According to the present invention, an electronic commerce method and system for referencing remote merchant sites at a local commerce site is provided. The local commerce site may also be a remote merchant integration server (RMIS). The remote commerce site may also be a remote merchant site. The remote merchant site may be a website of a merchant. In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the electronic commerce method and system for referencing remote merchant sites at a local commerce site includes the following: session managing a client request from a user client and a cookie stripped merchant response, where the session managing includes generating a processed remote merchant integration server (RMIS) response related to a merchant cookie and to the cookie stripped merchant response; traffic relaying the client request and a content transformed merchant response, where the traffic relaying includes generating a processed client request related to the client request, removing the merchant cookie from the content transformed merchant response, and generating the cookie stripped merchant response related to the content transformed merchant response; service integrating the processed client request; and content transforming a merchant response from the remote merchant site, where the content transforming includes generating the content transformed merchant response related to the merchant response.

The present invention relates generally to a distributed network of hyperlinked documents. More particularly, the present invention relates to an electronic commerce system and method for referencing remote merchant sites or remote commerce sites at a local commerce site, and may be implemented on a distributed network of hyperlinked documents.
One type of distributed network on which the present invention may be implemented is the Internet. The Internet is an international internetwork of networks connecting millions of individual computer networks and computers. The Internet includes computer networks and computers interconnected to one another. Among these computers are client computers (hereinafter xe2x80x9cclientxe2x80x9d) and server computers (hereinafter xe2x80x9cserverxe2x80x9d). In the Internet, typically, a client may submit a client request to a server. A client also may submit data to a server. In response to this client request or data from the client, the server transmits data or a server response to the client. Clients and servers typically communicate over a TCP/IP (Transport Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) link using HTTP (HyperText Transport Protocol) messages, such as client requests and server responses. Other protocols besides TCP/IP and HTTP can be used instead for communications between servers and clients.
An HTTP message typically includes a header and a body. The header of an HTTP message typically includes control information of the HTTP message. The control information typically includes a data length entry of the header to correspond with the length of the data of the client request. The control information typically includes a protocol version of the HTTP message. One protocol version of HTTP messages is version 1.1. Another protocol version of HTTP messages is version 1.0.
The body of an HTTP message typically includes data of the HTTP message. The data transmitted from a server to a client may include a page or pages of text and information, such as graphic, video, or sounds, and/or references to pages which include such data. The pages may be written in a standard format, such as HyperText Markup Language (HTML). A website typically is a server which stores and transmits such pages to clients.
A server typically does not keep track of clients between client requests for pages or data directed to the server. The message protocol typically does not keep track of a client""s client requests. However, a server can pass an identification code to the client in response to one client request from the client, and, subsequently, can retrieve this identification code from the client in a subsequent client request to that server from that client. One way in which a server can do this is via cookies. The control information of an HTTP message may be made to include a cookie in the client request.
A cookie in a client-server network is a general mechanism which a server (typically via CGI scripts) can use to store and retrieve information on the client side of the connection in a client-server network. A cookie can be a small piece of information sent by a server or a site to store on a client so it can later be read back from that client. This is useful for having the client remember some specific information. Cookies may be used to store a consumer""s password and consumer ID for a particular server or site. They may also be used to store preferences of start pages. Both the Microsoft web browser or client and the Netscape browser or client use cookies to create personal start pages.
With the increasing use of the Internet, many services have been developed to provide consumers (potential purchasers) with the ability to shop online to purchase products and services as well as to comparison shop. A merchant, using the Internet, may have a website, through which the merchant may advertise and/or sell his products to consumers. A merchant""s website may also be called a remote commerce site. A merchant may join a group of merchants who also have websites, form a virtual shopping mall or a local commerce site with these merchants, and provide information about and/or sell its products to consumers. The virtual shopping mall to which such a merchant belongs to may also be called a local commerce site. The virtual shopping mall or local commerce site would be a website which would allow a consumer to obtain information about and/or purchase products from various merchants all through one website, the virtual shopping mall or local commerce site.
Previous virtual shopping malls or local commerce sites have posed numerous problems for such merchants. For example, a merchant participating in a virtual shopping mall or local commerce site typically had to establish and had to maintain two separate websites: (1) one website, the merchant""s xe2x80x9cmall website,xe2x80x9d for consumers who were shopping for the merchant""s goods through the virtual shopping mall or local commerce site and (2) another website, the merchant""s xe2x80x9cdirect website,xe2x80x9d for consumers who were shopping for the merchant""s goods not through the virtual shopping mall or local commerce site, but rather directly through the merchant""s own website. Also, in previous virtual shopping malls or local commerce sites, a consumer attempting to obtain information about and/or purchase a merchant""s products through a virtual shopping mall was typically unable to access on-line shopping services from the merchant""s mall website in the quality and form that were very close to those directly accessible from the merchant""s direct website. For example, the consumer was typically unable to obtain real-time up-to-date price and inventory information from the merchant""s mall website, as opposed to the merchant""s direct website. In addition, in previous virtual shopping malls or local commerce sites, a consumer typically had to interact with a merchant""s mall website through an unintegrated and non-uniform interface. Also, in previous virtual shopping malls or local commerce sites, a consumer was typically unable to make use of value-added services offered by the virtual shopping mall or local commerce site, such as a shopping list, a gift registry, or a gift certificate that was redeemable at all the merchant websites participating in the virtual shopping mall.
For the foregoing reasons, it is seen that a technique for referencing remote commerce sites at a local commerce site is highly desirable.
According to the present invention, an electronic commerce method and system for referencing remote merchant sites at a local commerce site is provided. In an exemplary embodiment, the present invention provides a method for referencing remote commerce sites at a local commerce site. The local commerce site may also be a remote merchant integration server (RMIS). The remote commerce site may also be a remote merchant site. The remote merchant site may be a website of a merchant. The method can be implemented on an individual computer or a network of computers. The network of computers can be a local area network, a wide area network, an intranet, an extranet, an internet, or the Internet. Merely by way of example, the invention is illustrated using the Internet, but it is recognized that the invention can also be applied to personal computers, a local area network, a wide area network, an intranet, an extranet, and an internet.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the electronic commerce method and system for referencing remote merchant sites at a local commerce site includes the following: session managing a client request from a user client and a cookie stripped merchant response, where the session managing includes generating a processed remote merchant integration server (RMIS) response related to a merchant cookie and to the cookie stripped merchant response; traffic relaying the client request and a content transformed merchant response, where the traffic relaying includes generating a processed client request related to the client request, removing the merchant cookie from the content transformed merchant response, and generating the cookie stripped merchant response related to the content transformed merchant response; service integrating the processed client request; and content transforming a merchant response from the remote merchant site, where the content transforming includes generating the content transformed merchant response related to the merchant response.
In a specific embodiment, the session managing includes the following: receiving the client request directed to the remote merchant site from the user client; identifying from the client request if the user client is a first-time visitor to the local commerce site; setting a client cookie for the user client if the user client is a first-time visitor to the local commerce site, where the client cookie includes a unique identification code identifying the user client to the local commerce site; and retrieving from a cookie database a retrieved cookie associated with the user client and the remote merchant site, if the user client is not a first-time visitor to the local commerce site.
In a specific embodiment, the traffic relaying includes generating the processed client request related to the client request and sending the processed client request to the remote merchant site if the processed client request meets certain criteria. In a specific embodiment, the service integrating includes intercepting the processed client request if the processed client request meets certain criteria and performing a function corresponding to and in place of the processed client request if the processed client request meets certain criteria.
In a specific embodiment, the content transforming includes receiving the merchant response to the processed client request from the remote merchant site and transforming a reference in the merchant response, where the transforming includes generating the content transformed merchant response. In a specific embodiment, the content transforming includes receiving the merchant response to the processed client request from the remote merchant site and updating the merchant response, where the updating includes generating the content transformed merchant response.
In a specific embodiment, the traffic relaying includes removing the merchant cookie from the content transformed merchant response, where the removing includes generating the cookie stripped merchant response.
In a specific embodiment, the session managing includes the following: storing the merchant cookie in a cookie database in a storage location related to the remote merchant site and to the user client, where the merchant cookie corresponds to the remote merchant site and to the user client; converting the cookie stripped merchant response into the processed RMIS response; and transmitting the processed RMIS response to the user client.
Depending upon the embodiment, one or more of these advantages may be present. These and other advantages are described throughout the present specification and more particularly below. The invention will be better understood by reference to the following detailed description in connection with the following drawings.

