The invention relates to a radio system and a transceiver method. The method comprises the steps of transmitting a signal of at least one type by a transceiver of the first type; receiving a signal by a transceiver of the second type with at least two differently polarized antennas; performing measurements of the received signal to determine its polarization by using the transceiver of the second type; determining the polarization of the transceiver of the first type; adjusting the signal transmitted by the transceiver of the second type in such a way that the polarization of the signal is matched with the polarization used by the transceiver of the first type; transmitting at least two orthogonally polarized, polarization-matched signals by the transceiver of the second type; and receiving the polarization-matched signals by the transceiver of the first type by using at least two antennas of different polarizations.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a transceiver method in a radio system in which several antennas are used in the transmission and/or reception of a signal propagating through a radio channel, and a radio system implementing the method.
2. Description of the Related Art
In telecommunication connections, the transmission path used for transmission of signals causes interference for telecommunication, irrespective of the physical form of the transmission path. The transmission path can be a radio link, an optical fibre or a copper cable, for example. In telecommunication utilizing radio links, in particular, situations often arise where the quality of the transmission path varies from one connection to another, and also during the connection. One typical phenomenon causing changes in the transmission channel is fading on the radio path. Other simultaneous connections may also cause interference that may vary in the function of time and place.
Using diversity in the transmitter has been used as one solution to this problem. Diversity methods generally used include time, frequency and antenna diversity, for instance. In time diversity, interleaving and coding are used, with which time diversity is provided for the signal to be transmitted, but the disadvantage is that there will be delays in the transmission, particularly when the channel is slowly fading. In frequency diversity, the signal is transmitted at several frequencies simultaneously. However, the method is inefficient when the coherence bandwidth of the channel is great. In antenna diversity, there is more than one antenna in the signal transmission and/or reception. Thus, the signal components multi-propagated through different channels are not, in all probability, interfered by simultaneous fading.
Multiple antenna techniques, such as antenna or transmission diversity, the use of array antennas or beam forming, allow improvement of performance and improvement of capacity and coverage of the uplink and downlink, for example when time division multiple access (TDMA) and wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) are used.
Antenna diversity can be divided into receiving and transmitting diversity. In receiving diversity, two or more antennas whose positions or polarizations differ from each other are used for receiving the transmitted signal. In transmission diversity, the same signal is transmitted to the receiver by using two or more different antennas. In prior art solutions, antenna diversity is more generally used in the downlink of a radio system, because in such a case the user equipment does not have to be provided with several antennas. Requirements for the complexity of the user equipment have, in general, been strict, so that prior art solutions tend to use multiple antenna systems based on algorithms executed in a base transceiver station instead of algorithms performed in user equipment.
A known example of such a method is beam forming, with which average improvement of the performance of a radio link is achieved. The aim of beam forming is to increase the average strength of the electric field close to the user equipment by transmitting the same signal with antennas correlating intensively in such a way that the signals are summed up in the direction of the user equipment. The operation of this conventional beam forming is based on determining the average direction of the user equipment.
The MIMO (multiple input, multiple output) method is presently one of the multiple antenna methods having gained wide interest. In this method, a signal is transmitted to a receiver by using two or more different antennas, and the transmitted signal is received by using two or more different antennas. The MIMO is described in more detail in, for instance, the publication by G. J. Foschini, "Layered Space-Time Architecture for Wireless Communication in a Fading Environment When Using Multi-Element Antennas", Bell Labs Technical Journal, Autumn 1996, which is incorporated by reference herein. Good performance can be achieved with the MIMO if the signals transmitted and received through different antennas travel through different channels. The problem with MIMO methods has been that the channels must be rather uncorrelated relative to each other in order for the MIMO to function well. In many cases, correlation results from a situation where there is a line-of-sight (LOS) between the base transceiver station and the user equipment, in other words the line from the transmitting antenna to the receiving antenna is unrestricted. The drawback of the MIMO method is thus that it does not function well in line-of-sight situations. A prerequisite for good performance is also that the user equipment of the radio system comprises at least two antennas.
In telecommunication connections, the intention is to transmit a signal in as an errorless manner as possible and, at the same time, to transmit information as efficiently as possible; in other words, the aim is to utilize the capacity of the transmission channel as efficiently as possible in data transmission. The object of interest is particularly the transmission rates achieved in designing cellular radio systems. The third generation and the more recent generations of mobile systems allow arrangement of the transmission rate according to the information to be transmitted. For example, speech can be transmitted at a lower rate than data, and, the highest transmission rate possible can be used for multimedia applications. In MIMO methods, the transmission rate can be increased by sending several different signals simultaneously at the same frequency. Conventionally, the use of diversity and the use of several signals to increase the transmission rate have been alternatives that have excluded each other.
High transmission rates also usually require high transmission power in order for the desired connection quality to be achieved. In addition to the compensation of the effects of the propagation environment, also the so-called spectral efficiency, i.e. achieving the required quality by using radio resources as little as possible, typically at as low a transmission power as possible, affects performance of the transmission path.
The problem with previous methods have been that in some cases, due to the incompatibility of the polarizations of the transmitter and the receiver, the signal does not reach its destination even if the transmission power is increased. A corresponding problem may arise when signals are sent from antennas between which there is correlation.

Transceiver method in a radio system and a radio system


An automated telephone operator platform (e.g., an auto attendant) has a natural names library associated therewith. The natural names library comprises a large database of audio files representing common objects expected to be recognized by a telephone-based ASR application associated with or executing on the platform. Whenever the ASR application requires playback of an object file (e.g., a user""s name associated with a mailbox), the system first determines whether the user has recorded a sample of his or her own voice. If so, the user""s actual voice sample is output. If, however, the user""s actual voice sample is not available or has not been recorded, the ASR application accesses the database to retreive objects files from which it then builds an appropriate output string.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to applications for automatic speech recognition (ASR) and, in particular, to automated telephone operator platforms that use ASR for information retrieval, playback and navigation.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional voice mail systems have the capability of recording a user""s voice for playback and announcement purposes. Thus, for example, when a given called party is not available, the system may be controlled to play a prompt in the called party""s actual voice. This operation typically is accomplished by storing a user-recorded audio file and then retrieving that file upon a given occurrence. While the above-described playback technique is desirable, in practice many users do not take the time to record their voice information. Indeed, in some environments, such as the use of such systems in hospitals or hotels, users do not require access to the system for extended periods and, thus, they have no incentive to record their voice information into the system. In these cases, playback of user identifying information can only be accomplished in one of two ways. Either the operator has to undertake the task of recording the user names individually, which may be quite labor intensive, or the system is forced to default to some other means of announcing the user""s name. Typically, the default operation is performed by a text-to-speech processor, which provides unacceptable results. In particular, text-to-speech processors cannot provide accurate pronouncements of given names, especially with respect to names of foreign origin.
The present invention addresses this problem.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an automated telephone operator platform (e.g., an auto attendant) that has a natural names library associated therewith. The natural names library comprises a large database of audio files representing common objects (e.g., names, product identifiers, colors, etc.) that are expected to be recognized by a telephone-based ASR application associated with or executing on the platform. Preferably, individual audio files are stored in a compressed format. Whenever the ASR application requires playback of an object file (e.g., the user""s name), the system first determines whether the user has recorded the necessary voice sample. If so, the user""s actual voice sample is output. If, however, the user""s actual voice sample is not available or has not been recorded, the ASR application accesses the database to retreive objects files from which it then builds an appropriate output string.
Thus, for examaple, if a calling party desires to speak with xe2x80x9cMary Smithxe2x80x9d and that person is not available, the voice mail system may respond xe2x80x9cyour call to xe2x80x98Mary Smithxe2x80x99 cannot be completed, if you""d like to leave a message, press 1.xe2x80x9d In that message, if the xe2x80x98Mary Smithxe2x80x99 prompt does not exist in the user""s own voice, the system retrieves xe2x80x98Maryxe2x80x99 and xe2x80x98Smithxe2x80x99, two separate object entries in the common names library, concatenates the objects, and outputs xe2x80x98Mary Smithxe2x80x99. In the event the available library objects are not available or are insufficient, a text-to-speech processor may be used as a back-up announcement mechanism.
The natural names library may be centrally-located and accessed by a set of attendant platforms via a data network such as the Internet, an intranet, or the like. The library may be accessed on a call-by-call basis, or a subset of objects in the library may be downloaded to a given attendant platform. As the number of entries in the database grows larger and larger, centralized management and administration of the libary is preferred.
Thus, according to the preferred embodiment of the invention, individual component objects of a desired output are retreived from the names library and reassembled (typically by concatenation) into an output. The names library has particular utility as a front end or back end to a private branch exchange to provide directory assistance, voice mail routing, and the like.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects and features of the present invention. These objects should be construed to be merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the invention. Many other beneficial results can be attained by applying the disclosed invention in a different manner or modifying the invention as will be described. Accordingly, other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the following Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment.

