An amusement device includes a container having a releasable cover, which is biased by a compressible elastic member when the releasable cover is in a closed position. A molded rubber sheath encapsulates the compressed elastic member, and the rubber sheath provides a three dimensional figure which is collapsible in the closed position for storage in the container and which recovers to the three dimensional figure when released from the container. A release mechanism is provided in operative relationship with the releasable cover to permit the three dimensional figure to be released by the compressible elastic member when triggered by the release mechanism.

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material, which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of this patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrights whatsoever.
1. Technical Field
This disclosure relates to pop up amusement devices, and more particularly, to a pop up toy having a flexible rubberized figure suitable for highly detailed features and suitable for painting.
2. Description of the Related Art
Jack-in-the-boxes are well known in the art. Conventional jack-in-the-boxes typically include a hand crank which when turned causes a mechanism to play a tune until a trigger releases the top of the box. Once released a spring loaded head pops out. The spring, which connects to the head, is typically covered by a loose fitting fabric. The fabric covers the spring but fails to provide a constant shape since the fabric is simply draped over the spring.
The fabric has not conventionally been an article of entertainment in itself. The entertainment value from such materials has for the most part emanated from the colorful patterns placed on them. The entertainment value associated with these conventional devices is the displacement of the actuating device after a predetermined amount of time or after a musical piece is played by turning a crank. In some instances, rigid plastic figures were employed to pop out of boxes; however, these rigid plastic figures were limited in size due to the size of the container from which they emerged.
Heretofore, it has not been known in the art to provide a non-fabric flexible pop up figure to heighten the shock value of releasing the pop up figure from a container. It has also not been known in the art to provide a non-fabric flexible pop up figure which has a height or width dimension greater than the dimension of the container from which the figure has emerged.
An amusement device includes a container having a releasable cover, which is biased by a compressible elastic member when the releasable cover is in a closed position. A molded rubber sheath encapsulates the compressed elastic member, and the rubber sheath provides a three dimensional figure which is collapsible in the closed position for storage in the container and which recovers to the three dimensional figure when released from the container. A release mechanism is provided in operative relationship with the releasable cover to permit the three dimensional figure to be released by the compressible elastic member when triggered by the release mechanism.
Another amusement device includes a container forming an enclosure and having a releasable cover, and a slider plate slidably engaging a portion of the enclosure, the slider plate being biased in a direction of the releasable cover. A compressible elastic member is mounted on the slider plate, and a molded rubber sheath encapsulates the compressed elastic member and secures to the slider plate on one end portion of the rubber sheath. The rubber sheath provides a three dimensional figure which is collapsible in a closed position for storage in the container and which recovers to the three-dimensional figure when released from the container. A release mechanism is disposed in operative relationship with the releasable cover to permit the three-dimensional figure to be released by the compressible elastic member and the biased slider plate when triggered by the release mechanism.
In alternate embodiments, the rubber sheath may include a silicon-based rubber. The silicon-based rubber may include KRATON. The container may include a height, H, and the three dimensional figure extends to a height of greater than 2 times H when released from the container. The compressed elastic member may extend vertically when released from the container and the rubber sheath may include a horizontally extending portion. The horizontally extending portion may extend beyond the container in a horizontal plane. The amusement may include a memory device for storing acoustical information such that the acoustical information is converted to sound by a speaker. The three-dimensional figure may include a molded image of a musician and the acoustical information includes music associated with the musician. The amusement device may include a light disposed in one of the container and the rubber sheath to provide lighting effects. The amusement device may include a pressure source in communication with an interior portion of the rubber sheath to permit increased pressure in the interior portion.
In other embodiments, the amusement device may include a vibration device coupled to the amusement device to produce vibrational motion of the three dimensional figure. The rubber sheath preferably provides a paintable surface. The rubber sheath may include a molded image having three-dimensional molded details. The three-dimensional details may include at least one of body features, personal effects and appendages. The three dimensional figure may include a molded image of one of a human, an animal, a fictional character, a cartoon character, a comic character, and a body part. The amusement device may include rigid parts attached to the rubber sheath and/or collapsible molded features connected to the rubber sheath. The collapsible molded features may include air holes to permit recovery of the collapsible molded features when the three dimensional figure is released.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments thereof, which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

Amusement device with flexible rubberized pop up figure


An improved sole for use with all types of footwear, including dress, casual, and athletic shoes and sandals, which has an upper layer having a plurality of chambers filled with helium. The upper layer is attached to an outsole having indentations, corresponding to the chambers, and coated with a fluidic polymeric material.

The advantages of a gas filled sole are well known and are discussed in some detail in a number of patents, such as the discussions in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,887,367 and 4,936,029. Soles filled with gasses provide shock absorption and resiliency superior to that achievable with material soles. The choice of gas or gas mixtures used in soles affects not only the final weight of the footwear but also the degree of resiliency and elasticity and the useful life of the sole. Because of its light weight, helium is an optimum choice of gas for use in soles, particularly for use in athletic shoes in which any decrease in shoe weight may aid in running and jumping.
Recent attempts to use helium in soles of athletic shoes, however, have been unsuccessful as helium is the second lightest gas and is comprised of small atoms which easily diffuse through the materials used to construct the soles and helium bladders therein. The result of these prior efforts is a deflated shoe sole which does not provide the lift and support obtained from a filled helium sole. Other athletic shoe manufacturers have used heavier gasses to inflate shoe soles. Such soles, however, are heavier than those of the present invention and do not provide the degree of lift and elasticity obtainable with the soles of the present invention.
Despite the need for resilient and lightweight footwear, the sole of the shoe or sandal must also provide sufficient support to the foot and must be sufficiently durable to provide an acceptable service life. Furthermore, it is advantageous for the amount of support and resilience provided by the sole to different areas of the foot to vary as the stride of the wearer progresses. That is, in walking, jogging or running, the area of the foot in contact with the ground rotates from the heel to the ball of the foot. Therefore, it is well known to permit the gas to flow into and out of connecting chambers underlying the ball and the heel of the foot. Because of the light weight of helium, as the gas moves between the chambers, the sole imparts a lift to the foot and facilitates the natural roll of the stride.
The present invention is an improvement to the invention disclosed and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,009,637, issued on Jan. 4, 2000 and entitled "Helium Footwear Sole." The '637 patent describes a sole comprised of a silicone midsole having core modules filled with helium. One of the difficulties associated with the type of helium filled soles described in the '637 patent is the propensity of the helium to diffuse through the materials of the midsole and escaping into or through the top sole or bottom sole. The present invention addresses this problem and provides a sole which impedes such diffusion of the helium resulting in a sole which contains the helium for the useful life of the footwear.
Great amounts of pressure can be generated on the foot during any kind of ambulation, including walking, jogging and running. Footwear manufacturers and designers attempt to ameliorate the discomfort of the foot pressing against a hard sole by using softer materials to construct either the sole or as a padding on top of the soles of footwear. Soles comprised of a soft material are generally not as durable as soles made of rigid or semi-rigid materials. Insole padding materials have a tendency to flatten and compress with use thereby decreasing the cushioning provided to the foot. Yet other manufacturers offer gel-filled insoles which can be purchased separately from the footwear and moved from shoe to shoe. Such movable insoles, however, take up space inside the shoe and can result in discomfort on the top of the foot. There is a need, therefore, for a sole which cushions the foot during the standard service life of footwear but yet which provides support and durability.


The present disclosure discloses an inductor and a converter having the same. The inductor includes a magnetic core and a winding, the winding is provided within a window of the magnetic core, the winding includes a main body part and a sampling part, the main body part and the sampling part are connected in series, and a length ratio of the sampling part to the main body part is less than 2; wherein the main body part is formed of a low resistivity conductive material, the sampling part is formed of a low temperature coefficient conductive material, and a current flowing through the inductor is sampled across two ends of the sampling part. The inductor can obtain a current detection signal with high accuracy and low temperature drift with a compact structure, without increasing detection loss.