Electronic commerce system for referencing remote commerce sites at a local commerce site


An output circuit having an output transistor which switches a load current is disclosed. The output circuit includes a load current detecting block which detects a current level of the load current, and a slew rate adjustment block which adjusts a slew rate during a turn-off transition of the output transistor in response to a result of the detection by the load current detecting block.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an output circuit, specifically, an output circuit having slew rate adjustment circuits.
2. Description of Related Art
Output circuits generally have a power MOS transistor, and control the switching of the power source to the load. In the output circuits, a sudden transition of the switching element causes the voltage variation due to the inductance components on the line or the like. Accordingly, the output circuits usually have a slew rate adjustment circuit which adjusts the slew rates during the turn-on and turn-off transitions. The slew rate is defined as the speed of the voltage variation during the transition in the switching element. For example, the slew rate during the turn-off transition is set relatively low so that the excessive high switching speed would not degrade the stability of the circuit operation.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. H11-346147 discloses an output circuit which has a slew rate adjustment circuit. FIG. 3 shows the arrangement of the output circuit described in the reference above. At the time when an input pulse signal Vi ramps up to High level from Low level, the P-channel transistor Q21 is turned on. This allows the gate terminal of the output transistor (hereafter referred to as output MOS) 21 to be charged by the constant current source CS21. The gate voltage of the output MOS21 rises and then the output MOS21 is turned on. The rise speed of the voltage is determined by the current value of the constant current source CS21. That is, in the output circuit 20, the slew rate during the turn-on transition is set according to the current value of the constant current source CS21.
On the other hand, at the time when the input pulse signal Vi ramps down to Low level from High level, the N-channel transistor Q22 is turned on. This allows the constant current source CS22 to discharge the electrical charge having been accumulated at the output MOS21. The gate voltage of the output MOS21 falls and then the output MOS21 is turned off. The fall speed of the voltage is determined by the current value of the constant current source CS22. That is, in the output circuit 20, the slew rate during the turn-off transition is set according to the current value of the constant current source CS22.
By the way, the output circuits usually have a protection circuit which avoids the persistent excessive current on the output MOS21. When such a protection circuit detects the excessive current state, the input pulse signal Vi is forced to drop to Low level and the output MOS21 is turned off. When an excessive current occurs at the output MOS21, the output MOS21 is under the stress corresponding to the energy that would be generated during the time between the beginning of the occurrence of the excessive current and the completion of the turn-off of the output MOS21. In this case, if the slew rate during the turn-off transition is low enough not to degrade the stability of the circuit operation, the forward safe operation area (SOA) of the output MOS21 may be exceeded, which causes a danger of the destruction of the output MOS21.
In the circuit 20, also when the output MOS21 is forced to be turned off by the protection circuit, the MOS21 is turned off at a slew rate for the turn-off transition which is determined based on the current value of the second constant current source CS22. In view of the protection for the output MOS21, a higher slew rate during the turn-off transition is preferable. But, as described above, so high a slow rate causes the problem of degradation in the stability of the circuit operation when the rated current is passed through the output MOS21. In other words, in the conventional output circuit 20, there is a tradeoff between ensuring the protection of the output MOS21 and improving the stability of the circuit operation. Thus, the effective protection of the output MOS21 and the adequate improvement of the stability of the circuit operation have not been compatible.


A SAW filter includes a piezoelectric substrate of Lithium Niobate or optionally Lithium Tantalate having a thickness of at least twice an acoustic wavelength. The piezoelectric substrate is bonded to a surrogate substrate of a silicon material. The surrogate substrate is characterized by a resisitivity of at least 100 ohm-cm and an expansion coefficient compatible with the piezoelectric substrate. A catalytic bonding film between the piezoelectric substrate and the surrogate substrate is formed from a first catalytic bonding film deposited onto a surface of the piezoelectric substrate and a second catalytic bonding film deposited onto a surface of the surrogate substrate. The piezoelectric substrate is bonded to the surrogate substrate through a compression force sufficient for providing a bonding at a normal temperature.

Surface acoustic wave devices are commonly used in wireless communications for meeting system-filtering requirements. Generally, surface acoustic wave (SAW) filters are manufactured by forming interdigital transducers on piezoelectric substrates such as Lithium Niobate, Lithium Tantalate, Quartz, or the like. Lithium Niobate and Lithium Tantalate have strong electromechanical coupling but generally suffer from high temperature drift, whereas Quartz has stable temperature characteristics but poor electromechanical coupling. For example, a 64° Y-cut, X-propagation Lithium Niobate typically exhibits 70–75 ppm/° C. of temperature drift and has a strong coupling of approximately 11%, while a 46° Y-cut in Lithium Tantalate has a temperature coefficient in the range of 40–60 ppm/° C. and coupling of about 9%. Quartz basically exhibits a zero linear temperature coefficient, but it has a very weak coupling coefficient of 0.15%. For RF SAW filters in wireless phone applications, by way of example, a strong coupling is a desirable substrate characteristic that results in a lower insertion loss and facilitates a filter design having a wider fractional bandwidth. As a result, Lithium Tantalate and Lithium Niobate are generally used in the manufacture of RF SAW filters. However, the relatively high temperature drift associated with these substrates typically precludes their use in SAW devices for certain applications that require a very high close-in rejection. As a result, SAW designers are constantly searching for ways to provide a SAW device on a substrate that can provide both strong electromechanical coupling and good temperature characteristics. A substrate with a combination of strong coupling and temperature stability will allow SAW designers to enhance the flexibility of their SAW device designs and extend SAW filter applications for the wireless phone handset, personal communications service, and PCS duplexer, by way of example, which have a very high close-in rejection requirements. Typically, PCS duplexers have been implemented using ceramic filter technology. While SAW filters are significantly smaller than comparable ceramic filters, the temperature drift of SAW devices on high coupling substrates such as Lithium Tantalate and Lithium Niobate make them undesirable for PCS duplexer application. Duplexers are dual band filters, typically connected directly after the antenna, providing the communications system with simultaneous filtering within the receive path and the transmit signal path. By being so very close to the antenna, key requirements for a PCS SAW duplexer are its power handling capability and low insertion loss along with steep skirt selectivity. Additionally, while Lithium Tantalate has a lower temperature coefficient as compared to Lithium Niobate, it is more pyro-sensitive. The pyroelectric effect is a phenomenon in which an electric field is built up due to a thermal change across the crystalline substrate. If not properly controlled, the pyroelectric effect may cause damage to the SAW device during the manufacturing process, thus reducing yield and reliability of the device.
In view of the aforementioned, numerous techniques have been proposed to improve the temperature characteristics of SAW filters fabricated on high coupling Lithium Niobate and Lithium Tantalate. By way of example, K. Yamanouchi et al. "SAW Properties of SiO2/128° Y-X LiNbO3 Structure Fabricated by Magnetron Sputtering Technique", IEEE Transactions on Sonics and Ultrasonics, vol. SU-31, No. 1, January 1984) have reported on the deposition of silicon dioxide film on top of the piezoelectric substrate of a 128° LiNbO and 36° YXLiTaO3 to improve the temperature characteristics of the SAW device. Yamanouchi showed that a SiO2 film thickness of 0.25 times the wavelength on a 128° LiNbO3 substrate could reduce its temperature coefficient to approximately zero. Parker et al. ("Stability of SAW Controlled Oscillators", IEEE 1975 Ultrasonics Symposium Proceedings) demonstrated that the temperature coefficient of the SAW device on YZ LiTaO3 can be reduced to about zero when a layer of silicon dioxide with film thickness of approximately half that of the SAW wavelength is deposited on the substrate. However, these methods suffer from a major drawback in which the SAW properties depend upon the thickness of the SiO2 film. So while it is possible to demonstrate extremely good temperature performance, the SAW device is highly dispersive and thus prohibits the use of these techniques in production. Nakamura ("Effect of a Ferroelectric Inversion Layer on the Temperature Characteristics of SH-Type Surface Acoustic Waves on 36° Y-X LiTaO3 Substrates) discloses the formation of a polarized inversion layer on the surface of the 36° YX LiTaO3to effectively change the elastic stiffness constants of the substrate thereby improving its temperature coefficient of delay. Taguchi et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,998,907) discloses a number of SAW composite structures combining the large thermal expansion of Lithium Tantalate and Lithium Niobate with that of a low thermal expansion substrate such as glass or silicon to achieve improved temperature characteristics of the composite device. In one embodiment, a 36° LiTaO3 substrate is bonded directly to a low expansion coefficient glass substrate. In yet another embodiment, a composite structure that comprises a thin film insulation layer of silicon dioxide of 1000-Angstrom is deposited on surrogate substrate of Si 36° LiTaO3 is then bonded to the substrate. This structure as disclosed by Taguchi has a major drawback in the performance of the filter passband characteristics. Since the thickness of the silicon dioxide is so very thin, there exists a direct capacitance coupling between the electrode pattern on the surface of the piezoelectric substrate with that of the Si layer, thus degrading the performance of the filter significantly. Thus, while the structure may provide better temperature characteristics, it suffers with a significant degradation in filter passband performance. This would result in higher insertion loss and a narrowing of the passband that renders them unsuitable for mobile applications.

