The invention relates to a method for monitoring and controlling reversing actions in electrically actuatable units, wherein an actuating drive unit can exert an actuating force in order to move an electrically actuatable unit, and a safety circuit automatically switches off the actuating drive unit after a jamming switch-off time that is predetermined for a movement if no movement occurs despite the triggering of the actuating drive unit. According to the invention, a triggered reversing action results in a temporary extension of the predetermined jamming switch-off time from a short jamming switch-off time t1 that is predetermined for normal operation to a longer jamming switch-off time t2 (2).

Modern motor vehicles are equipped with comfort systems, for example power windows or sunroofs. These permit the windows and sunroof to be automatically opened and closed. The manual operation is controlled for example with the aid of rocker switches with three switch positions. One switch position activates the opening action, one activates the closing action, and another switches off the drive motor that generates the respective movement.
DE-A 198 09 628 relates to a drive unit for moving a component, for example a window, a seat, or a sunroof of a motor vehicle. The drive unit has an electric motor with for example three field coil pairs, which is brushless and can therefore be supplied by an electronic commutation circuit. A safety circuit switches the electric motor off for example if the moving component begins to pinch a human appendage. The safety circuit reacts to the frequency of signals obtained from current or voltage fluctuations in at least one electrical transmission line of the motor.
The subject of DE-A 199 01 855 is a method and device for operating an actuating drive unit in a motor vehicle. The method is comprised among other things of the fact that an actuating force exerted by the actuating drive unit is measured, this actuating force is compared to a limit force, and the actuating drive unit is reversed if the limit force is exceeded (closing force limitation).
DE-A 30 34 118 relates to a method for electronically actuating and monitoring the opening and closing cycle of electrically actuatable units, for example power windows and electric sunroofs, in particular of motor vehicles, as well as an electrical circuit arrangement for executing the method. An electrical actuating drive unit connected to the dc-powered electrical system can be actuated by means of electrical switches, in particular push buttons. In order to avoid safety defects (the pinching of at-risk appendages such as the neck, head, fingers, etc.), the path traveled is electronically detected during the opening of the unit, this detected opening path is compared to the closing path traveled during the closing of the unit, and the speed of the electric actuating drive unit during closing is detected and electronically compared to a constant standard value. When there is a reduction in speed during closing, the actuating drive unit is switched off. This is intended to reduce the safety defects such as the pinching of at-risk appendages during the closing of the electrically actuatable units.
In the prior art, the actuating drive unit is also switched off if one of the electrically actuatable units jams, in order to thus prevent a mechanical or electrical overload of the actuating drive unit. This switching off is triggered after a predetermined jamming switch-off time has elapsed in which the unit has been jammed in the opening or closing direction. Usually the jamming switch-off time is predetermined as a period of between 100 ms and 500 ms.
This jamming switch-off time, however, can be disadvantageous if a reversing of the actuating drive unit is triggered (for example due to a pinching emergency), but is not possible because of temporary voltage dips in the operating voltage. If the voltage dips last longer than the jamming switch-off time, then the evaluation electronics switch the drive unit off in the same way as when there is a jam. A pinched appendage is therefore no longer released.
Then a reversal from the closing action to the opening action of the actuating drive unit is not possible, for example, if the operating voltage (e.g. the electrical system voltage of a motor vehicle) temporarily drops below the relay pick-up voltage of the relay that is used to switch to the opening action. In this connection, the relay pick-up voltage is understood to be the value of the lowest voltage that causes a relay to switch. Among other things, this relay pick-up voltage depends on the additional wiring (for example a protective diode before the relay winding), the ambient temperature, the self-heating, and the internal resistance of the relay driver, and is typically between 8 and 10 V. The relay holding voltage required to hold the switched relay in the switch position, however, is lower than the relay pick-up voltage. A low operating voltage (electrical system voltage) can therefore be high enough to exceed the relay holding voltage and still be lower than the relay pick-up voltage. In this case, it is possible, for example, to hold the relay—which is for switching to the closing action—in the closed switch position, but it is not possible to reverse the actuating drive unit by switching the relay for the opening action since the voltage falls below the required relay pick-up voltage. As a result, the unit to be actuated does not move in the opening direction. A possible result then, as described above, is that the drive unit is switched off after the jamming switch-off time has elapsed.

Method for monitoring the reversing process of electrically actuatable units


A system of determining an impairment level of a vehicle operator and preventing operation of the vehicle in an impaired state and method of using the same that comprises a key portion to initiate the starting of the vehicle, an electrical source to power the system, a random pattern generator, a display, a user input to allow the user to attempt to replicate the generated random pattern, a processor that compares data from the user input to the generated random pattern to determine if the input sufficiently matches the generated random pattern, and an access preventing feature disabling the key portion from starting the vehicle unless the processor determines the user input sufficiently matches the generated random pattern.

Driving under the influence ("DUI") continues to be a major problem causing thousands of people to be killed and injured each year. Police agencies have increased enforcement efforts in an attempt to apprehend drivers who are operating vehicles while impaired. This increased enforcement also serves as a deterrent to others who forego operating a vehicle while impaired for fear of being arrested for DUI. Educational programs and advocacy groups also discourage people from driving under the influence.
A person who is arrested for DUI faces significant penalties ranging from loss of driving privileges and fines, to incarceration. Additionally, a person charged with DUI will often incur significant legal expenses, and the stigma associated with a DUI conviction. If someone is seriously injured or killed by a person driving under the influence, the driver almost certainly will face a lengthy prison term. Unfortunately, a person who has consumed too much alcohol, or is impaired by some other substance such as illegal drugs or prescription medication, often do not realize the extent of their impairment.
Many prior attempts at preventing the operation of vehicle by an impaired driver have focused almost exclusively on a person impaired by alcohol. These previous attempts often involve a breathalyzer that is connected to a vehicle's ignition that prevents the starting of the vehicle if the person's blood alcohol level is a predetermined threshold. Such a system often involves a very expensive modification to a vehicle to install such a system. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,236,094 discloses a method for collecting and analyzing data from the proximity of a potential driver to determine whether the potential driver is under the influence of intoxicating substances and disabling an automotive ignition system if the driver is determined to be under the influence of intoxicating substances. U.S. Patent Application No. 2006/0253711 describes a biometric safety and security system that is designed to prevent a person that is inebriated from starting the vehicle. The system includes an electronics circuit, a fingerprint scanner, a speech verifier, a breath analyzer and the ignition key. U.S. Pat. No. 6,819,248, EP 1703045 and WO 96/32556 teach a substance detector configured to detect a substance ingested by a user and a blocking device to disable the operability of the vehicle when a substance is detected. This type of device can be defeated by the user simply drawing alcohol-free air through the device, the device does not evaluate the memory or neuro-motor capabilities of the user and for the device to be effective, the device should be calibrated which increases the cost to the user.
Another type system for inhibiting a driver from staring the ignition of a vehicle is described in WO 96/32556, EP 1703045A1 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,819,248 prevents the key from being inserted into the ignition. The key includes a stop device which prevents the key shank from fully entering the lock receptacle. Both devices include a breathalyzer type of device for determining if the person's blood alcohol level is a predetermined threshold and preventing the key shank from being inserted into the ignition when the detected level is above the predetermined threshold. As with the previously described breathalyzer type devices, the system is easily defeated.
Additionally, by only measuring a driver's blood alcohol level, there is no way to tell if the driver is impaired by an illegal drug or a medication. Further, such a system does not truly indicate if a person is impaired, but rather base the test result solely on preset thresholds. Thus, a person might be impaired, but have a blood alcohol level below a preset threshold and be allowed to operate the vehicle, even though the person is impaired.
Other attempts at preventing the operation of vehicle by an impaired driver have focused on a person memory and/or manual dexterity to determine a level of impairment. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,093,870, 3,867,823, 3,786,656 and 3,139561 discloses apparatus that include a container housing a key and a combination lock for opening the container to access the key necessary for operating the vehicle. These systems test the driver's ability to recall the combination. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,978,303, 3,942,151 and 3,610,943 teach different systems and methods for testing the drivers memory by his/her ability to repeat an alphanumeric sequence; and U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,058,911, 3,918,176 and 3,794,968 test the driver's visual ability to determine spatial relationship of objects. A problem with most of these prior art devices is that they must be installed into the vehicle's ignition system at a significant cost to the owner.
Therefore, a need exists for a system for deterring operating a vehicle while impaired that does not require an expensive modification of a vehicle, is capable if determining impairment of a vehicle operator regardless of the cause of the impairment, and is capable of determining if an individual is impaired, irrespective of an amount of impairing substance the vehicle operator has consumed.

System and method for deterring impaired vehicle operation


A new Caladium plant named ‘75-14’ particularly distinguished by its heart-shaped leaves with a white center, green margins, and numerous purple spots, and demonstrated potential to produce high tuber yield, develop attractive and sun-tolerant plants in outdoor sunny landscapes, and produce attractive pot plants when tubers are forced in containers, is disclosed.

