A method and apparatus for determining the lateral position of a moving sheet in a sheet registration system. A side edge sensor is moved from a known location until the side edge of the moving sheet is detected. A signal is generated indicative of the position of the side edge when it is detected. The position of the side edge as indicated by the signal is used along with skew of the sheet to determine the lateral position of the sheet.

Office equipment such as printers and copiers, which place images based on digital data onto sheets, such as sheets of paper are well known. In such equipment it is important that the sheet that is to receive the image is properly aligned with the edge of the feed path as well as not skewed so that the image is properly positioned on the sheet. Various types of registration systems to correct for skew and provide for positioning of the side edge of the sheet are know in the art.
One type of lateral registration system involves the use of two differentially driven nips for deskewing and side registration. Such a system can provide lateral registration of the sheet by deskewing (differentially driving the two nips to remove any sensed initial sheet skew) and then deliberately inducing a fixed amount of sheet skew (rotation) with further differential driving, and driving the sheet forward while so skewed, thereby feeding the sheet sideways as well as forwardly, and then removing that induced skew after providing the desired amount of sheet side-shift providing the desired lateral registration position of the sheet edge.
Another type of system is a translating electronic registration (TELER) system. Such a system generally includes three optical sensors, a pair of coaxial independently driven drive rolls, a carriage with a linear drive on which paper drive rolls are mounted, and a microprocessor controller. A copy sheet is driven into the nip rolls and moved through the paper path for placement and transferring of an image thereon. The speed of both nip rolls can be controlled to effect skew alignment and longitudinal registration. The nip rollers are mounted on a carriage movable transversely with respect to the feed path. A sensor system controls positioning of the carriage to achieve the desired top edge or a lateral positioning of the sheet. Independent control of nip roll drive and carriage translation provides simultaneous alignment in lateral and longitudinal directions.
Examples of these systems may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,971,304 to Lofthus; U.S. Pat. No. 5,169,140 to Wenthe, Jr.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,219,159 to Malahowski et al; U.S. Pat. No. 5,278,624 to Kamprath et al; U.S. Pat. No. 5,794,176 to Milillo; U.S. Pat. No. 6,137,989 to Quesnel; U.S. Pat. No. 6,181,153 to Richards et al; U.S. Pat. No. 6,533,268 to Williams et al; U.S. Pat. No. 6,866,260; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,988,725 to Rapkin. The disclosure of each of these patents is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
In many of the sheet registration systems, measurement of the lateral (cross process) sheet edge position is required before taking corrective action. For center-registration systems, sheets of varying width (in the cross process direction) require a sensor measurement range of about 60-70 mm for commonly used sheet widths. Previously used sensors such as CCDs become expensive especially when a long array is required. Analog sensors lack the required accuracy.
Other patents showing lateral edge sensors include U.S. Pat. No. 6,373,042 to Kretschmann et al; U.S. Pat. No. 6,511,239 to Kretschmann et al; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,836,627 to Kretschmann et al. The disclosure of each of these patents is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
At the present time a moving lateral sensor system is used in a TELER type registration system. A reflective point sensor is attached to a timing belt which is driven by a stepping motor. In the operation, a sensor is positioned in the nominal location before the sheet reaches the registration nips of the registration device which are mounted down stream of the sensor. The nominal sensor location is one-half of the nominal sheet width from the center-line of the paper path. Upon entry of the sheet into the registration device, the lateral registration controller moves the sheet until the lateral sensor detects the sheet edge.
There is a need for an improved type of lateral sensor. In TELER registration devices, the registration controller must move the sheet into positron to be sensed by the sensor in a short period of time. Velocities and accelerations are by necessity large. A sensor as described above is not applicable for use in the two nip differentially driven deskewing system as describe above since in such systems, the position of the sheet must be measured before the registration device starts the registration correction move.

Moving sensor for sheet edge position measurement


Management of e-mail. A user at the originating workstation enters a first e-mail address into a primary address field, a second e-mail address into a secondary address field, a third e-mail address into a tertiary address field and text into the text field of an e-mail form to form an original e-mail, and requests to send the original e-mail including the first, second and third e-mail addresses to the first, second, and third e-mail addresses. A first recipient having the first e-mail address receives the original e-mail including the first, second and third e-mail addresses and the text, selects a command option to reply to all addressees in the primary address field and the secondary address field. In response, the reply e-mail is sent to a fourth e-mail address corresponding to said user and the second e-mail address but not the third e-mail address.

Electronic mail or "e-mail" is well known today. Most computers and portable computing devices can send e-mail through a public Internet or a private intranet. Most operating systems such as Windows™ operating system, Linux™ operating system, Unix™ operating system, and Apple™ Mac operating system support an e-mail function through built in e-mail client programs or third party e-mail applications. Lotus Notes™ e-mail systems and Microsoft Outlook/Exchange™ e-mail systems are examples.
Typically, there is an e-mail client program that executes on each client workstation and an e-mail server program that executes on the e-mail server. Typically, a person creates an e-mail by invoking the e-mail client program to display an e-mail form or template, entering one or more recipient e-mail addresses in a "to" field, and entering a message into a text field. Generally, a recipient listed in the "to:" field is expected to take careful notice of the e-mail and respond, if a response is warranted. The person creating the e-mail may also enter one or more e-mail addresses in a "carbon copy" or "cc" field and one or more e-mail addresses in a "blind carbon copy" or "bcc" field. The addressees in the "cc" field will receive a copy of the note, generally for information or status update purposes, but they are not typically expected to respond to the note. The addressees in the "bcc" field will receive a copy of the note, generally for information or status update purposes, but they are not typically expected to respond to the note. The addressees listed in the "bcc:" field receive the e-mail discretely without the knowledge of the addressees in the "to:" and "cc:" fields.
The addressees in the "to" field and "cc" field will see the addresses in the "to" field and "cc" field, but not the addresses in the "bcc" field. The addressees in the "bcc" field will see the addresses in the "to" field, "cc" field and "bcc" field.
After entering the addressees in one or more fields, the person enters the text of the e-mail in the text field. The person can also attach files (i.e. text, video, audio, etc.) to the e-mail to be sent with the e-mail to the addressees. Finally, the person selects a "send" command to send the e-mail (and attachments, if any) to all the addressees in all of the "to", "cc" and "bcc" fields. In response, the e-mail client program sends the e-mail to an e-mail server. In response, the e-mail server queries a domain name server to determine the IP addresses of e-mail server(s) or ISP(s) of all of the addressees. After determining the IP addresses of the e-mail server(s) or ISP(s) of all the addressees, the e-mail server of the originator of the e-mail sends the e-mail to the e-mail server(s) or ISP(s) of the addressees. Subsequently, the addressees log-on to their e-mail server(s) or ISP(s) and request, open and read the original e-mail. Each addressee/recipient of the original e-mail can also respond to the e-mail by forwarding it to others specified by the recipient, replying to the sender or replying to "all" addressees listed in the "to" and "cc" address fields of the original e-mail.
To forward the original e-mail received from another person, the recipient selects a "forward" command, and after an e-mail response form is displayed, enters one or more e-mail addresses in address fields of the response form, and optionally add an e-mail to the original e-mail which is forwarded. When forwarding an e-mail, with or without adding an e-mail to the e-mail which is forwarded, the person forwarding the e-mail must specify the addressees for the "to" field, and optionally the "cc" and "bcc" fields. A person can reply to the sender of an e-mail by selecting a "reply" command. When the "reply" (to sender) command is selected, the e-mail system automatically enters the e-mail address of the sender of the original e-mail into the "to" field of the reply e-mail. Consequently, when the recipient of the original e-mail sends his or her reply e-mail, the reply e-mail will be sent back to the person who sent the original e-mail. A person can also select a "reply to all" command for an original e-mail. By selecting "reply to all" command, the e-mail client program will automatically enter (1) the e-mail address of the sender of the original e-mail into the "to" field of the reply e-mail, and (2) the e-mail addresses, if any, in the "cc" field of the original e-mail (and the e-mail address in the "to" field of the original e-mail, if this addressee is not the replier) into the "cc" field of the reply e-mail. After the recipient of the original e-mail selects the "send" option, the e-mail client program will notify the e-mail server program to send the e-mail to all addressees listed in the reply e-mail. In response, the e-mail server program will send the reply to all addressees in the original e-mail, i.e. the addressees in the "to" field, "cc" field and "bcc" field.
If the original e-mail includes an e-mail address in the "bcc" field, and the "bcc" addressee selects "reply to all", then the e-mail client program will automatically enter (1) the e-mail address of the sender of the original e-mail into the "to" field of the reply e-mail, and (2) the e-mail addresses, if any, in the "cc" field of the original e-mail (and the e-mail address in the "to" field of the original e-mail, if this addressee is not the replier) into the "cc" field of the reply e-mail.
If the original e-mail includes an e-mail address in the "bcc" field, and a "to" or "cc" addressee selects "reply to all", then the e-mail client program will automatically enter (1) the e-mail address of the sender of the original e-mail into the "to" field of the reply e-mail, and (2) the e-mail addresses, if any, in the "cc" field of the original e-mail (and the e-mail address in the "to" field of the original e-mail, if this addressee is not the replier) into the "cc" field of the reply e-mail. Note that this "reply to all" e-mail will not be sent to the e-mail address in the "bcc" field of the original e-mail.
As illustrated above, the "reply to all" command leads to proliferation of e-mail when the original e-mail identifies multiple addressees. In such a case, the reply will be sent to multiple addressees and this may not be needed. Proliferation of e-mail burdens the network and e-mail servers, often times unnecessarily.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,878,230 discloses that a user specifies/manages override of automatic reply addressing, and manages auto copy list address ("cc" and/or "blind cc"). The user may specify individual explicit addresses, nicknames later resolved to addresses, or distribution lists. Distribution lists may include, for example, all managers at a particular level in a business organization or members of a particular task force to which the message pertains. Then, the user is provided with the opportunity to specify some automatic copy addresses. The originator is provided with the opportunity to select a previously prepared list of recipients in the third party addressing mode, which will depend on actions of the recipient of the message.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,872,925 discloses an option which enables blocking of a "reply to all" option in an e-mail system.
US Published Patent application 2004/0078488 discloses a system which permits a recipient of a multiparty e-mail message to select recipients of a reply message by parsing the received e-mail message for e-mail addresses and forming a list from which the user can select reply recipients.
US Published Patent Application 2003/0233410 discloses a system and method for providing control by an author over the dissemination of information contained in a blind carbon copy electronic message. The author may specify whether or not a BCC recipient may reply to the author, reply to any of the other message recipients, forward the message, copy, save or print the message.
An object of the present invention is to better control selection of recipients of a reply to an e-mail.

