A manufacturing method provides ink-jet writing engine modules for use with a compatible hard copy engine module, a hard copy apparatus based thereon, and methods of manufacturing, operation, and use. Fluidic and electronic partitioning for ink-jet hard copy apparatus is redefined. Modular separation of a hard copy engine from a writing engine allows a replaceable writing module containing all of the key elements of the ink-jet writing system based on writing system technology requirements, particularly for those most likely to age or fail as a result of time, frequency of use, or end-user actions. The writing engine subsystem includes: one or more printing modules having print head elements with concomitant ink manifold components and ink flow and pressure regulation mechanisms; one or more ink containersxe2x80x94either permanent, refillable, or replaceable; one or more ink formulations; one or more ink delivery means, such as tubes and valves fluidically coupling the ink containers to the ink manifolds; service station components; and a framework to retain the elements in a unitary module, insertable cassette-like manner.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to ink-jet technology and, more particularly, to methods and apparatus for producing hard copy with modular ink-jet hard copy devices and systems.
2. Description of Related Art
The art of ink-jet technology is relatively well developed. Commercial products such as computer printers, graphics plotters, copiers, and facsimile machines employ ink-jet technology for producing hard copy. The basics of this technology are disclosed, for example, in various articles in the Hewlett-Packard Journal, Vol. 36, No. 5 (May 1985), Vol. 39, No. 4 (August 1988), Vol. 39, No. 5 (October 1988), Vol. 43, No. 4 (August 1992), Vol. 43, No. 6 (December 1992) and Vol. 45, No.1 (February 1994) editions. Ink-jet devices are also described by W. J. Lloyd and H. T. Taub in Output Hardcopy [sic] Devices, chapter 13 (Ed. R. C. Durbeck and S. Sherr, Academic Press, San Diego, 1988).
Fundamentally, FIG. 1 (PRIOR ART) depicts an ink-jet hard copy apparatus, in this exemplary embodiment a computer peripheral printer, 101. A housing 103 encloses the electrical and mechanical operating mechanisms of the printer 101. Generally, operation is directed by an electronic controller (usually a microprocessor or application specific integrated circuit (xe2x80x9cASICxe2x80x9d) controlled printed circuit board, not shown) connected by appropriate cabling to a computer (not shown). It is well known to program and execute imaging, printing, print media handling, control functions and data processing logic with firmware or software instructions. Cut-sheet print media 105, loaded by the end-user onto an input tray 107, is fed by a suitable internal paper-path transport mechanism (not shown) to a printing station where graphical or photographical images and alphanumeric text is created. A carriage 109, mounted on a slider rod 111, scans the print medium. An encoder strip 113 is provided for keeping track of the position of the carriage 109 at any given time. A set 115 of individual ink-jet pens, or print cartridges, 117A-117D is releasably mounted into the carriage 109 for easy access (generally, in a full color system, inks for the subtractive primary colors, cyan, yellow, magenta (CMY) and true black (K) are provided). Once a printed page is completed, the print medium is ejected by the transport mechanism onto an output tray 119.
At the heart of an ink-jet hard copy apparatus is the writing instrument itself, commonly called a xe2x80x9cprint cartridgexe2x80x9d or a xe2x80x9cpen.xe2x80x9d As shown in FIG. 2 (the subject of separate patent applications assigned to the assignee of the present invention), an exemplary ink-jet pen 210 includes a body, or shell, 212 that encases an ink reservoir, or an ink accumulator chamber and related print head pressure regulator mechanisms (not shown), containing either fluid ink or hot melt type printing fluid. A print head 214 includes a nozzle plate 216 having a plurality of small (e.g., diameter approximately twenty xcexcm) orifices 217 from which tiny droplets of ink (e.g., approximately ten picoliters) are ejected onto adjacent print media as the pen(s) scan across a printing zone at a high speed (approximately 25 inches per second, xe2x80x9cipsxe2x80x9d), depositing ink droplets in patterns that through dot matrix manipulation form alphanumeric text characters or graphic images. A flex circuit 218 includes electrical contacts 220 for connecting the pen 210 to the electronic controller. The print head elements have a limited life due to electrical, thermodynamic, and fluid dynamic loads imposed during operation. Thus, in the current state of the art, a costly and functionally significant portion of the writing system must be replaced with each print cartridge change.
The apparatus elements directly involved with inking a print mediaxe2x80x94in other words, all components of the system which come into contact with ink other than the print media itselfxe2x80x94are referred to hereinafter as a writing engine; non-writing elements of the hard copy apparatus system are referred to hereinafter as a hard copy engine. Cartridges, pens, ink-reservoirs, and the like are referred to as ink-jet consumables. (Use of these terms is for convenience of description and is not intended as any limitation to the scope of the invention, nor should any such intention or limitation be implied therefrom.)
Having become commercially practicable in the early 1980""s, ink-jet technology is a relatively young field of invention. In state-of-the-art thermal ink-jet systems, two complementary writing instruments have become commercially viable. The first is the disposable print cartridge type; the second is the semipermanent print head pen type.
The disposable writing instrument has a self-contained reservoir (xe2x80x9con-axisxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9con-board;xe2x80x9d generally meaning on the pen carriage subsystem) for storing ink and providing appropriate amounts of ink to the print head during a printing or servicing cycle throughout the life of the writing instrument. When out of ink, the entire print cartridge is replaced by the end-user.
When ink-jet technology was in its early stages, print head life expectancy was more or less equivalent to the amount of ink that was held in the on-board ink reservoir. More recently, advances in the state-of-the-art for print head design and manufacture has led to a longer operational life expectancy for the print head than can be used with a reasonably-sized, non-replaceable ink reservoir. Thus, the development and commercialization of a second commercial type using a replaceable ink writing subsystem that employs a semi-permanent printing element, where the ink is supplied to the print head mechanism from a replaceable ink reservoir located either on-axis or xe2x80x9coff-axis,xe2x80x9d (with respect to the pen carriage subsystem), such as a biased ink bladder or bag (see e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,359,353 (Hunt et al.) assigned to the common assignee of the present invention and incorporated herein by reference). This second type of writing instrument, the semipermanent pen, can also include mechanisms for regulating both requisite print head back pressure (in a free-ink ink-jet writing instrument) and the flow of ink from the off-board ink reservoir to the pen (shown in FIG. 2 as having an ink inlet mechanism 222 that would be coupled 223 to the replaceable or refillable off-axis ink supplies 224). In the off-axis type of hard copy apparatus, separate, replaceable or refillable, ink reservoirs are located within the fixed apparatus housing 103, FIG. 1, and appropriately coupled to the moving pen set 115 via ink conduits, such as tubes that are impervious to the ink chemicals. In the on-axis type of hard copy apparatus, separate, replaceable or refillable, ink reservoirs couple to the print head ink interface directly and are located on the moving pen carriage system.
Each commercial configuration has advantages and disadvantages. The disposable print cartridge type writing instrument is simple and easy to use but costly, as the relatively expensive print head mechanism is discarded along with the on-axis ink chamber once the ink is fully consumed. Moreover, the non-replaceable on-axis ink chamber in and of itself inherently limits the number of pages which can be printed due to its relatively small ink capacity. With the increase in print head longevity, end users have turned to refill kits or lower cost re-manufactured print cartridges that are less expensive than replacement with a new print cartridge. The use of ink refill kits is often a messy task. Still further, the need and desire for even less expensive ink continues to grow. The recent commercialization of near photographic quality ink-jet printing has increased the end user""s consumption of ink much faster than in the past when simple text and color graphics imagery was the norm. Even traditional business documents are now including more images and complex graphics, thus consuming more ink. Naturally, end user replacement costs increase.
The semipermanent pen type system is potentially more economical to the end-user. The on-axis, replaceable, ink subsystem offers lower cost per page printing, but the end user is required to replace smaller ink reservoirs more often than with off-axis implementations. This is due to the physical limitation of how much ink can be reasonably carried on the carriage system. Similar to the disposable print cartridge system, there are also throughput and size penalties due to the mass and volume of the on-axis ink reservoirs. The off-axis ink reservoir type hard copy apparatus potentially can have a smaller carriage and offer larger ink reservoir, the penalty is a more complex design, including additional intra-apparatus ink delivery mechanisms which add cost. The benefits of the larger ink reservoir are in potentially higher throughput due to a lower mass carriage, lower user intervention rates, and even lower cost per page. In a full color hard copy system using a plurality of semipermanent pens, a plurality of off-axis ink reservoirs, and a concomitant set of interconnects, if a printing error occurs, the source of the problem can be difficult to locate. End-user diagnosis may be impossible unless the manufacturer provides expensive troubleshooting technology. Changes in ink formulationxe2x80x94either by the original equipment manufacturer or by a second source using cheaper materials and chemicalsxe2x80x94can result in an end-user inadvertently replacing a reservoir with an incompatible model, again resulting in printing errors or even catastrophic equipment failures. Still further, in some implementations certain elements of the writing subsystem are not replaced with the ink supply, such as reservoir-to-pen tubing, valves, and the like; thus, design criteriaxe2x80x94including ink chemical formulationsxe2x80x94must be employed so that these elements have a life expectancy as great as that of the hard copy engine components.
Moreover, all of the above configurations require a costly, permanent (i.e., matching the hard copy system life expectancy), service station which includes the primary functions of wiping print head nozzle orifices of pooled ink (wiper(s)), collecting waste ink (spittoon(s)), and providing print head protection by capping during non-use (caps or capping devices). While seemingly a simple device, ink-jet service station technology presents many design challenges. Non-replaceable servicing elements must be designed to last the lifetime of the hard copy engine. For example, design constraints are placed on both product size and printing element servicing algorithms due to the limited capacity of a permanent spittoon. The spittoon must be large enough to hold ink residue from all of the servicing operations over the lifetime of the hard copy engine, not just the writing engine. This limits the volume of ink which can be spit during each service interval. Limiting the amount of ink for print head servicing limits the design flexibility for writing instruments. Furthermore, extended usage can cause some of the servicing elements, namely the cap and wiper to fatigue and wear out, or the spittoon to cake and become a problem. Note also, that print head failures, such as leaking ink, can make the servicing elements inoperable; failed servicing components can cause failures in any new writing instrument subsequently installed. Moreover, if a new print cartridge contains an ink that is incompatible with ink which has been left on the servicing elements from a previous print cartridge, the new print cartridge may fail due to ink contamination from the service station. By not replacing the servicing elements with each new print cartridge, the choice of future inks is limited by the composition of past ink usage. Thus, permanent service stations raise manufacturing and support costs.
