The present invention is a photographic element which includes a support, at least one silver halide emulsion layer, and a light-insensitive protective overcoat. The light insensitive protective overcoat includes a hydrophilic binder and polymer particles having a glass transition temperature of at least 70.degree. C. The polymer particles prepared by the process of mechanically forming oil-in-water droplets having a size less than 400 nm of an ethylenically unsaturated monomer having hydrophobic groups, the hydrophobic groups having a logP.sub.(calc) greater than a logP.sub.(calc) of the ethylenically unsaturated monomer by at least 1 unit in an aqueous medium. A hydrophilic colloid is added to the aqueous medium in an amount sufficient to render the polymer partice compatible with the hydrophilic binder. The droplets are polymerized to a size of less than 400 nm. The present invention is also a photographic element which includes a support, at least one silver halide emulsion layer, and a light-insensitive protective overcoat. The light insensitive protective overcoat includes a hydrophilic binder and polymer particles having a glass transition temperature of at least 70.degree. C. The polymer particles prepared by the process of mechanically forming oil-in-water droplets having a size less than 400 nm of an ethylenically unsaturated monomer having a logP.sub.(calc) greater than 4, preferably greater than 6 in an aqueous medium. A hydrophilic colloid is added to the aqueous medium in an amount sufficient to render the polymer partice compatible with the hydrophilic binder. The droplets are polymerized to a size of less than 400 nm.

A photographic element in general comprises a support made of, for example, cellulose triacetate, or polyethylene terephthalate, or polyethylene naphthalate, or paper. Except X-ray films that have photographic emulsion layers on both sides of the support, most photographic elements have the light sensitive emulsion layers only on one side of the support through the use of adhesion promotion subbing layers or antihalation subbing layers. The side contaning light sensitive emulsion layers (emulsion side) may also optionally contain various other layers such as interlayers, filter layers, and surface protective layers. The side without light sensitive emulsion layers is in general called the backside. The backside is normally provided with an auxiliary layer such as an antihalation layer, or an antistatic layer or an anti-curling layer, or a surface protective overcoat layer.
The surface protective layer on the emulsion side often comprises hydrophilic binders such as gelatin, for example. During the handling of photographic elements, such as coating, drying, finishing, winding, rewinding, printing, and so on, the material surfaces are often harmed by contact friction with apparatus parts and between the front and back surfaces of the element. For example, scratches or abrasion marks can be brought about on the emulsion and backsides of a photographic material. These scratches and abrasion marks can deface the image during printing and projecting processes. On irreplaceable negatives, the physical scratches or surface damages require very expensive retouching.
There have been various proposals to obtain a physically improved photographic material by increasing the abrasion and scratch resistance of the overcoat layer, or by reducing the contact friction of the photographic material to other surfaces so that it will not be damaged during the manufacturing, exposure, developing, and printing or projecting processes. For example, methods for reducing the contact friction include incorporating both a silicone fluid and a surface active agent into the protective overcoat; using a mixture of dimethyl silicone and diphenyl silicone on the backside of the support; incorporating a triphenyl terminated methyl phenyl silicone into the emulsion protective overcoat; using a combination of dimethyl silicone and beta-alanine derived surfactants; using modified sperm oils in the protective overcoat; or using liquid organopolysiloxane with methyl and alkyl or aryl, or aralkyl side groups in the protective overcoat.
A more serious problem is the formation of the so-called static marks, caused by the accumulation of electrostatic charges that are discharged before processing the photographic element. The light-sensitive emulsion layers are then exposed to light generated by the discharge. Furthermore, the attainment of dust or dirt on the surface of a photographic element can also cause serious problems after development. For example, when the images from a negative film are printed on a positive film or a photographic paper, the existence of dust or dirt on the surface of the negative film will affect the formation of the print images.
Undesirable static discharges during manufacture, exposure, and processing of a photographic element can be controlled by modification of the surface charging characteristics. Matting agents can reduce the electrostatic charging by reducing the effective area of surface making contact. Surfactants or polymers of various kinds and combinations are employed very often to balance or reduce the surface contact charge as has been disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,589,906, 3,666,478, 3,884,609, 3,888,678, 4,330,618, and others. Commonly used surfactants or polymers for static charge control include, for example, cationic and anionic fluorinated surfactants, polymeric quaternary ammonium salts, and the like.
Finely divided powdered grains or matting agents (beads larger than 500 nm) are often incorporated into the surface protective layer to increase the surface roughness and prevent contact and subsequent sticking. It is desirable that these matte beads are non-hydrophilic and consequently they are composed of materials different from the hydrophilic binders. Because of the different composition, these matte beads may have different refractive index. When light is passed through the photographic element, such as in photographic printing or projection, both the increased surface roughness and difference in refractive index can cause a non-uniform light path and result in graininess in photographic prints or mottle in projected images. For this reason, manufacturers have been using a large amount of non-process surviving (soluble) mattes, designed to solublize in high pH solutions, in combination with a small amount of process surviving (permanent) matte. High concentrations of processing removable matte are used especially when the unprocessed photographic elements are used or stored at high relative humidity and at elevated temperatures of from 30.degree. to 40.degree. C. High concentrations of soluble matte are also used to prevent contact specks that cause adverse sensitometric defects when the materials are rolled up.
The use of a high level of processing removable matte provides a satisfactory solution to conventional films for amateur use, for which the processed, or developed, film strips are returned to the consumer in synthetic resin pouches, or sleeves, where the frontside and backside of the film do not come in contact with each other.
Recent patents have disclosed photographic systems where the processed element may be re-introduced into the cassette. This system allows for compact and clean storage of the processed element until such time when it may be removed for additional prints or to interface with display equipment. Storage in the roll is preferred to facilitate location of the desired exposed frame and to minimize contact with the negative. U.S. Pat. No. 5,173,739 discloses a cassette designed to thrust the photographic element from the cassette, eliminating the need to contact the film with mechanical or manual means. Published European Patent Application 0 476 535 A1 describes how the developed film may be stored in such a cassette. The dimensions of such a so-called thrust cassette require that the processed photographic element is wound tightly and under pressure, causing direct close contact between the front and back sides which results in ferrotyping, especially at high temperature and high relative humidity. Processing removable matte does not prevent this problem.
In recent years, rapid processing and high temperature drying after processing have become common practice for photographic materials. The high temperature dried films, for example 60.degree. C. (harsh drying), tend to aggravate the ferrotyping which results from close contact, especially under elevated humidity and temperature. When ferrotyping is sufficiently severe, the resulting prints are unacceptable. Films dried at lower temperatures, for example 40.degree. C. (mild drying), tend to show much less ferrotyping. The reason for this difference is not understood.
It is known to use synthetic polymer particles in a silver halide photographic element to improve physical characteristics. In particularly, water dispersible polymer particles obtained by emulsion polymerization technique (polymer latex particles) have found wide use as partial replacement for gelatin. Many latex polymers, however, are incompatible or unstable for effective coating in protective layers coated from hydrophilic colloid solutions such as gelatin solutions which include various addenda as described above. These addenda, especially coating surfactants and antistatic control surfactants or polymers, can significantly reduce the stability of polymer latex particles, for example, by reducing the electrostatic repulsion force from the interaction between electrical double layers, or surface charges on the particles. Surfactants or charge control polymers can carry opposite charges to those on the polymer latex particle surface leading to latex particle flocculation through charge neutralization.
It has been heretofore known to employ latex polymer particles in photographic elements that are compatible with gelatin. However, they have been found to frequently provide unacceptable post-process ferrotyping protection, especially for elements having magnetic recording layers which are reintroduced into a cassette after processing.

Photographic element having surface protective layer


Page control information is transferred to a printer to inquire about a transfer page order when a printer controller detects a two-side printing request, the page order rearrangement controller organizes a page order of print data transmitted to the printer into a two-side print page order on the basis of the transfer page order data sent back from the printer, and the printer controller transmits print data read from a storage medium on the basis of the organized two-side print page order to the printer. With the above arrangement, optimum two-side print output whose pages are correctly arranged can be obtained at a high throughput without increasing the memory resource of a printing apparatus.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printing method and apparatus which receives print data from an information processing apparatus and can perform printing on both sides of a recording medium. The invention also relates to an information processing apparatus which communicates with the printing apparatus to enable transmission the print data.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, with printing apparatuses (printers) being used as output apparatuses for computers, many printers have been proposed with double-sided printing capability, in which printing is automatically performed on both sides of a sheet of paper. Double-sided printing saves energy and paper.
Generally, a printer having a two-side printing function has only one printing apparatus. In this printer, one-side printing is performed, the sheet of paper is inverted by a paper convey unit and then fed to the printing apparatus again, and the back of the sheet is printed, thereby making it possible to perform two-side printing.
In the printer described above, to avoid delaying conveyance of the paper during inversion by the paper convey unit, the following method is used. Instead of printing the back of a certain sheet of paper after the front of the sheet is printed, the front of the next sheet is printed while the preceding sheet is inverted, and then the back of the inverted sheet is printed. This method reduces or eliminates the delay caused by conveyance of the paper during inversion by the paper convey unit. In this case, the front of the next sheet of paper having a higher page number may be performed before the back of the preceding sheet having a smaller page number.
To ensure correct page order is maintained with the above method, the following method may be used. The back of a sheet is printed before the front to correctly arrange the page order, and the front of the sheet is printed after inversion, thereby correctly arranging the page order.
In this case, the back of a sheet having a higher page number may be printed prior to printing the front of a sheet having a smaller page number.
However, since page data constituted by a plurality of pages sent from a host computer are sent in an ascending order or a descending order unless a user specifies the order, the following method is used. That is, when the page numbers of pages to be actually printed are replaced with each other, page data of a page which has not been printed is stored in the printer, and the page data of the next page is extracted from the host computer to perform printing. Thereafter, printing of the page is performed on the basis of the page data which has been stored. For this reason, a storage unit for temporarily storing page data is required. This raises the cost of the apparatus.

