An adjustable binding system includes a frame and a highback pivotally coupled thereto. The highback includes a wing adjustably connected to a heel loop. The frame is adjustable via at least one length adjuster to provide adjustment of the toe to heel length of the frame so that the binding system can better accommodate varying sizes of boots. Additionally, the binding system is adjustable at the connection interface of the heel loop and the frame via forward lean adjusters to provide an adjustment of an angle of forward inclination between the highback and the frame. The binding system is further adjustable between the connection of the wing and the heel loop via a wing position adjuster to provide an adjustment of the height and medial to lateral positioning of the wing with respect to the heel loop. Each adjustment mechanism may be hand operated without the use of tools.

The sport of snowboarding has been practiced for many years, and has grown in popularity in recent years, establishing itself as a popular winter activity rivaling downhill skiing. In snowboarding, a rider stands with both feet atop a single board, and negotiates a gravity-propelled path down a snow-covered slope. Both of the rider's feet are secured to the snowboard, and the rider controls speed and direction by shifting his or her weight and foot positions. Controlling the snowboard is accomplished by rotating the snowboard about its longitudinal axis, thereby selecting which edge of the snowboard engages the snow, the angle of engagement, and the orientation of the snowboard with respect to the slope of the terrain.
In order to control the orientation of the snowboard, the rider wears boots that are firmly secured to the snowboard by snowboard bindings and in an orientation that is generally transverse to the longitudinal axis of the snowboard. Many snowboard bindings have been developed, generally categorized as either strap bindings (also called conventional bindings), where a pair of frames having straps for releasably securing the rider's boots is attached to the board, or step-in bindings, where cleat mechanisms are integrated into the sole of the snowboard boots and a complementary cleat-engagement mechanism is attached to the snowboard.
In strap bindings, the binding frame typically includes a flat base portion that receives the sole of the boot. The base portion attaches to the board, frequently in an adjustable manner such that the rider can select a particular angle between the boot axis and the board axis. Integral side walls extend upwardly from either side of the base portion, providing lateral support to the attached boot, and a highback is pivotally connected the rear of the frame and extends vertically therefrom. Due to the pivotal connection, the highback can be set at a pre-selected forward lean angle. Typically, two pairs of straps are included and attached to the frame side walls, the straps being adapted to extend over the rider's boots and adjustably interconnect, to secure the snowboard boots to the snowboard. The first pair of straps extends generally around the ankle portion of the boot, and the second pair extends generally over the toe portion of the boot.
Board control may also be affected by the height, medial to lateral positioning, and the amount of forward lean, i.e., the angle of the rider's leg with respect to the horizontal plane, of the highback. For example, as the height of the highback increases, its force transmission increases resulting in more responsive board control. Conversely, as the height of the highback decreases, its power transmission decreases resulting in less responsive board control. Additionally, as the forward lean increases, the rider is able to more efficiently set the edges of the board on the snow, resulting in improved board control. Accordingly, as a rider becomes more skilled at snowboarding, it is often desired to be able to adjust the binding such that the forward lean is adjusted. Further, the rider may often wish to change the height or medial to lateral positioning of the highback such that different maneuvers are possible and to provide improved rider comfort and performance.
The optimal adjustments of the binding is a function of several factors, such as the snow conditions on the slopes, the terrain of a specific run, and the particular form and ability of the rider. Since snow conditions and terrain often change from one run on a hill to another, snowboarders often want to adjust their bindings. However, adjustments on prior art bindings, such as forward lean or medial to lateral adjustments of the highback, are difficult to make on the hill because the rider must use a screwdriver or other tools to manipulate the adjustment mechanisms so that the binding can be adjusted to meet the demands of the rider. It is inconvenient or impractical to carry a tool out on the slopes, and it is often difficult to handle a tool barehanded in cold, icy conditions. Most snowboarders, accordingly, do not adjust the binding as often as they would like, and thus, most snowboarders do not get the optimum performance from their boards.

Snowboard binding system having multiple tool-less adjustments


A fuser entrance guide in an electrophotographic apparatus, which supports a sheet of copy medium as it enters the fuser section. The guide has a curved base plate that has vacuum ports both at the edges and across the central area thereof. The ports in the central area are arranged in rows with the exits of all ports in a respective row being fluidly connected by a groove formed in the lower surface of the base plate. The recessed area of the grooves reduce the total contact area of the sheet thereby reducing the drag forces on the sheet but, at the same time, increasing the holding force of the vacuum on the sheet.

In a typical electrophotographic machine (e.g. copier, duplicator, printer, etc.), a continuous loop of a photoconductor film is commonly used to transfer an image from an input section onto a copy medium (e.g. a sheet of paper or the like). The film is initially charged and passed through an input section where an image is projected onto the charged film. The film then moves through a developing section where toner is applied to the charged image, and on through an image transfer section where the toner is transferred to a sheet of paper or some other medium. The toner (i.e. image) is then fixed (i.e. fused) to the sheet by passing the sheet between a pressure roller and a heated roller within the fuser section of the machine.
In typical electrophotographic machines of this type, it is common to use a vacuum transport to transfer the sheet from the film loop to the fuser section. Often this vacuum transport is directly interfaced between the film and the fuser section wherein the vacuum transport receives the sheet from the film and passes it directly into nip between the rollers in the fuser section. This requires that the surface speeds of (a) the film loop, (b) the vacuum transport belt(s), and (c) the fuser rollers all have to be closely matched. If the speeds become mismatched, there may be relative movement between the film and the sheet while the image is being transferred onto the sheet thereby resulting in smearing of the image on the sheet.
When such relative movement occurs, it is normally at the trail edge of the sheet as the trail edge passes between the image transfer roller and the detack roller since, at this point, the trail edge is held in contact with the film only by electrostatic forces. The speed of the sheet, itself, is controlled by either the speed of the vacuum transport or the speed of the rollers in the fuser section depending on the length of the respective sheet. By matching the vacuum transport belt speed to the film speed, normally there will be no relative movement between the sheet and the film if the length of the sheet is shorter than the straight-line distance between the detack point and the fuser rollers.
However, for sheets longer than this straight-line distance, the sheet will be engaged by the nip between the fuser rollers while the trail edge of the sheet is still engaged between the transfer roller and the detack roller. If this happens, the sheet will move relative to the film and smearing will almost always occur. Therefore, it is imperative that the speeds of these components be synchronized and maintained throughout the entire copy operation.
Unfortunately, due to the dynamic nip mechanics present in all compliant fuser roller(s), the real possibility exists that the speed of the film in the image transfer section and that of the fuser rollers will become mismatched at some time during the copying operation. If and when this occurs, relative movement occurs and smearing appears at the trail edge of the sheet.
To alleviate this problem, some commercial machines have now abandoned any direct interface between the film and the fuser section and instead, use a curved or arched travel path between the image transfer and the fuser sections which is longer than the straight-line distance between these sections (i.e. curved path is longer than the length of any sheet to be used in the copy operations). This extended path effectively "de-couples" the speed of the fuser rollers from the speed of the film thereby eliminating the possibility of relative movement between the sheet and the film.
That is, since the trail edge of any standard sheet used in the machine, up to the maximum length designed for (e.g. up to 17 inches), will be clear of the detack roller before any slack in the sheet is taken out by the fuser rollers, this extended travel path creates a "buffer zone" between the image transfer section and the fuser section. Accordingly, if a speed mismatch should occur, the trail edge of a sheet will be clear of the detack roller before any "overdrive" in a sheet is taken up by the fuser rollers.
Typically, such an extended, curved travel path is provided by angling the vacuum transport away from the straight-line distance between the sections and then positioning a fuser entrance guide between the exit end of the vacuum transport and the entrance of the fuser section. The fuser guide is normally vacuum assisted along the edges thereof so that the sheet is held against the guide to orient the sheet as it enters the fuser section. This type of curved travel path and guides are known and has been commercially used, e.g. DIGIMASTER 9110, Heidelberg Digital L.L.C., Rochester, N.Y.
Where extended travel paths of this type are used, it is particularly important to prevent the trail edge of the sheet from falling away from the fuser entrance guide as the trail edge moves into the fuser section. If this happens, the unfused image on the moving sheet may contact other elements in the paper path before it enters the fuser section thereby again raising the possibility that smearing may occur. In known prior art guides of this type, vacuum ports are provided only near the outer edges of the guide's lower surface. Vacuum force through these ports hold the edges of the sheet against the surface as the sheet moves into the fuser. However, since there is no vacuum being applied against the center of the sheet, the possibility exists that the trailing edge and/or the central portion or the trail edge of the sheet may still sag or droop and contact other elements in the paper path thereby causing smearing at point(s) of contact.
Accordingly, it is highly desirable that the fuser entrance guide be able to hold the entire sheet against the guide without sagging until the sheet has passed completely into the fuser section.