Auto attendant having natural names database library


Titanium alloys comprising from about 2.5% to about 5.4% aluminum, from about 2.0% to about 3.4% vanadium, from about 0.2% to about 2.0% iron, and from 0.2% to about 0.3% oxygen are described. Such alloys also can comprise elements selected from the group consisting of chromium, nickel, carbon, nitrogen, perhaps other trace elements, and mixtures thereof, wherein the weight percent of each such element is 0.1% or less, and wherein the total weight of such elements is generally about 0.5% or less. A method for producing titanium alloys also is described. The method first comprises providing an ingot having the composition described above, and then .alpha.-.beta. processing the ingot to provide an .alpha.-.beta. alloy. Armor plates comprising an .alpha.-.beta.-processed titanium alloy also are described, as well as a method for making such armor plates. Armor plates produced according to the method with thicknesses of from about 0.625 inch to about 0.679 inch (from about 15.9 mm to about 17.2 mm) have V.sub.50 values of about 600 m/s or greater.

In 1950, Pitler and Hurlich concluded that titanium showed promise as a structural armor against small-arms projectiles. Pitler et al.'s Some Mechanical and Ballistic Properties of Titanium and Titanium Alloys, Watertown Arsenal Laboratory (March, 1990). Titanium alloys are now being investigated for the same purpose. Ti--6Al--4V alloys, for example, have been used to form ballistic armor. See, for example, Hickey Jr. et al.'s Ballistic Damage Characteristics and Fracture Toughness of Laminated Aluminum 7049-773 and Titanium 6Al--4V Alloys, Watertown Arsenal Laboratory (March, 1980). The Ti--6Al--4V alloys comprise, as the name implies, titanium, 6 weight percent aluminum and 4 weight percent vanadium. Most of the Ti--6Al--4V alloys have relatively low oxygen concentrations of less than 0.20% by weight [all percents stated herein with respect to alloy compositions are percents relative to the total weight of the alloy, unless stated otherwise]. Ti--6Al--4V alloys having higher oxygen concentrations also are known, and such alloys have been used to produce ballistic plates. Love's U.S. Pat. No. 5,332,545, for example, describes ballistic plates made from a Ti--6Al--4V alloy. Love's alloy has a preferred composition of 6.2% aluminum, 4.0% vanadium and 0.25% oxygen.
Another titanium alloy that has been used to produce ballistic armor is discussed in J. C. Fanning's Terminal Ballistic Properties of TIMETAL.RTM. 62S, Titanium '95: Science And Technology (1996). Fanning describes a titanium alloy having 6.0% aluminum, 2.0% iron, a relatively low oxygen content of 0.18%, less than 0.1 weight percent vanadium and perhaps other trace elements. One measure of the effectiveness of ballistic plates is the average velocity (V.sub.50) of a shell, such as a 20 mm fragment-simulated projectile (FSP), required to penetrate such plates. Plates fashioned from Fanning's alloy were tested using the army's 20 mm FSP test. The V.sub.50 Fanning reported for such plates is 548 m/s. Id., Table III, page 1691. This V.sub.50 value is representative of most titanium alloys, which generally have V.sub.50 values for plates having thicknesses similar to Fanning's of less than 600 m/s.
The current military minimum V.sub.50 for a 0.625 inch (15.6 mm) thick plate made from Ti--6Al--4V ELI (extra low interstitial oxygen) using a 20 mm FSP test is 583 m/s. See military standard MIL-A-46077. For armor plates having a thickness of 16.1 mm to 16.9 mm, the V.sub.50 values currently required by the military range from 591 m/s to 612 m/s.
The Ti--6Al--4V alloys have been used to produce ballistic armor because they provide better ballistic results using less mass than steel or aluminum alloys against most ballistic threats. Titanium alloys are therefore referred to as being "more mass efficient" with respect to ballistic properties than steel or aluminum alloy. But, the V.sub.50 values of known titanium alloys are not entirely satisfactory, and such alloys are expensive to produce. As a result, there is a need for titanium alloys that can be formed less expensively than conventional titanium alloys, and which can be formed into ballistic plates having V.sub.50 values that meet or exceed current military standards.

Titanium-aluminum-vanadium alloys and products made therefrom


The invention relates to a method for removing an area of a layer of a component consisting of metal or a metal compound. According to prior art, corrosion products of a component are removed in a first step by applying a molten mass or by heating in a voluminous powder bed. This requires high temperatures or a large amount of space. The inventive method for removing corrosion products of a component is characterized in that a cleaning agent is applied locally, which removes the corrosion products by means of a gaseous reaction product.

In present-day modern power generating systems, such as gas turbine systems, the efficiency plays an important role, because this makes it possible to reduce the costs for operation of the gas turbine systems.
One possible way to improve the efficiency and thus to reduce the operating costs is to increase the inlet temperatures of a combustion gas within a gas turbine.
Ceramic heat insulation layers have been developed for this reason, which are applied to thermally loaded parts which, for example, are composed of superalloys, which on their own could no longer withstand the high inlet temperatures in the long term. The ceramic heat insulation layer offers the advantage of good temperature resistance owing to its ceramic characteristics, and the metallic substrate offers the advantage of good mechanical characteristics in this composite or layer system.
Typically, an adhesion promotion layer composed of MCrAlY (major parts) is applied between the substrate and the ceramic heat insulation layer, with M indicating that a metal composed of nickel, chromium or iron is used.
The composition of these MCrAlY layers may vary, but all the MCrAlY layers are subject to corrosion, despite the ceramic layer on them, due to oxidation, sulfidation, nitridation or other chemical and/or mechanical attacks.
The MCrAlY layer in this case is frequently degraded to a greater extent than the metallic substrate, that is to say the life of the composite system comprising the substrate and layer is governed by the life of the MCrAlY layer.
The MCrAlY intermediate layer is still functional only to a restricted extent after lengthy use while, in contrast, the substrate may still be fully functional.
There is therefore a requirement to reprocess the parts which have become degraded in use, for example turbine blades, guide vanes or combustion chamber parts, in which process the corroded layers or zones of the MCrAlY layer must be removed, in order, possibly, to apply new MCrAlY layers and/or a heat insulation layer once again. The use of existing, used substrates leads to a cost reduction during operation of gas turbine systems.
In this case, care must be taken to ensure that the design of the turbine blades or of the guide vanes is not changed, that is to say that the material is removed from the surface uniformly.
Furthermore, no corrosion products must be left behind which would form a fault source when a MCrAlY layer and/or a ceramic heat insulation layer is coated once again, or which would lead to poor adhesion of the heat insulation layer.
A method for removal of corrosion products is known from U.S. Pat. No. 6,217,668. In this method, the corroded part is accommodated in a large vat, with the part being arranged in a powder bed with an aluminum source. The vat must be partially closed and then heated in an oven. The heating process results in aluminum being supplied to the corroded part, as a result of which the areas can be removed by means of a subsequent acid treatment which would previously not have been able to remove it as well, that is to say it would have had greater resistance to removal.
A large amount of material is required for the powder bed, and the vat occupies a large amount of space in the oven during the heat treatment. The heating process also takes longer, owing to the high heat capacity.
A further method for removal of surface layers from metallic coatings is known from U.S. Pat. No. 6,036,995. In this method, the aluminum source is applied by means of a paste to a corroded part. However, the part must be heated with the paste until the aluminum melts, so that the aluminum does not diffuse into the part until this stage. The melted aluminum layer is difficult to remove, since it adheres to the part very well.

Method for removing at least one area of a layer of a component consisting of metal or a metal compound


The invention relates to a method for fastening an exhaust gas converter module (1) to an internal combustion engine (2) of a motor vehicle, wherein the exhaust gas converter module (1) is first connected to a pipe section of the exhaust gas system arranged upstream in the flow direction of the exhaust gas and is then pivoted about a pivot axis (S), wherein a two-part module bracket (4) engages with an engine bracket (3) and is coupled with the engine mount (3) in this installation position by a screw connection. The invention relates to a corresponding device having an engine bracket and a module bracket (3, 4).

The invention relates to a method for fastening an exhaust gas converter module to an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle and to a device for fastening an exhaust gas converter module to an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle.
An exhaust gas converter module within the context of the invention is part of the exhaust gas system of a motor vehicle, in particular a catalytic converter which, in addition to an inlet flange, an outlet flange with corresponding funnel-shape regions, and a housing of a monolith also includes a heat shield and corresponding sensor receptacles. It is therefore a relatively complex assembly having a not insubstantial weight and volume. Durability problems resulting from thermally induced stress may occur due to the high thermal load when fastening such exhaust gases modules. Installation and removal in the immediate vicinity of the engine is often difficult.
For example, DE 10 2004 023 585 A1 describes an attachment for a catalytic converter which is constructed so as to prevent exposure of the catalytic converter to additional thermal stress from additional welding operations. In particular, the catalytic converter may be attached in the region of a pipe carrying exhaust gas, i.e., at a distance from the actual catalytic converter, so that the catalytic converter can elastically expand in the X, Y and Z directions without constraint. However, disadvantageously, the relatively large weight of the catalytic converter must be transferred to a mount arranged at the distance from the catalytic converter, which requires a sufficiently stable attachment, in particular for controlling vibrations.
DE 10 2006 010 973 A1 discloses a device for suspending that part of an exhaust gas system of a motor vehicle which includes a support structure with a swivel support. An elastic suspension part can be mounted on the swivel support. The suspension device is intended to facilitate adjustment of very different load requirements and, in particular, to facilitate repair, without requiring substantial changes in the basic structure of the suspension device, in particular of additional elastomer bodies. The support structure is particularly a die-cast component made of aluminum or a plastic part, with a relatively complex geometry which is difficult to manufacture. Although several support structures can be employed with an attachment compensating tolerances, which is particularly advantageous for damping vibrations, this alone is not sufficient for attaching an exhaust gas converter module which has a relatively large weight and is subjected to extreme thermal stress.
On this basis, it is the object of the invention to provide, on one hand, a method for easy installation of an exhaust gas converter module on an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle, as well as a corresponding device for fastening an exhaust gas converter module which allows a sufficiently stiff, but at the same time tolerance-compensating attachment of the exhaust gas converter module.