Information processing apparatus and method capable of two-side printing with a correctly-ordered output


A computer has a memory storing a number of software applications, and a registration file, indicating which application versions are currently installed in the memory. A software update mechanism in the computer accesses a remote file server to obtain a release file containing a list of software applications available from the remote server, and compares the release file with the registration file to determine which of the installed applications have upgrades available. When a user selects an application for upgrading, and the update mechanism accesses the remote file server to obtain a manifest file containing details of the application files required to form an updated version of this applications. The manifest file is used to determine which of the required application files are already available in the computer; and only those application files that are not already available in the computer are accessed and installed in the memory.

This invention relates to an updating mechanism for software applications.
The invention is concerned with the problem of updating a number of software applications installed in a number of client computers. Conventionally, this is done by distributing the update information on media such as floppy disks or CD-ROMs. It is also possible for users to download required updates over a network from a file server, for example using a standard file transfer protocol such as ftp.
Problems with these existing methods of updating software applications are that they are inconvenient for the user, requiring the user to perform actions to obtain the necessary update information and to install it on the user's computer, and that the administrative function does not know whether the update has been done. The object of the present invention is to provide a more convenient and user-friendly mechanism for performing updates.


A controller for a chiller and a method for controlling a chiller are provided. The method may include receiving, by a controller, a target value of a control factor of the chiller; comparing, by the controller, the received target value with a current value of the control factor of the chiller; transmitting, by the controller, a control factor value change command to the chiller if the received target value is not equal to the current value of the control factor of the chiller; receiving, by the controller, a changed current value of the control factor from the chiller; updating, by the controller, the current value of the control factor on a management screen with the received changed current value of the control factor; and comparing, by the controller, the received target value with the current value of the control factor again.

1. Field
A controller for a chiller and a method for controlling a chiller are disclosed herein.
2. Background
In general, controllers are devices for controlling home appliances, such as a TV, an audio, or video device, an air conditioner, a wire broadcast converter, a satellite broadcast converter, or a fan, for example. In some cases, the controllers may remotely control various home appliances through wired communication or wireless transmission of a control frequency signal. The controllers may be devices dedicated to specific home appliances or may be computers in which software for controlling specific home appliances is installed.
A controller may control a chiller, which is a type of air conditioner. The chiller which supplies cold water to a cold water demander may include a compressor, a condenser, an expansion mechanism, and an evaporator, through which a refrigerant may be circulated. The chiller may allow heat exchange between a refrigerant and water by virtue of a water/refrigerant heat exchanger included in the evaporator, and the chiller may be connected to the cold water demander through a water pipe so that water cooled by the refrigerant may be circulated through the cold water demander.
Korean Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 10-2012-0019279, published on Mar. 6, 2012, which is hereby incorporated by reference, discloses a demand control system for a chiller and a method for controlling the same.

Controller for a chiller and a method for controlling a chiller


Systems and methods described herein provide for building policies using namespaces. A device may receive a request to access a resource in a computing environment. The request may include one or more attributes. The device may identify a set of namespaces having domain-specific policy grammar to generate domain-specific policies. The device may determine a namespace from the identified set of namespaces which corresponds to the one or more attributes of the request. The device may generate, using domain-specific policy grammar of the determined namespace, a domain-specific policy to apply to the request.

In a computing environment, a user may operate a client device to request access to a given resource within the computing environment. To authorize the user access to the resource, a policy may be applied to the request to determine whether or not the user is to be permitted (or denied) access to the resource.

Systems and methods for using namespaces to access computing resources


A pliant link to mitigate fatigue-inducing motion of a subsea catenary riser has an articulated spine having a longitudinal series of interconnected rigid segments. The spine can be coupled to upper and lower sections of the riser to transmit loads along the riser through the link on a load path that extends through the segments. The link also has a pliant pipe terminating in end fittings that can be joined, respectively, to the upper and lower sections of the riser for fluid communication along the riser through the link.

This invention relates to riser systems as used in the subsea oil and gas industry to convey hydrocarbon fluids from the seabed to the surface.
Various riser configurations using rigid or flexible pipelines are known, including those known in the art as free-hanging, steep, lazy-wave and weight-distributed risers.
A common free-hanging riser comprises a rigid pipe that hangs freely as a catenary from an upper support such as a platform or an FPSO (floating production, storage and offloading) vessel. Most conventionally, such a riser is of steel, hence being known in the art as a steel catenary riser or SCR.
Those skilled in the art know that nominally rigid pipes are not devoid of flexibility. Indeed, SCRs exploit the bending behaviour of rigid pipes in the elastic domain. However, whilst they have flexibility, 'rigid' pipes do not fall within the definition of 'flexible' pipes as understood in the art.
Conventional rigid pipes used in the subsea oil and gas industry are specified in API (American Petroleum Institute) Specification 5L and Recommended Practice 1111. A rigid pipe usually consists of or comprises at least one pipe of solid steel or steel alloy. However, additional layers of other materials can be added, such as an internal liner layer or an outer coating layer. Such additional layers can comprise polymer, metal or composite material. A rigid pipe may also have a concentric pipe-in-pipe (PiP) structure. Rigid pipe joints are terminated by a bevel or a thread, and are assembled end-to-end by welding or screwing them together to form a pipe string or pipeline.
The allowable in-service deflection of rigid pipe is determined by the elastic limit of steel, which is around 1% bending strain. Exceeding this limit caused plastic deformation of the steel. It follows that the minimum bend radius or MBR of rigid pipe used in the subsea oil and gas industry is typically around 100 to 300 metres. However, slight plastic deformation can be recovered or rectified by mechanical means, such as straightening. Thus, during reel-lay installation of a rigid pipeline made up of welded rigid pipes, the rigid pipeline can be spooled on a reel with a typical radius of between 8 and 10 metres. This implies a bending strain above 2% for conventional diameters of rigid pipes, requiring the pipe to be straightened mechanically during unreeling.
Flexible pipes used in the subsea oil and gas industry are specified in API Specification 17J and API Recommended Practice 17B. The pipe body is composed of a composite structure of layered materials, in which each layer has its own function. Flexible pipes are terminated by end fittings, which are usually of steel.
Bonded flexible pipes comprise bonded-together layers of steel, fabric and elastomer and are manufactured in short lengths in the order of tens of metres. Conversely, unbonded flexible pipes can be manufactured for use in dynamic environments in lengths of hundreds of metres. Typically, polymer tubes and wraps ensure fluid-tightness and thermal insulation. Conversely, steel layers or elements provide mechanical strength; for example, interlocked steel tapes form a carcass or pressure vault and a tensile armour is formed of helically-wound wire.
The structure of a flexible pipe allows a large bending deflection without a significant increase in bending stresses. The bending limit of the composite structure is determined by the elastic limit of the outermost plastics layer of the structure, typically the outer sheath, which limit is typically 6% to 7% bending strain. Exceeding that limit causes irreversible damage to the structure. Consequently, the MBR of flexible pipe used in the subsea oil and gas industry is typically between 3 and 6 metres.
The industry has also begun to adopt rigid pipes of composite materials in place of steel, particularly pipes of polymer resin reinforced by fibres such as glass fibres or carbon fibres. The polymer matrix may be of thermoplastic or thermoset materials, the former being known in the art as thermo-composite pipes.
Composite pipes have a load-bearing structure that is principally of composite materials. This is to be distinguished from pipes having composite structures, such as the various layered configurations of rigid and flexible pipes mentioned above.
Composite pipes are not yet specified in standards tailored to the subsea oil and gas industry. However, they have clearly-understood characteristics that distinguish them from both flexible pipes and conventional rigid pipes of steel. For example, composite pipes cannot flex in the manner of flexible pipes, without a commensurate increase in bending stress. However, composite pipes are typically terminated by steel end fittings like flexible pipes. Conversely, composite pipes can withstand substantially more bending strain within the elastic domain than rigid steel pipes. However, unlike rigid steel pipes, composite pipes cannot be bent beyond their elastic limit without suffering irreversible damage.
Despite these differences, composite pipes have broadly similar elastic bending behaviour to steel pipes in the context of the present invention, that is, when bent along their length as a catenary. Consequently, for brevity, references to rigid pipes or pipelines in this specification are intended to encompass both steel pipes and composite pipes unless the context requires otherwise. Indeed, some rigid PiP systems may employ both steel and composite pipes in concentric relation.
A free-hanging rigid riser has advantages of low cost and ease of installation. For example, such risers may be installed by conventional pipelaying vessels using well-proven installation techniques such as S-lay, J-lay or reel-lay. However, a simple riser solution like this is not technically viable for some more challenging projects, especially in dynamic environments that will often suffer from high sea states and strong currents. This creates a problem because more complex riser systems that meet all technical challenges are much more expensive, especially if they cannot be installed using techniques for which appropriate installation vessels are widely available.
A riser suspended between a floating vessel and the seabed moves in multiple directions on various timescales and frequencies throughout its operational life. Motion of the riser is driven by various inputs, notably: motion of the supporting vessel expressed as heave, pitch, roll and yaw; seawater motion caused by currents, tides and waves, including flows that promote vortex-induced vibration (VIV); and pipeline motion across the seabed, known in the art as walking. Repetitive or oscillatory motion generates fatigue in a riser that may, over time, cause its failure and rupture.
A free-hanging rigid riser such as an SCR is particularly susceptible to fatigue-inducing motion being transmitted from a supporting vessel toward the touch-down point, where the riser meets the seabed beyond a sagbend.
Vessel motion is the prime driver of fatigue-inducing motion in a riser that is freely suspended from a vessel. For example, wave-driven movement of an FPSO may cause dynamic compression-wave pulses to travel downwardly along an attached free-hanging riser, rather like a wave travelling along a whip. Such pulses travel from the top joint connection where the riser is connected to the FPSO toward the touch-down point.
In order to reduce fatigue, it is known to decouple at least a portion of a riser from the motion of a supporting vessel. For example, decoupling the riser and the vessel may be achieved by allowing degrees of freedom at the connection between the riser and the vessel. This approach is used in hybrid risers that effect a flexible connection to the vessel through a flexible pipeline or jumper pipe.
Using a fully-flexible riser made of unbonded flexible pipeline is another known solution. However, unbonded flexible pipeline is very expensive, has limited resistance to pressure and temperature and is of limited diameter and hence flow capacity.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,031,919 discloses a fully-articulated riser system made of successive rigid ramps articulated two-by-two by universal joints. Flexible bends are inserted at each joint. This is a complicated system that is unsuitable for a catenary riser because the bottom of the riser has to be connected to a dedicated structure. Also, the riser system cannot be installed by a standard pipelaying vessel.
US 2016/076684 shows another type of combination of a flexible pipeline and articulated joint.
Top pliant connections are very expensive and difficult to install. It is cheaper and easier to connect the riser directly and rigidly to the FPSO. In that case, a facility to withstand differential motion has to be provided at another location on the riser.
As an example of this latter approach, GB 2452961 discloses an L-shaped riser, in which an upper section suspended from an FPSO is articulated to a lower section by a swivel. This decouples the motion of the riser at the touch-down point from the motion of the vessel. As the upper section of the riser is vertical, the angle adopted by the swivel joint remains near 90°. The swivel joint is a special forged piece that cannot accommodate significantly greater angular variation. Additionally, the design of the riser system introduces difficulties in installation and connection and may be susceptible to leaks.
BR PI 0602675 teaches decoupling the motions of upper and lower portions of a catenary riser by inserting a flexible link between the portions at an intermediate location along the riser. The link makes separate fluid and mechanical connections between the portions of the riser. Specifically, the portions are fluidly connected by a flexible jumper pipe and are mechanically connected by a deformable link such as a cable that can withstand tension in the riser. A drawback of this arrangement is that the flexible pipe has too much freedom of movement and could therefore be bent excessively and damaged, during installation or use, because the mechanical link is too pliant.
US 2016/186893 discloses bend-limiting vertebrae for a flexible pipe. U.S. Pat. No. 4,647,255 discloses two-axis articulation using washers in close contact with each other. However, in the context of the present invention, designs like these would be too sensitive to wear caused by repeated cyclical relative motion between the successive elements.
More generally, vertebrae bend restrictors are known to be used in essentially static situations where a flexible line is attached to another, static structure. The vertebrae typically comprise a short tubular series of annular polymer blocks that are placed around a line at a location where the line is vulnerable to over-bending. Whilst the line is held static at that location, other portions of the line may move during installation, maintenance and operation. Hence, bending stresses will increase around a location where the line is fixed.
For example, a bend restrictor may be used at an end of an umbilical line where that line is connected to a 'Christmas tree' structure atop a subsea wellhead. The bend restrictor helps to protect the end portion of the line from being overstressed and bent beyond its MBR if the remainder of the line moves. It is also possible to use a bend restrictor at an intermediate location along a line, for example if mooring forces are applied to the line at that location.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,475,039 describes a ball joint assembly for connecting two pipes. The assembly includes a collar member that limits relative angular movement of the pipes.
US 2013/315673 relates to a device for limiting curvature of a flexible pipe around which it is installed. The device is formed by a plurality of tubular sleeve elements that are fastened end-to-end and are able to pivot with respect to one another.
WO 2011/117567 describes a support apparatus formed of multiple tubular elements that surround and engage a riser received through an internal bore, and that permit a degree of pivoting motion in use.
The inventors have considered whether using a combination of a flexible pipe and a vertebrae bend restrictor could solve the problem of fatigue caused by compressive waves travelling down a catenary riser. However, they have concluded that this would not be an effective solution. For example, a vertebrae bend restrictor plays no part in bearing axial loads carried by the flexible pipe that it protects against over-bending. Consequently, the armour layer of the flexible pipe has to be strong enough to bear the tension in the riser, which unhelpfully increases the cost, weight and MBR of the flexible pipe. Also, if used for the purpose of the invention, a bend restrictor could lock and increase the moment on the vertebrae, which could therefore fail.