The invention relates to a new and distinct variety of Caladium×hortulanum plant named '75-14'. '75-14' originated from a controlled pollination made in 2001 between 'Gingerland' (unpatented) and 'Florida Moonlight' (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 14,565). 'Gingerland' was selected as the seed parent because of its sun tolerance and bright leaf spots. 'Florida Moonlight' was used as the pollen parent for its high tuber yield, multiple branching habit, pure white leaf color, and heart shaped leaf. 'Florida Moonlight' was a progeny from the cross 'Aaron' (unpatented)בCandidum Junior' (unpatented). The ancestry of 'Gingerland', 'Aaron', and 'Candidum Junior' are unknown, although 'Candidum Junior' was suspected to be a field mutation of 'Candidum' (unpatented). It was initially selected in 2002 as GCREC-1075-14. Asexual propagation of tubers and evaluation in field and pot studies since 2002 in Wimauma, Fla. have shown that the unique features of '75-14' are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations of asexual propagation.
Plant Breeder's Rights for this cultivar have not been applied for. '75-14' has not been made publicly available more than one year prior to the filing of this application.


There is provided a high-quality spiral-type acidic gas separation module which is obtained by winding a laminate including an acidic gas separation layer that has a facilitated transport film and which has no defects in the facilitated transport film, in which the average value of the fiber diameter of a supply gas channel member is in a range of 100 μm to 900 μm, and the area ratio of concave portions inscribed in a hemisphere having a diameter greater than or equal to three-quarters of the fiber diameter of the supply gas channel member is 50% or less with respect to a surface of an auxiliary support film of a porous support that is on the side opposite to the facilitated transport film.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an acidic gas separation module which selectively separates acidic gas from raw material gas. Specifically, the present invention relates to a spiral-type acidic gas separation module obtained by winding a laminate having an acidic gas separation film.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a technique of selectively separating acidic gas such as carbon dioxide from raw material gas (gas to be treated) has been promoted for the purpose of production of hydrogen gas or purification of natural gas. For example, an acidic gas separation module that separates acidic gas from raw material gas using an acidic gas separation film through which acidic gas selectively permeates has been developed.
Specifically, JP1992-215824A (JP-H04-215824A) discloses an acidic gas separation module obtained by winding a laminate containing an acidic gas separation film around a central tube (central permeable material collection tube), in a tube wall of which through-holes are formed and which is used for collecting separated acidic gas, multiple times.
The acidic gas separation module disclosed in JP1992-215824A (JP-H04-215824A) is a dissolution-diffusion type acidic gas separation module using a so-called dissolution diffusion film as an acidic gas separation film. The dissolution diffusion film separates acidic gas from raw material gas using differences in solubilities of acidic gas and materials to be separated therefrom in a film and differences in diffusibility in a film.
Further, JP4621295B discloses an acidic gas separation module (experimental device) that divides a space into a raw material chamber and a permeation chamber using an acidic gas separation film, supplies raw material gas (mixed gas formed of CO2, H2, and H2O) to the raw material chamber, and removes the acidic gas selectively separated (through permeation) by the acidic gas separation film from the permeation chamber.
The acidic gas separation module disclosed in JP4621295B is a facilitated transport type acidic gas separation module using a so-called facilitated transport film as an acidic gas separation film. The facilitated transport film includes a carrier reacting with acidic gas in the film and separates acidic gas from raw material gas by the acidic gas being transported to the side opposite to the film using the carrier.
In such an acidic gas separation module, with a so-called spiral-type acidic gas separation module obtained by winding a laminate that has an acidic gas separation film around a central tube having through-holes on the wall surface (laminate is wrapped around the central tube), as described in JP1992-215824A (JP-H04-215824A), the area of the acidic gas separation film is able to be very greatly increased. Accordingly, the spiral-type acidic gas separation module is capable of performing a treatment with high efficiency and is markedly effective.

Spiral-type acidic gas separation module


A gas appliance includes a pair of separate manifolds which each supply gas to two burner assemblies. Each manifold includes a relatively short and straight steel tube having a central section with a generally square-shaped cross-section and end sections with generally circular-shaped cross-sections, and a pair of end plugs closing the end sections to form a sealed interior space. The end plugs and the tube are swaged together at the end sections to form a gas-tight seal. A pair of bolt-through type valves are associated with each of the manifolds to regulate flow of gas from the manifolds to the burner assemblies. The valves have inlets directly secured to the manifolds and outlets connected to the burner assemblies with burner tubes. A pair of light-weight aluminum supply tubes connect a gas inlet with the two manifolds. The supply tubes are preferably secured to the manifolds with bolt-through type adapters located at the longitudinal centers of the manifold tubes and between the two valves.

The present invention generally relates to a distribution system for a gas appliance and, more particularly, to such a distribution system having a plurality of relatively small manifolds.
As shown in FIG. 1, gas appliances such as ranges and stoves typically have a plurality of manually operable valves 10 which respectively regulate the flow of gas through burner tubes 12 to a plurality of burner assemblies 14. The burner tubes 12 are typically connected to the burner assemblies 14 and the valves 10 with conventional flare-type fittings. The valves 10 are typically mounted directly to the side of a manifold tube 16 and spaced apart along the length of the manifold tube 16. One end of the manifold tube 16 is connected to a gas supply 18 and the other end is flared and sealed in some manner such as welding so that the manifold tube 16 distributes gas to the valves 10 with an acceptable pressure drop.
To prevent leaks, the manifold tube 16 is often formed of steel and/or with a relatively large wall thickness. These steel manifold tubes 16, however, are particularly prone to weld seam leaks and rusting problems. The manifold tubes 16 are also relatively heavy because of the relatively large size required to extend from the gas supply 18 to each of the valves 10 and the thick walls. Typically, the manifold tube 16 extends for the full depth and the full width of the appliance (as shown in FIG. 1). Additionally, the manifold tube 16 typically includes several complex bends which are time consuming and expensive to produce. Furthermore, the manifold tube 16 is designed for a particular appliance and is typically unique to that appliance model. Therefore, a different manifold tube 16 must be designed and produced for each appliance model. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved gas distribution system for a gas appliance which has a manifold tube which is relatively easy and inexpensive to produce, is relatively small and light weight, eliminates the need for bends, and is easily adapted to different appliances.

Supply device for gas appliance manifold


A trocar is received in a trocar tube for movement relative to the tube between a position extended from the tube for piercing and a retracted position shielded by the tube. The trocar is mounted within a housing which carries a spring normally biasing the trocar to the retracted position. A latch mechanism within the housing is engageable with the trocar to maintain the trocar in the extended position. The latch mechanism senses the application of piercing force to the trocar and, upon the interruption of such force in response to the completion of a piercing operation, functions to release the trocar for retraction by the spring.

Trocars are pointed surgical instruments which puncture tissue to obtain access to body cavities. Inherent with such instruments is the danger that after the intended puncture, the trocar will inadvertently puncture unintended tissue, vessels or organs.
The prior art teaches various techniques for providing needles and trocars with means to avoid inadvertent puncturing. For example, hollow Veress needles are provided with spring-loaded internal pins which pop out beyond the sharp cutting end of the needles after the intended puncture has been completed. A more recent type of shielding used with trocars may be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,601,710 and 4,654,030, wherein the shielding takes the form of a sleeve which extends around the point of the trocar after piercing is complete. Both of these techniques require that something project beyond the piercing point of the needle or trocar, and require the addition of a separate shielding element.
The prior art also teaches trocars which are provided with trocar tubes received around the trocar so as to leave a passage extending into the body cavity after the trocar is removed. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,601,710 and 4,654,030 both teach such tubes. In the case of these patents, however, a shielding sleeve, in addition to the tubes, is required. This necessarily increases the bulk of the trocar and adds to the complexity of its mechanism. Projecting a shielding sleeve beyond the end of the trocar also, necessarily, results in an additional element being extended beyond the tip of the trocar and into the body cavity. While this sleeve performs a shielding function while within the cavity, it would be ideal if the pointed tip of the trocar could be shielded without the necessity of extending yet another element into the body cavity.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,535,773 teaches techniques for shielding the sharp tip of a trocar through either the interposition of an extendable shielding sleeve, or the retraction of the trocar into the trocar tube. The latter arrangement is seen in the embodiment of FIGS. 34 and 35 of the patent. It relies upon a solenoid-operated detent which holds the trocar in the extended position relative to the trocar tube and requires electronic sensing means in the tip of the trocar to activate the detent for release. This sensing means requires an electronic alarm network.


The idea behind this algorithm is to provide prioritized data in an optimal sequence to expedite initialization/activation of ordered processes necessary to effect circuit protection functionality from a circuit breaker trip unit.

The use of microprocessors within circuit breaker trip units such as described within U.S. Pat. No. 4,672,501 entitled "Circuit Breaker and Protective Relay Unit", requires that the microprocessor becomes fully powered-up before the trip unit is capable of performing overcurrent protection.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,428,022 entitled "Circuit Interrupter with Digital Trip Unit and Automatic Reset" inactivates the microprocessor control lines until the circuit breaker power supply has completely enabled the microprocessor within the circuit interrupter trip unit.
To facilitate rapid operation of the circuit breaker trip unit immediately following a circuit interruption, U.S. Pat. No. 4,710,845 entitled "Digital Static Trip Device for Circuit Breaker", describes storing of the last circuit current samples received prior to interruption. The patent further describes the use of an analog trip unit to provide protection during start up and initialization of the trip unit microprocessor.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,489,394 entitled "Microprocessor Power on Reset System" describes a method whereby the microprocessor initialization signal is deferred after power loss until the microprocessor has become completely enabled.
In most circuit interruption devices containing a microprocessor within the trip unit, additional circuit components are used to insure that the microprocessor becomes fully powered up before initialized to commence circuit protection function to avoid both failure to interrupt upon actual overload as well as to prevent interruption under quiescent circuit conditions, as so-called "nuisance" tripping. In certain applications, protection functions and/or application-related configuration data must be read into the microprocessor during the initialization process for the microprocessor to become fully functional. Also required to effect the circuit protection function is the application of the sampling algorithms used by the microprocessor to make the overcurrent determinations.
One example of a sampling algorithm used within a trip unit microprocessor for overcurrent calculation is found within U.S. Pat. No. 5,159,519 entitled "Digital Circuit Interrupter with Improved Sampling Algorithm".
It would be advantageous to provide for both power-up as well as initialization of a circuit breaker trip unit without compromising the ability of the circuit breaker to interrupt upon actual overcurrent or short circuit and without requiring additional circuit components.
One purpose of the invention is to allow rapid power up initialization of the circuit breaker trip unit microprocessor by virtue of the programs resident in the microprocessor without the requirement of additional circuit components.

