There are provided 5,6-dihydro-4H-benzo[b]thieno-[2,3-d]azepine derivatives which are useful in the treatment of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection and for the prevention of disease associated with RSV infection.

Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a pneumovirus of the paramyxovirus family and the most common cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia in infants under one year of age. Most children become infected with RSV prior to their second birthday resulting in 75-125,000 hospitalizations. The associated medical costs are thought to exceed $650 million annually in the United States alone. In addition, early-life, respiratory viral infections, notably with RSV, increase the risk of the subsequent development of childhood asthma (Holt and Sly, 2002.). RSV infection can produce severe, lower respiratory tract disease in patients of any age. The elderly, as well as those having compromised cardiac, pulmonary or immune systems are particularly vulnerable and it is estimated that some 14,000 deaths occur annually in the United States in subjects over 65 years old. In addition, RSV infection is increasingly regarded as an important precipitator of exacerbations in patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (Mohan et al., 2010) as well as asthma (Newcomb and Peebles, 2009) and cystic fibrosis (Abman et al., 1988). In immuno-compromised adults approximately 50% of upper respiratory tract infections with RSV progress to pneumonia.
The initial portal of entry by RSV is through the nose or eye rather than the mouth (Hall et al., 1981). Once established in the upper respiratory tract the virus is able to migrate readily into the lungs. The pathophysiology of RSV infection was investigated in a study of lung tissues obtained from deceased children (Johnson et al., 2007). Examination of tissues from four individuals revealed immunostaining of epithelial cells indicating the presence of RSV, without basal cells being affected. The epithelial localisation of the pathogenic organism provides a challenge to treatment since a supra-effective concentration of the drug substance has to be maintained at the discrete cellular site to enable the infection to be treated and subsequently cleared.
The RSV virus exists as two antigenic sub-groups: A and B. Viruses of the RSV A strain were formerly regarded as the sub-group pathogens responsible for the majority of clinical disease and were reported to produce a more symptomatic pathology (Walsh et al., 1997; Panayiotou et al., 2014). A common RSV A strain is RSV A2 (Olivier et al., 2009). However, during a recent outbreak in China virus strains from the RSV B sub-group were found to predominate in the afflicted population (Zhang et al., 2010).
Over the last two decades considerable progress has been made in the treatment of a number of viral diseases including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and both hepatitis B and hepatitis C. In all these cases gold standard therapies have evolved that consist of combination treatments that were brought about, at least to some extent, in response to the emergence of drug resistant disease.
FDA-approved drugs for the treatment of acute RSV infections comprise of (aerosolised) ribavirin and the humanised monoclonal antibody, palivizumab (Synagis). The latter agent targets the RSV fusion (F) protein and is limited to prophylactic use in high risk paediatric patients. Furthermore, clinical variants resistant to neutralisation by palivizumab were recently identified (Zhu et al., 2011) and therefore no truly effective vaccine is currently available. The use of ribavirin is limited by its low potency against the virus and by concerns over its side-effect profile. Consequently there is an urgent, unmet need for the discovery of novel, safe and effective therapies against RSV infection having an improved clinical profile. Moreover, in view of the emerging prominence of the RSV B strains in clinical disease it is highly desirable that these treatments be efficacious against infections arising from both RSV A and RSV B strains.


A multi-port memory array is associated with wordlines and bit-lines to perform data read/write operation and has multi-port memory cells each of which includes multiple ports through which the wordlines and bit-lines are provided, multiple transistor devices each of which corresponds to each of the multiple ports and is coupled to a wordline and a bit-line through a corresponding port, each transistor device being gated by a wordline and having a conduction path of which a first end is connected to a bit-line, and a charge storage device commonly connected to a second end of a conduction path of each of the transistor devices, where the charge storage device is charged when any of the plurality of transistor devices is activated. A system for addressing the multi-port memory array includes a conflict detector for detecting a conflict between two or more of the row address signals to generate a conflict control signal corresponding to the conflict detected, a priority logic circuit for performing a logic operation with respect to the request command signals based on a predetermined priority logic to generate prioritized signals, and a selection unit for selecting one of a request command signal and a prioritized signal corresponding to the request command signal in response to the conflict control signal, where a signal selected by the selection unit selects a corresponding one of the row address signals.

1. Field of the Invention
The apparatus and method of present invention relates generally to memory systems, and more particularly relates to a multi-port memory cell having reduced transistor count and a method of accessing row addresses in a multi-port memory array.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Multi-port dynamic random access memory (DRAM) is well known in the prior art, as is volatile static random access memory (SRAM). DRAM has a distinct advantage of utilizing a fewer number of transistors than its SRAM counterpart, thereby enabling much higher memory densities to be fabricated on a single integrated circuit (IC) chip. A disadvantage of using DRAM has been its relatively slow access time, primarily due to a relative large wordline capacitance typically employed to store the logic state of the memory cell in a large DRAM array. It is also required in DRAM that data be restored after read operation and regularly refreshed. Moreover, once power is removed from the DRAM, all data is lost or otherwise invalid. Therefore, for certain applications, such as for cache architectures which often require high speed memory access, SRAM has found considerable advantage in that it has the ability to latch its data without refreshing the data. SRAM also can provide a much faster access time for writing to memory, as compared to conventional DRAM. Furthermore, since data stored in memory cells are not destroyed after read operation, memory access operation in SRAM does not require data write-back operation.
However, the cost for the added benefits of SRAM is that the number of transistors used to fabricate a memory cell is considerably higher than its DRAM counterpart. Consequently, the storage density for SRAM is considerably lower than for DRAM, thereby making the cost per byte of storage significantly higher for SRAM than it is for DRAM, even considering that the additional memory refresh timing requirements and associated circuitry for DRAM are more complex.
As an example of a typical multi-port DRAM configuration, consider U.S. Pat. No. 5,923,593 to Hsu et al. Hsu et al. disclose a four-port DRAM structure having four transistors, with each transistor connected to a common capacitor for storing the logical state of the memory cell. As is typically the case in conventional DRAM configurations, however, in order for the data stored in the DRAM cell to remain valid, the data must be periodically refreshed. Moreover, when power is removed from the DRAM, all data is lost.
An example of a four-port SRAM is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,260,908 to Ueno. Ueno discloses a four-port SRAM array which does not require periodical data refresh. However, each memory cell in the four-port SRAM array requires sixteen transistors, instead of four transistors plus a capacitor in case of four-port DRAM memory cell, thus it has relatively large size of memory array.
There remains a need, therefore, in the field of multi-port memory, for a multi-port memory cell that does not require refreshing, and the circuitry associated therewith, and is fabricated with a minimal number of circuit components, thereby providing cost effective high density memory storage capability on a single integrated circuit chip.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a memory array having multiple ports which are accessible by multiple wordlines simultaneously. The memory array includes multiple memory cells each of which has multiple ports associated with the multiple wordlines.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a multi-port memory cell that is fabricated using a minimum number of circuit components and utilizing a cross-shape memory cell layout to improve the overall packing density of the memory array.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a multi-port, two-way memory array that can be simultaneously accessed with multi-port capability in the row (horizontal) direction or the column (vertical) direction.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method for accessing a multi-port memory array without suffering data contention problems.
The present invention revolutionizes multi-port memory design by providing a memory device or cell including a single transistor for each port, each of the transistors sharing a common floating gate. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a multi-port memory cell is provided which comprises a plurality of ports through which the wordlines and bit-lines are provided, a plurality of transistor devices each of which corresponds to each of the plurality of ports, is coupled to a wordline and a bit-line through a corresponding port and gated by a wordline, and also has a conduction path of which a first end is connected to a bit-line, and a charge storage device commonly connected to a second end of a conduction path of each of the plurality of transistor devices, where the charge storage device is charged when any of the plurality of transistor devices is activated.
Each of the transistor devices preferably has a gate terminal coupled to a wordline and a drain terminal coupled to a bit-line. Source terminals of the transistor devices are operatively connected together and form a source line, and the source line is connected to the charge storage device.
The above-described memory cells may constitute a memory array which has multiple ports each of which is associated with a corresponding port of each of the memory cells, where a group of memory cells are accessed by a group of wordlines through corresponding one of the multiple ports of the memory array. The memory cells may be divided into at least four groups including a first group of memory cells accessed by a first group of wordlines through a first group of ports, a second group of memory cells accessed by a second group of wordlines through a second group of ports, a third group of memory cells accessed by a third group of wordlines through a third group of ports, and a fourth group of memory cells accessed by a fourth group of wordlines through a fourth group of ports. The first through fourth groups of wordlines simultaneously access the first through fourth groups of memory cells, respectively.
In accordance with another form of the present invention, a two-port, two-way memory array is provided which includes multiple two-port, two-way memory cells which are simultaneously accessed by one of first and second sets of wordlines, wherein the wordlines are divided into the first set of wordlines arranged in the row direction and the second set of wordlines arranged in the column direction.
The present invention also provides a system for addressing a memory array having multiple ports through which request command signals and row address signals are provided. The system preferably comprises a conflict detector for detecting a conflict between two or more of the row address signals to generate a conflict control signal corresponding to the conflict detected, a priority logic circuit for performing a logic operation with respect to the request command signals based on a predetermined priority logic to generate prioritized signals, and a selection unit for selecting one of a request command signal and a prioritized signal corresponding to the request command signal in response to the conflict control signal, wherein a signal selected by the selection unit selects a corresponding one of the row address signals.
The conflict detector preferably includes a comparison unit for comparing the row address signals to generate conflict signals each of which represents a conflict between two of the row address signals, and a logic operation unit for performing a predetermined logic operation with respect to the conflict signals to generate the conflict control signal representing a conflict between a certain row address signal and at least one of other row address signals.
The priority logic circuit preferably includes a plurality of inputs each of which receives one of the request command signals through corresponding one of the multiple ports, and a plurality of outputs each of which generates one of the prioritized signals to the selection unit, each of the prioritized signals corresponding to each of the request command signals.
The selection unit preferably includes a plurality of selectors each of which has a first input receiving a request command signal, a second input connected to corresponding one of the plurality of outputs of the priority logic circuit to receive a prioritized signal corresponding to the request command signal, and a third input receiving a conflict control signal from the conflict detector, wherein a selector selects one of the request command signal and the prioritized signal in response to the conflict control signal.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments thereof, which is to be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like elements are designated by identical reference numerals throughout the several views.