Vacuum assisted fuser entrance guide for an electrophotographic machine


A continuous flexible metal band surrounding a molding wheel and rotating therewith engages the wheel through an arc less than 180.degree., e.g. 110.degree., and is maintained with a substantial inward radius of curvature throughout its entire length. This permits the employment of bands with cavities therein and having thicknesses several times greater than 0.001 times the diameter of the molding wheel without fatigue and failure of the band.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the continuous molding of polymer elements, such as thermoplastic slide fastener elements.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art contains a number of apparatus and processes for continuous molding of thermoplastic elements such as slide fastener elements on the edge of a continuous tape. U.S. Pat. No. 2,511,402 discloses such an apparatus including a drum member having cavities arranged on the periphery thereof with a noncircular annular member having cavities cooperating with the cavities in the drum member to form complete element cavities for molding elements on the edge of a tape positioned between the drum and annular member. There are a number of flexible strong metal materials, such as certain stainless steels, which can be employed for forming flexible belts or bands enclosing mold cavities in the periphery of a cavity wheel; however these bands have been limited to a maximum thickness generally about 0.001 times the diameter of the wheel since greater thicknesses heretofore have been subject to fatigue and breakage of the band after a relatively short period of use. When cavities are formed in the band, the band must have a sufficient thickness to accommodate such cavities. The formation of symmetrical slide fastener elements by molding directly on the edge of a tape requires cavities in the band of such depth, e.g. 0.15 centimeter in a band of 0.2 centimeter thickness, that a wheel with a very large diameter, e.g. two meters, would be necessitated to permit the use of a continuous molding apparatus employing a band and molding wheel; such large diameter molding wheels and consequently long bands would require a great deal of effort and expense to manufacture.

Method of molding using a molding wheel and flexible belt


Methods and devices are discussed where a plurality of input signals having different phases are provided. From the input signals, a plurality of signal pairs are selected, and intermediate signals are generated based on the signal pairs. The intermediate signals are then combined.

Phase combiner circuits are used for frequency multiplication, in particular for generating output clock signals having a higher frequency than an input clock signal. In such phase combiner circuits, conventionally a plurality of signals having a same frequency, but different phases are generated, for example using a delay locked loop (DLL) delaying an input signal or using a ring oscillator. This plurality of signals having different phases is then combined to form an output signal having a higher frequency.
Conventional ways for combining the plurality of signals having different phases include dynamically switching multiplexers, where one of the plurality of signals is for-warded to an output of the multiplexer in each clock cycle, for example controlled by a counter. This requires a fast switching of the multiplexer in each clock cycle. Another conventional approach uses a static chain of logic gates, for example exclusive OR (XOR) gates. Such approaches are usually prone to duty cycle distortions of the input signal and could even potentially lead to glitches on an output signal, for example, if a duty cycle is degrading over a delay line used for generating the input signals having the plurality of phases. For duty cycle correction or adjustment, additional circuits have to be used like current starved buffers or inverters, which require a control of transistor currents for duty cycle adjustment.


A work station is disclosed comprising: an envelope (20) having a top section (30), a bottom section (31), first (32) and second (33) end sections, and first (34) and second (35) side sections to shelter workers and to contain debris, each section being suspended between a supply means and a take-up means on a plurality of support means (63) about a structure that are mounted in a first motive means (21) on the structure to permit the envelope to be repositioned from time to time, scaffolding means (80-81) suspended by cables on a second motive means to permit a vertical degree of freedom and on a third motive means on a transverse beam (84) for a lateral degree of freedom, each beam being mounted on a fourth motive means on the support means to permit a longitudinal degree of freedom of movement.

It is known that routine maintenance of structures is necessary to prevent them from deteriorating to a point where they must be replaced rather than repaired. Bridges, in particular, require such routine maintenance but many are in extremely poor condition. Many bridges have been closed and torn down because they are unfit for safe passage. Replacement of bridges is expensive and wasteful. Routine repair is a more economical and sensible approach.
There are two fundamental impediments to conducting routine bridge maintenance. It is difficult to put men and equipment up in the air on a large bridge structure where they are exposed to the weather without risking their safety and without interrupting traffic. It is also difficult to ensure that the detritus from cleaning, scraping and painting will not contaminate soil and water surrounding the bridge. As a result bridge maintenance is often postponed or avoided and deterioration continues. The prior art discloses some equipment and methods relating to bridge maintenance but the problem of deteriorating bridges continues.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,011,710 entitled "BRIDGE MAINTENANCE METHOD AND EQUIPMENT" dated Apr. 30, 1991, describes a method in which surfaces of a structure are treated from a walkway within an enclosure suspended from the structure. The enclosure has a downwardly-converging cross section terminating in a vacuum conveyor for collecting and removing particles accumulating from the blasting process. The enclosure is preferably provided in modules. The vacuum conveyor removes the particulate material for transfer to conventional separating and re-cycling equipment. The enclosure and walkway are movably suspended from transverse guides secured to the structure. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,854,419 entitled "PARTICULATE CONTAINMENT CONTROL METHOD AND PLATFORM DEVICE" dated Aug. 08, 1989, describes a mobile containment platform method and system for sandblasting and the like used in bridge reconditioning and painting that requires removal of paint from the support structure of the bridge. The containment platform provides an entrapment envelop for spent abrasive and removed paint residue.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,201,275 entitled "MEANS FOR THE RENOVATING AND REFURBISHING OF OVERHEAD STRUCTURES" dated May 06, 1980, describes a method for furbishing or renovating large span overhead structures, for example the roofs of railway stations, or bridges and the like. It utilizes apparatus which comprises a plurality of runway beams suspended in spaced parallel disposition from the main ribs or framework of an overhead structure, the beams spanning a plurality of said ribs or framework and being longitudinally displaceable relative thereto, and a work platform or platforms suspended from said runway beams and being displaceable along the runway beams. Thus arranged, the overhead structure can be treated for substantially its entire length by alternately advancing the work platforms along the runway beams and the runway beams relative to the structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,848,516 entitled "MOVABLE SCAFFOLD" dated Jul. 18, 1989, describes a movable scaffold has a pair of hanger rails attached to a construction, first hanger units movably mounted on the hanger rails, beams operatively engaged with the first hanger units and laterally disposed with respect to the hanger rails, and a floor deck mounted on the beams. Second hanger units are provided for movably suspending the beams from the first hanger units.
German patent DD 241626 dated Dec. 17, 1986, describes an apparatus to enable a bridge to be painted without erecting a complete scaffold, and enabling road and rail traffic to continue to use the bridge. A roller grid is used, which can be slid the whole length of the bridge. It has an upper frame with a fixed wheel and a lower frame supported by a fixed roller on the bridge structure and attached to the upper frame.


In an analog/digital conversion circuit, selection signals XA, XB and XC inputted from a lower order comparing circuit unit 5 are assigned priority by weighting the same, in a selection signal weighting circuit 11. When a plurality of the selection signals XA, XB and XC are raised up to an "H", in that, (XA, XB, XC), (XA, XB), (XA, XC) or (XB, XC), line signals SC, SB, and corresponding to weighted selection signals having a higher priority XBO, and XAO are outputted as a higher order conversion code data D1. Thereby a more reliable signal is outputted as the higher order conversion code even if an erroneous operation is caused in the lower order comparing circuit unit 5 and the accuracy of the analog/digital conversion circuit is further enhanced in comparison with the conventional ones.

