Superabrasive cutting elements for rolling cutter bits, and mounting techniques for such cutting elements. The insert-type cutting elements employ self-supporting superabrasive masses on the exposed tips thereof, the elements being mounted to the rolling cutters by insertion of supporting stud-like insert bodies into apertures in the cutter shells so that the exposed exterior of the interface between the superabrasive mass and the supporting cemented tungsten carbide stud lies outside of the depth of cut of the cutting element into the formation, and in some instances beneath the surface of the shell. The self-supporting superabrasive mass may comprise the entire tip of an insert, or the mass may be of a size and orientation to sustain a particular magnitude and direction of loading, the remainder or a majority of the insert tip being covered by a thinner superabrasive shell Further, the cemented carbide stud material may be configured to extend into the superabrasive tip, and may contain one or more recesses sized and configured to receive a portion of the superabrasive mass so as to provide a self-supporting superabrasive mass against selected loads.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to bits for drilling subterranean formations, and more specifically, to rolling cutter bits (also termed "tri-cone" or "rock" bits) and superabrasive-tipped, insert-type cutting elements for use on the cutters of such bits.
2. State of the Art
The development of rotary drilling techniques facilitated the discovery and development of deep oil and gas reserves, first in the United States and subsequently throughout the world. The rolling-cutter (also sometimes called "rolling cone" herein) rock bit was a significant advance in drilling techniques, as only softer, more shallow formations could previously be drilled on a commercially-viable basis with early cable-tool equipment and primitive, metal-cutter drag bits. The rolling-cone bit invented by Howard R. Hughes, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 939,759, was capable of drilling the hard caprock at the now-famous Spindletop field near Beaumont Tex., thus revolutionizing oil and gas drilling.
Today's rolling-cone or rolling-cutter bits drill at much-improved penetration rates and for vastly greater durations over varying formation intervals in comparison to the original Hughes bit, due to improvements in designs and materials over many intervening decades. However, the basic principles of drilling with rolling-cutter bits remain the same, although are understood to a far greater extent than when this type of bit was originally developed.
Rolling-cone earth boring bits generally employ cutting elements on the cones or cutters to induce high contact stresses in the formation being drilled as the cutters roll over the bottom of the borehole during a drilling operation. These stresses cause the rock of the formation being drilled to fail, resulting in disintegration and penetration of the formation. The cutters of the bit usually, in the context of conventional bit design, rotate or roll about axes which are inclined with respect to the geometric or rotational axis of the bit itself, as driven by the drill string. The rotational axes of the rolling cutters are, in fact, disposed at a substantial angle to the bit axis, extending downwardly and inwardly from the bit leg adjacent the outer bit perimeter toward the centerline of the bit, and the conical shape of most conventional cutters is matched to the cutter axes to cause a plurality of integral teeth or press-fit inserts (generally "cutting elements") projecting outwardly from the side exterior of the cutter to engage the formation along lines of contact extending from the outer base or heel surface of each cutter shell inwardly toward the centerline of the bit. Typically, the cutting elements are arranged in multiple, substantially parallel, generally circumferential rows about the exterior of the cutter, although spiral and other cutting element arrangements are also known in the art. Cutting elements are also located about the bottom periphery of the cutter cones, commonly called the gage surface, and additional cutting elements or scraping elements may be disposed along the intersection of the gage surface and the heel surface of the cutter.
Due to the bit design as briefly described above, and also due to variations in formation material as well as weight on bit (WOB), torque and rotational speed as transmitted to the bit through the drill string, a cutter does not necessarily just roll or rotate over the bottom of the borehole with little or no relative movement between the cutting elements and the formation, but also slides against the formation material due to offset of the cutter axis from a radial plane and variations from a true rolling, perfectly conical cutter geometry. Such sliding also may be caused by precession of the bit about its centerline. Further, the incidence of sliding may be of particular significance during directional drilling operations, wherein the bit is being oriented to drill a path which is not absolutely coincident with its centerline due to the influence of eccentric stabilizers, bent subs, bent housings, or other passive or fixed steering elements, or by active steering mechanisms (arms, pads, adjustable stabilizers, etc.) included in the bottomhole assembly. Such sliding causes the cutting elements of the bit to gouge or scrape the formation, providing another, albeit unintended, mode of cutting in addition to the aforementioned crushing mode.
A generic term for the gouging or scraping action of sliding cutting elements removing formation material is "shear-type cutting", which is the primary mode of cutting in so-called fixed-cutter or "drag" bits, wherein non-movable cutting elements, often having cutting tables or projecting teeth comprised of highly wear-resistant superabrasive materials, cut chips or even elongated strips of material from the formation being drilled. However, the existence of a shear-type cutting in rolling-cutter bits, while recognized, has not been extensively developed in the art. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,282,512; 5,341,890; and 5,592,995, as well as copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/695,509, the latter filed Aug. 12, 1996 and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, each disclose cutting elements including design features for cutting in shear for use on rolling-cone cutter. Each of the aforementioned patents and application also discloses the use of a discrete, relatively small, preformed diamond element carried on, or in a cavity or recess in, the exterior of the metal insert, typically of a carbide such as cemented tungsten carbide (WC). The metal insert portions of these cutting elements provide a large majority of the exterior surface of the inserts exposed to the formation, drilling fluid, and formation debris.
Another approach to forming insert-type superabrasive cutting elements has been to form a jacket or coating of superabrasive (diamond) material over an insert body of WC, although other metals and alloys have been employed in the art. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,604,106; 5,045,092; 5,145,245; 5,161,627; 5,304,342; 5,335,738; 5,379,854; 5,544,713 and 5,499,688, as well as copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08633,983, filed Apr. 17, 1996, disclose such jacketed or coated inserts. Also disclosed in some of these patents is the use of discrete, relatively small diamond elements placed or formed in recesses in the surface of an insert, such elements either being exposed to the insert exterior, or covered by a diamond jacket or coating. U.S. Pat. No. 4,109,737 discloses the use of a thin polycrystalline diamond compact layer on the end of a stud-type cutting element for use in drag bits.
Yet another approach to a superabrasive insert-type cutting element for rolling cutter bits is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,159,857; 5,173,090; and 5,248,006. These patents take a radically different approach to superabrasive inserts, using a high-pressure, high-temperature formed, polycrystalline diamond compact core surrounded by a relatively thin, tubular, hard metal jacket and in some cases, an integral base or floor of the same metal, forming a cup-like, diamond-filled structure. The metal jacket is initially formed with an excess wall thickness so that the insert can be machined to a desired diameter for insertion in a rolling cutter.
In an insert comprised primarily of metal and having only small, discrete diamond elements placed thereon at one or two select locations, precise predictions of magnitudes and orientations of cutter and insert loading are required to ensure correct placement and orientation of the diamond elements. Further, the metal insert body and discrete diamond elements in some instances are separately preformed, and require subsequent mutal attachment by brazing or other metallurgical bonding techniques.
In an insert having only a superabrasive (diamond) jacket, the underlying metal stud material ultimately supports the loading to which the insert is subjected during drilling, whether it be the compressive-type loading for which inserts are primarily designed, or the shear-type loading previously mentioned above. The diamond jacket may itself thus be stressed in tension, under which it is very weak and exhibits a remarkably low strain to failure ratio, due to yielding of the underlying metal stud. The yielding of the stud material may result in cracking, spalling, fracture or delamination of the diamond jacket from the stud. Approached from another standpoint, the stress gradient in a thin diamond jacket or shell is extremely great; leading to early failure if not supported by an equally unyielding material. Thermal stresses may also aggravate the aforementioned problems. Further, shear forces may also stress the diamond/metal interface (already residually-stressed from fabrication) in tension, again causing degradation of the diamond jacket or its bond to the stud.
Diamond-core inserts having only a metal shell or jacket surrounding the diamond mass extending substantially the length of the insert do not suffer from loading-induced damage in the same manner as the diamondjacketed inserts since the diamond core material itself takes the loading, but such inserts cannot normally sustain impact or high stress on the superabrasive tip without cracking of the metal shell or jacket, which frequently leads to loss of the insert from the cutter. Moreover, the diamond-core inserts require a relatively large volume of expensive diamond particles for forming the diamond core, and the method of forming such diamond-core cutting elements yields a very small number of parts for each run of the diamond press.
It has been contemplated to form a drag bit diamond cutting element with a substantial superabrasive structure, as disclosed in commonly-assigned copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/602,076 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/602,050, each filed on Feb. 15, 1996 and hereby incorporated herein by this reference. However, only somewhat generalized developments were disclosed regarding the concept of forming rolling-cutter inserts in terms of specific internal and external structure, or to with regard the mounting inserts in the rolling cutter itself.
Thus, there remains a need for an effective, robust, insert-type superabrasive cutting elements having utility on rolling cutter type bits, susceptible to fabrication in an efficient and economical manner using known manufacturing techniques and mountable to a rolling cutter in a manner which minimizes potential loss of, or damage to, the cutting element during service.