Multi-port memory device and system for addressing the multi-port memory device

International Business Machines Corporation


A robotic jellyfish comprises a torque reaction engine and a jellyfish body, wherein the torque reaction engine cyclically oscillates and causes a wave to propagate across the jellyfish body, accelerating thrust fluid and propelling the robotic jellyfish.

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/101,901 discloses a torque reaction engine (TRE), which may be used in a watercraft to achieve a fish-like motion. The resulting craft swims like a fish or marine mammal, without the myriad parts that plague other mechanical craft that attempt to swim like a fish or marine mammal.
At times it may be desirable to swim in other modes, such as like a jellyfish.


An electrolytic capacitor includes: an anode body; a dielectric layer formed on the anode body; a first conductive polymer layer covering at least a part of the dielectric layer; and a second conductive polymer layer covering at least a part of the first conductive polymer layer. The first conductive polymer layer includes a first conductive polymer and a first dopant. The second conductive polymer layer includes a second conductive polymer, a second dopant and a polycarboxylic acid.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to an electrolytic capacitor having a conductive polymer layer.
2. Description of the Related Art
As small-sized, large capacitance, and low equivalent series resistance (ESR) capacitors, promising candidates are electrolytic capacitors including an anode body on which a dielectric layer is formed and a conductive polymer layer formed so as to cover at least a part of the dielectric layer. The conductive polymer layer includes a π-conjugated polymer, and a dopant such as polyanion. With use of the dopant, conductivity is further imparted to the π-conjugated polymer.
An attempt has been made to improve performance by adding additives to the conductive polymer layer. For example, Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 2008-109065 suggests formation of a conductive polymer layer including a π-conjugated conductive polymer, a polyanion, an ion-conductive compound, and a conductivity improver.

PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.


A forming machine (10) is disclosed as including a rotary drive mechanism (30) that provides accurate control of the degree to which forming is performed. The drive mechanism includes a pair of drive members (34) mounted for movement with a pair of elongated dies that are preferably embodied as die racks (22, 24) mounted on lower and upper bases (12, 14) of the machine. A toothed drive gear (32) is meshed with drive teeth (52) on each of the drive members and is rotatably driven by a drive spindle to thereby move the drive members and hence the dies in order to form a workpiece mounted between the dies. The drive mechanism has particular utility in a machine for forming a thin-walled annular sleeve of a workpiece mounted on a toothed mandrel (38) between the dies. An automatic loader is preferably utilized to mount the workpiece on the mandrel such that movement of the dies engages the die and mandrel teeth with the workpiece sleeve therebetween in order to provide the forming.

Prior art forming machines include a pair of forming dies mounted for movement between an end-to-end relationship and an overlapping relationship such that forming faces thereof engage a workpiece supported between the dies in order to provide forming of the workpiece. Usually the elongated dies are in the form of rectilinear die racks which are slidably mounted on upper and lower machine bases that define a work space forward of a rear connecting portion extending between the bases. See for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,995,964 and 3,793,866, the latter one of which is assigned to the assignee of the present invention. However, it is also possible to have the elongated dies mounted on rotary spindles such that partially circular forming faces thereof form a workpiece mounted between the spindles in the manner disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,045,988 which is also assigned to the assignee of the present invention.
In the prior art machines of the above described type, the dies are separately driven by a pair of drive motors whose driving action is coordinated by one or more gears in order to insure an equal extent of movement of each die. Hydraulic piston and cylinder units function as the drive motors for the machine of the U.S. Pat. No. 2,995,964 and the driving movement of forming die racks upon piston rod retraction and extension is coordinated by a gear that is meshed with a pair of coordinating racks in order to insure an equal extent of movement of each forming die rack. Rotary hydraulic motors are utilized in the machine of the U.S. Pat. No. 3,793,866 in order to drive the forming die racks and are interconnected by a gear train that insures an equal extent of movement of each forming die rack. Likewise, the elongated dies of the rotary forming machine of the U.S. Pat. No. 4,045,988 are also driven by a pair of hydraulic motors whose driving operation is interconnected by a gear train. With such types of machines, a small amount of backlash that may be present with the coordinating gearing can permit one of the dies or die racks to continue to move a very small distance on the order of one or several thousandths of an inch, after the other die or die rack has already stopped moving.
Solid workpieces are usually formed by the type of machine described above to include gear teeth or splines and, once forming has been performed over the complete circumference of the workpiece, the formed teeth or splines also help to coordinate the movement of the forming dies or racks. Formed teeth or splines on solid workpieces usually have the requisite strength to provide the coordination between the driving movement of the associated pair of dies or die racks due to the solid nature of the teeth or splines.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,982,415 and 4,028,922, both of which are assigned to the assignee of the present invention, disclose forming machines and dies thereof that are capable of forming splines or teeth in a thin-walled annular sleeve of a workpiece. This type of forming is particularly useful for forming power transmission members such as splined clutch hubs used for vehicle automatic transmissions. Forming begins by mounting of the workpiece with its sleeve positioned over a toothed mandrel located between the dies which are positioned in an end-to-end relationship. Movement of the dies from the end-to-end relationship into an overlapping relationship meshes the die and mandrel teeth with the sleeve of the workpiece located therebetween so as to provide forming of the splines or teeth on the sleeve. It has been found that forming of such thin-walled sleeves requires an accurate control of the extent of die movement in order to provide sleeves whose formed splines or teeth are of a precise shape without any out of roundness. In this connection, reference should be made to the U.S. Pat. No. 4,028,922 which discloses a die tooth pattern and forming process for preventing out of roundness on the formed sleeve. Also, it is very important that the dies move in a precisely coordinate manner whose extent of movement is accurately controlled so that the forming terminates immediately after all of the splines or teeth have been formed in order to prevent deformation of the formed teeth or splines by continued movement of one or both dies.

Forming machine including rotary drive mechanism


The present invention relates to applicators for inserting objects into body cavities, and to methods for making the same. The applicators are particularly useful for inserting catamenial and prophylactic devices into a vaginal canal. The applicators comprise a tubular insertion member and a retrofitted gripping member. The gripping member has an outer diameter greater than that of the insertion member. An interface is created due to this size differential, which provides a visual or tactile cue of applicator insertion depth, and thereafter object positioning within the body cavity. The gripping member comprises at least one raised area on its outwardly disposed surface, providing resistance to movement of the user""s manual digit in response to longitudinal forces on the insertion member. Longitudinal forces are created during both the insertion step of use, as well as the expulsion step delivering the contained object from the insertion member into the body cavity.