Method and device for fastening an exhaust gas converter module


In the present invention, a barrier film 20 is formed by forming a tungsten nitride film 21 and subsequently by forming a tungsten silicide film 22. The tungsten silicide film 22 is exposed at the surface of the barrier film 20, and an electrode film 25′ is formed so as to be brought into close contact with the tungsten silicide film 22. Since a conductive material constituting the electrode film 25′ is chemically bound to silicon atoms in the tungsten silicide film 22, the adhesion between the barrier film 20 and the electrode film 25′ is high, and the electrode film 25′ resists peeling from the barrier film 20. Further, agglomeration is not likely to occur in the electrode film 25′ during annealing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a method for forming a film, and more particularly to a method for forming a barrier film of a semiconductor device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, as a method for forming an electrode film and plugs on a device having a dual damascene structure, there has been a method in which the electrode film is obtained by forming a barrier film on the device surface, forming a conductive film on the barrier film surface to fill trenches on the device with the conductive film, and subsequently polishing the conductive film by means of a CMP (Chemical Mechanical Polishing) method to separate the conductive film remaining in the trenches.
As a material for composing the barrier film, tungsten nitride or tantalum nitride has been used. A conductive material which composes the conductive film for Cu wiring is not chemically bound to the material composing the barrier film. Thus, since the adhesion between the barrier film and the conductive film (particularly Cu) is poor, peeling occasionally occurs at the boundary between the conductive film and the barrier film during the CMP step after the formation of the conductive film, causing peeling off the conductive film from the device.
Patent document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2001-23930.
Patent document 2: Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 11(1999)-54459.
Patent document 3: Japanese Patent No. 3415207.
Patent document 4: Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 6(1994)-89873.
Patent document 5: Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2000-212749.
Patent document 6: Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2001-319930.
Patent document 7: Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 7(1995)-252660.

Method for forming barrier film and method for forming electrode film


The present invention relates to vinyl chloride copolymers, in the latex form, the particles of which are composed of a core, of an outer layer and optionally of an intermediate layer. It also relates to the process for the manufacture of this latex by seeded miscosuspension polymerization and to its applications in paints and plastisols.

Vinyl polymers having a core-shell structure and capable of being used in paint formulations are known. The particles of these polymers are composed of a core and of a shell with a different composition from that of the core. The latex based on these particles is generally obtained by emulsion polymerization. Thus, a description is given in the document WO 95/14063 of an aqueous dispersion of particles composed of a copolymer core obtained by the emulsion polymerization of ethylene and of a vinyl monomer and of a copolymer shell comprising the units of an alkyl (meth)acrylate having a carbon number of between 4 and 12 and of at least one monomer chosen from alkyl (meth)acrylates having a carbon number of between 1 and 3, styrene and .alpha.-methylstyrene.
The document WO 94/20556 discloses a dispersion of particles composed of a polymer core containing one or a number of monomer(s) chosen from vinyl esters, (meth)acrylates, vinyl chloride, aromatic vinyl compounds and ethylene and of a copolymer shell containing units of (meth)acrylates of specific solubility, of a functionalized olefinic monomer and of a hydrolysable unsaturated silane. The core represents 75 to 98% of the total weight of the particle.
Moreover, the document JP-A-3-41103 discloses a method for producing copolymers suitable for the manufacture of plastisols which are stable on storage. Example 5 of this document describes a microsuspension polymerization process, according to which part of the vinyl chloride to be used is introduced before the reaction and the remaining part of the vinyl chloride and the butyl methacrylate are introduced continuously, all the methacrylate being introduced before the degree of conversion of the monomers exceeds 60%. This method exhibits disadvantages illustrated by Comparative Examples 4 and 5. Indeed, it is impossible to obtain stable plastisols with vinyl acetate and when the butyl acrylate is introduced beyond a degree of conversion of the monomers of 60%.

Latex based on vinyl chloride copolymers with a specific structure, process for the manufacture thereof and applications thereof


A rotation module with a linked plugging and unplugging design is applied to a host case for installation and disassembly. The rotation module includes: a housing, for accommodating a data storage unit electrically connected to a cable; a placement assembly, for guiding the housing along a first direction to install or disassemble the housing; a rotation assembly, for rotatably combining the housing and the placement assembly so that the housing is capable of rotating along a second direction; and a linkage assembly, having a first end and a second end, with a plug assembly of the cable assembled to the second end. In response to the housing rotated along the second direction, the second end of the linkage assembly moves in a linked manner along the first direction and enables the plug assembly to plug into or unplug from a slot of a motherboard.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to a rotation module with a linked plugging and unplugging design, and more particularly to a rotation module, which is applied to a host case and is capable of simultaneously plugging/unplugging a cable attached to the rotation module into/from a slot or a socket of a motherboard when rotatably installing or disassembling the rotation module.
2. Description of the Related Art
A host of a personal computer, desktop computer, network server or network data storage device usually bears a case-like design. In a housing or a case of the host, critical components including the motherboard, disk drive and hard drive are installed. In addition to loading an operating system and associated operation programs required, the hard drive further provides a data or file storage function.
Conventionally, a host is fixedly mounted onto a corresponding fixing frame in a host case by a number of screws and then electrically connected to the motherboard. In some cases, a user may need to replace or read from multiple different hard drives operated by the same host, or to disassemble a hard drive for repair. Thus, installation or disassembly processes based on the above arrangement is timing consuming and complicated.
With respect to the assembly of a hard drive, one conventional solution for solving the above problem is to provide a drawable structure that can be directly drawn from a host case. In such structure, a corresponding drawable frame is fixedly mounted to a fixing frame in the host case, and a hard drive is placed into a housing that can be extracted from the drawable frame in a way that the hard drive can be readily installed to or disassembled from the host case. While inserting the hard drive into the drawable frame, the transmission connection for power and signals can also be completed.
The extraction or insertion of the above drawable structure is conducted in a vertical manner at one side of the host case. However, not only such arrangement may not be suitable for all types of computer hosts, but the drawable frame may occupy a large part of the internal space of the host. Current techniques further provide a design that rotatably installs or disassembles a hard drive. That is, a hard drive can be placed in a rotation module, and be installed to or disassembled from a motherboard in a rotating manner.
FIGS. 1A and 1B show schematic diagrams of rotatably installing or disassembling a rotation module 100. More specifically, FIG. 1A shows a schematic diagram of the rotation module 100 mounted onto a motherboard 10, and FIG. 1B shows a planar view of the rotation module 100 mounted onto the motherboard 10. As shown in FIG. 1A, the rotation module 100 covers a part of the motherboard 10 when mounted onto the motherboard 10, and is installed to or disassembled from the motherboard 10 by rotating upward or downward relative to a plane where the motherboard 10 is located.
As shown in FIG. 1B, unlike the conventional drawable structure, the rotation module shown, after being installed, requires a cable 11 (including power and signal transmission) for connecting to or plugging into a corresponding slot 12 on the motherboard 10. A common slot or socket is designed at a rear end of hard drive, in a way that the slot 12 is concealed by the volume of the rotation module 100, and the plugging/unplugging can only be performed manually within a limited operating space. Further, with such rotation design, a boot failure may be resulted as a user may be prone to forget to plug in the cable 11 after completing the installation, or related components may be damaged as a user may forget to unplug the cable 11 and directly disassemble the rotation module 100.
Therefore, there is a need for a solution that conveniently connects or plugs/unplugs a cable when a user rotatably installs or disassembles a corresponding hard drive.