Superabrasive-tipped inserts for earth-boring drill bits


A method and system for use with a graphical user interface having a cursor, scroll bar, and slider provide consistent granularity in scrolling through various differently sized viewable objects displayed within a window of a graphical user interface. The method and system achieves the forgoing by (1) calculating a movement parameter dependent upon the length of a viewable object; and (2) scrolling through the viewable object at a rate dependent upon the calculated movement parameter, in response to user input.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates, in general, to an improved graphical user interface method and system. In particular, the present invention relates to an improved graphical user interface method and system having a cursor, scroll bar, and slider.
2. Background
A graphical user interface is a type of display format that enables a user to choose commands, start programs, and see lists of files and other options by pointing to pictorial representations and lists of menu items on a computer display screen. Choices can generally be activated by either a keyboard or a pointing device such as a mouse. A mouse is a commonly used pointing device, containing one or more buttons, that allows a user to interact with a product or operating environment such as a graphical user interface.
For application developers, a graphical user interface offers an environment that can handle direct interaction with the computer. Such environments free the developer to concentrate on a given application without becoming entangled in the details of a screen display or mouse and keyboard input. A graphical user interface also enables programmers to create programs to handle frequently performed tasks, such as saving a data file. The interface itself provides standard controlling mechanisms such as windows and dialog boxes.
Some conventional graphical user interfaces provide a cursor and scroll bar for scrolling through pages of a viewable object. A viewable object can contain multiple components such as spreadsheets, text, hotlinks, pictures, sound, and video objects. However, a viewable object is not limited to these components. In many types of graphical user interfaces, a vertical or horizontal bar at the side or bottom of a graphical user interface window can be utilized in conjunction with a pointing device such as a mouse, trackball, or stylus well-known in the art of graphical user interfaces for moving about in a viewable object. Scrolling permits viewing of any desired portion of a viewable object and is so named because it is the electronic equivalent of reading through a rolled (i.e., scrolled) viewable object rather than flipping through pages of a book. A vertical scroll bar is usually utilized to control movement or to scroll through lines and pages of a viewable object, while a horizontal scroll bar controls movement through words in a line.
Such conventional scroll bar systems usually comprise two arrows and a slider. Each arrow controls which direction a user desires to scroll through a viewable object. An arrow conventionally controls movement through a viewable object in small increments or small blocks of information, such as individual lines or a page of a viewable object, for example. Moreover, if an arrow points in the upward direction, the viewable object will be scrolled from its present position in the viewable object toward the first page. If an arrow points in the downward position, the viewable object will be scrolled from its present position in a viewable object toward the last page of the viewable object.
A slider is conventionally used to control movement through a viewable object in larger increments than when the arrows are used. A slider is one form of a graphical user interface icon. Instead of incrementing by small blocks of information, the slider typically controls movement through a viewable object in larger blocks, increments, or groups of information, such as two or more pages, for example. Therefore, when a user desires to go from the first page to the fiftieth page, the slider is usually selected and moved until page fifty is selected. The term "elevator" is also utilized to describe such a slider.
The foregoing noted methods (scroll bars and sliders) work when viewing relatively small viewable objects. However, when such methods are applied to relatively large viewable objects, deficiencies in the scroll bar and slider methods are noticeable.
When a very large viewable object, such as a list of items, is accessed by a user via a graphical user interface, the arrows in scroll mode generally move through the viewable object too slowly to be of significant use to the user. On the other hand, the discontinuous jumps through the viewable object that occur when the scroll bar is used to advance at a rate of, for example, a page at a time do not allow the user to smoothly view and comprehend the information in the viewable object.
When a very large viewable object, such as a list of items, is accessed by a user via a graphical user interface, the scroll bar slider often represents only a very small portion of such a viewable object. When the slider is grabbed and moved by the user utilizing, for example, a mouse cursor pointer, the viewable object will scroll too quickly even for small movements of the slider, making it difficult for the user to find a particular section within the viewable object. Even expert mouse users, for instance, can become frustrated when utilizing such a slider on a large viewable object. The problem increases for less adept users who try to scroll through viewable objects such as encyclopedias, dictionaries, phone books, or other viewable objects.
Thus, when the foregoing noted methods are applied to very large viewable objects, the methods are found to be deficient in that the arrows in scroll mode are too slow to be of satisfactory use, while use of the scroll bar in discontinuous mode presents the information in a jerky, discontinuous fashion which is difficult for a user to follow, and use of the slider is found to be unsatisfactory in that it moves through the viewable object too fast to be comprehended by the user. The foregoing deficiencies become particularly noticeable when the user wants to move through the relatively large viewable object in a fashion such that a user can easily comprehend his or her current position within the viewable object. The foregoing noted deficiencies give rise to several concomitant needs.
With respect to the foregoing identified needs, the inventors are aware of no attempts to date which have been directed toward satisfying the foregoing identified needs. Thus, it is apparent that a need exists for a method and system which will allow scanning through a viewable object which smoothly and predictably transitions from a very slow rate of scrolling through the viewable object to a very rapid rate of scrolling through the viewable object.

Graphical user interface method and system that provides an inertial slider within a scroll bar

International Business Machines Corporation


An admixture for a dense and durable concrete mix consisting essentially of diatomaceous earth and silica fume in the ratio of from 1 to 1 up to 1 to 8. Optionally, fly ash and lignosulfonate dispersant may be added to the admixture.

