Improved plastic flame spray coating apparatus and methodology are disclosed. An inert gas is configured to shroud or envelop the pneumatically-conveyed stream of powdered plastic which is carried through the combustion flame. The polyolefin coating has increased adhesion and coating smoothness and thicker coatings without thermally-induced embrittlement, discoloration and poor mechanical properties are obtained.

Plastic flame spray coatings are generally prepared in the art from powdered plastic applied with a flame spray gun. The flame spray gun typically propels a central stream of pneumatically conveyed finely-divided thermoplastic material through a flame and onto the substrate surface to be coated. The thermoplastic becomes molten from the heat of the flame and is deposited onto a substrate surface where it cools and hardens to form a surface coating.
Flame spray guns are well known in the art. These guns are widely used for the application of metallic, ceramic and metallic-ceramic coatings. Typical of flame spray guns are, for example, the guns described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,934,595 and 4,632,309 to Reimer. In these guns, a stream of particulate material entrained in pressurized conveying air, a stream of pressurized combustion and propelling air, and a stream of fuel gas, are delivered in a concentric annular configuration to a combustion chamber such that the particulate material stream passes through a flame tunnel. Special considerations are given for enhancing the diameter and length of the flame tunnel to maximize the rate at which the particulate material can be applied to the substrate surface.
Plasma spray guns are also used, and differ primarily in that the particulated material is heated by passing it through hot plasma gas propelled from the gun in place of the oxy-fuel flame of the flame spray gun. International Publication WO 90-14895 describes an autogenic flame injection apparatus which can be used for either flame spraying or plasma application of powdered metals, ceramics, ceramic-metal mixtures and plastics.
In the present art, a variety of approaches are attempted in efforts to provide suitable plastic coatings made from thermoplastic materials. One approach is to employ plastic materials without inherent chemical functionality that can develop adhesiveness in the flame spray application, such as, for example, low density polyethylene. In this approach, applicators must successfully execute controlled oxidation of either or both the polymer composition and the substrate to gain adequate adhesion. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,718,473 to Powers, anatase (TiO.sub.2) was added to flame sprayed polyethylene powder to obtain controlled oxidation of the polyethylene to enhance adhesion of the resultant polyethylene coating. However, because of the stringently controlled temperature and oxidative conditions necessary to achieve successful coating, the use of polymer compositions without inherent chemical functionality has not been very successful commercially, particularly in field applications where such stringent control is frequently difficult if not impossible.
As another approach, it has been known to employ polymer compositions such as polyether imides, which are not inherently susceptible to thermal oxidation at practical thermal spray application temperatures. These high temperature materials, however, are very expensive and do not always have the inherent performance properties required or desired for specific protective coating and end-uses.
It has also been known to use inherently adhesive polymer compositions, such as those based on ethylene-acrylic acid copolymers. While this has some advantage over the unmodified polyethylene flame spray coating materials and is less expensive than the polyether imides, there remains much room for improvement.
A number of variables interplay in the application of flame spray thermoplastic coatings. For example, melt rheology and adhesion as previously noted, are of primary concern. In the flame spray application of thermoplastics, the substrate surface must generally reach a minimum "wet-out temperature" in order to obtain initial adhesion of the flame spray coating material. A low melt viscosity is generally desirable in order to reduce the wet-out temperature and impart initial adhesion. On the other hand, if the melt viscosity is too low, the molten plastic may, for example, run or ripple before cooling such that there are defects in the resultant coating. Also, lower melt viscosity polyolefins will have lower average molecular weights and concomitantly inferior mechanical properties.
The coating thickness is also a concern. Generally, the thicker the coating, the better the coating performance, i.e. in terms of corrosion resistance, durability and protection of the surface. In order to obtain a thicker coating, however, the flame spray must be directed to the surface for a longer period of time to allow more material to be deposited. In turn, the longer the exposure of the surface to the flame spray, the higher the temperature of the coating which is reached during its deposition. If the temperature is too high, then the desirable properties of the polymer can be adversely affected by polymer degradation, and in severe cases burning or scorching may occur. Conversely, the higher the upper temperature on the coating before properties are adversely affected, the thicker the coating which can be achieved in one application. When the plastic cannot be laid down thick enough in an initial coating, subsequent passes may be required to lay the plastic down in a number of layers. This has the inherent disadvantages of requiring additional labor and creating stresses in the coating between the various layers of the plastic which can lead to undesirable defects in the overall plastic coating.
Additionally, the properties of the plastic coating are a major concern. Desirable properties include thickness and adhesion, as previously mentioned, and also other mechanical and surface properties such as smoothness, gloss, impact strength and the avoidance of pinholes. Accordingly, the selection of coating materials and application techniques is dictated by the desired properties of the resulting coating. It is also desirable to facilitate the coating application process. The application rate is of economic importance, of course, in order to minimize the time and labor that it takes to form the coating on the surface.
The ease of application is also important from the standpoint that the process variables should allow for a wide margin of error or "forgiveness" in their selection. This would have the direct result that the flame spray coating can be applied in a wider variety of situations and environmental extremes without operator difficulty.
In conventional thermal spray systems for plastics, the applicators must contend with relatively narrow temperature "application windows" or "envelopes." For example, on the low thermal input end, i.e., not enough heating of the polymer, substrate adhesion can be low or marginal due to insufficient polymer melting and/or substrate wetting, and pinholing can occur due to poor particle-to-particle coalescence on the substrate surface. On the other hand, if the plastic is overheated in the flame, excessive crosslinking can result in higher melt viscosity, poor melt flow, reduced cohesive strength, low adhesion, discoloration and scorching, and pinholing can also result from out-gassing of degradation by-products and/or poor particle-to-particle coalescence arising from high melt viscosity.
The effect of the particle size of the plastic flame-sprayed from the gun has also been noted. For example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 62-2866 (1979) describes a flame spraying operation using a modified polyethylene containing 0.01 to 10 parts by weight, per 100 parts by weight of the polyethylene, of an unsaturated carboxylic acid or anhydride, having a melt tension from 0.5 to 15 g, and a particle size distribution from 30 to 200 mesh. It was reported that particle diameters smaller than 200 mesh result in the formation of air bubble voids in the coating, but that particle diameters exceeding (larger than) 30 mesh lead to nonuniform coatings which are not smooth and have an inferior "orange peel" appearance.
Various methods of obtaining small particles of polyolefins for coatings have been used. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,932,368 to McConnell describes the cryogenic grinding of carboxylated polyolefins to less than about 20 mesh size for coating substrates using a fluidized wet coating process, and to less than about 100 mesh size for electrostatic spray coating. This patent also describes the use of thermal, oxidative and ultraviolet radiation stabilizers in the powdered polyolefin.
The flame spray coating technique has been used with polyethylenes containing other additives, and with chlorinated polyethylenes. This is illustrated by U.S. Pat. No. 2,962,387 to Noeske, which describes the flame spray application of chlorinated polyethylenes with a critical chlorine content to minimize shrinkage of the coating following its application, and by U.S. Pat. No. 2,676,932 to Deniston, which describes a flame spraying composition containing polyethylene and a diethylene glycol stearate wax.


A powder coating cabin includes a column-like housing defining an interior space between a ceiling and a bottom, with the bottom being substantially of flat configuration, and a coating unit arranged on the housing for spraying powder onto an object. The powder coating unit is further provided with a cleaning unit which is so received in the housing as to be movable between a stand-by position in which the cleaning unit is arranged at least partially underneath the bottom and an operative phase for automatically cleaning at least the inner wall surfaces of the housing, whereby the bottom is suitably so designed as to clear a passage for the cleaning unit.

The present invention relates to a powder coating cabin, and in particular to a powder coating cabin of column-shaped design and of a type including a housing having a cabin ceiling and a cabin bottom, and a coating unit arranged on the housing for spraying powder onto an object.
In the field of powder coating, that need for a frequent change of paint is more and more demanded so that the cleaning of powder coating cabins becomes increasingly important. In this context, reference is made to commonly owned copending international patent application PCT/EP 95/04115, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, which discloses configurations of powder coating cabins which may have door-shaped gates for defining pre-coating and final coating sites and, possibly, have a closeable bore for passage of powder spray coating devices. Further disclosed in the above-referred international patent application are various embodiments of cleaning units for effecting a simplified purging of the interior space of the housing by use of compressed air and/or suction air and/or wet cleaning elements. The cleaning unit is movable in vertical direction, i.e. in vertical direction of the housing, to clean the inner wall surfaces of the housing when the housing is closed and forms a closed container. The cleaning unit is moved into the operative cleaning phase through the ceiling or laterally by opening the door-shaped gates for formation of the pre-coating and/or final coating sites. After closing the doors and the slots, the cleaning unit can be operated to carry out a cleaning of the inner wall surfaces of the housing. Practice has shown however that sufficient backup space must be provided laterally or above outside the housing for arrangement of the cleaning unit in the stand-by position so that the manner of loading and operating the powder coating cabin is restricted. In addition, there is also a risk of contamination of the cleaning unit in the stand-by position. In particular powder particles may remain on the cleaning unit, resulting in a risk of encountering undesired powder mixtures. Cleansing of the cleaning unit itself is relatively cumbersome and requires mostly manual labor.