Rotation module with linked plugging and unplugging design


The present invention relates to a multi-function actuator, in which a voice coil vibrates a sound-generating diaphragm in response to an audio signal. A vibration coil is placed on a central axis coaxial with the voice coil for generating vibration in response to the audio signal or a vibration signal. A vibration unit includes a magnet for generating a magnetic field to both of the voice coil and the vibration coil and a yoke having a predetermined mass. The vibration unit is vertically vibrated by an electromagnetic force produced from at least one of the voice coil and the vibration coil. A switch selectively applies the audio signal to the vibration coil. The multi-function actuator can prevent the vibration of the vibration unit during sound generation in response to user's switch selection.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multi-function actuator capable of preventing vibration. More particularly, the multi-function actuator of the present invention can prevent the vibration of a vibration unit during sound generation in response to user's switch selection.
2. Description of the Related Art
A multi-function actuator generally means a small sized vibration and sound-generating apparatus that functions to output audible sound from electrically received audio signals or previously inputted bell or melody. Such multi-function actuators are mounted on various mobile communication systems such as a mobile phone, pager, gaming system and headset.
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional multi-function actuator, as will be described hereinafter.
A conventional multi-function actuator 100 includes a hollow housing 110, a sound generating diaphragm 121 fixed by the outer circumference to the top of the housing 110, a voice coil 122 cylindrically wound and fixed to the bottom of the diaphragm 121, a vertically magnetized magnet 123, a yoke 131 forming a magnetic circuit together with the magnet 123, a weight 133 forming a vibrator together with the yoke 131 and upper and lower leaf springs 132 and 132′ supporting the vibrator at the top and the bottom, respectively.
Lines of magnetic force from the N pole of the magnet 123 are directed to the S pole of the magnet 123 through the voice coil 122 and the yoke 131 in their order thereby forming a magnetic field. The voice coil 122 functions as a speaker to generate sound by using magnetic flux from the magnetic circuit including the magnet 123 and the yoke 131.
In the meantime, application of low frequency voltage to the voice coil 122 induces vertical movement to the vibrator, which further includes the weight 133 together with the magnet 123 and the yoke 131 of the magnetic circuit, thereby generating vibration.
The conventional multi-function actuator generates vibration in a relatively lower frequency range but sound in a relatively higher frequency range based upon resonant frequency.
However, when used as mobile communication devices or for other purposes, the conventional multi-function actuator has a problem in that sound generation is accompanied with vibration because the frequency range of audio signals gradually expands into the low frequency range.
In particular, the afore-described conventional actuator 100 is prone to have various problems associated with controlling such as overlapping in frequency, etc., since it is designed to generate both of sound and vibration by inputting frequency signals into a single signal source or the voice coil 122.
FIG. 2 illustrates another conventional actuator which additionally has a vibration coil to improve some of the above problems, as will be described hereinafter.
The conventional actuator 200 includes a cylindrical outer frame 210, a sound unit 220, which comprises a diaphragm 221, a voice coil 222 and a sound magnet 223, and a vibration unit 230, which comprises a yoke 231, a vibration coil 232 and a vibration magnet 233. The sound unit 220 and the vibration unit 230 are placed inside the cylindrical outer frame 210
In the outer periphery of the outer frame 210, there is provided a terminal plate for supplying external voltage to the voice coil 222 and the vibration coil 232.
In the inner periphery of the outer frame 210, there are provided an upper leaf spring 240 and a lower leaf spring 240′. An annular acoustic magnet 223 is mounted on the bottom of the upper leaf spring 240 and the top of the lower leaf spring 240′. An inner frame is coupled with the top of the sound magnet 223 and the upper leaf spring 240.
The voice coil 222 is connected with the terminal plate. When a voltage having a predetermined frequency or more is supplied to the voice coil 222, the voice coil 222 is vertically vibrated by an electromagnetic force produced through the interaction between a magnetic field generated from the sound magnet 223 and an electric field generated around the voice coil 222.
This vertically vibrates the diaphragm 221 coupled integrally with the voice coil 222 thereby producing sound.
In the meantime, the vibration coil 232 is connected with a different terminal plate. When a voltage having a predetermined frequency or more is supplied from this terminal plate to the vibration coil 232, the yoke 231 is vertically vibrated by an electromagnetic force produced through the interaction between a magnetic field of the vibration magnet 233 and an electric field generated around the vibration coil 232. The vibratory force of the yoke 231 is transmitted to the outer frame 210 through the upper and lower leaf springs 240 and 240′, and the vibratory force of the outer frame 210 is transmitted to the outside.
This as a result generates vibration to inform call incoming.
Although the above actuator is so structured that the sound unit 220 is separated from the vibration unit 230 in order to avoid any interference between them, this still has a problem of vibration since it is impossible to prevent the reaction of the vibration unit 230 in the event that the diaphragm 221 of the sound unit 220 is vibrated to generate sound.
Accordingly, a multi-function actuator, which can prevent vibration resulting from sound generation in response to user selection, has been required in the art in order to prevent such problems.

Multi-function actuator capable of preventing vibration


A projector includes: plural high-pressure discharge lamps; a high-pressure discharge lamp lighting device for lighting the plural high-pressure discharge lamps; a light combining system that combines and outputs lights from the plural high-pressure discharge lamps; an electro-optical modulation device that modulates the light from the light combining system according to image information; and a projection system that projects the light modulated by the electro-optical modulation device, wherein the high-pressure discharge lamp lighting device supplies alternating lamp currents having alternating-current waveforms with the same waveform and period and phases shifted by a predetermined amount with respect to each of the high-pressure discharge lamps to the respective plural high-pressure discharge lamps.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a projector.
2. Related Art
High brightness projectors have been desired and projectors including plural light source lamps (so-called multi-lamp projectors) have been proposed in response to the request (for example, see JP-A-8-36180). As the light source lamp, a light source lamp having a high-pressure discharge lamp is used. Further, as an electro-optical modulation device that modulates light from the light source lamp according to image information, a liquid crystal modulation device having a liquid crystal panel is used.
According to the multi-lamp projector in the related art, the projector includes plural light source lamps, and has brightness than that of earlier one.
However, in the multi-lamp projector in the related art, there is a problem of scroll noise generation on the projection screen.

