream or reused. Due to environmental restrictions and the high cost of replacing the produced water with existing water supplies in order to generate more steam, reuse is the preferred method.
There are two processes that are currently being used for reuse of the produced water. The standard method uses a once through steam generator (OTSG) to process the produced water and generate steam for injection. The newer method of reuse utilizes high-pressure packaged boilers for steam generation, which provide a greater recovery of water for steam injection. However, the packaged boilers need a high quality feedwater that does not have any measurable silica in it. Various methods are used to provide the high quality water the boilers require including Reverse Osmosis operating at high pH and evaporation technology.
Both of these pretreatment processes for packaged boilers require a high pH feedwater to maintain silica solubility and therein lays the problem that this invention addresses; both methods generate a blowdown stream that is at a high pH and can contain silica levels up to and exceeding five thousand (5000) parts per million (PPM). The blowdown stream cannot be injected into a deep well as the connate water is at a neutral pH and when the high pH/silica blowdown is injected into it, the lowering of the pH results in silica precipitation and plugging of the formation. Standard water treatment processes have been applied to this problem by the oil companies and other vendors, none of which have produced any consistently positive results.
One blowdown treatment option that has been investigated with relatively good results is the incorporation of the ZLD (Zero Liquid Discharge) concept. This method generally utilizes a crystallizing evaporator following a standard mechanical vapor compression evaporator, which is used for the production of high quality distillate for the packaged boilers. The standard method for treatment of the crystallizing evaporator blowdown is to send the generated solids to a mechanical dewatering device such as a filter press. However, the dewatering step usually does not work satisfactorily due to the buildup of any oil that has not been removed in the initial oil separation stage. In addition, the presence of Total Organic Carbon (TOC) in the produced water feed impacts the formation of crystals in the crystallizer and when coupled with the oil problems, causes plugging of the filter press and a resultant liquid stream that needs disposal. The use of high dosages of antiscalants in the first evaporator have also led to an inhibition of true form crystals in the crystallizer and the formation of small hard to filter particles. Systems have been modified to replace the mechanical dewatering equipment with a rotary drum dryer which works well but has a high capital and operating expense.
Another option that has been considered is acidification followed by lagoon settling with the addition of coagulants/flocculants. Typically, two (2) lagoons are used, one which is being filled while the second is drying out for solids removal. The supernatant from the filling lagoon is then filtered to remove colloidal particles and deep well injected. The land area and the cold climate of Canada has limited use of this option.
Another option has been considered in which the produced water feed to the evaporator section is acidified and fed into a preferential deposition seeded slurry of calcium sulfate (CaSO4) which is circulated in the evaporator. This technique utilizes the precipitation of CaSO4 to adsorb silica as it reaches its precipitation point. The technique works well in waters that contain sufficient calcium and sulfate ions to initiate precipitation. The precipitated solids are then removed with standard mechanical dewatering equipment and the filtrate is suitable deep well injection. However, the SAGD waters are typified by a minimal amount of both calcium and sulfate. These missing ions have to be injected into the produced water via the use of calcium chloride (CaCL2) and sodium sulfate (Na2SO4). The cost of chemicals becomes prohibitive when the produced water silica content is upwards of 200 ppm, with a flow rate amounting to thousands of gallons per minute, and a precipitating ratio of CaSO4 to SiO2 of 5:1 required.
The fourth option to be considered is a high pH evaporator followed by acidification and mechanical dewatering of the solids. This method has high potential but has been plagued by light colloidal silica particles in the rapid agitation reaction vessel that are hard to flocculate and filter without the use of clarifiers, thickeners, and heavy doses of coagulants/flocculants. The precipitated solids exiting the mechanical dewatering device typically end up as a cake comprising 60% dry solids and 40% brine with dissolved salts. Since the brine portion also needs to be land filled, the cost of disposal rises incrementally.

Method for treatment of high pH/silica brines


A swimming pool has a plurality of substantially vertical side walls, with each side wall having a top. A coping is attached to the top of a side wall of the pool and has a curved facia. A signage platform is attached to the facia of the coping. The signage platform has a substantially vertical display wall and an adjoining substantially horizontal display wall. Visual indicia are located on each of the vertical display wall and the horizontal display wall.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to swimming pools, and, more particularly, to coping assemblies for use with swimming pools.
2. Description of the Related Art
Swimming pools are typically constructed with concrete side walls or a vinyl pool liner suspended from the top, periphery of the pool which defines the side walls. Regardless of the type of construction employed, swimming pools commonly include a shallow end and a deep end. Unfortunately, and despite precautions by the manufacturer, a swimmer may occasionally and foolishly dive into the shallow end of a swimming pool. It is known to place a warning sticker directly onto the coping of a swimming pool to warn a swimmer not to dive into a shallow swimming pool. If the letters on the warning sticker are nearly as tall as the sticker itself, then the lettering can only be read in a normal manner from one orientation. That is, a warning sticker placed on top of the coping with the lettering extending from left to right when viewed from the top may not be easily read when observed from the opposite side of the swimming pool.
What is needed in the art is a warning sign which may be easily attached to the swimming pool and observed from a swimmer on either side of the swimming pool.


Chained terminals have a carrier (1) with opposite first and second side edges and terminal fittings (2) coupled to the first side edge of the carrier (1). The carrier (1) is formed with feed holes (6, 7) in correspondence with the respective terminal fittings (2). A widened portion (8) is provided along the first side edge of the carrier (1) and the feed holes (6, 7) are deviated towards the second side edge along the width direction. Thus, strength can be increased by as much as the carrier (1) is widened, and production efficiency can be increased by increasing a conveying speed.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to chained terminals.
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 5,609,505 discloses chained terminals obtained by punching an elongated band-shaped plate with a pressing machine. More particularly, the plate is punched to define a long narrow carrier and terminal fittings that cantilever from a side edge of the carrier. The terminal fittings then are formed into a specified shape by bending. Feed holes are formed through the carrier for conveyance. The feed holes are arranged at intervals corresponding to the arrangement intervals of the terminal fittings and are disposed along the center line of the carrier.
An intermittently rotatable sprocket is used to convey the carrier through the press working apparatus. The sprocket has a plurality feeding claws arranged on a conveyance path for the carrier. The feeding claws successively engage the feeding holes to create a pulling force that acts on the carrier in a feeding direction to convey the chained terminals. An increased conveying speed recently has become necessary to improve work efficiency. However, the carrier of conventional chained terminals lacks strength, and can deform at high conveying speeds. A deformed carrier may position the terminal fittings imprecisely in the press working apparatus and may lead to defects. Accordingly, there has been a demand for a carrier that will not deform at higher conveying speeds.
A thicker base material for the chained terminals would be stronger. However, the thicker material costs more and leads to larger terminal fittings. A wider carrier also would be stronger. However, a wider carrier could require changes to the distances between the feed holes and the respective parts of the terminal fittings. Thus, a wider carrier could affect existing specifications and could be difficult to adopt. Further, a wider carrier could increase the amount of scrap that remains after the blank has been cut.
The invention was developed in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide chained terminals with a stronger carrier.

Chained terminals and method of forming chained terminals


A hollow tubular elongated member is concentrically mounted to a borescope or surgical viewing instrument defining a spaced passage for flowing fluid to a cuff which is discretely located below the distal end of the lens of the borescope and which defines a discretely configured discharge port for flowing fluid over the lens surface for cleansing and defogging purposes. A two-piece locking handle may be used to lock the lens cleaning apparatus to the borescope. Another embodiment includes a flexible tube utilized with the cuff.

There are a number of lens cleaning devices that are described in the prior art that are used on endoscopes, resectoscope, fiberscope catheterization devices and the like that provide for means for cleansing the lens. For example U.S. Pat. No. 4,770,163 granted to Ono et al on Sep. 13, 1988 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,576,146 granted to Kawazoe et al on Mar. 18, 1986 disclose an apparatus for viewing blood vessels and the like by continuously flowing saline fluid through a passage formed in the endoscope at a flow rate that approximates the blood flow rate. Of particular interest is the lens cleaning means disclosed in these patents which show a pair of passageways that include outlets that flow the saline solution in front of the lens. The outlets serve to orient the flow so that the flow discharging from the outlets of each of these passageways oppose each other and hence, according to this patent, the interaction of the opposing fluids keeps the lens clean.
Also of interest as disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,576,146, supra, is the spiral passageway for injecting the saline solution with a spiral flow to displace the opaque liquid in the region of observation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,690,140 granted to Mecca on Sep. 1, 1987 discloses an endoscopic tube with a passageway to route clear liquid to circulate around the endoscopic tube. Again this is another attempt to keep the lens clean.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,633,855 granted to Baba on Jan. 6, 1987 also discloses an endoscope that includes a tube mounted internally within the endoscope where the end at the distal end is bent approximately 90 degrees and directed toward the lens so as to blow air or water adjacent the observation window in order to keep it clean.
While these lens cleaning means may be satisfactory in certain biological procedures, they are not satisfactory for others. In the application of video-surgery in laporoscopic and arthroscopic procedures, for example, we have found that creating a film of cleaning fluid to form over the lens surface is a far more satisfactory method of keeping the lens clean or defogged, if it fogs up. In certain instances. injection of the fluid, which may be either water or carbon dioxide, intermittently as needed has proven to be a satisfactory method of keeping the lens clean and defogged.
This invention employs a radial cavity with either partial or full circumferential flow directed over the surface of the lens or lens cover. In other embodiments this invention contemplates incorporating a vortex generator circumferentially mounted around the lens. This invention also contemplates incorporating a judiciously mounted fluid conveying passage integrated within the sheath surrounding the flexible types of medical instruments.