There is provided an apparatus which separates and strips catalyst particles suspended in gaseous hydrocarbons after the suspension of gaseous hydrocarbons and catalyst particles have traversed a gas/solids conduit means. A substantially can-shaped open-ended cyclone is placed in a disengager shell such that an inlet of the open-ended cyclone is in communication with the gas/solids conduit means. The disengager shell has a zone for containing a fluidized catalyst and the open end of the open-ended cyclone projects into the zone. A hollow closed cyclone may be placed in communication with the open-ended cyclone via an exhaust conduit means.

Apparatus for separating solid particles from gaseous hydrocarbons have been available for years and have found commercial use, for instance in the separation of hydrocarbon cracking catalysts from gaseous products. As new, highly reactive cracking catalysts, such as zeolites, came into common usage, new separation apparatus were developed to rapidly separate the reactive cracking catalyst from the cracked hydrocarbon vapor in order to avoid overcracking once the hydrocarbons exit a reactor.
Van Den Akker et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,961,863, and Ross, Jr. et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,259,855 describe twin-drum separators which may be located at the terminal end of a catalytic cracking riser reactor. An advantage to twin drum separators is that they don't easily choke from catalyst carryover, but they have lower separation efficiency than some other available separators. Most catalytic cracking processes require a high separation efficiency in order to reduce the catalyst carried outside of the reactor vessels and, because of the lower separation efficiency of twin drum separators, these processes cannot use twin drum separators alone. The twin drum separators also do not integrate well with internal stripper beds because the upflow of vapor from the stripper catalyst bed disrupts the vertical flow within the twin drum separator.
Dewitz, U.S. Pat. No. 4,693,808, and Dewitz et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,731,228 describe horizontal cyclone separators. The mass ratio of catalyst to gas in a horizontal separator limits the maximum amount of catalyst the separator can carry. If the mass ratio of catalyst to gas is too high, the horizontal cyclone separator tends to choke.
Parker et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,692,311, describe a "quick disengaging cyclone" to reduce separating and stripping time. The cyclone works on centrifugal separation and a reverse flow vortex of vapor. A "vortex stabilizer means" is used to terminate the vortex before it reaches the bottom of the cyclone, where, if not terminated, the vortex can pick-up separated catalyst at the bottom of the cyclone and carry the catalyst back up and out through the cyclone outlet. The quick disengaging cyclone has proven to work at high efficiency; however, the unit is fairly large due to the need for an internal catalyst stripping bed and a standpipe extending from the bottom of the cyclone.
Fluidized catalytic crackers, fluid cokers, entrained coal gasifiers, and other industrial processes using fast-fluidized solids, may be retrofitted to achieve higher separation and stripping efficiencies in order to meet environmental and economic needs. While separator designs such as those just described have been used for retrofitting various fast-fluidized processes, their use can be limiting for retrofitting units which have limited space for placement of separators and strippers and/or which need to be retrofitted in order to increase efficiency.
In many catalytic cracking plants, for example, a riser reactor exhausts into a disengager vessel where undesirable post-riser cracking takes place. Most of these disengager vessels have a fluidized catalyst bed in the bottom and some sort of separation means at the top. These disengager vessels are often too small to be retrofitted internally with a separator/stripper such those just described. Moreover, it is expensive and inefficient to disassemble working catalytic crackers in order to install improved separators. So it has not always been possible, or desirable, to place higher-efficiency separators and strippers, such as those just described, into existing disengager vessels. It is very desirable to provide a separator/stripper technology which has high efficiency, smaller size, and simpler design.

Apparatus and method for the separation and stripping of fluid catalyst cracking particles from gaseous hydrocarbons


There is provided a thin-film transistor including at least a substrate, a gate electrode, a gate insulating layer, an oxide semiconductor layer, a source electrode, a drain electrode and a protective layer, wherein the oxide semiconductor layer is an amorphous oxide containing at least one of the elements In, Ga and Zn, the gate electrode-side carrier density of the oxide semiconductor layer is higher than the protective layer-side carrier density thereof, and the film thickness of the oxide semiconductor layer is 30 nm±15 nm.

