A display is disclosed which produces multiple visual displays in an intermittent manner which includes a display housing having a perimeter wall which is transparent during visual display and is an opaque mirror between visual displays. The perimeter wall of the display housing is a composite structure which preferably includes a transparent cylindrical substrate which is coated with an optical film and an opaque mask which defines display windows. Multiple visual displays are produced by a rotating display base which carries rows of rotating display elements. Preferably, the display elements are elongated triangular elements having three image faces which bear images which create the visual displays. The triangular display elements are arranged in a triangular configuration wherein the rows intersect one another at acute angles and are carried by the rotating base. The rotating base includes three display positions and each of the triangular elements includes three display positions. A stationary observer would see nine different visual displays and may see themselves mirrored in between and during the changes of visual displays. The perimeter wall of the display housing becomes transparent as the triangular display elements are backlit along their entire length by elongated fluorescent or neon light tubes. When the light tubes are off, the cylindrical display housing is an opaque mirror, preferably, about its entire periphery and height. Other embodiments of the invention include a single row of triangular display elements, and a rotating display base which includes display faces consisting of only a single display element.

The invention relates to a lighted display sign, and more particularly, to such a display producing multiple visual displays through a transparent wall which is a mirror between changes of the displays.
Heretofore, visual displays for advertising and the like have been provided having a single display face which changes. U.S. Pat. No. 4,021,946 discloses a sign display including a plurality of upstanding pyramids which rotate to provide a single, changeable display face. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,273,271, 4,528,763, and 4,987,691 disclose similar changeable displays which comprise elongated pyramid elements with three faces. While the displays are changeable, the number of displays produced is limited. U.S. Pat. No. 3,717,942 discloses a five-sided display with different images that change. It is also known to provide displays having screens with layers of non-uniform optical densities whereby back lighting of the screens makes the screens transparent for the different messages or objects displayed while leaving the screen uniformly reflective of environmental light in an off condition.
While the above displays are suitable for their intended purposes, none of the displays provide a suitable display for a producing a large number of visual displays in a highly attractive manner which attracts observers and retains their attention sufficiently while the display cycles through and produces multiple visual displays.
Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide a highly attractive display which produces multiple visual displays over a prescribed display cycle.
Another object of the invention is to provide a display which produces multiple visual displays in an intermittent manner where the displays are visible through a transparency during a prescribed viewing time and the transparency is a mirror during display changes.
Another object of the invention is to provide a display for producing multiple visual displays which includes rotating display elements carried on a rotating base whereby multiple visual displays are produced on multiple display faces within a display housing which is transparent for viewing the visual displays, but is an opaque mirror while the visual displays are changing.
Another object of the invention is to provide a highly attractive display which produces a multiple visual display, yet requires a minimum of floor space.
Another object of the invention is to provide a highly attractive display requiring a minimum of floor space which includes a cylindrical housing which is transparent for viewing multiple visual displays and is an opaque mirror while the visual displays change wherein the cylindrical housing provides a plurality of display faces around its periphery which alternately change between visions and mirrors in a highly attractive manner.


A headlight (1) comprising: a parabolic reflector (2) comprising an opening (2a), said parabolic reflector (2) being configured to reflect and distribute in a homogenous manner toward the opening (2a) at least a light beam (5a,5b); a transparent shield (3) to close said opening (2a); a bearing partition (4) arranged in the parabolic reflector (2), so to define a first sector of the reflector (15) and a second sector of the reflector (16) opposed to each other with respect to said bearing partition (4); at least a light source configured to generate: a first light beam (5a) pointed toward said first sector of the reflector (15); a second light beam (6a) pointed toward said second sector of the reflector (16); a third light beam (7a); a mask (8) comprising at least a partially transparent window (9) arranged so that said third light beam illuminates said window (9).

The headlights of a vehicle are designed to emit different light beams which are mainly divided into: position light, low beam and high beam.
Headlights comprising a plurality of LED are known, suitably arranged in a reflective cap to generate the different types of light beams.
In a motor vehicle the need is felt to improve the efficiency and the effectiveness of the light beams produced by the LEDs so as to improve night and day visibility. In particular, the need is felt to optimize the homogeneity of the light beam, and to recreate in the headlight at least a commercial symbol/logo which remains evident and which also acts as lighting.


An electrical terminal including a body having a contact gripping element where the contact gripping element is resiliently biased or disposed in a channel. The contact gripping element is configured to exert a contact gripping force on an electrical conductor. Preferably, the body has a seam transverse to the contact gripping element. More preferably the seam can widen upon insertion of the electrical conductor. Most preferably the seam can reduce the radial force upon the contact gripping element as a way to relax stress on the contact gripping element.

The subject matter relates to an improved electrical terminal and more particularly to an improved wire trap for the electrical connection and retention of an electrical conductor within an electrical connector.
Electrical terminals are well known in the connector industry. Typically, the terminals include a pin and mating socket, together with a conductor connecting portion. In the event that the terminals are connected to wires, the terminals include a wire connecting section. One such form of wire connecting section is the wire crimp, where the wire is stripped and placed in a terminal end, and then crimped in placed where the metal deforms about the conductor to make the electrical connection.
It is desirable in certain applications to not require a crimped connection. Typically, this is in the situation where the wires are stripped on site, and where crimping tools are not readily available. An example of such a situation would be in the lighting industry where overhead lights are installed, and it is easier for the installer to not require a crimped connection.
The objects of the invention are therefore to improve upon these known connection systems.


Elongate medical devices such as guidewires can be formed from a core wire and a preformed distal cap that is configured to fit over a distal end of the core wire. The distal cap can be attached using a variety of techniques. In particular, the distal cap can be attached to the core wire using laser welding.

A wide variety of elongate medical devices such as catheters and guidewires have been developed. Such medical devices can be used to facilitate navigation and treatment within the anatomy of a patient. Because the anatomy of a patient may be very tortuous, it can be desirable to have particular performance features in an elongate medical device. A number of different structures and assemblies for elongate medical devices such as guidewires, catheters, and the like are known, each having certain advantages and disadvantages. There is an ongoing need to provide alternative structures and assemblies.

Method of making elongated medical devices


An electron emission device and a method of manufacturing the same. The electron emission device of the present invention includes at least one anode formed on one side of a substrate, and a light emitter including a plurality of multiple divided phosphor layers formed on the anode at predetermined intervals. At least one of the phosphor layers has at least one partition pattern. The phosphor layer structure of the present invention is capable of maintaining superior color coordinate characteristics and greatly improving luminance characteristics.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electron emission device and a method of manufacturing the same, and more particularly, to an electron emission device capable of maintaining superior color coordinate characteristics and greatly improving luminance characteristics and a method of manufacturing the same.
(b) Description of the Related Art
Generally, a flat panel display includes a vacuum vessel having a first and a second substrate facing each other with a distance therebetween. The flat panel display provides for electrons emitted from the electron emitting region formed at the first substrate colliding with the light emitting region formed at the second substrate, thereby emitting light and displaying a desired image. Hot or cold cathodes may be used as the electron emission sources.
The light emitting region includes green, blue, and red phosphor layers and a black layer. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a conventional light emitting region. There is depicted green phosphor layer 13G, blue phosphor layer 13B, red phosphor layer 13R, and black layers 17.
First, a black layer having an equally spaced stripe pattern is formed, and then green, blue, and red phosphor layers are formed by the slurry method to give the structure shown in FIG. 1. The apparent line widths of each color are substantially identical.
However, if an electron emission device with the light emitting region is manufactured by the conventional method, luminance characteristics or color characteristics of each color become poorer than expected. For example, the red light-emitting luminance becomes lower than the blue light-emitting luminance, thereby making the luminance characteristics poor.

Electron emission device and method of manufacturing the same


A circuit for protecting an IC against electrostatic discharge includes a npn transistor having its collector connected to a first I/O pad and its emitter connected to VSS. A zener diode has its cathode connected to the first I/O pad, its anode connected both to the base of the npn transistor and to a first resistor. The other end of the resistor is connected to VSS.