Lens cleaning means for invasive viewing medical instruments


An electromagnetic valve for a pressure container and which includes a manual shut-off of the valve, a stop, and an electromagnetic shut-off of the valve with a sealing element, a magnet coil, a tappet, and a spring element. When the magnet coil has been currentlessly switched and deactivated, the tappet pressed against the sealing element by the spring element presses the sealing element onto a second opening so as to suppress a fluidic connection from the pressure container. Also, when the magnet coil is activated, the tappet can be moved away from the sealing element as far as the stop, such that the fluidic connection can be released.

A pressure container for storing liquid or gaseous media, preferably hydrogen or natural gas, comprises at least one storage container for enclosing the liquid or gaseous medium, said storage container having at least one opening, into which a valve is inserted. The liquid or gaseous medium is filled and removed by means of the switching and control elements incorporated into the valve main body. Current is applied to the electromagnetic valve when the medium is removed and said valve is actively opened. No current is applied to the electromagnetic valve during the filling process. For safety reasons, the electromagnetic valve is closed in the currentless state.
A pilot-operated valve is generally used as an electromagnetic valve in such pressure containers so as to keep the power consumption low.
A gas cylinder valve arrangement is known from DE 10 2006 025 965 A1, which has a housing with a main valve body. The main valve body has a fluid connection, wherein a fluid flows between the inlet and the housing or a valve body outlet, wherein a valve stem for blocking the fluid flow through a through-connection can be moved. At the main valve body, a manual shut-off valve runs within the valve body so as to selectively block the fluid flow through the through-connection. The use of two valves increases both the amount of installation space and the costs for such an electromagnetic valve.

Electromagnetic valve for a pressure container


A utility vehicle comprises a plurality of ground engaging members and a frame supported by the plurality of ground engaging members. The utility vehicle includes a front seating area and a rear seating area. A rear cargo bed is reconfigurable from a configuration where it is rearward of the rear seating area to a second configuration where it includes the rear seating area space. The vehicle includes a transmission having a final drive portion and a plurality of transmission shafts housed in a common housing, the final drive portion being forward of an end of the plurality of transmission shafts. The vehicle also includes a front suspension and a rear suspension.

The present disclosure generally relates to side-by-side utility vehicles and, more particularly, to side-by-side utility vehicles configured to support at least front-end attachments.
Generally, all terrain vehicles and utility vehicles are used to carry one or two passengers and cargo over a variety of terrains. Typically, the cargo is carried in a rear cargo box of such vehicles.
Exemplary utility vehicles configured to support at least one passenger and cargo are available from Polaris Industries Inc. of Medina, Minn., and are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,819,220, issued on Oct. 26, 2010; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/442,071, filed on Feb. 11, 2011; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/1370,139, filed on Feb. 9, 2012; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/464,603, filed on May 4, 2012; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/492,589, filed on Jun. 8, 2012; and International Patent Application No. PCT/US2011/031376, filed on Apr. 6, 2011, the complete disclosures of which are expressly incorporated by reference herein.


A small light-weight battery operated calibrator device provides a precise sine wave output for use in calibration of test equipment, such as a RF Power Meter or a Spectrum Analyzer. The calibration device includes two power levels, one −40 dBm and one 0 dBm. The purpose of the two power levels is to obtain a slope and offset for correction of the RF power measuring device being calibrated. Operation indication LED lights are provided to indicate which of the two powers are in use, and if battery power is below acceptable levels. Miniature low power components including a crystal oscillator and a divide by 2 integrated circuit that generates a precise square wave and a low pass filter for converting the square wave into a precise sine wave allows the calibrator to be battery operated and stored as a calibration component.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to components used in the calibration or verification of absolute frequency and amplitude measuring test equipment. More particularly the present invention relates to a highly accurate sine wave generation circuit used in calibrating or verifying the accuracy of test equipment such as RF power meters and spectrum analyzers.
2. Related Art
Existing calibration devices that can generate precise sine waves are typically provided internal to the instrument being calibrated, or as an external attachment. The internal RF calibrator in a test device typically has one power level and is accessible using the front panel space on the instrument. It may be undesirable, however, to use the front panel space which is typically in short supply on portable instrumentation. An external bench top calibrator, further, is typically bulky and requires a wall plug in line voltage for operation. The required line voltage may not be available for a field test instrument.
FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of components of a typical calibrator. The system includes a precise oscillator 2, typically operating at 50 MHz. The output of oscillator 2 is provided to a level modulator 4 that provides a stable voltage output from the oscillator 2 as controlled by a feedback signal. The output of the level modulator 4 passes through an amplifier 6, low pass filter 8, and attenuator 22 to a test port 24. The attenuator 22 is shown as a variable attenuator, allowing a user to set the desired attenuation level. The amplifier 6 increases the output of oscillator 2, while low pass filter 8 removes unwanted harmonics. The variable attenuator 22 is typically included in an external bench top calibrator that connects to a test device, allowing a user to select different output levels as desired during calibration. As an alternative to the variable attenuator 22, a fixed attenuator can be used. A fixed attenuator is more typically included on a calibrator that is internal to a test device.
The feedback signal to the level modulator 4 is provided from an amplifier 16. The feedback signal comes to an input of amplifier 16 from the output of the low pass filter 8 through a detector diode 10 and resistor 14. A filter capacitor 12 removes an AC component of the feedback signal. A capacitor 20 enables amplifier 16 to function as an integrator. A second input to the amplifier 16 is provided from a voltage reference 18. The voltage reference 18 has a voltage value set to control the desired input level of attenuator 22.
It would be desirable to provide components for a calibration device that can provide a precise sine wave with two power levels that does not use up front panel space on an instrument being calibrated, is not bulky, and does not require a line voltage attachment.

Miniature RF calibrator utilizing multiple power levels


An image forming apparatus includes a frame in which a carriage configured to reciprocate along a predetermined direction is disposed, and a unit disposed to be openable with respect to the frame. A first engaging portion is formed on the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus is capable of restricting a movement of the carriage at least in the predetermined direction with use of a securing component including a second engaging portion engageable with the first engaging portion. When the securing component is attached to the carriage, and then the unit is closed with the first engaging portion and the second engaging portion engaging with each other, the securing component is sandwiched and fixed between the frame and the unit.

Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to an image forming apparatus including a carriage therein, and a method for securing the carriage.
Description of the Related Art
Image forming apparatuses that include a reciprocably movable carriage, such as printers and image scanners, are provided with some measures for preventing the carriage within the apparatus from moving and being damaged due to an impact applied during transportation after shipment from a factory. One of preventive methods therefor is to secure the carriage within the image forming apparatus with use of an adhesive tape. When a user sets up the image forming apparatus after unpacking, the user peels off the tape to remove it.
As another method, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-193237 discusses a method for holding a carriage using a holding member instead of using a tape.
The method for securing the carriage using the tape has such a problem that the adhesive force of the tape is weakened according to a change over time, reducing the capability to hold the carriage. Further, this method also has such a problem that a user has to take time and trouble to deal with the peeled-off tape.
Further, according to the configuration discussed in the above-described Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-193237, when a strong impact force is applied to the carriage during transportation, a hook portion of the holding member may be deformed, thereby releasing an engagement state of the holding member. Further, when a user removes the holding member, the user has to unhook the hook portion of the holding member. Therefore, this method involves such a problem that, especially, if the rigidity of the hook portion is enhanced to improve the holding performance of the holding member, this leads to a reduction in the operability of the hook portion.