This invention relates to an analog/digital conversion circuit, and more particularly to an improvement of a series parallel type analog/digital conversion circuit which,, converts analog signals into digital signals while separating the same into high order and low order signals.
A conventional analog/digital conversion circuit (hereinbelow called as an A/D conversion circuit) which converts analog signals such as video signals into digital data, for example, an A/D conversion circuit called a two step series parallel type, is proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid Open Number 2-137420.
In FIG. 1, 1 shows the entirety of an A/D conversion circuit which separates a hold voltage VI obtained by sample-holding an input video signal VD into two steps of higher order bits and lower order bits and outputs four bit digital data D1, D2, D3 and D4.
In the A/D conversion circuit 1, a sample hold circuit 2 and reference voltage generating circuit 3 output the hold voltage VI, reference voltages VU1 to VU3 and VD1 to VD8 to a higher order comparing circuit unit 4 and a lower order comparing circuit unit 5.
The reference voltage generating circuit 3 is constituted by series connected sixteen resistors R1 to R16 between reference voltages VRT and VRB and twenty switching blocks SB12 to SB58 arranged in matrix form of 5 rows.times.8 columns as shown in FIG. 2.
The reference voltage generating circuit 3 is adapted to output the reference voltages VU1 to VU3, which are obtained by dividing the difference reference voltage VRT-VRB into four, to the higher order comparing circuit unit 4.
Further the reference voltage generating circuit 3 subdivides the difference reference voltages VRT-VU1 (VU1-VU2, VU2-VU3 and VU3-VRB) selected in the higher order comparing circuit unit 4 while incorporating its redundancy to obtain the reference voltages VD1 to VD8 and as well is adapted to output the hold voltage VI to the lower order comparing circuit unit 5 via lines L1A to L8B and output the reference voltages VD1-VD8 to the lower order comparing circuit unit 5 via lines L1B to L8B.
The higher order comparing circuit unit 4 includes three comparator arrangements 41 to 43, supplies the hold voltage VI to the non-inverted input terminals of respective comparators CU1 to CU3 in the comparator arrangements 41 to 43, and as well supplies the reference voltages VU1 to VU3 to the respective inverted terminals.
The higher order comparing circuit unit 4 compares these reference voltages VU1 to VU3 with the hold voltages VI, converts the comparison result into three sets of line signals SA, SB and SC via an encoder 6 constituted by wired OR circuits, and outputs the same to a selection circuit unit 7.
Herein the encoder 6, for example, outputs logic "0", 1" and "1" as the line signals SA, SB and SC when the output of an AND circuit AU1, and the selection circuit 7 outputs logic "0" or "1" in response to the output result of the selection signals XA, XB and XC.
Further, when the output of either of AND circuits AU2 to AU4 is logic "1" the selection circuit unit 7 outputs logic "0" or "1" in response to the output result of the selection signals XA, XB and XC thereby enabling correction of the detection result in the higher order comparing circuit unit 4.
Further, the higher order comparing circuit unit 4 outputs reference voltage control signals X1 to X4 of the comparator arrangements 41 to 43 to the reference voltage generating circuit 3 and causes the same to output the reference voltages VD1 to VD8 in response to the detection result to the lower order comparing circuit unit 5.
The lower order comparing circuit unit 5 as shown in FIG. 3 includes eight comparator arrangements 51 to 58, supplies the hold voltage VI to the non-inverted input terminals of the respective comparators CD1 to CD8 in the comparator arrangements 51 to 58, and as well is adapted to supply the lower order bit comparing reference voltages VD1 to VD8 to the inverted input terminals.
The lower order comparing circuit unit 5 compares the reference voltages VD1 to VD8 with the hold voltage VI and outputs the result of the comparison, and the encoder 8 converts the comparison result into code data and outputs the least significant bit D2 in higher order converted data and lower bits D3 and D4 in lower order converted data and as well outputs selection signals XA, XB and XC to the selection circuit unit 7.
The selection circuit unit 7 as shown in FIG. 5 is composed of an AND - OR circuit formed by transistors wherein three outputs from three sets of AND circuits having two input terminals are output via a three input OR circuit thereby when either of the selection signals XA, XB and XC is an "H" level signal (being a higher potential) one of the line signals SA, SB and SC is selected and is output as the most significant bit D1.
Namely, in the selection circuit unit 7, the AND circuits are formed by sets of transistors (Q1A and/or Q2A, Q3A), (Q1B and/or Q2B, Q3B) and (Q1C and/or Q2C, Q3C), the inverted output of the most significant bit D1 is obtained via a resistor R1 and as well the non-inverted output of the most significant bit D1 is obtained via a resistor R2.
Thereby, the selection circuit unit 7 operates to correct the code data of the most significant bit D1 when the video signal VD is in the vicinity of the quantization level of two higher order bits, for instance, the video signal VD is near the level of the higher order bit comparing reference voltages VU1, VU2 and VU3.
As shown in FIG. 6, a video signal is detected by the higher order comparing circuit unit 4 as a value of the second difference potential VU1-VU2 from the highest order, due to the overshooting of the sample hold circuit 2 and a logic "1" is output as the value of the most significant bit D1 at the time when the true converted value of the video signal VD into digital data D1, D2, D3 and D4 is "0111". If the value "111" is obtained as the second bit D2 and lower order bits D3 and D4 from the lower redundant bits, the selection circuit unit 7 outputs the output of the higher order conversion code data SC, in that logic "1" for the significant bit D1, out of the higher order conversion code data SA, SB and SC because only the selection signal XC is in "H" level. As a result, the output is corrected to "0111".
However, more than two signals of the selection signals XA, XB and XC can be rendered at an "H" level because of output error from the lower order comparing circuit unit 5, and an incorrect higher order bit D1 is possibly selected such that there arised a problem that a small error in the lower order comparing circuit unit 5 causes a large error in a higher order bit.
For instance in connection with the above occurrence when both outputs of the signals XA and XC are incidentally rendered to an "H" level, the selection circuit unit 7 outputs the line signal SA or SC, in that outputs logic "1" as the most significant bit D1 as a result "1111" is output as the digital data after A/D conversion. Therefore there arises a possibility that the correction based upon the lower order bits likely causes a large error.

Subranging analog-to-digital converter with priority weighted correction for the m.s.b. group


An apparatus is set forth wherein a cleaning fabric includes a flexible fabric sheet including an abrasive face and a soft cleansing face for the polishing and cleansing of associated golf balls. The cleansing fabric includes modifications that provides for a peel-away package insert of a cleansing solution, such as alcohol, to enhance a cleansing operation when opening of the packet is directed onto a cleansing surface of the fabric. The fabric further includes a further modification that includes a brush end and an abrasive cleansing end comprising a steel-wool type cleaner surface. The further modified fabric includes a transverse pocket positioned between laminated sheets for reception of a cleansing solution packet therewithin. The cleansing fabric is contained within a pouch, including a securement lid to be secured and worn to an individual's belt. A modified pouch includes a dispensing cavity for the fabric sheets and a second disposal cavity for containing the sheets subsequent to their use. A further modified container includes a cleansing powder contained within a first compartment, a water solution within a second compartment, and the cleansing fabric contained within a forwardly positioned storage pouch within the pouch of the instant invention.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of invention relates to golf ball cleaners, and more particularly pertains to a new and improved golf ball cleaning organization wherein the same is arranged for transport and securement to an individual's belt for cleansing of golf balls during a game playing procedure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of golf ball cleaning apparatus is well known in the prior art. The prior art has utilized golf ball cleaning apparatus to clean golf balls to ensure their trajectory and trueness of flight in a golf game. Further in contemporary golf courses, the courses contain a great degree of chemicals, such as fertilizers and the like, with adverse allergic type reactions to many individuals sensitive to such chemicals. The need for an effective cleaning organization is desirable and necessary in the contemporary playing of golf games. To this end, the prior art has addressed the problem to provide golf cleaning organizations. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,710,816 to Evans sets forth a semi-spherical shell provided with a sponge interior surface to direct a cleaning liquid, such as water, to a golf ball inserted within the semi-spherical shell.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,350,457 to Carnahan sets forth a golf ball washing organization wherein a container includes a cleaning bowl therewithin of a semi-spherical configuration with a tube to direct a cleansing solution to the golf ball upon insertion within the apparatus.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,464,072 to Norwell sets forth a cleaning device including an attached brush member and a spray bottle secured to a clip for support by a belt or the like of an individual golfer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,701,968 to Stoltzman sets forth a portable golf washing arrangement wherein a housing includes an elongate bulk cleansing chamber with an opening for receiving and securing the golf ball therewithin and a spray head for directing a cleansing fluid to the golf ball.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,736,877 to Clark sets forth a golf ball accessory holder for magnetic support of various items and accessories for use in the game of golf.
As such, it may be appreciated that there is a continuing need for a new and improved golf ball cleaning organization wherein the same addresses both the problems of effectiveness in the cleansing of golf balls and a means and manner for the containment and disposal of cleansing fabric utilized in the playing of the game of golf.


A control valve includes a seat portion through which the fluid passes, a poppet valve portion configured to move relative to the seat portion, a guide cylinder portion configured to guide the fluid having passed through the seat portion by an inner peripheral surface thereof, a poppet guide portion which is in sliding contact with the inner peripheral surface of the guide cylinder portion and supports the poppet valve portion, and a rectifying slit which is formed on at least one of the inner peripheral surface of the guide cylinder portion and an outer peripheral surface of the poppet guide portion.

In a fuel filling system for taking out fuel gas from a supply source of high-pressure fuel gas and filling it into a fuel tank, noise may be generated from a control valve such as a check valve interposed in a passage when the fuel gas flows at a high speed in the passage.
As a measure against this, JP2001-99340A discloses a check valve including an air damper in a valve body and configured to suppress the vibration of the valve body by resistance applied by the air damper.
JP2011-80571A discloses a check valve including a guide ring held in sliding contact with a shaft portion of a valve body and configured to suppress the vibration of the valve body by sliding resistance applied by the guide ring.


An RF signal blocking device includes a capacitor unit and an inductor unit defining an LC resonance circuit. The capacitor unit and inductor unit are set such that a cutoff frequency in the LC resonance circuit after disconnection by fusing of a second inductor including a fuse wire, among first and second inductors of the inductor unit, fluctuates within a prescribed frequency band. The RF signal blocking device reliably blocks an RF signal in a prescribed frequency band after an abnormality of fusing in the second inductor including a fuse wire occurs due to an input of an RF signal having an RF power value greater than or equal to a predetermined level.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an RF signal blocking device having a function of blocking an RF signal in a prescribed frequency band after an RF signal having an RF power value greater than or equal to a predetermined level is inputted.
2. Description of the Related Art
As illustrated in one example of a coil with a fuse function shown in FIG. 7, a coil 500 with a fuse function has been known which is configured such that a solenoid coil 503 is enclosed in a cylindrical glass tube 505 provided with conductive caps 504 at opposite ends. See, for example, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 9-330824. The solenoid coil 503 is including a fuse line 502 wound around an outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical ferrite core 501. Coil 500 with a fuse function has both a normal fuse function for protection from a short circuit current and an overload and a coil function which is useful for suppression of an inrush current and noise reduction, thus one element can achieve two functions. Therefore, a space for disposing coil 500 with a fuse function is reduced, so that high-density packaging of electronic equipment can be readily performed, enabling miniaturization of a device.
In recent years, communication mobile terminals such as mobile phones and mobile information terminals with a higher frequency have been developed. In a case where coil 500 with a fuse function described above is used for communication mobile terminals with higher frequency, the following problem may arise. In other words, even in a case where fuse line 502 is fused due to a flow of an overcurrent to coil 500 with a fuse function, when a high-frequency signal (RF signal) is provided, the fused portion of fuse line 502 may possibly be coupled by capacitive coupling, magnetic field coupling, or both to thereby transmit an RF signal through the fused portion of fuse line 502.


A lens drive device may include a fixed body, a movable body having a lens, a magnetic drive mechanism for magnetically driving the movable body in a lens optical axis direction, and a spring member which connects the movable body with the fixed body. The fixed body may include a base disposed on an imaging element side, a shield member which is formed in a cover shape and which is provided with a side plate part whose imaging element side end part is abutted with an object side face of the base, and a ground terminal which is a different member from the shield member and connected with the shield member. An imaging element side face of the ground terminal is supported by a ground terminal support part formed on the object side face of the base and a gap space is formed between the object side face of the ground terminal and an end part of the side plate part of the shield member.