Circuit breaker trip unit processor initialization program


An antiferroelectric liquid crystal composition comprising a first component comprising at least one compound expressed by the formula (I) and exhibiting no antiferroelectric phase, and a second component comprising at least one compound expressed by the formula (II) and exhibiting an antiferroelectric phase, the contents of the first component and the second component being respectively 1 to 40% and 60 to 99%, based upon the total weight of the two components: ##STR1## wherein in the formula (I), R.sup.1 is 1-18C linear alkyl or alkoxy; R.sup.2 is 1-18C alkyl or alkoxy; k, l, m and n are 0 or 1; (k+l) and (m+n) are 1 or 2, (k+l)+(m+n) are 2 or 3; X is --OCH.sub.2 --, --CH.sub.2 O--, --COO--, --OCO-- or single bond; 6-membered rings A, B, C and D are 1,4-phenylene, pyridine-2,5-diyl, pyrimidine-2,5-diyl, pyrazine-2,5-diyl or pyridazine-3,6-diyl, one of the side-positioned hydrogen atoms of which may be replaced by halogen atom or CN, and. in the formula (II), R.sup.3 is 1-18C linear alkyl or alkoxy; R.sup.4 is 2-18C alkyl or alkoxy; p, q, t and u are 0 or 1; (p+q) and (t+u) each are 1 or 2; (p+q)+(t+u) are 2 or 3; j is 0 or 1; Z is --COO--, --OCO--, --OCH.sub.2 --, --CH.sub.2 O--or single bond; Y is --CH.sub.3 ; 6-membered rings E, F, G and H are 1,4-phenylene, pyridine-2,5-diyl, pyrimidine-2,5-diyl, pyrazine-2,5-diyl or pyridazine-3,6-diyl; * shows asymmetric carbon atom.. An antiferroelectric liquid crystal composition having the threshold voltage lowered at the time of transition from the antiferroelectric phase to ferroelectric phase accompanying the electric field impression in the antiferroelectric phase is provided, and a light-switching element which has a good contrast and can effect a tristable switching is obtained using the above composition.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a liquid crystal composition. More particularly it relates to an antiferroelectric liquid crystal composition and a light-switching element using the composition. Further, the present invention also relates to a process of reducing the threshold voltage of the antiferroelectric liquid crystal composition.
2. Description of the Related Art
Liquid crystal compositions have been broadly used as a display material. Most liquid crystal display elements are those of TN display mode and utilize nematic phase. TN display modes used for liquid crystal display are roughly classified into two areas. One of them is an active matrix mode having a switching transistor fixed onto each pixel. An example thereof uses a thin film transistor (TFT) and its display grade has reached a level matching that of CRT display, but it is difficult to make the size of the pictorial surface larger and also the cost is high.
The other mode is supertwisted nematic (STN) mode. This mode has been improved in the contrast and the width of viewing angle as compared with conventional, simple matrix mode, but the display grade has not yet reached the level of CRT display. However, the cost is not so high. Thus, these two modes have merits and demerits when the display grade and production cost are taken into consideration.
About ten years ago, a display mode using a ferroelectric liquid crystal (abbreviated to FLC) has appeared in expectation of solving the problems of the above two modes. At present, the liquid crystal referred to merely as FLC indicates a surface-stabilized ferroelectric liquid crystal (abbreviated to SSFLC). This SSFLC has been proposed by N. A. Clark and S. T. Lagewall (see Appl. Phys. Lett., Vol. 36, page 899 (1980)). Since then, it has been referred to as a liquid crystal display of the next generation and various researches and developments have been advanced. The reason is that the ferroelectric liquid crystal element has the following specific features:
(1) quick response PA1 (2) exhibition of memory properties and PA1 (3) broad viewing angle. PA1 (i) inferior switching and ghost effect, PA1 (ii) inferior stability to mechanical shock, PA1 (iii) reduction in the brightness and contrast due to occurrence of chevron structure; etc. PA1 (a) The liquid crystal element has a high driving voltage. PA1 (b) The temperature-dependency of the hysteresis characteristics is large.
Due to these specific features, a SSFLC mode is expected to produce a potential high density display which is very interesting as a display device. However, as the researches have been advanced, the following problems to be solved have been revealed:
As a method for solving these problems of SSFLC, an antiferroelectric liquid crystal display element has been noted. The antiferroelectric liquid crystal has been found by Furukawa et al for the first time in terms of SY* phase (see Ferroelectrics, Vol. 85, page 451 (1988)). Thereafter, it has been advocated by Chandani et al that the above phase is antiferroelectric (see Japanese J. of Appl. Phys., vol. 28, page 1265 (1989)), and this view has now been generally accepted.
The antiferroelectric liquid crystal display element utilizes a tristable switching in the antiferroelectric phase. The tristable switching refers to a switching among three states of the bistable state in the ferroelectric state at the time of impression of electric field and an antiferroelectric state at the time of no impression of electric field.
The specific features of the antiferroelectric liquid crystal element consist in that when transition is effected between the antiferroelectric state and the ferroelectric state, steep threshold value characteristics and an optical hysteresis having a broad width are exhibited, and by utilizing the specific features, it is possible to expect a display having a viewing angle to an extent similar to that of SSFLC and also having a high display contrast.
As to the antiferroelectric phase, those of chiral smectic C phase (abbreviated to SC* phase) and chiral smectic I phase (abbreviated to SI* phase) have been reported at present, but an antiferroelectric phase of chiral smectic F phase, too, may be existent in the aspect of its structure. The tristable switching is possible in whatever phase, as far as the phase is an antiferroelectric phase. However, in view of the response rate, an antiferroelectric phase of SC* phase (abbreviated to SC.sub.A * phase) is preferred. In 1989, an antiferroelectric liquid crystal display has been experimentally prepared by Yamawaki et al (see JAPAN DISPLAY, '89 Collected Preprints 3--3, page 26), and it has come to be quickly recognized.
However, the current antiferroelectric liquid crystal materials still yet have the following problems:
The high driving voltage is due to the fact that the antiferroelectric liquid crystal composition has a high threshold voltage. The threshold voltage referred to herein means an electric field intensity to initiate a phase transition from the antiferroelectric phase to a ferroelectric phase by imparting a voltage to an antiferroelectric liquid crystal. The mechanism of occurrence of the threshold voltage has not yet been clarified. Further, no investigation on factors having an influence upon the threshold voltage has ever been reported other than the one made by the present inventors (see the 17th Liquid Crystal Symposium, Collected, Preprints, page 260 (1991)).
The present invention is intended to solve the problem described in the item (a) among the above items, and its first object is to reduce the threshold voltage at the time of transition from the antiferroelectric phase to a ferroelectric phase accompanying impression of an electric field, in a SC.sub.A * phase, and its second object is to provide a light-switching element actuated by a low driving voltage.

Antiferroelectric liquid crystal composition


On embodiment accesses a set of information comprising one or more elements of information relating to a subject matter, wherein the one or more elements of information have been shared among one or more users of a social-networking system; for each element of information, determines a rate of sharing of the element of information among the one or more users and identifies one or more first users who cause the rate of sharing of the element of information to increase; and identifies one or more influencers associated with the subject matter from the one or more first users identified for each element of information.

A social network, in general, is a social structure made up of entities, such as individuals or organizations, that are connected by one or more types of interdependency or relationships, such as friendship, kinship, common interest, financial exchange, dislike, or relationships of beliefs, knowledge, or prestige. In more recent years, social networks have taken advantage of the Internet. There are social-networking systems existing on the Internet in the form of social-networking websites. Such social-networking websites enable their members, who are commonly referred to as website users, to perform various social activities. For example, the social-networking website operated by Facebook, Inc. at www.facebook.com enables its users to communicate with their friends via emails, instant messages, or blog postings, organize social events, share photos, receive news of their friends or interesting events, play games, etc.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Identify experts and influencers in a social network


A piezoelectric power supply includes a power supply unit to provide DC intermediate voltage power output to drive a high voltage output unit of a first load through a first piezoelectric plate and a low voltage output unit of a second load through a second piezoelectric plate. Thereby the power supply can provide a low voltage secondary power output to reduce cost and improve power output flexibility and efficiency. It can be used on display devices such as gas discharge lamps, and also provide additional low voltage secondary power for peripheral devices such as speakers, lamps, ear sets, USB connection ports and the like.