The object of the present invention is to provide a polylactic acid stretched film having biodegradability and excelling in transparency and heat resistance. The main feature is characterized in that a polylactic acid stretched film is composed of a polylactic acid composition containing poly-L-lactic acid and poly-D-lactic acid in which a peak ratio (peak 1/peak 2) of a peak height (peak 1) of a maximum endothermic peak of endothermic peaks within a range of 150 to 200° C. to a peak height (peak 2) of a maximum endothermic peak of endothermic peaks within a range of 205 to 240° C. in DSC measurements is equal to or less than 0.2.

Biodegradable films have attracted attention as a means for facilitating waste processing of plastic films, and a variety of biodegradable films have been developed. Biodegradable films are subjected to hydrolysis or biodegradation in soil or water, the films are gradually destructed or decomposed, and eventually they are converted by action of microorganisms into nonhazardous decomposition products. Films molded from aromatic polyester resins, aliphatic polyester resins such as polylactic acid and polybutylene succinate, polyvinyl alcohol, acetate cellulose, starch, and the like are known as such films.
Because biaxially stretched films comprising polylactic acid, which is a biodegradable resin, excel in transparency, they started finding application as films for packaging, but such films have poor heat resistance.
A large number of methods comprising blending poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) with poly-D-lactic acid (PDLA) and forming a stereocomplex have been suggested (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H9-25400 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-open 2000-17164; and Macromolecules, 20, 904 (1987)).
However, even when a composition obtained by simple melt kneading of PLLA and PDLA is molded into a film, a stereocomplex is not easily formed and although the film formed is improved in heat resistance, the film is brittle and difficult to use as a film for packaging or the like.


In a method for determining a parameter set for a hearing aid during the computerized setting of the hearing aid, a macro call is determined, the macro call is converted into at least one setting command according to a macro definition, and the parameter set is determined dependent on the at least one setting command. Such a method is high-performance and nonetheless flexible and easy to manipulate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a method for determining a parameter set of a hearing aid.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a modern hearing aid as disclosed, for example, in European Application 0 064 042, the amplification and transmission properties can be set with a number of parameters. A number of parameter sets that are referred to as auditory or hearing programs are stored in the hearing aid. During fitting of the hearing aid, these auditory programs are determined by a hearing aid acoustician using a computer. When wearing the hearing aid, the user selects one of the auditory programs dependent on the current auditory situation.
With increasing performance capability of the hearing aids, however, the number of parameters to be set also increases. Up to 32 or even more parameters and up to 8 programs are provided given high-performance devices with digital signal processing. The parameters, which are also referred to as xe2x80x9cactuatorsxe2x80x9d, relate to properties such as the amplification of the hearing aid in a number of frequency ranges, corner frequencies for limiting these frequency ranges and amplification dependent on input level (AGCxe2x80x94automatic gain control) in a number of frequency ranges, controllers for setting the unwanted noise suppression and the channel coupling, etc.
These parameters are oriented to the technical structure of the hearing aid, so that the audiological effect of a modification of one of the parameters is often not easy to survey. Further, some parameters mutually influence one another, for example the actuators for the gain of the hearing aid in specific frequency ranges and what are referred to as the NH/NL actuators that relate to the gain for low or high frequencies. Further, there are dependencies between the individual auditory programs such that modifications of a parameters in one auditory program influence the other auditory programs.
Due to these difficulties and due to the high number of parameters to be set, which, moreover, are different for every hearing aid type, the optimum fitting of a hearing aid is a very complex and time-consuming task that requires extensive knowledge and experience with the specific hearing aid type on the part of the hearing aid acoustician. In turns out in practice that many hearing aids are not optimally set. Similar difficulties occur when a predetermined parameter set is to be modified in order to eliminate a deficiency that still exists. Dependent on the hearing aid type, very different approaches are also meaningful, so that special knowledge is likewise required.
For fitting a hearing aid, it is known to employ a hearing aid setting program that contains fixed adaptation and correction algorithms. Such programs, however, are very inflexible and are only updated at relatively long time intervals. Recent experience therefore only enters into the program given a software update. Experienced hearing aid acousticians also criticize such programs because the algorithms cannot be modified for the user and the user therefore cannot apply his or her own know how.
An object of the present invention, accordingly, is to avoid the aforementioned problems and offer a method for determining a parameter set of a hearing aid that is high-performance and nonetheless flexible and simple to manipulate.
The above object is achieved in accordance with the principles of the present invention in a method for determining a parameter set for the computerized setting of a hearing aid, including the steps of determining a macro call in the computer, converting the macro call into at least one setting command for the hearing aid according to a macro definition, and determining the parameter set dependent on the aforementioned setting command.
The invention proceeds from the basic idea of making macro calls available to the user. As a result of these macro calls, a number of setting commands for parameters of the hearing aid can be combined to command sequences that implement a function that the user can understand. The hearing aid-oriented significance of the individual parameters and setting commands can thus be converted into a user-oriented or task-oriented significance with a suitable set of macro definitions. Each macro call can thereby implement a relatively complex setting function. This facilitates the setting of the hearing aid by the hearing aid acoustician as well as by a technically knowledgeable user.
Macro definitions are usually not an integral component part of a program but are separate from the program logic and the actual program execution. Therefore they can be quickly modified given employment in a hearing aid setting program without a new version of the hearing aid setting program having to be produced. When a suitable tool is available, existing macro definitions can be modified with relatively little outlay and little familiarization time. For example, a hearing aid acoustician or a distribution organization of the hearing aid manufacturer can adapt predetermined macro definitions to their own requirements. The individual know how can thereby be taken into consideration. Suitable macro sets can also be quickly designed for new hearing aid types.
In some embodiments of the invention, there can be a certain dependency between the hearing aid setting program and the macro definitions, for example a number of components can be united to form a common datafile. Preferably, however, the macro definitions can be modified independently of the hearing aid setting program, and, in further preferred embodiments, they are even stored in a datafile or data table that is separate from the hearing aid setting program. An especially good separation between the actual hearing aid setting program, which cannot be modified by the user, and the macro definitions adaptable by the user (possibly with an auxiliary program) is thus achieved.
Comfortable possibilities for ordering and classifying the individual macros and for calling by the user are preferably provided. In preferred embodiments, a macro call ensues dependent on a problem description of the user and/or by the user actuating a control panel. The problem description by the user can be comprised in the selection of a question the user is asked and/or in an answer the user gives. In preferred embodiments, these functions related to the user interface and the user prompting are also at least partly modifiable independently of the hearing aid setting program. An especially high flexibility and adaptability to the individual ideas of the user is thus achieved. Information about these functions is preferably stored in at least one datafile or data table separate from the hearing aid setting program.
In preferred embodiments, a macro callxe2x80x94when a corresponding macro definition is presentxe2x80x94is converted into a number of setting commands, so that complex functions can be executed with a single macro call. In one preferred development of the invention, a number of setting command groups can be provided in a macro definition, one thereof being selected given the corresponding macro call. This selection preferably ensues dependent on the implementability of the setting commands and/or on a weighting of the setting commands, whereby the implementability of the setting commands is in turn determined by the momentary parameter values. A higher or lower prospect of success is thus allocated to the individual setting command groupsxe2x80x94each of which respectively corresponds to a problem solving strategyxe2x80x94and the instruction sequence having the highest prospect of success is selected. A quasi-intelligent behavior of the system that takes the current hearing aid setting into consideration is thus achieved.
In preferred embodiments, the method serves for the modification of a previous parameter set in order to adapt this more exactly to the hearing impairment of the user. The method can be repeatedly implemented, whereby the respectively current parameter set is modified in small steps (incrementally).

Method for determining a parameter set of a hearing aid


Transverse flux heating assembly for inductively heating a moving strip includes opposite spaced J-shaped conductors to form an inductive heating coil. The coils define a middle spacing therebetween which is unobstructed by flux guides to permit free translation movement between the conductors in a direction parallel to the strip width. The inductors provide a fully adjustable coil width to accommodate different strip widths in the heating operation.

This application relates to transverse flux heating and more particularly to inductive heating of a continuously moving metal strip or plate. The invention is particularly applicable to systems wherein the moving sheet, strip or plate can vary in width so that a corresponding adjustability in heating coil dimensions is highly desirable.
Transverse flux heating with J-shaped conductor assemblies is known. U.S. Pat. No. 4,751,360, herein incorporated by reference, provides a detailed disclosure of such conductors and their operational advantages for strip heating. However, as shown in the reference, it was thought that the J-shaped conductors needed to be imbedded in flux guides adjacent to the three sides of the conductors, except for the side facing the strip, to facilitate the production of a magnetic field which is essentially transverse to the plane formed by the strip.
Design considerations in any such heating system seek to predictably control the currents in the strip and provide for adjustability in the inductor width to permit it to handle different strip widths. Some prior known systems have had to provide a different sized inductor for each discrete strip width. Other schemes have been devised for making the inductor width adjustable but have been encumbered by the fact that the iron laminations of the flux guides filling the space between the adjacent J conductors have to be either removed or added according to the selected sizing of the inductor width. In other words, the number of laminations between the go and return conductors of the heating assembly were increased with an expansion of conductor width, or, correspondingly lessened with a reduction in inductor width.
The apparent problems of disassembly and assembly of such heating apparatus and the corresponding addition and subtraction of laminations has substantially encumbered the efficiency of adjustment of the heating assembly and its ability to handle the various strip widths.
Another prior art problem which has been identified with those systems seeking to include a relatively adjustable J-shaped inductors, is the occurrence of relatively intense magnetic fields at closely spaced straight extensions of the J-shaped conductors. The extended ends of the J-shaped inductors which are connected to the power supply connections are relatively closely spaced and an intense magnetic flux field occurs therebetween. When the edge of the strip is exposed to this field, undesirable edge heating occurs.
The subject invention comprises a new and improved transverse flux heating system which is readily adjustable to accommodate various strip widths, provides acceptable control of currents along the edges of the strip and is simple in construction and operation for improved efficiency in its adjustability to selectively variable inductor width dimensions.