Electrostatic discharge (ESD) in semiconductor integrated circuits (IC's) is a well-known problem. The inadvertent presence of a sudden voltage spike in an integrated circuit can cause physical destruction of circuit features. For example, ESD-induced spikes can rupture the thin gate oxide of a field effect transistor (FET), or simply degrade the p-n junction of a semiconductor device, effectively destroying proper IC operation. A typical "gate oxide" in a MOS transistor will rupture when its dielectric strength is more than approximately 10.sup.7 V/cm.
There are three basic models for simulating the effects of ESD events on semiconductor devices: the human body model, the machine model, and the charged device model. These models can be used to construct testers to quantify the resistance of devices to ESD events, and to model the effectiveness of a proposed ESD protection circuit using standard circuit simulation techniques.
The human body model is intended to simulate the effect of human handling on semiconductor devices. In FIG. 1, the capacitance C1 simulates the capacitance of the human body and is generally chosen to be 100 pf. The resistance R1 simulates the series resistance of the human body and is usually modeled as 1.5 K.OMEGA.. The capacitor C1 is charged to an initial voltage V1 and then discharged into the device under test (DUT). Devices which can withstand precharge voltages on the order of 2 to 3 Kev are considered acceptable by industry standards. A widely followed standard for testing according to the human body model is presented in MIL-STD-883C, notice 8, method 3015.7, "Electrical Discharge Sensitivity Test" (1989).
The machine model or "zero ohms" model utilizes the circuit of FIG. 1, except that C1 is 200 pf and R1 approximates "zero ohms." In a practical construction, R1 is in the range of 20 to 40 ohms. The discharge time constant of the machine model is much less than the human body model, and parasitic circuit components have more influence over the maximum current and voltage seen by the DUT during the discharge. A device that can withstand 400 volts is considered acceptable by industry standards. This model is commonly used in Japan and is covered in EIAJ Standards of the Electronic Industries Association of Japan, IC-121 Book 2 (1988).
The charged device model is used to simulate the ESD failure mechanisms associated with machine handling during the packaging and test of semiconductor devices. According to this model, an IC package is charged to a potential (100 volts to 2000 volts) by triboelectricity or by the presence of large electric fields. Then, the device is discharged to ground via any of the device pins. The charging is normally done via the substrate pin and the discharge is initiated by touching a device pin with a grounded low inductance probe. The time constant for this discharge process is less than 150 ps, and the discharged energy depends on the package capacitance.
The charged device model simulates an ESD event during machine handling of packaged semiconductor devices. ESD damage from machine handling is becoming more significant than ESD damage from human handling because attention has been focused on minimizing human ESD damage, but relatively little work has been done on minimizing ESD damage from machines. No official standard yet exists for the charged device model, but a standard is expected shortly from the EOS/ESD Association, Device Standards Committee.
Junction leakage is a common form of ESD failure. A 2000 volt human body model is equivalent to 0.2 mj of energy, which is enough energy to raise 85,000 .mu.m.sup.3 of silicon from room temperature to its melting point. It follows that an ESD event has enough energy to do considerable damage to the silicon crystal structure of a semiconductor device. Some material technologies are thus inherently more sensitive to this type of damage than others. For example, contacts formed with Al/TiW/PtSi.sub.2 metallurgy are much more susceptible to junction leakage than contacts formed with W/TiW/TiN metallurgy due to the ability of the TiW/TiN barrier to withstand higher temperatures. Salicided junctions tend to be more sensitive to junction leakage than non-salicided junctions because the salicide causes current crowding towards source-drain and active area edges, thereby increasing local power densities.
The most common ESD failure mechanism for advanced CMOS processes, especially as feature sizes continue to scale down and the inherent gate oxide breakdown voltages scale down accordingly, is the destruction of gate oxide integrity.
Less commonly, opens failures occur in the path of the ESD current. For example, vias in series with the inputs can become open circuits, or polysilicon series resistors intentionally placed in the protection networks as current limiters can absorb excessive energy and vaporize. Normally, this type of failure can be addressed by following layout rules which ensure that adequate current carrying capacity is present in all paths where large ESD currents would flow.
A conventional CMOS input protection network is illustrated in FIG. 2. When the polarity of the ESD stress is negative with respect to ground, diode D1 becomes forward biased. As long as the diode series resistance is low enough, voltages seen by the circuit remain low enough to minimize on chip power dissipation and protect the CMOS gate oxide. For example, the human body model charged to 3 KeV corresponds to an instantaneous current of 2 amps. Therefore, the diode series resistance should be no more than 4 ohms in order to keep total voltage seen by the circuit to 8 volts, corresponding to the worst case breakdown for a 10 nm gate oxide typical of a 0.5 .mu.m CMOS process.
When the ESD stress is positive with respect to ground, there are two possibilities for current flow. First, diode D2 charges up until it reaches reverse breakdown, at which point the rise in voltage at the input tends to be clamped. Unfortunately, the reverse breakdown for D2 may be higher than the gate oxide breakdown, thus allowing voltages damaging to input or output device buffers to pass. Second, diode D1 becomes forward biased and begins to charge up Vcc until some breakdown mechanism on the die, such as parasitic field turn-on, gate oxide breakdown, or latchup, clamps the rise in Vcc. It is this mechanism that causes failures internal to the die during ESD stress.
Therefore, if the maximum voltage reached on the die can be reduced, the power dissipated on chip during the ESD stress will be reduced, which in turn will reduce junction temperatures reached during the stress and therefore reduce the junction leakage failure mechanism. At the same time, stress on the gate oxides will also be reduced. Therefore, it is desirable to minimize the voltage excursions seen by the circuit during stress. This can be done by reducing the breakdown voltage of the input diode D2 or by reducing the Vcc/Vss breakdown, while at the same time ensuring that the series resistance after breakdown is minimized. Devices that have snap back or latchup properties have been used to achieve lower breakdown voltages, but there are some disadvantages: the trigger voltage may be high enough to exceed the gate oxide breakdown, causing a momentary pulse of possibly damaging gate current; negative resistance devices are difficult to model with traditional circuit simulation techniques, and also, the device characteristics are sensitive to layout in a way that is difficult to predict; latchup depends on minority carrier diffusion across relatively long lateral base widths, and this process may not be fast enough to respond to an ESD event, especially for the charged device model; and, if the negative resistance characteristic is pronounced enough, it may degrade the latchup performance of the device. Thus, it would be desirable to construct a protection circuit that avoids these disadvantages.

ESD protection using npn bipolar transistor


Communication is carried out using devices with user-maintained modes that enable synchronous content sharing and communication. Each user-maintained mode enables a lightweight interface for positioning content in a conversation by initiating and terminating data transmission through user produced feedback to create a shared conversational experience.

The following relates generally to methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture therefor, for controlling audio and video streams with user-maintained modes.
Users of mobile and fixed computing devices have various forms and modes of communication to choose from to communicate. Forms of communication include one or more combinations of text, audio, and video, while modes of communication include full-duplex or half-duplex. Services that exist for offering the various forms and modes of communication include SMS (short message service), MMS (multimedia messaging service), IM (instant messaging, e.g., text messaging), and PTT (push-to-talk, e.g., Direct Connect® Walkie-Talkie offered by Nextel Communications Inc.). These different services may operate using fixed and/or radio communication networks employing one or more communications protocols (e.g., POTS, ISDN, CDMA, GSM and IP).
These different forms and modes of communication allow users to communicate using a variety and combination of styles that require different levels of commitment by the user. For example, full-duplex communication is more user-intrusive and requires greater attention than half-duplex communication. This intrusiveness affects communication more profoundly than simply reducing "privacy"; it affects how one manages the process of getting in and out of interactions. Accepting a connection, or allowing a connection to remain open (e.g., as in a conference call), means that it is socially difficult to deny the other parties' demands on attention. (For further background see: Nardi, B. A., Whittaker, S. and Bradner, E., "Interaction and Outeraction: Instant Messaging in Action," Proc. ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work, ACM, pp. 79-88, 2000 (hereinafter "Whittaker"), and Woodruff, A. and Aoki, P. M., "How Push-to-Talk Makes Talk Less Pushy," Proc. ACM SIGGROUP Conf. on Supporting Group Work, ACM, pp. 170-179, 2003 (hereinafter "Woodruff"), which are incorporated herein by reference.)
Much of the social difficulty to deny another party's demands on attention appears to result from the nature of a full-duplex communication channel, not from the real-time aspect of the channel or the fact that the channel is "always open" per se. For example, IM operates using "open," bidirectional channels. Studies of IM use by Whittaker indicate that a key reason why users like IM is that, although the "channel" is open and always available for messages to be sent, information is only passed when messages are actually being sent. Similar results have been seen in studies by Woodruff of the use of half-duplex, "push-to-talk" (PTT) cellular audio communication services. That is, even with an "always open" channel, a channel that limits information transmission to actual messages means that the parties on the other side of the channel cannot "see" back through the channel to determine if a party is present and/or available.
This affordance has come to be known as "plausible deniability". In IM or IM-like systems, it is more socially acceptable to ignore incoming messages, delay responses to incoming messages, or stop responding to messages in the middle of a conversation. Because of "plausible deniability," the other parties have no insight into why a response has not come and generally assume that "something has come up" (e.g., an appointment, a co-present conversation, etc.) that has resulted in the lack of response. This means that communicative availability is more lightweight when using IM or PTT to communicate as opposed to using a telephone or videoconferencing.
While MMS, IM or PTT afford lightweight communication mechanism, solutions for sharing data that are used with these communication mechanisms are directed to their functionality (e.g., messaging, browsing, etc.) rather than to a user's desire to share an experience (e.g., interactive sharing). Further, such lightweight communication mechanisms do not provide the immediacy often desired in conversations with interactive sharing. To satisfy interactive sharing of data during conversations using such lightweight communication mechanisms, users need to be aware that that their information is being shared with the other users that are communicating through active control of data transmission during their conversation. To do so, sharing must be mutual rather than unidirectional. Further, such sharing must be done by allowing users to position data in an interaction so that their content is visibly relevant within a sequence of contributions. Doing so allows users in a conversation to mutually, rather than unidirectionally, share data, and to direct the focus of their attention throughout the conversation.
Accordingly, there continues to be a need for an improved lightweight communication mechanism for allowing users to have conversations that afford a lower level of commitment than always open systems while enabling users to share an experience while interacting with or referring to data. In accordance with the disclosure herein, there is provided an improved method, apparatus and article of manufacture therefor, for coordinating delivery of multiple streams of data, such as audio and video or combinations thereof, when communicating with another user using user-maintained modes.
In accordance with the various embodiments disclosed herein, there is provided a transmitting electronic apparatus, method and article of manufacture therefor, for communicating data streams (e.g., audio or video) with a receiving electronic apparatus. The transmitting electronic apparatus includes a user-maintained mode for controlling the transmission of different data streams to the receiving electronic apparatus. In operation, while the user-maintained mode actively senses user feedback, the data stream currently being transmitted to the receiving electronic apparatus is suspended and the data stream associated with the user-maintained mode is transmitted in its place. The data displayed at the receiving electronic apparatus is synchronized with the data stream being transmitted to the receiving electronic apparatus to allow users of the transmitting and receiving electronic apparatuses to share the data in a coordinated manner.
In accordance with one aspect of the various embodiments disclosed herein, user-maintained modes are maintained in an active state using sensory feedback detected from a user of the transmitting electronic apparatus that may arise from one or a combination of two or more of measurable tactile, visual, audible, or affective user action. Tactile action may be measured, for example, when a button detects it has been pressed or when an accelerometer attached to a body part detects movement. Visual action may be measured, for example, when image analysis detects eye-gaze on a target. Audible action may be measured, for example, when audio analysis detects a sustained speech or non-speech sound. Affective action may be measured, for example, when a skin response sensor or an acoustic voice stress analyzer detects a sustained biological response.