Management of carbon copy and reply to all functions of an email

International Business Machines Corporation


An embodiment of the invention relates to a method for ground fault detection for low-voltage three-phase AC circuits having a neutral conductor, in which first to fourth analog current signals of the first to third phase conductors and of the neutral conductor of the three-phase AC circuit are ascertained that each contain the level or an equivalent of the level of the current. The analog current signals are time-division multiplexed, subjected to a/d conversion, and a sequence of time-division-multiplexed first to fourth digital current values present in first to fourth successive time frames form first to fourth current signals. Three of the four digital current signals are interpolated to ascertain interpolated current values. The current value of the time frame of the uninterpolated current signal and the interpolated current values for the time frame of the uninterpolated current signal are used for discovering the ground fault.

Circuit breakers are protective devices that work in similar fashion to a fuse. Circuit breakers monitor the current flowing through them by way of a conductor and interrupt the electric current or flow of energy to an energy sink or load, this being referred to as tripping, when protection parameters, such as current limit values or current/time interval limit values, i.e. when there is a current value for a certain time interval, are exceeded. The selected current limit values or current/time interval limit values are applicable grounds for tripping. The interruption is effected by contacts of the circuit breaker, for example, which are opened.
In particular for low-voltage circuits, installations or systems, there are different types of circuit breakers depending on the level of the envisaged electric current in the electrical circuit. Circuit breakers within the context of embodiments of the invention mean in particular switches such as those used in low-voltage installations for currents, in particular rated currents or maximum currents, of from 63 to 6300 amps. More specifically, enclosed circuit breakers are used for currents of from 63 to 1600 amps, in particular from 125 to 630 or 1200 amps. Exposed circuit breakers are used in particular for currents of from 630 to 6300 amps, more specifically from 1200 to 6300 amps.
Exposed circuit breakers are also referred to as air circuit breakers, ACB for short, and enclosed circuit breakers are referred to as molded case circuit breakers or compact circuit breakers, MCCB for short.
Low voltage devices involve in particular, voltages of up to 1000 volts AC or 1500 volts DC. Low voltage refers more specifically, in particular, to voltages higher than the extra-low voltage at values of 50 volts AC or 120 volts DC.
Circuit breakers within the context of the application refer, in particular, to circuit breakers having an electronic trip unit, ETU for short, which serves as a control unit.
When the flow of current is too high, circuit breakers interrupt the circuit in accordance with their protection parameters or response values. The protection parameters or response values are substantially the level of the current and the time after which interruption of the circuit is supposed to be effected when the flow of current is constantly "high". In contrast to a fuse, these protection parameters or response values for a circuit breaker are adjustable, for example via the electronic trip unit. The latter is usually fitted so as to be accessible via the front of the circuit breaker. The protection parameters are adjustable or parameterizable by this device.
The currents of the conductors of the low-voltage circuit are monitored by current sensors. These can be for example Rogowski coils, measuring resistors/shunts, Hall sensors/magnetic field sensors, or the like. Some circuit breakers also allow the discovery or detection of ground faults. This can be effected for example by virtue of the ascertainment of the ground fault current (or fault current) being realized via a circuit node or a summation circuit. This method requires hardware components, therefore gives rise to costs and takes up circuit board area in the circuit breaker, for example in the electronic trip unit. Downstream of this circuit node, the fault current measurement signal that is present there, or the output signal of the summation circuit, which output signal corresponds to the fault current, is conditioned and is compared with analog or digital threshold values, and if certain criteria are met then the ground fault protection function is tripped. This variant, as already mentioned, is expensive.
It is also known practice to realize the ground fault detection by way of addition of the phase measured values in the firmware. To this end, the phase measured values are captured via multiple analog-to-digital converters or sample & hold elements at the same time.


A processing system includes a group of processing units (“PUs”) arranged in a daisy chain configuration or a sequence capable of parallel processing. The processing system, in one embodiment, includes PUs, a demultiplexer (“demux”), and a multiplexer (“mux”). The PUs are connected or linked in a sequence or a daisy chain configuration wherein a first PU is located at the beginning of the sequence and a last digital PU is located at the end of the sequence. Each PU is configured to read an input data packet from a packet stream during a designated reading time frame. If the time frame is outside of the designated reading time frame, a PU allows a packet stream to pass through. The demux forwards a packet stream to the first digital processing unit. The mux receives a packet steam from the last digital processing unit.

With increasing demand in computing powers to meet rapidly growing electronic industries such as communications networks, various parallel processing systems have been constructed to meeting such demand. A conventional parallel processing system often employs multiple processing elements or engines in order to obtain results more quickly. A typical configuration of a conventional parallel processing system arranges its processors in a tandem layout, which creates a scenario in which all engines or processor compete for the same shared resources such as memory access. As such, a problem associated with a typical parallel processing system is routing congestion since all engines and shared resources are interconnected with each other.
A conventional approach to resolve routing congestion in a parallel processing system is to add routing channels which results in increased die size. In addition, due to the heavy loading experienced by the signals, the operating speed of the design will need to be reduced.
The conventional approach to address the increased signal loading is to add additional pipeline stages. This would shorten the signal traces between flip-flops, thereby reducing the signal load and allowing the operating speed of the design to increase. Pipelining, however requires the addition of logic gates and flip-flops to the design which could result in further increase in die size as well as greater power consumption.