One key to the commercial success of both disposable print cartridge and semipermanent pen ink-jet printing systems is the high print qualityxe2x80x94approaching photographic, electrophotographic, and laser printing qualityxe2x80x94at a relatively low cost achieved through the use of replaceable printing elements. While it is commercially known to package and sell ink-jet components together, the present invention provides a concept using a new approach to both the ink-jet consumables and the hard copy apparatus. The goal is to obtain the benefits of both disposable and off-axis ink-jet technologies without the associated disadvantages of each. As such, re-partitioning of state-of-the-art ink-jet printing components and functions within an ink-jet hard copy apparatus is undertaken.
In its basic aspects, the present invention provides a method of manufacturing an ink-jet hard copy apparatus. The method includes the steps of:
fabricating an ink-jet hard copy engine having no ink-jet wet components; and
fabricating a plurality of unitary, swappable, ink-jet writing engines containing all ink-jet wet components, equipping the hard copy engine and the writing engine for replaceably interfacing writing engines with the hard copy engine such that the hard copy engine is reusable with a sequential plurality of writing engines.
In another basic aspect, the present invention provides a method of assembling an ink-jet hard copy apparatus having an ink-jet hard copy engine including known manner ink-jet printer paper transport devices. The method includes the steps of:
supplying at least one, unitary, ink-jet module having all wet components of an ink-jet hard copy apparatus, including at least one ink-jet print head, contained therein in an operative configuration; and
inserting the module into the ink-jet hard copy engine such that insertion of the module automatically integrates the wet components with respect to the paper transport devices in an operationally functional and print head aligned configuration.
In another basic aspect, the present invention provides a method for improving operating characteristics of an ink-jet hard copy apparatus. The method includes the steps of:
providing point of use selectively replaceable, unitary construction, first writing engine modules containing all ink-jet apparatus wet components of a first technology set for said hard copy apparatus;
providing point of use selectively replaceable, unitary construction, second writing engine modules physically compatible with said first writing engines and containing all ink-jet apparatus wet components wherein at least one ink-jet apparatus wet component is of a second technology set superceding said first technology set; and
replacing a first writing engine module with a second writing engine module in said hard copy apparatus. Steps of providing the second writing modules with wet component technological upgrades over the wet components of first writing engine modules, and providing the second writing modules with up-loadable code for transfer to said hard copy apparatus are considered.
In another basic aspect, the present invention provides a method of converting an ink-jet hard copy apparatus from having a first ink-jet printing characteristic set to having a different, second ink-jet printing characteristic set. The method includes the steps of:
providing a plurality of classes of ink-jet writing engines, each class having a different ink-jet printing characteristic set;
providing a hard copy engine having at least one bay for selectively receiving ink-jet writing engines therein such that insertion of a writing engine automatically configures the ink-jet hard copy apparatus;
inserting a writing engine of a first class in said bay; and
converting the hard copy apparatus to a different ink-jet printing characteristic set by removing the writing engine of a first class and inserting a writing engine of a second class.
Yet another basic aspect, the present invention provides a method of restoring an ink-jet hard copy apparatus printing functionality. The method includes the steps of:
providing an ink-jet hard copy engine device having all dry components of an ink-jet printer including at least one cassette-type bay;
providing point of use selectively replaceable, unitary, ink-jet writing engines having all wet components of an ink-jet printer in a cassette adapted for insertion into said cassette-type bay; and
restoring printing functionality of the hard copy apparatus by replacing a non-functioning writing engine with a functioning writing engine.
In another basic aspect, the present invention provides another method for restoring an ink-jet hard copy apparatus printing functionality. The method includes the steps of:
providing an ink-jet hard copy engine device having all dry components of an ink-jet printer including at least one cassette-type bay;
providing point of use selectively replaceable unitary ink-jet writing engines having all wet components of an ink-jet printer in a cassette adapted for insertion into said cassette-type bay, each of said writing engines constructed for point of use replacement of individual wet components therein; and
restoring printing functionality of the hard copy apparatus by either replacing individual wet components of a non-functioning writing engine or by replacing a non-functioning writing engine with a functioning writing engine.
In another basic aspect, the present invention provides a method of reconfiguring hard copy apparatus. The method includes the steps of:
providing an installed base of hard copy apparatus, each having a hard copy engine adapted for sequentially receiving end-user swappable modules including all ink-jet wet subcomponents in a unitary, self-contained, ink-jet writing engine; and
providing end-users with a selection of said modules having a variety of ink-jet printing characteristics such that selection and swapping of modules reconfigures the apparatus to the printing characteristics associated with a selected module.
Among further basic aspects, the present invention provides a modular ink-jet apparatus having a writing engine in which all of the individual elements involved directly with the inking process are combined into one easily storable, disposable, or refurbishable, and swappable module. A compatible hard copy engine is also provided.
In a basic aspect, the present invention provides a hard copy apparatus, having writing engine modules for inking print media, each module including ink-jet printing mechanisms for transferring ink from the writing engine modules to print media, servicing mechanisms for maintaining ink-jet functional integrity of the writing engine module, at least one predetermined ink, at least one ink containing mechanisms for containing a predetermined quantity of the at least one predetermined ink, delivering mechanisms for delivering the ink from the containing mechanisms to the ink-jet printing mechanisms, electrical mechanisms for connecting power and control to the writing engine mechanisms, and housing mechanisms for housing the printing mechanisms, servicing mechanisms, ink, ink containing mechanisms, delivering mechanisms, and electrical mechanisms, in a respective operational configuration as a selectively replaceable unit within the hard copy apparatus; and, hard copy engine mechanisms for delivering print media to and from a printing zone location of a hard copy engine printing station and for locating the writing engine relative to the printing zone location.
In another basic aspect, the present invention provides a writing engine for use with a hard copy apparatus adapted for selectively receiving a writing engine therein, including: ink-jet printing mechanisms for transferring ink to print media; at least one predetermined ink; at least one ink containing mechanisms for containing a predetermined quantity of the at least one predetermined ink; delivering mechanisms for delivering the ink from the containing mechanisms to the printing mechanisms; electrical mechanisms for connecting power and logic signals to the writing engine; servicing mechanisms for servicing the ink-jet printing mechanisms; housing mechanisms for housing the printing mechanisms, ink, ink containing mechanisms, delivering mechanisms, electrical mechanisms, and servicing mechanisms in a unified mounting containment providing a replaceable modular unit; and the housing mechanisms and the ink-jet printing mechanisms having mechanisms for selectively interfacing with the hard copy apparatus when received therein such that the ink-jet printing mechanisms is positioned for printing ink onto the print media.
In another basic aspect, the present invention provides writing module subsystems for an ink-jet hard copy apparatus adapted for receiving at least one writing module subsystem in an operational configuration with the ink-jet hard copy apparatus, each of the writing module subsystems including: all components of the ink-jet hard copy apparatus which come into contact with ink, and mechanisms for selectively coupling and decoupling a writing module subsystem as a unit to and from the hard copy apparatus, respectively, such that writing module subsystems are selectively swappable. The components included mechanisms for protecting fluidic integrity of printhead components when the writing module subsystem is decoupled from the hard copy apparatus.
In another basic aspect, the present invention provides a writing module subsystem for an ink-jet hard copy apparatus adapted for receiving the writing module subsystem in an operational configuration therewith, including: all wet components of the ink-jet hard copy apparatus; mechanisms for electrically connecting the writing module subsystem to the ink-jet hard copy apparatus; mechanisms for mechanically aligning the writing module subsystem to the ink-jet hard copy apparatus; and mechanisms for selectively off-loading the writing module subsystem as a unit from the hard copy apparatus and maintaining functional integrity of the wet components while the writing module subsystem is off-loaded such that a writing module subsystem is reusable by reinserting the writing module subsystem into the ink-jet hard copy apparatus.
In yet another basic aspect, the present invention provides an ink-jet writing engine including a unitary module containing all wet components for an ink-jet hard copy apparatus mounted respectively in an operational construct, having an electrical interface and a mechanical interface for integrating the module into a hard copy apparatus such that there is no fluidic interface between the module and the hard copy apparatus other than the transfer of printing fluid from the module onto print media within the hard copy apparatus.
In yet another basic aspect, the present invention provides an ink-jet writing engine including: a housing; an ink reservoir within the housing; ink contained within the reservoir; a writing instrument within the housing; fluidic coupling between the ink reservoir and the writing instrument; a service station within the housing mounted in operational relationship for servicing the writing instrument; and electronic controls mounted within the housing connected to at least the writing instrument and containing control information specific to the writing engine printing and servicing functionality.
In still another basic aspect, the present invention provides a hard copy engine for a hard copy apparatus adapted for using a cassette-type writing engine containing all wet components of an ink-jet system, including at least one ink reservoir having ink therein fluidically coupled to an inking mechanisms within the writing engine for transferring ink from the writing engine to print media within the hard copy apparatus using ink-jetting processes. The hard copy engine includes: a printing station; mechanisms for transporting print media to and from the printing station; and mechanisms for interfacing the hard copy engine mechanically and electrically with the writing engine, the mechanisms for interfacing including a cassette bay for receiving the writing engine therein for positioning the writing engine relative to the hard copy apparatus, mechanisms for mechanically and electrically engaging and activating the writing engine wet components, and mechanisms for aligning the inking mechanisms of the writing engine to the printing station.