The present invention provides an applicator comprising a tubular insertion member and a retrofitted gripping member. The applicator is particularly useful for delivering a catamenial device into the vaginal canal, such as a tampon or menstrual collection cup.
Applicators for inserting and expelling objects into a body cavity typically comprise a tubular insertion member having an insertion end and a trailing end opposite thereof, and an expulsion member slideable within the tubular insertion member. The trailing end generally incorporates features to allow a user to more or less securely hold the applicator during usexe2x80x94inserting the applicator into a body cavity, expelling a substantially enclosed object contained by the applicator, and withdrawing the applicator from the body. Unfortunately, many applicators known in the art comprise a gripping section that exhibits a weakness during at least one of the three above-identified steps of using the applicator.
Voss, U.S. Pat. No. 4,361,150, and Sartinoranont, U.S. Pat. No. 4,447,222, incorporates projections, such as a ring, at the trailing end of the applicator member. These projections provide resistance to rearward finger slippage during the expulsion step of using an applicator, and they may help the user to remove the applicator from her body.
Whitehead, U.S. Pat. No. 4,508,531, reduces the diameter of the applicator in the vicinity of the tubular insertion member trailing end. The reduced diameter creates a shoulder near the insertion end to resist finger slippage toward the insertion end during the insertion step.
Both of these approaches suffer from providing resistance to finger slippage in only one direction. Efforts to provide resistance in two directions, as disclosed in the art, suffer from shortcomings as well.
First, Voss, U.S. Pat. No. 3,575,169, increases the friction on the trailing end of the tubular insertion member by coating it with pulverized stone or sand. This may be especially helpful as applicator manufacturers are moving toward the use of higher gloss surfaces, which are purported to aid in ease of applicator insertion into a body cavity.
Second, Hagerty, U.S. Pat. No. 5,709,652, employs a plurality of finger-accepting apertures in the applicator to provide relatively abrupt, finger accepting edges. These edges frictionally resist movement of a user""s finger in response to longitudinal forces on the device. Although a useful contribution to the art, the finger-accepting edges disclosed by Hagerty, are generally limited to the wall thickness of the applicator.
Finally, Suzuki et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,921,474, discloses a sanitary tampon applicator comprising a plastic outer sleeve having a diameter-reduced section along a length adjacent its rear end so as to form an annular shoulder, and a annular rib at its rear open end. This device has two or more physical restraints as a means for the user to hold the applicator securely during all of the steps of use. It is noteworthy that the Suzuki applicator is limited to a xe2x80x9cplasticxe2x80x9d outer sleeve. One skilled in the art would recognize that it would be difficult to form similar physical restraints (shoulder and rib) on a paperboard applicator. Plastic applicators incorporating such design features traditionally employ sophisticated molds and processes in injection molding operations, e.g., comprising split cores and/or side slides. The resulting mold designs and processing steps can add significant costs to the final product.
Accordingly, what is needed, is an applicator that can be manufactured by low-cost, high-speed equipment and retrofitted with a superior gripping member that has features to help during insertion of the applicator into a body cavity, expulsion of a contained object, and withdrawal of the applicator from the body.
The present invention relates to applicators for inserting objects into body cavities, and to methods for making the same. The applicators are particularly useful for inserting catamenial and prophylactic devices into a vaginal canal. The applicators comprise a tubular insertion member and a retrofitted gripping member affixed to the tubular insertion member.
The tubular insertion member has an insertion end, an oppositely disposed trailing end, and a trailing end outer diameter. The gripping member has an outer diameter greater than a coincident trailing end outer diameter and a raised area. In one preferred embodiment, the gripping member has a length to inner diameter ratio of at least about 0.5. In another preferred embodiment, the gripping member has a length of at least about 5 mm.
The gripping member comprises at least one raised area on its outwardly disposed surface. This raised area resists movement of the user""s manual digit in response to longitudinal forces on the insertion member. Longitudinal forces are created during both the insertion step of use, as well as the expulsion step delivering the contained object from the insertion member into the body cavity.
In another embodiment, the present invention relates to an applicator for inserting an object having a gripping member with at least one flexible arm extending from an inner surface thereof. The tubular insertion member trailing end is fitted between the gripping member inner surface and the at least one flexible arm. A tubular expulsion member may be slideably fitted within the trailing end, and this position of the expulsion member urges the flexible arm against the tubular insertion member to provide a more secure device. The flexible arm may also help to prevent the expulsion member from being separated from the insertion member prior to use.
In yet another embodiment, the present invention relates to an applicator having a tubular insertion member as described above with an aperture proximate its trailing end. The applicator also has a gripping member with an annular ring having a flexible arm substantially perpendicular to and extending from an inner peripheral edge of the ring. The flexible arm has a distally located protuberance, and this protuberance extends outwardly from the interior of the tubular insertion member and through the aperture when the gripping member is affixed to the insertion member. The annular ring and the extending protuberance form raised areas that resist movement of a user""s manual digit in response to longitudinal forces on the insertion member.
The present invention also provides methods for making applicators having retrofitted gripping members, including affixing gripping members as disclosed above, to the trailing end of a tubular insertion member.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a tubular insertion member is provided having an insertion end and a trailing end and a tubular expulsion member slideable the trailing end. A gripping member is coaxially aligned with the insertion and expulsion members. The tubular insertion member is clamped with a first clamping mechanism, and the gripping member is clamped with a second clamping mechanism. An optional internal stabilizing tool may be passed through the gripping member and into a portion of the expulsion member. A displacement tool, in a telescopic position over the internal stabilizing tool, then engages the gripping member, after which the second clamping mechanism is retracted. Through linear displacement of the displacement tool, the gripping-member is advanced over the expulsion member and onto at least a portion of the tubular insertion member trailing end. Lastly, displacement tool, the internal stabilizing tool, and the first clamping member are all retracted, thereby freeing the assembled applicator for any further processing steps.

Applicator for catamenial device having improved gripper end


Embodiments relate generally to a management system for controlling operations of a reservoir. The management system comprises a wireless transceiver in communication with a controller associated with the reservoir to allow the management system to communicate with the controller over a communications network. The management system further comprises a processor for determining weather data for a particular region, wherein the reservoir is associated with the region, determining operation instructions based on at least the weather data; and transmitting via the wireless transceiver a command signal to the controller, wherein the command signal includes operation instructions for activating a flow control mechanism associated with the reservoir.

The build-up of residential areas around creeks and rivers has led to trees and vegetation being replaced with impervious surfaces, such as concrete drives and roofs. This has resulted in water from rain, snow melt, or other sources flowing quickly over the landscape as opposed to being absorbed by soil and vegetation. Such excess water flow is known as "runoff". "Runoff" has environmental consequences for creeks and rivers such as changing stream flows, causing flooding and erosion of river banks, as well as washing pollutants from urban areas into the rivers and creeks.
"Runoff" is particularly prevalent during and after storms, where the high volume and rate of stormwater wreaks havoc on the local environment. In an attempt to manage stormwater "runoff", stormwater infrastructure may be installed in urban areas. Such stormwater infrastructure is designed based on estimated likely peak flows using nominated risk models and incorporates standard safety margins. Consequently, a significant proportion of infrastructure costs are attributable to events that rarely occur. As a city grows, so too do the impervious surfaces, and as a result, these peak flows increase. Accordingly, greater loads are placed on stormwater infrastructure, and in the worst cases, overwhelm the stormwater infrastructure, which may not have been designed with such increased peak flows in mind in the first place.
It is therefore desired to address or ameliorate one or more shortcomings of prior systems and methods, or to at least provide a useful alternative thereto.
Throughout this specification the word "comprise", or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps.
Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles or the like which has been included in the present specification is not to be taken as an admission that any or all of these matters form part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the present disclosure as it existed before the priority date of each claim of this application.


A non-circular wheel assembly for vehicles. The wheel assembly includes a wheel body having a first radius and a second radius, measured from a center of rotation of the wheel body. The wheel assembly includes a compensation mechanism compensating for changing height values of the center of rotation with respect to an external contact surface of the wheel during rotation. The compensation mechanism includes a linear support member with a first connector mounting a vehicle frame to the wheel body. A second connector adjustably connects the compensation mechanism to the wheel body and is positioned at the center of rotation but apart from the first connector. The compensation mechanism includes a linear position assembly adjusting positions of the second connector relative to the first connector during rotation, which allows a distance between the first connector and the outer contact surface to remain constant to provide a single ride height.

1. Field of the Description
The present description relates, in general, to wheeled vehicles and wheel design, and, more particularly, to vehicle wheels that are non-circular that include, one or more devices to compensate for variances in the wheel radius to provide a smooth or planar/consistent ride for the vehicle frame supported on the non-circular wheel(s).
2. Relevant Background
In the entertainment industry, there is an ongoing search for eye-catching and surprising visual effects. For example, theme parks and other entertainment venues often use vehicles in shows and parades to entertain their visitors or an audience, and it is desirable to design the parade vehicles, bicycles, vendor carts, fide vehicles, wheeled-based robotic platforms/floats, and so on so as to provide a visual impact and not just be functional.
Historically and presently, vehicles are supported upon circular wheels and use these wheels for their main mode of locomotion, e.g., the vehicle rolls upon a road or other surface on one to four or more wheels. Circular wheels are desirable for vehicles because they provide a constant radius and a fixed center of rotation that together provides the vehicle (or its frame connected to the center of rotation) a smooth and constant/consistent motion on a flat surface. Despite the many advantages of the basic circular wheel, there is a large potential for entertainment with vehicles having wheels with a variety of shapes including non-circular shapes. The entertainment comes in part due to the fact that a non-circular wheel is unexpected and because humans instinctively associate a rolling motion with a round wheel, which increases the fascination with a non-circular wheel that rolls in a similar way to a round wheel.
Some efforts to use non-circular wheels have been created, but these have typically required a specially-formed rolling surface. For example, there have been a number of vehicle designs that utilize square and other shaped wheels that are used to roll upon a non-flat surface. Specifically, a vehicle with square wheels may be used to roll upon a non-flat/planar road or surface formed with inverted catenaries with arc lengths equal to the side lengths of the square wheel, which maintains a relatively constant height of the center of rotation. These types of vehicles do not require additional mechanisms to maintain a fixed ride height (which provides a smooth ride for the vehicle frame), but they are limited to rolling on a very specifically formed and shaped riding surface.
Another vehicle design has been proposed that uses constant diameter wheels of differing shapes to roll on a flat surface with a relatively smooth ride provided for the supported vehicle frame. For example, a bicycle may be provided that has non-circular wheels of a constant diameter (as measured about the periphery of the entire wheel), and a subset of these shapes is sometimes referred to as Reuleaux shapes or objects. These vehicles exploit the characteristics of a constant diameter wheel or shape to allow them to roll a vehicle on flat surfaces. The bicycle, for example, is adapted to provide a second planar surface on its frame that is parallel to the ground or riding surface plane and that is positioned a distance equal to the fixed diameter of the wheel away from the riding surface. In this manner, the vehicle frame is supported upon the wheel via the second planar surface device(s) and not to the center of rotation as in a common bicycle or other vehicle. While providing a visually surprising effect, these vehicles are limited to use with a wheel with a constant diameter and not useful for more oddly or arbitrarily shaped wheels and are not modular in that they require significant modifications of a vehicle's frame or body.