Method of forming a surface acoustic wave (SAW) filter device


A kit for use in attaching and securing workpieces comprising hubless brake drums and rotors of various sizes on a lathe includes an arbor mount comprising a substantially cylindrical tube portion with an enlarged terminal member at one end. The arbor mount has a central bore adapted to receptive the shaft of the lathe. The kit also includes a pair of backing plates which can acommodate various sized workpieces. Each plate has a central hole with a diameter of sufficient size so that the tube portion of the arbor mount may pass therethrough. The first side of each plate is adapted to receive the terminal member of the arbor mount, and each plate is adapted to be positioned over the tube portion of the arbor mount with the terminal member behind a workpiece. The kit also includes a pair of centering cones which can accommodate various sized workpieces. Each of the cones has a central bore which is adapted to receive the tube portion of the arbor mount in sliding engagement therewith, and to be positioned over the tube portion of the arbor mount with the smaller end of the cone preceding its larger end and secured against the end wall of a workpiece. The kit also includes a compression cup for use with one of the plates and one of the cones. This cup has a base portion and a sidewall, and the base portion has a central hole that is adapted to receive the tube portion of the arbor mount. The sidewall terminates in a peripheral edge that is located so as to correspond with the periphery of one of the plates. The cup is adapted to be positioned and secured over the arbor mount so that compressive forces may be applied to the end wall of a workpiece between the peripheral edge of the sidewall of the cup and the periphery of the plate. A nut is used to secure a cone or the cup on the tube portion of the arbor mount.