The present invention relates to concrete mixes utilizing silica fume, and is particularly useful in no slump concrete mixes using silica fume. Very fine grain pozzolans, such as silica fume, are used in concrete mixes in place of some of the cement, or in addition to it, to provide strength and/or to improve the impermeability and denseness of the concrete. The latter are desireable characteristics in concrete because they improve freeze-thaw resistance and resistance to chlorides and other aggressive agents which attack concrete.
Silica fume, when added to concrete by itself, has a high water demand, often requiring an additional pound of water for every pound of added silica fume in order to maintain constant slump and workability of the concrete. For wet cast or slumping concrete, it has been found necessary to reduce the water required to place the mix by using a high range water reducing agent in the mix in order to achieve an acceptable water-to-cement ratio. For no slump concrete, silica fume mixes using high range water reducers to reduce the water have not proved successful, particularly when such mixes are steam cured. High range water reducing agents, or superplasticizers, are expensive.
The use of diatomaceous earth and silica fume separately as pozzolans is well known. Diatomaceous earth is usually used in mass concrete applications for the purpose of reducing the heat of hydration.
Recognizing the essential physical characteristics of diatomaceous earth and silica fume is critical to this invention and to the successful use of both products. There are cellular particle pozzolans and non-cellular, solid particle pozzolans.
Silica fume is a very finely divided amorphous solid mineral pozzolan having a particle size of less than 5 microns and often a particle size in the neighborhood of 0.01 to 1.0 microns. It is generally believed that this ultra-fine size is necessary for providing tremendous surface area for reaction with cement/water hydration products. The ultra-fine, solid and hydrophobic silica fume particles tend to pack together, requiring either a substantial amount of water or, alternatively, a potent high range water reducing agent for wetting and dispersion. Since the silica fume particles are solid, they must rely on available water from the concrete matrix for continued hydration, or from water provided externally from a curing environment, either from mist or from submergence in water. The problem with dispersing silica fume with water only is that the water/cement ratio becomes unacceptably high. The problem with dispersing silica fume with potent high range (anionic) water reducing agents is that there is insufficient water for both the cement and the silica fume particles to hydrate when subjected to an air environment. The dilemma that has been facing the concrete industry is that silica fume concrete behaves acceptably well in a laboratory environment when cured in a mist room or when submerged in water. It does not perform well when subjected to an air curing environment during the first 10 to 28 days, which is usually the case in field use. In an air curing environment, a concrete mix of cement, silica fume, water and high range water reducing agents often performs poorly because the cement and the silica fume are competing for a limited and insufficient amount of hydration water. Unhydrated silica fume is known to cause micro-cracking in the micro-structural concrete matrix.
Diatomaceous earth is a cellular particle mineral pozzolan having an average size of greater than 5 microns and less than 20 microns. As a cellular particle, diatomaceous earth can absorb up to 2 times its dry weight in water. The cell structure of diatoms in diatomaceous earth is such that the water absorbed into its cells is tenaciously bound. This differs from other cellular materials such as cellulose which absorb water quickly, but give it up at an equally rapid rate. Diatomaceous earth has a large surface area for a given particle size because of its cellular make-up, as opposed to silica fume which is round, smooth and solid. In that diatomaceous earth can internally retain moisture, moist curing is not such a critical factor for concrete containing diatomaceous earth because the relatively large volume of water contained in the diatomaceous earth can feed the hydration of cement as well as the hydration of the diatomaceous earth. We believe that the rate at which the diatomaceous earth gives up its water is quite ideally suited to the rate at which all of the hydrating products in a concrete matrix can use the water for the hydrating process. Consequently, diatomaceous earth concrete performs well in an air-cured environment during the first 10 to 28 days, and thereafter, Without the hydrating and micro-cracking problems as experienced with the use of silica fume by itself. The limitation of diatomaceous earth as a pozzolan is that it can not, on a pound for pound basis, achieve the high strength and durability quality of moist cured silica fume concrete compositions.

Hydrating and plasticizing admixture for dense concrete


A storage system capable of cutting back the resource while obtaining a WORM function. A controller (110) functions to: obtain, when a write request is made by a computer (300), information on one of logical devices that is a target of a write process, from a memory module (140); and inform, when the logical device is set to unwritable, a signal indicating that the logical device is set to unwritable, to the computer (300). An interface (200) functions to: reference meta-information held in a disk drive (130) to obtain a list of files that are not accessed for a predetermined period; secure a logical device; and cause the controller (110) to store, the files on the list of files and set the logical device that stores the files in a manner that makes information stored in the memory module (140) unwritable.

The present invention relates to a storage system which stores files used by computers. More specifically, the invention relates to a storage system capable of saving the resource while exerting a WORM function.
When holding electronic data in a memory device such as a storage, there are problems in that as a retention period of the electronic data becomes longer and an amount of data increases, a demanded capacity of the storage also increases, requiring higher costs. Therefore, more important data is recorded on a high-speed storage with a large transfer bandwidth, and less important data is recorded on a relatively low-speed storage. Such a high-speed storage with the large transfer bandwidth costs high, and such a relatively low-speed storage costs low. Further, based on the date when the data is saved (i.e., the archive date), fresh data (data for which not much time has elapsed since being archived) is recorded on the high-speed storage, and old data (data for which a given duration of time has elapsed since being archived) is recorded on the low-speed storage. This type of data management method is called Data Lifecycle Management (DLCM).
One of known file archive mechanisms which are designed by taking into account long-term file retention in this data lifecycle management is Write Once Read Many (WORM) archive, which manages modification, and erasure of files whose archive period has not expired yet. In order to apply WORM to a memory device, a storage device or a controller has to have a WORM function.
An example of a WORM function for Network Attached Storage (NAS) is a technology proposed to make any erasure, modification or such on a file that is stored under a specific directory impossible by setting the mode bit of the file to "Read Only" through a NAS server (see, for example, the following internet article:    Network Appliance, "NetApp NearStore", [online],    <URL: http://www.netapp.com/products/nearstore/>).