Vehicle wheel assembly with a mechanism compensating for a varying wheel radius


A multi-purpose hook-up head for attaching a variety of different hook-up assemblies to a hovering helicopter. The multi-purpose hook-up head includes a pair of spaced apart upper grip members each including a plurality of grip plates which are arranged to accept a variety of hook-up assemblies including metal apex shackles, metal apex rings and web rings of different sizes. The hook-up head is grounded through a hollow, insulated pole which serves as a handle to perform cargo hook-up operations.

In flight, a helicopter generates and stores a charge of static electricity. Since the advent of helicopter external loading operations, helicopter support team personnel have been subjected to severe shock from this static electricity and the danger of being crushed between the aircraft and the external load during the hook-up phase of the cargo handling operation. Various wands, shepherd crooks and other devices have been utilized in an attempt to eliminate these hazards, but none have been completely satisfactory.
One method used by the armed forces for external helicopter loading requires the ground personnel to make the hook-up to the helicopter by hand. In this maneuver, the becket end of the sling is hooked to the aircraft lifting hook by a man who stands astride the proposed load under the hovering helicopter. This operation subjects the man to a severe, static electric shock and the danger of being crushed between the aircraft and the external load.
Shipboard loading is even more dangerous since the loader must contend not only with the helicopters' vertical and horizontal movements, but also with the movement of the ship in the case when the hook-up is being made at sea. This added motion, coupled with the static electric shock, makes the hand held hook-up method of shipboard hook-ups even more hazardous.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,893,005 to Corbin is directed to a grounded pole for attaching a load-carrying sling to a helicopter which includes a hollow extension pole made from a non-conducting material, a hook-up head attached to one end of the pole and made from a conductive material and a grounding cable connectable at one end to a grounding rod and connected at the other end through the lower end of the pole to a metallic plug. A wire braid extends through the bore of the pole to connect the plug to the hook-up head so as to conduct to the ground any static electricity which may be transferred from the helicopter to the hook-up head. The hook-up head of U.S. Pat. No. 3,893,005 was designed specifically to accept a nylon web ring apex, or donut utilized in conjunction with 15,000 pound cargo slings.
Over the passage of time, improvements in sling material and design have produced various types of sling assemblies. With these new sling assemblies, new hook-up assemblies which use hook-up rings or apex shackle fittings have been developed. The newer hook-up assemblies are made of various sizes for different lifting capacities and are made of metal or nylon webbing.
Since the hook-up head of U.S. Pat. No. 3,893,005 was specifically designed for use with a particular nylon web ring, the hook-up head of this patent cannot be utilized with other assemblies such as cargo net hook-up rings or metal apex shackle type fittings.
Thus, a definite need exists for a device which can be utilized with a variety of hook-up assemblies, including cargo net hook-up rings or metal apex shackle type fittings of various sizes.

Helicopter hook-up and static electric discharge device


An automobile which affords increased safety to its occupants and sustains minimal damage during a frontal collision includes elongated force-transmitting members that extend between front and rear bumpers in slidably telescopic interaction with the chassis of the automobile. Energy-absorbing springs receive force from a rearwardly displaced rear bumper during a frontal collision, and impart a rearward pulling effect on the automobile.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to systems for minimizing damage to an automobile and injury to its occupants in a frontal collision, and more particularly concerns automotive vehicles having front energy-absorbing means and a movable passenger compartment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,508,783; 3,695,629; 3,589,466; 5,738,373; 3,806,184; 3,743,347 and 3,479,080 describe passenger compartments which, upon frontal impact, slide forwardly and upwardly. Such movement protects the occupant from injury by providing a longer effective stopping distance and causing the occupant""s body to assume a semisupine position which can more effectively cope with impact force. None of these patents, however, provide means for making the vehicle itself particularly less damageable.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,848,886 describes an impact-absorbing frame system with telescoping bumper mounts and a frame equipped with energy absorbing sections which collapse on impact. Again, this does not make the vehicle itself particularly less damageable.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,232,755 describes an electric motor vehicle divisible into separable front, middle and rear sections. The middle section includes a passenger compartment that slides fore and aft in a collision. However, the compartment does not tilt the passenger to a protective semisupine position. Aside from the telescoping bumper mounts it has no further means for minimizing collision damage.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,476,434 describes an automotive vehicle having a shock mounted passenger-carrying area which is free to move horizontally, whereby deceleration forces on the passengers are dissipated more slowly. It has no means for making the vehicle less damageable.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,560,041 describes a driver/passenger compartment mounted on a separate chassis, with shock-absorbing means between them. It describes extensive interior padding to protect the occupants from head to foot but has no means for making the vehicle less damageable.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,941,582; 5,884,959 and 4,441,751 describe various means for improving the impact-absorbing capacity of front bumper assemblies. The impact force of the collision is thus ultimately transmitted to the frame. There are no provisions for making the frame itself less prone to damage from this force.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,451,077 describes a resilient safety bumper and a two-piece frame. The bumper partially absorbs the impact, and the front section of the frame swivels sideways to further protect the passenger-carrying rear section from impact shock. It has no means for making the vehicle as a whole less damageable.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,192,538; 4,411,462; 4,518,183 and 4,176,858, the bumper assembly utilizes an air container means such as an air bag to improve its impact-absorbing capacity. The bumper assembly is mounted to the adjacent portion of the vehicular frame, to which the impact force of the collision, albeit dampened, is ultimately transmitted. They do not include means for making the frame itself less deformable or less damageable.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,065,169 describes an energy transforming means which allows an upward movement of a truck""s rear body, exclusive of the passenger compartment, to absorb kinetic energy of the body upon collision. It does not describe a separate passenger compartment slidably mounted on the chassis and does not describe means for making the vehicle less damageable.
It is evident from the above that although many patents address the problem of passenger safety and address the matter of improving the impact-absorbing capacity of the bumper assembly, none of them present means for making the vehicle itself less damageable, particularly its frame or chassis. It is well known that a bent frame or chassis is frequently the reason for declaring the vehicle a total loss.
It is accordingly the primary object of this invention to provide a vehicle that is not only safer for its occupants during a frontal collision but also one that is less damageable. It achieves this by a novel approach based on the observation that a hollow body in motion such as an automobile whose structural integrity is maintained by a deformable framework is more apt to sustain damage and deformity if its motion is halted by a compressive force applied to its leading aspect (xe2x80x9ca push from the frontxe2x80x9d) than if its motion is stopped by an equal traction force acting on its rear aspect (xe2x80x9ca pull from behindxe2x80x9d). This is because in general the materials used in automobiles such as the chassis is more apt to be bent when pushed from the front end than when pulled (to a stop) from the rear end, other factors being equal. That is, they are better able to withstand tensile stress than compressive or bending stress.
The novel approach used in this invention is the means for instantaneous transfer of the impact force from the front bumper to the rear bumper, making it possible to use the rear bumper as a strong anchor from which to exert a strong controlled traction force (xe2x80x9cpull from behindxe2x80x9d) on the chassis and thereby gradually pull the chassis and the rest of the vehicle to a controlled stop.
Another purpose of this invention is to reduce the cost of manufacture by using standard off-the-shelf parts such as the illustrated leaf springs and shock absorbers, and straight tubular members for the chassis and bumper supports which are not only inexpensive to fabricate but are also less apt to be deformed when subjected to strong axially directed forces like those that occur during frontal collisions.


An ophthalmic device comprises a frame having a pair eye apertures and first and second linearly polarizing elements fixedly or rotatably mounted in the apertures. The first and second elements each have a polarizing transmission axis and the axes are fixedly or selectively disposed at an angle of 45.degree. to 90.degree. with respect to each other.