In another basic aspect, the present invention provides a hard copy engine including: an ink-jet printing station; a print media transport mounted relative to the printing station to move print media to and from the printing station; a writing engine mount having a writing instrument interface for aligning writing engine ink-jet writing instruments to the printing station such that writing engines are interchangeable, and an ink-jet service station activator mounted relative to the writing engine mount such that the activator interfaces with a writing engine service station, wherein the hard copy engine has no components that contact ink.
In another basic aspect, the present invention provides a modular hard copy apparatus including: a first unitary module including all hard copy engine components, the first unitary module having a first equipment life expectancy; a second unitary module including all ink-jet writing engine components, the second unitary module having a second equipment life expectancy substantially shorter than the first equipment life expectancy; and located on the first unitary module and the second unitary module, complementary mechanisms for selectively interfacing the second unitary module into the first unitary module such that inserting the second unitary module into the first unitary module automatically forms an operationally ready ink-jet hard copy apparatus wherein the second unitary module is replaceable. Furthermore, the second unitary module is replaceable a plurality of times wherein the number of replacement times is approximately equal to the ratio of the first equipment life expectancy to the second equipment life expectancy.
In another basic aspect, the present invention provides an ink-jet hard copy apparatus including: an integrated first module including all hard copy engine dry components, the integrated first module having a first equipment life expectancy; an integrated second module including all ink-jet writing engine wet components, the integrated second module having a second equipment life expectancy substantially shorter than the first equipment life expectancy; and located on the integrated first module and the integrated second module, complementary mechanical and electromechanical mechanisms for selectively interfacing the integrated second module into the integrated first module such that inserting the integrated second module into the integrated first module automatically forms an operationally ready ink-jet hard copy apparatus wherein the integrated second module is replaceable throughout the first equipment life expectancy.
In a further basic aspect, the present invention provides a method for operating a hard copy apparatus, including capturing an insertable writing engine containing all ink-jet wet components into a compatible hard copy engine such that ink-jet printing functions and ink-jet component servicing functions are automatically integrated into the hard copy apparatus by inserting the writing engine therein.
In another basic aspect, the present invention provides an apparatus for producing hard copy including: an ink-jet writing engine, having a printing element; and an ink-jet hard copy engine, having a receiving station wherein the writing engine and the hard copy engine are selectively interlocked such that the hard copy engine seizes the printing element and further such that the hard copy engine can selectively remove the printing element from the writing engine and transport the printing element to a position for ink-jet printing and selectively return the printing element to the writing engine when not inkiet printing.
In another basic aspect, the present invention provides an improved ink-jet hard copy system including the combination of a plurality of interchangeable writing engines in the form of cassette modules, each cassette module containing all wet components of an ink-jet hard copy system, the plurality providing differing ink-jet printing capabilities; and at least one hard copy engine, containing no wet components of an ink-jet hard copy system, for selectively receiving at least one cassette module therein for forming an operational ink-jet hard copy system together therewith.
In another basic aspect, the present invention provides an ink-jet system, the system including (1) a writing engine cassette, including: a printing component having an inlet for receiving at least one ink therethrough, a print head, and a manifold component for transferring ink from the inlet to the print head, at least one ink reservoir component fluidically coupled to the printing element; at least one formulation of ink contained within the reservoir; a servicing component for capping and wiping the print head and for receiving waste ink spit by the print head during servicing thereof; a first electronic controller component connected to the print head; a first electrical connector component for connecting power and control signals to the cassette; electrical wiring connecting the first electronic controller to the first electrical connector; a housing containing all components of the cassette; and (2) a hard copy engine, including: a cassette bay for receiving the writing engine cassette therein; a carriage for receiving the printing component when the cassette is received in the cassette bay and for translationally moving the printing component out of and back into the writing engine cassette; a reversing motor coupled to the carriage for providing translational motion thereto; a mechanism for feeding print media to a position proximate to the printing component when the carriage is translationally moving the print component; a second electrical connector component for connecting to the first electrical connector component when the cassette is received into the cassette bay; a second electronic controller for providing power and control signals; electrical wiring connecting the second electrical connector to the second electronic controller; a mechanism for coupling to and activating functions of the servicing component when the cassette is received in the cassette bay; and a housing encompassing the hard copy engine.
In another basic aspect, the present invention provides a hard copy apparatus including: a hard copy engine, having a print media transport subsystem for moving print media through a print zone region of the hard copy engine and a cassette bay for receiving writing engines therein; and a plurality of writing engines for being selectively inserted into the cassette bay and removed from the cassette bay such that insertion into the cassette bay aligns the writing engine to the print zone region, each of the writing engines containing essentially all wet components of an ink-jet hard copy apparatus and wherein each of the writing engines has differing printing characteristics.
In another basic aspect, the present invention provides an ink-jet printing system including: a hard copy engine having a cassette bay; a first writing engine cassette including ink having a first composition; and a second writing engine cassette including ink having a second composition, wherein the first composition and the second composition have mutually incompatibilities for ink-jet printing, the cassette bay selectively receiving either the first writing engine cassette or the second writing engine cassette for printing such that no contamination of the hard copy engine is incurred due to the mutual incompatibilities during serial selection of the first writing engine and the second writing engine.
It is an advantage of the present invention that modular writing subsystems and modular hard copy engine subsystems can be independently developed as improvements to the state of the art progress.
It is an advantage of the present invention that it provides an OEM with the capability of repeatedly converting an installed base of hard copy engines to improved writing engine technologies.
It is an advantage of the present invention that it permits designs which match ink reservoir volumes to print head life expectancy, optimizing component matching for both performance and cost.
It is an advantage of the present invention that it provides a modular approach to ink-jet writing systems that is convenient and economical for end-users and original equipment manufacturers (xe2x80x9cOEMxe2x80x9d) alike.
It is an advantage of the present invention that its modular replacement features virtually eliminate the need for ink-jet writing system troubleshooting procedures.
It is an advantage of the present invention that it improves the manufacturability of ink-jet hard copy engine apparatus by eliminating assembly operation xe2x80x9cwetxe2x80x9d processes, i.e., those dealing with bulk supplies of ink, tubes filled with ink, and the like.
It is another advantage of the present invention that it uses the fewest number of replaceable individual components, if any, and fewest number of interfaces between the writing engine and the hard copy engine, thereby reducing cost and complexity of operation and use
It is another advantage of the present invention that full replaceability of the writing engine in a single module provides more degrees of freedom to design modifications in accordance with the advancement of the state of the art and to solve writing engine problems in an installed base.
It is another advantage of the present invention that it permits the OEM to introduce upgrades at very low cost, if any at all, to the end user.
It is another advantage of the present invention that limited-life service station components can be manufactured to specifications for the estimated life of the writing engine module rather than that of the hard copy engine, thereby lowering manufacturing cost.
Because writing system failures can be caused by both too little or too much usage, it is an advantage of the present invention that it provides a writing engine that can have an estimated life expectancy based on either time or usage, e.g., 1-year or a set number of printed pages, whichever occurs first.
It is a further advantage of the present invention that it is adaptable to a variety of repeatedly changing implementations based on type of use: home, office, recreational hobby, child computer use activities, and the like.
It is a further advantage of the present invention that it is adaptable to providing the end user with a variety of selectively swappable modules targeted to producing different hard copy results, e.g., continuous black text, color graphics, grey scale imaging, full color photographic quality printing, and the like, based upon the user""s immediate need.
It is a further advantage of the present invention that it is adaptable to providing the end user with a variety of cost options, e.g., slower/lower cost modules versus faster/higher cost modules; low quality/low cost modules versus photographic quality/high cost modules.
It is still a further advantage of the present invention that it provides the OEM with a simpler recycling contingencies.
It is still another advantage of the present invention that it provides the OEM with refurbishing and re-marketing capability.
It is still another advantage of the present invention that it provides a more environmentally conscious product.
It is still another advantage of the present invention that it provides the OEM and end user with simpler, plug-and-play, product testing procedures.
It is still another advantage of the present invention that a unitary modular writing engine provides the OEM a higher shipped-product reliability factor.
It is yet another advantage of the present invention that it reduces the printing cost per page.
It is yet another advantage of the present invention that it allows an ink-jet hard copy apparatus with a smaller workspace footprint.
It is yet another advantage of the present invention that it allows more variety of writing systems for specialty needs.
It is a further advantage of the present invention that it allows separate hard copy engine and writing engine product development strategies.
It is a further advantage of the present invention that it allows simplified commercial distribution supply chain management.
It is a further advantage of the present invention that it permits separate sourcing of hard copy engines which does not require intimate knowledge of inks jet technology.
It is yet a further advantage of the present invention that it permits repeated removal and storage of an ink-jet writing subsystem without the need for special mechanisms to prevent degradation prior to reuse.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following explanation and the accompanying drawings, in which like reference designations represent like features throughout the drawings.