Processing system having multiple engines connected in a daisy chain configuration


A signaling system includes a primary signaling doorbell assembly that includes a sound emitter, an actuator electrically coupled to the sound emitter, and a transmitter electrically coupled to the actuator that is adapted for sending a wireless signal. A power supply is electrically coupled to the actuator. A plurality of secondary signaling assemblies is provided. Each of the secondary signaling assemblies includes a receiver adapted for receiving the wireless signal from the transmitter, a signal member electrically coupled to the receiver, and a power supply electrically coupled to the transmitter and signal member. The signal member is adapted for signaling a person when the receiver receives the wireless signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to signaling devices and more particularly pertains to a new signaling device for signaling when a person is at a door of a dwelling and which includes a plurality of wireless signaling devices, which may be selectively positioned within the dwelling.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of signaling devices is known in the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 4,237,449 describes a device that utilizes illuminated signals for indicating when a person has used a doorbell. Another system utilizing visual signals is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,365,238. A similar device is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,731,603 and includes a remote tactile alarm assembly which may be worn by a person to alert them of an alarm.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the need remains for a doorbell system that, along with a conventional doorbell assembly, also includes one or more wireless signaling assemblies that are in wireless communication with the conventional doorbell assembly. This will allow a person to place doorbells signaling devices where needed. Additionally, it would be advantageous to include non-audible signaling members to allow a person to prevent being disturbed by an audible doorbell.


A method and apparatus control a power converter (20) of a motor drive system. The power converter (20) is controlled during a first operating mode by applying a current control scheme, which sets power converter commands to control active and reactive current components flowing from the power converter (20) to the motor (30) to achieve desired motor speed; and a fault protection scheme is executed during a second operating mode. The fault protection scheme generates power converter commands to reduce the active current component flowing from the power converter (20) to the motor (30) is substantially zero. The first operating mode will be resumed upon receiving the restart command if the motor speed is above a pre-set shutdown threshold.

An exemplary motor drive system includes the following main components: a synchronous motor, such as a three-phase permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM); a multi-phase power converter; a DC power source; a PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) Generator and switch driver; and a controller. The power converter is typically an inverter that converts DC power from power source into three-phase AC power, e.g., utilizing a configuration of insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) under control of the PWM Generator and switch driver (pulse width modulation (PWM) control).
The controller controls the power inverter via the PWM Generator and switch driver so that the power converter outputs the desired multi-phase AC power to the stator windings of motor. Thus, during operation of the synchronous motor, the power converter converts DC power from the power source into multi-phase AC power and supplies such multi-phase AC power to stator windings of the motor, creating a rotating magnetic field that interacts with the rotor's magnetic field to create torque. Thus, proper control of the power converter during normal operation, as a function of rotor position/speed, is necessary to generate a rotating magnetic field that results in efficient motor function, particularly for a variable speed drive system.
A synchronous AC motor drive system of the type described about typically utilizes rotor position sensors to provide information regarding the position and speed of the motor's rotor with respect to the motor's stator windings. Such positional information allows for proper conversion of power that is supplied to the stator windings. Rotor position sensors, however, can be unreliable due to mechanism alignment and temperature incompatibility problems. Moreover, the rotor position sensors can be difficult to mount to the motor during motor assembly, especially for multi-pole motors.
Motor drive systems without rotor position sensors ("speed sensorless" motor drive systems) have become increasingly popular in industrial and aerospace applications due to their low cost and high reliability operation, especially at high speed. Some of the sensorless algorithms, such as Instantaneous Power-Floating Frame Control described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/862,960, filed Jun. 8, 2004, estimate rotor position based on the output voltage of the current loop proportional integral (PI) regulators instead of using measured motor terminal voltage and current signals, which makes the estimated speed more robust to the measurement noise.
Both speed sensorless and sensor-based motor drive systems should respond to fault conditions, such as motor over speed, motor over current and converter DC bus over voltage, . . . etc., even when such fault conditions are transient. Typically, electrical contactors between the power converter and the motor are opened and IGBT gating is disabled upon detecting such non-critical fault conditions, thereby causing the motor rotor to decelerate. If the fault is cleared and the motor rotor still has sufficient speed, the motor drive system will attempt to rerun (i.e., a flying run), which requires closing the electrical contactors, enabling IGBT gating, and resynchronizing. If the motor speed drops below a certain level before the fault is cleared, complete shut-down is required before restart. A new restart will require to go through a full "soft-start" process.
In a speed sensorless system, system operation is necessary to derive motor position/speed information, which makes it difficult to achieve fault tolerance control and flying run operations. Because such systems will lose rotor position information, it is difficult to achieve resynchronization after a temporary shut down.

Power converter controlling apparatus and method applying a fault protection scheme in a motor drive system


Disclosed herein is a secondary battery pack including a plurality of cartridges. Each of the cartridges has a plurality of unit cells mounted therein. The cartridges are stacked one on another in an alternate orientation structure in which electrode terminals of the neighboring cartridges are not located on the same plane when the cartridges are electrically connected to each other, thereby accomplishing easy and safe electrical connection between the cartridges.

Recently, a secondary battery, which can be charged and discharged, has been widely used as an energy source for wireless mobile devices. Also, the secondary battery has attracted considerable attention as a power source for electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles, which have been developed to solve problems, such as air pollution, caused by existing gasoline and diesel vehicles using fossil fuel.
Small-sized mobile devices use one or more unit cells, for example, three or four unit cells, for each device. To the contrary, medium- or large-sized devices, such as vehicles, use a battery pack comprising a plurality of unit cells electrically connected with each other as a high-output, large-capacity battery is required.
Generally, a plurality of unit cells, which are connected in series or parallel with each other, are mounted in a cartridge, and a plurality of such cartridges are electrically connected with each other. In this way, a battery pack is manufactured.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an exemplary structure of a cartridge having four unit cells mounted therein.
Referring to FIG. 1, the cartridge 100 comprises a pair of frames 120 and 122, which are attached to each other. The unit cells 200 and 201 are located in cell partitions 130 of the frames 120 and 122 while the frames 120 and 122 are separated from each other, and are then securely fixed at the cell partitions 130 of the frames 120 and 122 after the frames 120 and 122 are attached to each other. The unit cell 200 has an electrode lead (not shown), which is electrically connected to that of a neighboring unit cell 201 via a bus 140 located at the upper part of the cartridge 100. As shown in FIG. 1, the unit cells 200 and 201 are connected in series with each other, although the unit cells may be connected in parallel with each other. The unit cells are electrically connected to a cathode terminal 150 and an anode terminal 160, which protrude at opposite sides of the upper end of the cartridge 10, respectively.
FIG. 2 is a typical view illustrating the electrical connection of cartridges in a conventional battery pack.
Referring to FIG. 2, a plurality of unit cells (not shown) are mounted in each of the cartridges 101, 102, 103 . . . 110 in the same fashion as shown in FIG. 1. The cartridge 101 is provided at opposite sides of the upper end thereof with a cathode terminal 151 and an anode terminal 161. To accomplish the electrical connection between the cartridges 101, 102, 103 . . . 110, the first cartridge 101 is stacked on the second cartridge 102 while the first cartridge 101 and the second cartridge 102 face each other such that the cathode terminal 151 of the first cartridge 101 is adjacent to an anode terminal 162 of the second cartridge 102. The electrical connection between the cartridges 101, 102, 103 . . . 110 is performed by bus bars 170. The bus bars 170 are fixed to the respective terminals of the cartridges by welding. Also, the second cartridge 102 is stacked on the third cartridge 103 while the second cartridge 102 and the third cartridge 103 face each other such that a cathode terminal 152 of the second cartridge 102 is adjacent to an anode terminal 163 of the third cartridge 103. In the same manner, the other cartridges 104 . . . 110 are stacked one on another in order while the cartridges 104 . . . 110 face each other. The anode terminal 161 of the first cartridge 101 and a cathode terminal 150 of the last cartridge 110 are connected to a battery management system (BMS), which is not shown in the drawings. The cartridges 101, 102, 103 . . . 110 are stacked one on another while the cartridges 101, 102, 103 . . . 110 face each other as described above, and therefore, a high-output battery pack 300 having a plurality of unit cells connected in series with each other is completed.
However, the battery pack 300 with the above-described structure has the following problems because the connection length between the terminals 151 and 162 of the two neighboring cartridges (for example, the cartridges 101 and 102) is very small, and the distance between a terminal connection part (first connection part) 401 for connecting the terminals of the neighboring cartridges 101 and 102 and another terminal connection part (second connection part) 402 for connecting the terminals of the neighboring cartridges 103 and 104 is also very small.
First, it is difficult to connect the terminals. The thickness of each cartridge is nearly equal to that of the unit cell. As a result, the connection length between the terminals of the neighboring cartridges is very small when the cartridges are stacked one on another. Consequently, a process of connecting the terminals, which are very close to each other, and a process of forming the terminal connection parts without affecting the neighboring terminal connection parts are time-consuming and require high precision, thereby significantly reducing the manufacturing efficiency of the battery pack.
Secondly, when the terminals are connected with each other using electric wires, the structure of the battery pack is very complicated. Furthermore, the electric wires may be connected to each other, and therefore, interference between the electric wires occurs.
Thirdly, the terminal connection parts are concentrated at one side of the battery pack. As a result, the second terminal connection part must be formed in the vicinity of the first terminal connection part. Consequently, a possibility of electric shock is very high.
As described above, the conventional battery pack has several structural problems, and therefore, a battery pack having a new structure solving the problems is required.