The present invention is directed to an ophthalmic device and in particular to a device using a single linearly polarizing element (LPE) as a lens.
It has been found that reflected light always contains at least some net polarized component. The net polarization is not a function of brightness, but of illumination angle, (e.g., sun angle), materials being observed and observation angle. Thus net polarization and direction of maximum polarity present an additional dimension of image data not available to the naked eye.
There is a large body of literature describing LPE's for reducing glare and light transmission. When an LPE is oriented horizontally, for example, glare from a low sun is almost completely eliminated. There exists a large body of prior art, including Land's fundamental patent (U.S. Pat. No. 2,005,426), that describes devices for providing variable light transmission by employing a plurality of superimposed LPE's. In each case, the effect has been to reduce the light transmission below the ambient level and to vary that transmission equally in both eyes. Along different lines the U.S. patent issued to Morgan (U.S. Pat. No. 3,958,867) and prior art noted therein relates to adjustable lenses to permit the user to modify the positions of corrective lenses such as bifocals or to modify light transmission characteristics as in the case of sunglasses. Morgan's description is fundamentally no different from existing ophthalmologists' equipment of the early 20th century, that is used to prescribe corrective lenses. Such standard ophthalmic office equipment provides a plurality of lenses that attach to special eyeglass structures. The ophthalmologist can flip, rotate or otherwise orient the lenses over each eye independently by using a plurality of elements in each lens to provide a means for corrective lenses.

Ophthalmic device using a single linearly polarizing element


The present invention provides a photoemission device excellent in quantum efficiency of photoelectric conversion, a high-sensitive electron tube employing it, and a high-sensitive photodetecting apparatus. A photoemission device of the present invention is arranged to have a photon absorbing layer for absorbing incident photons to excite photoelectrons, an insulator layer layered on one surface of the photon absorbing layer, a lead electrode layered on the insulator layer, and a contact formed on the other surface of the photon absorbing layer to apply a predetermined polarity voltage between the lead electrode and the other surface of the photon absorbing layer, whereby the photoelectrons excited by the incident photons entering the photon absorbing layer and moving toward the one side are made to be emitted by an electric field formed between the lead electrode and the one surface by the predetermined polarity voltage.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a photoemission (photoelectron-emitting) device having excellent quantum efficiency in photoelectric conversion (hereinafter referred to as quantum efficiency), an electron tube with a photoelectron multiplying function, such as a photomultiplier tube or an image intensifier, employing the photoemission device to achieve increased sensitivity, and a photodetecting apparatus with high sensitivity employing such an electron tube.
2. Related Background Art
Photoemission devices convert incident photons into photoelectrons and emit the photoelectrons to the outside, and, for example, are applied to light-receiving surfaces of photomultiplier tubes or image intensifiers.
Materials such as alkali antimonides are generally used in conventional photoemission devices. For example, monoalkali photoemitters such as Sb.multidot.Cs, bialkali photoemitters such as Sb.multidot.K/Cs, and multialkali photoemitters such as (Na.multidot.K.multidot.Sb)Cs are widely put to practical use. The photoemitters of such types, however, had a lower photoemission ratio (quantum efficiency for long-wavelength incident photons than that for short-wavelength incident photons, which raised a problem that high-sensitive performance could not be achieved over a wide band and a problem that even for short-wavelength incident photons the quantum efficiency was not high enough.
In order to improve the quantum efficiency for long-wavelength incident photons, negative electron affinity photoemitters using a GaAs semiconductor were developed. In the negative electron affinity photoemitters, the energy of the vacuum level is lower than the conduction band. Then, once photoelectrons at the bottom of the conduction band can move up to the emission surface, they can escape into the vacuum. This can improve the quantum efficiency for long-wavelength incident photons. Use of a single-crystal semiconductor of GaAs can extend the diffusion length of photoelectrons as compared with the photoemitters using polycrystal materials of alkali antimonides. Even if the single-crystal semiconductor is thick enough to absorb all incident photons, the diffusion length can be too long for photoelectrons to reach the emission surface.
Actual quantum efficiencies of the negative electron affinity photoemitters, however, are still about 20% for the wide band ranging from short wavelengths to long wavelengths, though an improvement is recognized for long-wavelength incident photons.
As discussed, the quantum efficiencies of the photoemitters under practical use are about 30% for short-wavelength (for example, ultraviolet) light, but normally about 10%, which is extremely low as compared with known solid state photodetectors such as photodiodes utilizing the photoconduction or photoelectromotive force. This is a significant drawback in light detection technology utilizing photoemission, because approximately 90% of all photons incident into the photoemission device are not detected.
Further, it is generally known that with negative electron affinity photoemitters the quantum efficiency can be increased by such an arrangement that the anode is located in close proximity to the emission surface of photoelectrons and a high voltage is applied between them to generate a high electric field near the emission surface. It is structurally difficult, however to form a uniformly narrow gap between the anode and the cathode (pole on the emission surface side) in order to obtain such a high electric field. If an applied voltage is increased instead of narrowing the gap, a high-voltage power supply of about 10 kV is necessary, raising a problem of electric discharge caused between the emission surface and the anode.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,958,143 discloses another example of a conventional photoemitter. In this photoemitter, a Schottky electrode is formed on one surface (photon-entering surface) of a photon absorbing layer of a semiconductor or a semiconductor hetero structure, and an ohmic contact is formed on the other surface (opposite to the photon-entering surface with respect to the photon absorbing layer). When photons enter the photon absorbing layer and a bias voltage is applied between the Schottky electrode and the ohmic contact at predetermined polarities, photoelectrons excited in the photon absorbing layer move to the Schottky electrode and are transferred to a higher energy band to be emitted into the vacuum.
The photoemitter of such structure was achieved with a Schottky electrode formed from a very thin (below 100 angstroms) Ag film. Accordingly, even existing semiconductor fabrication technology can rarely assure reproducibility and uniformity of the film thickness of the Schottky electrode, presenting great difficulties in putting this technology to practical use.
Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. 4-269419 discloses another photoemitter which attempts to solve the problem in U.S. Pat. No. 3,958,143. In the photoemitter, a Schottky electrode is formed in a suitable pattern on one surface (photon-entering surface) of a photon absorbing layer of a semiconductor or a semiconductor hetero structure, and an ohmic contact is formed on the other surface (opposite to the photon-entering surface with respect to the photon absorbing layer). When photons enter the photon absorbing layer with a bias voltage being applied between the Schottky electrode and the ohmic contact at predetermined polarities, photoelectrons excited in the photon absorbing layer move to the Schottky electrode and are transferred to a higher energy band to be emitted into the vacuum. Thus, Japanese Laid-open Application No. 4-269419 employed a patterned Schottky electrode instead of a uniform Schottky electrode formed over the entire surface of the photon absorbing layer, thus enabling the uniformity and reproducibility to be enhanced through in the use of the lithography technology. In other words, Japanese application No. 4-269419 succeeded in improving the uniformity and reproducibility of the Schottky electrode. The photoemitter, however, had a problem that the sensitivity (quantum efficiency) for long-wavelength incident photons was lower than that for short-wavelength incident photons.
An object of the present invention is to provide a photoemission device showing high-sensitive performance over a wide wavelength range and further to provide an electron tube and a photodetecting apparatus employing such a photoemission device.

Photoemitter electron tube and photodetector


Protective shield (9) for a turbo-engine external fairing (3). It comprises a ring made of a ductile material retained by several fastening means relatively easy to break. When a rotor portion (17) accidentally detached strikes it, it dents it breaking some or all of its fasteners. By means of this possibility allowing for wide deformations of the shield (9), the capacity for absorbing energy is significant.

This concerns a casing placed around a stator and more specifically in front of a bladed zone of a rotor surrounding the stator, that is in front of a compressor or turbine section in the machine, and is used to stop the blade or rotor pieces fragments which would be projected towards it under the action of centrifugal force following a rupture due to an accident.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,452,563 describes a shield formed of a continuous network of fibrous strips draped on the outer face of the stator opposite the rotor. This design seems relatively ineffective as the fibers would tear quite easily and accordingly not provide sufficient protection. Honeycombed layers of material could also be placed on said outer surface of the rotor, but, despite the increase of energy absorption offered by such a structure to slow down or stop the projectiles, this absorption would be localized where the impact occurs and the shield would also in this instance be quite easily transpierced. The European patent 0 626 502 describes a shield formed of plates placed side by side but having the same drawbacks.
Finally, the French patent 2 375 443 describes a continuous ring shield which breaks its fasteners when a detached blade strikes it. But the shield can be used as a lining to the stator or replace it and it can only the absorb kinetic energy of the blade by taking on a rotating movement. It is unable to absorb the energy, as in the invention, on warping as there is not enough surrounding space to warp it; finally, it is only effective if the imparted energy is sufficient to break all the fasteners, which limits its possibilities in use.


Above-ambient pressure is applied by bladders to internal surfaces of a pair of footwear articles to stretch the footwear and prevent deformation during shipping and handling. A protective wrapper forming a gas-impermeable sealed case surrounding the pair of footwear articles abuts external surfaces of the footwear articles. The case has an internal pressure less than ambient pressure.