Method of manufacture for ink-jet hard copy apparatus using a modular approach to ink-jet technology


A system for controlling the speed of harvested crop as it is discharged from a crop accumulator onto a field comprising a discharge mechanism for imparting a desired rearward travel speed to the harvested crop as it is being discharged from the crop accumulator and a speed measurement device for measuring forward travel speed of the crop accumulator. A processor is in communication with the discharge mechanism and the speed measurement device and is operable to adjust the discharge mechanism for imparting the desired rearward travel speed or the forward travel speed of the crop accumulator, to discharge harvested crop with a rearward travel speed that is substantially equal to the forward travel speed such that the harvested crop has a substantially net zero speed as it contacts the ground.

In order to deposit a crop material, in bale form, from an accumulator onto a field, it is common to stop the accumulator and discharge the crop material onto the field in a random fashion. If bales are dropped on the go, the bales have a tendency to roll and could even roll down a hill. This requires a subsequent operator to drive all over the field to collect and relocate the bales to the final storage location.

Variable rate discharge system for crop accumulator


A method, apparatus, and system for data transmission, applicable to the UE, comprising: the UE transmitting the uplink interface message to the MME through the base station; the uplink interface message includes instructions to switch data transmission modes, wherein the data transmission modes comprise the Control Plane (CP) mode, the User Plane (UP) mode, and/or the Long-Term Evolution (LTE) mode; the UE receiving the downlink Radio Resource Control (RRC) message transmitted by the base station, wherein, the downlink RRC message includes instructions to switch data transmission modes; the UE switching data transmission modes based on the data transmission mode-switch instructions, and using the data transmission mode after switching to implement data transmission.

Following the swift development of wireless communication technology and the increasing user demand for communications, the 5th generation of communication technology (5G) has already become the trend for future network development. An important application of 5G is Machine Type Communication (MTC), which, with its large-scale potential for application, has garnered the widespread attention from a large number of mobile network operators, equipment manufacturers, and research institutes; it will become an important application area for future wireless communication technologies.
MTC application areas comprise Smart Grid, Intelligent Transportation, Smart Home (Home Automation), remote monitoring, and wireless censoring networks, which make up an important component of the burgeoning Internet of Things. Services that support MTC devices are varied. Requirements for most MTC equipment usually include low cost and low power usage, such as the equipment used for environmental monitoring or the large-scale sensors used in agriculture. In addition, operations that support MTC devices typically do not have strict requirements with regard to time delay, but could have sensitive materials that require high speed transmission. From this we see that the services supporting MTC equipment are varied and comprise, for example, periodic service reporting, anomaly reporting, network command issuance, and software version updates. The Quality of Service (QoS) that different operations demand of the network are also different.
In order to effectively lower the cost of MTC equipment and system expenditure of the network-side, the Third Generation Partnership Projects (3GPP) standard has led to the following two modes of small data transmission for optimization of data transmission: the Control Plane (CP) mode and the User Plane (UP) mode. MTC devices are typically configured with one of the above modes, but when the MTC service changes, MTC devices configured for a single data transmission mode cannot fulfill the different QoS requires for multiple MTC services, and the data transmission is less intelligent.

Method, apparatus, and system for data transmission


A floor curing apparatus is disclosed, including an ultraviolet lamp, a replaceable reflector configured to direct light energy transmitted from the ultraviolet lamp, the replaceable reflector including one of a plurality of interchangeable reflectors, a shutter mechanism configured to selectively move a shutter to expose the ultraviolet lamp and the reflector toward a surface upon which the floor curing apparatus operates, and wheels. The ultraviolet lamp and the reflector height from the floor surface are maintained at a predetermined distance above the surface. The plurality of interchangeable reflectors provides varying transmission characteristics.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the art of curing ultraviolet sealant material on floors, and more specifically a portable apparatus for enhanced curing of sealant to floor surfaces using ultraviolet radiation.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various types of flooring materials are available for use in industrial, manufacturing, and warehouse applications. Certain surfaces can be cured using a photo-initiated or photosensitive sealant material. For example, an ultraviolet (UV) 'sealer' is applied to the floor surface to protect the surface from wear and tear due to foot traffic, motorized traffic, spills, and so forth. For certain floor types, it may be highly desirable to apply UV sealers specially formulated for hardwood, stone, tile, medium density fiberboard, particle board, plywood, vinyl materials, or concrete flooring.
For example, to seal concrete floors a urethane-based copolymer UV material may be applied to the concrete floor surface, and cured. Other floor material types may respond well to treatment with photo-initiated sealant materials including acrylated and cationic epoxies, urethanes, polyesters, and environmental protection agency zero volatile organic compound formulas.
Many of today's UV sealant material formulations require a long period of time, e.g. ranging from several hours to days, to fully cure a surface such that the surface is ready for use. In situations where the area being sealed incurs a great deal of traffic or provides an emergency exit pathway, extensive down time while the sealant is curing is highly undesirable.
Various devices are currently available to facilitate the curing and sealing of UV light sensitive coatings applied to a floor surface. In general, such curing machines include a UV lamp, a reflector, and a power source housed in a moveable and portable frame. The device is positioned over the floor surface whereupon radiation provided from the UV lamp is directed to the coated surface. The frame may be manually pushed across the floor surface, and in certain instances, mechanized wheels power and propel the frame forward. Such machines typically power a UV light source at a relatively small distance above the surface, from a few inches to a foot, whereby adjusting the height of the frame away from the surface can in certain instances reduce the UV radiation applied to the coating. Materials requiring significant radiation for curing may require operation of such a machine and light source a very small distance from the floor to adequately cure the surface.
Today's designs may be problematic when operated in small spaces, in cramped quarters, and/or used for smaller jobs. Previous large designs may be unwieldy in such situations.
Typical existing curing designs employ a large width irradiator component sufficient for efficient operation on large surfaces, such as a warehouse floor. Large curing machines may become problematic when operated in smaller areas such as sealing wood flooring in a home, vinyl flooring in a hospital room or ward, and/or when operated in other facilities including gyms, restaurants. Large machines may be limited or prevent sideways movement and can be problematic when curing floor surfaces that border another structure, such as an orthogonal interior wall and installed equipment, as well as flooring surface edges, such as formed by a 'T-mold' transition strip positioned between the surface ready for curing and a carpeted, laminated, tiled, or other separated areas.
Additionally, today's floor curing systems large machine size may become problematic and difficult to move from one project site to the next project site, and store when not in use particularly in small places due to limited space constraints. Deploying a large machine to complete a job having a small physical area or may not be cost feasible or may significantly reduce profitability.
Further, certain existing designs employ a single universal UV source which may be undesirable in different situations, such as when curing different materials. A UV source that works well on one sealant/surface may not work well on another sealant/surface combination. The ability to cure all types of sealants in all types of scenarios can be particularly beneficial, where an appropriate amount of curing energy can be provided to the surface.
It would therefore be useful to provide a floor curing machine design that overcomes the drawbacks associated with previous machines.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Portable ultraviolet floor curing device