Projector using ballast controlled high-pressure discharge lamps


An ink jet recording apparatus comprises an ink jet head provided with discharge ports for discharging the ink, pressure producing element for producing a pressure for maintaining or recovering the discharge conditions of the ink through said discharge ports by compulsorily discharging the ink through said discharge ports, communicating element for communicating said pressure producing element to said ink jet head, and a driving source for driving said pressure producing element and said communicating element. Each of said pressure producing element and said communicating element is provided with a drive selection mechanism so that either said pressure producing element or said communicating element is selectively driven depending on the rotational direction of said driving source.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus and a recovery processing device for said apparatus, and more particularly to an ink jet recording apparatus and a recovery processing device for said apparatus with which the normal ink discharge conditions of an ink jet head are maintained, or having a recovery system for effecting the recovery.
2. Related Background Art
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the schematic constitution of the essence of an ink jet recording apparatus pertaining to the background art.
In FIG. 5, C is an ink jet cartridge, comprised of an ink tank portion located upward in the figure, and a recording head located downward, and further provided with a connector for accepting the signals for driving the recording head. The recording head according to this example has a plurality of discharge ports on the bottom face side in the figure, with elements for generating the energy useful to discharge the ink arranged in the liquid channel portions commucating to the discharge ports. Also, each liquid channel communicates to a common liquid chamber in which the ink supplied from the ink tank portion is received. Note that the above elements may be preferably electricity-heat conversion elements for generating the heat energy which serves as the energy for use in discharging the ink, because of the capability of higher integration of discharge ports or liquid channels.
2 is a carriage, which can mount four cartridges C (C1, C2, C3, C4; corresponding to inks of different colors, for example, yellow, magenta, cyan and black) by positioning, and has a connector holder for transmitting the signals for driving the recording head to enable the electrical connection to the recording head.
11 is a scanning rail, extending along the main scan direction of the carriage 2, for supporting the carriage 2 for free sliding movement, and 52 is a drive belt for transmitting the driving force to reciprocate the carriage 2. Also, a conveying roller pair consisting of conveying rollers 15, 16 and a conveying roller pair consisting of conveying rollers 17, 18 are placed before and after the recording position with the recording head to convey the recording medium therebetween. P is the recording medium such as sheet, which is pressed on a platen (not shown) for regulating the record plane of the recording medium P flat. A recording head portion of the ink jet cartridge C mounted on the carriage 2 is protruded downward in the figure from the carriage 2 to be located between recording medium conveying rollers 16, 18, with the discharge port formation face of the recording head portion opposed to and parallel to the recording medium P pressed on a guide plane of the platen (not shown).
In the ink jet recording apparatus of this example, a recovery system unit 200 as recovery means is disposed on the home position side which resides to the left of FIG. 5. In the recovery system unit 200, 300 is a cap unit provided corresponding to a plurality of ink jet cartridges C having recording heads, this cap unit being movable up and down. And when the carriage 2 is located at a home position, it engages and caps the recording head portion, preventing the ink within the discharge ports of the recording head from evaporating, thickening, and fixing to cause a discharge failure.
Also, in the recovery system unit, 500 is a pump unit in communication with the cap unit 300, which is used to produce a negative pressure required for a suction recovery processing which is effected by joining together the cap unit 300 and the recording head in case where any discharge failure accidentally occurs in the recording head. Further, in the recovery system unit, 401 is a blade as a wiping member formed of an elastic material such as rubber, and 402 is a blade holder for holding the blade 401. In this example, with a blade lifting mechanism (not shown) to be driven by the movement of the carriage 2, the blade 401 supported by the blade holder 402 can be set at either of two positions, i.e., a projected (upward) position (wiping position) to wipe the ink adhering to the discharge port formation face of the recording head and a retracted (downward) position (standby position) not to interfere with the discharge port formation face of the recording head.
The pump unit will be described below. This pump unit has a pump for the recovery disposed to such the ink through the discharge ports by utilizing a negative pressure produced by the pump, for the purposes of maintaining the normal ink discharge conditions of the ink jet head or recovering the ink jet head into the normal ink discharge conditions in cases where the clogging occurs in the discharge port. A constitutional example of this pump involves the use of what is called a tube pump which produces negative pressure by changing the volume of a flexible tube (e.g., Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 1-122880).
FIGS. 6A and 6B are views showing the schematic constitution of the tube pump.
First, an opening portion of the cap 30 is brought into contact with the ink jet head 1 to effect the capping on the discharge port formation face 1A. Another opening portion is provided on the back face side of the cap 30, with a tube 3 that is a component of the tube pump connected thereto. A pressure roller 5 is provided for pressing the tube 3, with a shaft portion 5A rotatably supported by a guide roller 4. A shaft portion 4A of the guide roller 4 is attached rotatably to a pump base 6. Also, the pump base 6 is formed with a circular groove 6A which is coaxial with the shaft of the guide roller 4.
In the above constitution, if the guide roller 4 is rotated in a direction of the arrow a by driving means, not shown, the pressure roller 5 on the guide roller 4 makes contact with and presses the tube 3 at a portion of X in FIG. 6A, compressing the tube 3 until the space inside the tube at the pressed portion becomes null. If the guide roller 4 is further rotated in the direction of the arrow a from this state, the pressure roller 5 is caused to rotate in a direction of the arrow b while compressing the tube 3. And it is temporarily stopped at a portion of Y in FIG. 6B. At this time, a negative pressure occurs on the discharge port formation face 1A of the head 1 by volume changes within the tube compressed by the pressure roller 5 which has been moved from the position X to Y, thereby effecting the suction operation through the discharge ports. Also, a waste ink processing member 7 for reserving the ink drawn through the discharge ports owing to suction is disposed downstream of the tube 3.
The recovery operation will be described below in detail using FIGS. 7 and 8.
When the clogging occurs in the discharge ports 1A of the ink jet head 1, the suction recovery operation is performed at the home position.
At the home position, the opening portion of the cap unit 300 is placed into contact with the ink jet head 1 to effect the capping on the discharge port formation face 1A. On the back face side of the cap 300 is provided another opening portion, to which a tube 503 that is a component of the tube pump is connected.
The tube 503 has flexibility at least on the pressed portion, with the pressure roller 505 for pressing that portion attached rotatably around a shaft portion 505A thereof to a roller bearing 508. The roller bearing 508 is held by a columnar shaft 508A, which is accommodated within a hole 504B provided on a guide roller 504 with a compression spring 510 attached around the circumference of the shaft. Also, the roller bearing 508 is secured by an E-type retaining ring. And the pressure roller 505 is biased by the compression spring 510 in a direction of pressing the tube 503. Also, the positioning of the roller bearing 508 is made by a locator pin 508B provided on the roller bearing 508 being guided by a guide groove 504C provided on the guide roller, and the shaft 508A being guided by the guide hole 504B of the guide roller 504.
The shaft portion 504A of the guide roller 504 is rotatably attached to a pump base 506 via a bearing 511. An E-type retaining ring 512 is disposed to prevent the bearing 511 from coming off. Also, a circular groove 506A coaxial with the shaft of the guide roller 504 is formed in the pump base 506. The pump base 506 is attached to a base 513 of the apparatus main body on the opening side of the circular groove 506A. This is aimed to provide the pump base 506 with the function of a cover to cover a pump operation portion with the pump base 506 in the attached state of the pump base 506, thereby preventing the operator from touching the pump operation portion carelessly and causing a malfunction, and preventing the foreign matter from entering the pump operation portion.
The tube 503 is secured by being squeezed within a tube securing groove 506B provided on the pump base 506.
In this way, if the guide roller 504 is rotated in a direction of the arrow a in the pump unit 500, the pressure roller 505 is brought into contact with a roller guide portion 506C formed integrally with the tube securing groove 506B provided on the pump base 506 (at a position Z as indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 7). At this time, the pressure roller 505 is caused to rotate in a direction of the arrow b and move gradually in a direction of the arrow f (toward the center of the roller 504) and upward to a position equivalent to the state where the pressure roller 505 is pressing the tube 503, while being guided by the roller guide portion 506. And if the guide roller 504 is further rotated in the direction of the arrow a, the pressure roller 505 comes into contact with and presses the tube 503 at position X as indicated by the alternate long and short dash line, compressing the tube 503 until the space inside the tube of the pressing portion becomes null. Because when this pressure roller moves from the position Z to the position X, the pressure roller 505 is shifted in the f direction up to a position equivalent to the state where it is already pressing the tube 503 at position Z, and situated at the position Z, it is possible to suppress the abrupt increase of the force acting on the pressure roller 505 when the pressure roller 505 moves to the position X.
If the guide roller 504 is further rotated in the direction of the arrow a from the state with the pressure roller 505 at position X, the pressure roller 505 is caused to rotate in the direction of the arrow b and move while compressing the tube 503. And it is temporarily stopped at position Y as indicated by the dotted line. At this time, a negative pressure produced by volume changes of the tube 503 compressed by the pressure roller 505 during the movement from position X to position Y is exerted on the discharge port formation face 1A of the head 1, effecting the suction operation through the discharge ports.
Note that a waste ink processing member 507 for reserving the ink drawn through the discharge ports by suction is disposed downstream of the tube 503.
After suction, if the guide roller 504 is further rotated in the direction of the arrow a, the pressure roller 505 gradually leaves away from the tube 503 along a roller guide 508C' taking the same configuration as the roller guide 506C. The movement of the pressure roller 505 is reverse to that when the pressure roller 505 makes contact with the tube 503. Hence, the torque variation encountered when the pressure roller 505 is released from the pressed state of the tube 503 can be reduced at this time.
Next, the driving of the pressure roller 505 and the cap unit 300 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11. A motor 521 is secured to a housing and has a motor gear 521a at its end portion. An intermediate gear 522 is rotatably supported around its support shaft to the housing, mating with each of a motor gear 521a, a pump gear 504D and a cam gear 523C. The pump gear 504D is formed integrally with the guide roller 504 (see FIG. 8) which axially supports the pressure roller 505 as previously described via a roller bearing. The cam gear 523C, together with a cam 523b formed integrally therewith, is rotatably supported around its support shaft 523a, 523d to the housing. Also, the cap unit 300 is supported to the housing to be movable vertically in the figure by making contact with the cam 523b as shown in FIG. 9, with its vertical position regulated by a normal shaft 302 coming contact with the cam 523b. A pipe 301 of the cap unit 300 is connected to the tube 503 as previously described in connection with the pump. An ink jet head 1 having the discharge port formation face 1A is placed above the cap unit 300.
First, the ink jet head 1 to be subjected to the suction recovery is moved above the cap unit 300 as shown in FIG. 9. If the motor 521 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction as indicated by A in the figure, the pump gear 504D and the cam gear 523C are rotated via the intermediate gear 522 in the same counterclockwise direction as indicated by A. Then, the cap unit 300 in contact with the cam 523b is moved in the upward direction in the figure to cap the discharge port formation face 1A as shown in FIG. 11. At the same time, the pressure roller 505 compresses the tube 503 as shown in FIG. 11 as the roller is rotated, so that a negative pressure is produced in accordance with the process as previously described to such the ink from the discharge port formation face 1A. If the motor A is further rotated, the pressure roller 505 is brought into a state as indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 11 and the suction is stopped. At this time, the cam 523b also resides in a state as indicated by the two-dot chain line to maintain the capping state. If the motor A is further rotated, the cap unit 300 begins to fall, resulting in a cap open state as shown in FIG. 9.
However, in the above example pertaining to the background art, albeit an advantage that the driving of the pump and the driving of the cam for capping can be effected with a single driving source, there was a problem that only one type of the ink suction amount can be set because the respective driving is interlinked.
That is, the motor driving to operate the pump is stopped halfway, the suction amount less than that at the maximum stroke can be obtained, but if the motor is further driven to open the cap, the suction operation is resumed, resulting in the final suction amount being equal to that at the maximum stroke. As a result, the ink may be sucked by the maximum suction amount, depending on the state of the ink jet head, even though the recovery can be effected only with a small suction amount, and the ink is wastefully consumed.
If one suction amount of the pump is set to the minimum value as necessary to eliminate the waste of the ink, the pump must be rotated by many times when the maximum suction amount is required, giving rise to a waste of time as well as causing a durable problem because of the repeated contact and separation between the ink jet head and the cap which is essentially unnecessary.

Ink jet recording apparatus and recovery processing device for said apparatus


A hose and cable routing system for routing and flexing a coolant supply hose, a coolant return hose, and an electrical cable to a laser system mounted on a movable optical carriage in an imaging system without introducing mechanical disturbances to the optical carriage. The hose and cable routing system includes a support tray, mounted to the imaging system, for supporting the coolant hoses and electrical cable, and a movable support bracket for supporting and running the coolant hoses and electrical cable from the support tray to the optical carriage. A track is provided to guide the movable support bracket along the imaging system in response to a displacement of the optical carriage. A vibration isolator is mounted between the support bracket and the optical carriage. Other embodiments of the hose and cable routing system are also disclosed.