Selectively adjustable transverse flux heating apparatus


A blower apparatus includes: a housing has a discharge port for discharging an air current generated by a fan; and an air conveying tube which includes a plurality of tubular members including first and second tubular members which are connected to each other and which guides the air current discharged from the discharge port in a predetermined direction. The first tubular member includes an outer circumferential surface which is formed so as to gradually decrease in diameter. The second tubular member includes an inner circumferential surface which is formed so as to gradually increase in diameter. The first and second tubular members are connected to each other through the outer circumferential surface and the inner circumferential surface. One of the tubular members which is connected to the housing is configured to be connected to the housing at a plurality of rotational positions about an axis of the tubular member.

The present invention relates to a blower apparatus for use in blowing fallen leaves or cut grass for collection and an air conveying apparatus.
Generally, as blower apparatuses of this type, there is a blower apparatus having a drive unit, a fan that is rotated by the drive unit and an exhaust pipe including a plurality of tubular members in which the plurality of tubular members are connected together by fitting projecting portions formed on an outer circumferential side of one of the tubular members in attaching grooves formed in an inner circumferential side of the other tubular member (refer to JP-A-2009-264296, for example). Among those blower apparatuses, in a blower apparatus described in JP-A-2009-264296, the attaching groove formed in the tubular member has a T-shape so as to branch into two directions, and the projecting portion is selectively positioned in one of the branches of the attaching groove, whereby the orientation of a nozzle at a distal end of the exhaust pipe is allowed to be changed through 90°,

Blower apparatus and an air conveying apparatus


The invention relates to a printer device for printing on a paper tape and for cutting the tape into printed tickets. The device comprises a frame having a cover hinged on the frame, a printer, cutter means, and guide means for guiding the tape between the printer and the cutter means. According to the invention, the guide means are formed by two walls substantially parallel to the axis of a paper drive roller, one wall being carried by the cover and the other wall being carried by the frame, in such a manner as to impose an S-bend on the portion of the tape that extends between the printer and the cutter means.

The invention relates to a device for printing on paper tape and for cutting the tape into printed tickets, more precisely it relates to a device for printers of the type comprising a thermal print head carried resiliently by a frame, and a tape-drive roller or xe2x80x9ccapstanxe2x80x9d carried by a cover and parallel to a hinge axis, with the print head co-operating in operation with the roller by bearing against a generator line thereof.
Numerous variant embodiments of ticket printing and dispensing devices of the above type are already in existence and they can be classified as closed devices and as open device.
In closed devices, there is generally a moving cap which enables a roll of tape to be inserted into a paper compartment and means for threading the leading end of the tape between the head and the capstan and between two blades of the cutter device.
In open devices, there is a frame and a cover, one carrying the print head and the other the capstan, so the capstan and the print head can be moved apart from each other in order to place the leader of the tape between them without it being necessary to have means for inserting and threading said end. In general, such devices have a cutter device downstream from the print unit, which cutter can be static (with cutting being performed by pulling on the ticket) or it can be motor driven. When motor driven, the motor-driven cutter device can be of the opening kind having one blade carried by the cover and another blade carried by the frame (in general this is the motor-driven blade), or else it can be of the non-opening type.
Static cutter devices are subject to random operation because of intervention by the user who exerts traction more or less correctly for detaching the ticket.
Opening motor-driven cutter devices are complex mechanically and subject to frequent breakdowns because of the play which exists between the two blades specifically because they can be separated.
Finally, non-opening cutter devices generally include paper guide means upstream from the cutter blades which form a tunnel making it awkward to engage the leader end of the tape each time the roll is changed.
The present invention provides a remedy to the drawbacks of all known devices by using a printer structure which opens and a cutter device structure which does not open but which has simplified access.
To this end, the invention provides a device for printing a paper tape and for cutting the tape into printed tickets, the device comprising a frame with a cover hinged to the frame, a printer comprising a thermal print head carried resiliently by the frame and cooperating in operation by bearing against a generator line of a tape drive roller mounted to rotate on the cover, cutter means downstream from the print head in the tape drive direction comprising a fixed blade whose cutting edge extends parallel to the axis of the drive roller and a knife that is movable along the edge of the fixed blade, and guide means for guiding the tape between the printer and the cutter means, wherein the guide means are formed by two walls substantially parallel to the axis of the roller, one of the walls being carried by the cover downstream from the roller and the other wall being carried by the frame upstream from the cutting edge of the fixed blade, the walls imposing an S-bend on the portion of tape that extends between the printer and the cutting edge of the fixed blade.
This S-bend confers stiffness to the portion of tape that facilitates the cutting operation since the tape is then better at withstanding the lateral drive forces to which it is subjected while the knife passes along the edge of the fixed blade.
In preferred manner, the cutting edge is constituted by a downstream edge of the fixed wall.
In this way, the functions of guidance and of cutting are performed by the same element.
The moving knife is then advantageously carried by a carriage that moves parallel to the edge of the fixed blade, and the fixed blade is longer than the width of the paper tape so that the portion thereof projecting beyond the tape forms a parking zone for the moving knife.
Thus, clearing a passage for the tape leader while it is being put into place is achieved merely by placing the moving knife in the parking zone.
The moving carriage is advantageously actuated by a wormscrew extending parallel to the edge of the fixed blade.
The carriage is thus easily displaced using a motor to drive the wormscrew.

Device for printing on paper tape and for cutting the tape into printed tickets


A device (1), for calming down a subject, comprises a content delivering means (12,14) adapted for delivering a content in a first mode, at least one sensor (22, 24, 26, 28, 29) configured to detect an activity level of the subject and a controlling unit operatively coupled to the at least one sensor. The controlling unit receives the detected activity level and compares the detected activity level with a pre-determined threshold activity level. The controlling unit is capable of changing the delivery of the content to a second mode when the detected activity level is above the threshold activity level.

Sleeping well is an essential condition for good health and to a feeling of wellbeing in human beings. Unfortunately, many persons have problems falling asleep. Traditionally, mental exercises such as "counting sheep" are used as a means of lulling oneself to sleep. If the subject is a child, the best way to put him/her to sleep is to tell or read a story. Multimedia presentation is often considered to have a potential to impart the mental exercises or to deliver the stories, as it is complemented by both sound and visual effects. However, one of the problems with the existing multimedia devices is that they tend to excite the subject rather than calming them down. These devices adopt the high energy entertainment strategies of Hollywood movies and computer games in which the objective is to create 'an adrenaline rush'. These devices fail to lull one to sleep and also ignore the socio-cultural role of reading children a story which is usually to put them to sleep or at least to calm them down.


An enhanced flexibility fastener product has a base and hook elements extending from the base. Rip-stops integrally molded with the base and with the hook elements are offset relative to the hook elements to reduce widthwise stiffness of the fastener product. Edge margins of the fastener are feathered in that they taper or otherwise reduce in thickness over an extended distance, preferably from at or near the hooks to an edge, resulting in a softer, less irritating fastener tape. Fasteners according to the invention are particularly advantageous on disposable absorbent garments such as diapers, sanitary napkins, and other articles of wear which come into contact with a user's skin.