Method and apparatus for controlling data delivery with user-maintained modes


The invention relates to an aircraft tire with a tread having a running surface of a rubber composition which contains elastomers of which a major portion is a specialized cis 1,4-polybutadiene elastomer and a minor portion is cis 1,4-polyisoprene rubber and which contains reinforcement filler comprised of a combination of precipitated silica and defined rubber reinforcing carbon black.

Aircraft tire treads, in contrast to more conventional vehicular tire treads, are subjected to extreme operating conditions which require the tire treads to endure significant forces experienced upon landing of an aircraft as the tire touches ground and instantly accelerates to relatively high speeds under load as well as significant forces experienced upon aircraft takeoffs which require a rapid acceleration to relatively high speeds under load.
In addition, aircraft tires, in contrast to more conventional vehicular tires, are often significantly stiffer in nature as a result of, at least in part, often being composed of a significant plurality of carcass plies, which for some aircraft tires may be as many as 8 or more plies, and as a result tends to be a significantly more hysteretic tire to thereby have a greater propensity for internal heat generation with a resultant greater temperature rise during the working of the tire which impacts negatively upon the heat durability of the tire.
The aforesaid extreme landing and take-off operational conditions for the relatively stiff, relatively hysteretic aircraft tires inherently create a significant rapid temperature rise for the aircraft tread due to internal heat generation for which long term heat durability of the tread rubber composition may be of concern as well as submitting the running surface of the tire tread to significant abrasion forces for which long term tread wear may be of a concern.
In practice, such aircraft tire treads are conventionally composed of a relatively tough, abrasion resistant, natural rubber (and sometimes a minor amount of polybutadiene rubber for the abrasion resistance promoting aspect of the tire tread) based rubber composition which is relatively hysteretic in nature and therefore prone to internal heat generation caused by the aforesaid operationally exerted forces.
A typical significant elastomeric component for such aircraft tread rubber compositions to promote abrasion resistance is the relatively minor amount of cis 1,4-polybutadiene rubber contained in a predominately natural rubber tread rubber composition where the cis 1,4-polybutadiene rubber typically has a moderate number average molecular weight (Mn) in a range of from about 175,000 to about 275,000 and a weight average molecular weight (Mw) in a range of from about 400,000 to about 650,000 with a relatively narrow (low) heterogeneity index (Mw/Mn) in a range of from about 1.5/1 to about 2.5/1.
In practice, the needed abrasion resistance for such aircraft tire tread is typically obtained by the inclusion of the minor amount of the cis 1,4-polybutadiene rubber of moderate molecular weight (to promote abrasion resistance) together with a relatively high loading of rubber reinforcing carbon black (to also promote abrasion resistance).
It is desired herein to provide an aircraft tire tread composition which, in its unvulcanized state can be suitably processed in conventional rubber processing equipment, including acceptably extruded into relatively smooth surfaced tread strips, for which a major portion of the elastomer component of the tread rubber composition is a cis 1,4-polybutadiene rubber (which would ordinarily be expected to have a negative effect upon the rubber composition's processability) to promote resistance to abrasion in the rubber composition's vulcanized state without resorting to the aforesaid high carbon black loading for abrasion resistance which significantly increases internal heat generation and a resultant increase in rate of temperature rise within the tire.
This is considered herein to be a significant challenge, with unspecified alternative adjustments to be made for the aircraft tire tread rubber composition, since the increase in a cis 1,4-butadiene rubber content, and associated reduction in natural rubber content, of the aircraft tire tread rubber composition, would ordinarily be expected to have a negative impact upon the aforesaid processability of the unvulcanized rubber composition, thereby making it more difficult to fabricate (by an extrusion or calendering process) the associated unvulcanized tread component having a relatively smooth surface.
It is well appreciated by those having skill in such art that significant compromises of physical properties of a tire tread rubber composition are sometimes made for various purposes. For example, optimizing an aircraft tire tread rubber composition's increased abrasion resistance by merely increasing its cis 1,4-polybutadiene rubber content may result in relatively disadvantageous results in one or more other desirable properties of an aircraft tire tread rubber composition, including, for example, its aforesaid processability in its unvulcanized state.
FIG. 2 of the included drawings is provided in a form of an outer and inner pentagraph to illustrate, in a pictorial manner, what are considered herein as being five significant physical properties (unvulcanized and vulcanized properties) of an aircraft tire tread rubber composition.
The five included points of the outer pentagraph representing such properties are, in a counterclockwise direction from the top: Hysteresis (hot 100° C. rebound and tangent delta properties), Treadwear (abrasion resistance), Stiffness (tensile and dynamic shear modulus), Tear Resistance (resistance to tear propagation) and Processability (e.g. smooth extrudates of the unvuilcanized rubber composition).
The individual arrows extending from the inner pentagraph to each of the five points of the outer pentagraph are intended to illustrate a desirable, but typically unrealistic, goal of equally enhancing all of such five physical properties for an aircraft tire tread rubber composition.
It is well known to those having skill in the pertinent art that optimizing one of such properties typically detracts, or has a negative impact, in one or more of the other physical properties.
For example, significantly increasing the cis 1,4-polybutadiene rubber in a natural rubber/polybutadiene aircraft tire rubber tread composition would be expected to have a negative impact on the unvulcanized rubber composition's processability although it may have a beneficial effect on its abrasion resistance.
For example, use of reinforcing filler as a combination of precipitated silica and medium particle sized rubber reinforcing carbon black, instead of carbon black alone, is provided to promote a beneficial reduction in the rubber composition's hysteresis (reduction in internal heat build up) and increase in its tear strength. However, such inclusion of the precipitated silica, particularly with a corresponding reduction in the carbon black, would be expected to have a negative impact upon the rubber composition's abrasion resistance. This facilitates the need for a high cis 1,4-polybutadiene rubber to retain abrasion resistance due to the use of silica and medium sized carbon black.
Therefore, a challenge typically remains to provide a suitably processable (in its unvulcanized state), aircraft tire tread rubber composition in which a major portion of its rubber component is a cis 1,4-polybutadiene rubber which promotes (in its vulcanized state) a combination of both suitable abrasion resistance (e.g. DIN abrasion) and hysteresis (100° C. rebound) physical properties, all of which is considered herein to be a departure from past practice for an aircraft tire tread.
For this invention, a focus is on enhancing the abrasion resistance (e.g. DIN abrasion) and hysteresis (e.g. 100° C. rebound property and tan delta property) of an aircraft tire tread rubber composition while also providing the rubber composition in a form of a suitably processable unvulcanized rubber composition in a sense of providing a relatively smooth surfaced extrudate in a form of an unvulcanized rubber tread component (e.g. tread strip) with a minimization of surface defects for building, molding and curing a tire assembly to form an aircraft tire.
The term "running surface" of the aircraft tire, unless otherwise indicated, means the outer surface of the tread which is intended to be ground-contacting.
In the description of this invention, the terms "rubber" and "elastomer" where used herein, are used interchangeably, unless otherwise provided. The terms "rubber composition", "compounded rubber" and "rubber compound", if used herein, are used interchangeably to refer to "rubber which has been blended or mixed with various ingredients and materials" and such terms are well known to those having skill in the rubber mixing or rubber compounding art. The terms "cure" and "vulcanize" are well understood by those having skill in such art and may be used interchangeably unless otherwise provided. In the description of this invention, the term "phr" refers to parts of a respective material per 100 parts by weight of rubber, or elastomer.
The number average molecular weight (Mn) and weight average molecular weight (Mw) of a cis 1,4-polybutadiene elastomer as referenced herein can be suitably determined by gel permeation chromotography (GPC), a method well known to those having skill in such analytical art.
The heterogeneity index of an elastomer (e.g. a cis 1,4-polybutadiene elastomer) is a ratio of its weight average molecular weight (Mw) to its number average molecular weight (Mn), or Mw/Mn. A relatively low heterogeneity index in a range of from about 1.5/1 to about 2.5/1 is indicative of a relatively narrow molecular weight distribution. A greater heterogeneity index in a range of from about 3/1 to about 5/1, indicating a significantly wider disparity between its weight average molecular weight (Mw) and its number average molecular weight (Mn) is indicative of a relatively broad molecular weight distribution.