Footwear, e.g., shoes, sandals, boots, slippers, etc. but not socks, frequently is packaged for transport and sale in a box. The footwear is usually wrapped with an appropriate paper sheet and another sheet is stuffed in each footwear article to prevent undesired footwear deformation inside the box. The prior art footwear box requires significant space, which is especially disadvantageous during shipping.
To overcome this problem, the prior art has used pouches or jute bags for footwear packaging. In this arrangement, 10-20 pairs of shoes are tightly fitted in cardboard during shipping. However, these pouches or jute bags lack a rigid shape so the shoes shipped therein are not protected against deformation. Moreover, repackaging into the conventional shoe cartons is frequently necessary when the shoes are removed from the jute bag, prior to sale to the end consumer. Aside from the above disadvantageous bulk, the prior art shoe cartons pose ecological problems because of the large amounts of packaging refuse.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved footwear packaging structure and method.
Another object is to provide a new and improved footwear packaging structure and method wherein the packaged footwear is protected against damage during storage and shipping, which is more compact and at the same time allows lower use of packing materials, and which results in reduced labor in packing.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved. footwear packaging structure and method wherein the footwear is preserved against damage while so packaged so it reaches the end consumer undamaged and is packaged so practical handling is assured in commerce.


A modular door assembly is provided and includes a storage container and a modular door. The storage container includes a body defining an interior storage space, a door opening positioned at a door end of the body that is communication with the interior storage space, and a pair of container doors each secured to the door end of the body by a container door hinge. The container doors are movable between a container closed position to cover the door opening and a container open position allowing access therein. The modular door is removably attachable to the door end of the body and closes the door opening with the container doors in the open position.

Storage containers commonly used for shipping large quantities of goods are useful in a wide variety of applications given their size, portability, and durable construction. Such storage containers have a door end enclosed by a pair of hinged doors. Although the hinged doors reliably retain goods inside of the storage container, the doors do not form a reliably air-tight seal when closed.
Further, the hinged doors are cumbersome to open and close and, consequently, an interior of the storage container is exposed to an environment external of the storage container for a long duration each time a user accesses the interior of the storage container. The standard hinged doors of a storage container thus limit the usefulness of the storage container in applications in which an interior environment must be maintained, such as in the transport of goods requiring temperature or humidity control or the use of the storage container as an indoor space for workers in harsh environments.


A device for producing and dispensing frozen confection is provided. At least one collapsible bag assembly is disposed within a refrigerated compartment within the dispensing apparatus and means are provided to collapse the collapsible bag and dispense the soft served frozen confection therefrom. Moreover, the frozen confection dispensing apparatus includes means to store frozen confection therein in collapsible containers prior to use.

This invention relates to an apparatus for dispensing soft serve food products such as ice creams, yogurts, sherbets, and other frozen dessert confections.
Soft serve frozen confections are widely used in the food industry and have a broad customer appeal. Although ice creams are the most widely known product dispensed in a soft serve form, an expanding market based on alternative frozen confections such as yogurts also exists. A soft serve confection is dispensed by extrusion into an edible cone or other suitable container, and is generally intended for immediate consumption.
A soft serve confection can be easily extruded from the dispensing apparatus in a variety of patterns or shapes. A common manner of dispensing a frozen confection consists of extruding a continuous ribbon or rod that can be coiled on itself to form a cone having a beehive shape. Soft serve confections ideally will have sufficient strength to retain the extrudate shape for a period of time, even when subjected to changes in orientation such as would occur during consumption.
The dispensing temperature of the soft serve frozen confection typically ranges from about 16.degree. F. to 21.degree. F. This temperature range is critical, with lower temperatures being characterized by difficulties in extrusion of the soft serve frozen confection, mechanical hardness, and inferior taste quality due to the adverse reaction of taste buds to a low temperature frozen confection, often resulting in a "burning" sensation. Temperatures higher than the normal soft serve confection-dispensing range result in a low viscosity product with undesirable rheological characteristics that do not permit retention of the extrudate shape and are unsuitable for later processing such as dipping in chocolate or crushed nutmeats.
Because of the critical narrow temperature range for soft serve frozen confections it is not feasible to transport the frozen confections at their normal dispensing temperature.
To overcome this problem, the food service industry presently utilizes on-site production of the soft serve frozen confections. The soft serve confection can be shipped from the manufacturer to the food product retailer as a powder, a refrigerated liquid, or in a frozen state. If the confection is not in a liquid state, it is converted to the liquid state at the site of the food product retailer. For example, a confection shipped in the frozen state is allowed to completely thaw to liquid form, or water is added to the powdered form. This liquid is converted on-site to a soft serve frozen confection by an agitated freezing process in a soft serve frozen confection dispenser.
Although on-site production of the soft serve frozen confection permits the successful manufacture and service of soft serve frozen confections, the method does present some problems of its own. The machinery necessary for on-site production is complicated and expensive. Scraper blades that agitate the frozen confection during its on-site formation require sharpening or replacement, and inadvertent freeze-up of the machinery is a continual worry. The cost in electricity for operating the freezing unit is substantial, and special heavy duty electric wiring may be necessary to handle the power requirements of the freezer. Because of the agitation process, addition of extra elements, such as nutmeats, candies or fruits, to the soft serve confection is normally impossible. Frequent regular cleaning of the parts of the frozen confection dispenser is also necessary to prevent blockage and reduce the chance of bacterial contamination.
A further disadvantage of the on-site production is the increased risk of bacterial contamination presented at each stage of the process. Although the liquid is refrigerated, the chance of bacterial contamination is greatly increased over the frozen form. This danger is increased by the possibility of improper cleaning of the machinery, which could result in a seed culture of bacteria capable of contaminating newly added liquid confection. Additionally, quality control of on-site producers of soft serve confections can be inferior as compared to a central manufacturer, resulting in uneven product appearance, taste, and form.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a soft serve frozen confection dispenser capable of extruding a soft serve frozen confection and suited for use in a commercial setting.
Another object of the invention is to provide a device for dispensing soft serve confections that is sanitary, mechanically simple, easy to clean, draws small amounts of electric power, and in specific embodiments is capable of portable use.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device that is capable of serving a soft serve frozen confection without the formation of undesirable ice crystals in the frozen confection.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a device that is capable of dispensing soft serve frozen confections which include extra flavoring ingredients such as fruit or candy pieces.
The present invention accordingly comprises a soft serve frozen confection dispenser that is capable of dispensing certain products such as yogurt in a soft serve form free of the undesirable characteristics formerly associated with such soft serve yogurt products.
Apparatus for use in dispensing frozen confection is provided according to the present invention. In one embodiment, such apparatus includes a bag assembly designed to store a predetermined quantity of frozen confection to be dispensed. The bag assembly includes a collapsible container and a sleeve around the container. The sleeve provides a girdle or corset means for the collapsible container.
The collapsible container is formed to include an interior chamber configured to hold either liquid or frozen confection therein. Prior to filling, the collapsible container is disposed in a longitudinally extending channel formed in the sleeve. The collapsible container expands radially about its longitudinal axis as it is filled with a partly frozen confection until it reaches a maximum girth controlled by the surrounding sleeve. The sleeve is undersized in diameter with respect to the container to cause the maximum girth of the filled collapsible container to be less than the girth the container would otherwise have if the container were not placed in the sleeve as the container was being filled with partly frozen confection. Essentially, the sleeve behaves like a girdle with respect to the container to limit expansion and minimize stretching of the collapsible container as it is filled. Once filled, the bag assembly and its contents are further frozen to a sub-zero (.degree.F.) temperature at the dairy so that it can be transported to a remote freezer unit located at the site at which the frozen confection is to be dispensed from the collapsible container.
In other preferred embodiments, the collapsible container includes a discharge tube connected to the container at an outlet aperture and configured to extrude frozen confection. The collapsible container is stored in a freezer unit cooled by a refrigeration system. An outlet conduit is provided to connect the discharge tube to a dispensing spigot mounted on the freezer unit. Means is provided for applying enough pressure to the container to cause it to collapse and discharge frozen confection to the dispensing spigot via the discharge tube and outlet conduit. Extrusion of frozen confection at the dispensing spigot is controlled by a manually operated valve assembly.
Advantageously, the apparatus further includes cooling means surrounding the outlet conduit for cooling the outlet conduit to a subfreezing temperature using cooled air provided inside the freezer unit by the refrigeration system. Desirably, the cooling means includes a sleeve made of a thermally conductive material and the outlet conduit extends through a longitudinally extending passageway formed in the sleeve.
The sleeve has a first end section disposed in the freezer unit to expose the sleeve to the subfreezing temperature in the freezer unit and a second end section contacting the outlet conduit to enhance heat transfer between the sleeve and each of the outlet conduit and dispensing spigot. Advantageously, the outlet conduit and dispensing spigot is cooled by the sleeve to minimize melting of frozen confection in those regions of the apparatus caused by exposure to warm air circulating around the dispensing spigot outside of the freezer unit. Of course, any melting of frozen confection anywhere in the apparatus could lead to crystallization problems in the confection if the melted confection is later refrozen.
In another embodiment, the discharge tube includes a first flange connected to the collapsible container at its outlet aperture and a second flange disposed in a passageway formed in the outlet conduit. The effective area of the first flange exposed to frozen confection in the container is larger than the effective area of the second flange exposed to frozen confection in the passageway. The uniform pressure generated in the collapsible container as it is compressed by a piston means to discharge frozen confection through the discharge tube acts to apply a greater load to the first flange than is applied to the relatively smaller second flange. Accordingly, the discharge tube is moved by such a greater load in the outlet conduit passageway in a direction toward the dispensing spigot to retain the discharge tube in the passageway during compression of the collapsible container. Advantageously, this feature helps to prevent inadvertent withdrawal of the discharge tube of the collapsible container from the outlet conduit of the dispensing spigot.
The piston means used to compress the collapsible container to extrude frozen confection through the discharge tube is driven by compressed air produced by an air compressor. Desirably, the air compressor itself is situated in a cold region of the freezer unit itself so that only dehydrated refrigerated air will be drawn into the air compressor to be compressed and then provided to operate the piston means. This source of dehydrated refrigerated compressed air will help to reduce icing problems normally experienced by pistons moving in cold environments using warm compressed air. Icing can impair piston movement.
A storage locker is also provided in a location inside the freezer unit to store unused bags of frozen confection for long periods of time. Each storage locker has a separate door which is normally kept closed to protect the frozen confection stored in the locker from exposure to any warm air introduced into the freezer unit upon opening of the main access door into the freezer unit. Advantageously, the buffer against warm air provided by the storage locker reduces the likelihood that any of the frozen confection stored therein will experience melting and recrystallizing problems while in long-term storage inside the freezer unit.
The freezer unit is set up to maintain soft serve frozen confection substantially within the normal soft serve dispensing temperature range of 17.degree. F. to 21.degree. F. Ideally, the freezer unit will be sufficiently large to contain replacement collapsible containers filled with soft serve frozen confections as well as maintain the soft serve frozen confection in the dispensing section of the apparatus within the normal soft serve dispensing temperature range.
The soft serve frozen confection held by the collapsible container in the dispensing section has an ideal dispensing temperature. The dispensing section includes thermal insulation means for maintaining the soft serve frozen confection at a constant ideal dispensing temperature. The maintenance of a constant temperature without flucuation within the dispensing section inhibits ice crystal formation in the soft serve frozen confection that can result from temperature changes such as are encountered in the cyclic temperature fluctuations that normally result from the duty cycle of a freezing unit. The thermal insulation means can be a layer of foam or other passive thermal insulation which completely or partially surrounds the collapsible containers.
Additional objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of preferred embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived.


