The present invention provides an organic-inorganic hybrid chiral sorbent for chiral resolution of various racemic compounds viz. racemic mandelic acid, 2-phenyl propionic acid, diethyl tartrate, 2,2′-dihydroxy-1,1′-binaphthalene (BINOL) and cyano chromene oxide with excellent chiral separation (enantiomeric excess, 99%) in case of mandelic acid under medium pressure column chromatography. These optically pure enantiomers find applications as intermediates in pharmaceutical industries.

Resolution of chiral molecules is required in many areas of research. As enzymes and other biological receptor molecules are stereo-specific, enantiomers of a racemic compound may interact with them in a different manner. Consequently, two enantiomers of a racemic compound have different pharmacological activities in many instances. In order to discern these differing effects, the biological activity of each enantiomer needs to be studied separately. This has contributed significantly towards the requirement of enantiomerically pure compounds particularly in pharmaceutical industry and thereby the needs to focus on chiral separation using techniques like chiral chromatography. Various attempts have been made in the past for the development of different stationary phases; for example A. Bielejewska et al. Chem. Anal. (Warsaw) 47 (2002) 419 has reported β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) and permethylated β-cyclodextrin for use of chromatographic separation of mandelic acid and its esters of different aliphatic carbon chain length by reverse phase HPLC. The drawbacks of this process are; (i) β-cyclodextrin alone does not recognize enantiomers of mandelic acid; (ii) stationary phase needs to be permethylated for achieving high chiral separation; (iii) reaction has to be conducted in reverse phase.
S. P. Mendez et al. J. Anal. At. Spectrom. 13 (1998) 893. reported the resolution of D,L-selenomethionine derivatives of OPA (O-phthalaldehyde) and NDA (2,3-naphthalenedicarboxaldehyde) to their respective enantiomers by HPLC on a β-CD chiral column using conventional fluorimetric detection. The drawbacks of this process are; (i) In this study, the amino acid was derivatized using o-phthalaldehyde or naphthalene-2,3-dicarboxaldehyde to allow conventional fluorimetric detection. Such a derivatization step, however, is undesirable because it prolongs the sample preparation time, and requires additional validation because it may be a potential source of contamination, may induce racemization or may complicate the separation.
L. S. Karen et al. Analyst 125 (2000) 281 disclosed the work based on a commercially available HPLC column with a chiral crown ether based stationary phase to perform enantiomeric separations of selenoamino acids without derivatization. The drawbacks of this process are; (i) the need to have dilute perchloric acid as mobile phase for such a column; (ii) The separation of the enantiomers is temperature sensitive.
C. A. L. Ponce de Leon et al. J. Anal. At. Spectrom. 15 (2000) 1103 describes the enantiomeric separation of nine selenoamino acids encountered in selenium-enriched yeast using a crown ether column. The drawbacks of this process are; (i) this reaction involves acidic condition to get effective separation; (ii) The separation process requires lower temperature (18-22° C.) for complete resolution; (iii) the non-polar amino acids may not elute from the column, therefore, a balance between temperature and elution of non-polar compounds is required for an optimum separation.
S. P. Mendez et al. J. Anal. At. Spectrom. 15 (2000) 1109 described the use of teicoplanin-bonded chiral stationary phase (Chirobiotic T) to resolve a variety of underivatized aminoacids. Teicoplanin is a glycopeptide antibiotic which contains 20 chiral centers. The drawbacks of this process are; (i) Teicoplanin is a toxic and naturally occurring complex molecule therefore cannot be easily tuned for various applications (ii) due to the presence of many glycosidic linkages it is prone to hydrolysis and/or alteration in conformation thereby change in optical properties under the elution conditions (iii) this separation process requires pH adjustment about 4 and 7; (iv) separation has to be conducted in reverse phase.
M. Raimondo et al. Chem. Commun. (1997) 1343 used mesoporous silica-based MCM-41 coated on GC capillary columns, as chiral stationary phase to separate different organic molecules The drawbacks of this process are; (i) That separation indeed occurs within the MCM-41 cavities and by a mechanism depending on the proton affinities of the compounds.
M. Grun et al. J. Chromatogr. A 740 (1996) 1 described the behavior of silica, alumina, titania, zirconia and the novel mesoporous aluminosilicate MCM-41 in normal-phase high-performance liquid chromatography under comparable conditions. MCM-41 shows some interesting features as compared to mesoporous crystalline and amorphous oxides. The drawbacks of this process are; (i) This work includes only comparison of an ordered mesoporous aluminosilicate, silica, alumina, titania and zirconia in normal-phase high-performance liquid chromatography; (ii) it requires very large column (250×4 mm).
V. A. Soloshonok, Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 45 (2006) 766), reported the work based on achiral silica as column packing material for remarkable separation of enantiomers of perfluoroalkyl keto compounds through column chromatography. The drawbacks of this process are; (i) only trifluoromethyl group containing compounds are separated. (ii) variation in results is found with changing the solvents. (iii) In the case of preferential homochiral association, the situation is bit subtle as the formation of dimer will result in different number of enantiomeric (S)(S) and (R)(R) pairs with identical scalar properties. These dimers therefore cannot be separated.
J. H. Kennedy, J. Chromatogr. A 725 (1996) 219 disclosed chiral stationary phases based on polysaccharide derivative coated on silica for chiral separation of different compounds containing carbonyl group and other aromatic ring containing compounds. The drawbacks of this process are; (i) Derivatization of carboxylic acids or eluent modifiers such as acetic acid or diethyl amine is required in this system; (ii) Polysaccharide phases based chiral stationary phase is not predictable and capable of separating both t-acid and n-basic type compounds.
X. Huang et al. Analytical Science 21 (2005) 253 and S. Rogozhin et al. German Patent 1 932 190 (1969); Chem. Abstr., 72 (1970) 90875c have described the use of chiral copper metal complex supported on silica as stationary phase for separation DL-selenomethionine in buffered solution at pH, 5.5 along with methanol as mobile phase. The drawbacks of this process is (i) This separation technique requires 200×4.6 mm i.d. stainless-steel column; (ii) only underivatized amino acids were resolved on it; (iii) the use of methanol doesn't favor the resolution of DL-selenomethionine; (iv) higher temperature gives some de-activation effect of some biological sample.
J. Bergmann et al. Anal. Bioanal. Chem. 378 (2004) 1624 and M. M. Bayon et al. J. Anal. At. Spectrom. 16(9) (2001) 945 disclosed a fast and sensitive method for the determination of the absolute configuration of Se-amino acids by derivatization process at room temperature by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. The drawbacks of these process are; (i) separation can be possible in reversed phase HPLC— inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry; (ii) Detection limits of about 4 microg L(−1) were obtained; (iii) The derivetization of enantiomers of selenomethionine is necessary. (iv) The final operating conditions involved the use of 50% (v/v) MeOH at pH 5.3 (acetic acid-sodium acetate).
H. Kosugi et al. Chem. Commun. (1997) 1857 described synthesis of (−)-epibatidine and its intermediates by medium pressure liquid chromatography by using achiral silica gel column (Si-10; eluted with 3:1 hexane-EtOAc; UV (254 nm) and RI detectors). The drawbacks of this process are; (i) In this system there is no mechanism of the separation: (ii) It includes only synthesis of (−)-epibatidine and its intermediates; (iii) only hydroxy acetal was separated through achiral column chromatography.
S. P. Mendez et al. J. Anal. At. Spectrom. 14 (1999) 1333 described chiral resolution and speciation of DL-selenomethionine enantiomers by capillary gas chromatography (GC) using an L-valine-tert-butylamide modified polydimethylsiloxane as chiral stationary phase The drawbacks of this process are; (i) good resolution was achieved in the higher temperature range only from 100-160° C.; (ii) requires He as carrier gas; (iii) separation is more difficult for complex biological samples.
R. Vespalec et al. Anal. Chem. 67 (1995) 3223; K. L. Sutton et al. Analyst 125 (2000) 231; S. P. Mendez et al. Anal. Chim. Acta 416 (2000) 1; J. A. Day et al. J. Anal. At. Spectrom. 17 (2002) 27 describes capillary electrophoresis as a tool for the enantiomeric separation selenium containing amino acids, by derivatization process using capillary electrophoresis with UV absorbance detection. The drawbacks of this process are; (i) This separation technique has been used to separate the enantiomers of selenoamino acids by the addition of chiral additives to the electrophoretic buffer; (ii) UV absorbance detection was used in these studies and required the derivatization of the selenoamino acids to permit detection; (iii) UV absorbance detection, without sample pre-concentration, was not sensitive enough to permit the detection of the low levels of selenoamino acids present in complex samples; (iv) applied voltage and pH value gives variation in separation results; (v) buffer system was chosen for good resolution; (vi) addition of methanol to the buffer is required for improved resolution.
B. V. Ernholt et al. Eur. J. Chem. 6 (2000) 278) described the synthesis and enzymatic separation of 1-Azafagomine through achiral regular column chromatography. The drawbacks of this process are; (i) enzymetic separation requires different buffer solutions; (ii) the conversion and enantiomeric excess is affected by varying the solvents, enzymes and its concentration; (iii) low enantiomeric excess was achieved through achiral column chromatography by loading 51% compound.
A. Goswami et al., Z Tetrahedron Asymmetry, 16 (2005) 1715 disclosed enzymatic separation of (±)-sec-butlylamine, lipase and proteases using ether, heptane or dacane as solvent and vinyl butyrate or ethyl butyrate as acylating agent. The drawbacks of this process are; (i) enzymes shows very low enantio-selectivity; (ii) it's a time consuming process (more than 7 days); (iii) solvent, such as acetonitrile, cyclohexane, toluene, methyl-t-butyl ether, 2-methyl-2-pentanol, ethyl caprate is required for this system. Mitsuhashi Kazuya et at in U.S. Pat. No. 278,268 Oct. 23, 2002 disclosed a method for the synthesis of optically active mandelic acid derivatives by enzymatic separation. The drawbacks of this process are; (i) microorganism is essential to generate the (R)-5-mandelic acid derivative or (S)-mandelic acid derivative; (ii) requires appropriate buffer solution.
Mod Takao et al. U.S. Pat. No. 142,914 Oct. 29, 1993 disclosed a process for preparing D-mandelic acid by converting L-mandelic acid into benzoylformic acid followed by stereoselectively reducing it into D-mandelic acid. The drawbacks of this process are; (i) The isolation and collection of microbial cells from culture broth is complicated; (ii) buffer solution is required for maintaining pH; (iii) it is time consuming process.
Endo Takakazu et at in U.S. Pat. No. 677,175 Mar., 29, 1991 disclosed process for producing (R)-(−)-mandelic acid or a derivative through enzymatic separation. The drawbacks of this process are; (i) hydrolysis of mandelonitrile is necessary; (ii) requires neutral or basic reaction system to produce the (R)-(−)-mandelic acid; (iii) requires expensive use of microorganism. and Ghisalba Oreste et at in U.S. Pat. No. 360,802 Jun. 2, 1989 described process for the preparation of R- or S-2-hydroxy-4-phenylbutyric acid in very high enantiomeric purity by enzymatic separation. Disadvantage of this process are; (i) The reduction of the substrate is effected by the so-called final reductase; (ii) suitable as biocatalysts are only purified enzymes; (iii) regeneration of enzyme is complicated.
Hashimoto Yoshihiro et al in U.S. Pat. No. 764,295 Dec. 12, 1996, reported a process for producing an alpha-hydroxy acid or an alpha-hydroxyamide from an aldehyde and prussic acid with a microorganism. The drawbacks of this process are; (i) deactivation of microorganism within a short period of time at higher and lower temperature; (ii) high concentration and high yield is difficult to obtain for alpha-hydroxy acid or alpha-hydroxyamide; (iii) the reaction rate is lowered with an increase in the concentration of the alpha-hydroxy acid or alpha-hydroxyamide product as a result, the reaction does not proceed to completion.
Endo Takakazu et al in U.S. Pat. No. 904,335 Jun. 25, 1992 described a process for producing (R),(S)-mandelic acid or a derivative thereof from mandelonitrile using a microorganism belonging to the genus Rhodococcus. The drawbacks of this process are; (i) chiral reagents and microorganism are more expensive; (ii) this method is industrially non-advantageous for producing (R)-(−)-mandelic acid or derivatives; (iii) hydrogenases produced by these bacteria are not always satisfactory.
R. Charles et al. J. Chromatogr. 298 (1984) 516 described the separation of 14C labelled nicotine through totally achiral column chromatography. The drawbacks of this process are; (i) it requires buffer solution to adjust the pH; (ii) peak-splitting phenomenon was caused by some components of the cation-exchange column or mobile phase.
V. A. Soloshonok et al. J. Fluorine Chemistry, In Press disclosed the self-disproportionation chromatography (SDC) involves the separation of trifluoromethyl group containing compounds and used totally achiral silica as column packing. The drawbacks of this process are; (i) variations in results are found with changing the solvents. (ii) In the case of preferential homochiral association, the situation is bit subtle as the formation of dimmer will result in different number of enantiomeric (S)(S) and (R)(R) pairs with identical scalar properties. These dimers therefore cannot be separated.

