Systems, methods and circuits for providing GUI controls with touch-gesture inputs with movable alternate interaction objects. The GUI controls include (i) a set of base interactions associated with touch gestures available over substantially an entire viewing area and (ii) a plurality of alternate interaction icons that are individually movable over the display via touch gestures by a user touch to allow one or more users to interact with the visualization presented on the display. The alternate interaction icons each have a set of alternate interaction choices that are different from the set of base interactions and appear on the display only when a selected respective alternate interaction icon is touched.

Graphical user interface (GUI) controls, including GUI controls that allow touch input, are widely used. However, graphical elements have a certain size and can interfere with a viewing region where a user may prefer to focus on visualized data on the display. In addition, graphical elements such as toolbars and menus are often designed to be used from one direction. This works for some devices with a traditional screen where "up" and "down" are clearly defined for the users. The situation for collaborative work, particularly around a table top (horizontally oriented/mounted) display, is different. In this situation, the users are typically viewing the visualization from different directions. Thus, the notion of "up" and "down" on the screen space is not the same.
Conventionally, some GUIs included fixed dedicated areas of the screen area where alternative interactions are performed or started. The main problem with this approach is that, for collaborative purposes, fixed areas may not be accessible or reachable to all users of the collaborative session.
One of the main benefits with touch interaction is that the user is provided with the ability to interact with objects using touch gestures. However, in order to make intuitive, user-friendly user interfaces for an advanced application, a limited set of base features are directly available to the user and alternative or more advanced features are available only after they have been activated.
For 3D visualization software, for instance in the field or technology area of medical imaging, a base functionality that is immediately accessible to the user in a touch application would involve rotating and panning 3D objects around or in the direction of each of the three coordinate system axes, as well as uniform zoom. Additional features in medical visualizations, such as using tools for removing certain structures in the dataset or changing the current color mapping, require activation of some kind, for instance by setting the application in a certain mode or using graphical user interface controls that affect that dataset in a specific manner.
Unfortunately, a problem with putting an application in a specific mode is that users have to frequently switch modes in order to perform a desired action. For mode-based medical imaging software, it is not uncommon that a user has to switch between two modes several times in order to highlight a certain finding in the dataset. In addition, the mode-based approach is not recommend for displays providing collaborative work since it is difficult for participants of a collaborative session to follow mode changes.
Furthermore, for touch input, it is not uncommon that the same gestures are used in multiple or even all modes, meaning that the same user action triggers different features in the software depending on which mode the application is currently in. This can confuse users, especially if the application is used in a collaborative environment.
There remains a need for alternate GUIs that can allow for more intuitive and user-friendly interaction with users.

GUI controls with movable touch-control objects for alternate interactions


The present invention provides a system and method for the verification of the purchase of a retail item wherein an encoding device provides a machine-readable post-purchase indicia on the label for a retail item at the point of sale of the retail item. When a customer returns the retail item for a refund or exchange, a detecting device analyzes the label for the presence of the post-purchase indicia. Presence of the post-purchase indicia indicates a legitimate exchange whereas the absence of the post-purchase indicia signifies a fraudulent exchange.

Retailers suffer shoplifting losses that are in the billions of dollars each year. Countless surveillance and electronic security methods are known to prevent or reduce the incidence of shoplifting in retail venues such as shopping malls, boutique shops and discount or warehouse outlets. Although effective, these preventative measures do little to protect the retailer from secondary shoplifting schemes—skullduggery performed once the merchandise has been shoplifted from store premises.
With the profusion in anti-shoplifting technology, shoplifting techniques have correspondingly grown savvier. A common practice is for the shoplifter or a confederate to return a shoplifted item to a store or sister store in a retail chain for a cash refund, store credit or exchange. As items are often given as gifts, many retailers will provide a cash refund, store credit or exchange without a sales receipt if the merchandise carries an untampered price tag identifying the store.
Another deceptive practice is to purchase a retail item at a discount store and return the item at a more sophisticated department store for a cash refund or store credit greater than the purchase price. Many retailers have difficulty verifying that a merchandise item was sold at one of their stores. Retailers are oftentimes deterred from placing store labels on products as consumers have demonstrated a reluctance in purchasing items as gifts wherein the product carries excessive printing.
A need therefore exists for a system and method of verifying that an item has been legitimately purchased to prevent fraudulent cash refunds, store credit or exchanges on returned retail merchandise. A need subsequently exists for a system and method to identify the specific store in which a particular merchandise item was purchased.

Verification system for the purchase of a retail item and method of using same


A ceramic filter candle arrangement employs a plurality of filter candles held within a tube plate by hold-down weights, each having a flow path, and includes a conduit communicating with the flow path and protruding into the candle filter. A passage is formed between the conduit and the internal wall of the filter candle and leads to at least one exhaust port. In operation, the passage and the exhaust port allow controlled pressure wave leakage during gas pulse cleaning of the filter candle.

This invention concerns improvements relating to ceramic candle filter arrangements.
Candle filters are employed for gas cleaning to remove particulates from gases, usually at elevated temperatures, the candles being formed of tubular ceramics material to withstand the high thermal stressing to which they are in use subjected. However, the ceramics material used in such a high temperature environment tends to be of a fragile nature and thus should only experience as minimal physical stress as possible in view of the cyclical thermal stressing which it undergoes in parallel by virtue of the cleaning mechanism.
Candle filters are usually cleaned by a reverse flow high pressure clean gas pulse which has the effect of discharging particles which have become arrested by the filter material. Conventionally, the filter candles are held in place in a tube plate which separates the particle-laden gas space from the filtered gas space in the filter housing. The candles are sealed into the tube plate by means of hollow hold-down weights suitably clamped in position thereover, each hollow weight forming a flow passage to the interior of the candle. The high pressure gas used as the cleaning medium is introduced to the weight by a pipe which terminates close to the open mouth of the hollow weight. In practice, it has been found that inter alia the dynamic forces of the gas pulse occasion movement of the candle and its associated weight, thus attenuating the force of the gas pulse and causing leaks with a resultant loss of efficacy and efficiency.
High pressure gas injected into the filter candle travels in a pressure wave along the candle and is reflected by the base of the candle to travel back along the candle interior. The reflected pressure wave then encounters the hollow weight, which incorporates a venturi, and causes it to move or bounce from its intended holding down position with the concomitant effect of impacting the top of the candle which, by virtue of its inherent fragility, is thereby weakened and breakage is accelerated. The same process will also allow the ceramic candle element to move and provide a leakage path for solid particles.


A method for production of various morphologies of solid carbon product by reducing carbon oxides with a reducing agent in the presence of a catalyst. The carbon oxides are typically either carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide. The reducing agent is typically either a hydrocarbon gas or hydrogen. The desired morphology of the solid carbon product may be controlled by the specific catalysts, reaction conditions, and optional additives used in the reduction reaction. The resulting solid carbon products have many commercial applications.