For enabling precise operation of an oscillating device, such as a galvanometric optical scanner, a capacitive position transducer is provided with strategically located internal capacitive fiducial features that interact with the armature of the transducer beyond the central range of excursion of the transducer, typically beyond the normal operating range of the device. Electric pulses obtained at instants of interaction with the fiducials enable determination of position drift caused e.g. by change in environmental conditions. The pulses can be detected by simple circuits to produce recalibration of the amplitude and null position of the instrument on an automatic or elective basis.

A galvanometric optical scanner is a limited rotation motor to which a position detector is mounted. Normally the scanner carries a mirror that is used to deflect a beam of light, typically a laser beam. It is common to assemble two such units in series, to deflect light in two orthogonal directions and so address an entire surface. Such a paired unit is commonly referred to as a "two axis scanner" or a "two axis scan head".
Single axis scanners as well as two axis scan heads are used in hundreds of applications, in such categories as laser micro machining, visual communication, artificial extension of vision, material processing, medical procedures, and entertainment.
Frequently, laser scanning is used for extremely precise functions. Examples are satellite to satellite communication, motion picture creation from computer data, silicon microchip repair, laser engraving, and laser guidance for aircraft and missiles. In these and other applications, pointing or tracking precision and stability are critical.
Modern optical scanners are expected to have sub-microradian resolution and stability. The desired stability is frequently equal to the resolution of the instrument, e.g. 1 microradian, over a range of environmental conditions. The critical element that determines these properties is a position sensor, also known as a position transducer, mounted on the shaft of the limited rotation motor. Capacitive transducers are commonly used for such applications and numerous designs have been described, see Miller U.S. Pat. No. 3,517,282 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,577,072, and Foldvari et al, "Capacitive Transducers", Instruments and Controls Systems, November, 1964. A modern position transducer is an analog device with low inertia, often less than 1 g.cm.sup.2, that can resolve better than 1 microradian with a range over 1 radian. These capacitive transducers are derived from the common variable capacitor in which substrates and movable elements may be made of extremely stable and rigid isotropic materials such as PCB or ceramic material, which are comparatively low in cost. Capacitive angular position transducers are preferred for scanning applications because they have low inertia, very high resolution and very small time constant, as well as being comparatively inexpensive to build.
Despite these features, a major shortcoming is lack of stability. The signal, gain and null pointing of capacitive transducers all drift as a function of temperature, humidity or simply over time. The associated decoding electronics are also analog elements and must use extremely stable components. As the associated electronics employ a few dozen critical elements, the stability of each element needs to be an order of magnitude greater than that of the system. This is rarely achieved and never achieved at low cost of construction and verification.
A high quality optical scanner available from Cambridge Technology Inc., Cambridge, Mass., for instance, has resolution under one microradian but, according to Fadvertisement, has null drift of 10 microradians/deg. C, gain drift of 50 PPM/deg. C and short term uncorrected drift of 8 microradians for units equipped with Automatic Gain Control (AGC).
When good stability is imperative, with stability of the same value as the 1 microradian resolution of the system, construction and verification of the units is very demanding. A number of techniques have been proposed in efforts to provide compensation to satisfy the need for high stability.
One approach is exemplified by Rohr U.S. Pat. No. 4,864,295 in which, on the mechanical structure of the position sensing transducer, a secondary capacitor is employed for the sole purpose to measure thermal drift and to use the drift value to correct the error in position signal. Commercial transducers have rarely been built this way. Other designs add a number of elements and plates such as guards to obtain similar effects. Stokes et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,099,386 is an example.
Another corrective method consists of installing in the field of view, at added expense and inconvenience, a number of optical fiducial elements as reference points, which are detected optically and used to recalibrate the capacitive position sensor. The challenge is to detect beam position with the same resolution that is expected from the scanning system. In pointing applications, such fiducial elements in the field of view are capable of identifying the beam position with suitable resolution, the system typically employing split cell optical sensors and retro-reflectors. Another method is to add vision metrology through the same optical path, employing identifiable features of the object being inspected. In vision metrology applications, the features identified in the field of view are used to recalibrate the analog angular position sensors. Trepanier U.S. Pat. No. 5,400,132 exemplifies the use of retro-reflectors in the field of view. Weisz, U.S. Pat. No. 4,918,284 uses features on the object being viewed, which are inspected for calibration or alignment purposes.
In periodic systems such as those found in most polygon laser printers, the printing plane has installed start-of-scan and end-of-scan split cell optical sensors for pointing and range definition.
An alternative corrective method has been to create an additional optical path, the only purpose of which is for calibration or position definition. Typical of these is the Pell box.TM. of ECRM and the microscopy scanning system of Tsien U.S. Pat. No. 5,296,703.
It is frequently impractical or impossible to install fiducials in the field of view, for instance in laser guiding systems for rocket firing or satellite communication, and in any event these and other proposals add to cost or inconvenience, and, overall, have not been as effective as is desired.
The subject of this invention is a simple and economical design for a stable capacitive position transducer. Without compromising resolution or size or any other feature, this invention offers sensitivity and null stability over a wide range of conditions, equivalent to the sensor's resolution. An additional feature of the concept is the cost benefits derived from the ability to use ordinary electronic elements in the associated circuitry and to eliminate the need for fiducials in the field of view.
While the invention addresses a particular need related to galvanometric systems and limited rotation motors, the invention can have applicability generally to oscillating systems requiring precise positioning.

Position sensing with variable capacitance transducers


An assembly of a traction vehicle and a soil treatment machine, such as a scrub clearing-plant shredding machine, includes a connecting mechanism including at least one articulated connecting rod of the same length as two other connecting rods forming a deformable parallelogram that maintains a parallelogram configuration, on either side of a closing plane, during vertical upward and downward movements of the soil treatment machine relative to a support arm.