Image forming apparatus and method for securing carriage


An improved tubing bender of the type having a mounting base, a mandrel mounted upon the mounting base and having a tube recess, and a tube retainer mounted upon the mounting base. It is improved by the tube retainer being mounted upon the mounting base by a snap-lock journal.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to tubing benders and more particularly to tubing benders capable of effecting bends in tubing of differing diameters. Specifically, it relates to improved tubing benders with improved tubing retention and handling properties.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Electricians have used portable tubing benders to bend electrical conduit. Similarly plumbers and other craftsmen have used tubing benders to bend tubing for a variety of applications. A typical tubing bender includes a mandrel having an arcuate groove or recess. The radius of the arc of the groove roughly corresponds with the radius of bend, or bending radius, to be imposed upon the tubing. The groove is typically semicircular in cross section with a radius that generally corresponds to the outside radius of the tubing, the holding radius. The mandrel is secured to a handle while a forming press having complementary surfaces is secured to a second handle and the handles are pivotally connected together. A hook arrangement, or tube retainer, is provided to retain the tubing in appropriate orientation with the groove in the mandrel as bending is effected by relatively rotating the handles such that the forming press orbits around the mandrel groove. There have been tubing benders having mandrels with sets of arcuate grooves, or tube recesses, which have different arc radii. This allows such a tubing bender to be prepared to bend tubes to different radii without assembling a new mandrel to the remainder of the bender. An example of the foregoing can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,487,889, which is fully incorporated herein by this reference.
While tubing benders of this type increase the flexibility for bending tubing to different radii, they still have substantial shortcomings. They are awkward to handle both while providing the necessary bending moments and during installation of tubing to be bent. While providing the bending moments, the operator frequently feels as though another hand is needed. With one hand on each handle and the tubing placed in the bender, the entire assembly becomes unwieldy when the operator must support the bender with a length of tubing inserted therein and at the same time bring the handles together to accomplish a bend with an arc of adequate precision to make the bent tube useful. Even more significant, the placement of the tube to be bent into the bender requires holding the tube in place while holding the bender, with its tendency to bend uncontrollably about the mandrel, while concurrently coping with tricky placement of the hook arrangement about the tube and, with all hands already occupied, tightening a thumbscrew to hold the hook in place that is to hold the tube in place. This clearly is job for which a juggler may be best suited.
Thus, it is highly desirable to provide a tool for bending tubing to a range of bend radii and over a range of arcs that is less clumsy both during insertion of tubing to be bent and during actual bending of the tube, allowing a quicker and more precise bending process.
Accordingly, even though portable tubing benders have been in use for a long time, there is a continuing need for such a tubing bender.


A method of suppressing an echo signal in a communication path such as acoustic coupling between a speaker and a microphone in a telephone device handset includes the steps of monitoring a transmitted signal supplied to the communication path to determine an attribute thereof; generating a leaky mask based on the determined attribute and an attribute of a received echo signal; and partially cancelling the received echo signal using the leaky mask.

Acoustic coupling in telephone device handsets is common and occurs when signals broadcast by the speaker of a telephone device are coupled to the microphone of the same telephone device. This acoustic coupling causes echo signals in the network over which the communication channel is established. The acoustic suppression of signals broadcast by the handset speaker before they are picked up by the handset microphone is variable and depends on a number of factors, such as for example, the pressure exerted on the user's ear by the handset speaker and how well the handset speaker seals the user's ear. The loss in power of these signals as a result of acoustic suppression can vary from about −50 db to as low as −24 db when the telephone device handset is placed on a hard surface. If delays in the network are short (i.e. 30 ms), the normal acoustic suppression of signals broadcast by the handset speaker is generally sufficient to inhibit voice quality from being noticeably degraded by echo signals picked up by the handset microphone. However, if the delays in the network are significant, echo signals in the network due to acoustic coupling will noticeably degrade voice quality over the communication channel. As such, suppressing echo signals resulting from acoustic coupling in telephone devices is important.
Echo cancellers in telephone devices have been considered. A typical echo canceller attempts to model the transfer function of the echo signal path using a linear algorithm such as a Least-Mean-Squared (LMS) algorithm. The estimated echo signals generated by the echo canceller are subtracted from the echo signals picked up by the handset microphone. Differences between the estimated echo signals and the actual echo signals result in error signals, which are fed back to the echo canceller. Unfortunately, since the algorithm executed by the echo canceller is linear, the echo canceller cannot deal with non-linear effects and can only converge to a transfer function that approximates the echo signals. As a result, residual echo signals propagate through the echo canceller to the network.
To deal with the deficiencies noted above, an echo suppressor has been considered and is described in U.K. Patent Application Serial No. 9907102.9 filed on Mar. 26, 1999. This echo suppressor includes a power level calculator that determines the power level of signals broadcast by the handset speaker. A mask generator is responsive to the power level calculator and generates masks that are a function of the determined power levels to suppress echo signals received by the handset microphone. To avoid noticeable switching effects in the presence of background noise, the echo suppressor can be conditioned to generate leaky masks. This is achieved by setting one or a few of the least significant bits (LSBs) in the masks to one (1) so that the lower bits of the received echo signals are leaked through the echo suppressor.
Although this echo suppressor works well to suppress echo, since the number of least significant bits in the masks that are set to one to leak echo signals is static, switching effects that degrade voice quality still result. Also, since the echo suppressor is active all the time with the number of zeros in the masks changing depending on the power level of the signals broadcast by the handset speaker, the echo suppressor degrades speech quality during double-talk situations. As will be appreciated, improvements in echo cancellation/suppression are desired.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a novel echo suppressor and method for suppressing echoes in a communication path.

Echo cancellation/suppression and double-talk detection in communication paths


A device for use with a computer mouse including a platform for defining a surface for movement of the computer mouse thereon. Also included is a support supporting the platform in an operable position. A frame is mounted on the platform for defining a predetermined area in the platform surface for limiting movement of the mouse to the predetermined area.

The elderly population is largest growing component of our society. Proponents of aging believe that an environment that is mentally, physically and emotionally challenging will aid the independence of the elderly in a successful aging process. The computer provides a unique opportunity to assist this aging process by offering increased communication via electronic mail, emergency or medical monitoring, financial services, entertainment and shopping.
Even though computers are becoming more frequently imbedded into everyday activities, little research is being done to guide in the design of computer interfaces for the use of the elderly.
It has been determined that elderly, those persons at least 75 years of age, are deficient in their ability to master the use of a computer mouse as an interface device with a computer. Alternatives to the computer mouse, which is normally highly effective and used in many personal computer situations, would be a new designed interface such as a touch screen or touch tablet. The elderly experience difficulties with all of these devices, but recent studies have shown that the use of a computer mouse creates the most problems for elderly who are seeking to learn to use a computer. As computer become imbedded into increasingly more items, such as VCRs, telephones, televisions, cooking appliances, security system, reservation system and the like, it would be more difficult for the elderly to conveniently function in this more technical society until the elderly, and anyone else newly entering the complexities of new technology, develop basic computer interface skills.
At the present time, the only investigation that has been made into computer interfaces has been with respect to the interface device itself. When devices such as mouses, rate control isometric joy sticks, step keys, and text keys, were evaluated for the proficiency of interface with a text on a CRT screen, it was determined that the mouse is the best interface device for that particular task. What has not evaluated is the difficulty that elderly persons incur in normal visual functioning and perception due primarily to advanced aging.
The visual changes which an individual under goes with aging are primarily related to the speed of processing, rather than the accuracy of processing data. However, it has also been determined that older adults can maintain their accuracy on an anticipatory motor task once they become familiar with the task. While it is known that motor skill is impacted by physiological, perceptual and cognitive factors, these factors have not been applied to computer interface design.
It has been found that successful aging focuses on maintenance of continued physical and mental activity at an appropriate level. The computer can provide tremendous opportunity to maintain a high level of mental activity if an interface device can be created which can be master by the elderly population. Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved interface with a computer for use by aging persons and others.
It is an object of this invention to provide a device for interface with a computer which is easy to use.
Still another object of the present invention is provide an interface device for use with a computer which does not involve a substantial amount of training or learning.
Yet another object of the present invention is provide an interface which facilitates the physical relationship between the interface and the computer for the benefit of an elderly user.
Other objects will appear hereinafter.


An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing belt of a multi-layer structure, a toner image forming device, a nip forming device, a transfer power source, an environment-condition detector, and a controller. The toner image forming device forms a toner image on a surface of the image bearing belt. The transfer power source outputs a transfer bias including a superimposed voltage, in which a direct current voltage is superimposed on an alternating current voltage to transfer the toner image from the image bearing belt onto a recording medium at a transfer nip. The environment-condition detector detects an environment condition. The controller controls the transfer bias output from the transfer power source to perform a bias switching process to switch the transfer bias between a transfer bias including the superimposed voltage and a transfer bias including a direct current voltage based on a detected result of the environment-condition detector.

Technical Field
Exemplary aspects of the present invention generally relates to an image forming apparatus.
Related Art
An image forming apparatus, such as a copier, a facsimile machine, a printer, or a multi-functional system including a combination thereof, may include a power source that outputs a superimposed bias in which a direct current (DC) voltage is superimposed on an alternating current (AC) voltage.
In the image forming apparatus, for example, an intermediate transfer belt including soft elastic layers on a base layer is used as an image bearer. The intermediate transfer belt contacts a nip formation roller to form a transfer nip, in which a toner image is transferred from the intermediate transfer belt onto a recording medium. During this time, a power source in the image forming apparatus outputs a transfer bias, in which a direct current voltage is superimposed on an alternating current voltage, to a transfer back-surface roller entraining the intermediate transfer belt, from the backside of the intermediate transfer belt. With this configuration, the toner image can be successfully transferred from the intermediate transfer belt onto paper having an uneven surface, such as Japanese paper called "Washi".

Image forming apparatus that switches transfer bias based on detected environment condition


A zipper style lift that coils into a box for storage, but extends to form a rigid, self erecting lift part. The lift stores itself in a housing when retracted, by retracting chain parts into a spiral form.