A lens drive device which is mounted on a cell phone with a camera or a digital camera includes a fixed body, a movable body having a lens, a magnetic drive mechanism for magnetically driving the movable body in an optical axis direction of the lens, and a spring member which is connected between the fixed body and the movable body. The movable body is driven in the optical axis direction by utilizing a thrust force of the magnetic drive mechanism and an urging force of the spring member. Therefore, in the lens drive device, an electric current is required to be supplied from outside to the coil which is held by the movable body through a terminal. Further, in the lens drive device, a ground terminal may be connected to a yoke which covers the movable body and the magnetic drive mechanism for preventing electromagnetic noises from penetrating inside from outside or from being transmitted outside from inside.
A structure of the terminal has been proposed in which the spring member is divided into a plurality of spring pieces and a part of the spring piece is bent to form the terminal (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2008-122470).
However, since the spring member (spring piece) is formed of an extremely thin plate in consideration of elasticity, it is too weak in mechanical strength for utilizing as the terminal. Further, since the yoke is formed by drawing working, it is also formed of a thin plate. Therefore, it is difficult to integrally form the ground terminal in the yoke. Further, when the ground terminal is integrally formed in the yoke, since its mechanical strength is weak, the ground terminal may be deformed by an external force at the time of assembling work where the yoke is mounted on the lens drive device or at the time of transportation or forming in line of the yokes.
In order to solve the problem, the present inventors propose that the ground terminal is formed by using a different structural member from the spring member and the yoke and that the ground terminal is fixed to the yoke by soldering or the like. However, when the ground terminal is formed of another member, the ground terminal is required to draw outside of the yoke and a structure for supporting the ground terminal is required. In order to attain this structure, it is conceivable that the ground terminal is disposed on a member structuring the fixed body so that the ground terminal is supported by the fixed body and the ground terminal is drawn outside through abutting portions of two structural members, for example, through abutting portions of a base that is disposed on an imaging element side and the yoke. However, if this structure is adopted, a gap space may occur between the abutting portions of the base with the yoke and thus the gap space may occur problems such as variation of the dimension of the lens drive device.


Pharmaceutical compositions comprising trimethoprim and a N-ethyl-.gamma.-pyridone-3-carboxylic acid derivative, such as nalidixic, oxolinic or piromidic acid, are more effective than previously known trimethoprim-containing compositions for the treatment of infections affecting the urinary tract.. Trimethoprim and the foregoing acid derivatives unpredictably show a noticeable synergistic effect.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to novel trimethoprim-containing pharmaceutical compositions and to the use of such compositions for the treatment of infections affecting the urinary tract. More specifically, the trimethoprim-containing composition of this invention are useful therapeutics in the treatment of acute and chronic infections of the urinary tract due to Gram-negative bacteria.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Trimethoprim, 2,4-diamino-5-(3,4,5-trimethoxybenzyl) pyrimidine, is a long since known, widely used antimicrobial agent.
Generally, trimethoprim has been used as compounded preparations with sulphamethoxazole (Co-trimoxazole). Also trimethoprim/rifampicin compositions have been described.
Recently, an increasingly severe criticism has been raised against the foregoing trimethoprim-containing compositions.
Co-trimoxazole may cause any of the side-effects typical of sulphonamides. These latter require close supervision of the patient because the onset of serious intoxication is unpredictable. As known, sulphonamide toxic effects range from relatively minor effects such as nausea, vomiting and drowsiness to serious complications, like renal complications (lumbar pain, haematuria etc.), allergic reactions (e.g. skin rashes) and even hepatitis.
The trimethoprim/rifampicin composition has been reported to produce abnormalities in liver function caused by the hepatotoxic nature of rifampicin. Alterations in kidney function and renal failure have also been reported.

Pharmaceutical compositions comprising trimethoprim and N-ethyl-.gamma.-pyridone-3-carboxylic acid derivatives

Sigma-Tau Industrie Farmaceutiche Riunite S.p.A.


The invention relates to the use of pH measurements of tissue as a system for controlling diagnostic and/or surgical procedures. The invention also relates to an apparatus used to perform tissue pH measurements. Tissue pH measurements can be used as a method to determine ischemic segments of the tissue and provide the user with courses of conduct during and after a surgical procedure. When ischemia is found to be present in a tissue, a user can effect an optimal delivery of preservation fluids to the site of interest and/or effect a change in the conduct of the procedure to raise the pH of the site.

It is well known in the art to determine the pH in body fluids by using an electrode cell assembly and immersing the measuring electrode into a sample of the bodily fluid. The pH is known to be the symbol for the negative logarithm of the H+ ion concentration. The pH value of the blood makes it possible to estimate the carbon dioxide level of the blood, for example. The increased carbon dioxide concentration in the blood indicates that the organs of the body are not being provided with enough oxygen, which can ultimately prove harmful.
It is also known in the art to measure tissue pH in myocardial tissue. Measurement of pH in myocardial tissue has been used to determine the presence of myocardial ischemia, as indicated by a decrease in pH. During cardiac surgery, the aorta is cross clamped and the myocardium is deprived of its blood and nutrient supply. To avoid potential damage to the heart, the pH of the myocardium can be monitored to determine tissue acidosis and thus the onset of myocardial ischemia.
There is an ongoing need, however, for further improvements in methods for diagnosing and treating ishemic tissue.
While ischemia or tissue acidosis, in cardiac tissue has been measured, methods to prevent and/or reverse cardiac acidosis were unknown. Surgeons did not know how to reverse tissue acidosis once discovered. The present invention relates to a method of using tissue pH measurements to diagnose ischemia and/or gauge the conduct of an operation by determining whether a site is ischemic. The current invention also provides methods by which tissue acidosis can be corrected once discovered.
The present invention relates to pH-guided management of tissue ischemia or the use of pH measurements of tissue as a system for controlling diagnostic and/or surgical procedures. A preferred embodiment of the invention relates specifically to an apparatus and method which is applicable to patients undergoing cardiac surgery. It employs a tissue electrode and monitor and comprises a series of steps that in a preferred embodiment are aimed at achieving a homogeneous distribution of cardioplegic solution during aortic clamping, and at insuring adequate revascularization of ischemic segments of the myocardium. The method using pH-guided myocardial management guides the conduct of operations, prevents damage to the heart, extends the safe period of oxygen deprivation, and improves the outcome of patients undergoing heart surgery.
The use of the pH-guided myocardial management method to identify ischemic segments of a myocardium can provide a user with options for specific courses of conduct, both during and after, the surgical procedure. These options include: effecting an optimal delivery of preservation solutions to the heart to reduce ischemia, assessing the adequacy of coronary revascularization following a heart surgery procedure, identifying viable but nonfunctioning heart muscle, prompting changes in the conduct of the surgical procedure, monitoring the pH of the heart muscle post-operatively and evaluating the efficacy of newer myocardial protective agents.
There are several methods of delivery of a pH electrode, used in pH-guided myocardial management, to a site of interest. The electrode can be delivered manually by the user. The electrode can also be delivered by a catheter through a percutaneous incision. The electrode can also be delivered by an endoscope, a colonscope or a laparoscope to a site of interest. Thus, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the method can be applied to other tissue measurements such as brain tissue, kidney tissue, musculo-cutaneaus flaps or the small or large intestines. In another embodiment, the pH of transplanted organs, such as liver or kidney, can be measured to assist in the diagnosis and/or treatment of rejection since acidosis is an early sign of rejection.
Other methods can also be used to measure pH, including, in certain applications, surface pH measurements, magnetic resonance measurements, or optical methods using fiber optic probes.
When a user has found that tissue acidosis is present at a site of interest, the user can effect an optimal delivery of preservation fluids, or cardioplegia fluids, to the heart to raise the pH of the site. Several methods of providing optimal delivery of the cardioplegia solutions to the site are available to the user. These methods include: altering the flow rate of the preservation fluid, altering the temperature of the fluid, altering the site of delivery, repositioning the tip of the catheter, selectively directing the preservation fluid through the manifold, applying direct coronary artery pressure on the proximal portion of the artery, occluding the left main coronary artery with a balloon catheter, inflating the balloon of a retrograde coronary sinus catheter, administering a bolus of cardioplegia through the orifice of a right coronary artery and accelerating a surgical procedure.
When a user has found that tissue acidosis is present at a site of interest, the user can also prompt changes to the conduct of the surgical procedure to raise the pH of the site. Several methods of changing the surgical procedure are available to the user. These methods include: determining the need for revascularization of a specific segment of the myocardium, changing the order of revascularization, providing for additional revascularization, changing the operation or the surgeon to reduce ischemic time, canceling an operation and delaying the weaning of a patient from cardiopulmonary bypass.
The pH electrode itself can have a cable connected to a silver wire where the silver wire is an Ag/AgCl (silver/silver chloride) wire. The cable and wires are encased in a housing which is encased in shrink tubing. The electrode has a glass stem which houses the silver wire, a thermistor, a pH sensor, and a gelled electrolyte. The electrode has a bendable joint which allows the user to adjust the positioning of the electrode prior to or during use and which facilitates electrode removal after chronic insertion. The glass stem is pointed to allow direct insertion into tissues. In a preferred embodiment, the glass stem is made of lead glass.