In recent years, there has been actively developed a thin-film transistor (TFT) which uses a transparent polycrystalline oxide thin film formed using ZnO as a primary constituent for the channel layer of the TFT (refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-076356). Since the thin film can be formed at low temperatures and is transparent to visible light, it is considered possible to form flexible transparent TFTs on a substrate, such as a plastic plate or film.
Nature, 488, 432, (2004) discloses a technique to use a transparent amorphous oxide semiconductor layer (a-IGZO) made of indium, gallium, zinc and oxygen for the channel layer of a TFT. The literature shows that flexible, transparent TFTs exhibiting an excellent electric field-effect mobility of 6 to 9 cm2V−1s−1 can be formed at a room temperature on a substrate, such as a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film.
J. Non-Crystalline Solid, 352 (2006), 1749-1752 shows that in a TFT using an oxide semiconductor layer made of indium, zinc and oxygen, it is possible to control the electric field-effect mobility μ, the on/off ratio, and the S value of the TFT by controlling the thickness of the oxide semiconductor layer.
In addition, Nikkei Microdevices, February, 2006, p. 74, Table 2, describes that the operation of flexible electronic paper has been verified using a TFT that uses an a-IGZO.

Thin-film transistor and method of manufacturing same


An automatic slack adjuster or manual slack adjuster conversion which automatically adjusts the brakes incorporating a monitoring system that monitors the operation and adjustment of air powered brakes as used on vehicles. The system monitors the travel of the brake components, and when needed uses electromagnetic or pneumatic power to provide adjustment of the vehicle's brakes. Using groups of visual indicators to create a visual dashboard display of all brakes on the vehicle, the driver is provided with immediate and accurate brake operation and adjustment information. The visual indicators are controlled by multi-range position detectors that are incorporated into the automatic slack adjuster or conversion unit. Each position of the multi-range position detector activates an individual visual indicator providing precise range of adjustment indications each time the brakes are applied. If brakes are applied and no indication of brake operation appears on the display unit, the driver is immediately informed that the brake system is malfunctioning. The system is capable of informing and alerting the driver of numerous maintenance and safety problems before they can cause expensive repairs or an accident.

1. Field of Invention
This invention is a combination of two safety devices for motor vehicles equipped with air powered brakes. Specifically, an automatic brake adjuster to compensate for wear and a visual dashboard display of brake operation and range of adjustment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The proper operation and adjustment of brakes on motor vehicles is critical to vehicle safety. Brakes must be periodically checked and adjusted on vehicles to compensate for wear. Adjustment is only one of the safety factors addressed with this automatic slack adjuster or automatic adjustment conversion unit. This device includes a method to monitor brake operation and adjustment using a visual dashboard display. The automatic slack adjuster and the automatic slack adjuster conversion unit both adjust the brake and at the same time monitor operation of the brake and automatic slack adjuster. Position detectors incorporated in the automatic slack adjuster and automatic slack adjuster conversion unit monitor movement of brake components and provide position information to visual indicators. Groups of visual indicators corresponding to each brake location on the vehicle create a dashboard display allowing the driver to monitor operation and adjustment of all brakes on his vehicle. A brake that is not operating or out of adjustment can cause a vehicle to swerve into the next lane or into oncoming traffic. If the trailer brakes are not operating or are improperly adjusted they can cause a truck and trailer to jackknife. In a properly operating air brake system, when the driver steps on the brake pedal, air is directed to the air brake chambers, energizing the air chambers to extend their push rods which are connected to slack adjusters.
The slack adjusters then rotate the S cam or disc brake mechanism which, if properly adjusted, forces the brake shoes/pads against the drums/rotors providing the friction necessary to stop the vehicle. A variety of factors such as a disconnected air line, broken air connection, pinched air line, shutoff air valve to the trailer, non-functioning air relay valve, push rod to slack adjuster clevis pin missing, S cam arm broken, self-adjusting slack adjuster failure and excessive air chamber push rod travel can cause the air brakes to have reduced effectiveness, or become non-operational and dangerous without the driver's knowledge.
Federal Department of Transportation regulations require that all drivers of commercial vehicles perform a pretrip vehicle inspection to include the proper operation and adjustment of all brakes on his vehicle. Using this invention, the driver without assistance, is able to check brake operation and adjustment, the releasing of all brakes, the proper connection of all air lines, the opening of all air valves to the trailers, the timing between the truck and trailer brakes, and other critical safety items. By using this system for the pretrip inspection the driver is provided with increased information, some of which could only be determined in a major truck repair facility. The use of the described device will assure that the brakes are operating to the maximum design efficiency. If any malfunction of the brakes during the operation of the vehicle the driver is informed the first time he applies the brakes.
When brakes are operational, but needing adjustment, that adjustment would be performed by this described device. If, for any reason, the adjustment is not performed, the driver is informed by the visual indicators of the dashboard display which brake location needs manual adjustment or repair to continue safe and legal operation. Vehicles not equipped with the automatic slack adjusters with operation and adjustment monitor can have brake component failure which can cause brakes to become illegal and unsafe without any indication to the driver. Use of the automatic slack adjuster with operation and adjustment monitor alerts the driver to the fact that the air chamber push rod travel has exceeded the legal travel length by the audible alarm mounted in the vehicle's cab and a visual indication at the corresponding brake location on the dashboard display. The visual indicators that make up the dashboard display warn the driver that the brakes are remaining engaged after the driver has released the brake pedal. This condition is usually due to a malfunction or lack of maintenance to the brake system. Anytime a brake remains on, it continues to produce friction and heat, which can be a dangerous situation, possibly causing a brake fire which can spread to the tires and ultimately to the vehicle. This automatic slack adjuster or the manual adjuster conversion unit not only adjusts the brake when needed, it allows the driver to continuously monitor the status of each brake on his vehicle, each time the brakes are applied or released.
The visual indicators which make up the dashboard display allows the driver to easily monitor that all brakes on the vehicle are operating in unison when the brake pedal is applied. The automatic slack adjuster or automatic slack adjuster conversion unit uses an electromagnetic or pneumatic motor to provide the power to compensate for wear of the brake shoes. This arrangement reduces the constant movement of the adjustment mechanism, and the requirement for frequent lubrication of these moving parts. Many of the automatic slack adjusters on the market use the angle of air chamber push rod to slack adjuster as the adjustment control. If the automatic slack adjuster is improperly installed, it will not adjust the brakes properly.
Previous patents for brake monitoring systems have informed the driver or maintenance personnel that the brakes need to be adjusted. Not one previous patent has controlled the adjustment of the brakes and monitored brake operation and adjustment at the same time. All previous monitoring system patents have ignored the critical safety problem of non-operational air brakes on vehicles. Some of the previous patents have marginal accuracy in their measurement of the travel of the brake components, others use a process that can initialize the measuring system so as to invalidate the subsequent measurement of brake adjustment. The aforementioned problems of inaccuracy would provide unreliable or false information to the driver.
Relevant Prior Art U.S. Pat. No. 2,554,065 issued to Shields, May 22, 1951, for a Pneumatically Actuated Brake Slack Adjuster requires disassembly of the air chamber to install an air control valve. The device uses an air piston to provide it's power, which requires more maintenance than air diaphragms, the air valve has a vent to release the compressed air after the adjustment operation is completed, which is an unneeded extra part, inasmuch as the brake chamber is vented when the brake application is completed. This device requires the replacement of the manual slack adjuster, instead of converting the existing manual slack adjuster. Shields did not consider the possibility of broken or missing brake components. Brake component failure would actuate the adjustment control valve on every application of the brakes, possibly adjusting the brake shoes until they are in continuous contact with the brake drum. Last but not least this automatic slack adjuster does not have a means to monitor and display to the driver of the vehicle the operation or adjustment of the brake to which it is attached.
Relevant Prior Art U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,855,712 issued to Wiley, Jr. et al, Aug. 8, 1989, 4,800,991 issued to Miller, Jan. 13, 1989, 4,749,063 issued to Garrett et al., Jun. 7, 1988, 4,642,603 issued to Martinez, Jr., Feb. 10, 1987, and 3,776,329 issued to Hope et al., Dec. 4, 1973, and in the preferred embodiment of U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,757,300 issued to Sebalos on Jul. 12, 1988, 4,583,071 issued to Sebalos et al, on Apr. 15, 1986, and 4,937,554 issued to Herman, Jun. 26, 1990 only inform the operator that the brake needs to be adjusted or is out of adjustment to a point that it has reached an unsafe adjustment condition. A second major failing with the listed patents is that none have a method to indicate if brakes are operational. If a brake is non-operational none of these monitoring systems provide an indication that the brake system has failed. Inasmuch as the above listed patents do not monitor the operation of the brakes, a failure in their adjustment monitoring system would not be detected until scheduled maintenance occurred.
A modified form of U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,757,300 issued to Sebalos (1988) and 4,583,071 issued to Sebalos et al, (1986) indicate a method of monitoring movement of the air brake push rod using a rheostat and voltmeter, but this type of system would show different readings as the voltage in the vehicle's electrical system changed. Any of the following conditions would cause this type of system to give inaccurate information as to the brake adjustment: a battery in a low state of charge, a high electrical demand, a short in the electrical system, dirty or corroded battery terminals, dirty or corroded connections between truck and trailer. Furthermore, the physical size of the meters required to display the information for each brake of a multiaxle vehicle would require an excessive amount of dashboard space. The attention required to read a bank of up twelve meters in a moving vehicle would detract from the drivers ability to safely operate the vehicle. U.S. Pat. No. 4,855,712 to Wiley, Jr. et al. (1989) lists an external audible alarm, attached to a vehicle's axle, that would sound to indicate unsafe brake condition being caused by out of adjustment slack adjuster. Problems with audible alarms include: the inability of the operator to hear the alarm, the operator would be required to visually check all of the brakes to find out which one is causing the alarm signal, distracting or confusing other operators unfamiliar with the sounding alarm thinking it is an emergency signal. The patent mentions a backup battery system to preclude the need for power from the vehicle's battery system. A backup battery in case the vehicle's electrical system is not functioning would be useless to a highway vehicle's operation. A highway vehicle that is driven with a non-functioning electrical system is in violation of numerous traffic regulations.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,800,991 to Miller (1989), 4,749,063 to Garrett et al. (1988), 4,642,603 to Martinez, Jr. (1987), and in the preferred embodiment of U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,757,300 to Sebalos (1988) and 4,583,071 to Sebalos et al. (1986) requires removal and disassembly of the air chamber, which if not properly performed by trained personnel, can cause serious bodily injury and possible death. This modification to the air chamber requires a significant amount of time, equipment and expense. U.S. Pat. No. 4,749,063 to Garrett et al. (1988) requires extensive modification to the existing brake system which includes multiple air flow measuring devices. Also it requires a cleaner environment than normally associated with trucks and/or heavy equipment. The operation of this system in cold climates requires an absolutely dry air source to prevent moisture from freezing in the system rendering it inoperable.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,800,991 to Miller (1989) is a "plurality of indicators which respond solely to the excess actuator motion when the vehicle brakes are applied to provide a visible indication of such excess motion and the probable need for brake adjustment." Based on Miller's summary, this system provides no intent or means to monitor the operation of the brakes. The patent states that "latching circuitry should be used to keep the indicator on once the limit has been reached." If this circuitry was employed in the device it would then eliminate the device as a means to monitor the retraction of that brake. Once the brake had exceeded it's predetermined distance of actuator travel and the latching circuitry was activated, no further indication of brake movement would be provided to the vehicle operator on that monitored brake. Additionally, Miller states the latching circuitry would guarantee the driver would be able to see the warning light since it would stay on until the driver or maintenance personnel reset the circuitry to shut off the light, precluding the use of an audible alarm. U.S. Pat. No. 4,937,554 issued to Herman (1990) only monitors the need to adjust or illegal/unsafe brake adjustment based on a computer comparison of air pressure versus slack adjuster movement. The monitoring system in this patent does not attempt to adjust the brakes or monitor the operation (application and complete retraction) of the brakes. Although Herman's patent uses a dashboard display the information the driver receives relates only to a need to adjust or unsafe/illegal brake adjustment. Herman mentions the possibility of adding a green light to the dashboard display to indicate the slack adjuster has a movement of less than a determined amount, again versus the amount of air pressure applied to the brakes. The driver of a vehicle equipped with the monitoring system described in Herman's patent would have a false sense of security, even possibly caught in a dangerous situation if the brakes were not operating (engaging) when the driver steps on the pedal. Herman tests for air pressure to the brakes at the manifold, however conditions occurring beyond the manifold are not monitored. Situations preventing the brakes from operating yet not identified to the driver on the dashboard display include: air valves to trailer not turned on when trailer is connected; air hose becoming tangled, pinched, or broken during operation of vehicle; air relay valve not functioning and not directing pressure to trailer brakes. In instances like these, the driver would have no warning of brake failure.
In fact, the computer would display an indication of properly adjusted brakes (a green light) since the CPU is only looking for maximum amount of travel of the slack adjusters for a warning signal, not taking into account that in some cases brakes do not operate when the brake pedal is applied. The lack of operation is not monitored nor is the monitoring of retraction of the brakes after the brake pedal is released, both of the aforementioned conditions are serious and possibly dangerous brake failures. Herman states that when the driver first turns on the ignition the CPU would reset itself, zeroing all slack adjuster measurements to initialize the system. However, when the truck is parked, the spring powered brakes are applied. The spring brakes operate similar to the driver applying the brake, but only on the rear brakes of the tractor and possibly the trailer. If the CPU used this measurement to initialize itself, the monitoring system would be in error inasmuch as the slack adjuster would not be in a retracted (zeroed) position. Herman's system could give the driver an indication of properly adjusted brakes, when in fact, the brakes would not be able to stop the vehicle.