The invention relates to hook-and-loop fasteners, their manufacture, and products incorporating such fasteners.
Presently, it is known to use hook-and-loop fasteners on disposable absorbent garments, e.g., diapers and other similar garments, to secure the garment in place upon the body. Although the fasteners work quite well for their intended purpose, they tend to cause irritation to the flesh, especially when used next to babies' tender skin.
It is known to reduce the abrasiveness and tendency to scratch of hook tapes by reducing the stiffness, or flex modulus, of the polymer used to mold the tapes. In doing so, however, the hooks become ineffective because they, too, lose their stiffness and hence their ability to resist the forces required to hold a disposable absorbent garment in place.
Currently, the molded plastic hook fastener components used on disposable absorbent garments have a nominal base thickness of about 0.012 inches. The hooks are molded using a method like that disclosed in Fischer, U.S. Pat. No. 4,794,028, incorporated by reference, in which molten polymeric resin is introduced between a molding roller and a pressure-applying means which forces the resin into the hook-shaped cavities and allows for the formation of a base to which the hooks are integrally joined.
Because the base of the fastener component is quite thin, it is notch-sensitive. In other words, during use, the base is susceptible to tearing in the lengthwise direction, with the tear propagating between and parallel to the rows of hooks, when the base is notched or nicked by even slight tearing, or by sewing or otherwise securing the fastener to some other product.
To reduce this notch-sensitivity, so-called rip-stops have been integrally molded with the base of the fastener. These are typically of hump- or bump-form and lie in the spaces between rows of hooks. The rip-stops, which reduce notch-sensitivity by providing localized thickening of the base of the fastener, typically extend between and are integrally molded with the hooks in adjacent rows as well as the base.
For efficiency, the hook fastener components are produced in the form of wide intermediary tapes on the order of twelve to eighteen inches wide. These "wide-width tapes" have "selvedges" or blank spaces extending lengthwise along the tape at selected places across the width where eventual separation is desired. The selvedges are spaced apart by widths corresponding to the desired width of the final hook tape, e.g., half an inch to an inch with, for example, on the order of twenty to forty lengthwise rows of hooks between selvedges. The wide-width tape is subsequently split along the selvedges to separate it into individual hook tapes of the desired width. The individual hook tapes so produced will then have blank selvedge areas along either side that are half as wide as the selvedges running along the wide-width tape.
Splitting has been facilitated by molding splitting channels into the base of the fastener along the centers of the selvedges. As taught in Fischer, the molding roller is composed of an alternating stack of molding rings, which have hook-shaped cavities cut into their peripheries, and spacer rings. Unlike the spacer rings disclosed in Fischer which have flat peripheral edges, however, the spacer rings used when making hook tapes with rip-stops have hump-shaped indentations cut into their peripheries to form the rip-stops. The splitting channels are formed by splitting rings--a third type of ring incorporated into the stack of rings--that are thin and have a slightly larger diameter than the molding rings and spacer rings. The splitting rings have had rounded, "bullet-shaped" edges. These rings typically have been nominally on the order of 0.008 inches thick, with their overall diameter and the diameter of their edges selected such that the base of the fastener is reduced to the order of 0.002 inches thick at the bottom, center of the splitting channel.
A wide intermediary tape is split into the individual, final tapes by manually tearing the end of the wide-width tape a limited distance along each of the splitting channels to form leading ends of individual hook tapes, threading the leading ends through the fingers of a splitting comb, and pulling the tape past the fingers of the splitting comb. Because the splitting channel causes a localized weakness in the base of the fastener, the wide intermediary tape continues to split along the splitting channels as it is pulled continuously through the splitting comb. Alternatively, a splitting blade can be used instead of a splitting comb. The leading tape ends are alternately laced over the blade or under the blade and the wide intermediary tape is pulled past the blade, the blade continuously splitting it along the length of the splitting channels to produce the individual tapes.
Unfortunately, however, although this method of forming the individual narrow tapes is highly efficient, the edges of the individual tape have remained stiff and sharp and tend to produce the above noted skin irritation.

Apparatus for making molded plastic hook fasteners


A system for the quick mounting of a glass shutter or door to a support frame includes a mounting plate having a first anchoring element to the top of the supporting frame and a second anchoring element to the glass shutter or door. The mounting plate includes a downwardly extending pivot defining an axis and a hinge device having a seat for the pivot. The seat and the pivot are configured to be coupled so as to allow the hinge device to rotate about the axis. A slip-preventing system prevents the separation by gravity of the hinge device from the mounting plate after coupling the pivot to the seat. The second anchoring element is removable so as to allow an operator to mount/dismount the glass shutter or door onto/from the support frame with the hinge device in the working position mounted on the top of the support frame.

Systems for the rotatable coupling of a closing element such as a door, window, shutter or the like, and a stationary support structure such as a wall, floor, frame or the like are known.
In particular, systems for glass doors or shutter are known, which generally include a plate anchored on the frame and a hinge device, for example a patch fitting anchored to the door.
Such systems are susceptible to be improved, particularly as regards the mounting simplicity, speed and safety thereof.

System for the rotatable coupling of a closing element and a stationary support structure thereof


A system is provided for utilizing belt movement information in a motorized seat belt (MSB) control system algorithm to achieve better levels of comfort and safety. The MSB control system algorithm controls execution of multiple modes including a no friction mode, a stowage mode, a slack reduction mode, an out of position warning mode, a medium pull-back mode, and a high pull-back mode. The MSB control system algorithm also controls execution of a low power mode initiated after the other vehicle modules are put to sleep to provide the ability to stow the seat belt after the vehicle has been turned off for some period of time. The MSB control system algorithm also controls belt monitoring functions defined based on a buckle switch state that indicates the buckled or unbuckled state of the seat belt. Belt monitoring consists of belt movement being converted to counts based on a resolution provided by a belt movement sensor.

A vehicle generally contains automatic safety restraint devices activated during a vehicle crash to reduce occupant injury. The safety of the occupant of a vehicle during a crash depends upon whether or not the occupant is using the safety restraint system, and, if so, whether or not the system is properly adjusted. Examples of automatic safety restraint devices include air bags, seat belt pretensioners, and deployable knee bolsters. A more effective safety restraint system controls the deployment force of airbags and the pretension of seatbelts based on detected characteristics of the seat occupant such as the size of the seat occupant. For example, when an adult is seated on the vehicle seat, the airbag can be deployed in a normal manner; however, if a small child is seated on the seat, the airbag either should not be deployed or should be deployed with a lower deployment force. Sensors of various types are placed at locations in and around the vehicle to detect situational characteristics both inside the vehicle and outside the vehicle. The information from the sensors is input into one or more control unit that controls the function of the safety restraint devices.
Restraint systems such as motorized seat belt (MSB) retractors have become standard equipment in modern automobiles. MSB retractors are widely used to protect passengers from the impact produced during a vehicle collision. Prior to a collision involving the vehicle, the MSB actuates a seat belt to protect the passenger. The MSB could be deployed because there are indications of an impending collision (an emergency situation), based for example on a severe breaking or swerving of the vehicle or external sensor systems that predict a high probability of a collision or of a potential rollover. The MSB could also be deployed at low force levels for comfort related reasons. As a result, the motor control of the MSB may have two basic types of modes, comfort mode and safety mode.
A MSB retractor includes a motor, typically electric, that operates to retract the seat belt in case of an emergency or to assist in the extraction or retraction when a passenger enters or exits the vehicle. The operation of the motor may be controlled by a signal generated by a microprocessor. A control system algorithm and the associated logic are needed to define the different safety and comfort modes that the MSB control unit is designed to fulfill. Such an algorithm should receive multiple sources of information available from various sensors such as a buckle status sensor, a seat track position sensor, a belt movement sensor, etc, and should utilize the information to improve the comfort level and the safety level of the vehicle occupant.


Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and computer readable-media for temporally adaptive media playback. The method for adaptive media playback includes estimating or determining an amount of time between a first event and a second event, selecting media content to fill the estimated amount of time between the first event and the second event, and playing the selected media content possibly at a reasonably different speed to fit the time interval. One embodiment includes events that are destination-based or temporal-based. Another embodiment includes adding, removing, speeding up, or slowing down selected media content in order to fit the estimated amount of time between the first event and the second event or to modify the selected media content to adjust to an updated estimated amount of time. Another embodiment bases selected media content on a user or group profile.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to media playback and more specifically to adapting media playback to fill a calculated period of time.
2. Introduction
Media playback has become an important part of every day life for many people. As media becomes more and more ubiquitous through technology, media playback may be abruptly cut short. For example, a person listening to sports scores on the radio while commuting to work may hear all the baseball scores, but miss half of the basketball highlights because the trip to work was 10 minutes too short. This is only one example of a myriad of situations where portions of media content are cut short and the listener is left with partial or incomplete information.
Another example of this problem is holding queues for reaching customer service or technical support. Often callers are forced to wait in a queue for the next available person when they call for computer help or with customer service questions, and background music is played while they wait. Media content, such as songs or news reports, is often cut short when the holding time is over, leaving the user hanging, and possible slightly irritated when their call is finally answered.
One approach in the art is to create and play back multiple, very short segments about various topics. One of the drawbacks of this approach is that listeners or viewers may dislike frequent topic changes or may desire more depth about a particular topic before moving on to another. Numerous short segments that are distilled to sound bites are not conducive to recalling critical information.
Another approach in the art is to record broadcast media for time-shifted consumption, like a digital video recorder (DVR). This approach allows the user to record or to pause media playback so no portions are missed, but it requires that the user return to the same location or at least a nearby location to finish listening to or viewing the content. Also, recording devices are typically limited to homes or other fixed locations. DVRs or their equivalent are not available on cell phones, radios, car stereos, or other mobile devices. A DVR doesn't apply in telephone holding times, either.
These and other shortcomings exist in current approaches of media playback and what is needed in the art is a mechanism to address these issues.

System and method for temporally adaptive media playback


Modeling an elastic stiffness tensor in a transverse isotropic subsurface medium acquires well log data for at least one well passing through the transverse isotropic subsurface medium. The transverse isotropic subsurface medium is divided into an effective anisotropic layer and an isotropic layer. The effective anisotropic layer elastic parameters are modeled, and the isotropic layer elastic parameters are modeled using the effective anisotropic layer elastic parameters and the acquired well log data. The modeled effective anisotropic layer elastic parameters and the modeled isotropic layer elastic parameters are used to upscale the effective anisotropic layer and the isotropic layer into the transverse isotropic subsurface medium comprising a single layer and to determine the five members of the elastic stiffness tensor for the transverse isotropic subsurface medium.