This disclosure relates generally to a catalytic conversion process for reducing carbon oxides to a valuable solid carbon product and, in particular, to the use of carbon oxides (e.g., carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide) as the primary carbon source for the production of solid carbon products (such as buckminster fullerenes) using a reducing agent (such as hydrogen or a hydrocarbon) typically in the presence of a catalyst. This method may be used for commercial manufacture of solid carbon products in various morphologies and for catalytic conversion of carbon oxides to solid carbon and water.
These methods produce carbon products from carbon oxides. The methods produce carbon products, such as buckminster fullerenes, using carbon oxides as the primary carbon source. The methods thus involve catalytic conversion of carbon oxides (primarily carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide) to solid carbon and water. The methods may use the atmosphere, combustion gases, process off-gases, well gas, and other natural and industrial sources of carbon oxides. The carbon oxides may be separated from these sources and concentrated as needed.
Solid carbon has numerous commercial applications. These applications include longstanding uses such as uses of carbon black and carbon fibers as a filler material in tires, inks, etc., many uses for various forms of graphite (such as the use of pyrolytic graphite as heat shields), and innovative and emerging applications for buckminster fullerenes (including buckyballs and buckytubes). Prior methods for the manufacture of various forms of solid carbon typically involve the pyrolysis of hydrocarbons (often natural gas) in the presence of a suitable catalyst. The use of hydrocarbons as the carbon source is due to historically abundant availability and low cost of hydrocarbons. The use of carbon oxides as the carbon source in reduction reactions for the production of solid carbon has largely been unexploited.
The present process uses two abundant feedstocks, carbon oxides (e.g., carbon dioxide (CO2) and carbon monoxide (CO)) and a reducing agent. The reducing agent is preferably a hydrocarbon gas (e.g., natural gas, methane, etc.), hydrogen (H2) gas or a mixture thereof. A hydrocarbon gas serves the dual function as both an additional carbon source and as the reducing agent for the carbon oxides. Syngas comprises primarily carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H2) so that the gas has both the carbon oxide and the reducing gas in mixture. Syngas may be profitably used as all or a portion of the reaction gas mixture.
Carbon oxides, particularly carbon dioxide, are abundant gases that may be extracted from point source emissions, such as the exhaust gases of hydrocarbon combustion, and from some process off gases. Carbon dioxide may also be extracted from the air. Because point source emissions have much higher concentrations of carbon dioxide than air, they are often economical sources from which to harvest the carbon dioxide. However, the immediate availability of air may provide cost offsets by eliminating transportation costs through local manufacturing of the solid carbon products from carbon dioxide in air.
Carbon dioxide is increasingly available and inexpensive as a byproduct of power generation and chemical processes where the object is to eliminate the emission of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere by capturing the carbon dioxide and subsequent sequestration (often by injection into a geological formation). The capture and sequestration of carbon dioxide is the basis for "green" coal fired power stations, for example. In current practice, capture and sequestration of the carbon dioxide entails significant cost. The process disclosed herein considers the carbon dioxide as an economically valuable co-product instead of an undesirable waste product with associated disposal costs.
The methods disclosed may be incorporated into power production and industrial processes for sequestration of carbon oxides and converting them to valuable solid carbon products. For example, the carbon oxides in the combustion or process off-gases may be separated and concentrated to become a feedstock for this process. In some cases these methods may be incorporated directly into the process flow without separation and concentration, for example, as an intermediate step in a multi-stage gas turbine power station. The direct incorporation into the process flow is particularly suitable for oxy-combustion processes.
The present catalytic conversion process may be incorporated with fossil fuel combustion processes. Many methods for integrating the catalytic conversion process with various combustion processes and power production cycles will readily occur to the skilled practitioner. These methods include adding a catalytic converter between stages in a power production cycle so that the combustion gases are passed through a catalytic converter and at least some portion of the constituent carbon oxides in the combustion gases are converted to solid carbon, or separating the carbon oxides from all, or a portion of, the combustion process effluent gases and routing the separated gases through the catalytic converters.
Combing the catalytic conversion process with a separation process may be beneficial because it would deliver a carbon separation and sequestration unit that may be more economical than existing separation and sequestration methods. The operating efficiencies may arise from the fact that the catalytic converters may use low pressure carbon oxides, so the equipment and costs associated with compression, liquefaction and transport are reduced, and from the use of the heat produced in the catalytic converters to provide at least some of the process heat for the separation process. Specific methods for combining catalytic converters with various separation processes will readily occur to the skilled practitioner. For example, a separation process, such as amine absorption, may receive at least part of the heat required for desorption from the catalytic converter, and deliver low pressure carbon oxide gases to the catalytic converter.
There are a limited number of ways that carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen can react. There is a spectrum of reactions involving these three elements wherein various equilibria have been named. Hydrocarbon pyrolysis is the range of equilibria between hydrogen and carbon that favors solid carbon production, typically with little or no oxygen present. The Boudouard reaction, also called the carbon monoxide disproportionation reaction, is the range of equilibria between carbon and oxygen that favors solid carbon production, typically with little or no hydrogen present. The Bosch reaction is the region of equilibria where all of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen are present that favors solid carbon production. Other equibria favor the production of carbon oxides or hydrocarbons (e.g., the Sabatier and the Fischer-Tropsch processes) with no solid carbon product.
The relationship between the hydrocarbon pyrolysis, Boudouard, and Bosch reactions may be understood in terms of a C—H—O equilibrium diagram, as shown in FIG. 21. The C—H—O Equilibrium Diagram of FIG. 21 shows various known routes to carbon nanotube ("CNT") formation. The hydrocarbon pyrolysis reactions are on the equilibrium line that connects H2 and C, the left side of the triangle. The names on this line are of a few of the researchers who have published results validating CNT formation at various points on this line. Many patents have been issued for the use of the hydrocarbon pyrolysis reaction in the production of CNTs. The Boudouard or carbon monoxide disproportionation reactions are on the equilibrium line that connects O2 and C, right side of the triangle. The equilibrium lines for various temperatures that traverse the diagram show the approximate regions in which solid carbon will form. For each temperature, solid carbon will form in the regions above the associated equilibrium line, but will not form in the regions below the equilibrium line.
The present methods, based generally on the Bosch reaction, are in the interior region of the triangle where equilibrium is established between solid carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen in various combinations. What is disclosed here is that the central region has several points that in fact are highly favorable for the formation of CNTs and several other forms of solid carbon product, and that through careful selection of the catalysts, reaction gases, and reaction conditions, the type of solid carbon produced can be selectively controlled. Thus these methods open new routes to the production of valuable solid carbon products such as CNTs.
The Ellingham diagram defines the equilibrium formation enthalpy of solid carbon from carbonaceous gases as a function of temperature. This diagram is well known to the art and is a useful reference in understanding this range of equilibria.
The methods of the present invention employ the Bosch reaction to produce valuable solid carbon products. The Bosch reaction (CO2+2H2Csolid+2H2O) reduces carbon dioxide with hydrogen for the production of solid carbon and water. The temperatures for the Bosch reaction reported in the literature range from 450° C. to over 2000° C. The reaction rates are typically enhanced and reaction temperatures reduced by the use of a catalyst such as iron.
Previously, the Bosch reaction was used with the objective of recovering oxygen from respiratory processes in enclosed isolated environments such as submarines, spacecraft and lunar or Mars bases (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,452,676, "Carbon Dioxide Conversion System for Oxygen Recovery," Birbarta et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 1,735,925, "Process of Producing Reduction Products of Carbon Dioxide," Jaeger). Typically, the solid carbon form is specified as graphite deposited on a solid catalyst bed or collection plate, and is noted as a nuisance that fouls the catalyst and must be disposed of. There is little previous disclosure of the various forms of solid carbon that might be produced through modifications to this process, or of solid carbon as the principal desired product of these reactions.
The Boudouard reaction is also called the carbon monoxide disproportionation reaction and it proceeds as:2CO(g)C(s)+CO2(g), ΔH=−169 kJ/mol of solid carbonThe present method differs from Boudouard reaction in at least three ways: i) carbon monoxide is not necessary to the method, though it may be used as a carbon source; ii) a separate reducing agent is used to reduce the carbon monoxide to solid carbon and water; and iii) carbon dioxide is not a product of the reaction.
A recent set of patents discloses the use of carbon monoxide as the carbon source for the formation of carbon nanotubes. The production of solid carbon from carbon monoxide is via the carbon monoxide disproportionation or Boudouard reaction. Smalley (U.S. Pat. No. 6,761,870) discloses the use of the carbon monoxide disproportionation reaction in the presence of a catalyst in Gas-phase nucleation and growth of single-wall carbon nanotubes from high pressure CO for the production of single-walled carbon nanotubes.
"A Novel Hybrid Carbon Material," Nasibulin et al. (Nature Nanotechnology 2, 156-161, 2006) discloses the formation of what they term nanobuds in two different one-stop continuous methods, during which fullerenes were formed on iron-catalyst particles together with SWNTs (single-walled nanotubes) during carbon monoxide disproportionation. This use of carbon monoxide disproportionation is typical of the literature. Nasibulin further discloses in "An essential role of CO2 and H2O during single-walled CNT synthesis from carbon monoxide" (Chemical Physics Letters 417 (2005) 179-184) the important influences of carbon dioxide and water in the growth of carbon nanotubes, but specifically notes that at concentrations above about 15,000 ppm, the presence of CO2 inhibits the formation of carbon nanotubes.
Tennent in U.S. Pat. No. 4,663,230, "Carbon Fibrils, Method for Producing Same and Compositions Containing Same" discloses and does specify the use of carbon oxides in the production of carbon fibrils, though his reaction is specified as a reaction between the carbon-containing compound and the carbon in the specially prepared catalyst of his invention, where the catalyst was essentially a carbon particle coated with a suitable metal. Tennent specifically claims "wherein the compound capable of reacting with carbon is CO2, H2 or H20."
Resasco et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 6,333,016) in "Method of Producing Carbon Nanotubes," discloses carbon monoxide disproportionation in the presence of various Co:Mo catalysts. They make no claims with regard to the use and presence of a reducing agent in the reaction gas mixture.
In contrast, the present method is not limited to carbon monoxide as the carbon source gas. The present method uses a reducing agent other than a carbon oxide. Also, the present method relies on the mixing of the carbon oxide with a reducing agent in the presence of a catalyst for the production of the valuable solid carbon product.