In a converter system, current detection is very important for realizing current mode control, current sharing, current monitoring, current overload limiting and current overload protection. The existing current detection method performs detecting/sampling to an output current by using a current detection resistor with high accuracy, by using a direct current (DC) resistance of an output conductor, or by using an on-resistance of switch, etc.
FIG. 1 is an existing current detection circuit using the current detection resistor with high accuracy. As shown in FIG. 1, the current detection resistor includes a sampling resistance Rsense and a differential amplifier OPA. An output inductor Lo has an inductance L and an equivalent series resistance DCR. The output inductor Lo is connected to the sampling resistance Rsense in series. Input terminals of the differential amplifier OPA are connected to the sampling resistance Rsense in parallel for amplifying a voltage signal across the sampling resistance Rsense so as to obtain a current detection signal. The magnitude of the current signal flowing through the sampling resistance Rsense may be known by measuring voltages across the sampling resistance Rsense and via I=V/R. It should be noted, the sampling resistance Rsense is a current detection resistor with high accuracy.
The method for detecting current by using a current detection resistor with high accuracy has the advantage of high current detection accuracy and low temperature drift. Since a resistance with a low temperature coefficient may be adopted, the influence by the temperature drift can be avoided. However, this method has the following deficiency: when the current flowing through the current detection resistor is relatively large, a relatively large loss may be occurred in the current detection resistor, thereby heat dissipation issues need to be considered during the design of circuit. In addition, the current detection resistor with high accuracy occupies a relatively large space.
FIG. 2 is an existing current detection circuit using the on-resistance of switch, which can efficiently save space and have a relatively low conduction loss. However, this solution has relatively low current detection accuracy and relatively large temperature drift.
FIG. 3 is an existing current detection circuit using a parasitic resistance of the output inductor. As shown in FIG. 3, the current detection circuit includes an output inductor Lo, a resistance R, a capacitance C and a differential amplifier OPA, wherein the output inductor Lo includes an inductance L and an equivalent series resistance DCR. The resistance R and the capacitance C constitute a RC filtering circuit for filtering sampling signals of the output inductor Lo.
When L/RDCR=RC is satisfied, a voltage on the capacitance is in proportion to a current iL flowing through the inductance L. Thereby, the magnitude of the load current and inductive current may be detected only by detecting the magnitude of the voltage on the capacitance. Such method is convenient and simple, can save space efficiently, and has a relatively low conduction loss, but has relatively low current detection accuracy and relatively large temperature drift.
Therefore, a new current detection solution is needed.
The information described above is only used to enhance the understanding of the background of the present disclosure, and thus may include the information which is not regarded as the ordinary skill in the art for the person skilled in the art.


In the packaging of an LCD module within a small and lightweight case, the case comprising a front case and a rear case, a recess with a predetermined depth, formed at the edge of the bottom side of the LCD module, is combined with a boss formed at the case, and a recess with a predetermined depth, formed at the edge of its surface, is fastened to a fastening means for securing the LCD module, thereby minimizing the difference between the areas of the LCD module and the case and further reducing the number of processes required for combining the LCD module with the case. In addition, the recess formed at the surface edge of the LCD module is combined with a fastening hook formed at the rear case so that the LCD module can be secured to the rear case and to the front case without any separate fastening member such as a stud or insert.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information display and, more particularly, to a liquid crystal display (LCD) module, an LCD device and an assembly method thereof, by which, when the LCD module, that is one of display devices for displaying information, is combined with a case to be accommodated therein, the difference between the area of the LCD module and that of the case is minimized.
2. Description of the Related Art
A liquid crystal display (LCD) that has been rapidly developed recently has a remarkably reduced weight and volume compared to a cathode ray tube (CRT) display with the same effective display area as that of the LCD and it also has a high resolution similar to that of the CRT-type display. Owing to these advantages, the LCD is being highly used with desktop computers and wall-mounted TVs as well as notebook computers. The LCD for achieving the above various advantages needs a technique of manufacturing an LCD module in a thin and compact construction together with a technique of packaging the LCD module in a case to form an LCD apparatus.
Although elements constructing the LCD module become thin due to intensive efforts to realize a thin LCD module, however, the packaging technique required for securing the LCD module to the case does not keep up with the technique of thinning the LCD module. Thus, when the LCD module is packaged in the case through a conventional method, the difference between the area of the LCD module and that of the case becomes large. This impedes the realization of a thin LCD apparatus.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to securely combine the LCD module with the case and to minimize the difference between the areas of them.
Another object of the present invention is to minimize the number of constituent elements and the number of processing steps required for the combination of the LCD module and the case while minimizing the difference between the areas of them.
The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.
To accomplish the objects of the present invention, a plurality of first locking depressions with a predetermined depth are formed at the edge of the top side of an LCD module in the shape of a thin cuboid in a predetermined interval and a plurality of second locking depressions are formed at portions of the edge of the back side of the LCD module, corresponding to the positions of the first locking depressions. Bosses are formed at portions of the rear case, corresponding to the positions of the second locking depressions, to be fastened to the second locking depressions of the LCD module, such that the LCD module cannot move horizontally. In addition, to prevent the LCD module from moving upward from the rear case, a screw locking hole is formed at a portion of the boss, corresponding to the outside of the second locking depression, and a screw is combined with the screw locking hole with the head of the screw being captured in the first locking depression, to thereby securely fix the LCD module to the rear case and combine the rear case and front case with each other.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first and second locking depressions of the LCD module are formed at portions of the edge of a mold frame, the portions of the edge of the mold frame being exposed to the outside without being covered by signal processing/transmitting members constituting a display unit that is one of constituent elements of the LCD module when the display unit is mounted on the mold frame.
In another embodiment of the invention, a screw having no head is used instead of the screw simultaneously fastened to the first locking depression and the boss. The screw having no head is fastened to the boss and then fit in a nut, such that the first locking depression of the LCD module is tightly secured to the bottom of the rear case with the help of the nut.
To reduce the number of parts and processing steps required for assembling the LCD module and the case, without using the screw combining the first locking depression and the boss with each other, a double protrusion is formed at a front case fastened to the rear case such that the double protrusion presses the first locking depression of the LCD module and is tightly fit in the through hole of the boss, simultaneously, in the step of combining the front case and rear case with each other with the second locking depression of the LCD module and the boss being fastened to each other, thereby remarkably reducing the number of processes required for packaging the LCD module in the case.

Liquid crystal display module, liquid crystal display device employing the same, and assembly method thereof


A taillight (stop and signal) for marine and utility trailers, as well as general use. The assembly consists of a light emitting diode (LED) array, circuitry and reflecting/diffracting surface which may have holographic characteristics all encapsulated in a clear resin. The reflecting/diffracting surface is positioned in the back of the assembly; its shape consists of a multitude of sharp edges or corrugations, forming a reflecting body. The LEDs within the array are directing their light beams on the knuckle edges of the reflecting body. Each light beam shows reflection on more than one surface. The reflected light beams generated induce a glow to the encapsulating medium. The duplication of the light beam results in an intensified array displaying a uniform light generation.