Such an assembly is known according to which the traction vehicle, of the type with motor tracks and steered by a person behind the vehicle, comprises a fixed rigid arm protruding in front of the vehicle and at the end of which is freely suspended the soil treatment machine which can move, while remaining in contact on the ground by its own weight, in the forward direction by the thrust exerted by the traction vehicle on the soil treatment machine.
The suspension of the soil treatment machine at the end of the support arm is done via a connecting mechanism allowing the machine to move vertically in relation to the support arm so that it follows the height differences of the soil, due to unevenness thereof.
This connecting mechanism is formed by at least one pair of articulated connecting rods of the same length constituting a deformable parallelogram thereby allowing the machine to be raised or lowered vertically in relation to the support arm during movement of the machine on irregular ground.
FIG. 1 diagrammatically illustrates a deformable parallelogram with sides parallel in two pairs A, C and B, D, whereof the two small parallel sides B, D respectively constitute the two connecting rods hingedly connected by their ends in 1C, 2C and 1A, 2A to the support arm of the traction vehicle and to the hood of the soil treatment machine. In this figure, the soil treatment machine occupies a low position in relation to the fixed support arm. This parallelogram deforms while remaining open above the axis X-X′ passing through the lower articulations 1A, 2A of the connecting rods B, D to the hood of the soil treatment machine for corresponding amplitudes of vertical displacement of the machine relative to the support arm.
FIG. 2 shows the situation according to which the parallelogram is closed during a determined amplitude of the upward movement of the machine relative to the support arm, i.e. the two connecting rods B, D are essentially aligned along the axis X-X′ called closing axis of the parallelogram.
When the soil treatment machine moves further upward relative to the arm of the traction vehicle, because the sums of the two adjacent sides A, B and C, D of the parallelogram are equal, the parallelogram is broken, i.e. the two connecting rods B and D are no longer parallel due to the fact that the pivoting of the articulation point 1C of the connecting rod B around the articulation point 1A below the closing line X-X′ causes the articulation point 2C of the connecting rod D to rise around the articulation point 2A as illustrated in FIG. 3. In the position illustrated in FIG. 3, the two connecting rods B and D block any additional upward movement by the treatment machine relative to the support arm, able to cause breaking of the articulations of the connecting rods and when the soil treatment machine again lowers in relation to the support arm from the position illustrated in FIG. 3, the pivoting of the connecting rods B, D toward the closing line X-X′ passes by a hard spot once again risking breaking the articulations of the connecting rods.
Thus, the mechanism with two articulated connecting rods making it possible to suspend the soil treatment machine from the support arm of the traction vehicle limits the displacement height of the treatment machine relative to the support arm according to the irregularities of the soil, unless one provides longer connecting rods, to the detriment of the compactness of the assembly formed by the machine and the support arm. Moreover, the suspension mechanism of the connecting rods does not ensure good vertical guiding of the machine relative to the support arm.

Assembly of a traction vehicle and a soil treatment machine


The invention concerns a cereal food product comprising a "waxy" cereal chosen from barley, corn, rice or sorghum or from other starchy seed or tissue material wherein less than about 10% of the starch present is amylose, and preferably the starch contains substantially no amylose. Preferably the cereal is waxy barley. The major part of the starch present is also in its ungelatinized form. A process for preparing the food cereal is also described. The cereal food product is preferably a quick cooking hot porridge-like breakfast food.

The present invention concerns a convenient and nutritious food product, prepared from cereals and other starchy seeds or tissues, having predominant use as a hot breakfast cereal as well as other uses.
The base for the food is chosen from any one or more of barley, corn, rice, or sorghum, or other starchy seeds, or food raw materials of a suitable starchy composition.
Starch can be of two types; amylose, and amylopectin. Amylose is a straight chain glucose polymer having .alpha. 1,4 linkages. Amylopectin is a branched chain glucose polymer with 1,6 linkages at the branching points. In general, grains will contain both types of starch. Amylose is generally in the minor proportion in grains. However, with certain grains, such as barley, corn, rice, or sorghum there exist certain varieties which contain substantially no amylose or only a very small amount. It is conceivable that plant breeding technique can produce other starch-containing crops having this character.
It has now been found that food products as described herein made from raw materials which contain little or no amylose have unexpected and surprisingly useful advantages over other previously prepared food products of this general type. These low-amylose or amylose-free cereals are known as "waxy" cereals.
Alderman (U.S. Pat. No. 2,526,792) describes the use of waxy grains in flour, grits or wholegrain form or the use of starch derived from these to manufacture crispy ready-to-eat breakfast cereals by a factory process which involved total gelatinisation and a final oven puffing, producing a crispy browned cereal which was reasonably impervious to milk or cream when eaten, thus remaining crispy. Clausi et al (U.S. Pat. No. 2,954,296) used a proportion (5-30%) of pre-gelatinised, optionally waxy-type starchy material to form into pellets with other ingredients, the pellets being gun-puffed to produce low-density, crispy breakfast cereal or snack foods which more faithfully resemble the defined shape of the dough piece. Goering et al (U.S. Pat. No. 4,311,714 & other patents) describe methods for producing from waxy barley grain high maltose syrups, protein, gums etc, using an integrated plant.
Barley is not known to have been reported or used for the manufacture of hot breakfast products of the porridge type. The previous use of barley as a food grain has been limited, and has mostly been used in soups as pearled barley, in beverages as barley water, as a rice extender, (namely rice mixed with pearled barley) in bakery products such as flour, kibbled or whole grain, and in the manufacture of malt for beer and spirits. Barley has also been widely used in the form of malt extract as a flavourant.
In the present specification, the invention is discussed in relation to barley, but the invention is not limited in any way to barley, and also has relevance to corn, rice or sorghum and other starchy seeds or food raw materials which have or may have this characteristic.

Cereal food product for hot and cold usages


A circuit arrangement is provided for the transmission of digital signals between transmitting and/or receiving stations which operate with differing data transmission procedures and with different data formats. The signal transmission respectively occurs by way of a converter unit which, like the transmitting and receiving installations, is connected to a switching system. In the train of the transmission of digital signals from a transmitting installation operating with a lower data transmission rate to a receiving installation operating with a higher data transmission rate, the digital signals emitted by the appertaining transmitting installation are first collected in the converter unit in order to be emitted to the appertaining receiving installation only given the existence of a sufficient plurality of such signals. The transmission of digital signals from a transmitting installation operating with a higher data transmission rate to a receiving installation operating with a lower transmission rate occurs in data blocks. A respective plurality of data signals forming a block or, respectively, a signal group, is emitted together with a signal group end mark by the appertaining transmitting installation to the converter unit which then relays the digital signals to the appertaining receiving installation. In order to minimize control expense, the converter unit checks its signal acceptance capability upon the occurrence of the group end mark. Only given existence of a sufficient signal acceptance capability in the converter unit is an acknowledgment character emitted to the transmitting installation, the acknowledgment character then causing the transmission of signals forming a further signal group or block. The invention is preferably employed for signal transmission between telex stations and office printergram or teletex stations.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to digital transmission arrangements and is more particularly concerned with digital transmission arrangements for transmitting digital signals between devices which operate with different data transmission procedures and with different data formats.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is already known, in conjunction with a transmission of digital signals having differing data transmission procedures and differing data formats between transmitting and receiving installations, to adjust the individual receiving installations in accordance with respective data transmission procedure and the respective data format. In these receiving installations, it is a matter of teleprinter machines which are to be designed both for receiving teleprinter signals (telex operation) as well as for receiving office printergrams (teletex operation). The appertaining machines, moreover, are designed in accordance with the transmission of signals with two different transmission procedures and data formats. Whereas one works in telex operation with the data transmission rate of 50 bit/sec. and with a start-stop control, teletex operation is a matter of a synchronous data transmission operation with a data transmission rate of, for example, 2400 bit/sec. The transfer apparatus, therefore, required in the individual office machines, however, require a significant circuit expense.
The German patent application P 29 12 649.6 reveals a way to make do with lower circuit expense in comparison thereto in order to be able to transmit digital signals with mutually different data transmission procedures and in mutually different data formats between transmitting devices and receiving devices.
This German application relates to a circuit arrangement for the transmission of digital signals between transmitting and/or receiving installations operating in accordance with a first data transmission procedure and with a first data format and transmission and/or receiving installations operating in accordance with a second data transmission procedure different from the first data transmission procedure, as well as with a second data format differing from the first data format, via a switching system. What is meant by the term "data transmission procedure" is both the data transmission rate and the type of transmission of signals.
What is viewed as being essential in the circuit arrangement indicated above is that the transmission and/or receiving installation designed for operation with the first data transmission procedure and the first data format and the transmission and/or receiving installations designed for operation with the second data transmission procedure and the second data format are connected to separate termination circuits provided for the respective data transmission procedure and the respective data format in a first group or, respectively, in a second group of termination circuits of the switching system and that a conversion unit is connected to at least one termination circuit of each group of termination circuits into which conversion unit all signals emitted by a transmission installation belonging to one message in accordance with the first data transmission procedure and with the first data format or, respectively, in accordance with the second data transmission procedure and with a second data format can be respectively enscribed, and from which conversion unit, subsequently, all signals belonging to the respective message can be output and emitted in accordance with a second or, respectively, with the first data transmission procedure and with the second or, respectively, first data format to the receiving installation which is receiving signals.
A relatively high memory expense occurs, however, in the converter unit due to these features.

Circuit arrangement for transmitting digital signals between transmitting and/or receiving devices operating with different data transmission procedures and different data formats