In recent years LCD technology has been well developed, the cost of LCD drops significantly. As a result, it gradually replaces the traditional CRT in the home appliances. The competition in the market place is fierce. To provide distinguished product features is a high priority R & D issue in the LCD market. For instance, R.O.C. patent publication No. 200534569 discloses two types of driving circuits. The first type of driving circuit provides an AC signal from a power source to a power supply, then the power supply transforms voltage to output an electric signal to an inverter to boost the voltage and output a high voltage electric signal. The present power supply to process the AC signal output from the power source includes an electromagnetic interference (EMI) filter unit, a commutation unit, a power factor corrector and a conversion unit. The EMI filter unit and commutation unit receive the AC signal to perform filtering and commutation processes and output a full wave/half wave DC signal, then the power factor corrector receives the full wave/half wave DC signal and performs power factor correction to output an electric signal to the conversion unit (DC-DC) which transforms voltage to output a low voltage signal to the inverter. The inverter boosts the voltage to become a high voltage electric signal to be sent to a load linking to a rear end.
Another type of driving circuit differs from the previous circuit as follow: the AC signal output from the power source is received by the EMI filter unit and commutation unit for filtering and commutation processes, and becomes a full wave/half wave DC signal to be output. The full wave/half wave DC signal is an intermediate voltage electric signal (such as the power source being 100V, the full wave/half wave DC signal being 150V). The intermediate voltage electric signal is sent to an inverter for voltage boosting to become a high voltage electric signal to be output to a load.
When the conventional driving circuits mentioned above are adopted on a flat panel display device, only the high voltage electric signal is provided to the load (namely a cold cathode fluorescent lamp CCFL). As a result, no extra connection ports are added to the present display devices on the market. Users have to couple required peripheral devices by themselves, such as speakers, small lamps, ear sets, USB connection ports, or small 3C products sensible to screen images to generate interactions. Another approach is to provide a low voltage power cord and a mating low voltage driving circuit to support the LCD screen of the peripheral devices. All the aforesaid approaches result in a higher cost and a longer production process. They create a greater burden to manufacturers and consumers.
A power supply capable of providing high voltage output power and low voltage power to be used on display devices not only can reduce the cost and production process, also increase utilization efficiency and flexibility, and enhance competitiveness on the market.


As an example, an apparatus includes a hood portion and a body portion. The hood portion includes a distal opening adapted to be positioned around a periphery of a wall-mounted appliance. The hood portion includes a sidewall of a pliant material extending outwardly from a perimeter of the distal opening to terminate in a proximal opening having a perimeter that is spaced apart from and opposing the distal opening. The proximal opening is to provide access to an interior volume of the hood portion corresponding to the sidewall between the first and second openings. The body portion extends from the perimeter of the proximal opening in a longitudinal direction that is substantially transverse to a central axis of the distal opening. An outlet in fluid communication with the body portion is to enable discharge of fluids from an interior volume of the body portion.

Ductless wall split air conditioners have increased in popularity due to their energy efficiency and ease of installation. However, due to their physical placement inside of rooms (in contrast to conventional central air conditioners that are installed in dedicated machine rooms outside of living or working spaces), maintenance of these air conditioners can be difficult. Difficulties include damage to nearby drywall, furniture, and other assets by water overspray, damage to surroundings caused by coil cleaning chemicals, and dangers caused by water accumulation on floors.
Additionally, coil cleaning spray chemicals made to be applied in a "no-rinse" cleaning method are popular, but do not provide the profundity of cleaning required to maintain the air conditioner at factory efficiencies. Washing with coil cleaners and pressurized water remains the preferred cleaning approach to adequately release accumulated dirt from the unit. However, water overspray and leakage is always a concern.

Apparatus and method to facilitate collecting fluid from wall-mounted appliances


An L-shaped platform (11) having a vertical bale gripping frame (12) and a horizontal bale support deck (13) is mounted on a transport vehicle for rotation through 90° from a transport position to a bale pick-up position. In the pick-up position, tines (17) on the gripping frame (12) engage the top of the bale (B) and hold the bale (B) with the support deck (13) in contact with an adjacent side surface. The platform (11) is rotated to return to the transport position with the bale (B) being supported by the support deck (13). The support deck (13) includes a cross conveyor (21) for discharging the bale (B) laterally for stock feeding.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to handling of bales of bulk material such as hay or silage and includes the pick-up and loading of such bales onto to a vehicle mounted platform or deck with subsequent break-up and discharge of the bulk material for animal feeding. Although not restricted to any particular bale size, the invention is especially pertinent to the handling of extremely large bales of the type described which are too heavy to be handled manually and, in particular, large rectangular cross section hay bales. A generally L-shaped platform includes a bale engaging and lifting frame means for engaging one side of a rectangular bale and a conveyor mechanism for engaging an adjacent side for supporting the bale when moved to the loaded position of the platform and subsequent bale discharge.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recent years the trend in preserving hay bales has been toward increasingly large size bales, far beyond the ability for manual handling. Although large round bales, several feet in diameter, have been developed and equipment has been designed either to simply unroll the layered bale and/or perform a chopping operation for pasture or range feeding, the results have not been entirely satisfactory. More recently, the trend has been toward the formation of large rectangular or square cross section bales for more ease of transport and stacking. Equipment has been developed such as disclosed in my co-pending U.S. patent applications Ser. No. 09/370,359, Vehicle Mounted Large Bale Loading, Transporting And Unloading System, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,328,520 B12, issued Dec. 11, 2001 and Serial No. 09/721599, Loading Grapple Table, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,540,464, issued Apr. 1, 2003 for loading, transporting and unloading bales of this type to either form stacks of multiple bales or to transport multiple large bales and to distribute or unload individual bales for pasture, range or bunk feeding. The equipment for accomplishing this task is designed essentially of large capacity and complexity for handling the shear weight and size of the multiple large bales. The need has arisen for single bale pick-up, transport and feeding functions for small farms utilizing smaller sized existing equipment such as tractors, trailers and small trucks.


A cassette having, in a first embodiment, a series of break-off, prismatic tabs integrally formed in the cassette that can be optically sensed by the surgical instrument.

The present invention relates to surgical cassettes and more particularly to an identification system for surgical cassettes.
The use of cassettes with surgical instruments to help manage irrigation and aspiration flows into a surgical site are well-known. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,493,695, 4,627,833 (Cook), U.S. Pat. No. 4,395,258 (Wang, et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,713,051 (Steppe, et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,798,850 (DeMeo, et al), U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,758,238, 4,790,816 (Sundblom, et al.), and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,267,956, 5,364,342 (Beuchat) all disclose tubeless or tube-type surgical cassettes and are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference.
The fluidic performance of the surgical instrument is substantially affected by the fluidic performance of the cassette. As a result, prior art surgical instruments and cassettes are designed to work as an integral system, with the fluidic performance of the cassette designed to optimize the fluidic performance of the entire surgical system. This integral design concept has required that prior art surgical instruments be used with only one specific cassette, and that any given cassette interacts with only one type of surgical instrument.
With the advances made in the last few years in digital circuitry, it is desirable to design and build surgical instruments that can manually or automatically change the surgical operating parameters to suit special situations or a surgeon's specific operating preferences. Parameters such as aspiration fluid flow rate, pump speed, vacuum level, irrigation fluid pressure and irrigation fluid flow rate can be preprogrammed for a specific surgeon or surgical procedure. This increased flexibility of modern surgical instruments is somewhat limited by the inflexibility of the surgical cassette. In order to optimize the surgical system, the performance of the cassette should be optimized for the specific surgical procedure or the specific set of parameters being used by the surgeon. While a cassette with adjustable fluidics performance is one alternative, the most cost effective method of optimizing cassette performance, particularly if the cassette is intended to be discarded after a single use, is to design a different cassette for each surgical procedure or set of operating parameters, however, the use of different cassettes requires that the instrument "recognize" the type of cassette being used.
Accordingly, a need exists for a cassette identification system.

Indentification system for a surgical cassette


Provided are semiconductor packages and methods of fabricating the same. An exemplary semiconductor package includes a die pad including a dimple filled with an insulating material in an upper surface or a lower surface thereof. A semiconductor chip is mounted on the upper surface of the first die pad. A package body encapsulates the first die pad and the first semiconductor chip and includes a pinhole. A bottom surface of the pinhole terminates at the insulating material.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to semiconductor packages and methods of fabricating the same, and more particularly, to semiconductor packages, each of which includes a semiconductor chip and a die pad encapsulated by a package body, and methods of fabricating such semiconductor packages.
2. Description of the Related Art
Fabrication of a semiconductor package typically involves mounting a semiconductor chip on an upper surface of a die pad included in a lead frame and forming a package body to encapsulate the semiconductor chip and the die pad.
When the semiconductor chip is a highly integrated chip or a power circuit chip for controlling high power, a large amount of heat may be generated by the semiconductor chip. In order to dissipate the heat outside of the semiconductor chip, a heat sink may be installed on a lower surface of the package body (i.e., on a lower surface of the die pad). In this case, a distance between the lower surface of the die pad and the heat sink must be maintained constant so as to improve a heat dissipation characteristic.
Accordingly, a support pin for applying pressure to the die pad may be used in order to prevent the die pad from bending during the encapsulation process. However, after the encapsulation process is finished, when the support pin is removed, a pinhole may be formed in the package body to expose the die pad. Thus, the pinhole is filled with insulating resin in order to externally insulate the die pad exposed in the pinhole.
However, since the pinhole has a high aspect ratio, when the insulating resin is filled in the pinhole, a void may be easily formed. In this case, it is difficult to insulate the die pad from external air. Also, a very large amount of insulating resin is required to fill the entire pinhole.