The present invention relates to the lighting, and in particular to a lighting system suitable for utilization with vehicles, including particularly a marine/utility trailer, as well as any environmental use entailing harsh environment exposure, water immersion and occasional impact, such as lighting in hot tubs, whirlpools, Jacuzzis, and swimming pools. Alternatively, the lighting system of the present invention is suitable for use as a light source in various diverse applications including interior/exterior lighting, and may be formed as a component of a structure wall or building block. Lastly, the present invention is suitable for use in potentially explosive atmospheres, such as grain silos, mines, chemical plants, and the like.
The preferred embodiment of the present invention contemplates an array of LED""s directed towards a reflective surface having diffractive or holographic properties, the system encased in a block of light transmissive resin. The light reflective surface, in conjunction with the light transmissive resin, is configured to diffuse and disperse the reflective light to provide a xe2x80x9clight pipexe2x80x9d effect wherein the entire block glows to provide a relatively bright, uniform light which is an efficient, waterproof, rugged, and reliable unit, which requires little operational maintenance.
While the prior art contemplates extensive variations of vehicle lighting, most utilize traditional incandescent bulbs, and certain applications, including conventional marine trailer lighting systems, continue to require extensive maintenance to insure continued operations. The exposure to saline inherent in marine applications deteriorates the mounting of conventional automotive light bulbs, frames, and connectors. With time, corrosion shows on the lead/socket/light bulb assembly and stop electrical conductivity, thereby disabling the light.
Further, corrosion is often so extensive that it seizes the bulb to the socket assembly, making the replacement of the bulb difficult and often resulting in physical damage to the socket. It is for this reason that marine trailer light systems may have to be replaced on several occasions over the life of the trailer.
The typical marine taillight protects its electrical components with the creation of a sealed air pocket that restricts the ingress of water in its housing to a certain level. This air pocket is achieved by making the housing of the assembly air tight with an open base. However, if the seals from the lenses are leaking, or the housing is cracked, nothing keeps the water from getting in contact with the bulb/socket assembly. Similar constructions are found with lights utilized in potentially explosive atmospheres; however, if the seals encapsulating the light bulb fail, and the atmosphere is allowed to leak into the enclosure, potentially catastrophic consequences can result.
Lighting systems found in whirlpools, Jacuzzis, hot tubs, and swimming pools, which also form a wet, inhospitable environment for electrical equipment, suffer similar problems.
Most lighting assemblies are fabricated from polyethylene or the like, and eventually develop cracks due to excessive UV exposure, corrosion of the screw holding it together, and excessive vibration and breakage from travel and positioning when used in vehicles or trailers. Marine trailers are often subjected to impacts from many different sources; tie down gear, boat launch apparatus and unintentional collisions with foreign objects while backing up for launch.
When water permeates the housing, in most cases the bulb is destroyed on contact, due to the thermal stresses. The hot glass of the bulb shatters in contact with the cool water, rendering the light inoperative and useless.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,241,457 teaches a xe2x80x9cRear Window Stop Lamp for Motor Vehiclesxe2x80x9d wherein an LED chip is disposed in a resin molded body substantially at a focal point of a curved reflective surface, with the light passing through a light distributing fresnel lens to form a xe2x80x9crear window stop lamp for motor vehiclesxe2x80x9d.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,528,474 teaches an xe2x80x9cLED Array Vehicle Lampxe2x80x9d illustrating an array of LED""s mounted to a circuit board which is fully embedded in resin material. In manufacture, resin is poured in a mold to encase the LED array and circuit board, the resin then being allowed to cure to form a solid, monolithic structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,775,434 teaches an LED and circuit encased in an xe2x80x9cencapsulating materialxe2x80x9d to form a lens while protecting the circuit in use.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,162,696 teaches a flat LED array encased in light transmissive PVC.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,696,837 teaches a sign comprising a light source which is encapsulated in a housing.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,632,798 and 4,826,896 are examples on patents involving encapsulation of electronic components.
In summary, the improvement of LED technology in terms of photometric performances in the recent years has given this technology practical uses in the automotive and other fields, wherein there has been taught in the prior art various configurations wherein LEDs are arrayed to emit light through a clear or diffused lens.
In other cases LED light beams are isolated and oriented on a reflective surface to enlarge the effective lighted area produced by each entity. Like other electronic components, encapsulation by resin has been shown in the prior art, albeit not in the manner contemplated in the present invention. Further, none of the prior art systems are believed to have taught or contemplated the present invention.
The present invention relates to the use of light emitting diodes (LED) technology to facilitate a fluid impermeable, solid-state, multi-purpose lighting system.
The present invention has been made in effort to solve the above problems of conventional marine trailer stop and signal light assembly using LED technology with an innovative approach heretofore not contemplated by the prior art.
The present invention is much more than simply an array of LEDs encapsulated in resin. Each LED forming the array is positioned within a specified parameter so as to deflect its full light output upon a specially configured and surfaced light diffusion reflector, this combination encased in a solid light transmissive medium so as to achieve a particular illumination effect.
The type, color, and color concentration of the resin or other material forming the block, in combination with the positioning of the LEDs and diffusive rear reflector surface causes the entire light transmissive block of resin to glow in a light pipe effect which provides an efficient, bright, and environmentally pleasing lighting effect, not only for utilitarian applications (such as employed in vehicles), but also provides a suitable construction for use in diverse outdoor/indoor lighting projects.
The xe2x80x9clight pipexe2x80x9d effect is such that a viewer does not particularly distinguish the LED sources, as there is a decreased perception of any LED, instead a general, bright glowing effect of the monolithic block, almost providing a glow similar to that of a neon light, in the desired shape of a block, or other monolithic shape of the unit.
This is in comparison to the prior art, wherein the light source on the LEDs were either aimed directly through the lens at the observer, or oriented at a conventional reflector, both arrangements providing the observer with readily discernable, pinpoint light sources comprising the vast percentage of the illumination from the units. The result is a somewhat harsh lighting effect, when compared to the present invention.
Not only is the monolithic block construction of the present invention rugged and waterproof, the diffusing reflective surface and xe2x80x9cglow pipexe2x80x9d effect of the system provide an excellent xe2x80x9cmoodxe2x80x9d lighting for decorative purposes, while the monolithic block construction and long life LED source provide can be incorporated into a building or other structure, including walls, ceilings, floors, as well as outdoor use (including aisles, sidewalks, roads or runways) to provide ambient lights, traffic lights, signaling lights, or other diverse applications which require reliable, safe, low maintenance operations in harsh conditions.
It is iterated that, while a block is shown as the exemplary configuration, the technologies embodied in the present invention may be utilized similarly in other configurations, including circular, as well as linear or strip configurations.
It is therefore object of the present invention to provide a taillight (stop and turn signal) for the marine and utility trailer, which is impervious to water, and saline environments.
It is another object of the present invention is to provide a taillight with a good impact resistance.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a multi-purpose light source with a high reliability and long life duration which may be embedded in walls and sidewalks, roads, runways, floors, aisles, ceilings, and other diverse applications.
To achieve the above-mention objects, there is provided a light source comprising an array of light emitting diodes (LEDs), further including electronic power via a power supply and associated electrical connections, a rear reflecting/diffraction surface which may have holographic properties, and an encapsulating medium. The preferred embodiment of the reflective surface incorporates a holographic diffusion pattern configured to break/disperse the light beam, which may further act as a reflector when the light assembly is not energized, a feature which is useful in vehicle applications.
Unlike the prior art, the encapsulating medium itself is used in conjunction with the reflecting body as a diffusing device, the combination in lieu of a conventional light source-lens combination. The monolithic, single-body construction may be mounted in a polymer housing used as a mounting interface which may also function as a shock/vibration damper to complete the unit, or the construction may incorporate the mounting hardware in the monolithic block itself, providing a truly one-piece lighting system.
The light assembly is achieved in two (2) steps. Step one (1): the LED array is erected between at least two (2), generally parallel vertical circuit boards in this invention. Each LED forming the array is positioned so that the light source shines at an angle relative to a corrugated reflective surface vertically mounted between the circuit boards. Within the array, the LEDs are oriented at an angle aimed at the knuckle edges of a corrugated, diffusive, reflective surfaces for the light dispersion effect and to increase the angle of refraction. Step two (2): The sub-assembly of step one (1) is encapsulated in a light transmissive resin which has color pigmentation to minimize the sun light penetration and to further diffuse the LEDs light beams.
The encapsulating medium by itself provides an envelope protecting the vital components from the surrounding environment and impacts.
An opaque coating may further be added on the assembly to designate the viewing angles of the single body taillight construction.
The above and further objects, details and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments thereof, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a light source comprising an array of LEDs embedded in a monolithic block of light transmissive material, said LED""s light emitters oriented toward a rear light diffusing, corrugated reflective surface, so as to provide a xe2x80x9cglow pipexe2x80x9d effect.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a rugged, waterproof, highly energy efficient and long life lighting system which is diverse in its use.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a rugged, waterproof, light source which may be embedded in a building construction, swimming pool, hot tub, road, runway, traffic signal, or the like.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a system for lighting a whirlpool, tub, swimming pool, or Jacuzzi utilizing an array of LEDs embedded in a monolithic block, said monolithic block incorporating a diffusive reflecting surface so as to redirect light from said LEDs through the encapsulating medium in a xe2x80x9clight pipexe2x80x9d effect.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a light source which provides a glow suitable for decorative or informative purposes, such as boundary indications, mood lighting, or the like.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a method of making a light source utilizing an array of LEDs and a corrugated reflector entombed in a monolithic block of light transmissive polymer,
Lastly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a light source comprising an array of LED""s having their light sources directed toward a diffusive, reflective surface situated behind said LED""s within a monolithic block of light permeable material, said light source configured to diffuse said LED""s within said array in a glowing xe2x80x9clight pipexe2x80x9d effect.

Rugged, waterproof LED array lighting system


A modular display for consumer products, contains a support frame, several modular display shelves that can be displaced in a rotating manner upwards and downwards in relation to the frame, several containment elements that can slide laterally on a support grille, frontal securing elements and bracket elements that allow the modular shelves to rotate. The modular display allows the products to stay organized, contained and permanently at the front of the display. The display also facilitates the counting and distribution of the products. In addition, the modular display allows products of different dimensions, to be displayed, by simple adjustments to their configuration.

One of the most important aspects of the industry of manufacturing and distributing consumer products such as snacks, fried foods, bread, cookies, sweets and similar items, is the way in which the products are displayed to the consumer at points of sale.
Consumer products should be displayed in such a way that they are always within the consumer's reach, well ordered and classified in the display; in addition, the display must facilitate the substitution and replacement of such products by distribution personnel.
Market studies have demonstrated that the sales of a product increase significantly when the product is permanently "put forward," i.e., whenever the products are placed at the front of the display, so as to catch the attention of the consumer and allow for easy removal from the display.
On the other hand, the consistency, weight and geometry of products packed in plastic bags, for example snacks, make it particularly difficult for the displayed products to remain well ordered, and to be pushed towards the front of the display.
Several types of displays are known for consumer products, generally consisting of a series of shelves and panels with divisions in order to accommodate in rows the various products to be exhibited for sale. However, these displays do not keep the product up front and are difficult for the distributors to replenish.
Another known type of display is that which is described in Mexican patent application No. 9603837, which has the advantage of maintaining the products in order and permanently at the front of the display, while also facilitating their filling by the distributors. However, in spite of its advantages, said display has a relatively complicated structure, in which all the shelves of the display are displaced upwards and downwards together, and the products are placed on trays with pre-established sizes, which limit the placement of products of different sizes on the display. On the other hand, due to the structural characteristics of this display, it is certainly difficult to quickly assemble and disassemble it, which makes its transport and distribution to points of sale difficult.
In view of the above, one of the objectives of this invention is to supply a product display which keeps the products orderly and permanently at the front of the display, in spite of their gradual removal from the display.
Another objective of this invention is to supply a versatile consumer product display, allowing the display of products of various sizes, height and width, with simple adjustments in its configuration.
Another objective of the invention is to supply a display that facilitates the distribution, counting, and accommodation of the products at the point of sale.
Yet another objective of this invention is to supply a modular display, with a simple structure and construction, facilitating its transport and assembly at the point of sale.
These and other objectives of the invention will become apparent from the description of the preferred embodiment detailed below.