Secondary battery pack having configuration of alternative orientation


Audio tracks including environmental information are recorded on a DVD, or other playback medium using microphones, vibration sensors, or other devices that capture ambient sound from the original environment in which a performance, presentation or other sound is created. For example, environmental audio tracks can be obtained by placing microphones on the floor, ceiling and walls of an amphitheater during a pop music performance. Any object, item or surface can be a candidate from, or within, which to capture an ambient sound. Sounds can be obtained from sensors mounted to musicians, audience members, theater seats, various rooms within a building, etc. The environmental audio tracks (EATs) can be provided individually or mixed together with one or more other EATs, one or more standard recorded tracks, or otherwise mixed or combined with other sounds. Or the EATs can be processed, effected, etc., as desired. The original or modified EATs are then encoded onto a DVD (or other medium) so that a listener can selectively hear the EATs alone, or in combination with, other audio tracks on the DVD.

This invention relates in general to playback of a production and more specifically to playback of a production from a Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) including selectable, encoded environmental audio tracks.
Enjoyment of digital content is growing in popularity. Video and movies can be viewed from platforms such as computer systems, consumer digital devices such as video compact disc (CD), DVD players, and other displays, systems or platforms. Other formats, such as those promulgated by the Motion Picture Expert Group (MPEG) allow stored or streamed visual productions over digital networks.
Audio is an important aspect of these productions. The large bandwidth and capacity of, e.g., a DVD makes it possible for multiple high fidelity audio tracks to be used in productions. Audio applications include stereo, surround sound, three-dimensional audio, and others. Naturally, it is desirable to improve on the audio portion of a production by providing a consumer, or audience, with additional audio quality, experiences, choices or other features.

DVD audio encoding using environmental audio tracks


Apparatus, methods, and other embodiments associated with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) fingerprinting using echo splitting are described. One example apparatus includes an NMR logic configured to repetitively and variably sample a (k, t, E) space associated with an object to acquire a set of NMR signals. Members of the set of NMR signals are associated with different points in the (k, t, E) space. Sampling is performed with t and/or E varying in a non-constant way. The varying parameters may include the number of echo splitting pulses, spacings between echo splitting pulses, flip angle of echo splitting pulses, echo time, RF amplitude, and other parameters. The NMR apparatus may also include a signal logic configured to produce an NMR signal evolution from the NMR signals, and a characterization logic configured to characterize a resonant species in the object as a result of comparing acquired signals to reference signals.

Conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) seeks to produce a single echo having a constant signal at a single point in time. Conventional MRI sequences may use a fixed set of flip angles to generate a signal at a single echo time (TE). However, application of multiple radio frequency (RF) pulses in a pulse sequence may produce multiple spin and stimulated echoes at times other than just the desired TE. Conventionally, these higher echo pathways are either refocused or spoiled to help the single desired signal reach a steady state.
Conventional magnetic resonance (MR) pulse sequences include a preparation phase, a waiting phase, and an acquisition phase that are configured to produce steady state signals from which images can be made. The preparation phase determines when a signal can be acquired and determines the properties of the acquired signal. For example, a first pulse sequence may be designed to produce a T1-weighted signal at a first echo time (TE) while a second pulse sequence may be designed to produce a T2-weighted signal at a second TE, where T1 is spin-lattice relaxation and T2 is spin-spin relaxation. These conventional pulse sequences are typically designed to provide qualitative results where data are acquired with various weightings or contrasts that highlight a particular parameter (e.g., T1 relaxation, T2 relaxation).
MR fingerprinting (MRF) takes a different approach. MRF sequences seek to generate unique signal evolutions using a combination of different acquisition parameters. MRF simultaneously generates quantitative maps by analyzing acquired spatially and temporally incoherent signals in light of a pre-calculated dictionary. Instead of working to produce a constant signal, MRF embraces signal dynamics by varying acquisition parameters. For example, flip angle and repetition time may be varied to generate unique signal evolutions for different tissue types.
MRF is described in Ma D, Gulani V, Seiberlich N, Liu K, Sunshine J, Duerk J, and Griswold M. Magnet Resonance Fingerprinting, Nature, 495:187-192 (2013). MRF is also described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/051,144 filed Mar. 18, 2011 by Griswold et al., and in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/623,104 filed Sep. 19, 2012 by Griswold et al.

Magnetic resonance fingerprinting (MRF) with echo splitting


A telecommunications transmission system carries multiple tributary data streams with SDH compatible multiplexing and demultiplexing arrangements that include a tributary justification algorithm utilizing both byte and bit justification means as well as a double-ended payload protocol. The byte justification means employs an offset clock with a nominal constant frequency offset from the transmission system clock so that the offset clock can be used to force regular rate of byte justifications of constant sign. The bit justification means employs the difference between the tributary clock and the offset clock to determine the bit justifications necessary to multiplex the tributary data stream and the bit justifications are normally of complementary sign to the forced regular byte justifications except where the frequency of the offset clock lies between the frequency of the transmission clock.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention concerns the digital transmission of data and in particular data transmitted by the multiplexing method known as SDH (Synchronous Digital Hierarchy).
There are two separate justification techniques at the Virtual Container 12 (VC12) level within Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH). They are both used at the same time within SDH, but not in the initial justification process at the entry point to the SDH network.
By initially using both techniques, Complementary Justification eliminates the possibility of a large amount of wander being introduced by an SDH network.
Reducing the amount of network wander enables the size of any boundary buffer to be reduced.
The fitting of boundary buffers on the exit from the SDH network can greatly reduce the relative wander.
Multiplexing techniques enable a multiplicity of data streams often called tributaries to be carried by a single transmission system. When a tributary data stream has a clock rate which is independent of the clock rate of the transmission system then justification techniques are required in order to maintain the integrity of the tributary data stream. When a transmission system is demultiplexed the individual tributary clocks have to be recreated in order to recreate the tributary data streams. The accuracy with which the tributary clocks are recreated is dependent on the initial justification and the final dejustification/desynchronization techniques employed as well as any intermediate network rejustification techniques used within the intermediate transmission network.
The poor performance of the justification techniques specified by the SDH recommendations compared with the earlier justification techniques employed by the Plesiochronous Digital Hierarchy resulted in U.S. Pat. No. 5,172,376 imported herein by reference. However although the technique described performs very well it has not been included in the SDH recommendations. To implement that technique requires the intermediate network rejustifiers within a network as well as the initial justification functions and final dejustification/desynchronisation functions to be modified. The overall performance of the present invention although inferior to the above mentioned patent has the advantage of only requiring the modification of the initial justification function for the basic implementation and both the initial justification and the final dejustification/desynchronisation function for the double-ended implementation.
The poor performance of the justification techniques specified by the SDH recommendations is caused by several factors including: the use of positive/zero/negative justification; the use of byte justification; the use of large amounts of hysteresis; and the use of irregular spaced multiplex formats. The problem of irregular spaced multiplexed formats can be overcome by the use of certain internal design techniques. The problems caused by the use of large amounts of hysteresis with positive/zero/negative byte for all intermediate network rejustification functions cannot be overcome if the normal operating methods as described by the SDH recommendations are followed.
The use of positive/zero/negative justification is intended to minimize the number of justification actions. Unfortunately this also minimizes the amount of phase control information carried by the transmission system with a consequential degradation of the overall transfer characteristics.
The use of either byte justification or bit justification for the initial justification is permitted by the SDH recommendations for tributaries although not for the high bandwidth AU (Administration Unit) payloads. When the initial rejustification used is bit justification and there are intermediate network byte rejustification functions then the dejustification/desynchronization function has to be able to accept both bit and byte justifications.
For SDH the justification actions can be infrequent occurrences because tributary clocks and the transmission clock are all multiples of 8 kHz although not necessarily the same 8 kHz source.