The present invention is in the field of imaging systems. More particularly, the present invention provides an apparatus for routing and flexing coolant hoses and an electrical cable to a laser system mounted on a movable optical carriage in an imaging system without introducing mechanical disturbances to the optical carriage.
In many imaging systems, such as imagesetters or platesetters, an optical carriage is used to displace a laser system or other imaging source in a slow scan direction along an internal drum to expose a supply of media supported on the drum. Such an imaging system is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,598,739, assigned to the Agfa Division, Bayer Corporation, incorporated herein by reference.
The specific type of laser system employed by an imaging system depends in part on the exposure requirements of the media. For example, when using aluminum plates having a light sensitive surface emulsion, a lower power laser system, such as a doubled frequency Nd (neodymium):YAG (yttruim, aluminum, garnet) laser, may be used. However, when using thermal plates, a higher power laser system is generally required. Unfortunately, such higher power laser systems commonly require a complex cooling system wherein a liquid or gaseous coolant is cycled through the laser system to prevent the laser system from overheating. Additionally, an additional source of power is often required due to tho increased power consumption of many high power laser systems.
To ensure quality and accuracy during imaging, mechanical disturbances to the optical carriage must be minimized to avoid the generation of artifacts in the exposed images. When a cooling system is necessary, the coolant hoses for supplying coolant to the laser system can adversely affect image quality by imparting mechanical disturbances to the optical carriage as the optical carriage is displaced along the internal drum of the imaging system. Further, the coolant hoses may kink during displacement of the optical carriage, causing a blockage of the coolant to the laser system. This may result in the overheating and damage of the laser system. The electrical cable supplying power to the laser system may also disturb the optical carriage during imaging.
The present invention provides a hose and cable routing system for routing and flexing coolant supply and return hoses between a refrigeration system and the optical carriage of an imaging system, and for routing and flexing an electrical cable between a power source and the optical carriage, without introducing mechanical disturbances to the optical carriage. In a first, preferred embodiment of the present invention, the hose and cable routing system includes a support tray, mounted to the imaging system, for supporting the coolant hoses and electrical cable, and a movable support bracket for supporting and running the coolant hoses and electrical cable from the support tray to the optical carriage. A track is provided to guide the movable support bracket along the imaging system in response to a displacement of the optical carriage or a drive system. A vibration isolator, formed of a material capable of dampening vibrations and other mechanical disturbances, is preferably mounted between the support bracket and the optical carriage.
A second embodiment of the present invention provides a self coiling, retracting, hose and cable support system for supporting the coolant hoses and electrical cable adjacent tho optical carriage. The hose and cable support system includes a concave, flexible tray and a system for extending or retracting the tray in response or in conjunction with a displacement of the optical carriage.
A further embodiment of the present invention provides a hose and cable support system including a coiled, nestable hose assembly for supplying coolant and power to the optical carriage. An upper portion of each coil of the hose assembly is movably supported to a rail by a linear bearing, thereby allowing the hose assembly to expand and contract without kinking in response to a displacement of the optical carriage.

Apparatus for routing hoses and cables in an imaging system


A work boot has an anatomical tongue that is asymmetrical about a longitudinal line of the tongue extending vertically upward from a mind-point of a bottom of said tongue. The tongue contains memory foam and shapes itself to a particular user. The memory foam causes the tongue to retain its shape. The side walls of the boot have J-bars extending inward therefrom. The J-bars also contain memory foam to comfortably fit the foot of a particular user.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a work boot having an anatomical tongue that contains memory material that conforms to the foot and shin of a user. Further, this invention relates to J-bars that are located on either side of the boot above a heel. The J-bars also contain memory material and are located and shaped to extend beneath and to a rear of an ankle bone of the user.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Work boots are known. Difficulty has been encountered in designing a work boot that is comfortable, yet fits snugly and has a reasonable cost. In order to achieve a reasonable cost, work boots must be designed to fit various users. If work boots are too snug, they can be difficult to put on and to remove. They can also be extremely uncomfortable. If a work boot is too loose, it can be unsafe and can cause the user to slip, stumble or fall. Work boots are usually worn for long periods of time and are subject to significant stress. With time, a tongue of the work boot which may be centrally located at the beginning of a work day, will move toward one side. The movement of the tongue can expose the user to injury and also make the wearing of the work boot uncomfortable. The tongue will often deteriorate with time and move more quickly to a deformed position.
Difficulty has also been encountered in sizing the heel portion of the upper. If the heel portion is too small, while the heel portion will fit snugly, it will be extremely uncomfortable to wear the work boot, especially for a long period of time. Further, if the heel portion is too large, the heel of the user will readily lift off the sole as the work boot is worn. This can be unsafe for the user and can result in difficulty in walking.


To provide a collagen sponge excellent in mechanical strength and a production method for the collagen sponge. A collagen sponge including a porous construct having a pore structure, the collagen sponge having a tensile strength of 1 N or more and 5 N or less in every direction including a length direction and a width direction. The collagen sponge may be produced by a production method including the following steps: (1) a step of subjecting a collagen solution obtained by mixing collagen and a solvent to stirring and deaeration treatment; (2) a step of subjecting the collagen solution to freeze-dry treatment; and (3) a step of subjecting a dried collagen product after the freeze-dry treatment to insoluble treatment.

A meniscus of a knee joint is a fibrocartilage tissue lying between a femur in the joint and a tibia of a lower leg, and is a tissue to be frequently subjected to a large mechanical load. The meniscus plays a role in shock absorption, load distribution, improvement in ability to slide, stabilization of the joint, or the like. The meniscus is often injured in sports or damaged by daily life activities, and the damage causes a pain of the knee joint and motion limitations. The meniscus is supplied with blood only at an outer peripheral portion thereof. When the portion at which blood is supplied is torn, the torn portion is healed naturally in some cases but generally needs to be treated. In addition, when a portion at which blood is not supplied is torn, the torn portion is not healed naturally and needs to be treated.
Hitherto, damaged meniscus has been treated by conservative therapy, such as drug therapy or exercise therapy, or treated by surgery, in accordance with torn sites or damage states. As the surgery treatment, excision or partial excision of the meniscus has been performed. Although, such surgery can reduce pain temporarily, functions of the meniscus remain impaired, resulting in arthrosis deformans or the like. In recent years, with an improvement in endoscopic technology, functional preservation has been performed by suture of the meniscus under arthroscopic view. However, such suture has a problem in that the suture is not applicable to damage with a defect, complex damage, degenerative tear, and the like, and hence functions of the meniscus cannot be repaired. Such problem is desired to be solved in treatment of not only the meniscus but also all cartilage tissues that are hardly healed naturally owing to a small number of blood streams.
As a solution to the problem described above, regenerative medicine has been investigated actively. For example, in Patent Literature 1, there is a disclosure of a "method involving culturing cartilage cells on a substrate (collagen sponge) for cell culture and implanting the cultured cells into a defect together with the substrate. " However, in Patent Literature 1, the method involves inoculating the cells into the substrate, culturing the cells in vitro for a certain period, and then implanting the substrate into a tissue defect, and hence has a problem in that the method can be performed only in a facility with advanced equipment, such as a cell processing center. The method also has a problem of having a difficulty in ensuring safety.
In Patent Literature 2, there is a disclosure of a "collagen substrate to be used as a graft." However, in Patent Literature 2, the substrate does not have a pore structure in its surface and inside, which inhibits cell infiltration into the inside. The substrate has a small surface area to be brought into contact with a surrounding tissue and a small binding force to a tissue, and hence its bonding to an implantation site is difficult and long-term fixation with a suture thread or the like is required in order to prevent dropping thereof.
A patient to whom a substrate derived from collagen has been implanted into a tissue to be subjected to a mechanical load is required to stay in bed until the substrate is bonded to the implantation site. Therefore, a substrate to be implanted into a tissue to be subjected to a mechanical load is required to have a structure easily bonded to the implantation site and to have physical properties equivalent to those of a tissue into which the substrate is to be implanted so that a patient subjected to implantation can resume a daily life immediately. Further, the substrate is considered to be deteriorated and modified with time in vivo, and hence in order to prevent second surgery for the patient, the substrate is required to be decomposed in a certain period after implantation into a living body and replaced by a normal autologous tissue.
Collagen Meniscus Implant (ReGene Biologics Inc.) is sold as a meniscus substitute in the United States of America. The meniscus substitute uses native collagen as a raw material, and hence has a problem of low biocompatibility. ACTIFIT (trademark) (Orteq Ltd) is sold in Europe, but is formed of biodegradable polyurethane, and hence has a problem in that cells infiltrate thereinto but hardly engraft. ACTIFIT (trademark) is decomposed in about half a year to about a year after transplantation, but in a decomposed portion, the meniscus is not regenerated and a defective state remains. There is a strong need for a substitute that has high biocompatibility, and when substituted in a meniscus defective portion, allows surrounding cells to infiltrate thereinto, is decomposed over time, and allows reconstruction of a meniscus tissue along with the decomposition.
In Patent Literature 3, there is a disclosure of a "collagen sponge that has a stress of from 10 kPa to 30 kPa when loaded with 10% strain, has in its surface and inside a pore structure having an average pore diameter ranging from 50 μm to 400 μm, and has a pore diameter standard deviation equal to or less than 40% of the average pore diameter." In Patent Literature 3, there is a disclosure of a method involving adjusting a high-concentration atelocollagen solution to a neutral pH to precipitate atelocollagen fibrils, and molding the atelocollagen solution in this state into a desired shape, to thereby produce the collagen sponge. The collagen sponge of Patent Literature 3 has high compressive strength, but has weak tensile strength owing to generation of a variation in density of the dispersed state of the collagen fibrils. In addition, a collagen sponge having directionality in orientation of fibrils has high physical strength in one direction, but has weaker strength in any other direction.
In addition, a sponge-like product has been produced in the following manner: a collagen solution is concentrated, air-dried, and neutralized and warmed to produce a collagen construct having formed therein collagen fibrils, and the collagen construct is freeze-dried (Patent Literature 4). Collagen fibril formation occurs only when a pH, a temperature, and a salt concentration are adjusted to physiological conditions. The collagen sponge of Patent Literature 4 has a fibrous structure in which collagen is oriented unidirectionally.
In a tissue to be subjected to a mechanical load, such as the meniscus, a defective portion is deformed by being subjected to a force, and hence there has been a need for suture in substitution with a substitute formed of collagen. However, the substitute formed of collagen has the following problem: the substitute is markedly reduced in tensile strength when infiltrated by water in a body fluid, physiological saline, or the like, and hence suture cannot be performed because, even when the defective portion is sutured, the substitute collapses from a portion threaded with a suture thread. In surgery of the meniscus under arthroscopic view, which has been becoming mainstream in recent years, the arthroscopic view is filled with physiological saline, and when the substitute is inserted into a suture portion, the substitute is passed through an inside of a trocar (intubation) filled with physiological saline, by threading the substitute with a suture thread and pulling the suture thread. The related-art collagen sponge has not been practical because of a problem in that the related-art collagen sponge is markedly reduced in tensile strength when impregnated with water in blood, a body fluid, physiological saline, or the like, and hence cannot be passed through the inside of the trocar by pulling the sewing suture thread.