Velocity anisotropy, which is known as the directional dependency of velocities, is important in subsurface imaging and characterization. Most elasticity theories consider an isotropic medium as their main assumption for addressing the problems in the field of reservoir geophysics. This assumption is challenged by the reality of the subsurface, which could be made up of structures such as beds and fractures and which has gone through a complex geological history. These factors can make the subsurface of the Earth deviate significantly from the isotropic assumption used in the routine algorithms and approaches.
In general, four classes of anisotropy are defined that range from a completely isotropic medium (with two elastic constants) to a completely anisotropic medium (with 21 elastic constants). The four classes refer to specific conditions where the number of elastic stiffness constants can be reduced. The four classes are named Cubic with 3 independent elastic constants, Transverse Isotropic (TI) with 5 independent elastic constants, Orthorhombic with 9 independent elastic constants and Monoclinic with 13 independent elastic constants. A TI medium provides the closest description of sedimentary rock.
Conventionally, anisotropy in the context of isotropic approaches is handled using Thomsen parameters and approximation. Thomsen suggested three parameters to correct for anisotropy effects in weak-anisotropy mediums. These parameters, ε, δ and γ, are now used regularly in all reservoir geophysics disciplines to address anisotropy effects. However, calculation of the Thomsen parameters requires information such as laboratory data or well tracks in different directions compared with the symmetry axis which are expensive to apply in practice. Therefore, the need still exists to improve cheaper methods for calculating anisotropy parameter in the form of stiffness tensor or Thomsen parameters in a TI subsurface.


A plasma torch, capable of cutting in a dross free state, is made possible by increased energy density of the arc jet. The operation efficiency is not reduced even with a low operating gas flow rate, since the arc jet can be stably maintained in the plasma torch. The torch has a high double arc resistance and excellent durability. This is realized by forming a velocity reduction space N from near a lower end (3b) of the electrode (3) to a nozzle (9) at the front end of the plasma torch (1), the velocity reduction space being used for reducing the axial velocity component of the operating gas which flows along the outer periphery of an electrode (3). The velocity reduction space (N) is cylindrically shaped, and the diameter (Dd) of the cylindrical shape is larger than the diameter (da) of a lower end (3b) of the electrode (3). The velocity reduction space can be formed such that the diameter (Dd) of the cylindrical shape is larger than the diameter (da) of the lower end (3b) of the electrode and larger than the height (Ha) of the cylindrical shape. The energy density of the arc jet is greater than 4.times.10.sup.5 A.multidot.S/kg.

Hitherto, there has been a demand for a plasma torch which is capable of cutting material, such as steel, stainless steel, etc., with high precision and without adherence of molten metal. (hereinafter referred to as dross), which has a narrow cutting width, which is even capable of cutting thick plates, and which has a long life. With regard to such prior art, one of the present applicants has proposed a transferred plasma torch, for example, in Japanese Utility Model Application No. 1-72919. For example, each of FIGS. 7 and 8 is a cross-sectional view of a nozzle and electrode section of a conventionally proposed transferred plasma torch, wherein swirling air currents are produced in the operating gas. In the transferred plasma torch 50 of FIG. 7, a switch 53 is operated to transfer the arc, formed between a nozzle 52 and an electrode member 51a of an electrode 51, to a workpiece 54 to be cut. In this plasma torch 50, a swirler member 55 is inserted near the electrode 51, disposed within the nozzle 52, and a plurality of holes 55a are obliquely formed downwardly therein. The operating gas, which has passed through the plurality of holes 55a, becomes swirling currents and is successively accelerated in an acceleration section 52a, formed into a V shape with a gentle inclination at the front end of the nozzle 52, and reaches a nozzle restriction section 52b for restricting the arc let 56 such that it moves in a straight line.
In plasma torch 60 of FIG. 8, a swirler member 63 is inserted near an electrode 62, disposed in nozzle 61, and a plurality of holes 63a are formed in the swirler member 63 perpendicular to axial center Z of the plasma torch 60 and tangential with respect to the inner peripheral face of the swirler member 63. At the front end of the nozzle 61 below the electrode 62, there is disposed a velocity reduction space 61a below and apart from the lower end of an electrode member 62a of the electrode 62. The operating gas, which has passed through the plurality of holes 63a, becomes swirling air currents; and in the velocity reduction space 61a, these swirling air currents allow arc jet 56 to be held in a low-pressure space formed in the center axis and therearound. Since the nozzle 61 has the velocity reduction space 61a at the upstream side, it is capable of preventing deflection of the arc jet 56 which is ejected from the nozzle restriction section 61b, so that it is generated with a high degree of straightness, which results in excellent cutting of the workpiece 54.
However, in such above-described conventional transferred plasma torches, when in conventional use a current is made to flow through an electrode and a conventional operating gas flow rate is supplied, it is extremely difficult to achieve cutting of a workpiece in a dross free state. This is thought to be very difficult to achieve even when the conditions are changed.
Another different prior art is known, in which cutting in a dross free state is achieved by a method which comprises cutting a workpiece by an arc jet having the operating oxygen gas further enveloped by an oxygen curtain during cutting (refer, for example, to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 59-229282). However, the use of oxygen for the curtain results in increased gas consumption as well as a reduced precision in the dimensions of the cut face or the like due to burning.
The present invention has been achieved to overcome the above-described problems of the prior art, and relates to a plasma torch and, more particularly, to a plasma torch in which a transferred arc jet is generated, wherein dross adhesion does not occur, the arc jet is stable, and the nozzle, etc., has a long life.

Plasma torch having cylindrical velocity reduction space between electrode end and nozzle orifice


A method for delignification and bleaching of cellulosic pulp which comprises reacting a cellulosic pulp with peracetic acid, ozone and oxygen under conditions of acidic pH. The ozone substantially completely reacts with the pulp and, thereafter, the oxygen reacts with the pulp under under an acidic pH.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a method of delignifying and bleaching cellulosic pulps. More particularly, the invention relates to a totally molecular chlorine-free method of delignifying and bleaching chemical cellulosic pulps using a combination of peracetic acid, ozone and oxygen.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional methods of processing cellulosic pulps generally include multiple delignification steps. In order to obtain a final pulp of sufficient brightness, most industrial processes rely upon bleaching the pulp with chlorine-based bleaching agents. Molecular chlorine and, more recently, chlorine dioxide have been used in these processes. However, the use of chlorine-based bleaching agents has met with increasing objections and strict legislation has been proposed in an effort to force replacement of such chlorine bleaches in lignocellulose processes with non-chlorine based bleaches.
The pulp and paper industry has devoted substantial efforts to the development of chlorine-free or reduced chlorine bleaching processes. One such effort has been the development and implementation of oxygen bleaching systems. U.S. Pat. No. 3,832,276 to Roymoulik discloses one oxygen delignification process. Oxygen itself, however, cannot produce pulps of sufficiently high brightness and quality for many commercial applications. U.S. Pat. No. 4,626,319 to Kruger et al. teaches the use of oxygen and hydrogen peroxide in the dilignification and bleaching of cellulose. The ineffectiveness of oxygen in the bleaching of pulps has led other researchers to investigate the use of ozone as a bleaching agent, either alone or following an oxygen bleaching stage. Oxygen and ozone bleaching of cellulosic pulps are generally carried out separately because ozone is intolerant of alkaline conditions and oxygen is inefficient in an acidic environment.
For a review of the literature relating to the ozone bleaching of fibrous materials reference can be made to Medwich v. Byrd, Jr. "Delignification and Bleaching of Chemical Pulps with Ozone: a Literature Review" Tappi Journal, 207-213, March 1992.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,080,249 to Kempf teaches the use of a mixture of about 0.1 to 20% ozone in oxygen or air to delignify and bleach cellulose pulp. The delignification and bleaching sequence may include a first stage where oxygen is employed as a reactant in the presence of an alkali.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,960 to Nimz et al. teaches the use of ozone in the presence of a C.sub.1-3 fatty acid to remove lignin from a cellulosic or lignocellulosic pulp. The ozone is present at a concentration of about 0.1 to 10% in a gaseous phase consisting of air or oxygen.
In the prior bleaching processes which employ oxygen and ozone in separate stages or individual unit operations, there is a substantial change in the process pH from strongly alkaline for oxygen delignification to very acidic for ozone delignification. The control of pH is critical at these two extremes. For this reason, the oxygen and ozone treatments are separated. They are conducted in separate towers and the pulp is washed between each treatment. In ozone treatments, oxygen is presented as a carrier-gas and occupies almost 90% of the total weight of the gas stream but oxygen is essentially inert and inactive under the process conditions employed in these reactions.

Oxygen/ozone/peracetic aicd delignification and bleaching of cellulosic pulps


A system for optimizing a network having a plurality of network devices. The system includes a network monitoring tool simultaneously executable on at least one of the network devices and configured to diagnose a condition of the network. The network monitoring tool includes an information collection module configured to collect an information set relating to performance of each of the network devices, an action module configured to execute an action in response to the information set, the action relating to a diagnosed condition of the network, and an information transmission module configured to transmit the information set to an electronic device remote from the network. The system further includes a configuring tool executable on a server computing device. The configuring tool includes an information receiving module configured to receive the information set, and a programming module configured to configure the network monitoring tool based on the received collected information.