Hydrocarbon pyrolysis is known and is commercially used in the production of carbon black and various carbon nanotube and buckminster fullerene products. Various methods exist for creating and harvesting various forms of solid carbon through the pyrolysis of hydrocarbons using temperature, pressure, and the presence of a catalyst to govern the resulting solid carbon morphology. For example, Kauffman et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 2,796,331) discloses a process for making fibrous carbon of various forms from hydrocarbons in the presence of surplus hydrogen using hydrogen sulfide as a catalyst, and methods for collecting the fibrous carbon on solid surfaces. Kauffman also claims the use of coke oven gas as the hydrocarbon source.
Wiegand et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 2,440,424) disclose an improved process for the manufacture of carbon black that comprises rapidly and thoroughly admixing a hydrocarbon gas, natural gas for example, in regulated amounts with a high velocity, highly turbulent blast flame containing oxygen substantially in excess of that required for complete combustion of the blast gases. This blast gas is primarily for heating the pyrolysis of a secondary "make gas" of a hydrocarbon gas that is introduced into the heated chamber in quantities far in excess of the available oxygen, so that a pyrolysis reaction occurs instead of combustion.
Brownlee et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 1,478,730) discloses a method for the production of a special carbon black from hydrocarbon feedstocks that results in enhanced yields, forming the carbon particles by pyrolysis of the hydrocarbons in the gas stream (not by combustion) and rapidly cooling the gases to separate the special carbon black before it comes into contact with the regular carbon black that forms on the furnace refractory and other surfaces in the combustion zone. Brownlee claims this special carbon black as a proprietary invention.
Bourdeau et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 3,378,345) discloses a method for growing pyrolytic graphite whiskers as elongated crystals growing perpendicular to a substrate using hydrocarbon gases with non-stoichiometric quantities (50:1 ratio of hydrocarbon gas to water or carbon dioxide) of either water or carbon dioxide or a mixture thereof. The reaction occurs at low pressures (0.1 mm to 20 mm mercury) and starts at temperatures of 799° C. to 1200° C. gradually ramping (3° C. per minute) to at least 1400° C.
Diefendorf (U.S. Pat. No. 3,172,774) discloses methods for depositing pyrolytic graphite on a composite article using a low pressure (0.2 cm to 70 cm mercury) at 1450° C. to 2000° C., using a hydrocarbon gas. The low pressure is important in allowing the carbon to form on the surface of the composite article in preference to forming soot in the gas phase.
Huang et al. (U.S. Patent Publication 2006/0269466) discloses the manufacturing of carbonaceous nanofibers using hydrocarbon as the carbon source for the carbon material.
Li et al. (U.S. Patent Publication 2008/0118426 discloses the manufacture of carbon nanotubes of varied morphology using the pyrolysis of a hydrocarbon source gas. Li does not specify they type of hydrocarbon source gas, though the specification of pyrolysis at the reaction temperatures of the description implies a hydrocarbon gas.
Fujimaki et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,014,980) discloses a method for manufacturing graphite whiskers based on a reaction "mixing one or more of gasified compounds having a condensed polycyclic structure of two to five benzene rings with a large amount of inert gas containing a small amount of CO, CO2 or H2O." Fujimaki does not teach the use of the reduction reaction, the basis for the claimed methods, and does not teach the use of carbon oxides as the primary carbon source for the formation of the graphite whiskers.
Hydrocarbon pyrolysis is by definition the thermal decomposition of hydrocarbons. The present method is a departure from this art of using hydrocarbon pyrolysis in the manufacture of solid carbon products in that it uses carbon oxides as the carbon source for the formation of the various solid carbon morphologies. While the present method may use some hydrocarbon gases, such gases are used as a reducing agent for the carbon oxide gases with the secondary benefit of contributing carbon to the solid carbon product. Prior hydrocarbon pyrolysis typically does not mention or specify the importance of carbon oxides in the selective formation of the desired carbon product.
The Bosch reaction has been extensively studied, and several patents have been issued for applications of the reaction in environments where it is necessary or desirable to reclaim oxygen from respiration, for example in a submarine or spacecraft environment. Such reclamation is generally accomplished by passing the carbon dioxide laden air through a carbon dioxide concentrator and then transferring the concentrated carbon dioxide to a carbon dioxide reduction system. A number of carbon dioxide reduction processes have been used, including both chemical and electrochemical means.
Holmes et al. in "A Carbon Dioxide Reduction Unit Using Bosch Reaction and Expendable Catalyst Cartridges" (Convair Division of General Dynamics Corporation, prepared for Langley Research Center, November 1970), discloses the use of the Bosch reaction for recovery of oxygen from carbon dioxide.
Birbara et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,452,676) discloses a method of recovering oxygen from carbon dioxide using the Sabatier reaction to hydrogenate the carbon dioxide to methane and water and subsequently pyrolize the methane and deposit the resulting solid carbon on a non-catalytic glass substrate. The methane is pyrolized over a high temperature stable glass surface heated to about 1000° C. to 1200° C. to produce hydrogen gas and a high density carbon, i.e., having a density greater than about 2 grams per cubic centimeter. This results in lessening of the storage problem for the carbon material because of its high density. The hydrogen gas produced is also recycled back to the incoming carbon dioxide for reaction.
NASA has sponsored research into the Bosch Reaction at various times with the view to using this process to recover oxygen from respiratory CO2 in space ships. This work resulted in a series of reports, published papers, and dissertations. This work was focused on the production of water for oxygen recovery.
Selected documents related to the NASA sponsored research on the Bosch reaction include:                A carbon dioxide reduction unit using Bosch reaction.        Methods of Water Production, a survey of methods considered for the ISS including Bosch and Sabatier reactions, Oregon State University.        Comparison of CO2 Reduction Process—Bosch and Sabatier, SAE International, July 1985, Document Number 851343.        Bunnel, C. T., Boyda, R. B., and Lee, M. G., Optimization of the Bosch CO2 Reduction Process, SAE Technical Paper Series No. 911451, presented 21st International Conference on Environmental Systems, San Francisco, Calif., Jul. 15-18, 1991.        Davenport, R. J.; Schubert, F. H.; Shumar, J. W.; Steenson, T. S., Evaluation and characterization of the methane-carbon dioxide decomposition reaction, Accession Number: 75N27071.        Noyes, G. P., Carbon Dioxide Reduction Processes for Spacecraft ECLSS: A Comprehensive Review, SAE Technical Paper Series No. 881042, Society of Automotive Engineers, Warrendale, Pa., 1988.        Arlow, M., and Traxler, G., CO2 Processing and O2 Reclamation System Selection Process for Future European Space Programmes, SAE Technical Paper Series No. 891548, Society of Automotive Engineers, Warrendale, Pa., 1989.        Optimization of the Bosch CO2 Reduction Process SAE International, July 1991, Document Number 911451.        Garmirian, J. E., "Carbon Deposition in a Bosch Process Using a Cobalt and Nickel Catalyst," Dissertation, MIT, March 1980.        Garmirian, J. E., Reid, R. C., "Carbon Deposition in a Bosch Process Using Catalysts Other than Iron," Annual Report, NASA-AMES Grant No. NGR22-009-723, Jul. 1, 1978.        Garmirian, J. E., Manning, M. P., Reid, R. C., "The use of nickel and cobalt catalysts in a Bosch reactor", 1980.        Heppner, D. B.; Hallick, T. M.; Clark, D. C.; Quattrone, P. D., Bosch—An alternate CO2 reduction technology, NTRS Accession Number: 80A15256.        Heppner, D. B.; Wynveen, R. A.; Schubert, F. H., Prototype Bosch CO2 reduction subsystem for the RLSE experiment, NTRS Accession Number: 78N15693.        Heppner, D. B.; Hallick, T. M.; Schubert, F. H., Performance characterization of a Bosch CO sub 2 reduction subsystem, NTRS Accession Number: 80N22987.        Holmes, R. F.; King, C. D.; Keller, E. E., Bosch CO2 reduction system development, NTRS Accession Number: 76N22910.        Holmes, R. F.; Keller, E. E.; King, C. D., A carbon dioxide reduction unit using Bosch reaction and expendable catalyst cartridges, General Dynamics Corporation, 1970, NTRS Accession Number: 71N12333.        Holmes, R. F., Automation of Bosch reaction for CO2 reduction, NTRS Accession Number: 72B10666.        Holmes, R. F.; Keller, E. E.; King, C. D., Bosch CO2 reduction unit research and development. NTRS Accession Number: 72A39167.        Holmes, R. F.; King, C. D.; Keller, E. E., Bosch CO2 reduction system development, NTRS Accession Number: 75N33726.        King, C. D.; Holmes, R. F., A mature Bosch CO2 reduction technology, NTRS Accession Number: 77A19465.        Kusner, R. E., "Kinetics of the Iron Catalyzed Reverse Water-Gas Shift Reaction", PhD Thesis, Case Institute of Technology, Ohio (1962).        Isakson, W. E., Snacier, K. M., Wentrcek, P. R., Wise, H., Wood, B. J. "Sulfur Poisoning of Catalysts", SRI, for US ERDA, Contract No. E(36-2)-0060, SRI Project 4387, 1977.        Manning, M. P., Garmirian, J. E., Reid, R. C., "Carbon Deposition Studies Using Nickel and Cobalt Catalysts", Ind. Eng. Chem. Process Des. Dev., 1982, 21, 404-409.        Manning, M. P.; Reid, R. C., Carbon dioxide reduction by the Bosch process, NTRS Accession Number: 75A40882.        Manning, M. P., "An Investigation of the Bosch Process", MIT Dissertation (1976).        Manning, M. P.; Reid, R. C.; Sophonpanich, C., Carbon deposition in the Bosch process with ruthenium and ruthenium-iron alloy catalysts, NTRS Accession Number: 83N28204.        Meissner, H. P.; Reid, R. C., The Bosch process, NTRS Accession Number: 72A39168.        Minemoto, M., Etoh, T., Ida, H., Hatano, S., Kamishima, N., and Kita, Y., Study of Air Revitalization System for Space Station, SAE Technical Paper Series No. 891576, Society of Automotive Engineers, Warrendale, Pa., 1989.        Otsuji, K., Hanabusa, O., Sawada, T., Satoh, S., and Minemoto, M., "An Experimental Study of the Bosch and the Sabatier CO2 Reduction Processes", SAE Technical Paper Series No. 871517, presented 17th Intersociety Conference on Environmental Systems, Seattle, Wash., July 1987.        Ruston, W. R., Warzee, M., Hennaut, J. Waty, J., "The Solid Reaction Products of the Catalytic Decomposition of Carbon Monoxide on Iron at 550 C.", Carbon, 7, 47 (1969).        Ruston, W. R., Warzee, M., Hennaut, J., Waty, J., "Basic Studies on the Growth of Carbon Deposition from Carbon Monoxide on a Metal Catalyst", D. P. Report 394, Atomic Energy Establishment, Winfrith (1966).        Sacco, A., "An Investigation of the Reactions of Carbon Dioxide, Carbon Monoxide, Methane, Hydrogen, and Water Over Iron, Iron Carbides, and Iron Oxide", PhD Thesis, MIT (1977).        Sacco, A., "An Investigation of the Reactions of Carbon Dioxide, Carbon Monoxide, Methane, Hydrogen, and Water over Iron, Iron Carbides, and Iron Oxide", PhD Thesis, MIT (1977).        Sophonpanich, C., Manning, M. P., and Reid, R. C., Utilization of Ruthenium and Ruthenium-Iron Alloys as Bosch Process Catalysts, SAE Technical Paper Series No. 820875, Society of Automotive Engineers, Warrendale, Pa., 1982.        Schubert, F. H.; Clark, D. C.; Quattrone, P. D., Integrated testing of an electrochemical depolarized CO2 concentrator/EDC/ and a Bosch CO2 reduction subsystem/BRS/, NTRS Accession Number: 77A19483.        Schubert, F. H.; Wynveen, R. A.; Hallick, T. M., Integration of the electrochemical depolorized CO2 concentrator with the Bosch CO2 reduction subsystem, NTRS Accession Number: 76N22907.        Wagner, Robert C.; Carrasquillo, Robyn; Edwards, James; Holmes, Roy, Maturity of the Bosch CO2 reduction technology for Space Station application, NTRS Accession Number: 89A27804, SAE Technical Paper Series No. 88099.        Global Warming & Greenhouse Gases: Integrated-Technologies Remediation of Greenhouse Gas Effects.        Walker, P. L., Rakszawski, J. F., and Imperial, G. R., Carbon Formation from Carbon Monoxide-Hydrogen Mixtures over Iron Catalysts. Properties of Carbon Formed", J. Phys. Chem., 73, 133 (1959).
In these prior processes, the objective is the recovery of oxygen, while the solid carbon is considered to be simply a nuisance product and disposal problem. While the methods presented here use the Bosch reaction, they differ from prior methods in that the present methods are concerned with the types and quality of solid carbon that can be produced, and the methods for controlling the solid carbon morphology through the use of catalyst, gas mixtures, and process variables (e.g., temperature, pressure, and retention times) to assure economically valuable solid carbon products are produced. The present methods identify and validate the range of solid carbon products, including carbon nanotubes, that may be produced through control of the Bosch reaction.