Organic-inorganic hybrid chiral sorbent and process for the preparation thereof

Council of Scientific & Industrial Research


Systems and methods for manufacturing and inspecting documents having information recorded thereon include a visual inspection cell, a recording unit, and a packaging unit. The manufactured documents can include driver's licenses, credit cards, military identification cards, welfare cards, social security cards, and other such cards having information recorded thereon suitable for identifying persons or objects. In an optional embodiment of the invention, the manufactured documents include a laminated overlay that includes a holographic overlay as a security feature and the visual inspection cell includes a lighting unit and camera adapted to illuminate and image the recorded data positioned behind the hologram.

Presently, data recording systems exist that can record graphic, text and image data onto identification documents, such as driver's licenses, military identification cards, and school identification cards. For example, systems exist that manufacture driver's licenses which include a printed image of the driver, text data, a bar code, a fingerprint image, and a magnetic stripe. These improved identification cards can carry more information and are more difficult to forge than conventional identification cards which typically only include a photographic image, a standard graphic image and a block of text data.
Although these improved identification cards have many advantages over the conventional identification cards, the manufacture of these improved identification cards has proven to be more complex than the manufacture of traditional identification cards. In particular, the implementation of an inspection and quality control system for regulating the quality of each recorded data format is more time consuming and expensive than the inspection of the traditional identification card.
The systems presently employed for inspecting these improved identification cards are relatively unsophisticated. Typically, the inspection is manually performed with operators that inspect each card, or select ones of the cards, to detect smudges, missing pictures and other gross errors that are readily detectable by manual inspection. These unsophisticated prior art systems are relatively cumbersome, ineffective and expensive to operate. Moreover, the manual inspection operation only detects printing or recording errors, and fails to detect typographical errors and other misprints. Therefore, a barcode that is printed without smudges will pass inspection even if the recorded data is incorrect or meaningless.
Additionally, the acuity of these manual inspection systems is fairly poor, for example, these manual inspection systems are ill equipped to detect subtle changes in the recording process, such as a lightening of the recorded text, or a slight tilt of a printed image. Therefore, these manual inspection systems are unable to detect conditions that indicate future failures in the system, such as running out of ink or loose printing heads. Similarly, manual inspection is poorly suited for detecting errors, like blurring or smudges, in complex images, such as two-dimensional barcodes or finger print images.
Also troublesome is the inability to detect non-uniformity between identification cards manufactured at different manufacturing stations. Because the uniformity of the recorded data is effected by the age and type of printer that records the image onto the card, there can be a wide range of darkness levels for the images recorded by different manufacturing stations. Although these different darkness levels can be quite pronounced when cards are compared side-by-side, subtle differences are difficult for a human inspector to detect. This lack of uniformity makes it more difficult to detect forgeries and, therefore, reduces the security provided by the identification card.
A further problem with the present systems for inspecting identification cards arises with the incorporation of security features such as holographic overlays. These holographic overlays are highly reflective of light and, therefore, can obscure the text, image or graphic data beneath the overlay and make manual inspection difficult.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved unitary system for manufacturing and inspecting identification cards having data recorded in different formats.
Another object of the invention is to provide systems and methods for recording and inspecting data records each having different data recorded thereon.
A further object is to provide a system for recording data that reduces the labor costs associated with quality control and inspection.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a system for recording data that increases the uniformity of printed data between identification cards.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide systems and methods that can inspect the data recorded onto an identification card having a holographic overlay.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide systems and methods for manufacturing identification cards that detect changes in the recording process and operation of the system.
These and other objects of the present invention will be made apparent by the following description of the invention.


