The present invention provides a laminated foam sheet for car interior comprising a foamed core layer of modified polyphenylene ether resin(I) and film layer(s) of thermoplastic resin laminated thereon, characterized in that the glass transition temperature of the thermoplastic resin of said film layer is lower than that of the modified polyphenylene ether resin(I) of said foamed core layer and makes it possible to obtain molded bodies in a simple manner using the laminated foam sheet. Since the molded bodies obtained by the present invention have the superior characters of heat resistance, rigidity, light weight and good heat insulation, they can be appropriately used as the car interiors such as the material for the ceiling and door trims.

So far, as the materials of car interiors especially as the materials for the headliners, molded bodies from a sheet laminated with a film layer in the desired shape have been widely used, which have been molded from base materials the main components of which are foamed thermoplastic resin laminated with urethane foam or from sheets of foamed styrene- maleic acid copolymer layer, both sides of which are laminated with films of styrene- maleic acid copolymer. These materials for car interiors are light-weight are good heat insulators and have superior moldability.
However, the materials for car interiors, especially the materials for the headliners so far used, have a defect in heat resistance. Thus, when these materials are held in a high temperature for long time, they are often hung down by their own weight or deformed. For solving these problems, the composite materials of the inorganic glass fibers and the plastics are used as the materials for the car interiors.
But though these composites can sustain the heat resistance, they have the problems that the weight cannot be reduced, it is difficult to recycle the materials due to the glass fibers and the cost becomes high.
Headliners molded from sheets of foamed modified polyphenylene ether, both sides of which are laminated with a film layer of modified polyphenylene ether, are proposed as headliners which have such properties as improved heat resistance, light weight and recyclable character [JITSUKAI-HEI-4(1992)-11162)(Unexamined Japanese Utility Model Application)]
Since the headliners from this modified polyphenylene ether(PPE) resin are superior in heat resistance and are light-weight, it is said that the phenomena of the hanging down by its weight under high temperature can be improved.
However, since the requirements for heat resistance, light weight and cost of the headliners, recently, become more severe, the laminated foam sheet from the above mentioned modified PPE resin has become insufficient to fulfill the market requirement and is required to be improved further. For example, the molded body from the laminated foam sheet is still insufficient in heat resistance. And, since there are the residual strains after molding, deformation occurs due to the relaxation of the strain when they are kept under an atmosphere of high temperature (for example, 80.degree. C.) for a long time.
Taking into consideration these situations, the present invention provides a laminated foam sheet and molded body for car interiors which is of low cost and easy to produce, especially the headliners, which have a superior heat resistance (heat and deformation resistance) in addition to the characters of light weight, high heat insulation, good heat resistance, easy moldability and the easy recycling.

Laminated foam sheet and the molded body thereof for vehicle interior


A control system has a plurality of processors connected in a series order. Each of the processors monitors a preceding processor for operating abnormalities. If an abnormality is detected the operation of abnormal preceding processor is terminated and a resetting unit resets the abnormal processor along with any preceding processor to the abnormal processor in the series order. The system also includes failsafe mechanisms to insure failsafe operation of the vehicle when the operation of an abnormal processor is terminated.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for processing external data and for providing results of such processing to other devices.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventional electronic controllers, for example, a controller for controlling an internal combustion engine of a vehicle, are provided with a microprocessor. Such a microprocessor, which typically includes a CPU, ROM, RAM and the like, processes input data from the outside by executing predetermined processes based on programs stored beforehand in the ROM. Based on the results of the execution of the predetermined processes, this microprocessor provides control signals to output circuits to drive actuators or the like.
To ensure the proper execution of a control process for controlling a target device, after storing the control program in the ROM, conventional electronic controllers employ a checking procedure (i.e., check sum) to check if the original program and data are accurately stored in the ROM or not. However, the check sum procedure may not be able to check if the original program and data are stored accurately in the ROM or not when several errors occur during the storage of the control program and data in the ROM. Thus, the electronic controller might perform control operations based on such erroneous program and data. Moreover, such program errors may appear inconspicuous during normal control operations and thus, it will be difficult to detect such errors.
Meanwhile, the electronic controller may be further provided with a monitor circuit to check if the CPU generates watchdog signals at regular intervals or not. However, in this arrangement, the monitor circuit will only be simply monitoring the generation of watchdog signals performed by the CPU based on a separate output procedure. Thus, the monitor circuit might not be able to detect actual errors in the control program being performed by the CPU.

Control system having effective error detection capabilities


A method and apparatus for isolating electronic devices from mechanical shock and thermal environments utilizes a metal outer protective shell surrounding the electronic device to be protected. Interposed between the protective shell and the electronic device are a thermal insulating layer, a layer of phase change material and a layer of mechanical shock absorbent material.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to crash survivable protective enclosures for flight recorders used in aircraft and other vehicles operating over land and water. More particularly, the invention is directed toward a crash survivable enclosure which is capable of withstanding high impact, shock and mechanical penetration forces that commonly occur in a crash and the high temperatures, flames and heat that often develop after a crash. In addition, the enclosure is specially designed for resisting damage to solid state memory devices contained therein, even if the enclosure is subjected to immersion in fresh water or salt water for a prolonged period.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Solid state memory devices have been used in flight recorders for recording essential flight data or information useful in determining causes of crashes or other mishaps in aircraft and other vehicles. When a crash occurs, it is essential that the recorded information on board survive the crash and subsequent events including heat, cold, flame and fire that may afterwards ensue. In addition, should the crash or impact occur over the ocean or another body of water, it is essential that the crash survivable portion of the flight data recorder remain intact for a prolonged period of time, even though the enclosure is submerged to a substantial depth in sea water or fresh water until the recorder is eventually located and retrieved for examination of the data contained in the solid state memory devices thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,694,119 discloses a solid state memory contained in a small crash protective container. The device is encapsulated in a heat sink formed of a synthetic amide wax designed to change phase at a temperature below the maximum acceptable temperature of the memory device to thereby protect the solid state memory or other solid state devices from damage due to heat and fire.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,401 also discloses a solid state memory device carried in a crash survivable protective enclosure and encapsulated in a synthetic wax having a relatively high heat of fusion so as to provide a heat sink for the protection of the solid state memory device contained in the protective enclosure.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,123,538 discloses a similar devices having an inner enclosure that acts as a sacrificial anode to protect an electronic device from salt water. A plastic or rubber conformal coating surrounds the device contained in the inner enclosure.

Method and apparatus for isolating electronic boards from shock and thermal environments


A predator replica is provided that has a moveable head. The head rotates and also has a spring actuated multidimensional movement for deterring pests, particularly unwanted birds. The predator head is provided with a wind activated fin. The fin increases the probability of head movement. The spring provides a “bobble” movement of owl head. The head suspends over the body with a gap between the head and body providing clearance to allow for the spring actuated head movement.

Certain predator replicas, such as owl replicas, are used for controlling pests within a specific area, particularly unwanted birds that may destroy gardens, nest in gutters of a home, or leave guano or other messes behind. Current owl replicas include stationary owls with no moving parts and owls having limited movement, for example head rotation. Some current owl replicas comprise heads or arms that move or open electronically. Known in the art are owl replicas having a body and head that generally correspond to shape of a live owl, wherein the head is connected to the body by an unstable mount to allow for various movements of the head, like nodding and turning. Such heads may have movement that is wind driven. The prior art owls, in an effort to resemble a live owl, such as a great homed owl, may also include coloring, body, tail and feather contours of a live owl. Other features of the prior art owls include feet, eyes, a beak, and ear tufts that protrude on top of the head. These features generally provide aesthetic elements to more closely resemble native predators.

Owl with spring connected head and wind activated fin


The present invention relates to a method and an arrangement in a mobile telecommunication network for detection of a UE transmitted signal. The arrangement comprises means for detecting the signal during the time ttot, wherein said means comprises a correlator adapted for combined coherent and non-coherent correlation, wherein the length of the coherent correlation interval is L signal samples, the number of coherent correlation intervals is M and the coherent correlation results in a coherent correlation result for each of the coherent detection intervals M, and means for adding the coherent correlation results non-coherently. Further, the arrangement comprises means for selecting one of the length L of coherent detection interval and the total detection interval ttot based on at least one of the parameters cell size, UE speed and acceleration, number of participating Location Measurements Units and a desired total false alarm rate.