Method for producing solid carbon by reducing carbon oxides


This invention relates to a bed having a base, a mattress, and a system for moving the mattress up and down for helping a person make the bed, and can be preferably adapted in a guest room of hotels or the like. The present invention provides a bed comprising a base, a mattress provided on a top face of the base, a pair of inflatable means provided between the mattress and the base, and an air-supplying tube connected with said inflatable means, wherein one of the inflatable means is laid on one side of the top surface of the base, while the other is laid on the other side of the top surface of the base, and each inflatable means is independently connected to an air-supplying means through the air-supplying tube.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a bed having a base, a mattress, and a system for moving the mattress up and down for helping a person make the bed, and can be preferably adapted for beds in a guest room of hotels or the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Making the bed is one of the routine jobs for a person in charge of preparing the guest rooms in hotels, in which the person spreads bed covers such as sheets and blankets over the mattress and lifts the mattress with one hand to fold the corners of the bed covers under the mattress. The person must repeat these steps over and over, within a short period of time in order to make many beds. Therefore, a system for helping a person make beds has been in demand.
FIG. 12 shows a bed containing the conventional helping system disclosed in the document of Japanese patent application (TOKKAI-HEI-3-207308). This bed 1 comprises a base 2, a mattress 3 provided on a top face 2A of the base 2, and an inflatable body 4 provided between the base 2 and the mattress 3. As shown in the Figure, the inflatable body 4 is centered on the top face 2A of the base 2 and has a square-shaped elastic bag which can be connected with an air-supplying means 6 through tubes 5, 7 and a valve 8. These tubes 5, 7 form a passage of compressed air flow from the air-supplying means 6, while the valve 8 provided between the above tubes 5, 7 controls the stoppage or flow of air to the inflatable body 4.
Generally, the air supplying means 6 is an air-supply tube connected to an air compressor, a gas cylinder or the like for supplying a large amount of compressed air to the inflatable body 4. In the Figure, however, only one end of the air-supply tube is shown.
The conventional system described above is used as follows:
(i) first, connecting the air-supplying tube 7 with the air-supplying means 6, and with the air-introducing tube 5 of the inflatable body 4 through the valve 8, in order to introduce the compressed air into the body 4;
(ii) opening the valve 8 in order to allow the compressed air to flow into the inflatable body 4;
(iii) filling the inflatable body 4 with a supply of the compressed air in order to lift the mattress and to make a space between the base 2 and the mattress 3;
(iv) closing the valve 8 in order to stop the compressed air flow to the inflatable body 4 and to simultaneously avoid an out flow of the air therefrom;
(v) spreading the corners of the bed covers 9 over the mattress 3 and then folding them under the mattress 3; and
(vi) opening the valve 8 in order to release the air from the inflatable body 4 and move the mattress 3 down resulting in the placement of the corners of the bed covers 9 between the mattress 3 and the base 2.
In this way, the system described above helps the person who makes the bed.
However, as described above, the conventional system requires a large amount of compressed air from the air-supplying means 6 connected to the air compressor or the like to fill the inflatable body 4. Thus, it is difficult to provide a hotel with an air-supplying means to supply an adequate amount of compressed air to each guest room when the use of the above conventional system is in demand.

Bed having system for moving mattress up and down


A commodity sales system includes at least one server computer including a memory system, a commodity price specification module for receiving a purchase request of a selected commodity from the user computer and for specifying a commodity price of the selected commodity. A storage module that stores a component price table and a maximum/minimum price determination module are also included. A deduction setting module and a tentative quote setting module for setting the minimum price determined by the maximum/minimum price determination module to a tentative quote of the used personal computer are also included.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a commodity sales system that is connected with a user computer in a communicable manner and is used when a user purchases a commodity, and a corresponding commodity sales method, as well as a used article quotation system that provides a user computer with a quote for acceptance of a used article from a user, and a corresponding used article quotation method.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Several systems have been proposed to provide a user with a quote for acceptance of a used article from a user. For example, Dell PC Trade-Up Service (online service by Dell Computer Corporation [retrieved on Sep. 1, 2002], Internet <URL: http://www.dell.com/jp/jp/dhs/topics/nnsegtopic_kaitori.htm>) gives computer trade-in service subjected to users who intend to purchase new products. When the user enters information regarding the specification of a used computer owned by the user, such as the specifications of the CPU, the memory, and the HDD, on an information input window and gives a quotation request, the server computer provides the user with a trade-in quote of the used computer.
The computer trade-in service 'Dell PC Trade-Up Service', the system is not designed to allow for information exchange between a shopping site where the user newly purchases commodities and a trade-in site where a used article is taken as a trade-in. The user should thus carry out the procedure of paying the purchase price of each commodity separately from the procedure of receiving the trade-in price of the used article. Namely the prior art computer trade-in service system s not sufficiently user friendly. The user with little computer-related knowledge has difficulties in entering information on the specifications of the used computer, for example, the specifications of the CPU, the memory, and the HDD included in the used computer.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Commodity sales system, used article quotation system, and corresponding methods


An entailment evaluation device includes: a generation unit which generates first information indicating at least the order of occurrence of events of first and second simple sentences included in the hypothesis text and generates second information indicating at least the order of occurrence of events of third and fourth simple sentences included in a target text, the third simple sentence being related to the first simple sentence, the fourth simple sentence being related to the second simple sentence; a calculation unit which obtains a calculation result by comparing, based on the first and second information, the order of occurrence of events of first and second simple sentences and order of occurrence of events of third and fourth simple sentences; and a determination unit which determines, based on at least the calculation result, whether or not the target text entails the hypothesis text.

There is known a technology called RTE (Recognizing Textual Entailment). This is a technology that determines whether or not a given target text entails a hypothesis text.
NPL 1 discloses a technology that divides the target text and hypothesis text into predicate-argument structures and performs entailment evaluation based on a distance between the structures. NPL 2 discloses a technology that performs comparison by using a graph structure of a whole sentence in place of the division into predicate-argument structures.
That is, the technologies disclosed in NPL 1 and NPL 2 evaluates entailment. It is performed by determining whether or not a plurality of simple sentences similar in meaning, respectively, to a plurality of simple sentences included in the hypothesis text are included in the target text.

Entailment evaluation device, entailment evaluation method, and recording medium


Disclosed are keeper circuits for electronic circuits that selectively maintain the voltage level of an intermediate circuit node at a desired level. In one exemplary embodiment, a keeper transistor either provides current or drains current from the intermediate node to maintain the desired voltage level in response to a signal to do so. The keeper circuit works against a leakage current that either drains current from the node or supplies current to the node. A current-setting transistor is coupled in series with the keeper transistor to set the maximum current through the keeper circuit to a value that is related to this leakage current, preferably tracking the leakage current. With this construction, the current-setting transistor is able to track variations in the leakage current caused by variations in the manufacturing process, and thereby provide dynamic leakage compensation.