Various commercial applications may require a self erecting column. One application is for formation of structure to use in making a show, for example a play or concert. For example, a column may need to rise up out of the stage to raise either a performer or scenery or the like.
Self-erecting columns are known, including the Gala "spiral", and the Serapid "link". These devices, however, must be externally guided to prevent collapse.
Another self erecting column is the so called ribbon lift. This can be extended without guidance, but the rising may be slow and jerky; making it inappropriate for certain applications on stage such as applications where smooth operations are desirable.


A tungsten carbide surface is finished to an RMS surface roughness of about 25 nm (1.0 microinch) or less by abrasion using diamond grit particles. The tungsten carbide surface is abraded by a sequence of grit particle-containing abrasive members, such as abrasive films, pastes, or slurries, at least one of the members having an average grit particle diameter of about 2 .mu.m or less. The finish is enhanced by oscillating the abrasive member back and forth over the tungsten carbide surface. A different speed is used for at least two consecutive films in the series, thereby generating scratches at different angles which can be distinguished. A superfinish, corresponding to a lack of visible scratches at 100X magnification, can be obtained by abrading the tungsten carbide surface with a diamond slurry or paste having grit particles with an average diameter of about 1 .mu.m or less.

Tungsten carbide compositions have been useful for providing hard, durable surfaces. One particularly important application for such surfaces is tools, such as calender rolls for use in manufacturing. However, many tools require surfaces with very smooth finishes. In particular, calender rolls used to apply magnetic coatings on tape have very exacting smoothness requirements, for example, an RMS (root-mean-square) surface roughness of about 25 nm (about 1 microinch) or less. The RMS surface roughness is a measurement of the typical surface structure found on the object. Surface deformities in the calender roll, such as pits and peaks (e.g., particles sticking out of the surface) will be transferred to the magnetic coating during the coating process. However, the surface of the magnetic tape, after the magnetic coating has been applied, should be very smooth to reduce noise caused by the surface deformities.
Other manufacturing processes also require calender rolls that, although they often do not need the precision of magnetic tape rolls, should have a relatively smooth surface. Furthermore, smooth surfaces made using a hard, durable material may be useful in other applications, such as optics.
Currently, calender rolls in the magnetic film industry have chrome coatings, which also have relatively smooth surfaces. However, these coatings are relatively soft and wear out rapidly. Furthermore, chrome surfaces also tend to have cracks that give the surface the appearance, under a microscope, of a dry lake bed. These cracks may be transferred to the magnetic tape. Moreover, chrome has been recognized to be environmentally hazardous and is now regulated. Thus, there is a need for an alternative.
One potential substitute for chrome is tungsten carbide, which forms a harder and more durable surface coating for calender rolls and other tools. Suitable tungsten carbide coatings often include up to 40 wt. % of other metals, such as chromium, cobalt, and nickel. The addition of these metals often gives the tungsten carbide coating improved properties, such as durability, hardness, and enhanced bond strength with the substrate.
However, these tungsten carbide coatings are often sensitive to current finishing methods and there has been difficulty achieving the necessary surface roughness requirements; in particular, when a relatively uniform profile must be obtained. One danger when trying to finish tungsten carbide is overworking (e.g., using many passes to finish the surface). Overworking a tungsten carbide surface typically increases the porosity of the surface as portions of the surface are removed. This results in an increased RMS surface roughness and possibly introduction of pits into the surface. A method is needed for finishing tungsten carbide surfaces to obtain the desired smoothness without overworking the surface and defeating the desired goal.


A sound damping door system having a door frame, a compression seal, a door slab, a bottom seal, and a concealed hinge assembly. The door frame includes male and female components adapted to engage each other in a rough door opening between first and second wall faces; and at least one isolation gasket adapted to be disposed between the male and female components. The compression seal is mounted to the door frame. The door slab includes an outer skin; an arched constrainment sheet inside the outer skin; a damping fill material inside the outer skin; and an acoustic insert inside the outer skin. The bottom seal is mounted to a bottom surface of the door slab such that the bottom seal is permitted to move relative to the door slab.

Internal doors present challenges to architects and interior designers working on spaces where sound isolation between rooms is important. The door, door frame, and associated hardware often become the weak link in isolating one room from sounds outside of that room. As a result, typical sound isolation doors are much heavier, bulkier, and more expensive to purchase and install than standard doors. Further, the sound damping techniques employed in typical sound isolation doors are rarely acceptable when balanced against the compromises in cost and aesthetics required by the designer.
For example, FIG. 1A shows a cross-section of a typical sound isolation door design 10 of the prior art. In such prior art designs, resonance cavities 11 exist between orthogonal facing surfaces, which cause acoustic flanking paths that bypass the sealing surfaces in the door. This resonance ultimately reduces the sound transmission loss performance of the door, such that it does not perform to its predicted mass law equivalent.
Constrained dampeners are often made from a highly adhesive polymer (soft isotropic material) combined with a very thin layer of aluminum that plays no part in the dynamic structural rigidity of the base material. As a result, such designs often include Z-channel stiffeners 12 for securing insulation and for improving the stiffness, structural integrity, and, hence, the impact resistance of the door. Metal Z-channel or C-channel strips are often welded to the face of the door skin. This practice actually causes a resonance acoustic signature that is transmitted to the door face. The collision of the stiffener and the door face sheet as they vibrate degrade the transmission loss of the door slab from its intended design target. Furthermore, during an impact event on the face of the door slab, the force is localized to interface between the stiffener and door face, which can drive the material past its yield strength and cause catastrophic failure of the system.
FIG. 1A also shows a standard way of mounting a sound damping door to a rough door opening 13. A female side of the frame is secured on the side of a first wall face 14, and a male side of the frame is secured on the side of a second wall face 15 by being directly connected to both the rough opening and to each other. This direct connection permits sound-induced vibration to be transmitted from the male side to the female side and vice versa.
FIGS. 1B, 1C, and 1D show different views of a typical prior art bottom seal design 16 often used on sound damping doors. Sometimes referred to as "cam-lift hinge" designs, they use an adjustable seal that has to be fixed in place in slot 17 via pan screw 18 once the door is installed. Because the door moves in a decreasing elevation when it is closed (i.e., the space between the bottom of the door and the floor/threshold surface 19 becomes smaller as the door is closed), the seal has to be compressed by the mass of the door. In many designs, the seal include a polyurethane closed cell foam material 20 disposed in a steel seal pan 21. A neoprene foam layer 22 is attached to the bottom of the seal pan, and a fabric cover 23 is attached to the bottom of the neoprene foam layer. The bottom seal is adjusted to a fixed position 24 with the weight of the door compressing the seal. In many designs, up to 7 psi is required to ensure the seal has enough pressure to properly compress and provide acoustic performance. This significantly adds to the friction force required to open the door. Heavier doors with this type of bottom seal will not pass the ADA 5 lbf pull test.
Therefore, a need exists for a sound damping door design that has improved sound isolating properties. A need also exists for a sound damping door with improved strength and impact resistance. A further need exists for a sound damping door design with an improved bottom seal. There is also a need for a sound damping door design with improved install ability in rough door openings.