Generally, a vehicular brake is a mechanical device for retarding the motion of the vehicle by means of friction. These brakes use friction between brake surfaces that turn with the wheels and friction pads that are stationary with respect to the turning wheels to convert the kinetic energy of the moving vehicle into heat. There are tremendous forces involved in braking a vehicle, and these forces can result in the generation of considerable heat during braking, as well as the wear of the friction surfaces and pads of the brakes. Wear may be accelerated by, among other things, dirt or dust that may infiltrate the brake assembly and migrate to locations between the pads and the friction surfaces. In addition, because the friction pads in use today are no longer made with asbestos, a superior heat-dissipating material, accelerated wear due to the effects of high heat generation is more common than in the past.
Vehicles are generally equipped with drum-type or disc-type brakes. Most vehicles in use today are provided with disc-type brakes on at least the front wheels, and sometimes on all four wheels. Drum-type brakes were more commonly used in the past than they are today, but they are still utilized on the rear wheels of a significant number of vehicles.
Disc-type brakes operate by forcing friction pads (brake linings) against both sides of a rotating disc-shaped rotor. This rotor turns with the wheel of the vehicle and within a stationary housing called the caliper assembly. When the brakes are applied, hydraulic fluid causes pistons in the caliper assembly to push the friction pads against the rotating disc-shaped rotor, thereby retarding the motion of the vehicle.
The rotor is generally comprised of a pair of annular metal discs joined together by a plurality of spacers that are arranged so as to maximize the heat-dissipating area of the annular discs. The annular discs are supported by a central end wall which is disposed generally parallel to the discs. This end wall, which is typically joined to the discs by a short connecting sidewall, generally has a central hole to accommodate the spindle on which the associated wheel is mounted, and a plurality of bolt holes to accommodate the lug bolts or studs that are used to mount the wheel to the vehicle. Early rotors of disc-type brake systems were provided with a hub or raised collar around the central hole in the end wall. More recently, however, hubless rotors have been used, which are characterized by a substantially flat end wall. Many hubless rotors are of a unitary construction, wherein the end wall, adjacent sidewall and one of the annular discs are formed from a single piece of metal. Other hubless rotors are of a composite construction, wherein the end wall and adjacent sidewall are formed from a separate, usually considerably thinner, piece of metal from those which form the annular discs.
Drum-type brakes include a metal brake drum which rotates with the wheel. The drum has an internal cylindrical friction surface against which brake shoes, equipped with friction pads (brake linings), having arcuate external surfaces that correspond to the internal surface of the drum, are pushed by the action of a piston.
A brake drum is comprised of an end wall, around which is disposed a depending sidewall, the internal surface of which serves as the friction surface. This end wall generally has a central hole to accommodate the spindle on which the associated wheel is mounted, and a plurality of bolt holes to accommodate the lug bolts or studs that are used to mount the wheel to the vehicle. Early brake drums were provided with a hub or raised collar around the central hole in the end wall. More recently, however, hubless drums have been used, which are characterized by a substantially flat end wall. Some hubless drums, like rotors, are of a unitary construction, wherein the end wall and the adjacent sidewall are formed from a single piece of metal. Most hubless drums, however, are of a composite construction, wherein the end wall is formed from a separate, usually considerably thinner, piece of metal from that which forms the adjacent sidewall.
Brake drums and rotors can vary considerably in size, depending primarily on the size and weight of the vehicle that they must stop. The center hole sizes in the end walls of the drums and rotors can also vary in size, to accommodate spindles of various sizes. Typically, the larger and heavier the vehicle, the larger the drum or rotor and spindle, and the larger the center hole in the end wall of the drum or rotor. In recent years, so-called "super-duty" braking systems have been developed for busses and large trucks. The drums and rotors of such super-duty systems are correspondingly larger and heavier than the drums and rotors of passenger cars and light trucks, and they are generally of unitary construction. Although the outside diameter of hubless brake drums and rotors can vary across a considerable range, such workpieces will typically have end wall center hole diameters that vary within a range of about 2.50 inches to about 5.75 inches.
Wear, misuse or improper maintenance of brake drums and rotors can lead to damage, such as warping or the development of grooves or scoring in the friction surfaces. Such surface damage will reduce the effectiveness of the brakes by reducing the areas of such surfaces that are placed into contact with the friction pads to slow the vehicle. Warping, grooves and scoring in worn brake discs and drums may generally be removed, however, if not too deep or extensive, to restore full function to the brakes. Since rotors and drums have a significant value, refacing of the friction surfaces is economically preferably to replacement, if it can be accomplished at a reasonable cost.
A brake rotor or drum is generally removed from the vehicle and mounted on a lathe to machine or reface its friction surface or surfaces. Typically, a lathe for machining brake drums and rotors is equipped with a rotating shaft, sometimes referred to as a spindle or an arbor, on which the workpiece may be mounted, and a slide assembly on which a cutting or grinding tool may be mounted. Generally, the shaft has a threaded portion at its outer end, which shaft is insertable through the central hole in the end wall of a brake drum or rotor in order to facilitate mounting of such workpiece thereon. As the workpiece is turned on the shaft, the cutting or grinding tool is advanced, either automatically or manually, into engagement with the workpiece to trim or shave metal therefrom until the desired dimension and surface finish are obtained.
It is essential that the workpiece be mounted in a secure fashion on the lathe so that the end wall of the workpiece may be maintained in a position substantially perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the shaft while the workpiece is being machined. This will insure that the friction surface or surfaces of the workpiece will be maintained in an unvarying position relative to the cutting or grinding tool as the workpiece is rotated on the shaft, so that machining of the friction surface or surfaces may produce a smooth finish. However, since brake drums and rotors are provided in a variety of sizes to fit a variety of cars and other vehicles, the end walls of such workpieces may vary in diameter and thickness, and the central hole therein may also vary in diameter. Therefore, it is also desirable that the lathe mounting system for such workpieces possess some flexibility or adaptability to permit the mounting of workpieces having different physical configurations. Unfortunately, however, existing mounting systems have generally failed to combine security in mounting with adaptability to permit the mounting of workpieces of different types and configurations. Most of the mounting systems that permit the mounting of differently sized workpieces achieve this adaptability through a use of many components, each of which is adapted for a particular drum or rotor configuration. Such systems, requiring a large number of components in order to accommodate various configurations, are frequently too expensive for the small brake shop operator to justify.
It has been common practice to mount a workpiece on a lathe by securing it between or against one or more cones. The use of cones offers some flexibility in dealing with various center hole configurations, and it also permits the workpiece to be readily centered with respect to the central hole in its end wall. A workpiece having a hub around its central hole is typically mounted between two cones, each having a cylindrical bore therethrough, that are slidably mounted on the shaft of the lathe with the smaller ends thereof facing together and protruding into opposite sides of the hub. A hubless drum or rotor is frequently mounted using a single such cone that is employed in combination with other components. Typically, the cone is placed on the shaft with its smaller end facing the workpiece, and this smaller end of the cone is inserted into the central hole of the workpiece. A backing component may also be employed on the side of the workpiece opposite the cone, so that the workpiece will be held between the cone and the backing component. Thus, the cone and its backing component cooperate with the central hole in the end wall of the workpiece to align and hold the workpiece on the lathe.
An example of such a mounting system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,708,041 of Granger. The system of Granger employs a cone having a cylindrical bore therethrough, which cone is adapted to slide over a cylindrical tubular component having an enlarged cylindrical termination at one end thereof. This component, which Granger refers to as a roto-hub, also has a hollow cylindrical recess having a square cross-section within its termination at the junction of the cylindrical termination and the tubular portion. The roto-hub is mounted on the shaft of a lathe, and the drum or rotor to be machined is placed thereover. The cone, which has a small end and a large end, is then slid over the cylindrical tubular portion of the roto-hub so that its small end is received within the cylindrical recess in the cylindrical termination. However, the workpiece is secured on the shaft only by friction between the inside surface of the cone and the outside surface of the tubular portion of the roto-hub.
A similar mounting system to that of Granger, but one that is specifically designed for use in connection with hubless drums and unitary hubless rotors, is manufactured and sold by RELS Manufacturing Company of Rockford, Minn. This system is designed to fit over the arbor or shaft of a lathe. It includes a center locator comprising a substantially cylindrical tube portion having an enlarged cylindrical terminal member at one end. The center locator has a central bore that is adapted to receive the shaft in sliding engagement therewith, and the axis of the central bore is substantially coincident with the axis of the tube portion of the center locator. The tube portion has an outside diameter that is smaller than the diameter of the central hole in the end wall of the drum or rotor, and the terminal member of the locator is larger than said central hole. The system also includes a cone having a large base end and a smaller opposite end and a central bore therethrough such that the axis of the central bore is substantially coincident with the axis of the cone, said bore being adapted to receive the tube portion of the center locator in sliding engagement therewith. The cone has a diameter at its base end that is larger than the diameter of the central hole in the end wall of the drum or rotor. The terminal member also has a beveled surface extending radially outwardly from its junction with the cylindrical tube portion of the center locator. This beveled surface is disposed at an angle similar to that of the conical surface of the cone, so that the workpiece may be positioned over the center locator and the cone may be positioned over the tube portion of the center locator, with its smaller end preceding its base end and protruding through the central hole in the end wall of the workpiece to engagement with the beveled surface of the terminal member. A spacer may be placed over the cylindrical tube portion of the center locator, if necessary, and a nut is threaded over external threads on the outer end of the locator to hold the assembly in place. Similar or identical systems are made and sold by several manufacturers besides RELS, but for simplicity, a system of this type will be referred to herein as the RELS system. One advantage of the RELS system over the system of Granger is the fact that the nut of the RELS system more securely holds the cone in place against the end wall of the workpiece than does the frictional engagement between the cone and the roto-hub of Granger.
The use of a cone and an associated backing member such as is employed by the Granger system or the RELS system for hubless drums and rotors may not prevent vibration of the workpiece as it is machined, because in such a system, all of the force that is applied to hold the workpiece securely is applied in the vicinity of the central hole. When the cutting or grinding tool is applied to the friction surface or surfaces of a workpiece held by such a system, the forces applied by the tool in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation at a point some distance away from the central hole may be sufficient to cause deflection or vibration in the workpiece. This deflection or vibration will be more pronounced in workpieces of composite construction, having thinner end walls than workpieces of unitary construction, and in fact such composite workpieces may be distorted or deformed under the influence of such forces. In addition, deflection or vibration in the workpiece, sometimes referred to as "chattering", precludes obtaining a smooth finish on the friction surface or surfaces. Consequently, it has sometimes been considered advantageous to provide an additional stabilizing force on the end wall of the workpiece itself in order to hold it securely with respect to the cutting or grinding tool.
One mounting system that provides such additional stabilizing force on the end wall of the workpiece was especially developed for use in connection with composite rotors by RELS Manufacturing Company of Rockford, Minn. This system employs a pair of circular plates instead of a cone and backing plate to hold the workpiece on the shaft. The RELS system for composite rotors also utilizes the center locator and the nut and spacer of the RELS system for drums that is discussed hereinabove. However, instead of using a cone to align and hold the rotor on the locator, this system uses a pair of plates, each of which is provided with a central hole that is adapted for sliding engagement with the center locator. One of the plates is substantially flat, and the other has a raised ring around its central hole. This ring is precisely sized to fit inside and to mate with the central hole in a particular rotor. Since each such plate has two sides or faces, one raised ring may be provided on each side, but each such plate can then only accommodate rotors having two specific center hole sizes. It would be necessary to have a plurality of such plates in order to be prepared to machine rotors having different center hole sizes.
Another means for providing an addition al stabilizing force on the end wall of the workpiece is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,165,662 of Besenbruch et al. The Besenbruch system has two embodiments, one for holding a drum and one for holding a rotor. In order to mount a drum, the Besenbruch system employs as a backing member an adapter having a front face with a conical recess and a central hole therethrough so that the adapter may be fit over the shaft of the lathe. After this adapter and the drum are placed over the shaft, a cone having a cylindrical bore and a small end and a large end is fitted over the shaft so that its small end protrudes through the central hole in the end wall of the drum and is received in the adapter. A circular, rigid, anti-chatter, aligning and straightening plate having a central hole to receive the shaft is then placed over the shaft in front of the drum. The plate is provided with a plurality of threaded holes spaced therearound to receive a plurality of adjustment bolts, which bear adjustably against the circular end wall of the drum. The shaft has a threaded hole in its end, and a bolt is provided that mates with the threaded hole. A plurality of spacers are placed over the bolt and the bolt is threaded into the end of the shaft.
The Besenbruch system for rotors includes a pair of cones, each having a cylindrical bore and a small end and a large end, as well as a cylindrical adapter having a central bore and a conical end face. One cone is fitted over the shaft so that its small end faces outwardly. The cylindrical adapter is then placed over the shaft so that the small end of the first cone protrudes into its central bore, and the rotor is placed in front of the adapter. The second cone is then placed over the shaft so that its small end protrudes through the central hole in the end wall of the rotor and is received in the cylindrical adapter. A circular, rigid, anti-chatter, aligning and straightening plate that is essentially identical to the one employed for drums is then placed over the shaft in front of the drum. The plate, like the one for drums, is provided with a plurality of threaded holes spaced therearound to receive a plurality of adjustment bolts, which bear adjustably against the circular end wall of the rotor. The shaft has a threaded hole in its end, and a bolt is provided that mates with the threaded hole. A plurality of spacers are placed over the bolt and the bolt is threaded into the end of the shaft. When either of the Besenbruch systems are installed to hold a workpiece on a lathe, the various adjustment bolts must each be adjusted to apply a stabilizing force to the end wall of the workpiece in order for the anti-chatter plate to be effective. Furthermore, it is frequently necessary to adjust the bolts, turn the workpiece on the lathe to check for vibration and adjust the bolts again to eliminate it. Several adjustment steps may be required before machining of the workpiece can proceed.
Another means for providing a stabilizing force on the end wall of a workpiece was devised primarily for use in connection with workpieces of unitary construction, having relatively thick end walls. This mounting means employs a cone that is placed on the shaft with its small end protruding into the central hole of the end wall of the workpiece, and a pair of bell-shaped clamps that are placed on the shaft with their open "bell" ends facing the end wall, one on each side. A spring may also be placed between one of the bell clamps and the cone to maintain the cone in place in contact with the central hole in the end wall of the workpiece. Suitable spacers are placed over the shaft outside the outer bell clamp and a nut is fastened onto the externally-threaded outer end of the shaft. The bell clamps are thereby secured in place on the shaft, each in contact with one side of the end wall of the workpiece, although generally, the configuration of the "bell" ends is such that only a part thereof will be in contact with the end wall.
This mean s of mounting a workpiece on the rotary shaft of a lathe may be acceptable for use in mounting many brake drums and rotors of unitary construction, because it applies a stabilizing force at several widely separated points on the end wall. However, such mounting means may not be suitable for use with the newer drums and rotors of composite construction. As has been mentioned, the thinner end walls of composite drums and rotors are more likely to be subject to vibration and deflection during machining than are the thicker end walls of workpieces of unitary construction. Therefore, the bell clamps generally do not apply sufficient force on the thin end walls of composite workpieces to maintain them in a stable position with respect to the cutting or grinding tool. Consequently, the workpieces will be subject to vibration or chattering, which precludes obtaining a smooth finish on the friction surface or surfaces.
In order to eliminate vibration and chattering in the end walls of composite drums and rotors, it is necessary to apply a greater force to the end walls than can readily be applied by the bell clamps, without causing distortion of the shaft. As has been mentioned, the bell clamps were designed to provide a stabilizing force or forces to the end wall of a workpiece. They were not designed to provide a larger force, a clamping or compressive force, such as is generally required to prevent or eliminate chattering. One reason that the bell clamps do not provide sufficient force to hold the end walls is that they are fastened in place by means of a nut that is threaded onto the externally-threaded outer end of the arbor or shaft. This arbor is generally designed so that the nut on its threaded end may be used to hold a workpiece or an adapter in place thereon, but it is not generally suitable for the application of compressive forces to items mounted thereon. If it is desired to tighten the nut so as to apply a compressive force thereby, care must be taken to avoid overtightening that warps the end of the shaft so that it is no longer properly aligned with its axis of rotation. Another reason that the bell clamps do not provide sufficient compressive force to hold the thin end walls is due to the wide spacing of the stabilizing forces which they apply to the end wall. As has been mentioned, the bell clamps generally have gaps in their contact surfaces, or the surfaces that contact the end wall of the workpiece. These gaps are designed to reduce the surface area in contact with the end wall so that the minimal force applicable through the tightening of the arbor nut will be translated into a sufficient force per unit area that will serve to stabilize the workpiece on the arbor. However, this stabilizing force is generally not sufficient to prevent vibration and chattering in workpieces having thin end walls as such workpieces are machined. In addition, this stabilizing force is frequently inadequate to hold the workpiece securely so as to prevent it from slipping as its friction surface or surfaces are machined on the shaft.
It would be desirable, therefore, if a kit of components could be developed that would be suitable for securing a workpieces comprising brake drums and rotors of unitary or composite construction on a lathe having a rotary driven shaft, such that the end wall of the workpiece is maintained in a position substantially perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the shaft. It would also be desirable if such a kit could be developed that would be suitable for mounting workpieces having a variety of end wall sizes and thicknesses, and having a variety of central hole sizes, without requiring a separate adapter for each of the various sizes and end wall configurations. It would also be desirable if such a kit could be developed that would be suitable for mounting both drums and rotors in the same or a similar fashion. It would also be desirable if such a kit could be developed that is capable of applying a compressive force to the end wall of a workpiece, especially one of composite construction, in order to eliminate vibration without the risk of warping the shaft of the lathe. It would also be desirable if such a kit could be developed that would not require that several adjustment steps be taken to eliminate chattering in the end wall of the workpiece. It would also be desirable if such a kit could be developed that would be compatible with existing systems for mounting of workpieces.