Electronic digital gates can be generally divided into two classes: static gates and dynamic gates. In a static digital gate, the transistors are configured so as to maintain the state of the gate's output until one or more of the inputs to the gate change. CMOS static gates generally have slow pull-up times at their outputs due to the lower conductance of the PMOS devices. In a typical dynamic digital gate (FIG. 1), an intermediate node is pre-charged by a pull-up PMOS transistor during a first phase of a clock signal, and then selectively discharged by a pull-down logic circuit during a second subsequent phase of the clock signal. Whether or not the intermediate node is discharged will depend upon the logic states of the inputs to the pull-down logic circuit. The logic circuit is typically disabled during the first phase of the clock by an NMOS footer transistor, although the footer is unnecessary if the logic inputs are held in a state that guarantees no pull-down leg will be conducting during the pre-charge phase. The voltage state of the intermediate node is typically provided as an input to a buffer circuit or a simple (fast) static gate. The dynamic gate reduces the impact of the low conductance of the PMOS transistor by having the pull-up PMOS transistor conduct during the time the dynamic digital gate is not evaluating the inputs to the logic circuit. The pre-charge time is generally much longer than the switching time of the gate, thus accommodating the low conductance of the pull-up PMOS transistor. Thus, for the same amount of power consumption, CMOS dynamic digital gates are generally faster than CMOS static digital gates, and are preferred for use in high-speed microprocessors.
However, microprocessors are complex and often require scanning to debug and verify the functionality of the microprocessor's circuits. In a typical scanning process, the operation of the microprocessor is stopped at selected points in time by freezing the main clock signal, and the logic states of selected nodes are probed or read out for analysis by various means known to the art. During the time the main clock is stopped, the intermediate nodes that have not been previously discharged by their associated pull-down logic circuits begin slowly to lose their charged states due to leakage currents flowing in the turned-off transistors of the pull-down logic circuits, and there is a risk that incorrect data states will be read. Also, there is often a need to restart the microprocessor after the scanning process is done, and there is a risk that the microprocessor will be restarted from an erroneous state.
To address these risks, a keeper circuit is typically added to each key dynamic gate and to each key register bit. The keeper circuit senses the data state of the intermediate node, and provides a small charging current to the node when the data state is in a charged state. A keeper circuit typically comprises an inverter gate having an input coupled to the intermediate node, and an output coupled to the gate of a PMOS charging transistor. The PMOS charging transistor is configured to provide a small charge current when the output of the inverter is at a low voltage (corresponding to when the intermediate node is high). The charging current is sufficiently small that it can be overpowered by the pull-down logic circuit that is coupled to the intermediate node. The keeper circuit slows down the operation of the dynamic gate by a small amount by providing current to the intermediate node at the time the pull-down logic circuit is attempting to discharge the node. The keeper circuit also slightly increases the power dissipation of the gate. These problems are relatively minor for CMOS technologies having minimum gate lengths of 0.35 μm and above.

Keeper circuits having dynamic leakage compensation


A method and apparatus for real-time insertion of services into an IP telephony call session are disclosed. A client initiates a service request message to a second server. The service request message includes the client identity and a requested service available from a second server. The first server determines if the client is authorized to use the requested service. If the client is authorized to use the requested service, the second server delivers the requested service to the client.

IP telephony uses the Internet Protocol (IP) to transmit voice as packets over any data network that supports IP. Traditional circuit switched networks, such as the public switched telephone network (PSTN), establish a call by setting up an end-to-end circuit between two telephones. The switched connection is established for the duration of the telephone call, with a fixed bandwidth. In contrast, an IP telephony connection digitizes, compresses and converts the voice signal into IP packets and transmits the packets over the data network. Numerous different calls may share the same network and each participant in a call may have a different bandwidth that varies over the duration of the call depending on the amount of data being communicated over the network at any given time.
Conventional phone service provided over the PSTN requires a subscriber to pay for long distance service based on the number of minutes for the call. Furthermore, if the subscriber would like to add a special service, such as caller id, call forwarding or call waiting, the subscriber typically pays a monthly fee for the service. This fee is paid to the telephone company even if the subscriber does not use the service during the month. IP telephony service operates in a similar way because the subscriber is limited to services provided by an Internet Service Provider (ISP) for a fee during a specific period.

Method and system for real-time insertion of service during a call session over a communication network


A high-voltage automatic changeover switch, includes a support and a control circuit board mounted on the support. In one embodiment, the support includes an insulating frame, four high-voltage contacts mounted on each of two opposite plates of the insulating frame, four high-voltage contacts on the same plate being pair-to-pair arranged, the high-voltage contacts at the corresponding positions on the two plates being pair-to-pair arranged. A motor is provided on the support, and when switching the high voltages, the control circuit board controls the rotation of the motor to automatically switch the connection relation between the high-voltage contact pairs. Embodiments of the switch have a voltage-resistance of above 50 KV, allowing a pulse current of not less than 500 A to pass through, and good contact performance and a high stability. In one aspect, the high-voltage automatic changeover switch performs automatic switching of power source high voltages in an accelerator system, so that the accelerator obtains electron beams with different energies, thus allowing an expanded scope of application of the accelerator, including updating and upgrading of non-destructive testing systems, custom container inspection systems, and high-energy CT systems.

This disclosure generally relates to a changeover switch and in particular, relates to a high-voltage automatic changeover switch for use in a dual-energy or multi-energy electron accelerator system.
An electron accelerator is a device for accelerating charged particles to have a high energy by an electromagnetic field in vacuum, while an electron linear accelerator is a device for accelerating electrons along a linear track by a microwave electromagnetic field. The electron accelerator is widely used in the fields of industry non-destructive test, custom container inspection, high-energy CT, electron beam radiation and so on. In order to obtain a high-intensity acceleration electric field, the electron linear accelerator for accelerating electrons by the microwave electromagnetic field generates a large instantaneous microwave power and works in a pulse form. A high-voltage pulse modulator is a main composite part of such a microwave source and mainly includes a magnetron or klystron, a high-voltage module, a charging module, a pulse forming network module, and a pulse transformer, etc. The high-voltage pulse generated by the high-voltage pulse modulator is supplied to the magnetron and an electron gun, and the high voltage is usually 48 KV and 20 KV or so.
A dual-energy or multi-energy electron accelerator system is an electron accelerator system capable of outputting electron beam streams with two or more kinds of energies. Compared with the traditional single-energy electron accelerator system, the dual-energy or multi-energy electron accelerator system is different not only in diversity of stand-alone energies but having a greater technical advantage of its combination with a new-generation detector system, data image processing system and so on to distinguish different substance materials. In the traditional fields of industry non-destructive test, custom container inspection, high-energy CT, and so on, the single-energy accelerator system can only be used to identify shapes of the object, whereas the dual-energy or multi-energy accelerator system can be used to identify both shapes and material of the object. Thus, the dual-energy or multi-energy accelerator system has wider prospects for application.
In order to obtain electron beam streams with different energies in an accelerator system, it is necessary to realize it by supplying different operating voltages to the magnetron and electron gun. The selection of different operating voltages to the magnetron and electron gun is realized by a high-voltage automatic changeover switch. This high-voltage automatic changeover switch is required to have a high voltage-resistant performance, not less than 50 KV, to allow a great pulse current to pass through, not lower than 500 A, to have a good contact performance and a high stability, and to be automatically switchable. The high-voltage automatic changeover switch which sufficiently satisfies such application conditions has not been found in the existing high-voltage components and devices.

High-voltage automatic changeover switch


According to one embodiment, a method comprises calendering an elastomeric material into an elastomeric layer having a thickness that is more uniform than the elastomeric material prior to the calendaring. After calendaring, the elastomeric layer is vulcanized to a composite shim comprising at least one reinforcement layer and at least one layer of adhesive.

An elastomeric material is a material, such as a polymer, having the property of viscoelasticity (colloquially, "elasticity"). An example of an elastomeric material may include rubber. Elastomeric materials generally have a low Young's modulus and a high yield strain when compared to other materials. Elastomeric materials are typically thermosets having long polymer chains that cross-link during curing (i.e., vulcanizing).


A dispenser has a container and a spreading spring which is in engagement with the inner wall of the container and prevents movement of the sealing piston in a second direction which is opposed to the first direction. The spreading spring is made from synthetic material and has a central part from which a plurality of fingers arranged distributed over the periphery extend radially outwards. Each finger is connected to the central part in a manner articulated at its radially inner end and is in engagement at its radially outer end with the inner wall of the container. The central part and the fingers are constructed in one piece with one another and each finger is connected to the central part by way of a web, wherein in the region of the web a cutout is formed.