A recycling apparatus and system for plastic material and electronics parts. The completely assembled unit encompasses a support frame and a plurality of color coded transparent collection bags. The color scheme represents electronic resistors which coincide with the number codes of the Society of Plastic Industry. The recycling apparatus including an octagonal base member that has a base top and a base bottom. Included is a center post. The center post projects from the base top and has a lower end and an upper end. The upper end has a pair of upper diametric openings that extend through the pole. The upper end has a pair of lower diametric openings that extend through the pole. Four elongated dowel members are provided. Each dowel has three threaded recesses. A first dowel of the four dowels is positioned through one of the pair of upper diametric openings. A second dowel of the four dowels is positioned through another of the pair of upper diametric openings. A third dowel of the four dowels being positioned through one of the pair of lower diametric openings. A fourth dowel of the four dowels being positioned through another of the pair of lower diametric openings. At least 12 knobs are included and each knob is threaded. Each knob is capable of threadable coupling with atleast one of the recesses of the four dowels. Finally, a plurality of color coded transparent plastic bag members are positioned on any three of the 12 knobs to hang vertically from at least two of the four dowels.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recycling apparatus and system and more particularly pertains to providing an apparatus for containment of discarded plastics and electronic material and a means to organize the discarded materials with the use of color coded transparent plastic bags.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of a recycling container is known in the prior art. More specifically, recycling containers heretofore devised and utilized for the purpose of separating waste material are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
By way of example, the prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 5,101,984 to Shaw discloses a recycling trash bag arrangement wherein a series of individual plastic bags are suspended from a rack structure and marked to receive a particular kind of recyclable material. Each of the bags is marked with an identifying name of the recyclable material to be placed therein.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,131,499 to Hoar discloses a retail store check-out device that has a generally carousel structure. The device has a compartment that is configured to receive a plastic bag which is held open by hooks so as to receive materials of various sizes and shapes.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,190,183 to McNaughton, et al. discloses a trash can divider which is used to support plastic liner bags to receive a variety of materials such as trash and recyclables. The trash can divider is made with telescopic arms and end clips so that the device may be installed in a conventional cylindrical type trash can.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,190,252 to Schrager discloses a refuse bag support system that is used to sort and store various kinds of materials.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,183,228 to Curry discloses a device for compartmentalizing a container into a plurality of individual compartments.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,072,883 to Hansen et al. discloses a method of collecting recyclable materials and separating recycled materials from household and commercial refuse for recycling at a recyclable material recovery facility.
Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,018,876 to Mennella discloses a divided separable trash bag that is made of recyclable plastic.
In this respect, the recycling apparatus and system according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of providing an apparatus for containment of discarded plastics and electronic material and a means to organize the discarded material.
Therefore, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for a new and improved recycling apparatus and system which can be used for providing an apparatus for containment of discarded plastics and electronic material and a means to organize the discarded material. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.


A method for manufacturing and a Super Junction MOSFET are disclosed. The Super Junction MOSFET comprises a lightly doped epitaxial layer of a first conductivity type on a heavily doped substrate of the first conductivity type. A deep trench is formed in the epitaxial layer. The deep trench having an insulating layer with a thickness gradient formed on surfaces of the deep trench. One or more regions of the epitaxial layer proximate to sidewalls of the deep trench is doped of a second conductivity type, wherein the second conductivity type is opposite the first conductivity type. Finally, MOSFET device structures are formed in the epitaxial layer.

Integrated circuits, such as microprocessors and memory devices, include many metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs), which provide the basic switching functions to implement logic gates, data storage, power switching, and the like.
Power MOSFETs have typically been developed for applications requiring power switching and power amplification. In a power MOSFET, it is desirable to reduce the resistance of the device during conduction (Rds-on) and improve its breakdown voltage (BV). In a transistor, much of the breakdown voltage (BV) is supported by a drift region, which is lowly doped in order to provide a higher breakdown voltage BV. However, the lowly doped drift region also produces high on-resistance (Rds-on). In other words, the on-resistance (Rds-on) and the breakdown voltage (BV) are in a tradeoff relation to each other. In fact, the on-resistance Rds-on is proportional to BV2.5. That is, the on-resistance (Rds-on) increases dramatically with an increase in breakdown voltage (BV) for a conventional transistor.
Superjunction device configurations have been employed to provide a way to achieve low on-resistance (Rds-on), while maintaining a high off-state breakdown voltage (BV). Superjunction devices include alternating p-type and n-type doped columns arranged in parallel and connecting to each other in the drift region. The alternating p-type and n-type columns are in substantial charge balance. When a reverse-bias voltage is applied to between the drain and the source, these columns deplete one another (i.e., laterally) at a relatively low voltage so as to withstand a high breakdown voltage in the vertical direction. The on-resistance (Rds-on) for a superjunction device increases in direct proportion to the breakdown voltage By, which is a much less dramatic increase than in a conventional semiconductor structure. A superjunction device may therefore have significantly lower on-resistance (Rds-on) than a conventional MOSFET device for the same high breakdown voltage (BV) (or conversely may have a significantly higher breakdown voltage BV than a conventional MOSFET for a given on-resistance Rds-on).
Prior methods of fabricating Super Junction MOSFET devices involve time and resource intensive techniques. There are in general currently two common techniques for fabricating a Super Junction MOSFET. The first technique uses multi-epitaxial layer deposition with P-type columns formed by ion implantation through photo-resist masks between epitaxial layer deposition stages. The second technique involves P-type epitaxial growth in a trench.
The technique for fabricating Super Junction MOSFETs using multi-epitaxial layers with ion implantation of P-type columns is very costly. This technique requires multiple epitaxial layer growth phases, masking phases and ion implantation phases to create P-type columns and N-type columns. The epitaxial growth phases and ion implantation phases are time consuming and with each masking there is the danger that there is alignment error in the masking causing misalignment of the P implant. Devices with misaligned P columns are discarded thus decreasing the number of devices yielded by the process and further increasing the cost per device. Thus, the Multi-epitaxial layer with P-type columns process is quite a time consuming and costly process for the manufacture of Super Junction MOSFETS.The second technique of P-type epitaxial growth in a trench creates device with undesirable attributes and is also costly. This technique involves etching a deep wide trench in the epitaxial layer and then filling the trench with P-type epitaxial material. The trenches must be made wide enough to accommodate filling with the P-type material. As such it is not feasible to use this technique to create devices with narrow columns. Additionally, the P-type epitaxial material created used in the formation of the columns is expensive and time consuming to create.
It is within this context that embodiments of the present invention arise.

Gas dopant doped deep trench super junction high voltage MOSFET

Alpha and Omega Semiconductor (Cayman) Ltd.


A safety system for a vehicle includes a work table, an airbag, and a controller that includes a processor. The work table is disposed in an extended position and is movable to a reaction position and a stowed position. The processor is configured to receive information indicative of a vehicle event. The processor is further configured to send a command to deploy the airbag based on the information indicative of the vehicle event. When deployed, the airbag expands to abut a bottom surface of the work table and move the work table from the extended position to the reaction position such that the bottom surface of the work table in the reaction position serves as a reaction surface for the airbag.

A passenger vehicle can leverage interior surfaces in a vehicle cabin to serve as airbag reaction surfaces. For example, a dashboard, a dash panel, a windshield, or combinations thereof can serve as a reaction surface for an airbag that deploys from the vehicle dash panel or from a steering wheel during a vehicle event such as a collision to prohibit an occupant from impacting these (or other) structures. In another example, the dashboard or a dash panel can serve as a reaction surface for a knee bolster that deploys from a dash panel or a steering column into a foot well in order to reduce pelvis excursion.
In modular seating systems, such as in a vehicle with modular interior elements including seat systems that can be arranged into a configuration consistent with the vehicle cabin serving as a mobile office or a living room, traditional reaction surfaces such as dashboards, dash panels, and foot wells may not be present to serve as reaction surfaces for airbags. New safety system designs are thus required to protect occupants during vehicle events.


A stance and stride training aid for determining and training individuals on a proper batting stance and a proper batting stride. The training aid provides for a home plate reference and two stance indicators positioned on opposite sides of the home plate reference. Each of the stance indicators is gridded into rows and columns to provide feet positioning sectors that are individually represented by numbers or letters of the alphabet. The training aid also provides for stride indicators which correspond to the rows from which they extend for indicating the proper stride when swinging a bat.

Considering the sport of baseball, for example, most people can hit a ball with a bat without much difficulty. However, to properly hit the ball with maximum transfer of energy from the bat to the ball, a batter must have a proper stance and stride. The proper stance and stride, in turn, are dependent on the batter's individual dimensions, in particular, the length of his arms, his stride and his bat. Whether it is baseball, softball, or any other activities involving contact between a ball and a bat, the proper swing involves intricacies in timing, and the position of the batter in relation to a home plate or batting tee.
Many devices are known to instruct individuals in swinging a bat, a golf club, or even a racquet. However, generally such devices are either too cumbersome or too complicated for frequent use by younger participants. As such, these devices may require substantial adult participation for assembly and use. Moreover, many of these devices must be frequently repositioned to maintain a proper distance from the home plate or batting tee. In addition, many of these devices pose safety hazards as they have protruding or extending members which may trip or otherwise injure the participants.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the training aid comprises a body for providing a substantially planar surface where the surface comprises a home plate indicium and a stance indicium positioned adjacent the home plate indicium to provide a plurality of feet positioning sectors for indicating a proper stance for batting. The present invention may also provide a plurality of stride indicia which extend outwardly from the stance indicium to indicate a proper stride in accordance with the proper stance.
The home plate indicium provided by the present invention renders moot the need to otherwise provide for a home plate reference. More importantly, the inclusion of a home plate indicium on the surface of the training aid body ensures that the stance indicium remains at a constant predetermined distance from the home plate indicium for enabling the batter to maintain a particular physical relationship with the home plate indicium when he bats.
Also, the present invention provides for distinct locator symbols in each of the feet positioning sectors so that after determining the stance most suited to him, the batter can repeatedly position himself without difficulty. This is particularly helpful to the younger participants where once their individual proper stances have been determined, each youngster can easily recall his predetermined locator numbers or letters of the alphabet to properly position himself on the stance indicium.
Instruction indicia, for example, diagrams illustrating use of the present invention, are also provided on the body of the training aid. The diagrams are simple and easily understood. As such, they instruct participants of all ages on how to properly use the training aid for determining the proper batting stance and stride.
In addition, the construction of the present invention enables easy transport and maintenance. In one embodiment, the body is composed of material that is light, flexible, washable, and substantially waterresistant. In such a form, the present invention can be effortlessly carried and cared for by youngsters.
These as well as other aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description which follows, considered together with the appended drawings.