Home networks are growing exponentially in their complexity. We will shortly see home networks where the computer is merely one participant among many types of devices. The number of PCs attached to home networks will be dwarfed by other devices such as televisions and DVRs that are connected directly to the home network.
Except in rare cases, the user in the home will never be an IT expert or even have more than a very limited understanding of what a network does. As more and more devices use the home network, the burden of managing the network will rapidly grow beyond the capabilities of most home users. From the user's perspective, very simple tasks will seem as though they do not work, when in reality, they do work but are being hampered by a non-optimal network configuration or by events in the network they do not understand yet could control if they were armed with the appropriate information.
Consider the network environment illustrated in FIG. 1 and the following exemplary scenario. This represents a common "starter" broadband environment for many homes. The home has a single computer 155 ("Mom's computer") connected directly to a cable modem 150 providing broadband access to the Internet 107. The technical head of household has attached a USB camera 160 to mom's computer 155 and has set it up such that mom is able to engage in video chat sessions with her mother (i.e. grandma). This works very well for mom; she has singular access to the broadband channel into the home, which provides adequate bandwidth for a smooth audio/video stream to grandma.
This family has a daughter who has just received a laptop computer 170 for her birthday. As illustrated in FIG. 2, their network evolves to accommodate this addition. A wireless router 165 has been added to the network. The new laptop computer 170 is connected wirelessly to the router 165 and now the available bandwidth into the home from the Internet 107 is shared among multiple computers (i.e., computers 155, 170).
The daughter installs a particularly "chatty" peer-to-peer (p2p) file sharing application on her computer 170, and suddenly this high bandwidth application makes resources available from the connection to the Internet 107 relatively scarce.
Mom logs on to her computer 155 and starts a video session with Grandma. It is likely that Mom's chat session will begin to experience lost packets and "jitter" as she unknowingly competes with her daughter for bandwidth. Mom's experience will be degraded. She might have some vague notion that things seemed to get worse at some point after they installed the router 165. She might blame the router 165, she might blame the broadband service provider (BSP), she may simply live with the degraded experience and think there's nothing she can do about it, or she may simply give up and decide that video chat is not a viable option.
It's unlikely that, with no experience in networking, Mom will even begin to understand that her experience is being degraded as her network packets compete with her daughter's packets for a relatively scarce resource.
Furthermore, from the perspective of the BSP, they would rather that the scarce resource of the cable feed to this family's neighborhood not be saturated with p2p file sharing traffic.
Home network monitoring is very limited at present. For the most part it is limited to watching whether or not the Internet connection is active or whether link layer connectivity is functional on the local computer's network adapter. As the number of devices on the network increases, these limitations must be addressed.


The portable elimination device is a portable container for receiving human waste products, in particular, urine and fecal matter. In a first embodiment for micturition by males, the device is a cylinder having an outside layer made from a pliable, liquid impermeable plastic and an inside layer made from a soft, absorbent material. The device includes a pair of foldable flaps at the open mouth of the cylinder and a bead and groove seal to close the mouth of the cylinder for disposal after use. In a second embodiment for micturition by females, the device is generally rectangular with rounded corners having an outside layer made from a pliable, liquid impermeable plastic and an inside layer made from a soft, absorbent material. A flap is attached to one end of the outside layer and flexible shroud is attached to an opposing end of the outside layer, so that, after use, the flap is used to fold the device in half and the shroud is pulled over the doubled up layers for disposal. In a third embodiment for receiving solid waste, the device includes an inflatable, cylindrical chamber having a well defined therein. A liquid impermeable plastic bag is placed over the chamber, the bottom of the bag having a layer of absorbent material chemically treated to reduce odor being disposed in the bottom of the well, the mouth of the bag being retained to the outer wall of the chamber by hook and loop fastening material. After use, the bag is tied for disposal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to toilets and sanitation devices, and particularly to portable elimination devices for receiving human waste, such as urine and feces.
2. Description of the Related Art
Human beings frequently experience the need to void urine or to eliminate solid waste when access to a water closet or other indoor plumbing facilities is not available. This need may arise when camping, backpacking, or on extended travel by motor vehicle.
Portable latrine facilities are also necessary for military personnel in the field. Invalids confined to bed or persons who are hospitalized for surgery may be unable to use conventional toilet facilities. Pregnant women and small children often have small capacity and experience a frequent need to void. Public restrooms may be poorly maintained and in unsanitary condition, or may be located where women traveling alone feel the environment is unsafe. For all of these reasons, portable elimination devices offer an alternative solution.
Various devices have been presented to solve these problems U.S. Des. Pat. No. 328,126, issued Jul. 21, 1992 to J. K. Wadsworth, Jr., shows what appears to be a hinged toilet seat supported by struts placed over a box lined by a bag. U.S. Design Pat. No. 355,710, issued Feb. 21, 1995 to Hostetler, et al., shows a chair frame with a bag depending from the chair seat and a toilet seat placed over the bag. U.S. Des. Pat. No. 383,199, issued Sep. 2, 1997 shows a portable chemical toilet in the form of a bucket with a handle, a hinged seat placed over the bucket, and a cover which appear to have downward projections for snapping onto annular flanges around the top of the bucket.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,040,249, issued Aug. 20, 1991 to R. Diaz, describes a collapsible commode made from corrugated cardboard having vertical fold lines and a front wall, a rear wall, two side walls, and no bottom wall. A plastic bag is placed into the box and draped over the walls. After use, the plastic bag may be sealed by adhesive tape around the inside of the mouth of the bag.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,455,972, issued Oct. 10, 1995 to R. B. Williams, teaches a disposable bed pan bag large enough to receive a bed pan and having a pad made of absorbable material attached to the outside of one side of the bag between its ends, the pad being treated with crystals which absorb urine and human waste. The bag is placed over the bed pan with the pad positioned in the bottom of the bed pan well. After use, the bag is turned inside out and closed with a tie fastener.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,647,670, issued Jul. 15, 1997 to A. Iscovich, discloses a bag for the collection of vomit or urine made from polyethylene and having a strap attached to opposite ends of the bag opening for hanging the bag around the user's neck. The bag has reinforcing strips across the opening of the bay with curved metal fasteners that snap into holes on the opposing side which supplement adhesive strips for sealing the bag. The patent mentions that a zip-lock.RTM. bead and groove fastener may be used alternatively for sealing the bag.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,852,830, issued Dec. 29, 1998 to M. Horn, describes a portable urinal device having a plastic or rubber conical funnel with a spout connected by tubing to a collection bottle. An alternative funnel having a curved top and flat bottom for receiving a penis is shown. The funnels include a filter containing charcoal for absorbing the odor of urine. An alternative embodiment in the form of a flexible bag with perforations which may be separated for access during use is also shown.
United Kingdom Patent No. 686,682, published Jan. 28, 1953, teaches a collapsible toilet made from annular rings in fluid communication with a nozzle for inflating the rings. The pot has a liner, which may be a disposable liner.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus a portable elimination device solving the aforementioned problems is desired.


A blade clamp for a helicopter blade having a width and leading and trailing edges includes a first clamping part, a first flexible liner attachable to the first clamping part, a second clamping part, a second flexible liner attachable to the second clamping part, a hinge mechanism to pivot the first clamping part and the first flexible liner with respect to the second clamping part and the second flexible liner and a connector provided opposite to the hinge mechanism. The flexible liners evenly distribute clamping force upon the blade clamp to prevent damage to the blade. The hinge mechanism allows the first and second clamping parts to open wide enough to safely and easily accommodate a helicopter blade during removal and installation of the blade.