A line card integrates subscriber line interface circuitry, A/D and D/A converters, and digital signal processing technology. The digital signal processing technology performs many line card tasks such as switch hook detection, ground key detection, DC feed control, polarity reversal, ringing tests, fault detection, power cross detection, and ring trip detection. Silent polarity reversal is achieved by modulating a digital DC feed current waveform in accordance with a programmable predetermined waveform to smoothly transition the DC voltage of subscriber loop conductors A and B between approximately ground and central office battery voltage. The modulated waveform includes little if any energy in audio frequencies. Additionally, the functionality of the line cards 308[m:1] may be implemented partially or completely in hardware of software.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to communication systems and particularly to communication systems providing polarity reversal to a transmission line.
2. Description of the Related Art
Communication systems utilizing transmission lines such as subscriber loops are commonplace throughout much of the world. Subscriber loops are terminated on one end by terminal equipment and provide a path for the terminal equipment to communicate with other terminal equipment via, for example, a vast network of central offices, private branch exchanges, satellite relay systems, transmission lines, repeaters, and wireless systems. FIG. 1 illustrates a portion of a conventional subscriber loop communication system 100. The subscriber loop 102 is modeled as a balanced two-wire transmission line 103, with loop resistances R and inductances L and leakage impedance modeled by capacitor 104 and resistor 106. The subscriber loop 102 is terminated on respective ends by terminal equipment 110 and a central office 122 line card 120. The subscriber loop 102 provides a communication path for information transmission such as voice signals and signaling information between a subscriber's terminal equipment and the central office 108.
Terminal equipment 110 is illustratively modeled as a telephone with off-hook resistance 112, nominally 200 ohms, and ringer impedance Z, which may be modeled, for example, as a series RC or series RLC circuit. Terminal equipment 110 includes a switch hook 118 which loads the subscriber loop 102 on the subscriber end with resistance 112 when the terminal equipment 110 is off-hook (as shown) and loads subscriber loop 102 with ringer impedance Z when the terminal equipment 110 is on-hook. Terminal equipment 110 may be any of a variety of devices besides the familiar, ubiquitous telephone such as facsimile machines, private branch exchanges, voice mail systems key telephone systems, computers, modems, telephone answering machines, alarm systems, and radio control systems, as well as many other devices.
The other end of the subscriber loop 102, opposite terminal equipment 110, converges on line card 120 of central office 122. The line card 120 terminates subscriber loop 102 at conductors A (Tip) and B (Ring) with a feed impedance of 900 ohm or other standard feed impedance. The line card 120 provides a gateway to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) through switching network 124.
Referring to FIG. 2, the subscriber line interface circuit (SLIC) 202 of line card 120 provides a two-wire interface 204 to the generally analog signal carrying subscriber loop 102. The SLIC 202 performs a variety of interface functions that allow terminal equipment 110 to communicate with other terminal equipment (not shown). The SLIC 202 and the subscriber loop audio-processing circuit (SLAC) 206 carry out the well-known BORSCHT (Battery feed, Overvoltage protection, Ringing, Supervision, Coding, Hybrid, and Test) functions. The SLIC 202 monitors direct current (DC) levels on the subscriber loop 102 with ground key detector circuitry 208 and off-hook detector circuitry 210. Input decoder and control circuitry 214 provides a mechanism for other circuitry (not shown) in the central office 122 and for SLAC 206 to control such SLIC 202 functions as subscriber loop 102 activation, ringing, and polarity reversal. Analog two-wire interface 204 and signal transmission circuitry 212 cooperate in sensing subscriber loop 102 metallic voltage (voltage at conductor A minus voltage at conductor B or Vab) while generally having a high rejection of longitudinal voltages (Vab.sub.-- long). Alternating current (AC) signals, such as voice signals, are transmitted over subscriber loop 102 to terminal equipment 110 by two-wire interface 204 and signal transmission circuitry 212 in response to voice information input signals received from central office 122 through SLAC 206. The ring relay driver 216 activates a relay(s) which connects a ringing signal from a central office 122 ringing AC voltage generator (not shown) and DC voltage bias source, to terminal equipment 110 when a third party is calling. While terminal equipment 110 is on-hook, switch hook 118 connects subscriber loop 102 across the ringer impedance Z (FIG. 1). The ring trip detector circuitry 218 detects an off-hook condition of terminal equipment 110 and initiates cessation of the ringing voltage signal application to subscriber loop 102.
The SLAC 206 generally filters and converts analog output signals received from SLIC 202 into digital signals (A/D), processes the signals in accordance with control and timing information, and compresses the digital signals. The pulse code modulation (PCM) interface 220 provides PCM signals to the central office 122. SLAC 206 also generally receives digital audio input signals from the central office 122 via PCM interface 220, expands the digital input signals, processes the signal in accordance with control and timing information, and converts the digital signals into analog signals (D/A) for input to SLIC 202. Additional information on SLICs and SLACs is found in the 1995 Advanced Micro Devices of California data book entitled "Linecard Products for the Public Infrastructure Market."
The power feed controller 222 includes a battery feed circuit and a polarity reversal circuit. The battery feed functions supply direct current from a central office battery (not shown) to the subscriber loop 102 through balanced feed resistances at conductors A and B. Loop current is generally limited to no more than 45 to 75 milliamperes (mA) in a low-resistance subscriber loop. Higher subscriber loop resistances generally result in lower subscriber loop current. The on-hook subscriber loop powering voltage is typically the battery voltages minus 48 Volts DC (Vdc) less any overhead voltage, typically about 4 Vdc, necessary to prevent SLIC 202 saturation. Battery feed specifications are regionally provided and conform with specifications provided by, for example, BELLCORE, the Electronic Industries Association (EIA), British Telecom, and the International Telegraph and Telephone Consultative Committee (CCITT).
Public terminal equipment, such as public pay phones and hotel/motel phones, are commonly provided on a fee for use basis. Polarity reversal of subscriber A and B conductors is commonly used to initiate charges. Periodic polarity reversals during an on-going communication may be used to provide an indication to the user of elapsed connection time and indicate incurred charges. Polarity reversals may also provide a control signal to the terminal equipment for performing any of a number of well-known tasks.
For example, assuming that terminal equipment 110 is a public pay phone, when a user lifts the handset from the cradle, the phone goes off-hook, and a low resistance 112 is connected across the subscriber 102 loop A and B conductors by switch hook 118. Line card 120 responds to the current change by providing a dial tone. Normal subscriber loop polarity is conductor A grounded and conductor B at a nominal -48 V. The user dials an identification number of another terminal equipment, and a connection is established. When the called party answers and answer supervision is passed through the switching network 124, line circuit 120 immediately reverses battery polarity, thus, switching conductor A to -48 V and conductor B to ground. Regional specifications generally dictate the polarity reversal transition time to be no more than 64 milliseconds (ms).
During polarity reversal, audible frequency bias current changes are undesirable as they may cause noise to be transmitted through the phone transmitter to the ear of the user. The problem is especially acute when the impedance of subscriber loop 102 is large because small voltage changes cause large magnitude current changes. Thus, loud audible noises may be generated.
FIG. 2b illustrates a conventional approach to achieving polarity reversal. An increasing stair step voltage waveform 224 is generated by power feed controller 222 to change the voltage of conductor B from -48 V to +48 V. The waveform 224 is applied to the input terminals of a low pass filter 226 to polish the high frequency components of waveform 224. However, the low pass filter 226 output waveform 228 may still generate audible frequency current changes due to imperfect filtering and variable subscriber loop 102 impedance conditions. Likewise, the low pass filter 226 also produces a decreasing output waveform 232 from the decreasing stair step voltage input waveform 230 that may likewise generate audible frequency current changes in subscriber loop 102.
Thus, obtaining silent polarity reversal, especially in a dynamic environment, with conventional analog circuitry is a non-trivial problem. Furthermore, even if analog circuitry functions adequately for a given subscriber loop impedance, it may not function for the entire range of static and dynamic subscriber loop impedances for a given communication system. Moreover, the analog circuitry may not function reliably over time as analog circuitry often suffers from well-known aging side effects such as instability and circuit parameter drifting which may affect long-term reliability. Moreover, analog circuit features in an integrated circuit are large, presently in general on the order of about 7 .mu.m, which increases costs of analog integrated circuitry. Furthermore, providing a cost efficient common hardware platform which lends itself to cost effective modifications to conform with various regional standards and operating environments is at least a difficult problem.

Silent polarity reversal in a communication system


A testing apparatus with a back-drive protection function is disclosed, where the testing apparatus includes a driver and a field programmable gate array (FPGA), where the driver is electrically connected to the FPGA. The FPGA can monitor output current from the driver and perform the back-drive protection function on the driver to protect device-under-test (DUT).