A control circuit for a switching power supply (SPS) includes power input and output interfaces, a relay, a relay driving circuit, a microprocessor, and an alternating current/directing current (AC/DC) converter. The power input interface receives an external alternating current (AC) power signal, and transmits the AC power signal to the SPS via the power output interface. The AC/DC converter transforms the AC power signal into a direct current (DC) power signal to supply for the relay, the relay driving circuit, and the microprocessor. When a computer is turned on, the microprocessor sends a first control signal to control the relay driving circuit to drive the relay to connect the power input and output interfaces. When the computer is turned off, the microprocessor sends a second control signal to control the relay driving circuit to drive the relay to cut off connection between the power input and output interfaces.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to control circuits for switching power supplies (SPSs), and particularly to a control circuit for a SPS of an electronic device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Nowadays, SPSs are widely used in electronic devices, such as computers. When a computer is turned off, a SPS in the computer still outputs a standby voltage to a motherboard of the computer in order to quickly turn on the computer at another time. However, if the computer is not used for a long time, the standby voltage may cause power waste.

Control circuit for switching power supply


A portable computer is provided with comparable performance to a desktop computer when docked at a docking station. When the portable computer is docked or physically coupled to the docking station, the microprocessor of the portable computer switches to an increased operating frequency. The onboard power supply of the portable computer is also disabled on docking, and the portable computer receives power from the docking station. Increased heat transfer capability is also enabled in the portable computer when it is docked, providing increased cooling to the portable computer. The portable computer thus overcomes the normal performance disparity between a portable computer system and a desktop computer system when the portable computer is docked.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to increasing the performance of docked portable computers to comparable levels with desktop computers.
2. Description of the Related Art
Design choices of a portable computer have become particularly challenging. In the past, portable or laptop computers have for reasons of weight and power consumption limitations typically performed at levels somewhat lower than desktop computers. It would, of course, be desirable for a portable computer to provide functionality, connectivity, and performance substantially similar or comparable to that of a desktop unit. Comparability or equivalency of a portable computer and a desktop unit in functionality, connectivity, and performance is termed desktop parametric equivalency (DPE). Docking stations which are also termed convenience bases have enabled desktop equivalence for laptop computers in functionality and connectivity. A docking station is a non-portable unit that typically operates from AC power and resides on a user's desktop. These bases allow for various port and adaptor connections such as keyboard, parallel, serial, and VGA (video graphics adaptor) connections. In terms of functionality, docking stations offer expansion via standardized I/O (input/output) buses, network controllers, and additional peripheral devices.
While docking stations have resolved the issue of equivalency in functionality and connectivity, docking stations have not been able to provide comparability of portable computer performance with desktop models. The performance of the docked laptop set has, so far as is known, been a generation behind the desktop set due to the different thermal and power requirements of a laptop set. For a portable computer, thermal dissipation and power supply capacity have been budgeted around the available processor performance for portable computers, so that a processor can work at its maximum capacity while operating on a stand-alone basis.
Improved processor performance as a function of processor speed is typically achieved, through higher processor frequencies. These frequencies may be provided internally or externally to the processor. As the semiconductor technology used predominantly in computers is CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Substrate) logic, the processor frequencies are associated with the power consumption of the CMOS logic. Achieving these higher frequencies for a portable computer has thus required higher core voltages used by the CMOS logic. The size of a portable computer power supply is proportional to its required voltage output. Higher core voltages for increased performance thus require a substantial increase in power supply size. An increase in power supply size compromised a mobile users need for small size and low weight from a portable computer. Therefore, the size of the portable computer has been a constraint upon improvements in processor speed.
Thermal requirements have also prevented improved processor performance for portable computers. Power usage in a portable computer is proportional to the square of the core voltages used by the CMOS logic, and also directly proportional to the frequency of the CMOS current. The higher voltages and frequencies necessary for improved processor performance caused significant amounts of additional heat within the portable computer. High temperatures in a portable computer affected the reliability of processor components, and also created undesirable heat concentrations or hot spots on the portable unit. An increase in processor performance thus would have typically required additional space in the computer for active or passive cooling of the processor. The increase in computer system size to accommodate this additional space would increase the size and weight of the portable computer, a factor contrary to the needs of laptop computer users.
Docking stations, as far as is known, have not aided the portable computer in overcoming weight and size requirements imposed by thermal dissipation and power supply capacity. These weight and size requirements have thus imposed a performance disparity between the docked portable computer and a desktop set. Desktop performance equivalency would, of course, be desirable for a docked portable computer, but so far as is known the power and size increases necessary for performance comparability have been significant deterrents.

Increased processor performance comparable to a desktop computer from a docked portable computer


Aluminum-containing layers and systems and methods for forming the same are provided. In an embodiment, a method includes depositing an aluminum-containing layer on a substrate in a chamber by atomic layer deposition. The depositing further includes contacting the substrate with an aluminum-containing precursor in a first pulse having a first peak pulse flow rate and a first pulse width; contacting the substrate with a nitrogen-containing precursor; contacting the substrate with the aluminum-containing precursor in a second pulse having a second peak pulse flow rate and a second pulse width; and contacting the substrate with the nitrogen-containing precursor. The first peak pulse flow rate is greater than the second peak pulse flow rate. The first pulse width is smaller than the second pulse width.

The integrated circuit (IC) industry has experienced exponential growth. Technological advances in IC materials and design have produced generations of ICs, where each generation has smaller and more complex circuits than the previous generation. In the course of IC evolution, functional density (i.e., the number of interconnected devices per chip area) has generally increased while geometry size (i.e., the smallest component (or line) that can be created using a fabrication process) has decreased. This scaling down process generally provides benefits by increasing production efficiency and lowering associated costs.
Such scaling down has also increased the complexity of processing and manufacturing ICs and, for these advances to be realized, similar developments in IC processing and manufacturing are needed. For example, material deposition techniques, such as chemical vapor deposition (CVD), plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), and plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD), have been used to form various layers of different properties in a semiconductor device. Although material deposition techniques have been generally adequate for their intended purposes, they have not been entirely satisfactory in all respects.

Aluminum-containing layers and methods of forming the same

TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.


Provided is an exhaust apparatus provided in a construction machine with an engine and an engine room, the exhaust apparatus capable of suppressing vibration of an exhaust gas pipe and securing required strength thereof. The exhaust apparatus includes a duct provided in the engine room, a fan to suck air into the engine room and discharge through the duct the air to an outside as exhaust wind, and an exhaust gas pipe guiding exhaust gas of the engine into the duct. The exhaust gas pipe includes a duct inner portion inside the duct and a duct outer portion connected to the duct inner portion outside the duct. The duct inner portion has a plurality of discharge holes to allow the exhaust gas to be injected into the duct therethrough and discharged to the outside together with the exhaust wind. The duct inner portion is connected to the duct.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an exhaust apparatus for discharging an exhaust gas of an engine and air having provided cooling for an engine room, to an outside of the engine room, in a construction machine such as a hydraulic excavator equipped with the engine and the engine room.
2. Description of the Related Art
A background art of the present invention is described by taking a hydraulic excavator as an example.
A general hydraulic excavator includes a crawler-type lower crawling body, an upper slewing body slewably mounted around an axis perpendicular to a ground surface on the lower crawling body, and a working attachment attached to the upper slewing body. At a rear end part of the upper slewing body is provided an engine room, in which a plurality of devices such as an engine, a cooling fan, a muffler, and a heat exchanger are disposed.
This type of a hydraulic excavator may be provided with an apparatus for discharging exhaust gas from the engine and exhaust wind which is air having been sucked into the engine room by the cooling fan and having cooled the heat exchanger and the like, to an outside of the engine room; as such an apparatus, there have been known one disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H3-229907 or Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-024078. The apparatus described in each of the documents have a duct and an exhaust gas pipe. The duct is provided in the engine room and has a cylindrical shape opened at upper and lower opposite sides. The exhaust gas pipe has a tip end part inserted into the duct to mix the exhaust gas with the exhaust wind in the duct. This allows the exhaust gas whose temperature has been decreased to be discharged outward and enables the reduction in the noise generated by operation in the duct to be expected.
The insertion of the tip end part of the exhaust gas pipe into the duct, however, involves an increase in a required length of the exhaust gas pipe as compared with a case of piping the exhaust gas pipe to an outside of the engine room in a shortest distance independently of the duct. The increase in the pipe length basically involves increased vibration of the exhaust gas pipe.
In addition, the above exhaust gas pipe, being joined to a muffler connected to the engine, can be vibrated integrally with the engine as a part of an engine vibration system; therefore, when resonance occurs, it may make the vibration of the entire exhaust gas pipe be greater to thereby break the exhaust gas pipe. Problems in durability can be thus generated.
Besides, the increase in the required length of the exhaust gas pipe involves a difficulty of securing sufficient strength of the exhaust gas pipe.