The disclosure generally describes computer-implemented methods, software, and systems for gauging tanks. A computer-implemented method includes generating, using an interrogator, a radio frequency signal directed towards a radio frequency identification (RFID) device that is freely floating on the liquid stored within the tank, receiving a return signal from the RFID device, the return signal being associated to a location of the RFID device, processing the return signal to determine a height of the liquid stored within the tank based on a triangulation algorithm, and determining a result data based on the height of the liquid stored within the tank and one or more tank characteristics.

Data telemetry applications based on radio-frequency identification (RFID) can be used for remote calculation transmission of liquid amounts stored within storage tanks in refineries or storage tank farms. A typical sensing system includes a level gauge float or similar sensor connected to a gaugehead. The sensor drives the gaugehead, and the gaugehead provides a local visual indication of the level of liquid in the storage tank. A level encoder-transmitter unit can be mechanically coupled to the gaugehead to translate the mechanical movement of the float sensor and gaugehead assembly to a positional-encoded electrical signal and to transmit the signal to a remote collection or control system. Some float sensors use risers and guiding rails to ensure the float remains in the center of the storage tank (or "tank"). However, risers or guiding rails can induce false readings and can be an undesirable limitation for large storage tanks.

Tank gauging and inventory management system


An electronic device may be provided with a display. The electronic device may include a housing. A display trim may be formed from injection molded plastic that is molded directly onto the housing. The molded plastic trim may form a rectangular ring around the periphery of the housing. The housing may have angled or curved interior surfaces that are covered by the molded plastic trim. Computer-controlled positioners may be used to center the housing within an injection molding tool. Independently controlled positioners may also be used in capturing the housing between the lower die and the upper die in the injection molding tool. The injection molding tool may inject thermoplastic elastomer material into a channel in the upper die to form the plastic display trim.

This relates generally to electronic devices and, more particularly, to electronic devices with displays.
Electronic devices often include displays. For example, cellular telephones and portable computers include displays for presenting information to users.
An elastomeric trim may be used when mounting a display in an electronic device. The elastomeric trim may surround the periphery of the display and may prevent the display from becoming damaged by direct contact with the housing.
If care is not taken, the elastomeric trim may be larger than desired. This may make it difficult or impossible to reduce the border of the display as much as desired.
Challenges may also arise when assembling a piece of thin trim into a device, because it may be difficult to control the orientation of the trim with respect to the structures in the device.
It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide improved display trims for electronic devices with displays.

Electronic device with injection molded display trim


An air spring for a vehicle with a lifting function includes an upper rolling piston and a lower rolling piston disposed opposite to each other. A rolling bellows encloses a compressed air space and has double rolling folds. The pressure effective surfaces of the rolling folds are coordinated with each other in such a manner that, during dynamic spring operation of the air spring over a predetermined spring travel, the pressure effective surface of the rolling fold on the lower rolling piston is larger than the pressure effective surface of the rolling fold on the upper rolling piston.

In the case of air springs for passenger vehicle use, the use of rolling bellows with double rolling folds is described, for example, to EP 1 239 181 A2. However, in the embodiment described there, only a rolling piston for the lower rolling fold is provided. The upper rolling fold rests in a cutout on the cover of the air spring and has the single purpose of permitting the air spring to be pivotable with respect to the shock absorber which is connected thereto.
A further possibility in which an air spring is used with double rolling folds is dealt with in EP 1 171 722 B1. In the embodiment shown, the lower rolling fold rolls on a cylindrical rolling piston, whereas the upper rolling fold can carry out a small rolling movement on a conically extending rolling surface on the cover of the air spring. This arrangement of piston and cover and also of the double rolling fold is intended to result in an improvement in the comfort properties when an air spring is used.
The use of two opposite pistons and of a rolling bellows with double rolling folds is shown in FIG. 9 of DE 1 107 030. Two identically sized rolling pistons for the rolling folds are provided, and therefore this embodiment can only be used for spring purposes. This statement also applies to the embodiment in U.S. Pat. No. 3,876,193, in which the rolling folds are used solely for spring purposes. The two rolling folds move simultaneously during the cushioning operation.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,718,650 describes an air spring which requires very little space for the deflection operation, since the piston wall of the lower piston is fittable telescopically into a clearance on the upper piston when the air spring is compressed in the minimal position thereof. The air spring can be extended in such a manner that the lower rolling fold is completely detached from the lower rolling piston and the upper rolling fold is also pulled out of the receptacle. However, that part of the rolling bellows which forms the upper rolling fold is provided with an enclosure which prevents the upper rolling fold from rolling back into the starting position thereof. As claimed in the present construction, a reduction in pressure in the compressed air space alone cannot result in the rolling fold returning into the starting position thereof. Only the upper edge of the lower rolling piston can push the upper rolling fold back, but this does not lead to complete contact with the rolling fold; instead, air spaces remain. This construction is consequently not suitable for realizing a smooth execution of a lifting operation.


Disclosed herein is a heat exchange system that controls the temperature of a medium- or large-sized battery pack including a plurality of unit cells. The heat exchange system includes a sealed type housing surrounding the outer surface of the battery pack such that a predetermined flow channel, through which a heat exchange medium flows, is defined between the housing and the battery pack, a driving fan mounted in the housing for driving the heat exchange medium to flow, and a heat exchange unit mounted at one side of the housing for controlling the temperature of the heat exchange medium. In the heat exchange system according to the present invention, the heat exchange medium, for example, air is not introduced from the outside of the battery system, but is circulated in the battery system by the heat exchange unit. Consequently, the present invention has the effect of accomplishing the reduction in size of the battery system, reducing influences caused by external conditions, decreasing noise, and effectively controlling the optimum operating temperature of the battery pack.

One of the biggest problems caused from vehicles using fossil fuel, such as gasoline and diesel oil, is creation of air pollution. A technology of using a secondary battery, which can be charged and discharged, as a power source for vehicles has attracted considerable attention as one method of solving the above-mentioned problem. As a result, electric vehicles (EV), which are operated using only a battery, and hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), which jointly use a battery and a conventional engine, have been developed. Some of the electric vehicles and the hybrid electric vehicles are now being commercially used. A nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH) secondary battery has been mainly used as the power source for the electric vehicles (EV) and the hybrid electric vehicles (HEV). In recent years, however, the use of a lithium-ion secondary battery has been attempted.
High output and large capacity are needed for such a secondary battery to be used as the power source for the electric vehicles (EV) and the hybrid electric vehicles (HEV). For this reason, a plurality of small-sized secondary batteries (unit cells) are connected in series or in parallel with each other so as to construct a battery module, and a plurality of battery modules are connected in parallel or in series with each other so as to construct a battery pack.
In such a high-output, large-capacity secondary battery, however, a large amount of heat is generated from the unit cells during the charge and the discharge of the unit cells. When the heat generated from the unit cells during the charge and the discharge of the unit cells is not effectively removed, heat is accumulated in the unit cells with the result that the unit cells are degraded. Consequently, it is necessary to provide a cooling system for vehicle battery packs, which are high-output, large-capacity secondary batteries.
Generally, a cooling system for vehicle battery packs is constructed in an air-cooling structure using air as a coolant. In the air-cooling structure, air is introduced into the cooling system from the outside of the cooling system to cool the battery pack, and is then discharged out of the cooling system. The outside of the cooling system includes the inside of a vehicle, such as a trunk and a passenger space, as well as the outside of the vehicle. However, the cooling system with the above-described construction has several problems.
First, the air used as the coolant is supplied from the outside of vehicle with the result that the air is considerably affected by external conditions, such as humidity and temperature. For this reason, it is necessary to provide an additional device for controlling the temperature and the humidity of the air. As a result, the size of the cooling system is increased. When air inside the vehicle is used as the coolant, the above problem is somewhat solved. In this case, however, it is necessary to provide inlet and outlet ports for introducing and discharging air, respectively. As a result, the size of the cooling system is increased.
Second, when, in spite of removal of foreign matter by filtering the coolant, some of the foreign matter is introduced through the inlet port and the outlet port, and is brought into contact with unit cells of a battery pack, the outer surfaces of the unit cells may be physically or chemically damaged. In addition, noise and vibration generated due to the operation of a coolant introduction device, such as a fan or a pump, may be transmitted to a passenger(s) through the inlet port and the outlet port.
In order to solve the above-stated problems, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-023703 and No. 2002-251951 disclose a sealed type housing for battery packs. In the disclosures of these publications, a coolant inlet port and a coolant outlet port are omitted, and heat is absorbed using a heat transfer plate or a wide cooling flow channel is provided between unit cells to remove heat from the unit cells, thereby solving the problems caused from the inlet port and the outlet port as described above. Nevertheless, a large amount of heat cannot be effectively removed by the structures disclosed in the publications. As a result, the structures disclosed in the publications are not suitable for vehicles using a large-sized battery pack, such as electric vehicles (EV) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEV).
Meanwhile, the vehicles, such as the electric vehicles (EV) and the hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), may be operated under the tough conditions. For example, when a vehicle is at low temperature in the winter season, it is necessary to stop the operation of a cooling system such that a battery pack can be operated at the optimum operating temperature. Alternatively, it may be necessary to increase the temperature of air introduced into the battery pack such that the operating temperature of the battery pack can be controlled to be the optimum temperature level. In this case, it is necessary to provide an additional device. In addition, when the unit cells of the battery pack have low temperature, battery components may be damaged. Furthermore, the degradation of the battery components may be accelerated due to the abrupt increase of the temperature of the air introduced into the battery pack.