A hand tool case holding device includes: a holding device housing, a case accommodating area, and at least one charging coil, which is provided for the purpose of transferring energy into the case accommodating area in a direction perpendicular to a charging surface of the holding device housing. The holding device housing has a case support surface, which is provided for the purpose of causing a support force at least essentially parallel to the charging surface.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hand tool case holding device.
2. Description of the Related Art
A hand tool case holding device including a holding device housing, a case accommodating area, and at least one charging coil, which is provided for the purpose of transferring energy into the case accommodating area in a direction perpendicular to a charging surface of the holding device housing, has already been provided.


A container formed as a clear cylindrical tube having a weighted base is dimensioned to pull stripped line into the tube and stack the line in neat coils using the weight of the line to provide a guiding pull. A removable handle may be provided for carrying the container over land and a tubular extension may be removably mounted on the top of the container for accommodating special fishing conditions such as high winds. The container may be used to transport clothing and other articles as it is carried inside a travel bag.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to containers for temporarily storing fishing rods and in particular to a transparent cylindrical container for managing fly line during and between casts.
2. Descripition of Prior Developments
When casting fishing line and particularly when casting a fly line, an angler strips line from a reel and typically allows the line to fall to the ground or into the water. Tangled line often results. Conditions are made worse by the presence of a blowing wind which promotes line tangling. Moreover, weeds, grass, rocks, stumps, branches, boat cleats and the like can cause line tangling. Line frequently gets caught under or on an angler's feet.
Line soiling from dirt, dust, or any fine particulate matter can decrease casting distance and accuracy due to the drag on the line caused by increased friction from the dirt. This friction also increases in proportion to the distance the fly line is from the rod when a cast is made. The closer the stripped line is to an angler, the less line drag results thereby allowing a farther cast.
Attempts to relieve such problems include the use of a basket worn around an angler's waist to receive stripped line. While such a basket attempts to improve fly line control, it exhibits certain drawbacks. Because it is designed to be worn on the body of an angler, it becomes an encumbrance. The need to vary line stripping motion is hampered by a relatively cramped tight space within the basket into which the stripped line is directed. This arrangement does not readily receive the stripped line.
Moreover, a varied line stripping motion is often desirable to entice a fish to strike a cast fly. Such variable stripping motion is not conducive to easy placement of the line into a waist-mounted basket. When a long line stripping motion is used, it becomes difficult if not mechanically impossible to properly place a long length of stripped line into the basket. Since a long strip action is often required to set the hook when a fish strikes, the basket may actually distract an angler at this critical point by failing to receive the stripped line.
Although waist mounted baskets work well if an angler is wading in wavy water, the basket does not provide much protection against blowing winds which tend to blow the line all about. Such baskets also cannot provide a resting place for a fly rod or provide storage for the rod and line when moving from place to place.
Fly rods are fragile and are prone to damage when landing a big fish. In this case, if an angler lifts the rod too high and places a high load on the rod tip, the tip can break. Prior line holding arrangements provide no solution to this problem.
Accordingly, a need exists for a method and apparatus which provides a virtually tangle free cast, which protects the line from excessive dirt and wind, which has the potential to clean the line during casting, and which provides a support for a fly rod as an angler lands a fish.


A game system includes a stick for being tilted in a direction in which a player character moves in a virtual space and for being pressed for an operation of a virtual camera in the virtual space, and a CPU for moving the player character in the virtual space on the basis of tilt, moving the virtual camera in a first control method when the stick is not pressed but tilted, and moving the virtual camera in a second control method on the basis of tilt when the stick is tilted and pressed at the same time.

Conventionally, there has been known a game system which includes two direction input units (such as sticks) and are directed to input for moving a character in a virtual space by one direction input unit and to input for changing a position of a virtual camera relative to the character (a direction to shoot the character) by the other direction input unit.
There has been further known a technique for moving two objects by two direction input units and automatically changing a position of a virtual camera relative to the two objects (a direction to shoot the two characters) depending on a positional relationship between the two objects (JP 2013-85663 A, for example).
In the conventional game system, however, if only one direction input unit can be used for one character, the character cannot be moved and a position of the virtual camera relative to the character cannot be changed.
An object of the present disclosure is to provide a game system capable of moving a character and moving a virtual camera even by use of one direction input unit, and a game program, and a game processing device.
A game system according to an aspect includes: a first direction input unit for inputting a first direction relating to a moving direction of a character in a virtual space; an operation input unit for inputting an operation relating to an operation of a virtual camera in the virtual space; and a control unit which moves the character in the virtual space in the input first direction, wherein when the operation is not input but the first direction is input, the control unit moves the virtual camera according to a first control method, and hen the first direction and the operation are input at the same time, the control unit moves the virtual camera according to a second control method based on the input first direction.
With the configuration, a method for controlling movement of the virtual camera is changed depending on whether the first direction and the operation are input at the same time, and thus one direction input unit as the first direction input unit enables the character to be moved and the virtual camera to be arbitrarily moved.
In the game system, the control unit may move the virtual camera to follow movement of the character in the first control method, and move the virtual camera to follow movement of the character in a direction corresponding to the input first direction in the second control method.
With the configuration, one direction input unit as the first direction input unit enables the character to be moved and a position of the virtual camera to be arbitrarily operated by inputting the first direction while inputting the operation.
In the game system, the control unit may move the virtual camera toward the character in a direction corresponding to a predetermined direction component of the input first direction in the second control method.
With the configuration, the virtual camera can be prevented from moving according to movement of the character when the character is moved in a direction other than a predetermined direction.
The game system may further include a stick capable of being tilted and pressed by a user operation, wherein the first direction input unit may be a tilt detection unit which detects tilt of the stick as the input first direction corresponding to the tilt direction, and the operation input unit may be a press detection unit which detects press of the stick by the user as the input operation.
With the configuration, the first direction and the operation can be input by different operations (tilt and press) of one stick.
The game system may further include: a first controller provided with the first direction input unit and the operation input unit; and a second controller provided with a second direction input unit for inputting a second direction for a direction in the virtual camera moves in the virtual space, wherein the control unit further performs mode selection processing of selecting either a single-player mode in which one player operates the first controller and the second controller or a two-player mode in which one player operates the first controller and the other player operates the second controller, may move the virtual camera on the basis of the input second direction in the single-player mode, and may move the virtual camera according to the first control method when the operation is not input but the first direction is input, and move the virtual camera according to the second control method based on the input first direction when the first direction and the operation are input at the same time in the two-player mode.
With the configuration, the mode (single-player mode) in which one player uses the two controllers or the mode (two-player mode) in which each of two players uses one controller can be selected, and a method for controlling movement of the virtual camera is changed depending on whether the first direction and the operation are input at the same time in the two-player mode in which one player can use only one controller, and thus one controller enables the character to be moved and the virtual camera to be arbitrarily moved.
In the game system, the control unit may employ a different correspondence between the input first direction and the moving direction of the character in the virtual space between the single-player mode and the two-player mode.
With the configuration, a direction to be held by the controllers may be different between the mode (single-player mode) in which one player uses the two controllers and the mode (two-player mode) in which each of two players uses one controller.
A game system according to another aspect which moves a character in a virtual space and generates an image based on a virtual camera set in the virtual space, the game system including: a stick capable of being tilted and pressed; and a control unit which moves the character in the virtual space depending on the tilt when the stick is tilted but not pressed, and moves the character in the virtual space depending on the tilt and moves the virtual camera relative to the character depending on tilt when the stick is tilted and pressed.
With the configuration, the character is simply moved when the stick is not pressed but tilted, and the character can be moved when the stick is tilted while pressed, and the virtual camera can be instructed to move in response to the tilt of the stick. Thus, there is no need to prepare a different stick for instructing to move the virtual camera from the stick for instructing to move the character.
A non-transitory storage medium having stored therein a game program according to one aspect causes a computer of a game system provided with a stick capable of being tilted and pressed, a tilt detection unit for detecting the tilt, and a press detection unit for detecting the press to move a character in a virtual space and to generate an image based on a virtual camera set in the virtual space, wherein the game program further causes the computer to move the character in the virtual space depending on the tilt when the tilt detection unit detects the tilt and the press detection unit does not detect the press, and to move the character in the virtual space depending on the tilt and to move the virtual camera relative to the character depending on the tilt when the tilt detection unit detects the tilt and the press detection unit detects the press.
Also with the configuration, the character can be simply moved when the stick is not pressed but tilted, and the character can be moved when the stick is tilted while pressed, and the virtual camera can be instructed to move in response to the tilt of the stick. Thus, there is no need to prepare a different stick for instructing to move the virtual camera from the stick for instructing to move the character.
The game program may further cause the computer to move the virtual camera to follow movement of the character when the tilt detection unit detects the tilt and the press detection unit does not detect the press, and to move the virtual camera to follow movement of the character in a direction corresponding to the tilt when the tilt detection unit detects the tilt and the press detection unit detects the press.
With the configuration, the character can be moved by tilting the stick, and a position of the virtual camera can be operation by tilting the stick while pressing it.
The game program may further cause the computer to move the virtual camera toward the character in a direction corresponding to a predetermined direction component of the tilt when the tilt detection unit detects the tilt and the press detection unit detects the press.
With the configuration, the virtual camera can be prevented from moving along with movement of the character when the character is moved in a direction other than a predetermined direction.
In the game program, the game system may include a first controller provided with the stick, the tilt detection unit and the press detection unit, and a second controller provided with the stick and the tilt detection unit, and the game program may further cause the computer to perform mode selection processing of selecting either a single-player mode in which one player operates the first controller and the second controller or a two-player mode in which one player operates the first controller and the other player operates the second controller, to move the virtual camera on the basis of tilt of the stick in the second controller in the single-player mode, and to move a character in a virtual space depending on the tilt when the press detection unit in the first controller does not detect the press but the tilt detection unit in the first controller detects the tilt in the two-player mode, and to move the character in the virtual space depending on the tilt detected by the tilt detection unit in the first controller and to move the virtual camera relative to the character depending on the tilt detected by the tilt detection unit in the first controller when the press detection unit in the first controller detects the press and the tilt detection unit in the first controller detects the tilt at the same time.
With the configuration, the mode (single-player mode) in which one player uses the two controllers or the mode (two-player mode) in which each of two players uses one controller can be selected, and a method for controlling movement of the virtual camera is changed depending on whether the stick is tilted and pressed at the same time in the two-player mode in which one player can use only one controller, and thus one controller enables the character and the virtual camera to be moved.
In the game program, the computer may employ a different correspondence between the input first direction and a direction in which the character moves in the virtual space between the single-player mode and the two-player mode.
With the configuration, a direction to be held by the controllers may be different between the mode (single-player mode) in which one player uses the two controllers and the mode (two-player mode) in which each of two players uses one controller.
A game processing device according to one aspect includes a first direction input unit for receiving the entry of a first direction relating to a moving direction of a character in a virtual space, an operation input unit for receiving the entry of an operation relating to an operation of a virtual camera in the virtual space, and a control unit for moving the virtual camera according to a first control method when the entry of the operation is not received but the entry of the first direction is received, and moving the virtual camera according to a second control method based on the input first direction when the entry of the first direction and the entry of the operation are received at the same time.
Also with the configuration, a method for controlling movement of the virtual camera is changed depending on whether the first direction and the operation are input at the same time, and thus one direction input unit as the first direction input unit enables the character to be moved and the virtual camera to be arbitrarily moved.
The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the exemplary embodiments will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the exemplary embodiments when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Game system, non-transitory storage medium having stored therein game program, and game processing device