A laminated panel having an abrasion resistant surface is provided. The laminated panel includes a web being impregnated with a thermo-set resin, a bottom coat and an abrasion resistant top coat; a substrate; and thermo-fusing a bottom sheet to a second surface of the substrate opposite the first surface. The web is thermo-fused to one surface of the substrate, and the bottom sheet is simultaneously thermo-fused to the opposite surface of the substrate. A process for making an abrasion resistant laminated panel is also provided. The process includes the steps of partially impregnating a paper sheet or web with a thermosetting resin, drying it, coating the top side of the partially impregnated paper sheet or web with an abrasion resistant coat, simultaneously coating the bottom side of the paper sheet or web with a thermosetting resin composition, thermo-fusing the coated paper sheet or web to a first surface of a substrate and a bottom sheet to produce the laminated panel.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to decorative panels and, more particularly, to an abrasion resistant laminate for use as a decorative panel. The abrasion resistant laminate is preferably a low pressure laminate. The laminate has preferably a printed decorative pattern, but can have a solid color. In addition, the present invention relates to a process for manufacturing such an abrasion-resistant laminated panel.
2. Description of Related Art
Decorative panels have been used to produce kitchen and bath cabinets, office furniture, store fixtures and recreational furniture. For many years, decorative furniture components were made by laminating a high pressure laminate to wood panel substrate, such as plywood or particleboard. The glue line lamination occurred either before or after the furniture was assembled. Within the past twenty-five years, a low pressure laminate has become available. Such low pressure laminates are manufactured by directly laminating the decorative sheet to the substrate under heat and pressure.
Conventionally, high pressure decorative laminates have been made by stacking and curing, under heat and pressure, a plurality of layers of paper impregnated with synthetic thermosetting resins. Normally, the assembly consists of three to eight core sheets. The assembly has from the base upward (1) phenolic resin impregnated Kraft paper, (2) a decor or decorative sheet impregnated with melamine resin, and (3) for printed patterns, an overlay sheet which, in the laminate, is almost transparent and provides protection for the decor sheet.
Some improvements are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,255,480 and U.S. Pat. No. Re. 32,152, both to Scher, et al. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,255,480 discloses manufacturing decorative laminates having an ultra-thin, protective coating deposited as the uppermost layer of the decor sheet to enhance abrasion-resistant properties. The decor sheet is coated with an ultra-thin layer of a mixture of an abrasion-resistant hard mineral and a binder material. The hard mineral has a particle size of 20 to 50 microns.
Background patents of interest are U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,373,070 and 3,373,071 to Fuerst. The Fuerst technique is to impregnate the decor sheet first with plain melamine resin, and then apply a thick coating to the surface of the impregnated sheet using a relatively viscous mixture of 2,000-60,000 centi-poise.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,975,572 to Power employs an acrylic resin-melamine/formaldehyde resin composition which, like the coating in the Fuerst patents, is applied over the already impregnated decor sheet, after the saturated decor sheet has been dried.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,322,468 to Raghava uses a special coating composition of a fully hydrolyzed polyvinyl alcohol modified melamine-formaldehyde resin.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,713,138 to Ungar et al. discloses a method of providing a paper facing sheet for use as the uppermost sheet in the manufacture of abrasion resistant decorative laminates. The process includes the step of effecting coating and impregnating in essentially one step. According to this patent, the laminated panel has an abrasion resistant composition deposited in an ultra-thin layer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,880,689 to Park et. al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,940,503 and 5,034,272 to Lindgren et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,266,384 and 5,702,806 to O""Dell et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,288,540, 5,362,557, 5,456,949 and 5,558,906 to Albrinck et al., and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,037,694, 5,093,185 and 5,037,694 to Ungar et al. all disclose decorative laminates and/or processes for preparing decorative laminates.
None of these patents disclose decorative laminates that have abrasion resistant particles with an average particle size from about 9 to about 12 microns and particle concentration of from about 2 to 4 grams per square meter of surface area. Furthermore, none of these patents disclose a process, which involves simultaneously coating: (i) the top surface or side of a dried, partially impregnated paper with an abrasion resistant coat, and (ii) the bottom surface or side of the dried, partially impregnated paper with a thermosetting resin coating. Thus, none of these patents describe the efficient process and construction of the subject low pressure laminated panel.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a process for the manufacture of a high quality, abrasion resistant laminated panel.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a process in which the panel is preferably a low pressure laminated panel.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide such a process that produces a printed decorative laminated panel or a solid color laminated panel.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a process that is less expensive due to less handling required by the process.
It is still further object of the present invention to provide such a process that has simultaneous coating of the top and bottom surfaces of a resin impregnated web.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide such a panel in which particles are not applied in the dry state.
These and other objects of the invention are attained by providing a laminated panel having an abrasion resistant surface. The abrasion resistant panel comprises: a single, thermoset resin impregnated web having a first surface and a second surface; an abrasion resistant top coat on the first surface of the thermoset resin impregnated web; a bottom coat of a thermoset resin on the second surface, opposite the first surface, of the thermoset resin impregnated web; a substrate, wherein said substrate is thermally bonded to the thermoset resin impregnated web that is coated; and a resin impregnated bottom or balancing sheet thermo-fused to said substrate on a surface of said substrate opposite the bottom coat.
The above laminated panel having an abrasion-resistant surface is manufactured by a process, comprising: (a) partially impregnating a paper sheet or web with a thermosetting resin, wherein said partial impregnation is carried out so that about 40% to about 60% of the total resin required for full saturation is used; (b) drying the partially impregnated web to a volatile content from about 10% to about 15%, preferably from about 11% to about 13%; (c) coating the top surface or side of the dried, partially impregnated web with an abrasion resistant thermoset resin coat; (d) simultaneously coating the bottom surface or side of the dried, partially impregnated web with a thermosetting resin coat; (e) thermo-fusing the coated web onto a substrate; and (f) simultaneously thermo-fusing a resin impregnated bottom sheet to the other side of the substrate to produce a flat laminated panel. The resin impregnated bottom sheet may be made pursuant to steps (a) through (d) above, or without the abrasion resistant coat.
During simultaneous coating of the top and bottom surfaces, the amount of coating resin used is controlled by metering the amount of resin and abrasion resistant resin coat applied on each surface of the web.
The laminated panel produced in accordance with the present invention has an improved abrasion and scratch resistance.

Abrasion resistant laminate and process for producing same


A system and method for instance-level lane detection for autonomous vehicle control includes: receiving training image data from a training image data collection system; performing a training phase to train a plurality of tasks associated with features of the training image data, the training phase including extracting roadway lane marking features from the training image data, causing the plurality of tasks to generate task-specific predictions based on the training image data, determining a bias between the task-specific prediction for each task and corresponding task-specific ground truth data, and adjusting parameters of each of the plurality of tasks to cause the bias to meet a pre-defined confidence level; receiving image data from an image data collection system associated with an autonomous vehicle; and performing an operational phase including extracting roadway lane marking features from the image data, causing the plurality of trained tasks to generate instance-level lane detection results.

Processing subsystems within autonomous vehicles typically include decision making subsystems, trajectory planning, image processing, and control operations, among other subsystems. These autonomous vehicle processing subsystems are responsible for receiving a substantial amount of sensor data and other input and for accurately processing this input data in real time. The processing loads can be very high and the available processing time is very short. The safety and efficiency of the autonomous vehicle and its occupants depend on the ability of these autonomous vehicle processing subsystems to perform as needed. It is certainly possible to configure an autonomous vehicle control system with high-powered and expensive data processing systems that will handle the processing loads. However, there is constant pressure in the marketplace to design and build autonomous vehicle control systems with lowest cost, lightest weight, lowest power requirements, lowest operating temperatures, and high levels of adaptability and customization. Conventional autonomous vehicle control systems have been unable to meet this challenge while providing responsive, reliable, and efficient autonomous vehicle control.
One significant processing load in autonomous vehicle control systems is image processing from vehicle cameras. This image processing typically includes the use of image semantic segmentation. Image semantic segmentation is intended to identify the image regions corresponding directly to objects in an image by labeling each pixel in the image to a semantic category. Contrary to the object detection, which merely detects the objects in the image, semantic segmentation assigns a category label to each pixel to indicate an object category to which the pixel belongs. As such, semantic segmentation aims to assign a categorical label to every pixel in an image, which plays an important role in image analysis and self-driving systems. However, semantic segmentation assigns the same categorical label to every instance of the same object type in an image. Thus, semantic segmentation cannot differentiate between different instances of the same object type, such as multiple lane markings on a roadway.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

System and method for instance-level lane detection for autonomous vehicle control


The instant invention relates generally to abrasive stones for use in processing workpiece surfaces. The abrasive stones generally are produced by combining an epoxy novalac resin mixture with microballoons and a catalyst. The mixture is put into a mold, cold pressed, and then cured, creating abrasive stones having a uniform surface and bulk structure with a uniform hardness, suitable for workpiece processing.