A negative glow discharge lamp having improved color stability and increased life includes a light-transmitting envelope which contains an ionizable medium including mercury and a gaseous fill. The gaseous fill includes neon and a predetermined amount of krypton. The krypton is in an amount equal to less than five percent of the gaseous fill.

A negative glow discharge lamp typically is comprised of an hermetically sealed light-transmitting envelope in which are located a cathode and an anode supported by associated lead-in wires. A phosphor coating is provided on the inner surface of the lamp envelope. A quantity of fill gas and mercury are introduced into the lamp during manufacturing. An example of a such a negative glow discharge lamp is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,904,900, which issued to Bouchard et al and is assigned to the same Assignee as the present application.
Operation of a typical glow discharge lamp is as follows. Electrical heating of the cathode causes thermionic emission of electrons. These electrons are accelerated to about 15 electron volts of energy by the presence of a sheath of positive mercury ions about the cathode. These electrons impinge on gas and especially mercury atoms causing ionization with the release of secondary electrons. Both the primary and secondary electrons can excite mercury atoms such that they give up their acquired energy in the form of ultraviolet photons. It is these UV photons that strike the phosphor and cause it to emit visible light. Electrons enter the anode to complete the electrical circuit through the lamp.
Negative glow discharge fluorescent lamps differ principally from conventional positive column fluorescent lamps in that the electrons in the plasma thereof comprise entirely energetic primary electrons accelerated by the cathode fall and secondary electrons released by collision of those primary electrons with atoms in the gaseous phase of the lamp. There is no low voltage gradient positive column in which the electrons acquire a "drift" velocity.
In order to achieve reasonable discharge efficiencies in a negative glow discharge lamp (e.g., 30 lumens per watt or higher), it is necessary to use a fill gas that is not readily ionized or excited by the energetic primary electrons, which have energies on the order of 15 electrons volts. Argon, and the heavier inert gases, are excited by such electron energies and typically result in lumen losses of 40 percent or more compared to neon. Helium, which is the most resistant inert gas toward ionization or excitation, also has been found to promote serious lamp efficiency losses relative to neon by virtue of its low atomic mass and resulting high elastic scattering losses. Much test data has therefore shown that the use of neon as the fill gas is optimum for negative glow fluorescent lamps.
An undesirable consequence of the use of neon as the fill gas in such lamps is that any conditions that tend to elevate lamp operating voltage, as for example low ambient temperature, result in red neon excitation and a disturbing nonuniformity of color from lamp to lamp. Such color shift is often seen during lamp starting, and also occurs under certain dimming conditions. The ability to dim negative glow fluorescent lamps over essentially their full operating range is one of the attractive features of such lamps. A ballast supply that provides elevated voltage spikes in its waveform can promote ongoing neon excitation during lamp life. Additionally, the ability of the lamp to realize such elevations in voltage results in significant sputtering of the cathode coating and a reduction in lamp life relative to what the life could be if the discharge voltage were somehow more of less truncated at, for example, 14.5 volts.
Various quantities of krypton have been used in the fill of fluorescent glow lamps not containing mercury. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,409,769 teaches the use of preferably neon when cadmium borate is used in the coating to give red or pink light. According to the patent, the characteristic red light produced by the neon will supplement that produced by excitation of the coating. A small amount of krypton (i.e., less than one percent) is added to the neon.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,421,571 relates to another fluorescent glow lamp without mercury. The gaseous atmosphere taught by the patent consists of true inert gases which do not condense at ambient or operating temperatures. According to the patent, when atmospheres of certain materials such as mercury vapor are used, the life and efficiency of the lamp is greatly impaired by condensation which blocks out a substantial portion of the visible light emitted from the lamp. In one example of pink and yellow lamps, a gaseous mixture of 95 to 99 percent neon and the rest krypton is taught.
Although the use of krypton in standard positive column fluorescent lamps is well known, its use in negative glow type discharge lamps of high desired lumen output (e.g., over 100 lumens) has been considered detrimental to those skilled in the art of negative glow discharge lamp making.

Negative glow discharge lamp having improved color stability and enhanced life


A plastic closure includes an annular ring durably attached to the container, and a sealing assembly installed in the ring to seal the mouth. The sealing assembly includes a plug having a sealing lip on its lower face and a release lever connected to the plug by a flexible hinge. A tab on the release lever can be lifted to pry the sealing assembly out of the opening. The ring has a free edge directed downwardly and inwardly so as to permit the plug to pass easily through the opening during assembly, or resealing, but to resist removal of the plug sufficiently to prevent it from being forced off the container by pressure within the container.

This invention relates to the art of closures for liquid containers, and more particularly to a snap-in closure for a beverage container or the like.
There are a number of closures which are pushed into the mouth of a container, or a fitting at the mouth, seating with a "snap". Typically, there is an interference fit between the parts, at least one of which elastically deforms during installation sufficiently to allow cooperating detent structure or the like to engage. Known snap-fit plastic closures have certain disadvantages. For one, in order to safely hold high pressure in a container, the required interference fit between the seal plug and the locking ring of the closure may result in an unacceptably large resealing force when one attempts to press the closure back into place. This is particulary so for large-mouth closures. And some such closures are damaged in the opening process, so they cannot be resealed at all.
Also, as resealable closures are vulnerable to tampering, it is desirable to provide a tamper evidencing scheme which is difficult or impossible to defeat.


A roller configuration for a grass mowing machine is provided to reduce roller overlap marks. The roller configuration may be used on a grass mowing machine having a first row of cutting units and a second row of cutting units. Each cutting unit has a roller with a reduced diameter portion adjacent a full diameter end portion. The full diameter end portions of the rollers on the first row of cutting units are aligned with the reduced diameter portions of the rollers on the second row of cutting units during mowing operations, and the reduced diameter portions of the rollers on the first row of cutting units aligned with the full diameter end portions of the rollers on the second row of cutting units during mowing operations.

Grass mowing machines such as greens mowers, fairway mowers and trim mowers are commonly equipped with several cutting units, each cutting unit having one or more rollers that roll in contact with the ground for supporting the cutting unit during operation. The rollers may be vertically adjustable for establishing the height at which vegetation is cut. The rollers also may provide a desirable striping pattern on the turf by pressing down the grass after it is cut. For example, a smooth roller, typically coupled to the rear portion of the cutting unit, may smooth out or flatten the surface of the ground after the cutting unit has passed over it.
Many grass mowing machines have one or more cutting units in a first or front row, followed by one or more cutting units in a second row. Each cutting unit in the first and second rows may be laterally offset from one another so as to pass over and mow adjacent strips of ground. However, if a second row cutting unit's roller overlaps the path of a first row cutting unit, the striping pattern may be marred with roller overlap marks. Smooth rollers may leave overlap marks where rollers on the first and second rows of cutting units push the same grass down. Grooved rollers may leave overlap marks where the first and second rows of cutting units tend to stand the grass up more.
To reduce the overlap marks, some grass mowing machines have shortened the rear rollers. Although shortened rollers reduce the overlap marks, the shortened rollers fail to support the end of the cutting unit sufficiently to maintain a constant height of cut, and also may leave marks where the outside edges of the rollers dig into the turf. Additionally, some grass mowing machines have light weight hollow rear rollers. However, hollow rollers may fail to provide striping patterns that are desired.
It is desirable to reduce overlap marks from rollers on grass mowing machines having at least two rows of cutting units. It is desirable to reduce roller overlap while maintaining a constant specified height of cut.

Roller configuration having reduced overlap for a grass mowing machine


The present invention provides a backlight module and a liquid crystal display apparatus. The backlight module comprises a light guide plate; a base disposed at one side of the light guide plate; a light source disposed on the base; and a reflective element configured to reflect light rays which are emitted from the light source to a light-incident surface of the light guide plate, wherein the reflective element includes a reflective curved surface and a first reflective plane connected thereto. The backlight module and the liquid crystal display apparatus of the present invention can have a high coupling efficiency.

Liquid crystal displays (LCDs) have been widely applied in electrical products. Currently, most of LCDs are backlight type LCDs, and comprise a liquid crystal panel and a backlight module. According to the position of the light sources, the backlight module can be classified into a side-light type or a direct-light type.
Referring to FIG. 1, FIG. 1 is a structural diagram showing a conventional side-light type backlight module. The backlight module comprises a light guide plate 101, a light source 102, a reflective device 103, a base 104, a reflective sheet 105, a back bezel 106 and light source reflective films 107. In general, the reflective device 103 is an oblique reflective face. By using an optical simulation software to simulate, it is found that a portion of the light rays which are reflected by the reflective device 103 can not enter the light guide plate 101, and are reflected back to the light source 102, resulting in a greater loss (greater than 15%) to a coupling efficiency of the backlight module.
As a result, it is necessary to provide a backlight module and a liquid crystal display apparatus to solve the problems existing in the conventional technologies, as described above.

Backlight module and liquid crystal display apparatus

Shenzhen China Star Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd.


A computer-implemented method includes searching resources related to an application in response to receiving a query, identifying an operation in the application that satisfies the query, and exposing an object that provides access to the identified operation, within the application.