A lightweight assembly exhibiting a durable and puncture resistant outer material. An inflatable bladder is sandwiched between the outer material and an inner closable liner. One or more elongated articles, such a golf bag with clubs, is placed within an open interior bounded by the inner liner and, upon employing a built-in pump assembly incorporated into an attached skid plate, communicates through an inlet line to inflate the bladder in a substantially inward fashion to bias and cushion about the bag and clubs. A release valve formed at a top location of the bladder is revealed by a zippered portion in the bag, and to deflate the bladder.

Inflatable devices are known in the prior art for cushioning and protecting articles contained within an inflatable cushion or body associated with the device. The objective in each instance is generally to protect the interiorly supported contents during transport or storage and prior to reuse.
One such type of device is employed for protecting golf clubs, a first example of which is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,813,527 to Henrickson, and which teaches a flexible inflatable bladder and a fabric panel, opposite lateral edges of each being joined to define a golf bag having open and closed ends. The golf bag further exhibits a bottom and sidewalls defined by the flexible bladder and a top defined by the fabric panel. Also included is a plurality of golf club dividers located at the open end of the bag.
Izzo, U.S. Pat. No. 5,967,324, teaches an inflatable collar attachable about upwardly extending golf club heads held within a bag. The collar contains a bladder which is inflatable to compress and secure the golf clubs together.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,475, issued to Jack, teaches a protective device for covering and protecting golf club heads in a bag and including an inflatable body portion with a tubular sleeve with a closed end and an open end for slipping over a plurality of golf clubs. A valve inflates the body portion so that an inner body portion is shaped to contour the clubs and for enveloping and resiliently securing the head and upper shaft portions of the clubs against movement.
Other inflatable articles of note include the inflatable bag of Jordan, U.S. Pat. No. 4,164,970, the carrying case with inflatable sections in Kim, U.S. Pat. No. 5,624,035, the inflatable packaging system in Peper et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2003/0094395, and the inflatable container in Lief et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,503,558.

Inflatable shipping device and method of forming and using same


A method for controlling an oxygen liquefaction device includes measuring a flow rate from an oxygen concentration subsystem to a liquefaction subsystem, comparing the flow rate to a flow rate setpoint, and adjusting a cycle timing of the oxygen concentration subsystem in accordance with the comparing. A device for producing liquid oxygen, includes an oxygen concentrator, a liquefaction system, that receives oxygen enriched gas from the concentrator, and condenses it to produce a liquid product. The device further includes a liquid product storage tank, a sensor, that measures a flow rate from the oxygen concentrator to the liquefaction system and a controller that adjusts an oxygen concentrating cycle time in response to the measured flow rate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to systems for production of liquefied gases, and, more particularly, to control of systems for production of liquefied oxygen in a non-industrial environment.
2. Description of the Related Art
For patients having a need for home based oxygen therapy, compressed gas tank deliveries can be inconvenient and expensive. Oxygen tanks provide a limited supply and require a great deal of storage space within the home, particularly where a patient's usage is high. As a result, there is a need for systems for generating oxygen in the home, such that an essentially unlimited supply of oxygen can be provided.
Home oxygen concentrators, typically employing a pressure swing adsorption system to separate oxygen from air, are capable of providing continuous oxygen delivery in the range of about 1-6 liters per minute. In general, for trips outside the home, patients using oxygen concentrators carry oxygen tanks that are delivered by an outside vendor, supplemental to the concentrator.
As an alternative to separate tanks, certain systems exist that make use of a further condenser system for liquefying the gaseous oxygen and storing it for future use. For traveling, the liquid oxygen is transferred to a portable unit to be carried by the patient. The portable units can carry several hours supply of oxygen in liquid form, allowing the patient to be independent both of the home concentrator and of expendable compressed gas tanks One such system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,893,275, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference.

Liquid oxygen production device and method


A plural component airless spray gun for mixing and dispensing coreactive liquid materials has a mixing chamber into which coreactive components are introduced and mixed, an airless tip at a forward end of the chamber and from which the mixed components are emitted in a fan-shaped spray, and a mechanical purging rod that is actuable to clean residual mixed components from both the mixing chamber and the airless tip. The purging rod which has a main body of a diameter slightly less than that of the mixing chamber, and a forward end that defines a probe of a diameter that is slightly less than the dimension of the minor axis of an elongate orifice of the airless tip. During spraying, the purging rod is retracted rearwardly of the mixing chamber and of coreactive fluid inlets to the chamber. Upon completion of spraying or periodically as desired, the purging rod is moved forwardly through the mixing chamber until the probe at the forward end of the purging rod extends through the airless tip orifice, to clean both the mixing chamber and the orifice of residual reactive components.

The present invention relates to plural component spray guns, and in particular to a device for purging residual mixed components from a mixing chamber and an airless fluid tip of a plural component airless spray gun.
The purging device of this invention finds use in plural component plastic application equipment or guns of the general type described and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,366,337, issued Jan. 30, 1968, wherein two coreactive streams of chemicals are intimately mixed within the gun and dispensed from an airless tip in a spray.
One problem which arises in prior art plural component guns is that, between operations, the residual material in the mixing chamber and/or in the outlet nozzle tends to harden, thereby making further mixing and dispensing impossible until the chamber and nozzle are purged of the hardened residue. In the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 3,366,337, purging is accomplished by manually opening a needle valve to admit a flow of solvent and/or air through the chamber and nozzle to remove the residue. This purging procedure, however, has several disadvantages. First, the use of solvent adds unnecessary expense to the spraying process. Second, because of being ejected under pressure, the solvent is dispersed into the surrounding air and creates potential safety and environmental health problems. Further, the blast of solvent and/or air, while forcefully ejecting hardened residue, scatters the residue haphazardly. Overall, this cleaning arrangement is unsatisfactory.
Other prior art arrangements utilize a rod to eject excess material, such as for example in Henderson U.S. Pat. No. 4,133,483. The gun there described is for mixing and dispensing plural component plastic materials, and the rod that performs the purging process is normally positioned rearwardly of both the mixing chamber and of reactive component inlet orifices to the chamber, and is selectively movable forwardly through the chamber to purge the chamber of residual material. The gun has a circular fluid outlet orifice from the mixing chamber and does not utilize either pneumatics or hydraulics to atomize emitted materials; rather, the mixed components "pour" out of the gun.

Plural component airless spray gun with mechanical purge


The present invention relates to systems and methods that facilitate dynamic programming language execution in a managed code environment. A class component is provided that declares an inheritance hierarchy for one or more tagged values associated with a dynamic programming language. During execution of the tagged values, a rules component mitigates user-defined types from inheriting or deriving properties from the tagged values in order to support a type safe runtime environment. A bifurcated class tree is provided that defines non-tagged type elements on one side of the tree and tagged type element values on an alternate branch of the tree. The rules component analyzes runtime extensions that help to prevent data from one component of the tree deriving or inheriting properties from another component of the tree. The runtime extensions include such aspects as cast class extensions, test class extensions, and conversion class extensions for converting data types from one class subtype to another.