Presently known abrasive foam grinding structures are known as "honing stones" and typically have open cell structures or closed cell structures. Stones having an open cell structure are generally made from a combination of Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), starch, and a silicon carbide filler functioning as the abrasive material. An appropriate catalyst, for example sulfuric acid and/or formaldehyde, is added to the PVA, starch, and silicon carbide mixture to convert the mixture to a rubber-like mass with the starch particles randomly entrained therein.
The rubber-like mass is then flushed in a hot water shower to dissolve and flush out the starch from the composite. Upon flushing the starch from the rubber-like mass, a random distribution of holes having diameters in the range of about 50 to 150 microns is formed within the mass, creating a spongy material. The spongy material may then be impregnated with a stiffening agent, e.g. melamine, which penetrates through the random distribution of holes, coating the complex surfaces within the spongy material. Excess stiffening agent which accumulates within the holes may then be removed, for example, through centrifugal extraction or a subsequent rinsing process. The resulting stiffened spongy material is then dried and used to lap or grind the surfaces of workpieces (e.g. computer hard disks).
An alternative stiffening technique useful in open cell structures involves adding various co-polymers to the PVA before curing to enhance the stiffness of the finished spongy material.
Stones having closed-cell structures are typically produced by mixing a "Part A" and a "Part B" urethane resin together. With this process, one of the two parts is used to disperse an abrasive, such as silicon carbide, throughout the resin. While "Part A" and "Part B" are stored separately prior to mixing, upon being mixed together the composite resin mixture is quickly introduced into an injection mold, whereupon a spontaneous exothermic cross-linking reaction occurs. The exothermic reaction between the two resins generates a substantial amount of heat, which expands the resin blowing agents present within one or both of the resin components, forming foam or high density bubbles within the compound.
The blowing agents may be either chemical or physical. Chemical blowing agents generate gas through a chemical reaction, while physical blowing agents generate vapors upon exposure to heat or reduction in pressure. Accordingly, bubbles produced by the gases or vapors from the blowing agents become entrained within the cross-linked matrix, resulting in a porous, closed cell structure suitable for lapping or honing the surface of the workpieces.
When used to hone or lap workpieces, open-cell stones typically flake, liberating particulates at the stone-workpiece interface. To remove the stone particulates and particulates liberated from the workpiece, and to cool the interface which is heated by the grinding or polishing process, the workpieces are typically flushed with water or a water-based solution during processing. Because of the open cell structure, some of the particulates may penetrate into the stone's cell structure during flushing, resulting in "loading" of the debris within the stone. Consequently, the accuracy and precision of the workpiece honing process may be affected, for example, local stiffness deviations across the stone surface formed as a result of "loading".
Problems may also arise from incomplete mixing of "Part A" and "Part B" of the resin. Incomplete mixing may create non-homogeneous or insufficiently homogenous regions in the stone, leading to a non-uniform stone surface. A nonuniform stone surface, in turn, can cause uneven material removal from the workpiece, as well as scratches and other blemishes on the workpiece. Attempts to obviate this problem by increasing the mixing rate of "Part A" and "Part B" have been somewhat unsuccessful, because the cross-linking reaction rate is often faster than even the most sophisticated mixing techniques.
Closed-celled urethane stones are unsatisfactory in several additional regards. For example, the urethane stones comprise an inherently stiff composite structure. Consequently, agglomerates and nodules created from bubble surfaces as they are breached during stone dressing can scratch a workpiece if the nodules are not liberated from the stone and rinsed away. Moreover, both PVA-based stones and urethane-based stones require the use of highly toxic materials in their manufacture. This is particularly true of many isocyanide urethane resins.
Combining phenolic resins with a foaming agent and a catalyst is another well known process for making abrasive foam grinding structures. With this process, the catalyst creates an exothermic reaction which causes the foam to "explode", creating bubbles in the resin which get trapped therein as the resin cures.
Yet another method for making abrasive foam grinding structures is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,713,968 to Fruitman et al which is incorporated herein by reference. This method involves adding microballoons to a resin mixture during the mixing stages. The friability of the abrasive foam grinding structure can thereby be controlled by adjusting the size and density of the microballoons, as well as by adjusting the amount and composition of diluent, such as deionized water and ethanol, which is added to the resin during the mixing process. However, since the amount of diluent that may be added is limited by the resin to diluent ratio necessary to maintain a satisfactory structure, the potential for controlling the friability of the abrasive foam grinding structure by varying diluent amounts is somewhat limited. Also, this process requires the use of pressurized vessels to prevent air from mixing with the resinous compound and altering the porosity of the structure. For this reason and others, this particular method tends to be expensive to operate.
In summary, most of the presently known abrasive foam grinding structures and techniques for manufacturing them are unsatisfactory in several additional regards. Most known abrasive foam grinding structures do not grind or hone the surface of the workpieces in a uniform fashion, creating unsatisfactory workpiece surface finishes. In addition, imperfect dispersion of abrasives in the stones tends to yield agglomerates or nodules that project from the mean surface of the abrasive foam grinding structures and can cause scratching and surface imperfections in the workpiece. Moreover, the toxic nature of many of the components of known grinding or honing stones renders their manufacture, use, and disposal environmentally compromising and expensive. Finally, the cost of manufacturing most presently known stones is getting increasingly high, exacerbating the problem of limited stone life.
A new abrasive foam grinding structure composition and method for making and using the same is therefore needed which overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art.

Grinding composition using abrasive particles on bubbles


A sewing auxiliary tool used for the creation of garment patterns. The sewing auxiliary tool is constructed from a flat plate and has incorporated around its edges curves and straight line shapes. The geometric shapes of the sewing auxiliary tool's edge are used to create basic sewing curves; such as, the hip line, sleeve cap line, armhole line, neck line, and crotch line. Additionally, the sewing auxiliary tool can have both metric and English units of length measurement incorporated along the straight edge sections of the sewing auxiliary tool. The combination of the curves, straight lines, and length measurement capabilities provide the user with a single device with which to create garment patterns.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a general purpose geometric form which can be used as a sewing auxiliary tool, a tailor's square, a carpenter's square, and by students in order to take measurements, trace curves, or to prepare special drawings. The invention more particularly relates to a sewing auxiliary tool which includes metric and English scales plus smoothly adds five basic sewing curves to its shape, namely: crotch line or curve, neck line or curve, armhole line or curve, hip line or curve, and sleeve cap line or curve.
2. Discussion of the Background
The garment industry is highly competitive and as such the elimination of time consuming steps during all phases of garment production is desired. To produce a garment, a pattern must first be made or modified. Currently, multiple tailor squares or templates are used to produce various curves and lines for dresses, shirts, and trousers. Some of the basic shapes that are repeatedly used are a straight edge, crotch line or curve, neck line or curve, armhole line or curve, hip line or curve, and sleeve cap line or curve. The use of so many geometric shapes to produce a garment consumes much of the garment maker's time. Further exacerbating the garment maker's problem of using so many geometric forms is the use of both English and metric geometric forms displaying measurements of length.
The garment maker's problem is just one example of a similar problem encountered by carpenters and students. Both carpenters and students employ multiple geometric shapes during the measurement of curves, tracing of curves, or during the preparation of special drawings. Thus, there is a need to incorporate into one instrument the basic sewing shapes which include curves and straight lines, and which incorporates both English and metric units of length measurement. Such a device is useful not just for garment workers but also for carpenters, and students.


A swivel joint comprises a tubular male member having at least first and second outer annular grooves formed on an outer surface, a tubular female member having at least first and second inner annular grooves formed on an inner recess, and a plurality of balls disposed in at least first and second annular races which are formed by the alignment of the first and second outer grooves with the first and second inner grooves when a first end of the male member is received within the recess of the female member. In addition, the radius of the first race is greater than the radius of an adjacent race closer to the first end of the male member, and the number of balls in the first race is just one more than the number of balls in the adjacent race closer to the first end.

The present invention relates to a swivel joint and, more particularly, to a swivel joint having stepped bearing races.
Swivel joints are used in connect fluid pipes in oilfields and in other applications. Swivel joints are generally comprised of interfitting male and female members rotatably connected by a bearing assembly. Typically, inner and outer grooves are incorporated in the male and female members to form a bearing race, and a plurality of ball bearings are housed within the race. Higher demand for compatibility with increased service pressure, wider operating temperature range, and a greater variety of corrosive chemicals has resulted in swivel joint designs with multiple bearing races rather than one bearing race. Even with multiple bearing races high pressures can sometimes cause deformation or brinelling of the bearing races. Such brinelling relaxes the compression of the seal between the male and female members and causes the seal to leak, preventing the swivel joint from swiveling smoothly under pressure and reducing the bearing race life significantly. In addition, errosive wear in the male member under the bearing race can quickly reduce the integrity of the swivel joint.