Software applications installed on systems, e.g., computer systems, enable users to perform a variety of operations ranging from simple text entry to complicated computations. Some applications, e.g., applications in the Microsoft® Office suite offered by Microsoft Corporation (Redmond, Wash.), are visible to the user and enable user interaction through a user interface that is provided to the user when an application is launched. Other applications, e.g., virus scanning applications, operate in the background and do not always require user interaction. Applications that offer a user interface can include one or more menus including selectable objects that represent operations that a software application can perform upon being selected by a user. An operation can be represented by a corresponding title containing text or icon containing an image, or both, and displayed in the user interface.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A device for detecting an object moving in a space includes a measuring device aimed at the object, the measuring device detecting a distance pattern which contains the distances of at least two different points on the object to the measuring device. The measuring device detects the object in the space if at least one part of the distance pattern remains constant over time.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and a method for detecting and determining the position of a moving object in a space, and more particularly relates to docking guidance system for supporting a docking procedure of an aircraft at a gate in an airport.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an airport, docking guidance systems are used for providing information to aircraft pilots concerning the position of their aircraft when docking at the gate with the aid of signals and directing them into the exact parking position in front of the gate. This is necessary because the jetway must be placed exactly at the aircraft door for boarding and disembarking. An indicator panel in front of the aircraft at the pilot's eye level indicates to the pilot the distance to the final stopping point, the parking position. To that end, the docking guidance system must generally identify the aircraft type of the aircraft to be parked. Often the approach velocity to the gate is displayed in addition. In conventional docking guidance systems, lasers, LADAR, ground sensors or video cameras having automatic image recognition are used for ascertaining this information. However, the performance of such optical systems decreases sharply in certain situations. For example, optical systems are capable of determining the position of an aircraft at great distances very imprecisely. Also, unfavorable light and weather conditions severely limit the accuracy of the position determination. If the aircraft moves in front of a background having a color similar to that of the aircraft, the absence of contrast also adversely affects the measuring result.
Published international patent application document WO 2009/047292 A1 describes a detection device having a radar sensor, which scans a passing aircraft from two different angles on a taxiway in order to determine if the aircraft is rolling on the center line of the taxiway.

Distance determination and type of aircraft determination during docking at the gate


This disclosure relates to the inductive charging of portable electronic devices. In particular, a charging assembly is disclosed that allows a portable electronic device to be charged in multiple orientations with respect to a charging device. The charging assembly includes two or more separate inductive receiving coils. The inductive receiving coils can be arranged orthogonally with respect to one another by wrapping one or more secondary receiving coils around a ferritic core having two legs extending in different directions from a joint region. By orienting the receiving coils orthogonally with respect to one another, the likelihood of at least one of the receiving coils being aligned with a charging field emitted by a charging device increases substantially.

Conventional wireless charging applications generally rely upon precise alignment of transmission and receiving coils to achieve efficient wireless charging. In particular, the efficiency of inductive charging drops rapidly with any misalignment of the transmission and receiving coils. This limits the number of ways in which a charger for an electronic device can be designed. The extra time necessary to ensure the coils are aligned for charging can remove some of the convenience that ought to be associated with wireless charging.


A handle return assembly removably attachable to an escutcheon. The removably attachable assembly may include a housing to be attached to the escutcheon and a hub rotatably disposed within the housing for operably connecting an operating handle to a drive spindle. A torsion spring may bias the hub toward an initial position. At least one stopper plate may interact with the cartridge housing for limiting rotational motion of the hub relative to the housing. Selectively positioning the stopper plate and the spring relative to the housing provides the assembly with the ability to provide a right-handed operation and a left-handed operation.

Door handles are present on nearly every door in a home. Typically these handles rotate to retract a latch and allow the door to be swung open. Then, in almost every case, the handle automatically returns to its original home position with the latch extending from the door stile once again. Handle return components can be prone to wear after repeated use over time. As these components wear, the force available to return the handle to the home position weakens. In some cases, where the handle is a lever, the weight of the lever causes a torque around the axis of rotation and may eventually lead to the handle sagging, i.e. resting below an intended home position.
Some handles are biased to a home position by features incorporated into the case of a mortise lock. These embodiments may require replacement of an entire lock if the lever return mechanism becomes worn. In other existing embodiments, biasing features are integrated with escutcheons on either side of the door. Escutcheons, however, are often uniquely configured for placement on either an interior or exterior side of door. As a result, the handing of the door must be known in order to acquire the proper set of escutcheons with integrated biasing features.
There is a need for a handle return design that allows for improvements associated with the installation or replacement of these elements eliminating the need for prior knowledge of a door's handing.


A synthetic route for forming lithium trisubstituted borohydride compounds comprises the step of reacting a processed lithium hydride reactant with a trisubstituted borane wherein the reaction is maintained for a period of time in a temperature range of approximately 15.degree. C. to approximately 42.degree. C. A method of synthesizing LiH comprises the step of reacting an alkyl lithium (for example, n-butyl lithium) with hydrogen in the presence of tetrahydrofuran. The reaction temperature is preferably maintained in the range of approximately -78.degree. C. to approximately 25.degree. C.

Since the early 1970's there has been a strong interest in synthesizing alkali metal trisubstituted borohydride reagents because of their unique reactivity and synthetic utility in organic chemistry. Lithium trisubstituted borohydrides reagents, for example, are used in organic synthesis primarily as regioselective and stereoselective borohydride reducing agents. Most preparations of lithium trisubstituted borohydrides have focused on the reaction of lithium hydride or lithium aluminum reagents and trialkyl boranes to produce the above mentioned compounds. The reaction formula below represents the reaction of lithium hydride and a trisubstituted borane. ##STR1##
Unfortunately, there has been little success in synthesizing sterically hindered lithium trisubstituted borohydride reagents from commercially available lithium hydride and corresponding sterically hindered trisubstituted boranes. Indeed, a number of investigators have noted that hindered and highly hindered trisubstituted boranes are essentially inert towards lithium hydride. See, for example, Brown, H. C. et al., J. of Organometallic Chem., 166, 27-280 (1979); Brown, H. C. et al., J. of Organometallic Chem., 188, 1-10 (1980); Brown, H. C., Tetrahedron, 37, 2359-2362 (1981); and Thompson, et al., J. Org. Chem., 44:26, 5004-5005 (1979).
It is believed that processed or commercially available lithium hydrides are not highly reactive in such reactions. Even with special washing and activating procedures, sterically hindered trisubstituted borohydrides (for example, lithium tri-sec-butylborohydride) cannot be produced in commercially viable yields from commercially available lithium hydrides. See, Hubbard, J. L., Tet. Let., 29, No. 26 3197-3200 (1988). In that regard, the yields from such reactions are less than 10% in 24 hours based upon the amount of the limiting reagent consumed in the reaction.
There are some indication that lithium hydride (LiH) formed in situ, may be more reactive toward sterically hindered substituted boranes than commercially available LiH. For example, it is known that n-butyl lithium slowly thermally decomposes by evolution of 1-butene and precipitation of LiH. J. Org. Chem, 30, 4138 (1965). The generation of LiH from n-BuLi is more efficient by hydrogenation of n-BuLi in the presence of tetramethylethylenediamine (TMEDA). J. Am. Chem. Soc., 60, 2336 (1938); J. Am. Chem. Soc., 88, 5668 (1966); and J. Am. Chem. Soc., 52, 4299 (1987). One literature report indicated that LiH produced by this method with one equivalent of TMEDA was of sufficient reactivity to react with tri-sec-butylborane to generate lithium tri-sec-butylborohydride. Andres, H., Synthesis and Applications of Isotopically Labeled Compounds, 40-45 (1991); and 83-90, (1994). The present inventors have discovered, however that TMEDA, even when used in catalytic amounts, imparts impurities in the lithium trialkylborohydride which are detrimental to intended usage.
It is very desirable, therefore, to develop commercially viable methods of producing sterically hindered lithium substituted borohydride reagents that do not suffer from the problems associated with current synthetic routes.

Method of synthesis of lithium substituted borohydride reagents and method of synthesis of reactive lithium hydride


The invention relates to a method for operating a telecommunications network and a telecommunications network for mobile telecommunication, having a network register in which identifier of mobile terminals and network-related user data of the terminals are stored. The network register is formed from a peer-to-peer network having a multiplicity of decentralized register nodes which are networked with one another and are each associated with a geographic region. Hash tables are held in the register nodes, in which hash tables the identifiers of the terminals are stored as hash values and the user data is stored associated with these hash values. The network has at least a first node associated with a geographic region at which a terminal can register, and a second node, which is permanently assigned to the terminal and is associated with a geographic region. The terminal registers with the first node by transmitting the identifier, when it is located in the first region. The first node then determines network-related user data of the mobile terminal on registration, and determines the hash value for that identifier. This hash value is used to determine the second node. The first node either transmits the network-related user data to this second node or itself stores this user data in his hash table together with the hash value and transmits only its own address in the network to the second node. Either the network-related user data or the address of the first node is then stored, associated with the hash value, in the hash table of the second node.