The invention relates to a dispenser having a container whereof one end is sealed by a sealing piston which, in relation to the container, is adjustable in a first direction, wherein there is arranged, on the side of the sealing piston remote from a product chamber of the container, a spreading spring which is in engagement with the inner wall of the container and prevents movement of the sealing piston in a second direction which is opposed to the first direction.
A dispenser of this kind is also known, in connection with toothpaste, as a tube dispenser; however, the invention is not restricted to this but is also applicable to other viscous products or products to be metered using a dispenser.
However, in the text below a tube dispenser for toothpaste will be taken as the starting point, by way of example.
The dispenser has a container which is of cylindrical shape, conventionally based on a circle or based on an oval, and at the upper end whereof a pump-type removal device is constructed. The toothpaste is accommodated in the interior of the container, which forms a product chamber, and at the lower end of the container an axially displaceable sealing piston is inserted into it. On the side of the sealing piston remote from the product chamber there is seated a spreading spring which is connected to the closure piston and is supported against the inner wall of the container or is in engagement with this inner wall.
The toothpaste is conveyed outwards by expulsion, and when or after the removal device is deactivated a negative pressure is generated in the product chamber, on the basis whereof the sealing piston is displaced axially in the container by a small amount until the volume of the product chamber has been reduced enough for pressure to be equalized.
The purpose of the spreading spring is to prevent the sealing piston from being displaced in the opposing direction, that is to say in the direction of the lower end of the container. When the sealing piston is displaced as a result of the negative pressure prevailing in the product chamber, it draws the spreading spring with it, and the latter then comes briefly out of engagement, or into less engagement, with the inner wall of the container. As soon as movement of the piston has changed, the spreading spring abuts against the inner wall of the container again, as a result of its intrinsic elasticity.
The spreading spring takes the form of a metal part which has to be manufactured beforehand and then mounted on the sealing piston, which is conventionally made from synthetic material. This procedure is complex and cost-intensive.
There is also a risk that children or inattentive users will reach into the container from below and injure themselves on the spreading spring there. For this reason, a cover is conventionally provided by means of which the container is sealed at its lower end. The manufacture and subsequent mounting of this cover further increases the cost of the dispenser.
The object of the invention is to provide a dispenser of the type mentioned that can be manufactured simply and at low cost.


A storage subsystem includes a controller having a plurality of ports and a plurality of storage devices configured store information. A lock table includes attribute information and retention information for each of a plurality of storage volumes presented to a host device. The plurality of storage volumes includes a non-virtual volume that maps to a first storage device of the storage subsystem and a virtual volume that maps to a second storage device of an associated storage subsystem. The associated subsystem is linked to the storage subsystem via a communication link. The controller is configured to receive and process a request from a host to modify an attribute of the virtual volume.

The present invention relates to management of a storage system having a plurality of storage volumes.
Data is the underlying resources on which all computing processes are based. With the recent explosive growth of the Internet and e-business, the demand on data storage systems has increased tremendously. There are many types of storage devices, e.g., semiconductor devices, magnetic disk, and magnetic tapes, that may be used to store data. Each of these types of storage devices have different access speeds and costs associated thereto. The semiconductor devices are generally the fastest and also the most expensive. Accordingly, they are not commonly used in data centers where massive amounts of data need to be stored.
Generally, magnetic disks and tapes are the storage devices of choice for the data centers since they tend to be considerably cheaper than the semiconductor devices. The storage system for a data center generally has multiple processors and includes sophisticated operating systems for quickly reading and writing massive amounts of data.
Data centers or storage systems commonly includes a plurality of storage units or subsystems. Some are configured to be primary storage devices, and others are configured to be secondary storage devices. The primary storage devices are designed to store active data that users may access, whereas the secondary storage devices serves as back-up devices to be used in case the primary storage devices experience failure. The secondary devices are also used to store or archive "inactive" or "stale" data that the primary device does not need, so that the storage capacity of the primary devices may be freed-up for new data. The primary storage device is located at a primary site, and the secondary storage device is located at a secondary site that may be dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of miles apart from the primary site.
These data centers are linked using Storage Area Networks (SANs). The SAN is a back-end network that is used to link a plurality of storage subsystems to each other and to link a plurality of hosts to these storage subsystems. The SAN enables makes sharing of storage capacities of the subsystems easy since a host computer may access a multiple storage devices or subsystems by simply connecting the host to a SAN rather than directly connecting the host to each of these multiple storage devices.
While the intended purpose of the SAN is to provide simplified storage solutions, the implementation and maintenance of a SAN solution may become quite complicated. The administrative overhead associated with the SAN and storage subsystems attached thereto can be quite high as the SAN configuration becomes more and more complicated. One solution to this administrative headache is to provide storage virtualization.
Storage virtualization is a layer of abstraction that separates the representation of storage from physical storage devices. In a typical configuration, a multiple physical storage devices is aggregated into a single virtual storage pool. The storage volumes associated with the virtual pool are made appear as locally attached logical devices to the host even though the logical devices are indirectly linked to the host via a virtualized storage subsystem.  Accordingly, the virtualization enables the IT administrators the freedom to provision the available storage volumes in the virtual pool as SAN or NAS volumes, or both.
One problem associated with storage virtualization is that a storage subsystem (or virtualized storage subsystem) which uses storage resources or volumes of another storage subsystem cannot control the attributes of such storage resources. The attributes control the access policy of logical units or volumes.

Method and apparatus for multistage volume locking


Embodiments are provided to use metadata to provide readable and/or writeable regions of a multi-dimensional space. In an embodiment, metadata can be used to define readable and/or writeable regions of a multi-dimensional data store. The various embodiments also use relational and/or multi-dimensional representations to resolve and validate readable and/or writeable regions of a multi-dimensional space. Metadata can also be used to in conjunction with writeback operations.

Businesses continually strive to improve operations, products, services, etc. For example, an enterprise can use an integrated performance management application when planning and making critical enterprise decisions. Enterprise users may use the integrated performance management application to create reports, analyze trends, make projections, etc. Users may rely on data from various data sources, such as from relational or multi-dimensional databases for example, while using the integrated performance management application. In many instances, users would like to write to different data sources. However, many systems and applications provide limited (if any) ability to write to a data source, especially against multi-dimensional data sources. Many factors can contribute to the limited writeback functionality. These factors include the complexities associated with multiple file formats, protection levels, system performance, context sensitive data, incompatible systems, and synchronization issues associated with relational and/or multi-dimensional databases.

Handling multi-dimensional data including writeback data


A combination depth and phase separation membrane filter to remove entrained liquids and immiscible liquids from hydrocarbon liquids, protecting industrial analyzers from liquid and solid contamination, etc. The preferred embodiment of the present invention contemplates a combined phase separation membrane filter and horizontally mounted depth filter in a horizontally mounted head and bowl configuration. The system is configured specifically for horizontal mounting, specifically filter configuration and layout, with all fitting connections in the head for ease of service and compactness.

The problems associated with filtering particles and removing undesirable entrained liquids from industrial process sample fluids have been historically solved by using a vertically mounted depth filter and/or an independent phase separation membrane filter. The phase separation membrane filter removes entrained liquids from gases and immiscible liquids from hydrocarbon liquids.
The phase separation membrane filter also provides a physical barrier to protect industrial analyzers from liquid and solid contamination even if other filtering components fail. However, the phase separation membrane filter is susceptible to particle loading and coating and frequently requires particulate filtration of sample fluids prior to membrane filtration.
The vertically mounted depth filter can remove particles from gas or liquid sample streams and coalesce entrained liquids from gases; however, it does not function as a physical barrier to protect analyzers, as does the membrane filter.
The use of two independent devices is frequently required to accomplish the filtering tasks of removing particles and undesirable entrained liquids from industrial process fluids. This requires the use of multiple fitting connections and a large amount of panel space. Proper fluid sampling techniques dictate the use of the least number of fittings and line connections.
In addition, the panel space dedicated for analyzer sample systems is a valuable commodity. Space in industrial facilities is limited, and in some cases cannot be expanded.
Therefore a single element combining the functions of the phase separation membrane filter and vertically mounted depth filter would be desirable since it would minimize panel space requirements and minimize interconnections and fittings.
A+ Corporation has manufactured horizontally mounted phase separation membrane filters since 1988 and horizontally mounted depth filters since 1997. Balston® has combined a vertically mounted phase separation membrane filter with its vertically mounted depth filter. However, this device must be vertically mounted because of the design of its internal passageways.
Vertical mounting requires multiple fitting connections to be removed before filtering elements in the device can be changed. The "liquid drain" of the device depends on vertical mounting and must have a fitting connection in the bottom of the vertically mounted bowl.
This fitting must be removed in order to remove the bowl to service the vertically mounted depth filter element. The "outlet" of the vertically mounted device is in the top of the device. A fitting connection must be removed in order to remove the cap and change the phase separation membrane filter element.
These fitting connections on both ends require a large amount of panel space, and they are an additional source of possible leakage and maintenance problems since they must be removed and replaced each time the unit requires service.
The prior art has therefore failed to provide a combination depth and phase separation membrane filter which is compact, leak resistant, and easily serviced, and which can be utilized in a horizontal orientation.

Combination depth and phase separation membrane filter


A paper feeding device includes a stacking plate for stacking sheets. The stacking plate is movable vertically within a range from a lower limit position to a pick-up position. The stacking plate has a first surface facing the lower limit position and a second surface facing the pick-up position. The paper feeding device also includes a driving device for driving the stacking plate. The paper feeding device has a locking member for locking the staking plate in the lower limit position. The locking member has a deformable section for contact with the second surface of the stacking plate. The deformable section becomes deformed by a driving force applied through the stacking plate as locked in the lower limit position by the driving device, to unlock the stacking plate.