A curable coating composition includes a polyester, a curing agent for curing the polyester, a curing catalyst, a composite solvent having at least two solvents with different dissolving powers for the polyester, and a wax incompatible with the polyester. A method for making a coated metal plate having an embossment-like texture formed from the coating composition, and the coated metal plate made thereby are also disclosed.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a coating composition, more particularly to a curable coating composition. This invention also relates to a method for making a coated metal plate having an embossment-like texture formed from the coating composition, and to a coated metal plate having an embossment-like texture made by the method.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are two conventional methods for making a metal plate or roll having embossed patterns, which are stereo-patterns recognizable by the naked eye. One of the conventional methods includes the steps of applying to a metal plate a coating of thermoplastic polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in a thickness of about 200 um, hot-pressing the coating by using an embossing roller, and quenching the coated metal to form an embossed pattern on the metal plate. However, the aforesaid conventional method has the following disadvantages:
1) The PVC coating typically includes a plasticizer, such as dioctyl phthalate or tricresyl phosphate, which is prone to migration and hence environmental pollution. The use of the plasticizer is likely to be regulated in the very near future.
2) In order to conduct the hot pressing, the coating should be as thick as 200 um, which in turn increases the production costs.
3) The embossed pattern of the coating is liable to vanish when subjected to heat or stress. Furthermore, when the coated metal plate product is used outdoors, the coating is liable to degrade due to light and heat. Therefore, the metal plate product is not useful at high temperatures.
The other one of the conventional methods includes the steps of gluing an embossed and patterned PVC sheet to a metal substrate, and pressing the PVC sheet against the metal substrate to make a metal plate or roll having embossments. Since polyvinyl chloride is also used in this method, the aforesaid disadvantages are also encountered. Additionally, since a series of steps are required to adhere the PVC sheet to the metal substrate, production is relatively complicated and expensive. Furthermore, the PVC sheet is monotonous in color so that the appearance of the product has limited variety.

Curable coating composition, method for making a coated metal plate having the coating composition and the coated metal plate made thereby


A suture tensioning apparatus for tightening the suture used to tie a tissue of a patient to the bone of the patient so that the tissue will cinch to the bone. A lever is mounted on a stub shaft that is supported to a base member and is movable in a lateral position. A pair of spaced spools are mounted on the lever and the reach of the suture is wrapped around each of the spools. Means, including a coil spring wrapped around the stub shaft is connected to the lever and a rotatable dome. The movement of the lever causes the lower portion of the coils to unwrap around the stub shaft, and rotation of the dome causes the upper portion of the coils to unwrap whereby the movement of the coil spring forces the lever to return to its original position. The tensioning apparatus can be incorporated into an existing suture gun or can be made integral therewith.

As is well known in the medical field, there is an increasingly occurring problem where connective tissue, such as tendons and ligaments, tear or detach from the associated bone. While this invention is not limited to the method of incisions used in this type of operation, there is a trend in this type of operation to use arthroscopic surgical techniques rather than cutting large incisions in the tissue of the patient for performing the reattachment operation in this medical procedure. A typical problem that is the concern of this invention, although not the only one, is the tear or detachment of the soft tissue in the rotator cuff as to where the supraspinatus tendon separates from the humerus. In this type of medical procedure the advent of the knotless suture has played an important roll in allowing the surgeon to perform this type of operation using arthroscopic techniques. In this type of operation, typically, an anchor is inserted into the bone and suture is wrapped around the tendon and connected to the anchor. Obviously, the suture requires a given amount of tension so as to cinch the tendon to the bone while not adversely affecting the intergrity of the suture. A good example of a suture applied in this manner is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,144,415 granted to Eddy H. Del Rio and William E. Anspach, III, the joint inventors of the present invention, which is incorporated in its entirety herein. As described in this patent, the surgeon before clamping the suture pulls on the reaches of the suture so as to apply the proper amount of tension in order to cinch the tendon to the bone. A problem associated with this procedure is that the amount of force that the surgeon requires to pull the suture to the desired position is either difficult because of the necessary force required or that the surgeon has other things going on while he is pulling on the suture and it may be cumbersome to make that pull. Accordingly, this invention is intended to solve this problem by providing mechanism that applies the tension necessary to cinch the tendon to the bone and facilitate this action so that the task of cinching the tendon to the bone is less cumbersome.


The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for producing a reference voltage that is applied to reference voltage inputs on receiver units in order to discriminate between the logic states of a data signal that is transmitted to a receiver end. A transmission device transmits, in addition to the data signal, a clock signal to the receiver end. The receiver end has, on the output side of a receiver unit that receives the clock signal, an integrator that integrates the clock signal and produces the reference voltage from the integrated value.

The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for producing a reference voltage that is applied to reference voltage inputs on receiver units in order to discriminate between the logic states of a data signal that is transmitted to a receiver end. A transmission device transmits, in addition to the data signal, a clock signal to the receiver end. The receiver end has an integrator that integrates the clock signal and produces the reference voltage from the integrated value. Such a method and an apparatus of this kind are known from the earlier German application 102 16 615.3 from Infineon Technologies AG.
In every signal-transmitting system, be it a bi-directional system or a unidirectional system, a driver uses a line or transmission link to send a signal from a first point to a second point, where the signal is received. Similarly, in a bi-directional system, a signal can be sent from a second point to the first point in the transmission link or in the transmission line, where it is likewise received and then decoded. In the simplest case, a receiver unit decodes the signal by converting it into a respective known level according to its logic state. To this end, the output of the receiver unit is switched between the two known signal levels, depending on whether or not the received signal level exceeds a particular threshold value (for example in the form of a reference voltage).
In ordinary systems, the reference voltage Vref is typically produced outside of a chip, is supplied thereto in the form of a predetermined voltage value and is applied to the receiver units therein. Normally, the value of the reference voltage is placed in the center between the received data signal's ideal maximum value and minimum value independently of the leading and trailing edges of the received data signal. However, there are a series of influencing variables that cause the reference voltage Vref to differ from this mean value. Such differences may be brought about by changes in the produced and received reference voltage itself and by the waveform of the received data signals.
By far the most frequent source of influence is differences between the drivers which drive the data signals. In many systems, even the way in which the data signals are terminated causes differences. If the drivers of the data signals have an asymmetrical driver resistance for high and low levels and/or if the terminating resistance results in asymmetrical termination for high and low levels, then the received data signal is not centered about its mean value, that is to say about the value of the reference voltage Vref produced. This results in less than optimum timing tolerances, particularly in DDR memory systems, in which the data signals' leading and trailing edges are expected to be totally symmetrical.
The method described in the aforementioned earlier application DE 102 16 615.3, involves the reference voltage Vref being produced directly by integrating the data strobe signal arriving on the chip. In this case, the problem may arise that if the receiver that uses the reference voltage produced by integration is not operating in optimum fashion, it is not possible to establish that the data signal that is output by the receivers is consequently not optimum. Hence this known method operates correctly only if the receiver using the reference voltage produced is perfect. A perfect receiver would react to the received data precisely at their point of intersection with the reference voltage produced and hence in the same way to rising and falling edges in the data signals. Hence, a perfect receiver of this kind would not change its delay if the reference voltage were to fluctuate. Real receivers are not perfect in this way, however, and therefore do not produce a perfect data output signal having a duty ratio of 50% even when the reference voltage is precisely in the center between an incoming data signal's high and low signal states of respectively equal duration.

Method and apparatus for producing a reference voltage


An adjustment member for a watch including a fixed structure extending substantially perpendicularly to an axial direction, the adjustment member including a regulating member with a balance arranged to pivot about a balance axis, this balance is pivoted by magnetic pivots in a carriage, arranged to pivot about a carriage axis, and comprised in a device for annulling variations in rate in the vertical positions, formed by a tourbillon or a carrousel, comprised in the adjustment member, and the carriage carrying magnets defining the balance axis which is perpendicular or oblique to the carriage axis.