Semiconductor packages and methods of fabricating the same


A downhole heating apparatus includes a gas separator, a downhole heater, a thermal barrier and lower and upper perforated tubing joints being vents. The thermal barrier retards fluid and heat from flowing between a lower annulus of a wellbore and an upper annulus of a wellbore. The thermal barrier is formed from one or more thermal barrier subcomponents. The downhole heater is an electrical heater. The thermal barrier and lower and upper perforated tubing joints includes one or more vents.

During production of a hydrocarbon bearing formation, the content of the formation may lead to low rates of production. For example, where heavy oils such as those including asphaltene and/or paraffin are encountered, high density and viscosity may slow or prevent the hydrocarbons from migrating out of the wellbore. Because the viscosity of these oils may reduce as temperature increases, heating the wellbore and formation may increase production rates in the formation. However, as fluid enters the wellbore, asphaltene may fall out of solution and clog the wellbore.


The present invention is directed to an apparatus for differential cooling of a plastic film tube. The apparatus and method includes the use of a blown film extrusion die that extrudes a plastic film tube upward. An air cooling system applies cooling air across one or more surfaces of the plastic film tube. One or more throttling valves are coupled to a pressurization pump that provides a pressurized working fluid, preferably water. The throttling valves are positioned to project the pressurized working fluid from outlets of the throttling valves towards circular arcs of the plastic film tube, the circular arcs of the plastic film tube being less than the circumference of the plastic film tube to provide a blown film tubular plastic film with controlled gauge variation.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to an apparatus and method for cooling a plastic film tube. More particularly, this invention relates to an apparatus and method for cooling a molten plastic film tube exiting the outlet of an extrusion die in a blown film process by using evaporative cooling.
2. Description of the Related Art
Thin plastic film may be produced, in addition to other manufacturing methods, by extruding plastic material, such as polyethylene resin, in a process known as blown film extrusion. In blown film extrusion, polyethylene resin is fed into an extruder where an extrusion screw pushes the resin through the extruder. The extrusion screw compresses the polyethylene, heating the resin into a molten state under high pressure. The molten, pressurized polyethylene is fed through a blown film extrusion die having an annular opening. As the molten material is pushed into and through the extrusion die, a plastic film tube emerges from the outlet of the extrusion die.
The plastic film tube is blown or expanded to a larger diameter by providing a volume of air within the interior of the plastic film tube. The combination of the volume of air and the plastic film tube is commonly referred to as a bubble between the extrusion die and a set of nip rollers. The plastic film tube is commonly cooled by one or more external air rings applying a constant flow of air upward along the outside of the plastic film tube. A number of factors including, but not limited to, the air pressure within the bubble of the plastic film tube, the cooling rate provided by the air ring, the temperature and flow of material out of the extrusion die, and the rate at which the plastic film tube is pulled by the nip rollers impact the blow-up ratio, diameter of the plastic film tube, and the ultimate thickness or gauge of the plastic film tube.
As the plastic film tube cools travelling upward toward the nip rollers, the plastic film tube solidifies from a molten state to a solid state after it expands to its final diameter and thickness. The point along the bubble where the plastic film solidifies is known as the frost line. Consequently, the portion of the bubble below the frost line is molten allowing for expansion and thinning of the plastic film tube. Conversely, the portion of the bubble above the frost line has solidified and the diameter and thickness of the plastic film tube is generally fixed at that point.
Improved cooling of the plastic film increases the stability of the bubble, thereby allowing for more accurate control of the physical properties of the plastic film tube and for a broader range of plastic film tube diameters and thicknesses. To facilitate better cooling, it is known in the art to use an internal bubble cooling, or IBC, assembly to dissipate heat from within the interior of the bubble. Without an IBC assembly, the bubble contains a static volume of air applying outward pressure on the plastic film tube but there is no avenue to dissipate the heat absorbed by the static volume of air from the plastic film tube. Consequently, the interior air volume quickly settles at approximately the same temperature as the plastic film tube, providing no cooling benefit. Internal bubble cooling assemblies exchange the warm air within the bubble with cooler air while maintaining a constant pressure. The cooled air within the bubble absorbs heat from the interior surface of the bubble, cooling the plastic film tube more quickly and lowering the frost line for increased bubble stability.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,753,666 issued to Greg Wood and is entitled Apparatus and Method for Cooling Plastic Film Tube in Blown Film Process (hereafter, "the Wood Patent"). The Wood Patent describes an improved internal bubble cooling assembly using particular air ring assemblies. The internal air ring assemblies improve the flow of the cooled air within the bubble to provide improved bubble stability and allow for improved properties of the plastic film tube. The teachings and specification of the Wood Patent are incorporated herein by reference.
Extruded tubular film, even with improved cooling, still has variations in the gauge or thickness of the film around the circumference from variations in the extrusion die. Consequently, the thickness of the film is typically reflected as an average thickness, or more precisely, a mean thickness based upon several measurements. However, even for films of a particular mean thickness, it is desirable to minimize the variations in thickness around the circumference of the tubular film as much as possible during the manufacturing process. By reducing variations in film thickness, there are fewer thin or weak areas on the film, which improve the overall strength and performance of the film since the thin regions represent common points of failure for plastic film products. There are several methods known in the art for achieving more uniform thickness around the circumference of the tubular film.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,339,404 issued to Hartmut Upmeier et al. and is entitled Method of Controlling the Film Thickness at a Blown Film Installation (hereafter, "the Upmeier Patent"). The Upmeier Patent discloses a method for providing a more uniform thickness distribution for a tubular film as is generally desired. The disclosed method, and system, uses microprocessors and sensors to determine control command for sectors of cooling or heating.
Although extensive efforts have been directed to achieve more uniform thickness in blown film extrusion, in order to realize certain product characteristics there have also been some efforts made to intentionally disrupt gauge uniformity. U.S. Pat. No. 6,139,186 issued to Robert W. Fraser and is entitled Bag Having Improved Tie Features (hereafter, "the Fraser Patent"). The Fraser Patent discloses a film formed by blown film extrusion with increased air cooling from the annular air ring where additional thickness is desired. Specifically, the Fraser Patent discloses increased cooling in the blown film to provide thicker localized areas which can be generated by profiling the annular air ring opening at the areas where the additional thickness is desired.
However, the method disclosed by the Fraser Patent is not ideal for all situations. The increased air cooling described by the Fraser Patent requires permanent modification or profiling of the annular air ring. Thus, the resulting annular air ring of the Fraser Patent is only suitable for use in the manufacture of tubular plastic film with the same gauge characteristics and profile. In addition to the foregoing limitations, the permanent modification of the annular air ring does not allow for controlling processing parameters due to changes in ambient manufacturing conditions such as temperature or humidity.
Another method known in the art for intentionally introducing gauge variations in tubular plastic film is to provide a secondary, external source of air to supplement the cooling provided by the annular air ring. For example, an additional air nozzle might be directed onto the bubble to provide additional cooling capacity. While the additional air nozzle may be utilized to provide such gauge variations in certain situations, the method also has certain disadvantages. The introduction of additional air along the cooling bubble can significantly impact the air flow around the bubble, the relative air pressure around the bubble, and can unpredictably change the flow of air around the cooling bubble of plastic film. As a result, bubble stability can be adversely affected and, by extension, the properties of the resultant film can be negatively impacted as well.
In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to provide a method of providing controlled variations of film thickness in a plastic tubular film that does not significantly impact the air flow and air pressures around the plastic tubular film. It would also be desirable to provide a method for allowing for controlled cooling of the plastic film tube to induce thickness variation that does not require permanent modification of the manufacturing equipment, can be adjusted for different film properties or changes in ambient manufacturing conditions, and that can be quickly and easily enabled and disabled. The present invention addresses these needs.

Apparatus and method for cooling plastic film tube in blown film process


An improved intracavity sensor based output power control for microcavity light emitting devices. An improved phototransistor transducer is both configured and physically disposed so that it passively transmits the spurious optical energy output of the microcavity light emitting device while simultaneously generating a light determined electrical signal of easily used large magnitude that is nearly free of error. The base-collector region of the transistor is disposed with a quantum well absorbing layer and produces a signal responsive to a selected emission wavelength. The configuration of the optical energy communicating transducer is arranged so that it is improved in sensitivity and especially in selectivity in generating the laser feedback signal.

Semiconductor microcavity detectors and light sources are essential components of emerging integrated photonic systems and micro-opto-electro-mechanical systems. The present document relates to a plurality of these semiconductor microcavity devices of both the optical energy emitting and optical energy receiving types. The vertical cavity surface emitting laser and the resonant cavity light emitting diode are two particular examples of these optical energy emitting devices and are generally referred to as microcavity light emitters in this document. The resonant cavity heterojunction phototransistor is an example of the microcavity devices which are generally referred to as microcavity detectors herein.
Vertical emitting microcavity light sources improve on many attributes of the commonly used semiconductor edge emitting lasers. Conventional edge emitting semiconductor lasers emit light in a direction parallel to the semiconductor substrate on which the lasers are formed. A vertical cavity surface emitting laser, however, has an optical cavity located perpendicular to the substrate and emits optical radiation in a direction perpendicular to the substrate. A few of the many advantages of vertical cavity surface emitting lasers include the capability of fabricating the devices at a much smaller size and that the light emitted from vertical emitting microcavity sources has a circular shape, as opposed to the oblong shape of the light from edge emitting lasers. These microcavity devices consist of a quantum well light absorbing or light gaining region, a region within an optical microcavity that is bounded by distributed Bragg reflector mirrors. Various combinations of monolithically integrated vertical cavity surface emitting lasers, resonant cavity light emitting diodes, resonant cavity PIN photodetectors, and resonant cavity heterojunction phototransistors have been fabricated. Because of the similarity of the device structures, it is in fact possible to construct several of the different device types during a single epitaxial growth sequence. To achieve this, individual devices positioned side-by-side or in a stacked configuration may be fabricated from multiple purpose vertical cavity surface emitting laser structures by subsequent selective etching, native Al-oxidation or ion implantation, and metallization steps. The devices may be interconnected functionally or functionally discrete and a functional interconnection if used may include both optical and electrical interconnection as in the present invention or any optical interconnection or any electrical interconnection. Both the vertical cavity surface emitting laser and resonant cavity light emitting diode are emerging in commercial applications. The vertical cavity surface emitting laser is more efficient than the resonant cavity light emitting diode and produces a stronger optical power output, but is generally more difficult and costly to manufacture than the resonant cavity light emitting diode.
An important requirement for optical data storage and optical communication systems, using either edge emitting lasers or microcavity light emitting devices is the dynamic stabilization of the device and its optical output power. Such stabilization is necessary to correct fluctuations due to age and changes in the environment such as from heat generated by the laser operation, or long-term drift of the laser properties. For example, conventional audio compact disk optical pick-up heads use a silicon PIN photodiode to monitor the optical power that escapes from a back facet of an edge-emitting laser diode in order to control the laser's output power level. Laser diodes used in fiber optic communication systems also use a photodetector to monitor the laser output power. For conventional edge-emitting lasers, the output power of the laser is monitored by a separate photodetector installed in the vicinity of the laser. A slightly leaky facet allows some of the emitted laser optical output power to impinge on the photodetector. The photodetector couples a signal that corresponds to the intensity of the emitted radiation to a feedback control circuit which adjusts the current driving the laser until the desired output power is achieved. In this manner, any drift of the laser intensity is detected and compensated for by adjusting the current applied to the laser.
A similar monitoring scheme for the automatic power control of vertical cavity surface emitting lasers is also known. In this approach, a PIN photodiode is grown on top of a top-emitting vertical cavity surface emitting laser in a single growth sequence. Except for the intrinsic absorbing layer and normally small free carrier losses, the PIN photodiode is transparent to the laser emission. However, a drawback of this approach is that the PIN photodiode Pinphotodiode produces a small signal that corresponds to the intensity of the laser output power plus the internally generated spontaneous emission. Consequently, the photocurrent generated by the PIN photodiode requires additional external circuitry to amplify the signal and this adds to the size and expense of a complete system. A second drawback is that a large fraction of the feedback signal is produced in response to spontaneous emission, the non-lasing light activity that occurs at all times, and this introduces error into the feedback signal. This error must be accounted and corrected for in the feedback circuit. Another drawback is that a PIN photodiode is most readily fabricated in a layer arrangement which is not easily compatible electrically with the layers needed in the relevant portion of a microcavity light emitting device- as is explained in detail subsequently herein.
In addition to the PIN photodiode monitoring of the laser output power, it is also known to fabricate a functionally independent transistor in the same layer structure used to accomplish a microcavity light emitting device. As is also explained in greater detail subsequently herein, however, there is believed to be a significant difference in both the structure and function of the power monitoring transistor arrangement of the present invention and the structure and function of functionally independent transistors. The present invention is moreover believed to involve a fundamental concept in the arrangement of any device for microcavity light emitting power control purposes which has not been appreciated heretofore.

Output control of vertical microcavity light emitting device

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force


A measuring/dispensing cap for a container comprising a peripheral side wall and a pivotable flip top movable between closed and open positions, the flip top mounted for pivotal motion about a horizontal hinge axis wherein the hinge axis separates a closure panel of the flip top from a push panel of the flip top; a first panel within the side wall having a first free edge in substantially vertical alignment with the hinge axis; a second weir panel having a weir edge extending parallel to and laterally spaced from the first free edge, thus establishing a weir opening, the closure panel and the weir panel along with a portion of the peripheral side wall defining a measuring chamber within the cap, adapted to receive contents of a container passing through the weir opening.

The present invention relates generally to dispensing containers and more specifically, to dispensing cap constructions enabling accurately measured amounts of container contents (in granular, particulate, powdered or liquid form) to be dispensed from the cap.
Dispensing containers are, of course, well known and are used in many different industries for many different purposes. One such use is in the food industry, and a specific example includes jars and other similar containers which contain solid foods (such as spices, sugar substitutes, concentrates, etc.) in particulate, granular or powder-like form. Typically, a measuring spoon or separate measuring cup is utilized in conjunction with the jar or container when accurate amounts are to be obtained.
The present invention eliminates the need for measuring spoons or cups by providing a closure, which serves as its own measuring device, for use with an otherwise conventional container. While the incorporation of a measuring function into a container/closure construction for the discharge of desired amounts of the container contents is not new (see for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,802,284; 2,804,103; 3,860,111; 4,613,057 and 4,635,828), the present invention provides an improved and simplified structure for accomplishing this result.
More recently, improved dispensing type measuring caps or closures have been disclosed in commonly owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/288,896 filed Aug. 10, 1994, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,509,582 issued Apr. 23, 1996, and in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,465,871. Application Ser. Nos. 08/557,559 and 08/677,350 mentioned above disclose further iterations of dispensing type measuring caps or closures which incorporate flat pivot type dispensing doors or panels in combination with internal measuring chambers including weir dams or panels. Some embodiments include a measuring chamber closing flange, operable when the dispensing door or panel is open, to prevent excess material from being transferred into the measuring chamber.
In accordance with the present invention, further improved measuring/dispensing cape or closures are provided which incorporate a flip top cap and a built-in shut-off blade, with the flip top spring biased to a normally closed position. Other improvements in overall design enhance the performance and usability of the cap.
In exemplary embodiments, the plastic measuring/dispensing closure includes a flip top which is pivotably mounted on the upper end of a peripheral closure skirt. Located within the confines of the radially outer closure skirt, there is a second, radially inner skirt which is adapted to engage the upper edge of an associated container. Within this inner skirt, there is a first internal panel which closes off approximately half of the opening at the upper end of the inner skirt. A second internal weir dam panel terminates at a substantially straight weir edge (when viewed in plan) which is laterally spaced from and parallel to the first free edge of the angled panel portion, thereby defining a weir opening between the two edges. The weir dam panel, in combination with the closure portion of the flip top form a measuring chamber from which measured amounts of container contents can be dispensed through the closure panel portion of the flip top, but only after the measured amount has been transferred from the container to the measuring chamber through the weir opening. The flip top is bifurcated by a hinge axis defining a closure panel on one side of the hinge axis and a push panel on the other side of the hinge axis. Of course, the shape of the flip top conforms generally to the shape of the peripheral skirt at the uppermost end thereof so that the flip top effectively seals the closure when the flip top is in the closed position. In the exemplary embodiments, the flip top and the skirt openings are somewhat rectangular in shape, with a gradual taper at the discharge end so as to provide a rounded "arrow head" shape at the discharge end. The closure skirt is round in its lower threaded portion and gradually transitions to the rounded arrow-head shape at the upper edge thereof. The precise shape of the flip top, however, may be varied as desired, depending on the particular application.
In one exemplary embodiment, a substantially straight cut-off blade, lying parallel to the weir edge, extends downwardly from a lower surface of the flip top immediately adjacent or centered on the hinge axis. This closure blade lies fully engaged with and along the free edge of the first internal panel when the flip top is in its closed position. When the push panel portion of the flip top is pressed downwardly to open the closure portion of the flip top, the shut-off blade moves into engagement with the parallel weir edge to thereby shut off the measuring chamber so that no additional amount of contents from the container can flow into the measuring chamber as the measured amount is dispensed from the measuring cap.
It is another feature of this invention, that the flip top be normally biased to a closed position. This can be accomplished in several ways. In one embodiment of the invention, a flexible, resilient spring panel extends downwardly from a lower surface of the flip top, substantially parallel to the shut-off blade. This flexible panel is fully engaged along an upwardly angled portion of the first interior panel when the flip top is closed. When the push panel portion is pressed downwardly, further flexing of this spring panel creates a closing bias to the flip top when the push panel portion is released.
In a variation of the first exemplary embodiment, a spring is formed by an integral, bendable spring panel attached to the end of the push panel portion which is remote from the shut-off blade, and which is doubled back on itself about a living hinge. Thus, the spring takes on a substantially C or wedge-shaped configuration in use, again biasing the flip top to a normally closed position.
In another variation of the first exemplary embodiment, a separate and discrete substantially C-shaped spring panel is inserted between the push panel portion and the internal panel within the closure skirt.
In still another variation, a spring is provided in the form of a die cut foam block shaped to conform to the space between the push panel portion of the flip top and the first internal panel within the peripheral skirt of the closure. The block is resiliently compressed when the push panel is pressed downwardly, creating a bias back to the closed position.
In still another variation, a coil spring is inserted between the push panel portion of the flip top and the first internal panel within the closure skirt. In this embodiment, additional means are provided to locate and retain the coil spring in place to normally bias the flip top to the closed position.
In a second and preferred embodiment of the invention, the internal closure panels are re-designed to insure that none of the container contents clog or otherwise impede the flip top as it moves between closed and open positions. In this preferred arrangement, the weir panel terminates at a vertical flange with a free horizontal edge laterally offset and slightly above a generally horizontal, parallel edge of the adjacent internal panel. At the same time, the underside of the flip top is formed with a combined shut-off and sealing arrangement which includes a downwardly projecting box-like member or beam including a pair of parallel vertical walls connected by a curved bottom wall, the hollow beam configuration appearing from above the flip top as a rectangular groove or recess. With this arrangement, the shut-off/sealing beam is always engaged with the horizontal edge of the internal panel, during both closing and opening movements of the flip top, while engaging the weir edge and thus shutting off flow into the measuring chamber when the flip top is opened.
Accordingly, in its broader aspects, the present invention provides a measuring/dispensing cap for a container comprising a peripheral side wall and a pivotable flip top movable between closed and open positions, the flip top mounted for pivotal motion about a horizontal hinge axis wherein the hinge axis separates a closure panel of the flip top from a push panel of the flip top; a first panel within the side wall having a first free edge in substantially vertical alignment with the hinge axis; a second weir panel having a weir edge extending parallel to and laterally spaced from the first free edge, thus establishing a weir opening, the closure panel and the weir panel along with a portion of the peripheral side wall defining a measuring chamber within the cap, adapted to receive contents of a container passing through the weir opening.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description which follows.