A water-atomized metal powder is produced by dividing a molten metal stream into a metal powder by making injection water having a liquid temperature of 10° C. or less and an injection pressure of 5 MPa or more impinge on the molten metal stream and cooling the metal powder. Cooling with injection water having a liquid temperature of 10° C. or less and an injection pressure of 5 MPa or more enables can be performed not in the film boiling region but in the transition boiling region from the beginning of cooling. A gas-atomized metal powder may also be produced by dividing a molten metal stream into a metal powder by making an inert gas impinge on the molten metal stream and cooling the metal powder with injection water having a liquid temperature of 10° C. or less and an injection pressure of 5 MPa or more.

One of the methods of producing a metal powder known in the art is an atomization process. There are two types of atomization processes: a water atomization process in which a high-pressure water jet is made to impinge on a molten metal stream to produce a metal powder; and a gas atomization process in which, instead of a water jet, an inert gas is made to impinge on a molten metal stream.
In a water atomization process, a water-atomized metal powder is produced by dividing a molten metal stream into a powdered metal (metal powder) with a water jet ejected through nozzles and cooling the powdered metal (metal powder) with the water jet. On the other hand, in a gas atomization process, an atomized metal powder is produced by dividing a molten metal stream into a powdered metal (metal powder) with an inert gas ejected through nozzles and, generally, cooling the powdered metal (metal powder) by dropping the powdered metal into a tank containing water or a drum containing swirling water disposed below the atomizing device.
Recently, a reduction in the iron losses of motor cores for electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles and the like has been anticipated from the viewpoint of energy conservation. While motor cores are produced using multilayers of electromagnetic steel sheets, attention is being focused on motor cores formed of a metal powder (electromagnetic iron powder), which allows a high degree of flexibility in designing the shapes of the motor cores. To reduce the iron losses of such motor cores, it is necessary to reduce the iron loss of a metal powder constituting the motor cores. To reduce the iron loss of the metal powder, it is considered to be effective to change the metal powder into an amorphous state. To produce an amorphous metal powder by an atomization process, however, it is necessary to cool the metal powder that is in a high-temperature condition including a molten state at a considerably high cooling rate to prevent crystallization of the metal powder.
Accordingly, there have been proposed several methods of rapidly cooling a metal powder.
For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2010-150587 describes a method of producing a metal powder in which scattered molten metal particles are cooled and solidified to form a metal powder. The rate at which the molten metal particles are cooled until they solidify is 105 K/s or more. In the technique described in JP '587, the above cooling rate is achieved by bringing the scattered molten metal particles into contact with a stream of a cooling liquid generated by passing the cooling liquid along the inner wall of a cylindrical body in a spiral. It is described that the flow rate of the stream of the cooling liquid, which is generated by passing the cooling liquid in a spiral, is preferably 5 to 100 m/s.
Japanese Examined Patent Application Publication No. 7-107167 describes a method of producing a rapidly solidified metal powder. In the technique described in JP '167, a cooling liquid is fed from the outer periphery of the top end of a cylindrical portion of a cooling container having a cylindrical inner periphery in the circumferential direction to flow downward along the inner periphery of the cylindrical portion in a spiral. The cooling liquid forms a laminar, spiral cooling-liquid layer having a cavity at the center due to the centrifugal force generated by the spiral stream of the cooling liquid. A molten metal is fed to the inner periphery of the spiral cooling-liquid layer and rapidly solidified. This enables a high-quality, rapidly solidified powder to be produced with a high cooling efficiency.
Japanese Patent No. 3932573 describes an apparatus that produces a metal powder by a gas atomization process and includes a gas jet nozzle through which a gas jet is made to impinge on a molten metal stream to divide the molten metal stream into molten metal droplets and a cooling cylinder including a layer of a cooling liquid that flows downward along the inner periphery of the cylinder in a spiral. In the technique described in JP '573, the molten metal is divided in two stages by using the gas jet nozzle and the spiral cooling-liquid layer. This enables a fine, rapidly solidified metal powder to be produced.
Japanese Patent No. 3461344 describes a method of producing amorphous metal fine particles. In that method, a molten metal is fed into a liquid coolant such that a steam film that covers the molten metal is formed in the coolant, and the steam film is broken to bring the molten metal into direct contact with the coolant. This induces boiling caused due to natural nucleation. While the molten metal is divided into particles with the power of the pressure wave resulting from the boiling, the molten metal particles are rapidly cooled and changed into an amorphous state. Thus, amorphous metal fine particles are produced. It is described that the steam film that covers the molten metal can be broken by controlling the temperature of the molten metal fed into the coolant such that, when the molten metal is brought into direct contact with the coolant, the temperature of the molten metal at the interface between the molten metal and the coolant is equal to or lower than the minimum film boiling temperature and equal to or higher than the spontaneous nucleation temperature or by using ultrasound.
Japanese Patent No. 4793872 describes a method of producing fine particles. In that method, a molten material is fed into a liquid coolant in the form of droplets or a jet stream while the temperature of the molten material is such that the molten material has a temperature equal to or more than the spontaneous nucleation temperature of the liquid coolant and is in a molten state when contacting the liquid coolant. Furthermore, the difference in relative velocity between the molten material and a stream of the liquid coolant at the time the molten material is fed into the stream of the liquid coolant is controlled to 10 m/s or more. This causes the steam film formed around the molten material to be forcibly broken and boiling to occur due to spontaneous nucleation. Thus, the molten material is formed into fine particles, and the fine particles are cooled and solidified. That method is said to enable materials that have been considered to be difficult to be formed into fine particles and changed into an amorphous state to be formed into fine particles and changed into an amorphous state.
Japanese Patent No. 4784990 describes a method of producing a functional member, the method including a step in which a raw material prepared by adding a functional additive to a base material is molten and fed into a liquid coolant to cause steam explosion, which enables the molten raw material to be formed into fine particles, and the fine particles are cooled and solidified at a controlled cooling rate to form homogeneous functional fine polycrystalline or amorphous particles free from segregation and a step in which the functional fine particles and fine particles of the base material used as raw materials, are solidified to form a functional member.
In general, it is difficult to bring the surface of a molten metal into perfect contact with cooling water when the hot molten metal is brought into contact with the cooling water to rapidly cool the molten metal. This is because the cooling water vaporizes upon coming into contact with the surface (surface to be cooled) of the hot molten metal and forms a steam film between the surface to be cooled of the molten metal and the cooling water, that is, the cooling water is brought into the film boiling state. The presence of the steam film inhibits facilitation of cooling of the molten metal.
In the techniques described in JP '587, JP '167 and JP '573, attempts have been made to remove a steam film formed around metal particles by feeding a divided molten metal into a layer of a cooling liquid formed of a spiral stream of a cooling liquid. However, if the temperature of the metal particles is high, film boiling is likely to occur in the cooling-liquid layer. In addition, since the metal particles fed into the cooling-liquid layer move together with the cooling-liquid layer, the difference in relative velocity between the metal particles and the cooling-liquid layer is small. This makes it difficult to prevent a film boiling state.
In the techniques described in JP '344, JP '872 and JP '990, a steam film covering a molten metal is broken with the power of steam explosion by which the film boiling state is serially into the nucleate boiling state to produce amorphous metal fine particles. Removing a steam film formed during film boiling with the power of steam explosion is an effective approach. However, to cause steam explosion by making the film boiling state into the nucleate boiling state, as is clear from the boiling curve illustrated in FIG. 4, it is necessary to at first at least reduce the surface temperature of the metal particles to the MHF (minimum heat flux) point or less. The graph shown in FIG. 4 is referred to as "boiling curve" that schematically illustrates the relationship between the cooling capacity of a water coolant (cooling water) and the surface temperature of a material to be cooled. As illustrated in FIG. 4, if the surface temperature of metal particles is high, cooling of the metal particles to the MHF temperature is performed in the film-boiling region. The intensity of cooling of the metal particles performed in the film-boiling region is low because of the presence of steam films interposed between the surfaces to be cooled of the metal particles and the cooling water. Accordingly, if the metal particles are cooled from a temperature equal to or more than the MHF temperature to produce an amorphous metal powder, there is a problem that the cooling rate of producing amorphous is insufficient.
It could therefore be helpful to provide a method of producing an atomized metal powder that enables rapid cooling of the metal powder to be achieved and an amorphous metal powder to be produced.