The search for better chronometric performance is a constant preoccupation of major watch companies. Essentially, this means guaranteeing a constant rate, regardless of the geometrical position of a watch in space and with respect to the field of gravity.
The invention of the tourbillon by Abraham-Louis Breguet in 1901 and improvements thereto, and the invention of carrousels, particularly developed by Bonniksen at the beginning of the 20th century, constituted tremendous progress.
These mechanisms have been continuously improved, like inclined tourbillons, which still uses conventional pivots for the balance staff.
Reducing the last seconds of variation in rate per day remains a very difficult objective to achieve.
French Patent Application FR1115966A in the name of JUNGHANS discloses a regulating system with a rotating balance for timepiece movements, with static magnetic fields which at least partially annul the weight of the oscillating assembly. In particular, for an oscillating assembly with a non-vertical axis, the magnetic fields annulling the weight of the oscillating assembly engage at two points spaced apart from each other, preferably at the ends of the pivot bearing the balance. The balance pivot can carry permanent magnets in the form of symmetrically magnetized rings on the periphery, cooperating with permanent magnets integral with fixed supports, the poles of the two magnets of each pair being mounted in opposition.
European Patent Application No. EP2282240A1 in the name of LVMH discloses a regulating unit which includes a balance connected to a movable permanent magnet which oscillates along a circular path about an axis of rotation of the balance. Fixed permanent magnets generate a magnetic field to return the balance to a stable position of equilibrium. An escapement maintains the motion of the balance about the position of equilibrium.
Patent Application No. WO03/017009A2 in the name of COMPLITIME discloses a tourbillon intended to be fitted to a timepiece movement comprising a frame and a going train, and which includes a carriage holding an escapement rotatably mounted about a carriage axis forming an angle α different from 0° or 90° with respect to the axis of rotation of the wheel sets of the going train; this escapement-holder carriage comprises a carriage gear coaxial to the carriage axis and meshing with a wheel set mounted on the frame. A balance/balance spring and an escapement comprising a wheel set with an escape pinion pivot in the escapement-holder carriage. The escape pinion is meshed with a toothing mounted on the frame and lying in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the escapement-holder carriage. In particular, angle α is comprised between 20° and 70° and preferably substantially equal to 30°. More particularly, the balance and the escape wheel sets pivot about axes parallel to the carriage axis.


An advanced composite flywheel hub and associated method are described for use in a flywheel rotor assembly that includes a shaft and a rim. The hub includes a shaft engaging portion and a rim engaging portion, and is configured for maintaining engagement with the shaft and the rim during operational rotation of the flywheel rotor assembly. The hub exhibits a bending mode, and includes a first layer having axial fibers for stiffening the hub with respect to the bending mode. The hub can further include a stiffening arrangement for increasing the radial stiffness of the shaft engaging portion.