Sealed type heat exchanging system of battery pack


A magneto-resistance effect film of an artificial lattice film structure having an alternate lamination of a conductor layer and a magnetic layer, or a magneto-resistance effect film of a spin bulb structure having a lamination of a magnetic layer, a conductor layer and a magnetic layer in that order. The conducting layer is mainly composed of an element selected from the group consisting of Cu, Ag and Cr and also contains 0.1 to 30 atomic percent of an addition element having an upper limit of solid solution at room temperature with respect to the element as the main component of not more than 1 percent. Alternatively, the magnetic layer is mainly composed of Fe, Co or Ni and also contains 0.1 to 30 atomic percent of an addition element having an upper limit of solid solution at room temperature with respect to the element as the main component of not more than 1%. Additionally, the thermal resistance can be improved by utilizing a base plate with a heat conductivity of not less than 2 W/mK.

The present invention relates to magneto-resistance effect devices, and in particular, magneto-resistance effect films. Such films can be used for magnetic field detection, e.g., in a playback head for a magnetic disk device or a magnetic field sensor.
Magneto-resistance effect films, exhibiting magneto-resistance (MR) effect, are employed as devices for detecting magnetic fields, and are widely employed in the field of magnetic sensors or magnetic heads.
Up to now, an Fe-Ni alloy film (so-called permalloy film) has been mainly used as the magneto-resistance effect film. However, permalloy film has only a small rate of change of magneto-resistance such that a magnetic head employing a permalloy film cannot be said to have sufficient sensitivity for coping with anticipated high density recording.
An artificial lattice film having a lamination of a magnetic film of Fe and a conductor film (non-magnetic film) of Cr has been reported to have the rate of change of magneto-resistance amounting to multiples of ten percent. See, Physical Review letters, vol. 61, page 2472, 1988. This is referred to as the Giant Magneto-Resistance (GMR) effect. There are high expectations of applying GMR to magneto-resistance devices.
In addition to the combination of the Fe layer and the Cr layer, the combination of a magnetic film of Co and a non-magnetic film of Cu has also be reported to exhibit the giant magneto-resistance effect. See, Physical Review letters, vol.66, page 2152, 1991.
It has also been reported that, by employing an alloy of three elements, namely iron, nickel and cobalt, in a layer of a magnetic material, a larger change in resistance may be produced for a small change in the magnetic field, such that sensitivity to an external magnetic field may be improved and hence the artificial lattice film is effective from the practical standpoint.
It has also been reported that the giant magneto-resistance effect can be achieved with a laminated film consisting of a magnetic layer, a conductor layer and a magnetic layer, in that order. This is a so-called spin bulb film. See, Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials, vol.93, page 101, 1991.
However, a magneto-resistance effect film, having the above-described laminated film structure, is susceptible to diffusion among respective films due to heat. Thus, the above disclosed magneto-resistance effect films have a drawback that magneto-resistance effect characteristics tend to deteriorate under elevated temperatures.
This deterioration in the magneto-resistance effect can be caused by current flowing through the MR device at a high current density during operation of the device. This is possibly ascribable to the fact that the current flowing at a high current density during the operation leads to heat evolution and to a disturbed array of magnetization in the multi-layer magneto-resistance effect film construction.

Magneto-resistance effect device with improved thermal resistance


It is described a method for spatially filtering 3D seabed seismic data acquired in a cross-line geometry including methods of how to decompose the data using a filter with two spatial components.

In the field of seismic exploration, the earth interior is explored by emitting low-frequency, generally from 0 Hz to 200 Hz, acoustic waves generated by seismic sources. Refractions or reflections of the emitted waves by features in subsurface are recorded by seismic receivers. The receiver recordings are digitized for processing. The processing of the digitized seismic data is an evolved technology including various sub-processes such as noise removal and corrections to determine the location and geometry of the features which perturbed the emitted wave to cause reflection or refraction. The result of the processing is an acoustic map of the earth interior, which in turn can be exploited to identify for example hydrocarbon reservoirs or monitor changes in such reservoirs.
Seismic surveys are performed on land, in transition zones and in a marine environment. In the marine environment, surveys include sources and receiver cables (streamers) towed in the body of water and ocean bottom surveys in which at least one of sources or receivers are located at the seafloor. Seismic sources and/or receivers can also be placed into boreholes.
The known seismic sources include impulse sources, such as explosives and airguns, and vibratory sources which emit waves with a more controllable amplitude and frequency spectrum. The existing receivers fall broadly speaking into two categories termed "geophones" and "hydrophones", respectively. Hydrophones record pressure changes, whereas geophones are responsive to particle velocity or acceleration. Geophones can recorded waves in up to three spatial directions and are accordingly referred to as 1C, 2C or 3C sensors. A 4C seismic sensor would be a combination of a 3C geophone with a hydrophone. Both types of receivers can be deployed as cables with the cable providing a structure for mounting receivers and signal transmission to a base station.
The spatial distribution of source and receiver locations in a seismic survey is referred to as layout or spread. A variety of spreads are known. Among those are spreads where receiver lines, a one-dimensional array of receiver locations, and source lines, the corresponding array of source or shot locations, are laid out at an angle. For the purpose of this invention, such layouts are referred to as "cross-line" geometry or acquisition. Such acquisitions have been described for example by G.L.O Vermeer, in "3D Symmetric Samplings", 64th Ann. Internat. Mtg: Soc. of Expl. Geophys. (1994), 906-909 and later in the U.S. Pat. No. 6,026,058.
Seismic energy acquired at a receiver may contain upwardly and/or downwardly propagating seismic energy depending on the location of the receiver and on the event. For example seismic energy when it is incident (travelling upwardly) on the water-seabed interface, be partly transmitted into the water column and partially reflected back into the seabed. Thus, a seismic event will consist purely of upwardly propagating seismic energy above the seafloor, but will contain both upwardly and downwardly propagating seismic energy below the seafloor. As another example, seismic energy when incident on the water-air interface at sea level will be reflected back into the water column generating so-called "ghost" events. It is therefore often of interest to decompose the seismic data acquired at the receiver into an up-going constituent and a down-going constituent.
Various filters that enable decomposition of seismic data into up-going and down-going constituents have been proposed. For example in "Application of Two-Step Decomposition to Multi-Component Ocean-Bottom Data: Theory and Case Study", J. Seism. Expl. Vol. 8, 261-278 (1999), K. M. Schalkwijk et al have suggested that the down-going and up-going constituents of the pressure just above the seafloor may be expressed as:
                                                        P              -                                                  (                              f                ,                                  k                  x                                ,                                  k                  y                                            )                                =                                                    1                2                                                          P                                                  (                                      f                    ,                                          k                      x                                        ,                                          k                      y                                                        )                                                      -                                          ρ                                  2                                                                                q                                                              (                                              f                        ,                        k                                            )                                                                                v                  z                                                                  (                                      f                    ,                                          k                      x                                        ,                                          k                      y                                                        )                                                                    ,                                                                              P              +                                                  (                              f                ,                                  k                  x                                ,                                  k                  y                                            )                                =                                                    1                2                                                          P                                                  (                                      f                    ,                                          k                      x                                        ,                                          k                      y                                                        )                                                      +                                          ρ                                  2                                                                                q                                                              (                                              f                        ,                                                  k                          x                                                ,                                                  k                          y                                                                    )                                                                                v                  z                                                                  (                                      f                    ,                                          k                      x                                        ,                                          k                      y                                                        )                                                                    ,                            [        1        ]            where P is the pressure acquired at the receiver, P− is the up-going constituent of the pressure above the seafloor, P+ is the down-going constituent of the pressure above the seafloor, f is the frequency, kx, ky are the horizontal wavenumbers, vz is the vertical particle velocity component acquired at the receiver, ρ is the density of the water, and q is the vertical slowness in the water layer.
As can be seen, the expressions in equation [1] require two of the components of seismic data recorded at the receiver to be combined. These expressions are examples of combining two components of the acquired seismic data. It may also be necessary to combine two or more components of the acquired seismic data in order to decompose the acquired seismic data into P-wave and S-wave components, or to remove water level multiple events from the seismic data.
Further separation methods including free-surface multiple removal above the seafloor, wavefield decomposition into up- and downgoing constituents or P/S events above and below the surface, the splitting of particle velocities and traction are described in a number of published documents.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,101,408, the ocean bottom wavefield separation described in three dimensions using an analytical solution. However, for practical applications, the filter is reduced to one dimension. A number of decomposition equations for various separations are developed by Amundsen et al. in the above cited U.S. Pat. No. 6,101,408 and in: "Multiple attenuation and P/S splitting of multicomponent OBC data at a heterogeneous sea floor", Wave Motion 32 (2000), 67-78. A further review of decomposition methods for use in connection with the present invention is presented by L. Amundsen in: "Elimination of free-surface related multiples without need of the source wavelet", Geophysics, Vol. 66, No. 1 (Jan-Feb 2001), 327-341.
Approximated compact spatial filters are further described by Osen et al. in: Towards Optimal Spatial Filters for Multiple Attenuation and P/S-Splitting of OBC Data", EAGE 60th conference, Leipzig, Germany, 8-12 Jun. 1998, 1-29 Geophysical Division. A short length filter is obtained in terms of powers of kx using a series expansion.
When applying three-dimensional (3D) wavefield decomposition methods to data acquired in a cross-line geometry and sorted into 1-fold bins of common mid-points (CMPs) distributed evenly in a finely spaced "carpet" determined by in-line source and receiver spacings as proposed by Vermeer, it was noted that the known filter introduce an unacceptable level of noise due to sensor variations, statics and other perturbations.
In the light of the above prior art, it is seen as an object of the present invention to provide filters applicable to cross-line acquisitions or data collected through cross-line acquisitions and methods of applying such filters.