An inkjet recording apparatus includes: a conveyance mechanism which conveys a recording medium in the conveyance direction; an inkjet head; a first movement mechanism; a first movement printing controller; a fixed printing controller; and a mode instructor which instructs which one of the first movement printing controller and the fixed printing controller is to be active. The first movement mechanism causes the inkjet head to make a first movement parallel to the conveyance direction. The first movement printing controller controls the conveyance mechanism so that the recording medium stops at a predetermined position. The first movement printing controller also controls the inkjet head and the first movement mechanism so that the inkjet head ejects ink to a stopped recording medium during the first movement. The fixed printing controller controls the conveyance mechanism so that the recording medium passes through an area where the recording medium faces the ejection surface. The fixed printing controller also controls the inkjet head so that the stopped inkjet head ejects ink to the moving recording medium.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an inkjet recording apparatus which prints an image on a recording medium.
2. Description of Related Art
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication 2005-14445 discloses a line inkjet printer including a first conveyor having a conveyor belt which conveys a cut sheet, and a line head assembly which ejects ink to the cut sheet while moving parallel to the conveyor direction of the cut sheet. In this inkjet printer, the conveyor belt conveys a cut sheet to an image recording position. The line head assembly, while moving parallel to the conveyor direction, ejects ink to the cut sheet maintained at the position, thereby forming an image onto the cut sheet.


A system for minimizing misalignment notifications for a TETS having an implantable blood pump, an external controller having a power source and a processing circuitry, a transmission coil in communication with the external controller, a receiving coil configured for transcutaneous inductive communication with the transmission coil, and an implantable controller in communication with the receiving coil and the implantable blood pump. The implantable controller having a power source configured to receive power from the receiving coil. The processing circuitry may be configured to: operate in a first mode where an alert is generated when a power efficiency transfer between the transmission coil and the receiving coil is below a first predetermined threshold; and operate in a second mode where the alert is only generated when the power remaining in the power source for the implantable controller is below a first predetermined power source threshold.

Transcutaneous energy transfer systems ("TETS") have been developed to power implantable medical devices including heart pumps such as left ventricular assist devices. A TETS may be used to supplement, replace, or charge an implanted power source, such as a rechargeable battery. The TETS can provide a variety of different implantable medical devices with continuous power delivery and/or supplemental power delivery.
Use of a TETS can eliminate the need to pass a power lead through the skin and does not require the physical power lead to chronically transverse across tissue physically connecting to the implant which is attached to the apex of the heart. This can significantly reduce the risk of infection to the patient and eliminate the discomfort from skin punctures which has been an ongoing issue for patients with percutaneous implantable medical devices.
The coupling between the external and internal coils from the TETS may vary according to the patient's physical orientation, activity, and posture which can in turn impact the delivery of power to the implanted medical device. Additionally, other power delivery variations to the implanted medical device may arise from changes in the circuit parameters, loading conditions, as well as other changes that may occur which can impact power delivery in the TETS. In order for the implanted medical device to continue functioning properly, the power delivery in the TETS must remain at a specific level to provide enough power to the implanted medical device so the life-saving function continues. When, for example, the TETS internal coil and external coil are out of alignment, the power transfer may be significantly reduced or can cease altogether. This can make it difficult or impossible to recharge an implantable battery. Additionally, the implanted medical device could cease functioning or the implanted medical device may not have adequate power to properly function.
A patient must be aware of factors that can impact the ability of the TETS to function safely and to provide a sufficient amount of energy to the implantable medical device. For example, a patient may want to know how well aligned the coils are as well as the subsequent efficiency of the energy transfer in the TETS. The regular movement of a patient can alter the position of the external coil and/or the internal coil so that the required or desired transfer of power does not take place.
Alerts may be provided if there is a misalignment of certain components within the TETS which may impact the power availability to ensure continuous power availability to the TETS. Also, when the external and internal coils are not in proper alignment, this may cause the coupling coefficient of the power transfer to be reduced and can result in the heating of the internal and/or external coils. The TETS may provide patient alerts to indicate if there is, for example, a misalignment and/or heating of the coils. However, these types of alerts can occur with a great degree of frequency based upon the movement, positioning, and repositioning of a patient which in turn can impact how energy is being transferred between the TETS and the implantable medical device. Constant alerts can be bothersome and can prevent a patient getting an appropriate amount of sleep/rest, can cause sleep deprivation, and can also be bothersome and embarrassing in various social situations where alerts are being triggered and providing interruptions. A patient may also become immune to the alerts if too many are generated and not pay attention to an alert which indicates that prompt attention is required.

Method for minimizing misalignment notifications for a transcutaneous energy transfer system