The present invention is at least generally related to flywheel energy storage systems and, more particularly, to embodiments of an advanced flywheel hub and associated method.
A flywheel may be regarded as a mechanical device, having a significant moment of inertia, that may be used as a storage device for rotational energy. For example, flywheels resist changes in their rotational speed such that an energy input or an energy output is required in order to change the rotational speed of a given rotating flywheel. In predominantly mechanical systems, such as an automobile engine, this requirement may cause the flywheel to exert a stabilizing influence on the system. The same holds for electro-mechanical systems. For example, an electrical motor may include a flywheel for resisting sudden changes in rotational speed of the motor.
In recent decades, high speed flywheels have been employed in electro-mechanical systems that may be configured as electrical storage devices such that the devices can be electrically charged and discharged in a manner that is at least generally analogous to the charging and discharging of conventional rechargeable batteries. In this context, a flywheel can be "charged", for storing energy by using electrical energy provided, for example, through electrical cables to increase the speed of the flywheel to cause an increase in the rotational energy. The flywheel can be subsequently discharged by decreasing the speed to cause a decrease in the rotational energy of the flywheel while converting this rotational energy into electrical energy for delivery, for example through electrical cables, from the flywheel to some external load.
An electrical machine can be attached to a flywheel rotor assembly, for example, using a single shaft, and configured for operating in one of several modes including but not limited to (i) a charging mode with the electrical machine operating as a motor for receiving electrical energy and for increasing the rotational speed of the flywheel, and (ii) a discharging mode with the electrical machine operating as a generator for providing electrical energy via a decrease in the speed of the flywheel and (iii) a float mode with the electrical machine spinning freely without adding or subtracting rotational energy to or from the wheel. It is noted that in the float mode a given flywheel may exhibit residual power losses, for example due to frictional losses, that may cause at least gradual decreases in stored rotational energy even if no electrical power is entering or leaving the flywheel through the electrical machine. For purposes of descriptive clarity, and based on well known conventions, it is noted that an electrical machine attached to a flywheel and configured for operation in one or more of these three modes may be referred to hereinafter as a motor.
It will be readily appreciated by a person of ordinary skill in the art that a maximum energy storage capacity of a flywheel system may depend on a maximum rotational speed at which the flywheel rotor assembly can be rotated, without delaminating or otherwise failing as a result of internal stresses for example due to centrifugal forces, and that an increase in the maximum speed causes a corresponding increase in the maximum storage capacity in proportion to the square of the maximum speed. For example, as will be described hereinafter, the maximum speed of a given flywheel rotor assembly may be determined as the speed at which centrifugal forces cause separation between separate parts of the flywheel rotor assembly. In another example, the maximum speed of a flywheel rotor may be limited by the stiffness of the given flywheel rotor assembly.
It will be further appreciated that the maximum rotational speed can be sufficiently high that the presence of any ambient gas at atmospheric pressure can cause severe power loss and overheating that can result in catastrophic failures. For example, flywheel systems described throughout this disclosure may operate at rotational speeds well above 10,000 rpm. In some applications, a vacuum pressure of less than 10 mTorr is required in order to avoid excessive power loss and rotor heating. In view of these considerations and based on well known techniques, it is often necessary to contain a flywheel in a housing that at least provides an airtight seal for supporting low pressure vacuum surrounding the flywheel rotor.
Turning now to the figures, FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic elevational view, in cross-section, illustrating one example of a prior art electro-mechanical flywheel unit, generally indicated by the reference number 100, that can be utilized for storing rotational energy as part of an electrical energy storage system. Flywheel unit 100 includes a flywheel rotor assembly, generally indicated by reference number 105 having a rotatable shaft 110 that supports a rim 115 using a hub 120 for rotation as indicated by an arrow 122 in a selected direction which can be either clockwise or counterclockwise. The flywheel unit of the present example may be contained in an airtight sealed housing 125 that at least supports low vacuum therein and that provides at least some degree of containment in the event of a high speed failure such as delamination of the rim. Furthermore, flywheel housing 125 may be configured to provide structural support for a number of components therein, as will be described immediately hereinafter.
Flywheel unit 100 includes an electrical motor 126, shown within a dashed rectangle, having a motor rotor assembly 135 that is connected with shaft 110 for co-rotation with the shaft, and a motor stator assembly 140 that is supported by housing 125 through a support structure 145, as needed.
Based on well known techniques, the flywheel rotor may be radially constrained using a lower bearing assembly 150 and an upper bearing assembly 150′. The bearing assemblies can be supported by lower and upper mechanical damper assemblies 155 and 155′, respectively, that are connected to housing 125 through support structure 145.
In accordance with well known principles of mechanics, the maximum storage capacity of flywheel unit 100 may depend in part on a moment of inertia the rotor such that a rotor having a higher moment of inertia, with a given maximum speed, may exhibit a proportionally higher storage capacity as compared to a rotor with a lower moment of inertia. Furthermore, it will be appreciated that bearing assemblies capable of operating at high maximum rotational speeds, for example above 15,000 rpm, may be incapable, at least when operating at such high speeds, of withstanding axial forces of more than just a few pounds. In this regard, it is often desirable to configure a given flywheel unit with a flywheel levitation apparatus for limiting axial forces on the bearings by supporting at least a majority of the weight of the rotor in the axial direction using a flywheel levitation apparatus.
Rim 115 may be configured with an inside diameter DRIM and the rim may exhibit a predetermined radial rim stiffness as a resistance to radial expansion, at least with respect to inside diameter DRIM, responsive to centrifugal forces caused by operational rotation of the flywheel rotor assembly. Hub 120 may be configured for supporting the rim by engaging the inside diameter thereof such that an outside diameter DHUB expands sufficiently for maintaining contact between the hub and the rim, at least up to and including a maximum speed beyond which the contact between the hub and the rim becomes so tenuous that the hub fails in at least one of (i) supporting the rim, and (ii) transmitting torque between the shaft and the hub. It will be appreciated by a person of ordinary skill in the art, familiar with high speed flywheel energy storage systems, that maintaining engagement, between a flywheel rim and its associated hub, can be highly challenging. Applicants recognize that in many applications, resistance to hub-rim separation is a controlling factor in determining the maximum rotational speed for a given flywheel rotor assembly.
With respect to assembly of a flywheel rotor, it will be appreciated by a person of ordinary skill in the art that at least some amount of rotor imbalance is inevitable, even for precision-balanced flywheel rotor assemblies that have been manufactured according to state-of-the art high precision assembly and/or balancing techniques. For example, a flywheel rotor assembly weighing several hundred pounds, having been assembled based on state-of-the art high precision techniques, may nevertheless exhibit ten gram-inches of imbalance. This imbalance could be caused by a number of well-known phenomena including but not limited to (i) deviations from roundness (out of roundness) wherein a rotationally symmetric component, such as the shaft, exhibits some deviation from roundness, (ii) fluctuations in mass density associated with a given rotor component, such as the rim, and (iii) some degree of misalignment in a given fitting between two rotor components. It is noted that ten gram-inches may be interpreted, according to well known terms of art, as being at least approximately equivalent to the presence of a 1 gram weight at a radial displacement of ten inches from an axis of rotation of the rotor assembly.
Based on standard practice, the imbalance of a given flywheel rotor assembly may be characterized using a precision balancing system, after assembly and prior to installation in a flywheel system, and any measured imbalance may be corrected based on well known balancing techniques. However, it is noted that even utilizing state-of-the art precision balancing, in conjunction with well established rotor balancing techniques, some residual imbalance may remain after assembly and/or during operation. Furthermore, deformations during high speed operation may cause unpredictable imbalances to emerge, for example as dynamic imbalances due to slightly non-uniform rim expansion, despite substantial removal thereof prior to operation.
Based on well known principles of rotor-dynamics, any imbalance in a given flywheel rotor assembly may give rise to upper and lower imbalance forces 164′ and 164″ that may be exerted by the rotor, through one or both of the bearings, and on the bearing dampers, such that the imbalance force oscillates synchronously with the spinning of the rotor and has a frequency that is equal to a rotational frequency of the flywheel rotor assembly. While reference numbers designated with prime marks are used herein for distinguishing between the upper and lower imbalance forces, reference number 164 may be used hereinafter to refer to imbalance forces collectively in a general sense. It is noted that the upper and lower imbalance forces may be the same or different from one another.
Imbalance forces 164 may cause some degree of transverse motion that may be limited in part by the dampers. It will be appreciated by a person of ordinary skill in the art that in some applications the dampers may be configured to provide an amount of damping that is particularly configured for limiting motion radial motion due to imbalance forces 164. It will be further appreciated by a person of ordinary skill in the art, familiar with rotor dynamics, that unacceptably large radial motions, particularly at very high rotational frequencies above several thousand revolutions per minute (RPM) may lead to complex rotor dynamic motion that may de difficult to characterize and control. For example, for a flywheel rotor weighing several hundred pounds, radial motion substantially exceeding twenty or thirty mils may result in some degree of cross-coupling of rotational energy from the intended rotation of the flywheel about an axis of rotation 163 into undesired twisting motion about a transverse axis of inertia 166 that is oriented cross-wise to axis of rotation 163. One low-speed (and correspondingly low frequency) example of an analogous form of rotor-dynamic cross-coupling may be familiar to anybody who has grasped a fast-spinning bicycle wheel while attempting to twist the axis about a transverse axis thereof. This well known demonstration provides at least some conceptual framework for appreciating how transverse motion of a rotor can, at least in some cases, lead to substantial transverse forces thereon. Insofar as a bicycle wheel is a relatively low speed rotor of relatively light weight, it can be readily appreciated that a heavy rotor (hundreds of pounds) spinning orders of magnitude faster (tens of thousands of RPM) may be susceptible to analogous forces of comparatively extreme magnitude, even in the event of relatively small twisting motions about any transverse axis thereof. At least in light of these considerations, it can be appreciated that for heavy rotors (hundreds or thousands of pounds) rotating at speeds of over 10,000 rpm, limiting the extent of any substantial transverse motions may be required, at least for generally avoiding cross-coupling forces of such severe strength as to be potentially destructive to the flywheel rotor.
It will be yet further appreciated by a person of ordinary skill in the art, familiar with rotor dynamics, that no flywheel rotor can be infinitely rigid with respect to flexure, and that forces due to imbalance may cause vibration of the flywheel rotor, especially in cases where the rotational frequency of operation matches a mechanical resonance of the flywheel rotor. In the latter case, radial forces 164 may cause the rotor to periodically vibrate, in a bending mode, at the frequency of rotation of the flywheel rotor assembly, much as a metal rod may vibrate when struck by a hammer. Vibration of the rotor may cause transverse vibrational motion of at least a portion of the rotor. These transverse vibrational motions may in turn lead to cross-coupling of energy into an inertial axis, such as axis 166, that is not aligned with axis of rotation 163. As described above, even relatively small transverse motions may lead to undesired forces of substantial magnitude, and therefore are to be avoided. Therefore, limiting the extent of rotor vibrations may be required, at least for generally avoiding cross-coupling forces of such severe strength as to be potentially destructive to the flywheel rotor. Furthermore, due to nuances of rotor dynamics, Applicants appreciate that it is often necessary to limit any flexure of the rotor, in the bending mode, to amplitudes that are substantially smaller as compared to acceptable limitations that may be associated with transverse motion of the bearing as dampers.
Attention is now turned to FIG. 2, which is a diagrammatic elevational view, of a flywheel rotor assembly 105, illustrating a fundamental bending mode thereof. Dashed lines 168 indicate an unflexed shape of the rotor prior to any flexure, and solid lines depict the flywheel rotor assembly flexing in a fundamental bending mode. The flexure may take approximately the shape illustrated in FIG. 2, and may have an amplitude 170′ at an upper end of the rotor, and an amplitude 170″ at a lower end. It is noted that amplitudes 170′ and 170″ may be the same or different from one another, depending on a number of factors including but not limited to symmetry or asymmetry of the rotor with respect to upper and lower halves thereof, and a distribution of imbalances throughout the rotor. It is considered by Applicants that the relevant descriptions herein at least generally hold with respect to both cases. While reference numbers designated with prime marks have been used to distinguish between the upper and lower amplitudes, reference number 170 may be used hereinafter to refer collectively and in a general sense to the amplitudes of bending modes. It is further noted that the amplitudes are shown as highly exaggerated in the figure for purposes of illustrative clarity.
For any mechanical structure and/or assembly, as will be appreciated by one versed in the theory of mechanical vibration, such a structure may exhibit a plurality of bending modes, any selected one of which may be characterized in part as having an associated bending mode frequency, as a frequency at which the selected mode vibrates. One or more modes in the plurality may have a bending mode frequency that is equal to or lower than the bending mode frequency associated with all the other bending modes. In accordance with standardized nomenclature, the lowest frequency may be referred to as the fundamental frequency such that any mode that tends to vibrate at the fundamental frequency is referred to as the fundamental mode. The mechanical structure may exhibit additional bending modes, of successively higher order and having successively higher bending mode frequencies. In accordance with well established nomenclature, the fundamental bending mode may be interchangeably referred to as a first order mode, and the next successively higher frequency mode may be referred to as a second order mode (not shown in FIG. 2), and so on for additional higher order modes. When these bending modes are regarded as resonant modes, in accordance with well established theories of vibrations, each mode may receive energy from some applied force, such that the amplitude of vibration (for example amplitude 170 in FIG. 2) grows as the received energy increases.
As described above, a rotor imbalance can give rise to radial forces 164. Based on well known principles of mechanics, and in accordance with Newton's third law, this radial force may produce an equal and opposite force (not shown), by the bearing on the rotor. This force is one variety of forces that may cause the flywheel rotor assembly to flex in a motion that can be characterized as some combination of vibrations associated with various ones of the plurality of bending modes, including any fundamental bending mode. Any coupling of energy into each bending mode, for example due to oscillating external and/or internal forces, may depend on the frequency at which the applied force oscillates. In particular, as will be described immediately hereinafter, the fundamental bending mode may exhibit a strong tendency to receive energy from any external forces that are applied to the flywheel rotor at approximately the fundamental bending mode frequency. As the rotational speed slows, the frequency of the applied force correspondingly decreases, and coupling of energy into the fundamental bending mode will generally decrease exponentially. It will be appreciated by a person of ordinary skill in the art that for speeds at which the angular frequency is substantially lower than the fundamental bending mode frequency, any amount of energy coupled into the fundamental bending mode may be sufficiently limited such that amplitude 170 is sufficiently limited. Negative consequences associated with any flexure, in this mode, can be avoided in this way. On the other hand, for high speed operational speeds at which the rotational frequency of the flywheel rotor assembly matches the fundamental bending mode frequency of the flywheel rotor, at least to an approximation, the flywheel rotor may resonantly couple substantial amounts of energy into the fundamental bending mode. Based on complex, yet well established, principles of rotor dynamics, even a relatively small amplitude 170 (for example several mils), of flexure of the rotor, can lead to substantial cross-coupling of energy into rotor axes of inertia (such as axis 166) that are not aligned with the axis of rotation 163. The rotor-dynamics resulting from such transfers of energy can be complex and/or highly unstable, so that the onset of this form of instability can occur rapidly (within a few rotations of the rotor) and may produce destructive forces on and/or within the rotor assembly. At least for this reason, in many applications it is widely held that operation at or near the frequency of the fundamental bending mode frequency is to be completely avoided. At least for these reasons, a given flywheel rotor, having a maximum speed of rotation as described above, may be configured to exhibit a fundamental bending mode having a frequency that substantially exceeds the rotational frequency of the maximum speed of the rotor. For example, one may routinely adhere to a design goal specifying that for a given rotor the fundamental bending mode frequency should exceed the maximum rotational frequency by a substantial margin.
For purposes of enhancing the reader's understanding, coupling of energy into the fundamental bending mode due to radial forces 164 has initially been described. However, it is to be appreciated that energy coupling is not limited in this regard, and that energy may be coupled, from the flywheel rotor assembly, into the fundamental bending mode by a variety of mechanisms. As one well known example, based on well established terms of art, the fundamental bending mode may receive energy in the manner of a self-excited vibration, wherein the energy may couple through complex combinations of mechanisms. Irrespective of the particular manner in which the fundamental mode may receive rotational energy from the flywheel, at least for the reasons described above, Applicants appreciate that it is often advantageous to avoid operation at or near the fundamental bending mode frequency of a given flywheel rotor assembly, at least for a wide variety of rotor assembly configurations.
The foregoing examples of the related art and limitations related therewith are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive. Other limitations of the related art will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon a reading of the specification and a study of the drawings.