Measuring dispensing cap with spring biased flip top


The invention relates to an optical article provided with antireflection properties, comprising a substrate having at least one main surface coated with an antireflection coating comprising, starting from the substrate: a sub-layer comprising two adjacent layers formed from the same material, the sum of the thicknesses of the two adjacent layers being greater than or equal to 75 nm; and a multilayered antireflection stack comprising at least one high refractive index layer and at least one low refractive index layer, the deposition of the first of said two adjacent layers of the sub-layer having been carried out without ion assistance and the deposition of the second of said two adjacent layers of the sub-layer having been carried out under ion assistance. The invention also relates to a process for manufacturing such an optical article.

In the ophthalmic optics field, it is usual to coat an ophthalmic lens with various coatings so as to impart various mechanical and/or optical properties to this lens. Thus, classically, coatings such as impact-resistant, anti-abrasion and/or antireflection coatings are successively formed onto an ophthalmic lens.
An antireflection coating is defined as being a coating, deposited onto the surface of an optical article, which improves the antireflection properties of the final optical article. It enables to reduce the light reflection at the article-air interface within a substantially broad range of the visible spectrum.
Anti-reflection coatings are well known and classically comprise a mono-layer or multi-layer stack of dielectric materials such as SiO, SiO2, Al2O3, MgF2, LiF, Si3N4, TiO2, ZrO2, Nb2O5, Y2O3, HfO2, Sc2O3, Ta2O5, Pr2O3, or combinations thereof.
As is also well known, antireflection coatings are preferably multilayered coatings comprising alternatively high refractive index layers and low refractive index layers.

Optical article coated with an antireflection coating comprising a sub-layer partially formed under ion assistance and its manufacturing process


A lockable pressure adjustment seat of a fitness apparatus includes a base, a seat back, and an adjustment unit. The base is disposed with a slide track and a locating hole. The seat back is pivotally connected to the base. The seat back includes an extension rod. One end of the extension rod is linked and fixed to the seat back. A through hole is disposed adjacent to the other end of the extension rod. The adjustment unit includes a lever, a pressure bar, and a locking set. The lever penetrates the slide track. The pressure bar includes a push rod and a fixation base. The push rod holds against the lever. The fixation base is secured to the other end of the extension rod. The locking set is fixed to the fixation base, and comprises an elastic member and a locating rod.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lockable pressure adjustment seat of a fitness apparatus, and more particularly, to one allow separate operation of angle adjustment and locking to improve locking safety.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
The seat back of a seat adapted to a fitness apparatus is usually can be adjusted for its inclination as desired by the individual user. A conventional seat back adjustment comprises a pressure bar disposed to the bottom of a cushion of the seat. The pressure bar is linked to the seat back. An adjusting handle is provided to control the pressurization and pressure release of the pressure bar so as to adjust the inclination of the seat back. Once the desired inclination is attained, the seat back is secured in position by turning the handle.
The prior art operates on the pressure bar to adjust the inclination of the seat back and the inclination is secured in position also by operating the pressure bar; that is, the adjustment and the positioning of the seat back is done by the same handle in the prior art. When the user is sitting on the seat of the fitness apparatus, he/she may touch the handle by accident to release the pressure bar and the seat back immediately goes for automatic adjustment; so that the user can be easily hurt by the seat back or having his/her muscle strained by sudden exertion of force.

Lockable pressure adjustment seat of a fitness apparatus


A unique athletic shoe sole that is constructed of two more separate pieces designed to release when a predetermined longitudinally directed force is applied. A releasable athletic shoe sole includes a detachable lower sole; a mechanical release mechanism constructed to release when a predetermined force is applied; and a longitudinal guiding element. The longitudinal guiding element allows the lower sole to detach specifically in a longitudinal direction. The longitudinal direction of release prevents knee ligament injuries, particularly ACL injuries.