A slide type electric wall receptacle comprising a fixed receptacle body and a slide receptacle body slidable along the fixed receptacle body in a direction perpendicular to the front surface of the receptacle body such that it moves between its withdrawn position at which the electric outlets are hidden in the receptacle body and its protruded position at which the electric outlets are exposed externally. The slide receptacle body has at its lower wall electric outlets so that a plug of an electric appliance can be connected to each exposed outlet under the condition that it is disposed in parallel to the front surface of the receptacle. The slide receptacle body comprises a front member provided with the electric outlets and protruded outwardly of the outer plate at the protruded position of the slide receptacle body and a rear member coupled to the front member and disposed in the fixed receptacle body to slide along the fixed receptacle body.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electric receptacle, and more particularly to an electric wall receptacle having shuttable electric outlets.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, a known electric receptacle is of a front exposed and fixed type wherein it comprises a receptacle body fixed to a wall and electric contact prongs of an electric plug are inserted into apertures of each outlet of the receptacle body in a direction perpendicular to the receptacle body. In such a receptacle, the apertures of each outlet are arranged fixedly and exposedly on the front surface of the receptacle body in which electric contact terminals are contained. The apertures provide access to the contact terminals disposed inwardly of the apertures.
Referring to FIGS. 20 and 21, there is illustrated an example of such a general electric receptacle.
As shown in FIG. 20 which is a front view, the receptacle comprises a receptacle body 70 having a front surface provided with externally exposed apertures 60. When viewed in FIG. 21, which is a side view, the apertures 60 extend from the front surface arranged at the same plane as the front surface of an outer plate 40, inwardly, that is, in perpendicular to the front surface of outer plate 40.
Near the inner ends of apertures 60, contact terminals 62 are fixedly mounted to the receptacle body 70. The receptacle body 70 is fixed to a fixing member 72 which is, in turn, mounted to a box 32 buried in a wall 30 by means of screws 34.
Although other various receptacles have been known, they are the same as the above-mentioned receptacle, in terms of the basic construction being of the front exposed and fixed type requiring electric contact prongs of an electric plug to be inserted into apertures of each outlet of the receptacle body in a direction perpendicular to the receptacle body.
In case of using the above-mentioned type of receptacles, an electric plug 46 is connected to the receptacle by inserting its contact prongs into the apertures of receptacle in a direction perpendicular to the receptacle body 70, as shown in FIG. 21.
However, this type of connection wherein the plug 46 is connected to the receptacle body 70 in a direction perpendicular to the receptacle body causes the plug 46 to protrude forwardly of the receptacle and thereby occupy a considerable space at the front of the wall to which the receptacle is installed. Such a protrusion of plug 46 results in a degradation in appearance and lacking a sense of security. The protruded plug 46 may be also an obstacle to other objects. In particular, where the receptacle have a plurality of outlets, the above-mentioned disadvantages become severe since a plurality of plugs 46 are disorderly connected to the receptacle and disorderly protruded from the receptacle.
In the above case, when the plug 46 is coupled to the receptacle, an electric cord 47 which is connected to the rear end of the plug 46 is bent at the rear end of plug vertically or laterally. Due to such a bending, a part of inner wires of the cord are likely to be cut off. As a result, a spark may occur at the cut-off wire portions of the cord upon shifting the cord, so that other wires and claddings may be degraded or melted by a heat generated due to the spark. This may result in a fire.
Another disadvantage of the conventional receptacle is that since the contact terminals coupled to an electric power source is exposed to external through the apertures, infants and small children not only can block up the apertures easily, but also easily contact with the contact terminals by insertion of metal objects into the apertures and thereby are in a danger of receiving an electric shock. In cases of playing with a heating appliance such as an electric pot, an electric frying pan or an electric iron, they can easily connect the plug of the heating appliance to the receptacle since the apertures of the receptacle are directly exposed. Where the plug is carelessly coupled to the receptacle as mentioned above, the heating appliance may be overheated, thereby causing the children to suffer heavy burns and the appliance to be damaged. Moreover, there is a danger of a fire.
The conventional receptacle has another disadvantage that it injures the beauty of interior decoration because at least two apertures thereof are exposed outwardly. It has also a limitation on the design of its appearance, in that the exposure of apertures is inevitably involved in designing its outer plate and receptacle body.
In case of a multi-apertured receptacle having a plurality of outlets, the size of the receptacle body increases, only in one direction, in proportion to the number of outlets since the outlets are arranged on the front surface of receptacle body to align with one another. As a result, the overall construction of the receptacle is bulky in planar, resulting in an increase in manufacture cost.
Such a multi-apertured receptacle often has no utility, not only because it is not only expensive, but also because when it is buried in a wall of a house or building, the number and arrangement of outlets thereof do not often meet the requirement of user.
For instance, the installed receptacle may be partially hidden by a furniture or other facility installed in the house. Otherwise, an electric appliance may have a short length of cord insufficient to be connected to the fixedly installed receptacle. It may be also required to further increase the number of outlets, for using several electric appliances simultaneously. In these cases, it is needed to extend electric power wires from the electric power source outwardly of the receptacle and connect a separate electric receptacle to the electric power wires, for increasing the number of outlets or lengthening the cord. Otherwise, a separate multi-apertured receptacle may be used which has a long cord provided at its one end with a plug. Only in case of increasing the number of outlets, a separate multi-apertured receptacle with a plug may be coupled to the fixedly installed receptacle. However, a part of or all the methods have disadvantages of being dangerous when practiced by unskilled persons, increasing cost in installation and manufacture, and degrading the beauty of appearance.
Accordingly, there have been many proposals for overcoming the disadvantages encountered in the above-mentioned receptacles. However, the applicant believes that none of the proposals does not eliminate fully all of the above-mentioned disadvantages. They solve only a part of the disadvantages and rather encounter other disadvantages making them have no utility.
There have been also proposed floor receptacles distinguishable from the above-mentioned general receptacles. These floor receptacles are disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Utility Model Publication Nos. Sho 58-11916, Sho 58-34370, Sho 58-34372, Sho 59-69620, Sho 60-108126 and Sho 60-177617.
These floor receptacles have a construction comprising a receptacle body buried in a floor and provided with an outer plate, and a cover formed at the center portion of outer plate and pivotally connected to the outer plate. Electric outlets and connect terminals are formed at the lower portion of cover to be integral with or separated from the cover so that the electric outlets are exposed to external upon opening the cover and hidden in the receptacle body upon closing the cover. Upon closing, the cover is flush with the outer plate of receptacle body. At one side of the receptacle body, a pivotal support member is provided which carries a compression spring adapted to always urge the cover toward its opening position. At one side of the outer plate, a locking member with a manipulation button is disposed to lock the cover at its closing position. With this construction, when the receptacle is at a normal state, namely, a non-use state, it can be maintained at the condition wherein the cover is closed so as to hide the outlets in the receptacle body. When the receptacle is desired to be used, the outlets can be exposed by manipulating the manipulation button to release the locking of the cover by the locking member, so that the plug of an electric appliance can be inserted into the exposed outlet.
Although being more or less complex, these floor receptacles which have the provision of the pivotally opening and closing cover are very advantageous, when they are installed in a floor, in that the outlets are normally hidden in the receptacle body buried in the floor, as compared with the above-mentioned wall receptacles.
For example, where the above-mentioned wall receptacles are installed at the floor, the outlets are always exposed upwardly to external, so that foreign matters are likely to enter the exposed apertures of the outlets, resulting in blocking of the apertures, damaging of the receptacle and short circuiting. Whereas, the floor receptacles as mentioned above solve effectively the problems encountered in the wall receptacles.
Where the floor receptacles are applied to a wall, they may also exhibit an advantage of partially solving the problems of the wall receptacles. However, the application is difficult to widely extend to all of the wall receptacles and other general type receptacles.
In constructions of the floor receptacles, the cover is pivotally lifted upon opening and maintained at inclined state, so that the outlets and contact terminals disposed beneath the cover are also protruded at inclined state. As a result, the protruded area at which the outlets are formed is naturally small.
In case of applying to plugs having no ground prong, the floor receptacles can have up to two outlets at each side of its protruding member. In case of applying to triangular plugs having three prongs including the ground prong, however, they are difficult to have two outlets at each side of its protruding member.
The outlets are arranged along the protruding member and thus disposed inclinedly due to the inclination of the protruding member. When a plug is coupled to the inclinedly disposed outlet, therefore, it is inclinedly held, thereby causing the connection condition to be unstable and the appearance to be bad.
Consequently, such pivotal receptacles are improper to use as wall receptacles, although being useful as floor receptacles which are used occasionally.


An apparatus for automatically delivering raw sausages to a smokehouse rack is described. A continuous rotating conveyor holds a plurality of half-tubular trays hung on gimbals. Sausages are extruded into a tray at a loading station, and the tray is carried around by the conveyor to an unloading station, where an arm causes the tray to tilt and to roll the sausage onto a smokehouse rack.

This invention relates generally to the field of sausage preparation. Specifically, this invention relates to loaders used to hold sausages during smoking or cooking.
Sausages are made by filling a tubular casing, such as one made from a collagen film, with a pasty product. The pasty product is usually a mixture of minced meat and seasonings, but can also include vegetarian products. Often, the tubular casing is itself wrapped in a tubular netting. The sausage is then processed by smoking, cooking, aging, steaming, or other finishing operation. The netting is usually left on the sausage during the finishing operation and may or may not be removed prior to sale to the consumer. An illustrative process of making sausages is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,024,041 to Urban, Process for Filling Tubular Casings.
As the sausages are produced by, for example, the apparatus described in the '041 patent, they are extruded onto a table. Workers are employed to lift the sausages off the table and place the sausages on a platform of a rack. A rack is a framed device, with numerous platforms attached to the frame. Racks are usually about six feet in height, to be able to fit into a standard smokehouse. Racks are usually on wheels. Once a worker has filled up each tray of a rack with raw sausages, the rack is wheeled into a smokehouse for finishing.
Problems arise in this method of manufacture of sausages. Sausages are raw when initially made and not particularly stiff at that time. Accordingly, it is difficult for a worker to keep a sausage completely straight, as a worker who supports a, for example, three-foot-long sausage with two hands will often find the sausage bending or sagging in the middle. Bending and sagging create unsightly blemishes in the collagen casing, displeasing to consumers. Additionally, the manual nature of the operation means some percentage of sausages will be dropped and therefore ruined.
Accordingly, a need exists for an apparatus and method to load freshly-made sausages directly onto a rack than can be then wheeled into a smokehouse for further processing. The present invention meets this need.


An electronic device may be provided with metal coated dielectric structures that serve as electromagnetic interference shielding, antenna structures, or other metal structures. The metal coated dielectric structures may be formed form a sheet of polymer. Metal may be deposited on the sheet of polymer using a deposition tool and patterned following deposition or may be patterned during deposition. A dielectric sheet having patterned metal may be shaped into a desired shape using molding equipment or other equipment that applies heat and pressure to the dielectric sheet and patterned metal. Metal on a dielectric sheet may also be patterned after the dielectric sheet is formed into a desired shape. Metal may be formed on opposing sides of the dielectric sheet.

This relates to electronic devices and, more particularly, to dielectric substrates with metal coatings for forming components in electronic devices.
Electronic devices such as cellular telephones and other portable devices are often provided with radio-frequency circuitry and other components. Such circuitry often requires electromagnetic interference shielding or is coupled to antenna structures. In an antenna, patterned metal traces may be formed on a dielectric substrate such as a polymer substrate. Metal shielding cans may be used to enclose and electromagnetically shield radio-frequency integrated circuits.
It can be challenging to form metal structures such as shielding cans and antennas for use in electronic devices. In some situations, the amount of space within an electronic device is limited, making it difficult or impossible to use conventionally designed structures.
It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide improved metal structures for an electronic device such as improved shielding structures and antenna structures.

Methods for forming metallized dielectric structures


A wireless communication device receives a user request to download a software application and wirelessly receives the software application. The wireless communication device presents multiple application management tiers for the software application. The wireless communication device receives a user selection of a first application management tier for the software application. The wireless communication wirelessly transfers the user selection of the first application management tier for the software application and wirelessly receives a network selection of a second application management tier for the software application from the communication network. The wireless communication presents the second application management tier for the software application.

The use of wireless communication devices to send and receive information has become increasingly prominent. Typically, an operating system is installed on a wireless communication device to manage and coordinate the various functions that the device performs. In addition to the operating system, various applications are often available for the wireless communication device that are designed to execute on the operating system. A user of a wireless communication device typically downloads an application from an application server and installs the application on the device for execution by the operating system. Such applications are frequently developed by third parties that are different from the developer of the operating system. Some examples of applications available for wireless communication devices include news, sports, and weather applets, games, media players, business tools, educational software, social networking applications, and many more.
Typically, when the user of the wireless communication device opens an application, the operating system executes the processing instructions of the application to present the application content to the user. The application may be designed to utilize data transfer capabilities of the wireless communication device, location-based services, short message service (SMS) text messaging, accelerometers, camera equipment, and other features of modern wireless devices. However, applications written by unscrupulous authors may attempt to exploit the operating system for malicious purposes, which poses a security risk when executing an unknown or untested application.
Overview
A wireless communication device receives a user request to download a software application and wirelessly receives the software application. The wireless communication device presents multiple application management tiers for the software application. The wireless communication device receives a user selection of a first application management tier for the software application. The wireless communication wirelessly transfers the user selection of the first application management tier for the software application and wirelessly receives a network selection of a second application management tier for the software application from the communication network. The wireless communication presents the second application management tier for the software application.