A stacked current mirror circuit includes four N-channel MOS transistors. One transistor serves as an input device for conducting via its drain, a majority of the reference current. Another transistor is connected as a mirroring device, with its drain coupled to a voltage source, its gate coupled to the gate of the input device, and its source coupled to the source of the input device at a first common node. These two transistors couple to form a first current mirror circuit which couples to the input of a second current mirror comprising the third and fourth transistors. The drain and gate of the third transistor couple to the first common node and the gate of the fourth transistor. The sources of both the third and fourth transistors couple to a second common node (e.g., ground), and the drain of the fourth transistor provides the output. As a result, current is mirrored from the input device transistor to the mirroring device transistor, and then forced through the third transistor. The current is then mirrored from the third transistor to the fourth transistor which forces the current to the output line.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to transistor current sources, and in particular, to current mirror circuits.
2. Description of the Related Art
Current mirror circuits of the type to which the present invention relates are widely used as basic building blocks in the design of analog integrated circuits. They may be employed as biasing elements, active loads (e.g., such as in amplifier stages) or as all-purpose current sources (e.g., such as bit current cells in analog-to-digital converters). Some desirable current mirror attributes include accuracy, low voltage drop, and high speed (bandwidth). Basic topologies for conventional current mirror circuits that have proven useful are the simple current mirror, the Wilson mirror, and the cascode mirror.
A current mirror is a current input/output device which, ideally, has zero input impedance and infinite output impedance, so that current output remains a fixed function of current input, regardless of variations in output load, variations in output voltage, or fluctuations in the applied power source. However, the conventional current mirror circuit experiences problems when operating at high current.
In high current applications, the output transistor must be relatively large to facilitate the high current required. Therefore, in most realizable integrated processes, the parasitic capacitance, formed by the internal capacitance between the gate of this output transistor and ground, will be relatively large. As a result, when the current mirror circuit drives this largely capacitive low impedance load an undesirable low frequency pole is created. This pole is formed with the capacitance and the impedance of the current mirror circuit. The problem arises due to the inability to do more than only slightly adjust the pole without affecting the gain ratio desired to amplify the input current. Though particular embodiments discussed herein are implemented utilizing N-channel MOS circuit technology, it should be understood that the same circuits may also be implemented utilizing P-channel MOS or bipolar circuit technologies.
FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art simple current mirror 10 implemented using N-channel MOS transistors. Ideally, the function of current mirror 10 is to match channel current I.sub.OUT through transistor T2 to channel current I.sub.IN through transistor T1, such that current I.sub.OUT "mirrors" current I.sub.IN. The gate of transistor T2 connects to the gate of transistor T1, and the sources of transistors T1 and T2 connect to a common voltage source (e.g., ground), so that the gate-to-source voltages of transistors T1 and T2 are equal (V.sub.GS1 =V.sub.GS2). Therefore, when transistor T2 operates in saturation, the channel current I.sub.OUT through transistor T2 is equal to some pre-established fixed multiple of channel current I.sub.IN through transistor T1. This is true for devices operating both at or above threshold (V.sub.GS1 .gtoreq.=V.sub.T) and in the subthreshold region (V.sub.GS <V.sub.T).
The simple current mirror circuit experiences problems when operating at high currents, thereby requiring T2 to be relatively large. The result is the creation of the low frequency pole formed by the impedance of the circuit and the capacitance of transistor T2 between its gate and ground.
Forms of cascoding or stacking of current mirror circuits have been utilized to reduce the effect of the pole while simultaneously achieving a desired gain. FIG. 2 illustrates a prior art N channel current mirror, commonly known as the "Wilson current mirror." The sources of transistors T1 and T2 are connected together to ground, and the gates of transistors T1 and T2 are connected together. Therefore, the source-gate voltage of transistors T1 and T2 are equal (V.sub.GS1 =V.sub.GS2). The gate and drain of transistor T2 are connected together, forcing transistor T2 into saturation. The input current I.sub.IN which is to be mirrored is connected to the drain of transistor T1 and an output current I.sub.OUT is seen at the drain of a third transistor T3. Transistor T3 isolates the drain of transistor T2 from the voltage applied to the drain of transistor T3, thereby preventing any variation in T3 drain voltage from affecting current I.sub.IN.
An undesirable side effect of cascoding, however, is that output voltage swing (range of output voltage for which the output resistance remains high) becomes limited due to the need to maintain additional series-connected devices in their desired (e.g., saturated for MOS devices) operating regions. This problem of loss of voltage range is further compounded by the increasing desire to provide integrated circuits capable of operating at lower V.sub.DD voltages of 3.0 V rather than 5.0 V. This low voltage in a conventional current mirror circuit is in many circumstances insufficient to allow design and/or proper operation of circuitry serving as current sources. Additionally, the cascoding configuration fails to eliminate the effect of the low frequency pole created at the input node when the circuit operates at high current.
A conventional cascode current mirror 30 is shown in FIG. 3. The cascode mirror 30 is characterized by the addition of a second mirrored pair of transistors T3 and T4, respectively connected between the first pair of transistors T1 and T2 and the input/output terminals, as shown. Transistor T3 has its drain connected to input terminal+V.sub.IN and its source connected to the drain of transistor T1. Transistor T4 has its drain connected to output terminal+V.sub.OUT, its source connected to the drain of transistor T2, and its gate connected to the gate of transistor T3. As a result, current I.sub.IN flowing through transistors T1 and T3, and current I.sub.OUT flowing through transistors T2 and T4 are related in accordance with a fixed aspect ratio of transistors T1 and T2, as for the simple mirror circuit 10 of FIG. 1. Cascode current mirror 30 is, therefore in effect, a cascaded series of two current mirrors 10 of FIG. 1.
This cascode circuit 30 has the same problems as the "Wilson current mirror" circuit in that voltage range loss occurs because of the series-connected transistor configuration and the low frequency pole remains in high current operation.
As mentioned above, there is a strong demand for current mirror circuits designed to operate at high current and with low voltage requirements. However, when the existing circuits operate at high current and drive large transistors having extremely large capacitances between their gates and ground, a low frequency pole results. In these existing current mirror circuits, there is no way to do more than only slightly alter the pole without affecting the gain. Thus, a need exists for a circuit comprising small transistors that reduces the effect of this low frequency pole without lowering the gain, operates at a low voltage, and drives very large signals at the output while maintaining wide bandwidth and high current.