Automatic slack adjuster with operation and adjustment monitor


A quantum computer includes a quantum processor that includes a first plurality of qubits arranged in a hexagonal lattice pattern such that each is substantially located at a hexagon apex, and a second plurality of qubits each arranged substantially along a hexagon edge. Each of the first plurality of qubits is coupled to three nearest-neighbor qubits of the second plurality of qubits, and each of the second plurality of qubits is coupled to two nearest-neighbor qubits of the first plurality of qubits. Each of the second plurality of qubits is a control qubit at a control frequency. Each of the first plurality of qubits is a target qubit at one of a first target frequency or a second target frequency. The quantum computer includes an error correction device configured to operate on the hexagonal lattice pattern of the plurality of qubits so as to detect and correct data errors.

The currently claimed embodiments of the present invention relate to quantum computers, related methods, and computer-executable code, and more specifically, to quantum computers that have hexagonal lattices of qubits, related methods, and computer-executable code.
Superconducting qubit devices can have frequencies that are determined at the time of fabrication. The arrangement of frequencies influences the quality of the gate operations and therefore the quantum computation. Some types of frequency collisions can cause gates or qubits to be unusable. Chips whose devices have unacceptable frequencies cannot be used, reducing the yield of good chips.
Furthermore, it may be necessary to encode quantum information to further reduce the errors introduced by gate operations and other noise sources. The encoding must be chosen in such a way that the logical (encoded) qubit yield is high. Existing systems and methods do not enable quantum information to be encoded while also improving yield through reduced frequency collisions

Quantum code for reduced frequency collisions in qubit lattices

International Business Machines Corporation


Provided are a liquid ejection head and a liquid ejection apparatus which can reduce the distance between an ejection port and a medium as much as possible and can apply liquid to a desired position, even in the case where a member protruding more toward a liquid ejection direction than an ejection port is provided. A liquid ejection apparatus applies liquid to a medium by using a liquid ejection head including an ejection port ejecting the liquid and a member protruding more toward a liquid ejection direction than an ejection port face where the ejection port is formed, wherein a first distance between the ejection port and the medium is smaller than a sum of a second distance from the ejection port face to a tip of the member in the ejection direction and a third distance from the tip to the medium.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid ejection head and a liquid ejection apparatus, and in particular, relates to a liquid ejection apparatus applying liquid to a medium by ejecting liquid from an ejection port of a liquid ejection head.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a liquid ejection head having an ejection port for liquid ejection, there is known a configuration using a heating resistance element as an ejection energy generation element. Liquid ejection methods using the heating resistance element include a method of ejecting liquid parallel to a substrate surface where the heating resistance elements are arranged (edge shooter method) and a method of ejecting the liquid vertically to the substrate surface where the heating resistance elements are arranged (side shooter method).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-63012 discloses a liquid ejection head of the side shooter method. In this liquid ejection head, a sealing material covers and seals an electrical connection portion connecting an element substrate where an ejection port is formed and a flexible film.
Meanwhile, in the case where the distance between the ejection port and a liquid application face of the medium to which liquid is to be applied is relatively large at ejecting the liquid from the ejection port of the liquid ejection head, the application position of the liquid ejected from the ejection port is sometimes shifted from a desired position. On the other hand, in the case where this distance is relatively small, sometimes, the medium is deformed, and the ejection port or an ejection port face comes into contact with the medium, and this causes liquid which is not intended to be applied to the medium to attach the medium and causes so-called jamming such as medium clogging to occur.
In the case where the liquid ejection head disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-63012 is mounted on a liquid ejection apparatus so that the ejection port face where the ejection port is formed becomes parallel to the liquid application face of the medium, the sealing material is put into a state of protruding more toward the liquid ejection direction than the ejection port face. In such a case, the distance between the tip of the protruding member and the medium is set to be a small distance as much as possible, that is, a distance in which the tip of the member does not come into contact with the medium even in the case where medium is deformed. Accordingly, the distance between the ejection port and the liquid application face of the medium becomes larger by a protrusion amount of the member from the ejection port face.

Liquid ejection head and liquid ejection apparatus


Phase locked loop and method for controlling the same includes a phase/frequency detector configured to detect a phase difference between an input clock and a feedback clock to generate an up signal or a down signal depending on the detected phase difference, a charge pump configured to variably control a bandwidth according to a bandwidth control signal input thereinto, the charge pump operating in response to the up signal or the down signal and a voltage controlled oscillator configured to change a frequency according to an output of the charge pump.