Method of producing atomized metal powder


The invention is a moveable presser rail assembly for supporting blanking material during operation of a blanking tool for making packaging blanks. The moveable presser rail assembly includes a mount housing having a cavity that pivotally secures a pivot sleeve, and a guide strut is secured within the pivot sleeve by a spring biasing mechanism so that a fastening end of the guide strut may be rigidly secured to a presser rail. Because the guide strut may pivot within the mount housing, the presser rail may be rigidly secured to the guide strut and still provide reciprocating and non-parallel or limited lateral motion relative to a support plate that supports the mount housing.

The present invention relates to a blanking tool for making packaging blanks, and in particular relates to a moveable presser rail assembly for supporting blanking material during operation of the blanking tool.
It is well known in the manufacture of packaging containers, such as thin cardboard boxes for facial tissue, breakfast cereal, etc., that large packaging material sheets are cut to have a plurality of smaller sheets having identical outlines. The smaller sheets of material are referred to as blanks. One method of removing the blanks from the large sheets is to manually separate the blanks from the sheets, which is very labor intensive, and hence quite costly. An alternative method of removing the blanks from the large sheets is to use a male blanker on a top side of the large sheet that is cooperatively aligned with a female blanker on a bottom side of the sheet that supports the sheet.
As shown in FIG. 1, a male blanker 10 includes a plurality of presser members 12A, 12B, 12C, 12D, 12E secured to a support plate 13, and the presser members 12A-12E are dimensioned to be the same shape and slightly smaller than the blanks 14A, 14B, 14C, 14D, 14E of a large sheet 16 supported upon a female blanker 18. Next to and between the presser members 12A-12E are a plurality of prior art presser rails 20. (Only one of the identical six illustrated presser rails in FIG. 1 is identified by the reference number 20 to avoid confusion.) Each prior art presser rail includes two mount housings 22A, 22B that secure the presser rail 20 to the support plate 13. Each mount housing 22A, 22B includes a guide strut 24A, 24B that is secured within the mount housing by a spring biasing mechanism such as a captured coil spring (not shown), and the guide struts 24A, 24B are secured to the presser rail 20. The spring biasing mechanism forces the presser rail 20 in a direction away from the support plate 13 and mount housings 22A, 22B.
As is well known, in operation the support plate 13 is moved against the sheet 16 as shown in FIG. 2 so that the presser rail 20 secures the large sheet 16 as the presser members 12A-12E impact the blanks 14A-14E to force them to break apart from the large sheet 16 and move with gravity assistance and a stacking machine (not shown) to blank staking piles 26A, 26B, 26C, 26D, 26E. After the blanks 14A-14E are removed from the large sheet 16, the sheet is referred to as blanking scrap. As is apparent, the faster the large sheet 16 can be processed by the male and female blankers 10, 18, the more cost efficient is the blanking operation. A substantial limitation on efficient processing of the sheet 16 and blanks 14A-14E is associated with jamming of blanking scrap that is inadequately secured by the presser rails 20. The presser rails 10 must be able to apply a relatively uniform force to the large sheet 16, even when the sheet is not completely flat. Therefore it has become important that presser rail assemblies permit the presser rail 20 to evenly apply a force even when the rail 20 is not aligned to be parallel with a plane defined by the support plate 13, such as when a piece of blanking scrap is jammed between the presser rail and a subsequent large sheet.
Known presser assemblies have endeavored to solve this problem by permitting limited pivoting of a presser rail relative to a guide strut securing the presser rail to a support frame. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,529,565 that issued on Jun. 25, 1996 to Oetlinger, which Patent is hereby incorporated herein by reference, a presser assembly is disclosed that has a presser rail having a first end pivotally mounted to a first guide strut, and a second end mounted either rigidly or pivotally to a second guide strut so that each end of the presser rail may move toward or away from a support plate independently of the other end of the presser rail. While the Oetlinger presser assembly does permit a uniform application of force to the presser rail by the guide struts while the presser rail is not parallel to the support plate, because at least one presser rail end is pivotally secured to the guide strut, the Oetlinger presser assembly is quite difficult to mechanically secure to the support plate, and requires a complicated and strong pivot joint between the guide strut and the presser rail. Therefore the Oetlinger presser assembly requires strong metal components that are costly to manufacture and assemble onto the support plate. Additionally, the Oetlinger presser assembly is typically manufactured with both rigid and pivoting guide rod components, so a user must stock, service and replace two different types of presser assemblies.
As is apparent from prior art FIGS. 1 and 2, as a different sized blank is to be made from a sheet 16, the presser rail 20 and mount housings 22A, 22B must be separated from each other and secured to differing positions on the support plate 13. Because the Oetlinger presser assembly includes a pivot mechanism between the guide rod and the presser rail, it is time consuming to disconnect the many pivoting guide rods and to re-connect them in new positions. Additionally, the presser rails must be manufactured to receive a pivot mechanism to enable pivoting between the presser rail and guide rod, rather than the presser rail having just a throughbore to be rigidly secured in a non-pivoting manner to the to the guide rod or strut.
Accordingly, there is a need for a simplified, pivoting or moveable presser rail assembly that affords inexpensive manufacture and installation of a presser rail to a support plate of a blanking tool.
The invention is a moveable presser rail assembly for supporting blanking material during operation of a blanking tool for making packaging blanks. The moveable presser rail assembly includes a mount housing having a cavity that defines at least one stop shoulder, a first conical shoulder and an opposed second conical shoulder that both protrude into the cavity. First and second tips of the first and second conical shoulders are at points of farthest protrusion of the shoulders into the cavity. A pivot sleeve is dimensioned to be secured within the cavity of the mount housing so that whenever an upper edge of the pivot sleeve contacts the stop shoulder, contact corners of first and second convex edges of the pivot sleeve are positioned adjacent to the tips of the first and second conical shoulders within the cavity of the mount housing. The first and second contact corners of the first and second convex edges of the pivot sleeve are defined as being a farthest distance from each other on the pivot sleeve. A guide strut is secured within the pivot sleeve by a spring biasing mechanism that biases a fastening end of the guide strut in a direction away from the mount housing. And, a presser rail is rigidly secured to the fastening end of the guide strut.
In use of the moveable presser rail assembly, the mount housing is secured over a throughbore of a support plate so that the fastening end of the guide strut passes through the throughbore to be rigidly secured to the presser rail, and the throughbore is dimensioned to have a substantially greater length than a diameter of the guide strut so that the guide strut may move in a direction that is not only perpendicular to a plane defined by the support plate. As the presser rail is moved directly toward the mount housing, the guide strut moves through the pivot sleeve within the cavity of the mount housing. Whenever the presser rail receives a force that is not perpendicular to the support plate but instead is toward and lateral to the support plate, the guide strut may move toward the support plate and laterally in such a non-perpendicular direction causing the contact corners of the convex edges of the pivot sleeve to slide out of contact with the tips of the conical shoulders. For example, if the presser rail were to move in a direction forcing the guide strut both toward the support plate and the second conical shoulder, the contact corner of the second convex edge of the pivot sleeve would slide up and over the second conical shoulder in a direction away from the support plate, while the opposed contact corner of the first convex edge of the pivot sleeve would slide down and away from the first conical shoulder in a direction toward the support plate. Whenever the lateral force is no longer applied to the guide strut through the presser rail, the spring biasing of the guide strut will return the contact corners of the convex edges of the pivot sleeve to be adjacent the tips of the conical shoulders so that the guide strut is returned to a normal or perpendicular position relative to the support plate and the presser rail is again parallel to a plane defined by the support plate.