A workpiece container assembly includes a container, and a cover having a locking section that facilitates manipulation and gripping by an apparatus for opening and closing the workpiece container assembly. The container is configured to accommodate workpiece(s) therein. A body of the cover covers an open side of the container. The locking section of the cover includes a bar protruding towards the exterior of the body of the cover, a jaw extending from the bar, and a resilient member connected to the bar such that the bar is biased in its longitudinal direction. The container also includes a frame defining an insertion hole into which the bar of the locking section of the cover is inserted. The opening/closing apparatus includes a clamp that can latch onto the jaw and move the bar against the biasing force of the resilient member to withdraw the bar from the insertion hole in the frame of the container.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a workpiece container assembly and to an apparatus for opening/closing the container of the assembly. More particularly, the present invention relates to a container assembly for accommodating semiconductor wafers in the course of their being processed, and to an apparatus for opening and closing a cover of the container assembly.
2. Description of the Related Art
Semiconductor devices are fabricated by subjecting a wafer to various manufacturing processes, such as photolithography, deposition, etching, and thin film-forming processes. These wafers are typically 8 inches in diameter. The wafers are accommodated in a container and from there are introduced into the manufacturing apparatus in which the above-mentioned processes are carried out. As the technology behind these processes has improved, wafers having a diameter of 12 inches are being used in addition to the 8-inch wafers.
An open wafer cassette is mainly used to accommodate the wafers when the wafers have a diameter of 8 inches. Recently, however, a closed-type of container assembly, for example, a front open unified pod (hereinafter, simply referred to as a "FOUP") has been developed for use with the larger 12-inch wafers. The FOUP is better than an open wafer cassette in preventing the wafers from being contaminated when the wafers are transferred to and from the manufacturing apparatus.
The FOUP includes a container in which the wafers are accommodated, and a cover disposed over the front of the container. In addition, a separate opening/closing apparatus is used to remove the cover from the container. An example of such a FOUP is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,186,331 issued to Kinpara, et al.
Hereinafter, a conventional FOUP and an apparatus for opening/closing the FOUP will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.
The FOUP 10 includes a container 12 for accommodating wafers therein, and a cover 14 covering an open side of the container 12 so as to close the container 12. The container 12 also has opposite sidewalls which define therein a series of parallel slots 16. The wafers W are inserted into the slots 16, respectively. On the other hand, the cover 14 includes a main cover body, and a locking section 18. The container 12 has a frame 30 which cooperates with the locking section 18 so that the cover 14 may be attached to and detached from the container 12.
Referring to FIG. 2, the locking section 18 includes a plate 20 that is rotatably supported within the body of the cover 14. The rotatable plate 20 has a keyhole 22 in the center thereof. The keyhole 22 is exposed at the front of the cover 14 such that a key can be inserted into the keyhole 22 from outside of the cover 14. When a user rotates the key after inserting the key into the keyhole 22, the plate 20 is rotated.
The locking section 18 of the cover 14 also includes a pair of bars 24. First ends of the bars 24 are connected to the rotatable plate 20, and second ends of the bars 24 protrude from the body of the cover 14 through upper and lower surfaces of the cover 14, respectively. A respective inlet hole 26 extends through each of the upper and lower surfaces of the cover 14 to allow the bars 24 to protrude from the cover 14.
The frame 30 is integral with the container 12 and has insertion holes 32 (shown in FIG. 1) which are positioned across from inlet holes 26 of the cover 14 so as to receive the bars 24 of the cover 14 when the cover 14 is attached to the container 12. That is, the bars 24 of the locking section 18 are inserted into the insertion holes 32 formed in the frame 30 so that the cover 14 is coupled to the container 12, thereby closing the FOUP 10.
The FOUP 10 having the above structure requires a separate opening/closing apparatus for operating the cover 14 to open/close the container 12.
Generally, the opening/closing apparatus includes a loading section which supports the FOUP 10 and is operable to move the FOUP 10 horizontally, a plate that will face the cover of a FOUP 10 supported by the loading section, a key mounted on a side of the plate so as to be insertable into the keyhole 22 of the FOUP, and a drive mechanism for moving the plate vertically or horizontally. One example of such a FOUP opening/closing apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,053,688 (issued to Cheng).
Next, the operation of the FOUP opening/closing apparatus will be described.
First, a closed FOUP 10 accommodating a plurality of wafers to be processed is placed on the loading section. Then, the FOUP 10 is moved horizontally towards the plate until the plate and the cover 14 engage each other. At this time, the key mounted on the plate is inserted into the keyhole 22 in the front of the cover 14.
Subsequently, the key is rotated. As a result, the plate 20 is rotated and the bars 24 connected to the rotating plate 20 are moved vertically so that second ends of the bars 24 are withdrawn into the cover 14. Accordingly, the cover 14 can be separated from the container 12. In addition, since the key is inserted into the keyhole 22, the cover 14 is attached to the plate.
Then, the plate to which the cover 14 is attached is moved horizontally to detach the cover 14 from the container. The plate is then moved vertically so as to open the FOUP 10.
However, the keyhole 22 formed in the cover of the conventional FOUP 10 is very small and thus, the key of the opening/closing apparatus is also very small. Accordingly, the key cannot be precisely aligned with the keyhole 22 when the cover 14 of the FOUP 10 is to be separated from the container 12. Therefore, sometimes the FOUP 10 is not be opened.
In addition, the FOUP 10 is frequently opened/closed during the semiconductor manufacturing process and hence, the key is frequently inserted into the keyhole 22 and is rotated while in the keyhole 22. For this reason, the keyhole 22 becomes enlarged, and eventually a gap is formed between the key and the keyhole 22. If a large gap is formed between the key and the keyhole 22, the opening/closing apparatus may not be able to rotate the key within the keyhole 22. In this case, an opening/closing error of the FOUP 10 occurs. As a result, the processing time is increased and the productivity of the semiconductor manufacturing process is correspondingly decreased.

Workpiece container assembly and apparatus for opening/closing the same


A method for deriving a spectrum of a substance in such a manner as to enhance a specified characteristic of the spectrum. Irregular intervals are chosen in the signal domain for sampling the signal. The irregular intervals may be randomly spaced. The signal is sampled at the irregular intervals and transformed into the transform domain through application of a transform algorithm, such as a fast orthogonal search, capable of accommodating an irregularly sampled signal. Interferometric spectrometers having parallel optical paths with irregularly spaced phase delays are provided for the practice of the claimed method.

Interferometric spectroscopy is founded on the relationship between the optical phase delay .DELTA..phi. which a beam of light undergoes on traversing a distance s: ##EQU1## where .lambda. is the wavelength of the light, .sigma. is the wavenumber, and s is the effective optical pathlength, taking into account the refractive characteristics of the media through which the light is propagated. The spectrum of wavelength components comprising a particular beam of light may yield information regarding the source of the light or the absorption or spectrochemical characteristics of any medium intervening between the light source and a spectrometer. The phase delay is subject to measurement, at least in a relative sense, and thus the spectral content may be derived by measuring .DELTA..phi. at a plurality of distances s.
In one realization of an interferometric spectrometer (a Michelson interferometer), discussed here for purposes of example only, the light beam is split and caused to traverse two nearly identical paths, differing only by a slight pathlength difference .DELTA.s that is varied as a periodic function of time. The two beams are then recombined, and detected by a square-law detector sensitive to the product of the electric field amplitudes characterizing the two light beams. The product of the field amplitudes contains constant terms as well as a cross term proportional to the sinusoid of the relative phase delay in the light beam traversing the two paths. The detector signal J is thus a function of the pathlength difference .DELTA.s which is being varied. The measurement result of detector signal as a function of pathlength difference J(.DELTA.s) is referred to as an interferogram. The spectral content B(.sigma.) may be derived from J(.DELTA.s) since the relation between s and .sigma. is known from Eqn. 1. For a polychromatic field illuminating the interferometer, the interferogram, J(.DELTA.s), and optical spectrum are a cosine Fourier transform pair, ##EQU2## and the interferogram is formally equivalent to the autocorrelation of the input optical field through the Wiener-Khitnitche theorem. Thus, an equivalent statement of the object of Fourier transform spectroscopy is the application of an interferometer to measure the optical field correlation for recovering the optical power spectrum by application of a transform.
The common practice in optical interferometry is to sample the interferogram at equispaced intervals of path difference. This is often accomplished by scanning path difference .DELTA.s as a linear function of time and sampling J(.DELTA.s) at intervals of constant period, however, scans weighted in time but constant in path difference are known in the art. The resulting equally-sampled interferogram is then transformed, using standard discrete Fourier transform (DFT) techniques, producing a spectrum, B(.sigma.), the spectral resolution of which is constant across the bandwidth of the derived spectrum. Standard spectroscopic practice is discussed, for example, in Ferraro & Basile (eds.), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy: Applications to Chemical Systems, (Academic Press, 1978), which is incorporated herein by reference.
For a number of reasons, however, uniform sampling is not always optimal. For example, the object of the spectroscopy might be the detection of a particular spectral feature, such that sampling to confirm or exclude the presence of that feature is of greater significance than the absolute calibration of spectral amplitudes with respect to a baseline. In other cases, data acquisition, transmission, or storage might be at a premium, and a reduction in the number of sampled points required to achieve a specified spectral resolution might be desirable, but unattainable using known techniques.
Various methods are known for obtaining a transform of a signal sampled irregularly or randomly. Examples may be found in Marvasti, "Nonuniform Sampling," in Marks (ed.), Advanced Topics in Shannon Sampling and Interpolation Theory (Springer-Verlag, 1993), Dowla, MEM Spectral Analysis for Nonuniformly Sampled Signals, (MIT, 1981), and Kay, Modern Spectral Estimation: Theory and Application (Prentice-Hall, 1988), Korenberg, et al., "Raman Spectral Estimation via Fast Orthogonal Search," in The Analyst, vol. 122, (September, 1997), pp. 879-82, and Korenberg, Chapter 7 in Non-linear Vision: Determination of Neutral Receptive Fields, Function, and Networks, Pinter & Nabet (eds.), (CRC Press, 1992), all of which are incorporated herein by reference. These methods may obtain frequency resolutions comparable to that obtained with a DFT but with a reduced number of sample points.
Another known method for obtaining a transform of a signal sampled irregularly or randomly applies a fast orthogonal search, as described, in connection with time-series analysis, in Korenberg, "A Robust Orthogonal Algorithm for System Identification and Time-Series Analysis," Biological Cybernetics, vol. 60, pp. 267-76 (1989), and in Korenberg & Paarmann, "Orthogonal Approaches to Time-Series Analysis and System Identification,", IEEE SP Magazine, (July, 199), pp. 29-43, which are incorporated herein by reference. As discussed in detail in Korenberg & Paarmann, FOS is capable of much liner frequency resolution than a conventional Fourier series analysis, and, moreover, model order is automatically determined and no polynomial equation is required to be solved in performing the transform.
None of the methods discussed, however, provides a method for specifying the sampling intervals for optimizing particular features in the transform domain.
If the objective is particularized information with respect to R(.tau.), the autocorrelation of a function u(t), for example, spectral characteristics, it is possible, in accordance with the teachings of the invention, to choose (at least in a statistical sense) the sampling intervals on t over which u(t) is measured so as to optimize the measurement for deriving the requisite properties of R(.tau.).
Similarly, the desired characteristics to be ascertained may correspond to higher-order moments.
Spectroscopic methods are known for reducing the time required to obtain a sample resulting in a spectrum, in the transform domain, of specified resolution. For example, spatial mutliplexing may be applied, wherein a Fourier Transform spectrometer is fabricated from a fixed two-beam interferometer and an array of photosensors with equi-spaced detector elements for recording an interferogram spatially distributed across the detector array. For the same signal-to-noise, the acquisition time may be reduced by a factor (the multi-channel advantage) substantially equal to the number of detector elements. The spectral resolution, in this case, is limited by the spatial separation of the detector elements.