Exhaust apparatus of construction machine

KOBELCO CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY CO., LTD.


A color cathode ray tube has a shadow mask. The shadow mask is provided with a layer of a material having an average Z number below 20 on the side facing the phosphor screen. The layer is preferable deposited by means of electrodeposition.

The invention relates to a colour cathode ray tube comprising a means for generating electrons, an electroluminescent phosphor screen, and a colour selection electrode positioned between the means and the phosphor screen.
The invention also relates to a method of manufacturing a colour selection electrode for a colour cathode ray tube.
Such colour cathode ray tubes are known, and they are used, e.g. in television apparatuses and computer monitors. Such cathode ray tubes comprise, within an evacuated envelope, a means for generating electrons, usually three co-planar electron beams, and an electroluminescent screen on which the electrons impinge. Between the electron beam-generating means and the phosphor screen there is provided a colour selection electrode (sometimes also referred to as a shadow mask).
An important aspect of a colour cathode ray tube is the quality of the image displayed on the phosphor screen.

Color cathode ray tube having a shadow mask provided with an anti-backscattering layer


The present disclosure incudes a fiber optic cable having a conduit including a conduit wall defining a conduit passage that extends longitudinally through the conduit. The conduit also includes an adhesive injection port defined through the conduit wall and at least one optical fiber within the conduit passage. The cable further includes a fiber lock including an adhesive volume in communication with the adhesive injection port. The adhesive volume includes a main adhesive volume positioned within the conduit passage and bonded to the optical fiber. The main adhesive volume is fixed to prevent longitudinal movement relative to the conduit.

Fiber optic cables typically include a jacket containing one or more optical fibers. Cable jackets can have a variety of shapes such as round cable jackets and flat cable jackets. Fiber optic cables also typically include reinforcing elements such as Aramid yarns or glass reinforced polymer rods that are positioned within or embedded within the cable jackets. The optical fibers within the fiber optic cables can include single optical fibers, loose optical fibers, and ribbonized optical fibers. In one configuration, one or more unbuffered optical fibers are positioned within a buffer tube within the fiber optic cable. The buffer tube can include a water blocking gel that fills voids within the buffer tube. In other examples, a separate buffer tube can be eliminated and the optical fibers can be positioned within a passage defined by the jacket itself.
Under certain circumstances, tension can be applied to optical fibers within a fiber optic cable. This can be problematic when the tension causes the fibers to pull-back on ferrules of fiber optic connectors mounted at the ends of the optical fibers. When this occurs, the fiber optic connectors can be disconnected from mating fiber optic connectors. Tension can be applied to optical fibers by a variety of circumstances such as uncoiling the cable, or jacket expansion caused by temperature variations and/or axial loads applied to cable jackets. There is a need to efficiently and effectively anchor optical fibers within a fiber optic cable to, among other things, prevent pull-back loads from being applied by the optical fibers to ferrules corresponding to fiber optic connectors mounted at the ends of the optical fibers.