By providing spring-biased, pivoting or lateral movement along with reciprocating movement of the guide strut relative to the support plate through the cooperative relationship of the pivot sleeve, stop shoulder and conical shoulders, the moveable presser assembly permits rigid attachment of the presser rail to the fastening end of the guide strut, rather than a complicated pivot assembly between the guide strut and presser rail. That rigid attachment greatly simplifies manufacture, assembly and replacement of the moveable presser rail assembly within a complicated work environment of a blanking tool.
In a preferred embodiment, the spring biasing means includes a forked spring receiver that is secured to the pivot sleeve and extends from the pivot sleeve in a direction opposed to the fastening end of the guide strut, and a spring end of the guide strut opposed to the fastening end includes a spring bore defined between opposed fingers of the guide strut. The spring receiver secures a first end of a coil spring and the opposed second end is secured within the spring bore of the guide strut. The guide strut may also include at least one mount shoulder that passes through a guide slot of the pivot sleeve toward the forked spring receiver in compressing the coil spring between the spring receiver and the guide strut, and when compressed, at least one lock rod may pass through the pivot sleeve dimensioned to restrict travel of the mount shoulder back through the pivot sleeve to thereby secure the spring biased guide strut within the pivot sleeve.
In such an embodiment, the pivot sleeve and spring biased guide strut are thereby prepared for insertion into the cavity of the mount housing through a cavity entrance. The mount housing may then be placed so that the cavity entrance overlies the throughbore of the support plate to which the moveable presser rail assembly is to be secured. The throughbore of the support plate is dimensioned to permit limited lateral movement of the guide strut, but is also dimensioned to have a width that is less than a longest distance between the contact edges of the pivot sleeve to restrict movement of the pivot sleeve out of the cavity of the mount housing. The presser rail may then be secured to the fastening end of the guide strut in preparing the blanking tool for operation.
By enabling lateral movement of the guide strut through the cooperative relationship of the pivot sleeve, stop shoulder, and conical shoulders, and thus enabling a rigid attachment of the guide strut to the presser rail, the moveable presser assembly provides for a strong assembly that may be fabricated of plastic materials that can he manufactured at modest cost compared to known high-strength, small-diameter metal components that provide for a presser rail to be pivotally mounted to a reciprocating guide cylinder. Additionally, because of the efficient and rugged design characteristics of the moveable presser rail assembly, a plurality of identical moveable presser rail assemblies may simply be secured to one presser rail, rather than known presser rail assemblies that require a first presser having a pivotable guide strut and a second presser having a rigid or slotted guide strut secured to a single presser rail to enable limited lateral, or non-perpendicular movement.
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide a moveable presser rail assembly that overcomes deficiencies of prior art presser rail assemblies.
It is a more specific object to provide a moveable presser rail assembly that enables a presser rail to be rigidly secured in a non-pivoting manner to a guide strut of the assembly.
It is yet another object to provide a moveable presser rail assembly that provides for movement of a presser rail that moves in non-parallel alignment with a support plate supporting the assembly.
It is a further object to provide a moveable presser assembly that may be manufactured of plastic materials.
It is an additional object to provide a moveable presser rail assembly that facilitates assembly and replacement of a presser rail.
These and other objects and advantages of this invention will become more readily apparent when the following description is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.


In the game device, a period coefficient acquirer 102 extracts a first period coefficient as a factor for determining a communication period from game data. A communication manager 108 manages the status of connection with at least one communication terminal and a period coefficient deriving unit 106 derives a second period coefficient as a factor for determining a communication period from the status of connection. A period determiner 104 determines a communication period for communication with a game controller based on the first period coefficient and the second period coefficient. A correspondence table holder 120 retains a correspondence table of the status of connection and the second period coefficient, and a period coefficient deriving unit 106 refers to the correspondence table and derives the second period coefficient.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication technology and, more particularly, to a technology for determining a communication period.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various wireless communication protocols have been proposed and practiced recently. Examples of these protocols include wideband wireless local area network (WLAN) standardized in IEEE802.11 and wireless communication technology (Bluetooth™) standardized in IEEE802.15.1 for mobile information devices. These protocols are built in various information terminals for wireless communication with peripheral devices such as personal digital assistants, printers and headsets. Technological innovation in recent years has made it possible to fabricate a wireless communication module with smaller size and reduced cost. It has also become possible to build modules for plural kinds of wireless communication protocols in a single housing.
Since a handheld information communication device is driven by a battery, it is preferable to reduce power consumption necessary for communication as much as possible. A variety of methods for saving battery power are possible. For example, prolonging a communication period and reducing frequency of communication is also effective. That is an idea for reducing power consumption necessary for communication by reducing the number of transmissions and receptions of data in a predefined period of time. In a game system which is provided with a wireless handheld game controller, it is possible to extend battery time for a game controller by reducing the frequency of communication. Not only for a game system but also for other systems which execute other applications, the same situation exists. Thus, by prolonging a communication period and reducing the frequency of communication, it is possible to extend battery time of a battery for a wireless communication terminal. As described above, a communication period is an important factor in extending battery time.


A photopolymerizable material contains, as a main polymerization component, a bicarbazole compound represented by structural formula (1).

Recently, resin materials have been widely used in optical components such as an over-coating agent for optical use, a hard-coating agent, an antireflection film, a spectacle lens, an optical fiber, an optical waveguide, and a hologram because of their good processability and productivity. Furthermore, from the viewpoints of the tendency of a reduction in the size and a reduction in the thickness of optical components and the adjustment of antireflection properties, resin materials having high refractive indices have been desired. In particular, recently, in liquid crystal display elements used in displays of liquid crystal televisions, notebook personal computers, portable video game machines, cellular phones, etc., requirements for a reduction in the size, a high resistance property, and realization of a high brightness have been increasing. To achieve this, it is essential to realize high refractive indices for materials of prism sheets.
From the viewpoint of realization of high refractive indices for materials of prism sheets, in the related art, for example, it is known that a bifunctional acrylate compound having a 9,9-bisphenoxyfluorene skeleton is used as a photopolymerizable monomer (refer to PTL 1 and PTL 2). However, such an acrylate monomer having a 9,9-bisphenoxyfluorene skeleton is a liquid having a high viscosity of several tens of pascal seconds or more at room temperature. Accordingly, when the acrylate monomer is used as a shape-forming material of a prism sheet or the like, it is necessary to dilute the monomer with a large amount of a reactive diluent or the like so that the resulting monomer solution comes to have an appropriate viscosity. Consequently, the refractive index of the resulting cured product decreases.
Compositions that contain N-vinylcarbazole (9-vinylcarbazole) or a derivative thereof are known examples of materials of prism sheets having high refractive indices (refer to PTL 3). However, N-vinylcarbazole has high crystallinity and is difficult to handle. In addition, at present, the refractive indices of cured products obtained by curing any of these compositions are not at a satisfactory level.
As described above, existing high-refractive index polymerizable compounds tend to have high viscosities by themselves or are easily crystallized. As a result, in the case where such compounds are used in practical compositions, it is difficult to sufficiently increase the refractive indices of the resulting cured products.