Nonuniform sampling for spectral and related applications


A high-pressure compressor (12), in particular in a gas turbine (10), has a compressor rotor (17) which is surrounded by a stator (18, 19) thereby forming a main flow channel (25) and which is delimited at the compressor outlet by an end face (30) substantially extending in the radial direction, along which end face cooling air (21) is conveyed in the radial direction for the purpose of cooling. A prolonged service life is achieved in that the end face (30) is provided with a first system (23, 24) for improving the heat transfer between the cooling air (21) and the end face (30).

1. Field of Endeavor
The present invention relates to the field of gas turbine technology, and more particularly to a high-pressure compressor.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
A greatly simplified diagram for a gas turbine is illustrated in FIG. 1: The gas turbine 10 of FIG. 1 includes a compressor 12 which sucks in and compresses ambient air 11, a combustion chamber 13 in which fuel 14 is combusted by using the compressed air and hot gas is generated, and a turbine 15 in which the hot gas is work-expanded and is then discharged as exhaust gas 16.
Modern high-pressure compressors (HPC) are exposed to comparatively high temperatures at their sections on the outlet side. These high temperatures very often cause problems with regard to the integrity of the rotor and to corresponding limitations of the service life. Thus, the occurrence of high metal temperatures at the rotor of a high-pressure compressor is a critical factor which influences the service life of the gas turbine rotor and which is included in the overall maintenance costs of the machine.
The rotor geometry typically used for high-pressure compressors shall have on the outlet side a smooth surface of the rotor disk, along which surface air is blown radially in the one or the other direction. In the case that the air is used for cooling the rotor disk, this results in the disadvantage that the cooling effect is not sufficient and the air exits the hollow space on the outlet side without the cooling capacity of the air being fully exhausted.


A base plate for a spindle motor is provided defining a minimal axial gap with a relatively rotatable magnet. In an example, a surface of the base plate is positioned at 0.1 mm from an adjacent surface of a relatively rotatable magnet. The base plate is comprised of a composite material such that stiffness is improved and acoustic vibration is reduced, while maintaining low power consumption and a fast start-up time. A first material, being a nonmagnetic material is employed adjacent to a motor magnet, and a second material having a preferred stiffness is employed at a greater radial distance from the magnet than the radial distance between a stator and the magnet.

A high demand presently exists for disc drive memory systems, which are widely utilized throughout the world today in traditional computing environments and more recently in additional environments. These disc drive memory systems are used by computers and more recently by devices including digital cameras, digital video recorders, laser printers, photo copiers, jukeboxes, video games and personal music players. Consequently, the demands on disc drive memory systems has intensified because of increased performance demands and new environments for usage.
Disc drive memory systems store digital information that is recorded on concentric tracks of a magnetic disc medium. Several discs are rotatably mounted on a spindle, and the information, which can be stored in the form of magnetic transitions within the discs, is accessed using read/write heads or transducers. The read/write heads are located on a pivoting arm that moves radially over the surface of the disc. The discs are rotated at high speeds during operation using an electric motor located inside a hub or below the discs. Magnets on the hub interact with a stator to cause rotation of the hub relative to the shaft. One type of motor is known as an in-hub or in-spindle motor, which typically has a spindle mounted by means of a bearing system to a motor shaft disposed in the center of the hub. The bearings permit rotational movement between the shaft and the hub, while maintaining alignment of the spindle to the shaft. The read/write heads must be accurately aligned with the storage tracks on the disc to ensure the proper reading and writing of information.
Spindle motors have in the past used conventional ball bearings between the hub and the shaft. However, the demand for increased storage capacity and smaller disc drives has led to the read/write head being placed increasingly close to the disc surface. The close proximity requires that the disc rotate substantially in a single plane. A slight wobble or run-out in disc rotation can cause the disc to strike the read/write head, possibly damaging the disc drive and resulting in loss of data. Conventional ball bearings exhibit shortcomings in regard to these concerns. Imperfections in the raceways and ball bearing spheres result in vibrations. Also, resistance to mechanical shock and vibration is poor in the case of ball bearings, because of low damping. Vibrations and mechanical shock can result in misalignment between data tracks and the read/write transducer. These shortcomings limit the data track density and overall performance of the disc drive system. Because this rotational accuracy cannot be achieved using ball bearings, disc drives currently utilize a spindle motor having fluid dynamic bearings between a shaft and sleeve to support a hub and the disc for rotation. One alternative bearing design is a hydrodynamic bearing.
In a hydrodynamic bearing, a lubricating fluid such as gas or liquid or air provides a bearing surface between a fixed member and a rotating member of the disc drive. Hydrodynamic bearings eliminate mechanical contact vibration problems experienced by ball bearing systems. Further, hydrodynamic bearings can be scaled to smaller sizes whereas ball bearings have smallness limitations. Efforts have been made to design smaller profile disc drives without loss of performance including maintaining low power consumption. One reduced sized disc drive having a 5 mm thickness currently on the market is the one-inch disc drive used with a CF card type II form factor.
In reducing size, there is a trend to reduce the axial height of the fluid dynamic bearing motor. The axial height of a gap between the base plate and the magnet is one motor section of interest to be minimized. Two types of base plate materials are currently utilized for a 1-inch disc drive, namely, aluminum and steel. While a stamped and machined steel base plate is less expensive and stiffer than casted and machined aluminum, as a steel base plate is positioned increasingly closer to a magnet, bearing friction and power consumption increases, resulting in a start-up delay due to magnetic flux and attraction force between the magnet and the steel base plate. Therefore, simply reducing the gap between the magnet and a steel base plate is unsatisfactory and problematic.
A demand exists for smaller mobile applications including smaller portable computers, and it has become essential in the industry to design disc drives having even smaller dimensions while maintaining motor stiffness and low power consumption. For example, a CF card type I form factor requires a disc drive having a 3.3 mm thickness but such disc drive does not currently exist. Space constraint, stiffness and low power consumption design issues currently remain unresolved. What is needed is a hard disc drive having a 3.3 mm thickness or less, which meets stiffness, power consumption, vibration and acoustic requirements.


A printer includes an apparatus main body and an image reading unit. The apparatus main body includes an opening in which at least a part of a stroke region of a carriage is exposed. An ink supply tube extending from an ink tank is routed through between the apparatus main body and the image reading unit, and inserted through the opening to supply ink to a liquid ejecting head. Although the image reading unit is unable to be closed because the tube runs on the upper face of the apparatus main body, a sensor is activated by inserting an insertion piece into a detection recess, so that a printing operation is permitted to be performed.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a liquid onto a target, and to a liquid ejecting method.
2. Related Art
Liquid ejecting apparatuses thus far developed include an ink jet printer that ejects ink from a liquid ejecting head onto a target such as a paper sheet, to thereby perform a printing operation. To successively and stably supply the ink to the liquid ejecting head of the printer thus configured when printing a large amount of data, a system including an ink tank having a relatively large capacity has been proposed, to supply the ink to an ink cartridge through an ink supply tube (for example, see Taiwanese Patent No. 538909).
In the printers of this type, the liquid ejecting head is mounted on a carriage set to reciprocate in a main scanning direction with respect to the paper sheet, inside the casing of the main body. The ink supply tube is routed from the ink tank located outside the casing into the stroke region of the carriage through an opening of the upper face of the casing, and connected to the ink cartridge mounted on the carriage.
Here, an upper structure (serving also as a cover) that can be displaced so as to open and close the opening is provided on the main casing, and hence the ink supply tube is caught between the casing and the upper structure set to close the opening. Accordingly, a spacer is provided between the upper structure and a peripheral region of the opening, for the ink supply tube to be passed therethrough. The spacer has a generally annular shape to allow the ink supply tube to be inserted therethrough and move in the longitudinal direction. The ink supply tube inserted through inside of the spacer has its outer surface in contact with the inner wall of the spacer, thus to be restricted from moving in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction.
In addition, some of such printers are configured to detect whether the upper structure is in the closed position, and to inhibit the printing operation through a control unit in the case where the upper structure is open and hence the closed position is not detected.
In the case where the ink supply tube is caught between the apparatus main body and the upper structure in the foregoing printer, the upper structure cannot be completely closed irrespective of whether the spacer is provided, and therefore the printer having the detection function is unable to activate the printing operation. In this case, an orifice may be formed in the casing to pass the ink supply tube through the orifice. However, an exclusive tool for forming the orifice has to be prepared, and besides the process becomes complicated. Further, forcibly closing the upper structure may cause a damage on the ink supply tube and disturb the smooth flow of the ink.

Liquid ejecting apparatus and liquid ejecting method