Application management for a wireless communication device


A method for use in the design or implementation of a synchronous circuit having nodes interconnecting logic functions and in which the nodes assume logic values in successive clocked phases of a logical cycle. For a phase for a node connected to an output of a logic function, a determination is made (and stored) of which nodes, connected to inputs of the logic function, have and do not have timing behaviors in that phase which are needed in order to determine the logic value assumed by the output node in that phase.

This invention relates to verification of circuit design.
Although the cost of mass producing electronic circuit chips is relatively low per chip, the cost of producing a small number of prototype chips to verify a circuit design is extremely high per chip. Correcting circuit design errors before chips are produced is thus desirable.

Method and apparatus for synchronous circuit simulation design by eliminating unneeded timing behaviors prior to simulation run-time


A method includes accessing, by a healthcare practitioner via an EHR software application loaded on an electronic device, patient information for a patient; determining, by an agent application loaded on the electronic device, the patient for which the patient information was accessed; communicating, from the agent application to an agent service, a request for data regarding the patient; communicating, from the agent service to the agent application, accessed community data for the patient; displaying, in an interface of the agent application, one or more data items based on the accessed community data; receiving user input corresponding to toggling of the agent application from a filtered mode to an unfiltered mode; in response to the toggling, displaying additional data items coded visual indications that the respective data items are newly displayed, the coded visual indications being coded to indicate a reason why each respective data item was not previously displayed.

The present invention generally relates to graphical user interface methodologies for alerting a healthcare practitioner user to newly displayed clinical information.
A need exists for improvement in graphical user interface methodologies for displaying clinical information. This need and other needs are addressed by one or more aspects of the present invention.

Graphical user interface methodologies for alerting a healthcare practitioner to newly displayed clinical information


Shelve brackets and shelf arrangements are provided. First and second brackets are provided. Each bracket has a support section, a mounting section and a transition section. The mounting section is laterally offset from the support section. The support section includes a vertical, top and bottom flange portions. The top and bottom flange portions are vertically spaced and extend from a first side of vertical flange portion in a direction the support section is offset from the mounting section. The transition section of the first bracket offsets the support section of the first bracket towards the second bracket and the transition section of the second bracket offsetting the support section of the second bracket towards the first bracket.

Retail shelving is a staple in the retail merchandise environment. While such shelving comes in many forms, it generally includes a vertical support structure which supports one or more shelves extending outwardly from the vertical structure. The vertical structure is typically a wall-like structure and contains integrated mounting rails, referred to in in the industry as uprights and more particularly gondola uprights, which the shelves mount to. A particular embodiment of such an arrangement is provided in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/222,722 filed on Dec. 17, 2018 and assigned to the owner of the instant application.
The shelves of these displays will typically include a frame that includes include outward extending brackets for each shelf with laterally extending support bars extending between the brackets. The brackets will have mounting features for adjustably mounting the shelves to the uprights.
Unfortunately, when the shelves are used to display items such as food, the shelves need to be cleaned. However, if the spacing between adjacent shelves is inadequate, e.g. less than 1 inch, it can be difficult to properly clean all relevant surfaces of the shelves without having to remove every other laterally adjacent shelf to provide access to the end surfaces of the shelves.
Further in some implementations, the laterally extending support bars may be affixed to the brackets in such a way that the ends of the support bars are exposed. Unfortunately, to reduce weight and material cost, these support bars are typically tubular, at least at their ends, such that food or other debris can get in the support bars and can be difficult to clean, again at least without removing them from the uprights.
Unfortunately, removing and then reinstalling the shelves from the uprights for cleaning purposes can take significant amounts of time, particularly if the cleaning activity is being done by a single person.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a retail shelving system which addresses the above drawbacks of existing shelving systems.


An electrochemical cell with a collector assembly for sealing the open end of a cell container. The collector assembly includes a retainer and a contact spring with a peripheral flange, each having a central opening therein. A pressure release vent member disposed between the retainer and the peripheral flange of the contact spring seals the openings in the retainer and contact spring under normal conditions and ruptures to release pressure from within the cell when the internal pressure exceeds a predetermined limit.

The present invention relates to an electrochemical battery cell having a housing that includes a container and a collector assembly for sealing the electrochemical battery cell.
Batteries used as power sources for electronic equipment can store large amounts of energy. Batteries can contain one or more electrochemical battery cells. Pressure inside the electrochemical battery cell can increase due to changes in internal temperature, an increase in internal volume of electrodes during discharge and gases generated during cell charging, in the case of rechargeable batteries, and discharge. Such electrochemical battery cells typically include a mechanism for releasing or discharging gas from the cell to limit the buildup of internal pressure.
Electrochemical battery cells can have an open-ended container and a collector assembly disposed at the open end of the container to close the electrochemical battery cell. The collector assembly can include a safety pressure release vent mechanism that releases excessive pressure.
Various collector assembly and pressure release vent designs have been used in electrochemical battery cells. For example, resealable pressure relief vents can be found in rechargeable aqueous electrolyte cells, such as nickel-cadmium and nickel-metal hydride cells. Primary (nonrechargeable) aqueous cells, such as alkaline zinc-manganese dioxide cells, have used collector assemblies with relatively large surface area plastic seals containing a weak section that can rupture when the internal pressure exceeds a predetermined limit. Primary and rechargeable nonaqueous electrolyte cells, such as cells with electrodes containing lithium metal and lithium intercalation materials, typically have collector assemblies with thin-walled plastic sealing members to minimize vapor transmission and pressure relief vents that are able to very quickly reduce internal pressure.
Examples of conventional collector assembly and pressure release vent designs can be found in: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,963,446 (issued to Roels et al. Oct. 16, 1990), 5,015,542 (issued to Chaney, Jr. et al. May 14, 1991), U.S. Pat. No. 5,156,930 (issued to Daio et al. Oct. 20, 1992), 5,609,972 (issued to Kaschmitter et al. May 11, 1997), 5,677,076 (issued to Sato et al. Oct. 14, 1997), 5,741,606 (issued to Mayer et al. Apr. 21, 1998) and 5,766,790 (issued to Kameishi et al. Jun. 16, 1998). Each of these examples has a large collector assembly volume or dimensional constraints limiting the volume within the cell for active ingredients or a large number of components making the cell more costly and difficult to manufacture.

Housing for a sealed electrochemical battery cell


In a complex AC power distribution network (e.g. CATV), a switching mode power supply at a node, automatically operates in a first mode when the input AC power is at a lower potential and operates in a second mode when the input AC power is at a higher potential. A controller switches between modes of operation depending on the input voltage and on the current mode of operation to proved stable switching between modes which in turn provides stable output voltage from the power supply.