Uplink Time Difference of Arrival (UTDOA) is a positioning method based on time of arrival techniques. Such techniques are described in the 3GPP specifications 3GPP RP-040387, WID: Inclusion of Uplink TDOA UE positioning method in the UTRAN specifications and 3GPP R4-040412, Inclusion of Uplink TDOA UE positioning method in the UTRAN specifications; TruePosition.
In the UTDOA positioning method, Location Measurement Units (LMU), usually associated with radio base stations measure the time of arrival of UE transmitted signals and the UE location can be computed when at least three LMUs are able to detect the UE signal. Signal detection is normally done by correlating the received signal against a known signal replica for all possible delays and doppler shifts. This is in practice done by using discrete steps, also referred to as "bins", in the delay and doppler domain.
Furthermore, correlations are normally done in two steps. First, coherent correlation is done (i.e. using both inphase and quadrature components) in order to optimally suppress noise. Subsequently, different segments of coherent correlation results can be added non-coherently, ie the individual coherent correlation results are absolute-squared, followed by a summation. Non-coherent correlation may e.g. become necessary whenever the signal phase changes too much between two coherent correlation segments. Once the correct delay/doppler bin has been identified, a finer search may be done in order to increase the accuracy.
According to the current standard as described in the above cited 3GPP specifications, it is assumed that coherent correlation is done during the whole signal duration. For a stationary UE, this provides the best sensitivity for a given measurement interval. However, when UE acceleration is taken into account the maximum coherent correlation time is limited by the change in doppler during the measurement interval. Therefore it would be desirable to achieve a method and arrangement for detecting a signal for the scenario when the UE accelerates.
Thus, the object of the present invention is to improve sensitivity and to avoid unnecessary processing during an acceleration of the UE.

Method and arrangements in a mobile telecommunication network


This invention concerns a method for desalination of sea water and a design and construction of a centrifugal filter for desalination of water. The process uses the filter developed based on reverse osmosis technology as a fundamental component that uses hollow fiber membrane modules arranged in a spiral manner around a central support pipe and distributed in concentric rings around the periphery of the rotating section to favor the formation of Dean vortices. Wherein the membrane is built with a structure of an aromatic polyamide as the first layer, followed by a layer of polyestersulfone and a support layer of polyester; applying the material Kevlar 49 in position 1 and 4 on the aromatic chain structure to increase the structure and resistance of the membrane.

The processes for sea water desalination have been around for many years; however, these processes had very high installation and operating costs and a large consumption of energy. The first desalination plants used evaporative technologies, either Multi-Stage Flash Evaporation (MSF) or Multi-Effect Distillation (MED), Vapor Compression (VC), which represented changes in the physical state, which consume a lot of energy. These plants had an energy consumption of more than 12 kWh per cubic meter of potable water produced.
The alternative for these processes has been the development of reverse osmosis. There have been various technological changes to improve the process of reverse osmosis, initially with the use of membranes of different geometries and materials which improve the process and the design of dual processes, to harness the reject water in order to reduce energy consumption, using turbines, Francis Turbines, Pelton Turbines, and lately, the Pressure Exchanger such that in the HON Plant in the Canary Islands, in Lanzarote Spain, that have achieved energy consumptions of 2.6 kWh per cubic meter of water-product. A very respectable figure for this process.
In 1955, electrodialysis (ED) began to be applied in brackish water. These were conducted in laboratories equipped to quantify the results and make the corrections that were required to continue improving efficiency. ED uses electric power with sufficient pressure to force the passage of water with a high concentration through an ion exchange membrane.
The year 1957 marks a milestone, when a patent was simultaneously requested for a SPS module, by Silver and Frankel. With energy savings and large capacities. The first plant with these conditions was installed in 1960 in Kuwait, which produced 1560 m3/day.
The years 1958-1960 were important for reverse osmosis as Loeb and Sourirajan at the University of California. Los Angeles (UCLA), developed the membrane that became the immediate predecessor of the commercial modules.
In 1970, vapor compression began to be used commercially, with an energy consumption of up to 22 kWh./m3, and in 1978, the first large reverse osmosis plant for sea water desalination was built in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Carl A. Grenci's U.S. Pat. No. 3,400,074 (1968), relates to a process for desalination of water by reverse osmosis using centrifugal force, wherein the water is introduced into a semi-permeable rotating cylindrical membrane so that the pure water passes through the membrane by the action of the centrifugal force.
Ronal Gayler Wantage's U.S. Pat. No. 3,883,434 (May 13, 1975), concerns an apparatus for rotary reverse osmosis, which comprises a diaphragm assembled in a pressure vessel. The assembly is mounted for rotation together with the vessel. During rotation, a high recovery percentage of liquid product is promoted. The flow of the turbine may be operated by feeding or by using the reject fluid.
Bowie G. Keefer's U.S. Pat. No. 4,230,564 (Oct. 20, 1980), concerning an apparatus for reverse osmosis or ultrafiltration, has two rotors turning in the same direction around the central axis, wherein the first rotor rotates at high speed and has a drive which serves the feed pump. The second rotor rotates at low speed and has a pressure vessel with a high selectivity semipermeable membrane with a component of the feed stream. This arrangement reduces the losses caused by friction. Compared with centrifugal machines with stationary covers, the membrane is set up for the action of the centrifugal force.
Thomas L. Siwecki's U.S. Pat. No. 4,333,832 (Jun. 8, 1982) concerns a process wherein the sea water and other solutions are accelerated into a rotating structure and applied to a carbon filter. Desalinated water is removed after passing through a long membrane surface, wherein the membrane arrangement is designed in two levels.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,886,597 of Peter M. Wild., et. al., (Dec. 12, 1989) relates to centrifugal equipment for reverse osmosis desalination, wherein a feed solution containing sea water is separated into a product comprised of a solution with a reduced salt concentration and a depleted solution with an increased concentration, which includes an evacuation sheath to reduce losses due to wind exposure and energy consumption.
The publication of Francisco Sanchez Sainz's Patent WO 98/36823 (Aug. 27, 1998) refers to a centrifugal reverse osmosis system with an option to recover devices for kinetic energy of the product, the purpose of which is to save energy and reduce the cost of product of reverse osmosis processes wherein from the low pressure fluid feed stream, and through the pressure created by the centrifugal force on the module container of the semi-permeable membrane and through rotation about an axis, a product or permeate stream is obtained, thus evacuating the fluid at low pressure. Optionally, the kinetic energy of the product or permeate can be recovered using a device formed by biading and a transmission, transforming it into mechanical energy, and/or to be recovered in the form of pressure through a device formed by a spiral wrap capable of capturing the rotational flow of the product.
Recently, in 1997, Georges Belfort deepened the above principles for nano filtration and ultrafiltration through a membrane with curvature implemented through research, the arrangement of membranes proposed by Dean in 1927 that allowed the formation of vortices that received the name of Dean vortices. These vortices, present some advantages over those of Taylor USPTO patent, 1997.
The U.S. Pat. No. 6,824,679 of Stephen Dzengeleski, et. al. (Nov. 30, 2004) relates to a separation module with hollow fiber membranes and it provides methods for producing packages of one or more layers of membranes made with spiral hollow fiber, for use in separation modules whose performance can be predicted. These modules are designed to use the benefits of Dean vortices. The invention is directed to packets of multiple coiled hollow fibers for use; separation modules are directly scalable because each layer has a performance which is substantially equivalent to the other layer when subjected to flows with a certain speed such that Dean vortices develop.
The Stephen Dzengeleski patent is very similar to the work presented, since it also explores winding of the hollow fiber membranes to create Dean vortices; up to here, the similarities in terms of the differences, Dzengeleski proposes the use of a pump to print the necessary pressure fluid in order to produce reverse osmosis, while our invention proposes to use centrifugal force to promote the necessary pressure so that the reverse osmosis process occurs, with energy recovery, and strengthening of Dean vortices; one more difference, results from winding of the membranes; Dzengeleski, winds his membranes in layers of three, in our invention, we propose a winding in a quincunx manner (triangular array), which reinforce the set of membranes, for the structure formed.
It is pertinent to comment on patent number: 2299349, of Merce Vives Salvador, granted by the Spanish Office of Patents and Trademarks in 2008. The invention discloses a device for desalination, by centrifugal reverse osmosis, with the rotation of a rotating cylinder, the wall of which, is located within another revolving cylinder. It produces energy savings, although the cost is a little high and it does not have spirally wound membranes, therefore, it does not generate Dean vortices.
The process and equipment designed focus on a significant energy savings, which would permit alternative energies, such as wind, tidal, solar, etc., to be accessed and used to process sea water.

Filter and method for the desalination of water by means of reverse osmosis of the centrifugal type, involving the generation of dean vortices


One embodiment relates to a receiver circuit for a data link. The receiver circuit includes a linear equalizer for receiving an input data signal and outputting an equalized signal, and a variable gain amplifier for receiving the equalized signal and outputting an amplified signal. Adaptation circuitry is connected to the linear equalizer and the variable gain amplifier. The adaptation circuitry adapts both a gain of the variable gain amplifier and a direct current voltage setting of the linear equalizer. Other embodiments and features are also disclosed.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to data communications. More particularly, the present invention relates to circuitry for high-speed data links.
2. Description of the Background Art
High-speed data links are used to communicate data between devices in a system. Serial interface protocols have been developed at increasingly fast data rates for such high-speed data links.

Method and apparatus for receiver VGA adaptation


A polishing pad, platen, method of monitoring, method of manufacturing, and method of detecting using a pseudo window area, where the pseudo window area has a thickness less than a thickness of a polishing layer and a thickness greater than zero.

Polishing pads, such as chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) pads are widely used in a semiconductor manufacturing field to horizontally planarize various types of layers, such as oxide layers, nitride layers, metal layers, etc. In one conventional arrangement, a CMP pad is provided with a hole H. A chuck including a wafer to be planarized is placed in contact with the CMP pad including the hole H. A slurry is provided on the polishing pad to facilitate the CMP process and a light reflectance measurement unit is used to determine when the wafer has been sufficiently planarized. The end point of the polishing process is determined by the light reflectance measurement unit by measuring the light reflected through the hole or window H. However, the ability of the slurry to fall through the hole in the CMP pad reduces the accuracy of the measurements made by the light reflectance measurement unit.
In another conventional device, the CMP pad does not include a hole. In such an arrangement, the progress of the polishing cannot be monitored in-situ and a manufacturing delay is introduced when the wafer must be removed from the CMP process to check the progress of the polish. In such a system, the end point of the polishing process may be determined utilizing a preset timing period. However, such systems are inherently inaccurate.
In yet another conventional device, a pad window is inserted in the hole of a top polishing pad. The pad window is made of a transparent material, which allows transmission of the laser beam. However, in the conventional device, the pad window sags in downwardly and/or an interface gap occurs between the top polishing pad and the window due to mechanical polishing pressure. As a result, slurry may accumulate on the top surface of the sagging pad window or slurry may leak through gaps in the side. Each of these causes scattering of the laser beam and degrades the transmission.

Polishing pad, platen, method of monitoring, method of manufacturing, and method of detecting


Embodiments described herein include an upstream measurement module, a curler downstream of the upstream measurement module, and a print station downstream of the curler. The upstream measurement module includes a transport on which media is tacked to flatten the media and a curl sensor to generate a curl signal corresponding to a media curl of the media on the transport. The curler curls the media in response to the curl signal to reduce a magnitude of the media curl. The print station includes a marking unit to dispose a marking material on the media and a transport to transport the media past the marking unit, wherein the first and second transports apply a substantially equivalent hold down force to the media.

1. Technical Field
The presently disclosed embodiments are directed to identifying and/or compensating for substrate media edge curl in a printing system.
2. Brief Discussion of Related Art
In production printers using direct marking technology, it is expected that solid inks and ultra violet (UV) gel inks that are jetted directly onto cut sheet media will become increasingly popular. A critical print process parameter for some direct marking printing systems is the print head to substrate media gap, which refers to a distance between print nozzle ejection surface of a print head and the substrate media. In some printing systems, the gap is set to as little as 0.5 millimeter (mm) to minimize the pixel placement errors due to misdirected ink droplets.
These tight printhead to media gaps pose a serious challenge for direct marking printing system, since the lead edge (LE) and trail edge (TE) of the media, and to a less extent the body of the media, are generally not perfectly flat as the media pass by the print heads. For accurate pixel placement and color registration, the print head-to-media gap is desirably kept within about a +/−0.1 mm range about the nominal gap distance. To avoid printhead front face damage, the media must not be allowed to 'close the gap' and contact the printhead. Vacuum and electrostatic transport belt technologies are capable of holding down cut sheet media as the media pass the print heads. However, neither technology is typically robust against lead edge and trail edge curl, which refers to substrate media curvature towards the print head and away from the media transport.

System and method for decurling media in a printing system


A process for renewing an outer surface of a used fuser roller by removing debris particles from the surface including contacting the outer surface with a first finishing paper while simultaneously rotating the used fuser roller so that the first finishing paper completes a first superfinishing of the outer layer; b) optionally contacting the outer surface with a second finishing paper while simultaneously rotating the used fuser roller so that the second finishing paper completes a second superfinishing of the outer layer; c) optionally contacting the outer surface with a third finishing paper while simultaneously rotating the used fuser roller so that the third finishing paper completes a third superfinishing of the outer layer; and d) repeating a) until obtaining a first measured gloss value of from about 10 to about 50 GGU, optionally repeating b) until obtaining a second measured gloss value of from about 30 to about 70 GGU, and optionally repeating c) until obtaining a third measured gloss value of from about 65 to about 80 GGU.

Herein are described a process for repairing used fuser members in an attempt to return them back to near-original condition. After a fuser roller has been installed in an electrophotographic, electrostatographic, xerographic, or like machine, for example a copy or printing machine, the combination of fuser oil or fuser release agent, such as silicone oil and toner, forms a sticky gel that adheres to the fuser roll surface. In turn, this coating reduces the fuser roll performance and life. Ultimately this gel will cause the fuser roll to fail based on print or copy quality. Described herein is a method that will strip away the gel and generate a new, almost original fuser roller. The process entails using a superfinishing process, and a series of finishing papers. In embodiments, specific grit (having specific particle size ranges) of paper is used. Also, in embodiments, a certain number of passes are used. In embodiments, the roll profile is straightened. Specifically, in the event that the roller may have grooves in it from paper edge wear, these grooves will be removed by embodiments of the process described herein.
In a typical electrostatographic printing apparatus, a light image of an original to be copied is recorded in the form of an electrostatic latent image upon a photosensitive member and the latent image is subsequently rendered visible by the application of toner. The visible toner image is then in a loose powdered form and can be easily disturbed or destroyed. The toner image is usually fixed or fused upon a support, which may be a photosensitive member itself, or other support sheet such as plain paper.
The use of thermal energy for fixing toner images onto a support member is well known. In order to fuse toner material onto a support surface permanently by heat, it is necessary to elevate the temperature of the toner material to a point at which the constituents of the toner material coalesce and become tacky. This heating causes the toner to flow to some extent into the fibers or pores of the support member. Thereafter, as the toner material cools, solidification of the toner material causes the toner material to be firmly bonded to the support.
Typically, thermoplastic resin particles are fused to the substrate by heating to a temperature of between about 90° C. to about 160° C. or higher depending upon the softening range of the particular resin used in the toner. It is not desirable, however, to raise the temperature of the substrate substantially higher than about 200° C. because of the tendency of the substrate to discolor at such elevated temperatures particularly when the substrate is paper.
Several approaches to thermal fusing of toner images have been described in the art. These methods include providing the application of heat and pressure substantially concurrently by various means: a roll pair maintained in pressure contact; a belt member in pressure contact with a roll; and the like. Heat may be applied by heating one or both of the rolls, plate members or belt members. The fusing of the toner particles takes place when the proper combination of heat, pressure and contact time are provided. The balancing of these parameters to bring about the fusing of the toner particles is well known in the art, and they can be adjusted to suit particular machines or process conditions.
After repeated fusing cycles, the fusing surface of the fusing member will eventually exhibit unsatisfactory toner release, leading to poor quality prints. More specifically, as set forth above, after a fuser roller has been installed in an electrophotographic, electrostatographic, xerographic, or like machine, for example a copy or printing machine, the combination of fuser oil or fuser release agent, such as silicone oil, and toner forms a sticky gel that adheres to the roll surface. In turn, this coating reduces the roll performance and life. Ultimately this gel will cause the roll to fail based on print or copy quality. Typically, the fuser member is then either tossed away or recycled by stripping off all the coatings and then recoating the substrate to produce a new fuser member.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,289,587 discloses a method for reusing a fuser member comprised of an outer layer having an original fusing surface that is deficient, and the process involves removing a portion of the thickness of the outer layer including the original fusing surface to create on the remaining outer layer a new fusing surface.
Known processes for renewing the surface of a used fuser member include simple polishing of the outside surface of the fuser roller with sandpaper. Although this process may remove some of the gel, the roll produced was not straight and may not have had the same diameter as a new roll. Also, the print quality was compromised. Further, such renewed rollers did not have increased roller life, and failed within an undesirable amount of time.
Thus, there is a need for an improved process for renewing the surface of a used fuser roller, which also allows for a straight roll profile, wherein the roller grooves from paper edge wear are removed. In addition, there is a need for an improved process for renewing the surface of a used fuser roller, wherein the roller produced has an increased life over other fuser rollers processed by known renewal methods. In addition, there is a need for improved print quality.


An image forming device having a main body and a movable subunit. The subunit is movable between a first orientation and a second orientation. A developer member is positioned within the main body, and a photoconductive member is positioned on the subunit. In the first orientation, the developer member and photoconductive member are spaced apart. In the second orientation, the photoconductive member is positioned either in contact with or closely located to the developer member. Image formation occurs when the subunit is in the second orientation as toner is transferred from the developer member to the photoconductive member. Methods of using the image forming device include positioning the developer member in the main body and the photoconductive member on the subunit, and moving the subunit from a first orientation to a second orientation such that image formation can occur.

Image forming devices require user intervention for proper operation. One user intervention is clearing the media path during a paper jam. Access to the media path is often difficult because of the complex mechanical design in existing devices. The media path may be located within the interior of the device making it very difficult to remove a jammed media sheet. Further, the user may have access to a limited section of the media path and be able to remove only a portion of the jammed media sheet. A torn remainder is left in the device that must somehow be removed prior to restarting image formation.
Another user intervention requires mounting cartridges within the device. Cartridge mounting may occur initially when the machine is first used, or throughout the device life to replace exhausted cartridges. The complex design again makes it difficult for the user to access the cartridges. Difficult cartridge mounting locations may also result in the user getting toner on their hands and fingers by inadvertently contacting the toner outlet on the cartridge.
Some existing devices provide for an adjustable media path and cartridge mounts to ease the user intervention. The media path and cartridge mounts may be positionable between an operational position during image formation, and a non-operational position to ease user access for media jam removal and cartridge installation respectively. It is important that these adjustable elements be accurately located in the operational position. Inaccurate locating of the elements may result in image forming defects, increased media jams, and other detrimental effects.
Further, the device should be constructed in an economical manner. Price is one of the leading factors when a user makes a purchasing decision. Improvements to user intervention should add to functionability, but not at a price that will drive away potential users.

Movable subunit and two piece cartridge for use in an image forming device


Email response management systems (ERMSs) have previously been developed for use with contact centers where email queries are received from customers. These ERMSs have contained pre-configured information suitable for incorporating into email responses. A major problem with this approach is that a large amount of work is required to pre-configure the information and to add that to the ERMS. A method and system are provided for enabling existing web-based information to be used to formulate such responses, not just for email but also for other media such as text chat, SMS, video, and more. The existing web-based information does not need to be altered or dedicated for a particular response management system and contact centre. Rather it can be pre-existing information used for other purposes.

There are many situations in which it is required to generate responses to user queries. For example, contact centres such as customer service centres, mail order purchase centres, ticket sales centres and the like. In addition, there is an increasing need for such responses to be provided without the need for an actual conversation between the customer and a customer service representative. For example, there is a increasing need for responses to be provided in written form, for example as email messages, text chat or short message service (SMS) text messages.
As the volume of such responses that are required increases there is a requirement to enable those responses to be generated in a quick and efficient manner whilst being of a high quality.
With respect to email responses, so called email response management systems (ERMSs) have previously been developed for use with contact centres where email queries are received from customers. These ERMSs have contained pre-configured information suitable for incorporating into email responses. That pre-configured information is presented to contact centre agents who decide which items of the information to include in a particular response.
A major problem with this approach is that a large amount of work is required to pre-configure the information and to add that to the ERMS. Also, it is often the case that the contact centre agent is required to copy and paste the information into the response which is time consuming, error-prone and inefficient. In addition, the format of the information needs to be either pre-configured or adjusted to fit the format required for the response.
An object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for enabling web-based information to be used to generate responses to user query messages which overcomes or at least mitigates one or more of the problems mentioned above.
Further benefits and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description given with reference to the accompanying drawings, which specify and show preferred embodiments of the invention.

Using existing web-based information to generate responses to user queries


A manufacturing method of a thin film transistor comprises: sequentially forming a pattern of gate, a gate insulation layer film, an active layer film and an ohmic contact layer film, a first etching resist module within a channel region to be formed, and a source and drain metallic layer film on a substrate; forming a pattern comprising the source and drain by wet etching process by shielding the active layer film and the ohmic contact layer film positioned within the channel region to be formed, by use of the first etching resist module; and forming a pattern comprising the ohmic contact layer and the active layer by dry etching process. A thin film transistor, an array substrate comprising the thin film transistor and a display device comprising the array substrate are also disclosed.

Typically, Thin Film Transistor (TFT) plays a very important role in an array substrate.
In conventional method of manufacturing a thin film transistor, in the process of depositing a source/drain metal layer and etching the source/drain metal layer so as to form source/drain electrodes, the source/drain metal layer is subject to one wet etching and one dry etching, wherein in the dry etching process, there are various drawbacks during etching the source and drain metallic layer corresponding to the channel region. For example, it is difficult for the dry etching apparatus to etch the metallic layer, the etching is not uniform, a great loss occurs to the apparatus, the yield is low and it is difficult to be applied for mass production.

Thin-film transistor and its manufacturing method, array substrate and display device

BEIJING BOE DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


A method and apparatus for performing on-chip voltage sampling of a weakly-driven node of a semiconductor device are disclosed. In some embodiments, the node is a floating node or is capacitively-driven. In some embodiments, it is involved in proximity-based communication. Sampling the node may include isolating the signal to be sampled using a source-follower amplifier before passing it to the sampling circuit. Sampling the node may include biasing the node to a desired voltage using a leaky transistor or other biasing circuit. In some embodiments, the biasing circuit may also be used to calibrate the sampler by coupling one or more calibration voltages to the node in place of a biasing voltage and measuring the sampler output. The sampler may be suitable for sub-sampling high frequency signals to produce a time-expanded, lower frequency version of the signals. The output of the sampler may be a current communicated off-chip for testing.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the design of on-chip circuitry for testing semiconductor devices. More specifically, it relates to a method and apparatus for performing voltage sub-sampling of weakly-driven nodes of a semiconductor device.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
To understand the functionality of an integrated circuit, it is often useful to monitor the voltage of various signals at specific locations (sometimes referred to as nodes) in the circuit. On-chip sampling circuits have been used to perform non-invasive probing of voltages on a semiconductor chip. Monitoring the voltage of these signals is often accomplished by sampling the signals and then driving the output of the sampler off-chip for observation, such as on one or more pins.
Traditional sampler designs are appropriate for sampling nodes that are directly driven by transistors, but may not be suitable for sampling nodes that are weakly-driven or for sampling floating (rather than actively-driven) nodes. Examples of such nodes include capacitively-driven nodes such as receiver nodes used in proximity communication or low-swing signaling, nodes with weak drivers, or nodes that are far away from their drivers. In these applications, traditional sampler designs may exhibit switching effects that are inconveniently large compared to the amplitude of the sampled signals or they may exhibit unacceptably high leakage currents, clock feed-through, or charge injection effects.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A process includes annealing one or more plated conductive leads at a predetermined temperature. The one or more plated conductive leads are plated with one or more layers, where each layer comprises a material. The predetermined temperature is greater than or equal to approximately a melting point of one of the materials. The annealing can reduce growth formations, such as whiskers, on the one or more conductive leads. Lead frames and other devices having plated conductive leads may be subjected to the process, and the resultant plated conductive leads will have fewer growth formations than plated conductive leads not subjected to the process. The plated conductive leads may be trimmed and formed prior to or after the anneal.

A "lead frame" is a device commonly used to attach semiconductor dies to a circuit board. An example follows of how a typical lead frame may be used to attach a semiconductor die to a circuit board. The semiconductor die is attached to an inner portion of the lead frame, and wire bonds are run from the semiconductor die to conductive leads integral to the lead frame. The lead frame has a body that allows the lead frame to be picked up and moved during procedures such as bonding of the wire bonds from the semiconductor die to the conductive leads. The body also surrounds the conductive leads, which are initially flat and supported by a tie bar, which is connected to the body.
Once the semiconductor die is connected to the conductive leads, molding is performed so that mold compound fills the inner and other portions of the lead frame. The conductive leads are typically made of copper (Cu), although other materials may be used. Cu tends not to bond well with materials used during soldering of the conductive leads to a circuit board. Consequently, the copper is generally plated with another metal, such as tin (Sn), which does bond well with soldering materials.
A "trim and form" process is performed, during which the tie bar is removed, as is the body of the lead frame. The trim and form process additionally forms the conductive leads into particular shapes suitable for soldering to pads of a circuit board.
While the lead frame and its processing have been used for many years, certain types of conductive leads can have growth formation. For instance, Sn-plated Cu has growths of Sn, called "whiskers," that extend from the surface of the conductive lead. These whiskers have been documented since about 1946, and failures attributed to the whiskers have been documented as early as 1954.
One solution that minimizes or prevents whisker formation is plating the Cu with a lead (Pb)—Sn layer. Recently, however, legislation in Europe requires that Pb be eliminated from electronic devices.
A need therefore exists for Pb-free plated conductive leads, devices made therefrom and methods for forming the same that also have limited or no growth formations.

Methods and apparatus to reduce growth formations on plated conductive leads


The invention provides humanized antibodies that specifically bind to LIV-1. The antibodies are useful for treatment and diagnoses of various cancers as well as detecting LIV-1.

LIV-1 is a member of the LZT (LIV-1-ZIP Zinc Transporters) subfamily of zinc transporter proteins. Taylor et al., Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1611:16-30 (2003). Computer analysis of the LIV-1 protein reveals a potential metalloprotease motif, fitting the consensus sequence for the catalytic zinc-binding site motif of the zinc metalloprotease. LIV-1 mRNA is primarily expressed in breast, prostate, pituitary gland and brain tissue.
The LIV-1 protein has also been implicated in certain cancerous conditions, e.g. breast cancer and prostate cancer. The detection of LIV-1 is associated with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer, McClelland et al., Br. J. Cancer 77:1653-1656 (1998), and the metastatic spread of these cancers to the regional lymph nodes. Manning et al., Eur. J. Cancer 30A:675-678 (1994).

Humanized antibodies to LIV-1 and use of same to treat cancer


The invention relates to an in-line multi-mode coating machine adapted to coat food products with a particulate coating material, the machine comprising in-line with each other and in succession: an infeed conveyor assembly, a rotary tumbling drum, an elevator device and a discharge conveyor assembly. In a drum-mode, the rotary tumbling drum is adapted to be supplied with particulate coating material and to tumble the food products and particulate coating material together. In a conveyor-mode of the coating machine the infeed conveyor assembly and the discharge conveyor assembly are arranged to adjoin each other whilst extending through the rotary tumbling drum, so that food products bypass the rotary tumbling drum and the elevator device.

The invention relates to a food products coating machine and method for coating food products with a particulate coating material, for example in an in-line arrangement with other food processing equipment, e.g. allowing for large scale food products preparation wherein large volumes of food pieces are coated, e.g. allowing subsequent cooking, e.g. by frying.
In-line food product coating machines for coating with a particulate coating material are well-known from the prior art and widely available in the field. The particulate coating material might range in composition from a flour mixture to a coarse bread-crumb mixture, e.g. comprising crumbs, e.g. a mixture of coarse and fine particles. The coating material may be composed of a mixture of very different particulate materials, not only with respect to particle size, but also, or alternatively, with respect to their structure, basis, etc. The various kinds of coating material allow inclusion of spices or flavourings within the mixture, e.g. adding flavour and/or texture to the product.
It is desired to obtain adequately coated food products. In particular combinations of food products, e.g. chicken, and coating material, such as crumbs, it is common to apply a rotary tumbling drum for tumbling food products and particulate coating material together, such that a fraction of the particulate coating material adheres to the food product.
From U.S. Pat. No. 5,937,744 in the name of Nothum a coating machine is known wherein the food product can be routed at the option of the operator(s) of the coating apparatus to bypass the rotary tumbling drum. Bypassing the rotary tumbling drum is desirable when processing so-called "formed" food products, such as beef patties or fish cakes and the like, which are fragile and would disintegrate in the rotary tumbling drum.

Coating of food products with a particulate coating material


A method and system is described for managing the development of software source code, and in addition, collecting useful metrics about the development process. A first source code is provided in a desired state. The desired state may be the requirement that the source code can be built or the desired state may be the requirement that the source code can be built and pass one or more tests. A second source code is then received. The second source may be a modified copy of the source code. It is then determined whether the second source code is in the desired state, and the first source code is updated using the second source code in response to the second source code being in the desired state. Metrics that may be collected include: the name of a task, time to complete the task, line of code involved, etc.

Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to a system and method for managing software development. In particular, the present invention relates to a system and method for managing a source code repository and collecting metrics on the software development process.
Description of the Related Art
Software development is an error-prone, opaque process. The development process can involve managing multiple versions of hundreds of source code files while ensuring that the files can be built together as well as pass multiple tests. Often, multiple people are working on editing and adding and deleting files from the source code repository at the same time. Monitoring this process and ensuring the production of a high quality software product can be an overwhelming experience.
Many tools have been developed to assist in the management of the source code files and in the improvement of the overall quality of the software products. These tools, however, are typically very difficult to implement. The software development tools require great changes in the software development process, which is something many developers are reluctant to do. Many organizations (such as the Software Engineering Institute) have attempted to improve software management by adopting and recommending sets of rules and procedures. Developers, however, find these rules and procedures also very difficult to implement successfully.
The complexity involved in software development also makes the collection of useful metrics about the process extremely difficult. The collection of metrics can be used by developers in many useful ways such as assessing the performance of individual programmers, determining how difficult the development of a particular module might be, etc. Metrics can also be very useful in predicting time and cost associated with the development of a particular module or product.
What is needed, therefore, is a system and method that could more efficiently oversee the software development process, and at the same time, increase the overall quality of the software product. In addition, the system and method should provide an easy and efficient way to collect metrics on the software development process and should also provide a way to use those metrics to, among other things, assess the performance of programmers and predict time and cost of development.

Inferring a defect's cause in updated source code


A method for restraining a chemical discharge comprising (a) deploying a binding agent into a receptacle containing a hazardous material in a liquid state upon the occurrence of at least one predetermined event that increases the risk of accidentally discharging or leaking the hazardous material from the receptacle; and (b) contacting the hazardous material with the binding agent to form a composition comprising at least a portion of the hazardous material and the binding agent and having at least one property selected from a solid or semisolid state, a viscosity greater than the viscosity of the hazardous material at ambient conditions, a vapor pressure lower than the vapor pressure of the hazardous material at ambient conditions, and a surface tension greater that the surface tension of the hazardous material.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a method and system for restraining a chemical discharge. More particularly, the invention relates to a method and system for restraining an accidental discharge of a hazardous chemical from a receptacle.
2. Description of Related Art
Hazardous materials are used in numerous applications that are vital to the economy and public. For example, hazardous liquids are used as fuel for vehicles, to heat and cool homes and offices, and as cleaners and/or intermediates for numerous commercial manufacturing processes.
Millions of tons of explosive, poisonous, corrosive, flammable, radioactive, and otherwise dangerous liquids are transported every day. Such hazardous materials are moved by plane, truck, rail, or ship in quantities ranging from several ounces to several thousand barrels. Frequently, these hazardous materials are moved through densely populated or environmentally sensitive areas where the consequences of an accidental spillage could result in injury, loss of life, or serious environmental damage.
Methods for immobilizing hazardous liquids and treating hazardous liquids spills are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,341,078 describes a process for immobilizing liquid halogenated aromatic compounds being held in a vessel by injecting into the liquid a slurry of polymer particles and cryogenic refrigerant. Vaporization of the refrigerant causes dispersion of the polymer in the liquid resulting in their rapid dispersion and, subsequently, in the formation of a rubbery solid.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,383,868 describes a method for treating spillage of hazardous liquids (e.g. anhydrous hydrogen fluoride and concentrated hydrofluoric acid) by contacting the liquid with a solid particulate mixture containing both a polyacrylamide and a polyalkyl(alk)acrylate to produce a gelatinous film on the surface of the liquid. This patent suggests that the mixture of polymers can be applied to the liquid via a mechanical device, such as those used to disperse solid particulate fire extinguishing materials.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,177,058 describes gelatinous mixtures of hydrogen fluoride (HF) and sodium polyacrylate or polyacrylamide from which the hydrogen fluoride is recoverable.
Notwithstanding these developments, there remains a need for a method for rapidly restraining a hazardous material, particularly under conditions that increase the risk of an accidental spillage of the hazardous material from a receptacle.

Method and system for restraining a chemical discharge


An accessory driving apparatus for an aircraft system is connected to an accessory unit to be driven, such as a PCU pump. A gear set for transferring rotational power from the driving shaft to the driven shaft is provided for selective arrangement in first and second configurations in order to permit the driving shaft to rotate in either rotational direction without affecting a predetermined rotational direction of the driven shaft.

Today's propeller aircraft generally include variable pitch propeller systems. Typically, a variable pitch propeller system for aircraft includes a plurality of propeller blades extending radially from a central hub, an engine for rotating the hub and propeller blades, and a pitch actuating system that pivots the propeller blades about their longitudinal axis to vary the angle (pitch) of the blades with respect to the approaching airflow. The pitch actuating system is hydraulically controlled by a propeller control unit (PCU) and is hydraulically powered by a PCU pump of an aircraft system.
PCU pumps are usually operatively connected to and thus driven by propeller shafts of the aircraft system. PCU pumps are conventionally unidirectional, either clockwise or counter-clockwise. The selective use of clockwise and counter-clockwise PCU pumps is determined in accordance with the propeller shafts to which the PCU pumps are to be operatively connected.
In a multi-propeller aircraft system, it has been considered to be advantageous to the aircraft system performance that the propellers of the aircraft rotate in different directions, namely some propellers rotate in a clockwise direction and the remaining propellers rotate in a counter-clockwise direction. This can be achieved by providing either a clockwise or counter-clockwise propeller gearbox to couple the particular propeller shaft to each engine which drives that propeller. In order to meet with this type of demand, aircraft engine manufacturers are required to provide both clockwise and counter-clockwise PCU pumps for a single design of aircraft system, which increases manufacturing costs due to the need for double the pump inventory.
Reversible rotary pumps have been well known and used in other industries. Those reversible rotary pumps, however, are usually relatively complicated and therefore are not suitable for application in the aircraft industry. PCU pumps for an aircraft system are required to be reliable in performance and light in weight.
Therefore, there is a need for an apparatus for driving a unidirectional PCU pump of an aircraft system which overcomes the problems in the prior art.

Reversible driving apparatus for PCU pumps


A container package for shipping and storing handling-sensitive items. The container package is constructed of clear flexible plastic sheet material and includes a matingly engageable pair of top and bottom half container half portions. Each container half portion includes a plurality of reversible snap domes disposed along the outer surfaces thereof which are movable between a first convex outward position and a second concave inward position upon depression. When depressed into the container package, the snap domes engage underlying portions of an enclosed article or occupy vacant space and thereby restrain the enclosed article from movement in the vertical and lateral directions. In one embodiment, the container half portions are formed as support tray members connected together in clam shell fashion for containing a printed circuit board. The plastic material is provided with additional electrostatic dissipation protection in accordance with known techniques. The snap domes may be arranged uniformly on both tray surfaces or in any random fashion as desired. An alternate embodiment includes provision of a compound snap dome wherein a second smaller snap dome is concentrically-mounted to a larger base snap dome. In another embodiment, the container package is formed as a box and includes snap domes formed in both vertical and horizontal side surfaces.

For several years now it has been the common practice to package delicate handling-sensitive items, such as, for example, printed circuit boards, within an antistatic plastic bag which, in turn, is surrounded by a generous layer of protective foam and then is placed within a corrugated cardboard box. This bag within a foam box packaging scheme, while providing adequate protection for shipping and storage, suffers from several disadvantages. The principle disadvantage is the danger of exposure of the printed circuit board to dust contaminates and potential electrostatic charges each time the printed circuit board is removed from the packaging for inspection. The printed circuit board may undergo visual inspection several times during the shipping process to check for physical damage and to verify that the product indicated on the outer label is the same as that contained within the package. This problem is not inconsiderable especially since the product may also be inspected a number of times at the distributor and/or the retail level for purposes of inventory and display before it finds its way to the end user or for use out in the field.
Further, the bag within a foam box packaging technique is wasteful of resources and does not encourage recycling since the metal leads protruding from the bottom surface of the printed circuit boards often penetrate and tear the surrounding plastic bag material rendering them unusable for repackaging. Similarly, the foam layer and cardboard boxes are easily torn and subject to rapid wear and tear during shipping, handling and opening for inspection.
As an alternative, another technique for packaging printed circuit boards involves the use of specially constructed impact resistant container housings which include tracks or slots formed along the inside end walls and/or upstanding side walls of the container. The tracks are sized for receiving the side edges of the printed circuit board such that the board is suspended horizontally within the container. These containers are typically constructed of conductive carbon filled polymeric material in order to provide a "Faraday Cage" and include an openable end door to permit access for testing and "burning in" of the printed circuit boards while still in the container. An example of such a specially constructed protective container is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,593,813 issued to Stephen S. Powell. Such specially constructed housings are expensive to manufacture. This increased packaging cost is typically passed along to the consumer. Further, the printed circuit board must still be removed from the protective container for visual inspection.
Accordingly there is a definite need in the art for an improved low cost container package for handling-sensitive articles, such as a printed circuit board, which permits visual inspection of the article contained therein and which is adaptable to the size of the article to be packaged so that one size container may be used for different sized articles.


The retained magnetic strip has an elongated strip of magnetic material formed into a nearly circular band with an attaching, retaining, and protective ring of substantially rigid and non-magnetic material which encloses the magnetic strip.

It is often desirable to have the ability to measure system variables, such as the speed of rotating elements. Many methods to measure speed are well known and many components are commercially available. One method of speed measurement is to generate an electrical signal by attaching magnets to the rotating element. A stationary pickup device, with lead wires attached to it, converts the changing magnetic flux levels into an electrical output (analog or digital) which is proportional to speed.
Some operating conditions faced by the rotating element whose speed is desired may be hostile to the attached magnetic material. For instance, in hydraulic applications, unprotected magnetic material could be subjected to high inertial forces while in an oil bath with extreme temperature variations (-40.degree. F. to 220.degree. F.), erosion from various metallic and non-metallic particles, and cavitation from entrapped air.
While magnetic speed sensing devices of various types have existed for many years, problems persist relative to the attaching of sensor magnets to the rotating element. The magnetic material attached to the rotating element is usually flexible, but is fragile, has poor mechanical properties, and cannot withstand high inertial forces. If the magnetic material is attached to the rotating element merely by adhesives, harsh operating conditions may cause the magnetic material to come loose. Although a better adhesive may prevent loosening, it may also seriously impair later removal of the magnetic material. Existing speed sensing devices are difficult and time consuming to attach and remove from the rotating element. Sometimes little clearance exists between the rotating element whose speed is desired and other stationary or moving parts around it. Although some existing devices mount directly on the rotating element, they fail to maintain a low profile while securely attaching the magnetic material and protecting it from the environment.
Therefore, it is the principal object of this invention to provide a retained magnetic strip which is fully encased within a protective ring when placed on a shaft for sensing of rotational speed.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a magnetic strip which can be frictionally pressed into a protective element as a sensing ring to measure the rotational speed of said element.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a retained magnetic strip which is easily and securely installed onto the shaft or like to be measured for rotational speed.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a retained magnetic strip which is durably protected from the abrasive effects of the operating environment around the rotating element.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a retained magnetic strip which can be pressed off of the rotating element for replacement purposes.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a retained magnetic strip which maintains a low profile above the rotating element to which it is attached.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a retained magnetic strip which is capable of withstanding high inertial forces.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a retained magnetic strip which is economical to manufacture.
These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Retained magnetic strip for mounting on a rotating member to provide a magnetic flux to be sensed


An improved adaptive line pressure control which detects the occurrence of run-through and overrides the normal adaptive pressure control in response to a detected run-through condition so that the line pressure during subsequent shifting is increased instead of decreased. A run-through condition is detected by periodically sampling the transmission speed ratio in the course of the inertia phase of an upshift from a lower speed ratio to an upper speed ratio, and determining the average ratio for the upshift. If the average ratio is within a reference amount of the normal value (ratio midpoint), the adaptive control is allowed to update the adaptive pressure value in relation to the difference between the measured shift time and a desired shift time. If the average ratio exceeds the normal value (midpoint) by more than the reference amount, a run-through is detected, and the adaptive pressure amount is increased regardless of the measured shift time.

Automatic transmissions of the type addressed by this invention include several fluid operated torque transmitting devices, referred to herein as clutches, which are automatically engaged and disengaged according to a predefined pattern to establish different speed ratios between input and output shafts of the transmission. The input shaft is coupled to an internal combustion engine through a fluid coupling, such as a torque converter, and the output shaft is mechanically connected to drive one or more vehicle wheels.
The various speed ratios of the transmission are typically defined in terms of the ratio Ni/No, where Ni is the input shaft speed and No is the output shaft speed. Speed ratios having a relatively high numerical value provide a relatively low output speed and are generally referred to as lower speed ratios; speed ratios having a relatively low numerical value provide a relatively high output speed and are generally referred to as upper speed ratios. Accordingly, shifts from a given speed ratio to a lower speed ratio are referred to as downshifts, while shifts from a given speed ratio to a higher speed ratio are referred to as upshifts.
In most transmissions, ratio shifting is carried out by selectively directing the fluid pressure output of a pump, referred to as line pressure, to the various clutches of the transmission through the use of one or more shift valves. To upshift from a lower speed ratio to a higher speed ratio, for example, a respective shift valve is activated (electrically or hydraulically) to initiate the supply of fluid pressure to the upper or target speed ratio (on-coming) clutch. Concurrently, the lower speed ratio (off-going) clutch is released, either by exhausting the fluid pressure supplied to it, or through the provision of a one-way device which overruns when the on-coming clutch achieves the required torque capacity.
In most transmissions, a hydraulic accumulator is used to control the supply of fluid pressure to the on-coming clutch. The accumulator absorbs a controlled volume of fluid in parallel with the on-coming clutch, producing a progressive increase in the clutch apply pressure as a piston of the accumulator strokes to compress an internal damper spring.
The average clutch apply pressure during accumulator stroking varies in direct relation to an accumulator bias or trim pressure which opposes the clutch apply pressure, and it is known that the firmness of a shift can be controlled to a desired value over the life of the transmission through adaptive adjustment of such trim pressure. See, for example, the U.S. Pat. No. 4,283,970 to Vukovich, issued Aug. 18, 1981, and 4,653,350 to Downs et al., issued Mar. 31, 1987, both of which are assigned to the assignee of the present invention. In these controls, the trim pressure varies with the transmission line pressure, and the line pressure is scheduled as a combined function of a base pressure value determined by table look-up and an adaptive pressure value based on a deviation between actual and desired shift progression times observed during previous shifts of the same type.
Under most conditions, the on-coming clutch engagement is completed during the stroking of the accumulator piston, minimizing the driveline torque disturbance during the shift. However, if the pressure supplied to the accumulator is too low, the initiation of clutch engagement may be delayed to the point where the accumulator piston completely strokes before the clutch fully engages. At the end of the accumulator stroke, the clutch pressure rapidly rises to line pressure, abruptly completing the clutch engagement. This condition is referred to herein as run-through because the shift is completed after the accumulator has "run-through" its stroke.
In addition to creating a harsh bump or clunk at the end of the shift, run-through disrupts the normal relationship between clutch apply pressure and shift progression time. As a result, the adaptive control may operate to decrease the line pressure even further in subsequent shifting. Various procedures have been proposed for the purpose of detecting the run-through condition, but none have proven to be sufficiently robust due to normal transmission-to-transmission variability.

Adaptive transmission pressure control with run-through detection


A label tamp is provided for delivering and applying a linerless adhesive label to the outside surface of a container transported on a conveyor to the labeling station of a production line. The label tamp includes a tamp cylinder defining an axis of extension that is generally normal to the outside surface of the container, a tamp arm secured to the tamp cylinder such that the tamp arm is alternately extensible and retractable, a tamp arm base plate rigidly fixed to the tamp arm and a tamp head assembly. Preferably, the tamp head assembly is secured to a lift plate has a pair of parallel recesses for receiving a pair of linear actuators therein so that the tamp head assembly is linearly movable relative to the tamp arm base plate. Preferably, the tamp head assembly includes a tamp head resiliently mounted to a tamp head mounting plate so that the tamp head is rotatable in any combination about orthoganol axes perpendicular to the axis of extension of the tamp cylinder, and is linearly movable in a direction parallel to the axis of extension of the tamp cylinder. Preferably, the tamp head is resiliently mounted to the tamp head mounting plate by a plurality of springs positioned on a corresponding plurality of shoulder bolts between the tamp head and the tamp head mounting plate.

Manufacturers of products who ship their goods in a container, such as a box or shipping carton, often desire to apply a label to the outside of the container. The label typically has identifying information, such as product codes, stock or lot numbers, bar codes and shipping data, printed thereon to identify the manufacturer, the contents of the container or the destination of the container. The label has a first side on which the identifying information is printed, and a second side opposite the first side which is coated with a pressure sensitive adhesive. The second, or adhesive, side of the label is applied to the outside of the container so that the identifying information on the first, or printed, side of the label may be read, such as by scanning with an electronic reader.
The label most often used for this purpose is commonly known as linerless label stock because the adhesive side of the label is not protected by a liner coated with a release film. In automated manufacturing facilities that utilize a production line, the label may be mechanically applied to the container when the container is transported on a conveyor to a labeling station. A preferred mechanism for applying the label to the container is a label applicator, also known as a label tamp. The label tamp includes a tamp head that is secured to a tamp head mounting plate on a tamp arm at one end of an axially movable tamp cylinder having an axis of extension that is generally normal to the outside surface of the container on which the label is to be applied. The cylinder may be pneumatic or hydraulic driven, but typically is pneumatic to accommodate the speed of the container along the production line.
With the tamp cylinder retracted, a label is transferred to the tamp head from a label transfer tray coated with a release film, or directly from a printer positioned adjacent the tamp head A stream of air from a blow tube may be directed at the forward face of the tamp head to properly position the label, and a vacuum may be drawn on the tamp head to retain the printed side of the label against the forward face of the tamp head. The tamp cylinder is then extended in the direction of the container until the adhesive side of the label contacts the outside surface of the container on which the label is to be applied, or until the adhesive side of the label is only a slight distance from the outside surface of the container on which the label is to be applied. In the latter case, the vacuum is reversed so that a stream of air is provided to blow the label onto the outside surface of the container from the slight distance.
Label tamps of the previously described type often experience difficulty transferring the label from the transfer tray or the printer to the tamp head and delivering the label to the container. In practice, the label can get caught on the printer or the blow tube as the tamp cylinder is extended in the direction of the container. The adhesive side of the label may come in contact with the printer or the blow tube, for example, if the tamp head and the printer head are not properly aligned or if the tamp cylinder extends towards the container before the label is completely clear of the printer head. The label may also come in contact with the printer or the blow tube if the vacuum drawn on the tamp head is insufficient or irregular.
Assuming that the label is properly transferred to the tamp head and delivered to the container, previously known label tamps operate without difficulty as long as the container is transported to the labeling station of the production line with the outside surface of the container on which the label is to be applied normal to the axis of extension of the tamp cylinder. If the container is transported to the labeling station in a different orientation, the label may not be securely applied to the outside of the container, or worse yet, the label may be wrinkled, and thus unreadable. In the event that a container is improperly aligned with the axis of extension of the tamp cylinder, it may be necessary to shut-down the production line to correct the alignment problem. Naturally, any delay in the operation of the production line results in a corresponding decrease in productivity, and hence profit.
In the case in which the adhesive side of the label contacts the outside surface of the container on which the label is to be applied, it is also possible that the force exerted on the container by the tamp cylinder will exceed the transverse coefficient of friction between the container and the conveyor. This situation is most likely to occur when the production line is alternately utilized for lightweight and heavy containers. If the force exerted by the tamp cylinder is adjusted to apply a label to a heavy container when a lightweight container is transported to the labeling station, that force may exceed the transverse coefficient of friction between the container and the conveyor. As a result, the container may be damaged, or the label may be incorrectly applied as previously described.
As is now apparent, there is a need for a label tamp that transfers and delivers a linerless adhesive label to a container without the possibility that the label will get caught on the printer or the blow tube. Further, there is a need for a label tamp that securely applies a label to a container even if the outside surface of the container on which the label is to be applied is improperly aligned with the axis of extension of the tamp cylinder.
In particular, there is a need for a label tamp that delivers a linerless adhesive label to a container and securely applies the label to the container without wrinkling the label even if the outside surface of the container on which the label is to be applied is improperly aligned with the axis of extension of the tamp cylinder. It is also apparent that there is a need for a label tamp that applies a linerless adhesive label to a lightweight container without exceeding the transverse coefficient of friction between the container and the conveyor.


A dual metallized film capacitor is provided which has improved life test characteristics in that the smaller capacitor more closely tracks the capacitance loss of the larger capacitor. This results from a reduced length of insertion of the barrier strip into the capacitor section. The result of a barrier strip of reduced width permits use of a more expensive barrier material with superior performance but without substantially increased material cost.

This invention pertains to wound capacitors and, more particularly, to such capacitors of the metallized film type. The particular problem to which this invention is directed is to produce a pair of capacitors having one plate in common which have improved performance and are easier to manufacture.
My U.S. Pat. No. 3,921,041 discloses and claims a dual capacitor and method of making it. Dual capacitors made in accordance with that invention have been very successful. However, it would be desirable to improve them in at least two respects.
First, it would be desirable to improve their "life test" performance. During a life test the capacitors are subjected to extremes of temperature and voltage. For example, a 370 volt AC rated capacitor will be tested at 480 volts AC in an oven at 80.degree. C. If the capacitors are basically "good", the standard measure of performance is the change in capacitance value (.DELTA.C) after a test of 500 to possibly as much as 2000 hours duration. Usually, the test parameter allows for a loss of 3% from the initial value. In testing dual capacitors made in accordance with the above-referenced patent having small and large capacitance values, it has been found that the smaller capacitor suffers a greater negative loss (as much as -3%) whereas the larger may only lose 1%. One objective of this invention is to produce a dual capacitor which exhibits performance characteristics which more closely resemble a single capacitor.
As taught by the above-referenced patent, a barrier material is inserted into the cylindrical body to electrically separate the non-common plates of the two capacitors. The end of the body is then coated by an electric arc metal spraying technique. The metal spray is then removed from the barrier to prevent electrical "bridging." Thereafter, electrical leads are soldered to the end, one within and one without the barrier. It would be desirable to employ polycarbonate film for the barrier, rather than the polypropylene which is usually used. One reason is that polycarbonate has a "slicker" surface and the metal is more easily removed. Another reason is that, as larger capacitors are manufactured, larger electrical lead tabs must be soldered in place. The heat tends to penetrate the polypropylene barrier. The practical difficulty, however, is that the cost of polycarbonate is approximately ten times that of polypropylene. Accordingly, a second objective of this invention is to enable the use of polycarbonate without substantially increasing the cost of the dual capacitor.
The manner in which these objectives are achieved will be apparent from the following description and appended claims.


A drain assembly for a pool cover which includes a drain fitting positioned in a hole formed in the pool cover; a screen connected to the pool cover and positioned above the drain fitting to minimize the amount of debris entering the drain fitting; a barrier assembly connected to the pool cover adjacent to a perimeter of the screen to maintain a predetermined volume of water on the pool cover; and a flexible conduit connected at a first end to an outlet end of the drain fitting. A second end of the conduit is connected to an opening formed in a side of the pool. The barrier assembly includes a tubular shaped buoyant material housed within a pocket formed by two sections of material.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a swimming pool cover and, more particularly, to a self-draining swimming pool cover.
2. Description of the Related Art
For years owners of swimming pools have had to deal with the problems associated with water collecting on the top of the pool cover when the pool is not in use. For example, the weight of an excessive amount of water may cause the cover to tear or it may cause damage to the sides of the pool. In colder climates, the water on the cover may freeze thereby compounding the problem. Also, the water that collects on top of the cover often becomes dirty or contaminated with algae, presenting an unsightly and unsanitary condition. If the cover tears, and upon removal of the cover from the pool, it is difficult to prevent the dirty water from entering the clean pool water. Therefore, while the cover is on the pool the owner is burdened with the continuing task of pumping or siphoning the water off of the cover.
Several attempts have been made to solve the problems associated with excessive accumulations of water on top of the pool cover. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,233,695 to Rowney and 5,259,078 to Crandall disclose swimming pool covers with rain water drainage and filter means. Although these patents adequately drain the water from the cover, the water within the pool becomes contaminated.
Other designs offer solutions to the potential contamination problem resulting from allowing the water to drain into the pool. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,318,421 to Ward and 4,830,040 to Eng disclose float controlled siphon discharge valve mechanisms which operate to drain water from a swimming pool cover.
More simple designs are also in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,184,764 to West discloses a swimming pool cover having a drain in the central portion thereof to drain all water off of the top of the pool cover. West ""764 also discloses a screen installed over the drain opening to prevent leaves, dirt and other trash from clogging the drain opening. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,802,629 to Zeitek is also directed to a self-draining pool cover. Zeitek ""629 includes a pool cover having an aperture with a drain fitting attached to the aperture positioned in a central portion of the pool cover. A flexible hose connects the drain fitting to an outlet assembly in the pool wall. A primary objective and feature of West ""764 and Zeitek ""629 patents is to drain all of the water off of the swimming pool cover. However, quite often it is desirable to maintain a predetermined amount of water on top of the pool cover to keep the pool cover from becoming damaged from flapping around in the wind.
Attempts have also been made to provide a self-draining pool cover with provisions to maintain a predetermined volume of water on top of the cover. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,819,681 to Hodak is directed to a method and apparatus for draining a swimming pool cover. In Hodak ""681, the apparatus for draining a swimming pool cover includes a drainage device connected to a conduit which is connected to a discharge port fitting in the side of the pool. To maintain a predetermined amount of water on top of the pool cover, the drainage device also includes a vertical drain tube which extends upwardly a predetermined distance. Thus, the tube permits excess accumulated water at a level above the top edge of the drain tube to flow into the tube bore and drain through the conduit to be discharged from the pool.
However, notwithstanding the above advances in the art, a need still exists for a simple, self-draining swimming pool cover that fully drains all water surrounding the drain fitting while still maintaining a predetermined amount of water on top of the pool cover.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple, self-draining swimming pool cover that fully drains all water surrounding the drain fitting while still maintaining a predetermined amount of water on top of the pool cover.
One embodiment of the present invention is a drain assembly for a pool cover which includes a drain fitting positioned in a hole formed in the pool cover; a screen connected to the pool cover and positioned above the drain fitting to minimize the amount of debris entering the drain fitting; a barrier assembly connected to the pool cover adjacent to a perimeter of the screen to maintain a predetermined volume of water on the pool cover; and a flexible conduit connected at a first end to an outlet end of the drain fitting. A second end of the conduit is connected to an opening formed in a side of the pool.
The drain fitting includes a flange member and a nut. The flange member includes an upper circular ring with an elongate neck extending therefrom. The upper circular ring and elongate neck define an axial bore through the flange for draining water that passes through the screen. The elongate neck includes a plurality of threads on an outer periphery thereof for engaging threads formed on an inner circumference of the nut. The drain fitting may further include an elbow fitting connected to a lower end of the flange member to minimize any stress exerted by the conduit.
The barrier assembly includes a tubular shaped buoyant material housed within a pocket formed by two sections of material.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the drain assembly for a pool cover includes a drain fitting positioned in a hole formed in a section of material; a screen connected at its perimeter to the section of material such that at least a portion of the screen is positioned above the drain fitting to minimize the amount of debris entering the drain fitting; a barrier assembly connected to the section of material adjacent to a perimeter of the screen to maintain a predetermined volume of water on the pool cover; and a flexible conduit connected at a first end to an outlet end of the drain fitting. The section of material preferably has either a reflective surface or a black surface.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments, which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings.


Provided are a cell search method and a terminal device. The method is applied to a terminal device in an inactive state, wherein the inactive state indicates that the terminal device is disconnected from a network device, and the network device and the terminal device both retain contextual information of the terminal device, the contextual information being used for establishing a connection between the terminal device and the network device. The method comprises: when no suitable cell is found for camping, a terminal device entering an arbitrary cell search state to search for an acceptable cell and/or a suitable cell. In the implementations of the present disclosure, when no suitable cell is found for camping, a terminal device in an inactive state searches for an acceptable cell and/or a suitable cell by means of entering an arbitrary cell search state.

With people's pursuit of rate, latency, high-speed mobility and energy efficiency, and due to diversity and complexity of services in future life, International Standards Organization of 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) began to research and develop a 5-Generation mobile communication technology (5G). To reduce air interface signaling, quickly resume radio connection and quickly resume data service, a new Radio Resource Control (RRC) state, namely a radio resource control inactive (RRC_INACTIVE) state, is defined in a 5G network environment.
When a User Equipment (UE) is in the RRC_INACTIVE state, a network side configures a paging area of a Radio Access Network (RAN) for the UE. When the UE moves within the paging area, the network side is not notified, and a mobility behavior under RRC_IDLE, i.e., a cell selection and reselection principle, is followed. When the UE moves out of the paging area, the UE is triggered to resume a RRC connection and re-obtain a paging area configured by the network side.
When a cell signal is not good, the UE in the INACTIVE state may be unable to find a suitable cell to reside in, and the UE may enter an arbitrary cell search state or may choose an acceptable cell to reside in. It can be found that how to control a state and context of the UE and how to ensure that a UE's behavior is manageable and controllable is an urgent problem to be solved.

GUANGDONG OPPO MOBILE TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP., LTD.


A simple arrangement of a chair allows transformation of the shape of a backrest. The chair has a transformable backrest and a backrest receiving member that supports a bottom end portion of the backrest in a slidable manner toward a certain direction and an operating lever to select and fix a position at which the backrest is slid and the backrest can be transformed in compliance with the position fixed by the operating lever.

This invention relates to a chair that effectively improves comfortability to sit on with a simple arrangement.
For a chair whether it is comfortable to sit on or not is one of major factors affecting a body of a seated person or a working efficiency and this is the most important fundamental function as a chair. Then chairs have been highly functioned in a multilateral manner to improve comfortability to sit on through varieties of mechanisms such as backrest reclining, back and seat rocking or lumber support.
Viewed from a point of a lumber support function, there have been some lumber support functions that can adjust a position of the lumber support. A position of a lumber of a human or a way to sit differs depending on individual specificity such as a gender, an age, or physical attributes. Then that a position of the lumber support can be adjusted is very effective especially for a chair manufactured in a standardized manner in terms of fitting the chair to varieties of users.
A conventionally conceived mechanism is superior functionally, however, it is complicated such that a lumber support member is embedded inside the backrest movably in an operable manner from outside and then the lumber support member is operated so as to push the backrest, which makes a face of the backrest projected or depressed.
Due to this arrangement, it is difficult for a simple-type chair to adopt the mechanism unless the chair has an arrangement in which backrest is thick enough to allow increment of a member of the mechanism to be embedded.