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to electronic equipment, and more particularly, a testing apparatus.
2. Description of Related Art
There are two conventional design schemes for back-drive protection: (1) analogue component-based scheme; and (2) integrated circuit (IC)-based scheme.
For the analogue component based scheme, analogue components such as resistors and capacitors are used to design the back-drive protection circuit and the pin driver. One problem associated with this scheme is the lack of stability and accuracy. With respect to the stability, a high level of current may result in over-heat of the circuit, thereby degrading the output quality. If the quality control is not carefully executed, this problem may damage the device under test. As to the accuracy of back-drive protection, the analogue component-based scheme could not be accurately control to accomplish the protection during a specified period. In the case where the errors of the component are high, the device under test may also be damaged.
On the other hand, the IC-based scheme is better over the analogue component-based scheme in terms of both the stability and accuracy. Under the IC-based schemes, the above-mentioned analogously disposed components are integrated into a chip to achieve the same functionality. In this way, the component exhibits a better heat-resistant and current control capability. However, the manufacturing cost for IC components is quite high.
In view of the foregoing, there exist problems and disadvantages in the current design schemes that wait further improvement. However, those skilled in the art sought vainly for a solution. Accordingly, there is an urgent need in the related field to provide a solution that balances the desire for a lower cost, stability and accuracy.

Testing apparatus with backdriving protection function


The herein described Adaptive Ergonomic Positioning device (“AEPD”) relates generally to the field of surgery and other medical or healthcare procedures. The AEPD can be adapted for use with most standard surgical tables and surgical chairs where the patient must be positioned prone during a particular procedure. The AEPD may also be used for certain procedures where the patient may be positioned supine. The AEPD support assemblies are highly adjustable and deliver improved ergonomics for both patients and providers. Patients of different morphology can be comfortably positioned in prone with their head and neck in a neutral position, and shoulders in a forward flexed, slightly internally rotated position. The AEPD can be adjusted to accommodate patients with neck and shoulder mobility restrictions, without any effect on provider accessibility to the surgical or treatment site.

The herein described Adaptive Ergonomic Positioning Device ("AEPD") relates generally to the field of surgery and other medical or healthcare procedures. The AEPD can be utilized with standard surgical tables or chairs where the patient must be positioned prone during a particular procedure. The AEPD may also be utilized for certain surgical procedures requiring supine positioning.
Many surgical and other healthcare related procedures necessitate a patient to be positioned prone so the surgeon or healthcare practitioner can access the surgical or treatment site. Standard high-low surgical tables generally have removable sections at the head and foot ends of the table, which lack adjustability. Some models of standard surgical tables provide "arm board attachments" which simply attach to the sides of the standard table to increase the width of the table for patient arm positioning during surgery. Such arm board attachments provide minimal adjustability and generally do not allow for the patient's arms to be supported in a comfortable neutral anatomical position. Furthermore, standard arm board attachments increase the distance across which the surgeon or other healthcare practitioner must reach to access dorsal surgical or treatment sites on the patient. Many surgical chairs recline to similarly accommodate prone patient positioning and present similar issues with attached arm boards and less than optimal practitioner access.
Typical patient prone positioning used today by surgeons and medical providers generally consists of the patient lying prone on the surgical table, with their head on a pillow, rotated 90 degrees to one side. The patient's arms are then abducted to approximately 90 degrees and externally rotated at the shoulder approximately 90 degrees. This position is sometimes referred to as the "superman" position. Surgical chairs typically support the patient's head on a cushion extension with similar arm positioning.
Many people lack 90 degrees of neck rotation. For most people, maintaining their neck in a 90-degree rotated position for any appreciable length of time causes significant discomfort. Similarly, many people lack 90 degrees of shoulder external rotation, or have pre-existing injuries or instability that causes discomfort when the shoulder is abducted and externally rotated. While a conscious patient may be able to verbalize discomfort and request re-positioning, unconscious or sedated patients cannot. As such, prolonged prone positioning that strains tissues can lead to patient discomfort, injury, and negative procedural outcomes.
A common complication from prone patient positioning during surgery is brachial plexus nerve damage resulting from prolonged traction to the brachial plexus. The brachial plexus is fixed at the cervical vertebra and the axillary fascia. Brachial plexus injury following spinal surgery, Uribe J S, Kolla J, Omar H, Dakwar E, Abel N, Mangar D, Camporesi E; J Neurosurg Spine (2010 October; 13(4):552-8). As such, patients in the standard prone surgical position are susceptible to traction and extension type injuries to the brachial plexus. Surgical positioning induced brachial plexus injuries can range from minor and temporary, to major and permanent. Patients who must be in the standard prone surgical position for significant amounts of time are also more susceptible to other neural, dermal, facial, muscular or skeletal injuries as well.
Standard prone positioning during surgical and other procedures also presents ergonomic issues for surgeons and other practitioners. The abducted and externally rotated position of the patient's arms requires the surgeon and surgical personnel to perform more reaching and bending to work on certain surgical or procedural areas. Unnecessary bending and over-reaching leads to fatigue, potential injury of providers and assisting personnel, and the possibility of inaccuracy during delicate procedures.
Patient complications and practitioner fatigue/injury are significant factors that negatively affect patient outcomes and increase the cost of providing healthcare. Prone positioning on standard surgical tables or chairs has been shown to contribute to negative patient outcomes and provider fatigue/injury. Complications associated with prone positioning in elective spinal surgery. J Mason DePasse, Mark A Palumbo, Maahir Haque, Craig P Eberson, and Alan H Daniels; World J Orthop (2015 Apr. 18; 6(3): 351-359).
Attempts have been made to improve prone patient positioning during surgery or other procedures. Such attempts have generally included the development of highly specialized surgical tables for spine surgery. While, such tables have some improved characteristics over standard surgical tables for prone surgery, they are (1) extremely expensive, (2) highly specialized for spinal surgery, and (3) still lack head/neck and upper extremity adjustability. Such a specialized table is not practical, nor economical for smaller, especially rural, facilities that must accommodate a limited amount of prone surgical and/or other medical procedures.
Due to the complications and cost issues noted above with prone patient positioning during surgery and other procedures, there remains a need for the Adaptive Ergonomic Positioning Device ("AEPD") disclosed herein. The AEPD is designed to be interchangeable with the head end segment of standard brand/model surgical tables and chairs. As such, facilities with existing standard surgical tables or chairs can utilize the AEPD with their existing equipment to improve patient positioning during prone procedures.
The AEPD head and arm assembly is highly adjustable so that patients of different morphology can be comfortably positioned in prone with their head and neck in a neutral position, and shoulders in a forward flexed, slightly internally rotated position. The AEPD can be adjusted to accommodate patients with neck and shoulder mobility restrictions, without any effect on provider accessibility to the surgical or treatment site.
Due to the issues with the prior art discussed above, the objectives of the present invention include: (1) provide a positioning device readily adaptable to use on standard surgical tables and chairs, (2) provide an economical AEPD, which can be simply and reliably utilized for a wide variety of procedures, including but not limited to procedures where the patient is:                a. fully conscious or awake,        b. sedated but conscious, or        c. under general anesthesia and unconscious;(3) provide more comfort and relaxed positioning for patients in the prone position during surgical and other medical procedures; (4) reduce or eliminate risks for patients, providers, hospitals and surgical centers associated with prolonged prone positioning during surgical and other medical procedures; (5) improve patient experience and reduce anxiety regarding surgical and other medical procedures; (6) improve provider ergonomics, allowing an easier, shorter "reach" to the patient's body and improved access to the surgical site(s) without having to bend over, or work around, the patient's arms extended on standard arm boards; (7) provide an improved view of the surgical or treatment site(s); (8) provide easy access to, and ability to move, patients' arms and hands for IV management and monitoring processes; and (9) provide for increased patient safety during prone surgical and other medical procedures.


A running power transmission mechanism for a vehicle for transmitting drive power from a driving source to a pair of steering wheels and a pair of non-steering wheels. A main-HST outputs synchronized drive power to the steering and non-steering wheels. The non-steering wheels are driven differentially by the main-HST through a gear mechanism. A sub-HST changes the speed of the drive power inputted via a steering-wheel drive output shaft and outputs the drive power to the steering wheels. The steering wheels are driven differentially by the sub-HST through a gear mechanism.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a running power transmission mechanism for a vehicle, which transmits drive power from a driving source to steering and steered wheels, which are respectively disposed closer to first and second sides of the vehicle in a fore and aft direction thereof.
2. Background Art
In respect to the vehicle with the steering and steered wheels respectively disposed closer to the first and second sides of the vehicle in the fore and aft direction thereof, it is known that, when turning the vehicle, the steering wheels are rotated at a higher speed than the steered wheels so as to shorten the turning radius of the vehicle and prevent such as slippage of the steering wheels. This arrangement poses problems as mentioned below.
That is, there has been proposed a transmission mechanism, in which a steering-wheel driving mechanism in the form of a geared transmission unit is installed in a steering-wheel driving train so as to allow the speed of the geared transmission unit to be changed in accordance with the operation of an operation lever. In this transmission mechanism with the geared transmission unit, the speed at which the steering wheels are driven (steering-wheel drive speed) is stepwisely changed, and therefore there causes a speed differential in changing the steering-wheel drive speed, resulting in deteriorated ride quality and likelihood of damaging a running surface such as lawn.
As another form of the steering-wheel driving mechanism, there has been also proposed an HST, which has a hydraulic pump and a hydraulic motor in the steering-wheel driving train so as to be capable of non-stepwisely changing the speed of the output of the hydraulic motor by the control of the slanting angle of a swash plate of the hydraulic pump according to the steering angle of the steering wheels.
Although the transmission mechanism with the HST can non-stepwisely change the steering-wheel drive speed and therefore does not cause the problems as mentioned above, it cause a different problem due to a specific construction of the transmission mechanism with the HST, which requires the entire power for driving the steering wheels to be transmitted through the HST to the steering wheels, and hence only the HST to change the steering-wheel driving speed. As a result, the HST must have a bigger size for achieving this function, which may invite high production cost and increased installation space.
The present invention has been conceived to solve the above problems. It is an object of the present invention to provide a running power transmission mechanism that is capable of stepwisely changing the speed of drive power transmitted to the steering wheels, as well as achieving cost reduction and decreased installation space.

Running power transmission mechanism for a vehicle


The invention concerns a seafloor-surface connecting installation for a submarine pipeline (10) set on the seafloor, in particular at great depth, of the hybrid-tower type comprising a static base (13-18) set on the seabed. In the inventive installation: 1) said vertical riser includes a terminal pipe portion (51), and a flexible joint (19) which allows angular movements (α) of the upper part (52) relative to said terminal pipe portion (51); and 2) the terminal part (11) of said pipe resting on the seabed has a an elbow-type terminal curvature; 3) said terminal portion (51) of the vertical riser is connected to said terminal curvature (11) by a single connecting element; and 4) said base plate (13-18) rigidly maintains in fixed vertical position and linked to each other via said connecting element (12): said terminal pipe portion (51) and said elbow-type terminal curvature (12) the latter facing upwards.

1. Field of the Invention
The object of the present invention is a seafloor—surface connection installation of at least one sub-marine hybrid tower pipeline installed at great depth.
The technical field of the invention is the field of manufacturing and installation of production vertical risers for sub-marine extraction of petroleum, gas or other soluble or fusible material or of a suspension of mineral material using an immersed well head for the development of production fields installed on the open sea, offshore. The main and immediate application of the invention being in the field of petroleum production.
A floating base comprises in general anchoring means for remaining in position regardless of the currents, winds and the swell. In general, it comprises also petroleum storage and processing means as well as offloading means to the oil -tank carriers, these latter appearing at regular intervals in order to carry out removal of production. In English these floating bases are called "Floating Production Storage Offloading", for which the abbreviated form FPSO will be used throughout the following description.
By reason of the multiplicity of the lines existing on this type of installation, seafloor—surface hybrid type vertical riser type connections have been deployed in which the substantially vertical rigid pipelines called herein 'vertical risers', assure the connection between the sub-marine pipelines resting on the seafloor and rise along a riser up to a depth in proximity to the surface, at which depth the flexible pipelines assure the connection between the top of the tower and the floating base. The tower is thus equipped flotation mans in order to remain in a vertical position and the risers are connected at the foot of the tower to the sub-marine pipelines by flexible sleeves that absorb the angular movements of the tower. The assembly is collectively called a 'hybrid tower', because it combines two technologies: on the one hand a vertical part, the tower, in which the riser is comprised of rigid pipelines and on the other hand the top part of the riser comprised of concatenated flexible pipes that assure the connection to the floating base.
2. Discussion of Related Art
French patent FR 2 507 672 published on 17 Dec. 1982 entitled "Riser for Great Water Depths" is well-known and describes such a hybrid column.
The present invention relates more particularly to the known field of connection of the type comprising a hybrid vertical column anchored on the seafloor and comprised of a float disposed at the top of a vertical riser, the latter being connected by a pipeline, especially a flexible pipeline assuming by its own weight the form of a catenary from the top of the riser up to a floating base installed on the surface.
The interest in such a hybrid column resides in the possibility for the floating base to be able to leave its normal position by inducing a minimum of stress in the column as well as in the parts of the pipelines in the form of suspended catenaries, both on the seafloor and on the surface.
The patent filed on behalf of this applicant, WO 00/49267, is well known and discloses a column whose float is at a depth greater than the half-depth of the water and whose catenary connection to the surface craft is realized by means of thick-walled rigid pipelines. The column thus described requires at its base flexible link pipes enabling connecting the lower end of the vertical risers of said column to the sub-marine pipeline resting on the bottom in such a fashion as to absorb the movements resulting from dilations due to the temperature of the fluid being transported.
More particularly, in WO 00/049267, the anchoring system comprises a vertical tendon comprised of either a cable or a metal bar or even of a pipeline held at its upper end by a float. The lower end of the tendon is fixed to a foot resting on the seafloor. Said tendon comprises guide means disposed over its entire length through which said vertical risers pass. Said foot can be positioned simply on the seafloor and remain in place in virtue of its own weight or it can be anchored by means of piles or any other suitable device for maintaining it in place. In WO 00/42967 the lower end of the vertical riser can be connected to the end of a curved connection sleeve moveable between a high and a low position relative to said foot from which this connection sleeve is suspended and associated with a return means moving it into the high position in the absence of the riser. This mobility of the bent connection sleeve makes it possible to accommodate variations in the length of the riser under the effects of temperature and pressure. An abutment device is secured at the top of the vertical riser in suspension on the support guide installed on the top of the float.
Furthermore, the crude petroleum traveling over very long distances—several kilometers—it should be provided with an extreme insulation level in order on the one hand to minimize the increase in viscosity that would lead to a reduction of the hourly production of the wells and on the other hand to prevent blockage of the flow by deposition of paraffins or the formation of hydrates once the temperature decreases to around 30-40° C. These latter phenomena are even the more critical, in particular in West Africa, as the temperature of the sea bottom is of the order of 4° C. and the crude petroleum are of the paraffin type.
Numerous thermal insulation systems are known that make it possible to achieve the required performance level and to resist the pressure at the bottom of the sea which is of the order of 150 bar at 1,500 m depth. The "pipe-in-pipe" concepts can be cited inter alia that comprise a pipe carrying hot fluid installed within a protective external pipe, the space between the two pipes being either simply filled with a heat insulating material, whether or not confined under vacuum, or simple evacuated. Numerous other materials have been developed for assuring high performance insulation; certain of these being resistant to pressure, simply surrounding the hot pipeline and are in general confined to the inside of a flexible or rigid envelope under equipressure and whose main function is to maintain a substantially constant geometry over time.
All of these devices carrying a hot fluid within an insulated pipe exhibit, to different degrees, the phenomenon of differential dilation. In fact, the inside pipe, generally made of steel, is at a temperature that should be maintained as high as possible; for example 60 or 80° C., since the outer envelope, which is quite frequently also made of steel, is at the temperature of the seawater; that is, around 4° C. The forces acting on the connection elements between the inside pipe and the outer envelope are considerable and can reach several tens, even several hundreds of tons and the overall resulting elongation is of the order of 1 to 2 m in the case of insulated pipelines of 1,000 to 1,200 m in length.

Seafloor-surface connecting installation of a submarine pipeline installed at great depth


The present invention relates to a white light emitting diode (LED) package that includes a blue LED chip to emit blue light; a yellow phosphor excited by the blue light and emit yellow light, the yellow light to produce a primary white light in combination with the blue light; a red LED chip to emit red light, the red light to adjust the primary white light into secondary white light of an incandescent color; and a package member comprising at least a partial transmissive part covering the blue LED chip, the red LED chip, and the yellow phosphor. The primary white light falls in a region of (0.413, 0.502), (0.335, 0.376), (0.37, 0.371), and (0.439, 0.48) based on a CIE color coordinate standard.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a white light emitting diode (LED) package and to a white LED package that emits white light with an incandescent color.
2. Discussion of the Background
White LED packages using an LED as a white light source instead of a traditional incandescent lamp or a fluorescent lamp have been increasingly developed. An LED package typically uses a semiconductor LED that emits light by recombination of electrons and holes at a p-n junction upon application of an electric current.
A conventional white LED package may be fabricated using trichromatic LED chips that emit red, green, and blue light. However, such an LED package may not produce uniform white light due to differences in distance between the trichromatic LED chips. Further, a white LED package may be developed that produces white light via a combination of a blue LED chip and a yellow phosphor. This conventional LED package has a simple circuit configuration and may be cost effective, but may exhibit low color reproducibility due to low light intensity at long wavelengths.
Numerous studies have been carried out to develop an LED package that emits optimal white light in terms of color uniformity and color reproducibility. An incandescent lamp is well known as a light source which is close to a Plankian radiator. The incandescent lamp emits a warm white light at a temperature of about 2854K based on the CIE1931 standard, which provides a warm and comfortable atmosphere and an enhanced aesthetic appeal of a colored object. For that reason, there is a need in the LED field to develop an LED package emitting white light more similar to the incandescent lamp.

White light emitting diode package for incandescent color


A spring clip mounts a mounting tube thereon, wherein the mounting tube receives a tissue roller rotatably thereabout, and the mounting tube having a cap removably mounted therefrom, with the cap coaxially aligned with the mounting tube, including projections fixedly mounted to the cap to extend over the tissue roll to secure the tissue roll between the cap and the spring clip structure.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of invention relates to tissue dispenser structure, and more particularly pertains to a new and improved bed mounted tissue roll holder apparatus wherein the same is arranged for the mounting and dispensing of tissue paper relative to a bed assembly.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of tissue relative to bed-ridden patients and invalids in a nursing and hospital scenario is effected in the prior art by merely positioning a tissue roll for convenience for use by a staff member or individual. The instant invention attempts to overcome deficiencies of the prior art by providing for a tube member to support the tissue roll permitting ease of access to the tissue roll and its positioning relative to use. Prior art tissue dispensers have heretofore failed to provide this manner of mounting the tissue roll structure and such examples are indicated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,607,809; 4,634,067; 4,373,682; and 4,103,838.

Bed mounted tissue roll holder apparatus


An outer ring of a cross roller bearing is a composite component having an outer ring main body portion constructed of a lightweight metal alloy and a raceway surface formation portion linked to an inner side thereof and constructed of a ferrous material. A ring for forming the raceway surface formation portion is preformed, and is inserted into a forging die, powder forging is performed using a metal powder for manufacturing the outer ring main body portion, a composite component is manufactured in which a ringshaped portion for forming the outer ring main body portion is integrally formed with the raceway surface formation ring, and an after-treatment is performed on the product.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a lightweight bearing ring in which a portion forming a raceway surface of the bearing ring is formed from a ferrous material, and the remaining portion is formed from aluminum alloy or another lightweight material.
2. Description of the Related Art
The inner and outer rings of a bearing are manufactured from bearing steel, ductile cast-iron, and other high-density materials in order to maintain abrasion resistance and other properties of a raceway surface of a rolling element. A composite bearing ring made of a raceway ring main body member comprised of a light alloy and a raceway surface formation member comprised of a ferrous element is proposed in JP-A 2000-186718 for reducing the weight of the bearing. A method for manufacturing this composite bearing ring is proposed in JP-A 2002-339991.


An elevator system includes a multi-deck vehicle having at least two cars for transporting persons and/or goods, wherein the elevator system is arranged so as to be movable along a track and is coupled to a drive using at least one support device. The at least two cars of the multi-deck vehicle are coupled to each other, the track includes at least one guide rail, and each of the cars of the multi-deck vehicle has at least one guide element that is guided on or in one of the at least one guide rail.

Such multi-deck vehicles of elevator installations conventionally include a common car frame, in which at least two cars are integrated and which is arranged to be movable or displaceable along guide rails in an elevator shaft. This common car frame is coupled by way of a support means with a drive and optionally also with a counterweight.
Multi-deck vehicles of that kind are known from, for example, the documents EP 1 342 690 A1, U.S. Pat. No. 6,786,305 B2, WO 98/09906 A1 and WO 2005/014460 A1. In the multi-deck vehicles disclosed in these documents in each instance different devices for changing a spacing between adjacent cars and/or adjusting a floor of a car are provided, so that these multi-deck vehicles can be used in elevator shafts with different floor spacings or in an elevator shaft with variable or imprecise floor spacings.

Elevator installation with a multi-deck vehicle


Briefly, in accordance with one or more embodiments a mobility anchor point may operate in a distributed mobility anchor network. The mobility anchor point comprises a processor and a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the processor is configured by instructions in the memory to receive a request from a mobile node to connect with a base station, store one or more connection statistics regarding the connect request in a cache, send the one or more connection statistics to a mobility manager, and receive a message from the mobility manager indicating an identity of an assigned mobility anchor assigned to the mobile node.