Bicarbazole compound, photo-curable composition, cured product thereof, curable composition for plastic lens, and plastic lens

Abstract: In structural formula (1), X1 and X2 are each independently a photopolymerizable functional group, a structural site having a photopolymerizable functional group, or a hydrogen atom, at least one of X1 and X2 is a photopolymerizable functional group or a structural site having a photopolymerizable functional group, R1 and R2 are each independently a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, an alkoxy group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, a bromine atom, or a chlorine atom, and at least one of R1 and R2 is a hydrogen atom.


A 64 Mb DRAM includes memory cell array areas 15, sense amplifier areas 16, subword driver areas 17, and cross areas 18. For each horizontal input/output line IOH parallel to the word line W, through holes on the sense amplifiers provide connections between the second metal line hierarchy M2 and the third metal line hierarchy M3. The vertical input/output line IOV parallel to the bit line BL runs through a plurality of memory cell array areas 15 in a direction parallel to the column selection signal line YS and connects to the main amplifier MA outside the memory cell array areas 15. In this input/output line configuration, the greater the number of word lines W that are selected, the greater the number of bits that can be output.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor memory device; and, more specifically, the invention relates to a memory cell array system capable of accessing (inputting and outputting) an ultra-large number of bits in a dynamic memory simultaneously.
In connection with various semiconductor memory devices that have been studied by the inventor of this invention, such as DRAMs, there have been growing demands on the memory chip for an increased number of bits to increase the effective band width (frequency.times.number of input/output bits) of the semiconductor memory system. However, it is not easy to realize an input/output width having an ultra-large bit number, more than 32 bits, such as 128 bits, while preventing an increase in the area of the chip. To realize this requires an improvement in the memory cell array.
A technique for constructing I/O lines in a hierarchical structure is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 178158/1998, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 288888/1997, U.S. Pat. No. 5,657,286 (that corresponds to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 334985/1995) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,546,349 (that corresponds to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8251/1997).


Systems and methods for electroless deposition of a cobalt-alloy layer on a copper surface include a solution characterized by a low pH. This solution may include, for example, a cobalt(II) salt, a complexing agent including at least two amine groups, a pH adjuster configured to adjust the pH to below 7.0, and a reducing agent. In some embodiments, the cobalt-alloy is configured to facilitate bonding and copper diffusion characteristics between the copper surface and a dielectric in an integrated circuit.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is in the field of semiconductor manufacturing and more specifically in the field of manufacturing multilayer structures that include copper.
2. Related Art
Dielectric barrier layers including Cu—SiC or Cu—Si3N4 are commonly used in semiconductor devices. For example, these dielectric barrier layers may be incorporated within advanced back-end-of-line (BEOL) metallization structures. It has been found that the inclusion of a cobalt-alloy capping layer deposited between the copper layer and the SiC or Si3N4 layer results in improved adhesion between the layers and improved electro-migration and copper diffusion characteristics. The cobalt-alloy capping layer can be deposited on copper by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) or by electroless deposition.
Electroless deposition of cobalt alloys such as CoWBP or CoWP on copper has been demonstrated. A typical approach is to use a cobalt salt, a tungsten salt, a hypophosphite reducing agent, a borane reducing agent such as DMAB (dimethylaminoborane), and a complexing agent in a highly alkaline environment. For example, deposition usually occurs around a pH of 9 or above. When the cobalt alloy is to be used for adhesion improvement purposes only, the tungsten and phosphorus may be unnecessary as these elements are included principally to improve resistance to copper diffusion by stuffing the Co grain boundaries and reducing or eliminating Cu diffusion paths.
Electroless deposition can be inhibited by the presence of a thin copper-oxide layer on the copper. This copper-oxide layer forms when the copper is exposed to air or other oxidizing environment. Further, contaminants on the copper and dielectric surfaces can cause pattern-dependent plating effects such as pattern-dependent variations in the thickness of the cobalt-alloy capping layer. There is, therefore, a need to limit the formation of native copper oxide on the copper layer prior to deposition of the cobalt-alloy capping layer. Typically, the processing environment is controlled to limit this oxide formation, and also to remove any copper oxide and organic contaminants already on the copper surface. Unfortunately, the use of highly alkaline solutions in the electroless deposition of cobalt alloys, as in the prior art, promotes rather than limits the formation of copper oxides.


A crystal-less clock generator (CLCG) and an operation method thereof are provided. The CLCG includes a first oscillation circuit, a second oscillation circuit, and a control circuit. The first oscillation circuit is controlled by a control signal for generating an output clock signal of the CLCG. The second oscillation circuit generates a reference clock signal. The control circuit is coupled to the first oscillation circuit for receiving the output clock signal and coupled to the second oscillation circuit for receiving the reference clock signal. The control circuit is used to generate the control signal for the first oscillation circuit according to the relationship between the output clock signal and the reference clock signal.

Along with the development of electronic systems, the sizes of different electronic elements have been constantly reduced, and the number of transistors per unit area in a chip has been increased accordingly. Modularizing all circuits in a product and integrating the functions of these modules into a single chip is one of the trends in the future development of electronic systems. Clock signal perform synchronization in various electronic systems. In a portable electronic device or an electronic biomedical product, a clock source with low power consumption and small surface area may extend the lifespan of the product. Presently, a clock signal is usually generated using a crystal oscillator, micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS), or through a CMOS process. The frequency of a crystal oscillator or MEMS is stable at different temperatures and voltages. As to the circuit system structure, an oscillating circuit realized through a CMOS process possesses integration superiority over oscillating circuits realized through other techniques.
Existing CMOS oscillators come in three types of main structures. The first type of main structure adopts a LC oscillator for high-frequency system operations. The second type of main structure adopts a relaxation oscillator, in which the frequency oscillation is controlled by charging/discharging loads including at least a resistor and/or at least a capacitor. The third type of main structure is an all-digital oscillating structure, in which a digital signal processor and a clock generator are integrated into a single chip so that the system area is effectively reduced. Because the frequency stability of a CMOS circuit is sensitive to temperature, how to respond to an environmental variation in a CMOS structure is a subject to be resolved.

Crystal-less clock generator and operation method thereof

Industrial Technology Research Institute


A notebook computer including a bottom case and a top panel is provided, wherein the top panel includes a first supporting element, a top panel body and a second supporting element. The first supporting element has a first side and a second side, wherein the first side pivots to the bottom case, and the top panel body pivots to the first side of the first supporting element. The top panel body has multiple sets of first fixing structure. The second supporting element has a third side and a fourth side, wherein the third side pivots to the second side of the first supporting element. The fourth side has a set of second fixing structures, which is inserted into one set of the first fixing structures.

1. Field of the Invention
The disclosure relates to a notebook computer stand.
2. Description of Related Art
With the development of technique, notebook computers have different sizes for a user to choose. The present notebook computers have advantages of easy carrying and little space occupying when using. However, when a notebook computer is used by the user, the notebook is placed on a tabletop, and a screen of the notebook computer is much lower than a best visual angle for the user when using, thus the user is forced to operate the notebook computer in wrong gestures such as twisting his (or her) neck forward, bending his (or her) head, or hunching his (or her) back, etc. If the user operates the notebook with the harmful habits in long period, the user would be hurt.


A medical lead includes a coiled conductor portion that defines at least part of an outer surface of the lead and an expandable coiled fixation element that defines at least a part of the outer surface of the lead. The expandable coiled fixation element is configured to expand from a first dimension in a first state to a second dimension in a second state in a direction away from the coiled conductor portion. In some examples, the expandable coiled fixation element comprises a shape memory material.

Electrical stimulation systems may be used to deliver electrical stimulation therapy to patients to treat a variety of symptoms or conditions. Some electrical stimulation systems have been proposed to address symptoms or conditions such as chronic pain, tremor, movement disorders, psychological disorders, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, cerebral palsy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, dystonia, torticollis, epilepsy, pelvic floor disorders, gastroparesis, muscle stimulation (e.g., functional electrical stimulation (FES) of muscles) or obesity. In some examples, an electrical stimulation system includes an electrical stimulator that delivers electrical stimulation signals to a target stimulation site within a patient via at least one electrode of one or more electrical stimulation leads.
The electrical stimulation lead may be implanted in a patient on a temporary or permanent basis such that at least one stimulation electrode is positioned proximate to a target stimulation site. The target stimulation site may be, for example, a nerve or other tissue site, such as a spinal cord, pelvic nerve, pudendal nerve, stomach, bladder, or within a brain or other organ of a patient, or within a muscle or muscle group of a patient.

Medical electrical stimulation lead including expandable coiled fixation element