System for locking optical fibers within a fiber optic cable


A guardrail system and method comprises utilizing at least one through-hole of a poured concrete wall of a structure to affix a stanchion to the wall inside a bay of the structure. The stanchion allows for a guardrail to be conveniently and securely positioned within the bay without damage to the structure and without covering an edge of the structure. A fastener inserts through the through-hole which is preferably a pre-existing tie-hole resulting from formation of the wall. In one optional aspect a guardrail stanchion includes a base segment having at least two slots for receiving fasteners which insert through two tie-holes of the wall, and at least one side segment having at least one adjustment port, the side segment extending generally perpendicular to the base segment. A pair of stanchions may be affixed to opposing walls within the bay, and guardrails affixed thereto and spanning across the bay. The system may also include a cable system having a cable operate as a guardrail to be tightened by utilizing a stanchion in accordance with the invention.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to guardrail stanchions, guardrail systems and methods of affixing stanchions, and more specifically to stanchions, guardrail systems and methods for use on construction sites, and particularly to stanchions, guardrail systems and methods for use on concrete structures.
2. Background Information
Several guardrail devices are known that allow for safety protection at the edge of a construction, such as guardrails placed to prevent workers or objects from falling off the edge of a building under construction. Some form of protective barrier or guardrail is usually required around the edges of the workplace. Detailed regulations are established by various bodies designed to eliminate or reduce workplace hazards. Organizations such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in the United States and various state agencies, Workmen's Compensation Boards and trade organizations often require some form of barrier protection in the workplace. Even if OSHA or other regulatory bodies do not require such systems, or where requirements for barrier protection are lax or less stringent (such as may be the case from jurisdiction-to-jurisdiction or country-to-country), insurance companies would insist upon the best safety or provide incentives for use of best practices.
In the United States, OSHA has established construction standards for guarding open-sided floors and roofs, including erection of a "standard railing", which comprises a top rail, intermediate rail, toeboard and posts, to enclose such open spaces. The top rail is required to have a vertical height of approximately 42 inches from the upper surface of the top rail to the floor, platform, runway or the like being protected. The intermediate rail is specified to be halfway between the top rail and the floor, etc., while the toeboard is required to be at least 4 inches in vertical height from its top edge to the level of the floor, platform, etc. In addition, the toeboard must be securely fastened in place and must be flush with the floor such that not more than a ¼-inch clearance exists between the toeboard and the floor. An assembly so constructed is sometimes referred to as a "standard railing".
Various attempts have been made to provide construction guardrail systems, some of which may or may not be considered "standard railings". One such guardrail system involves use of a support stanchion as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,015,827 issued to Brand on Apr. 5, 1977, for supporting a life line around the perimeter of an elevated area such as a building roof. The stanchion is anchored to the roof or building support by bolts or screws embedded into the floor. Another system includes use of a support as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,560,588, issued to Hilliard, for a temporary guard railing erected along the edges of open floors, balconies, stairs, and the like in a building under construction. This device is secured to the floor surface by running screws or other male connectors through the support and into the floor surface. Connecting devices to the floor of a structure, such as by nailing a standard or stanchion to a concrete floor results in damage to the floor, often requiring expensive or time-consuming repair, among other problems.
Further safety railing systems or stanchions for concrete slab walls are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,377,958 to Palmer, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,547,223 to Letourneau. The device in Palmer involves vertically extending stanchion members mounted to wall brackets, which the brackets in turn are mounted below the exterior facia of the wall by fasteners driven through the brackets into the underlying wall structure. The device in Letourneau involves a railing that engages in a cavity of an anchor where the anchor is rigidly mounted into the concrete wall panel at a face or end of the floor slab. Here again, such systems have fasteners that are driven into or imbedded within the concrete or floor structure. These systems also cover an edge area of the flooring which must be removed in order finish the edge or the areas adjacent the edge.
A further system as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,270,057 issued to Highley et al., involves a system for use on a structure where concrete is poured upon corrugated material. The reusable multi-story building construction guardrail system includes a bar element bolted to an outside of a frame member that forms the outer perimeter of a conventional elevated slab floor support structure consisting of I-beam floor joists and trusses that serve to support horizontal floor supports and the corrugated floorplan thereabove onto which concrete is poured in order to form an elevated concrete slab floor surface in a multi-story building. The protection system is bolted directly to the perimeter frame member or support structure upon which the concrete is poured. Yet a further system as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,909,483 to van Herpen involves a handrail support which is kept in place by a weight element placed upon a base. The simplicity and usefulness of the present invention in this application is neither taught nor suggested by these mechanisms.
A number of guard rail mechanisms for which patents have been granted, also relate to the slab-grabber or clamping variety. Some examples of such devices are found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,669,577 to Werner; U.S. Pat. No. 3,995,834 to Melfi; U.S. Pat. No. 3,881,698 to Marsh; U.S. Pat. No. 3,863,900 to Dagiel et al.; and, U.S. Pat. No. 7,234,689 to Kuenzel. These devices are typically clamped to the edge of a slab of the construction. They generally mimic a C-clamp mechanism which compresses upon the top and bottom sides of a slab, while also covering an edge portion of the slab to which the clamp is attached. While the clamping action avoids damage to the floor element, being that it is attached at the edge necessarily requires a subsequent movement of the device in order to work on the structure at that edge of the slab. The simplicity, reliability and usefulness of the present invention in this application in not taught nor suggested by these slab grabber mechanisms.
Various other mechanisms for which patents have been granted relate to other types of compression-fit or friction-fit mechanisms. An example of such device is found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,662,993 to Lionetto. In such application, posts span from the floor to ceiling and are fastened into position with jacks or threaded bars. While such mechanisms generally avoid direct damage to the floor or structure, and also avoid placement or coverage over the edge of the slab, the reliability of such compression-fit mechanisms is questioned. Natural or unnatural changes, such as expansion or contraction of the structure materials, present concern due to slippage of the devices from a secured safety position within the bay of the structure. Similar expansion or contraction or other changes to the device itself may also occur. The material used for the device is different than the concrete or other material that is used for the structure, and the expansion and contraction characteristics are different such that the materials expand and/or contract at different rates. Such differences in the material characteristics of the device and structure present further variability issues for the stability of a compression-fit system. As the structure or device expands or contracts, the compression-fit forces are changed. The changed forces may cause the device to break, or to slip or weaken its fit against the structure, or if the device does not yield, in an extreme case the structure may shift or crack. In some instances a post is also used as (or has the effect of being used as) a shoring or re-shoring device. A shoring device is commonly understood to be a device which supports or holds the form or deck, as opposed to a re-shoring device which holds or supports the resulting concrete structure. In either case, the expansion of the device might lift the ceiling slightly, thereby causing other posts or shoring devices to loose their compression fit. In some cases the posts fall from position and are otherwise unworkable as a safety device. In sum, the compression-fit devices having a post span from floor to ceiling are inherently suspect and unworkable for use in a safety role. By the same token, compression-fit posts that span from wall-to-wall are also unworkable.
Other friction-fit mechanisms for which patents have been granted include U.S. Pat. No. 3,589,682 to Dickey granted Jun. 29, 1971, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,439,898 to Cleveland et al granted Apr. 22, 1969. Dickey says that the general practice at the time in erection of such safety fences involved use of lengths of 2-by-4 lumber cut to approximately the spacing between the floor and ceiling, and wedged into place in any expedient manner. One or more horizontal rails were commonly nailed to such vertical pieces of lumber to construct a crude fence. In practice it was found that the wedging of such vertical pieces of lumber can never be made completely secure and the lumber will rapidly dry out, being exposed to very severe weathering, and will become loose and sometimes blow away altogether causing an additional hazard to persons standing below. The same thing can occur merely because the concrete itself dries out and will shrink very slightly thereby causing such vertical pieces of lumber to become loose and fall (or in other cases, cause the lumber to tighten or result in bowing or nail pulls). The appearance of the otherwise safe structure may cause a false sense of security, further exacerbating the hazard. Dickey uses a telescoping column for erection of a safety fence or guardrail at a building under construction. A manually operable jacking system is used for extending the column and forcing upper and lower pads firmly against the ceiling and floor of the building to hold the column firmly in position. Cleveland also shows a compression-fit safety barrier and barrier fence having telescoping columns. Such telescoping compression-fit systems may be positioned so as to not obstruct the edge of the flooring and may reduce the potential for direct damage to the structure (such as damage that might otherwise be caused by nailing). However, such systems lack the simplicity and reliability of the present invention. They also are subject to variables encountered with material expansion as noted above, and thus are suspect and unreliable for a safety role. Further, improvements are always desired in any art. Other drawbacks of such friction-fit mechanisms include the cost of having columns span from floor-to-ceiling or having expensive threaded components or other means for telescoping action. Precautions are also required to prevent screw-type mechanisms to not loosen, or such mechanisms may require a special tool such as a wrench or other tool to set-up or extend the apparatus for a friction fit. The size of the floor-to ceiling mechanisms are bulky and often troublesome to transport and/or store. Further, the over-tightening of a post or column may result in damage to the floor or ceiling and corresponding loosening of adjacent posts or columns. Such mechanisms are generally troublesome to set-up.
Disadvantageously, while the above and other past approaches may be sufficient in some respects for their particular purposes, each has deficiencies. Some of the approaches require a considerable effort in set-up and take-down; or still result in damage to the structure (such as by nailing, which commonly requires drilling or use of a hammerdrill or other aggressive tools) which in turn requires additional expense, delay and labor for correction; or connect adjacent to, or cover up, the edge of the structure thus requiring subsequent movement in order to work on or at the edge location; or rely on a compression or friction fit which is susceptible to slippage and other troubles as mentioned. Further, with such approaches there is an ever-present uncertainty as to whether the systems are indeed compliant with OSHA or other requirements, or if initially compliant, whether they can maintain compliance and be safe throughout the construction effort. Since the temporary safety mechanisms are typically repeatedly moved in order to undertake construction efforts, workers (and the owners of the structures) must be diligent in assuring that the systems continue to be safe. Even if some of the prior systems comprise a "standard railing" and/or guardrail system that securely connects to the structure without nailing or other damage to the structure, they are either of a compression-fit variety, or disadvantageously cover the edge location of the flooring.
The known guardrail devices are often complicated, expensive, typically result in damage to the structure to which they are affixed, are difficult to secure, and are susceptible to non-compliance with OSHA. Many are not reusable, many are limited to a particular site configuration, require temporary removal and re-setting when a forklift needs access, are in the way when working on an outside edge of the structure (such as when laying brick or pouring outside edge wall or constructing outside edge wall), require the subsequent patching of holes or damage to the structure or require rework of concrete that was damaged by a nail gun or drill or other anchor mechanism. A crew of workers is typically required to assemble guardrails (spending time and labor that could otherwise be devoted to working on the actual structure as opposed to a temporary safety system that will be obsolete upon completion of the construction.
While some of the known guardrail devices are connected to the edge of a concrete deck by friction or grabbing mechanisms, others are mounted into the deck or walls with bolts or nails (or use anchors that are affixed within the structure), or use weights to hold the guardrail adjacent an edge of the deck. Workers will erect one of the many known devices or systems (or cobble together a solution for a given customized fix) and deal with the follow-up or related tasks as needed. For instance, workers will patch holes that were created when nails or other fasteners were removed from the deck. Workers will move a railing from an edge so that the edge area may be cleared for finishing or treated with additional building materials. The railing may be temporarily removed to allow a fork lift to place materials on the deck, and then reassembled or nailed back into position. Workers may also take special care to not lean too hard against a rail held down by weights, or take care not to fasten a life-line to the guardrail, or to undertake one of many other tasks or precautions due to the nature of the known devices or systems.
Damages made to the walls of a structure have become increasingly problematic in recent years especially since owners of the structures sometimes prefer to keep the raw walls exposed to view for aesthetic purposes. Until somewhat recently, drilling into a wall to fasten a board or other safety mechanism was not considered a problem since the walls would typically be covered with paint or sheetrock or other materials. Drilling into the floor or walls or ceilings creates unsightly marks, and the repairs are often unsatisfactory. Further, with a preference for having exposed walls, an emphasis is often placed on positioning conduit within the walls. Thus, drilling into the walls becomes risky. Indeed, safety mechanisms are required to be used on a project, so the workers and owners often have to deal with the competing goals of safety vs. appearance and costs.


A backcard for use with compartmentalized containers, particularly food containers, that provides a hanging feature and an information feature. The backcard may be secured to the container or package with glue lines properly placed on the package, or glue placed on the backcard. The hanging feature is formed by moving a tab located in an outermost sheet or layer from a non-extended position to an extended position. The backcard is provided with a substantial area, e.g., 50% or more of the backcard area, for printing information such as a list of nutritional facts, a list of food ingredients and the like for presentation to a consumer. In addition, a portion of the backcard may be removable or foldable to expose a portion of the outer layer or a substrate layer, thereby allowing each to display additional information.