Wavefield decomposition for cross-line survey


A rear view exterior mirror mount assembly for a vehicle includes a sealing device that seals off an interface between the mirror mount and a moveable shell to eliminate wind noise. The shell can be pivoted relative to the remainder of the vehicle from a normal viewing position to a folded position. In the normal viewing position, the interface between the shell and the mirror mount includes a gap that is sealed off by a sealing member in the form of a resilient gasket. The sealing member includes a mounting surface that preferably is adhesively secured to a contoured surface on the shell. At least one lip member extends away from the mounting surface and across the gap at the interface between the shell and the mirror mount when the mirror is in the normal viewing position.

This invention generally relates to a device for reducing wind noise introduced at the interface between a rear view mirror and the body of a vehicle.
Modern day vehicles and automobiles typically include three rear view mirrors. One of the rear view mirrors is mounted within the vehicle while the other two are typically mounted on the exterior of the vehicle at the lower front end of the windows on either side. Exterior-mounted rear view mirrors come in a variety of shapes and sizes.
More recently, for stylistic and aerodynamic reasons, contoured housings and mounting pieces have been developed. In some instances, the exterior rear view mirror housing is made from a single, solid piece of material and remains in a fixed position relative to the door upon which it is mounted. While such an arrangement is satisfactory in some applications, it is not without drawbacks. For example, it is often desirable to have the mirror housing be collapsible or moveable relative to the remainder of the vehicle body. Such a feature can be useful, for example, when relatively minor contact is made with another object so that the mirror housing moves in response to the impact rather than being broken.
Providing a contoured mirror mounting arrangement that also has the feature or advantage of being moveable relative to the vehicle has not been satisfactorily achieved. Prior to this invention, the requirement of having moving parts has introduced structural features that present certain problems. For example, having a moveable mirror mounting shell necessarily introduces an interface between that shell and the remainder of the vehicle body. That interface provides the possibility for wind noise to be generated while driving the vehicle, especially at higher speeds. Wind noise is recognized by those in the vehicle industry as being an undesirable disturbance or annoyance to drivers and, therefore, those in the industry are making attempts to eliminate it.
This invention is an arrangement that provides a stylistic, aerodynamic, contoured mirror mounting arrangement that has the advantage of a moveable mirror housing and eliminates the presence of wind noise that would otherwise be generated by such an arrangement.


A clipping instrument for an endoscope is provided. The clipping instrument includes a flexible sheath, an operation wire, at least one detachable clip assembly, including a pair of openable and closable clipping arms and a fastening ring, the clipping arms being configured to be projected forward to open and to be closed according to forwarding and retracting movements of the fastening ring through the operation wire, a withdrawal stopper and an advancement stopper, which are provided in the vicinity of the distal end portion of the flexible sheath. The withdrawal stopper restricts the fastening ring from being retracted rearward into the withdrawal stopper once the fastening ring is forwarded to penetrate through the withdrawal stopper. The advancement stopper restricts the fastening ring from being forwarded further to penetrate out of the advancement stopper once the fastening ring is forwarded to penetrate through the withdrawal stopper.

The present invention relates to a surgical device having a clipping instrument to be inserted through a forceps channel of an endoscope.
Generally, in a clipping instrument for endoscopic surgeries, a clip having a pair of openable/closable arms and a fastening ring loosely fit around proximal portions of the arms is arranged in a distal end portion of a flexible sheath. The clip is configured such that the arms open and close as an operation wire, arranged in parallel with an axial direction of the flexible sheath, is advanced toward the distal end to push the fastening ring and retracted toward a proximal end to pull the fastening ring. The clip can be detached from the operation wire with its arms closed according to the operations to the operation wire. Such a configuration of the clipping instrument is disclosed in Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 2006-87537, for example.
FIG. 19 shows a clipping instrument 90 disclosed in the above-referenced publication. A fastening ring 92 fit around a rear portion of openable arms 91 is pushed out of a sleeve 94, which is provided at a distal end of a flexible sheath 93.
The sleeve 94 is formed to have a plurality of slits, which are parallel to an axial direction, so that the fastening ring 92 can resiliently outstretch the sleeve 94 and penetrate therethrough, and the arms 91 can be maintained open.
When the fastening ring 92 passes through the sleeve 94 completely, the resiliently deformed sleeve 94 restores to the original shape, and the fastening ring 92 is restricted from being pulled back into the sleeve 94. Therefore, when an operation wire 96 is pulled toward the proximal end, the arms 91 are pulled in the fastening ring 92 and forcibly closed to clutch onto the body tissue.
When the operation wire 96 is again pushed forward, hooks 97, which are arms of a succeeding clip, are pushed out of the sleeve 94, and the clip 90 is detached from the hooks 97 to be left clutched during the surgery. Thus, an endoscopic clipping operation is conducted.
In the above clipping operation, however, when the fastening ring 92 following the arms 91 is pushed forward to be out of the sleeve 94, considerable force to widen the slits 95 to deform the sleeve 94 is required.
Therefore, when the fastening ring 91 is pushed forward with unintentional excessive force, the clip 90 may be pushed out of the sleeve 94 entirely to be unreturnable in the sleeve 94. In such a case, the arms 91 can no longer be closed.

Clipping instrument for an endoscopic surgical device


A processor extraction device interacts with a processor to extract the processor from coupling between connectors of the processor and a socket, such as land grid array connectors that are susceptible to damage from dragging or rotational movement during extraction. For instance, adhesive couples the processor to a load plate that closes over the socket to compress the processor in the socket so that the adhesive extracts the processor as the load plate moves from the closed position to an open position distal the socket. As another example, the load plate closed position compresses the processor onto springs that bias the processor out of the socket upon movement of the load plate to the opened position.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to the field of information handling system processors and sockets, and more particularly to a system and method for removing a processor from a socket.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Information handling system performance generally increases in proportion to increases in the number and rate of calculations performed by a processor, which are generally increased through fabrication of greater numbers of transistors into, processor integrated circuits. However, increased operating speed and complexity of processor integrated circuits also calls for increased bus data transfer rates to and from memory and other devices to support processor operations. Traditionally processors connect to other devices through a motherboard that has wire line buses to communicate electronic signals. A socket coupled to the motherboard and in electronic communication with the buses accepts a processor by inserting processor "pins" extending from the outer edge of the processor package into socket openings. One difficulty that arises with the insertion of pins into a socket is that electromagnetic interference tends to distort data signals through lengthy pin connections, especially at higher bus data transfer rates. Another difficulty is that the number of pins that can extend from a processor is limited by the size of the processor's circumference.
In order to increase data transfer rates between a processor and motherboard, INTEL has developed a Socket-T that uses a land grid array (LGA) connector. LGA connectors extend from the bottom surface of a processor to permit a direct electrical connection between a module substrate and a motherboard. The bottom surface socket connection allows processors to have a higher density of pins, however, also provides less guidance for proper insertion of a processor package into a motherboard socket. Misdirected insertion of a processor package's LGA connector into a motherboard LGA socket or movement of the processor in the socket after insertion can cause damage to the LGA connectors and socket. In order to ensure firm connection of a LGA processor package into a LGA socket, the Socket-T arrangement applies a spring force against a load plate that forces a heat spreader along the outer edge of a processor against a processor socket. Although the Socket-T aids in proper alignment and firm coupling of LGA pins into a LGA socket, once a processor package is inserted into a socket, removal of the socket is often difficult. Removal of a processor package from a socket by hand sometimes introduces unintended rotation or dragging of the socket contacts, resulting in damage to the processor package or socket. To avoid rotational or dragging forces during removal of a LGA processor from a LGA socket, a vacuum tool is typically used to connect to the processor and lift the processor straight from the socket.