The present invention relates to a phase locked loop capable of controlling a bandwidth, and a method for controlling the same.
A phase locked loop (PLL) and a delay locked loop (DLL) are typical examples of a feedback system. The feedback system in a synchronous semiconductor memory device performs a data transfer with external devices, using an internal clock synchronized and locked to an external clock that is input from an external device such as a memory controller. To transfer data stably between the semiconductor memory device and a memory controller, synchronization of the data signal with a reference clock is very important.
The PLL feedback system includes a phase/frequency detector, a charge pump, a loop filter and a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) to change frequency of a clock input to the PLL feedback system. The phase/frequency detector compares a phase of the input clock with a phase of a feedback clock to generate an up signal or a down signal depending on a phase difference between the clocks. The charge pump outputs a current corresponding to the up signal or the down signal. The loop filter smoothes the current to generate a voltage. The voltage controlled oscillator generates a clock of a frequency corresponding to the input voltage.
A typical PLL system having the above described configuration filters a high frequency jitter component of an applied reference clock (or an input clock) to reduce a jitter component in a clock to be output.
FIG. 1 is a graph illustrating a functional relation of a PLL output jitter to a reference clock jitter versus an input jitter frequency in an ideal PLL system. The ideal PLL system serves as a low pass filter for removing high frequency jitter components having a frequency above a PLL bandwidth among the jitter components of the input clock (reference clock) while maintaining low frequency jitter components as they are.
The low pass filter of the typical PLL system generally has a certain bandwidth. However, because of the characteristics of the PLL system including a feedback loop, a phase margin may not be secured sufficiently. In that case, a peaking phenomenon rather increasing the reference jitter components may occur, as shown in FIG. 2.
In addition, the jitter peaking phenomenon may also occur even when a power noise near the bandwidth of the PLL system is applied, as shown in FIG. 3. Therefore, when a low jitter characteristic is required by the PLL system, the PLL system should have a bandwidth out of a frequency region of a maximum power noise or of a high reference clock jitter.
FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram illustrating a charge pump for determining a bandwidth in a typical PLL system. Referring to FIG. 4, the charge pump includes a first switch and a second switch operating in response to up/down signals provided by a phase/frequency detector, and a capacitor C3 connected to an output node between the first and second switches. The first and second switches include a switch type transistor for outputting the up/down signals.
The charge pump having the above described configurations charges/discharges the capacitor by a constant current Icp in response to the constant up/down signals applied to the first and second switches, to determine a control voltage of a voltage controlling oscillator. In other words, the charge pump allows a constant current to flow to the capacitor C3 in response to the applied up or down signal. Therefore, the charge pump consists of only one current source, and the current source has only one bandwidth in the PLL system.
As described above, in order to reduce jitter components, the PLL system should have a bandwidth out of a frequency region of a maximum power noise or of a high reference clock jitter. However, in a general purpose PLL system used in a variety of systems, it is difficult to select an appropriate PLL bandwidth excluding all the frequency regions of a maximum power noise or of a high reference clock jitter because they are different in different systems.


The invention relates to vessel (1) comprising a hull (3) and a deck (2), a substantially cylindrical rotor (6) having a peripheral wall (8) rotatable with respect to the deck (2) around a longitudinal center line (20), the rotor (6) being mounted on the deck (2) in such a manner that in an operational state the rotor (6) is substantially vertically oriented, characterized in that a flap (18) is arranged near the rotor (6) extending substantially in a plane which is parallel to the rotational axis of the rotor (6), and the length of the flap chord (Rfc) is between 20%-90% of the rotor (6) diameter (Dr), wherein the position of the flap (18) can be adjusted with reference to the longitudinal center line (20).

A rotor ship, or Flettner ship, is a ship designed to use the Magnus-effect for propulsion. To take advantage of this effect, it uses cylindrical rotors which are powered by an drive motor. The Magnus-effect is a force acting on a spinning body in a moving airstream, which acts perpendicularly to the direction of the airstream. This force can be put to good use for the propulsion of the vessel, thereby saving fuel.
A disadvantage of such Flettner rotors is that they need to be large, and therefore heavy and bulky, in order to provide sufficient propulsive force to the vessel. As a consequence, the Flettner rotor also utilizes large quantities of material for their construction. A further disadvantage of Flettner rotors is that their performance is relatively low at low wind speeds and with wind blowing from an undesirable wind direction.
It is an object of the invention to overcome or ameliorate at least one of the aforementioned disadvantages.

Vessel comprising a rotor having a flap arranged near the rotor


A transaction is pre-staged by providing transaction preferences, such as a financial instrument, a transaction type, and a transaction amount, to a user device. The user device captures a visual code at a terminal, such as an ATM. The visual code includes terminal attributes, including a signed hash and call-back URI. The user device authenticates the visual code using the signed hash and requests the transaction through the issuer server. The issuer server creates and sends the card data to the call-back URI. The terminal uses the card data to create a transaction request it routes to through its acquirer server.

More frequently, financial transactions are being conducted using smart devices interacting with various terminals, such as an automated teller machine (ATM). Different types of terminal hardware have been and are continually being developed by various manufactures. Additionally, new mobile-device technology is constantly being introduced. Each of the various devices presents interoperability challenges between other devices, both from a hardware and software perspective. Different devices are constantly requiring hardware and software upgrades to maintain interoperability, while still seeking to facilitate financial transactions in a secure manner.

Interoperable mobile-initiated transactions with dynamic authentication


A capacitively powered motor having a power switching circuit adapted to be connected between a power source and its winding for selectively energizing the winding to generate a magnetic field which causes a rotating assembly to rotate. A position sensing circuit provides a position signal representative of the position of the rotating assembly and a commutating circuit controls the power switching circuit to commutate the power switching circuit at a commutating angle and at a substantially constant duty cycle to achieve a desired rotating speed of the rotating assembly. The commutating circuit varies the commutating angle in response to the position signal to maintain the substantially constant rotating speed of the rotating assembly. As result, the efficiency of the motor is varied to maintain the substantially constant rotating speed.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to capacitively powered motors and, in particular a speed control for a single phase capacitively powered motor which maintains the motor speed at a preselected value.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In order to keep manufacturing costs of low cost capacitive motors to a minimum, the control circuit for these low output type of motors uses an input capacitor to lower the input voltage, and to set the power to the motor at a given voltage and frequency. The setting of the power at a given voltage and frequency allows some of the control failure modes to be impedance protected which simplifies the circuit and reduces its costs. This also avoids the need for commercial thermal fuses in order to protect certain failure modes.
One disadvantage to setting the power applied to the motor at a certain level is that the motor speed will vary depending on environmental conditions and, in particular, depending on the resistance to rotation which the motor encounters. There is a need for a low output, low cost capacitively powered motor which operates at a constant or near constant speed.

Capacitively powered motor and constant speed control therefor


A method for making a gasket including molding an elastomeric material in a mold to form a gasket that includes an outer portion folded over an inner portion so as to define an inner annular space between and bounded by the outer and inner portions, and wherein one or more apertures are formed in a side wall of the gasket, which are in fluid communication with the inner annular space.

Many kinds of removable band-type couplings for pipes exist in the art. It is noted that throughout the specification and claims, the term "pipe" encompasses any kind of generally cylindrical object.
FIGS. 1A-1D illustrate a prior art gasket (seal, the terms being used interchangeably) for a pipe coupling, namely, the HYMAX GRIP 7″ gasket (198-230) LW, from Krausz Industries Ltd., Israel. The gasket has a ring shaped hydraulic seal 1 made of rubber or other resilient material. As seen best in FIG. 1C, seal 1 includes an outer portion 2 (also called "fin") folded over an inner portion 3 so as to define an inner annular space 4 between and bounded by the outer and inner portions 2 and 3. The inner annular space 4 is in fluid communication with a fluid (e.g., water, not shown) flowing in a pipe sealed by the seal 1. The fluid enters inner annular space 4 via apertures 5 formed in a side wall of seal 1 (seven such apertures 5 are shown in the drawing). The fluid applies pressure in inner annular space 4 to increase tightening of the seal. The apertures 5 have two end faces: one end face is open to the outer side wall of seal 1 and the other end face is open to the inner annular space 4.
The hydraulic seal 1 is constructed in the prior art from a long rubber strip (such as a length of 25 meters). The long strip is cut to the size of the desired circumference and the hydraulic inner space is formed by drilling holes in the rubber. The cut rubber strip is then formed into a ring.
It is known in the prior art to form sealing rings by molding the rubber or other elastomer, such as by injection molding. However, it is not heretofore known to make the seals with the hydraulic inner space 4 by molding, because such an inner space of the prior art does not lend itself to molding, such as injection molding.

Eliezer Krausz Industrial Development Ltd.


An apparatus for supporting a video camera includes a camera mounting bracket, a front handle assembly and a rear handle assembly. The camera mounting bracket has an L-shaped profile and includes a handle mounting shelf and a camera mounting shelf. The camera mounting shelf and the front handle assembly are attached to the front of the handle mounting shelf. The rear handle assembly is attached to the rear of the handle mounting shelf at a position between the front handle assembly and the camera mounting shelf. Consequently, the apparatus will help a person to firmly hold a video camera when using the video camera to record scenes, regardless of different heights of view.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus to assist holding video cameras, and more particularly to an apparatus for holding and supporting a video camera that helps a person to hold firmly the video cameras for different applications or occasions.
2. Description of Related Art
Video cameras, like digital video cameras have become especially popular in the recent years. Also, the popular video cameras have become miniaturized yet so versatile that ordinary people can easily take such a camera anywhere and shoot very high quality movies. In general, the video cameras should be held in a stable state while recording video or motion pictures of a scene.
For different applications or occasions, the video cameras may need to be raised or lowered in order to record the video or motion pictures of objects at high or low places relative to human's normal height. Simply using hands to hold the video cameras cannot achieve the stability requirement or meet the demands specific heights. The quality of the video recordings will be disappointing in such a situation and so the camera user will feel sadness in the ownership of the camera.
To overcome the shortcomings, the present invention provides an apparatus for supporting a video camera to mitigate or obviate the aforementioned problems.


Disclosed are peptides having biological and therapeutic activity. Particularly disclosed are lipidated di- or tri-peptides analogs of KPV or KdPT that exhibit antimicrobial activity. In particular, the peptides of this invention provide enhanced anti-microbial activity over the base tri-peptides, lysine-proline-valine and lysine-d-proline-tyrosine. The disclosed peptides have the general formula of C12-18 lipid-KXZ-NH2i wherein K is lysine; X is proline, d-proline, histidine or arginine; Z is optional and if present Z is valine, threonine, alanine or leucine; and the terminal COOH is NH2 amidated. The C12-18 lipid is preferably the lipid moiety of lauric acid (C12), myristic acid (C14), pentadecanoic acid (C15), palmitic acid (C16), or stearic acid (C18). The invention is further related to methods of using of these peptides to treat various insults, inflammations or bacterial infections affecting the skin and other related mucosal body surfaces such as the oral cavity.

Researchers have been developing antimicrobial treatments and agents for decades. Recently, there has been a need for new antimicrobial agents for treating an increasing number of drug-resistant bacterial, viral, and fungal infections.
Various bioactive peptides have been reported in both the scientific literature and in issued patents. Peptides historically have been isolated from natural sources, and have recently been the subject of structure-function relationship studies. Additionally, natural peptides have served as starting points for the design of synthetic peptide analogs.
Various patents exist describing cosmetic compositions containing short peptides. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,492,326 suggests the preparation and use of skin care compositions containing pentapeptides and skin care active ingredients.
Strom et al. 2003 (Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 46: 1567-1570) describe short antibacterial peptides focused mainly on very short peptides (dimers and trimers) containing chemical modifications. Certain hexapeptides are also described. However, there is no testing or discussion of antimicrobial activity of these hexapeptides.
Alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) is a 13-amino acid neuropeptide with potent anti-inflammatory activity. It is produced by posttranslational processing of the larger precursor molecule pre-opiomelanocortin. The carboxy-terminal tripeptide of α-MSH, comprising of residues 11 to 13, KPV, has been demonstrated to exert anti-inflammatory activity in vivo and in vitro (Brzoska, T., Luger, T A. et al., α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone and related tripeptides: biochemistry, anti-inflammatory and protective effects in vitro and in vivo, and future perspectives for the treatment of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. Endocrine Reviews 2009. 29 (5): 581-602). A structurally related derivative, KdPT (KPT) has been described to be collinear to residues 193-195 of IL-1β and seem to be capable of interacting with the IL-1 receptor type I (Luger T. A., and Brzoska T. α-MSH related peptides: a new class of anti-inflammatory and immunomodulating drugs. Ann Rheum Dis 2007; 66 (suppl III): iii52-iii55). There was one report suggesting that KPV has antimicrobial influence on S. aureus and C. albicans, but no MIC was determined (Cutuli M et al., 2000, antimicrobial effects of α-MSH peptides, J. Leukocyte Biology, 67:233-239). Unlike KPV, KdPT tripeptide has never been reported to possess antimicrobial influence.
Thus, there is a need to develop peptides having a broad range of potent antimicrobial activity against a number of microorganisms, including gram negative and gram positive bacteria. Cost of manufacture of antimicrobial peptides is also a key consideration to pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications. We disclose in this invention a cost effective short antimicrobial peptides that can be used in pharmaceutical or cosmetic compositions for topical treatment or management of skin conditions associated with bacterial and fungal infections.


An on/off clutch assembly is disclosed having a simplified method for attaching the drive shaft to the hub portion of the drive pulley. The rotating shaft is formed with an integral external threaded portion that is designed to mate with a corresponding internal threaded portion of the hub. The external threaded portion, in conjunction with the internal threaded portion, replace the holes and corresponding cap screws that are used to attach the drive shaft to the hub in current designs. The new design limits the complexity of design and manufacture of the fan drive.

Vehicle engines commonly utilize cooling assemblies to remove excess heat from the engine and maintain an optimal operating temperature. The cooling assembly pumps a coolant through the engine and other components in order to control engine temperature. Heat generated within the engine and other components is absorbed by the coolant and dispersed into the surrounding atmosphere through the use of a radiator. In order to improve dispersal by the radiator, it is common to utilize fan assemblies to draw or force air past the radiator to assist in temperature transmission.
It is not always desirable for such fan assemblies to be run continuously. At times, it is desirable for the temperature within the coolant to increase rather than decrease. Additionally, continuous operation when unnecessary places a non-required draw on the engine and thereby reduces efficiency. To compensate for this, present fan assemblies utilize fan clutch assemblies that allow for the selective engagement of the fan to the engine such that the fans are engaged only when necessary.
The present invention relates to friction coupling devices that drive radiator-cooling fans. A common friction-coupling device is that of the dry friction drive style, otherwise referred to interchangeably hereinafter with a friction clutch assembly. Dry friction drives are used for their simplicity, cool operating temperature, and ability to turn at fully engaged peak operating speeds.
Although the present invention may be used advantageously in various configurations and applications, it is especially advantageous in a coupling device of the type used to drive a radiator cooling fan of an internal combustion engine for a over the road truck, such as a class 8 truck, and will be described in connection therewith.
Dry friction drives tend to have two operating conditions "ON and OFF", which refers to when an associated friction clutch is either fully engaged or fully disengaged. When a friction clutch assembly is fully engaged, the assembly provides cooling to an associated engine and is not slipping. When a friction clutch assembly is fully disengaged slippage between the clutch plate and an engagement surface is at a maximum, thus providing little rotational output to drive an associated fan.
In order to attach the clutch to the pulley/bracket assembly, a series of holes are first introduced to the drive shaft and hub portion of the pulley/bracket assembly. A cap screw is then inserted within each of the holes to couple the clutch to the pulley/bracket assembly. These holes and cap screws are complex and add costs to the clutch assembly in terms of raw material costs, manufacturing costs, and assembly costs. It would be highly desirable to minimize these costs by simplifying the design of the coupling.

Pneumatic cone clutch fan drive having threaded attachment method for drive shaft of clutch to hub mounting


The present invention relates to a fastening film system 1 comprising a backing 7 and an adhesive layer 6 on one of the two major surfaces of the backing 7, the backing 7 bearing on its exposed major surface 3a opposite to the adhesive layer 6 a plurality of male fastening elements 4 capable of engaging with fibrous materials 32 having a plurality of complementary female fastening elements, and a plurality of through-holes 2 extending through the thickness 11 of the backing 7 so that the adhesive layer 6 attached to the backing 7 is exposed through such through-holes 2 wherein at least one of said through-holes 2 is encompassed by the backing 7, and wherein the fastening film system 1 releasably adheres to said fibrous materials 32 through a combination of a mechanical and an adhesive bonding mechanism.

EP 0,321,232 discloses a disposable absorbent article such as a diaper comprising a pair of tape tabs attached to an end region of said diaper. Each of the tape tabs exhibits on its respective user's end a fastening surface which has one or two exposed rectangular adhesive areas adjacent to a rectangular strip of a hook fastening element. This construction provides a combination of a mechanical and an adhesive closure mechanism when attaching the tape to the landing member thereby securing the diaper to the wearer's body.
EP 0,974,326 also discloses a disposable absorbent article such as a diaper having a pair of tape tabs attached to a first end region of said diaper and a landing member attached to a second end region of said diaper whereby the user's end of the tape tab comprises both mechanical and adhesive fastening means. It is disclosed that the exposed adhesive area of the tape tab may become contaminated with fiber elements when adhering the tape tab to the fibrous landing member. EP '326 discloses a release treatment of the exposed surface of the fibrous landing member in order to minimize or avoid, respectively, damaging of the fibrous landing member and/or contamination of the exposed adhesive area on the tape tabs.
Fastening film systems providing both a mechanical and an adhesive fastening mechanism are also disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,393,673, 6,428,525, 6,402,730,
WO 99/06,600 and EP 0,418,951. U.S. Pat. No. '673, for example, describes a mechanical fastening element comprising a multiplicity of flexible hook elements emanating from a backing layer and comprising stems terminating in hook heads wherein the top portions of the hook heads and/or at least part of the interstitial spaces between the stems are coated with a hot-melt pressure-sensitive adhesive.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,959,265 discloses a pressure-sensitive adhesive tape fastener comprising a backing having an array of upstanding stems distributed across at least one face, and a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer filling the spaces between the stems where the average thickness of the adhesive layer is less than the average height of the stems. When adhering the pressure-sensitive adhesive tape fastener to a sanitary napkin, the napkin can be releasably attached to an undergarment by allowing the stems to penetrate into openings of the fabric of the undergarment until the pressure-sensitive adhesive becomes releasably bonded to the fabric.
Attaching the fastening film systems disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,393,673, 6,428,525, 6,402,730, WO 99/06,600, EP 0,418,951 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,959,265 to a disposable absorbent article such as a sanitary napkin usually requires providing an additional adhesive layer onto the surface of the fastening film system opposite to the surface bearing the male fastening elements, which may be less advantageous.
Disposable absorbent articles such as sanitary napkins, panty liners and incontinence pads, comprising mechanical and adhesive fastening means arranged separately from each other on different portions of the disposable absorbent article, are known. U.S. Pat. No. 5,676,652 discloses, for example, sanitary napkins comprising adhesive strips on the garment side of the main body of the sanitary napkin and mechanical fasteners on the side wrapping elements. U.S. Pat. No. 5,611,790 discloses sanitary napkins having adhesive fastening means, mechanical fastening means or combinations of adhesive and mechanical fastening means which are arranged separately from each other in patches, for example, on the garment side of the main body of the napkin or on the side wrapping elements.
Sanitary napkins, for example, need to be capable of reliably and releasably adhering to a variety of natural or synthetic fibrous materials such as cotton, silk, nylon, woven, non-woven, knitted and/or microfibrous materials without damaging such materials. These requirements are fulfilled by the sanitary napkins available in the state of the art to an insufficient extent only.
It was therefore an object of the present invention to provide a fastening film system which is capable of releasably adhering to a variety of fibrous materials through a combination of a mechanical and an adhesive bonding mechanism and which does not exhibit the shortcomings of the fastening surfaces of the state of the art or exhibits them to a lower degree only, respectively. Other objects of the present invention will be readily derivable form the following detailed description.