Containers or "kits" for food products often include a base with several compartments, each containing a separate food product. For instance, one compartment may contain cheese intended to be spread on crackers contained in a second compartment. A third compartment may include cookies or a dessert item intended to be consumed separately from the cheese and crackers.
These types of containers often have molded plastic or polymeric material forming the compartments. The containers are constructed such that the compartments form walls separating the food products. The food products are placed in the compartments, and a cover is applied to the compartments. The cover is sealed to the walls so that each food product is isolated from the environment outside of the container and is isolated from each other food product.
The cover is often intended to be the front or top of the package, and may be at least partially clear so that some or all of the food products are substantially visible. This enables a potential purchaser or consumer to examine the package and readily view some of the contents of the container.
In addition, the cover may be used to display pertinent information regarding the food product. The cover may present information such as ingredients, a trade or retail name, a manufacturer name, instructions for using and combining the package contents, and other information that is either desirable from a marketing perspective or required from a legal standpoint. Backcards are often used to provide nutritional facts, lists of ingredients, bar codes, and other information.
Commercial food containers generally must be capable of inexpensive manufacture. The amount of material for the container should be limited to reduce cost. In addition, economical manufacturing processes for the container are preferred.
Retail food containers or packages should be easy to open and use properly. Although some of the food product in the compartments may be relatively secure, such as cheese spread, some of the food product may be loose, such as crackers or sprinkles for a dessert item. When the cover and seal are peeled open, the base portion of the container may be flexed by the pulling of the cover. This may lead to spillage during peeling or after the peeling force is released by the separation of the cover from the base if the package is not sufficiently rigid.
Retail display of these packages has intertwined aesthetic and functional aspects. Generally, the packages are intended to be attractive to customers, and in some cases, as noted above, the packages permit a potential purchaser to view the contents. Some packages are displayed on shelves, on end with the cover at the front of the display to be readily visible to the consumer. In other instances, packages are hung from a rod or peg, again with the cover facing forward. In both cases, features generally must be provided to enable the packages to be supported in the desired orientation, while also enabling the packages to be formed, filled and sealed economically in commercial mass production.
It is known to have merchandise display hangers that are adhesively attached to video cassettes or the like and have a fold-out hanging portion with an aperture therein for hanging on a rod or hook, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,328,137 and 4,832,301. The hanging portion is centrally located in the flat hanger sheet and occupies a very substantial portion of the hanger body. In the hanger of U.S. Pat. No. 5,328,137, an opening or gap is provided in the bottom edge to facilitate grasping of the lower end of the fold-out, hanging portion. This gap extends throughout the height of the bottom section to the bottom edge of the fold-out, hanging portion. When the fold out hanging portion is grasped and swung upwardly and out of the plane of the body, two legs are left on the body. The legs and a small strip on the inner side of the hanger body are available for adhering the hanger body to the video cassette, but cover only a top portion of the video cassette, and hence do not function as a backcard nor as a large surface area for bearing indicia.


Thus the present invention provides an apparatus for conveying both individual sheets of paper and a web of forms having equally spaced, successive, transverse lines of weakening along a longitudinal path and for separating the forms along the transverse lines of weakening and merging the cut sheets and the separated forms for further processing. There is a transport section, superposed over the bursting section, including at least one upper and one lower belt and pulley assembly for conveying individual sheets along a second paper path, the second paper path merging into the first paper path, and structure for detaining the individual sheets at a position along the second paper path before the second paper path merges into the first paper path, whereby the individual sheets and the separated forms are thereafter processed along the first paper path.

Inserting machines are known in the art and are generally used by organizations that generate large volume mailings wherein the contents of each item mailed may vary. Such machines typically comprise: feeder modules for separating and feeding single sheets, commonly referred to as cut sheets, from a stack of sheets into a batch or collation; web modules for separating webs into discrete forms and feeding the discrete forms into the batch; a transport/accumulation system for conveying sheets and form through the various modules to form proper batches; a folder module for folding the batches to a predetermined size; an inserter module for inserting the batches into envelopes; optionally meter modules for metering the envelopes with appropriate postage; and a control system to synchronize the operation of the modules in the inserting machine to assure that the batches are properly assembled, inserted into envelopes, and, optionally, metered.
Information for control of such known inserting machines is read from a control document, which is preferably a web form, by a scanner associated with the feeder module or web module that feeds the document. Preferably, that module is the most upstream module along the transport system. The scanner reads information from the control document which typically includes information such as information defining the number of documents to be inserted at each module, information providing an identification code for comparison with identification codes on inserted documents to assure that documents are properly matched, and, possibly, information for other purposes such as selection of postage. This control information is then transmitted to the control system which controls the operation of the inserter system accordingly to assure the proper assembly and processing of each batch as defined by a control document.
As noted above, control documents are preferably web forms since compilation of the control information for each batch is most readily done through data processing with output through a line printer onto a web of computer printout forms. Accordingly, inserting machines generally comprise an upstream web module, or modules, which feed discrete forms (i.e., a control form and optionally, one or more succeeding non-control forms from the web) for further processing, wherein appropriate forms would be accumulated to complete the batch which would be folded and inserted into an envelope. Such sheet inserter systems are known and typical examples are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,606,728, issued Sep. 21, 1971, to Sather, et al. and assigned to Bell and Howell Co.; U.S. Pat. No. 3,955,429, issued Jan. 27, 1976, to Braneky, et al. and assigned to Pitney Bowes Inc.; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,547,856, issued Oct. 15, 1985, to Piotroski, et al. and assigned to Pitney Bowes Inc.
Web modules generally comprise a forms feeder which feeds a web of forms into a burster-folder, where the web is separated into discrete forms, which may be folded to fit into an envelope, if necessary, and a scanner which reads information from the web before bursting. The control information may be printed on the forms or the sprocket strips, the latter being used if the control information is to be removed with the sprocket strip. To prevent accidental premature bursting a slack loop of web is maintained between the forms feeder and the burster-folder. Typically, before the web is fed into the burster-folder the forms feeder removes the sprocket strips, which are used to drive the web, from the web. Accordingly, in inserting machines where control information is printed on the sprocket strips (in order not to print extraneous information on the form to be mailed) the scanner must be positioned to scan the web before the sprocket strips are removed. Web modules may also include an accumulator which accumulates a number of succeeding non-control forms with a control form and then feeds the accumulation in to a batch.
The mechanical construction and operation of web modules is well known by those skilled in the art as is, as mentioned above, the control, construction and operation of conventional sheet inserter systems. U.S. Pat. No. 4,395,255, issued Jul. 26, 1983, to Braneky, et al. and assigned to Pitney Bowes Inc., teaches typical web handling equipment.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,527,468, issued Jul. 9, 1985 to Piotroski and assigned to Pitney Bowes Inc., teaches an apparatus for separating multiple webs of documents into discrete documents and forming the discrete documents into predetermined batches. This apparatus has heretofore proved satisfactory for the automatic assembly of large volume mailings of varying items. However, it suffers the disadvantage that, in addition to the typical web feeder, each web module includes its own burster and its own accumulator, for separating the web into discrete forms and accumulating the discrete forms into sub-batches before the sub-batches are fed to the transport system to form batches for further processing. Another disadvantage to the multiple web apparatus is that the accumulation of the sub-batches cannot be done in-line with the transport system, thus requiring that the multiple web modules be configured parallel to one another with each having a paper path that is orthogonal to the path of the transport system. The aforementioned disadvantages result in a further disadvantage in the size and complexity of the inserting machine required to achieve this configuration.
In U.S. patent application Ser. No. 619,536, filed on Nov. 29, 1990, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,060,838, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, a dual burster is disclosed which provides the capability to form batches in-line from two web feeders.
Heretofore, the batches folded by folder modules have been entirely comprised of either cut sheets or web forms. There is now a need to form batches consisting of a combination of cut sheets and forms, which must be accumulated and folded. The aforementioned apparatus do not provide for the accumulation of cut sheets and web forms to produce a batch for further processing.

Apparatus and system for handling cut sheets and web forms to form discrete batches