Rotor blades on military helicopters are routinely removed and installed during maintenance, storage and transportation. Dismantling of a main rotor blade involves the attachment of a blade clamp to the lateral center of gravity of the blade, lifting the blade clamp with a hoist to facilitate removal of the blade from the rotor and then hoisting it away from the helicopter for storage.
The cross section of a typical rotor blade is a classic airfoil design with a rounded leading edge and a sharp trailing edge. The new Blackhawk M model helicopter implements a wide-chord composite main rotor blade containing a trim tab along its trailing edge. "Wide-chord" is a term used to refer to the width of the blades. Composite blade designs are fragile and require sensitive clamping so that the blade is not damaged. The delicate trim tabs on the trailing edge are made with precision, perhaps from a costly material such as titanium alloy strip, for example. By virtue of the blade design, the trim tab is placed at the center of gravity of the blade, which coincidentally is also the blade clamping location.
Securing a rotor blade with a clamp at its center of gravity and connecting a hoist or sling to the clamp to support its weight is known. Blade clamps provide a way to secure or move helicopter blades in order to protect the blades during storage/transit of the helicopter. Protection of a helicopter blade during its removal or installation is critical since many present day helicopter blades are designed with lighter but more fragile materials, allowing for the greater possibility of costly damage. Likewise, modern helicopter blades also require carefully engineered clamps to ensure that damage to the blade does not occur during removal and installation of the blade.
A typical blade clamp is expected to secure the blade at its lateral center of gravity, and when lifted, the blade must hang level from a hoist. Transportation and handling of the blade using the blade clamp must be carried out without any risk of damage to the blade and its accessories. During the clamping operation, the blade clamp must not damage the blade, and thus the blade clamp must avoid certain structurally-sensitive areas on the blade during clamping and removal. Moreover, the clamping pressure must not damage the structure of the blade. The clamping mechanism must be secure, and the structural components used for the blade clamp must have adequate material properties and room temperature durability for the life of the clamp.
Known attempts at a helicopter blade clamp such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,301,982 to Tiemann, feature a leading edge design where the clamp hinge is situated on the leading edge of the blade. Leading edge designs, while able to avoid contact of sensitive trim tabs located on the trailing edge of some types of blades, prevent the blades from entering the blade cradle in a skid.
Additionally, known clamps such as Tiemann, clamp only upon part of the blade, and not along the entire width. This prevents any clamp mechanism from contacting and damaging the sensitive trim tabs on the trailing edge, but at the expense of not evenly distributing the restraining force along the width of the blade. Moreover, because the known blade clamps extend only half-way across the cross section in a clamping-ready position from the leading edge, the blade is not fully secured, resulting in blades being dropped during handling. To prevent this problem, a safety strap was later added to the known blade clamps; however the strap could not be used on blades with trim tabs located at the lateral CG.
Ease of use of known blade clamps is also a problem. Known clamps often require at least three people to maneuver the unclamping of blades and their placement in skids. Moreover, the clamps are too heavy for field use and none of the current clamp designs interface with the blade storage cradle. With the known clamps, removing the blade typically takes 10-15 minutes. First the blade clamp is secured and then a safety strap has to be tied around the trailing edge of the blade. Clamping the blade is done by feel and experience, and any slight mistakes in the clamping process can damage the blade. Once the blades are removed, they are placed with the leading edge down in narrow slots or cradles in a skid. Placing the blade in the skids is challenging, in that the clamp has to be removed at a pre-designated location way from the skid. Then the blade has to be physically lifted by two individuals and placed in the cradle.
Moreover, many known clamps are suited to fit only one type of blade width and cannot safely be used interchangeably with other models of helicopter blades.
Known blade clamps suited for the A/L model Blackhawk helicopter blades have a narrow width. Out of necessity, efforts have been made to use the legacy blade clamps on the newer wide-chord blades. However, special blade clamping challenges present with the new Blackhawk M model blade design prevent these known clamps from being suitable for use.
The older, existing A/L blade clamp requires use of a safety strap due to occurrences of clamp failure. Trim tab location of the M model blades falls at the blade's center of gravity, the necessary location for clamping. The straps on the existing blade clamp damage the trailing edge. The clamping force used to secure the clamp on the blade creates a line force on the surface of the blade that may damage the blade and its sub-surface structure.
What is needed is an ideal new blade clamp that would be lightweight and easily maneuverable such that it could be lowered and unclamped directly into the cradle by a single individual. Also the ideal blade clamp would be easily maneuverable when removing the blade from the cradle for installation on a helicopter. The ideal blade clamp would be a design with features that make it universally adaptable across other platforms with minor modifications. The ideal blade clamp would be capable of clamping with even force across the width of the blade, clamping on the center of gravity located at the trim tabs, but without damaging the trim tabs. The ideal blade clamp would be capable of all the above features while still meeting certain benchmarked structural requirements.

Alion Science and Technology Corporation


A method and system for obtaining a trajectory pattern of a route. One embodiment of the present invention provides a method for obtaining a trajectory pattern of a route. The method includes obtaining a set of points associated with the route, the set of points being obtained by at least one entity travelling along the route. A plurality of coverage areas covering a part of points in the set of points is determined. The coverage areas are connected based on main directions of the coverage areas to obtain the trajectory pattern related to the route. The main directions represent forward directions of the route in respective coverage areas. A corresponding system for obtaining a trajectory pattern of a route is described as well.

A trajectory pattern of a route refers to data describing the shape and/or direction of the route. For example, the trajectory pattern can include the segments through which the route passes and the directions of the segments. The trajectory pattern has a variety of purposes. For example, it can match a location of a vehicle or a user sensed using a technology such as Global Positioning System (GPS) to a corresponding location on the route. Generally, the trajectory pattern is crucial to many applications such as vehicle tracking, fleet management, and the like.
It is rather time-consuming and laborious to obtain a trajectory pattern manually. Besides, a manually collected trajectory pattern hardly satisfies the practical demands on accuracy. For bus lines in a city, there could be thousands of routes, while each route likely further includes tens or even hundreds of road segments. Further, due to various reasons such as municipal construction, road planning, traffic management and the like, the road segments in one route could vary with time. For example, statistics shows that there would be 7%-13% of the routes changing in average each month, which will cause corresponding updates of a considerable percentage of trajectory patterns.
It has been proposed to generate a road network using various methods, such as a grid-based method. Afterwards, the original GPS data collected by the vehicle can be mapped to the road network, so as to infer a trajectory pattern using Welch test. However, the process per se of generating a road network has a high computational complexity and a time cost. In many cases such as location data missing for some segments, low location data precision, and complex segments existing in the route result in generation of the road network to be error-prone. Additionally, the precision of the road network likely exceeds the precision requirement on the trajectory pattern in applications such as fleet management, which causes wastes of computational resources.

Method and system for obtaining trajectory pattern of route

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


A pump for precise, smooth delivery of liquid, particularly in liquid chromatography systems, featuring two liquid displacement elements mounted for reciprocating movement in chambers connected in series with two check valves, one displacement element serving to accumulate some of the liquid delivered by the first element and to deliver the accumulated liquid while the first element is refilling.

In chromatography and other applications, a precisely-controlled continuous flow of liquid is often desirable. Positive displacement pumps offer the desired precision, but a single piston or other displacement element can only deliver liquid during a portion of its operating cycle and must fill with incoming fluid during the remainder of the cycle. To provide a continuous output, it is conventional to use two pistons and cylinders connected in parallel, with each one delivering liquid during half of the cycle. E.g., Abrahams et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,855,129 and Swarthout U.S. Pat. No. 3,025,803. These pumps are relatively complicated. Four check valves are generally required: one at the inlet to each cylinder and one at each outlet. And because flow through the pump is necessarily divided upstream of and then joined downstream of the two cylinders, flow mixing can result between serial flow segments entering the pump. Further, in high pressure pumps employing two such cylinders, an air bubble entering one cylinder can remain trapped therein, effectively shutting down that piston and cylinder. This occurs because the other piston maintains pressure in the outlet line and thereby keeps the outlet check valve on the first cylinder closed. The first cylinder cannot generate enough pressure, because of the bubble, to open the check valve. For this reason, such pumps require careful initial bleeding and continuous monitoring thereafter. Another pump that delivers a relatively continuous flow is the very old and well known design for a hand water pump, in which water is delivered on both up and down strokes of the pump handle. There, a single piston with a step down in cross section moves through two adjacent volumes of water. Water stored in the upper volume during the down stroke is expelled on the up stroke.
As a further step towards providing continuous, smooth flow delivery in a two-cylinder pump, it is known to provide a pulse dampener downstream of or between the cylinders. Liquid stored in the dampener during high flow (and high pressure) periods of a cycle is released during transitions between cylinders when flow displaced from the cylinders is momentarily low. A length of flattened tubing that expands in cross section at high pressures is typically used for liquid storage to reduce mixing between serial flow segments. To store the flattened tubing compactly, it is conventional to bend it into many convolutions and store it inside a can filled with potting material (e.g., Waters Associates, Inc. Model 6000A pump). The tubing has also been bent into a helix and stored inside a cylindrical can.


A lighting fixture is provided in which the lighting fixture includes a housing configured to receive a power supply and a plurality of light emitting components positioned near a lens of the lighting fixture. The lighting fixture can operate in a first illumination mode and a second illumination mode. For example, the lighting fixture may provide white in one of the illumination modes and may provide amber light in the other mode. The lighting fixture is also able to be switched between an illuminated state and a non-illuminated state in response to receipt of a user input. The light emitting components can be switched between the first illumination mode and the second illumination mode in response to a magnetized contact applied to the exterior of the housing, where switching between the illuminated state and the non-illuminated state is independent of switching between the first and second illumination modes.

Many systems for lighting a space in or around a home, office or industrial building have multi-functional capabilities. For instance, such systems may provide lighting for daytime or operational lighting, night lighting, and emergency lighting. These various capabilities may be designed, for example, to change the appearance of the light so as to minimize the impact on the natural environment and its animal inhabitants or facilitate egress from a certain area in emergency situations.
Many coastal communities, state departments of Natural Resources, and Fish and Game Bureaus have regulations concerning the utilization of outside lighting during animal nesting seasons, turtle nesting season in Florida being a prime example. These regulations mandate that white light sources must be turned off during the nesting season. This is because when the turtles hatch, the turtles walk towards the moon, which leads them to their natural habitat of the ocean. Artificial white light sources used by humans for nighttime illumination have a tendency to confuse the hatchlings by attracting the hatchlings to walk towards this artificial light source and away from their intended destination of the ocean, often leading to the hatchlings' deaths.

Device and method for mode control of wildlife-friendly lighting


A frequency demodulator comprises a frequency discriminator configured to generate a frequency modulation signal from frequency modulated signal, circuitry for generating a phase modulation signal from the frequency modulation signal, and a click reduction signal processing (CRSP) circuit operable to remove noise enhancements from the phase modulation signal caused by clicks. By first converting the frequency modulation signal to a phase modulation signal, noise enhancements caused by clicks are more readily distinguished from other noise in the phase modulation signal. After the noise enhancements have been removed by the CRSP, the frequency modulation is recovered substantially free of clicks. Removal of the clicks results in an improved output signal-to-noise ratio, thereby advantageously extending the onset of the threshold effect.