Current mirror current source with current shunting circuit


Systems, methods, and computer program products are provided for synchronizing device settings at a mobile device with settings held at a database in a synchronization server. This settings exchange mechanism is further extended to provide versioning information used in an auto upgrade process, in which the synchronization server is configured to push updates to the mobile device. Additional systems, methods, and computer program products are provided for configuring logging preferences on the mobile device from a server, and further for silently retrieving logs generated on the mobile device to the server.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to enterprise networks and, more specifically, to synchronization and logging on mobile devices.
2. Description of the Background Art
In an enterprise environment, administrators need the ability to properly control devices attached to the enterprise network, and to diagnose the devices, without requiring intervention from end-users of the devices. Presently, it is necessary for administrators to perform many configuration functions manually on mobile devices attached to enterprise e-mail systems. In order to have remote access to the devices, third-party applications may be used specifically for this function, which results in significant overhead. This is similarly the case with device logging mechanisms. Installing and maintaining these components requires occasional user intervention, as the processes are under the mobile device user's control.
Accordingly, what is desired is a mechanism for performing configuration and diagnostic functions using an existing enterprise framework.


A system is set forth for cooling the circulating oil of an air cooled motorcycle engine having an oil pump and a mount for an oil filter, oil from the pump delivered to the filter and from the filter back to the engine for re-circulation. The system includes an oil cooler secured to the motorcycle, which may be a radiator cooler or the engine guard A diverter and an adapter assembly is disposed between the filter and mount and is adapted to direct oil to the cooler, through the cooler for cooling thereof, from the cooler back to the diverter for supply through the adapter assembly to the filter and return to the engine. The adapter assembly is disposed between the diverter and filter for certain model engines to turn the axis of the assembly so that the system can be provided for these engines.

Some types of motorcycles have air cooled engines. Notably, motorcycles manufactured by Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Company of Milwaukee, Wis. have large displacement, four stroke, air cooled engines. As is well known, these engines have an oil pump which circulates oil through the engine to lubricate the components thereof and to carry away the accumulated heat of combustion and friction. Under normal operations for a motorcycle of the type described above having a displacement of 80 cubic inches, the oil pump has a discharge pressure of about 12 to 14 PSI. To assure proper circulation and lubrication, it is important that the pressure be maintained. A significant drop in oil pressure can result in damage to engine components.
As is also well known, engines of the type described have replaceable oil filters which are coupled to the engine by suitable means to filter the oil. Typically a mount having a threaded port is presented to threadably mount the filter. The port has an axial bore through which oil from the filter is returned to the engine for re-circulation by the oil pump. The filter has a threaded center bore such that the filter can be threaded and unthreaded from the port. To supply oil to the filter, disposed about the port are one or more openings through which oil from the engine delivered by the oil pump is supplied to the filter. Hence, the oil is pumped through the engine for a lubrication and heat transfer, from the openings and into the filter. Oil passes through the filtering media of the filter and returns to the crank case through the port axial bore.
With continuing reference to the engine of the type described above, the cooling of the engine is carried about by providing fins on the cylinder block. When the motorcycle is moving, forced convection heat transfer occurs to carry away heat.
In stagnant air flow conditions such as when the motorcycle is stopped and running, and particularly in elevated ambient conditions such as in high heat and humidity, the temperature of the oil may rise to such a level that oil pressure is lost. In those circumstances the operator of the motorcycle must turn off the engine or risk damage thereto. The forgoing is true particularly for police motorcycles of the type described above which may be stopped in traffic or involved in slow moving, stop and go traffic. Under these conditions and in the engines of the type described above, insufficient cooling takes place to maintain oil pressure.
In the past, efforts have been made to provide additional oil cooling. For example, in Michl, U.S. Pat. No. 5,244,036, an oil cooler for motorcycle is shown. With reference to FIG. 1 herein, a motorcycle 10, of the type described above, is generically illustrated. The motorcycle 10 has a front wheel assembly 12 including a front wheel 14 and a front fork suspension 16 as is well known in the art. A rear wheel assembly 18 is also provided, both the front wheel and rear wheel assemblies 12 and 18 coupled to a motorcycle frame 20. An engine 22 provides power for the motorcycle 10. Foot pegs 24 provide a resting place for the operators feet. According to this reference, an oil cooler 26 is attached to the motorcycle frame 20 to follow the inverted V-shape pattern of the front portion of the motorcycle frame 20. This oil cooler is supplied with oil from the discharge of an oil filter 28 positioned between the frame 20 and engine 22 and transversely to the direction of travel for the motorcycle 10. The oil circulates through the oil cooler 26 and is returned to the oil reservoir for the motorcycle.
A drawback of prior oil coolers of the type described above, is that their close proximity to the engine does not provide for efficient cooling of the oil. Heat from the engine 22 transferred to the environment, particularly in stagnant conditions when the motorcycles not moving, will increase ambient temperature conditions about the oil cooler 26 effecting the efficiency thereof.
Furthermore, the oil coolers of the type described above provide no other function than as an oil cooler. It is a component which has no other utility than to operate as an oil cooler.
Still further, the location of the oil cooler 26 described, limits the service area available for cooling in that it is coupled to the frame 20. Still further, debris such as dirt and mud thrown up by the front wheel 14 may effect the heat transfer capabilities of the oil cooler.
It is therefore desirable to provide an oil cooler which overcomes these drawbacks.
Unrelated to oil coolers, and further by way of background, it has been known to provide motorcycles with an engine guard, sometimes referred to as a crash bar, mounted to the motorcycle frame to project to either side of the engine. These engine guards protect the engine components should the motorcycle fall to the side and in such event, may also provide the additional benefit of protecting the rider's legs. For Harley-Davidson motorcycles of the type described above, these engine guards may have an inverted U-shape and may be 80 inches long or more with an outside diameter of 1.25 inches. Typically, these engines guards, for purposes of appearances, have a chrome finish.
Heretofore, the art of oil coolers and engine guards have been unrelated.


Disclosed is a heat exchanger, particularly an exhaust gas heat exchanger for an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle, comprising a housing jacket that is open at both ends, and a tube bundle which is inserted into said housing jacket and is penetrated by the hot exhaust gas. The aim of the invention is to produce said heat exchanger in an inexpensive and functionally safe manner. Said aim is achieved by the fact that only the tube bundle with the tube bottoms thereof, which are located on the front side, are made of metal while the housing jacket into which the tube bundle is inserted along with the tube bottoms is made of plastic. The dimensions of the transition between at least the tube bottom that is impinged upon by the hot medium entering the tube bundle on the feeding side are selected in such a way in the direction of the housing jacket that a drop in temperature that is sufficiently great regarding the thermal resistance of the plastic is definitely obtained all the way to the contact area on the housing jacket.

The invention relates to a heat exchanger, in particular an exhaust gas heat exchanger of an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle.
Such a heat exchanger is known from EP 0 930 429 A2. The invention is concerned with the problem of being able to manufacture a heat exchanger of the generic type in a cost-effective and functionally reliable fashion.


A twist-on wire connector having a housing with a spiral tread for engaging and holding electrical wires in an electrical connection and a chamber for carrying a member having a wire passageway so that the electrical wires can be retained within the connector by a wire holder to inhibit strain therein and a method of making an electrical connection that inhibits strain of the wire by inserting a plurality of wires into a spiral thread of a twist-on wire connector, rotating the plurality of wires to bring the electrical wires into electrical connection with each other and squeezing a member around the plurality of wires to bring the member into frictional contact along a portion of the plurality of wires to axially restrain the plurality of wires and thereby inhibit strain on the plurality of wires held in the electrical connector.

A number of connectors are known in the art for holding wires in electrical connectors. A number of different embodiments are known for use in relation twist-on wire connectors or related connectors. The following are examples of various connectors that include some type of assistance for holding the wires within the connector.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,151,239; 5,113,037; 5,023,402 and Re 37,340 show a twist-on wire connector with external clips that the wire is looped around to hold the wire in the connector.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,025,559 discloses a twist-on wire connector where the wires are joined in a bundle and inserted into the twist-on wire connector.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,051,791 shows a connector wherein wires are twisted and wrapped around a v-shaped slot in a shell to hold the wires in position as the wires are inserted into a sealant.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,315,066 shows a twist-on wire connector wherein a barrier layer is hardened around the wires in a twist-on wire connector to hold the wires in the wire connector.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,083,003 shows an enclosure to prevent the wires from being removed from the housing.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,839,473 discloses a splice enclosure where a twist-on wire connector is held within a housing with the entire twist-on wire connector is inserted in the housing and the wires are inserted into channels in order to strain relive the connection.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,053,704 discloses a wire connector having the a plug with arms on a plug to restrain the wires in the connector.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,109,051 shows an electrical connector with a locking element having openings therein for inserting wires to hold the wires in the connector.
Although the art is replete with various members to hold the electrical wires in the electrical connector through hooking or looping the wire around a member there is need for a connector that minimizes or reduces the strain on a plurality of wires that are secured in a twist-on wire connectors. In addition, there is a need for a simple easy to use twist-on wire connector that can secure the wires into an electrical connection as well as secure the wires in a strain free condition in the wire connector either during the insertion of the wires into the connector or after the wires have been inserted into the electrical connector. The present invention provides for on-the-go formation of an electrical connection that inhibits strain on the electrical connections and permits a user to reuse or readjust the wires in the electrical connector.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A protective and at least in part heat-insulating cover for a battery, especially an automobile battery disposed in an automobile, having a pleasing appearance, and having a molded, rigid plastic support with at least a top wall and side walls, which walls are sufficiently rigid so as to be self supporting. Heat insulation is disposed on at least a portion of at least one wall and an envelope of plastic material encloses the insulation. Attachments attach the envelope to at least a portion of at least one wall.