Fastening film system and assembly comprising a fastening film system and a substrate


Hand-held solid chemical applicator assemblies for various cleaning applications such as coil cleaning utilizing specially-configured chemical tablet chamber and assembly hydraulics. In some cases, the hand-held solid chemical applicator assemblies are configured to include a cylindrical flow diverter to facilitate proper chemical tablet dissolution.

Heating, Ventilating, and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) systems, as well as other heating and cooling applications (e.g., refrigeration), often utilized coils, fins, and other heat-sink devices as part of a system to transfer heat from one environment to another. Many systems include both an evaporative coil (typically located inside a conditioned space) and a condensing coil (typically located in an external environment). Heat transfer and overall coil effectiveness is greatly dependent upon airflow across and through the coils/fins. As dirt and debris (e.g., dust, mold, etc.) accumulate on and within the coils, fins, etc., airflow becomes blocked and the efficiency of the system may be greatly reduced. While various methods for cleaning coils are available, typical professional cleaning often involves utilization of a wheeled cleaning unit that houses water and/or chemical supplies and has an extendable hose or wand that may be used to direct cleaning sprays at or through the coil to be cleaned.


A liquid for a liquid lens includes an electrolyte solution and an insulating solution wherein the electrolyte solution contains H2O, 1,2-propanediol and LiCl, and the insulating solution is a silicon (Si) oil and optionally contains 1,6-dibromohexane or bromobenzene as an organic additive. A liquid lens module includes a transparent cover, a case for accommodating an electrolyte solution and an insulating solution, a pair of electrodes for supplying electricity to the electrolyte solution, and an insulating film for covering one of the electrodes in contact with the electrolyte solution wherein the electrolyte solution contains H2O, 1,2-propanediol and LiCl, and the insulating solution is a silicon (Si) oil.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid for a liquid lens. More specifically, the present invention relates to a liquid for a liquid lens comprising an electrolyte solution and an insulating solution, compositions of the electrolyte solution and the insulating solution, and a liquid lens module comprising the liquid for a liquid lens.
2. Description of the Related Art
A great deal of research has been concentrated on liquid lenses based on the electrowetting phenomenon since the beginning of the twenty-first century. Liquid lenses are currently used in various application fields. "Electrowetting" is a phenomenon wherein the surface tension of a liquid is altered using electrical charges present at the interface of the liquid. The electrowetting phenomenon may be utilized to handle microliquids and microparticles present in liquids.
Methods for producing liquid lenses for auto focus (A/F) using the electrowetting phenomenon have the advantages of reduced electric power consumption and miniaturization of liquid lenses, compared to conventional mechanical production methods. Based on these advantages, efforts to produce liquid lenses on an industrial scale have been rapidly made. The electrowetting phenomenon is currently utilized in a wide variety of applications, including display devices, optical devices and micro-electromechanical systems (MEMSs).
However, liquid lenses have not yet been put to practical use. Two major obstacles to the successful commercialization of liquid lenses are incomplete mechanical joining of elements and possibility of mixing between two solutions after a reliability test at a high temperature (+85° C.) for 96 hours or more.
The mechanism of the electrowetting phenomenon is not clearly established, and a liquid lens with superior high- and low-temperature reliability has not hitherto been reported. Although a number of patent applications describe mechanical constitutions of liquid lenses using the electrowetting phenomenon, they fail to disclose liquid compositions of the liquid lenses. Moreover, no mention is made in these patent applications about liquid compositions for liquid lenses that can primarily prevent the possibility of mixing between an electrolyte solution and an insulating solution at room temperature while taking into consideration the control of mixing between the two solutions arising after a reliability test at a high temperature.
Liquids for liquid lenses comprise an electrically conductive electrolyte solution and an electrically insulating solution. The two solutions must have the same density and a large difference in refractive index. In addition, the two solutions must have suitable viscosity and surface tension, which are requirements for the production and realization of lenses in a simple manner. For commercialization of liquid lenses, there must be no mixing between the two solutions after a reliability test at a high temperature (+85° C.) for 96 hours or more. However, chemical and physical reactions between the two solutions after a reliability test at a high temperature induce changes in the physical properties of the solutions, thus making it difficult to achieve high reliability of lenses.

Liquid for liquid lens with high reliability


The present invention provides an isolated nucleic acid encoding an approximately 26 kilodalton antigen, PEB1A, of Campylobacter jejuni, or an antigenic fragment thereof, wherein the antigen is associated with diarrheal disease. The present invention also provides methods of detecting the presence of a Campylobacter jejuni strain possessing the PEB1A antigen in a subject. Vaccines and treatments for C. jejuni infection are provided, as is a mutant C. jejuni not expressing a functional PEB1A antigen.

Campylobacter jejuni is now recognized as one of the leading causes of diarrheal diseases worldwide. Approximately two million cases of C. jejuni enteritis occur in the United States each year, and the actual incidence may be even higher for at least two reasons. First, C. jejuni is a fastidious bacterium which requires microaerobic environment (5% O.sub.2, 3-10% CO.sub.2) to grow, a condition that is not available in many clinical microbiology laboratories. Second, treatment of diarrheal patients with antibiotics for any reason may kill C. jejuni, thus causing conventional diagnostic methods based on culturing viable bacteria to yield false negative results. Thus, a new diagnostic technique is needed to detect C. jejuni bacteria, whether viable or not.
PEB1A is conserved in all clinical isolates of C. jejuni. Theoretically, it is possible to diagnose C. jejuni infection by detecting the common PEB1A structure in fecal specimens using immunological methods such as ELISA and Western blot but sensitivity may be low because PEB1A is only a minor component of the bacteria. Alternatively, use of PEB1A as antigen to detect specific antibodies for diagnosis of C. jejuni infection, while promising, has limitations caused by difficulty in obtaining large quantities of enough purified PEB1A. Thus, more efficient production of PEB1A is desirable.
Prior art attempts at vaccines and therapy for C. jejuni enteritis have suffered from incomplete knowledge of the important antigen and receptor interactions discussed herein regarding PEB1A.

Campylobacter jejuni antigens and methods for their production and use


A rotatable plug includes an upper cover, a lower cover mating with the upper cover, a mount placed in the lower cover, two conductive terminals fixed on the lower cover, a rotatable rack, two connecting members, two first conductive elements and two second conductive elements. The rotatable rack includes a pivot, two seats formed on opposite ends of the pivot and two prongs. Each seat defines a cavity and a leading opening communicating with the cavity. One end of each prong is received and secured on the cavity. The members contact with the corresponding conductive terminals. The first conductive elements are fixed on the other ends of the respective connecting members, and each first conductive element has a first conductive protrusion. One end of each second conductive element is fixed on the prong, and the other end is held in the leading opening and rotatably contacted with the conductive protrusion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a rotatable plug, and more particularly, to a rotatable plug with an arcing resistant mechanism.
2. The Related Art
With popularization of consumer electronics, various kinds of plugs, especially rotatable plugs come out. Due to their small size for carrying conveniently and beautiful appearance, the rotatable plugs are favored even more. With reference to FIG. 7, a rotatable plug is disclosed below according to a prior art.
The conventional rotatable plug 200 illustrated in FIG. 7 includes an upper cover 210, a lower cover 220 mating with the upper cover 210 to form a holding space, a mount 230 which is placed on the lower cover 220 and held in the holding space, a rotatable rack 240 and two conductive terminals 250 fixed on the lower cover 220 in juxtaposed relationship. Two slots 211 are formed longitudinally in parallel on the top surface of the upper cover 210. The rotatable rack 240 has a pivot 241, and the pivot is placed on the mount 230 rotatably. A seat 242 is formed at each end of the pivot 241. Two prongs 243 are provided, which are fixed on the seats 242 respectively and can be rotated around the pivot 241.
When the rotatable plug 200 is in use, the free end of each prong 243 passes through the corresponding slot 211 and is set on the vertical position exposed out of the upper cover 210 by rotating the rotatable rack 240 for electrically contacting with a receptacle. At this state, the other end of each prong 243 is electrically contacted with the corresponding conductive terminal 250. When the rotatable plug 200 is not in use, the free end of each prong 243 is held in the corresponding slot 211 completely by rotating the rotatable rack 240 reversely, and the other end of each prong 243 separates from the corresponding conductive terminal 250.
As described above, in the course of the conventional rotatable plug 200 being inserted into the corresponding receptacle, the prongs 243 often bias the position which the prongs 243 is exposed out of the upper cover 210 vertically, thus a gap is existed between the prong 243 and the corresponding conductive terminal 250, which may result in an arcing phenomenon. As is well known, the arcing terrifies users, and even more threatens the safety of the user. Furthermore, the arcing releases a lot of heat so as to make the conductive terminal 250 in high temperature. As a result, the conductive terminal 250 will be oxidized easily, and the lifetime of the rotatable plug 200 is reduced. Thus, there is a demand for providing a rotatable plug that can overcome the above shortcomings.