The invention relates to a moving member holding mechanism for locking moving members, such as sheet stacking plates, installed in paper feeding devices provided in image forming apparatus, while the apparatus is being transported. The invention further relates to a paper feeding device that has the moving member holding mechanism and to an image forming apparatus that includes the moving member holding mechanism.
An image forming apparatus forms an image on a sheet such as of paper or OHP film. The apparatus includes an image reading section, an image forming section, and a paper feeding section (hereinafter also referred to as a paper feeding device). The image reading section has a scanning unit. The scanning unit scans an image-bearing side of an original document placed on an original platen, to read image information from the document. The paper feeding section has a stacking plate for stacking sheets. The stacking plate is movable up and down within a predetermined range. The paper feeding section also has a driving section for raising the stacking plate to place the stacked sheets in a pick-up position. The sheets are fed, one by one, to the image forming section. The image forming section forms an image on a fed sheet according to the image information read by the image reading section.
While the apparatus is being transported, its positional changes or vibrations may cause moving members, such as the scanning unit and the stacking plate, to collide with other component members and be damaged. To avoid such potential damage, the moving members are locked with locking members, such as screws or pins, during transport of the apparatus. The locking members are to be removed from the apparatus after the apparatus is placed at an installation site. In the condition, the moving members are rendered movable in the apparatus.
If the locking members fail to be removed before using the apparatus, supply of a driving force to the moving members may cause damage to the apparatus, a break in power supply circuit, or the like. As a solution to the problem, JP H11-064999A discloses an image forming apparatus in which a sealing member is stretched over an exterior pressure plate (a document holder plate) and connected at both ends to locking members. The sealing member prevents opening of the pressure plate. The pressure plate can be opened, and an original document can be read, only after the sealing member is removed. Thus, the locking members never fail to be removed.
The conventional apparatus however necessitates a user removing the locking members. Also, the use of the sealing member limits the position of the locking members.
In view of the foregoing, a feature of the invention is to provide: a moving member holding mechanism that has a locking member which can be arranged at an unlimited position and that is capable of driving a moving member in a normal manner, without damage to the moving member or a driving device, even when the locking member fails to be removed; a paper feeding device having the moving member holding mechanism; and an image forming device including the moving member holding mechanism.

Moving member holding mechanism, paper feeding device, and image forming apparatus


A system and method for transporting material from an approach conveyor on to an elongate transport device such as a ship. The ship being positioned at a predetermined orientation, preferably on against a set of docking piers, relative to the approach conveyor. The system and method uses at least one slewing conveyor with a first end and a second end, the slewing conveyor being capable of pivoting about a pivot point and accepting material at the first end and conveying the material to the second end, the second end of the slewing conveyor being capable of discharging the material on to the ship while the ship is at the predetermined orientation. A bridge conveyor having a first end and a second end, the first end of the bridge conveyor being pivotally supported for pivotal motion about a point near the approach conveyor, and the second end of the bridge conveyor being moveably supported near the first end of the slewing conveyor, so that the second end of the bridge conveyor may move together with the first end of the slewing conveyor, so that material from the approach conveyor that has been delivered to the first end of the bridge conveyor may be delivered by the bridge conveyor to the second end of the slewing conveyor, so that the slewing conveyor may deliver the material to the ship.

(a) Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to a system for transporting bulk materials to a ship, and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a shiploader system which incorporates a slewing boom to deliver bulk materials into the cargo hold areas of a ship.
(b) Discussion of Known Art
The transport of fungible materials such as ores or grains from one part of the world to another has been advantageously carried out by means of ships. Perhaps the greatest advantage of transporting these materials by ship has been the low cost associated with ocean transport. However one serious drawback to the use of ocean transport has been the cost and time delays associated with providing the infrastructure needed to load the vessels.
To evaluate the cost of a system one should focus on both the initial capital cost as well as the operating cost. The capital cost is generally determined by the capacity of the shiploading system, the size of vessel to be loaded and the type of shiploading system to be used. The type of shiploading system to be used determines the type of structure that must be installed to accommodate the ship and the loading system. Key components of the structure that must be installed includes the breasting structure, which includes breasting and mooring dolphins to accept the ship during loading. The system will also require support structure to accommodate the key components that make up the shiploading mechanism. Finally the system will also require conveyor structure for the approach conveyor system that feeds the shiploading mechanism.
Another concern associated with the selection of the type of shiploading system to be installed includes the lead time required for securing the shiploader system itself. This problem is particularly acute for large systems, since only a few manufacturers in the world have the facilities and technical ability to build these systems. The facilities and technology required to build these large systems results in lead times of as much as a year or more from the time of ordering the system to the time that the system is delivered for installation at the erection site.
Also of concern with shiploading systems are the costs of maintenance and the reliability of the systems. Thus, it is important to select a system that includes components that have been proven to be reliable mechanisms or components that may be purchased from a variety of manufacturers or suppliers. Therefore, the use large, complicated, custom components will undoubtedly result in increased risk of loss due to long downtime produced by long lead times needed for acquiring spare parts for specialty or custom fabricated systems.
Still another concern in the selection of a shiploading system is the system's ability to distribute the cargo to the different cargo holds of the vessel. Cargo distribution generally involves three important factors, these include distribution of cargo within each cargo hold, speed or rate of delivery to a cargo hold, and speed or ability to advance from one cargo hold to another cargo hold on the same vessel. The system's ability to distribute cargo within a cargo hold allows more efficient use of the space within the hold. Consequently, the vessel's carrying capacity can be improved by using a loading system that produces good cargo distribution. Perhaps the most immediately observable improvements from improved distribution is the increase in the efficiency of use of the cargo carrying space within the cargo bins or holds. (As used herein, the term cargo bin is synonymous with cargo hold.) Thus a system which can reach the furthest corners of the cargo bins will allow a more complete and uniform filling of the bin as compared with a system that can only reach a specific point or partial area of the cargo bin. It is important to fill the cargo bins by creating a generally flat, uniform pile of material. By stacking the cargo in a generally flat, uniform pattern, versus a generally cone shape produced by pouring the material from a single point, one maximizes the stability of the vessel. The added stability, which translates into added safety, is produced by the fact that a flat, uniform distribution of the cargo within the vessel will result in a center of gravity for the cargo that coincided with the center of gravity of the vessel. By producing a cargo load, or loaded shipment, where the center of gravity of the loaded shipment coincides with the center of gravity of the ship, one reduces the existence of an overturning moment produced by a distance between the center of gravity of loaded shipment and the center of gravity of the ship. Moreover, a flat, uniform distribution of the cargo will avoid shifting of the cargo during the voyage. By preventing shifting of the load one reduces the possibility of de-stabilizing the vessel during the voyage.
Another important aspect to consider in evaluating a shiploading system is the system's average loading rate instead of its nominal or design loading rate. The average loading rate for the system is the tons of cargo delivered to the ship divided by the amount of time that it took to fill the ship. Thus the average loading rate results in a statistic that reflects the overall efficiency of the system since it is a function of the size and speed of the conveyors used within the system, as well as a function of the steps that must be carried out in loading the vessel. Thus a system with conveyors of high capacity or high nominal rate may achieve a low average loading rate if these conveyors must be stopped frequently and for longer periods of time to allow the shifting of the loading system relative the vessel's position in order to provide access to the different bins of the vessel.
Since the time to load a vessel is unproductive use of the vessel, and may even present a constraint in the overall productivity of the system producing the fungible goods, is advantageous to minimize the time to load the vessel by increasing the average loading rate of the shiploading system for every vessel. The rate at which the vessel is loaded depends on both the material delivery rate (the nominal rate) and the system's ability to shift loading procedures from one cargo bin or hold to another. It is essential that the system loads the different cargo bins in a sequence that minimizes the possibility of damage to the vessel's structure and stability. For example, one typically begins loading at the ship's forward most cargo hold, since this hold is likely to be the highest point of the hull above the water due to the fact that this is the lightest section of the vessel.
The loading of the cargo holds will proceed by partially loading a cargo hold, and then proceeding to partially loading the next desired hold. This piecemeal, back and forth, loading is carried out in order to minimize the possibility of introducing a dangerous imbalance caused by a difference in the location of the center of gravity of the cargo and the center of gravity of the ship, as well as to prevent the possibility of damaging the vessel's structure, for example by placing large loads at the extremes of the vessel. Thus it is clear that an important characteristic of a shiploading system is its ability to load the vessel in a piecemeal fashion, while maintaining good overall loading rates.
Examples of known shiploader installation configurations include five basic types of shiploading systems. These systems include fixed loaders, traveling loaders, quadrant loaders, slewing/traversing loaders, and linear loaders.
Fixed loaders allow simple luffing or combined slewing and luffing type movement to distribute the loads to the different cargo holds of the vessel. The fixed loader is still used due to its simplicity and low acquisition and maintenance cost, but due to its limited movement and reach the fixed loader suffers from significant disadvantages. Perhaps the greatest disadvantage of the fixed loader is that it requires that the ship be shifted relative to the loader in order to allow filling of each of the different cargo holds. This exposes the ship and docking structure to the danger of accidental collisions. Moreover, the shifting of the ship's position is more time consuming than shifting a shiploader's position relative to the vessel, and thus the use of the fixed loader wastes valuable equipment time, resulting in a low average loading rate.
The traveling loader system is perhaps the oldest known alternative to a fixed loader and consists of a large, straight runway and a dock conveyor system that is mounted in a generally parallel fashion to the runway. To transfer cargo to a ship's cargo bin with this kind of system the cargo is first transported to the runway area by an approach conveyor. Then the approach conveyor transfers the load to the dock conveyor on the runway, and then from the dock conveyor the load is transferred to a boom that delivers the cargo to the ship's holding bin.
With the traveling shiploader system the ship is moored against dolphins that allow the ship to be held in a parallel orientation to the system's runway. Thus, to load the various holding bins of the ship, the boom system must be able to travel along the runway, with the boom in a generally perpendicular orientation to the runway. While the traveling shiploader systems have proven to be reliable and effective, they have limitations. Perhaps the greatest limitation of these systems is that they require extensive marine structure for the dock and runway of the shiploader system. This translates into large, costly installations with long construction lead times.
Another major limitation is that the feeding point of the conveyor system on a traveling loader is fixed along a line defined by the length of the shiploader's boom. Also, the shifting the boom from one cargo bin to the next can only be carried out in one direction without emptying the dock conveyor. For example, if the shiploader begins to deliver cargo to the bin closest to the stern of the ship (in situation where the ship is docked such that its stern is closest to the approach conveyor) it may shift to cargo bins that are successively closer to the bow of the ship. Due to the fact that the boom on the traveling loader may not reverse its direction of shifting without first stopping and unloading the entire contents of the dock conveyor before shifting the boom back towards the stern of the ship (towards the approach conveyor). This is due to the fact that as the boom is moved from one bin to the next, the transfer point from the dock conveyor to the boom must also shift to feed the boom at its new location. This shifting is typically carried out by incorporating what is known as a tripper system along the dock conveyor. The tripper system is a device that uses a set of idlers and pulleys to introduce an overhang or ripple into the belt. The cargo material on the dock conveyor separates from the conveyor as it passes over the overhang or ripple. The cargo material which separates from the dock conveyor is then received by the boom, which then transports the cargo material to the cargo bin.
Thus, the tripper mechanism must be shifted along the dock conveyor as the system shifts the loading to successive cargo bins. This movement of the tripper system is a relatively simple procedure as long as the boom moves in one direction along the runway. However, a problem arises when the direction of motion of the boom must be reversed. When the direction of motion of the boom is reversed the entire dock conveyor must be unloaded. The unloading of the dock conveyor requires that the delivery of material to the system be stopped; which results in a reduction in the average loading rate of the system.
The quadrant shiploader system, illustrated on FIGS. 1D and 1E, was an advancement over the traveling shiploader system in that it results in a substantial reduction in the marine structure requirements for its operation. The quadrant system uses a pivoting bridge of fixed span to distribute the cargo to the ship's cargo bins. With the quadrant shiploader, one end of the bridge is secured at a location where it can receive cargo from an approach conveyor. The mid section of the bridge is supported by a carriage system that rides over an arched runway. The second end of the bridge is cantilevered from the runway, with its boom cantilevered over the ships to be loaded, and thus serves for delivering cargo to the ship's cargo bin. An example of a shiploader that is similar to the quadrant type loader is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,082,181 to Berthold et al. Due to the similarities of the Berthold device to the quadrant type loaders, the Berthold device suffers from the same limitations as the quadrant loaders.
In order to load a ship with the quadrant loader, the ship must be moored in a manner that the center of the cargo bin area or the length of the ship is substantially normal to a line that extends from the center point of the cargo bin area or length of the ship to the pivot point of the bridge. It will become apparent that this arrangement is disadvantaged in that the sweep of the bridge causes the discharge of the boom to follow an arch, while loading a ship that has a straight, long hull. Thus, to load the ship's cargo bin, a quadrant loader must provide for adjustment of the combined length of the bridge and boom, so that the discharge of the boom follows a substantially straight path. The feed conveyor or system of the quadrant loader also has to be stopped every time the direction of shifting is to be reversed. (However the conveyor system does not need to be emptied.) Moreover, due to the fact that the runway support of the bridge and boom sweeps to and from the ship, the quadrant loader requires the longest reach, or cantilevering of the boom, for reaching the corners of the cargo bins, as compared to known loaders. However, while the quadrant loader has limitations concerning its reach of the bins, it generally produces higher average loading rates due to more efficient shifting from one bin to the next.
The slewing traversing shiploader is simply a traveling type shiploader with an additional pivot point, or slewing bearing, mounted on a carriage that rides on a runway that is parallel to the pier or docking area. This device combines the advantages and disadvantages of the quadrant loader and the traveling loader. Thus the mechanisms of the slewing traversing loader are somewhat more complicated than the mechanisms involved for each type of system alone.
An example of a slewing traversing type loader is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 3,499,522 to Novak. It follows from the discussion above that the Novak device, while incorporating the advantages of the quadrant and the traveling loader, suffers the disadvantage of cost, moderate average loading rates, and marine structural requirements of the traveling loader. Specifically, a significant disadvantage of the Novak device is that it requires the construction of two separate piers, one for an arched runway and one for a straight runway.
An approach at correcting the disadvantages of the quadrant shiploading system is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 3,856,159 to Soros. The Soros invention is now commonly known as the linear type loader since the bridge is supported over a straight runway which parallels the ship to be loaded. The linear loader is equipped with a variable span bridge. The land side of the bridge is allowed to shuttle on top of a slewing bearing, and the water side allowed to travel along a straight runway. This arrangement requires a shorter unsupported boom span to reach the corners of the cargo bins than is required by the quadrant type loaders. A linear type loader has been illustrated on FIGS. 1B and 1C.
One important disadvantage of the linear loader is that it requires a bridge adjustment mechanism in order to provide discharge of the cargo along a straight line. This adjustment mechanism means a substantial increase in the weight of its pivoting end. (Its overall weight, however, is somewhat less than the weight of a comparable quadrant loader.)
Yet another disadvantage of existing systems, such as the linear and quadrant systems, is that a traveling shuttle and boom conveyor is supported by a slewing bridge with large span and additional long cantilevers on both ends. The bridges are subjected to constant stress reversals induced by heavy dynamic loads of the boom and traveling shuttle. In case of the Linear loader this is further magnified by the fact that the bridge itself travels above the rear pivot. Therefore the bridges of both types of shiploaders have to be designed with very low depth to span ratio generating deep heavy sections with substantial weights.
There remains a need for a shiploading system that can be erected with short lead times. Thus, there remains a need for a shiploader system that can be assembled from non-specialty components and yet produce high average loading rates for small as well as large vessels.
There remains a need for a shiploader system that makes more efficient use of standard shiploading or materials handling equipment. More specifically, there remains a need for a shiploader system that reduces the size and amount of marine structure, while producing high average loading rates with readily available components.
Still further, there remains a need for a shiploader system that takes advantage of proven, readily available components to produce a versatile system that can accommodate large vessels as well as small vessels.
There remains a need for a shiploading system that requires low capital costs and takes advantage of systems with proven reliability to produce a shiploading system that can operate at higher average loading rates than had been previously known.