Sports participation in the United States and the world has significantly increased over the past half decade. Recent U.S. Census data reflects these trends in athletics. According to census reports, in 1971 approximately 3.9 million high school students were involved in organized athletics. This compares to the 1998–1999 school year when approximately 6.5 million students participated in sports. These trends are also seen in organized collegiate sports participation, to say nothing of the dramatic increase within the general population of the number of people involved in recreational athletic activities.
In addition to the rise in athletic participation over the past thirty years, there has been a significant change in the demographics regarding who is involved in athletic activities. The implementation of Title IX legislation is largely responsible for this changing demographic. In particular, Title IX has been widely credited with the dramatic rise in female sports participation. With the increase in sports participation has come an increase in sports-related injuries.
Participation in sports, by definition, involves a risk of injury. The goal of sports medicine specialists is to define the injury patterns and mechanisms by which these injuries occur. As a greater fund of knowledge has accumulated regarding sports-related injuries, the aim of researchers and clinicians has shifted toward identifying what risk factors can be controlled in an effort to prevent injury.
Serious knee injuries, such as anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears have become commonplace at all levels of participation ranging from high school sports to professional athletes. It has been estimated that 80,000 ACL injuries occur annually in the United States. The vast majority of these injuries are sports related. Injury rates greater than 1 in every 3000 sports participants have been reported. An estimated $1 billion is spent annually to treat these injuries.
With the rapid rise of female athletics, has come very disturbing trends regarding the injury rates between male and female athletes. Studies have reported ACL injuries are 2 to 8 times more common in female athletes when compared to their male counterparts. In addition, approximately 70% of the catastrophic knee ligament injuries occurring in sports are non-contact in nature.
In order to understand the rationale behind preventing ACL injuries, it is first necessary to have a basic knowledge of the anatomy of the knee joint. The knee is typically described as a hinge-type joint. In reality the knee does not behave as a simple hinge. It has six degrees of freedom, including translation and rotational motions. As with all joints, the stability of the knee is determined by the complex interplay between the bony architecture, the static stabilizers and the dynamic stabilizer (i.e., muscles) around the joint.
The anatomy of the knee joint includes three bones—the distal femur (aka, thighbone), the proximal tibia (aka, shinbone) and the patella (aka, kneecap). The static stabilizers of the knee include four strong ligaments. They are responsible for tightly binding the femur and tibia together. These ligaments not only provide the static stability to the joint, but also the direction in which they run determines the plane of motion that the joint can move in. The four major knee ligaments are the following: (1) medial collateral ligament, (2) lateral collateral ligament, (3) posterior cruciate ligament and (4) anterior cruciate ligament.
The ACL attaches to both the femur and tibia. It is the primary restraint preventing anterior tibial translation (i.e., it prevents the tibia from sliding forward on the femur). It is a secondary restraint to internal rotation, varus-valgus angulation and knee hyperextension. In essence it allows athletes to perform decelerating, twisting and pivoting activities. When the ACL is torn athletes are left with a"trick" knee that may give out during such activities.
It is a well-recognized fact that the risk of injury is inherent in any athletic activity. While it was once a widely held belief that most knee ligament injuries in sports were the result of direct contact between players, research has convincingly shown that this is not the case. The majority of ACL injuries occurring in sports are not related to contact between participants. They are in fact non-contact injuries.
Much research has been directed at identifying as precisely as possible the risk factors for ACL injury in order to determine which risk factors are preventable. Risk factors associated with catastrophic knee injuries can be categorized into four main areas. These categories include the following: (1) environmental risks, (2) anatomic risks, (3) hormonal risks and (4) biomechanical risks. While there may be opportunity for risk reduction in all of these areas, simple changes in environmental factors may have profound influence over the risk of ACL injuries. Environmental risk factors associated with knee injury encompass such areas as equipment, braces, and the interaction between the playing surface and the athletic shoe.
Since the mid-1970's it has been known that there is a direct correlation between knee injuries and friction between the athlete and the athletic surface. A study examining the incidence of knee injuries in football players showed that as the friction between the playing shoe and the playing surface increased there was an increase in knee injuries. This finding was not unique to football injuries, it has been shown with injuries in tennis as well. A study in 2002 of ACL injuries in military recruits during obstacle coarse training also proved the role of increased friction at the sole-surface interface as being directly related to the risk of ACL injuries.
At its most basic level, the ultimate mechanism that causes a ligament injury is that the load applied to the ligament is larger than the ligament's capacity to sustain it. Review of videotape of athletes suffering actual non-contact ACL tears reveals that most frequently these injuries occur when the athlete is decelerating, changing direction or landing from a jump. Analysis further shows that the player usually has landed "awkwardly" with their foot flat and the center of gravity of the body behind the center of the knee.
Laboratory data combined with videotape of athletes suffering tears of their ACLs explain why these injuries occur during cutting, decelerating and landing activities. It has been shown that when landing from a jump the angle of the athletes knee at impact is on average 22 degrees. Studies have documented that the anterior shear force across the knee created by a quadriceps contraction is the greatest when the knee is flexed between 0–30 degrees. Furthermore, the muscle firing data confirms that as an athlete lands from a jump the quadriceps muscle is maximally firing which places a maximal anterior shear force across the knee. Add to this the fact that at the same time the quadriceps is drawing the tibia forward the hamstrings are only minimally active to counter activate this strong forward pull. This combination of marked quadriceps activity and minimal hamstring activity places the ACL under significant tension and increases the risk of ligament rupture.
It has also been documented in gait lab analysis that the body's corrective action in an attempt to regain balance and control when landing "awkwardly" is to maximally contract the quadriceps muscle. The reason that a strong quadriceps contraction can provide an anterior shear force on the ACL of sufficient magnitude to rupture the ligament is that the foot is fixed to the playing surface. If the foot is not fixed to the playing surface, then when the quadriceps contracts the muscle simply extends the knee and no anterior shear force is created in the knee. Therefore, by controlling the shoe-surface interface, we can eliminate the anterior shear and in doing so we can help prevent non-contact ACL injuries.
Various break-away shoes have been designed in efforts to reduce the incidence of injuries in athletes. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,668,792 to York describes an athletic safety shoe having an upper sole mounted on the body of a shoe and a lower breakaway safety sole having traction means on the underside thereof which is releasably attached to the upper sole by a breakaway safety mechanism. The safety sole has a generally transversely extending grooved track configured to slideably receive a generally transverse rib. The breakaway sole is designed to prevent longitudinal (anterior-posterior) movement between the upper and lower soles and to allow transverse (medial-lateral) movement between the upper and lower soles when a threshold transverse shearing force is applied therebetween.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,617,653 to Walker et al. (hereinafter "Walker et al.") describes a cleat assembly for athletic shoes which includes a base assembly and a cleat which is releasably coupled to the base assembly. The cleat is designed to release from the base assembly in response to a predetermined force extending substantially lateral to the longitudinal axis of the shoe. The cleat described in Walker et al. allows for a release in a transverse (medial-lateral) direction.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,867,923 to Lehneis discloses an orthotic shoe 10, having an insole 14 and an outsole 16 that are mounted to a pivot 18 to allow relative rotation therebetween about an axis perpendicular to the sole.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,224,810 to Pitkin discloses an athletic shoe designed to provide a safe orientation of the foot during an immediate stop in the medial lateral direction. The shoe sole has an upper sole member 3 and a lower sole member 4 which are elastically connected by a resilient member 5 along the lateral and medial edges of the shoe. The elastically connected sole members allow motion therebetween during rapid stopping in the medial direction.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,982,336 to Herrog discloses an athletic shoe with a breakaway sole. The shoe has grooves 26, 28 and 30 and projections 32, 34 and 36 to allow the lower sole 16 to be released from the upper sole 14 when a lateral force is applied across the shoe 12 which would be incurred when an injurious or harmful force is applied to the leg of an athlete.
These and other previously known safety shoe designs were neither designed nor intended to release in a longitudinal direction. As such, there is a need for a shoe sole design that helps to prevent ACL injuries by ensuring that the anterior shear force at the knee does not exceed the tensile strength of the ligament.


A display is disclosed for reducing a vertical moire phenomenon of the display with a simple circuit and without causing noises on an image plane. The display comprises a moire cancelling amplifier for flowing a vertical moire cancellation current at a frequency of 1/n of a vertical deflection frequency to a vertical deflection coil of the display, a frequency divider for generating the frequency of 1/n of the vertical deflection frequency, a vertical oscillator, and a vertical output circuit.

The present invention relates to a raster scan type display using a cathod ray tube(CRT).
With the growing popularity of a computer, various numbers of display dots have been used and deflection frequencies of a display have also become various. Then, a multi-scanning display which can display signals of the various deflection frequencies by a single apparatus is becoming popular.
In the multi-scanning display, however, since there are various numbers of scanning lines, it is difficult to select a vertical pitch of a shadow mask so that no moire phenomenon occurs. Consequently, various techniques of moire cancellation have been proposed.
As conventional techniques regarding the display of this kind in which the moire phenomenon is cancelled, there are Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication Nos. HEI 5-236290(1993), HEI 5-236291(1993), and the like.
In the conventional display, a series circuit of a resistor and a switch is connected in parallel to an S-shaped capacitor in a vertical deflection circuit. By opening and closing the switch at half-frequency of the vertical deflection frequency, a DC current is superposed to a vertical deflection current and a display position is oscillated. As a result, the moire phenomenon is reduced. However, No consideration has been given to noises on an image plane which are caused by the use of the switch in the prior art.

Raster scan display for reducing vertical moire phenomenon


A door structure of a motor vehicle has an inner panel and an outer panel. The door structure includes an impact load absorber member, provided at an outer panel side of the door, for absorbing and reducing a side collision impact load acting on a passenger by contact with the passenger. An opening is provided in the inner panel for allowing at least one portion of the impact load absorber member to enter. An passenger is compartment of the vehicle during a side collision. A supporting device is provided in the door for supporting the impact load absorber member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a door structure of a motor vehicle and, in particular to a door structure of a motor vehicle which includes an impact load absorber member for absorbing impact load during a side collision.
2. Description of Related Art
There is known a conventional motor vehicle which is provided with a door structure including an outer panel and an inner panel. The door includes an impact bar for absorbing an impact load during a side collision into the door. The impact bar absorbs the impact load from the side collision by deformation and movement thereof toward the inner panel. The impact bar extends within the door in front/rear direction of a vehicle body and is located near the outer panel in order to avoid contact with a vertically movable door window glass provided in the door. The conventional vehicle further includes an impact load absorber disposed inward, i.e. on the passenger compartment side, of the part of the inner panel opposite the impact bar. The impact load absorber is for absorbing impact load acting on the passengers from the side. Such a conventional vehicle including the impact load absorber is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 53-147323.
However, since the impact load absorber is provided in the passenger compartment in the above-mentioned conventional vehicle, it reduces the size of the passenger compartment and makes it less comfortable.


A quick coupling apparatus for coupling a tool to a tool arm comprises a coupler member attached to the tool arm, and configured to engage a mounting bracket extending out from the tool. A wedge is mounted on the coupler member and is movable, when the coupler member and mounting bracket are engaged, from a closed position engaged in a groove on the mounting bracket to an open position where the wedge is removed from the groove. A wedge positioning mechanism selectively moves the wedge to the closed position and the open position. When the wedge moves into the groove and into the closed position, a remotely operated latch control moves a safety latch from an unlatched position to a latched position to prevent the wedge from moving toward the open position. The wedge positioning mechanism can be configured to utilize a single or double acting actuator.

In many types of machines different tools are coupled to and then uncoupled from the machine to accomplish different tasks. For example, a hoe excavator with a hoe arm may have a variety of buckets of various widths and shapes that are suitable for particular different tasks. Depending on the task, the desired bucket is coupled to the end of the hoe arm of the excavator, and when that task is finished the bucket will be uncoupled and a different bucket will be coupled to the arm to accomplish the next task. In addition to various buckets, other tools such as pneumatic hammers, post hole augers, and the like are often attached to the excavator arm to increase the variety of tasks that the machine may accomplish.
Changing the bucket can be time consuming and so various quick coupling mechanisms have been developed to reduce the time and effort required to couple various tools to the excavator arm. Often these tools are maneuvered in holes or like confined areas where people are working, and so it is necessary for such quick coupling mechanisms to secure the tool such that the tool cannot fall off accidentally, and further must secure the tool tightly to the end of the excavator arm such that undesirable loose movement of the tool with respect to the excavator arm is prevented and control is maintained.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,487,800 to Evans et al. discloses a quick coupler with a coupling bar that is moved by rotating threaded bolts to a closed and coupled position to secure the engagement of the end of an excavator arm to a tool, such as a bucket. U.S. Pat. No. 6,123,501 to Pisco and U.S. Pat. No. 4,214,840 to Beales also disclose quick coupler mechanisms.
Weldco-Beales Mfg. of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada uses a double acting hydraulic cylinder to move a wedge shaped coupling bar between open and closed positions. The operator must also leave the operator position and manually install a safety pin in order to ensure that the wedge is maintained in the closed position.

Quick coupling mechanism for tool attachment