System and method for extracting a processor from a socket


A fuel pump cutoff shuttle valve is located between a multiple fuel pump arrangement. The valve has a first tubular member with a hollow, biased sliding member inside that moves according to the fuel pressures of the pumps. The fuel that flows through the valve member passes out through a valve member central orifice so that the fuel can flow into the second tubular member en route to an engine. When the fuel pressure in a pump greatly exceeds that of another pump on the opposite side of the valve member, the valve member moves and places the valve member central orifice adjacent to the interior wall of the first tubular member, stopping the flow of fuel. Alternatively, the valve member may have an orifice at each end of the valve member to permit a reduced flow of fuel to the engine when fuel is not supplied by the central orifice.

Major fuel system components used in vehicles for delivering fuel to an internal combustion engine include an engine, a common rail, fuel lines, a fuel pump, and a valve disposed in a fuel line between the engine and the fuel pump.
While current fuel systems have generally proven to be satisfactory for their applications, each is associated with its share of limitations. One major limitation with many current fuel systems relates to the delivery of fuel from the fuel pump to the engine. More specifically, in a multiple fuel pump arrangement, when the pumping action of one of the pumps is compromised, current valves are incapable of completely terminating fuel flow to the engine. This presents a fuel supply situation in which the air to fuel ratio to the engine is compromised, which results in less than optimal combustion such as lean burn combustion.
Another limitation of current multiple fuel pump fuel systems is their inability to maintain fuel flow, after the failure of one pump, only to the extent necessary to maintain combustion and permit a vehicle to travel in order to move or to receive service. The inability of dual fuel pump fuel system valves to offer this feature results in vehicle engines that are incapable of operating in order to permit a vehicle to move off of a roadway or reach service.
What is needed then is a device that does not suffer from the above limitations. This in turn will provide a device that eliminates the problem of fuel flowing through a fuel valve from a first fuel pump of a dual fuel pump arrangement when a second pump ceases to operate, thereby preventing an engine from operating under a less than optimal combustion condition such as lean burn combustion. Furthermore, a device will be provided to successfully stop the flow of fuel from all fuel pumps of a multiple fuel pump arrangement when any of the pumps ceases to operate. Additionally, it is desired that in the event of a failure of a first pump in a dual fuel pump arrangement, the device will permit the second pump to discharge just enough fuel to the engine to support combustion to permit a vehicle to move.


The present invention is directed to an elliptical birdcage coil which reduces time and effort upon manufacturing and production cost, with less variations in performance. There is provided a high frequency coil unit made up of the elliptical birdcage coil having plural capacitors arranged at least on either of the ring conductors and the rung conductors, the capacitance of the plural capacitors being uniform with respect to each conductor type on which the capacitors are placed. In this elliptical birdcage coil, a value of inductance and arrangement of the ring conductors and the rung conductors are determined in such a manner that the capacitance of the capacitors becomes identical with respect to each conductor type on which the capacitors are arranged.

An MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) apparatus is a medical diagnostic imaging apparatus that produces magnetic resonance in a nuclear spin within an arbitrary cross section passing transversely across a test subject, and obtains a tomographic image in the cross section based on the magnetic resonance signals being generated. When a test subject placed in a static magnetic field is irradiated with an RF magnetic field from a high frequency coil (RF coil), together with application of a gradient magnetic field, a nuclear spin within the test subject, a nuclear spin of hydrogen atom, for instance, is excited. When the nuclear spin being thus excited restores to an equilibrium state, a magnetic field of circularly polarized wave occurs as a magnetic resonance signal. The RF coil detects this signal, and the signal is subjected to a signal processing so as to create an image representing a distribution of atomic nuclei of hydrogen within a living body.
There are some types for this RF coil, including a transmission coil exclusively used for irradiation of the RF magnetic field, a reception coil exclusively used for receiving the magnetic resonance signal, and a transceive coil used for both transmission and reception. Various kinds of coils are developed for each of those types, in order to efficiently obtain an image of high quality. For example, when the nuclear spin within the test subject is excited, it is necessary to have a homogeneous distribution of the RF magnetic field. It is desirable that a degree of the homogeneity is within 70% with respect to a maximum value of the distribution of the RF magnetic field in the imaging region. This is because if high inhomogeneity exists in the distribution of the RF magnetic field, a difference may occur in the excited state of the nuclear spins, depending on portions in the test subject, and unevenness of contrast and/or an artifact may be generated in the image being obtained. As the RF coil having this kind of homogeneous distribution of irradiation strength, there are known cylindrical RF coils such as a birdcage coil (e.g., see Patent Document 1 and Non Patent Document 1), and TEM coil (e.g., see Non Patent Document 2). The birdcage coil is made up of two cylindrical ring conductors, plural linear rung conductors, and plural capacitors. Here, the ends of the rung conductors are connected to the ring conductors, and the capacitors are placed on the ring conductors or on the rung conductors.
Furthermore, it is necessary to enhance the irradiation efficiency. As a method for enhancing the irradiation efficiency, there is a method of quadrature phase detection (QD: Quadrature Detection) (see Patent Document 2 and Non Patent Document 3, for instance). The QD method uses two RF coils for irradiation of high frequency magnetic fields being orthogonal to each other, and irradiation of the RF magnetic fields is performed in such a manner that a phase difference in time phase is 90 degrees between the respective irradiation of the RF magnetic fields from the RF coils. The QD method allows the circularly polarized wave field for exciting the nuclear spin of the hydrogen atom to be irradiated with a high degree of efficiency, and therefore, the irradiation strength can be enhanced theoretically by √2, compared to the case of irradiation by one RF coil. If it is converted into irradiation power, only a half of the power is required, and therefore the irradiation efficiency is doubled. When the birdcage coil or the TEM coil is employed, two feeding ports used for the irradiation are arranged at the positions orthogonal to each other, thereby enabling irradiation of the RF magnetic fields according to the QD method, just by one coil.
Since the trunk of the test subject has a shape similar to an elliptic cylindrical shape, an elliptic cylindrical shape rather than a cylindrical shape enables enhancement of a ratio which represents occupancy of the test subject within the coil (filling factor), thereby improving the irradiation efficiency of the RF coil. Accordingly, an elliptical birdcage coil having an elliptic cylindrical shape is developed (see Patent Document 3, Non Patent Document 4, and Non Patent Document 5, for instance).

High frequency coil unit and magnetic resonance imaging apparatus


A polyurethane foam is produced by reacting a polyol-containing composition and an isocyanate composition. The polyol-containing composition includes a petrol-based polyol at greater than or equal to about 50 parts by weight percent and cellulose reinforcements. Additionally, a soy-based polyol is also included in various polyol-containing compositions.

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Conventional methods for developing polyurethane foams typically include reacting a mixture with at least one polyol with hydroxyl groups (such as petroleum-based polyols) with a mixture having at least one isocyanate and/or diisocyanates in the presence of additives, such as blowing agents, surfactants, catalysts, and any other desired additives by forming a gas (e.g., carbon dioxide) while urethane polymerization occurs (the mixture of the polyol mixture, the isocyanate mixture, and any additives is also referred to as a reaction mixture). The polyol mixture can include the additives. The gas is formed as a result of the blowing agent, which typically is water, reacting with the isocyanates, thereby forming carbon dioxide and polyurea. Other additives enhance the properties of the resulting foam, control the aforementioned reactions, and the like.
Such polyurethane foams are used in a variety of automotive applications, as they can form lightweight, flexible, high-resilience, and rigid foams, and can be used to form a wide variety of applications. It has been observed that bio-based (such as soy-based) polyols can be substituted for a small amount of the petroleum-based polyol, e.g., in an amount of up to about 12 parts by weight percent depending on the application, but greater concentrations of bio-based polyols greatly decrease mechanical and physical properties.
Structural reinforcements have been introduced with these polyurethane foams in order to improve physical and mechanical properties, especially for improved Noise Vibration Harshness (NVH) properties in automotive applications. However, introducing structural reinforcements in polyurethane foams can be challenging from a manufacturing standpoint and increase the cost of components manufactured from such foams.
These issues related to the design of structurally reinforced foams, particularly in automotive applications, are addressed by the present disclosure.

Use of micro and nanocellulose as performance modifiers in flexible polyurethane foams


An anti-fall structure for preventing the battery cover of a radio communication apparatus or similar apparatus from accidentally coming off the casing of the apparatus. A thumb piece is fitted on the casing in such a manner as to be slidable into and out of locking engagement with a notch formed in the battery cover in a direction substantially perpendicular to a direction in which the battery cover is slidable. The thumb piece is held in a locking position due to the engagement of a recess formed in the inner periphery of the casing and a flexible locking member affixed to the thumb piece. The thumb piece does not unlock the battery cover unless operated intentionally by a predetermined force and, therefore, positively retains it. The locking member is long enough to surely mate with the inner periphery of the casing. This, coupled with the fact that the inner periphery of the casing catches lugs provided on the thumb piece in the locked position, the thumb piece itself is prevented from coming off.