In modern community antenna television (CATV) distribution networks, there have been recent shifts to multi-redundant centralized powering and to the extension of networks by using fiber optic transmission cables. In order to provide these expanded networks and their power hungry equipment with AC power from a single source, the alternating current voltage in these systems is being increased from the 60 volts to 90 volts. The resulting networks tend to have higher voltage drops along the distribution tree than previous networks. These power distribution systems have been plagued by unstable conditions wherein direct current (DC) power supplies begin drawing increased current and overloading the AC power delivery capabilities of the network. The cause of these instabilities is in the nature of modern DC power supplies.
In an ideal electrical system consisting of a power source and a load, maximum power transfer occurs when the impedance of the load matches the impedance of the power supply. If the load resistance increases then current through the system will decrease and less power will be transferred. If the load resistance decreases then the voltage across the load will decrease and less power will be transferred.
In a CATV system, long conductor distances have significant series resistance so that remote portions of these systems tend to have voltages far below the voltage at the AC power source. Optical cables may extend as far as 60 miles from the head end to nodes and then coaxial cables may extend many more miles from the nodes and/or customer interface units. In addition AC voltage in the system may vary dynamically due to momentary power interruptions, sags, system maintenance, adding new users, activation of various equipment in the system, temporary overloads, or "sheath currents" caused by imbalances in the power distribution system.
In CATV networks, at nodes, signal amplifiers, and user interface units, AC power is converted to DC power by a DC power supply, and the DC power is used to operate various electronic equipment. Switched-mode power supplies (SMPSS) are typically used in these applications because they maintain high conversion efficiency over a reasonable range of input voltage, so that power requirements remain nearly constant within that range.
Unfortunately, this constant power characteristic provokes instability in the AC power distribution network because the input impedance of the DC power supplies is dynamically negative. That is, a decrease in the supply voltage causes an increase in the current demanded by the power supplies which causes increased voltage drop through the distribution system and results in a furthers decrease in the voltage at the input of the DC power supply.
The electronic equipment in the nodes and customer interface units are very sensitive to instabilities and to any out of specification conditions in the DC voltage. Such equipment may fail to operate correctly or may even be damaged by instabilities in the DC power.
In modern switched mode power supplies, when the AC input voltage drops below a minimum level, then the DC output becomes unregulated and unstable, and the current demanded by the power supply increases. The increased current further reduces the input voltage, as described above. Thus, once a DC power supply in one branch of the power distribution network becomes unstable, then other DC power supplies in the branch tend to also become unstable resulting in cascade failures. A large number of CATV cable customers are subjected to service interruption. In addition, the recovery voltage at which an unstable DC power supply regains its stability is significantly higher than the voltage at which it initially became unstable, so that it is difficult to regain stability after DC power supplies in a CATV system become unstable.
Currently, the typical response to instability is to shut down the entire system or at least a portion of the system that can be remotely shut down, and then power distribution is reinitiated in the shut down portion. This solution results in interrupted service to a large number of customers.
Those skilled in the art are directed to the following citations. "Powering Stability in 90 Volt Networks" by Peter Deierlein in 1996 NCTA Technical Papers describes the power distribution system instability problem and suggests that "a latching shutdown function (with delayed restart) is added to the power supplies". U.S. Pat. No. 4,937,731 to Konopka suggests a DC power supply that automatically adapts to operate with AC input of either 120 or 240 Volts. U.S. Pat. No. 4,933,832 to Schneider suggests a DC power supply that automatically adapts to operate with an input voltage of either 100 volts or 120 volts. Those skilled in the art are also directed to "Constant power fusing arrangement for 110/220-volt power supplies" and "Primary controlled automatic line select circuit" in IBM technical discolsure bulletin Vol. 31, No. 6, November 1998
The above citations are hereby incorporated herein in whole by reference.

Expanded input voltage range for switch-mode power supply in broadband network


A valve mechanism for an internal combustion engine includes a first rocker arm (4) connected to an intake or exhaust valve and supported on a rocker shaft (3a), a second rocker arm (5) supported on the rocker shaft for being rotationally driven by a cam, a cylinder (10) formed on one of the first and second rocker arms (4, 5) and a first piston (11) provided in the cylinder, a contacting projection (4a) projecting on the other one of the first and second rocker arms, a return spring (12) for biasing the first piston in a direction in which the first piston contacts with the contacting projection, and a second piston (14) for displacing the first piston to a position at which the first piston does not contact with the contacting projection. The two pistons extend in parallel to each other when the first piston is at a non-contacting position.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a valve mechanism for an internal combustion engine capable of driving an intake valve and an exhaust valve of the internal combustion engine to open and close at different driving timings in response to the driving state of the engine.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a valve mechanism (hereinafter referred sometimes as variable valve mechanism) has been developed and placed into practical use wherein the operational characteristic (opening and closing timings, open period) of an intake valve and an exhaust valve (hereinafter referred to generally as engine valves or simply as valves) provided in a reciprocating type internal combustion engine (hereinafter referred to as engine) can be changed over to an optimum characteristic in response to a load state or a speed state of the engine.
As one of mechanisms for changing over the working characteristic in such a valve mechanism as described above, for example, a mechanism has been developed wherein a low-speed cam having a cam profile suitable for a low-speed driving state of an engine and a high-speed cam having a cam profile suitable for high-speed driving of the engine are used selectively in response to the state of rotation of the engine so that the engine valves are operated between on and off (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).
An example of the structure of a conventional valve mechanism is described below with reference to FIGS. 10 to 12. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, two intake valves 11 and 12 and two exhaust valves 21 and 22 are provided on a cylinder head 10 above cylinders of an engine for each of the cylinders, and a valve mechanism 30 is provided in order to drive the intake valves 11 and 12 and the exhaust valves 21 and 22.
The valve mechanism 30 is formed from an intake valve driving system for driving the intake valve 11 and 12 and an exhaust valve driving system for driving the exhaust valve 21 and 22. The intake valve driving system includes a camshaft 31, cams 31a to 31c fixed to the camshaft 31, a rocker shaft 32, and rocker arms 33 to 35 supported for rocking motion on the rocker shaft 32 and rotationally driven by the cams 31a to 31c, respectively. The exhaust valve driving system includes the camshaft 31 commonly used with the intake system, cams 31d and 31e fixed to the camshaft 31, a rocker shaft 36, and rocker arms 37 and 38 (not shown in FIG. 11) supported for rocking motion on the rocker shaft 36 and rotationally driven by the cams 31d and 31e, respectively.
A variable valve mechanism 40 having a connection changeover mechanism 41 is provided at a portion of the intake valve driving system of the valve mechanism 30. The variable valve mechanism 40 is described briefly below.
Adjustment screws 33a and 34a are provided at one end of the rocker arms 33 and 34 from among the rocker arms 33 to 35 for the intake valve driving system, respectively, and stem end portions of the intake valves 11 and 12 contact with the one end of the rocker arms 33 and 34 through the adjustment screws 33a and 34a, respectively. Consequently, the intake valve 11 is opened and closed in response to the rocking motion of the rocker arm 33 and the intake valve 12 is opened and closed in response to the rocking motion of the rocker arm 34.
Further, rollers 33b and 34b are provided at the other end of the rocker arms 33 and 34, respectively. The rollers 33b and 34b contact with the low-speed cams 31a and 31b formed in the low-speed cam profile corresponding to low-speed driving of the engine, and, if the rocker arms 33 and 34 are rotationally driven in response to the low-speed cams 31a and 31b, respectively, then the intake valves 11 and 12 are opened with a characteristic suitable for low-speed driving.
On the other hand, the rocker arm (second rocker arm) 35 can contact, at a contacting projection 35a formed at one end thereof, with the rocker arms 33 and 34, and contacts, at a roller 35b formed at the other end thereof, with the high-speed cam 31c formed in the high-speed cam profile corresponding to high-speed driving of the engine.
Further, as shown in FIGS. 12(a) and 12(b), a cylinder 50 having an opening 53 is formed at a location at which the one end of the rocker arm 35 on the rocker arms 33 and 34 side can contact, and a piston 51 is built in the cylinder 50.
Operating oil (here, lubricating oil is used also as the operating oil) is supplied into the cylinder 50 through an oil path (communicating path) 32b from the rocker shaft 32 side, and, if pressure oil is supplied into the cylinder 50, then the piston 51 moves upwardly to close the opening 53 as shown in FIG. 12(b). On the other hand, if the pressure oil in the cylinder 50 is released to the atmosphere, then the piston 51 is moved downwardly by the biasing force of the return spring 52 to open the opening 53 as shown in FIG. 12(a).
Then, the connection changeover mechanism 41 for changing over the connection state between the rocker arms 33 and 34 and the rocker arm 35 is formed from such a piston 51 in the cylinder 50 as described above and an oil pressure adjustment apparatus (not shown) for adjusting the oil pressure in the cylinder 50, and the variable valve mechanism 40 is formed from the connection changeover mechanism 41 and the intake valve driving system.
According to the configuration described above, if the pressure oil in the cylinder 50 is exhausted by the oil pressure adjustment apparatus, then a space is formed in the opening 53 of the cylinder 50 [refer to FIG. 12(a)]. In this instance, if the rocker arm 35 is rotationally driven by the high-speed cam 31c, then the contacting projection 35a advances into the space. However, the contacting projection 35a does not contact with the rocker arms 33 and 34 themselves, and the rocker arm 35 exhibits a so-called miss swing state (rocker arm non-contacting state). Accordingly, the rocker arms 33 and 34 are rotationally driven in response to the individually corresponding low-speed cams 31a and 31b, and the intake valves 11 and 12 are driven to open and close with the characteristic suitable for low-speed driving (low-speed driving mode).
On the other hand, if the oil pressure in the cylinder 50 is increased by the oil pressure adjustment apparatus, then the piston 51 is placed into a contacting state wherein it is projected, and the opening 53 of the cylinder 50 is closed with the piston 51 [refer to FIG. 12(b)]. Accordingly, upon rocking of the rocker arm 35, the contacting projection 35a at the one end of the rocker arm 35 contacts with a side face (contacting face) 54 of the piston 51 to rock the rocker arms 33 and 34 through the piston 51 (rocker arm contacting state). At this time, the rocker arms 33 and 34 are rotationally driven by the rocker arm 35 to rock in response to the high-speed cam 31c while moving away from the low-speed cams 31a and 31b thereby to open and close the intake valves 11 and 12 with the characteristic corresponding to high-speed driving of the engine (high-speed driving mode).
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-343226

Valve mechanism for internal combustion engine

Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha