A seal for use with a flexible wire for providing visible evidence of tampering therewith includes a housing and a wire retaining key. The housing has two passageways for passage of the ends of the flexible wire therethrough so that the ends of the flexible wire extend beyond the boundaries of the housing. The housing also includes a keyway for receipt of the wire retaining key. The wire retaining key is inserted into the keyway and intersects the passageways so that the flexible wire passing through the housing is intercepted and bears against the wire retaining key. In this manner, the wire retaining key intercepts and deforms the flexible wire, whereby removal of the flexible wire from the housing is prevented. The key also preferably includes a detent which snaps into an engaging position within the housing when fully inserted therein. An audible snapping sound may preferably be heard to indicate that the detent is in the engaging position.

The present invention relates generally to wire seals, and, more particularly, to wire seals which deter tampering with devices to which the wire seals are attached.
It is known that the theft of utilities, e.g., gas and electricity, from utility companies is a major source of financial loss each year for such companies. Even utility customers are perpetrators of this theft. One way of stealing services is by tampering with a utility meter which is installed at the customer's residence to measure and record the amount of gas or electricity consumed. In the case of electricity, an electrical watt-hour meter is typically installed at each customer's residence to measure and record the amount of electricity consumed by each customer in order that each customer may be accurately billed based on consumption level. However, dishonest customers tamper with the watt-hour meter in an effort to reduce the amount of consumption recorded thereon in order to correspondingly reduce their electric bill. Methods of tampering include bypassing the meter with conductive jumpers or reversing the polarity of the meter so that, as more electricity is used, the meter actually subtracts from the consumption level recorded. If the meter is returned to its normal operation just prior to the electric company reading it, the company will not be able to detect the customer's tampering with the meter.
Similar tampering is known to occur in other circumstances where other types of monitoring and/or recording equipment is installed at locations which prevent direct supervision by the equipment owner. Other devices which require prevention of tampering include shipping containers and the like. Shipping containers are normally left unattended by the owners of the contents for extended periods of time. Accordingly, sealing-type devices for providing visible evidence of tampering have been proposed in the prior art.
For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 1,863,041 to Dessauer discloses a device for sealing the ends of a string, cord or small wire in order to prevent the separation of the ends. The device is used to seal the ends of a cord which connects a tag to an article so that the tag can not be removed from the article. A two-part casing is disclosed which forms an inner area having a pair of resilient tongues formed therein. Further, a slide is disclosed as being contained in said casing. The slide has a notch and its own pair of resilient tongues formed thereon. In operation, the slide is removed from the casing so that the notch is accessible. The cord is wrapped around the slide in order to engage the notch. The slide is then forced inside the casing until the slide tongues engage the casing tongues and prevent the removal of the cord from the casing. Successful utilization of the Dessauer seal is dependent on correctly wrapping the cord around the slide before completely inserting the slide inside the casing. Disadvantageously, if a user of the seal does not properly engage the cord in the notch of the slide, the slide may not properly insert in the casing such that the respective tongues of the casing and the slide will not engage and, therefore, not prevent removal as intended.
A similar seal device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,992,868 to Krause. The Krause reference also discloses a device which includes a case and a slide for sealing items such as car doors, heaters, tanks, hampers and the like. The slide has several holes passing therethrough as well as an inclined resilient latch. The case has a tubular form and has a keeper portion formed therein for engaging the inclined resilient latch of the slide. In operation, a link (i.e., similar to the cord used in the Dessauer device) is partially woven through certain of the holes formed in the slide. The slide is then partially inserted into the case where it temporarily engages the keeper in order to allow more of the link (cord) to be passed through the remaining holes on the slide. The slide is then completely inserted into the case and is held against removal by the keeper portion of the case. Again, proper operation of the seal disclosed in the Krause patent directly depends on how well the user follows the multiple steps associated with weaving the link among the holes in the slide.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,717,170 (Percival et al.) and 2,712,958 (Stelzer) disclose folding-type seals which are intended to be tamper resistant. The Percival et al. reference discloses a seal which includes three sections (a center section and first and second side sections) separated by weakened lines in the form of a scoring or groove. The cord to be sealed is laid over the center section and the first side section, having serrated flanges, is folded over and onto the center section such that the serrated flanges engage the cord and force the cord into the center section. The second side section is then folded over and onto the first side section and engages a shallow groove to keep the second side section flat against the first side section. If someone attempts to lift the top section, the weakened line will break and, thereby, provide evidence of the attempted tampering. Stelzer discloses a folding-type seal with only two sections; however, the general principle of operation is the same as that employed in the Percival et al. seal. One major disadvantage associated with the folding-type seal devices is that, if before being used, the sections are accidentally folded at the weakened score lines, the sections may break off at the time of use, thereby, rendering the device substantially useless.
Still further, a seal for meters and the like is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,980,332 to King. The King device includes a housing, a stiff spring wire shackle and a semi-resilient plastic keeper. The wire shackle is generally U-shaped with legs connected by a loop portion and with the free ends of the legs being inwardly and upwardly bent to form reversely bent hook portions. In operation, the wire shackle is passed through the hasp assembly of a meter and then inserted into a top opening of the housing until the hook portions bottom out on stops formed inside the housing. The keeper is then inserted into the opposite end of the housing so that notches formed thereon engage the hook portions of the wire shackle. Stops formed on the keeper engage the outside of the housing so that a bottom portion of the keeper remains outside the housing. It is intended that the only way for the seal to be broken is by breaking the bottom of the keeper along a perforation between the outside stops which allows the keeper and the wire shackle to be pushed out the top opening of the housing. The stiff construction of the portion which engages the meter hasp assembly, i.e, the wire shackle, is disadvantageous in that its lack of flexibility may make it difficult to install in tight compartments and more susceptible to accidental damage to the seal if the seal becomes caught on the clothing or other article of a passerby.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,114,196 to Storer discloses a similar locking device including a female member with apertures for threading a cable through whereby a male member is then inserted into a center aperture to forcibly retain the cable therein. However, the patent discloses that the cable must be thread through various apertures of the female member, at least four times, in order to properly ensure that the cable will be retained once the male member is fitted into the female member.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 1,977,301 to Bradford discloses a seal which includes a cylinder with a cylindrical bore and circumferential groove formed therein. The Bradford seal discloses a plug with a pair of holes for allowing the ends of a band to be placed therethrough and a recess for receiving a splice that serves to connect the ends of the band after having been inserted through the holes of the plug. A spring ring is placed in a circumferential groove of the plug. Once the ends of the bands are placed through the plug and spliced, the plug is inserted into the bore of the cylinder whereby the spring ring placed in the groove of the plug engages the groove of the cylinder so that the plug can not be removed from the cylinder. Again, similar to the Storer device, extensive manipulation of the band or cord is required to secure it through one of the seal members. A single-use seal lock for mailbags is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,591,223 to Neto which includes a socket member and a plug which is insertable into the socket member. However, the seal has limited utility since the socket and plug secure a band therebetween, the band being formed as part of an existing mailbag.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,048,881 to Renfro discloses a lockable seal ring for specific use with an electric meter. However, the seal ring is of one-piece construction and completely surrounds the circumferential periphery of the meter and, thus, does not provide the general flexibility of a wire seal.
There is, therefore, a need in the prior art for a wire seal for use with meter devices, storage containers and the like which requires a minimal amount of simple steps to install and which may be easily installed in constrained environments. There is also a need for a wire seal which is less susceptible to accidental damage but which also provides readily visible evidence of intentional tampering therewith.


A method for bleaching pulp is provided. In the method at least one tertiary amine compound is introduced into a process stage of bleaching. This process stage is a stage which comprises mixing pulp and a chlorine compound capable of bleaching.

In chemical pulping, wood chips are digested with the aid of a chemical solution to solubilize a portion of the lignin therein effecting the removal of the lignin. Typically, these digestive procedures comprise sulfite, sulfate (Kraft), soda and modified sulfite processes. Digestion takes place either in a continuous mode or in a batch digestion process.
Once the wood chips have been digested, the resulting pulp material is generally dark coloured cellulose fibres, namely brown stock. This material is called unbleached pulp. The dark colour means that not all of the lignin has been removed during digestion and that the remaining lignin has been chemically modified. The pulp suspension coming from the digestion process contains dissolved organic material and used inorganic cooking chemicals. The goal in brown stock washing after the digestion is to recover as much dissolved organic substance as possible for energy production and as much of the valuable inorganic chemicals as possible for regeneration with a minimum amount of dilution.
By removal of lignin the wood fibers are allowed to separate from each other in order to enable the formation of a fiber web. The bleaching is needed to further increase the brightness of the pulp. After washing the first bleaching stage is typically oxygen delignification, where oxidized white liquor or/and sodium hydroxide is used for delignification. In the modern fibre lines knotting, screening and washing are performed after the oxygen delignification. The filtrate from the washing after oxygen delignification is used as a washing liquid in brown stock washing i.e. counter-current washing.
Pulp from digestion process and oxygen delignification inevitably contains unwanted solid material. Some of the chips may not have been cooked properly, and some of the fibrous material may not be completely in the form of individual fibres. Contaminants other than wood may also enter cooking together with the chips. The purpose of knotting i.e. removal of knots and screening is to remove impurities and unfiberized particles from the main pulp stream to reduce the bleaching chemical consumption. In older fibre lines or if vacuum filters and wash presses are used in washing, the knotting is done after the digestion process.
Subsequently, the bleaching is often a multi-stage process employing chlorine, chlorine dioxide, oxygen, ozone, hydrogen peroxide, sodium hydroxide, peroxy acids, enzymes or a mixture of thereof. Still today, chlorine dioxide is a preferred choice for the bleaching chemical in many countries. Chlorine dioxide process has several advantages such as good bleaching capacity compared to e.g. hypochlorite, and it provides good strength and brightness values for the resulting pulp. Despite of its extensive use the chlorine dioxide process is not without drawbacks. Even though the price of chlorine dioxide is competitive compared to several other chemicals the equipment costs and loading on water systems cause pressure to decrease its consumption or even to find alternative bleaching solutions.
The reasons for the great consumption of the bleaching chemicals comprise side reactions wherein the chemical is consumed without any effect on the pulping product quality. For example, heavy metals bound to carboxylic acid groups tend to increase the bleaching chemical consumption by decomposing the chemicals, as well as chemical constituents formed or liberated during pulping, such as hexenuronic acid groups, which react further with the bleaching chemical.
Several known methods are discussing the removal of metals by e.g. the use of chelating agents or complexing agents of various types. Complexing agents of tertiary amine class such as DTPA (diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid), have been used in pulping processes for removal of metals from certain pulping stages, such as the oxidizing stage, in order to provide suitably long reaction times for the oxidizing agents such as hydrogen peroxide the decomposition of which the metals tend to catalyze.
In pulping most of the lignin is removed in digestion and only a small portion, a few percent, remains in the pulp slurry. In order to further reduce this remaining lignin content considerable amount of bleaching chemicals is required in proportion to the amount of the residual lignin. This suggests that the presently applied bleaching methods or chemicals are nonetheless inefficient.
Hexenuronic acid is formed during Kraft pulping through modification of the hemicellulose constituent in wood. During bleaching, the electrophilic intermediate of chlorine dioxide, such as hypochlorous acid, is readily reacting with hexenuronic acid resulting in increased consumption of the bleaching chemical. Typically, the removal of hexenuronic acid from pulp prior to bleaching is carried out using the process of selective acid hydrolysis which results in conversion of hexenuronic acid into 2-furoic acid, formic acid and 5-carboxy-2-furaldehyde. Unfortunately, the acid hydrolysis process is a time consuming step.
EP0786029B1 discloses a method for removal of hexenuronic acid in cellulose pulp by heat treatment. In this method cellulose pulp manufactured by sulfate or alkaline process having a kappa number less than 24 is treated at a temperature from 85 to 150° C., at a pH of 2-5 for a period of time from 5 min to 10 h. This treatment results in removal of at least 50% of the hexenuronic acid groups and decreases the kappa number by 2-9 units.
WO87/03313 discloses a process for bleaching pulp comprising the use of a premixture based on hypochlorous acid and further comprising a halogen salt, chlorine dioxide and/or a nitrogen compound, such as hexamethylenetetramine. This premixture is added to the pulp for minimizing fiber degradation and enhancing brightness. The bleaching time for this type of bleaching composition is 2-4 hours and the optimum pH range is from 2 to 6.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,298,428 discloses a method for improving chemical pulp strength and brightness by using hypochlorite bleaching wherein the pulp slurry further contains 0.01-0.5% by weight of an amine compound selected from the group consisting of ethylamine, methoxypropylamine, monoethanolamine, n-butylamine, 3-aminopropanol, isopropylamine, ethylenediamine, aniline, 2-amino-2-methylpropanol, 2-aminopropanediol, triethylenetetramine, 1,3-diaminopropane, diaminohydroxypropane, ethylenediamine, hexamethylenediamine and morpholine.
The efficiency of the presently used bleaching chemicals needs to be improved in order to avoid the typical delay times of several hours in a bleaching step. The consequence of the slow reaction rates and long delay times contributes to the huge size of the used reactors. Another drawback is the low selectivity of the reactions taking place. Valuable bleaching chemical is consumed in side reactions competing for the same chemical and not for the removal of hexenuronic acid. Moreover, more efficient recycling enabling a better closed circulation would be highly desired and beneficial for diminishing the environmental impact due to bleaching.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


An optical fiber connector and a method of forming an optical fiber connector are described where the optical fiber connector has low eccentricity tolerance at each end of the connector. Optical interconnection can be made at both ends of the connector, with the low eccentricity tolerance at each end providing improved light transmission at each interconnection. The connector is formed by using two commercially available, off-the-shelf connector members. Each connector member has a first end with a low eccentricity tolerance and a second end that allows for a fiber optic cable termination. The two connectors are connected together back-to-back, so that the second ends face each other and the first ends are disposed at opposite ends of the connector. The size of the connector can also be easily adjusted to make it shorter or longer.

In optical fiber connections, optical interconnections alignment is important in order to maximize the light transmission. The term that describes the tolerance of the expected geometric true position of an optical ferrule relative to an alignment feature, such as an alignment pin, is eccentricity.
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional optical fiber connector 2 known as a uniferrule. One example of a uniferrule is available from US Conec Ltd. of Hickory, N.C. A uniferrule is an optical fiber connector that is capable of making optical interconnection at each end. One end of the connector 2 connects to an optical pigtail 4. The other end of the connector 2 connects to an active optical component 6, for example a transceiver, on a circuit board 8.
In conventional uniferrule-type optical fiber connectors, it is understood that the eccentricity tolerance at the end that connects to the optical pigtail is less than the eccentricity tolerance at the opposite end that connects to the active optical component.


A system for dispersing water to the root zone of one or more trees beneath the soil's surface, comprising a perforated hollow cylindrical tube, ending in a spike, with an internal filter, which is driven into the ground to deliver water to the root zone a tree or trees.

The present invention relates to tree watering systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to tree watering systems structured and arranged to deliver water directly to the root zone of a tree. Further, the present invention relates to tree watering systems structured and arranged to be driven into the ground with a hammer or sledgehammer. Also, the present invention relates to tree watering systems structured and arranged to prevent soil from entering the tree watering system. Further, the present invention relates to tree watering systems that are modular to accommodate a range of depths, soil conditions, etc. Also, the present invention relates to tree watering systems structured and arranged to contain an herbicide within the tree watering system to control the growth of the roots of a tree.
No tree watering system exists that can be driven into hard ground deep enough to water trees while preventing dirt from entering the system. Further, no tree watering system exists that is modular in length to accommodate the needs of different trees and soil depths and conditions. Further, no tree watering system exists that further comprises an herbicide to control the growth of the roots of a tree.
Therefore, a need exists for a tree watering system that can be driven into hard ground deep enough to water trees while preventing dirt from entering the system. Further, a need exists for a tree watering system that is modular in length to accommodate the needs of different trees and soils. Further, a need exists for a tree watering system that further comprises an herbicide to control the growth of the roots of a tree


An apparatus and method for periodically cleaning the fins of a radiator of an internal combustion engine using a nozzle system with at least one nozzle directed toward the fins, and a cleaning agent delivery system connected to the nozzle system. The apparatus determines the presence of airflow resistance through the fins, generates an airflow resistance signal, delivers the airflow resistance signal to a control system, and delivers a control signal to the cleaning agent delivery system.

A water cooled internal combustion engine requires a radiator to remove heat from the coolant. The heat is removed by air passing through the fins of the radiator. If the fins become clogged with dirt and debris, the cooling efficiency of the radiator is reduced and the engine might overheat.
Construction and earthmoving machines operating in harsh environments frequently require cleaning of the radiator fins to remove dirt that accumulates. These machines also operate under heavy load conditions, thus increasing the heat generated by the engine. Downtime and repairs due to heat-related problems are costly.
As another example, semi-tractor trucks may be driven hundreds of miles per day on highways. As they travel at highway speeds, debris accumulates in the fins of the radiators, which reduces the engine cooling capability. A semi-tractor truck is usually hauling a heavy load, which causes the engine to work harder and generate more heat. Once again, downtime and repairs due to heat-related problems are costly.
Several attempts in the prior art have been made to overcome the problem of keeping the fins of a radiator clean. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,332,292, Garberick discloses a system for spraying a cleaning agent against the coils of a heat exchanger to remove dirt and debris. The spray interval can be automated with a timer to eliminate operator involvement. However, there is no indication that the heat exchanger coils require cleaning when the sprayer is activated, and there is no indication that the coils are adequately cleaned when the spray cycle is complete.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems as set forth above.

Apparatus and method for cleaning radiator fins


A radio frequency identification (RFID) device includes: a contact interface for wired communication with a host; a contactless interface for contactless communication with a reader/writer; a command processing unit that obtains a command from the reader/writer in the contactless communication and process the command, the command instructing a data access; and a memory that holds data. The command processing unit determines a communication mode, and (i) executes the data access instructed in the command between the reader/writer and the memory, when the communication mode is determined as a first communication mode, and (ii) executes the data access instructed in the command between the reader/writer and the host, when the communication mode is determined as a second communication mode.

In the fields of contactless IC cards and RFID, there is an apparatus (hereinafter, referred to also as an "RFID-embedded apparatus") including not only a contactless (wireless) interface but also a contact (wired) interface for connecting a RFID device to a host (hereinafter, referred to also as a "host CPU") (see Patent Literatures 1, 2, and 3).

RFID device, host, RFID-embedded apparatus, and method of controlling RFID device

Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America


A cooking appliance includes: a base; a heater basin mounted above the base and comprising a floor and a side wall that form a cavity configured to hold water, the side wall having a perimeter edge; a heating element mounted beneath the floor of the heater basin and configured to be connected to a power source; an egg cup unit comprising a main panel and at least one cup depending from the main panel, the main panel having a perimeter edge, the at least one cup having a floor that contacts the floor of the heater basin; and a lid attached to the base and configured to cover the egg cup unit. The perimeter edge of the heater basin and the perimeter edge of the egg cup unit are in contact, the interaction of the perimeter edge of the egg cup unit and the perimeter edge of the heater basin configured to impede flow of steam generated by boiling water in the cavity of the heater basin.

Eggs are a ubiquitous foodstuff, particularly for breakfast. Traditionally they are served in a variety of ways (e.g., scrambled, fried, boiled, etc.); recently different manners of preparing and presenting single servings of eggs have been developed, particularly in commercial settings.
It may be desirable to provide apparatus and techniques for preparing single servings of eggs, particularly in home settings.

Appliance and method for cooking eggs and other foodstuffs


A multiplexing amplifier has a differential amplifier for amplifying multiple input signals which are selected by a plurality input select circuits. The select circuits are comprised of longtail transistor pairs which are activated by current steering diodes controlled by input selection signals.

The present invention relates to amplifiers, and more particularly a multiple input amplifier having an input selection feature.
It is sometimes necessary in the electronic circuitry art to have a multiplicity of inputs for obtaining a singular output, wherein the input to be selected is determined by selection signals.
Amplifiers are typically known in the electronic circuits art to be devices with a single input and a single output, wherein the input is amplified by an amplification factor and provided at the output.
In order to selectively amplify a multiplicity of input signals, either a multiplicity of amplifiers for each input signal is required or the input signals need to be selected utilizing a multiplexor prior to amplification by a singular amplifier. Typically in the prior art, the second approach is utilized and a multiplexor and amplifier are connected in stages. The multiplexor receives a plurality of input signals and a plurality of select control signals. The multiplexor provides unitary gain to the input signals and selects which input signal is to be amplified based on the select signals. The output of the multiplexor is therefore connected to the input of the amplifier. A multiplicity of signals are thus selectively amplified in this manner.
Typically, multiplexors in the prior art have been either relatively slow acting devices or semiconductor devices with a low degree of isolation between inputs, so that abnormal excursions of one input line typically effects other input lines. Another disadvantage to using multiplexors in combination with amplifiers is the fact that the two functions typically require different semiconductor processes and are thus difficult to integrate (i.e. multiplexors require CMOS technology and amplifiers are best utilizing bipolar technology).
Efforts to improve such systems have lead to continuing developments to improve their versatility, efficiency, practicality, speed and costs.
An object of the present invention is to provide an amplifier circuit that provides a multiplicity of input terminals configured such that a single output is generated.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an amplifier circuit that provides a multiplicity of input terminals configured such that when one or more of the input signals is activated the result is an output signal proportional to the input.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an amplifier circuit that provides a multiplicity of input terminals such that when more than one input is activated the output represents the sum of the activated inputs.
According to the present invention, a multiplexing amplifier circuit which receives a plurality of input signals selected by a plurality of select control signals includes
a differential amplifier which provides an output signal indicative of the input signal across a positive input and a negative input;
a selection circuit corresponding to each input signal having a longtail pair of first and second transistors wherein the first transistor receives the input signal and drives the negative input of the differential amplifier and the second transistor receives the feed back output signal and drives the positive input of the differential amplifier;
a pair of diodes connected to each transistor for steering the current through the transistor;
wherein each select signal biases the corresponding diodes to thereby cause its corresponding longtail transistor pair to provide the corresponding input signal across the differential amplifier inputs.
The present invention provides for a multiplexing amplifier circuit having a high degree of isolation of inputs from each other such that only the activated input contributes to the output. In other words there is a low level of cross talk between the inputs.
The present invention also provides the ability to block very high abnormal voltages on inactivated inputs thereby keeping them from contaminating the output.
The present invention can be implemented in a number of semiconductor technologies, including bipolar and junction FET.
The present invention lends itself particularly well to monolithic integration with bipolar semiconductor technology, thereby providing a very low cost, very small composite device.
The present invention provides a selector or multiplexor with very high speed.
The present invention can be implemented making use of existing operational amplifier technology thereby reducing the risk of monolithic integration development.
The present invention is well suited for automated assembly utilizing surface mount components when implementation using discrete components is elected.
The present invention also provides the ability to accommodate completely floating inputs (isolated from circuit ground).
To the accomplishment of the foregoing in related as, the invention, then, comprises the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims. The following description and the annex drawing set forth in detail certain illustrated embodiments of the invention. These embodiments are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principals of the invention may be employed. Other objects, advantages, and new features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the drawings.


Aspects of the subject matter described herein relate to file system technology. In aspects, a mechanism is described that allows a file system to handle corrupted file system metadata in a way that provides high availability. When corrupted metadata is detected, the corrupted metadata may be deleted while the file system remains online and available to service file input/output operations that involve non-corrupted metadata.

Data on various electronic storage media may become corrupted over time. With some types of media such as CDs, DVDs, magnetic tapes, floppy disks and others, the media actually starts to decay and consequently loses data. With other types of media such as EPROMs and flash memory, electrical charges may dissipate leading to lost data. Although it is generally known that hard drives may lose data when they crash or otherwise become inoperative, what is not well known, at least by those outside of the industry, is that even well-functioning hard drives may have data that becomes silently or otherwise corrupted.
The subject matter claimed herein is not limited to embodiments that solve any disadvantages or that operate only in environments such as those described above. Rather, this background is only provided to illustrate one exemplary technology area where some embodiments described herein may be practiced.


In a method and arrangement for exchanging data between a first processing unit, containing first status information about the first data processing unit, and a second data processing unit, containing second status information about the first data processing unit, data are exchanged between the first and second units during transactions that include a status-changing transaction, which can be of two different types. Upon a successful completion of the status-changing transaction, the first and second status information are revised so that they match. Upon an unsuccessful completion of the status-changing transaction, at least one of the first and second status information is set dependent on the type of the status-changing transaction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a method for exchanging data between a first data processing unit containing first status information about the first data processing unit and a second data processing unit containing second status information about the first data processing unit. Data are exchanged between the first data processing unit and the second data processing unit during the course of transactions. The transactions include status-changing transactions, at the successful completion of which the first status information and the second status information are revised such that they match. At least two different types of status-changing transactions are carried out. The present invention also pertains to a corresponding arrangement for implementing this method.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Constellations of this type with a first data processing unit containing first status information about its status and a second data processing unit containing second status information about the status of the first data processing unit are frequently encountered in certain networks that are composed of such data processing units. In some known networks, for example, a series of first data processing units performs certain services or offers certain functions independently of a central second data processing unit. It is occasionally necessary, however, for the first data processing unit to communicate with the central second data processing unit. During the course of this communication, the utilization of the first data processing unit is acquired in the central second data processing unit by comparing the first and the second status information.
Another part of such communications frequently is in the form of transactions that change the status, in particular, the first status information of the first data processing unit.
Often the first data processing unit is locked for further use after a certain time of utilization or after a certain intensity of utilization that is indicated by the first status information. In order to cancel or prevent the locking of the first data processing unit, a status-changing transaction is carried out in which the first status information is revised in such a way that the first data processing unit can once again be used for an extended period of time or to a greater extent. In other words, a status-changing type of transaction is carried out in this case in order to broaden the privileges of the first data processing unit.
Transactions of a different type are also carried out quite frequently, wherein the privileges of the first data processing unit are restricted by these transactions. It is possible, in particular, to lock the first data processing unit for further use with such a transaction because it was detected that the data processing unit was somehow manipulated or the user of the first data processing unit is delinquent in paying the fee for utilizing the first data processing unit. One example of first data processing units in a constellation of this type are the accounting units of postage metering machines, in which the available credit balance is stored. In order to ensure the uninterrupted metering of postage, it is necessary to periodically load funds so as to refill the credit balance via a remote data center that functions as the second data processing unit, namely with a first type of transaction. If an excessively high amount of credit was loaded or the loaded amount should be reduced for other reasons, postage metering machines of this type frequently allow for lowering the credit balance with a second type of transaction.
The data center maintains records on the status of each registered postage metering machine, namely for the time at which the data center and the respective postage metering machine were last in contact. These records on the status of the postage metering machine, i.e., the second status information on the first data processing unit, are maintained in the data center so as to prevent fraud attempts in the form of manipulations of the first status information, e.g., the deposited credit balance, from remaining undetected.
During each status-changing transaction that is not successfully completed, for example, due to a premature interruption of the communication link, it remains unclear whether the first status information and the second status information were revised such that they match.
In the case of such an unsuccessful status-changing transaction, the user of the postage metering machine usually needs to repeat the corresponding procedure as many times as required for successfully completing the transaction. For the user of the postage metering machine, this is a bothersome and usually time-consuming process.
In this context, it is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,699,415 to carry out a check between the postage metering machine and the data center during the course of an ensuing transaction, wherein the check provides information as to whether the prior transaction was successfully completed. If the check indicates that the prior transaction was not successfully completed, it is suggested to repeat, cancel or patch this transaction. However, the problem encountered in this case is that an incorrect status of the postage metering machine is registered in the data center for the duration between the unsuccessfully completed transaction and the ensuing transaction.
If a deposit transaction is terminated, for example, after the second status information is revised in the data center but before the first status information is correspondingly revised in the postage metering machine, an excessively high credit balance—i.e., a debit for the user of the postage metering machine—is incorrectly registered in the data center. With regard to security aspects, this may be acceptable for the operator of the data center. If a transaction is interrupted in which the credit balance is lowered due to a return of funds, however, an excessively low credit balance in the postage metering machine, i.e., a credit for the user, is incorrectly registered in the data center. With regard to security aspects, this is undesirable for the operator of the data center because funds may be erroneously refunded, if applicable, to the user of the postage metering machine before the error is detected.
With respect to the handling of credit balances of postage metering machines, the security aspects of the operator of the data center predominate. The satisfaction of the user is of primary importance in other transactions, for example, the clearance of the postage metering machine for initial use. In this case, it would be undesirable if the postage metering machine were actually cleared for use but remained registered as being locked in the data center such that the metering processes carried out with this postage metering machine will be categorized as invalid when using the status data registered at the data center.

Method for exchanging data between data processing units


A method and an arrangement for supplying air to a recovery boiler. In the method, the air is supplied to the recovery boiler at at least one air supply level so that four vortices are formed therein, the vortices spinning, in pairs, in opposite directions to one another so that any two adjacent vortices always spin in opposite directions to one another. The arrangement comprises nozzles that are arranged to blow air so that four vortices are formed in the recovery boiler, any two adjacent vortices always spinning in opposite directions to one another.

The invention relates to a method of supplying air to a recovery boiler, in which method the air needed for combustion is supplied to the recovery boiler at various levels of the recovery boiler in the vertical direction, at at least one air supply level the air being supplied to the recovery boiler in such a way that a vortex spiralling around the vertical axis is formed in the recovery boiler.
The invention also relates to an arrangement for supplying air to a recovery boiler, the arrangement comprising air nozzles at various levels of the recovery boiler in the vertical direction, the nozzles at at least one air supply level being arranged to supply air to the recovery boiler in such a way that a vortex spiralling around the vertical axis is formed in the recovery boiler.
In recovery boilers, various ways of supplying air are used, so that black liquor would burn as efficiently as possible and yet the combustion process could be controlled in a desired manner in both the horizontal and the vertical directions of the boiler. Typically, air is supplied at various levels in the vertical direction of the recovery boiler so as to cause sub-stoichiometric combustion in the gas flow direction as far as possible, i.e. in the vertical direction of the recovery boiler. The final air causing stoichiometric combustion is not fed until the final, typically tertiary step. Solutions like this are known, for example, from U.S. Pat. No. 5,007,354.
A problem in the above solution is that to make the combustion efficient, the droplets of fuel should be as small as possible so that the fuel and the combustion air would mix as thoroughly as possible. As a result of this, however, the particulate fuel droplets tend to move with the gas flow to the upper parts of the furnace before burning, which defers the combustion step too much, and so the combustion is no longer efficient and the emissions are not reduced efficiently. With regard to the emissions, it would be advantageous if the combustion were sub-stoichiometric as far as possible, so that essentially no No.sub.x compounds would be formed. As the thermal value is also low, the combustion is not so efficient. Also, the fact that the droplets move up with the gas flow and do not burn until after this may make the temperature close to the superheaters rise too high, which speeds the corrosion of the superheaters and thereby shortens their effective life.
A solution suggested to the problem in Finnish Patent Application No. 931,123 is that the nozzles are not placed in horizontal supply layers but in a plural number of arrays of nozzles on top of one another so as to make the air supply more efficient with respect to burning. The solution, however, does not solve the problem in essence. The structure presented in the application is difficult to build, and the variations in the air distribution in the vertical direction that are required by the combustion process are difficult to accomplish.
In all the solutions, problems are posed by the channelling of the flows in the upper part of the furnace and by different vertical backflows, whereby the volume of the furnace is not actually used efficiently with respect to the reactions, and so the walls cannot be used efficiently for heat transfer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,450,803 teaches a solution in which secondary air is supplied to a recovery boiler before a black liquor supply point so as to make the secondary air spin. This forms a vertical vortex in the recovery boiler. A problem in the solution is that by the effect of the centrifugal force generated by the vortex, droplets of black liquor assemble on the walls of the furnace, blocking, for example, nozzle apertures. It has also been noted that as a result of this, a hole tends to form in the middle of the bed of the recovery boiler, which increases the stress that the bottom of the recovery boiler is subjected to. Further, as the spinning motion of the flue gases caused by the vortex tends to last, this also causes distortion of the flow at the superheaters, which both weakens the operation of the superheaters and causes exceptional accumulation of deposit in them.
In the lecture "The Chemical Recovery Boiler Optimized Air System" by Lefebvre Burell, given in TAPPI Kraft Recovery Operations Seminar in Orlando on 10th to 15th of Jan. 1988, a solution was proposed in which tertiary air was supplied by making the air jets cross so that a vortex was formed in the middle of the recovery boiler. In this solution, the problem is that in addition to the vortex desired, separate uncontrolled local vortices were formed, and these made further droplets accumulate on the walls of the recovery boiler. Further, spinning performed at the tertiary level did not bring about the expected advantages in the action and combustion of the black liquor droplets: for example, the advantages brought about by quicker drying of the black liquor droplets were not achieved.

Method and arrangement for supplying air to recovery boiler


There is provided a preparation method of a sodium vanadium oxide-based (Na1+xV1−xO2) anode material for a sodium ion secondary battery synthesized by mixing particles of precursors such as sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) and vanadium oxide (V2O3) and pyrolyzing a mixture in a mixed gas atmosphere composed of 90 mol % of nitrogen gas and 10 mol % of hydrogen gas through a solid-state reaction. The sodium vanadium oxide-based anode material prepared according to the present invention shows a small change in volume caused by an initial irreversible capacity and continuous charge/discharge reactions, and thus it is useful for providing a next-generation sodium ion secondary battery having stable charge/discharge characteristics and cycle performance.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sodium vanadium oxide-based anode material for a sodium ion secondary battery, a preparation method thereof, and a sodium ion secondary battery having the same.
2. Discussion of Related Art
A conventional vanadium oxide-based anode material has been applied to a sodium ion secondary battery in some preceding researches. However, its application is limited to a cathode material, and in most cases, a lithium vanadium oxide-based anode material mainly for a lithium ion secondary battery has been prepared by performing pyrolysis with precursors such as lithium carbonate (Li2CO3) and vanadium oxide (V2O3) in a pure nitrogen atmosphere.
Specifically, conventional technologies relevant to a lithium vanadium oxide-based anode material for a lithium ion secondary battery include a method for mixing precursors such as Li2CO3, and V2O5 with an organic acid such as (COOH)2 and plasticizing a mixture (Korean Patent Application No.: 2007-0120974, SAMSUNG SDI Co., Ltd.), a method for preparing an anode material using crystalline vanadium such as LiNiVO4 and LiMnVO4 (Korean Patent Application No.: 2004-0056699, Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute), an anode material expressed by LiaMgbVOc (0.05<=a<=3, 0.12<=b<=2, 2<=2c−a−2b<=5) (Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No.: 2002-216753, Sumitomo Metal Ind. Ltd.), a method for preparing a lithium vanadium oxide-based anode material by a sol-gel method using lithium salt and vanadium salt (Korean Patent Application Nos.: 2007-0037983˜0037988, SAMSUNG SDI Co., Ltd.), a method for preparing an active material precursor by mixing lithium salt, vanadium salt, and additive salt with a hydrothermal solvent and a method for preparing an anode material by performing reduction and calcination of the active material precursor (Korean Patent Application No.: 2007-0073377, SAMSUNG SDI Co., Ltd.), a method for preparing an anode material expressed by LiaMgbVOc (0.05<=a<=3, 0.12<=b<=2, 2<=c−a−2b<=5) or a lithium vanadium oxide-based anode material including an oxide expressed by Ce0.7Zr0.3O1.9 (US Patent Laid-open Publication No.: 2008/0241688), a preparation method using a surface treatment for coating a surface of a lithium vanadium oxide-based anode material expressed by Li1.1Ti0.1V0.9O2 with an inorganic oxide such as SiO2 (US Patent Laid-open Publication No.: 2008/0118840), a method for preparing an anode material by mixing lithium vanadium oxide and additives such as ZrO2 and Y2O3 (Korean Patent Application No.: 2007-0120978, SAMSUNG SDI Co., Ltd.), and the like.
As described above, many kinds of materials have been developed as a lithium vanadium oxide-based anode material for a lithium ion secondary battery until now, and since the lithium ion secondary battery market and industry are anticipated to be rapidly expanded, the demand therefor is expected to greatly increase. However, lithium as an essential metal for synthesizing an electrode material or relevant compounds do not exist in Korea, and thus all of such resources have been imported from abroad.
Therefore, as for a country with lack of natural resources like Korea, development of a new alternative anode material is needed. The present invention provides a sodium vanadium oxide-based anode material that is an anode material using sodium as a means for replacing such a lithium resource.

Sodium vanadium oxide anode material for sodium ion secondary battery, preparation method thereof and sodium ion secondary battery having the same

KOREA INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY


A fluid storage and dispensing system including a fluid storage and dispensing vessel containing a physical adsorbent material having sorptive affinity for the fluid to be stored in the vessel and subsequently dispensed from the vessel through a valve head assembly. The character of the fluid stored in the vessel, such as its pressure and/or temperature, is non-invasively monitored during the storage (non-dispensing) mode of the system, by a sensing element in the valve head assembly operative coupled with an output device such as a visual output display or a set point-limited alarm.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to storage and dispensing systems for the selective dispensing of fluids from a vessel in which the fluid component(s) are sorptively retained by a solid sorbent medium, and are desorptively released from the sorbent medium in the dispensing operation. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for determining internal pressure and temperature in the vessel of the storage and dispensing system, in situ.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a wide variety of industrial processes and applications, there is a need for a reliable source of process fluid(s) which is compact, portable, and available to supply the fluid(s) on demand. Such processes and applications include semiconductor manufacturing, ion implantation, manufacture of flat panel displays, medical treatment, water treatment, emergency breathing equipment, welding operations, space-based applications involving delivery of liquids and gases, etc.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,744,221 issued May 17, 1988 to Karl O. Knollmueller discloses a method of storing and subsequently delivering arsine, by contacting arsine at a temperature of from about -30.degree. C. to about +30.degree. C. with a zeolite of pore size in the range of from about 5 to about 15 Angstroms to adsorb arsine on the zeolite, and then dispensing the arsine by heating the zeolite to an elevated temperature of up to about 175.degree. C. for sufficient time to release the arsine from the zeolite material.
The method disclosed in the Knollmueller patent is disadvantageous in that it requires the provision of heating means for the zeolite material, which must be constructed and arranged to heat the zeolite to sufficient temperature to desorb the previously sorbed arsine from the zeolite in the desired quantity.
The use of a heating jacket or other means exterior to the vessel holding the arsine-bearing zeolite is problematic in that the vessel typically has a significant heat capacity, and therefore introduces a significant lag time to the dispensing operation. Further, heating of arsine causes it to decompose, resulting in the formation of hydrogen gas, which introduces an explosive hazard into the process system. Additionally, such thermally-mediated decomposition of arsine effects substantial increase in gas pressure in the process system, which may be extremely disadvantageous from the standpoint of system life and operating efficiency.
The provision of interiorly disposed heating coil or other heating elements in the zeolite bed itself is problematic since it is difficult with such means to uniformly heat the zeolite bed to achieve the desired uniformity of arsine gas release.
The use of heated carrier gas streams passed through the bed of zeolite in its containment vessel may overcome the foregoing deficiencies, but the temperatures necessary to achieve the heated carrier gas desorption of arsine may be undesirably high or otherwise unsuitable for the end use of the arsine gas, so that cooling or other treatment is required to condition the dispensed gas for ultimate use.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,518,528 issued May 21, 1996 in the names of Glenn M. Tom and James V. McManus, describes a gas storage and dispensing system, for the storage and dispensing of gases, e.g., hydride gases, halide gases, organometallic Group V compounds, etc. which overcomes various disadvantages of the gas supply process disclosed in the Knollmueller patent.
The gas storage and dispensing system of the Tom et al. patent comprises an adsorption-desorption apparatus, for storage and dispensing of gases, including a storage and dispensing vessel holding a solid-phase physical sorbent, and arranged for selectively flowing gas into and out of the vessel. A sorbate gas is physically adsorbed on the sorbent. A dispensing assembly is coupled in gas flow communication with the storage and dispensing vessel, and provides, exteriorly of the vessel, a pressure below the vessel's interior pressure, to effect desorption of sorbate from the solid-phase physical sorbent medium, and flow of desorbed gas through the dispensing assembly. Heating means may be employed to augment the desorption process, but as mentioned above, heating entails various disadvantages for the sorption/desorption system, and it therefore is preferred to operate the Tom et al. system with the desorption being carried out at least partially by pressure differential-mediated release of the sorbate gas from the sorbent medium.
The storage and dispensing vessel of the Tom et al. patent embodies a substantial advance in the art, relative to the prior art use of high pressure gas cylinders. Conventional high pressure gas cylinders are susceptible to leakage from damaged or malfunctioning regulator assemblies, as well as to rupture and unwanted bulk release of gas from the cylinder if the internal gas pressure in the cylinder exceeds permissible limits. Such overpressure may for example derive from internal decomposition of the gas leading to rapid increasing interior gas pressure in the cylinder.
The gas storage and dispensing vessel of the Tom et al. patent thus reduces the pressure of stored sorbate gases by reversibly adsorbing them onto a carrier sorbent, e.g., a zeolite or activated carbon material.
The storage and dispensing system broadly described above is usefully employed for safe storage and dispensing of toxic and hazardous gases, as well as other sorbable fluids. Such storage and dispensing system permits sub-atmospheric pressure storage and use of a wide variety of sorbable fluids which are sorbable onto an appropriate microporous sorbent medium.
The storage and dispensing vessel used in such system may comprise an ordinary high pressure cylinder of the type used to store gases at super-atmospheric pressure levels, but containing a suitable sorbent medium on which the sorbable fluid is stored or adsorbed.
A manual or automated (by electrical or air means) high pressure stainless steel diaphragm valve typically is employed to ensure containment of the sorbable fluid within the storage and dispensing vessel. Under normal conditions, the internal cylinder pressure and temperature are effectively maintained within desired limits, including a pressure level less than 1 atmosphere and a temperature on the order of 25.degree. C. or less. These conditions of pressure and temperature preclude pressure-mediated release, which is a significant risk in conventional practice where cylinders are filled with super-atmospheric pressure gas, and the danger of rupture or leakage is exacerbated by the high pressures involved.
Despite the foregoing advantages of low pressure operation with the aforementioned sorbent-based storage and dispensing system, such storage and dispensing systems during storage and transportation may be exposed to heat or warming conditions which correspondingly warm the sorbent material in the cylinder and result in cylinder pressure increasing to levels in excess of 1 atmosphere.
In use of such sorbent-based storage and dispensing systems, utilizing sorbent media such as zeolite compositions, activated carbon and the like, it has been found that the pressure dependence on temperature in the cylinder is on the order of from 0.5 psi/.degree.C. to 0.75 psi/.degree.C.
In view of such temperature/pressure fluctuations in the storage and transport of the sorbent-based storage and dispensing system, it would be a significant advance in the art to provide a means and method of monitoring the pressure and temperature in the sorbable fluid storage and dispensing vessel of such systems, so that appropriate safety and handling procedures can be utilized, when temperature and/or pressure in the sorbent-containing vessel exceed normal desired operating values.
It is an object of the invention to provide such means and method.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will be more fully apparent from the ensuing disclosure.

Gas source and dispensing system with in situ monitoring of pressure and temperature


Computing devices and methods for estimating a pose of a user computing device are provided. In one example a 3D map comprising a plurality of 3D points representing a physical environment is obtained. Each 3D point is transformed into a 3D line that passes through the point to generate a 3D line cloud. A query image of the environment captured by a user computing device is received, the query image comprising query features that correspond to the environment. Using the 3D line cloud and the query features, a pose of the user computing device with respect to the environment is estimated.

Image-based localization techniques may be utilized by mobile display devices, robots, drones and other devices to estimate their position and orientation in a physical space. In some examples one or more images captured by a device may be compared to a precomputed map representing a 3D reconstruction of the space. In some examples the precomputed map may include sensitive information.

Device pose estimation using 3D line clouds


A novel system that facilitates monitoring and/or updating data contained within a plurality of network devices. The system includes a file system user interface (UI) that can render a unified representation of the content across multiple stores corresponding to a plurality of disparate network devices. The UI facilitates searching and/or browsing content of a plurality of disparate devices via a single unified experience. Another feature of the invention is that it allows for sharing and/or synchronizing without the use of conventional folders. The invention provides for a metadata-centric view of user content (e.g., files) wherein files can be grouped by type, date, author, etc., without regard to the physical location of the content. Additionally, the invention separates or distinguishes (e.g., decouples) the synchronization of metadata (e.g., author, modification date) from the synchronization of the corresponding data files.

As reliance upon computers become increasingly more commonplace, it is common for computer users to have data and information stored on more than one computer system. For example, it is very common for a user to have a work machine, a laptop, and a home machine. Moreover, many users today employ handheld devices such as personal data assistants and smart phones, which also have data storage capacity.
Conventional desktop user interfaces (UIs) are designed to manage the content of a single machine. In accordance thereto, efforts have been taken to develop a variety of"file synchronization" utilities that assist users in moving their data back and forth between multiple machines and file systems. However, these "file synchronization" utilities do not integrate well with the primary file management UI.
Computer systems which support network-accessible folders allow user to retrieve items from remote machines. However, these limited systems require the user to view remote files as a separate area of the file system. In other words, today, a user cannot easily view and/or search content of a specified group of computers. Modern search systems exist for searching a local machine or for searching the entire Internet, but tools and/or utilities do not exist to allow an end-user to search across a specific set of computers and/or file systems.
What is needed is a file management system and/or methodology that enables a user to view and manage both local and remote content in a single unified experience, using a small set of consistent operations. To that end, a substantial need exists for a system and/or methodology that facilitate the synchronization of metadata and files between disparate machines. More particularly, a substantial need exists for an improved on-line storage architecture.

Online storage with metadata-based retrieval


An object of the present invention is to provide a module connecting system that can comply flexibly with the number of expansion modules and has an inexpensive and simple configuration. In the configuration of the module connecting system of the present invention, a basic module transmits a repetitive pulse signal to an expansion module, the repetitive pulse signal whose frequency is divided by a frequency dividing circuit included in the expansion module is output as frequency dividing information to the basic module, and the number of expansion modules is determined based on the frequency dividing information.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to module connecting systems in which expansion modules are connected to basic modules.
2. Description of the Related Art
In various module connecting systems such as sensor input devices to which external storage devices can be added in module units, lines such as power supply lines, input/output signal lines and data bus lines are disposed in a backboard of each module, various circuits such as a package having a sensor input function are mounted on a slot of each module, and all the modules can be connected to one another through wiring of the backboard (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 5-307426). In such systems, as illustrated in FIG. 1, there is proposed a method for confirming the presence or absence of an expansion module by communication with a microcomputer incorporated in the expansion module. As illustrated in FIG. 2, there is also proposed a method for determining the presence or absence of the expansion module by a contact connected to each expansion module.


A nematic liquid crystal composition having a negative dielectric constant anisotropy, comprising one or more compounds selected from the compounds represented by (IA) and (IB) of 10-70% by mass, one or more compounds selected from the compounds represented by (IIA) to (IID) of 10-70% by mass, the total content of one or more compounds selected from the compounds represented by (IA) to (IID) being 35-80% by mass, and a compound represented by (III) of 20-65% by mass:

TN (Twisted Nematic) type liquid crystal display devices and STN (Super Twisted Nematic) type liquid crystal display devices, which are now widely used, are inferior in view angle characteristics because electrochemical characteristics vary with a view angle, thus causing a large problem in applications such as TV in which view angle characteristics are considered to be important. As a method of attaining a wider view angle, a VA (Vertically aligned) system (VA mode) (see Non-Patent Document 1), an IPS (In-Plane Switching) system (IPS mode) (see Non-Patent Document 2) and an ECB (electrically controlled birefringence) system (ECB mode) have been proposed up to the present. As a liquid crystal material used in VA-LCD (Vertically Aligned Liquid Crystal Display), a liquid crystal material having a negative dielectric constant anisotropy is required, unlike TN type and STN type liquid crystal display devices (see Patent Document 1) and the following characteristics are required: 1. high response speed, 2. high nematic phase-isotropic liquid phase transition temperature (TN-I), and 3. low nematic phase-isotropic liquid phase transition temperature. That is, there is required a display which has higher-speed responsibility to a desired driving voltage and is more stable within a wider temperature range. It is also considered to be important that electrostatic capacity of TFT element causes less variation on driving of a liquid crystal. In case of the same driving voltage, it is required to develop a liquid crystal which exhibits a negative dielectric constant anisotropy having a smaller absolute value or more steep electrochemical characteristics. Furthermore, there is required a liquid crystal composition having a higher nematic phase-isotropic liquid phase transition temperature (TN-I) and a lower viscosity, capable of driving at a low voltage.
To solve the above problems, there have been employed the following liquid crystal materials having a 2,3-difluorophenyl group (see Patent Documents 2 to 7):
wherein R and R′ represent an alkyl group or an alkoxy group.
The compound represented by the general formula (a) shows a high absolute value of the negative dielectric constant anisotropy, however, a liquid crystal composition using a large amount of this compound has such a problem as to decrease the nematic phase-isotropic liquid phase transition temperature (TN-I). The liquid crystal composition using the compound represented by the general formula (b) has comparatively high nematic phase-isotropic liquid phase transition temperature (TN-I), but has such a problem that the absolute value of the negative dielectric constant anisotropy is not large.
The liquid crystal compound having a 1,7,8-trifluoronaphthalene-2,6-diyl group has already been known (see Patent Document 8) and has already been applied to the nematic liquid crystal composition having a negative dielectric constant anisotropy (see Patent Documents 9 and 10). In the above publications, however, there was not such a specific description about the kind of the compound used to prepare a composition in order to achieve the above object in a liquid crystal composition using a compound having a 1,7,8-trifluoronaphthalene-2,6-diyl group. Said compound itself is characterized by a large absolute value of the negative dielectric constant anisotropy and a high nematic phase-isotropic liquid phase transition temperature (TN-I), but had such a problem that a liquid crystal display device using said compound shows a low response speed because of comparatively high viscosity.
As described above, it is not easy to provide a liquid crystal composition which has a large absolute value of the negative dielectric constant anisotropy, a high nematic phase-isotropic liquid phase transition temperature (TN-I) and a low viscosity. Thus, it was required to develop a liquid crystal composition having excellent characteristics.    (Patent Document 1)    Japanese Patent Application, First Publication No. Hei 11-242225 (page 1)    (Patent Document 2)    Japanese Patent Application, First Publication No. Hei 8-104869 (page 2)    (Patent Document 3)    Japanese Patent Application, First Publication No. Hei 10-176167 (page 2)    (Patent Document 4)    Japanese Patent Application, First Publication No. Hei 11-140447 (page 2)    (Patent Document 5)    Japanese Patent Application, First Publication No. 2001-192657 (page 2)    (Patent Document 6)    Japanese Patent Application, First Publication No. 2001-316669 (page 2)    (Patent Document 7)    Japanese Patent Application, First Publication No. 2002-201474 (page 2)    (Patent Document 8)    German Patent    German Patent Application No. 19522195A (page 2)    (Patent Document 9)    Japanese Patent Application, First Publication No. 2001-40354 (page 2)    (Patent Document 10)    Japanese Patent Application, First Publication No. 2002-69449 (page 2)    (Non-Patent Document 1)    Ohmuro et al., Society for Information Display (SID) Digest, Society for Information Display (SID), 1997, p 845-848    (Non-Patent Document 2)    Ohta et al., Asia Display Digest, Society for Information Display (SID), 1995, p 707-710

Nematic liquid crystal composition and liquid crystal display element that used the composition

Abstract: wherein R1 to R14 each independently represents an alkyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, etc.; Z1 to Z11 each independently represents a single bond, etc.; Z1 to Z6 and Z9 to Z11 each independently represents —CF2O—, etc.; l and m represent 0 or 1; rings A, B, C and D represent a trans-1,4-cyclohexylene group, etc.; and rings B, C and D represent a trans-1,4-cyclohexenylene group.


A stent has a center length section, two end sections, and an elastically deformable woven wire mesh, which enables the stent to expand from a small diameter to a larger diameter, with the diameter of the end sections being larger than in the center length section in the expanded state. The wire extends in a zig-zag manner from an outer end of one end section toward the outer end of the other end section, and back in a zig-zag manner to the one end section. The peripheral direction of the woven wire changes at the transition from an end section to the center length section, such that the wire intersects on the return path to the one end section in the center length section and overall forms an 8-shaped loop having two closed eyes, wherein a plurality of interconnected loops are arranged offset to each other over the circumference.

The invention relates to a stent.
An endoscopically implantable stent for placement in a cavity of the body can, for example, produce a connection between the stomach and a pseudocyst. For this purpose, a small hole is cut in the stomach wall and in the wall of the pseudocyst. The insertion system for the stent is pushed through this hole, and the stent is placed in the hole. The stent has two spread-open sides (flanks) and a cylindrical central part. It is therefore similar in its contour to an hourglass. The flanks have the function of preventing the stent from slipping out from the implantation site. The cylindrical part keeps the passage between the pseudocyst and the stomach open, so that material from the pseudocyst can flow off. The cylindrical part is placed in the hole of the stomach wall and of the pseudocyst, while the flanks are placed on the one hand in the stomach and on the other hand in the pseudocyst. Since the prepared hole for insertion of the stent should be as small as possible, the diameter of the cylindrical part of the stent is compressed to be very small directly after the implantation, on account of the small diameter of the hole. In the conventional weaving of a wire framework of the stent, this has the effect that the flanks of the stent are also compressed, i.e. are reduced in diameter. This reduction in diameter can go so far that the stent is able to slip out from the implantation site. The straight weaving of the stents unfortunately has the effect that a stent, when compressed at one location, likewise decreases in diameter at adjacent locations. Although this is helpful in manual crimping, it can lead to problems at the implantation site in the case of the stents described above.
Proceeding from this, the object of the invention is to make available a stent which has a central section of smaller diameter and end sections of greater diameter and which permits compression of the central part without reducing the diameter of the end sections to the same extent.


A fan speed controller of an automotive vehicle air conditioning device is usually placed in an air flow duct to be effectively cooled. Thus, compact construction of the speed controller is needed to obtain a larger air flow in the air flow duct. For this purpose, various compact resistor units for the speed controller have been proposed. However, some of them are poor in durability against shocks. In view of this, a compact resistor unit for a speed controller includes a resistor block that has a flat resistor, a flat insulating plate and a flat radiation plate which are respectively positioned against one another. The compact resistor unit further includes a holder block of molded plastic on which the resistor block is mounted. The compact resistor unit also includes a plurality of metal terminals partially embedded in the holder block, where the terminals are connected to particular portions of the flat resistor. The compact resistor still further includes metal connecting lugs that are partially embedded in the holder block, and rivets for securing the resistor block to the connecting lugs.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a resistor unit, and more particularly to a resistor unit installed in a speed controller for controlling the speed of a fan motor employed in an automotive air conditioning device, and a method of producing the resistor unit. More specifically, the present invention is concerned with a resistor unit which generally comprises a resistor block including a flat resistor, a flat insulating plate and a flat heat radiation plate which are respectively positioned against one another, a holder block of molded plastic having the resistor block mounted thereon, a plurality of terminals partially embedded in the holder block and connected to given portions of the flat resistor, and coupling means for coupling the resistor block with the holder block.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A blower unit of an automotive air conditioning device has a blower installed therein. The blower has a fan held in a fan scroll and driven by an electric motor. The speed of the motor is controlled by a speed controller. The speed controller has a resistor unit including a plurality of resistors connected in series. By varying the total resistance of the resistor unit, the voltage applied to the electric motor is varied, so that the rotation speed of the fan can be controlled to, for example, a high level, a neutral level or a low level.
For cooling the speed controller, the speed controller is usually placed in an air flow duct of the air conditioning device through which cool air flows. Thus, it is desired to reduce the size of the speed controller as small as possible for obtaining a satisfactory air flow in the air flow duct.
Hitherto, for reducing the size and weight of the speed controller, there has been proposed a compact resistor unit called "flat resistance" which generally comprises a flat insulating base board and a resistor pattern printed on the base board. The compact unit having such a flat resistance type is shown in, for example, Japanese Utility Model First Provisional Publications Nos. 1-125708 & 2-145507.
Furthermore, at present, there has been proposed a very compact light weight resistor unit, which is schematically shown in FIG. 8 of the accompanying drawings.
As shown in the drawing, the resistor unit comprises a flat resistor 1, two flat insulating plates 2a and 2b which are placed in intimate contact against the respective opposite surfaces of the flat resistor 1, and two flat heat radiation plates 3a and 3b which are placed in intimate contact against the outer surfaces of the two flat insulating plates 2a and 2b. With the parts thus united, a resistor proper part 4 is created.
The resistor block 4 is mounted to a terminal-mounted plastic holder block 6. That is, the holder block 6 has a plurality of terminals 5 of metal mounted thereto. The holder block 6 comprises a rectangular coupler portion 7 and an elongate flange portion 8 on which the terminals 5 are aligned. Each terminal 5 has a lower part embedded in the plastic holder block 6. A so-called "insert molding technique" is used for producing the terminal-mounted plastic holder block 6.
The flange portion 8 is integrally formed at both ends thereof with connecting lugs 9a and 9b through which the resistor block 4 is secured to the holder block 6 with the aid of rivets 10. That is, each rivet 10 extending between the heat radiation plates 3a and 3b is tightly received in an opening formed in the connecting lug 9a or 9b. Although not shown in the drawing, upper portions of the heat radiation plates 3a and 3b are connected through other rivets. Designated by numeral 11 is a projected portion in which a fuse (not shown) is installed.
However, due to inherent construction, the above-mentioned resistor unit has failed to achieve a satisfied durability against shocks applied thereto. That is, because the connecting lugs 9a and 9b are constructed of plastic which is poor in durability, it tends to occur that the lugs 9a and 9b are broken or at least damaged when a strong shock is applied thereto. In fact, such breakage tends to occur when the rivets 10 are brought into engagement with the lugs 9a and 9b for fixing the resistor block 4 to the holder block 6. Such breakage becomes much severe when the plastic lugs 9a and 9b are deteriorated due to long usage of the resistor unit. Furthermore, the plastic lugs 9a and 9b have poor dimensional stability, which tends to induce a loose assembly of the resistor unit.
Furthermore, hitherto, the arrangement of a fuse for such resistor unit has been given little consideration. In fact, in a conventional arrangement of a fuse, there is a possibility that a burnt out part of the fuse causes a short-circuit of two parts. That is, when the fuse is actually operated, the burnt out part of the fuse tends to dangle from a proper position, thereby increasing the possibility of such undesired short-circuit. In fact, the burnt out part of fuse tends to induce various problems in the circuit.

Resistor unit for a fan speed controller of an automotive air conditioning device


Examples of a three-dimensional (3D) optical sensing system for a vehicle include a modular architecture. Light can be transmitted to an optical signal processing module, which can include a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) that can create one or more signals with tailored amplitude, phase, and spectral characteristics. The plurality of optical signals processed by the optical signal processing module can be sent to beam steering units distributed around the vehicle. The steering units can direct a plurality of optical beams towards targets. The return optical signal can be detected by a receiver PIC including an array of sensors and using a direct intensity detection technique or a coherent detection technique. The return optical signal can be converted into an electrical signal by the array of sensors, which can then be processed by the electronic signal processing unit, and information about the location and speed of the targets can be quantified.

Examples relate to the general field of light detection and ranging (LIDAR) 3D imaging and more specifically to detailed 3D mapping of the environment for autonomous vehicles.
Two alternative approaches are typically used to measure the coordinates of a remote target and create a 3D image of an object or environment: one based on time of flight measurements of a short pulse or pulse succession emitted by a laser converted to a 3D map, and the second based on a continuous wave laser transmitter which can be phase or frequency modulated, and the distance-correlated phase or frequency shift in the target scattered signal with respect to the original signal can be measured.
Most of the commercial implementations have been done using the time of flight approach using amplitude modulation due to the abundance of nanosecond-pulse-length high-peak-power laser sources necessary to provide the desired range and accuracy. Examples of implementations include approaches such as Velodyne's using a rotating head with mechanically fixed laser/detector pairs all rotating with the head assembly (e.g., High definition LIDAR system, U.S. Pat. No. 8,767,190 B2; see also U.S. Pat. No. 7,969,558), approaches in which the scanning of the beam can be accomplished using a micro-electrical-mechanical system (MEMS) mirror, a galvo mirror, rotating prisms or other opto-mechanical scanning solutions coupled with the use of one or multiple high speed high gain avalanche photodetectors (e.g., Spectrolab's Spectroscan 3D, Riegl VUX1 and a multitude of airborne LIDAR devices). The disadvantage of the above approaches is the large number of discrete parts leading to high cost of manufacturing. An alternative approach which involves a lower number of parts includes the use of detector arrays which can provide pixel level time gating such as the Princeton Lightwave LIDAR cameras (e.g., LIDAR system comprising a single photon detector, US 20150192676A1). The main disadvantage of such a system is the high cost and difficult manufacturing of the specialized InGaAs high speed, high sensitivity detector arrays.
A coherent nanophotonic imager in conjunction with a chirped frequency amplitude modulation technique has been proposed by Aflatouni et al. (Firooz Aflatouni, Behrooz Abiri, Angad Rekhi, and Ali Hajimiri, Nanophotonic Coherent Imager, Optics Express 5117, Vol 23, no. 4 (2015); see also US 20140071249A1) and demonstrated for a small number of pixels for short range, high resolution 3D imaging, though scalability to a large number of pixels has not been addressed.
Another aspect of a 3D imaging system that can be especially critical for longer range high resolution systems can include the ability to control the shape of the outgoing optical beam. For a short-range system using a focal plane array on the receiver side one can use a wide-angle illumination of the entire scene to be captured. As the desired range increases, in order to receive enough scattered photons on each pixel of the focal plane array, the need to reduce the divergence of the outgoing beam and therefore increase the power density on the surface of the target arises. In order to reconcile the need to have a wide field of view of the system and the low divergence necessary to achieve a desired range, the ability to dynamically shape and scan the optical beam over the surface of the target landscape may be necessary. Several approaches have been used commercially or proposed in research papers. They fall typically into two categories: a) one based on a 2 dimensional scanning mirror which scans a low divergence (or collimated) beam over the landscape, the mirrors being either macroscopic driven by piezo drives or Micro Electro Mechanical Systems b) the second can be based on an optical phased array of micro antennas where the shaping and direction of the optical signal can be controlled by adjusting the phase or wavelength of the outbound signals in each of the antennas in the array. Mirror based approaches typically suffer from speed and reliability problems while Optical Phased Arrays have proven technologically very difficult to implement for optical domain electromagnetic waves.

Modular three-dimensional optical sensing system


A seal bar assembly which includes a support structure (21), and at least a first seal bar segment (22) and a second seal bar segment (23) mounted substantially parallel to each other on the support structure. The seal bar segments define a gap (28) therebetween. Each seal bar segment has two ends, with mounting means (26) positioned proximate to each end of both the first and second seal bar segments for mounting the ends of the seal bar segments to the support structure. The mounting means are adapted to permit one or both ends of each seal bar segment to move toward or away from the support structure, but the mounting means do not permit the seal bar segments to significantly move transversely with respect to each other. In this manner, the seal bar segments remain substantially parallel to each other, and the gap between the seal bar segments is maintained substantially constant.

Once the thermoplastic film is held in place against the drum, and as the drum rotates, an electrically-heated hot wire or hot knife comes out of the drum, cuts through the film, and moves into the gap between the seal bars in order to seal and form the sides of the bag. In order to ensure that the film is cut and sealed, the gap between the seal bars must be large enough to enable the hot wire or hot knife to pass through the film.
The seal bars cannot be fixed in place. Rather, the seal bars must have a little "give", because the machine must be able to compensate for inconsistencies in the seal drum surface and movement of the seal drum while at the same time ensuring that the film is clamped between the clamping assembly and the seal drum.
A slight "give" is provided for in the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 4,820,254 describes a clamping mechanism which has two seal bar segments defining a gap therebetween, whereby the seal bar segments could pivot toward one another. However, when the seal bar segments pivot toward each other, the gap between seal bar segments can become too small. Since the wire is electrically heated, if the gap is so narrow that the wire contacts a surface of a seal bar segment, the wire can short out and shut down the entire bag-making operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,211,619 describes a modest improvement. That patent describes a channel with a small clearance built in to permit the seal bar segments to pivot not only with respect to each other, but also with respect to the seal drum. However, the amount of pivoting is very low--0.025" to 0.050". With such a small amount of pivoting to compensate for drum movement, the clearances are very small and tedious precision is required to align all of the pieces. Thus, installation of such a seal bar is time consuming and tedious.
It would be an advance in the art of bag sealing devices if a clamping mechanism were invented which would preserve the gap between the seal bar segments while at the same time allowing adequate "give" between the clamping device and the seal drum. At the same time, it would be an advance in the art of bag sealing devices if a clamping apparatus were invented which would be self-aligning, so that the clamping assembly is efficient to install.

Linear clamping assembly for bag sealing machines


Amyloid aggregation in animals is inhibited by administering a 9-acridinone compound of formula I, defined herein. The compounds are especially useful in preventing and treating Alzheimer's disease.

Amyloid plaque formation is found in a number of diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, scrapie, bovine spongiform encephalophy, Gerstmann-Straussler Syndrome, and the like. The amyloid plaques comprise proteins bound together in a fibrillous matrix. Amyloidosis is the general name given to diseases and conditions characterized by the presence of amyloid protein. A number of different types of amyloid protein are known, and all types are considered pathological, since no normally occurring amyloids are known. Accordingly, the presence of amyloid protein in a host is an indication of abnormal formation of fibrils and plaques. Amyloidosis has been clinically observed in a number of disease states, including certain mental illnesses, neurological diseases, and collagenosis. Indeed, the brains of subjects diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease have one thing in common, namely an abundance of amyloid in the form of plaques and tangles.
Alzheimer's disease is a degenerative brain disorder characterized clinically by progressive loss of memory, cognition, reasoning, judgement, and emotional stability that gradually leads to mental deterioration and ultimately death. To date, only one clinically approved treatment is available, namely tacrine hydrochloride (Cognex.RTM., from the Parke-Davis Division of Warner-Lambert Company). Because Alzheimer's disease and related degenerative brain disorders are a major medical issue for an aging population, the need for new treatments and methods for diagnosing the disorders are needed.
We have now discovered that certain 9-acridinone compounds inhibit amyloid aggregation. The acridinone compounds are described as antibacterial and antitumor agents by Capps in U.S. Pat. No. 4,626,540. The compounds are also described as antitumor agents by Cholody, et al., in J. Med. Chem., 1990;33:49-52 and 1992;35:378-382. These references are incorporated herein by reference for their teaching of synthesis.

Inhibition of amyloidosis by 9-acridinones


A rotary coupling head for use with a portable cutting device has a blade-supporting housing, an axial motor drive shaft connected to the blade-supporting housing so as to be rotatable with the blade-supporting housing, an interchangeable cutting blade mounted on the blade-supporting housing so as to rotate with the rotation of the blade-supporting housing. The cutting blade is engaged around the drive shaft such that the cutting blade and the housing are axially displaceable along the drive shaft. A coupler on the housing is automatically actuated upon the axial displacement of the cutting blade and the housing on the drive shaft.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a rotary cutting head using cutting blades. It is advantageously intended for equipping portable cutting devices such as grass cutters, edge cutters, brush cutters, motorized, mowers, hedge trimmers and the like.
The invention also concerns portable cutting devices fit for being equipped with the cutting head disclosed in the following description.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 198
Portable motorized devices equipped with such cutting heads are currently used by professionals as well as by private persons, for example, for brush clearing, grass or lawn mowing.
These cutting heads are mounted to the distal end of a handle equipped with a U-shaped or dual handle for guiding and controlling the motor for the rotary drive of said cutting heads, the devices making use thereof may be equipped with a ring for attaching a carrying harness.
A cutting head of this kind uses a cutting blade made of metal or a composite material, and which may have various shapes: with three branches or lobes, circular (toothed disc or circular saw), or any other shape. Most often, these cutting blades are attached in a removable manner at the end of a handle, but this manner of fastening requires, on the one hand, knowledge of the specific principal of 'left hand thread' assembly and the use of special tools or not.
Document EP-1815732 describes a cutting head of a lawnmower featuring a rotary blade-supporting housing constituted by the assembly of an upper and a lower shell, this cutting head comprising a number of cutting blades that are independent of each other (four cutting blades according to the example shown), mounted on equidistant pivots borne by the lower shell. These vertical pivots are each positioned at equal radial distance from the axis of the shaft providing the rotary drive of the housing and they extend upward, parallel to said drive shaft. The positioning of the blades relative to their respective pivots is obtained by means of the upper shell locking itself on a central hub of the lower shell through the intermediary of a bayonet attachment.
The cutting head described in document EP 1815732 utilizes a number of narrow cutting blades with poor resistance to shocks caused by hard objects; the successive placement of each of these blades and to a certain extent, their removal, are difficult and necessarily long operations.
These inconveniences are encountered in the cutting head of the lawnmower described in document U.S. Pat. No. 3,320,733 which features two cutting blades that are independent of each other and mounted, diametrically opposed, on equidistant pivots borne by a disk driven in rotation by an axial drive shaft, these vertical pivots being placed, each, at equal radial distance from the drive shaft.

Rotary coupling head using cutting blades and cutting devices comprising such a coupling head