The present invention relates to the structure of the casing of a radio communication apparatus or similar apparatus which is powered by, for example, a dry battery. More particularly, the present invention is concerned with a structure for preventing a battery cover, which is removable from the casing of a radio pager or similar radio communication apparatus for the replacement of a battery, from accidentally coming off the casing.
A radio pager is extensively used today and usually powered by a dry battery having a limited life. The user of the pager, therefore, has to replace the battery when it dies. For the replacement of the battery, part of the casing of the pager comprises a battery cover which can be readily attached to and detached from the casing. Various structures have heretofore been proposed for attaching and detaching the battery cover from the casing. For example, the casing and the battery cover may be provided with respective guide rails and slidably engaged with each other. This kind of conventional structure has a locking mechanism for preventing the battery cover from slipping out of the casing in the sliding direction. Specifically, when the battery cover is attached to the casing, a lug extending out from one end of the battery cover mates with a recess formed in the casing.
The above-described anti-fall structure has a problem in that as the battery cover is repetitively attached to and detached from the casing, the locking engagement of the lug and recess becomes loose due to wear and the battery cover can easily fall off the casing. Moreover, since this type of receiver is transported and operated in severe conditions, the battery cover is apt to come off due to shocks and impacts. Then, the battery would spring out of the casing or the battery cover itself would be lost.
In light of the above, improved anti-fall structures for a radio communication apparatus or similar apparatus are taught in, for example, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication Nos. 11720/1990 and 11721/1990. The improved anti-fall structures each includes a locking mechanism for preventing the battery cover from easily coming off the casing and has obtained satisfactory results. The anti-fall structure of the present invention constitutes a further improvement over such conventional structures.

Anti-fall structure for battery cover of radio communication apparatus or similar apparatus


An impact sprinkler drive is provided by an impact arm or spoon that rotates out of and counter-rotates into a water stream to impact and forward re-align a water emission portion from which the water stream emits. The impact arm is designed to, upon sufficient rotation, interfere with the water stream to reduce back-impact and reverse re-alignment of the water stream. The impact arm may be an impact spoon formed on an impact disc. The impact spoon is configured to increase the energy for forward re-alignment of the water emission portion including an increased length to permit a time delay before water flowing through the spoon applies force away from the water stream. The water acts upon spoon portions positioned at increased radial distances so that the water acts with a greater torque arm to impart rotational energy.

The use and operation of impact sprinklers is well-known, as are a variety of design limitations and attendant issues. An impact sprinkler rotates in a full or partial circle to distribute water therefrom. A water stream is directed through a nozzle and against a deflector located on a rotation shaft. The water is radially distributed by rotation of the rotation shaft and deflector.
More specifically, the rotation shaft and deflector are periodically and incrementally rotated a short distance as a result of an impact. To permit this rotation, the rotation shaft is rotatably supported by the sprinkler. The water stream outwardly-deflected from the deflector strikes an arm or spoon formed on an impact disc, also rotatably supported by the sprinkler. The water striking the spoon forces the impact disc to rotate so that the spoon is shifted out of the path of the water stream, the shifting overcoming the bias of a spring resisting such movement and contributing to the support of the impact disc. Accordingly, such shifting causes the spring to store energy. Under desirable operating conditions, the water strikes the spoon to cause the impact disc to continue rotating a short distance beyond the water stream.
The spring forces the impact disc into the rotation shaft to cause the rotation of the rotation shaft. The impact disc rotating from the water stream causes a build-up of energy in the spring, and eventually the spring force slows and stops the impact arm, eventually forcing the impact disc to counter-rotate and return towards the water stream. The spoon re-enters the water stream approximately coincident with or shortly before a structure on the impact disc collides with structure on the rotation shaft. This collision causes the rotation shaft to rotate a short distance in the counter-rotation direction. In this manner, the water stream direction is rotationally re-positioned.
The angular amount of rotation of the rotation shaft is dependent on the magnitude of the collision, or the size of impact, between the structures of the impact arm and the rotation shaft. This collision itself is dependent on a number of factors.
For a nozzle providing a low flow speed or volume, the water stream striking the deflector and then the spoon will effect only a short or limited amount of rotational movement by the impact disc. Accordingly, the energy stored in the spring will be low, and the counter-rotation or return of the impact disc will be a similarly short distance. This results in the spoon or impact arm having a low dwell time and re-entering the water stream before a full emission stream pattern develops, thus shortening the throw distance for the sprinkler. The dwell time is generally the amount of time during which the spoon is not aligned with the water stream, and more specifically, the time during which the water stream is free to directly distribute water to the surrounding environment without interference by the spoon.
Additionally, this may result in insufficient rotation of the rotation shaft. A portion of the energy stored by the spring will be lost as the spoon re-enters the water stream, while the remainder will be transferred to the rotation shaft through the collision. The collision is resisted by a certain amount of static friction between the rotation shaft and its support by the sprinkler. If the energy stored by the spring is relatively low, the collision is consequently low also.
In some instances, the energy may not sufficiently rotate the rotation shaft. In such a case, the spoon merely oscillates in and out of the water making little or no collision.
Another problem is that the rotational force for deflecting the impact disc or arm out of the water stream may be excessive. This results in over-rotation of the impact disc, which itself may cause an impact between the impact disc and the rotation shaft in the rotation direction, consequently resulting in rotation of the direction of water stream emission in a direction opposite to that desired, this effect being referred to herein as back-impact.
Previous designs for impact sprinklers tend to suffer from one or more of the foregoing shortcomings. More specifically, dwell-time issues resulting from low water flow may be addressed by using a light spring (i.e., a spring having a low spring constant) for the impact disc. However, this may result in the over-rotation of the impact arm (reverse impact with rotation shaft) and/or insufficient energy stored in the spring arm for causing a forward impact with the rotation shaft. Additionally, the impact disc is supported jointly by the spring and by a stationary support, and a lighter spring results in less support provided by the spring and, consequently, more weight is supported by the stationary support resulting in greater friction between the impact disc and stationary support. As a lighter spring stores less energy for a particular amount of torsional deflection, a greater portion of the return energy is expended in overcoming the friction, thereby reducing the impact energy. Alternatively, utilization of a heavy spring requires a greater force from the water stream to deflect and rotate the impact arm and shortens the dwell time such that the full water stream pattern and throw may be unable to develop.
To improve dwell time, the mass of the impact disc assembly may be increased. However, an increase in mass requires greater water flow to energize, that is, to provide sufficient energy for acceleration and rotation of the impact disc. An increase in impact disc mass also requires a heavier spring, as described above. Accordingly, it has been found that variation of the mass of the impact disc assembly and corresponding variation of the spring constant of the spring generally correlate to balance the impact energy received.
Consequently, there has been a need for an improved impact sprinkler.


A method of fabricating a resonant micromesh filter having conductive antenna elements sized on the order of microns. The steps comprise of first creating an exposure mask having absorbing portions capable of stopping incident ions completely and transmitting portions incapable of stopping incident ions and through which incident ions can pass. The absorbing and transmitting portions form in the mask in the pattern of the antenna elements to be fabricated. Second, an exposure mask confronting an unpatterned filter is positioned. The unpatterned filter includes: a substrate, a thin metal foil mounted on the substrate, and a resist material covering the metal flow. Third, ions are passed through the exposure mask. The absorbing portions of the mask stop the ions and the transmitting portions allow the ions to pass through the mask and expose the section of the resist material of the filter in the pattern of the antenna elements. Fourth, the exposure mask is repositioned over an area of the unpatterned filter not previously exposed to incident ions. The third step is repeated. Then fourth step is repeated until a desired surface area of the unpatterned filter has been exposed. Last, the exposed unpatterned filter is processed to produce a conductive antenna array supported by a substrate.

For many applications, it is desirable to have a thermal energy source whose emitted radiant energy consists of photons that are confined either to a single wavelength or to a narrow band of wavelengths. For example, photovoltaic cells have unique spectral responses and can be optimized to efficiently convert electromagnetic radiation to electricity if the incident radiation on the cells is constrained to those frequencies or wavelengths most efficiently utilized by the photovoltaic cells. A common way of achieving a desired radiant energy spectrum from a thermal energy source is to select a material whose atomic or molecular properties constrain its emittance to selected frequencies or wavelengths. Examples of such materials are some gases, such as cesium, and certain rare earth oxides, such as yterbium oxide. Rare earth oxides are used, for example, to modify the emitted radiant energy from the burner element of an oil-burning lamp.
Difficulties with using gases and oxides are due to the natural constraints on their properties, i.e., they are usually constrained to a wavelength determined by their physical characteristics, which wavelengths cannot be adjusted or modified to match other desired frequencies. In the case of gases, it is difficult to efficiently couple radiant energy into desired light-emitting modes, and in the case of rare earth oxides, it is difficult to suppress out-of-band background emittance to achieve a sufficiently broad bandwidth profile in order to achieve high efficiency coupling of energy into the desired modes. Further, both media are transparent to broadband radiation from background sources such as mechanical mounting structures.

Method of fabricating a resonant micromesh filter