In order to be able to transfer packets to and from remote devices, a communication device uses the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the destination to designate to where the packet should be transferred and its own IP address to indicate to the remote device where to send the reply packets, if any. As a result, each device is assigned an IP address when connecting to a network. The IP address comprises a network portion and host or device portion. The network portion is assigned according to the network to which the device is directly connected, and the host portion is a unique value within that local network.
In mobile networks, mobile nodes are connected to an access network via a radio link with a base station. The base station provides a radio link for connecting with several mobile nodes that are in its coverage area. The base station in turn is connected through an IP connection to an access network. The access network is connected via edge routers to the Internet, thus providing connectivity for the mobile nodes to any device that is connected to the Internet.
Mobile nodes are unique in the sense that when moving they may leave the coverage area of one base station and arrive in the coverage area of a different base station which may result in the mobile node being connected to a different local area network. The movement of the mobile node between base stations may result in a clash between the network address of the new local area network and the address part of the IP address of the mobile node. The clash should be resolved in order to maintain the ability of the mobile node to transmit and receive packets.
One solution for this clash is to assign a new IP address to the mobile node when it connects to a new base station where the network part of the new address is aligned with the new local area network address. This solution may be problematic in that changing the IP address of a mobile node in the middle of a session involves various complex operations to enable the continuation of established connections between the mobile node and other devices.
Another resolution of the clash may involve using Proxy Mobile IP protocol (PMIP) where the packets are tunneled between the base station and a Mobility Anchor Point (MAP) as the packets are transferred to and from the edge router and Internet. When a tunnel is created, a special IP address is used to transfer the packets between the MAP and the base-station through which the mobile node is connected. When the packets enter the tunnel, the packet is encapsulated with an additional IP header containing the tunnel IP address, and when the packet reaches the other endpoint of the tunnel, the extra header is removed (decapsulated). In this approach, the source and destination devices are able to communicate regardless of the actual base station being used by the mobile node. When the mobile node moves, a handover operation occurs between the original base station through which the mobile node had originally connected to the network and the new base station through which the device is currently connected to the network. The handover operation includes among other operations, the setting of a new tunnel between the MAP and the new base station for all traffic related to the IP address of the mobile node. The handover mechanism enables a mobile node to continue its communication without having to change its IP address. Moreover, this mechanism is transparent to the mobile node and to the peer devices with which the mobile node communicates.
Utilization of a centralized MAP may introduce some limitations. First, all IP address allocations for all connecting mobile nodes are performed by a single device, the MAP, which handles control traffic requesting a new IP address and the resulting reply between the base stations and the MAP. Second, all data traffic between the mobile nodes and their destination devices in the Internet are routed through a single central device, the MAP. Third, all packets transferred to and from the base station are tunneled resulting in an increase of overhead bytes as a result of the encapsulation that takes place. Fourth, the MAP requires extra processing power to encapsulate and decapsulate all packets arriving from and to the base stations.
It will be appreciated that for simplicity and/or clarity of illustration, elements illustrated in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity. Further, if considered appropriate, reference numerals have been repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding and/or analogous elements.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Statistics for optimizing distributed mobility anchoring for wireless networks


Mixtures comprised of the compounds trans-1,2-dichloroethylene and/or cis-1,2-dichloroethylene and perchloroethylene are disclosed; as is a method for cleaning a solid substrate which comprises treating the substrate with said mixtures. A method for precision cleaning is disclosed, comprising the steps of showering the contaminated surfaces with said mixtures and then rinsing said surfaces with said mixtures that have been cleaned by distillation in-system. A method for dissolving and reconstituting polymers, waxes and oils by use of said mixtures or by use of mixtures consisting essentially of trans-1,2-dichloroethylene or cis-1,2-dichloroethylene is also disclosed; as is a method for delivering polymers, waxes, oils paints, pesticides, insecticides and fungicides to a surface by use of said mixtures or by use of mixtures consisting essentially of trans-1,2-dichloroethylene or cis-1,2-dichloroethylene.

It is well known in the art that chlorinated solvents are useful as cleaning agents for solid substrates such as photographic film, electronic and mechanical parts, molds for casting plastics, surfaces being prepared for painting, fabrics, and various other surfaces in need of degreasing. It is also well known to persons skilled in the requisite art that chlorinated solvents are useful for dissolving materials such as polymers, waxes, oils, paints, the active ingredients in pesticides, insecticides, and fungicides, and for removing these substances from, or delivering these substances to a surface. Frequently, these substances were put into solution with a chlorinated solvent and an aerosol propellant (e.g. butane, propane, nitrogen, fluorocarbons, and carbon dioxide). The resulting solution was then suitable for various aerosol applications including cleaning and coating a substrate with the active ingredient.
One of the most common solvents used to date for such purposes is the compound 1,1,1-trichloroethane. 1,1,1-Trichloroethane has a relatively low boiling point, is non-flammable, and has a high solvency power. However, 1,1,1-trichloroethane and certain other chlorinated hydrocarbons have been theoretically linked to the depletion of the earth's protective ozone layer, and subsequently banned from commercial use in the United States. It is therefore desirable to produce a solvent, capable of multiple applications which has a relatively low boiling point, a high solvency power, is non-flammable, and most importantly, environmentally safe in that it does not deplete the ozone.
Some prior art solutions to this problem have involved using azeotropes and quasi-azeotropes based upon halohydrocarbons containing fluorine for some solvent applications where 1,1,1-trichloroethane had been formerly used. However, there are certain distinct disadvantages to using such azeotropes and quasi-azeotropes.
An azeotrope is a solution of two or more liquids, the composition of which does not change upon distillation. According to Anton, et al., (U.S. Pat. No. 5,221,361), "it is not possible to predict the formation of azeotropes and this obviously complicates the search for new azeotropic systems." Yet Anton mentions that "there is a constant effort in the art to discover new azeotropes, or azeotrope-like systems which have desirable solvency characteristics and particularly a greater range of solvency power." Such azeotropes and quasi-azeotropes are difficult and expensive to discover and produce. Furthermore, a fixed boiling point and solvency power may limit the usefulness of an azeotrope or quasi-azeotrope.
A need exists, therefore, for affordable, versatile, non-ozone depleting alternatives to traditional chlorinated solvents or to expensive azeotropic or quasi-azeotropic compositions designed to replace these chlorinated solvents.
A list of prior patents which may be of interest is provided below:
______________________________________ Patent No. Inventor Issue Date ______________________________________ 5,250,208 Merchant, et al. 5 OCT 1993 4,086,179 Schneider 25 APR 1978 3,882,568 Hill 13 MAY 1975 3,737,941 Miller, et al. 12 JUN 1973 3,635,762 Ott, et al. 18 JAN 1972 3,615,814 Ott, et al. 25 NOV 1969 ______________________________________
Hill discloses a method for cleaning acetate-based photographic film using a lint-free material that has been moistened with a cleaning solvent such as methyl chloroform. Hill does not mention the use of trans-dichloroethylene as the cleaning solvent.
Schneider teaches the use of cleaning solvents containing non-azeotropic mixture including 1,1,1-trichloroethane.
Merchant, et al. is directed to ternary azeotropic compositions which possibly include trans-dichloroethylene.