A candle support apparatus which is adapted for securement to a bottle cap, package, container or other gift, comprising a candle socket, and at least two elongated, resilient arms radially extending from the candle socket. The resilient arms have depending arm portions with an inclined tab inwardly disposed at the distal end of each depending arm, to secure the candle support apparatus about an unopened bottle cap secured to a bottle. A suitable adhesive is positioned beneath the candle socket to provide additional means of securement. A detent is provided for ease of breaking the resilient arms from the candle socket, to enable the user to alternately secure the candle support apparatus to a suitable object, such as a package, jar, can, container or other gift. A drip catching disc may be secured beneath the candle socket to catch drips from the lighted candle. The drip catching disc preferably has a raised outer periphery for ease of retaining candle drips.

Candle holders for supporting a candle from a horizontal or vertical surface, such as a table or wall, are well known in the art. Some prior art devices disclose placing a candle in the neck of a bottle, or disclose apparatus for supporting a candle from an apparatus extending within the neck of a bottle.
This invention is directed to supporting a candle upon an unopened bottle cap, and is further adapted to supporting a candle upon any suitable object, such as a bottle, jar, can, or container.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,726,632 issued to Gerardine Connolly on Apr. 10, 1973 is representative of the prior art disclosing a candle holder which is supported from within the neck of a bottle. In order to use this candle holder, the bottle must be previously opened, and the contents preferably removed, as dripping wax from the candle may enter the neck of the bottle, and thus contaminate the liquid contents of the bottle.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,918,888 discloses a candle stabilizing device for insertion into the socket of a candle holder, in order to support candles of various diameters. The device includes a circular base having four circumferentially spaced upstanding arms along the base wall sized to engage the candle therebetween. The arms are sized to snugly fit within the socket of a candle holder.
U.S. Pat. No. 338,099 issued to B. O'Boylan on Mar. 16, 1886 discloses a candle holder having a disk with tabs extending above the disc to support the candle, and tabs extending beneath the disk for insertion within a suitable aperture, such as a candlestick, for support of the candle holder above the aperture.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,355,696 issued to R. Ross on Oct. 12, 1920 discloses a candle holder having a strip "C" which is bent into a ring for insertion within an aperture in a candle stick, with three or more tongue pieces extending from the upper surface of the ring. The tongue pieces are bent to support the candle holder within the candle stick socket, to provide a ventilated candle holder.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,021,921 issued to H. Deckert on Apr. 2, 1912, discloses a candle holder formed of a plurality of resilient members, each resilient member having an upwardly and inwardly bent end forming a portion of a socket for supporting the candle, and downwardly bent opposing ends, for insertion into a hollow holder.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,918,098 issued to C. Haley on Jul. 11, 1933, discloses a candle holder having a drip plate from which integral outwardly extending and spaced arms having longitudinally V-shaped grooves which bite into the candle to support a candle therebetween. V-shaped hooks on the distal ends are positioned to support drapery, a shade or a globe. The drip plate has a central aperture for securing the drip plate to a plug, sized for insertion within a socket.