As computer science has evolved, object oriented programming has become one of many familiar models designers and programmers utilize to implement functionality within computer systems. The object model generally is defined by a class structure that includes class members providing both methods and associated data elements belonging to the class. The class members thus provide/define desired functionality within a computer program, wherein an object is declared as an instance of a particular class. As is commonplace, objects often must exchange data and/or invoke other objects operating on the same platform and/or communicate with objects belonging to remote platforms. In order to communicate between objects, interface systems and standards have been developed to define how objects may communicate and/or interact with one another.
A familiar system for communicating and interfacing between objects is known as the Component Object Model (COM), wherein another similar system is referred to as the Common Object Request Brokers Architecture (CORBA). Still yet other communication interfaces may be defined in languages such as JAVA within an operating framework of a Java Virtual Machine, for example. As these and other systems have been developed however, two common object architectures or models generally have emerged and may generally be defined in terms of managed and unmanaged object systems, for example.
Managed objects may be allocated from a heap within a managed software environment and are generally not responsible for managing associated object lifetimes. Managed objects may be described in terms of a data type (e.g., metadata) and automatically collected (e.g., reclaimed) by a managed environment "garbage collector" that removes the object from memory when the object is no longer being accessed. In contrast, unmanaged objects may be allocated from a standard operating system heap, wherein the object itself is responsible for freeing memory it employs when references to the object no longer exist. This may be accomplished through well-known techniques such as reference counting, for example.
As described above, managed objects may be allocated from a managed heap and automatically garbage collected. In order to achieve this, references to managed objects are traced. When a last reference to an object is removed, the garbage collector reclaims the memory occupied by the object mitigating the need to reference count managed objects. Thus, a managed environment essentially handles reference counting internally. Tracing is possible within managed code because the managed environment keeps track of outstanding references that exist on an object. As each new object reference is declared within managed code, the managed environment adds the reference to a list of live references.
At any given time, the managed environment, rather than the object itself, is thus aware of live references that exist on a given object. As references fall out of scope or change value, the list of live references is updated, and as long as a reference remains within managed code, the managed environment is able to trace it. Along with the object lifetime issues described above, managed and unmanaged object systems generally differ in many other significant ways. These differences may include how the object systems provide object interfaces within the respective object systems, how data is structured and/or defined, and how errors and exceptions are handled, for example.
Relating to object execution environments, dynamic programming languages offer a variety of different code types from which to develop a plurality of applications. Dynamically typed languages such as Perl, Scheme, Ruby, Python, Smalltalk, and so forth, traditionally utilize various tagging schemes to overcome the overhead of allocating small (usually word-sized) objects on the heap, but still keeping the benefits of a uniform representation of values for parametric operations. For instance, assuming that pointers are aligned at 4-byte boundaries, a common technique is to use the least-significant bit of a 32-bit value to distinguish between a pointer and an immediate value. On Windows-based system, for example, one might consider setting two most significant bits to 1 since pointers are not supposed to point in the topmost memory segments.
It is apparent to many system architects however, that programs that employ such encodings (e.g., encodings to distinguish between pointers and integer values) are not verifiable when executed on a managed execution environment such as a Common Language Runtime or a Java Virtual Machine. Currently, one verifiable manner to achieve a uniform representation is to utilize boxing (e.g., boxing associates an integer with an object), however, operating on boxed values can be an order of a magnitude slower with respect to processor execution performance than working on the underlying value directly.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Systems and methods for employing tagged types in a dynamic runtime environment


Technologies are generally described for a window and a method for cooling a room including a window. In some examples, the window may include a first pane and a second pane spaced from and in optical communication with the first pane defining a generator chamber. An evaporator chamber may be disposed in the window with a pressure so that the evaporator chamber is effective to receive heat from the room and boil a refrigerant to produce a first vapor. An absorber chamber may be effective to receive and condense the first vapor on an absorbent to produce a solution. The generator chamber may be effective to receive heat through the first pane, receive the solution and heat the solution to produce a second vapor. A condenser chamber may be effective to receive the second vapor and cool the second vapor to produce the refrigerant.

Unless otherwise expressly indicated herein, none of the material presented in this section is prior art to the claims of this application and is not admitted to be prior art by having been included herein.
In a refrigeration system, an evaporator may draw heat to heat a refrigerant and produce a first vapor. The first vapor may be condensed on an absorbent in an absorbing chamber to produce a solution. A generator chamber may receive and heat the solution to produce a second vapor. A condenser chamber may receive and condense the second vapor to reproduce the refrigerant.


A motor-driven power steering system for a vehicle and a method for controlling the same in which the assisting torque of a motor is transmitted through a clutch toward steerable road wheels of the vehicle for power assisting the steering motion imparted to a steering wheel by an operator. It is possible to precisely judge whether there exists a failure in the operation of the motor and/or the clutch before the clutch is connected. To this end, a certain characteristic value of the motor under no load condition is measured with the clutch disconnected, and then compared with a preset comparison value such as a reference motor current to determine whether the motor is mechanically restricted. If not, the clutch is connected. If so, the clutch is kept not connected so that an appropriate failsafe operation can be performed.

In conventional motor-driven power steering systems a steering wheel is operatively connected through a steering shaft to a steering rack which is connected at its opposite ends with a pair of steerable road wheels. When the steering wheel is turned by an operator, the steerable road wheels are approximately steered in accordance with a steering force imparted to the steering wheel by the operator. On the other hand, the steering rack is operatively connected with a motor through a speed-reduction gear and an electromagnetic clutch. The driving force of the motor is transmitted through the speed-reduction gear and the electromagnetic clutch to the steering rack so as to assist the operator-induced steering motion of the steering wheel. The motor is electrically connected with a battery through a control unit and a key or ignition switch so that it is energized by the battery under the control of the control unit. The control unit is input with control signals from a steering torque sensor and a vehicle-speed sensor so as to appropriately control the operations of the motor and the electromagnetic clutch on the basis of the steering torque and the vehicle speed measured.
With the above-described conventional motor-driven power steering system, however, there is a problem that if the electromagnetic clutch is kept connected during the time when the motor fails or is mechanically restricted, the steering wheel also become arrested by the failed motor and cannot be moved or turned by the operator. To avoid this, it was proposed that the electromagnetic clutch is disconnected upon such a motor failure, for example when the steering torque sensor senses an extraordinarily large steering torque required for steering.
In this case, however, there arises another problem that the timing of disconnecting the electromagnetic clutch is unavoidably delayed, that is to say, it is difficult to disconnect the clutch immediately upon occurrence of such a motor failure since the clutch is kept connected until after the steering torque sensor senses an extraordinarily high steering torque. Thus, this solution is not so good for practical use. Further, it is necessary to make discrimination between an extraordinarily high torque required for steering resulting from mechanical restriction of the motor and that resulting from abutment of the steering wheel against a limit stop occurring when the steering wheel is fully turned to a righthand or lefthand limit position. To this end, a steering angle sensor is provided for sensing the steering angle of the front or steerable road wheels but even in this case, it is still difficult to precisely make such discrimination if an extraordinarily high steering torque is required when the steering wheel is located intermediate the righthand and lefthand limit positions. This will be caused, for example, when the front road wheels of the vehicle run onto a bump, a rock or a step on the road. In this case, it is erroneously judged that the high steering torque required, though due to large load on the front road wheels, would be caused by mechanical restriction resulting from a motor failure so that a failsafe mechanism is actuated to disconnect the electromagnetic clutch, thereby interrupting the assisting force from the motor.

Motor-driven power steering system for a vehicle and a method for controlling same


A paper currency (hereinafter "bill") receiving and dispensing machine includes a bill receiving opening in which the bills are deposited, temporary storing boxes for the bills each of which is adapted to temporarily store plural denominations of bills which are deposited in the bill receiving opening and to discharge the stored bills therefrom, and a plurality of bill storing boxes adapted to store the bills discharged from the temporary storing boxes, and to discharge the stored bills therefrom. The bill storing boxes are provided in respective denominations. The machine further includes a first transport passage for communicating the bill receiving opening with the temporary storing boxes such that the bills are moved between the bill receiving opening and the temporary storing boxes, and a second transport passage for communicating the temporary storing boxes with the bill storing boxes such that the bills are moved between the temporary storing boxes and the bill storing boxes. The second transport passage is independently disposed from the first transport passage.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for receiving and dispensing bills, in particular to an apparatus for receiving and dispensing bills which can efficiently receive the paper money (i.e., bills).
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional bill receiving and dispensing machine is known which discriminates whether received bills are acceptable or not and the denominations of the bills, and in which the paper monies (hereinafter referred to as bills) are stored in a temporary storing box and then the bills are stored in bill storing boxes by bill denomination. In the conventional bill receiving and dispensing machine, after a teller or a customer confirms the amount of the bills received and inputs a bill deposit instruction signal, the bills are fed from the bill temporary storing box to the bill storing boxes.
However, in the conventional machine, the next bills can not be received until all of the bills in the temporary storing box have been fed to the bill storing boxes. Therefore, the conventional machine can not efficiently receive the bills.
Further, when the number of the one denomination of bill in the bill storing box exceeds a predetermined value, the bill storing box can not store any more bills. Therefore, the teller or the customer has to stop the machine and remove the bills. Then the customer has to deposit the bills again. Thus, the machine can not efficiently receive the bills.

Paper currency receiving and dispensing machine