For operation of a mobile radio network it is known to use a so-called home location register (HLR) in order to reach and to localize the terminals of mobile radio subscribers in the mobile radio network. The home location register is a central database that is an essential component of a mobile radio network. The mobile radio terminals are stored with the associated phone numbers (MSISDN, mobile subscriber ISDN), their status, that is to say whether or not they are registered in the mobile radio network, and their current location. In order to set up a communication link between a first mobile radio terminal and a second mobile radio terminal, the home location register is first of all checked to determine whether the second mobile radio terminal is registered in the mobile radio network. If this is the case, the register determines the cell in which the subscriber to be called is located, that is to say where it is registered, and the call is routed to the respective radio cell of the mobile radio network. The terminal is then reached, and can accept the call.
This technology that is currently used by the mobile radio operators, leads to an extremely large central database that manages the network-related user data of all subscribers in the mobile telecommunications network. This database is associated with a temporary buffer store, the so-called visitor location register (VLR) that is located in a mobile switching center (MSC) of a cell, and in which user data are stored for those mobile radio terminals that are currently located in the geographic coverage area of that switching center. The home location register and the visitor location register furthermore contain user's main data, by means of which authorization verifications can be obtained for authentication purposes. Further information relating to the home location register and the visitor location register is defined in international Standards, as specified by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) or the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).
The so-called home subscriber service (HSS) represents a further development of the home location register (HLR). This is a database that is used for authentication and authorization of users within the so-called IP multimedia subsystem (IMS). The IMS is a collection of specifications of the 3GPP, with the purpose of standardizing access to services based on different network technologies. The home subscriber server therefore provides similar functions as the home location register, although these functions have been developed specifically for Internet-protocol (IP)-based networks. The home subscriber server comprises user data such as user profiles, data for user authentication and data relating to the location of the user within the network. The home subscriber server is also implemented as a central entity with a large database in the network.
The disadvantage of such central databases is obvious. On one hand, an enormous size is required for the databases, in order to store the user data of all network subscribers. This results in high hardware costs and considerable technical complexity, in order to provide the memory capacity and the high data transfer rate for simultaneous access to a plurality of user data items in the database. On the other hand, a central database involves a considerable failure risk, with the communication throughout the entire network collapsing if the database fails.
In the field of wired IP (Internet Protocol)-based networks, so-called peer-to-peer networks are known, in which all the network nodes have equal authority and are connected to one another, and in which data is stored in a correspondingly decentralized form, distributed across the network. Central entities such as databases for storage of user data can be saved in this way. When using this technology, the user data is stored in the terminals that are used for communication, that is to say the computers that are connected to the network.
So-called distributed hash tables are used to store and find data. These are used to find data elements in a large data set, by providing an index structure in the form of a table. Distributed hash tables (DHT) make it possible to distribute data objects as uniformly as possible across all the nodes, allowing routing to a specific network node, independently of the location of a certain entry point.
Consistent hash functions form the basis of distributed hash tables and are used to allocate keys in a linear value range to the data objects. In this case, the value range is distributed as uniformly as possible between the network nodes of the node quantity, with each node being responsible for at least one subspace of the key space. In the hash tables, information is stored in the form of a data pair comprising the key, also referred to as the hash value, and information associated with it. When a search is carried out for a specific data object in a peer-to-peer network, this can be done by means of distributed hash tables such that the hash function is used to calculate a hash value for the name (identifier) that identifies the data object, which hash value contains the memory location of the data object in the network, thus making it possible to search for the data object at the correct location. With the name converted to a hash value, distributed hash tables represent an efficient mechanism for storage and finding of information items associated with the hash value.


Hypoxia selective cytotoxins having the structural formula ##STR1## wherein D, E, F and G, independently, are carbon or nitrogen, with the proviso that three or more of D, E, F and G are carbon; R.sub.1 and R.sub.2, independently, are selected from the group consisting of methyl, halo, hydro, trifluoromethyl, methoxy, cyano, and methylsulfo; R.sub.3 and R.sub.4, independently, are selected from the group consisting of methyl, ethyl, phenyl, naphthyl, tertiary butyl, halo, halomethylene, hydro, trifluoromethyl, cyano and methylsulfo, or R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 taken together are a substituted or unsubstituted five or six-membered nonaromatic ring system; n is an integer 1 through 5; X is carbon or nitrogen; and Z is a physiologically acceptable anion, are disclosed. The compounds are useful as radiosensitizers or chemosensitizers, especially in the treatment of cancer patients.

Malignant tumors often demonstrate a resistance to radiation therapy and chemotherapy. The resistance of physiologically hypoxic regions within solid tumors during cancer treatment is an important reason for the failure of radiotherapy and chemotherapy to eradicate such tumors.
Investigators have made progress in understanding the basic cellular and molecular mechanisms of therapeutic resistance. Many of these investigative efforts have focused on intrinsic cellular characteristics. However, there is an aspect of therapeutic resistance which is related to the physiologic and biochemical state of the cell, and not to intrinsic cellular properties. In other words, cells which are otherwise sensitive to cytotoxin treatment under normal physiologic conditions, are resistant because of their particular physiologic state within the tumor.
For example, it has long been known that hypoxic, i.e., oxygen deficient, cells are relatively resistant to killing by radiation. To achieve the same proportion of cell kill, about three times the radiation dose is required for hypoxic cells compared to the radiation dose required for well-oxygenated cells. Thus oxygen has the ability to sensitize cells to ionizing radiation at clinical radiation doses. Overcoming this resistance of hypoxic cells has been investigated as a means of improving the efficacy of ionizing radiation.
Multiple mechanisms have been proposed to explain hypoxic resistance to radiation therapy and chemotherapy. The proposed mechanisms involve kinetic, metabolic, and physical factors. For example, hypoxic cells frequently are noncycling and therefore are refractory to proliferation-dependent cytotoxic drugs. In addition, the cell can be in a metabolically-compromised state and unable to concentrate and activate potentially-effective agents. The distance between a cell and blood vessels also can be greater than the diffusion distance of many chemotherapeutic agents.
Efforts to overcome hypoxia in clinical cancer treatments have involved the development of hypoxic cell radiosensitizers and chemosensitizers which substitute for, or mimic, oxygen.
Cell kill by ionizing radiation is caused by damage to the DNA. The target radical on the DNA, designated "DNA-", is produced by either direct ionization or reaction with hydroxyl radicals produced radiolysis of neighboring water molecules. Reaction with oxygen produces a peroxyl radical, DNA-O.sub.2., which forms products leading to irreversible DNA damage. Radiosensitizers are designed to mimic oxygen by reacting with DNA radicals to form covalent adducts at the radical sites.
As discussed hereafter, the ability of oxygen or a sensitizer to enhance cell kill is reflected in the enhancement ratio, i.e., OER for oxygen and SER (sensitizer enhancement ratio) for the sensitizer. The OER is dependent on the concentration of oxygen present at the target at the time of irradiation. Similarly, the oxygen-mimicking effect of a hypoxic cell sensitizer (SER) depends primarily on the concentration of sensitizer at the target at the time of irradiation. However, the oxygen-mimicking sensitizers preferentially affect hypoxic cells, which typically comprise only about 20% of the tumor. Therefore, in estimating the degree of enhancement of cell kill, the SER applies only to hypoxic cells, not to the entire tumor.
It is well established that bioreductive compounds, such as nitroimidazole-based compounds, potentiate the cytotoxic effects of radiation and several chemotherapeutic agents towards hypoxic tumor cells, both in vitro and in vivo. Bioreductive compounds are readily activated by metabolic reduction in a hypoxic environment and enhance the susceptibility of hypoxic tumor cells to radiation and conventional anticancer drugs.
Bioreductive agents typically are compounds of high electron affinity. Bioreductive agents have the ability to kill hypoxic cells directly because of their preferential reductive metabolism under hypoxic conditions, where the limited oxygen concentration cannot significantly antagonize the reduction process. In addition, solid tumors develop physiological hypoxia to a greater degree than normal tissues, and evidence exists that tumor cells have relatively high levels of reductive enzymes.
Bioreductive agents in hypoxic cells therefore mimic the oxygen effect in oxygenated cells during irradiation, and cause fixation of radiation-induced damage to DNA or other vital macromolecules. Thus, bioreductive agents act as radiosensitizers of hypoxic cells. Bioreductive agents can also act as chemosensitizers for conventional anticancer drugs by enhancing the susceptibility of hypoxic tumor cells to chemotherapy.
The combination of a sensitizer with either radiation or a conventional anticancer drug helps overcome the problem of hypoxic cell resistance to cancer therapy. Chemosensitization in vitro usually is demonstrated by pretreating cells with a sensitizer under hypoxic conditions before exposure to the chemotherapeutic drug, often an alkylating agent, under aerobic conditions. This "preincubation effect" is attributed predominantly to a reduction of the sensitizer which occurs under hypoxic conditions.
Investigators have searched for improved hypoxic cell sensitizers that are non-toxic to aerobic and that concentrate more effectively in tumors. One hypoxic cell radiosensitizer is misonidazole (MISO), an electron-affinic 2-nitroimidazole which has shown some benefit in certain situations. However, MISO exhibits significant neurotoxicity and, consequently, the total dose of MISO that can be administered to a patient is limited. Another hypoxic cell sensitizer is etanidazole (SR-2508), a neutral compound which is more hydrophilic than MISO, is less neurotoxic, and can be administered to humans at about a threefold higher dose than MISO.
A third hypoxic cell sensitizer is pimondazole (Ro 03-8799), which contains a basic piperidine moiety and has a total dose limitation similar to MISO. A fourth compound, RSU-1069, is a bifunctional molecule containing a 2-nitroimidazole group and an alkylating aziridine. In experimental systems, RSU-1069 has a substantially greater activity than MISO, and is toxic to hypoxic cells in vitro at about a 100-fold lower concentration compared to the toxic concentration for aerobic cells.
Bioreductive radiosensitizers also have an ability to significantly enhance the activity of several chemotherapeutic agents, such as, e.g., cyclophosphamide, nitrosoureas, L-phenylalanine mustard (i.e., L-PAM or 4-[bis(2-chloroethyl)amino]-L-phenylalanine), cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) (i.e., cis-DDP) and doxorubicin, in vitro and in vivo. This enhancement of chemotherapeutic activity is known as chemosensitization or chemopotentiation.
Although significant progress has been made in developing bioreductive drugs as radio- and chemosensitizers, further development is necessary because none of the bioreductive drugs tested to date has shown impressive clinical results. Currently, therefore, there is a strong interest in targeting bioreductive agents to DNA in order to improve the radio- and chemosensitizing properties of such agents. Efforts to increase cytotoxic efficacy have centered on increasing the concentration of sensitizer within DNA as opposed to increasing the average intracellular concentration. Some investigators targeted DNA by combining an alkylating agent with bioreductive functional groups within the same drug (e.g., RSU-1069). Other investigators used transition metal coordination complexes such as platinum and ruthenium to target nitroaromatic radiosensitizers to DNA. However, these metal coordination complexes often are less effective as radiosensitizers than the free radiosensitizer molecule, even though the one electron reduction potential (a property related to sensitization efficiency) can be increased in some platinum complexes compared to the free sensitizer molecule.
Another approach to improve targeting of bioreductive agents to DNA involves using an intercalating moiety such as a phenanthridine or an acridine, which inserts itself between two adjacent sets of base pairs of the DNA. Non-covalent binding to DNA, such as through intercalation, permits migration of the radiosensitizer to DNA sites where radiation induced radicals are created.
For example, NLP-1, 5-[3-(2-nitro-1-imidazolyl)-propyl]phenanthridinium bromide, a 2-nitroimidazole-linked phenanthridine, has been synthesized. The synthesis, hypoxic cell cytotoxicity and radiosensitization of NLP-1 has been reported by R. Panicucci et al., Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys., 16, pages 1039-1043 (1989), incorporated herein by reference. ##STR2##
An acridine-based hypoxia selective cytotoxin is preferred over the phenanthridine-based compound because acridine is a better intercalator than phenanthridine. Nitracrine, 1-nitro-acridine, is a potent hypoxia selective cytotoxin and a radiation sensitizer in mammalian cell cultures; however, rapid metabolism limits the radiosensitization efficacy of nitracrine in vivo. See, P. B. Roberts et al., Radiation Research, 123, pages 153-164 (1990), incorporated herein by reference.
An acridine-based hypoxia selective cytotoxin that is relatively stable in vivo therefore is preferred. In addition, it is preferred that the hypoxia selective cytotoxin does not bind tightly to DNA. For example, 1-nitracrine, which exhibits faster dissociation kinetics from DNA than the other nitroacridine isomers, is twenty times more potent as a sensitizer than other nitracrine isomers tested.
Papadopoulou-Rosenzweig et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,294,715, incorporated herein by reference, discloses hypoxia selective cytotoxins having the structure ##STR3## wherein n is from 1 to 5, and NO.sub.2 is in at least one of the 2, 4 or 5-positions of the imidazole ring.
The compounds disclosed in Papadopoulou-Rosenzweig et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,294,715 include an aromatic acridine moiety and are useful as radiosensitizers and chemosensitizers. These acridine-based compounds are electron affinic and exhibit strong DNA intercalating properties. However, the acridine-based compounds demonstrated a less than expected radiosensitization in vivo. This unexpectedly low radiosensitization has been attributed to restricted mobility of the acridine-based compounds along the DNA backbone, and to low extravascular diffusion in tumors. Mobility along the DNA backbone is considered a significant factor with respect to trapping radiation-induced radicals and providing good radiosensitization and chemosensitization efficacy.
Investigators therefore have continued efforts to develop a hypoxia selective cytotoxin and sensitizer having a lower affinity to bind to DNA and having enhanced efficacy. Accordingly, the present invention is directed to bioreductive cytotoxins which enhance the cytotoxic activities of ionizing radiation and chemotherapeutic agents to hypoxic cells, which are inherently cytotoxic to hypoxic cells, and which are essentially nontoxic to aerobic cells.