Electrical storage batteries must often operate in hostile environments, especially those environments of high temperature. The electrical current output of such batteries and the reliability of the batteries are strongly dependent upon the temperature of the battery and high temperature environments can very substantially adversely affect the operation and reliability of the battery. High temperatures can cause failure of the grid system of the electrode plates and, hence, failure of the battery.
While the present invention is broadly applicable to a cover for batteries, the above-noted hostile environment and, particularly, high temperatures of the battery are increasingly encountered in modern automobiles, especially in hot climates, and for the sake of conciseness, that particular application of the present cover will be discussed hereinafter, although it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited thereto.
In this regard, there is a considerable effort in the art to downsize modern automobiles. This downsizing has resulted in more and more restrictions on space available under the hood of an automobile for placement of the automobile battery. The position of the battery placement is often referred to in the art as the "real estate" occupied by the battery, and in view of the shrinking total real estate under the hood of a modern automobile, the battery has been placed closer and closer to other operating mechanisms under the hood. Many of those operating mechanisms generate substantial heat, e.g. the manifold, and when the real estate of the battery is in close proximity to such heat-generating devices, in operation of the automobile, the battery may be heated by those devices to unacceptable temperatures. Also, and just as importantly, modern automobiles have smaller and smaller air-intake grills, or no grill at all, and this engenders increased and severe operational temperatures and the resulting reliability difficulties. This is especially true when the automobile is operated in hot climates.
In contrast to the modern automobile, older larger automobiles have considerable total real estate under the hood, and the real estate occupied by the battery could be spaced far from any heat-generating devices. Those older automobiles also had generous air-intake grills. Thus, the air flow around the battery during movement of the automobile was more than sufficient to keep the battery cool and to keep the battery at essentially the same temperature throughout. This luxury of real estate and large grills is no longer available in modern automobiles, and increasing difficulties have been encountered in the operation and reliability of the battery, as the battery real estate is moved closer and closer to such heat-generating devices and grills shrink or disappear.
Some automobile manufacturers have addressed this problem by moving the battery from under the hood to, for example, under the rear seat. However, while this solves the problem of overheating of the battery, it engenders other problems of considerable difficulty, e.g. lack of easy access, the possibility of toxic battery fumes entering the passenger compartment, and the difficulty of servicing that battery. For these reasons, it is particularly desired to retain the battery real estate under the hood of the automobile, but to, at the same time, mitigate the difficulties encountered in the higher temperature environments.
To this end, the art has proposed battery covers, but prior art battery covers have not been successful and have not been widely adopted in automobile manufacture. Some of such battery covers are simply insulating blankets, but such insulating blankets have the difficulty of being damaged by ordinary operation and maintenance of the motor vehicle, e.g. damaged by oil and water, or damaged in removing and replacing the blankets from the battery when servicing the battery. The blankets, being bulky, also occupy too much real estate and are unsightly.
The art has also proposed rigid molded plastic battery boxes in which a top lid or portion of the box is removable for insertion of the battery. While these battery boxes do provide some measure of protection to the battery, the molded plastic boxes do not have significant thermal insulation, and the thermal problem, noted above, continues to exist. This is true even with such boxes which have double walls with an insulating air space therebetween. In addition, in order to slip the battery in and out of the battery box, there must be sufficient clearance between the inside walls of the battery box and the battery for ease of that movement. This results in the total real estate occupied by the battery and battery box to be greater than the real estate occupied by the battery alone, and such significant increase in real estate is not desirable in modern automobiles.
While such a battery box could be constructed of an insulating material, such insulating material must be of reasonable thicknesses in order to provide substantial insulation, e.g. at least one quarter inch or one half inch thick, and such an insulated battery box substantially further increases the total real estate occupied by the battery and insulated battery box, which is undesirable in view of the efforts in the art to conserve the real estate under the hood. Further, while such an insulated battery box could prevent heat passing from a nearby heated device, e.g. a manifold, to the battery, that same insulated battery box will, to a large measure, reduce the cooling effect for the battery by air flowing over that battery box when the automobile is moving. This is true even when an air duct is directed toward the battery, since the cooling effect thereof is not sufficient and the cost of such ducting in undesired. Further, ducting systems for cooling effectively operate only when the automobile is moving at high speeds. In a sense, therefore, the insulated battery box is counterproductive in cooling the battery and maintaining the battery at proper operating temperatures.
It would, therefore, be of substantial advantage in the art to provide a protective and insulating cover for a battery which not only prevents the battery from being excessively heated by adjacent heating devices, but also allows the battery to be cooled, in the normal manner, by air passing over the battery cover during movement of the automobile and by convection when the automobile is travelling at low speeds or is stationary. It would further be a very substantial advantage to the art to provide the above with, essentially, little increase in the real estate required for the battery and battery cover.


An auto-balancing device, as well as a turntable device and a disc driving device equipped with the auto-balancing device are disclosed. The auto-balancing device, which includes a housing, which is coupled with a rotating body, and in which an annular insertion groove is formed; a correcting ring, rotatably inserted in the insertion groove; and multiple correcting balls, positioned between the correcting ring and an outward inwall of the insertion groove, can reduce noise and vibration for a rotating body during acceleration and deceleration and during high-speed rotations.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an auto-balancing device, and to a turntable device and a disk driving device equipped with the auto-balancing device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recent developments in electronics have led to the use of high-capacity information storage apparatus, such as the CD (compact disc), DVD (digital versatile disc), BD (Blu-ray disc), HD DVD (high definition DVD), etc. Accordingly, there is also a demand for high-speed rotations in the disc drive, which is a device for operating such storage apparatus.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an optical disc drive motor according to the related art. Referring to FIG. 1, the motor 10 may be equipped with a turntable device 20. While the motor 10 according to the related art may not provide any problems for rotations at low speeds, but for high speed rotations, the motor 10 may cause serious problems. The centrifugal force applied to a rotating object increases quadratically with respect to the increase in rotation speed. Thus, an increase in the rotation speed of the motor 10 is correlated with an increase in vibration.
The more the rotation speed of the motor 10 is increased, the greater will be the degree of unbalanced centrifugal force, where the resulting vibration may cause difficulty in reading or writing information from or to a disc. Although recent developments in motor-manufacturing techniques have reduced manufacturing tolerances, etc., to increase precision in the products, this is correlated with a rise in manufacturing costs.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an optical disc drive motor installed with a turntable device according to the related art. Referring to FIG. 2, a turntable device 30 equipped with an auto-balancing device according to the related art may include multiple correcting balls 32 in a ring-shaped insertion groove. During low-speed rotations, the positions of the correcting balls 32 may be random. After the rotation speed exceeds a certain level, the correcting balls 32 may be distributed evenly across the insertion groove, due to centrifugal forces. In an unbalanced state, the distribution of the correcting balls 32 may be temporarily concentrated in a particular area to resolve this unbalance.
However, at around the resonance point, a phenomenon may occur, in which the correcting balls do not halt within the insertion groove but instead continue to rotate, where this phenomenon is liable to cause problems in operation. Moreover, the correcting balls may act as a dead load in cases where the rotating shaft of the motor forms an angle with the direction of gravity, and problems of noise and vibration may occur during acceleration or deceleration, when the correcting balls collide with one another.

Auto-balancing device, turntable device, and disc driving device


A method for managing a customer edge device includes: receiving, by a UNI set in a third-party operator network, an E-LMI packet sent by a VUNI set in a service provider network, where the VUNI is configured to manage a RUNI correlated with an EVC in the third-party operator network; converting, by the UNI, a unicast DMAC address in the E-LMI packet into a multicast DMAC address; and sending, by the UNI, the converted E-LMI packet to a CE device connected with the UNI. The E-LMI packet sent by the VUNI set in a service provider network may penetrate the third-party operator network, so that the management information of the service provider network can be transmitted to the CE device that is connected with the third-party operator network through the UNI.

Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) is a nonprofit organization that specializes in solving metropolitan Ethernet technology problems. It aims to expedite Ethernet standardization, and uses the Ethernet technology as a switching technology and a transmission technology for constructing metropolitan area networks, solving the problems of the Ethernet, and meeting the requirements of operators for carrying out services, where the problems of the Ethernet are lacking carrier-class Operation Administration and Management (Operation Administration and Management (OAM)) capabilities, lacking end-to-end quality of service (Quality of Service (QoS)) assurance, and so on.
Currently, the MEF has finished phase 1 (Phase 1st) and phase 2 (Phase 2nd), and is now developing relevant standards of phase 3 (Phase 3rd). Phase 3 includes the content such as an external network and network interface (External Network and Network (E-NNI)), a virtual user network interface (Virtual User Network Interface (VUNI)), and a remote user network interface (Remote User Network Interface (RUNI)), and so on.
The network to network interface (Network to Network Interface (NNI)) specification is used to define the operation and administration interface between networks such as operator network and service provider network. Currently, the NNI specification is still under development, and is a focus of research in phase 3.
In the existing NNI specification developed by the MEF, for a service that is performed across a domain. Namely, when a service provider network is connected with a customer edge device through a third-party operator network, a method for managing the CE device automatically is not provided. For example, information such as configuration information or fault information is sent to the CE device.

Method for managing customer edge device automatically and PE device


Method for decomposing thermally decomposable components such as organic compounds which are present in gases, whereby these gases are led through a heat exchange medium consisting of particles of a substance such as clay or aluminates which resist decomposing at the decomposition temperature of the decomposable of the decomposable components, and whereby these gases are heated in the heat exchange medium up to the decomposition temperature of the decomposable components. The heat exchange medium is continuously carried around and consequently carried away from a first zone (30) in which this heat exchange medium heats the gases and is again carried to a second zone (31) in which the heat exchange medium is heated, at least partly by the waste gases of the combustion of the decomposable components and/or of the decomposition products thereof and by the remainder of the gases which were further heated by this combustion, which combustion mainly takes place in a combustion zone (32) situated between these zones (30 and 31).

1. Field of the Invention
This application is a national stage filing under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.371 of PCT/BE96/00004 filed 16 Jan. 1996.
The present invention concerns a method for purifying gases which contain thermally decomposable components, whereby these thermally decomposable components are thermally decomposed.
2. Related Technology
By thermally decomposable components are mainly understood volatile organic components which usually give off an unpleasant smell. Such components are for example aromatic or aliphatic compounds.
Due to the decomposition, these decomposable components are decomposed in harmless end products.
In particular, the invention concerns a method for decomposing thermally decomposable components, in particular volatile organic components which are present in gases, whereby these gases are led through a heat exchange medium consisting of particles which resist the decomposition temperature, and whereby these gases are heated in said heat exchange medium up to the decomposition temperature of the decomposable components. The gases may be derived from the drying and/or burning of organic waste and may largely consist of steam.
In a known method of the above-mentioned type, the gases are carried downward by means of a stationary heat exchange medium consisting of ceramic rings, in which is erected an electrical heat resistor.
In this known method, the heat exchange medium is polluted relatively fast, so that it has to be replaced relatively quickly.
This known method cannot be used for damp gases.


Battery charging systems having battery charging circuits are described. The battery charging circuit can be located within a battery housing. Alternatively, the battery charging circuit can be located within a charging shoe housing. Also described are power source modules. In addition, various methods of charging and discharging are described.

Many power tool batteries utilize a stand alone power source or charger capable of delivering a required charge to a battery. These chargers comprise a power cord which is typically connected to an AC power source or, less commonly, connected to a car outlet capable of delivering 12V DC. A charging circuit capable of converting the previously noted power source to a required charging power, is disposed within a housing capable of direct engagement to the appropriate corresponding battery. Known stand alone chargers are relatively large and require the exact corresponding charger circuit for proper charging. Therefore, a need remains for a battery that does not rely on a traditional charger and related charging method.

Battery charging circuit integrated inside battery pack


A light source apparatus according to an embodiment of the present technology includes a wheel, a rotation drive unit, and a first adhesive material. The wheel includes a light-emitting body that emits visible light by being excited. The rotation drive unit includes a support surface including a reference surface that comes into contact with the wheel and a non-contact surface that is set apart from the wheel, and causes the wheel supported by the support surface to rotate. The first adhesive material is filled in at least a part of a gap between the non-contact surface and the wheel.

From the past, image display apparatuses such as a projector have been widely used. For example, light from a light source is modulated by a light modulation device such as a liquid crystal device, and the modulated light is projected onto a screen or the like so as to display an image. As the light source, a mercury lamp, a xenon lamp, an LED (Light Emitting Diode), an LD (Laser Diode), or the like is used. Of those, a solid-state light source such as an LED and an LD has advantages that a lifetime is long and thus lamp exchange as in the past is unnecessary and that the light source is lit immediately after power is turned on.
For example, Patent Literature 1 describes a light source device that uses a plurality of laser light sources, and an image display device that uses this. In the light source device described in Patent Literature 1, blue laser light emitted from a light source part is collected at a predetermined point on a phosphor provided on a phosphor wheel as shown in FIG. 3. The phosphor is excited by the blue laser light to generate yellow fluorescence. Further, the phosphor transmits a part of the blue laser light. As a result, white light obtained by synthesizing the blue laser light and yellow light is emitted from the phosphor wheel (paragraphs [0035] to [0039] of Patent Literature 1, etc.).

Light source apparatus, image display apparatus, and optical unit


A flow control assembly for use in a fuel cell system, comprising a sensor for sensing hydrogen concentration in one of anode exhaust leaving an anode side of the fuel cell system and a gas derived from the anode exhaust, and a fuel flow control assembly for controlling the flow of fuel to the anode side of the fuel cell system based on the hydrogen concentration sensed by the sensor.

This invention relates to fuel cells and, in particular, to a gas flow control assembly for use in fuel cell systems.
A fuel cell is a device which directly converts chemical energy stored in hydrocarbon fuel into electrical energy by means of an electrochemical reaction. Generally, a fuel cell comprises an anode and a cathode separated by an electrolyte, which serves to conduct electrically charged ions. In order to produce a useful power level, a number of individual fuel cells are stacked in series with an electrically conductive separator plate between each cell.
Fuel cells operate by passing a reactant fuel gas through the anode, while oxidizing gas is passed through the cathode. The electrical output of the fuel cell system depends in part on the rates at which the fuel gas and the oxidizing gas are supplied to, and are carried through, the anode and the cathode, respectively, as well as on the energy content of the fuel. In addition, the efficiency of the fuel cell system depends in part on the fuel utilization, i.e. percentage of fuel utilized by the fuel cell, which is dependent on the fuel's energy content and the fuel flow rate. Conventional fuel cell systems are typically operated at a lower than an optimized fuel utilization, and thus at a lower efficiency, by passing more fuel through the fuel cell than is required for optimized operation in order to avoid starving the fuel cell system of fuel due to variations in the energy content of fuel Therefore, in order to optimize the fuel cell performance and to obtain a desired electrical output and efficiency from the fuel cell system, the energy content of the fuel needs to be monitored and the flow rate at which the fuel is supplied to the cells needs to be precisely controlled.
Conventional fuel cell systems have typically employed mass flow controllers to control the flow rate of the fuel gas to the fuel cell anodes according to the power output of the fuel cell. Conventional systems have also employed an online fuel composition analyzer to determine the composition of the fuel being supplied to the fuel cell system. In particular, mass flow controllers have been used in combination with the online fuel composition analyzer to control the amount of fuel being delivered to the fuel cell based on the fuel composition determination by the composition analyzer and on the power output of the cell.
As can be appreciated, these conventional methods of controlling the flow rate of the fuel to the anodes require the use of complex equipment. In addition, the reliability of the online fuel composition analyzer significantly declines when the fuel being analyzed has a high moisture content and significant variation in composition of the fuel, and also after prolonged operation of the analyzer. Therefore, the analyzer often needs to be re-calibrated to continue to accurately determine the fuel content. Accordingly, a means for controlling the fuel flow to the anode is needed which is accurate and reliable without requiring expensive equipment.
Another assembly and method for controlling the flow rate of fuel to the anode are provided in a commonly-assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/089,799, which is incorporated herein by reference. The '799 application discloses a control assembly which adjusts the flow of oxidant gas to the cathode based on content variations of anode exhaust gas and controls the flow of fuel to the anode based on the oxidant flow adjustment. Although the assembly disclosed in the '799 application does not require expensive equipment, an improved fuel flow control assembly with faster and more accurate flow adjustment is desired. In addition, means for controlling the fuel flow to the anode that is not affected by ambient temperature is also desired.
It is an object of this invention to provide an improved gas flow control assembly for controlling the flow of fuel to the anode which is reliable, accurate and which provides faster fuel flow adjustment.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved gas flow control assembly for controlling the flow of fuel to the anode which is not affected by ambient temperature and which has increased sensitivity to fuel composition variations.

Flow control assembly for use with fuel cell systems operating on fuels with varying fuel composition