A pneumatic radial tire has a carcass extending around the tire from bead-to-bead, sidewalls and a rubber tread region which has a profile, when considered in transverse cross section, of a new tire terminating at the sides of the tread in inner and outer shoulder regions, respectively, each shoulder region having a shoulder drop, which is the distance, in the radially inward direction, from the point of maximum tire diameter to a point of the shoulder at the edge of the shoulder region, such that when the tire is mounted on a scheduled wheel rim and inflated to a scheduled pressure, the tread region is asymmetric, having its point of maximum tire diameter offset in the axial direction of the tire from the center line of the tire section in the direction of the inner shoulder, and the shoulder drop of the outer shoulder is greater than the shoulder drop of the inner shoulder such that the tread region has an asymmetric profile, wherein the tread region has a substantially constant tread gauge or thickness except at the inner shoulder which has a locally reduced tread gauge or thickness so that the inner shoulder profile is trimmed.

This present invention relates to a pneumatic tire for passenger cars and more particularly to tires for racing and similar very light performance uses.
Conventionally tires have a symmetrical tread profile when considered in cross-section to show the curvature in the radial plane.
Proposals have been made to use different tread compounds at either side of the tire for improving wet grip and to use different tread pattern groove layouts at either side of the tread to provide some asymmetry. The latter also gives increased pattern density on the outside half of the tire to improve cornering when that part of the tire is carrying most of the cornering forces. However, there is a reduction in the tire's wet grip ability due to poorer drainage.
Conventional tires use dual radii tread profiles. The central region of the tread has one large radius and the shoulders have a second substantially smaller radius. This is to provide a wider flatter tread with a more uniform contact patch to the road. Japanese Patent publication 3271003 proposed an asymmetrical profile shape in which the outer part of the tread of the tire, when fitted to a vehicle, has a smaller radius than the inner part to allegedly improve the wet grip ability of the tire.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,763,708 proposes that the transverse sectional plane has a maximum outer diameter point spaced axially from the central plane of the tread and the radius of curvature of the narrower side is greater than the other side to improve the resistance to abrasion of the shoulder regions.
It has also been proposed to stiffen the inboard sidewall of the tire so that more load is carried by that sidewall to offset some of the load transfer during cornering. However, but the bulk of the material in the stiffened sidewall increases heat generation leading to durability problems.
However the above tires do not optimize contact patch load distribution while cornering and thus lateral grip and handling are not optimized and uneven wear occurs. Furthermore for high cornering powers known tires are very wide which increases cost and leads to installation problems on vehicles. Another proposal provides a pneumatic tire having a tread region which has a profile, when considered in transverse cross-section of a new tire terminating at the sides of the tread in inner and outer shoulder regions respectively, wherein each said shoulder region has a shoulder drop, which is the distance in the radially inward direction from the point of maximum tire diameter to a shoulder point at the edge of the shoulder region, wherein when the tire is mounted on its scheduled rim and inflated to its scheduled pressure the tread region is asymmetric having its point of maximum tire diameter offset in the axial direction of the tire from the center line of the tire section in the direction of the inner shoulder edge, and the shoulder drop of the outer shoulder is greater than the shoulder drop of the inner shoulder such that the tread region has an asymmetrical profile.
Such a tire provides a substantial improvement in vehicle handling but still further improvements in handling and also in fatigue performance are desired.

Pneumatic tire with asymmetric tread profile


A traction aid for providing traction to a wheel of a vehicle relative a ground surface has two sections, composed of side members and traction members, connected by a connecting mechanism enabling pivotal unfolding and folding of sections between folded and unfolded configurations for device. In unfolded configuration, sections are longitudinally opposed end-to-end to allow wheel to pass over both sections when device is deployed on ground surface. In folded configuration, sections are folded together and extend substantially parallel one another. Each section has a plurality of gripping members attached to side members and extending therefrom. Each gripping member is configured such that, when device is deployed in unfolded configuration on ground surface, gripping member extends theretowards for grippingly protruding thereinto, gripping member otherwise, for folded configuration, extending towards an adjacent side member of another section, the adjacent side member extending therebeyond to impede gripping member from engaging foreign objects.

As is known, traction aids are often used for extracting a motorized vehicle car trapped in the ground due to the presence on the ground of snow, ice or the like in which a wheel, often having a tire placed thereon, of the vehicle is trapped. In use, a typical traction aid is placed on the ground, notably the snow, ice, mud or the like, in front of the wheel in the forward acceleration mode and at the rear of the tire for rearward acceleration. The forward acceleration or rearward acceleration of the wheel causes the wheel to pass over the traction aid, which typically has traction members or means which are engaged by wheel for providing traction thereto relative the ground, and especially the snow, ice, mud, or the like thereon, and allows the wheel, and therefore the vehicle, to pass therethrough until the tire, and eventually the vehicle is extracted therefrom. Such traction aids also often have gripping members or means, such as spikes or the like, extending from a ground side thereof, situated generally opposite a side thereof engaged by the wheel. These gripping members protrude into the ground, including the snow, ice, mud, or the like, thereby gripping the ground while the wheel passes over the traction aid device. Thus, the gripping members impede displacement of the traction aid device by the by the forward acceleration or rearward acceleration of the wheel while the wheel passes over the device and engages the traction members. Accordingly, the gripping members facilitate maintaining the device in one place and provision of traction to the wheel.
While typical traction aid devices are highly useful when deployed to provide traction, they can often be space consuming when stored and cumbersome to transport. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,878,988 discloses a traction aid device that has traction members, for providing traction, extending between two side members and gripping members, namely spikes, extending from the side members gripping the ground. However, when not in use, the traction aid remains in the same configuration as when the traction aid is in use. Accordingly, the space occupied by the traction aid cannot be reduced, thus eliminating the possibility of compact storage of the traction aid. Further, the traction aid must be transported and stored with the spikes protrudingly outward therefrom, which may be cumbersome, and even dangerous, as there is a risk the spikes will engage a foreign object or a person, possibly resulting in damage or injury.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,568,020 teaches a traction aid device formed by a plurality of interlocking U-shaped frames which form traction members and which have, on a ground side thereof, a plurality of teeth as gripping members. Each U-shaped frame is pivotally connected to a slightly smaller U-shaped frame foldable thereinto. Thus, the traction aid, when not in use, can be retracted into a compact storage configuration. Disadvantageously, however, the teeth of the traction aid device continue to protrude outwardly from the ground end of each remain U-shaped section when the traction aid device is in the storage configuration. Accordingly, the risk that the spikes will engage a foreign object or a person, possibly resulting in damage or injury, persists.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,538,183 discloses a traction aid having a plurality of panels that are hingeably and/or pivotally connected to each other, with fasteners for attaching gripping members to a ground side thereof and traction members inset into a recess on extending on a traction side opposite the ground side. To use the device, gripping members are attached to fasteners and device is placed on the ground, which is gripped by gripping members, and the wheel of the vehicle passes thereover. The device may be placed in a compact folded configuration by removing the gripping members, namely cleats, and folding the panels toward each other such that the traction sides face away from each other and the ground sides face towards each other. Accordingly, in the folded configuration, the gripping members, having been removed, do not protrude outwardly, which reduces the risk that the gripping members will come into contact with a foreign person. Further, the fasteners, which face toward each other in the folded configuration, also do not protrude outwardly. Disadvantageously, however, as the traction sides face outwardly in the folded configuration, there remains a risk that the traction members will come into contact and undesirably engage a foreign object or person, even with the traction members being inset into the recess. Further, placement of the device in the folded configuration requires, rather cumbersomely, removal of the gripping means, which may otherwise damage the panels in folded configuration. Gripping means must also be fastened to fasteners when the device is unfolded from folded configuration for use, which may also be a cumbersome process.
Accordingly, an improved traction aid device is required that obviates the above-mentioned difficulties.