DNA-affinic hypoxia selective cytotoxins


A method for blow molding a superplastic metal plate by in relation to time applying to it pneumatic pressure that is based on a maximum value of a strain rate of the superplastic metal plate as a set pattern of pneumatic pressure in relation to time when the metal plate is subjected to a high-speed blow molding after being heated to a desired temperature, comprising the steps of: entering data on a shape into which the metal sheet is to be blow molded and on properties of a material of the metal plate to store the data in a storage; determining a set pattern of a pneumatic pressure in relation to time from the entered data on the shape and the properties of the metal sheet; dividing the set pattern of the pneumatic pressure into an appropriate number of parts in relation to time; determining the values of parameters for controlling the pneumatic pressure for each part divided from the set pattern of the pneumatic pressure; and controlling the pattern of the pneumatic pressure using the determined values of the parameters for controlling the pneumatic pressure.

This invention relates to a method and a system for blow molding a superplastic metal plate by applying to it a pattern of pneumatic pressure (a curve of the pneumatic pressure in relation to time) that is based on the maximum value of the strain rate of the superplastic plate as a set pattern of pneumatic pressure in relation to time when the superplastic plate is subjected to a high-speed blow molding.
Recently a method has been developed for blow molding a superplastic plate such as an aluminum plate after it has been heated to a desired temperature. Since in this method the shape and the thickness of the plate vary as its formation proceeds, maintaining proper superplastic conditions relating to the strain rate is difficult, and there is a difficulty in achieving a stable formation. Thus, a system for controlling the pneumatic pressure of the blow molding such that the maximum strain rate of the plate is kept constant during its formation has been discussed. In an example of this conventional control system, the maximum value of the strain rate is kept at a desired value (see Plasticity and Work [Journal of the Society of Japan Plastic Work] 31, 1990, p.1128, by Akio Takahashi, et al., and Materials Science Forum, Vols. 304-306, 1990, p.777, by N. Suzuki et al.). Since in this control system the strain rate of superplastic material is in an order of 10xe2x88x923 [1/s] and the obtained pattern of pneumatic pressure varies gradually, the strain rate can be easily controlled.
However, recently a high-speed blow molding has been developed, wherein the strain rate of superplastic material is equal to or more than 10xe2x88x922 [1/s], which is faster by one order than the conventional strain rate, resulting in less time being required for blow molding it. Since in such a high-speed blow molding the optimal pattern of the pneumatic pressure to keep the maximum value of the strain rate at a desired value varies greatly, it became difficult to control the pattern of the pneumatic pressure as desired by a conventional blow molding machine.
The present invention has been conceived in view of such circumstances. The purpose of it is to provide a method and a system that can appropriately perform blow molding even if the strain rate of a superplastic material is more than 10xe2x88x922 [1/s], wherein a pattern of pneumatic pressure based on the maximum value of the strain rate is applied to the material as a set pattern of the pneumatic pressure.
To the above end, in one aspect the method of the present invention of blow molding superplastic material is a method for blow molding a superplastic metal plate wherein pneumatic pressure in relation to time and based on a maximum value of a strain rate of the superplastic metal plate is applied to the metal plate as a set pattern of pneumatic pressure in relation to time when the metal plate is subjected to a high-speed blow molding after being heated to a desired temperature, comprising the steps of: entering data on a shape into which the metal sheet is to be blow molded and on the properties of a material of the metal plate to store the data in a storage; determining a set pattern of pneumatic pressure in relation to time from the entered data on the shape and the properties of the metal sheet; dividing the set pattern of the pneumatic pressure into an appropriate number of parts in relation to time; determining values of parameters for controlling the pneumatic pressure for each part divided from the set pattern of the pneumatic pressure; and controlling the pattern of the pneumatic pressure using the determined values of the parameters for controlling the pneumatic pressure.

Blow molding method for superplastic material and system


An aircraft design where the one or multiple numbers of vertical stabilizer each has a lifting propeller.

Generally, a drone is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) either remotely controlled by a user or is autonomously flown. Drones are known to perform various functions both in military and civilian applications. In particular, a drone can carry a payload, capture images or videos, collected data, and survey the environment. There are drones that are considered fixed-wing drones which generally have longer flight time and faster flight speed. There are also drones that are considered vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) multicopter drones which generally have slower flight speed when compared to fixed-wing drones.
A VTOL multicopter drone of the related art consists of a body and a number propellers each driven by a motor. The number of propellers are typically even numbers such as four, six, or eight. These motors are supported on radially-extending support arms. VTOL multicopter drones have multiple propellers each having a plane of rotation that is generally parallel to the ground, thereby allowing the VTOL drone to vertically takeoff and land.
A fixed-wing drone of the related art typically has a fuselage, a pair of wings, a pair of horizontal stabilizers. Traditional fixed-wing drones takeoff and land using a runway. Fixed-wing drones, however, are also known to have some propellers each having a plane of rotation that is generally parallel to the ground, thereby allowing the fixed-wing drone to vertically takeoff and land similar to a VTOL multicopter drone.
Whether it is a VTOL multicopter drone or a fixed-wing drone with vertical takeoff and landing capabilities, the propellers in these drones are driven by a motor. Each motor is configured to drive one propeller. Each motor is encased in a motor housing.
Recently, VTOL multicopter drones designed for civilian application equipped with four, six, or eight propellers are popularly used. In these drones, the motor that drives each propeller is located directly underneath each propeller within a noticeable motor housing.
There is a continuing need for new ways to design the aerodynamics of VTOL multicopter drones and fixed-wing drones.
All referenced patents, applications and literatures are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Furthermore, where a definition or use of a term in a reference, which is incorporated by reference herein, is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply. The disclosed embodiments may seek to satisfy one or more of the above-mentioned desires. Although the present embodiments may obviate one or more of the above-mentioned desires, it should be understood that some aspects of the embodiments might not necessarily obviate them.

Aircraft vertical stabilizer having a lift propeller and the method of using the same