Frequency-shift keying (FSK) is a commonly-used frequency modulation scheme in which information is transmitted over a communications link by way of discrete frequency changes made to a carrier signal. FSK transmitters are inexpensive to manufacture and have inherently high efficiency. However, FSK demodulators, which are needed to demodulate the FSK modulated signals at the receiving end of the communications link, have several disadvantages.
One disadvantage relates to the fact that conventional FSK demodulators are difficult to manufacture in integrated circuit (IC) form. Forming the FSK demodulator in an IC is desirable since it lowers manufacturing costs and results in a compact design that consumes significantly less power than a nonintegrated implementation. Unfortunately, conventional FSK demodulators include circuit components that are difficult to integrate using standard IC fabrication processes. For example, many FSK demodulators include slope detectors, ratio detectors or quadrature multipliers, all of which employ some sort of high-Q tuned analog circuit. Incorporating these high-Q tuned analog circuits in standard IC fabrication processes is difficult, and usually results in substantial yield losses and hard-to-control and undesirable part-to-part performance variations.
Other FSK demodulation approaches employ a monostable integrator or a delay flip-flop (DFF). The monostable integrator approach requires an accurate pulsewidth of a small fraction of the demodulation carrier frequency. The level of accuracy required makes it difficult to integrate. The DFF-based approach, while more easy to integrate than the other approaches, is only capable of operating on signals having a very high FSK modulation index h (i.e., an h much greater than 1). The DFF-based FSK demodulator includes a quadrature demodulator which serves to control the logic output of the DFF depending on whether the frequency of the received FSK modulated signal is lower than or higher than a local oscillator frequency. In order for the quadrature demodulator to accurately generate the control signals for the DFF, there must be sufficient phase rotation during each data bit interval of the received FSK modulated signal. However, in low-modulation index applications, such as Bluetooth where the modulation index is only about 0.3, insufficient phase rotation may be available per data bit interval for the DFF-based FSK demodulator to work properly. Another limitation of the DFF-based FSK demodulator is that the bit rate must be maintained at a rate less than or equal to the FSK frequency deviation imposed on the carrier signal. These constraints limit practical application of the DFF-based FSK demodulator to low-data-rate, high-modulation-index applications.
In addition to the specific problems associated with the various FSK demodulation approaches discussed above, all FSK demodulators exhibit a phenomenon known as the "threshold effect." At a pre-demodulation SNR (or "input SNR") called the "FM threshold," the post-demodulation SNR (or "output SNR") begins to degrade much more rapidly than the pre-demodulation SNR. Because a low output SNR results in data errors at the output of the demodulator, it is highly desirable to extend the onset of this threshold. Unfortunately, as the input SNR decreases, it becomes increasingly more difficult to extend the threshold, due to the presence of what are known as "clicks". Clicks are noise events that enhance the additive noise generated in the demodulation process. At low input SNRs the resulting noise enhancements become the dominant noise source and, consequently, pose a limit on the ability to extend the onset of the threshold effect.
Considering the foregoing drawbacks and limitations of prior art FSK demodulation approaches, it would be desirable to have an FSK demodulator that is amenable to integration, capable of operating on both low and high modulation index signals, and effective at extending the onset of the threshold effect.

Frequency demodulation with threshold extension


An analog-to-digital converter of the integrating type is disclosed in which, while an analog input signal is integrated over a first period, a reference signal is selectively superposed on the analog input signal during the first period when the integrated value exceeds a predetermined value, so as to reduce the absolute value of the integrated value of the analog input signal, and then at the termination of the first period the integrated value is inversely integrated by a reference signal (a separate reference signal or the same reference signal as above-mentioned), a period within the first period during which the reference signal is superposed and the second period, i.e., from the beginning of the inverse integration after the first period to the time point that the integrated value reaches the predetermined value being used to produce an output in a digital form. Since the inverse integration is selectively performed in the first period, the absolute value of the integrated value is small at the termination of the first period. As a result, the second period is shortened and the output amplitude of the integrator is reduced.

The present invention relates to an analog-to-digital converter and, more particularly, an analog-to-digital converter of the integrating type.
A conventional integrating analog-to-digital converter is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,316,547 to Stephan K. Ammann. This converting system is known as the so-called dual slope integrating analog-to-digital converter. The system will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.
As shown in FIG. 1, the prior art converter comprises an integrator 1 composed of an input resistor R, an integrating capacitor C, a reset switch 11 and an operational amplifier 4. A voltage -V.sub.1 of an analog signal source 2 or a reference voltage V.sub.2 of a reference voltage source 3 is selectively applied to an input terminal 12 of the integrator 1, through operation of a switch 18. The output signal 14 is the integrator 1 and a threshold voltage V.sub.T are applied to a comparator 5 where the output signal 14 is compared with the threshold voltage V.sub.T. The output 15 of the comparator 5 is applied to one of two input terminals of an AND gate 13 whose other input terminal receives a pulse signal from a pulse generator 6. The output 17 of the AND gate 13 is transmitted to a counter 7. A control circuit 8 controls on-off operation of the switch 11 through a flip-flop 9, resets the counter 7 to its initial state and controls the on-off operation of the switch 18 through a flip-flop 10.
For an explanation of the operation, reference is also made to FIG. 2 illustrating waveforms at respective points in the circuit shown in FIG. 1. At time t.sub.R the control circuit 8, produces a signal which in turn resets the flip-flops 9 and 10. A signal so produced at this time from the flip-flop 9 closes the switch 11 so that the integrator 1 is reset to be at zero level at the output. Also in response to a signal S.sub.1 of the flip-flop 10, the switch 18 couples the analog signal source 2 with the input 12 of the integrator 1. Then, at time t.sub.0 the reset state of the flip-flop 9 is released by a signal from the circuit 8 to open the switch 11. From this time t.sub.0, the integrator 1 integrates the voltage -V.sub.1 of the analog signal source 2 to be converted, and its integration output 14 is compared wih the threshold level V.sub.T. When the integration output exceeds the threshold level V.sub.T at time t.sub.1 1 the comparator 5 produces the output 15 which in turn enables the AND gate 13 to transmit the pulses from the pulse generator 6 to the counter 7. Thus the integrator 1 continues its integration, and thus the counter 7 also continues its counting operation. At time t.sub.2 when the counter 7 reaches its full scale count, the counter 7 produces a full scale output 16' which in turn sets the flip-flop 10 to turn the switch 18 to the reference voltage source 3 by the signal S1, and at the same time the count of the counter 7 returns to zero. The period of time from the initiation (t.sub.1) of counting by the counter 7 when the integration output 14 exceeds the reference value V.sub.T of the reach of the full scale count (t.sub.2) is expressed by T.sub.1. Upon the switching of the switch 18, the integrator 1 initiates the integration of the voltage V.sub.2 of the reference voltage source 3. Since the polarity of the voltage V.sub.2 is set to be opposite to that of the voltage V.sub.1 of the analog signal source 2, the integrator 1 initiates an inverse integration from this time, that is to say, it initiates a subtraction from an absolute value of the integration value at time t.sub.2. Thus, the output of the integrator 1 gradually decreases. At time t.sub.3 the integration value returns to the reference value V.sub.T and the comparator output 15 stops. As a result, the gate 13 closes to inhibit transferring the pulses 17 to the counter 7, resulting in the interruption of the counting operation of the counter 7. The count output 16 of the counter 7 at this time represents the number of pulse counts N in the time interval T.sub.2 from time instant t.sub.2 to the time point t.sub.3 that the output 14 of the integrator 1 reaches again the threshold voltage V.sub.T of the comparator 5. The voltage -V.sub.1 of the analog signal source 2 is integrated over the period of time T1 so that the output 14 of the integrator 1 changes by .DELTA.V, and the difference .DELTA.V between level Vx at time t2 and level V.sub.T is given as follows: EQU .DELTA.V=V.sub.1 .times.T1/RC.
The pulse repetition frequency f.sub.0 of the pulse generator 6, the full scale count F of the pulse counter durig the period T1 and the period T1 are related by T.sub.1 =F/fo. Upon substituting for T.sub.1, the following equation is obtained: EQU .DELTA.V=V.sub.1 .times.F/RC f.sub.0.
Similarly, the output change of the integrator 1 during the period T2 is .DELTA.V and the number of pulse counts N during the period T2 has a relation of T2=N/fo. Therefore, we have the following relation of the difference .DELTA.V: EQU .DELTA.V=V2.times.T2/RC=V2N/RC f.sub.0.
Rearranging the equations .DELTA.V=V.sub.1 .times.F/RC f.sub.0 and .DELTA.V=V2.times.N/RC f.sub.0, there is obtained the following equation (1): PS EQU N=V1/V2.times.F or T2=V1/V2.times.T1. (1)
Therefore, if F/V2 is selected to be 10 n (n=0, 1, 2 . . . ), the input analog voltage V1 may be expressed in digital form by the output count N from the counter 7.
Thus, the conventional integrating A/D converter requires a conversion time period of at least T1+T2. The maximum value T2 max of the period T2 is determined by the maximum value V1 max. of the analog input voltage and is given by: EQU T2max=(V1max/V2).times.T1.
If V1max=V2 and T2max=T1, the converting time period s 2T1. The maximum value .DELTA.V(max) of the amplitude of the output signal of the integrator is expressed as follows: EQU .DELTA.V(max)=(V1max F)/(RC fo)=(V1max)/(RC)T1.
Thus, in order to improve the converting precision, .DELTA.V(max) must be relatively large, and therefore the circuit components used in the integrator must have withstand high voltage.

Integrating type analog-to-digital converter