A cleaning solution for paper making equipment includes a stabilized source of peroxide in combination with a glycol ether solvent system and an alcohol ethoxylate. The peroxide system can be hydrogen peroxide stabilized with a phosphonate such as HEDP. The glycol solvent system may be a propylene glycol ether such as dipropylene glycol methylether or tripropylene glycol methylether. This solution can be formulated with a pH from about 4 to about 12. This is used by recirculating it through a paper making equipment during a shut down procedure.

Pulp used to form paper contains a number of impurities which tend to deposit on the paper making equipment. One such impurity is "pitch" which refers to deposits originating from natural resins and their salts. Stickies is a term that refers to hydrophobic components used in the manufacture of a paper product. Stickies arise from residues of polymers that are used in retention aids, drainage aids, adhesives, ink resins and coatings used in various processes of making paper. The term "stickies" has increasingly been used to describe deposits that occur in systems using recycled fiber.
Although paper manufacturers go to great lengths to prevent pitch and sticky deposits on the paper making equipment as well as the deposition of other unwanted material such as dirt, grime and the like, eventually the equipment must be cleaned.
Current commercial cleaners generally are very alkaline and/or chlorine-containing (i.e., chlorine bleaches) chemical compositions. They can be used in a variety of different manners including a boil-out procedure where the hot cleaning solution is circulated through the paper making equipment, or can be sprayed directly onto equipment.
With either type of solution, worker safety is an issue. Further, waste disposal is a problem. The highly caustic material must be neutralized prior to disposal. This requires highly acidic mineral acids and presents additional safety concerns. Chlorine-containing compositions present additional environmental concerns.

Cleaners containing peroxide bleaching agents for cleaning paper making equipment and method


A stringed instrument system comprising a body having a headward edge, a tailward edge, an upper edge, a lower edge, a front and a back. A first fingerboard extends beyond the headward edge of the body and a second fingerboard is located entirely on the body. The first fingerboard includes a fretted surface. A track runs beneath each fingerboard edge. The capo has an axis of rotation eccentrically located within the capo. A slider attached to the capo reacts against the track surface and pulls the capo hard against the fretted surface when the capo has been cammed against the fingerboard. The cam capo may have a plurality of independently rotatable sections. The independently rotatable sections allow either some or all of the guitar strings to be capoed. The fingerboards may be removably secured to the body so that they are interchangeable.

Capo
Guitar players have customarily used a device known as a capo to depress all the strings along a selected fret in order to facilitate the playing of certain chords. Traditionally, such capos have been solid bars held to the fretboard by a strong elastic wrapped from one end of the bar around the neck to the other of the bar.


The invention relates to methods and devices for the decontamination of fluid, particularly the removal of heavy metals and/or arsenic and/or their compounds from water, by means of electrolysis, wherein the water to be purified subjected to electrodes of different polarities. The invention can include means for control of the pH of the fluid. The invention can also include control systems that allow self-cleaning of electrodes, self-cleaning of filters, and automatic monitoring of maintenance conditions.

The present invention relates to a device for the decontamination of water, particularly of arsenic, heavy metals, hydrocarbons, tensides, phosphates, dies, suspended substances, toxic substances, other electrochemically cleavable substances and their compounds, by means of an electrolytic device. In addition this device can reduce CSB-values and can strip out chlorine and aromatics; even stubborn bacteria cultures such as vibrio cholera and enterococcus faecium can be extinguished and filtered out later. The present invention can provide for the treatment of contaminated water sources such as above ground and underground source drinking water purification, and for industrial and residential wastewater decontamination for discharge of the treated.
There is growing environmental and social pressure being applied to the nation's waterways. The growing demand on existing water sources is forcing the evaluation of previously unusable water sources for domestic needs. In addition, increasing pressure is being applied to all forms of treated effluent in the nation's waterways. Various contaminants such as heavy metals, arsenic, naturally occurring and industrial carcinogens, etc., are subject to increasingly strict regulatory requirements. Federal, state, and local governments are imposing maximum contamination levels for drinking water distribution and wastewater discharge into public and private waterways.
A need exists for economical and efficient methods and apparatuses for treating various wastewater and drinking water sources, which can reduce the amount of regulated contaminates below regulated and suggested maximum limits. Current methods and apparatuses generally address only single contaminants, and require constant monitoring, chemical addition, or multiple passes through a device to separate contaminants from the water. Methods and apparatuses with the capacity and flexibility to support throughputs ranging from 20 gallons an hour to 100,000 gallons an hour are desirable.

Method and apparatus for decontamination of fluid


A flip cover and antenna assembly for a portable phone is disclosed as being rotatably coupled to a main housing thereof. The flip cover and antenna assembly includes a first flip cover housing, a second flip cover housing matable with the first flip cover housing, and an antenna element positioned between the first and second flip cover housings. The antenna element further includes a ground plane bonded to the ground plane first surface. A dielectric foam is positioned over any remaining area of the ground plane first surface. The first and second flip cover housings have flanges which extend from at least a portion thereof to wrap around corresponding edges of the main housing, which enables extensions of the ground plane to be provided conforming to the flanges. The ground plane may also be patterned in order to control the radiation pattern thereof and limit any interference from other components of the portable phone. The flip cover and antenna assembly may also include a second antenna in the form of a printed circuit antenna or a monopole antenna.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable phone and, more particularly, to a flip cover and antenna assembly coupled to a main housing of such a portable phone.
2. Description of Related Art
Portable cellular phones, which typically transmit and receive signals at a frequency of approximately 900 Megahertz, are well known and have been utilized for the last several years. Recently, however, it has become important for a second mode of communication, i.e., satellite, to be employed in areas where cellular communication is unavailable due to the lack of necessary cellular towers or stations. Such satellite communication occurs at frequencies within the L-band, and generally in the range of 1.0 to 30.0 Gigahertz.
It is recognized that separate antennas are necessary for cellular and satellite mode communication since cellular antennas are linearly polarized and satellite antennas are circularly polarized. A further difference is that the satellite communication mode involves a directional component, where link margin is increased when the satellite antenna is pointed toward the satellite, and the cellular mode communication mode does not. Thus, the positioning of the satellite antenna in the portable phone is very important, as is the construction of the satellite antenna.
Flip covers for portable phones have generally been used to protect the keypad or display and has only extended over part of the phone base. In certain applications, though, a flip cover has been utilized to house an antenna (e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,337,061, 5,258,892, 5,014,346, and 5,170,173). As will be seen herein, each of the antennas disclosed in these patents is of a different construction than the satellite antenna of the present invention. Additionally, the mechanical coupling of the flip cover to the main housing in such patents involves rotation about a single axis between an open and closed position.
It has been found that the form of antenna desired for satellite mode communication is a radiating patch element, which presents certain electrical and structural challenges when positioned within a flip cover of a portable phone. In particular, the gain for such types of antennas needs to be increased for acceptable performance, as does control over the radiation patterns thereof. The radiating patch elements must also be adequately secured within the flip cover housing to maintain stability and consistency. At the same time, the overall aesthetic impression of a portable phone including such a flip cover and antenna assembly must remain pleasing to the user.
In light of the foregoing, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a flip cover and antenna assembly for a portable phone capable of operating in satellite and/or cellular communication modes.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a flip cover and antenna assembly for a portable phone which maximizes the gain of the antenna element in such flip cover.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a flip cover and antenna assembly for a portable phone which maintains the overall look, feel and impression of the portable phone.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a flip cover and antenna assembly which is compatible with rotation about two separate axes.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a flip cover and antenna assembly for a portable phone which maintains structural integrity when used in the operating environment.
These objects and other features of the present invention will become more readily apparent upon reference to the following description when taken in conjunction with the following drawing.
In accordance with the present invention, a flip cover and antenna assembly for a portable phone is disclosed as being rotatably coupled to a main housing thereof. The flip cover and antenna assembly includes a first flip cover housing, a second flip cover housing matable with the first flip cover housing, and an antenna element positioned between the first and second flip cover housings. The antenna element further includes a ground plane having a first surface and a second surface, with at least one radiating patch element bonded to the ground plane first surface. A dielectric foam is positioned over any remaining area of the ground plane first surface. The first and second flip cover housings have flanges which extend from at least a portion thereof to wrap around corresponding edges of the main housing, which enables extensions of the ground plane to be provided conforming to the flanges. The ground plane may also be patterned in order to control the radiation pattern thereof and minimize RF interaction with the portable phone and its user. The flip cover and antenna assembly may also include a second antenna in the form of a printed circuit antenna or a monopole antenna.

Flip cover and antenna assembly for a portable phone